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| SEASON 2: EPISODE 3: "THE TRIAL OF Lt. COMMANDER PETER GRAVESTONE." |
25. THE INVESTIGATION.
The Guard closed the door behind Captain Jones with a bang and the door locks clicked loudly. Through the small door panel of glass, Jones saw Peter wave and he held up his hand and nodded. Captain Jones couldn’t put the past fifteen minutes visit in any order - Peter was coherent, then suddenly rambling, then he became sad and finally; smiling. Jones walked quietly back to Inspector Random’s office and found the Inspector standing in the doorway, arms folded with a half smile upon his face.
“That man has no fucking idea what is going to happen to him.” The Inspector laughed with real contempt in his voice; “He’s looking at life, a minimum of 25 years in the Salt Flats prison and he can’t even tell us, what he was doing on the day his ex-lover was strangled on the toilet wearing an Elf’s suit!”
Inspector Random slumped in his seat and shrugged his shoulders, then tapped a brown folder on his desk; “From your rig’s log, on the day the victim died, we have young Mr. Gravestone arriving back on the Thor in a right state. From your very log Captain I quote: Dishevelled, distraught and in a total mess.”
The Inspector motioned Jones to take a seat next to Eve, who sat quietly with a hand upon her chin, she dabbed her eyes a little and placed the hankie back in her bag; “He had just broken up with the man who he loved dearly, of course he would be in a state.”
The Inspector grunted and tapped the file again; “We have the neighbour – who knew both men – since she lived opposite the pair for a couple of years, placing young Mr. Gravestone at the scene that morning. She never saw him leave, but she saw him enter the apartment at about ten-thirty, that’s just an hour or so before the victim died. That’s going to be really hard to explain.”
“If that’s not damning enough, his DNA has been found on the body – case closed.” The Inspector held up his hands and smiled, repeating; “Case closed.”
Jones asked why the body wasn’t discovered earlier and the Inspector shrugged his shoulders; “The victim had no real family: none that cared that much. He was a hotel Inspector and travelled all across Mars. It was the Travel office he worked for that finally reported him missing, but the address he had given was an old one; it belonged to another ex-boyfriend., who didn’t know anything about his current whereabouts. Adult missing persons are not a high priority for the Peace Guard – unless they’re listed as ‘vulnerable’ and he wasn’t.”
“How was he discovered?” Eve asked; she couldn’t believe that a body could lie for weeks, undiscovered, in these modern times. The Inspector smiled and sipped a glass of water;” A bloody parcel delivery driver!” He chuckled to himself and added; “Apparently the same driver did the same route and had attempted to deliver on several occasions’ finally speaking to neighbours , who alerted us.”
“What was in the parcel - if I may ask?” Jones spoke quietly; he was still devastated by the state Peter was in and wanted to know all the details of the dreadful story.
“It was a mask; a strange dark mask with horns. Maybe it was for a fancy dress party, he liked those kinds of parties – so neighbours have told us.” The Inspector closed the file and sat back – it was a signal that the visit was over.
The Captain and Eve were escorted from the Peace Guard Station and waited for Lilly to return with Dallas from the Vets [it was his thirty week check-up]. They sat in ‘Blind Charlie’s Dinner & Bar’ ordering a couple of coffee’s and sitting in silence – the morning had cast a huge black shadow over Peter’s case – the evidence against him was so strong, it would be hard to argue a suitable defence.
Charlie leaned across his counter and laughed; ”Pic, I think your young lady is back with Dallas.” Jones and Eve peered through the window and could see a gaggle of delighted children having their photographs taken with Dallas – while a very patient Lilly held his lead and showed the children how to get a ‘high-five’ from the big cat.
“He’ll soon have his own fan club.” Charlie added, still chuckling to himself, as he topped the coffee cups up and laid a fresh one out for Lilly – when she managed to squeeze her and the cat through the throng of children.
“Sweet Mars!” She exclaimed, sitting opposite the quiet pair; “A twenty minute walk from the Vets has taken an hour and a half!” She gratefully sipped her coffee and relaxed back in the chair, while a grinning Charlie placed a large saucer on the floor, filled with cold weak coffee. Dallas appreciated this kindness and started to lap up his favourite beverage.
“The vet says he’s fine [Dallas] but he needs to cut down on his beer, curry and cat biscuits.” Lilly added with a smile; that statement made Charlie laugh out loud and he returned to his counter with a big grin, muttering; “Bloody weather service rigs!”
“The vet doesn’t know the type of domestic cat he is, but despite being so big, he’s really healthy. So the vet thinks it’s in his genes, maybe his mum and dad were big cats.” Lilly placed her cup on the table and sighed; “I take it the visit to see Peter didn’t go well?”
Eve nodded; ”All the evidence points to Peter and nowhere else, even the Captain and I can see that.” Jones sighed loudly and sipped his fresh coffee; “His ex-boyfriend was murdered on the morning of Sol 156 – Week 15, the day Peter came aboard in a right state, he only just made it, if you remember.” Eve stroked Dallas and added; “The Peace Guard know this exactly because Nikki [the deceased] had been to a fancy dress party, dressed as an Elf the night before. Forensics apparently confirms the same day of death, despite the state the body was in, and a neighbour saw Peter enter the apartment that very morning.” She held up her hands in despair and sat back in the chair.
Jones nodded, adding: “Finally, if that’s not enough, Peters DNA was found on the body. The Inspector summed it up really well: case closed.” Jones placed his cup back on the table and checked his PA.
Lilly bowed her head and said quietly; "So he did it then?” The pair opposite said nothing. “I’m going to see Professor Dawes and I’ll meet you back at the Thor, Major D’Abaan that Military legal eagle, is stopping by to speak to those crew-members summoned to court.”
Jones left the table and thanked Charlie, paying the bill, while Eve and Lilly made for the docks – pursued by a gaggle of children wanting to play with Dallas. Jones sat on the tram deep in thought; the situation with Peter looked black as night and the weather service were considering manning weather Station Seven again. That thought sent a shudder through Jones; all those possible new victims for the evil entity summoned by the long dead crew.
There would be replacements for Bella and Kazza and quite possibly; Peter.
The tram came to a halt and several people moved to the doors, above which the sign read: ‘‘Gerald Webster quarter – Mayfield Square” and exited the tram. ‘Next stop’ thought Jones and re-read his PA, the message from Professor Dawes was quite intriguing: An offer for him and Eve to consider a little adventure outside the Weather Service; the professor was constructing a team for an expedition to the Easters, to locate the legendary lost city.
He already had two crew members; his old friend Professor Solomon Jacobson, and Kech Tassi - a well known conspiracy theorist and survival expert. What he really needed was a captain for the rig they had obtained and a Medical officer - he hoped Jones and Eve would fill those positions. The remaining three members of the crew would need to be Rig Pilots and/or trained in military matters - he didn't specify exactly what kind of 'military matters' they needed to be trained in. The expedition would consist of eight individuals and the rig was an old 'Mammoth' class; recently refurbished and bought up to modern standards - she was called 'The New Argonaut'. He never stated where the money for all this had been acquired.
Jones had a pretty good idea that Eve would agree and he had thoughts about the remaining three crew members that were required. He sat staring out the tram's window - deep in thought.
Some minutes later, the tram came to a halt and Jones headed for the doors, above which the sign read: “Gerald Webster quarter – Downtown” he stepped off and made his way to Professor Dawes little shop, but not before he quickly glanced behind him and saw the two fellows on his tail. It took him a couple of minutes to leave them behind before heading for the Professors; whoever they were [Jones suspected they were Peace Guard officers] they were not very good at tailing someone in the busy ‘Downtown’ area.
The Professor welcomed him with a smile; ”There's someone here I think you should meet.” Jones made his way to the little office and was re- introduced to Professor Solomon Jacobson, who shook his hand firmly;” Pic, I hope you have considered our offer to you and Eve very carefully.”
26. THE TRIAL.
“So you’ve beaten her before?” The Major nodded: smiling.
“No never.” Mr. Klien sipped his water and waited for the Judge to appear. Major D’Abaan kept his thoughts about that revelation to himself and glanced across at Peter, who was talking with Lilly and Frankie – the case against the young man appeared water-tight and he had advocated that Peter pleads ‘Guilty’ and accepts the mercy of the court. But Peter had steadfastly refused, constantly saying he was innocent.
Through a side door, the Prosecution team entered the Court Room with Sarah Wells-Gordon at its head. She was tapping away at her PA and giving instructions to the clerk about booking lunch. She dropped into her seat at the Prosecution desk and looked directly at Mr. Klien; “Why is this not a guilty plea Harold?” Sarah held up her hands to signify amazement, adding;” This is a two day job, I have to be back in Taylor for the Drefyus killings – now that case has real potential for a good fight. This is over before we get in the ring.” She chuckled, being handed several papers by her clerk.
“To answer your question Sarah; the defendant claims he is innocent, so a not guilty plea was entered, sorry if that interferes with your plans for more publicity.” Harold smiled and stood as the Court Bailiff announced the arrival of the Judge. Everyone stood and watched as Justice Wendell Jones made his way to his seat saying; "Bailiff, please bring in the Jury.” The ten members of the jury [6 men and 4 women] filed into the Court Room and sat in the Jury Box without conversation.
Justice Jones called upon the Court Clerk to announce the case.
The lady Clerk stood and read out the indictment: “Are you Peter Gravestone, born on Sol four hundred and eight in the forty-first week of year 309 after founding?” Peter said simply; "I am.”
“How do you plead to the charge against you: that you did wilfully murder a living human of full status: being Nicholas John Larrson; on Sol one hundred and fifty six in the fifteenth week of the year 323 after founding? The clerk looked up from her papers and nodded.
“Not guilty.” Peter replied and the Judge waved everyone to sit; “Défense and Prosecution Councillors: are you both ready to proceed today without hindrance or procrastination?” Sarah and Harold stood together and stated; “I am.”
The Judge settled his bulk into the large chair and addressed Sarah directly: “Madam Prosecution; you may begin.” The Judge shuffled papers about and stared at the defendant, and then his attention was drawn back to Sarah who had started to address the jury.
Outside in the waiting area, Captain Jones sat reading his PA whilst Eve was writing notes into a medical textbook. Leon was leaned back in his seat, eyes closed and his thoughts far from here. Troy sat head in hands and said nothing. The four were the only crew members called to give evidence and had been instructed to appear in civilian dress. Jones looked across to the three people who sat opposite; an elderly lady with bright peach coloured hair and Inspector Random with a young man who looked like he had been invited to his own funeral.
“That must be the woman neighbour, but who’s that with the Inspector?” Eve asked quietly and Jones shrugged his shoulders and pointed to Troy, sitting the other side of her; “What’s wrong with him, nerves is it?”
Eve patted Troy on the shoulders and whispered; “You’ll be fine Troy. All you have to do is tell the truth.” Troy looked up with moist eyes and drew a deep breath, looking Eve directly in her eyes; “That’s what I’m afraid of Doc – telling the truth.” Troy returned his head to his hands and said nothing else.
Eve and Jones exchanged glances, then Leon gripped the Captains arm and whispered closely; "I recognise that young man from a picture Peter had in his cabin: that was Peter’s boyfriend before Nikki came on the scene. To quote the Chief; the shit has really hit the fan.” Eve leaned across the Captain and whispered; ”Who is he Leon?”
Leon motioned for the three to have a little walk round the room; “Just stretching the legs.” He commented to Inspector Random, who just nodded and continued chatting to the old lady about her pet cat. The young man stared at the three, but said nothing.
Behind a convenient pillar, Leon told the shocking truth to his colleagues; ”That was Peter’s boyfriend before Nikki – they split up over what happened after a party one night. Peter became angry because he thought Sean [the young man with Inspector Random] was flirting with another man and when they returned home, there was a fight.”
Leon glanced about and with a grim look on his face said; ”Sean alleged that Peter tried to strangle him in the bathroom. Nothing came of it because Sean wouldn’t charge Peter, but the incident must have remained in Peace Guard records.” Jones groaned out loud and ran both hands over his head; “For fuck sake, that’s what the prosecution says; that Peter strangled his ex in the bathroom because he was angry over being dumped!” Eve covered her face with a hand and whispered; “If that young man gives evidence like that, Peter is dead.” She looked back at Troy and added; "What does Troy know, that he really doesn’t want to say?”
“I know.” Leon wiped sweat from his face and spoke quietly, glancing about; “Troy was drinking with Peter at ‘Sailor Mikes’ one night, when we were docked in Dayburgh last year. He told me that Peter chatted up another man, despite still being with Nikki, and the pair disappeared outside to an alley. After a few minutes Troy said that Peter came rushing through the club and Troy followed him out. On the tram, he said that Peter was laughing about the man he had picked up, that they had an argument about a condom and when he [the other man] tried to walk away, Peter grabbed him by the throat and tried to strangle him – but he was too strong and pulled away.” With that revelation: they stood in silence for a moment, deep in their own thoughts.
They headed back to their seats and found that the old lady had been called to give evidence – they sat in silence, keeping their thoughts to themselves until Eve turned to Troy and said simply; ”Troy, you have to tell the truth, even if it hurts a friend of yours – the truth is the truth and a lie is unforgivable in a court of law.”
Troy nodded and said quietly; “I know, but it still tears my guts up. Mr. Gravestone is good to me and many in my life are not, including my parents.” He sat up straight and bushed down his jacket and trousers; “I’ll do what I have too.” He smiled sadly at Eve as the court usher appeared and said; “Mr. Sean Winstarr please!”
They watched as the young man walked nervously into court. Inspector Random smiled at them sitting opposite, he raised his arms, then lowered them slowly; “Case closed.” He said; grinning.
Eve and Leon went to the court restaurant and collected coffee and small sandwich packs. They returned in time to see the Inspector called into court. Jones took his coffee and nodded to the large doors of Court No.3; “The good Inspector thinks they’ll have a verdict by tomorrow, and it won’t be the one Peter needs.” He sipped his coffee and sat back in the seat; “This is going so badly, I don’t think it can get worse.”
“I think you spoke too soon skipper.” Leon placed his coffee down and stood up to greet the couple who had just come through the Court’s main doors. It was Peter’s parents; who had made the long journey from Shenzhen [a Northern city] to attend their son’s trial. But before they could speak, the Court Usher appeared; “Mr. Leon Kamski please!”
Jones grasped Leon’s arm and said; “Do your best Leon and keep on the straight.” Leon nodded and waved to the couple before going into court. Troy shook Paul and Elle’s hands, introducing Eve to them; ”This is Eve, the rig’s new medical Officer. She took over after old Doc Greenspace retired.”
Jones hugged Elle and gripped Paul’s hand; “I’m so sorry about this mess, but he does have a good defence team.” He said nothing about the famous Prosecution lawyer. They sat talking until the Court Usher appeared and told them the case was adjured until tomorrow. From Court No.3, a stream of people passed them by until Eve saw Lilly and Sunny; “How’s it going Lilly?” She asked quietly.
Lilly wiped a couple of tears from her face and whispered; “I think he’s finished.” The crew walked in silence to the tram stop and waited for tram No.13 that ran directly into the docks, no-one felt like talking except Frankie, who reminded everyone that he was visiting his sister, so they had to fend for themselves tonight – food wise. “Mass fucking takeaways all round.” Muttered Leon with a sad grin.
27. THE VERDICT.
After a restless night the crew assembled to return to court; except the Chief [who was required to stand watch on the bridge] and his apprentice ‘Sunny’ who really couldn’t face another day in court watching Peter being broken down into little pieces. Jones understood her feelings and agreed to her heartfelt request. Jones and the crew had arranged a rendezvous in ‘Blind Charlie’s Dinner and bar’ for that night if the verdict comes in; either to celebrate Peter’s freedom or hold a wake for a fallen comrade.
Vice-Admiral Kellamann had arranged a relief crew to cover for the night, from the Battle rig: MSV The General Westmoreland, which had returned from patrol and was birthed in the Northern docks of the city. Jones understood that the Admiral would be in court to hear the verdict for himself and give support to the crew; whether he would attend the ‘party’ afterwards was another matter. He did have words with Jones over the Presentation party for Ensign Lilly and admitted he would have taken some discipline action over some of the incidents [especially Troy!] but for the VP, who thought it was: ‘all good clean fun’ - to quote the man.
Jones, Eve and Troy found themselves sitting in the waiting area for a second day as the trial reopened; the only person with them was Inspector Random who sat opposite them with a smile on his face, eating a large red apple very carefully and slowly. Troy was the first called into court and as he passed through the doors with the Court usher, the Inspector walked over and sat next to Jones.
“It should be wrapped up by early afternoon, the Jury won’t hang about on this one – it’s not complicated. Clear case of he did it or didn’t.” The Inspector picked little pieces of apple from his teeth and placed the core in a nearby litter bin and wiped his mouth with a paper hankie. “You’re a strange pair of birds to be hanging around with those mad Professors, especially Jack Dawes: the king of the supernatural and all things that are bloody crazy.” The Inspector chuckled when he saw the look upon their faces.
“Be careful with Dawes, be very careful with that one. Gossip and rumour whisper that he’s not all what he seems: has far too many connections with the Government up in Taylor and far too much money washing about his bank accounts – considering he has no real paid employment: it odd that the stock of his little shop never seems to change.” The Inspector stood up and walked towards the court, passing the Usher asking for Eve. He looked back and said; “Your friend Jackie boy is involved with project Cenotaph and I don’t think his friend Jacobson is far behind him – don’t look too shocked children; it’s amazing what a dumb old Peace Guard Inspector knows, isn’t it?”
He disappeared into court followed by Eve and the Court Usher, leaving Jones to considering the amazing disclosure from the Inspector, but it did answer one question; how Jacobson knew Dawes, if the Inspector is right in his suspicions. Jones was deep in thought and the Court Usher had to call his name twice before he realised it was his turn for the witness chair. With a heavy heart he walked into court and found it difficult to face Peter, knowing the stories told by Leon and Troy.
By lunch time, the Jury had retired to consider their verdict as directed by Justice Jones, who made a point of informing everyone that he and the Captain were not related! A little ripple of laughter swept the court, more to relieve tension than appreciation of the Judges attempt at humour.
The crew sat in the court restaurant having quiet little conversations amongst themselves. Their table was littered with coffee cups, soft drink cartons and half eaten sandwiches. Peter’s parents sat on a separate table in silence, the evidence given by Leon and Troy had shocked them: they had expected Sean [Peter’s previous ex-boyfriend] to tell such a tale, but not people who Peter called ‘friends’.
Eve had gone over to their table to see if they needed anything – but they waved her away without saying a word. Jones sipped yet another cup of coffee and noticed the time was 3.15pm; the Jury had been out for nearly two hours. “It’s an amazing thought that ten complete strangers, people Peter has never met before has the power to save his life or basically end it.” Tom said to no-one in particular and continued to eat his egg sandwich without really enjoying it.
Jones’s mind was going over the evidence Peter had given in his defence; Peter claimed that he went to the apartment that morning to collect the last of his belongings and found Nikki was still dressed in a stupid Elf costume and still a little drunk from the party. Nikki had tried to stop him going into the bedroom to collect some clothes and he had pushed him aside. He found another man sitting up in bed, drinking coffee, a discarded ‘Superman’ costume thrown on the floor. Nikki said he was called ‘Solo’ and they had met at the party. Peter repeated that he had left at that point to return to the Thor but found himself in a bar on the east side. He couldn’t remember its name, but whilst sitting there had realised the departure time of the rig was approaching and rushed to get back. He stated three or four times that Nikki was still alive when he left.
The Prosecution recalled Inspector Random to the Witness Chair who stated that his team had questioned most of the party guests and some could remember a man dressed as ‘Superman’ – but no-one knew his name. Most recalled the drunken Elf staggering about the place, being obnoxious to various guests and being told to leave at one point by the hosts. No one questioned could remember if ‘Superman’ left at the same time or just afterwards.
The Inspector also stated that his team could not find anyone with the name or nickname of ‘Solo’ in the city at the time. He did admit however, when pressed by Harold Klien, that this mysterious person could have left the city weeks ago and his whereabouts would be unknown and many people have short memories. But the ‘clincher’ as the Inspector called it was; Only Peter’s and Nikki’s DNA was found around the flat – there were no traces of ‘Superman’.
The Prosecutor; Sarah Wells-Gordon had mocked Peter’s claim of a third person being present, telling the Jury: ‘ a fictional character inserted into a fictional story.’ Even Jones winced at that cracking one-liner and Peter looked a doomed man rambling in the Witness box, at one point the Court Stenographer had to ask the Judge to tell the defendant to slow down, she couldn’t follow what he was saying, never mind write it down.
But it was her [Sarah Wells-Gordon] summing up speech that made Jones groan with the sense of hopelessness, she addressed the Jury directly; “Your decision is simple; either you believe the story of the ‘Superman’ or you believe the enormous amount of hard evidence presented by the State Prosecution Service and the Peace Guard?”
She dramatically lifted her arms up and added; “Superman belongs in films and comics, not in a court case seeking justice for a brutally murdered young man.” She thanked the Jury for their attention and told the Judge that the Prosecution rests. Poor Harold Klien could only repeat his client’s statement that he did not kill Larrson and there was a third man present at the time of the murder.
The Jury then retired to consider their verdict.
Jones had his thinking interrupted by Vice-Admiral Kellamann who strode over to the crew table, everyone stood ; the Admiral pulled Jones to one side; “Pic, my decision is made; if the verdict goes against Peter, then obviously I’ll have to appoint a new XO, I have already sent for her. Now if Peter is fortunate, then I still must transfer him to another rig – you understand that?”
Jones nodded, but said nothing; he knew how the Military High Command functioned. The Vice-Admiral continued; “So either way, you have a new XO; Lt. Commander Margret Simms-Holder will join the crew tomorrow night from the Battle rig ‘The Erwin Rommel’ – I believe you and her have served together before?”
Jones nodded again; “I did time with her on the MSV: General George Washington; we were Ensigns together. She’s a good officer and deserves the promotion I expect.”
The Admiral smiled; “Not quite a promotion, she was XO on the ‘Erwin Rommel’, so this move is side ward's, I’m afraid. Now, I have your other two replacements assigned and they will report tomorrow evening as well. The following day, you ship out on ‘Routine Duties’ for at least three weeks. That’ll give time for the air around the Thor and her crew to sweeten. That is all quite clear Pic?”
Jones nodded yet again; “Thank you Sir, but…..” He never finished the sentence as Harold Klien appeared in the restaurant doorway and said simply; “The Jury has returned; the verdict is in.”
Everyone filed quietly back into Court No.3 and when all were seated, the Jury returned and the Judge asked the Jury foreman to stand and give the verdict they have reached. Peter also stood and faced the Jury box. The Court Clerk asked the Foreman: “Have you reached a verdict in the case of Peter Gravestone verses the People and State of Mars?”
The Foreman nodded and said; “Yes we have.”
The Court Clerk asked; “Do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty?”
The Foreman glanced across at Peter and coughed, pushing back his long hair; “Not guilty.”
The courtroom exploded into cheering and hugs as the crew heard the news, which frankly seemed impossible just minutes ago. Eve hugged Jones tightly; “How did they come up with that result in face of all the evidence? I’m so pleased, but that that’s some bloody crazy decision I think!”
Jones hugged her back and said it was wonderful news, but dark thoughts about young Peter Gravestone lingered in his mind and he suspected that Eve was having the same – but he shook them from his mind and hugged Peter who had tears running down his face, he gripped the Captains hands and whispered; “I thought I was dead and buried. It’s a miracle. I’ll never do anything bad ever again.” Then he wiped his tears and broke into a huge grin shouting; “It’s party time people! Blind Charlie here we come!” Peter hugged his weeping parents and turned back to Jones and smiled in a way that sent a shudder up the Captains spine.
In that one look Jones knew the truth. The Judge restored order to his courtroom and officially released Peter from State custody; Peter shook the hands of every Jury member and kissed the women with thanks. But Sarah Wells-Gordon asked the Judge for leave to appeal the acquittal – he turned that down. The bitter look of disappointment was all across her face, especially when she had to say; ’well done’ to Harold Klien, who appeared in a state of shock at his stunning victory.
Eve and Jones trailed behind the rest of the crew as they poured out of the court house heading for ‘Blind Charlie’s to start celebrating Peter’s great escape. Inspector Random walked up to Jones and Eve with a slight smile; he was eating yet another apple; “Have a good piss-up people, you may have won round one, but I don’t give in easily. We [The Peace Guard] have been instructed to investigate further since the murder remains unsolved. You never know what we’ll dig up now.” He grinned and walked away to speak to the reporters that were following the group down the street.
As the raucous crowd tumbled into the small dinner and bar, Jones and Eve was stopped outside by a strange looking young man - but they both noticed his stunning blue eyes and powerful frame despite the shabby old fashioned clothes he wore. He looked totally out of place and continually glanced about himself; then smiled at Jones and Eve.
They both realised that the young man was a powerfully generated hologram of superb detail and quality; they were shocked to hear it speak directly to them.
"Hello Sir, it is an honour to finally meet you in person. "The stranger thrust both hands into the pockets of the shabby dark coat and with a big grin said; "I've waited a lifetime to meet my ancestor who started it all!"
Jones stepped back and stared at the smiling stranger; then realised how much he resembled his grandfather when he was a young man; "Who are you?" Jones whispered.
The stranger nodded his head and with a big smile, quietly said;" I'm Temptation Jones - your great, great, great, great, great, grandson." He counted the generations off using his fingers to make sure he had it correct. Then he added quietly; "I'm here to make sure that you live through the next four weeks!"
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| FOLLOW THE ROVER TO SEASON 2: EPISODE 4: "ROUTINE DUTIES." |
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| "William Alexander Stephens." |
Copyright © 2011-2021 Stephen Williams. No reproduction of any part without permission.
