Presumed Guilty
Main Characters / Extra Characters
My Classmates
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Requirements
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Requirements
You, Wes, and Mia leave the party early to meet Nishan, who holds a thick envelope.
Nishan: We just got our next case... and this time, we’re the prosecution!
Wes: Now THIS will be fun.
Nishan: And exponentially harder. The burden of proof is now on us.
Mia: Well, I don’t plan on losing to our old school. So I want everyone focused and committed. Let’s see what this case is all about.
Time - 8 hours
Mia withdraws a fat packet of papers from the envelope and begins to read...
Mia: Hmm... we’ve got a teenage girl, charged with stealing a PlayStation 4 from the mall! Ugh. If you’re going to steal something from the mall, why something dumb like a video game thing when there’s a Sephora right there?
Danny: Well, the case sounds straightforward enough. All we’ve got to do is prove that she’s guilty.
Mia: Yeah. Guilty of bad taste!
Danny: Okay, now we get into the evidence. What does the case file say, Mia?
Mia tries to flip pages, but the colossal stack of papers simply flies from her grip, and hundreds of papers spill to the floor.
Mia: Apparently, it says a lot.
Nishan: Opening statements are tomorrow! How are we supposed to study that whole file before then?!
Mia: The student council helped us get through the file last time. I bet we could get them to team up again.
Wes: Good call. All we need is a little leverage over them...
Danny: Or we can just, you know... ask...
Requirements
Danny: Thanks for helping out, guys.
Brandon: Are you kidding? I love a good legal brief!
Maddie: We’ll have this back to you faster than the Supreme Court returned with the verdict in McBurney v. Young!
Time - 10 hours
Danny: Hey, Brandon, Maddie. You said you finished reading all the documents?
Maddie: Yep, and we threw together a little summary with charts, graphs, and bullet points for you guys.
Maddie nods to Brandon, who powers on a projector. A beautifully animated slideshow illuminates the classroom wall!
Maddie: The defendant is Carly Chapman, age 17. Here’s her Facebook page. She lives on the east side of town with her mom and younger brother. Likes include Justin Bieber, Slipknot, and Bieber-Slipknot YouTube mashups known as Biebknots.
Brandon: On Christmas Eve, the Boulevard Mall reported that a limited edition Sony PlayStation 4 had been stolen from the premises. Miss Chapman was stopped at a police checkpoint a block away, where the deputy found the stolen PS4 in her vehicle’s trunk!
Maddie: Carly claims she doesn’t know how the stolen console got there.
Mia: A likely story! She was caught red-handed!
Wes: Even I’ll admit, this looks pretty open-and-shut.
Danny: Well, that’s good, because it’s our job to get that ‘Guilty’ verdict!
Nishan: Hey guys, it says here we have to sign up in advance for which parts of the trial we’re each doing.
Mia: I’ll take Opening Statements this time. With this evidence, the case will be closed before I’m done!
Wes: I want Cross-Examination. I want to be able to question this Chapman girl when the defense calls her to the stand.
Mia: That leaves the Closing Statements to you, Danny.
Danny: Works for me!
Nishan: The tournament organizers staged a crime scene in one of the shops at the mall. They probably have someone from our school playing the store manager.
Danny: What are we waiting for? Let’s head over and check it out! If we can find some physical evidence showing Carly stole the PS4, there’s no way we’ll lose!
Requirements
You and your team arrive at the Boulevard Mall, where you see Katherine walking by with a clipboard.
Danny: Katherine! What are you doing here?
Katherine: Hey, Danny! Since you guys knocked Athena out of the competition, I’ve been volunteering with the alumni association, helping stage the final crime scene. Your team is tasked with searching for clues, but first you’ll need permission from Carlos, who we have performing as a particularly uptight store manager. Good luck!
Katherine points out Carlos patrolling the sales floor. You approach...
Carlos: Welcome, holiday shoppers! Can I interest you in this state-of-the-art fruit juicer, eight percent off for a limited time?
Mia: Look, Carlos, we just want to check out the scene of the crime really quick.
Carlos: Excuse me, ma’am, but I know not of this Carlos. MY name is Harold Jenkins, regional district township manager, and I will NOT have your investigation disrupting my customers’ shopping experience!
Nishan: Carlos is taking this acting gig pretty seriously. How are we supposed to get by him?
Time - 12 hours
While you and your mock trial team debates how to get through to the scene of the crime, Carlos stands nearby, counting stacks of money and singing to himself...
Carlos: Money, money, money! The future looks so sunny! Somebody’s got a big performance bonus coming!
Danny: Sounds like Carlos’s character’s motivation is just money.
Wes: Then that’s what we’ll use against him.
You approach Carlos...
Danny: Listen here, Mr. Jenkins. Let our investigation team through. Now!
Carlos: Why should I let you interfere with the holiday shoppers?
Danny: Because if you don’t, we’ll file an injunction on this whole mall!
Carlos: Gasp! You wouldn’t!
Danny: Oh, but we would. We’ll make sure no one buys a single eight-percent-off item from you until Easter!
Carlos: Okay, okay, you can pass!
Carlos: I just have... one condition. We only really have room in the mall for, shall we say, COMMITTED holiday shoppers... While snooping around, could you kindly do some shopping as well?
Mia: Oh, I’LL handle that. You guys, find whatever clues you can!
Requirements
Wes: Okay, Danny, remember, we’re looking for evidence that proves Carly Chapman stole one of the PS4s.
You look around and spot an air vent bolted to the wall... a cash register... a shelf of PS4 boxes... and a lone janitor sweeping dirt under it.
Danny: Let’s look under the shelf! If there were any clues around here, the janitor would have literally swept them away!
You drop to your hands and knees and peer into the darkness under the shelves of PS4s.
Danny: Guys! I think I see something!
You reach as far as you can under the shelf... and pull out a clump of wet, dusty paper scraps.
Wes: What is it, Danny?
Danny: There’s ink on the paper... I think it was a note, but it’s all torn up and impossible to read!
Nishan: Leave that to me, Danny. My team and I can put it together in no time. Er, well, by no time, I mean quite some time.
Mia returns, a dozen stuffed shopping bags on each arm.
Mia: Whew! What I go through for you guys... those checkout lines were so long!
Danny: We think we found a clue in the case, Mia. A torn-up note. Nishan’s getting his team to figure out what it said.
Mia: Well, we’ll have to head to the courthouse without him then. The opening statements are about to start!
Requirements
At the county courthouse, the judge bangs her gavel, Mia rises and stands before the courtroom.
Mia: Ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is a simple matter of selfishness. Once upon a time, there was a PS4... one that COULD have been purchased by a deserving family that just wanted to play together by a fireplace... But it would never meet that destiny. Instead, it was STOLEN during the most giving of holidays. Stolen by someone who did not deserve to have it. It was locked away in the cold, dark trunk of Carly Chapman’s car as she fled the scene, rescued in a true Christmas miracle by our brave men and women in blue. The facts are clear. A PS4 was stolen, the defendant had one in her possession at the scene, and she clearly could not afford one! Carly Chapman is unquestionably guilty!
The crowd in the courtroom murmurs excitedly as Mia takes her seat beside you and Wes. Just then, someone rises from the other side of the courtroom and steps forward, clearing their throat.
Max: Why, that sounds like a gallon of poppycock if you ask me!
Mia: Max?! YOU’RE the defense?!
Time - 16 hours
Max paces up and down the aisles of the courtroom, laughing and shaking hands with the crowd. The judge raps her gavel for him to move along!
Max: I’m sorry, Judge, but I have nothing to say to these big city corporate thugs who want nothing more than to bully an innocent woman, on Christmas no less. These high- prices, highfalutin ‘lawyers’ will parade a bunch of poppycock, yes poppycock, and call it ‘proof’. But it will be lies and villainy. Miss Chapman was simply leaving her minimum wage job at the mall after a 60-hour shift with no knowledge of the nefarious contents of her trunk. Perhaps a thief in the night placed it there. Perhaps the police themselves planted it, simply to tear down this woman’s dreams!
Wes: This is ridiculous.
Max: Good sirs and madams, I call to your attention the defendant’s Facebook page. Note, if you will, that in her entire history, there are exactly ZERO posts about video gaming of any kind! Why, pray tell, would a young woman who has absolutely ZERO interest in gaming steal a video game console? It tests the limits of reason! But unfortunately, these allegations do not test the limits of my opposition’s deceit.
The crowd erupts in cheers as Max sits down! The judge bangs her gavel for order!
Danny: This may not be as open and shut as we thought.
The judge calls for a long recess.
Wes: That was brutal.
Mia: We’re fine. We just need to regroup--
Max: Why bother? When have you ever beaten me at anything, sis? Relax, second best is nothing to be ashamed of.
Max leaves, laughing to himself.
Danny: Mia, don’t let him get to you.
Mia: No. He doesn’t get to win. Not this time. We just need to get more proof...
Wes: That’s IF there’s any to get. I hate to say it, but Max is right. We saw Chapman’s Facebook. It doesn’t make any sense for her to steal a PS4 when she doesn’t like video games.
Danny: Well, we may have our next clue. I just got a text from Nishan. They finished analyzing the note!
Requirements
Mia: You said you finished analyzing the note, Nishan?
Nishan: Correct, thanks to my assistants, Kimia and Zayn!
Kimia: I designed a ‘jigsaw’ algorithm to re-integrate the note’s shreds by matching the fibers of the paper...
Zayn: Then to isolate the blurred ink of the handwriting, I used an advanced reconstruction software--
Wes: It is Photoshop?
Zayn: Okay, fine, it’s Photoshop.
Nishan: Boot up the computer, Zayn. Let’s show them what we found.
Time - 18 hours
As the computer boots up, Mia sidles up to Nishan.
Mia: So? Will this note prove Carly stole the PS4? I need to beat Max!
Wes: That and, you know, justice?
Nishan: Well, I think you’ll see that this note will be the cornerstone of the case moving forward.
The computer dings, and an image of a reconstructed note appears on screen!
Mia: It’s ready!
You all cluster around the screen to read...
Requirements
Mia reads aloud from the computer screen...
Mia: ‘Dear Santa...’ Wait, what?
Danny: It looks like it’s a Christmas letter to the North Pole!
Nishan: We analyzed the handwriting and are 96 percent confident that the note was composed by a child aged 6 to 12.
Wes: Really? The fact that it’s addressed to Santa wasn’t a giveaway?
Mia keeps reading...
Mia: ‘I hope you’ve had a great year. I hope Mrs. Claus is well. All I want for Christmas is Daddy to come back... but if you can’t do that, I think the new Sony PS4 is super cool, if it’s not too much to ask.’
Danny: ‘Merry Christmas! Sincerely, Robbie Chapman.’
Mia: Chapman! That’s the defendant’s last name!
Nishan: This must be her little brother. It explains why she’d want to steal a PS4 despite having no personal interest in video games!
Wes: She took it for her kid brother? That’s a pretty good reason, if you ask me.
Mia: Are you crazy? Stealing is stealing. Just because there’s a kid involved doesn’t make it okay! I’d like to see Max try to talk his way out of this one!
You turn to Wes... and find him fuming, clenching and unclenching his fists in anger!
Danny: Wes? What’s wrong?
Time - 20 hours
Wes: You wouldn’t get it, would you? You just think this is fun, laughing it up, talking about how you’re going to find this girl guilty? This whole mock trial thing is messed up. Forget it. I’m out.
Mia: Fine! Wes wants to bail on us? We don’t need him.
Nishan: Unfortunately, we do. We signed up for specific aspects of the trial, remember? We need Wes to do the cross-examination, or we’ll have to forfeit the case!
Mia: Seriously?!
Nishan: We need to get Wes back, and soon. This recess won’t last forever.
Danny: I’ll go find him. I’ll convince him to see the case through.
Nishan: But he could be anywhere. You’ll have to search the whole school!
Requirements
You find Wes hanging out near the fountain, the one he had set up after pulling off the Hearst heist...
Wes: Guess I can’t hide from you, can I?
Danny: Well, I do know this school pretty well...
Danny: Are you okay?
Wes: No, I’m not okay. And that stupid trial isn’t okay. And what they’re trying to do... what they’re trying to push on us... isn’t okay!
Danny: Wes, it’s not a real trial...
Wes: Of course not. But it is a propaganda exercise, designed to train us all to be good little boys and girls who never question society’s rules! Well, I’m not playing along. Not anymore. I’m out.
Danny: I get the feeling this isn’t just about the mock trial... Maybe you should just take a minute, calm down, and we can talk about it?
Requirements
Wes takes a deep breath, then sits down on the edge of the fountain. Finally, he speaks...
Wes: 867 dollars.
Danny: What?
Wes: 867 dollars. That’s how much my brother Matt stole. That’s what they locked him up for. That’s what they ruined our lives over. I was 13. He was 19. We were living in this total dump of an apartment, and he was working all the time, night after night, at this auto shop. We were just barely getting by, scraping along way below the poverty line. Half the time, he skipped dinner just so I’d have some. That’s how bad it was.
Danny: I’m sorry...
Wes: I don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to understand how bad things were. I want you to get why my brother didn’t have a choice.
Danny: Wes, there’s always a choice...
Wes: Not for everyone. Not for my brother, not after that scumbag boss fired him for no reason! Yeah, Matt broke into his office and stole all the money from his desk. But he did it for me! He did it so I could have food, so I could have clothes, so I could have a shot at a better life! Everything my brother did, he did for me, and because of that, he spent the last two years behind bars, and I spent them floating from one foster home to another! You tell me, Danny... is that justice? Is that fair?
Danny: No, it’s not. Nobody should be punished for doing the right thing.
Wes: Exactly. I know this mock trial isn’t real. But this story, Carly Chapman, she just did what my brother did. She looked out for her family. Going after her, even pretending to go after her... it doesn’t feel right.
Danny: I can imagine how tough this is for you, Wes. That’s why I think you should go talk to someone who really knows about this... someone who could give you a different perspective...
Wes: Like a shoplifter?
Danny: Like your brother.
Wes sighs, then nods.
Wes: Yeah. You’re right. He always helps me get my head on straight about stuff like this. It’s a bit of a drive down to the prison. I’ll head there now and catch up with you later.
Danny: I’m not letting you do this alone, Wes. I’m coming with you.
Wes: ...if you gotta.
Requirements
You and Wes drive up to a low security prison. He signs you in, and you take a table in the waiting area, surrounded by other visiting families.
Wes: ...
Danny: You okay?
Wes: Yeah. Yeah. Being here always makes me nervous, that’s all.
Just then, you look up to see a tall, tough-looking guy approaching...
Time - 22 hours
Wes: Hey, Matt.
Matt: Hey, little bro. Thanks for coming out. I wasn’t expecting you until next week. This your friend? Let me guess... Danny?
Danny: Wes has mentioned me, huh?
Matt: Just that you’re a stand-up guy who’s been there for him when he needed it. Also, something about a mystery blackmailer?
Danny: It’s a long story.
Matt: So what’s going on?
Wes: It’s nothing, really. No big deal. Just this stupid mock trial tournament...
Wes fills Matt in on the situation. The more he talks, the more serious Matt’s expression gets.
Wes: ...and that’s why I’m here. You see where I’m coming from, right? This girl’s the same as you. She stole to help her family. She didn’t have a choice.
Matt sighs deeply.
Matt: I guess I always knew this day would come. Wes... what I’m about to say... it isn’t easy for me... But what I told you when I got arrested wasn’t the whole truth.
Wes: What do you mean?
Matt: I didn’t get fired from that job at the mechanic’s when I robbed it. I got a raise.
Wes: ...what?
Matt: Yeah. You heard me. I got a 20 cent an hour raise that day. I just told you I got fired so... so I’d have an excuse for why I did it.
Wes: Well, why DID you do it?
Matt: Because I was dumb! Because I was impatient! Because I saw that my boss had all that money just sitting in his office, and I couldn’t stop thinking about all the stuff we could have with it! I had a choice, Wes. I made the wrong one. I’d take it back in a second. And I think about it every single day I’m in here. That’s what I’ve come to realize. That’s what being in here has shown me. And when I get out, I swear, I’ll be a better man. I’ll be there for you... like I always should’ve been.
Wes turns away You can’t see his face, but his voice sounds just the tiniest bit choked up...
Wes: ...yeah. I get that now. Thanks.
A loud bell rings.
Matt: Well, that’s my cue to head inside. Take care, Wes. And Danny... I’m glad he’s got a friend like you in his life.
Matt leaves. Wes watches him go...
Danny: You gonna be all right?
Wes: ...yeah. I think so. I still gotta process it but... I feel like I understand things a lot better now.
Just then, your phone rings.
Mia: Danny! Wes! Where are you? Max is about to call Kara to the stand, and if Wes isn’t there to cross-examine her, we’re disqualified!
Danny: Oh oh, we’ve gotta move! Are you sure you’re up for this, Wes?
Wes: Oh yeah. I’m ready.
Danny: We’re on our way, Mia! Don’t let the defense call their witnesses yet! You have to stall for time!
Mia: But how?!
Danny: Call up expert witnesses! Whoever you can find!
Requirements
Back at the courthouse, Mia stalls for time...
Mia: I’d like to call some... uh... expert witnesses to the stand.
Max: Oh, this should be good...
Time - 19 hours
On the stand, Berry provides ‘expert testimony’...
Berry: Now, I’m not saying I’ve shoplifted. But if I did... well, here’s how I’d take a PS4...
And then James goes up...
James: Stealing a PS4 is understandable. It’s got a touchpad in the controller, native 1080p output, and a sleek, tilted design... But on the other hand, an Xbox One comes with built-in voice control, a Kinect sensor, and an arguably stronger collection of exclusives...
And finally, Yangchen stalls for time...
Yangchen: How many lawyers does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Three ! One to climb the ladder, one to shake the ladder, and one to sue the ladder company for the injury! Hiyo! Thanks for being a great crowd, folks! Be sure to tip your... stenographer?
Max: Looks like you’re all out of witnesses... So if the prosecution rests, I’d like to call Ms. Carly Chapman to the stand!
The room goes silent... as Kara takes the stand!
Mia: WHERE is Wes?
Just then, the courthouse door flies open, and Wes bursts in!
Wes: Looks like we’re just in time.
Requirements
Kara puts on her most innocent face, as Max interrogates her...
Max: Now then, ‘Ms. Chapman’, could you tell the court how that PS4 ended up in your car?
Kara: Honestly, I have no idea!
Max: No idea. She has no idea. Do you hear that, ladies and gentlemen? This sweet, innocent girl has no idea how that PS4 ended up in her car! How could she? She didn’t steal it. And how do we know that? Because she wouldn’t WANT to steal it. Would you, Ms. Chapman?
Kara: No, of course not! I don’t play any videogames. I didn’t even know there WAS a new Gamestation out!
Max: There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. No evidence. No witnesses. And no motive. Where I come from, we call that a case as shut as a henhouse during a tornado!
The room murmurs, impressed. The judge nods. Then Wes steps up...
Wes: Ahem... I’d like to begin my cross-examination now.
Time - 21 hours
Wes approaches Kara on the stand...
Wes: Now then, ‘Ms. Chapman’... you say you have no interest in playing a PS4. In fact, your entire defense rests on that. And you know what? I believe you. ...but what about your brother?
Max: Objection! Relevance?
Kara: Yeah, what’s my brother got to do with anything?
The judge looks to Wes with a raised eyebrow. Wes slides a printout of the reconstructed note in front of Kara.
Wes: Do you recognize this, Ms. Chapman? May I remind you that you are under oath and must respond honestly to any presented evidence.
Kara: I... I don’t recall... maybe...
Wes: I present to the court a note found at the scene of the crime in which Ms. Chapman’s little brother explicitly requested a PS4 for Christmas! Do you deny knowing that little Robbie wanted one?
Kara: I... I... no, not exactly...
Wes: Then you admit that you perjured yourself in denying that you knew there was a new console available?
Kara: Well, I... I might have known...
Wes: Did you or did you NOT steal the PS4 for your brother?
Kara: He needed it!
Wes: He needed a sister!
The room goes silent.
Wes: He didn’t need money or games or anything else. He needed someone to be there for him, to take care of him, to be a role model. That’s what I... what he... needed. No further questions, Your Honor.
Wes sits down. It’s time for the closing statements...
Wes: You’re up, Danny. Bring us home.
Danny: Sure thing. But it’d be great to have a couple people here to root us on...
Requirements
Max goes first...
Max: Uh... well... see, justice is kind of like an old, blind bull...
He goes on for a while, avoiding the case, talking mostly in rustic metaphors. When he’s done, you go up. Across the courtroom, Berry and Ashton watch excitedly...
Danny: In many ways, the facts of this case speak for themselves. There’s a clear motive, physical evidence, and a confession on the stand. It’s true, the defendant did act out of love. But it’s also true that she broke the law. She had a choice. She made hers. And now she has to accept the consequences. All I ask, Your Honor, is that in your sentencing, you be lenient. What Ms. Chapman did was wrong... but that’s no reason to destroy two lives. I think with a light sentence, she could both face the consequences and still be there for her brother.
In the crowd, Wes nods appreciatively. You sit down. The judge reviews the evidence... deliberates... and then announces the verdict...
Time - 23 hours
Guilty! The judge finds the defendant guilty! You win the trial!
Berry: Yes!
Max: No!
Ashton: Nice!
Kara: Come on!
The judge sentences Ms. Chapman to probation and community service, the lightest sentence.
Wes: Good.
All your friends cheer! The judge declares your school the winner of the mock trial tournament!
After everyone’s gone home, you hang out outside the court hall. Wes sits on the steps. You join him.
Danny: You did great back there. You basically won the tournament for us.
Wes: Yeah, well, you weren’t bad yourself.
Danny: You feel okay with what your brother told you?
Wes: Okay? Naw. But I feel better.
Danny: Wes, I have to say... you’re probably the busiest person I know. Ever since you got here, you’ve done nothing but scramble around, pulling one plot after another to help the school. Maybe I’m out of line here... but why don’t you take some time and just relax?
Wes: You mean, work on some personal projects? Because I’ve got a great plan to expose this corrupt state Senator...
Danny: No projects, no schemes, no capers. Just relax. This school is your home now. You don’t have to be that guy scraping every day to get by. Unwind and focus on yourself for a change.
Wes: Like... treat myself? Yeah. I think I can do that.
Requirements
You find Wes lying out on the quad, bathing in sunlight...
Wes: Ahhhh...
Danny: Enjoying the nice weather?
Wes: Enjoying everything, actually. Thanks for the advice to relax, Danny. And thanks for... everything else. You’re a good friend.
Danny: You’re not bad yourself.
Just then, Nishan comes sprinting over!
Nishan: Danny! Professor Edwin’s here, and she has something really exciting to talk to us about!
Danny: Heh... it never slows down here, does it?
Wes: Not for a second. What’s up, Nishan?
Nishan: She’s coming to our school to host a future Business Leaders contest! But we won’t be going up against other schools this time. We’ll be facing... Each other!
An intramural contest could be fun... or it could tear your school apart! Find out what happens in our next quest!
- Danny
- Wes
- Mia
You, Wes, and Mia leave the party early to meet Nishan, who holds a thick envelope.
Nishan: We just got our next case... and this time, we’re the prosecution!
Wes: Now THIS will be fun.
Nishan: And exponentially harder. The burden of proof is now on us.
Mia: Well, I don’t plan on losing to our old school. So I want everyone focused and committed. Let’s see what this case is all about.
Time - 8 hours
Mia withdraws a fat packet of papers from the envelope and begins to read...
Mia: Hmm... we’ve got a teenage girl, charged with stealing a PlayStation 4 from the mall! Ugh. If you’re going to steal something from the mall, why something dumb like a video game thing when there’s a Sephora right there?
Danny: Well, the case sounds straightforward enough. All we’ve got to do is prove that she’s guilty.
Mia: Yeah. Guilty of bad taste!
Danny: Okay, now we get into the evidence. What does the case file say, Mia?
Mia tries to flip pages, but the colossal stack of papers simply flies from her grip, and hundreds of papers spill to the floor.
Mia: Apparently, it says a lot.
Nishan: Opening statements are tomorrow! How are we supposed to study that whole file before then?!
Mia: The student council helped us get through the file last time. I bet we could get them to team up again.
Wes: Good call. All we need is a little leverage over them...
Danny: Or we can just, you know... ask...
Requirements
- A Level 7+ Guy Student Gov (Brandon)
- A Level 7+ Girl Student Gov (Maddie)
Danny: Thanks for helping out, guys.
Brandon: Are you kidding? I love a good legal brief!
Maddie: We’ll have this back to you faster than the Supreme Court returned with the verdict in McBurney v. Young!
Time - 10 hours
Danny: Hey, Brandon, Maddie. You said you finished reading all the documents?
Maddie: Yep, and we threw together a little summary with charts, graphs, and bullet points for you guys.
Maddie nods to Brandon, who powers on a projector. A beautifully animated slideshow illuminates the classroom wall!
Maddie: The defendant is Carly Chapman, age 17. Here’s her Facebook page. She lives on the east side of town with her mom and younger brother. Likes include Justin Bieber, Slipknot, and Bieber-Slipknot YouTube mashups known as Biebknots.
Brandon: On Christmas Eve, the Boulevard Mall reported that a limited edition Sony PlayStation 4 had been stolen from the premises. Miss Chapman was stopped at a police checkpoint a block away, where the deputy found the stolen PS4 in her vehicle’s trunk!
Maddie: Carly claims she doesn’t know how the stolen console got there.
Mia: A likely story! She was caught red-handed!
Wes: Even I’ll admit, this looks pretty open-and-shut.
Danny: Well, that’s good, because it’s our job to get that ‘Guilty’ verdict!
Nishan: Hey guys, it says here we have to sign up in advance for which parts of the trial we’re each doing.
Mia: I’ll take Opening Statements this time. With this evidence, the case will be closed before I’m done!
Wes: I want Cross-Examination. I want to be able to question this Chapman girl when the defense calls her to the stand.
Mia: That leaves the Closing Statements to you, Danny.
Danny: Works for me!
Nishan: The tournament organizers staged a crime scene in one of the shops at the mall. They probably have someone from our school playing the store manager.
Danny: What are we waiting for? Let’s head over and check it out! If we can find some physical evidence showing Carly stole the PS4, there’s no way we’ll lose!
Requirements
- Danny
- A Level 8+ Guy Actor (Carlos)
You and your team arrive at the Boulevard Mall, where you see Katherine walking by with a clipboard.
Danny: Katherine! What are you doing here?
Katherine: Hey, Danny! Since you guys knocked Athena out of the competition, I’ve been volunteering with the alumni association, helping stage the final crime scene. Your team is tasked with searching for clues, but first you’ll need permission from Carlos, who we have performing as a particularly uptight store manager. Good luck!
Katherine points out Carlos patrolling the sales floor. You approach...
Carlos: Welcome, holiday shoppers! Can I interest you in this state-of-the-art fruit juicer, eight percent off for a limited time?
Mia: Look, Carlos, we just want to check out the scene of the crime really quick.
Carlos: Excuse me, ma’am, but I know not of this Carlos. MY name is Harold Jenkins, regional district township manager, and I will NOT have your investigation disrupting my customers’ shopping experience!
Nishan: Carlos is taking this acting gig pretty seriously. How are we supposed to get by him?
Time - 12 hours
While you and your mock trial team debates how to get through to the scene of the crime, Carlos stands nearby, counting stacks of money and singing to himself...
Carlos: Money, money, money! The future looks so sunny! Somebody’s got a big performance bonus coming!
Danny: Sounds like Carlos’s character’s motivation is just money.
Wes: Then that’s what we’ll use against him.
You approach Carlos...
Danny: Listen here, Mr. Jenkins. Let our investigation team through. Now!
Carlos: Why should I let you interfere with the holiday shoppers?
Danny: Because if you don’t, we’ll file an injunction on this whole mall!
Carlos: Gasp! You wouldn’t!
Danny: Oh, but we would. We’ll make sure no one buys a single eight-percent-off item from you until Easter!
Carlos: Okay, okay, you can pass!
Carlos: I just have... one condition. We only really have room in the mall for, shall we say, COMMITTED holiday shoppers... While snooping around, could you kindly do some shopping as well?
Mia: Oh, I’LL handle that. You guys, find whatever clues you can!
Requirements
- Spend 200,000 coins
- Investigate!
Wes: Okay, Danny, remember, we’re looking for evidence that proves Carly Chapman stole one of the PS4s.
You look around and spot an air vent bolted to the wall... a cash register... a shelf of PS4 boxes... and a lone janitor sweeping dirt under it.
Danny: Let’s look under the shelf! If there were any clues around here, the janitor would have literally swept them away!
You drop to your hands and knees and peer into the darkness under the shelves of PS4s.
Danny: Guys! I think I see something!
You reach as far as you can under the shelf... and pull out a clump of wet, dusty paper scraps.
Wes: What is it, Danny?
Danny: There’s ink on the paper... I think it was a note, but it’s all torn up and impossible to read!
Nishan: Leave that to me, Danny. My team and I can put it together in no time. Er, well, by no time, I mean quite some time.
Mia returns, a dozen stuffed shopping bags on each arm.
Mia: Whew! What I go through for you guys... those checkout lines were so long!
Danny: We think we found a clue in the case, Mia. A torn-up note. Nishan’s getting his team to figure out what it said.
Mia: Well, we’ll have to head to the courthouse without him then. The opening statements are about to start!
Requirements
- Mia
At the county courthouse, the judge bangs her gavel, Mia rises and stands before the courtroom.
Mia: Ladies and gentlemen, what we have here is a simple matter of selfishness. Once upon a time, there was a PS4... one that COULD have been purchased by a deserving family that just wanted to play together by a fireplace... But it would never meet that destiny. Instead, it was STOLEN during the most giving of holidays. Stolen by someone who did not deserve to have it. It was locked away in the cold, dark trunk of Carly Chapman’s car as she fled the scene, rescued in a true Christmas miracle by our brave men and women in blue. The facts are clear. A PS4 was stolen, the defendant had one in her possession at the scene, and she clearly could not afford one! Carly Chapman is unquestionably guilty!
The crowd in the courtroom murmurs excitedly as Mia takes her seat beside you and Wes. Just then, someone rises from the other side of the courtroom and steps forward, clearing their throat.
Max: Why, that sounds like a gallon of poppycock if you ask me!
Mia: Max?! YOU’RE the defense?!
Time - 16 hours
Max paces up and down the aisles of the courtroom, laughing and shaking hands with the crowd. The judge raps her gavel for him to move along!
Max: I’m sorry, Judge, but I have nothing to say to these big city corporate thugs who want nothing more than to bully an innocent woman, on Christmas no less. These high- prices, highfalutin ‘lawyers’ will parade a bunch of poppycock, yes poppycock, and call it ‘proof’. But it will be lies and villainy. Miss Chapman was simply leaving her minimum wage job at the mall after a 60-hour shift with no knowledge of the nefarious contents of her trunk. Perhaps a thief in the night placed it there. Perhaps the police themselves planted it, simply to tear down this woman’s dreams!
Wes: This is ridiculous.
Max: Good sirs and madams, I call to your attention the defendant’s Facebook page. Note, if you will, that in her entire history, there are exactly ZERO posts about video gaming of any kind! Why, pray tell, would a young woman who has absolutely ZERO interest in gaming steal a video game console? It tests the limits of reason! But unfortunately, these allegations do not test the limits of my opposition’s deceit.
The crowd erupts in cheers as Max sits down! The judge bangs her gavel for order!
Danny: This may not be as open and shut as we thought.
The judge calls for a long recess.
Wes: That was brutal.
Mia: We’re fine. We just need to regroup--
Max: Why bother? When have you ever beaten me at anything, sis? Relax, second best is nothing to be ashamed of.
Max leaves, laughing to himself.
Danny: Mia, don’t let him get to you.
Mia: No. He doesn’t get to win. Not this time. We just need to get more proof...
Wes: That’s IF there’s any to get. I hate to say it, but Max is right. We saw Chapman’s Facebook. It doesn’t make any sense for her to steal a PS4 when she doesn’t like video games.
Danny: Well, we may have our next clue. I just got a text from Nishan. They finished analyzing the note!
Requirements
- Nishan
- A Level 9+ Nerd (Kimia)
- A Level 6+ Nerd (Zayn)
Mia: You said you finished analyzing the note, Nishan?
Nishan: Correct, thanks to my assistants, Kimia and Zayn!
Kimia: I designed a ‘jigsaw’ algorithm to re-integrate the note’s shreds by matching the fibers of the paper...
Zayn: Then to isolate the blurred ink of the handwriting, I used an advanced reconstruction software--
Wes: It is Photoshop?
Zayn: Okay, fine, it’s Photoshop.
Nishan: Boot up the computer, Zayn. Let’s show them what we found.
Time - 18 hours
As the computer boots up, Mia sidles up to Nishan.
Mia: So? Will this note prove Carly stole the PS4? I need to beat Max!
Wes: That and, you know, justice?
Nishan: Well, I think you’ll see that this note will be the cornerstone of the case moving forward.
The computer dings, and an image of a reconstructed note appears on screen!
Mia: It’s ready!
You all cluster around the screen to read...
Requirements
- Wes
- Mia
- Nishan
Mia reads aloud from the computer screen...
Mia: ‘Dear Santa...’ Wait, what?
Danny: It looks like it’s a Christmas letter to the North Pole!
Nishan: We analyzed the handwriting and are 96 percent confident that the note was composed by a child aged 6 to 12.
Wes: Really? The fact that it’s addressed to Santa wasn’t a giveaway?
Mia keeps reading...
Mia: ‘I hope you’ve had a great year. I hope Mrs. Claus is well. All I want for Christmas is Daddy to come back... but if you can’t do that, I think the new Sony PS4 is super cool, if it’s not too much to ask.’
Danny: ‘Merry Christmas! Sincerely, Robbie Chapman.’
Mia: Chapman! That’s the defendant’s last name!
Nishan: This must be her little brother. It explains why she’d want to steal a PS4 despite having no personal interest in video games!
Wes: She took it for her kid brother? That’s a pretty good reason, if you ask me.
Mia: Are you crazy? Stealing is stealing. Just because there’s a kid involved doesn’t make it okay! I’d like to see Max try to talk his way out of this one!
You turn to Wes... and find him fuming, clenching and unclenching his fists in anger!
Danny: Wes? What’s wrong?
Time - 20 hours
Wes: You wouldn’t get it, would you? You just think this is fun, laughing it up, talking about how you’re going to find this girl guilty? This whole mock trial thing is messed up. Forget it. I’m out.
Mia: Fine! Wes wants to bail on us? We don’t need him.
Nishan: Unfortunately, we do. We signed up for specific aspects of the trial, remember? We need Wes to do the cross-examination, or we’ll have to forfeit the case!
Mia: Seriously?!
Nishan: We need to get Wes back, and soon. This recess won’t last forever.
Danny: I’ll go find him. I’ll convince him to see the case through.
Nishan: But he could be anywhere. You’ll have to search the whole school!
Requirements
- Have 34 unlocked Plots
- Have 4 Fountains
You find Wes hanging out near the fountain, the one he had set up after pulling off the Hearst heist...
Wes: Guess I can’t hide from you, can I?
Danny: Well, I do know this school pretty well...
Danny: Are you okay?
Wes: No, I’m not okay. And that stupid trial isn’t okay. And what they’re trying to do... what they’re trying to push on us... isn’t okay!
Danny: Wes, it’s not a real trial...
Wes: Of course not. But it is a propaganda exercise, designed to train us all to be good little boys and girls who never question society’s rules! Well, I’m not playing along. Not anymore. I’m out.
Danny: I get the feeling this isn’t just about the mock trial... Maybe you should just take a minute, calm down, and we can talk about it?
Requirements
- Level Wes
Wes takes a deep breath, then sits down on the edge of the fountain. Finally, he speaks...
Wes: 867 dollars.
Danny: What?
Wes: 867 dollars. That’s how much my brother Matt stole. That’s what they locked him up for. That’s what they ruined our lives over. I was 13. He was 19. We were living in this total dump of an apartment, and he was working all the time, night after night, at this auto shop. We were just barely getting by, scraping along way below the poverty line. Half the time, he skipped dinner just so I’d have some. That’s how bad it was.
Danny: I’m sorry...
Wes: I don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to understand how bad things were. I want you to get why my brother didn’t have a choice.
Danny: Wes, there’s always a choice...
Wes: Not for everyone. Not for my brother, not after that scumbag boss fired him for no reason! Yeah, Matt broke into his office and stole all the money from his desk. But he did it for me! He did it so I could have food, so I could have clothes, so I could have a shot at a better life! Everything my brother did, he did for me, and because of that, he spent the last two years behind bars, and I spent them floating from one foster home to another! You tell me, Danny... is that justice? Is that fair?
Danny: No, it’s not. Nobody should be punished for doing the right thing.
Wes: Exactly. I know this mock trial isn’t real. But this story, Carly Chapman, she just did what my brother did. She looked out for her family. Going after her, even pretending to go after her... it doesn’t feel right.
Danny: I can imagine how tough this is for you, Wes. That’s why I think you should go talk to someone who really knows about this... someone who could give you a different perspective...
Wes: Like a shoplifter?
Danny: Like your brother.
Wes sighs, then nods.
Wes: Yeah. You’re right. He always helps me get my head on straight about stuff like this. It’s a bit of a drive down to the prison. I’ll head there now and catch up with you later.
Danny: I’m not letting you do this alone, Wes. I’m coming with you.
Wes: ...if you gotta.
Requirements
- Danny
- Wes
You and Wes drive up to a low security prison. He signs you in, and you take a table in the waiting area, surrounded by other visiting families.
Wes: ...
Danny: You okay?
Wes: Yeah. Yeah. Being here always makes me nervous, that’s all.
Just then, you look up to see a tall, tough-looking guy approaching...
Time - 22 hours
Wes: Hey, Matt.
Matt: Hey, little bro. Thanks for coming out. I wasn’t expecting you until next week. This your friend? Let me guess... Danny?
Danny: Wes has mentioned me, huh?
Matt: Just that you’re a stand-up guy who’s been there for him when he needed it. Also, something about a mystery blackmailer?
Danny: It’s a long story.
Matt: So what’s going on?
Wes: It’s nothing, really. No big deal. Just this stupid mock trial tournament...
Wes fills Matt in on the situation. The more he talks, the more serious Matt’s expression gets.
Wes: ...and that’s why I’m here. You see where I’m coming from, right? This girl’s the same as you. She stole to help her family. She didn’t have a choice.
Matt sighs deeply.
Matt: I guess I always knew this day would come. Wes... what I’m about to say... it isn’t easy for me... But what I told you when I got arrested wasn’t the whole truth.
Wes: What do you mean?
Matt: I didn’t get fired from that job at the mechanic’s when I robbed it. I got a raise.
Wes: ...what?
Matt: Yeah. You heard me. I got a 20 cent an hour raise that day. I just told you I got fired so... so I’d have an excuse for why I did it.
Wes: Well, why DID you do it?
Matt: Because I was dumb! Because I was impatient! Because I saw that my boss had all that money just sitting in his office, and I couldn’t stop thinking about all the stuff we could have with it! I had a choice, Wes. I made the wrong one. I’d take it back in a second. And I think about it every single day I’m in here. That’s what I’ve come to realize. That’s what being in here has shown me. And when I get out, I swear, I’ll be a better man. I’ll be there for you... like I always should’ve been.
Wes turns away You can’t see his face, but his voice sounds just the tiniest bit choked up...
Wes: ...yeah. I get that now. Thanks.
A loud bell rings.
Matt: Well, that’s my cue to head inside. Take care, Wes. And Danny... I’m glad he’s got a friend like you in his life.
Matt leaves. Wes watches him go...
Danny: You gonna be all right?
Wes: ...yeah. I think so. I still gotta process it but... I feel like I understand things a lot better now.
Just then, your phone rings.
Mia: Danny! Wes! Where are you? Max is about to call Kara to the stand, and if Wes isn’t there to cross-examine her, we’re disqualified!
Danny: Oh oh, we’ve gotta move! Are you sure you’re up for this, Wes?
Wes: Oh yeah. I’m ready.
Danny: We’re on our way, Mia! Don’t let the defense call their witnesses yet! You have to stall for time!
Mia: But how?!
Danny: Call up expert witnesses! Whoever you can find!
Requirements
- A Level 7+ Slacker Except Wes (Berry)
- A Level 7+ Gamer (James)
- A Level 7+ Class Clown (Yangchen)
Back at the courthouse, Mia stalls for time...
Mia: I’d like to call some... uh... expert witnesses to the stand.
Max: Oh, this should be good...
Time - 19 hours
On the stand, Berry provides ‘expert testimony’...
Berry: Now, I’m not saying I’ve shoplifted. But if I did... well, here’s how I’d take a PS4...
And then James goes up...
James: Stealing a PS4 is understandable. It’s got a touchpad in the controller, native 1080p output, and a sleek, tilted design... But on the other hand, an Xbox One comes with built-in voice control, a Kinect sensor, and an arguably stronger collection of exclusives...
And finally, Yangchen stalls for time...
Yangchen: How many lawyers does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Three ! One to climb the ladder, one to shake the ladder, and one to sue the ladder company for the injury! Hiyo! Thanks for being a great crowd, folks! Be sure to tip your... stenographer?
Max: Looks like you’re all out of witnesses... So if the prosecution rests, I’d like to call Ms. Carly Chapman to the stand!
The room goes silent... as Kara takes the stand!
Mia: WHERE is Wes?
Just then, the courthouse door flies open, and Wes bursts in!
Wes: Looks like we’re just in time.
Requirements
- Wes
Kara puts on her most innocent face, as Max interrogates her...
Max: Now then, ‘Ms. Chapman’, could you tell the court how that PS4 ended up in your car?
Kara: Honestly, I have no idea!
Max: No idea. She has no idea. Do you hear that, ladies and gentlemen? This sweet, innocent girl has no idea how that PS4 ended up in her car! How could she? She didn’t steal it. And how do we know that? Because she wouldn’t WANT to steal it. Would you, Ms. Chapman?
Kara: No, of course not! I don’t play any videogames. I didn’t even know there WAS a new Gamestation out!
Max: There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. No evidence. No witnesses. And no motive. Where I come from, we call that a case as shut as a henhouse during a tornado!
The room murmurs, impressed. The judge nods. Then Wes steps up...
Wes: Ahem... I’d like to begin my cross-examination now.
Time - 21 hours
Wes approaches Kara on the stand...
Wes: Now then, ‘Ms. Chapman’... you say you have no interest in playing a PS4. In fact, your entire defense rests on that. And you know what? I believe you. ...but what about your brother?
Max: Objection! Relevance?
Kara: Yeah, what’s my brother got to do with anything?
The judge looks to Wes with a raised eyebrow. Wes slides a printout of the reconstructed note in front of Kara.
Wes: Do you recognize this, Ms. Chapman? May I remind you that you are under oath and must respond honestly to any presented evidence.
Kara: I... I don’t recall... maybe...
Wes: I present to the court a note found at the scene of the crime in which Ms. Chapman’s little brother explicitly requested a PS4 for Christmas! Do you deny knowing that little Robbie wanted one?
Kara: I... I... no, not exactly...
Wes: Then you admit that you perjured yourself in denying that you knew there was a new console available?
Kara: Well, I... I might have known...
Wes: Did you or did you NOT steal the PS4 for your brother?
Kara: He needed it!
Wes: He needed a sister!
The room goes silent.
Wes: He didn’t need money or games or anything else. He needed someone to be there for him, to take care of him, to be a role model. That’s what I... what he... needed. No further questions, Your Honor.
Wes sits down. It’s time for the closing statements...
Wes: You’re up, Danny. Bring us home.
Danny: Sure thing. But it’d be great to have a couple people here to root us on...
Requirements
- Danny
- A Classmate (Berry)
- A Classmate (Ashton)
Max goes first...
Max: Uh... well... see, justice is kind of like an old, blind bull...
He goes on for a while, avoiding the case, talking mostly in rustic metaphors. When he’s done, you go up. Across the courtroom, Berry and Ashton watch excitedly...
Danny: In many ways, the facts of this case speak for themselves. There’s a clear motive, physical evidence, and a confession on the stand. It’s true, the defendant did act out of love. But it’s also true that she broke the law. She had a choice. She made hers. And now she has to accept the consequences. All I ask, Your Honor, is that in your sentencing, you be lenient. What Ms. Chapman did was wrong... but that’s no reason to destroy two lives. I think with a light sentence, she could both face the consequences and still be there for her brother.
In the crowd, Wes nods appreciatively. You sit down. The judge reviews the evidence... deliberates... and then announces the verdict...
Time - 23 hours
Guilty! The judge finds the defendant guilty! You win the trial!
Berry: Yes!
Max: No!
Ashton: Nice!
Kara: Come on!
The judge sentences Ms. Chapman to probation and community service, the lightest sentence.
Wes: Good.
All your friends cheer! The judge declares your school the winner of the mock trial tournament!
After everyone’s gone home, you hang out outside the court hall. Wes sits on the steps. You join him.
Danny: You did great back there. You basically won the tournament for us.
Wes: Yeah, well, you weren’t bad yourself.
Danny: You feel okay with what your brother told you?
Wes: Okay? Naw. But I feel better.
Danny: Wes, I have to say... you’re probably the busiest person I know. Ever since you got here, you’ve done nothing but scramble around, pulling one plot after another to help the school. Maybe I’m out of line here... but why don’t you take some time and just relax?
Wes: You mean, work on some personal projects? Because I’ve got a great plan to expose this corrupt state Senator...
Danny: No projects, no schemes, no capers. Just relax. This school is your home now. You don’t have to be that guy scraping every day to get by. Unwind and focus on yourself for a change.
Wes: Like... treat myself? Yeah. I think I can do that.
Requirements
- Complete a Party with Wes
- Complete a Successful Date with Wes
You find Wes lying out on the quad, bathing in sunlight...
Wes: Ahhhh...
Danny: Enjoying the nice weather?
Wes: Enjoying everything, actually. Thanks for the advice to relax, Danny. And thanks for... everything else. You’re a good friend.
Danny: You’re not bad yourself.
Just then, Nishan comes sprinting over!
Nishan: Danny! Professor Edwin’s here, and she has something really exciting to talk to us about!
Danny: Heh... it never slows down here, does it?
Wes: Not for a second. What’s up, Nishan?
Nishan: She’s coming to our school to host a future Business Leaders contest! But we won’t be going up against other schools this time. We’ll be facing... Each other!
An intramural contest could be fun... or it could tear your school apart! Find out what happens in our next quest!