14 - Take

"Shall we have the prosecuting counsel?"

The Magistrate called, his black robe reaching to the rise of his legs. His to matched shoes and somewhat white, somewhat gold wig.

He pushed his glasses down till twas lapping on the broad nose. He dropped his pen and pushed the gavel aside. He looked towards his front, at the left, ignoring the Witness box, Associates Desk and Bar Table.

The prosecutor, a man in the death of his forty stood up. His beard drooping and a handkerchief in his left hand. He had a piece of an A4 dressed with the rage of the ink of a pen in the other hand and adjusted his tie.

"My Lord, put it simply as it ought to be. We are all here to witness what the government would say about that fellow, the acclaimed professor."

He said pointing towards the Defense counsel by his right, where the professor was seated.

"Pointing is an offense of indeliberate shift of the mental ken from the appropriate position."

The professor said, eating up the prosecutor with the costly smile he had ever made.

"Be quiet, Mr professor. And to the prosecutor, be conscious of your gestures towards everyone here."

The Magistrate hit the gravel on the table, put it down and watched the prosecutor continue.

"Though we have no background check of this fellow, the professor..."

The defendant counsel, the attorney speaking for the Professor stood up. He was much more younger than the prosecutor and seemed reserved. His chin and jaw clean.

He did speak amidst smiles, irrespective how annoying or arousing whatever he would say was.

You could bet that the professor had a strong taste a spicy taste.

"If I may, my Lord."

He intruded, looking at the Magistrate.

"You may."

He got the Magistrate's approval and rode on it.

"I'd love the court to make it clear to the prosecutor that the word "fellow" used on my client is quiet disproving and found annoying by the latter. Let the former therefore address the latter by the name given to the court by the latter. Thank you."

He sat down,his face still on the Magistrate. No matter what the prosecutor had to say, he didn't look. Only the professor did look.

"Take note of that, prosecutor. Proceed."

The Magistrate added, picked up his pen and fiddled with it. Then he dropped it to catch what the prosecutor had to say.

"Mr Professor ..."

"The professor!"

Cut in, the professor. The Magistrate was the one who picked up the course even before the prosecutor,

"Tame your client, defending attorney. It might cost him his voice in this courtroom."

The Magistrate put down his gavel again and sat up. Two men were by his right, a man and woman by his left.

The case was more than what could be addressed or determined by one head. Twas a case of plumes and rages. The government game and the race of intelligence. A sea with many stray waves.

"If I may, my Lord."

The defending attorney stood up. His sheepish smile cutting through the sanity of the courtroom.

"You may."

Said the Magistrate. The attorney continued,

"I'd love this courtroom to respect the dignity and integrity of the heart of my client. He had only added for clarification. In my file here, I have "The Professor" entered as his submitted name, which I'm sure is the same with both the prosecutor and you, My Lord. My words, my Lord."

The attorney retired to his seat while the Magistrate waved the prosecutor to continue and added,

"Prosecutor, proceed."

The professor whispered into the right ear of his attorney and the fellow looked at him and smiled. He resumed his gaze on the Magistrate while the professor turned to listen to the upfront prosecutor,

"The professor, so I'm told, has been a thorn in the flesh of the government and by extension, a threat to not only the American government but the world's."

"Owning my argument to the recent uproar and malady stirred by the Professor, many people are now rebellious. And of course we would have the leader, the initiator of the program to be blamed."

The professor looked at his attorney, wanting him to hop on the discourse but he only smiled. His time would come of course.

"He, the professor, was so determined on this movement and went ahead to take all his followers to the Rhodes Island to probably perpetuate some hidden agendas, which of course is bound to be, like a terrorist would do."

"Despite the odds of the Aliens who had threatened to come and make our planet bow to them in destruction, he hightens what is close to treachery. According to him, he owns a solution to the problem and could save the world. He probably is saying that he is the second Coming of Jesus Christ according to the Christians."

"My Lord, I'm in no position to tell the court what to do. But if I'm allowed to say, this is obviously tantamount to treachery and typical of what Osama Bin Laden would do to the world and would do to the great America if he were alive. I stop now my Lord. More to come."

The prosecutor sat and looked at the professor, wearing him out with the I'll-show-you-who-owns-America kinda smile.

"The defending counsel, speak."

The Magistrate called, and the Lord of smile assumed his stance,

"Permit me my Lord to identify some of the wrong accusations and offensive words which smears Human Rights which the Prosecutor had used."

He started, smiling at the Magistrate who nodded him a yes.

"Thank you, my Lord. One, talking about my client being rebellious and making others so, the prosecutor tries to deny sane Americans of their right of choice, if I got his point correctly."

He slurped the air in as the professor looked at the prosecutor and gave him the I've-got-the-best-attorney-ever-kinda-smile,

"Two, the prosecutor clearly stated his personal feud, which is quite unprofessional, with my client by pinpointedly calling my client, a terrorist twice, with no prove of killing, destruction and abduction which are typical of all terrorists, using his example, Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden."

The prosecutor was looking into his book. You can't be sure why though, probably out of the shame of defeat or trying to figure out what points he could use against the defending attorney.

The defending attorney continued,

"To state clearly my main point, my Lord. My client is a man of his freewill who has no any background record of any wrongdoings. He only proposed an idea of his belief. And the court will agree with that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says that everyone in the United States has the right to practice his or her own religion, or no religion at all. The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment prohibits government from encouraging or promoting ("establishing") religion in any way."

"So, talking about the solutions to the alien problems, which obviously is what the masses need, many followed him out of their OWN WILLS. Without coercion or force, I see no reason why that should be an offense. I sit now, my Lord."

The attorney sat down.

There was a noise in the courtyard from the Galerie publique. Majority of them seemed to approve of what the defending attorney had said. Quiet a rebellion to the state.

The Magistrate hit the gravel on the table. Peace and quiet reclaimed their stance. He took his turn,

"Having heard from the two attorneys, the court has come to an inconclusive conclusion which opens a room for the second Hearing. On the 27th of this present month, we'll be here for both the Second Hearing and the court decision. Till then, facts and proofs are peps in the steps of a case."

He stood up while a call came in and everyone mimicked.

The defending attorney could hardly stop after he had shook hands with the prosecutor, but the professor was being flooded by the populace.

Probably his new converts.

The prosecutor looked at him in detest.