interviews with veterans of the conflict. We have studied thousands of official documents as well as several personal journals. We inputted all of this data into a Gray S7-SG supercomputer and programmed it to produce a single document, one that encompasses all of the separate depositions into one, uniquely written document.
“The result we have called ‘The First Book of Testimony.’
“Copies of this Testimony will be distributed to the justices and the defense team today. Tomorrow, we hope to give copies to witnesses and to those citizens who are on hand to watch this trial.
“Once you receive your copy, you will immediately notice that as I said, this testimony has been written in a very unusual way. In short, it will read like a book, or more accurately, a novel. The text was written in this narrative style by a special software designed to take many points of information and collate them into a narrative. To this end, the computer incorporated not only actual events, but also the thoughts, the opinions, and even dialogue, actual and as recalled by some of the principals involved …”
The doctor paused for a sip of water as she let the first part of her statement sink in to the thousands gathered.
“With the court’s indulgence, I will briefly explain why we have chosen to present the testimony in this rather unusual way.
“We on the prosecution team believe that what we do here at this trial will have a long-lasting effect on our country and our people, beyond what justice is meted out to the defendant.
“We believe that this trial has given us the opportunity to produce the first History Book, if you will, of the Second American era. But we also chose to produce it in this narrative style because we like to think we are realists. The future is unknown. We have no way of knowing whether in ten years our civilization here in America will still be on the road to recovery or whether it will be thrown back to the level of the Stone Age.
“We felt it was our duty to consider all the possibilities and produce a document that, no matter what the conditions are in ten years, or twenty, or a hundred, people will be able to read it, study it, remember it and, most important, retell it, whether it be in the hallowed halls of studious research, or around a campfire.
“So, therefore, this testimony was written by the supercomputer as an oral history, because we know that throughout the entire scope of mankind’s history, the oral tradition has certainly endured the longest, as the works of Plato and many others would attest.”
Once again, the pretty doctor stopped and took a sip of water. Then, to his surprise, she turned and looked directly at Hunter, sitting in the witness gallery just a few feet away.
“One final note,” she said. “Every classic has its hero. And this document, as programmed by the Gray supercomputer, will be no different …”
Chapter 6
T HE REST OF THE first day of the trial was taken up by a multitude of procedural motions—instructions to the jury, swearing in of witnesses and so on. The defense team’s opening statement went particularly slowly as it had to be translated from Finnish to English. As it was, the statement was a long, rambling affair, which, if Hunter had understood it correctly, claimed that not only was the ex-VP innocent, he had actually “sacrificed” himself for the good of the nation.
The trial was adjourned at sundown that day, those gathered feeling slightly cheated at the anti-climactic tone to it all.
But the second day would prove to be more exciting.
One hour before court was to begin the next day, Hunter was draining his third cup of coffee in the cafeteria of the United American Army’s temporary Syracuse headquarters when Mike Fitzgerald walked in.
Hunter had found sleep impossible the night before, due in most part to the trial, but also to his bizarre encounter with Elizabeth Sandlake exactly one week before. He just couldn’t stop
“The result we have called ‘The First Book of Testimony.’
“Copies of this Testimony will be distributed to the justices and the defense team today. Tomorrow, we hope to give copies to witnesses and to those citizens who are on hand to watch this trial.
“Once you receive your copy, you will immediately notice that as I said, this testimony has been written in a very unusual way. In short, it will read like a book, or more accurately, a novel. The text was written in this narrative style by a special software designed to take many points of information and collate them into a narrative. To this end, the computer incorporated not only actual events, but also the thoughts, the opinions, and even dialogue, actual and as recalled by some of the principals involved …”
The doctor paused for a sip of water as she let the first part of her statement sink in to the thousands gathered.
“With the court’s indulgence, I will briefly explain why we have chosen to present the testimony in this rather unusual way.
“We on the prosecution team believe that what we do here at this trial will have a long-lasting effect on our country and our people, beyond what justice is meted out to the defendant.
“We believe that this trial has given us the opportunity to produce the first History Book, if you will, of the Second American era. But we also chose to produce it in this narrative style because we like to think we are realists. The future is unknown. We have no way of knowing whether in ten years our civilization here in America will still be on the road to recovery or whether it will be thrown back to the level of the Stone Age.
“We felt it was our duty to consider all the possibilities and produce a document that, no matter what the conditions are in ten years, or twenty, or a hundred, people will be able to read it, study it, remember it and, most important, retell it, whether it be in the hallowed halls of studious research, or around a campfire.
“So, therefore, this testimony was written by the supercomputer as an oral history, because we know that throughout the entire scope of mankind’s history, the oral tradition has certainly endured the longest, as the works of Plato and many others would attest.”
Once again, the pretty doctor stopped and took a sip of water. Then, to his surprise, she turned and looked directly at Hunter, sitting in the witness gallery just a few feet away.
“One final note,” she said. “Every classic has its hero. And this document, as programmed by the Gray supercomputer, will be no different …”
Chapter 6
T HE REST OF THE first day of the trial was taken up by a multitude of procedural motions—instructions to the jury, swearing in of witnesses and so on. The defense team’s opening statement went particularly slowly as it had to be translated from Finnish to English. As it was, the statement was a long, rambling affair, which, if Hunter had understood it correctly, claimed that not only was the ex-VP innocent, he had actually “sacrificed” himself for the good of the nation.
The trial was adjourned at sundown that day, those gathered feeling slightly cheated at the anti-climactic tone to it all.
But the second day would prove to be more exciting.
One hour before court was to begin the next day, Hunter was draining his third cup of coffee in the cafeteria of the United American Army’s temporary Syracuse headquarters when Mike Fitzgerald walked in.
Hunter had found sleep impossible the night before, due in most part to the trial, but also to his bizarre encounter with Elizabeth Sandlake exactly one week before. He just couldn’t stop
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