Chapter 16 Chapter 16 The Hypocritical Hearing
"Here's how the hearing works," Sullivan told Holloway, as they stood outside the small, packed courtroom in Aubrey. Presentation by Isabel is basically a formality because the judge has seen Isabel's video and notes, but she can question Isabel about the material at this stage. Then the representative of the Zara Group will question the expert witness, which is you And Isabel. The judge can also ask questions at this step. Finally, the judge will make a decision."
Holloway frowned. "So the Zara Group can ask me and Isabel, where is our representative lawyer?"
"You are not represented by attorneys, and this is a hearing, not a trial," Sullivan said.
"There will be a formal verdict at the end," Holloway said. "It sounds like a trial to me."
"But you are not charged with anything, Jack," said Sullivan. "You and Isabel are witnesses, not defendants."
"Yes," said Holloway, "the Fuzzies are the defendants."
"You could say that," Sullivan said.
"What about their lawyers?" Holloway said.
Sullivan sighed. "Just promise me not to deliberately antagonize the judge," he said.
"I assure you, I didn't come here to antagonize the judge," Holloway said.
"That's all right," said Sullivan.
"So what's your role in this hearing?" Holloway said.
"There is no role," Sullivan said. "I requested that the case be withdrawn because of Isabel's concerns, and my superiors agreed. I told you, she was determined to win this hearing, and in her view it was her departure from the planet." Look, here she comes." Sullivan nodded toward the Aubrey Township Administration Building at the end of the hallway, and Janice Meyer strutted toward them both, followed by a young assistant to help her with the case. Folder.
"How's she?" Holloway asked.
"What do you mean?" said Sullivan.
"What's a man?" said Holloway.
"I have no idea." Sullivan murmured under his breath as his superior drew closer.
She stopped in front of the two gentlemen. "Mark," she said, as a greeting, and looked at Holloway. "Mr. Holloway, nice to see you again." She held out her hand, and Holloway shook it.
"The new species you found is interesting," Meyer said.
"They're full of surprises," Holloway said.
"Has Mark explained to you the process of today's hearing?" Mayer asked.
"I told you," Holloway said.
"This is not a trial," Meyer said, "so remember when I ask you something, don't hesitate to answer it."
"I promise to tell the whole truth," Holloway said.Meyer smiled at that, and Holloway couldn't help but wonder how much she knew about Aubrey's secret visit to his treehouse.She nodded to Sullivan again and stepped into the courtroom, with the assistant following her closely.
"As a boss, she was ambitious," Sullivan concluded.
"It's not a bad thing for you," Holloway said. "There are always vacancies behind ambitious bosses."
"Of course," Sullivan said, and with a big smile, he saw someone coming down the corridor: Isabel.She smiled back at him too, walked up to him, planted a passionate but decent kiss on his cheek for the sake of being in public, and turned to Holloway.
He holds out his hand. "Jack Holloway," he said, "I will serve as an expert witness with you."
"It's cute, Jack." Isabelle said, quickly touching his face, "Are you nervous?"
"Not nervous," Holloway said. "And you?"
"I'm so nervous," Isabel said. "Whether Mao Mao can be recognized as an intelligent creature depends on what I say to the judge here. I don't want to screw it up. I haven't been this nervous since I defended my doctoral thesis."
"Well, the defense went well, didn't it?" Holloway said. "You have a good record."
"When did you arrive?" Isabel asked.
"Carl and I arrived about an hour ago," said Holloway.
"Where's Carl?" Isabel asked again.
"He's on the spaceship," Holloway said, "don't worry," he added, seeing Isabel's disapproving expression, "the air and temperature regulation of the spaceship is automatic, and he's as cool as an iced cucumber. Hearing You can go and see if it's really cool after the meeting."
"Speaking of hearings," Sullivan said, "you two should go in. It's going to start in a few minutes, and Judge Soden doesn't like waiting."
Judge Nedra Soden took her seat without any preamble, no police announced her arrival and no one was asked to stand.When everyone stood up by themselves, Soden had already sat down. "Let's get this done as soon as possible." Soden said, looking down at the hearing arrangement, "Dr. Van Gar?" "Yes, Your Honor?" Isabel stood up.Holloway sat next to her, behind the desk where the usual defendants sat.Janice Meyer and her assistants took the usual prosecution seats.Not the trial, Holloway thought.The public gallery of the courtroom was almost empty, except for Brad Langdon, who sat in the last row, politely masking his impatience, and Sullivan, who sat directly behind Isabel. "The flow sheet states that you're going to give an overview of the research material," Soden says. "Yes, Your Honor," said Isabel. "Is there anything new you'd like to add beyond what you've already presented me?" Soden said. "If not, I'll skip that." Isabelle blinked in surprise. "Skip?" she said, and glanced at the big screen that was brought in for her to demonstrate. "That's right." Soden said, "Your report is very detailed and in-depth, almost to the point of endlessness, Dr. Vangar, if it's just repetition here, I'd better skip it." "The purpose of my demonstration is to allow you to ask questions at any time during the process," Isabelle said. "I'm sure you have questions." "Well, no," Thorden said mildly. "Okay, shall we continue?" Isabel looked at Holloway, who raised his eyebrows imperceptibly, and she looked at Sullivan, his face blank. "Okay," she said finally, turning to Thorden. "Okay," Soden said and glanced at Mayer, "Ms. Mayer, do you agree?" "Agreed, Your Honor," Mayer said. "Excellent," Thorden said. "The two-hour process is over. We'll be done before lunch. You can sit down, Dr. Vangar." Isabel sat down with a dull expression. "Now—" Soden picked up the flow chart again, "—Ms. Meyer, it's your turn to question expert witnesses. Which one are you going to ask first?" "I think it's arranged to ask Dr. Vangar first," Meyer said. "Okay," Soden said, "Dr. Vangar, please take the witness stand." Isabel stood up, walked from behind the desk, and sat down on the witness stand. "Normally I'd make you swear, but this is just a hearing, not formal," Thorden said. "However, you try to answer the questions truthfully and completely. Do you understand?" "Understood." Isabel said. "It's your turn," Soden said to Meyer. Meyer stood up. "Dr. Vangar, please state your full name and occupation." "I am Dr. Isabel Njeru Vanga, the chief biologist of Zara 23 under the Zara Group." Isabel said. "Where did you get your doctorate, Dr. Vangar?" "Oxford," said Isabelle. "I heard it was a good school," Meyer said. Isabelle smiled. "It's not bad," she said. "So you're there to study alien intelligence," Meyer said. "No," said Isabelle, "I was working mainly with filopoda protists there." "I don't understand," Mayer said. "A protist," said Isabel, "a very small single-celled organism." "Which planet are these protozoans from?" Mayer asked. "Earth," said Isabel. "So you did get a biology education at a very distinguished university, but only for Earth life. Is that so?" Meyer said. "Yes." Isabel said, "but I have been the chief biologist of Zara 23 for nearly five years, and I have a lot of practical experience in studying alien life." "Do these experiences involve extraterrestrial intelligence?" Mayer said. "It wasn't involved until recently," Isabelle said. "So you're new to the field," Mayer said, "just getting involved." "Yes." Isabel said, "but the criteria I use to evaluate Mao Mao are well-established standards in the field of extraterrestrial intelligent creatures. According to these standards, no experience can be effectively evaluated." "Do you really believe that?" Mayer asked. "As a scientist, do you really believe that amateurs with no training in the field can make professional judgments about the field? Especially if they only have a checklist?" "I'm not an amateur," Isabel said, "I'm a well-trained biologist with years of hands-on experience studying alien life." "So experience does matter," Meyer said. "Nevertheless, Dr. Vangar, I have no doubt that you have sufficient knowledge and experience in your field, but I must question that it is up to you to assess whether these creatures are intelligent or not. Isn't it as unreasonable as asking a podiatrist to advise a patient on whether to undergo a liver transplant?" Holloway suddenly took his chair and leaned back. He realized that this was an analogy he had made, just before Bourne led Aubrey and his party to meet him. Holloway knew that he and Bourne Conversations are monitored.However, his own words were used to refute Isabel, which made Holloway realize that the entire hearing was designed from beginning to end, and it was really a formality.The only one kept in the dark was Isabel. "I don't think your analogy is as good as you think it is," said Isabelle. Meyer smiled nonchalantly. "Maybe not," she said. "Let's go on, Dr. Vangar, please tell us how you know Momo." "Jack Holloway told me about it and gave me a video he took of one of them," Isabelle said. "The video was interesting to me, but the security level wasn't high enough, so I wanted to see them for myself." , and record a confidential video, so there is no need to worry about data being tampered with or edited.” "How long after Mr. Holloway gave you the first video did you see these creatures?" Meyer asked. "Five days in total, I think," said Isabelle. "You said that when Mr. Holloway gave you the first footage, you were concerned that the data had been tampered with," Meyer said. "Is there a specific reason for your concern?" "That's not what I meant," said Isabel. "We can have the court reporter replay your testimony if you want," Meyer said. "It's not necessary," said Isabelle, with an imperceptible trace of frustration in her voice.Holloway wondered who else noticed besides him.Maybe Sullivan noticed, he thought.He glanced at the gentleman, but could not make out the meaning of his expression. "I mean Jack's video was not taken on a secure medium," Isabelle continued, "and even if it was real—and I'm pretty sure it was—I wouldn't be able to use it as evidence in a formal setting, like Say, produce at such a hearing." "You just called Mr. Holloway 'Jack,'" Mayer said. "Do you know him well?" "We're friends," Isabel said. "Do you have a relationship that goes beyond friends?" Mayer said. Isabel was silent for a few seconds. "I'm not sure that's relevant to the hearing," she said. "I'm not sure either," Thorden said. "I assure you, Your Honor, that my question will lead to relevant information," Meyer said. Soden pursed his lips and thought about it for a while. "Okay," she said, "please hurry up, Ms. Mayer." Meyer turned to face Isabel again. "Dr. Vangar?" she pressed. Isabelle looked at Meyer indifferently. "We dated," she said.Her speech speed increased noticeably, just like when she was out of breath. "But it's broken up now," Meyer said. "No," said Isabel, "we have parted for some time." "What exactly?" Mayer asked. "Our memories of a particular event are at odds," says Isabelle. "Was it a previous internal Zara hearing where you claimed Mr Holloway taught his dog to detonate explosives and some other misconduct and Mr Holloway accused you of lying?" Meyer asked. "Yes." Isabel said. "Who lied at that hearing, Dr. Vangar?" Mayer asked. "The hearing decided that the charges against Holloway were 'unprovable'," Isabel said. "That's not what I'm asking," Meyer said. "I know what the decision is. I'm asking for your opinion, and for the record, any answers you make here will not affect your position in the Zara Group." Current or future tenure. So, Dr. Vangar, who lied at the hearing?" "Not me." Isabel said, looking straight at Holloway. "So Mr. Holloway lied," Mayer said. Isabel turned to Mayer: "I believe my answer is clear enough." "Yes," Meyer said, "that's clear enough. Also, is there an extra item on your employee record after the hearing?" "You said it would lead to relevant information," Thorden interrupted Meyer. "Coming soon," Meyer said. "Dr. Vangar is a brilliant scientist who has just made a major discovery, what she calls the Fuzzies. There is no doubting her ability in her particular field, She documented and described these creatures, and her invaluable contributions to biology need not be repeated." "But at the same time, she has no specific training in alien intelligent beings," Meyer continued, pointing at Holloway. Not pleasant. She was convinced that Holloway had lied to her before and it ended up hurting her career. Finally, we know for sure that Mr. Holloway was at least supposedly able to teach animals to perform more complex movements. "So Mr. Holloway found out about these very smart critters and decided to tell his ex-girlfriend. When she got very interested in it, Mr. Holloway decided to make a little joke and teach them some tricks, and without going through In the eyes of trained people, these tricks can falsely prove that these animals have the advanced intelligence of intelligent creatures. It took Dr. Vangar a few days to observe Mr. Holloway's house, and he had enough time to train these creatures. Lied to. Simple as that." Thorden frowned in disapproval. "You mean all this to be nothing more than Mr. Holloway's malicious attempt to destroy the professional reputation of his ex-girlfriend, Ms. Meyer?" "I don't think Mr. Holloway really did it out of malice," Meyer said. "Dr. Vangar calls him a friend now. It's likely that Mr. Holloway meant it as a joke, to make people who were already excited about discovering new species Friends are happier." Thorden looked at Holloway, making him uncomfortable. "I don't find the joke funny at all," the judge said. “Maybe it wasn’t a good joke,” Meyer said, “but it’s better than assuming he’s being mean, or kind.” Soden asked Isabel: "Dr. Vangar, do you think there is a possibility that Mr. Holloway has lied to you?" "Impossible," said Isabel. "Why?" Thorden asked, "Because you won't be deceived in your professional ability, or because Mr. Holloway wouldn't do such a thing." "It's a combination of both," Isabelle said. "It has been established that your field of study is not extraterrestrial intelligence," Thorden said. "We have also established that you believe that Mr. Holloway not only lied to you, but that he made false accusations against you." Isabel said nothing, and looked at Holloway again. “Let me point out,” Mayer said, after Isabelle made it clear she didn’t intend to respond, “that the records added to Dr. Vanga’s file are somewhat relevant to this hearing.” "Continue." Soden signaled Meyer. "Dr. Vangar," Meyer asked softly, "do you remember what was added to your employee record?" "I remember," said Isabelle, with a tone of self-abnegation in her voice that Holloway had never heard before. "What is it, Dr. Vangar?" Mayer asked. "It says my judgment may be adversely affected by an intimate or personal relationship," Isabelle said. Mayer nodded, turning to Soden and saying, "I have no further questions for the expert witness." Soden nodded too, telling Isabelle she could leave the witness stand. Holloway could barely look at Isabel as she walked back to her seat.None of Meyer's inquiries were about Maomao. They were all about her: her abilities, her professional credentials, her personal judgment, and her relationships with others.In front of all of them, she was questioned repeatedly and thoroughly humiliated. Isabel sat in her chair, staring straight ahead, deliberately not looking at Holloway.Sullivan leaned over and put his hand on her shoulder, comforting her.Isabelle took his hand, but didn't look back at him.She stared straight ahead, with a look on her face that Holloway could understand, and Isabel finally understood what everyone present knew: this hearing was not important at all.Mao Mao's fate has already been decided, this is just a formality. Isabelle knows she's flopped on the witness stand, and Holloway knows his role in this scene is to deliver the coup de grace.
Judge Nedra Soden took her seat without any preamble, no police announced her arrival and no one was asked to stand.When everyone stood up by themselves, Soden had already sat down. "Let's get this done as soon as possible." Soden said, looking down at the hearing arrangement, "Dr. Van Gar?" "Yes, Your Honor?" Isabel stood up.Holloway sat next to her, behind the desk where the usual defendants sat.Janice Meyer and her assistants took the usual prosecution seats.Not the trial, Holloway thought.The public gallery of the courtroom was almost empty, except for Brad Langdon, who sat in the last row, politely masking his impatience, and Sullivan, who sat directly behind Isabel. "The flow sheet states that you're going to give an overview of the research material," Soden says. "Yes, Your Honor," said Isabel. "Is there anything new you'd like to add beyond what you've already presented me?" Soden said. "If not, I'll skip that." Isabelle blinked in surprise. "Skip?" she said, and glanced at the big screen that was brought in for her to demonstrate. "That's right." Soden said, "Your report is very detailed and in-depth, almost to the point of endlessness, Dr. Vangar, if it's just repetition here, I'd better skip it." "The purpose of my demonstration is to allow you to ask questions at any time during the process," Isabelle said. "I'm sure you have questions." "Well, no," Thorden said mildly. "Okay, shall we continue?" Isabel looked at Holloway, who raised his eyebrows imperceptibly, and she looked at Sullivan, his face blank. "Okay," she said finally, turning to Thorden. "Okay," Soden said and glanced at Mayer, "Ms. Mayer, do you agree?" "Agreed, Your Honor," Mayer said. "Excellent," Thorden said. "The two-hour process is over. We'll be done before lunch. You can sit down, Dr. Vangar." Isabel sat down with a dull expression. "Now—" Soden picked up the flow chart again, "—Ms. Meyer, it's your turn to question expert witnesses. Which one are you going to ask first?" "I think it's arranged to ask Dr. Vangar first," Meyer said. "Okay," Soden said, "Dr. Vangar, please take the witness stand." Isabel stood up, walked from behind the desk, and sat down on the witness stand. "Normally I'd make you swear, but this is just a hearing, not formal," Thorden said. "However, you try to answer the questions truthfully and completely. Do you understand?" "Understood." Isabel said. "It's your turn," Soden said to Meyer. Meyer stood up. "Dr. Vangar, please state your full name and occupation." "I am Dr. Isabel Njeru Vanga, the chief biologist of Zara 23 under the Zara Group." Isabel said. "Where did you get your doctorate, Dr. Vangar?" "Oxford," said Isabelle. "I heard it was a good school," Meyer said. Isabelle smiled. "It's not bad," she said. "So you're there to study alien intelligence," Meyer said. "No," said Isabelle, "I was working mainly with filopoda protists there." "I don't understand," Mayer said. "A protist," said Isabel, "a very small single-celled organism." "Which planet are these protozoans from?" Mayer asked. "Earth," said Isabel. "So you did get a biology education at a very distinguished university, but only for Earth life. Is that so?" Meyer said. "Yes." Isabel said, "but I have been the chief biologist of Zara 23 for nearly five years, and I have a lot of practical experience in studying alien life." "Do these experiences involve extraterrestrial intelligence?" Mayer said. "It wasn't involved until recently," Isabelle said. "So you're new to the field," Mayer said, "just getting involved." "Yes." Isabel said, "but the criteria I use to evaluate Mao Mao are well-established standards in the field of extraterrestrial intelligent creatures. According to these standards, no experience can be effectively evaluated." "Do you really believe that?" Mayer asked. "As a scientist, do you really believe that amateurs with no training in the field can make professional judgments about the field? Especially if they only have a checklist?" "I'm not an amateur," Isabel said, "I'm a well-trained biologist with years of hands-on experience studying alien life." "So experience does matter," Meyer said. "Nevertheless, Dr. Vangar, I have no doubt that you have sufficient knowledge and experience in your field, but I must question that it is up to you to assess whether these creatures are intelligent or not. Isn't it as unreasonable as asking a podiatrist to advise a patient on whether to undergo a liver transplant?" Holloway suddenly took his chair and leaned back. He realized that this was an analogy he had made, just before Bourne led Aubrey and his party to meet him. Holloway knew that he and Bourne Conversations are monitored.However, his own words were used to refute Isabel, which made Holloway realize that the entire hearing was designed from beginning to end, and it was really a formality.The only one kept in the dark was Isabel. "I don't think your analogy is as good as you think it is," said Isabelle. Meyer smiled nonchalantly. "Maybe not," she said. "Let's go on, Dr. Vangar, please tell us how you know Momo." "Jack Holloway told me about it and gave me a video he took of one of them," Isabelle said. "The video was interesting to me, but the security level wasn't high enough, so I wanted to see them for myself." , and record a confidential video, so there is no need to worry about data being tampered with or edited.” "How long after Mr. Holloway gave you the first video did you see these creatures?" Meyer asked. "Five days in total, I think," said Isabelle. "You said that when Mr. Holloway gave you the first footage, you were concerned that the data had been tampered with," Meyer said. "Is there a specific reason for your concern?" "That's not what I meant," said Isabel. "We can have the court reporter replay your testimony if you want," Meyer said. "It's not necessary," said Isabelle, with an imperceptible trace of frustration in her voice.Holloway wondered who else noticed besides him.Maybe Sullivan noticed, he thought.He glanced at the gentleman, but could not make out the meaning of his expression. "I mean Jack's video was not taken on a secure medium," Isabelle continued, "and even if it was real—and I'm pretty sure it was—I wouldn't be able to use it as evidence in a formal setting, like Say, produce at such a hearing." "You just called Mr. Holloway 'Jack,'" Mayer said. "Do you know him well?" "We're friends," Isabel said. "Do you have a relationship that goes beyond friends?" Mayer said. Isabel was silent for a few seconds. "I'm not sure that's relevant to the hearing," she said. "I'm not sure either," Thorden said. "I assure you, Your Honor, that my question will lead to relevant information," Meyer said. Soden pursed his lips and thought about it for a while. "Okay," she said, "please hurry up, Ms. Mayer." Meyer turned to face Isabel again. "Dr. Vangar?" she pressed. Isabelle looked at Meyer indifferently. "We dated," she said.Her speech speed increased noticeably, just like when she was out of breath. "But it's broken up now," Meyer said. "No," said Isabel, "we have parted for some time." "What exactly?" Mayer asked. "Our memories of a particular event are at odds," says Isabelle. "Was it a previous internal Zara hearing where you claimed Mr Holloway taught his dog to detonate explosives and some other misconduct and Mr Holloway accused you of lying?" Meyer asked. "Yes." Isabel said. "Who lied at that hearing, Dr. Vangar?" Mayer asked. "The hearing decided that the charges against Holloway were 'unprovable'," Isabel said. "That's not what I'm asking," Meyer said. "I know what the decision is. I'm asking for your opinion, and for the record, any answers you make here will not affect your position in the Zara Group." Current or future tenure. So, Dr. Vangar, who lied at the hearing?" "Not me." Isabel said, looking straight at Holloway. "So Mr. Holloway lied," Mayer said. Isabel turned to Mayer: "I believe my answer is clear enough." "Yes," Meyer said, "that's clear enough. Also, is there an extra item on your employee record after the hearing?" "You said it would lead to relevant information," Thorden interrupted Meyer. "Coming soon," Meyer said. "Dr. Vangar is a brilliant scientist who has just made a major discovery, what she calls the Fuzzies. There is no doubting her ability in her particular field, She documented and described these creatures, and her invaluable contributions to biology need not be repeated." "But at the same time, she has no specific training in alien intelligent beings," Meyer continued, pointing at Holloway. Not pleasant. She was convinced that Holloway had lied to her before and it ended up hurting her career. Finally, we know for sure that Mr. Holloway was at least supposedly able to teach animals to perform more complex movements. "So Mr. Holloway found out about these very smart critters and decided to tell his ex-girlfriend. When she got very interested in it, Mr. Holloway decided to make a little joke and teach them some tricks, and without going through In the eyes of trained people, these tricks can falsely prove that these animals have the advanced intelligence of intelligent creatures. It took Dr. Vangar a few days to observe Mr. Holloway's house, and he had enough time to train these creatures. Lied to. Simple as that." Thorden frowned in disapproval. "You mean all this to be nothing more than Mr. Holloway's malicious attempt to destroy the professional reputation of his ex-girlfriend, Ms. Meyer?" "I don't think Mr. Holloway really did it out of malice," Meyer said. "Dr. Vangar calls him a friend now. It's likely that Mr. Holloway meant it as a joke, to make people who were already excited about discovering new species Friends are happier." Thorden looked at Holloway, making him uncomfortable. "I don't find the joke funny at all," the judge said. “Maybe it wasn’t a good joke,” Meyer said, “but it’s better than assuming he’s being mean, or kind.” Soden asked Isabel: "Dr. Vangar, do you think there is a possibility that Mr. Holloway has lied to you?" "Impossible," said Isabel. "Why?" Thorden asked, "Because you won't be deceived in your professional ability, or because Mr. Holloway wouldn't do such a thing." "It's a combination of both," Isabelle said. "It has been established that your field of study is not extraterrestrial intelligence," Thorden said. "We have also established that you believe that Mr. Holloway not only lied to you, but that he made false accusations against you." Isabel said nothing, and looked at Holloway again. “Let me point out,” Mayer said, after Isabelle made it clear she didn’t intend to respond, “that the records added to Dr. Vanga’s file are somewhat relevant to this hearing.” "Continue." Soden signaled Meyer. "Dr. Vangar," Meyer asked softly, "do you remember what was added to your employee record?" "I remember," said Isabelle, with a tone of self-abnegation in her voice that Holloway had never heard before. "What is it, Dr. Vangar?" Mayer asked. "It says my judgment may be adversely affected by an intimate or personal relationship," Isabelle said. Mayer nodded, turning to Soden and saying, "I have no further questions for the expert witness." Soden nodded too, telling Isabelle she could leave the witness stand. Holloway could barely look at Isabel as she walked back to her seat.None of Meyer's inquiries were about Maomao. They were all about her: her abilities, her professional credentials, her personal judgment, and her relationships with others.In front of all of them, she was questioned repeatedly and thoroughly humiliated. Isabel sat in her chair, staring straight ahead, deliberately not looking at Holloway.Sullivan leaned over and put his hand on her shoulder, comforting her.Isabelle took his hand, but didn't look back at him.She stared straight ahead, with a look on her face that Holloway could understand, and Isabel finally understood what everyone present knew: this hearing was not important at all.Mao Mao's fate has already been decided, this is just a formality. Isabelle knows she's flopped on the witness stand, and Holloway knows his role in this scene is to deliver the coup de grace.