Chapter 2Trial by Memory: Scapegoat of the Collapse

Upon seeing the chaos in the courtroom and the relentless arguments from the public gallery, the judge slammed the table hard, signaling everyone to be silent.

"The prosecution's witness will now take the stand."

The main doors opened, and in walked a man who appeared to be the same age as me. I recognized him at one glance. He was Quentin Harper, my classmate from university.

"To the prosecution's witness, please give your statement."

"The defendant and I were part of the overpass construction project. I witnessed, with my very own eyes, the defendant's failure in relaying the order to suspend the construction work when he arrived at the construction site.

"Instead, the works continued, causing the overpass to collapse."

Quentin paused, as if he had more to say. He then continued, "The defendant and I met back in university. Back then, his character was already a little twisted, and he had a really bad reputation. I didn't think it'd be the same now…"

The spectators began to whisper amongst one another.

"Was this how he was back in school? It's no wonder he caused this accident. Once a villain, always a villain."

"It serves him right. He already had such a terrible reputation back in school, and his character and conduct basically went down the drain once he stepped into society. Just sentence him already, so that he doesn't commit any more crimes."

"To the prosecution's witness, please do not make leading statements," the judge interrupted Quentin, prompting the gallery to quieten down at the same time.

He turned toward me, his expression stern.

"Aaron Bennett, the prosecution's witness alleges that your failure to deliver critical information on time caused the accident at the construction site. How do you plead?"

I hadn't expected them to be so thorough in their tactics and evidence just to pin the blame on me—including Quentin, the other person in charge of this project.

We were in different departments. In fact, he had nothing to do with me at all. So, I couldn't quite wrap my head around his reason for showing up in court as a witness.

I glanced at the evidence they presented and saw that it was all incriminating. It was clear they were determined to back me into a corner.

Fortunately, I had learned that the court had just released a new trial system that made it possible for memories to be retrieved straight from one's mind. It was just that it was still in the trial phase and had not yet been implemented.

I shook my head and replied firmly, "I do not plead guilty to these allegations. I am innocent, Your Honor. Using the latest technology, I'd like to request a direct replay of my memories."

The moment I said that, the faces of those seated at the prosecution's side fell immediately.

David, his expression livid, was the first to voice his skepticism. "I object, Your Honor. I… We did not mention anything about using the new technology. Plus, whatever happened has happened.

"Aaron is just trying to buy time. Don't listen to him, Your Honor."

Wallace immediately chimed in with his objection too. "That's right. This new system has never been used before. Who knows if it's accurate? What if something goes wrong?

"Your Honor, please just sentence him based on the existing evidence."

Meanwhile, Leia looked absolutely worried. She softened her tone, no longer sounding as assertive as she had been earlier.

She chimed in, saying, "That's right. Quit pushing it, Ronnie. Memory extraction sounds extremely risky. What happens if it damages your brain? We will think of a way to get your sentence reduced instead."

The trio's unusual reaction immediately drew the attention of those in the public gallery, prompting murmurs to spread among the crowd.

"What's with the strange reactions from those on the prosecution's side? The intern isn't actually their scapegoat, is he? Oh my goodness, imagine being the person who does nothing but grunt work, who then has to take the fall for such a major incident."

"But the proof is right there. There's no way he can actually overturn the case. Who knows? Perhaps Aaron is just trying to buy time. You sound absolutely confident right now, but you might just end up with egg on your face."

"I won't comment until I get the full picture. I don't want to be played like an idiot again. I'll just see how this plays out for now."

"Order in the court!" the judge called out, his expression stern as he struck his gavel.

"According to the regulations, the defendant does have the right to request the use of the new system as evidence. However, since memory extraction inherently involves personal privacy, we do not typically authorize its use without the consent of the individual in question.

"To the defendant, are you certain you'd like to proceed with your request?"

"Yes, I am," I answered with a nod, wasting no time.

When they saw how determined I was, those on the prosecution's side became restless. It was obvious that they were panicking.

David and Wallace exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with immense worry. Quentin was the only one who remained at the stand, studying me pensively.