Fuzzy Nation

Chapter Sixteen

“This is how the inquiry works,” Sullivan said to Holloway. The two of them were standing outside Aubreytown’s single, and cramped, courtroom. “The judge enters and makes a few prefatory statements. Then there’s a presentation of the materials. Isabel is handling that. It’s mostly pro forma because the judge already has all of Isabel’s records and recordings, but if she wants to ask Isabel questions about any of it, this is when she’ll do it. Then a representative from ZaraCorp will question the experts, which in this case are Isabel and you. The judge can also ask questions during this period. At the end of it, the judge will issue a ruling.” Holloway frowned. “So ZaraCorp gets to question me and Isabel. Who’s representing us?” “No one’s representing you. It’s an inquiry, not a trial,” Sullivan said.

“There’s an official legal ruling issued at the end of it,” Holloway said. “Sounds like a trial to me.” “But you’re not accused of a crime, Jack,” Sullivan said. “You and Isabel are like witnesses, not defendants.” “Right,” Holloway said. “It’s the fuzzys who are the defendants.”

“In a manner of speaking,” Sullivan said.

“So who’s representing them?” Holloway asked.

Sullivan sighed. “Just promise me you won’t antagonize the judge,” he said.

“I swear to you that I am not here to antagonize the judge,” Holloway said.

“Good,” Sullivan said.

“So what is your role in this inquiry?” Holloway asked.

“I have no role,” Sullivan said. “I recused myself because it involves Isabel, and my boss was fine with that. I told you she was hot for this inquiry. She thinks it’s her ticket off this rock. And look, here she comes now.” Sullivan nodded down the hallway of the Aubreytown administrative building, where Janice Meyer was striding toward the two of them and the courtroom. Behind her, a young assistant was carrying her case files.

“What’s she like?” Holloway asked.

“What do you mean?” Sullivan said.

“As a human being,” Holloway said.

“I haven’t the slightest idea,” Sullivan said, murmuring now that his boss had gotten close up.

She stopped in front of the two men. “Mark,” she said, by way of greeting, and then looked at Holloway. “And Mr. Holloway. Good to see you again.” She held out her hand; Holloway took it and shook.

“Interesting new species you’ve found,” Meyer said.

“They are full of surprises,” Holloway said.

“Has Mark here explained to you how today’s inquiry is going to work?” Meyer asked.

“He has,” Holloway said.

“It’s not a trial,” Meyer said. “So remember that there’s no need to feel hesitant about answering the questions I’m going to ask you.” “I promise to tell the whole truth,” Holloway said. Meyer smiled at this, which made Holloway wonder if she knew anything about Aubrey’s secret trip out to his compound. She turned to Sullivan, nodded, and entered the courtroom, assistant trailing behind.

“As a boss, she’s ambitious,” Sullivan concluded.

“It’s not bad for you,” Holloway said. “Ambitious bosses leave vacant jobs behind them.” “True enough,” Sullivan said, and then smiled broadly as he saw another person down the hall: Isabel. She smiled in return and when she came up to Sullivan, gave him a warm but publicly decorous kiss on the cheek. She turned to Holloway.

He held out his hand. “Jack Holloway,” he said. “I’m your fellow expert witness.” “Very cute, Jack,” Isabel said, and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Are you nervous about this?” “No,” Holloway said. “Are you?”

“I’m terrified,” Isabel said. “What I tell the judge here could mean the fuzzys are recognized as people. I don’t want to screw it up. I don’t think I’ve been this nervous since my doctoral defense.” “Well, that turned out all right, didn’t it?” Holloway said. “So you have a track record.” “When did you get in?” Isabel asked.

“Carl and I landed about an hour ago,” Holloway said.

“Where’s Carl?” Isabel asked.

“He’s in the skimmer,” Holloway said. “Relax,” he added, catching Isabel’s expression. “The skimmer has autonomous climate control. He’s cool as a cucumber. You can see him after the inquiry just to be sure.” “Speaking of which,” Sullivan said, “it’s time for the two of you to get in there. This thing starts in a few minutes, and Judge Soltan isn’t the sort to be kept waiting.” *

Judge Nedra Soltan came in and took her seat without preamble; there was no bailiff to announce her arrival or to tell everyone to stand. By the time everyone had stood up, Soltan had already sat down.

“Let’s get through this as quickly as possible,” Soltan said, and then looked at her inquiry timetable. “Dr. Wangai?” “Yes, Your Honor?” Isabel stood. Holloway sat next to her, at the table generally reserved for the defense. Janice Meyer and her assistant sat at the table usually reserved for the prosecution. Not a trial my ass, Holloway thought. The audience portion of the courtroom was empty save for Brad Landon, in the back row, whose expression was one of polite boredom, and Sullivan, who sat directly behind Isabel.

“Our schedule calls for you to give an overview of the research materials,” Soltan said.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Isabel said.

“Is there anything new that you’re going to add to the materials that wasn’t in the package you sent to me?” Soltan asked. “Because if there’s not, I’d just as soon skip it.” Isabel blinked at this. “Skip it?” she said. She glanced over at the large monitor that had been brought in for her presentation.

“Yes,” Soltan said. “Your report was comprehensive to the point of exhausting, Dr. Wangai. If all we’re going to do here is get a recap, I’d rather not.” “The point of the presentation was to give you time to ask any questions you might have on the material,” Isabel said. “I’m sure you have questions.” “Not really, no,” Soltan said, blandly. “So, shall we move forward?”

Isabel glanced over at Holloway, who arched his eyebrows an infinitesimally small amount, and then back at Sullivan, who was utterly blank. “I suppose,” she said finally, turning back to Soltan.

“Good,” Soltan said. She looked over at Meyer. “That’s fine with you as well, Ms. Meyer?” “Not a problem, Your Honor,” Meyer said.

“Excellent,” Soltan said. “Two hours off the schedule already. We may be out of here before lunch. You may sit, Dr. Wangai.” Isabel sat, looking a little numb.

“Now—” Soltan picked up her schedule again. “—Ms. Meyer, I believe it’s time for you to question the experts. Which would you like to question first?” “I believe Dr. Wangai is the first on the schedule,” Meyer said.

“Very well,” Soltan said. “Dr. Wangai, go ahead and sit in the witness stand.” Isabel got up from the table, walked over to the witness stand, and sat down. “Normally I’d place you under oath, but this is an inquiry and thus more informal,” Soltan said. “You are however still required to tell the truth and to answer questions as fully as possible. Do you understand?” “I do,” Isabel said.

“You’re on,” Soltan said to Meyer.

Meyer stood. “Dr. Wangai, please state your full name and occupation.”

“I am Dr. Isabel Njeru Wangai, and I am the Zarathustra Corporation’s chief biologist for Zara Twenty-three,” Isabel said.

“And where did you receive your doctorate, Dr. Wangai?” Meyer asked.

“The University of Oxford,” Isabel said.

“I hear that’s a good school,” Meyer said.

Isabel smiled. “It’s all right,” she said.

“And so you studied xenosapience there,” Meyer said.

“No,” Isabel said. “My research there focused on the sarcomonad Cercozoa.” “You’ve lost me,” Meyer said.

“They’re protists,” Isabel said. “Very small one-celled organisms.”

“What planet are these protists from?” Meyer asked.

“They’re from Earth,” Isabel said.

“So your training in biology, while from a very good school indeed, is grounded in terrestrial biology—creatures from Earth. Is that accurate?” Meyer asked.

“It is,” Isabel said. “But I have been chief biologist here on Zara Twenty-three for close to five years now. I have a substantial amount of practical experience working with and studying extraterrestrial biology.” “Any of it relating specifically to xenosapience?” Meyer asked.

“Not until recently, no,” Isabel said.

“So you’re new to the field,” Meyer said. “Very new.”

“Yes,” Isabel said. “However, the evaluation I performed on the fuzzys was done using criteria well established in the xenosapience field. The criteria are designed to be useful without regard to experience.” “Do you really believe that?” Meyer asked. “As a scientist, do you really believe that people who are not trained in a particular field are as able to make assessments as experts in that field? Especially when all they are armed with is a checklist?” “I am however not anyone,” Isabel said. “I am a trained biologist with years of practical experience in xenobiological study.” “So experience does matter,” Meyer said. “Even so, Dr. Wangai. I don’t doubt your experience and knowledge in your particular field is considerable, but I have to wonder if your assessing these creatures for xenosapience isn’t like a podiatrist advising a patient on whether his liver needs to be replaced.” Holloway shifted in his chair suddenly; he recognized the analogy as his own. When Chad Bourne showed up with Aubrey and the others in tow, Holloway assumed as a matter of course that his conversation with Bourne had been listened in on. Having his own words used to smack Isabel around, however, was a signal to Holloway that this inquiry had been choreographed top to bottom; it was the very essence of a show trial. The only person who didn’t know it was Isabel.

“I don’t think your analogy is as accurate as you think it is,” Isabel said.

Meyer smiled. “Perhaps not,” she said. “Let’s move on from that, then. Dr. Wangai, please tell us how you came to learn of the fuzzys.” “Jack Holloway told me about them and gave me a video recording he’d made of one of them,” Isabel said. “The video was interesting, but it wasn’t secure, so I wanted to be able to see them for myself and to get them on secure video, so there would be no concern of tampering or altering of the data.” “After Mr. Holloway gave you that first recording, how long was it until you went to see the creatures?” Meyer asked.

“Five days in total, I think,” Isabel said.

“You said that when Mr. Holloway gave you the first recording, you had concerns about the data being tampered with or altered,” Meyer said. “Was there a reason you were concerned about that?” “That’s not an accurate representation of my statement,” Isabel said.

“We could have the court reporter play back your statement if you like,” Meyer said.

“That’s not necessary,” Isabel said, the tiniest bit of frustration creeping into her voice. Holloway wondered if anyone but he would notice it there. Sullivan might, he decided. He glanced over to the other man, but his expression was unreadable. “What I meant was that Jack’s video was not recorded on a secure device,” Isabel continued. “Even if it was genuine—which I did not doubt it was—it would not be something I could use as evidence in, for example, an inquiry like this.” “You called Mr. Holloway ‘Jack’ just now,” Meyer said. “Are you familiar with him?” “We’re friends, yes,” Isabel said.

“Have you ever been more than friends?” Meyer asked.

Isabel paused. “I’m not entirely sure that’s relevant,” she said.

“I’m not entirely sure it is, either,” said Soltan.

“I assure you, Your Honor, I’m going somewhere with this,” Meyer said.

Soltan pursed her lips for a second, considering. “Fine,” she said. “But get where you’re going quickly, Ms. Meyer.” Meyer turned back to Isabel. “Dr. Wangai,” she prompted.

Isabel looked at Meyer coolly. “We were in a relationship,” she said. Her words had become decidedly more clipped, as they did when she was exceptionally pissed off.

“But no longer,” Meyer said.

“No,” Isabel said. “We broke it off some time ago.”

“Any particular reason?” Meyer asked.

“We had different memories of a certain event,” Isabel said.

“Would this be a reference to a previous Zarathustra Corporation inquiry, in which you claimed Mr. Holloway had taught his dog to set off explosives, among other things, and Mr. Holloway claimed that you were lying about the account?” Meyer asked.

“Yes,” Isabel said.

“Who was lying during that inquiry, Dr. Wangai?” Meyer asked.

“The inquiry’s ruling regarding the allegations was ‘not proven,’” Isabel said.

“That’s not what I’m asking,” Meyer said. “I know what the ruling was. I’m asking for your opinion here, and for the record, your answer here will in no way have an effect on your current or future employment with ZaraCorp. So, Dr. Wangai, who was lying in that inquiry?” “It wasn’t me,” Isabel said, looking directly at Holloway.

“So, Mr. Holloway lied,” Meyer said.

Isabel looked back over at Meyer. “I believe my answer was sufficiently clear,” she said.

“Yes,” Meyer said. “Yes it was. And it’s also true that as a result of this ruling, you received a note in your employment record, correct?” “You said you were going somewhere with this,” Soltan said, interrupting Meyer.

“I’m there,” Meyer said. “Dr. Wangai is an excellent scientist who has made a major discovery with these fuzzys, as she calls them. There is no doubt either in her competence in her particular field or in the valuable service she’s done for the science of biology in recording and describing these creatures.

“But it’s also true she is not trained in xenosapience,” Meyer continued. She pointed at Holloway. “It’s true that the person from whom she learned about the creatures, Jack Holloway, is a former romantic partner with whom she had a bad breakup. It’s true that she believes that Mr. Holloway has lied about her before, in a situation where there was actual professional damage to her career. And finally it’s true that we know Mr. Holloway is at least alleged to be able to teach animals how to do relatively complex tricks.

“So: Mr. Holloway discovers these very clever little animals and decides to share the discovery with his former girlfriend. When she gets excited about them, Mr. Holloway decides to have a little fun and teaches them a few tricks which to the untrained observer look like evidence of sapience. It takes Dr. Wangai several days to get to Mr. Holloway’s home; he has time to train these creatures. She arrives and she gets gulled. Simple as that.” Soltan frowned at this. “You’re suggesting this entire thing is nothing more than Mr. Holloway’s malicious attempt to damage an ex-girlfriend’s professional reputation, Ms. Meyer.” “I don’t think you have to ascribe actual maliciousness to Mr. Holloway,” Meyer said. “Dr. Wangai calls him a friend now. It’s possible that Mr. Holloway was simply trying to have a little bit of fun with someone he knew would already be excited by the discovery of a major new species.” Soltan gazed over at Holloway; this made him uncomfortable. “It doesn’t strike me as a particularly amusing joke,” the judge said.

“Perhaps not,” Meyer said. “But it’s a better theory than professional sabotage. Or at least a nicer one.” Soltan turned to Isabel. “Dr. Wangai,” she said. “Is it possible that Mr. Holloway tricked you?” “No,” Isabel said.

“Why is that?” Soltan asked. “Because you’re too competent to be fooled or because Mr. Holloway wouldn’t do such a thing?” “Both,” Isabel said.

“It’s been established that your training isn’t in xenosapience,” Soltan said. “It’s also been established that you believe that not only has Mr. Holloway lied to you, he’s lied about you during an official inquiry.” Isabel said nothing to this, and stared again at Holloway.

“If I may,” Meyer said, after it became clear Isabel wasn’t going to answer. “The note added to Dr. Wangai’s file is of some relevance.” “Go on,” Soltan said, to Meyer.

“Dr. Wangai,” Meyer said, gently. “Do you remember what the note that was added to your employment record states?” “Yes,” Isabel said. Her voice had a note of resignation Holloway hadn’t ever heard in it before.

“What does it say, Dr. Wangai?” Meyer asked.

“It says that my judgment might be impaired due to close or romantic relationships,” Isabel said.

Meyer nodded and looked over to Soltan. “I have no other questions for this expert,” she said. Soltan nodded and told Isabel that she could step down.

Holloway found it hard to look at Isabel as she walked back to the table. Meyer’s line of questioning was nothing at all about the fuzzys and everything about her: her competence, her professional ability, her personal judgment, and her relationships with others. She had been made to look like a fool in all of them.

Isabel sat in her chair and looked straight ahead, pointedly not looking at Holloway. Sullivan reached over and put his hand on her shoulder, to comfort her. Isabel took it and held it, but didn’t look back at him. She kept staring forward, with a look on her face. Holloway knew what the look meant. It meant that Isabel, finally, understood what all the other players knew: that this inquiry didn’t really matter. The decision about the fuzzys had already been made, and these were just the motions they had to go through to get there.

Isabel knew that she had been demolished up there on the stand. Holloway knew that his role in the play was to deliver the coup de grâce.