Next day, 13:00.
Mike was ready to start his plan, he already prepared things yesterday just to be sure.
But he could not trust his luck or the NCC president.
He had to get away from the criminals, it was the easy part, but to get away from the NCC judge was a different matter.
He was wearing sport-casual clothes, he wanted to make it easy for him, so he prepared to leave even before the right time.
That way the criminals would not be prepared to take action.
It looked like the criminal's kidnapping was the first plan, and the NCC was the plan B, not only the bait.
That was his conclusion, and even if was not like that, he was ready to act.
In front of a wall, he was preparing mentally.
Wearing casual clothes was nothing unusual, but combining it with a sporty style was for the mission this time.
He would sweat a lot if things got wrong, so it was better to be prepared.
-Ok, I am ready, open it - He ordered and the wall started opening from side to side.
It was a secret door, the one that allowed him to get directly to the backyard.
Using that door leads to the back of the house, but it still ends at a wall of the building behind it.
It was not that high, but still, it was leading to nowhere.
Anyway, he was about to make his own way, he studied his situation yesterday.
After ensuring no one was watching, he hurried towards the wall. Using his bare hands, he began climbing up, utilizing the neighboring buildings to reach the rooftops of nearby houses.
The weather was cloudy, like near to rain, it could rain any moment.
-"I should check the weather situation next time I am about to do something like that, better be careful from this point on" - He had to be careful indeed.
Some roofs were not easy to walk without being noticed, and it consumed a lot of stamina to move quick from roof to roof, much more with rain.
But all in all, it was good the weather for him at least.
The challenges would increase, but he would be difficult to trace.
He put on his hood and started running.
From there he could see the weird movements if looked carefully.
As Claire told him the areas to watch out, he knew where those people were hiding, and decided to watch them to see if it was safe to run from roof to roof.
But it was easy to say and hard to do.
Buildings have different size and shape, walking from place to place without making any noise in those conditions, and not being noticed, it was more than just hard.
It took him some time to leave the area of vigilance of the criminals.
Or so he thought.
He found a place to climb down and went to the main street.
Once he was stopping a taxi, he noticed someone looking shockingly at him.
He acted in ignorance and left.
The man was about to get his gun but decided to not after remembering Mike's information, it was better to call the bosses.
He moved his hand acting like nothing was happening and reached his phone.
But Mike was calm, he wasn't expecting someone so far away from them, but it was too late, he was already far away.
-"Bye-bye, bitch" - He told the driver the destination and left.
The first obstacle was done successfully, it might be hard to get back later but those problems are for later in Mike's mind.
The next obstacle was the real problem, would the NCC president really help him because of his grandfather?
No, probably it would only help him get contacted, he needed to lure the man with something.
He already thought about it, maybe money, money is after all what made the corrupt people work for others.
At least it was the unwritten rules in Aether.
Anyway, he had something no one could expect to have, the contact with a high-position politician man.
At the NCC main hall, he asked in the reception about his case.
-Sorry sir, those kinds of scenarios are not handled by afternoon - The woman was looking at him like he was the weird one.
-You would not know until you check it, it stated 17:30 if I remember correctly-
With a sigh, the woman searched the case number, she was ready to show him proof that those things were not handled at afternoons.
She even saw the last Judge leaving already, and since the last magistrate left just a minute ago.
-There is... a case! - The woman was surprised -Maybe, is a failure in the system... I will notify it, but even so is too early, is good you came here earlier, please wait a moment until I finish it. - Now she was being educated.
Since she found out Mike was not a weird idiot, she treated him with a little bit of respect, not with the same look as before but with an apologizing face.
He sat down, maybe by informing it he could get away from the judgment already, or so was his hope.
He could only think it since when the woman arrived very much later, she was giving him an apology.
She took quite a large amount of time, she even thought it was a mistake but it really was scheduled for late afternoon, just half an hour before the NCC building would close activities for the day.
She understood that he was being blamed for something he was probably innocent, so she felt pity for him.
But Mike cared nothing for it, there was no prison that could hold an ability user in Aether...
-"No, there is one... Fuck, I forgot, the one who invested more in that prison is Mr. Slades..."- He barely remembers that prison, it was not big news.
Now it was big news, but he never used his powers in Aether in front of people, so he had hoped he would not be sent to that place.
-It will be held a little earlier, at 16:00- Said the woman.
-Ok, that's at least a bit of good news, thanks-
He went to the chairs and sat again.
The woman, after some minutes decided to ask him.
-Sir, there are still hours before the scheduled time...-
-There are criminals waiting for me in front of my house, I will wait here-
-Oh... O-o-Ok - To be releasing that info so quickly with no doubt, it would stun people easily.
Mike was somehow resistant to it, he saw a real android after all, one with full control of the world around it... around her.
Was there something that could surprise him?
-"Maybe Louis' ability would surprise me, it is said to be a mutated one, I wonder what the truth is?"-
There was not much but he then reminded something about Louis.
-"Right, what is that bad about Louis? He is a psycho for combat, right but what did he do to be expelled from the guild?" - Too many questions he forgets in the middle of the heat.
Now he was summarizing those things, Claire would answer him later, or so he hoped for.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, it was finally time for the scheduled show.
Those people maybe wanted to get rid of him quickly so they scheduled it earlier than before since they failed.
...
-Mr. Mike Blood, you are being sentenced with a fine of 5,000 Aether credits for using your PhySEC ability in public for no good reason or justifiable reason, and also imprisoned for 3 months in accordance with article 8 of PSCE user's behavior law...-
The judge kept telling the "crimes" and their consequences, it was mostly fake, but somehow, he knew not much about the articles and laws.
His lawyer was again a public one, he had no need to get a private one.
-"I somehow Imaginate I could not be imprisoned for something so ridiculous, just give them the order and they will find a FUCKING FLAW!!" - He kept his words and curses in his mind.
The judge kept talking. They summarized it because of the event at New Gaia's Islands in the UNA territory at that time.
The events there were not worth mentioning and he was in a different country, but they still found a way to make him take the blame for it.
-In total, your case ascends to 1 year of prison, and since you are a PhySEC user you are being sent to the special prison in Spartan Island, also, the fine is 8,000 Ether credits-
-Not that place - he said in a low voice.
-Do the defendant and defense attorney have something to say?-
The defense attorney just showed Mike a certain face shaking his head slowly.
-I do - This time Mike talked by himself, and had no a bit of hope for the lawyer beside him.
-To start, that prison is made for people who use their abilities for bad deeds, not for those who never used their abilities in Aether territory - He made emphasis in those last words.
-But let's forget about that for a minute, one year? Ain't am getting a f- I mean, an easier sentence since is my first time being sentenced to prison? As far as I know, the law allows me to reduce half the sentence if is my first and if it is under 5 years-
The judge was thinking about how to refute but saw something on his table and read it quickly.
-Ehem... indeed, but your case is very special as a PhySEC user, anyway, I am allowing it to be reduced to 8 months-
-*SIGH* Understood-
He had no hope, being imprisoned by stupid things, what kind of fate it is?
Some people are crazy, but his autobiography would have something at the beginning saying: "Life is stranger than fiction, some people can get imprisoned by just living their normal day like everybody, while some walk under the sun while killing people openly"
He thought the android would have better ideas to tell his bad luck.
-"8 months, I am already missing that android"-
And worst come to worst, the really dangerous people were in that same prison he was going to.