As I sat in the courtroom, I could see him from my seat. His disheveled appearance due to the drilling that they obviously gave him, but his face remained strong and almost like he was plotting something; which he always was. From what I remember, before I was even on board for the pursuit of his story, he was the first to realize the “thieving hand” of corruption, as they put it, which descended upon the country. His recognition allowed the struggle to begin, but even his capture was a part of his plan.

            I was a reporter at the time, just before our government engulfed our free media. So when the transition began, our job descriptions were slightly changed, so to speak. Instead of our stories being published directly from our hands, our work was sent to an “editing” room to be “evaluated” which most just accepted and continued on like normal. The ones who raised protest left, either by their own accord, or were let go to keep their voices from “spreading” as the officials put it. In either case, all who left disappeared less than a week later. With no word, body, or shard of evidence to be found, but I’m the only one curious enough to look into something like that, and the only one smart enough to keep his mouth shut when something is amiss.

            Some people exclaim their thoughts as loudly as possible through their most powerful means necessary but without the cooperation of others around you, one in a million may stand out, but one doesn’t stand strong. Needless to say I kept my mouth shut. At a point with little known communication between active revolutionaries, silence is the best weapon in an early revolution.

            The progressive consumption continued over the course of a few months, and the news wasn’t the only thing muffled by its steady arm of control. Shops were monitored; cameras were publicly installed, as well as the rumors that were Silent Soldiers. Rumor because anyone that knowingly came in contact with these fellows was of course, gone. Just like those at in the newsroom. So it wasn’t surprising to me when I heard of their existence, but even with this knowledge at his disposal this didn’t stop the actions of Thomas Kay.

            This was my most recent job at hand, the trial of Kay. Which is surprising because why even bother with court anymore, but I guess they’re trying to keep some semblance of a balanced government. His trial took place weeks after his capture, when he and his uprising formally dubbed: The Equalists, pulled off a number of assassinations on a faction of Silent Soldiers. As they dragged him away he allegedly smiled towards his members, and with his pointer and middle finger together, raised his hand to his neck; signing their symbol to his uprising.

            With Kay in hand, the other Equalists were left to be dealt with by the Soldiers, most escaped, but the remaining few perished with along with the knowledge of The Equalist uprising, but I suppose they just wished for Kay to be in their hands.

            The newsroom sent me to report on Kay’s trial, which is really where everything decided to surface. As I entered, the Judge’s stand was surrounded by three armed guards along with two others standing on the ends of the Jury stand. Kay was lead into the room through a side door by two more guards, but this time something stood out to me. On the left side his neck were two burn scars in equidistance parallel lines. Almost like an equal sign. A symbol I hadn’t noticed before that no doubt stood for The Equalists. I had to wonder if his uprising followed in his footsteps and burned themselves for their cause.

            A guard proceeded: “All rise for the honorable Judge Kalnocky”. All stood, even Thomas, who placed his fingers to his neck again, this time I noticed they lay right over the equal sign.

            Court proceeded, with the defense looking confident, even with the looming sentence, which everyone knew was coming. The offense was confused at this, but continued bring witnesses to the stand, accounting for Kay’s attacks against the government and illegal organization and the like, but Kay remained motionless, and calm. With a slight smirk across his face, toying with a red bandana he had tied around his neck. I had often seen this before. It was one of the defining symbols of The Equalists, but only in conflict, so they must not have changed his clothing when he was captured.

            Finally they brought Kay to the stand to question him on all of his actions over the course of the Equalist movement. He seemed quite complacent with the mention of each offense, smirking slightly as the list went on. When the list ended, Judge Kalnocky, nodding towards Thomas, asked: “Are there any objections to these allegations towards you Mr. Kay?” with this Thomas sighed. A deep heavy sigh, which alone would sound saddened. Almost down trodden with grief with what possibly lay ahead, but it was what accompanied the sigh that caught my eye. He lowered his head, sighed, and the corners of his lips stretched slightly. He was smiling. Not an overjoyed smile but content smirk, he was ready for action. But he answered the Judge’s question.

            “I felt no guilt until I was caught and I was told that I was guilty, and even then I wasn’t really sure. The thing I felt was guilt itself or maybe it was something else and frustration at the fact that I was ever caught at all, which brought me to a proper realization: our cause is not a phase. It is not a figurehead or a person at the helm of a revolution. The loss of me, or anyone for that matter will not stifle our ideas for they are such: ideas. And I don’t care if I lose, because my heroes did too. They shouted ‘court should be adjourned because the jury are fools…” At this Judge Kalnocky snapped: “Get to the point, Kay, you along with everyone else should know your revolution is extinguished”. But Thomas had a response. “Poor choice of words Judge. For a fire you see can be extinguished. But once extinguished, embers remain, poised. Ready at any moment to be disturbed and reignite. You, Judge Kalnocky are the catalyst to disturb the embers.”

            At this guards took Kay by his arms and began dragging him out, when the Judge stopped them, but before he could speak, Thomas had more to say. “Personally, I would’ve chosen a better analogy. Embers give the idea that something has died yet some remain. Our cause has never died. Remember when you barged into our meeting, in the abandoned town hall? Tell me. What happened when your Silent Soldiers told the Equalists to come quietly?” Kalnocky was silent. He stared into the distance. Bringing his hand to his wristwatch to toy with it, as he often does, but I never saw his demeanor as it was then. He blankly stared at Thomas, his mouth almost agape at what had been said. For he knew Kay was right. Which is partially why they gave him a trial instead of killing him off outright. No need for Martyrs to feed the flames.

            Throughout the course of the movement, the Equalists and the government were at odds, fighting balances of power between one and the other, over cities, all over the country. Certain cities had more control and some had less, the point being however that this war, as it is progressively turning into, was anything but one sided.

            “Oh shall I tell it then?” Kay sighed: “If I must. It was a cold November evening last year when the Equalists of the city of Contact were meeting in the abandoned town hall, in the older part of the city. To our dismay” Kay mockingly frowned “there was an undercover Silent Soldier among our ranks of Equalists, who lead your soldiers to our meeting place. But I can’t remember what happens next? Do you Judge? What happened next?”

            He played this off like he was the schoolyard bully. Kay was in hand cuffs and being held by two guards, yet still he had the high ground. If spectating, you could see the troubled fear in the eyes of Judge Kalnocky, and silently he whispered: “Slaughter”. “What was that Judge?” Kay retorted, “I couldn’t quite here you.” And Kalnocky repeated: “They were slaughtered.” “See that’s the thing about this uprising, revolution, movement, etcetera etcetera, whatever you may call it, is not akin to the embers of a flame.”

At this I glanced to my left where I saw movement. I was seated at the far right of the court, and I could very well see the others that were sitting among me but I never really noticed them until this moment. I then looked down at the hand of the woman next to me. She seemed like a normal woman, wearing a sundress with flats, a few jewelry accessories, with some bracelets on her wrists but something stood out. She moved her hand into her bag, but before she did this I caught a glimpse of the symbol. The burned etching of an equals sign on her hand, then I looked up to see they were everywhere. The man in front of me pulled up his collar to hide the one on his neck, a few put their two fingers to the sign just as Kay had done, but as I noticed this, Kay continued:

“As much as you claim to, you will not protect us.” He then turned to the jury and the crowd I was apart of, “They will not protect, we will fall. They will not defend us. We’ll be left behind. I will never defend the man who makes amends with his enemies friends, I will never pretend, and I will never bow down to another man even when he’s saying that I’ve sinned. I will never repent.”

This time I had to check to crowd, most of whom brought their fingers to their signs, this time the guards noticed something was amiss, but before anyone could do anything, a silence came over the courtroom before Thomas Kay finished with: “Embers, Judge Kalnocky, are not the right analogy because the remains are weak. I like to think of our conflicts as broken bones, and I believe, every broken bone is meant to be, and when it heals it will be stronger than it was before.”

At this, a loud hissing could be heard across the room as smoke funneled out from grenades that were rolled in. Red banners unfurled on all walls across the room, bearing the equal symbol. The citizens in the room, bearing the same symbol, rose with their bandanas across their faces and began precisely picking off guards. The lady sitting next to me put a bandana in my hand as she rose to join the fray. I put it on, but before I could escape, something knocked me unconscious and I woke up here with you sir.

“That’s just fine. Thank you for your input.”

            And sir?

            “What is it?”