Tom Isbell - The Capture

He orders the “defendants” to sit, and everyone stares at Dozer, waiting to see what he will do next.

“On trial are these six,” he announces loudly, gesturing dramatically to the group seated at his feet. “Their crime is nothing less than the act of treason.”

“ Alleged treason,” Book mutters beneath his breath.

“Treason,” Dozer corrects him. “Which I shall shortly prove.” Without taking his eyes off Book, he calls out, “First witness!”

Angela steps forward. Her face is hard and flinty.

“State your name,” Dozer commands. His legs bend and flex as he navigates the swaying of the train.

“Angela,” she says confidently.

“And do you know these six prisoners?”

“I do.”

“Who are they?”

“Hope. Diana. Helen. Scylla. Book. Flush.”

“Exactly,” Dozer says. “Hope, Diana, Helen, Scylla, Book, and Flush. And what did you hear when we were marching?”

“Hope was talking to some of us. Looking for volunteers.”

“For what purpose?”

“To help free the Sisters from Camp Freedom.”

Dozer’s eyes widen in mock surprise. “And what did you say?”

“I said I’d think about it.”

“But you didn’t commit to helping her, did you?”

“Not in a million years, no.”

“Why not?”

“Because that’d be going against you. And you’re our leader.”

“Exactly. And that’s why you’re not on trial. Thank you, Angela. You’re free to go.”

She shoots Hope a condescending smile as she steps away.

“Next witness!” Dozer roars, and big-boned Lacey steps forward. She gives the same answers as Angela: Hope was recruiting volunteers, but Lacey wanted no part of it. She didn’t want to do anything that would go against the wishes of their commander-in-chief.

When Dozer is done questioning, he calls Red to the stand. Red doesn’t have firsthand knowledge of Hope’s recruiting Sisters, but he does know that Book is too soft to be a good leader, citing his decision to leave the Heartland Territory in order to free a bunch of undeserving Less Thans.

Dozer dismisses Red with a satisfied expression and begins his summation. “So as you can see, this group of six—”

“Don’t we get a chance to speak?” Book asks.

Dozer gives him a look as though a bird just shit on his head. “Huh?”

“We’re the defendants. Don’t we get a chance to defend ourselves?”

“Well …”

“Or is the prosecution afraid its case isn’t strong enough?”

Dozer’s nostrils flare. “Be my guest,” he says.

“So I can call witnesses?”

“How can you have witnesses? You didn’t even know you were on trial till a few minutes ago.”

“Can I call them or not?”

Dozer’s teeth clench. “Fine.”

Hope gives Book a probing look; she has no idea where he’s going with this.

Book stumbles to his feet and says, “I have only one witness to call.”

It’s impossible not to notice the smirk on Dozer’s face. “Yeah, and who is that?”

“You. I call Dozer to the stand.”

Although the sound of the train makes it nearly impossible to hear, Hope swears she can hear something resembling a gasp.

“Me?” Dozer asks. “Why would you call me to help you ?”

“So you refuse,” Book says.

“I didn’t say that. I’m just surprised, that’s all.”

“So you’ll do it?”

“I have nothing to be afraid of, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

Dozer steps forward and Book slowly circles him as though deep in thought. Hope has to suppress a smile.

“You’ve accused the six of us of treason,” Book begins.

“That’s right.”

“And what is it exactly that we did?”

“I told you.”

“Tell us again.”

The tendons in Dozer’s neck grow taut. “The six of you conspired behind our backs. You decided to run away and free the Sisters from Camp Freedom.” He nods confidently in the direction of his three supporters.

Everyone turns to Book, waiting for him to go on. Air whistles through the train’s slatted walls. “Let me ask you a question,” Book says. “How did we get here?”

“Huh?”

“How did we get here? We Less Thans?”

“How do you think? We crossed the mountains, the Flats, the Brown Forest …”

“How did we even get up Skeleton Ridge in the first place?”

“Horses. Or don’t you remember?”

Red, Angela, and Lacey laugh—a little too loudly. Everyone else remains silent.

“I remember the horses,” Book says, “but I can’t remember how we got them.”

“From the stables,” Dozer says. “Where else?”

“And how’d we get to the stables?”

“What do you think, you idiot?” Dozer explodes. “We escaped from camp!”

As soon as the words pass his lips, Hope sees he regrets them.

“And this is where I don’t understand the charges,” Book says. “It was okay that we escaped, but it’s not okay we help those Sisters do the same?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Then what are you saying?”

Dozer’s face turns beet red. If he could get away with wrapping his two thick hands around Book’s neck, he would gladly do it.

“I’m saying that was then, this is now.”

“Go on,” Book says.

“That was fine that we escaped. It was the right thing, even. But now that we’re on the run, we don’t have time for all that.”

“Freeing others?”

“Right.”

“So those Sisters have to remain prisoners.”

“Exactly.”

“And those Less Thans at Camp Liberty?”

“Them, too.”

“Why?”

Dozer looks at Book as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Because they’re in there and we’re not.”

“So we deserve to be free.”

“Right. ’Cause we escaped.”

If it were anyone but Dozer, Hope wouldn’t believe what she’s hearing.

“But these other people …”

“… should’ve had the sense to escape when they had the chance.”

“Even though we didn’t invite them?”

Dozer shrugs nonchalantly. “Sucks to be them, doesn’t it?”

Hope has to stifle the urge to leap to her feet and take Dozer to the floor.

“So why are we being accused of treason when that same action was the very thing that got us here?”

Dozer leans in, his voice a snarling whisper. “It wasn’t treason that got us here; it was smarts . And if we’re going to get out of here alive, we need to work together. We can’t have one group doing one thing and another group something else.” In its own paranoid way, Dozer’s argument makes sense. Hope hates him for it.

“But we agreed back at the border to free the Less Thans,” Book says. “That’s why we crawled back under the fence.”

“That was the plan,” Dozer says, “back before you got a bunch of us killed. Back before you sacrificed your friend to the enemy.”

Hope can see the change in Book’s face. It’s like the blood drains away. He opens his mouth to speak but then thinks better of it. He stands there a moment longer, then slowly sits back down. Hope reaches out a hand and lets it rest on his forearm.

“But don’t take my word for it,” Dozer says, trying his best to sound humble. “Let’s let the people decide. All those who think these six are guilty, signify by raising your hand.”

Dozer raises his, and Angela and Lacey also. Red follows a moment later. That’s four votes, and since the six defendants aren’t allowed to vote, that leaves only two others: Four Fingers and Twitch. Even though they’re on Book’s side, it’s not enough.

Dozer shoots Book his hyena grin. “There’s your trial, Book Worm .” He turns to his three supporters. “Tie ’em up. And make sure the knots are tight.”