Chapter 52 Section ten

"The defendant can now make his final defence." Nicole got up from her chair and walked to the other side of the table, surprised at how tired she was.Two years of captivity had completely bruised her legendary mental stamina. She walked slowly towards the jury of four men and two women, with Juren Stolz, a Swiss woman, sitting in the front row.Nicole knew Mrs. Stoltz and her husband well; they had a bakery not far from the Walkerfields in Beauvais. "Well, Yoren, we meet again." Nicole stopped in front of a row of three jurors and said calmly, "How about John and Maria? Should they grow into teenagers?"

Mrs. Stoltz squirmed nervously in her seat, and replied softly, "They're all well, Nicole." Nicole laughed; "Are you still making those delicious cinnamon rolls every Sunday morning?" There was a lot of discussion in the audience. "Mrs. Walkerfield," Judge Nakamura said, "this is not the time to discuss family matters. You only have five minutes for your defense, and the clock has started." Nicole ignored Judge Nakamura's intervention. She leaned her upper body into the jury box, stared at the shiny necklace around Stoltz's neck and whispered, "This jewelry is beautiful, but it must be expensive."

The audience started talking again.The two soldiers moved quickly towards Nicole and she pulled her body back. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury," said Nicole, "all you have heard this week is an indictment of 'inciting rebellion against the legitimate government of New Eden' against me, charged with treason by the public prosecutor. With all the evidence in court, you need to make a decision-whether I am guilty. Please remember that a person who commits treason is sentenced to death." "In my final statement, I want to take a close look at the structure of the prosecutor's case. None of the testimony on the first day had anything to do with the charges against me, and I believe it was all permitted by Judge Nakamura, but it's a clear violation of the residency the provisions on 'conducting a trial in connection with the crime'."

"Mrs. Walkerfield," Judge Nakamura interrupted angrily, "I told you before this week's court session that I will not tolerate insults and disrespect in my courtroom. This is the last time I warn you that if In the event of a similar occurrence, I will declare you in contempt of court and stay your final argument." “On that day, the public prosecutor attempted to show that I was immoral in my private life and involved in political treason. Ladies and gentlemen, I would be happy to discuss in private the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the birth of my six children. However, my private life was, is, and It will have nothing to do with this case in the future! The testimony that day was pure sensationalism and meaningless."

Soldiers quickly quelled the laughter that erupted from the packed audience. "The plaintiff spent a great deal of the next day's testimony alleging that my husband and I were involved in treason." Nicole went on to say, "I am very happy to be married to Richard Walkerfield, but for his evidence, It's all out of thin air and has nothing to do with this case. The evidence is the only basis on which you are here to decide whether I am guilty of treason." "The prosecutor claims that my crime of treason began long before the production of the video and the establishment of this settlement. I admit that I did help to produce the video of Rama's transmission to Earth, but I firmly deny the so-called 'communication with aliens in the beginning. Conspiracy' and 'Collaborated with aliens to build this spaceship and use it against my kind'.

"I was involved in making the video because I had no choice. My family has been under the control of beings with superintelligence beyond our imagination, and refusing to cooperate with them will lead to acts of vengeance." Nicole went back to the table to drink some water, then turned to the jury again and continued: "There are only two pieces of evidence that may charge me with treason - the testimony of my daughter Katie and the strange tape ...that tape of my conversations with my family while in captivity, which you all heard yesterday morning. "You all know how easy it is to distort and use this tape to walk away. Yesterday the witness admitted to hearing hundreds of hours of conversations between me and my family, and the tape provided as evidence was only half an hour. It seemed to be extracted from each conversation. Ten seconds of content pieced together, from which I draw insufficient conclusions.

"As for my daughter Katie Walkerfield's testimony, I can only say, and regretfully say: she was lying. I was never aware of anything illegal by my husband Richard and did not support his alleged illegal behavior. "Recall, everyone, that Katie backtracked on her testimony and she later denied her original testimony and passed out on the witness stand. The judge said my daughter had recent insanity issues and he ignored my questioning of her when she was forced to Please remember her answer when I asked her when, where, and what I conspired." Nicole went to the jury box again for the last time, and looked at each juror with his eyes: "You have to make a judgment in the end, what is the truth of this case. I face you with a heavy heart, and I can't believe that I am standing I am here because I have committed a serious crime. I have worked desperately for the settlements and human beings, and the charges against me are purely unfounded. I believe that there is power and wisdom in this universe to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and I don't care about this trial final result."

The lights outside went out.Nicole leaned against the corner, thinking that this might be the last night of her life.After the verdict was announced, she fell asleep with this thought every night. Shortly after dark, the Garcia robot brought her dinner.The food was much better than the previous few days.Nicole chewed the fish slowly, thinking back to when she and her family first saw the first human advance team disembark from the Pinta five years ago. "What's going on here?" Nicole asked herself. "What's wrong with us?" At this time, she seemed to hear Richard's voice.Richard has always been distrustful of humans.When he lived in New Eden for almost a year, he said, "For human beings, New Eden is too good. We will eventually destroy it, just like the earth we have. Human expansion and aggression are too strong. It cannot be overcome, it cannot be educated."

"But in New Eden," thought Nicole, "there are many opportunities to build a better world. All the basics of life are provided for us, and there is no doubt that we are surrounded by beings smarter than ourselves." Wisdom and kindness, they should really build a..." Nicole finished the fish and picked up a small piece of chocolate pudding in front of her.She smiled, remembering how much Richard loved chocolate. "I miss Richard so much! Especially his vision." Nicole was startled to hear footsteps coming this way, and she felt cold all over.The visitors were two young men in Nakamura-style special police uniforms, each holding a lantern.

The two walked into the cell with serious expressions, without introducing themselves. The older one, estimated to be around thirty-five years old, quickly took out a document and began to read: "Nicole de Jardin Walkerfield, you have been convicted of treason and will be executed at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. Your breakfast was delivered at 6:30, ten minutes after the lights were turned on, and we will arrive at 7 Take you to the execution chamber at 7:58. You will be strapped to the electric chair at 7:58, and you will be switched on in two minutes... What questions do you have?"

Nicole's heart raced, she felt herself breathing hard, and she tried to calm herself down. "What questions do you have?" the man repeated. "What's your name, young man?" asked Nicole, her voice trembling. "Franz." The young man hesitated for a moment, then answered in puzzlement. "Franz what?" "Franz Bauer," he answered. "Well, Franz Bauer," said Nicole, forcing a smile. "Can you tell me how many minutes it will take to execute me? After you switch on the current, of course." "I don't know." He seemed flustered, "I will lose consciousness almost immediately, within two seconds, but I don't know how long it will take..." "Thank you," Nicole replied, feeling a little dazed. "Would you please leave now? I want to be alone for a while." Two young men opened the door of the cell. "Oh, by the way, can I leave a lantern? And paper and pen, preferably an electronic notepad?" Franz Bauer shook his head and said: "Sorry, we can't..." Nicole waved them away, walked to the other side of the cell, and said to herself, slowly panting, "Two letters, I just want to write two letters. One for Katie and one for Richard." De. I've said goodbye to everyone." The two policemen left.Nicole thought of years ago when she fell into the pit of Rama 2, waiting for death, hungry and cold.At that time, she spent the last days of her life in happy memories. "I don't need that now," thought Nicole. "I don't have much to remember about my past. That's the only thing my two years in prison have taught me." Nicole was surprised to find that she was no longer angry at not being able to write these last two letters. "I'll make this request again tomorrow morning, and keep fighting until they give it to me." Nicole laughed, and said loudly, "I don't have to be polite anymore..." Suddenly, she felt her pulse beating extremely fast, as if a dark room appeared in front of her eyes, and there was an electric chair inside, and she was sitting on it, a special helmet wrapped her head tightly, and the helmet began to Shining, she fell forward. "Dear God, whoever you are and where you are, please give me courage, I'm terrified." Nicole sat on the bed in the cell in the dark, and after a few minutes, she felt better.She slowly calmed herself down, guessing how she felt at the moment of death: "Will it be like falling asleep? Maybe something special will happen at the last moment, something that the living will never know .” A distant voice called her, and Nicole awoke, but not quite soberly. "Lady Walkerfield," the voice called. Nicole jumped out of bed quickly, remembering suddenly that it was morning.She was terrified at the thought of the execution two hours later. "Mrs. Walkerfield," the voice continued, "here I am, outside your cell... Amadou Diaba." Nicole rubbed her eyes, looking nervously at the figure in the dark. "Who?" she said, walking slowly towards the door. "Amadou Diaba. You assisted Dr. Turner in my heart transplant two years ago." "What are you doing here, Amadou? How did you get in here?" "I brought you something. I bribed all concerned. I must see you." Amadou was only 5 meters away from Nicole, but she could only see his outline vaguely in the dark, her tired eyes were not working. "Well, Amadou, what have you brought me?" Nicole asked bravely. "I must first explain to you," he said, "perhaps it doesn't mean anything... I don't quite know why myself, except that I must give it to you to-night." Nicole said nothing, and Amadou quickly told his story: "The first day I was selected for the Lowell program in Lagos, my grandmother brought me a strange message, and she was anxious for me to see her. Two weeks later, my grandmother brought me another message, saying My visit was no small matter, a matter of life and death, and I finally got the chance to visit her. “It was midnight when I arrived at the village where my grandmother lived in Ivory Coast. She got up quickly and got dressed. We had a long trek that night, accompanied by the village doctor, and I was exhausted by the time we arrived. , it was a village called Nidogo. "Nitoko?" Nicole interrupted him. "Yes," replied Amadou, "there was a gaunt, odd-looking old man with some kind of superpower, and he and I laboriously climbed a nearby mountain while my grandmother and the doctor stayed in Nidogo Wait for me. We reached a lake before sunrise, 'Look!' When the first rays of sunlight hit the lake, the old man said to me: 'Look at this lake of wisdom! What do you see?' "I told him that I saw thirty or forty melon-like things lying on one side of the clear lake bottom. 'That's great.' The old man said with a smile, 'You are one.' "'A what am I?' I asked. "The old man didn't answer. We walked along the lake to a place very close to the melons. The sun rose high in the sky, and the melons disappeared. The old man took out a small bottle and submerged it in the water, and then closed it with a cap. A small bottle full of lake water, and handed it to me. He also picked up a small stone in the water that was the same as the melon and fruit he saw at the bottom of the lake just now, and handed it to me. "'This will be the most expensive present you will ever receive,' said he. "'Why?' I asked. "A few seconds later, the old man's eyes turned white, and he jumped into the icy lake to swim in a trance and dancing. "'Wait,' cried I, 'what shall I do with these presents?' "'Take them with you to the ends of the earth.' He said, 'You'll know when it's useful.'" Nicole's heart beat so fast that Amadou could hear her nervous heartbeat.She stretched her arm out of the cell railing, stroked Amadou's shoulder and said, "So, last night, in your dream, maybe it wasn't a voice in your dream telling you to give me this small bottle tonight, right? " "Yes," said Amadou, "how do you know that?" Nicole didn't answer.She could not speak, her body was shaking violently. Nicole felt something in her hands and her legs gave way and she almost fell.She thanked Amadou and urged him to leave before he was spotted. Nicole came slowly back to the bed. "Is this possible? How is this possible? Is this all arranged in the first place? Managua on Earth?" Nicole was completely confused. Out of control." Holding this small bottle, Nicole recalled what he had witnessed in the pit of Rama 2.She opened the vial, took two deep breaths, and quickly swallowed the contents. At first she thought nothing would happen, but the darkness around her made it impossible for her to see any changes.Suddenly, a huge golden ball formed in the middle of the cell, and the ball exploded, emitting a bright light to illuminate the dark cell.Then a red ball and a purple ball appeared. Nicole was thrown back by the light from the explosion when she heard loud laughter from the window and she looked in that direction: the cell was gone and she was standing out in a field. It was still very dark, and Nicole could only see the outline of the object.There was another laugh in the distance. "Amadou!" Nicole called out in his heart, running across the field.She desperately chased the running man, getting closer and closer.Suddenly, his face changed, it was no longer Amadou Diaba, but her great grandfather, Oman. He laughed again, and Nicole stopped. "Ronata!" he cried, his face growing bigger than a car, bigger than a house.In the end, Oman's face became a giant balloon, rising higher and smaller in the night sky.The balloon exploded, and the water from the explosion fell on Nicole. Nicole was wet and submerged, and she was swimming in the water.Nicole surfaced and saw himself in an oasis in Ivory Coast.She was a seven-year-old girl, and little Nicole was shaking with fright when she met a lioness who was coming towards her from across the river. "I want my mother." She stepped out of the water, and the lioness didn't bother her.She glanced at the huge creature, and suddenly the face of the lioness changed and became that of Nicole's mother.Nicole runs to hug her mother while she transforms into the lioness and walks the lakeside oasis in the middle of the African savannah. There were six children swimming in the water, Nicole the lioness hummed a lullaby softly, and the children came out of the water one by one.First Genevieve, then Simone, Katie, Ben, Patrick and Ellie.They—passed her and walked into the savannah.Nicole chased after them. Nicole runs through the packed stadium.Now she was alone again, young and full of life.The last jump started, she ran to the end of the triple jump track, and a Japanese referee came to her, Toshio Nakamura. "You're going to foul!" he said slyly. Nicole sprints down the track, feeling like she's flying.She stepped on the springboard accurately, rose vigorously in the air, and landed far, far away from the springboard.She knew it was a successful jump, and her father and Henry ran to hug her. "Well done!" they both said in unison, "very well done, well done!" Joan presented Nicole with a shiny gold medal around her neck.Irina hands her a bouquet of roses, and Kenji Watanabe and Judge Mishkin stand beside her to congratulate her.It was announced on the radio that Nicole had set a new world record, and the crowd cheered her.She looked towards the crowded auditorium and noticed that among the audience was the Hawkman she was familiar with.Hawkman sat in a special box, next to a whole row of octospiders.All the audience saluted her, including the iyun birds and the creatures with round tentacles, and the winged eel pressed its body tightly against the window wall of a transparent airtight container, spitting bubbles at her.Nicole waved to the aliens. Her outstretched arms became wings, and she soared over New Eden.She looked down below where she had been imprisoned, then turned to fly west, hovering over Max Puckett's farm.Although it was still midnight, hard-working Max had already started working. Nicole continued to fly west.Once over the bright Vegas area, she flew low behind the nightclub.Katie was sitting on the outside steps, face buried in her chest, trembling all over.Nicole tried to go up to comfort her, but hawked.Katie lifted her head, staring into the sky in bewilderment. Nicole flew near the exit of the residential area again, waiting for the soldiers to open the door outside.The soldiers were startled by Nicole, so Nicole Eagle flew away from New Eden to the Avalon area.Robert, Ellie, Nicole Jr., Ben and an old man are in a ward.Nicole wondered why they were up in the middle of the night.She screamed at them, and Ben went to the window and looked out into the dark night. Nicole heard a voice calling to her, a faint voice that seemed to come from far south.She quickly flew to the second residential area, and entered the interior through the hole drilled by humans.She was flying over a green field, and the voice was out of hearing, and she saw her son, Patrick, stationed near the brown cylinder with other soldiers. In mid-air, she encountered an Aiyun bird wearing four collars. "He's not here anymore," said the bird. "Go to New York and look there." Nicole flew back over the central plain excitedly, and she heard the voice again.She flew so high that she could barely breathe. She flew south, and the Sea of ​​Columns appeared below her.Now, the voice became clearer and clearer, it was Richard!Nicole Hawk's heart was about to jump out. He was standing by the sea, waving to her in front of those skyscrapers.He was saying, "Come to me, Nicole!" She could still see his eyes in the dark, and Nicole flew down and landed on Richard's shoulder. It was dark all around.Nicole is back in the cell, but her heart is still flying. She stepped across the small cell and walked to the wooden bed in the corner. "Thank you, Amadou," she said, "Thank you, Oman, God!" Nicole smiled, lay on the bed, stretched her limbs, and soon fell asleep.