The silence in the echoing corridor was broken by the continuous rhythm of two steady sets of marching feet. Their boot covered toes produced a hollow beat to rebound off the bleak white walls.
The only other noise came from the tinkling of metal cuffs restraining the third person's hands. Her bare soles did not evoke a response from the white polished marble halls. Dark knotted bangs of hair suppressed her face. Her shoulders slumped and slacked as they approached a set of ebony doors that forbade an ominous fate behind.

A shiver crawled down the woman's spine, the hairs on her neck and arms prickled as they raised.

The dark doors gave a stark contrast to the bleached and empty way they had come. The fat uniformed guard to her right stepped forward and knocked on the threatening doors. In a slow beat his fist connected with the light swallowing wood.

Boom...

Boom...

Boom...

Like a wailing heartbeat.

Stepping back, he resumed his position just behind the woman and to the right. With a loud crack of thunder, the doors were torn apart and hauled open revealing a dimly lit room. The corridor was was spontaneously filled with exasperated chatter and the gable of the judge slamming onto the wooden board. Simultaneously, the uproar of the crowd seated around the cavernous room ceased with the echo of "Silence!", reverberating through the space.

The younger guard to the left of the woman took hold of her shaking shoulder and violently pushed her forwards and into the center of the dark room. Stumbling she fell onto her knees when she lost her balance. With a thump she was kneeling in front of the judge, on top of the dimly illuminated mosaic of the spread wings of an angel.
Keeping her head down, she hid her frantic and panicked eyes from the judge and the brooding room.

A keen, malevolent gaze bore onto her shoulders attempting to break through her defences, though not provoking his much anticipated reaction.

The pale light illuminated the mosaic giving the woman the impression of carrying a halo, like a crown.

Not wasting more time, the judge progressed to read her sentence, watching her along the bridge of his bony hawk nose.

" As of the past five years, you; number 9-8-7, have committed heinous crimes of assassinating three politicians serving the government as well as an attempted murder of the President of the United States of America."

The whole courtroom froze and all attention focused on the small fragile woman kneeling on the stone Angel. An expert would have noticed the clenching of her shoulders and the slight shake of her head, before she threw her head back.

The swift action produced a piercing crack of her neck to chase the silence around the dark atmosphere.

"By the Lord. I swear my life on my innocence." Was her gasped response as a single tear slowly crawled down her cheek.
"I didn't do anything!" She croaked.

Unaffected, the judge raised his eyebrows and leaned over his heavy desk. Putting his hands flat on the wooden surface he declared in an icy tone; "You have been denied the right to defend yourself. After the way you have acted under agency supervision you shall not be allowed any rights in defending your soul."

Her face was still hidden from the hungry eyes of the onlookers. Her mind started to wheel. Faster and faster her mind analysed every possible way out of this dilemma...but found none.

"My client, should at least be granted a plausible excuse and opinion on the trial." A young man in a charcoal suit and violet tie spoke. Emerging from the shadows; his square jaw clenched and his hands balled in tight fists. His brown eyes locked on the woman taking in her slim shoulders, the hands splayed flat on her legs, the midnight curls dragging her head down, the ripped jeans exposing smooth white skin, the long sleeved maroon shirt.
With a wary look he approached and stopped on the edge of the mosaic. Turning to the judge he declared; "If you are not comfortable with the accused to make her statement, then I'd be more than happy to help out."

For the first time the woman showed her face. Throwing her head back, her curls whipping back, to expose her throat and face to only produce an exasperated gasp. "My Lord, I don't even know this man! How could he possibly give a statement-"

"Don't! I will handle this. You will resolve in only making this situation worse for yourself." He stated widening his eyes to express his point.

"But, ...you don't know me. I can assure you I didn't-"

"No! Let me handle this." Interrupting her sentence he turned to the judge and said; "Your Honour, I believe that the subject was indeed present at the hijacking, assassinations and kidnappings. Therefore, I believe that the accused has been involved and held responsible for the stated offences and should be sentenced on terms and conditions of the court."

Turning back to the woman, his back to the judge he lowered his voice to a whisper. Leaning down he said; "I do not wish to see you in jail and am doing my best to make your sentence less severe, but you have to trust me and not intervene."

Making eye contact, staring into two crystal blue pools, he put a smile on his face and nodded curtly. The woman followed him with her eyes staring at his back, not able to speak. A silent tear curved down her exquisitely carved cheek to her chin and dropping to the floor. Closing her radiant eyes she took a deep breath and tuning back to the discussion exclaimed "Stop."

Barely making a sound she croaked louder.

"Stop!"

The man in the suit turned around and hissed "Don't". Standing up, her knees unstable and fragile, she swayed on the Angel's back.

" No" was her reply. Stepping forward with her feet positioned on the Angel's wing joints she lifted her eyes to the judge's and firmly said; "No! Your justice will not be accepted."

The judge stared at her blankly for a moment until his eyes squeezed together into small slits and focusing on the wan. Slowly rising from his seat be looked at the masses on the court's benches and the guards ready to jump at his command. And lastly at the young lawyer.

Directing his attention back to the woman he declared in a chilling monotone voice; "Number 9-8-7, you give me no choice but to sentence you to death, due to irresponsible and unforgivable actions as well as defying court law and refusing the assistance of our best lawyers."

The woman's mouth changed into a snarl and, like a predator on the hunt, advanced towards the judge's desk.

"Guards!" The judge shouted through the confusion of the audience.
In seconds the guards had the woman restrained and dragged her out through the doors they had entered, kicking and screaming. The last words that rang through the cavernous room were not an exclamation but a warning, a threat.

The doors were slammed shut and the woman's banshee scream was the last they heard.

"You will pay!"