It was Papa Fuzzy.

Chapter Twenty-four

“That’s it,” Soltan said. “Mr. Holloway. Approach the bench. Now.”

Holloway approached. Janice Meyer, making a unilateral decision, approached as well.

“You’re in contempt, Holloway,” Soltan said, spitting out the words.

“For calling a witness, Your Honor?” Holloway asked.

“For trying to make a fool out of me,” Soltan said.

“I am not trying to make a fool out of you,” Holloway said.

“Really,” Soltan said. “Because from where I’m sitting, that’s exactly what you seem to be doing. Otherwise you wouldn’t have been inserting these animals into the hearing at every opportunity.”

“They’re not animals,” Holloway began.

“Don’t start that with me now, Mr. Holloway,” Soltan warned. “I am really not in the mood.”

“Nor have I been inserting them into the hearing,” Holloway continued, risking Soltan’s additional wrath. “The video of the attack and the corpse of the attacked fuzzy had material bearing on the charges.”

“But you haven’t exactly been shy about using the creatures as an attempt to play off our emotions, have you,” Meyer said.

“I don’t particularly care about your emotions, Meyer,” Holloway said.

“And I don’t particularly care for you attempting to play off of mine,” Soltan said, to Holloway. “We’re here to look at the facts of the case, Mr. Holloway. I’ve given you slack on your rope because I thought you were getting to these facts, but this”—Soltan nodded her head dismissively in the direction of Papa Fuzzy, who by now had reached the well of the courtroom and was watching the three of them curiously—“makes it clear that you’re not here to present those facts, you’re here to do something else entirely. It’s bad enough you brought a dead one of these creatures into this courtroom to showboat. I’m not going to allow you to bring in a live one to make a fool out of me. You’ve taken that rope I gave you and hanged yourself on it.”

“This creature is a witness, Your Honor,” Holloway said, grimly. “If you want the facts as you say you do, then you will let me call it to testify.”

“And how are you going to do that?” Meyer said. “Have you suddenly become an expert on their communication, Holloway? Or are you planning to call Dr. Chen to translate? Because calling in a xenolinguist who has an entire career to gain by asserting these animals have language isn’t going to be problematic at all.”

“I find it interesting the concern you have for my potential witnesses, considering how ZaraCorp’s gone out of its way to try to make sure I didn’t have any to call,” Holloway said.

“He’s not calling Dr. Chen, Ms. Meyer,” Soltan said. “He’s not calling anyone. I reiterate, Mr. Holloway: You are in contempt of court. Recess is called until such time as you find new legal representation for the remainder of your case. When we resume, you will be allowed into the courtroom and you will be allowed to communicate with your new legal representative, but that’s it. When the preliminary hearing is through, you’ll be taken into custody.”

“You’re going to place me into the loving hands of ZaraCorp’s Security force?” Holloway said. “You really are trying to get me hanged.”

“That is enough, Mr. Holloway,” Soltan said, and stood.

“I have a witnesss, Your Honor,” Holloway said, loudly. “You need to let my witness talk.”

“Stop wasting my time, Mr. Holloway,” Soltan said. “The answer is no.”

“So I will not talk?” Papa Fuzzy asked, in a high, thin but distinct voice. “I have come to talk. I have come to tell my story. Will I not talk now?”

*

Holloway counted in his head the seconds before anyone else spoke. He got to nine.

“Tell me I just heard what I think I heard,” Judge Soltan said, still standing.

“This is what I’ve been trying to tell you, Your Honor,” Holloway said, quickly. “I have a witness. It is ready to testify.” He turned to Meyer. “And it doesn’t need a translator.” He looked at Papa, who was eyeing him curiously. “Please say hello to Judge Soltan,” he said.

The fuzzy turned and looked back at the judge. “Hello, Judge Soltan,” said the fuzzy, slowly.

Judge Soltan sat.

“So he’s taught the thing to recite a phrase,” Meyer said, scrambling to regain ground. “That proves it’s as smart as a parrot.”

“Mr. Holloway,” Soltan began.

“Talk to it, Your Honor,” Holloway said. “If you think I’m trying to trick you, talk to this fuzzy here. Ask it a question. Any question. But if I may suggest, keep your words simple. Its vocabulary is not extensive.”

“This is ridiculous, Your Honor,” Meyer said.

“Your Honor, I may showboat, but I’m not stupid,” Holloway said. “Do you honestly think I’d bring this creature in front of you if all I could get it to do is recite spoon-fed words and phrases? How long would that trick work? One round of questions, maybe two, before everything went off the script. There’s no possible way I could account for every comment or question you would have to ask it. And then what? What good would it do me and my case against Mr. DeLise to attempt to con you?”

Holloway pointed a finger at DeLise. “All I would get out of it is time in a security holding cell with his buddies watching over me,” he said. “So, no. It’s not a trick. Ask it whatever you like, for as long as you like, until you’re convinced.”

“That doesn’t prove a thing,” Meyer said. “A transmitter could feed the thing lines.”

“Examine it however you want,” Holloway said, to Meyer. “Run any sort of scanner you have over its body. You’ll be wasting your time, but if that’s what it takes, be my guest.”

“Your Honor, this mockery needs to stop now,” Meyer said, to Soltan.

“Quiet, Ms. Meyer,” Soltan snapped. Meyer quieted, and shot a poisonous look at Holloway. Holloway kept his face blank. Soltan sat silently at her desk, chewing over recent events.

“Your Honor,” Holloway prompted, after a minute. “You need to tell us what we’re doing now. And I need to know if I’m still under contempt.”

Soltan looked over at Holloway. “Mr. Holloway, if I find a single bit of evidence that this witness is anything but what you say it is, contempt charges are going to be the least of your problems.”

“Fair enough,” Holloway said. “But at least try to talk to the fuzzy first.” He and Meyer returned to their tables.

Soltan glanced down at the fuzzy, who still stood there, staring impassively at her. Soltan opened her mouth to speak, closed it, and got a look on her face that said, I can’t believe I’m doing this. She looked up again at Holloway.

“Does it have a name, Mr. Holloway?” Soltan asked.

“Why don’t you ask the fuzzy,” Holloway said.

Soltan looked back to the fuzzy. “Do you have a name?” she asked slowly.

“Yes,” the fuzzy said.

There was a pause after this before Soltan figured out that she might have to be more literal. “Please tell me your name,” she said.

“My name is,” and here there was a pause. “Jack Holloway calls me ‘Papa’ but that is not my name. My name is.”

Soltan looked up, confused. “I didn’t catch the name,” she said.

“You couldn’t,” Holloway said. “Fuzzy speech is spoken above the range of our hearing, remember. When it’s speaking to you in English, it’s talking at the absolute bottom of its vocal range.”

Soltan nodded. “May I call you Papa?” she asked the fuzzy.

“Jack Holloway calls me ‘Papa.’ You can call me ‘Papa,’” Papa said.

“How do you feel, Papa?” Soltan asked.

“I feel with my hands,” Papa said.

“You might want to try more direct questions,” Holloway said.

“All right,” Soltan said. “Papa, how do you speak our language?”

“With my mouth,” Papa said, and gave Soltan a look, as if wondering how she didn’t know either this, or how to feel.