The Truth of Ten Years’ Cryo

Ten years ago, my wife carved my brain from my skull and sealed my shattered body in a cryogenic vault.
All because I was the prime suspect in a notorious, large-scale human trafficking case.
A decade after my death, she had my brain thawed for a public trial. A new technology could now dissolve human brains to extract memories, the color of the resulting solution indicating the person's moral alignment: black for evil, crimson for good.
On the day of the trial, a giant screen in Civic Plaza broadcasted the memories live to a massive, waiting crowd.
Simon Fairchild was a monster! That degenerate tortured trafficked children. He wasnt even human!
He framed his own wife and nearly got her entire squad killed! The man was pure scum!
Id love to crack open that bastards skull and see just how black his soul is. Probably as rotten as the rest of him!
The crowd seethed, a chorus of curses calling for my annihilation, wishing they could tear me limb from limb and scatter my ashes to the wind.
Amid the uproar, the black cloth covering the vat of solution was pulled away.
The sight of the vibrant crimson that signified ultimate good left everyone speechless.
1
What how is that possible? How could a man as vile as Simon Fairchild not have a black solution?
Did the coroner mess up? Maybe they mixed him up with some other John Doe.
Elara Rhodes frowned at the glaring crimson, ordering her team to re-verify everything. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her waist. She turned to see Bob, the man who was now her husband, holding her close.
Her expression softened at the sight of him. What are you doing here? You just had surgery. You should be resting.
Bob didnt answer, his gaze fixed thoughtfully on the crimson liquid. Its all in the past, Elara. Why drag it all up again?
After a moment, he added in a small, wounded voice, Youre not thinking about him, are you? I mean, you and my brother were married once.
Elara quickly wrapped her arms around him, placing his hand on her stomach and whispering a reassurance. That animal? I wish I could have been the one to cut him into a thousand pieces.
The only ones I love now are you and our child.
But his crimes were immense, the list of his victims endless. I just want the world to see the full extent of his evil, to have his name cursed for eternity.
Only then did Bob seem content, pulling her into a tight embrace.
While the technicians worked, the crowd buzzed with talk of the decade-old case.
I remember that case. The ringleader was a syndicate boss, Morgana Shaw. Simon Fairchild was her kept man.
Simons father, Marcus Fairchild, was a corporate shark with mob ties. Father and son were two sides of the same corrupt coin.
But Marcuss adopted son, Bob, hes different. Hes spent years supporting the victims families, trying to atone for his fathers sins.
Goes to show you, its not all about genes.
The case was infamous. No one could accept the crimson solution, and they clamored for the coroner to confirm the results.
The coroner looked exasperated. If you want to know if these are Simon Fairchilds memories, just watch the screen.
The dark screen in the plaza flickered to life.
My face appeared.
The agony of my dissolving brain felt like my very soul was being set ablaze. The sight of my face only stoked the crowds fury, their venomous curses echoing through the plaza. Elaras expression mirrored their rage.
I watched as the eyes that once held me like a precious treasure now burned with hatred. My dead heart ached with a phantom pain.
The Simon on the screen was only twenty.
He wore a crisp white shirt, riding a bicycle down a tree-lined campus path with Elara on the back. The sun was brilliant, but the young mans smile was brighter.
Knowing the dangers of her job, I placed a protective charm Id gone to great lengths to acquire around her neck. She accepted it solemnly, then surprised me by producing a delicate silver ring and slipping it onto my finger.
Officer Rhodes, is this a proposal? I teased, leaning closer.
Elara blushed and looked down. I chuckled at her flustered expression, then leaned in and captured her lips with mine.
The two of us on the screen were so happy.
Even now, watching that moment of pure bliss, Elaras composure wavered.
Bob shifted uncomfortably, forcing a note of pity into his voice. Its a shame she didnt cherish such happy days, choosing instead to become the plaything of a syndicate boss
He trailed off, but his words were enough to snap Elara out of her reverie. She looked at him with gentle eyes.
If it werent for his heartlessness, I never would have known how good you are, she said softly. I never would have found true happiness.
Bob smiled, satisfied, and drew her into his arms, his hands resting protectively on her belly.
They whispered to each other, lost in their own world, as my memories continued to play.
2
At twenty-two, I stumbled in my tuxedo and fell to the ground in front of the police headquarters.
I remember that day. It was supposed to be my wedding day.
But Elara wasnt wearing the custom-made, million-dollar gown. She was in her police uniform, snapping a pair of gleaming handcuffs onto my fathers wrists.
The romantic wedding venue was swarmed by police, white roses crushed underfoot.
My eyes were bloodshot as I grabbed her arm, demanding to know why.
She just wrenched her hand away, leaving me alone amidst the wreckage of our wedding. On the way to the station, my father died of a heart attack.
I chased her to the headquarters, only to be surrounded.
They tore at my clothes, clawed at my face. Rotten eggs and wilted cabbage rained down on me. Someone threw the first punch, and the mob ignited like a powder keg.
Fists and clubs rained down on me. Each blow was laced with a deep, personal hatred. A heavy pipe slammed into my lower back, and with a sickening crack, I heard my own spine break. I was tossed aside like a broken doll, my blood staining the pavement
The scene was so brutal that a flicker of conflict crossed Elaras face.
The crowd had fallen silent, but one mans voice rang out.
My child was one of the ones they trafficked! He suffered hell before he was rescued! That bastards father laundered money for those scumbags. He got what he deserved!
Yeah! He deserved it! Killing him wouldve been too good for him!
The plaza erupted again. On the screen, I was forced to my knees, my head pressed against the sun-baked asphalt until I finally passed out.
Floating in this ethereal space, I watched my past selfs agony, and my very soul trembled.
The scene changed. We were outside the courthouse.
My face was a cold mask as I tore our marriage certificate in two.
Elara looked devastated. Simon, what your father did has nothing to do with you. I dont want to divorce you.
Trust me, she pleaded. Once this is all over, Ill be the same as before.
I cut her off with a sneer full of scorn and hatred.
Officer Rhodes, I was the heir to a fortune. You killed my father, you ruined me, and you still have the delusion that we can be together?
I used to be somebody! People bowed when they saw me! I spat. I had luxury cars, beautiful women! Id never been with a girl like you before, so I thought Id try something new. And you actually thought I was serious? That this was true love?
Look at this cheap little thing you gave me, I said, yanking the silver ring from my finger and throwing it to the ground. It disgusts me to even wear it.
This memory made Elaras face contort with an ugly discomfort.
Bob held her, his voice a soft, sympathetic sigh. My brother only ever saw money. He could never recognize what was truly precious. I believe a true heart is what matters most.
Someone in the crowd snorted.
That shallow trust-fund baby. He spent his whole life enjoying his fathers blood money. What would he know about real feelings?
He shamelessly became a trafficking bosss boy toy later. She treated him like a dog!
A wave of derisive laughter swept through the plaza.
The scene shifted again, this time to the presidential suite of a high-end nightclub.
A line of muscular male models stood before us. I was among them, dressed in revealing clothes.
The syndicate boss, Morgana Shaw, surveyed us, her face an emotionless mask.
If you can hold your liquor, you stay. The rest of you, get out.
I downed two bottles of whiskey, one after the other. I could barely stand, but I refused to leave.
Morganas expression didnt change. She suddenly smashed a bottle, picked up a shard of glass, and tossed it at my feet.
You want to be my man? You want to make money? she said, her voice flat. Carve my name into your skin.
Morgana Shaw.
I didnt hesitate. I plunged the glass into my chest, carving her name, letter by bloody letter. Blood streamed down my torso, pooling on the floor. My entire body was shaking.
But when I looked up at her, my lips twisted into a seductive smile that never reached my eyes.
Crawl to me, Morgana commanded in that same deadpan tone.
I lowered myself to the floor.
And like a dog, I crawled to Morgana Shaw, becoming her kept man, a member of a human trafficking organization.
Bob made a disgusted gesture, as if I were something utterly foul.
How could my brother debase himself like that for money?
The thought that she had once given her heart to such a man made Elara sick. Her brow furrowed in revulsion.
The crowd was just as scornful.
The solution has to be wrong! How could a man that filthy have a pure crimson solution?
That pathetic dog deserved to die!
Selling his soul for money to traffic kids. Hes worse than an animal. A slow, painful death would be too kind.
Keep it playing! We want to see how the bastard gets whats coming to him!
3
The coroner ignored the shouts and continued to play my memories.
The scene showed me as a core member of the trafficking ring, strolling casually past a group of terrified, kidnapped children. I suddenly extended a hand, the sharp edge of my ring glinting, and slashed a deep, bloody line across a little girls beautiful face.
She screamed in agony.
I paid her no mind, turning my attention to a sturdy-looking boy whose eyes were wide with fear.
Can you swim? I asked.
The boy, confused, nodded.
What about with your hands and feet tied? I grinned maliciously. I bound him with thick rope and kicked him into the river.
Later that night, Morgana whipped me with a barbed lash. I knelt on the floor, begging her for mercy.
She watched me coldly. I let you have your fun, Simon. But to kill one of them? Do you have any idea how much that boys organs were worth?
I shrugged nonchalantly. How was I to know he was so weak?
Morganas face darkened, and the whip struck harder. Mr. Lee and his friends have particular tastes. They like them young and untouched. I had the perfect girl for them, and you dared to ruin her face!
My back was a mess of raw, bleeding flesh. Hissing in pain, I still managed a sycophantic smile.
Whats the fun in a little girl? I know far more ways to please a man than she does.
Morgana let out a dry laugh. I never would have guessed. The former golden boy of the citys elite has quite a few hidden talents.
Covered in fresh wounds, I walked into a room full of leering, corpulent men. Their eyes devoured me.
Instead of flinching, I walked right up to them, a welcoming smile on my face.
The coroner quickly paused the feed, applying a digital filter before resuming the broadcast.
A voice from the back of the crowd piped up. The rope looked a little loose. Maybe the boy didn't die?
And the girl, her face was ruined, but at least shes alive.
The suggestions were immediately shot down.
Are you kidding? They got lucky. Simon was trying to kill them.
He had no mercy, not even for children! The man was a monster!
And look how he throws himself at those men. Hes nothing but a whore.
Dont insult whores. Some of them have no choice. Look at him, hes enjoying it. Its disgusting!
The curses flew thick and fast.
Bobs eyes welled with tears, his voice choked with emotion. How could my brother be so cruel? Its just inhuman.
Elara gently wiped his tears away. Bob, youre too good. You could never understand someone as rotten as Simon Fairchild.
A man like him deserved to be erased. I dissected him, dissolved his brain, and had his body incinerated. Now, not even a speck of his dust remains in this world.
Before Bobs tears had dried, his own face appeared on the screen.
In the dark of night, I tossed a bag to him. Same as always. Distribute the money inside to the victims families.
The crowd stared in disbelief. Why would this monster suddenly develop a conscience and give money to the families hed helped destroy?
Elaras brow furrowed as she looked at Bob. Is this true? You never told me about this.
Bobs eyes reddened again. My brother was always malicious. And later he contracted a disease. I was terrified he might have intentionally contaminated the money with the virus to hurt people.
Elara was silent for a moment, an unsettling feeling creeping over her. Would Simon really do something so petty? Besides, a virus cant survive long outside the body without special preservation.
At her words, tears streamed down Bobs face. I dont know anything about that! I was just so scared someone else would get hurt! Are you doubting me, Elara? I burned all the money. I had to.
His grief was so profound that Elara chided herself for her suspicion.
The crowd quickly came to his defense.
The media reported on what Bob Fairchild did! He voluntarily surrendered all of the Fairchild family assets and has been using his own wages to support the victims families.
A man that kind wouldnt lie. He was just trying to keep everyone safe.
Exactly! Who knows what kind of sick trick a monster like Simon would pull? Burning the money was the right thing to do!
With everyone on Bobs side, Elara let the matter drop.
Hidden from the crowd, Bob let out a quiet sigh of relief.
The memory continued. I pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to him.
You have to give this to Elara. Its important!
Watching the screen, Elaras gaze snapped back to Bob, her suspicion returning full force.
She had never seen that note.

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