Silent Jury Issue One

The Silent Jury
Issue #1
by Tom Zjaba

CHAPTER ONE: THE FATHER I NEVER KNEW
Sometimes you don't realize just how little you know about a person until it is too late. That day came for Robert Vanderpool II shortly after his father died. As he watched the casket being placed into the ground, he began to think about all of the stuff he wanted to ask his father. He always assumed there would be plenty of time after he finished college. Once he did finish it, he figured that after he settled down and found a good job, he could become closer to his father. Well, fate has a way of destroying even the best intentions. One car accident later and Robert begins to realize all the missed opportunities, all the wasted time. What he doesn't know is that there is even more to his father than he ever imagined and he is going to find out real soon just how little he knew his own father. As the funeral ends, Robert's aunts come over to try and console him. While he was never very close with any of his aunts, he accepts their hugs and words of comfort. Once they finish, he takes one last look at the casket and thinks about his father. He then walks off to the waiting car. As he leaves, he looks back and notices a stranger dropping flowers into the grave. The older black gentleman pauses for a moment and then quietly walks away. For a moment, Robert wonders who the man is. While his father wasn't prejudice, he never knew his father to have any black friends. Guess that is just one more thing Robert didn't know about his father.

A few days later, Robert gets a strange call at his father's house. He has moved back to his father's house and given up the apartment he had in the city. It is strange to be back home but somehow it felt like the right thing to do. Part of it is because it was willed to him along with all of his father's possessions. The other part is the sense of comfort he feels by being closer to his father, at least in spirit. As Robert answers the call, he is apprehensive. Since his father's demise, he has gotten a deluge of calls from deadbeat relatives and charities. His father was quite wealthy and everyone wants a piece of the estate. "Hello" he politely says, expecting to hear some sales pitch. "Robert, I am a friend of your father's,” the voice says. "I don't care what charity you represent or what you want, you aren't getting it, so save us both some time and leave me alone" he yells instinctively into the phone. There is a short pause and then the voice continues "I am sorry to bother you, but I don't want anything. I actually have something for you that your father has left in my care." he quietly responds. "Is this some kind of scam?" Robert asks in a very skeptical voice. Once again there is a pause and then the now familiar voice quietly, almost in a whisper answers "The best way is for me to show you. If you could meet me, I could explain everything to you. Please, I am just trying to fulfill a promise to your father". Realizing that he probably will never get rid of this guy, he agrees to meet him at the War Memorial Statue in the public park in the city of North Shore. This way they are in a public place, so nothing should happen. Not that Robert is worried as his father saw to it that he was trained in boxing, and wrestling from a very young age. Plus, when you stand six foot three inches and weigh in a very healthy two hundred and twenty pounds, you don't fear too much.

Robert arrives the next day to the War Memorial. Despite how many times he looks up at the soldiers on the memorial, he still gets a feeling of patriotism. He gets there a few minutes early, in hope to get this nonsense finished as soon as possible. As he stands there waiting, a voice calls to him "Robert, my how you have grown". As Robert turns around, he sees a familiar face. It is the man from the grave, the one he had never seen before. The man extends his hand and Robert reluctantly shakes its. "So what's this thing you wanted to show me?" The man smiles and replies "Just as impatient as your father." Before Robert can comment, the man adds, "Just come with me and we will go there. A strong young man like yourself has nothing to fear from an old man like me, do ya?" Robert just looks at him with bewilderment. He cannot figure out the guy's angle. What is it he wants? His curiosity is getting the better of him and he nods his head in agreement. They then walk over to Robert's car and get in and drive off.

After a half hour drive into a rougher part of the city. North Shore, like most large cities, has its tougher neighborhoods and this is definitely one of them. Boarded up houses, gangs of kids on the corner and abandoned cars that have been stripped of anything of value, show the hard times this area has seen. As come up to an abandoned school, the man instructs Robert to park in front. As Robert parks his BMW, he thanks heaven for that alarm system he almost passed on. Not that it will stop any thieves, but it may be enough to delay them until he can come back. As they exit the vehicle, Robert looks at the boarded up school and starts to guess that the guy will hit him up for a loan to reopen the school. He knew it was some kind of scam. He stops and contemplates getting back into the car and driving off, but the old man goes over and unlocks the doors to the school and motions for him to follow. Like a cat, Robert's curiosity gets the better of him and the thoughts of caution are thrown to the wind. He heads into the dark, deserted school with extreme caution. He sticks his hand in his coat and grips the can of mace he brought as a precaution. He begins to curse his hatred of guns, knowing now the security one could have brought him. As his eyes slowly adjust to the darkness, he sees a light turn on down the hall. The bright glow from a doorway begins to fill the hall and works as a beacon for him to follow in the darkness. He slowly moves so not to trip over anything that may be hidden in his path. As he enters the room, he realizes it is a janitor's closet. The man pulls up what appears to be a light switch and underneath is a panel of buttons. He quickly punches in a code and the far wall slowly opens up. Where once was a wall, now is a descending stairway. He turns on a light and walks down to the bottom, where he turns on a bunch of lights. As Robert descends down the stairs, the door behind him closes. This prompts him to pull out the can of mace and be prepared to use it. As he reaches the bottom of the stairs, he is greeted by something he would never have guessed in a million years.

Instead of some thugs ready to jump him or some sales pitch on the importance of this school, he sees a room full of computers, monitors and other stuff. It looks more like a war room at the Pentagon or something out of a James Bond movie. "What is all this stuff and how is it connected to my father?" he says in amazement. "This Robert is your father's legacy, a legacy he wanted you to continue." the man proudly says. "Legacy? I don't understand? Was my father some kind of spy or something?" Robert questions, trying to guess the need for so much expensive and high tech equipment. "No, nothing like that. Your father was a hero of sorts. He tried to make life a little better by righting the wrongs of society. I wish your father was here, he was so much better at explaining this sort of thing." As Robert stands frozen in amazement, the man moves over to a large metal locker. He pulls a remote control like item out of his pocket and punches a few buttons and the doors slowly open up. Robert walks over behind him to see what he is up to and sees something that is right out of a comic book. Inside, encased in glass is a body suit that looks like some kind of science fiction armor. It looks part space suit, part weapon and totally illegal. What the heck is this and what does it have to do with him rushes through is confused mind. While there are some superheroes in the world, they are few and until now far away. Robert has read about them in the newspaper, but always dismissed them as freaks who just crave the attention the press lavishes them with. There really are no worldwide threats that require the attention of superheroes. But here Robert was staring at a super suit of armor and totally confused. "What is this and what does it have to do with me or my father?" he asks hoping the answer has something to do with Halloween. "This Robert is what your father wanted to show you himself before his death. It is special armor he wanted you to wear as you follow his footsteps" he responds with some pride in his voice. "Follow in his footsteps? I don't understand?" Robert says in a puzzled voice. The man smiles and answers, "Your father was part of the Silent Jury and wanted you to revive the legacy." "The Silent Jury? You mean those law breaking vigilantes whose total disregard for the law has made a mockery of the legal system?" Robert yells as the realization of the situation hit him with the force of a ton of bricks. "Those vigilantes as you call them have done a lot of good for the city of North Harbor.” the man yells back. Seeing a no win situation, Robert begins to walk off. But before he leaves, he responds "I have no idea how or why my father funded this, but I'm telling you right here and now that it is over. I want no part of this." As Robert heads towards the stairs, the man grabs a book and runs over and hands it to Robert. "Wait, before you go, here is your father's journal. Please read it before you judge your father." he pleads with Robert who reluctantly grabs the book and heads up the stairs. As he disappears out the door that the man opens despite his wishes, the man returns to the suit of armor and begins to cry. "Rob, I'm sorry I let you down." he then sits down and lays his head in his hands and sobs.

Chapter Two: Hidden Pasts
As the fire begins to maintain itself, Robert gets up from in front of the fireplace where he has spent the last hour building the fire and heads over to the dining room table. He heads there to get his father's journal with the sole intent of destroying it and hopefully all it represents. The shock of finding out his father was a psychotic vigilante still shakes him up inside. As he picks up the book and looks at the very plain cover, his curiosity begins to get the best of him. He fights the urge as he slowly walks towards the growing fire. Still in the back of his mind, he cannot but wonder what would possess a man, especially one who seemed so normal like his father, to don a costume and attack people. Sure they were criminals and maybe they did slip through the cracks of justice, but that didn't give his father the right to harass them. He then stops right in front of the fireplace and looks into the flames. As he is getting ready to throw the book into the awaiting flames, a picture falls from it. As the picture lands on the ground, he reaches over to pick it up. It is a picture of his mom, holding him in her lap. He appears to be about six months old. It is only the second picture Robert ever seen of his mother, who his father always told him, died in childbirth. He looks longingly at the picture and then turns it over to read the back. In faded pencil, it reads "Donna and Little Rob". Suddenly he begins to wonder how a picture of both of them could be taken if she died during childbirth, especially one where he is at least six months old. All of sudden, he decides to not burn the journal, but rather read it and find out what other lies his father has told him.

Robert sits down at the large oak table and slowly opens the front cover. The glass of wine that he poured himself is pulled closer to him. Not knowing what he will find in this, a little alcohol may be needed. He isn't sure what he will find and if that knowledge will improve or ruin his life and the memories he has of his father. As he opens it up and gets to the first journal, he swallows hard. As much as he must know the whole story, there is a part of him that doesn't want to find out. There is the boy in him that remembers a very strict, but loving father. A father that may have pushed him to excel, but was also there to praise his accomplishments. He doesn't want to diminish this loving image he has of his father, but he knows that he will not be able to rest until the truth is revealed. He already knows too much to stop now. So Robert begins to read the first journal.

Journal 0001 March 17 1968-"I still cannot believe that Donna is gone. How such a warm and caring person could just be so violently killed, is still beyond me. I know that I will never be able to replace her and the thought of Robbie growing up without a mother just kills me inside. At least the trial is coming up and hopefully there will be some vengeance".

Journal 0002 May 14 1968-"Been awhile since I wrote anything. The trial is coming to a close and a sentencing should be by week's end. While the evidence is overwhelming, I cannot help but feel that the defense has something up their sleeves. The smug looks on their faces infuriate me as much as it worries me".

Journal 0003 May 17 1968-"I cannot believe it! The bastard was released on a technicality. Because of some minor problem, he is able to just rape and butcher my wife and then walk free. Today I am ashamed to be an American. I have lost all faith in the legal system".

Journal 0004 July 12 1968-"I know that writing this down is probably a dumb idea. I know it could be used as evidence one day, but I just have to tell someone. Today, I decided to do what the courts and the law couldn't. I got my vengeance. That bastard will never kill anyone again. I made sure of that. He sure was tough when it came to attacking women, but against a real man, he folded like a house of cards. Not only did I make sure he suffered for the pain he has caused me and my family, but I made sure he would never do it again. While I will admit to killing him, I will not, even in this journal, tell where the body is. I made sure that it vanished, for good".

As Robert finishes reading the fourth entry, he has to put the book down and take a few deep breaths. At least now he has an idea why his father became a vigilante. But before he can get back to the book, he hears a knock on the back door. Who could be bothering him at this time of the night? Is it some other kook from his father's past? The only way to find out is to answer the door. So he cautiously walks over to the door and looks out. What he sees is a black woman in a strange getup. He has never seen her before, but has an idea why she is here. He reluctantly opens the door. "What do you want?" he says to her, as he gets ready to slam the door shut. "Can you just hear me out before you shut that door?" she pleads with him. "Why should I?" he asks her as he slowly pushes the door shut. "Because my father gave his whole life for this moment and it is killing him that you won't even give the armor a try." she says in a sullen voice. "Why should I even care? This is something that was planned without my opinion" he responds in a harsh voice. "How about this reason, I will continue to bother you until you finally give in." she smugly says with a wicked smile coming across her face. The door then shuts and she hears a few locks being undone. Then the door opens and he welcomes her in. As she walks past, he says, "You really would keep bothering me, wouldn't you?" She smiles back at him and says in a low, almost seductive voice "I have ways to wear down any man's resistance."

As they sit and talk, Robert finally agrees to go back to the school and give the armor a test. They finally come to an agreement that once he tries it on and if he them doesn't like it, he can reject it and it will be the end of the story. Figuring it is the only way to get any peace, he reluctantly agrees to the deal and they seal it with a handshake. She then leaves and takes to the air in her getup. Robert watches her fly away and suddenly looks around to make sure there is no one around to see this. While there are no immediate neighbors, one cannot be too careful. It would be tough to explain a woman flying from your home. He then walks back into the house and prepares himself for bed. Knowing that he has a long day ahead of him and some rest would probably do him good, he heads up the stairs.

The next day, Robert arrives at noon, the time they both agreed upon. As he arrives, he is warmly greeted by Gadget, the man from the day before and his daughter, Vanessa. "I must apologize for my daughter's behavior.” he politely says as Robert enters the door. "Oh Daddy, it did get him here didn't it?" she proudly boasts. "Yes, it did, but it will take more than persistence to get him to stay for any length of time." he says as he heads down the stairs. As the walk down, Robert grabs Vanessa's arm and whispers to her "Remember our deal, I give it a try and you leave me alone." he sternly reminds her. She places her hand upon his and gives it a tap, before removing it from her arm. "I know, I know. But let us test the suit out before making any rash decisions."

As they enter the room, Robert sees that the armor is already out of the glass enclosure. It is lying on a table and as he walks over and takes a look at it, he cannot help but feel a certain amount of excitement. The same excitement that a child feels upon receiving a new bike. There is always the presence of danger, but the sense of awe is enough to subside the fears. Robert tries hard to fight back this exuberance. Before he can do this, his thoughts are interrupted by Gadget as he begins to describe the suit to Robert. "This part is the body suit. As you can see from the sensors located around the suit, it will respond to your every movement". "Go ahead and pick it up. Notice the lightweight design. This is from very advanced plastics that are both very pliable and also extremely strong. It is a formula that I have spent the better part of twenty years perfecting,” he proudly acknowledges. As Robert picks up the armor, he is amazed at the lightweight design. It really is as light as Gadget described it. "Now go into the room over there and put the suit on. Then we will attach the rest of it and boot up the computer,” he says as he points to a door off to the left. Robert picks up the suit and heads into the other room.

After several minutes, he reemerges in the very tight and form fitting suit. As he walks over, Vanessa whistles and yells out at him "Not bad." and "That suit doesn't hide anything.". Gadget turns and glares at her "Young lady, this is not some fashion show, so please keep your comments to yourself". "Oh Daddy, I was just having some fun with Robert, you know trying to keep things light". "This is serious business and not some joke, so please let us concentrate on the task at hand.” he sternly says as he begins to but the other pieces of the armor onto Robert. As each piece is put on, he bolts it into place. A good fifteen minutes later, the armor is fully in place. Robert looks at him and asks "How am I supposed to fight crime if it takes this long to get the suit on?" Before Gadget has a chance to answer, Robert adds, "It isn't like the criminals will wait for me to go to a phone booth and change". "With practice and a few modifications, we can easily cut the time in half, possibly even less". Robert just rolls his eyes. Vanessa is trying to hold back her laughter. It is not everyday someone questions one of her father's inventions and it is almost never that they find a major flaw in one of them.

Now that the suit is on and secured, Gadget hooks the computer up and begins to download the information to the system. As the system begins to power up, Robert sees all kind of lights going on in the helmet. Suddenly a voice comes on in the helmet "Time for voice imprint. Please state your name, age, and social security number". Robert looks over at Gadget and asks, "What is this?" "This is a security device. Once the system has your voiceprint, only you can power it up. This is to keep others from stealing and using the technology." Gadget replies and then adds "Right now it is also doing a retina scan and making an imprint of your fingers." "But what if I decide I don't want to be a hero, won't the armor become useless?" Upon hearing this, Gadget lowers his head and answers, "Yes, the armor will be useless and have to be disposed of." Vanessa then makes her way out of the room as Robert is doing the voice imprint. After it is finished, he hears a voice in his head say "Hello, my name is Langston. I will be here to assist you. I can easily bring up any information you may need about the unit, from its weapons arsenal to its navigation system. I can also take over and control the armor in times of duress or in the event of your loss of consciousness." Robert looks over at Gadget and inquires, "What is he talking about?" "You must mean Langston, you must excuse the computer. He tends to go a bit fast." After a pause, Robert asks, "Why did you call him Langston?" Gadget answers back "I named him after my favorite poet, Langston Hughes. If you don't like the name, you can change it to whatever you wish” he replies. "No, Langston is fine. So when do we take this baby for a test drive?" he says as his exuberant side takes over. "Just about ready" he says as he begins to disconnect all the wires. He then dons a set of earphones and pulls a mike up to his lips. "Robert, can you hear me?" He says into the mike. "The voice comes through the helmet and Robert replies, "Loud and clear, can you hear me?" "Yes Robert, you are coming in loud and clear". As soon as he replies, Vanessa comes into the room wearing the outfit from the night before. "I am all ready to accompany you on your maiden voyage" she says as she walks towards him. Her voice is also coming into his helmet. Suddenly, he hears her father's voice ring out "Young lady, will you get that suit off this instance. No girl of mine will be wearing any suit, you know..." "I know. I know. Women aren't supposed to be superheroes,” she pouts as she lowers her head. "Wait as minute! If she doesn't go, then neither do I. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even be here" he demands. After a few minutes of contemplating, Gadget gives in and says, "Alright, you can go. But just one quick flight and then back here" he replies. "Fine, we will just go out a little bit and head right back" she says, trying to mask her excitement. He then hears in his helmet, "I owe you one". As he looks over, she gives him a wink. They then head over to prepare for their flight.

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