Taking a deep breath, she brought all her will to bear to keep from shaking as she drew a document from the thin case she held at her side.
“Your Honor, I have here an affidavit from Cadet Olmeyer, who is currently attending the Academy.”
From the muttering behind her, she guessed that everyone in the room was craning their necks to find one Cadet Olmeyer. Olmeyer would love that. He had an ego that was bigger than his over-educated head.
“By way of credentials, Cadet Olmeyer is acknowledged by all of his instructors to be an expert in the field of still and video graphics. He has been at the top of his class five years running in Computer Programming and Manipulation. He helped create and develop Central’s video analysis system. His affidavit states that the surveillance video in question is of such low definition that even after all known enhancements have been utilized, no possible identification can be made of the alleged killer shown in this presentation. Cadet Olmeyer, who is also experienced in micro-analysis of—”
“Prosecution will accept the Cadet’s credentials,” McGruder said wearily. “With the qualification that we are talking about a Cadet, here, a student, and not an experienced professional in the field.”
“Thank you,” Hershey said. She let her gaze touch each of the Judges in turn.
“Since the uniform of a Judge could easily be counterfeited, since the badge and every other accessory can be duplicated, and since neither video nor audio in Prosecution’s clip can identify positively the accused in any way—or anyone else, for that matter—I repeat my objection to this video being entered as evidence in this case!”
She turned to McGruder, then to the table of Judges. “I am asking for a ruling, Your Honor!”
No one in the great Chamber moved. Behind the Judges’ table, Judge Esposito leaned to his left to whisper to Judge Silver. Silver looked thoughtful, then shook his head. Judge Griffin looked right at Dredd, his eyes unwavering, as if he might somehow draw Dredd’s thoughts from his head.
Chief Justice Fargo folded his hands on the table before him. He looked at himself in the dark, polished surface of the wood. It was a ritual he had practiced from the first day he had presided over the Council. The answer was always there. It was always the truth, it was always the Law, for the two were one and the same. Sometimes, the answer didn’t match his deep, personal feelings, the wisdom and insight he had gained from a lifetime of serving the Citizens of Mega-City. Still, it was the right decision, and he took great comfort in that. It was the one thing he could count on, the one thing he could trust in a dangerous and rapidly changing world.
Fargo slowly raised his head. He looked past the defendant and Hershey, past Judge McGruder and the media and the black-clad Judges. His gaze came to rest on the Cadets, the young men and women who held the future of the city in their hands. The Truth, the Law, his decision, was for them.
“Objection… sustained. I find the Prosecution’s video evidence inadmissable in this Tribunal.”
For a moment, the crowd seemed to hold its collective breath. Then the Chamber exploded in a burst of sound. Fargo’s gavel struck again and again, but no one seemed to hear. The cheers went on unabated, and the most raucous yells of all came from the Cadets.
Hershey leaned close to Dredd so he could hear her above the sound.
“Go ahead, tell me. I don’t mind.”
“Tell you what?”
“Admit it. You’re impressed.”
“Thanks. I’m impressed,” Dredd said.
“Hey. Unbound enthusiasm. I can hardly stand it, Dredd.”
Dredd looked straight ahead. “You think he’s through? You think that’s it?”
“No, I don’t think he’s through, I didn’t say that. Nevertheless—”
“Thanks, Hershey.”
“You already said that.”
“Now I’ve said it again.”
“What for?”
“In case you do something else.”
Hershey gave him a curious look. Did he mean that? Was he serious? Of course he is, she told herself, he’s Judge Dredd. Either that, or Dredd had made a joke. That, of course, was unthinkable, and she dismissed it from her mind at once.
FIFTEEN
Judge Dredd was right. The Prosecution wasn’t finished. McGruder was just getting started.
Chief Justice Fargo called a brief recess, and McGruder quickly went into a huddle with her staff. Hershey watched from the dias. She didn’t have any aids; there was no one to talk to but Dredd, and Dredd was stiff as a statue, looking straight ahead. She wondered what he was thinking. There had to be something going on in his head…
The sound of Fargo’s gavel echoed through the Chamber. The room went silent at once. McGruder stepped back up on the dias. She glanced calmly at Hershey, then faced the Judges’ table.
“Your Honor, in light of your ruling regarding evidence presented in this Tribunal, I am forced to move to technical evidence which I believe is of a most critical nature. I will need the Court’s permission to access documentation marked ‘Judge Secret’ from the Central Computer.”
Hershey felt something cold at the back of her neck. Dredd didn’t move. At the Judges’ table, Griffin leaned over to speak to Fargo. Fargo listened, then turned to Silver and Esposito. Finally, he spoke to McGruder and Hershey.
“The request is granted. You may proceed, Prosecutor.”
A slight, almost imperceptible shadow crossed McGruder’s face. Hershey caught it, and knew it for what it was at once.
She doesn’t want to do this. She doesn’t, but she can’t back away from what she’s found…
“Central, are you on-line?” McGruder said.
“On-line, Judge McGruder.”
The voice was feminine; it was a calm, reasonable, and soothing voice, that instilled both confidence and authority.
“I want you to access weapons schematics,” McGruder said. “Please describe the working of the standard Judge’s firearm, the Lawgiver Two, and especially its improvements over the earlier Lawgiver One.”
A rotating schematic of the Lawgiver, stark white on blue, appeared on the big screen at once.
“Seven years ago, the Lawgiver Model Two replaced the Model One. The difference between these models lies in two areas: The computer chip and the ammunition coding. Like the Model One, the computer chip in the Model Two recognizes the palmprint of its owner. An imposter’s hand will activate the weapon’s alarm…”
The schematic dissolved into an animated figure. The figure pressed the trigger of a Lawgiver and was promptly blown to bits in a clean, computer-generated explosion.
“… Model Two is somewhat different. It is coded to the personal DNA of the Judge using the weapon, via the skin’s contact with the grip. A failsafe security precaution…”
Hershey turned to Dredd. “Did you know about this?”
“No.”
“Neither did I. I don’t think anybody did.”
“… The DNA is obtained from my medical files and upgraded automatically every time the weapon is reloaded. Each time a round is chambered and fired, the projectile is tagged with that relevant DNA…”
No, no! Hershey could see the whole thing now, see it all coming together.
“Chief Justice,” she said suddenly, “the Defense was unaware of this information. I’m sure everybody else here is unaware of it, too.”