Bad Medicine

Grace, the older of the two prisoners stood up, shacking his shackled hands at the panel. "People! Hah! What you call people I call cockroaches! The world is better off without them and you know it?"

A din of unrest went through the room as the representatives began shouting and screaming at Grace in disgust. One of the members even threw a pen down at the prisoners.

"Order! Order! The council must come to order!" Judge Morris screamed as she banged her gavel. "We are not officially adjourned. Please, ladies and gentlemen, save your comments and questioning for later!"

After a minute of rumbling protests, the Council calmed enough for the Judge to bring the meeting to order. The trial of the United Nations vs. Grace and Mercy began, with the two being charged with violating various international laws and treaties regarding biological warfare and human rights. Adams held his head down and scanned his notes as the Judge and several members from the European nations made the formal rendering of the charges. "Just relax you guys," Adams whispered to them as the Spanish representative was talking, "I'm going to go for a motion to have you tried in the United States Supreme Court, since the two of you are U.S. citizens."

Grace and Mercy were grudgingly silent.

"Jesus," Adams whispered to them from the side of his mouth. "An intelligent nano-virus that could decipher the race of its victims before it decided whether or not to kill them. The Nazis would have loved having the two of you on-board. Man, I know that Johnny Cochran is my great-great grandfather, but I don't think that even he could have gotten you guys off if this were the late twentieth century and you were both named O.J."

"You don't understand our genius," Mercy whispered back to him. "The world was overrun with them. A two-legged disease is all the white race is. All they bring is destruction and you know it. Didn't your mother get killed by a group of skinheads?"

Adams ignored the pain he felt from the remark and rudely continued. "Look, I know a few of them are bad, but you know as well as I do that most of them were innocent. Even if they weren't, man, NOBODY deserves this."

Grace leaned to his left so that he could talk to the ear of Adams' mask. "So why did you take the case then, since you apparently are the Uncle Tom of the twenty-second century?"

Adams leaned back. Somehow, the presence of his greedy smile seemed to cut through his hood. "You guys have the same sick corporations that funded YOU paying me a fortune to keep you alive. I'm in it for the money, fool! Why else? And they are in it because now they can sell white people the cure for your disease."

Judge Morris banged her gavel as the Finland representative was mid-way through a sentence. "Mr. Adams, would you please confer with your clients OUTSIDE of the courtroom?"

Adams stood up. "Yes, Your Honor! I apologize for offending the Council and the Court."

Representative Enfume stood up again. "You should apologize for selling out your American brothers and sisters by defending those [b@st@*ds]!" he bellowed.

Laughter rang and roared through the chamber. "Order! Order!" the Judge banged and yelled. "The Council must come to order, Ladies and Gentlemen. This is a VERY serious issue. I should not have to remind any of you of that!"

Adams remained standing. "Your honor and members of the Council, when will I have a chance to speak on my clients' behalf?"

"Now, Mr. Adams," the judge responded. "You may state your case on their behalf."