3A/N: My jury service got cancelled. It wouldn't have mattered, since I found out that I get paid for my job while I would have been serving. Either way, you guys got the last chapter early, but I think that this one'll take a little while longer.
This is the final chapter, and I'm working on my next project already. I've got a framework down pat... but I'm still fighting the battle between keeping it in the Nameless Grace AU or keeping it totally within the canon.
In any case, I think that from the lack of comments, this is my equivalent of Hushigi Senshi York... yeah, this was fun to write, but it's not the magnum opus I'd hoped it to be.
I've been watching Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien a lot, so expect that sort of dramatic angst that made The Nameless Grace so great. I hope I'll be able to get it to work out...
If anyone wants to beta-read, E-mail me!
Either way, expect more romance in my next story. There needs to be more Comic Party romance.
On with the show!
Chapter 4: Sentencing
Trial Part 78
New York Supreme Court
May 19th, 2005
1:45 PM
"Mr. Kanamori, do you recognize the person in this photograph?" Taishi said exasperatedly, having been through several such images already.
"I choose not to answer as not to incriminate myself," King Jacky gruffly answered, arms crossed defiantly.
Taishi advanced the slide, which was Jacky in his absurd costume stamping the dojinshi delivery from Genji Tsukamoto. He came up on Jacky setting down the box of dojinshi on his table. "Mr. Kanamori, do you recognize the person in this photograph?"
"I choose not to answer as not to incriminate myself."
"Your honor, permission to treat Mr. Kanamori as hostile?"
"Mr. Kanamori is within his Fifth Amendment rights, Mr. Kuhonbutsu. Denied. Please ask your next question."
"Mr. Kanamori," Taishi set down the slide controller and walked up to the witness stand. "were you not incarcerated and penalized with a Yellow Card for a past prosecution for threatening violence at Comic Party?"
"I choose not to answer as not to incriminate myself."
"Exhibit H, your honor: Mr. Yataro Kanamori's criminal record, stating that on June 18th, 2002, the accused was sentenced to five years' imprisonment and a lifetime Yellow Card."
"Exhibit H will be entered," Judge Makimura said after the bailiff handed her the evidence. "So noted. Continue, counselor."
"Mr. Kanamori, did you purchase a fake ID at 182 Bleecker Street with a falsified photo of Eimi Oba?"
"I choose not to answer as not to incriminate myself."
"Mr. Kanamori, you may as well answer to speed this along. Exhibit I, your honor, the affadavit of one Yussuf Hazmiri, owner of Bleecker Pipe and Tobacco, affirming that he did indeed create a false Michigan drivers' license under the name of Eimi Oba, with a corresponding photograph of Ms. Oba. Exhibit J is a photocopy of said drivers' license, submitted to Tsukamoto Printers as contact information for Ms. Oba as part of a drop-off order."
"So noted. Continue, Mr. Kuhonbutsu."
"Mr. Kanamori, do you have anything to say in your defense?"
King Jacky remained silent.
"Mr. Kanamori," Taishi continued, his voice adopting a bored air, casting a sidelong glance at the jury. "After you collected the dojinshi from Mr. Tsukamoto, did you sell them at Comic Party?"
"I choose not to answer as not to incriminate myself."
"I present once again exhibit E, your honor, from the security camera recordings of section A-14 of the Javits Convention Center during Comic Party. We see Mr. Kanamori, in the disguise that was confirmed by Mr. Tsukamoto, setting up a sign: 'Cat Or Fish?! Special Co-Release, $5.'"
"So entered."
"Mr. Kanamori, again, do you have anything to say in your defense?"
Still silence.
"No further questions." Taishi stepped back from his rapid-fire questioning as Aya stepped up.
"Yataro..." she began gently. "Do you have any grudges against Eimi Oba?"
"No. No, I don't," Jacky answered gruffly.
"Have you ever met Ms. Oba?"
"No."
"Have you ever obtained one of Ms. Oba's dojinshis before a Comic Party?"
"No."
"Objection!" Taishi said, standing up. "The defendant is perjuring himself before the court, your honor!"
"Counsel, approach," Minami beckoned, covering the microphone with her hand.
"Your honor, the people have no evidence as to my client ever having any of Ms. Oba's dojinshis at any point in time."
"Judge Makimura, evidence duly submitted shows that a Cat or Fish dojinshi was submitted as the original to Tsukamoto printers!" Taishi exclaimed in a whisper. "The defense is wasting the court's time!"
Minami thought for a moment. "Burden of proof, Mr. Kuhonbutsu," Minami said, shaking her head. "The people have yet to indicate how that dojinshi came into the hands of Tsukamoto Printers." She withdrew her hand from the microphone. "Overrulled. The witness' testimony stands."
"Your honor, the people request a recess so the facts can be determined in relation to Mr. Kanamori's question and to determine whether or not he is to be charged with perjury."
"Denied. Proceed, counselor."
"No further questions, your honor."
"Redirect, your honor!" Taishi exclaimed, taking a sheet of paper on which Chisa had written a quick note. "Mr. Kanamori, do you have any reason to doubt the authenticity of the dojinshi that was delivered to you by Mr. Tsukamoto, which you then sold for a profit without the authorization of the original property owner?!" Taishi angrily finished this last line, propping one foot up on the floor of the witness stand, inches away from Jacky.
"Why would I?" Jacky spat back, then caught himself. "I mean, I choose not to answer as not to incriminate myself!"
"Your honor, permission to treat the witness as hostile. This question, if nothing else, incriminates Tsukamoto Printing!"
"Very well, the witness will answer. Mr. Kanamori?"
"Wait, but... no way! I'm not answering that!" He glanced at the jury, at the prosecutors, and finally at his attorney. "C'mon, what're they paying you for?! DO SOMETHING!"
"Objection! Badgering the witness!" Aya said, standing up.
"Overrulled!" Minami banged her gavel twice to quiet down the two attorneys, not to mention the now-packed courtroom full of whispering voices. "I will not hesitate to clear this courtroom! Mr. Kanamori, you will answer the question."
"I will ask again," Taishi immediately picked up before any pauses could come to pass. "Mr. Kanamori... do you have any reason to believe that the dojinshi which you accepted, and then sold, at a profit, without the authorization of the original property owner-" Taishi turned to face the jury—"which is a violation of copyright law, the violation in question..." he turned back. "Do you have any reason to believe that you were delivered non-authentic dojinshi?"
A heartbeat passed before Kanamori grit his teeth.
"I won't answer that question. I plead the Fifth. I will not answer as to not incriminate myself," he said quietly through clenched teeth, his hands balled into fists.
"Your honor, this constitutes contempt of court."
"That it does. Mr. Kanamori, this is the last time I will say this." Minami turned on her accoutrement and faced King Jacky, staring the villain in the eye as best she could from her height above him. "If you do not answer this question, I will be forced to hold you in contempt of court, which carries a fine of one thousand dollars and a minimum of six months' imprisonment. Your best interest, and the law, is to answer the question at the judge's order. Answer the question, Mr. Kanamori."
Jacky remained silent.
Minami sighed. "Bailiff, Mr. Yataro Kanamori is hereby found in contempt of court under chapter 565, article 20, paragraph 2005, for failure to adhere to a binding order from a judge. Please take him into custody."
The court officer stood Jacky up and led him off by the arm.
"Does the prosecution have further questions on the redirect?" Minami asked after she banged the gavel to quiet the courtroom.
"We have many more questions, your honor," Taishi said, bringing his briefcase around on the table.
"Then they'll have to wait. This court is in recess until Monday when Mr. Kanamori can be returned from an arraignment for contempt." Another bang of the gavel dismissed the courtroom for the day.
Office of the District Attorney3:45 PM
"Ms. Hasebe, I'm afraid your visit here will be a short one," Taishi said, opening the glass-panel door to the DA conference room.
"We're willing to take the drop for the state counterfeit charge. Five to ten, my client pays the minimum fine."
"Not happening. We have intent enough in the security camera photos and proof enough in his accepting and selling of the dojinshi. Do you honestly think we'd let your client back on the streets for anything less than ten years and the full fine?" Taishi pulled down a law book and flipped through it. "Even if you turn around and try Ms. Oba in federal court, the trial would collapse. There is no license in the United States for Card Master Peach, therefore this is not binding under current international treaty."
Aya quietly sat, flipping through her own papers. "Mr. Kuhonbutsu, I have here a cease-and-desist order from Maple Leaf International, the Japanese production company-"
"—which has no commerce license from the Japanese government to market themselves overseas," Taishi said, flipping the law book around and sliding it across the oak conference table to Aya. "United Nations Copyright and Intellectual Property Chapters, article 14, title 329, paragraph fifty-four: 'the copyright enforcement of intellectual property shall be enforced by the properly licensed organizations or agencies of the copyright holder so recognized by the government of that nation.'"
Taishi sat down across from Aya, who didn't even bother to look down at the law book. "We're not going to settle for anything less than the maximum penalty under the law. King Jacky is an habitual offender, a proven threat to Comic Party and the people of the State of New York. Do you really think we'd leave him roaming?"
"I doubt that you would," Aya said. "But what about his followers?"
"Excuse me?"
"His followers. The people he worked in concert with that were arrested after the bombing attempt of Comic Party."
"What about them?"
Aya leaned forward. "Mr. Kuhonbutsu, my professional ethics require me to provide the best defense for my client. If I was to simply plead him to the maximum penalty, I would be disbarred in a second. However, what if I was to offer my client's services in apprehending the continuation of this copyright infringement scheme as party to a plea deal?"
Taishi leaned back. "So, you're threatening to leave Jacky's minions loose for the police to clean up? Make no mistake, Ms. Hasebe, the NYPD's Dojinshi Investigation Unit will track them down, just as they did their leader."
"Not until all this happens again," Aya said, reaching into her briefcase and pulling out a dojinshi. "The latest release from Cat or Fish?!, just purchased at ComiNext last weekend. This one was signed by Eimi Oba herself."
Taishi accepted the dojinshi and paged through it. "It's Oba quality, to be sure, but what does this have to do with King Jacky?"
Aya pulled out another copy of the same dojinshi. "This, too, was purchased at ComiNext. A small table in the corner, paid for in cash, most likely. They sold several thousand copies at $5 a copy, same price as Ms. Oba's herself. Next time, it'll be more, for cheaper, and then Dojinshi Investigation will no longer have dojinshi to investigate."
"Point taken," Taishi said, comparing the new counterfeit and the original side-by-side. "We want all the minions. Then we'll talk."
1701 Meadowlands Turnpike
Secaucus, NJ
May 25th, 2005, 10:15 AM
"Yeah, what'da ya want?" the burly mechanic asked as two women he had never met before walked up to his garage.
"NYPD," Reiko said as she and Asahi flashed their badges. "We need to speak with a..." she checked a sheet of paper. "Shiunji Katsuho?"
"Oh, Big Shin? Yeah, he's in the back."
"Thank you." Reiko pulled out a portable radio from her belt clip. "Two-seven, this is Haga, move in."
Out of nowhere, several police cars jetted up, sirens blaring; they cut off the driveway of the garage and the streets leading up to it. From the bushes that led off to Route 3, several figures in black combat harnesses and armor emerged, toting submachine guns.
"Go! Go! Go!" a voice called out from the assault team, who entered the garage and fanned out. The mechanics dropped their tools and held their hands up, summarily being searched and led off by the Emergency Services Unit SWAT team.
"We've got him," a radio call came out. "Suspect has been arrested; we're bringing him out."
"Copy that," Lieutenant Inagawa replied from her cruiser. "Search the place and let's let these people get on with their day."
The bustle of police activity stepped up as crime scene investigators moved in to photograph and catalog the arrest. Reiko and Asahi sidestepped the flow of SWAT officers and investigators, accepting coffee from Yuu. "How're the others doing?" Asahi asked.
"Tachikawa checked in before our takedown. She got Ryu Kusakabe as he was about to make a pickup from another print shop in Jersey. Right in the act, as a matter of fact. There's just one more left, according to Jacky's list. Tadamichi Ushihara, lives in Spanish Harlem. Should be going on right now."
"Two-seven for the LT," Yuu's radio crackled.
"Speak of the devil," she remarked. "Two-seven, Inagawa here," she replied.
"LT, we have suspect Ushihara involved in a situation in Union Square Park. Guard detail officers report that two civilians under police protection are being held hostage."
Reiko paled at the words. "No... not Kazuki and Mizuki..."
"Copy, two-seven. We're on our way."
"Dammit!" Reiko yelled, pounding the roof of Yuu's cruiser. "We didn't move fast enough!"
"Calm down, Reiko," Yuu ordered. "Come on. Leave the paperwork to the locals. We're not twenty minutes out."
Union Square Park16th Street entrance
10:30 AM
It was tough enough getting through the police barricades, but worse even more so with the rush of extra vehicles onto the scene.
"FBI?" Asahi asked as they walked briskly up to a uniformed officer with the most rank patches on his arms. "What are they doing here?"
"ESU was already spread thin," the lieutenant in charge of the scene reported to Yuu after she arrived. "We requested assistance from the feds; they're deploying their local HRT to La Guardia in case they'll be needed. These extra trucks are the responding special agents."
Yuu groaned. "I'm sure that the feds'll love to get involved with a hostage situation that stemmed from dojinshi," she remarked, looking over a map of Union Square Park. "Do any of your patrol boys have Fanboy Coolers?"
"Nope; we haven't gotten anything. Don't you have the-"
"We called en route. They'll be here soon."
"What's the situation?" Reiko asked.
The lieutenant whistled through his fingers, beckoning to another cop. "Connors! You were one of the first on the scene, break it down again for us."
"The guard detail on Takase and Sendo reported a suspicious individual approaching Takase in the park; she was scouting out for camera shots. There was a verbal scuffle, and Sendo was on his way back from a gallery opening. Royce from the detail moved in to break it up, but Sendo threw a punch, and before we knew it, the individual revealed that he was wearing a bomb."
Reiko swallowed hard. "Has the suspect been negotiating?"
"He's holed up under the south face of the Lincoln statue, ma'am. Our sharpshooters can't draw a good bead from the roof of Tower Records, just a line-of-sight from within the park."
"I'll blow us up!" a distant yell echoed. "I swear, I'll do it!"
"Who's in command here?" Yuu exclaimed. "Why hasn't a negotiator been sent out for him?"
"There's one on the way, but we got word from the DA's office: hold off on negotiations and get the suspect in."
"The DA?!" Yuu exclaimed, slamming her hands down onto the hood of the other lieutenant's cruiser. "What the hell do they want, a scene from the West Bank in Union Square? They've got Jacky's other gang members, and if the damn lawyers are going to drag their feet, people could die! Get that negotiator in now!" Yuu grabbed the radio off of the lieutenant's belt angrily, almost tossing his gun out of its holster in the process. "This is Inagawa; put me through to two-seven delta!"
"This is Delta platoon, Tachikawa, troop one."
"Tachikawa, it's good to have you out of blue and back with the Comi-Rangers," Yuu replied with less of a frown than before.
5th Avenue and 24th Street
That same time
"It's good to be in the saddle again, lieutenant," the young patrol sergeant responded over the clamor of the ESU transport van.
"We have one suspect, Tadamichi Ushihara, an associate of King Jacky, wanted for counterfeiting and criminal association. He's got a bomb on his chest and he's got two people who're being protected against folks just like him. How soon can you be here?"
Ikumi looked over the waiting, helmeted heads of the Dojinshi Investigations Unit Special Tactics Squad, D Platoon, the Comi-Rangers. A few looked back at her; others were checking their Fanboy Coolers and readying their gear. "Five minutes, LT," she said over the van's siren.
True to her word, the ESU van screeched onto the scene and unloaded their twelve Comi-Rangers. They fell into parade rest, faces masked behind assault visors, bodies clad in black assault vests and clothing.
"Tadamichi Ushihara, age twenty-seven, known associate of Yataro Kanamori, AKA King Jacky, the serial bomber and would-be dojinshi artist," Yuu read off loudly to the STS men and women. "He has a bomb attached to his chest, trigger looks like a standard electronic setup. The civilians are Mizuki Takase and Kazuki Sendo, ages twenty-eight and twenty-seven respectively; they're being targeted for their past involvement with Jacky, most likely."
"Okay, here's the plan," Ikumi said, laying out the Union Square map in front of her team members. "It's not been an hour since this unfolded, and we don't have a negotiator. We're moving in immediately to stabilize the situation and force Ushihara to surrender. The use of Fanboy Coolers has been authorized."
This caused some mumbles to echo amongst the Comi-Rangers. "Something to say?" Ikumi asked, raising her voice. The rumblings immediately quieted down. "Didn't think so."
"Vasquez, you, Morino, and Popovic are on the right flank," Ikumi said, drawing a line from the 16th Street entrance to the west side of the Lincoln statue. "You'll line up and assist in the takedown. Leone, you and Rothberg are going to make the cut. Leone will use a smoke grenade to create a diversion while Rothberg defuses that bomb."
"Defuses it?" one of the troops, a brown-eyed man with a lean face asked. "While he's holding on to the detonator?!"
"The detonator is the operative here, Rothberg," Ikumi said, tossing Rothberg a digital photo that had just been printed. "We commandeered a Mavica from a nearby Staples and got this printed. You tell me what you see, Rothberg."
Rothberg examined the photo. "Yeah, I see what you mean, sarge," he said. "Single-trip right into a bunch of Semtex. It looks pretty damn slapdash."
"This is just a goon, not Jacky himself, Rothberg. Got your wire cutters?"
Rothberg tossed his Fanboy Cooler over his shoulder, letting it hang from his back on a strap. He extracted a pair of long, thin wire cutters and patted them without another word.
"Okay. The rest of you are going to secure the perimeter. It should be in and out. Watch your fire!"
"COMI-RANGERS! WE PROTECT THE DOJINSHIP!" the unit shouted out in a gruff response. Tachikawa stepped aside, pulling off her helmet and visor, and pulled out a pair of binoculars.
Office of the District Attorney That same time"Taking hostages?!" Chisa exclaimed into the phone, flagging down Taishi out of the corner of her eye. "No, by all means, don't provoke him!"
Taishi raced up. "What?" he asked. "Did you say hostages?"
"No! Call them back, call them back now!" she yelled, holding up a hand to halt Taishi. "You're risking their lives and we need him intact! Those Fanboy Coolers really sting when they spray you with 'em!"
Chisa gripped the phone tighter, pressing a finger to her free ear to concentrate, exhaled, then set the handset back into the cradle.
"The Comi-Rangers have moved in on the last of Jacky's comrades," she said sadly, flopping into her office chair. "At the last report, they managed to defuse Ushihara's bomb and free the two civilians involved, but there was a backup time trigger. They hung up just as they'd evacuated the two of them."
"Two civilians?" Taishi asked, sitting in one of Chisa's guest chairs. "Don't tell me..."
Chisa took a deep breath. "Mizuki and Kazuki were caught in the crossfire and hit by Fanboy Coolers. Dojinshi Investigation'll have a lot of explaining to do to the civilian review board."
"And what about the other minions?"
"The other minions?" Chisa asked, looking up at Taishi. "Two of our friends were involved in the apprehension of a dangerous criminal, and all you're worried about is the prosecution?"
"We've got plenty to worry about. Guess who the other minions have retained as their defense?"
"You mean..."
"We've got second-degree dojinshi infringement charges on each of them for plea-bargains. Coincidentally, did you notice the timeframe as to when they'll all be imprisoned for?"
Chisa leafed through a law book that was already open on her desk. "Second-degree copyright infringement, dojinshi... three to eight years, no parole until seven years... what's your point?"
Taishi grinned. "Aya Hasebe never does anything unless it's intended, Chisa-chan... she never does anything unless she wants it to happen, never says anything unless she needs to say it..."
Chisa's phone rang again. "Tsukamoto here." She listened briefly, sighing with relief. "Great. Thank you."
"News from the front?"
"Ushihara surrendered after his bomb fizzled. The Fanboy Coolers did their job; they shorted out the detonators. He's being taken in now."
Flea Market CaféMay 27th, 2005, 7:45 PM
"Here's to the end of King Jacky's career," Reiko said, holding up her wineglass, "and to justice being served again!" She faux-enthused herself into another Sailor Moon pose.
"You're too much," Asahi giggled, her cheeks slightly red from the blush of a pinot grigiot from earlier.
"You two did quite well helping to take Ushihara down," Chisa said, clinking her glass with those of the other detectives. "Comic Party and the State of New York owe you a great debt."
"Hopefully this should suffice. Taishi sends his regards, but he's working late tonight getting the plea agreements for Jacky and the others hammered out."
"It still seems so strange, though, that they'd all take the same defense attorney," Asahi remarked, contemplating the squid ink risotto on her fork, staring into the blackened pasta. "Aya hasn't done a very good job of defending them... the minions copped a plea and the big guy still does some hard time."
"Taishi and I thought it was strange, too," Chisa said, reaching into her purse and pulling out some folded-up newspaper clippings. "Incidentally, we have rumblings within West Side Redevelopment that they'll be putting her up from managing agent to their contracting group."
"So she's not their attorney on hand anymore?" Reiko asked, leaning forward at Chisa. "You mean..."
"She's gained quite the Rolodex over the years, Aya has..." Chisa remarked, putting her fork down. "And now that she's not doing defense work anymore, she's gotten herself a primo position... and created some serious questions in the dojinship."
"Counterfeiting will do that to a print medium," Asahi agreed.
"Indeed. At least, it does that to the big-name outfits... the ones who people want to copy and emulate..."
"...thus opening up the field for lesser-known sellers to market their work..."
A heady silence enveloped the three women.
"I think we've all been hoodwinked," Reiko said after a few heartbeats.
"Yeah. We got Jacky off the streets at last... but..." Chisa sipped, then finished, her glass of wine, filling it from the bottle. "But this is quite unprecedented. We never saw it coming. We gave Aya Hasebe an extra shot at some new buyers and a promotion in her consulting gig for getting a PR disaster off the streets for the entire 2012 Olympics."
Reiko signaled to the waiter. "Can we get a bottle of Deluise '02 chardonnay?" she asked. "And we'll take a bottle of a malvasia with dessert."
"Why so much wine?" Asahi asked with a giggle, already a little snookered.
Reiko threw an arm around her partner. "'cause you're a lightweight, and the entire justice system got used to help an artist sell some more dojinshi."
The three of them laughed, filled their wineglasses, and drank with a little less abandon.
Inspired by Dick Wolf
This is a work of fiction and a work of parody. Any similarity between characters and real people, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.