The courtroom was packed.
The press box was full. The gallery was crowded with reporters, curious civilians, and those with a personal stake in the trial of Kieran Everleigh. The quiet murmuring faded as the bailiff called for order and the Judge entered the room.
Kieran sat beside his defense attorney, legs crossed, a small legal pad in front of him. He wore the standard gray of Arkham-issued formalwear unremarkable save for how carefully he wore it. Calm, detached. His hair was combed back, but the dark circles under his eyes remained. The long weeks of sleep deprivation hadn't left him untouched.
His mind briefly traveled to the man that went mad and killed himself, the man that sang loudly day and night causing his sleep deprivation. The man he swear he saw had an actual aura around him, that he manipulated,
The prosecution rose first dragging his attention back to court,
A woman named Clarissa Vane sharp voice, sharper eyes. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," she began. "Today, you will be shown the mind and mask of a man who for months operated as a ghost in Gotham. A man whose wealth bought silence, whose charm bought allies, and whose manipulations left blood in the streets."
She walked slowly, deliberately. "The defendant, Kieran Everleigh, is not insane. He is not confused. He is not innocent. He is dangerous. Brilliant. And he has used that brilliance to build a network of coercion, of violence, and of murder. You'll hear from experts. From witnesses who lived in fear. From the victims who can still speak."
Kieran's eyes didn't move as she spoke. He seemed frozen in time, watching the dance of performance with distant interest.
"And when you hear it all," she concluded, "you'll see that beneath the performance is a predator. Not sick. Just cunning. And guilty."
She returned to her seat.
Kieran's lawyer, Adrian Grey, stood. He was older, with silver hair and a casual sort of gravitas that made him feel like a trusted family friend rather than a high-powered criminal attorney.
"I won't start with a speech as dramatic as Ms. Vane's," he said, gesturing with an open hand. "I'll start with a question: What if everything you've been told has been… curated? What if the man sitting here isn't the puppet master, but the puppet?"
He paced just once.
"You'll hear from people who've never met Kieran. You'll hear stories of things that may or may not have happened half-truths, assumptions. But you will not find the truth unless you're willing to ask: Who benefits from making this man the villain?"
He turned to the jury.
"The prosecution will paint him as too smart, too calculated, too good at hiding. And that might scare you. But being clever is not a crime. Having enemies isn't guilt. And they are right my client isn't mentally ill, he is a man that restored a hotel and is now being called a criminal."
He placed his hand gently on Kieran's shoulder.
"At the end of this trial, I ask only that you remember: they must prove without a shred of doubt my clients guilt, they cannot."
He sat.
Kieran nodded slowly, more to himself than anyone else.
The judge called a recess before the first witness.
Kieran leaned back, letting the courtroom noise melt into static. His lawyer said something to him, but his eyes were elsewhere drawn not to the prosecution, not to the jury, but to the camera hidden in the courtroom's upper corner. Watching. Recording. Streaming.
***
The courtroom doors creaked open as the bailiff called the room back to order. Jurors filtered in slowly, murmuring among themselves, clutching notepads and lukewarm coffee. The gallery rustled as spectators and press took their seats. Judge Halvorsen adjusted his glasses, peering down from the bench with a faint scowl.
"All rise."
Everyone stood. Judge Halvorsen gave a curt nod.
"Be seated. Ms. Vane, your witness."
Prosecutor Vane stood, heels clicking softly against the marble floor as she approached the witness stand. Sharp-suited, with a severe bun and unreadable expression, she turned toward the jury with the faintest smile before addressing the man in the box.
"Detective Harrows," she began, "can you state your name and current assignment for the record?"
"Detective Mark Harrows," the man answered, clearing his throat. "GCPD, Major Crimes Division."
Vane nodded, pacing slowly. "Detective, when did you first encounter the name Kieran Everleigh in relation to your investigations?"
Harrows exhaled. "Until a couple months ago? Never. Not once. But lately… the name's been coming up more and more. Unavoidably."
"In what context?" Vane asked.
Harrows shifted in his seat. "We started noticing a pattern. Coordinated assaults, supply thefts, targeted attacks on private property all by what appear to be homeless groups acting in strange cohesion. Guerrilla-style, they are also suspected in helping numerous criminals escape prosecution. And somewhere along the thread, the name Everleigh starts popping up. Quiet donations. People getting taken care of. Word spreading underground."
A murmur rippled through the gallery. Vane let it breathe.
"Would you say the surge in organized crime among the homeless population began before or after Mr. Everleigh arrived in Gotham?"
Harrows didn't hesitate. "After. The timeline matches."
Vane raised a brow. "And what other coincidences did you find?"
"He bought the Arden Hotel," Harrows said, "a property that sat relatively successful for years. It sold far below market value, and suspiciously had terrible luck with inspections a historical reviews the weeks leading up to the buyout. No public listing, barely a paper trail. And right after he moves in, there's a spike in activity in that district. Particularly from vagrants previously scattered across the East End."
"Did you or your department find anything… unusual about the sale?"
"It looked clean. But too clean. The kind of clean that smells like bleach."
The jury chuckled lightly at that. Vane smiled faintly, then turned.
"No further questions at this time."
She stepped back smoothly.
Adrian Grey rose slowly from his seat, unbuttoning his jacket with a practiced flick. Kieran watched from the defense table, still and unreadable. Felix walked to the stand, voice calm and honeyed.
"Detective Harrows," he began, "are you aware that buying a hotel is not a crime?"
The detective frowned slightly. "Yes."
"Is arriving in Gotham during a period of unrest a crime?"
"No."
Adrian turned to the jury, gesturing broadly. "So what we have here is… coincidence. A man moves into town, buys a building, and then bad things happen. I mean do we plan to arrest everyone who moved here in the last six months?"
Vane objected, "Argumentative."
"Withdrawn," Adrian said smoothly, already moving on.
"You said the homeless groups became more organized. Did you find a single message, memo, phone call, or recording linking my client to those incidents?"
Harrows hesitated. "No direct link."
Adrian pounced. "So your testimony today is based on speculation. A hunch."
"It's based on patterns," Harrows defended. "Timing, movement, and who benefits—"
Adrian cut in. "Who benefits? So, a philanthropist giving meals to the hungry now 'benefits' from their crimes?"
Harrows looked flustered but said nothing.
Adrian smirked and approached the evidence display. "Let's talk about this mysterious 'link' you seem to believe exists."
He opened a folder and held up a printed image. "Prosecution Exhibit 4C. A blurry, low-resolution photograph of a man in an alley, partially turned away. Detective Harrows, you allege this is my client, do you not?"
"I said it resembles—"
"This could be anyone," Adrian snapped. "There are no facial markers. No timestamps. No context. And yet it's being paraded in front of this courtroom like proof."
He held the image out to the jury. "Is this what passes for justice now? Grainy photographs and conspiracy theories?"
Vane rose, "Your Honor, if Mr. Grey would like to debate the evidence, he can submit his own. But this is cross-examination, not a performance."
Adrian bowed slightly. "Point taken. I'll conclude shortly."
He turned back to Harrows, his voice softening. "Detective, have you ever spoken to my client? Interviewed him? Met him in any official capacity?"
"No."
"Thank you. No further questions."
He returned to his seat, calm as ever.
The judge looked between them. "Witness may step down. Court will reconvene tomorrow at 9:00 a.m."
The gavel struck once.