"We have heard the plea," Judge Bastion Walker spoke calmly, "the prosecution may make its opening statement."
"Thank you your honor," the prosecutor, one Isabelle Perkins, spoke, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the court, it has been extremely rare in our state to have such a trial on our hands. Our people normally work hard and move forward, avoiding the racist tendencies of the East and West Coasts or the deep south. We did not have the problems that Alabama had in the 1960s and 70s. But today, we are trying exactly such a case."
Isabelle Perkins moved to the railing to gesture toward where I was seated beside Officer Howard.
"The case began with he moving of one of the victims of the Animatrix Fun House to Columbia Falls, Montana, near Glacier Park," Isabelle Perkins continued, "and the defendant almost immediately started an organization that has been told to us to be as vile as KKK in its attitude. Determined to kill the victim of someone else's crime, he launched a massive conspiracy to insure that the victims of the Animatrix Fun House vanish and vanish quickly."
Isabelle Perkins then glared toward Beauregard, himself.
"The defendant hired a gang of thugs to do his dirty work for him, lacking the courage to do it himself," Isabelle Perkins continued, "and for his money, they then committed one of the most frightening attacks on American soil in our history. Killing four officers in Peoria, Illinois and wounding another, and trashing the lab in which Leona Washburn was working to try to cur the effects of the retrovirus she had created, but the defendant's madness did not stop there."
Isabelle Perkins returned her gaze forward to the judge.
"His final act in this saga was to try and assassinate the only two animal people in Columbia Falls, Montana," Isabelle Perkins continued, "but his gang of assassins were caught and identified the defendant as the ring-leader, and that was his final straw. When the officers of the law went to arrest him, he assaulted both of them with a deadly weapon and nearly killed the human officer outright... Your honor, these are not the actions of a sane or rational man. These are the actions of a genocidal killer who wants to be in charge of everything. I move that there be no bail for the defendant."
"Objection, all defendants have a right to post bail!" Beauregard's defense attorney challenged.
"Not if there is legitimate reason not to allow it," Judge Bastion Walker spoke, "Objection overruled. The defense may make its opening statement."
Beauregard's defense attorney, a man named Jackson Lee, then stood up.
"Thank you, your honor," Jackson Lee stood up, "this trial is not about racism or even the events in Peoria, Illinois. This trial is between what is right and what is being sold as legally right. And there are differences between the two. The victims of the Animatrix Fun House are to be understood to be victims, but the police of Peoria, Illinois, the law courts of that state refused to do what was truly necessary to find a cure. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the victims of the Animatrix Fun House have spread throughout the country since the institution was discovered to be a complex scam. If this Leona Washburn had any desire to cure them, none of them would have left her lab. They would have been housed in appropriate cages until a cure could be developed. That has not happened."
Jackson Lee then gestured to me as well.
"And in spreading from the site of their release, they have engaged in bestiality to the worst degree," Jackson Lee continued, "the result of this sinful, and may I add ILLEGAL behavior, has resulted in two tiger people living in Columbia Falls and the vigilante murder of a horse-man in Texas who had surrendered to his animal instincts and made sexual advances on a human female! A HUMAN FEMALE! They are just as mindless as the animals we see in zoos or in our national parks. They can not truly think or reason beyond their instincts... and maybe that is a tragic result for them, but all the more reason why letting them run free to do as they please is both dangerous and immoral."
Jackson Lee then turned to face Judge Bastion Walker.
"And as for this case interferes with with the case from Illinois, my client has never seen the Pit Bulls that committed the attack before in his life," Jackson Lee continued, "and the supposed "evidence" in the R.A.M. Manual is nothing more then a desired goal, much like the Democrats and Republicans write down that they plan to have a hundred percent majority in each house of Congress. It has nothing to do with the trial at hand. Thank you."
Judge Bastion Walker looked both sides over and then made his decision.
"Thank you for your arguments," Judge Bastion Walker replied, "it is the decision of this court that there will be no bail offered to the defendant and he will remain in Federal Custody for the duration of this trial."
"BUT!" Jackson Lee shot up.
"Son, you just spent all this time telling me why the victims in this trial should be the defendants, and said nothing regarding to the assault on Officer Frederick Barnes of the Columbia Falls Police Department," Judge Bastion Walker spoke, "It is my determination as Judge that Pierre Beauregard is too dangerous to be allowed outside a jail cell. There will be no bail allowed in this trial."
Judge Bastion Walker then sat back.
"We will now recess until one thirty PM for lunch," he spoke and brought his gavel down.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Officer Howard and I ended up eating lunch at a nearby McDonnalds before returning for the next portion of the trial, which seemed to be scheduled fairly closely together, as if to try and get everything done quickly. Officer Howard had a fish sandwich of some kind, and I had a couple orders of chicken strips and a couple boxes of chicken nuggets. It wouldn't do much, but it would tide me over until evening.
"Beauregard doesn't get it, I think," Officer Howard spoke after a moment.
"Pardon?" I asked in response.
"He doesn't get it," Officer Howard sighed, "if he thinks the Animatrix Fun House issue was poorly handed, a criminal trial in which he is the defendant is not the place to say that you and Molly should be on the stand because you didn't keep Molly locked in a cage in Peoria."
"I would have thought that to obvious when he was arrested, sir," I told him, "the man acted and shouted like an absolute lunatic. This morning was just a repeat of things he's said before, but merely watered down so that it doesn't sound so blatantly racist and sounds like he actually has some concern for people like Molly and I."
"I take it you've expected something like this?" Officer Howard then asked.
"Something like it, yeah," I nodded, "but that could be interpreted as paranoia on my part based on all that man has tried to do to me and Molly... and what he has said in private to the two of us."
Officer Howard only sighed, "I never in my life thought we'd have to have a case like this. Never in my life."
"You can be surprised by the way some people behave," I told him, "and not everyone behaves as one would expect... especially when beings as different as Molly and I are move to town."
Officer Howard only sighed and resumed eating. As I began to finish my own lunch, my cell-phone rang. Fishing it out of my pocket, I found out that it was Molly. Apparently she was having lunch then too.
"Molly?" I spoke as I answered the phone.
"Hey, George... how are you?" Molly asked on the other end of the "line".
"I'm doing well," I responded. She asked me a question before I could continue.
"How are things?" she asked, "is the trial going okay? Do you need me to send you anything?"
"Things are fine, Molly," I answered, "if I need anything, I can wander to a local supermarket and pick something up there... and the trial is going about as well as can be expected."
"So Beauregard's said it was your fault?"
"Pretty much," I nodded, "How are things with you? You having lunch?"
"Yes," Molly's voice answered, "and things are good. I was just calling to check on you. Have a good day."
"You too, dear," I told her.
I then returned to my lunch.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The trial resumed with an explanation by Isabella Perkin's of the R.A.M. Manual, highlighting the charges in it that Molly's existence challenged God and that the only Christian thing to do would be to kill her and the overall plan that was listed in the manual including the hiring of a gang to carry out the "hits" on Leona Washburn and on Molly and myself.
"Objection!" Jackson Lee challenged, "R.A.M. is nothing more then a gentleman's club. It's ultimate goal is a free and prosperous Columbia Falls, what is being read is being taken out of context."
"Then would the defendant like to take the stand to try and explain the phrases stating the hiring of some assassin to kill Leona Washburn and then to kill George and Molly Wayne?" Judge Bastion Walker asked.
"I can," Beauregard stood up.
He then approached the witness stand and took the oath and Jackson Lee began his questions.
"The prosecution claims your manual is proof of some science fiction conspiracy to kill off this country's animal people," Jackson Lee said to him.
"That is a lie," Beauregard answered.
"How can you explain it then?!" Isabelle Perkins challenged from her desk, "that you were just in an artistic mood when you wrote this down?"
"Yes," Beauregard answered, "None of the manual is supposed to be taken seriously."
"Then why did Ebenezer Smith and his son carry out the second part of your plan?" Isabelle Perkins challenged, "they're presently in jail for your plan."
"I never outright told Ebenezer Smith to do what he did," Beauregard answered, "and I can not be blamed if he took what was written in good fun, and not intended to be an actual plan."
"So, this manual was never intended to be a serious plan at at all?" Jackson Lee questioned and waited for Beauregard to nod, "they why found R.A.M. in the first place?"
"Because someone had to stand up for the people that Molly Rhoer directly threatened," Beauregard answered, "She only came to Columbia Falls because I asked her to come. I had sought to employ her on my ranch, since Leona Washburn refused to cure her. She then threatened to eat all of my cattle and had the nerve to call it payment. I founded R.A.M. to make sure that a mindless cattle killer didn't run loose on our ranches."
"I see," Jackson Lee nodded, "no further questions."
Isabelle Perkins then approached the witness stand and looked at Beauregard directly.
"You claim that your whole movement was started because Molly "Rhoer" rejected your charitable offer," Isabelle began.
"That is correct," Beauregard nodded, "that was ALL R.A.M. was intended to do."
"Could you explain what your offer was?" Isabelle Perkins asked, "because if Ms. Rhoer was as mindless as you claim, offering her a position should have been the LAST thing you would have done."
"I offered her a position to guard my cattle..." he began.
"But if she's mindless, HOW can she guard cattle?" Isabelle Perkins cut him off, "what purpose would a mindless wild animal serve if it was just as likely to eat your cattle as protect them."
"I expected her "boyfriend" would have been a responsible handler and would have kept her away from my cattle," Beauregard then explained, "but she then threatened to eat my cattle anyway and he did nothing to correct that aggressive behavior."
"Threaten you?" Isabelle Perkins asked, "did she lunge at you? Snarl? Hiss? Swipe at you?"
"She told me to give her my cattle to eat as payment for guarding them," Beauregard answered, "a ludicrous statement, if ever I heard one."
"Wait, she talked? In English?" Isabelle Perkins asked.
"Yes..."
"Then how can Molly Wayne or any other Animatrix Fun House victim be a mindless mundane animal?" Isabelle Perkins questioned, "NO animal speaks any human language. Some parrots, parakeets, and even ravens, dogs, and cats can mimic human words or simple sentences. To actually demand your cattle for payment demonstrates knowledge of our language and our cultural concepts, such as payment..."
"What is the purpose of this?" Judge Bastion Walker interjected into the questioning.
"Mr. Beauregard claims that his manual was some silly piece of literature and that R.A.M. was a gentleman's club to protect Columbia Falls' ranchers from a wild mundane animal," Isabelle Perkins answered, "but based on his own testimony, Molly Wayne couldn't be a mundane and mindless animal. She is just as sentient as you and I are, your honor. And because of that, my best conclusion is that Mr. Beauregard gave Mrs. Wayne a job offer she didn't like and possibly offended her besides, and simply made a "threatening" counter-offer that she guessed the Beauregard would refuse."
"The point being?" Judge Bastion Walker asked.
"If Beauregard will blatantly lie on the stand of Molly Wayne's sentience, he is also capable of blatantly lying on the stand about how serious his manual is," Isabelle Perkins answered, "that is all that I have."
"The defendant may step down."
"But..."
"The defendant may STEP DOWN," Judge Bastion Walker repeated his statement.
Beauregard reluctantly returned to the defendant's chair.
"The Prosecution may call its first witness," Judge Walker stated since Jackson Lee had managed to sneak Beauregard onto the stand to try and make the manual look like a complete joke.
Isabelle Perkins nodded.
"My first witness will require a tele-conference call with the Federal Facilities in Illinois," Isabelle Perkins spoke, "I request a five minute recess to set up."
"Very well."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No one really went anywhere for five minutes. A few got up for some water or something like that, but they all returned fairly quickly. In the meantime, Isabelle Perkins and a couple members of her staff were setting up some kind of device that would allow them to tele-conference whom she wished to be her witness. Judge Bastion Walker returned from his chambers just as they finished setting everything up.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"I believe so," Isabelle Perkins nodded and switched everything on. Everything appeared to be working.
"Then you may call your witness," Judge Bastion Walker told her.
"Thank you, your honor," Isabelle Perkins answered, "to prove that Beauregard hired the gang that committed the Peoria attack, I call "Big T" via Tele-conference to the stand."
One of her aides then pressed a button and the equipment seemed to dial something, like a phone, but a moment later the image of Big T and two security guards appeared on the screen that had been set up. The bailiff approached the screen.
"Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" the bailiff asked him.
"Yeah," Big T answered.
"Yes or no, please," the bailiff answered.
Big T gave a growling sigh, "Yes."
"Thank you."
Isabelle Perkins then turned to face the screen, "Now, Big T, you are a member of the gang that committed the attack in Peoria, am I right?"
"Yes."
"And you and your comrades have agreed to cooperate with law enforcement and prosecutors?" Isabelle asked.
"Well, me mostly, but yeah, the others will cooperate a bit too," Big T nodded.
"Why did your gang attack Leona Washburn in Peoria?" Isabelle asked.
"We wuz hired to," Big T answered simply.
"You were hired? By who?" Isabelle then questioned.
"By that guy there," Big T answered, pointing forward, which to us looked like he was pointing at Beauregard, which meant that the cameras on our end had Beauregard in their sights as well.
"For the purpose of clarifying who hired you," Isabelle sighed, sounding like she had hoped that Big T would actually name who hired them vocally rather then pointing, "what was his name?"
"We learned it was Beauregard after the tiger guy caught us," Big T answered.
"He didn't give you his name?" Isabelle asked.
"No, he showed up in a truck, offered us A LOT of money if we'd whack somebody for him, and we accepted the idea," Big T spoke, "he then gave us his address... his house or his mailbox said "Beauregard" on it though."
"And why did you take his offer?" Isabelle asked.
"Because he offered us a ton a money we'd never make otherwise," Big T answered, "we have nothin' against animal people."
"I see," Isabelle answered, "so you attacked Leona and stole some of her serum because you wanted to get paid. Did you have anything against George and Molly Wayne?"
"No," Big T answered, "didn't even know about any tiger people till your defendant started goin' on about them breakin' God's law or nature's law... SOMEONE'S law, anyway."
"That is all that I have," Isabelle Perkins finished.
"Does the defense have any questions?" Judge Bastion Walker asked.
"Only one or two," Jackson Lee replied and then addressed Big T, "you say that the hiring party never gave you his/her name. Only the address at which he lived."
"Yeah."
"Wouldn't that conceivably mean that you might not have met Beauregard, but his identical twin brother that is rarely seen..."
"Seems rather corny to me," Big T answered.
"Answer the question!" Jackson Lee demanded.
"I guess it's possible," Big T grumbled.
"No further questions."
Judge Bastion Walker turned to Isabelle Perkins.
"Does the defendant have any living family to counter this?" he asked.
"From what he has allowed us to obtain, no," Isabelle Perkins answered, "we'd need his full birth certificate to verify is he as a sibling that could be identical, and he has not told anyone where it could be obtained. He has not even told us where he was born..."
Judge Bastion Walker, sighed and then spoke, "the defendant will provide his full birth certificate to both the Prosecution and the Defense Attorney..."
"My birth certificate?" Beauregard gasped.
"Yes," Judge Bastion Walker replied, "your attorney just claimed that the one responsible for hiring the gang was a seldom seen identical twin brother. We would like some definite proof of his existence, or if your attorney is lying through his teeth. The court will recess for forty eight hours to get the birth certificate here and examined by both sides."
Judge Bastion Walker then brought his gavel down, and the day's show ended.