168. Choose Your Weapon

A war of words, a courtroom filled to the brim, everyone's attention was between Elric and his opponent. They stood on opposite sides facing the jury, witnesses, the judge and a court reporter who sat near the witness stand making an official record of the case. Elric opposing while the other defended the defendant.

"I admit that many times, the practice of medicine has given us a necessary push to do a lot of things that we wouldn't have otherwise done thereby achieving positive progress and just like any good thing, there is an alternate negative attached to it. Every time an experiment is done, there is a chance of a mortal being becoming a sacrificial lamb. While the sacrificial lambs have been used to test safety and efficacy of drugs, let it be known that the person behind the test is human and is subject to succumb to temptations like curiosity, greed among other vices, and the longer they remain trapped in such a state, the more they rob themselves of conscience, trading off their professionalism to feed their selfish desires.

Mutating and harming or altering genetic code is in itself a violation in the practice of medicine.

If we are to turn a blind eye to how much damage has been done, dropping all charges against the accused, I'm afraid I fear for my children's future and the future of this country. A selfish decision was made here, one that focused on quantity over quality, to make profits as opposed to improve health of patients. However, there may still be hope to curb this selfish vices. Shutting down the pharmaceutical companies sponsored or invested in by the defendant will put the nation in a standstill, I wonder what becomes of the neighboring states who were dependent on the supply of heat and scent medicines. It doesn't have to come to that. I vote for a no shut down, rather, let's consider the possibility of increasing transparency and conducting a secondary vetting approved by the ministry of health to carry proper auditing from independent organizations thereby limiting the risk of conspiracy, compromise or bribery; bribery which is one of the crimes fledged against the accused. It's futile for us to stop a circulation which began decades ago.

This is a continuous war against narcotics which none of us can stop singlehandedly but with the help of the accused, we shall be able to distinguish the bad drugs from the good ones.

I personally know those who've been affected by the contaminated variants of the drugs, seen the damage, walked with them through the healing process until recovery. I know what the drugs can do to a person when abused. Additionally, a good drug in the wrong hands is a bad drug. Curbing this issue prevents the next victim from becoming you. No one is immune from being a statistic.

Some of you may think my statement sounds naïve or inexperienced. Perhaps I'm taking this issue personally. When it comes to my future, it's definitely personal. When it comes to using suppressants and heat inhibitors, it definitely should be personal to all of you too. We all take them everyday and you know it. What are the chances of consuming a counterfeit one? That possibility may be slim, but slim is still a possibility nonetheless.

This is our future. Let's own it and be responsible for it too. I am not saying a future without him will become bright and easy but something has to be done. The direction we are headed in will be our downfall if he is to be set free, his detention doesn't promise much either but that will only be experienced at the beginning. We shall recover as a society and as a state or the world in general."

"I'm a believer of unlimited chances. Just like my learned friend said, the practice of medicine involves a lot of lab rats for the greater good. Let it be known that before peace, there was a war, no technological advancement without years and years of failed attempts, no successful individual without failed multiple investments. My point is we learn and grow and get better from our mistakes. If there is one thing the accused deserves, just like the many attempts he has made in the science of medicine is another chance. One may argue plenty of them have been given over the years however, let us focus on the greater cause, the greater future that my learned friend spoke of. He has made the court aware of knowing victims of abuse at a personal level and as much as I respect and sympathize with the victims, a lot of lives must have been saved in the process. I'm afraid we are punishing an innocent man by denying him the vision of chance, a chance to change the world by advancing in medicine which in turn we stand to benefit including our children; your children my learned friend.

The accused deserves a vote of confidence. If we are to retribute him for the bad then lets reward him for the good too. It would be unfair to just focus on one aspect of his so called crimes. The damage was unprecedented and it's too late to be rectified. The accused also compensated those negatively affected by the experiments. There are numerous witnesses who can attest to this and deny being bribed into it, as my learned friend has mentioned earlier. Let it be known that none of his bribery charges have been proven to have happened for without concrete evidence, saying it aloud can be considered a rumor, which the defendant may sue for slander.

I'd like to add that the accused involvement in championing better healthcare for this country has brought about more pleasure than pain. It's unfortunate there were a few casualties but the families were compensated and lessons were learned from such experiences. Those who volunteered to be experimented on also signed a contract acknowledging to be aware of the consequences so let us not pretend they weren't informed what they were getting into. This man is a hero and should be credited for his efforts instead of shunning him otherwise we put a halt into a promising and bright healthcare system, efforts that have been put into in centuries thrown away, wasting away behind bars when it should be nurtured and grown in freedom.

Leading organizations and industries that the accused has managed, taking that seat, that top position requires him to be vigilant, firm and sometimes politically violent. It is not a place for soft people with soft heads. The pressure of holding the lives of many people in his hands was definitely daunting, the responsibility of the future of his employees overwhelming. A person in his situation will definitely experience multiple breakdowns, may not have time for his family because he wholeheartedly fathered the lives of others, choosing the many millions of people as opposed to the life of his family and children. He shouldn't be faulted for his shortcomings for he endured everything in good faith that he was changing the world. He did what many of us wouldn't dare do and for that, he'd already punished himself by denying himself the love of a family. Why put salt in his wounds by penalizing him for his selfless sacrifice? He fought and challenged himself on a daily basis, bringing out the nobility in him. He is not complaisant, his change is constant and to me that is a life worth deserving respect.

I conclude by saying let us not stick our opinions on the bad, rather the good, the healing and not the wounds; let's focus on the future rather than the past. This case is being handled, the defendant judged based on old policies. What should be done instead is to find new solutions, newer ways of accessing the case, new judgement to old problems rather than giving old solutions to new problems. His punishment fits the crime, but what about the positive change he brought? Shouldn't he be rewarded for that too?"

"I I'm not disputing that the field of medicine has indeed grown tremendously from the accused investment in medicine however, what has been taken out of it and the amount of damage done and still continues to be done, which may never be completely altered so to speak, brings back the health industry to a starting point. The effects of the drugs are permanent and if temporary, they still leave a lasting impression on the user be it trauma, anxiety, abnormal behavior among other disorders thereby putting the user in a constant need for other drugs to treat these illnesses. It's a vicious cycle health wise and also hinders the lifestyle of victims economically. The drugs are outrageously expensive and in the recent weeks have risen by a 30% margin. This is not healing, this is dependency and manipulation, leaving a victim reliant on the drugs. Are we to allow this? Are we to create a population reliant on medicine to survive? This hero as my learned friend has so identified seeks to promote division. In what way you may wonder. Someone who has already fallen victim to the use of the manipulated drugs and become dependent will see this man as a hero. Of course being ignorant to have been put in that state intentionally from the very beginning. The latter is an individual who is self reliant and has not become a victim of the counterfeit drugs will deem the accused a villain.

The policies governing the use of these drugs seek further division than unity and as long as we remain disunited, we can not focus on the main root cause of the problem, which is the reason why we are here. Sadly, those unaffiliated with the use of the drug suffer more having family and friends, people who they care for falling victims to the manipulation of advertisements promoting drug dependancy. The war against narcotics has been a fight for many decades but sadly, even if damage befalls those not consuming the drugs, those using it still, are not victors of the war against narcotics. Both sides suffer. Granting this man pardon is a war lost, a war with no distinction between victor and looser. The court holds power to decide whether the accused will be stopped or deemed innocent. Another way will be judgement by anticipation. May we make a wise decision."

"We are living in a democratic state in democratic times. I move to suggest that a feasibility study be conducted, one that focuses on morality and it shouldn't be entirely left for the state to determine this but for the people to have a voice, a say in this matter that will affect them and in the futures to come. Since the accused has strong ties to the government, I find this a proper solution for a lot of people have wanted to have a say in this matter. Let us not decide for the masses entirely for our decision or the legislature's may be biased or compromised in one way or another. Perhaps we've lost focus on our main objective and our judgement has become poor. It may be an overreach but it is still a good solution and in the event it is dismissed, then the three entities should make the decision. The executive, the legislature and the judiciary. I'm sure you've seen the news. The masses speak in favor of the defendant."

"A valid point has been raised. Say the court moves to pass judgement on the accused by allowing the masses to take part in decision making. Let us not confuse ourselves here for the government is the people who may be already compromised by the counterfeit drugs thereby falling victim to drug dependency, the executive a leader of that people. If we move to punish the accused, he didn't act on his own and I'm sure he got help from a lot of elite members of the society, including those who wish to be identified as such. Fine then. Let's involve the masses and bring forward these people too, who are part of the masses correct? Aren't they guilty just as the defendant? Should they be free from punishment? We seek to uproot the problem, how about doing it starting from the top and the rest will follow.

The accused may have been the one who spearheaded the plans, or perhaps it was someone else. We are fools if we stand here and debate on his future when he didn't act alone. His accomplices should be brought to charge and the fact that this trial hasn't gotten anywhere is a statement of how deep this problem is. We have the evidence, the testimonies, the suspect, the crime, the system, the educated team lawyers and prosecutors; we have seen how it is absolutely incapable of dealing with the critical problems we face as a state. The fact of the matter is the accused and his accomplices have brought change however, curing deceases that were created in a lab, illegally without proper licensing is a crime. You can not defeat evil by evil.

Secondly, compensation does not rectify a problem intentionally created. It's evident that there is uncertainty , a grey area sabotaging our judgement here. The aim is to eradicate substance abuse, accountability and proper licensing before any experiment is carried out even if it's to a mare mouse. What, are we going to ignore animal abuse too? There is no consequence here, and it's clear who the looser is. We all are including the accused. Conscience has already been compromised and what is promised to be free treatment, in actuality is not free at all for there is always a selfish purpose behind that promise.

Being a volunteer for the greater good used to be something one did with honor but now, a volunteer is as good as a sacrificial lamb, the one taking it for the team, the victim or casualty, the ultimate looser in the end."

"You ask for accomplices, do you believe all will be apprehended? There will always be those that manage to escape, another villain to take over the hot seat."

"I I'm not refuting that. My point is for there to be fair judgement, all parties involved should be made accountable, not just the accused. This is a syndicate and we all know it."

"Wow." Yeon whispered. "I've never seen Elric on fire like this."

"This has always been his path and he follows it passionately. I hope my grandchildren take after him as he did me, don't you think so Nelnel?"

"..."

"Hey..." Yeon, who'd been sitting between Niel and Elric's mom nudged him by the elbow to grab his attention.

"What?" Niel asked, his attention on the ongoing war of words. It was a different world to him, exposing him to a side of Elric he'd never seen before and both Yeon and Elric's mother followed his gaze ahead.

"What do you think of my son? He is good isn't he?"

"He is so hot..." Niel responded absentmindedly to which Yeon covered his mouth, preventing a burst of laughter from escaping him.

"You are just as perverted as he is aren't you?" Elric's mother asked.

"I-I meant to say special...I mean exceptionally good at what he does."

"Try saying that without drooling, maybe I'd believe you."

"I'm sorry." Niel whispered an apology, his eyes on a laughing Yeon.

"Don't be." Elric's mother said. "Because of you, he's finally agreed to meet his uncles. I don't know what you did to him but whatever it was, it worked like magic."