The trial

Mark connected to the virtual trial. He was a bit sooner and saw just an empty room. The chairman was connected, but his chair was empty. Mark reminded himself that the chairman is in charge, there will not be a real judge. It is a conflict resolution. If one party does not agree with the verdict, they might push for a regular trial. But Mark will agree. He is not wealthy enough to go for one.

The chairman appeared.
"So let's start. I see everyone here. Can you hold your id to the camera?"
The chairman had short hair, his face was sunburned, and he wore a black robe. Mark had his documents already prepared. He showed his id to the camera. An icon appeared that verified that it's him.

"Welcome to the preliminary trial with Mark Kames."
"Mark is charged with killing a dog Fluffy."
Mark looked if there was a way in the interface to learn who is in the room. He found only the chairman's name. Others were anonymous.

"First, we will see the evidence from the police."
Mark was glad that he was not present in the trial. He would not be able to walk, his knees were shaking, and he had a cold sweat on his back.
"Then, we will hear from Adam Ramirez, owner of Fluffy."
"Finally, we will listen to Dorotha Lexie about why the dead dog ended up in front of her house."
Mark realized that Ariel's name probably is not Ariel.

"David, you can speak now."
On the screen appeared a new head. The man had a beard and a police uniform.
"Good morning everybody, I will show you evidence from the public surveillance system and our laboratory."
While the policeman spoke, a video appeared. It was Mark in front of Adam's house. Mark cringed. The man on the video was moving weirdly, was hunching, and was visibly fat. Mark saw himself in video calls, but it was only his face. Here, his figure was awful.

The policeman talked about where Mark went. In his presentation, it was complemented by the footage from the surveillance system. Mark saw himself walking inside Adam's garden and then leaving with a visibly heavier bag. There was also a video of him leaving the bag in front of Ariel's house.

"The bag contained only Mark's fingerprints and the dog's hair."
On the slide, there was a document proving the policeman's description. It flashed just for a few seconds until some other evidence appeared. Mark realized that Ariel must have been careful with the bag. Her fingerprints should be there too.
"The dog was poisoned by common rat poison. We didn't trace the purchase, but it's possible to be done by cash."
There was a photo of dead Fluffy and a death certificate next to it.
"The poison was in a sausage."
Now Mark could read few lines until the screen faded towards the policeman's face.
"This is all requested evidence for the case, your honor."
The policeman ended.
"Thank you, now we will hear from Adam Ramirez."

Adam's lawyer turned her camera. Mark guessed that she was in her early fifties. She looked good. She had blond hair and blue eyes. But Mark liked her until she started speaking. Her voice was annoying to Mark. She spoke like someone who feels very important but not sure if others are listening. Mark hated that tone of voice.

The lawyer presented facts about Fluffy. She stressed how Fluffy was a part of the family and how Adam loved the dog. Mark thought that it's nonsense. Anyone can say they loved their dog. Then she proceeded to more calculable costs. First of all, Fluffy was a pure-breed dog. His lineage was longer than Mark's. Just buying the dog would cost Mark a lot of money.

But then, Fluffy was earning good money for Adam. Fluffy posed for different campaigns. Mark realized that Fluffy got more money than he was getting for UBI. The lawyer also projected how much Fluffy would earn in the future. It was clear that money from Mark's room would not satisfy Adam's demands.

Adam's lawyer took a long time. It was also more boring than the presentation of the police. There were just numbers. Mark was scared because he might be ordered to pay it all. Then the chairman called Ariel's lawyer. "Unfortunately, Dorotha does not feel safe attending the trial, so first of all, I will play her description of the events and then describe the extent of the psychological damage."

A video with Ariel appeared. She looked good, but not as sexy as usual. She talked about herself before she started talking about Mark.
"First, he was a normal guy. I talked with him, to be honest, his interests were a bit foreign to me, but he was trying to be nice."
The whole time she talked like being afraid. Mark didn't encounter that tone before.
"But later, when I run his messages through the psychology program, it showed that he was latently aggressive the whole time."
Mark didn't know what she meant. Sometimes he wrote to Ariel about him being unappreciated and about his problems. She seemed understanding. Mark didn't guess that this might turn against him someday.

Ariel continued.
"Then it got worse. Not in the messages, but in the voice calls, Mark was bragging about stuff he did and how nobody will mess around with him."
"And then he started to threaten me. He wanted to have sex with me."
Mark was stunned. He expected Ariel to lie. She wouldn't tell the compromising truth, but he didn't expect to lie so much.
"He seemed obsessed with me, I ended the call every time, but then he started again."
"Unfortunately, he found out about Fluffy. I adored him."
"I know how he looked like and how he treated me. So I wouldn't let him near me, so he orchestrated revenge."
"Few times he mentioned that something might happen to Fluffy if I don't meet him." "I should have warned Adam."
And Ariel started crying, and there was a cut in the video. In the next cut, Ariel was composed. But still, her makeup was ruined by tears. "Sorry for that. I should have acted differently. it's my fault."
Mark hated Ariel more and more. She was making it worse for him. In the video, she continued to sob and lie. Mark zoned out. He didn't want to hear that.

Mark snapped to attention when it was Ariel's lawyer's turn to speak. The lawyer described Ariel's psychological damages and some background. Mark found it interesting that a similar thing happened to Ariel before. He thought how much it might inspire her to do it to him.
"... and because of Mark, she would not be able to interact with fans as honestly as before, she is thinking about canceling a meetup. You see that damages to her are also real."
The lawyer finished. Mark just coursed Ariel in his mind. He regretted what he did. But it was because he got caught. And Mark thought about Adam. He was reasonable, and he lost his dog. Mark also thought about his mother.

After all the speakers, the chairman ordered thirty minutes break. Mark grabbed something to eat, but it didn't taste good. He was thinking about Ariel and how she double-crossed him.
"Now, she might even get some money from me."
That thought was scary for Mark.

After the break, the chairman called for Mark's lawyer.
"Now, for Mark's defense, we will hear his lawyer."
The lawyer started to speak. His background matched with the chairman.
"Your honor, we have nothing to add. Mark admits and regrets his behavior and accepts his punishment."
Mark slowly realized that this was a time to say something to defend himself. But his lawyer didn't make any effort to help him. Mark expected punishment, but not a destroyed reputation.

"Mark, do you have something to add to this?"
Judge asked. The microphone icon on Mark's computer went green. He could speak. Mark didn't know what to say. He wanted to say that Ariel was lying, but he didn't have any proof of that. There was evidence for the contrary. Nobody would believe him.
"Your lawyer already stated that you are willing to pay for the damages by your possessions."
Mark realized that this is the option where his mother loses everything. He didn't want that, so he said:
"Your honor, I choose complete clearing."
It sounded pathetic. Mark's voice was dramatic. He expected some reaction to that. He expected other people to gasp for breath or something. Nothing happened. The chairman looked at his papers and then at Mark.
"You mean that you would choose a reeducation camp?"
Mark just nodded, the chairman repeated the question, and Mark replied.
"Yes."

Mark's lawyer interrupted the hearing.
"No, I talked to him. He wants to pay for the damage, not get reeducated."
He looked surprised. Mark didn't expect this reaction.
"He is right here, and he is saying that he wants to get reeducated."
The chairman looked bored.
"Your honor, let me talk to him. He is confused."
The chairman frowned.
"Ok, you have five minutes in a private channel. Others have a five-minute break."

The chairman's face disappeared, and his lawyer's face took the whole screen. It was his lawyer.
"What are you doing? You are throwing your future away."
He didn't scream, but he was visibly upset.
"I thought about it. The reeducation is better."
Mark stopped thinking about it. He decided that he will no pass his problems to his mother. And he didn't want Ariel or his lawyer to get money from him.
"You could have it more comfortable if you just pay."
"My mistake is my mistake. I don't want my mother to pay for that."
When he said that, it felt good. He didn't do too much, but now he felt like a hero charging to a danger. He felt like a hero.

The lawyer tried to describe the horrors of the reeducation camp, but Mark enjoyed the moment where he knew he is doing something he considered right and hard. The time ran out, and they returned to the big room.

His lawyer looked sad and started.
"Your honor, he changed his mind."
The chairman smiled a bit. It was just a drama that he liked a bit.
"Then Mark will go to a reeducation camp. You can expect to get the full resolution letter tomorrow. If someone does not agree, you can pursue it further."
He shifted his eyes, probably to Mark.
"Mark, you will get your orders in a week, do not leave the town, be prepared for the transfer."
"Thank you all for your attention. That was the hearing."
And the screen slowly faded to black, and Mark sighed and leaned back into his chair.