With assistance from her bodyguards and some legal aid, Amanda mounts a comeback against her former superior. But there is a shocking, abrupt twist that cuts off the court trial and sends the plaintiff reeling.

Surviving Through Legal Aid

Amanda is dead asleep following the draining pursuit she escaped while running from the police. The pursuit had already escalated when she shot and killed a hitman that was sent by her superior to kill her first but she finally snapped, gaining the upper hand. Now that she's taken care of the hitman, and the ensuing police chance, the female ragdoll could possibly be one of the most notorious of suspects sought by the police. But if it wasn't for her new bodyguards suddenly arriving on scene, she would have been either caught or dead. So in the morning, assistance is arranged for some legal help to come to Amanda's aid so she can finally put Mark away for good. It's just a matter of the backup actually arriving in one piece, or even alive in this case. Redview County police are ruthless and aggressive in their pursuit tactics after all. But seeing how she managed to escape, the ragdoll made the cops a laughingstock. Now she is on the National Most Wanted List, thanks to her superior who wanted her out of the picture.

Having finally woken up and freshened herself up, Amanda is getting ready to start her new day once again when Casper approaches her, “Going out? You sure you'll be okay?” Behind Casper are his men, dressed and primed to assist instantly.

Initially reluctant, Amanda refuses the offer, though she does have a change of heart. “I’ll be fine, I won't need any help… although I wouldn't mind one of you tagging along as a wingman in case things get tight.”

Eventually, after some silence, Amanda decides on picking one of the bodyguards as her wingman to accompany her. For the task, she chooses Guilherme to tag along with her, leaving the rest of them to guard her safehouse.

~~~~

“So let's get this straight - you’re a marked woman who's been manipulated and framed by your boss to achieve his own goals? He should be taken out and taken care of!” Guilherme commented on Amanda's actions during the drive away from her safehouse and towards their new destination. Then the lion scoffs where he later reveals to Amanda, “My team and I are on this exact same case, except we weren't going after you as the target - it's your pretty-boy boss that's the target.”

“And how is this supposed to help my case?” Amanda questions, doubtful.

Guilherme begins to explain, “Simple! We both want him out of the picture - and it's not just for mutual feelings either. You want him out because of his manipulation of you whereas we're taking him out due to an assignment given to us. Your boss is a corrupt piece of work for a cop.”

The female ragdoll exhales tersely with an eye roll, “Yeah, you got that right. I would love nothing more than to wrap my fluffy hands around that neck of his.”

“That will be coming soon enough. We just need to get to our destination first.” Guilherme stated. “We just need to hook you up to your legal aid first and then we'll watch the procession play out.”

Amanda sighs, running a hand through her neck fur. “I just hope that whoever you're hooking me up with is good enough for the task. I can't bear to come this far just to lose and be thrown in jail. Not after everything that's happened to me.”

Guilherme assures Amanda, “Relax, Sweet Cheeks. These lawyers are one of the top legal firms in the country, so you're in good hands.”

~~~~~

After a long drive through several interchanges, Amanda winds up in Silverton, of all places! The long drive, however, was filled with conversations both inside and outside the topic of Mark and what they wanted to do to him in revenge. But upon arriving in Silverton, Amanda immediately notices the change in scenery and prepares to call Guilherme out, thinking he’s led her in the wrong direction. But the ragdoll later eyes several cars lined up next to an apartment that doubled as a law firm.

Amanda is the first to exit out of her Nissan GT-R (R35) Black Edition, followed by Guilherme, who climbs out of his McLaren 600LT wielding an M4 Carbine as protection. At first Amanda tells him to stand down, but Guilherme insisted in case things went wrong.

The pair step into the law office where they are immediately greeted by a female ragdoll cat who coolly explains herself, “We heard about the situation. We’ll back you up, don't worry! My name is Joanna Sweeney and I'll be your defense lawyer as your support. As for your case, let's just say it's clear-cut. All of the evidence collected has already been tested, including the news footage of the first initial chase.”

Amanda immediately perks up, “So my case is covered, then? I’m home-free??”

“Not quite.” Joanna, though confident, reminds Amanda, “Remember, we still have your rival side’s team to fight. We just need to prove your innocence.”

“Sounds easy enough.” Amanda claimed quickly. Then she frowns upon realization, “Can't say the same about Mark’s team, though. They’ll be trying their best to convict me and protect him. But not all lawyers are the same, though. If they turn on him, that will be surprising.”

“You'd be amazed at how fast things change, Amanda. We've had to do the same thing before.” Joanna claimed. Still confident of victory, the ragdoll lawyer claims, “We'll see how fast this trial goes, but don't be surprised with Mark's lackeys having a change of heart on the matter.”

“Hmph! We’ll see how long their allegiance to him lasts when everything is revealed in the trial.” Folding her arms, the cross expression on Amanda's face betrays her inner confidence. All they can do is hope for a Not Guilty verdict for Amanda.

~~~~~

Arriving at the courthouse, Amanda and Joanna make their way inside and head into the courtroom to settle things once and for all. However, Joanna whispers in Amanda's ear, “This could be over in a flash but I'm beginning to think this is rigged.”

“How are you sure about this??” Amanda whispered in return.

“Who files a lawsuit against their target after their target escapes their grasp?” Joanna reasoned with her.

“That is a good point, Joanna. And it's a really dumb move to pull.” Amanda acknowledged in return.

A few minutes later into the waiting period, one of the bailiffs announces to the Ragdoll women, “Ms. Sweeney, Ms. White! Both of you must report to the courtroom now! The trial is about to start!”

“Right away sir!!!” Joanna acknowledged. She turns to Amanda and grins, “Let's set this straight once and for all!”

~~~~~

The gallery is packed and loud during the beginning period of the trial. The judge, a red doberman, slams his gavel down to begin court proceedings.

(🎵 Psychonaught - Captain Ginger [Need For Speed Porsche Unleashed OST])

“Court is now in session for the trial of Ms. Amanda White. Are both sides ready?” Announcing the start of legal proceedings, the judge shifts his gaze between the prosecution and defense sides to see if they are ready. But something is suddenly off, or rather… someone…

“Prosecution… is ready, Your Honor…” a disgruntled lion prosecutor is sitting with his arms folded, a dismayed expression clearly visible on his face. With him are a pair of deer, both eyeing him warily.

Recognizing the lion prosecutor at the bench, the doberman judge inquires, “Mr. Wiegert, is something the matter?? You're not too thrilled at being here…”

The judge’s shell-shocked expression resonates with Giorgio where he huffs, “Had no choice but to take this case, but I’m ready anyways.”

With this awkward acknowledgement, the judge resumes the preliminaries. “Okay, Mr. Wiegert, your opening statement first, please.”

“Of course, Your Honor.” After clearing his throat, Giorgio addresses the entire crowd, “Members of the court, a few days ago, the defendant, Miss Amanda Young, and the plaintiff, Mark, engaged in a heated debate over who should become head detective. However, it was all a ploy to cover up Mark's corruption. So he decided to get rid of his subordinate officer for good. On the other hand, Miss Young is supposedly under suspicion for murder due to a recent killing not too long ago.”

Giorgio trails off deliberately, leaving the entire room hanging in suspense; he knew what he was doing. The lion prosecutor turns and glares at Mark's subordinate, daring them to challenge his opinion. Even the judge is intrigued by the case, having a general idea of what is going on.

“Mr. Wiegert, you're asserting that Mark and Amanda's competition for a higher rank is all just a ploy for the plaintiff to eliminate the defendant?” The doberman judge assumed right off the bat. “If anything, why was there a need for a promotion if that's the case?”

What Joanna and Amanda did not expect was to witness Giorgio retrieve a folded up sheet of paper from his pocket, only to unfold it and show it to the judge to see. Mark immediately pales from noticing and realizing what it is. With a smirk, the lion prosecutor declares, “Your Honor, what I have here is a letter in Mark’s personal handwriting to the deceased Casey Hoffman, assigning him to kill Ms. Young. This letter is very important evidence to the court!!”

“Wow, this guy is good.” Joanna whispered to her ragdoll client beside her. “He’s already one step ahead of us.”

“I have a bad feeling about this, but Mark’s gonna get what’s coming to him…” Amanda hissed in return, glaring daggers at the whitened deer.

The male deer is panicked and he knows his goose is cooked. This trial has barely started and already a massive blow has been dealt to his credibility, character, and alibi. Amanda, on the other hand, is blown away. Watch what happens when the judge attempts to toss out the case and render a verdict.

“With this hard piece of evidence, why should we go any further? It already proves Mark’s guilt! Therefore, I am dismissing this case and proclaiming Mark –” As the judge gives his argument on the matter, his verdict is cut short when the courtroom erupts in chaos. Mark attempts to bolt for the exit, Giorgio just barely grabbing him, only for the stag to slip from his grasp. His three cronies follow after him, blindly protecting their leader and head detective. The judge barely restored order though his gavel when his ears fly up to a suggestion by one of the defense attorneys.

“Your Honor, with all due respect, let us chase after him. Everyone knows his secret now, so there is no point in letting any cops follow - no telling who's good and who's bad. We all know Mark is guilty; he knows that himself. We should be the ones to bring him back, alive hopefully.” Defense attorney Alessandro Eriksson is on the Defense side, having been silent until now. This moment is an opportunity he couldn't afford to miss in addressing the situation. Remarkably, the judge accepts the demand despite the absurdity of the situation.

“I’ll allow it, but only this time.” The judge declared, looking serious and flustered at the same time. “If Mark is alive, fine. But if he's dead, that's one less corrupt apple in the field.”

Joanna is appalled at the callousness the doberman judge displayed while Amanda rubs her hands with a devious, anticipating smile; she was going to enjoy every single moment of her revenge, even if others join her. For Alessandro and Giorgio, however, this situation is nothing new as they have all seen their fair share of unusual and bizarre reactions. This one isn't going to be any different from the others. And with a loose, rogue detective on the run, their job is going to be much harder.

[B][center]~~~~~

Amanda Young belongs to NeonRiot (ToyHouse)!