Trial by Memory: Scapegoat of the Collapse

An overpass in Winfeld that's still under construction ends up collapsing, leading to the deaths of many. Family members of the victims are up in arms, demanding that the person in charge pay the price for the incident. As the quality assurance inspector, I'm brought to court. However, I am just an intern. The real perpetrators are out clinking glasses, celebrating a clean getaway and the fact that they have a new scapegoat. Out of nowhere, the court introduces a new trial system that involves the extraction of memories directly from one's mind. In the middle of this major incident, a terrifying truth emerges. Everything goes all the way back to my university days… Chapter 1 News of the major construction accident at Winfeld spread like wildfire. The victims' family members and journalists from major media outlets gathered at the company's headquarters, demanding an explanation. But what I never expected was for the company to shift all the blame onto me, claiming the tragedy happened because I failed to relay the information in time. In the blink of an eye, I became public enemy number one. My personal details were exposed by raging members of the public. At that moment, I was sitting in the defendant's chair in handcuffs, quietly waiting to receive my sentence. Seated across from me were David Harper, a supervisor at City Bridgeroads, and Wallace Quinn, the person in charge of the major overpass construction project. Their presence here did not come as a surprise to me. What broke my heart the most was that the love of my life, my girlfriend Leia Holloway, was seated on the prosecution's side, accusing me alongside the others. Wallace was my senior back at school, and he was also the one who pulled me into this project back then. However, he was now glaring at me, his face twisting with pure hatred. "Aaron Bennett is a junior of mine from school. Back then, I knew that his family didn't have much, and he always seemed like a decent and honest person. Because of these, I figured I'd get him to join me on this project. "I didn't think that looks could be deceiving. I do hold myself accountable for this disaster. It was my fault for misjudging his character." David wiped away the few drops of crocodile tears from his face, putting on an utterly pained expression as he looked at me. "I clearly notified Aaron to halt the construction two days before the accident, but he was too focused on dating his girlfriend. He completely forgot the message I sent him, so he’s the one who caused this tragic accident!" Leia bit her lip, appearing as if she had steeled her resolve. She put on a display of noble defiance as she said, "Aaron, even though I am your girlfriend, I cannot take your side right now. So many lives were lost, all because of your mistake. I really regret getting together with someone like you back then." A mocking smile spread across my face as I quietly listened to their accusations toward me. These people were such great actors. Why hadn't they been nominated for the Roscars? Unfortunately, those watching the scene became even more convinced that I was a merciless man who showed no remorse. As a result, the victims' family members and onlookers grew even more agitated. Some of the infuriated ones even flung their water bottles up to the front. "Congratulations to the fresh graduate for landing a 40-year package behind bars." "People like this truly are the scum of society. He should have just died. I can't believe my husband died so tragically because of this man's shortfall in passing a message." "This is pissing me off. Look at how calm he is. He doesn't even care about all those lives that were lost. It makes me want to get rid of him for good right now." "But he's just an intern. Why should he be responsible for passing such an important command at work? Lately, it feels like interns are often being turned into scapegoats. Could there be more to this?" "Excuse me, don't you side with him. This has become a court issue. Are you saying that the court is falsely accusing him? Just because he's an intern, it doesn't mean that he can use it as an excuse to escape from his crime." "I've got insider information. Aaron never had a good reputation back in university. He often bullied the weaker ones, so it's no surprise to me that he ended up where he is today," remarked an expressionless man. Instantly, the spectators were in an uproar, leaning toward the man to get a clearer explanation. Nonetheless, they failed to get anything out of the man, as he remained silent after making that remark. Chapter 2 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. Chapter 3 The trial was officially underway. The prosecution presented its first piece of evidence—a clip of security footage. The video clearly captured me walking into David's office with a black bag. After placing the bag on his desk, I turned around and left. David opened the black bag, revealing stacks of 100-dollar bills. There were ten stacks in total. In a self-righteous manner, he looked into the surveillance camera and said, "Those who have done wrong have to be punished. "Don't go through life thinking that you can use these kinds of underhand tricks to escape justice, young man." The spectators were immediately thrown into an uproar. "What the hell? Isn't that bribery? What else does Aaron have to say? Was he trying to use 100 thousand dollars to buy his superior's protection? In his dreams!" "Earlier, Wallace had mentioned that Aaron comes from a poor family. Where did he get all that money from, then?" "Maybe he was just pretending to be poor. Who knows whether he was involved in other illegal activities in secret? Who knows? This money could have come from illicit funds." "How shameless did the intern have to be to request having his memory extracted? I can't wait to see how he's going to clear his name." Even though this was clearly a great advantage for the prosecution, David's expression was bizarre. He kept staring fixedly at the memory extraction machine, biting his lip unconsciously. I knew he was worried that the extracted memories would turn the tables on him. My memory of the cash was soon projected onto the screen. A series of knocks sounded at the door. I opened the door, and David stood at the doorway, drenched in sweat. He rubbed his hands, appearing utterly conflicted. "Something terrible has happened at the construction site, Aaron. The overpass actually collapsed and crushed many people to death. Were you aware of this?" "What? I've mentioned that the overpass should not be built. Why didn't you people listen to me?" I asked. Panic took over. I was in such a rush to get to the overpass that I didn't even put on a shirt. But David stopped me in my tracks and forcefully shoved me into the room before locking the door shut. "What are you doing?" I questioned angrily. "Calm down, Aaron. Whatever happened has happened. It's too late for you to go over there now. I have 100 thousand dollars here. Hold onto the money for now. I heard your mom is unwell and that you're in desperate need of money…" he said while handing a black bag to me. A cunning glint flashed across David's eyes. As much as I wanted to refuse, he grabbed my right hand tightly, pried my fingers open, and shoved the black bag into my grasp. "Have a good think about it, Aaron. Take this money and use it for your mom's treatment for now. If you need more in the future, I can come up with something for you. The same applies if you need to have your mom transferred to the best hospital. "I just need you to… do me a little favor." David assumed that he could convince me, so he turned around and walked away confidently. I looked at the black bag in my hand and thought about it. After a brief hesitation, I picked up the black bag and, with determination, made my way to David's office, setting it back down on his desk. The memory came to a sudden stop at this point. I coldly stared into David's eyes, and he immediately avoided me. Panic was written all over his face, and he no longer looked as confident as he had been at the beginning. The spectators erupted into an uproar once again, engaging in heated discussion with one another. "My, my. I can't believe David was actually the one who gave him that money. Aaron wasn't engaged in bribery in this video. He was actually returning the money." "But why did David give Aaron money? Also, in the memory playback, Aaron appeared to be aware that an accident was going to happen with the construction work. "Why didn't he put a stop to the work immediately? He's not that innocent, if you ask me." "David is definitely scum of the earth, but Aaron might not be a good person either. Didn't the witness say that Aaron is someone of bad character in the first place? Perhaps he simply put on an act to have his memory extracted during the trial."