Mira settles into her seat, feeling a flush of heat that has nothing to do with the room. Adrian dropped her at the campus before heading to his lab, promising to see her in their next class. His goodbye kiss is still warm on her lips. Just then, Elias leans back in his chair, his eyes narrowing as he studies Mira’s face, the way she keeps touching her lips.

  "Nice dress, Mira. You have big news or something?"

  Mira fights the urge to smile, her fingers grazing the surface of her desk. "Nothing. Just trying to brighten things up since it’s so gloomy out."

  "Fair enough. You get through that case study yet?"

  "Yeah, finished it," she replies, her eyes darting toward the door. "Have you seen Iris?"

  Just then, Iris rushes through the door, breathless and pale. She scrambles into the seat behind Mira, her hands trembling as she sets down her bag.

  "Sorry, I'm late," Iris says, her voice thin and shaky.

  Mira turns around, noticing the ghostly tint to her friend's skin. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

  "I'm fine," Iris says, avoiding Mira's gaze. "Just overslept."

  The Professor taps his podium, signaling the start of the International Human Rights Law seminar. "Today, we evaluate the limitations of universal jurisdiction and the burden of proof in contested territories," he announces, his voice projecting across the tiered hall. "Our focus is the challenge of holding transnational entities accountable when the line between humanitarian aid and human rights violations becomes obscured by political instability."

  He gestures toward the handouts. "To examine this, we will analyze the City M case. It remains a landmark example of how jurisdictional disputes and missing evidence can stall justice for over a decade, leaving the status of 'medical necessity' versus 'non-consensual experimentation' in a permanent legal limbo."

  Mira looks down at the text. The words begin to crawl through the page:

  “A humanitarian organization operating in City M, a region under disputed political authority, became the subject of legal proceedings following allegations that children enrolled in its medical and rehabilitation programs were subjected to practices potentially constituting non-consensual biomedical experimentation. The organization had presented itself as a provider of care for displaced minors and operated with authorization from local administrative authorities. Documentary and financial material reviewed in the proceedings indicated transnational elements spanning eight jurisdictions, including corporate headquarters locations, intermediary funding entities, and offshore financial channels.

  The center had been established approximately eleven years prior to its closure and functioned under the stated purpose of providing trauma recovery, clinical treatment, and psychosocial reintegration services for conflict-affected children. Parents and guardians reportedly signed general consent forms permitting participation in the programs. Financial records later indicated that the facility received substantial funding through the Global Health Futures Fund (GHFF), a pooled research consortium supported by several biotechnology and healthcare conglomerates, including Aether Biomedical Group, OmniDNA Technologies, Orion Medical Sciences, and Genomic Analytics International.

  Following public complaints and media scrutiny, law enforcement authorities conducted a police operation at the facility.

  A total of 113 children were removed and placed under temporary protective custody. The compound spanned approximately 6,200 square meters and employed 58 personnel, including nine senior physicians and research directors. Eleven individuals were formally identified as suspects in subsequent proceedings.

  Two additional minor witnesses were identified and placed under protective anonymity. Their statements were sealed due to security concerns.

  Former employees, community members, and humanitarian workers provided contrary accounts, alleging that the facility conducted invasive biomedical procedures and intensive behavioral conditioning techniques exceeding accepted therapeutic standards. Witnesses stated that families were not adequately informed of the experimental nature of certain interventions and that children were subjected to structured clinical protocols intended primarily to observe physiological and psychological responses rather than to deliver established medical care.

  Investigators recovered fragmented internal documentation indicative of systematic data collection practices associated with clinical research. The materials included patient monitoring charts, biological sampling logs documenting blood, saliva, and neural response measurements, and internal reports and spreadsheets referencing trial cohorts, control groups, and treatment response metrics. More than 1,200 internal emails were also obtained, many of which contained partial communication chains referencing GHFF strategic priorities, donor expectations, and the need for sensitive outcomes to remain non-public. Substantial portions of operational records were missing or incomplete.

  Recovered correspondence and meeting records referenced several senior figures connected to the funding and oversight structure, including Dr. Evelyn Roarke, identified as Chief Research Director of the City M Center; Jonathan Kross, Chief Executive Officer of Aether Biomedical Group; and Elena Voss, Director of Strategic Grants at GHFF. Other communications indirectly referenced private financial backers linked to Richard M., a private investor and philanthropic foundation chair, and Samuel K., a board advisor associated with OmniDNA Technologies. Investigators also noted repeated contacts between laboratory leadership and Col. Andrew Sloane (ret.), described in internal correspondence as a government health security liaison, though the precise nature of this relationship was not formally established. Corporate entities identified as contributors to the Global Health Futures Fund acknowledged providing financial support to the organization through GHFF but denied any involvement in the design, implementation, or oversight of medical or research activities conducted at the City M facility.

  Investigators confirmed the prior existence of a central research archive believed to contain full experimental protocols and funding authorization documents linking the center’s activities directly to GHFF and its corporate backers. The archive was reportedly removed from the facility shortly before the police operation and has not been recovered.

  In addition, Dr. Jonah Thorne, a senior research director responsible for overseeing experimental design, disappeared shortly before the raid. His office was found emptied, and travel records indicated his departure to an offshore financial jurisdiction. Authorities have been unable to locate him. Subsequent inquiry revealed that prior to joining the City M Center, Dr. Thorne had been employed as a biomedical researcher at Vale Healthcare Corporation, where his employment had been terminated earlier under circumstances that were not publicly disclosed. Investigators examined this background due to the center’s financial links to GHFF within the broader funding network. However, no documentary evidence was produced establishing direct coordination between Vale Healthcare Corporation and the research activities conducted at the City M Center through Dr. Thorne.

  Following the intervention, prosecutors initiated formal criminal proceedings, reviewing medical documentation, interviewing witnesses, and commissioning expert evaluations. Medical specialists provided conflicting conclusions. Certain experts determined that the procedures exceeded recognized therapeutic practices and bore characteristics of experimental research, while others concluded that the interventions could plausibly fall within unconventional but medically motivated rehabilitation methods applied in emergency contexts.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  The organization denied wrongdoing, asserting that all activities were humanitarian in nature and medically justified. It maintained that references to trials reflected internal program assessments rather than scientific experimentation and emphasized the existence of parental consent.

  Proceedings were delayed by jurisdictional disputes within the contested region regarding prosecutorial authority. During this period, several senior personnel associated with the organization relocated abroad. Ultimately, prosecutors ordered the suspension of the case on the grounds of insufficient conclusive evidence to sustain criminal charges and the unavailability of key suspects.

  The proceedings remain pending without final adjudication more than a decade following the closure of the facility.”

  The last line of the case blurred slightly in front of her eyes.

  Mira has never imagined sitting in an International Human Rights Law classroom, analyzing a case she has lived through. The voice of the professor feels too distant to her. Mira almost gets lost in her thoughts until Elias hitches her arm.

  "Hey, what are you daydreaming about?"

  Mira almost answers unconsciously: "Elias, how does international law even draw the line between illegal experiments and humanitarian care? We have the witnesses, the victims, and the evidence—so why is the case still unsolved?"

  "Now you're asking? Is this what we're supposed to discuss?" Elias asks.

  Mira is still looking at her notebook, holding her pen but has no energy to start the group discussion: "Yeah, that's why. I need a professional opinion from a future lawyer."

  Elias lifts his glasses lightly, already in his methodical mode.

  "International law establishes the universal standard, Mira. For example, the prohibition against non-consensual experimentation is absolute. It applies everywhere, regardless of whether a region is disputed or at war. Its role is to define what constitutes a crime against humanity so that these actions cannot be legally justified by any local authority."

  He continues.

  "But international law requires a court to hear the case. Since City M lacks a recognized government, there is no domestic court with clear authority, and international tribunals often require a state to be a member before they can step in. We have the evidence and the laws, but we are missing the physical courtroom with the power to issue a warrant for people like Dr. Thorne."

  "If a victim—someone who lived through this—is now in a foreign country ten years later, is it even possible to sue and reopen the case?" Iris adds, her eyes serious.

  He points to the names of the corporate backers.

  "Yes. The victims and their families can sue the companies in their home countries. Because those nations have stronger legal systems and clear jurisdiction, their courts can force a trial that City M could not handle. The law follows the money back to the headquarters."

  "But they are just funding the NGO," Mira says. "They aren't directly involved in the procedures, right?"

  Elias looks at the financial section of the case file.

  "In international law, funding is a form of participation," Elias explains. "Providing the financial resources for a crime creates liability for aiding and abetting. If the corporations knew their money supported these experiments, they are legally responsible for the results. Every organization has a duty to monitor how its grants are used."

  He points to the names of the biotechnology groups.

  "A stronger court can force these companies to produce their internal records. This reveals if the donors were setting the research goals for the NGO. If the emails show they requested specific data from the trials, the law treats them as direct participants. The responsibility follows the money from the headquarters to the facility."

  "Then, what if a new case arises and the same people are still doing unethical research on different victims in different countries?" Mira asks.

  "If they repeat the same actions, it strengthens the argument for systematic intent," Elias explains. "A single case might be dismissed as an isolated incident. However, multiple cases across different countries prove that the research is a deliberate policy. This pattern makes it much harder for the leadership to claim they were unaware of the abuses."

  He narrows his eyes; his hand keeps writing in his notebook.

  "This allows for transnational prosecution. Evidence from the new case can be used to reopen the old one because it establishes a consistent method of operation. It also triggers international alerts. If the same individuals are identified in a second country, the International Criminal Court or other global bodies are much more likely to intervene because the suspects are now considered a recurring threat to human rights."

  "Do you think the case was dropped because it involves the government and high-profile names?" Iris suddenly raises her voice.

  Elias pauses for a moment, then calmly admits her point. "That is a strong possibility. If the archives contain direct links to government health security, the authorities in a disputed region would have a significant incentive to let the case stall. They avoid a diplomatic crisis by claiming the evidence is simply insufficient. The suspension is a legal tool used to bury the case without officially closing it. It protects the reputation of the funders while leaving the victims without a final judgement."

  Elias notices the sudden change in the two girls' expressions. His gaze shifts between Iris’s uncharacteristic intensity and the way Mira has gone completely still.

  "What's with those faces?" he asks. "Do you two really want to resurrect this case?"

  Mira looks like she has found a new light in her story. "Can I?"

  Elias lets out a short, surprised laugh, leaning back in his chair.

  "Wait, are you serious? I thought we were just debating a cold case for the sake of the assignment. I didn't realize I was talking to a secret revolutionary.”

  Mira sighs. "Tell me, Sir Lawyer, what can a diplomat do in this case?"

  Elias laughs, studying Mira’s face for any hint that she is teasing him.

  "Well," he says, his eyes sharp with intrigue. "As a diplomat, you turn a private legal problem into an international headache by making it too expensive and embarrassing for a government to continue protecting the suspects. Your role involves creating the leverage necessary to force the truth out into the open on an international scale."

  "But then it turns back to the original problem," Mira says. "If State M refuses to solve it, who would even be on the investigation team?"

  Elias explains. "When a local government refuses to act, a diplomat bypasses their police and judges by negotiating an international agreement to bring in external experts. These are prosecutors, forensic specialists, and human rights lawyers from neutral countries who report to an international body rather than the politicians in City M."

  "But what if some diplomat was actually there?" Mira asks, voice dropping. "If he was good at his job, knew the system, and saw everything firsthand, why would he refuse to escalate it to an international scale?"

  Elias thinks for a second before holding up two fingers.

  "What if it relates to biological defence programmes and he’s attacking intelligence agencies of his own allies?" Elias asks. "And, a high possibility—the moment he triggered a formal investigation, the witnesses would become targets. We have no information here, and a good diplomat won't risk himself in a game he isn't sure to win."

  "Who will be in charge of the victims then?" Iris presses. She doesn't participate much in the discussion but seems to be emotional at some points. "Who takes responsibility for their life afterward? Because of those experiments, they live with sleepless nights, nightmares, and depression. I don't think any diplomat or compensation can ever make up for that."

  Both Elias and Mira pause, the intensity of the moment hanging between them. Iris realizes she has been overreacting; she clears her throat and looks down at the case study.

  "Sorry," Iris mutters.

  Mira shakes her head. "No, it's okay, Iris. That's actually a great point that we haven't thought of."

  Just then, the bell of the countdown timer stops. Discussion time is over. The professor scans the room, asking for a volunteer group to present. Mira raises her hand high, then turns to Elias:

  "Sir Elias. I think you are more than capable of delivering your magnificent knowledge to the audience. We are waiting for you."

  Elias blinks, staring at her hand in the air. He looks at his notes, then back at her, realizing she just threw him under the bus.

  "Fine. But you're buying me that overpriced wagyu burger for lunch. No excuses."

  Mira watches Elias stand up and begin his serious lecture, her mind still wandering back to what he said earlier. Was that why Harrison kept the case silent—for her own safety—or were there other reasons? She isn't sure if she has the heart to raise the case again if she really holds new evidence or if she'd rather just stick to a safe career.