World of Women - World of Women - V2 - Chapter 33
The rest of the week went by pretty quickly. I remained at home. I decided not to pay too much attention to the news based on advice from Rose. From what I understood, things the media were saying were not particularly nice. My incident with being found out was exposed to the media, and now there were talks about the implications of men dressing as women. There was quite a lot of rage and heated debates on both sides. It wasnāt all WRAs blindly attacking me. There were also fervent defenders, some of them bordering on cult-like in their desperate desires to protect me.
Suffice it to say, the entire city of Amaryllis was boiling, and I was the focal point. Rather than fret over it, I instead focused on my family. I left only once to visit my Mother and let her know how things were going. Our visit didnāt end with a visit to a certain room, but given my reputation in the city, even the guards were giving me complicated looks. You could tell which side every woman was on by how she looked at me. Some held disdain and hatred, while others held pity and concern.
I spent time with my daughters, Madison, and Rose. If things went badly, this might be the last time I had a chance to spend with them for a long time. Lyra managed to send me a single message during that time letting me know that things were getting quite dangerous on campus too. Even Rigor, Trey, and Ashton left the college for a while. Amaryllis Academy had become a no-male zone ruled by WRATH. To my understanding, many of the boys held me in contempt, feeling like if I hadnāt gone to that party, then none of this would be happening to them.
This information came from Ash who was still pretending to be a boy. Mako had informed me that Ash told her mother that she wanted to start therapy. Mako thanked me profusely for that, but other than a couple of letters, after leaving my mansion, she remained at the school. If she had visited my home too often, she would be suspected of being a sympathizer and it wouldnāt do her any favors. Thus, I hadnāt seen her again over that week. The same could be said about Lyra. Rebeccaā¦ I didnāt even know if sheād be willing to see me.
āItās time.ā Brookeās voice broke me out of my pensiveness, and I finished with my tie.
My trial awaits. I stood up, and Brooke pushed open the door, letting in more light from the hallway. After a moment, I followed after her. Brooke and I took a different car from Rose and Madison. Of course, they wanted to come and support me, but I didnāt want them to be pulled into any issues as I arrived at the courthouse.
At the entrance to the mansion, five policewomen met up with Brooke. After a brief moment, they got in their cars and turned on the lights, surrounding our vehicle in a protective barrier as we headed to the courthouse. Whether this was something the courts felt they had to do or something Brooke had arranged, I didnāt know.
I was shaking slightly, but not as much as I would have thought. I had my other memories to fall back on. I wasnāt just some fifteen-year-old child. I had been in court before, albeit that was specifically for my divorce. At the very least, I didnāt think I would choke. I tried to wear a placid and repentant face that wouldnāt provoke any woman to lash out at me. I wanted to look as sympathetic as possible, so on the car ride over, I opened a mirror and practiced my facial expressions. Seeing me making faces at a mirror, Brooke could only roll her eyes and give incredulous looks.
Before I realized it, our hover car was surrounded by people. There were shouting and signs everywhere. My eyes widened as we rolled into a world of complete anarchy. I tried to hide my face, but only a few moments later I heard words that made me go cold.
āItās Clyburn, heās in there!ā
Several people surged forward, but the police blared their sirens amd gave warnings to keep them at bay. I stared out in surprise. I had known the city was boiling, but hearing about something and seeing it were two completely different things. There were at least a few hundred people outside the courthouse. They were all women. Many had angry looks on their faces, although a couple just looked curious.
They held signs like āDown With Menā and the ever popular āBurn Cly-burnā. A few of them tried to throw things, but the cops were quick to step up and force them back. Even then, a few spots looked quite dangerous, with women screaming at the top of their lungs hate and vitriol. For the first time in my entire life, I truly felt what it was like to be despised.
āI never thought I was so hated,ā I mumbled.
āItās not you.ā Brooke sighed, glaring out into the public. āItās what you represent.ā
I glanced over at Brooke. āMen? How can the world turn itās back so thoroughly on an entire sex? Weāre necessary for the population to exist. Even if we werenāt, weāre still human beings!ā
Brookeās softened her expression, putting out a hand and gently patting my shoulder. āPeopleā¦ hate what they donāt understand. To many women, men are an anomaly. Few women have had a chance to get to truly know a guy like I have.ā
I peeked over at her. āAnd what do you think of men?ā
āGross. Disgusting. Hairy.ā Brooke snorted.
I chuckled. āAnd what do you think of me?ā
Brooke smiled silently, then opened the car door with a click. āWeāve arrived.ā
Before I could leave the car, the police detail had to create a perimeter around the car up to the courthouse. Brooke helped with that, working her was to my side of the car and finally opening my door for me. I covered my head with my coat as I finally stepped out into the crowd. The roaring increased several times, but I followed Brooke all the way in. I was glad that no one started throwing things. If I started being pelted by rocks, I might have ended up losing it.
Brooke led the way, so I simply kept my head down and watched her feet as we walked through the marble courthouse. The building was actually quite impressive and showed that Amaryllis was a somewhat large and rich city. It had several pillars as was made of polished white stone. There were various statues lining the walls and the hallways were large and grand. We made our way to a side room, and I finally sighed, dropping my coat as the door shut behind us. In front of me was a familiar face, Oswald. I had never thought in my entire life that I would actually be happy to see him, but I supposed situations made strange friends.
āClyburn, you made it one piece, thatās a start.ā Oswald said frankly.
I nodded, patting myself clean and straightening my hair so that I looked properly presentable for the trial. āWhat can we expect?ā
Oswald pulled out a folder, but he didnāt look at it as he peered up at me. āThe DA will almost certainly demand a quicktrial.ā
āWhatās a quicktrial?ā
āA right the DA holds. They can only request a few of them a year, but basically, in a non-murder trial, they can demand that the trial be truncated to only one day. The judge must reach a decision before the end of the day.ā
āSounds kind of unjust, doesnāt it?ā I frowned, not liking the idea of a decision that will last the rest of my life being decided so quickly.
āIn the past, a lot of lawyers would use various tactics to stretch out their case. They would bribe people with semen and generally use shotty techniques to delay sentencing until public opinion improved. I would knowā¦ Iāve used some of those tactics.ā
āWhat?ā I groaned.
āHey, I stuck within the law. Thus, the law changed.ā Oswald un-apologetically shrugged. āItās not a bad law when arresting someone who has too much money or someone who could potentially be dangerous. However, the prosecutors plan to use it, in this case, to strike while the iron is hot, so to speak. They wish to get you sentenced while emotions are at their peak. A prolonged trial will poke too many holes in their arguments. Thus, they want to dump all the guilt on you and not give people enough time to reason things out for themselves.ā
āIs the prosecution under the WRA thumb?ā I asked.
Oswald made a noise of approval, clearly surprised that I had thought of a question like this, which only bothered me a little. āNot exactly. The WRA has pull on the public. They know how to generate outrage and make the voices of a few sound like the only voices out there. The city has been heavily pressured by public outcries induced by them. Thatās the gist of it.ā
āAlright, is there anything I can do?ā
āShut up, look innocent.ā Oswald shrugged.
I furrowed my brow and added another wrinkle after I realized he was being serious and didnāt intend to say anymore. Brooke remained standing nearby, and I flipped through the folder that consisted of the case files. It looked like gobbledygook to me. Even if I understood the laws of my world, which I didnāt, this world was completely different and didnāt apply the same way. There seemed to be no jury, for starters, depending entirely on a single judge to ensure my innocence. If she was a WRA supporter, wouldnāt I be screwed before I could even think?
There was a knock on the door, and someone stopped by to tell Oswald it was time. He nodded and gestured for me to follow. Brooke stood by me, and I gave her an appreciative nod. At the moment, she was the only reason I hadnāt run for the hills. The rest of this was entirely too much for me to handle. Nervousness couldnāt even begin to describe how I felt at the moment. Even with my memories, I was just some businessman who lived a mundane life. How could I handle being some kind of symbol of the male lifestyle? I was being accused of rape and arson and probably more crimes.
I was stuck in a daze of lights and sounds. I could see pictures flashing and noises of people calling out. As I focused, I found that this courtroom wasnāt that much different than the ones Iād seen before in my previous world. The most notable difference was that the judge wasnāt as high up. The seats kept the judge at the same level as everyone else. Perhaps there was something symbolic about this choice, but I didnāt really care about the reason.
My face landed on someone sitting in the seating. It was Rebecca. She had her head down, her face had a complicated expression on it. Before I could stop myself, I called out to her. She glanced up at me, but when she saw me, her eyes furrowed and her expression turned angry. She looked away again.
I lowered my arm. Right, she was sitting on the prosecutorās side of the court surrounded by WRAs. Some of them were shouting quite rude things in my direction. As for Rebecca, it wasnāt like we had resolved anything. This wasnāt the kind of situation solved just because we had sex one time. Rebecca was still a lesbian, and a WRA supporter, and probably a male hater to boot.
There was a sound of a gavel being struck and only then did the court finally settle down. I sat in my seat, feeling the gaze of hundreds of people. Many of these people I had never met before, but they all knew me. Behind me were a few people I recognized. Lyra and Mako both sat behind me. There were also a couple of freshmen and teachers. Madison was there as well as Rose. There were absolutely no other men besides Oswald though. The decision today would affect all of them, yet not a one had the balls to be here.
Actually, my eyes widened when I saw exactly one man in the audience. He sat alone, with women keeping their distance. Other than me, he drew the most eyes in the room. Of course, he wasnāt a man at all. It was Ashton, still dressed as a man. The only man with the balls to show up to this trial wasnāt a man at all. Iād have laughed at the humor of it if the atmosphere wasnāt so stifling.
Despite not even being at the Precipice that night, the WRA shot Ashton just as many glares as they shot me. When our eyes met, she smiled at me. Even though she wasnāt much different than Lyra and Mako, she walked the path of a guy. She had an idea of how it felt to be chased, idolized, and hated by women simply for being able to produce seed. She mouthed the words good luck, and I nodded.
Meanwhile, the judge called the court into session and read off a list of pre-court procedure, including the names of the prosecution and the defendant, as well as the details of the case.
āI am an impartial judge flown in from the other side of the country. Judge Saba at your service.ā
āSheās female, how impartial can she be.ā I murmured under my breath.
Oswald rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored me. I concentrated on keeping a straight face and looking attentive while mostly not hearing half of what the judge said. It wasnāt that I didnāt think it was important to listen. It was more than my mind was on a hundred things or more and I just couldnāt focus. At the very least, I didnāt want to look inattentive or yawn at my trial, let alone suddenly do something inappropriate. My life continued or ended based on this womanās inclinations, and to me that was terrifying.
At this point, the lawyer on the prosecutions side lifted a wooden dowel, which seemed to be a sign for the judge to acknowledge her. āProsecution?ā
āYour honor, we would like to request a quicktrial.ā She spoke sharply, lowering her dowel.
āUnder what grounds?ā
āIf this man is found guilty of rape, we do not want him to have any further chance to perpetuate his rape over the course of a potentially lengthy trial, especially given the known temperament of his maleā¦ lawyer.ā The woman put on a disgusted face when she glared at Oswald.
Clearly, she didnāt think much of male lawyers. Already, the lawyer was a prejudice bitch in my mind. I wondered exactly how much more incentive she had to get from the WRA before she decided to go after me. I couldnāt imagine it was much at all.
āDefense?ā The judge raised an eyebrow as Oswald signaled her with his dowel.
āLet it be known that there has been no additional charges of rape over the last two months since the incident. Clyburn has shown no disposition for rape, and thus this implicates there is no reason for a quicktrial.ā
āYour honor, the defense appears to be in error. Just this morning, a new report was filed.ā
āWhat?ā Oswald appeared taken aback, and the grin on this lawyerās face made me want to punch her teeth out as I sat up, equally confused.
āA week ago, Clyburn dressed as a woman and snuck onto campus, where he continued to stalk one of his previous rape victims, Miss Rebecca Piers.ā The woman casually brought up a folder and put it in front of the judge. āHis stalking culminated in him raping Miss Piers again.ā
āThatās bullshit.ā I stood up and yelled before I could stop myself. āShe raped me!ā
The courtroom burst into talking, and I shot Rebecca a glare. She glanced down refusing to meet my gaze. With a look from Oswald, Brooke moved up and grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to sit back down. It was only when I hit the chair that I realized I hadnāt helped my case at all with my outburst.
The lawyerās shit-eating grin grew even bigger at my outburst. āShe raped you? How I wonder? A man must be hard to be raped? Why would you be hard if you were being raped. Clearly, an erection would be consent.ā
I wanted to shout back, āAnd a woman has to be wet to be fucked, so she gave consentā, but I bit my tongue and kept silent. This world had some backward thinking. How would I be able to explain to them that being erect did not imply consent? That was something this world likely had never once considered! I could only keep quiet so that Oswald stopped glaring at me. He looked embarrassed too. It wasnāt simply my outburst that upset him, it was how easily his words had been twisted in a lie to serve the WRAās goals. He had said that they didnāt care about the facts, just their endgame. I was starting to understand what that meant.
After flipping through the file, the judge nodded. Oswald signaled her again, but she made a gesture that seemed to tell him off. He sat, putting the dowel down, and crossing his arms while looking generally unhappy. That wasnāt a good sign for me.
āI will be permitting a quicktrial. Although the evidence provided isā¦ possibly spurious, especially given its last-minute submission and the defense not being given this information, I choose to err on the side of caution. Quicktrial approved! As pertaining to the rules of a quicktrial, you will each be provided an opening statement. The prosecution will call two witnesses, the defense will call two witnesses. You will have your closing statements, and then weāll all be home in time for supper.ā
There was a bit of laughing, but I wasnāt feeling particularly humorous at the moment. This was a trial that would essentially decide my entire life. How could I make light of it? More than that, I was deeply hurt by Rebecca. Although, now that I remembered it, I had told her to see it as me raping her. Had I brought this on myself? In the heat of the moment, I had said those words to calm her down. I couldnāt help but grimace at my own misguided stupidity.
āProsecution, begin your opening statement.ā
āYour honor, Clyburn Bornholt is a menace to society. At age twelve, when most boys were just learning what sex was, Clyburn was engaging in acts of extreme depravity. It is known that he himself was raped at the age of twelve by his own maid. Had someone gotten to him or properly talked to him at that time, perhaps he would have turned out better. Instead, that event implanted in him a strong sense that rape was okay, and that women wanted his seed.
āHe began to chase after every woman his age he could get at. The help and the helpās children, his own mother, his sisters, and more. By fourteen he had already impregnated his own mother and half-aunt. This act drove his mother insane, as she later was arrested for murder.ā
āObjection!ā Oswald called out, āMorgan is hardly insane. There has been no evidence of an unstable mental state. She is currently serving her time in prison. Her crime involved trying to protect her son.ā
āHer sonā¦ā The lawyer smirked. āFrom his crazy sister?ā
āā¦ā Oswald didnāt respond.
This only seemed to encourage the lawyer more. āYour honor, I retract my comment about the mother. It was his sister who went crazy. After all, she did spend time in a mental institution. This is the facts. It was wrong of me to assume it runs in the family. His sister attempted to kidnap and murder Clyburn. His mother only tried to kill her, and murdered an innocent bystander in the process.ā
āObjection. This is irrelevant. Morgan had her trial and got her sentence. Clyburn cannot be judged by the actions of his mother.ā
āHmphā¦ you know all about the actions of his mother, donāt you?ā She fired back.
āYouā¦ā Oswald stopped himself after taking one step forward, but the female lawyer let out a little scream and stumbled back, nearly tripping as if he had actually taken a swing at her.
āThis, your honor, male rage, is exactly the point of this trial. Let us not fool ourselves into assuming Clyburn is the only culprit. On September 15th, Clyburn and a group of hidden males sexually assaulted nearly thirty students. The punch was drugged with a chakra-enhanced drug which resulted in incapacitating the girls before they were systematically raped by Clyburn and his friends. They then attempted to burn the place down. Maybe he set the fire too fast and had second thoughts, I donāt know. What we do know is he was found with two naked women, one of them who had freshly been raped and even had semen inside her!
āThat teacher, Mako, follows his type perfectly. His mother, his aunt, his older sisters, his maidā¦ Clyburn enjoys targeting the power figures in his life. Like all men, he wants to exude his power over women to inflate his own pride. This is what he did that night when he raped Mako. He wanted to show a teacher that he was in control, so he took her, and he raped her. Although his seed is undeniably useful, the only proper course of action is to imprison him for life and extract his seed from his body in an environment where he can no longer hurt any more women.ā
Glancing back, I could see Mako, Rose, and Madison looking particularly unhappy. All three of their names had been dragged through the mud thanks to this female lawyerās claims.
āSomething is wrong hereā¦ā Oswald muttered quietly.
āWhatās that?ā I whispered to him.
āTheyāre way too informed.ā Oswald sighed. āHalf this information I only know because you told me yourself. As for public records, this information isnāt there!ā
āDefense, your opening statement.ā
āOswald?ā I looked over at him, my eyes creased.
Oswald stood up and shot me a reassuring look. āDonāt worry, I got this.ā
He walked to the center of the courtroom and began speaking. āYour honor. My client is innocent. First off, there is no direct evidence that he raped anyone. The story he provided is not only consistent with his character but also consistent with the facts. He was witnessed as dressing as this Clarice character. The police reports go on record claiming that Clarice also collapsed as a result of being drugged. What rapist would drug himself?
āThe prosecutionās background information on the defendant is thorough, and there was one thing that it shows about Clyburn that our prosecution here failed to mention.ā The lawyer gave Oswald a glare as he passed by her. āClyburnās history has shown his love and devotion to his family. His mother and his sisters meant everything to him. Thus, he went to that party in disguise to save her. He was drugged, just like the other women. He woke up just in time, the Precipice likely already on fire. He found and saved his sister, and couldnāt allow a teacher to perish in the flames either.ā
āClyburn isnāt a rapist. Heās a hero. He saved two peopleās lives that night. Not only should the court not find him guilty, but you should also thank him for his services. Because, letās face it, what man in this world doesnāt provide a service to all women. He had his motherās baby. He had his auntās baby. What do you want to fault him for, being too fertile? Donāt make me laugh! Clyburn is a good man. A good brotherā¦ who went out of his way to protect the ones he cares about!ā
I couldnāt help but feel a little happy over Oswaldās praising words. Is that really how he thought of me? I shook my head, of course not! He was a lawyer and he was being paid to say these kinds of things! I grew a bit annoyed at myself. When did I start caring what he said anyway? He wasnāt my father or anything. He was also a legitimate rapist himself, even if it didnāt count by this worldās laws.
āIn conclusion, Clyburn is not guilty. He is a fertile, capable young man, and if he had wanted to make those women pregnant, he could have done so with ease.ā Oswald sat back down on those words, straightening his coat.
A few people clapped, but it was clear that her side had gotten a lot more vocal support. Well, this wasnāt a popularity contest, right?
āThis isnāt good,ā Oswald whispered over to me.
āHuh? What do you mean this isnāt good?ā I demanded.
āThey seem to have this all worked out. I wouldnāt be surprised if the judge has been propositioned with a bribe, although I personally know sheās not dirty. Iām good at feeling out a room, and this is going south real quick.ā
āYouāre seriously giving up?ā
āNo, I plan to play things out as I prepared, but I can already see every argument and every counterargument. Theyāre too well prepared for this. They know too much about you, and me for that matter. Iād swear this was a team of crackpotā¦ thatās itā¦
āWhatās it?ā I asked.
āThe WRAā¦ I thought I recognized that woman. Sheās a famous lawyer, Miss Xandar. Never seen her in person, just on TV. She works for big businesses. Sheās expensive as hell and not big on the morals. Either the WRA paid her a lot of money to be here, or sheās secretly a man-hater. Maybe both.ā
āWhat are you saying?ā I demanded.
āIām sorry kid, Iāll give it the best fight I got, but little short of a miracle, this woman is going to steamroll us. Her team is the best in the country.ā
āS-seriously?ā I sat back, shaking my head in disbelief. āYouāre giving up?ā
What were the chances that when the lawyers showed up, theyād be this worlds equivalent of Johnnie Cochran?
āNo, kid, do you even listen? Iāll fight this out to the bloody end. Iām just trying to prepare you mentally.ā Oswald sighed. āThey spared no expense. Pray for an intervention, because I have nothing else for you.ā