Gundam SEED Rebuild

Ch. 8 - Drama Hearing

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED. The Lockheed and Donnelly families, Glenn's immediate family, and Doug McLaney are my OCs. Andria Yamasaki is Titanic-X-21's OC. Mark Allen and Mackenzie Allen are ZAFT Convoy's OCs.

Responses to Reviews:

- Reishin Amara: Interesting that you note those things... crazy times we live in. :3

- Kaiser Chris: Glad you liked the last one. Stay tuned, because I have a lot planned for George Glenn's character development. ;)

-Just a Crazy-Man: Here it comes. :)

-edboy4926: Thanks, and no kidding. XD

-FF-loverHP1: Glad you're interested.

-sol113: Thanks, and stick around for more. :)

-Captain Titus Inviticus: I'm glad you found this. :)

Washington, D.C, Atlantic Federation Capital, March 1, CE 54

George Glenn flew into the capital, with four of his company's private security in plainclothes surrounding him in First Class seating. The famed Coordinator public figure wanted to be in the capital city the moment that subpoena letter came through to him. The night before, he let his close friends and family know about his summons before the House of Common's Committee on Public Health and Medicine. Naturally, they all expressed concern and worry, with his wife and son, Jeff being the most opposed. His closest allies on Capitol Hill, the 'Two Marks' (Mark Lockheed and Mark Allen), also expressed caution, but nonetheless gave him advice on handling what could be a most contentious hearing.

To say George was worried was an understatement. He knew some of these representatives hauling him into town by reputation... and less than friendly reputations at that. He wanted to meet with the Two Marks over the weekend concerning his options for the upcoming hearing. They knew the ins and outs of the government, and their advice in this den of cutthroats was going to be invaluable.

Glenn took in a breath as he looked out the window. "God, please comfort my family... dearest Helen most of all..." In this, his greatest concern continued to be his subordinates and loved ones.

When he and Helen married aboard the Tsiolkovky, Glenn promised her that his fame and controversy would not stand in the way of being a faithful husband and a present, caring father to their only son. However, the promise was becoming harder to keep as his enemies and critics became determined to never let him have peace as long as he lived. He watched as the plane came in, seeing the airport draw closer. The aircraft was given permission to land, and it went into the approach vector. The plane slowed as it approached the runway, jolting as its wheels touched the ground.

Glenn gripped his briefcase in his hands tightly. In his briefcase were documents concerning his work, and potential evidence for his good faith in the whole S2 crisis. Glenn was not going to pull any punches telling the truth. Try as they might, his enemies were not going to drag his name through the mud without a fight.

Glenn then rose from his seat and disembarked.

It didn't take long for Glenn and his security to pass into the airport. They walked closely together towards the vehicle pickup.

"We also booked a limousine for you at a specific exit at the prearranged time," one of his security reminded as Glenn looked at the details on his phone.

"Good ," Glenn replied, "thanks for the hard work."

"Our pleasure, Mr. Glenn."

As they walked, some of the people glanced or stared at George as he passed. He felt a bit uneasy, but he had other things to focus on.

It was then that a familiar voice rang out. "Wait, George." Surprised, he turned about until he laid eyes on Helen, whose grayed-out, but still ginger hair and blazing orange eyes framed her exasperated and fiery expression.

"Helen? What are you doing here!?" Helen Glenn looked at her husband as she approached.

"I'm sorry Mr. Glenn," one of his private pilots and escorts apologized as he came up from behind Helen, "but she demanded that I fly her here to see you."

Glenn merely shook his head as a loving smile graced his face. "I kind of figured as much," he remarked as he embraced his wife. She smiled and reciprocated the hug, but as they parted slightly, she took on a slightly angry expression as she lightly slapped her husband on the cheek. Glenn rubbed his cheek.

"What were you even thinking?" Helen expressed her exasperation.

"I didn't want to bring you into this," Glenn defended, "this isn't exactly a vacation..."

Helen shook her head. "Don't be a bonehead, Georgie," she fumed, "you shouldn't have to spend the weekend alone in this rotten town. You're such a loner and workaholic at times."

Now George was a bit stumped and blushing. "Um... sorry?" He looked a bit embarrassed to be in an awkward position, actually. His company escorts looked on with a mix of awkwardness and amusement. Other bystanders either smirked in amusement, or stuck out their tongues in disgust.

Helen softened her expression with a sigh and a smile. "My loving idiot..."

Glenn gave a laugh before holding out his arm for her. "I guess I have no choice," he chuckled.

"Of course not you silly space man," Helen playfully retorted as she held on.

George smiled as he and Helen walked together. They both got into their booked limo and rode off towards the hotel. "We'll be having dinner with Lockheed and Allen," Glenn told his wife, "better freshen up and get changed after we get our room."

Helen smiled. "You got it," she remarked.

Later...

The Two Marks sat at their reserved table with a third guest with them. They were at a popular gourmet restaurant in Alexandria just across the river, hoping to talk with Glenn and treat him to a good weekend meal before the hearing on Monday.

"Mark," Senator Lockheed laughed, "you're like a human tuning fork with that finger tapping."

Senator Allen grunted. "Oh yeah, Mark? Try putting yourself in George's shoes when you're practically falsely accused of committing murder or something."

"Yeah, but what is worrying yourself to death going to do for George," Mark Lockheed pointed out.

Mark Allen took a big sip of his water, and put the cup down with an audible 'clank' sound. "Look Mark," Allen replied, "you and I have been working in this town for many years to understand how crooked the whole club of Capitol Hill is. One can be as innocent as Jesus before the Sanhedrin, and they'd still find something to crucify you for. Heck... they say George is not helping, but then they have the gall to drag him away from running the company helping with this freaking S2 virus!"

The third guest looked at Mark Allen and shook his head. "Hey, you're making a show of yourself, Mark," he whispered.

Mark Allen glanced at a few people making annoyed glances his way. He took another sip of water, calming down.

The third guest, Representative Denzel Harper rubbed his head in his hands. "This is going to be quite the issue here."

Lockheed looked to the Minority Leader of the House of Commons. "Which is all the more reason we invited you with us," he said, "you know these crooks better than anyone else."

"I wish I could do more to shut down this travesty of a hearing," Harper groaned, "this pony show from the other side is a waste of time."

"And a waste of taxpayer money," Allen inputted, "they just want to make Glenn look bad any way they can at taxpayer expense."

Mark Lockheed nodded in agreement, then felt his phone buzz. He took it out, and saw it was a message from George Glenn; he had arrived. "Looks like Glenn arrived," he noted.

True enough, the trio of politicians looked up from their table to see George entering the restaurant, with an unexpected second guest in tow.

"Looks like Helen couldn't stay behind," Allen remarked with a smirk.

"Helen? Who is she?" Representative Harper asked.

"His wife," Allen clarified.

Harper raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Never took him for a married man."

"Oh, he kind of kept it on the down low," Allen replied. He smirked a bit.

"Believe me when I say that I was surprised myself," Mark Lockheed remarked.

George and Helen spotted them, and made their way over. The Two Marks made mental notes of four other people at a distance behind them, taking their seats at a table not too far from them. Allen narrowed his eyes in suspicion. After the assassination attempt, he was a bit wary of newcomers around Glenn, and this was one such time. He chose to wisely keep quiet though, but his instincts from serving in the military were telling him to be on guard. His wife was also a former soldier, so if she were here, she'd also say the same thing.

"Hello Mark, and hello Mark," George chuckled.

Allen smiled. "Hello, George," he said. "Take a seat."

"Helen," Lockheed greeted, "you're looking lovely tonight." Helen was dressed in an orange dress that nicely accentuated her slightly grayed, but still ginger hair.

Helen let out a small giggle and blushed. "Why thank you," she remarked.

George felt a tad bit of husband jealousy, and decided to tease his friend. "A little old for flirting, aren't you?" He said that with a mischievous tone of voice.

"Why of course not," Lockheed said with a collected calm, "I just think that you have a marvelous choice of life partner, my good friend."

"Heh. Always knowing what to say. Thank you, though," George replied. He then noticed the dark-skinned third guest at the table with them. "Oh, I'm sorry," he began, "I should have said hello to you."

"Not to worry," Harper said with a gentle tone, "I didn't want to interrupt your moment."

Allen laughed a bit before introducing, "George, I want you to meet Mr. Denzel Harper here, our Minority Leader of the House of Commons. We invited him to have dinner with us."

George smiled as he extended a hand. "Mr. Harper."

"George Glenn," Harper greeted as he reciprocated the handshake. He then looked to Helen. "Mrs. Glenn."

"It's a pleasure," Helen said as she shook the representative's hand. The group of five sat down at the table and placed their orders for dinner. As they waited for their meal, Harper listened to George about what he had to say. The former pilot and entrepreneur went on to explain his pharmaceutical subsidiary's trials with the vaccines and cures after the controversial Martha Lockheed case, and how these drugs were ready for approval and use, only to be put on hold by the House hearing.

Harper shook his head sympathetically for Glenn. "That's Washington politics for you."

"Still, it is worrisome that it comes at a time like this," Allen mused, "just a day before the announcement of emergency approval of the S2 virus vaccine and cure."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they did it on purpose," Harper remarked.

Glenn looked to the representative. "What is your take?"

Harper's eyes narrowed. "It smells like a trap. Knowing the kind of people working in that committee on the Workers/Nature side, they're probably working with their staffers and donors on whatever accusations they'll slime you with."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they continued with the narrative that Coordinators that unleashed S2, and that you're offering the treatments as a sort of leverage against Naturals," Mark Lockheed added, "and they're timing this in hopes that even if the anti-S2 vaccine and cure are approved, the news cycle would instead be focused on this travesty of a hearing instead."

Glenn nodded in agreement; it made sense that his opposition would want their lapdogs and the gullible in national media focused on magnifying the controversy around him to drown out good news of combating the virus. To the Workers Party and Blue Cosmos, the crisis was just an opportunity to pin more bad things on him and Coordinators.

Helen frowned. "That's ridiculous, my Georgie would never do such a thing," she said as she hugged her husband's arm.

"We know," Allen said seriously, "but they could care less about that if they can find something to pin on, George, and his supporters by extension."

Lockheed nodded. "They'll probably use the hearing as a pretext to impose legal restrictions on pharmaceuticals, and blame Glenn Health for violating laws and guidelines on drug testing, not to mention sidestepping much of the regulatory process, even though the Minister of Health and Human Services waived much of them for the emergency. Heck... they could even use it as campaign material for reinstating the Torino Protocol or worse."

George Glenn's wrinkled brows furled in silent frustration at the utterings of cynicism at play. He turned back to Harper. "With all this stacked against me, I hope you have some good advice or support to run with," he expressed.

Harper then shifted in his seat, "I know who you can trust. A few of the committee members are true men of integrity and fair minds, but there are a few you should watch out for, including the current chairman, Mr. Groht." Harper went through each major member of the committee with George. He went on to point out the few Republicans sitting on the committee of around 50 people. Glenn paid close attention to the names. The people to watch out for were the usual suspects of Glenn-haters and anti-Coordinator skeptics in the Worker and Nature Parties. However, there were apparently some fence sitters in the Workers Party who could be reasonable if Glenn played his cards right while sticking to the truth.

Harper then finished. "So, you know who you can trust?"

George gave a bit of a chuckle, "well, if the Marks here trust you, so can I." Both senators laughed with him.

The representative grinned. "Good. Because you can."

"We'll hold you to that," Helen said as she looked to her husband protectively, "because my Georgie has much better things to do after all this is over."

It was then that their dinner arrived. However, Allen found himself staring at the group of people who followed George into the restaurant. Not having seen them before, he was wary of how they followed his friend in and sat next to their table.

George noticed that Allen was looking at his security. "Ease up," he told the senator, "those are my people."

"Oh, Mark. Don't worry. They're my security," he assured the Natural.

Now Allen understood. "Ah... wise choice." He relaxed himself. "Force of habit..."

"I personally insisted on it," Helen smirked, "with all the trouble my Georgie gets himself into, someone has to watch his back."

Allen gave her a grin. "Good call," he joked. The group had themselves a good laugh.

Afterwards, they all dug into their food. As they ate, their conversation took a bit of a lighter turn, catching up with one another and talking about things like their pastimes and sharing good jokes. Before they knew it, the group had finished their food, and sat back contently for a bit.

Allen finally looked to the time on his phone. "Well, better get back to the hotel. It's best you start preparing ahead of time," he remarked to Glenn.

Lockheed paid the tab for all the meals. "This one is on me," he said, "it's the least I can do for your troubles coming here today, George."

Harper looked to George and Helen with a smile. "I wish I could do more for the two of you," he expressed, "I think this is just unfair treatment, what the majority is trying to do to you."

Glenn nodded. "I agree, Mr. Harper. It should not matter about one's genetic typing. In reality, if anyone works for the betterment of mankind, then they are a Coordinator, regardless of enhancement or not."

Helen huffed, "I guess the Blue Cosmos and Workers definition of betterment is to launch witch-hunts of dissenters and threats of lawfare and violence."

"Indeed," George Glenn concurred, "and that's all the more reason I have to face them. We need to show that we do not fear them."

Lockheed gave a sympathetic look to his Coordinator friend. He then remembered something, and leaned over to whisper to Allen. "There are elections coming up."

Allen nodded, his face becoming thoughtful. "Yes. That is true," he mused.

Mark Lockheed smirked. He looked to George. "George, would you be fine with us telling the whole public your work and story?"

The Coordinator blinked, and then a smirk crossed his face. "I'd be happy to," he remarked.

"Of course, the finer details and proprietary information relevant to the case cannot be leaked under subpoena rules," Lockheed added, "but maybe if we tell enough of your side of the story, we can begin to put public pressure on the majority."

Harper looked to his Senate counterpart with a cautious expression. "Are you sure? We don't want to be accused of breaking House rules and putting Glenn in a more difficult position."

"I have an idea on what to avoid," Lockheed said with a smirk.

Harper sighed, but gave a somewhat approving smile. "This had better not backfire on us, Lockheed."

"The public is going to know about it anyways," Allen replied, "with a hearing like this with Glenn, they'll want it aired for the whole nation to see. It's a matter of us having a plan to turn the tables."

George hummed in approval, realizing that he was not without options and recourse after all. Helen tugged on his arm. Glenn looked to her. "Hm?"

"I think we both need to be alone now," Helen gave a grin, with a mischievous shine in her eyes. George blushed a bit, but gave a good-hearted chuckle.

The pioneer and renowned businessman looked to his politician friends with a laugh. "My wife and I realize that we have another engagement tonight," he said, "we must REALLY go now."

"Oh?" Allen understood with a grin, "then we won't keep you waiting any longer."

"Hehe... you two have a good night," Lockheed said with a mischievous smirk. Harper on the other hand just waved silently, feeling a bit awkward.

"We will," Helen said as she and her husband moved to leave the restaurant, their security following close behind. As they jumped into their rented limousine, Helen was feeling quite clingy to her space pioneer.

"Someone's wanting tonight," George teased as he caressed his wife on the cheek.

"I want you to be good to me this weekend," Helen purred, "... and I will make your weekend as enjoyable as can be in this town."

George rubbed cheeks with his beloved spouse of nearly forty years. Yes, he would still have to ready himself for Monday... but thanks to his former fellow explorer and wife, his time in Washington did not have to be all business...

March 4

George Glenn dressed into his black business suit, the darkened colors seeming to convey the gravity of what was to come.

Today was his hearing in front of the House Committee of Public Health and Medicine. While Glenn had managed to enjoy whatever peace he had with Helen over the weekend, he was able to glean more about what the ranking chairman and his adjutants were saying about him from local sources. As was expected, Markus Groht and his cronies were accusing George Glenn of covering up details of the S2 virus and its origins, even as Andria and he himself constantly denied such actions. Furthermore, they alleged that Glenn Health was overpricing the treatments for the virus and that the tests done with Martha Lockheed and other patients could not be verified by any agencies or watchdogs despite evidence on the contrary.

However, as Glenn's friends on Capitol Hill promised, the accusations would not go unanswered as they went on national television to tell the people of Glenn's work and his integrity. Representative Denzel Harper used his position as Minority Coalition Leader to bring public scrutiny to the whole process. While it would not stop the hearing, the demands for answers by the more sympathetic or balanced media outlets meant that more eyes would be on whatever took place in the chamber.

The first Coordinator glanced back at his sleeping spouse under the bedcovers, her expression a peaceful and relaxed one. With a loving gaze, he walked over and brushed her greying, but still soft and ginger hair. George would choose not to awake her, as it would only make his leaving for the hearing that much harder. Taking his briefcase along, George quietly walked out of the hotel room. He then texted his private security, telling them that he was leaving his room, and that he was leaving Helen in their protection.

As he rode the elevator down, Glenn decided to text his son and fiancé. 'Today is the day, Jeff and Andria... pray for me and your mother,' he typed. Not expecting to have a response back so soon, he put his phone away and took a deep breath. As he entered the lobby, he was greeted by a group of men and women in Capitol Police uniforms.

"Mr. George Glenn," one of the policemen greeted.

"I am he," George answered. He knew these police were his escorts his into what was going to be a frying pan of Assembly procedures and politics.

"Right this way." The Capitol Police escorted Glenn into one of their SUVs. As he got into the back of the police vehicle, Glenn was flanked on both sides by officers. As the small police escort rolled away from the front of the hotel, Glenn assumed a neutral expression. Now that he was about to face his interrogators and accusers, he made up his mind to keep any semblance of fear from his face. After all, George Glenn had fought some of the most dangerous air battles of the Reconstruction War, explored new frontiers amongst the stars, and survived an assassination attempt; brushing it up with self-righteous suits in the AF Assembly was yet another challenge for him to overcome and conquer like any other.

Glenn watched the passing cityscape through the car window. Having been to the capital before during his younger and more adventurous years, his photographic memory allowed him to recall streets and landmarks along the way to the major offices of government and business in the city. However, George noticed that none of the streets and buildings indicated that they were on their way to the Hemsworth Building indicated in the letter. He then spied the driver in front talking on the radio.

"Excuse me, officer," George asked, "but where exactly are we really going?"

The officer replied, "there has been a change in my orders. We're going to the Russell Office Building."

Now that raised alarms in the space pioneer's brain; it was a Senate office building. They were going the wrong direction. "Pardon me, but the hearing I'm scheduled for is in Hemsworth," George reminded, "we'll be late like this."

"Sorry Mr. Glenn, but I have my orders," the officer said as he kept on driving.

Glenn sat back as he pondered over this change in plans... something was awry, and he had a feeling that his radical critics had something to do with it. Now the whole thing really smelled like a trap, and he walked into it.

Senator Lockheed's Office

"Cancelled? What do you mean it's cancelled?" A perplexed Senator Lockheed was talking over the phone with a staffer he sent to watch Glenn's arrival at the Hemsworth Building.

"That's what they said," the staffer replied, "Mr. Groht just abruptly announced out of the blue that something more pressing came up, and he was striking the hearing from the schedule. Everyone's confused down here."

Now Lockheed was concerned. This was sudden, and hardly followed normal procedure. "What about George," he inquired, "has he arrived yet?"

"No, he hasn't," the staffer informed, "I don't know where he is. The Capitol Police were supposed to escort him here."

Now Lockheed was sure something was amiss. George Glenn was missing. He thought for a moment, before saying, "see if you can get some answers from the police. Thanks for keeping me up to date."

"Will do, sir," the staffer said.

As Lockheed ended the call, he decided to try and make another little one to Representative Groht. He was going to demand answers from the man. The phone rang for a while, before someone picked up. "Hello, Office of Representative Markus Groht," his desk clerk spoke.

"Hello, this is Senator Mark Lockheed," the senior politician spoke politely but firmly, "may I please speak with Mr. Groht immediately?"

"Of course." About two minutes of silence passed. It was then that the phone was picked up again. "I'm sorry, but Mr. Groht is not available at this moment."

Now Lockheed was certain of foul play. Something was wrong with this whole situation. "It is urgent that I speak with him," Lockheed addressed firmly, "I want to know why he cancelled the hearing in his committee and where George Glenn is."

However, the answer was, "have a nice day," followed by a hard click. Lockheed was miffed by the crude and rude response to his inquiry.

"What game are you playing at Groht..." Lockheed muttered as he tapped his fingers in frustration. Just wanting to be sure, he dialed the number for George Glenn's phone. The error tone rang, indicating that the phone was turned off and not available. Lockheed frowned in concern. 'George... what's happening with you?'

George Glenn remained silent as his police escort took him towards the Russell Building, however, his brain was anything but idle as he mused over what was going to happen next.

And maybe how was he going to get out of this one...

Then he shook his head; George knew that there was no turning back, except to face whatever his accusers planned for him. He was not going to be some helpless sheep cowering in a corner.

George looked out the window to see the Russell Senate Office Building as his police escort drew closer. They passed the building for a bit before turning into a driveway leading to the underground parking lots. The driving continued for a little while before the police SUV drew up towards the entrance.

"We're here," the police driver said. The officers ushered Glenn out of the car. However, one of them did look to Glenn apologetically. Apparently, not all of them were necessarily happy about doing this to him.

"I'll be fine," George chose to be diplomatic with a smile and kind words, "thank you for bringing me here." Some of the Capitol Police seemed rather surprised as to how calm and kind the First Coordinator was.

"This way." George was taken from the garage through the underground tunnels.

Senator Mark Allen was not happy at all.

The firebrand senator was already grumpy this morning, and now he was wracking his brains to figure out what was going on. As he thought more, he started to feel a sinking suspicion.

'Don't tell me someone set George up, kidnapped him, and took him into some alleyway and dealt with him.' Allen's morbid imagination was running away. However, his rational thinking kicked in and he started to ponder more realistic scenarios. 'Think... what probable reason would those bozos make him disappear for?' Allen then stepped out of his office. He decided to take a walk to try and think more clearly. He then decided to go to a nearby restroom to refresh himself.

As Allen finished using the toilet, he was about to leave the stall when he overheard some snickering and mischievous chatter coming from two guys entering the restroom. Allen recognized the voices; they were staffers for one of the Workers' Party senators chairing the Senate Committee for National Defense.

"That patchworker, Glenn is going to get it today," Allen overheard one of them saying.

"Yeah. This little trial will be just what we need to kick him out of here," a second voice giggled. Upon hearing these things and his friend's name, Allen suddenly had a nagging interest to overhear them. Not wanting to be spotted, he quietly lowered the top of the toilet and stood on it to keep his feet from being seen under the stall. He was just in time, as he heard the two enter the room itself.

"About time... I'm sick of that dirtbag being so high and mighty on the morality train. I suppose that comes with his Coordinator privilege, but let's see how he handles being arraigned on these national security charges," the first staffer related.

"Yeah. These charges are sure to do the scumbag in," the second staffer said disparagingly.

Allen frowned as he quieted his breath and listened closely. 'Little trial... national security charges... kick Glenn out?'

"Honestly, I wanna see him hang... though rotting in prison is probably the most realistic."

"Yeah. That's more realistic indeed. And besides, one of these days we should insist on bringing back the death by hanging for those patchies."

"That goes for all these damn Republican enablers as well. Traitors to humanity. Well, they'd better be ready for major humiliation and losses this election when Glenn goes up the river."

The two men snickered as Allen realized the implications of what was about to happen. He had to stop himself from exclaiming as he heard the two continue to chatter about how their bosses were going to embarrass and accuse Glenn of espionage, lock him away, and use the whole fiasco for their Senate campaigning. Once the two finally finished using the restroom and left, a whispered four letter swear escaped Allen as he left the stall. He quickly washed his hands and grabbed his phone to dial Lockheed's number.

"Hey again, Allen," Senator Lockheed spoke over the phone, "what's going on?"

"Mark, I have something big to tell you," Allen began, "and it's definitely not good."

George Glenn ascended an elevator up to the ground level floor with his Capitol Police escort. As the elevator stopped and opened, he was greeted by less-than-friendly looking Senate staffers.

"That's him," one of them sneered. Another reached forward to forcefully grab Glenn by the arm. "Come with us."

However, Glenn flashed a glare as he wrestled his arm back. "Don't touch me," he forcefully refused.

The repulsed staffer frowned at the First Coordinator. "This way," he grunted. As George followed, he heard the man mutter derogatory slurs towards him under his breath. He could feel the hostility and tension in the air.

George and his would-be captors then came upon a set of double doors. He looked to the side to see a sign; it was the Senate Committee of National Defense. Seeing that, George began to form ideas of what he was being hauled here for. 'National Defense... clever snakes...' he thought. He was soon ushered into the room containing one of the most formidable committees in the entire Atlantic Federation Assembly, House and Senate.

As he was escorted in, George Glenn was greeted with the sight of the stone-faced Chairman of the Senate Committee of National Defense, Workers' Party Senator Allan Warren of Virginia. He looked around and also recognized several other Senators, all of which were Workers. Yet, Glenn noted a conspicuous lack of Republicans or other allied members who were normally a part of the committee. 'All Workers... no Republicans at all...' he mused, 'this is the perfect setup for a kangaroo court...'

Senator Warren looked upon Glenn with barely hidden disdain. "Mr. George Glenn, have a seat," he pointed to one of the chairs and desks set up.

With a unamused hum, the controversial entrepreneur walked over and sat down with his briefcase. George straightened his suit and leaned forward in a dignified and engaged poise. The double doors to the chamber closed with an audible click.

Senator Warren then sat up with an aura of being high and mighty over George Glenn. "Let us begin," he boomed.

"Senator Warren," George interrupted in a yet respectful tone for the office, "may I first inquire about why I was delivered to this Senate Committee, instead of my appointed hearing in the Committee of Public Health and Medicine in the House of Commons? This is very unusual, even for a last minute change of appointment."

However, another senator just brusquely replied, "Mr. Glenn, the Chairman has the floor."

With a nod, Senator Warren continued as he looked at his transcript. "Today, we convene this Senate Committee of National Defense regarding the allegations concerning Mr. George Glenn. Specifically, the issues of information regarding the origins of the Influenza S2 Virus, Glenn Incorporated's role in said origins and propagation, and more recently..." Warren smirked to himself before assuming his stony expression again. "... information from national defense intelligence sources regarding the selling of medical and military secrets to non-governmental organizations and foreign nations, specifically the Zodiac Alliance radical group."

Alarm bells were practically ringing and bouncing about inside George Glenn's still-sharp mind. Now he understood that it was all a setup; these politicians intended to trap him with false charges of not only malfeasance with the virus, but selling out national secrets to other countries.

Another senator spoke to Glenn. "Mr. Glenn," he said, "the reason we had you subpoenaed to this chamber is because of not only the ongoing allegations of negligence and coverup in the whole Influenza S2 Crisis, but also because of defense contractor audits into your company revealing troubling leaks of confidential national security secrets in your PLANT-based subsidiaries to the Zodiac Alliance, both in biodefense research and sensitive aerospace technologies."

Glenn gave a steely expression to control his exasperation. Yes, it was true that his own internal company email correspondence with some of his personnel in his Aprilius enterprises revealed their own frustrations and concerns of what was happening in those L5 colonies, but each time, Glenn made clear that he would do everything he could to help them as the owner and CEO. However, he also made sure to make clear that those employees were to avoid politics on company property, as the Atlantic Federation Foreign Ministry did monitor those subsidiaries for compliance in dealing with international clients. Glenn even had to quietly lay off those who let their Zodiac sympathies get the better of their professionalism.

"Reports this chamber has obtained from the audits indicate that you had some prior knowledge of these serious breaches of national security, yet failed to act on them," yet another one of the critical senators stated, "Mr. Glenn, what do you have to say for yourself?"

George shook his head and gave a calm, yet incredulous downturn of his lips. "I have nothing to say to this chamber..." he began, "... because these accusations are nothing but lies."

There were murmurs of disapproval amongst the senators in the chamber. Senator Warren kept his stone face as he stared down Glenn, however. "Mr. Glenn, as chairman of his committee, I must ask that you refrain from personal attacks-"

"I tell you the truth," George Glenn defended calmly, "I really have nothing to say about accusations and insinuations founded on lies and half-truths. I will also dare say that this so-called hearing breaks every single one of your own Senate rules regarding procedure and transparency. As such, I refuse to answer any questions you may pose to me, Mr. Warren."

"Mr. Glenn," one of the senators continued his rebuke, "you are engaging in personal attacks against members of this chamber. You will cease or be censured!"

However, the rebuke had the opposite effect of trying to cow the First Coordinator into submission. Instead, George rose from his seat in defiance. "You people are the ones who started with the personal attacks on my character and the integrity of my company's body of employees," he raised his voice, "you have basically insinuated that I am not only responsible for the Influenza S2, but am betraying my country's sensitive technological advancements."

George cleared his throat as he continued to lay it on, "you all seem to forget that I once faithfully served in the AF Air Force as a combat pilot in the last World War. Everything you all accuse me of doing is wholly contrary to my character and the oath of service I made all those fifty years ago, and still hold dear in my heart all the way to Jupiter and back to Earth. As a free Atlantian citizen and former warfighter, I will not be silenced and violated by the likes of lawmakers who yet break their own rules to reach a preconceived outcome for political gain."

"Mr. Glenn, you are out of line!"

"Out of line?" Glenn rhetorically questioned, "I can tell all you gentlemen what is out of line; kidnapping a citizen, holding secretive kangaroo courts, and lobbing criminal charges outside the constitutional bounds of a trial by jury without the ability to consult an attorney. I thought this was the Atlantian Republic, not the former Soviet Union or the former People's Republic of China, where one party appoints itself the sole judge, jury, and executioner."

Warren stone-faced expression hardened even further at Glenn's defiance.

"George Glenn, your insulting commentary only goes to show that your privilege as a Coordinator is going to your head!" One of the senators hurled back, "check that privilege of yours before we-"

"And here you go, making this about race," George Glenn interrupted, "the only privilege I'm seeing here is bloated Washington insider politics allying itself with Blue Cosmos radicals to harass and dismantle successful people who do not share your warped priorities on racial hatred and dividing this country into different camps. Let me tell you this; true Coordinators as I originally defined, whether they be Natural or those with modified genes, have done more to elevate human prosperity and peace than any of you have done sitting in your ivory towers and committees, just talking and doing nothing productive except to fight and create more problems."

George Glenn earned a lot of glares and simmering murmurs of disapproval for his audacity to stand up for himself. However, Senator Warren then gave a twisted smirk and a menacing chuckle. "Have it your way," he mockingly said, "but as of now, George Glenn, you are hereby in contempt of Assembly and will be referred to the Attorney's Office for this city pending criminal charges."

George Glenn said nothing, but he gave a deep stare towards Senator Warren and the committee with a determination that screamed 'bring it on'.

However, the tension was broken when the double doors burst open. "SENATOR WARREN!" Mark Lockheed's voice unexpectedly bellowed throughout the chamber. Glenn turned to look and was surprised by the crowd behind Lockheed. There were a number of other senators behind him who looked positively irate themselves.

"Mr. Chairman," one apparent Republican member of the Defense Committee spoke up, "you owe the rest of us committee members an explanation!"

"Just as I thought," Mark Allen said aloud as he held up a phone with the camera on, "how much lower can you people sink?" Glenn's eyes widened as he heard his voice. However, he then smiled as he saw the number of phones and cameras that were being trained on this kangaroo hearing.

"What is all this... kidnapping a citizen from his scheduled hearing and holding secret trials?" A certain senator in his early forties stepped forward. "I knew you guys were critical of Coordinators, but I didn't think you people were so afraid of them as to break every single rule of procedure and conduct in these hallowed halls of Assembly!" The man's eyes were hard as he looked at the assembled group. "You all are nothing but lowlifes!"

Glenn observed the man, who he recognized as John Malkovic, the Senate leader of the Federalist Party of the Atlantic Federation. He was normally reluctant to wade into Coordinator/Natural issues, instead talking about keeping the Atlantic Federation government smaller and within the bounds of the AF Constitution instead of wading into deciding social issues. Now however, the Federalist's ire was very much directed at Senator Warren.

"And I for one will not allow this sham of a trial to be continued!" Malkovic hissed.

Now Warren was angry at his plan being somehow interrupted. "Lockheed, Allen, Malkovic," he thundered back with his gavel, "you three are interrupting an important committee concerning national security!"

"If by security you mean falsifying charges against an innocent citizen, then I'm glad we are!" Allen growled. Allen reached behind him and pulled out a briefcase. "I think this should speak for itself," he remarked, holding it up.

Warren's eyes widened as he saw one of his staffer's names on the briefcase. Allen smirked as he opened it. He reached in and pulled out several of the documents. "These documents are not even real. They were completely forged!" He then waved the documents in front of the cameras, one of which was a confession of criminal behavior with Glenn's forged signature, and a litany of edited intelligence papers implying guilt on Glenn's part. "I caught one of your staffers in the act of faking these documents and trying to take them to the Attorney's office."

Warren's eyes narrowed. Allen continued. "Essentially, it looks like you schemed with Representative Groht to lure Glenn here to answer for a controversy and rumor that none of you can prove, diverted him from the scheduled House hearing at the last minute, and tried to get Glenn in trouble for accusations of national security leaks to the Zodiac Alliance by nitpicking and exaggerating information regarding attempts to infiltrate his company, even though Glenn himself has continued to deny involvement with the said group. If this isn't illegal activity on your part, I don't know what is!"

"It's undeniable that he and the Zodiac Alliance share the same ideas on 'Coordinators being the victims of jealousy and persecution,'" Warren defended, "what makes you so sure he's telling the truth?"

Malkovic stepped up. "Hey, he's a Coordinator, but he's also an AF citizen with rights," he lashed back, "and unless there is such evidence beyond reasonable doubt, we have something called 'innocent until proven guilty'."

Allen nodded. "And from the looks of things," he added, "it's you who are the guilty ones!"

"Shame on all of you," one other Federalist spoke out, "this hearing has no merit!"

"Let George go," one Republican shouted. Others shouted in agreement.

"Let George go," Mark Lockheed forcefully announced, especially for the phones and some befuddled journalists nearby.

"You're on live feed, Warren" Allen growled, "your call."

The conspiring senators on the Defense Committee looked to one another, realizing their predicament. It was now the eyes of the public upon them. Even if they could use their authority to force through punitive measures, their sympathizers in the media would still have a difficult time spinning narratives in their favor.

Warren glared at Glenn for a moment. 'This is not over, Coordinator... not by a long shot.' With a pout and a huff, Warren gathered all his papers and marched out of his own committee. His co-conspirators similarly gave glares towards their intended victim and their political opponents before storming away themselves.

"Yeah, go ahead and run like the sniveling cowards you are," Mark Lockheed muttered as he walked over to his friend. "George, there you are," he said in relief.

"Mark, perfect timing," Glenn greeted with a handshake, "and here I was thinking I was going to have to take a long trip to court." He glanced over to where his accusers had left. "Not that I was going to let them drag me through the mud without a fight."

"It's abominable," Malkovic shook his head, "that someone like Warren is Chairman of the Committee of National Defense, when he victimizes fellow countrymen like this." He walked up to Glenn. "If this is his definition of 'national defense', it is one our country will do well without."

"John Malkovic," Glenn greeted with a smile, "knowledgeable and eloquent in matters of our Constitution as you are evenhanded and outspoken." Glenn extended a hand. "Thank you."

Malkovic met Glenn's eyes with a straight face, but reciprocated the handshake. "Don't get me wrong," Malkovic said, "I am honestly not an enthusiast for the whole talk about Coordinators being the next evolution of mankind or somehow being the primary guides to outer space. The biggest concern here was the fact that a major party of the Atlantic Federation tried to abuse their powers to get a private citizen in trouble with the law on false information and breaking every safeguard in the Constitution. If they can do it to someone as controversial of you, who's to stop them from doing it to the rest of the country?"

Glenn knew what he was getting at with that comment. "Still, thank you very much," Glenn sincerely said with gratitude. He didn't necessarily need people to like him, but he still appreciated the support.

Malkovic nodded. "Let's get out of here," he suggested. "And to where you really need to be,"

"Which is out of this stuffy chamber, and back to your family," Mark Lockheed added.

Glenn nodded, feeling relief at not having to waste the rest of the day in hostile company. He followed the Republicans and Federalists out of the room.

Helen wanted to both kiss and slug her husband at the same time. She was watching the TV, showing her husband with the famed Two Marks, and many other Republican and Federalist senators whom she heard had stormed in on the secretive kangaroo court of a hearing that the Glenn haters had concocted, saving her husband from being railroaded. She felt a hint of relief though at their timely arrival.

"It is shocking and appalling that the majority coalition has chosen to engage in such conduct so as to reach a preconceived political outcome against a private citizen," Mark Lockheed spoke, "I call upon the Majority Leaders of both houses of this Atlantian Assembly to bring to account the hyper-partisans who schemed such a dishonorable and illegal plot. Thankfully, my colleague and friend was able to find the evidence as needed to disprove the false charges that were pressed against George Glenn."

Mark Lockheed then gestured. "Mr. Allen."

Allen stepped forward, his eyes hard as he gripped the mike. "I just so happened to have walked in on members of staff for our Workers Party colleagues in the Defense Committee forging and altering documents to be submitted to the Attorney's Office of Washington D.C., around the same time that Mr. Glenn went missing from his previously scheduled House hearing." Allen then pulled out some of the documents in question.

"These very documents included false admissions, some of which even were signed using Glenn's signature, which was, I will admit, a good move, but a foolish one. Glenn never even signed those documents in question!"

Glenn nodded visibly and with a confident smile for the cameras.

"Not to mention finding copies of intelligence documents concerning foreign espionage in the L5 colony cluster, which I cannot reveal at this moment," Allen grunted, "being altered without the approval of any of the authors so as to imply Glenn's guilt and involvement with the Zodiac Alliance, which he has denied over and over, including under oath." Allen slapped the documents with the hand holding the mike. "A clear violation of their purpose and power!"

It was then that Senator John Malkovic stepped up, on behalf of his Federalist Party. "I speak on behalf of my fellow Federalists here when I say that when we heard what was happening, we saw the abuse of one of our most powerful committees in this legislative body. What happened to George Glenn today should shock every fair-minded free citizen of this country. If we can look beyond his being a Coordinator for even a minute, we saw a powerful political force in our great Atlantic Federation attempting to use the tools of government to persecute a dissenting citizen and deny him all due process and counsel under the law." Malkovic paused for breath and exhaled. "My friends and fellow citizens... this is not how it should be in the Atlantian Republic. Whatever disagreements we have with Mr. Glenn here should not become a basis for what we found taking place today. If Mr. Glenn can be denied his rights and abused by one of the most powerful governments on this planet, we Federalists have reason to fear and raise the alarm for the future of the Atlantic Federation."

Helen got dressed dialed her phone for the rented limo, intending to go and pick up her husband at the soonest possible opportunity.

Jacksonville Naval Air Station...

"Yeah, I heard about it too, honey," Adrian talked on the phone with Martha as he watched the whole new drama involving his father and George Glenn in the capital earlier this morning. He had just finished lunch and was about to launch with his squadron for their scheduled training deployment on their aircraft carrier in an hour. He still had time to kill, so he thought he would talk to his wife instead.

"I'm just glad that things worked out," Martha said. "But it worries me just how bad things have gotten in the government."

"Yeah," Adrian shook his head, "and most people without George's composition and Dad's resolve would just totally fold under such pressure. If this doesn't get the good people worried, I don't know what will."

"I guess we should also thank Allen for being there when he was," Martha remarked. She sighed. "Had he not been..."

"Let's not go there," Adrian said wearily, "let's just be grateful that George is still a free man." He then decided to shift the subject. "Moving on, how's my beloved and our little bun in the oven?"

Martha giggled. "Both are doing well, thank you~!" she sang.

Adrian laughed with his giddy wife. Martha seemed to be holding up well, despite her weakened composition. The doctors had her come in for check ups during the first two weeks after her operation for herself and baby Elias. Aside from some exhaustion from the S2 virus ordeal, there seemed to be no other adverse symptoms of note.

"Speaking of which... have you checked your mail or email yet?" Martha asked, "I heard from Andria that she's got a surprise for us."

Adrian cocked an eyebrow, but proceeded to do just that. He checked his email, but found nothing. Adrian then proceeded over to his morning's mail, which so embarrassingly was visibly the messiest part of his office. Shaking his head of the frustration, the naval commander dove through the envelopes. He spotted something hidden beneath the pile and pulled it out. It was an envelope from Andria, a bright yellow and green one at that.

"Huh." With a hum, Adrian opened the bright envelope. The card inside was similarly colored, but with a white, glittery ribbon on it. When Adrian flipped it open, it also had a white inside with green cursive writing in it. It read: 'You are invited to Andria and Jeff's wedding~!'

"What is it?" Martha asked again.

Adrian grinned. "Andria and Jeff just invited us to their wedding on Saturday, March 19. That's two weeks from now."

There was a gasp, before Martha audibly cheered in delight over the phone. "That's wonderful!"

"Yeah," Adrian agreed with a laugh.

"It's the least we can do for them as good friends," Martha added, "they went through so much to help us, and it's only kind that we show them support in return."

"Well," Adrian said as he was grinning like Cheshire Cat, "looks like Jeff can say goodbye to his good old days as a bachelor!"

The two were grinning and laughing as Adrian finally said goodbye, as he had to leave for sea in less than an hour. "Take care of yourself, Adri," Martha expressed.

"I will," Adrian replied, "and you take care of yourselves and our little boys now. I love you all." With that, he ended the call. The alarm on his computer then rang, indicating the time he should suit up and fly out with his squadron for their week-long mission at sea.

"Well... time to head up," Adrian grunted as he zipped up his flight suit and grabbed his helmet. One more week, then he would use his shore leave the middle of the week after and that weekend to spend time with his wife on a gift to the soon-to-be wedded heir of Glenn and his spunky fiancé.

End Chapter 8

Oh man... sorry for the late post, but real life's been crazy and drawn out. I'm still alive and kicking though, and hope to have more stuff planned out with SEED Rebuild.

Anyways, I hope the rest of you are alright, and for those still sticking with me on this journey, I once again thank all of you for your constructive reviews. I hope you all continue to enjoy this rebuild of the Cosmic Era with me, as I try and steer this history in a new direction.

Once again, feel free to fave, follow, and leave reviews. Again, constructive criticism and no flaming or name-calling please. :)

Take care, and God Bless! :D