[ WP ] Murder victims can now be brought back to life temporarily for 24 hours to testify in court . You 've now been falsely accused by the dead person whom you 've hated

I sat in court, watching her cold, mischievous eyes look back at me with a sort of grim humor. Her face was now a pale memory of her even paler reality. I guess she had to die to finally breath life back into her. I do n't see any other way there could be emotion in those eyes. 
 
 My wife had died just last week, thank god. Not by my own doing of course. She had too many enemies to stay alive. The rich, the poor, the powerful, the weak... The number of people she had double crossed throughout the course of her short, unmemorable life could be seated in a baseball stadium. But she just had to get one last laugh at me, did n't she? She just could n't resist. 
 
 The fan on the ceiling swung back and forth with an annoying squeak, occurring every rotation like clockwork. To think they still existed, when annoying could just bring their altimometer in to chill the room. Hell, even one of those old cryrotors would do the trick. This case had gotten international attention, and yet they could n't place us in a cooled room. Maybe they just did it because they wanted to see us sweat - throw some real, humanness into the mix. Might be better for the cameras once this case was over. 
 
 The prosecutor brought forth a holocard, and swung the image onto a large screen that took up a spacious section of the court behind the judge. It was the contract I had signed when I had started the company wife my wife. My wife looked up at the screen, and she could n't hold back the smile that she could never give me when she was alive. 
 
 `` I object, your honor!'' Shouted the defense attorney. `` You know very well that contract was voided when -'' 
 
 `` That will be enough. Let him speak, I'm curious as to where he is going with this. You may speak.'' 
 
 `` Thank you, your honor.'' said the prosecutor. He walked towards the central console and pointed to the three signatures. a virtual image of his hand appeared above the judge, indicating as such. `` Three signatures, by three people. A loving husband, and a faithful wife, and the lawyer who just so happened to turn up dead last year. He told us he died of a heart attack, but I suspect that was n't the entire truth.'' The prosecutor left the console and strolled over to the wife. 
 
 `` Both husband and wife shared a dream: to build a company that gave people a last chance. One last day on this earth. To express the love they have for their families. The bonus we have gained from such is that we now have a way of undeniably...'' 
 
 `` Objection, your honor!'' Shouted the defense attorney again. 
 
 `` For the last time, sustained. Please continue.'' 
 
 `` Thank you... As I was saying, a way in which we can now, undeniably, find out who murdered who with absolute certainty. It's a system that has decimated the murder rate nationwide. A system that my client here can not enjoy for the purpose which she and her husband created it for - for how can you enjoy your last day on earth if you are forced to spend it with the one person left alive that you thought you loved.'' 
 
 A fake tear rolled down the stone cold face of my wife. She liked to do this - emotionally belittle me, bask in my defeat. Whatever brought me down, emotionally, physically, she was ready to do. Even when the stakes were so high now, how could she continue this way. Maybe I should have listened to Mr. Banks. He warned me that she was crazy, and that someone like her would go to the lengths of the earth to enjoy the suffering of others. I should have listened to him before he had to die. Maybe I could have avoided this. 
 
 `` My client clearly does n't want to spend her last day alive in court with this monster. What begin as a growing tale of love and changing the world between two scientists, has turned into a sorrowful tale. She says he killed her, he says otherwise. Why would she say it when she has nothing to lose? I ask nothing more, your honor, members of the jury, than to seek the harshest judgement against this man.'' 
 
 He turned back towards his seat, as members of the court began whispering in hushed tones. 
 
 `` Silence.'' Ordered the Judge. `` Do you have anything else with which you would like to add, members of the defense?'' 
 
 I looked toward my lawyer as it became clear that there was nothing more I could do for my defense. He turned to me and sighed - it was time. There would be no winning this one, at least for me. If I wanted to win, I would have to become the devil for the world to hate. My lawyer stood up to speak, but I stopped him. `` Let me represent myself this time, pal. I owe you.'' He nodded, and took a seat. 
 
 I began: 
 
 `` When my wife and I started the company our goals and dreams were the same. We wanted to make our product accessible to all, to be the harbingers of life - a veritable `` fountain of youth'' for your pockets. And we succeeded.'' A questionable mumbling arose out of the audience. 
 
 `` Not only can we bring back people for a day. We can do it permanently.'' 
 
 I stopped talking. The volume inside the courtroom began to extrapolate to levels even the judge could n't bring down. But as soon as I started speaking again there was a hush. 
 
 `` That is the truth. Unfortunately, my wife saw it differently. She saw the godly power that we could yield, and asked me to join her. She wanted to not only own money and fame, but she wanted to control life and time itself. I disagreed, naturally, so she threatened me. My old lawyer at the time, Mr. Banks, was my oldest friend, and dying of cancer. If I did n't agree to use our product for the purposes of which she spoke, she would cease treatment on him, which would lead to his death. It was the only form of control she had over me.'' 
 
 `` We agreed that when he died I would reveal her true nature to the people. And so I have.'' I flicked my holocard at the giant screen and copies of written, closed-door agreements between her and various multinational corporations began to fill the screen. Hundreds of copies that I had collected over time. Agreements to only ever release a version of the product to the public that could only keep people alive for a day, and nothing more. Billed as people's one last chance to say goodbye. Agreements to never use the product to cure cancer, HIV/AIDS, STDS, Ebola, malaria, things that would make many powerful people very poor very quickly. These special agreements were to people who hungered for power. People who wanted to live forever. Hundreds of incredibly influential names and faces filed themselves onto the screen one at a time. 
 
 She wanted to lock me up so that millions would continue dying from diseases every day, and she would continue to thrive once the world thought her dead. Oh no, she would n't be dead. Emotionally, probably, but physically she was going to continue her life's work. 
 
 I informed the court of this. My wife had no idea I knew. She simply wanted to get rid of me, void our contract so that she could gain the power her abusive family never gave her. God, to think I once cared for this woman. 
 
 She screamed at me, and lunged from where she sat. Held back by two guards, I had one more document to share. 
 
 `` Mr. Banks and I agreed that it was his time to die, and with Mr. Banks now gone, and me next, I'm surprised she did n't just go ahead and kill me. Dispose of my body so that I could never be questioned. I guess she wanted to see me suffer more.'' I took a deep breathe, 
 
 `` Of course, now I take full responsibility in enabling these actions. I should have acted sooner, and now I am willing to give myself up to custody if it means that the poison that spills from her mouth can be better spent feeding the rats that line her cage.'' 
 
 She spat at me. The vile, horrid, dead smell of saliva was the sweetest scent I had smelled in a long, long time. 
 
 I looked at her, as two guards handcuffed me behind my back, and without a single care in the world and whispered, `` I win.'' 
 
 edit: General grammar, spelling.
