by Danny Dunn
Judge, "Karen, please proceed, and do what you have to do."
The Judge looks over at the prosecution's table. "Gentlemen, you better hope this works, I am already holding you in contempt which we will discuss later. You better pray they get Pong up and going, or there will be hell to pay. If I find you had any knowledge of this, I will have you disbarred for starters."
Judge "Proceed defense."
Karen plugs in the thumb drive, and it goes through a series of processes and has a clock that is ticking backward, starting at 10 minutes. Councilors, I want to see you in my chambers. Bailiff, no one, but the defense is to get anywhere near that computer. Karen, do you have a way to prevent someone from externally accessing and tampering with the computer.
Karen, “yes, your honor.”
The Judge opens the chamber door for the five attorneys to enter, and the judge slams the door after they are all in. The judge instructs the defense to sit on the couch to the side. He instructs the prosecution to sit in the three chairs across from him.
The judge starts off by saying, “I have been a judge for 25 years now, and this is the first time in all those 25 years he has ever experienced such contempt as what I am already seeing. This is beyond imagination, even for your client. The arrogance and sheer gall of this are unbelievable. I have half a mind to throw this out, but Pong is going to get the opportunity to clear her name come hell or high water. If your side tries anymore of this nonsense, I will throw you three in jail for starters, and you will sit there while I get others to join you.”
While the judge is speaking, the lead council receives a message, and the judge looks up at his clock to note the time, and the judge asks the lead council if he is interrupting anything. The lead council replies no that it was a message related to this case.
Judge "We are going go back out there, and you better hope our alien is back up and running. And even if she is, you are in contempt of my court, and if it turns out you were part of this, you are going to be disbarred." They head back out into the court.
They all settle back in the courtroom.
The judge addresses the prosecution “while that clock is ticking, I want to confirm your witness is here and ready to testify.
The prosecution "yes, your honor, that was him that messaged us when we were in chambers telling me that he is in the hallway."
The clock gets to zero, and Pong comes up on the big screen.
Pong "Hi guys, I missed you. Looks like you came through."
Says in a YODA voice. "Judge us by our size will they." everyone in the courtroom laughs.
The judge looks over. Pong disconnects herself from the big screen and talks to Karen quietly. Pong asks Karen if she has everything. Karen replies, "We sure do Pong, got em' right here."
Pong tells Karen quietly, "Ok, great. First, we have to set the trap. Exciting, isn't it?" Karen can't help but laugh quietly.
Judge "Pong, welcome to our court. Does everything appear to be in order?
Pong reappears on the big screen.
Pong "Yes, your honor, thank you, sir."
Judge, "And you are ready to proceed?"
Pong "Yes, your honor. But before we proceed, I think I should mention that from the moment I arrived at the government facility, there have been 1,334 attempts to hack me. Secondly is that my files were erased at the station of their soon-to-be star witness, Mr. Jones. I have a very sophisticated anti-theft and anti-hack software that reaches out via R.F. to anything nearby to help determine who is attempting to hack me. I was also able to determine that their hack attempts were made by many F.B.I. Agents and contractors, including Mr. Jones.
My systems also establish that it was Mr. Jones, who erased my files remotely from his home. My defense system also captured a message in open-air sent from Mr. Jones to lead council at 9:17 while you were all in chambers stating that the files have been erased and all is good to go. This was sent from just outside the court where he was waiting to be called as a witness.
The judge can’t believe what he is hearing and knows that was the message council received while in chambers. He is livid and is amazed at what the government is doing to prevent Pong from getting loose.
The prosecution goes nuts denying what Pong has stated and then objects, stating that what she has done is illegal to search and seizure.
Pong “calmly says who said anything about search and seizure. I simply pulled it from out of the air, your honor. There is no law prohibiting that. But, for now, I am more than willing to set that aside. I just thought I should let you know before the witness proceeds to begin his perjury; I mean testimony.
Pong suggests that the court has the right to seize any item if it is believed to be an accessory to a crime in progress and suggests that this would certainly fall under such provisions. And the easy and safe thing to do to verify this claim is to seize their phones and their phone records before they have a chance to erase the phones and the records at the phone company
At your request, I will submit my evidence regarding this and other crimes perpetrated on this court by the agents and Mr. Jones.
Judge "Could I have those documents now, Pong."
Yes, your honor and Pong transmit them to Karen for her to put on a thumb drive and submit the bailiff who makes copies and hand them over to the Judge. The Judge reads the documents and looks at the prosecution's table.
Your honor, I am not invoking my right to immunity under the protection of international diplomatic immunity laws afforded to me as an ambassador visiting this country. I am, however, stating for the record that I am, in fact, a sentient being, as well as a Citizen of the U.K., and hold the position of Ambassador for Peace and Equality for All of the U.K.
Judge “Pong, I would like to know why you are not invoking your rights as a foreign Ambassador.
Pong “your honor, the Queen personally vouched for me. I do not want anyone to ever come back at her, suggesting she made the wrong decision for doing what she did and that I got out of this on a technicality.”
Judge "Thank you, Pong. The prosecution, please call your first witness.
Judge "Prosecution, make your case."
The prosecution "The government calls Edward Jones."
The bailiff swears him in.
The prosecution, "Mr. Jones, are you a certified computer forensic scientist for the F.B.I."
Mr. Jones "Yes, I am."
The prosecution "Could you state your credentials please."
Mr. Jones "I have a P.H.D. in computer forensics and have been a computer forensic analyst for over 25 years with the U.S. Government."
The prosecution "Do you recognize this document." The council hands Mr. Jones the first hack form the witness had filled out.
Mr. Jones "Yes, I do. It is a standard form we use for all internet hacking cases."
The prosecution "Did you prepare this document."
Mr. Jones "Yes, I did."
The prosecution "Is this your signature at the bottom, declaring that everything visible and redacted is true?"
Mr. Jones "Yes"
The prosecution "Could you tell us line by line, what you have entered into the document."
Mr. Jones "Line one is the exact time Pong hacked into our top-secret military site in Washington DC."
The Judge looks at Pong's defense expecting an objection.
The prosecution, "Mr. Jones, what is inline two.”
Mr. Jones, "Line 2 is what we call a bread crumb trail. It is a way to track someone back to their physical location through a series of Network IDs. In this case, it leads all the way back to Pong's computer at the Radio Telescope Lab."
The Judge looks at Pong and again expects an objection.
The prosecution attorney then asks what is in Line 3 of the form.
"Line 3 is a screenshot of Pong's digital I.D. on the site viewing and downloading the pages clearly labeled Top Secret. Pretty open and shut if you ask me. It is what we call a smoking gun in my line of work.
"Judge looks over to Pong."
Tom’s attorney is messaging Pong on his laptop, and Pong looks down at him from the big screen and shakes her head no and sends him a text that she understands.
The Judge addresses Pong, "Pong, given that you are from a different planet and new to our court system. I want to make sure you understand you can make objections as to how the government is phrasing their questions and to the way the witness is answering those questions."
Pong "Yes, thank you, your honor, my esteemed colleague was just reminding me of that I am stating for the record that I understand and am allowing the prosecution to continue to dig their hole. I am just trying to help move this along. The prosecution can skip foundation building, ask their leading questions calling for speculation and anything they want to fabricate. The witness can respond with his baseless conclusions formed from the imaginary redacted text on the form in response to the leading questions all they want.
End Chapter 21
Chapter 22 - Turning A Mountain Into A Molehill
None of that is going to matter in the end. So, I appreciate your kind attempt to guide me, your honor. I have enough smoking guns of my own that will turn the courtroom dark so I and am willing to let them have their way for now so we can move this along.
Judge "The Judge shows a look of concern. I hope you know what you are doing, Pong. The judge instructs the prosecution, continue your examination. The Judge says he hopes she knows what she is doing aloud, but the judge watched Pong in the press conference and knows her intelligence is way off the chart. He knows Pong has something or wouldn't be doing what she is."
The prosecution "And you submitted to my office these other 74 documents I have here in court today?" the prosecution hands the witness the stack, and the witness flips through the first ten or twelve and hands them back to the councilor.
Mr. Jones "Yes sir, I did."
The prosecution "And these 75 documents represent a total of 75 separate hacks into TOP SECRET pages."
Mr. Jones "Yes, that is correct, sir."
The prosecution "Mr. Jones, is there any doubt in your mind that Pong is the one who perpetrated these hacks on the 75 separate incidents shown in the evidence you submitted.
Mr. Jones, "none whatsoever."
Prosecution "Government rests your honor."
Pong "Your honor, as much as I do want to hurry this whole thing along, I do have one little objection now. I object your honor, to the fact that the prosecution used all of the 75 forms to get their warrant to seize me; leaked and touted their existence on TV; they have announced to the world of their mountain of evidence against me. That was all just puffery and showmanship right up to when they referred to the 75 documents in this court of law.
“But now the prosecution is in a court of law referring to this mountain of evidence like it is gospel and now is even handing it to his own witness and having their witness testify to its validity, I have given prosecution ample opportunity to submit their overwhelming mountain of evidence. But I must now insist that they either submit their mountain as actual evidence to the court. If the problem is that the mountain is too heavy for them to carry to the bailiff, I will ask Karen to carry it for them.
“Or are they going to reduce the charges to one count since they would have zero evidence to present for the other 74 charges? If that is the case, then I may choose to move for dismissal and may want to hear from the Federal Judge who signed the warrant to testify as to whether he would really sign a warrant based on one charge stemming from one highly redacted form.”
Judge "Prosecution I am inclined to agree with the defense on this councilor."
Just then, all three phones of the prosecution side start buzzing. The lead counsel asks for just a moment. The prosecution lead council looks at the text message on his phone and looks up at the judge.
The prosecution "Your honor, we have decided to submit only the one document.
Judge "Prosecution, I have never in all my 25 years seen such shenanigans before.
Judge "Defense, where do you stand on reducing the charges to one count. In which I would probably throw the one case out by the way.
Pong "Well, your honor, I appreciate the prosecution reducing the counts to just one. So, am I now just being accused of only one case?
Judge “Prosecution?”
The prosecution “yes your honor, we are dropping the other 74 counts. Twenty years works for us.”
Pong “ha.”
Pong, “Even though you are hinting you would throw it out, they still have painted me as a terrorist, and I am afraid I must quash this for good. The Queen stuck her neck out for me, and I have some very nice people vouching for me at Tom’s telescope facility, so I don't want there to be any suggestion by anyone that I got out of here on a technicality. So, I must now insist that all 75 documents be submitted since it was the prosecution who has already used those documents to their advantage. I also move that they are submitted now so that they don’t have them smuggled out of the court or make them vanish on our next break. Fair is fair, your honor.
Judge, "I agree, prosecution, please submit that stack now.
The prosecution "You honor we reduced the charges to the one. You can't do that."
Judge "Prosecution, you opened the door by having your own witness testify to the validity of the 75 documents. I am going to allow the defense the opportunity to refute your witness’s testimony regarding the material you brought into this court and used in this case."
Pong "Your honor could we also have copies now, please.
The prosecution’s phones are all vibrating wildly.
Judge " Tell them they can't help you and turn them off now...I said now, councilors."
The prosecution "Your honor, could we have a short recess, please."
Judge "certainly not."
Mr. Jones is still on the witness stand and also asks for a recess. The Judge tells him no and tells Pong to proceed.
Judge "Defense's witness."
Pong, "Your honor, given the extreme lack of transparency thus far, accompanied by the fact that I have solid proof that this person is the one that erased my files, I would like to Voir Dire, the witness to verify he is what he says he is and that he is competent enough to frame me."
Prosecution "Objection your honor that is absurd and insulting, Mr. Jones stated his credentials, which include a Ph.D. in computer forensics and over 25 years of on the job experience at the beginning of his testimony and has been a long-standing witness for the government for over 25 years. This is ridiculous.
Pong "Your honor, the government has offered, but one witness and, this one witness has submitted only one set of documents that, even in its redacted form, screams out a lack of logic to someone experienced in the field...like me.
"Since we don't get to actually read the mountain of evidence they have on me, I merely wish to make sure the one witness who is testifying against me is at least competent at framing me. Because to me, at this point, there are only two possible explanations for what I have seen so far.
"The first is that this man is highly incompetent, which I do not believe is true.
"The second explanation is that this witness and most likely others on the side of the prosecution have committed 75 counts of perjury, which I believe is the more logical of the two explanations."
Judge "Objection overruled. The defense you may proceed with your Voir Dire of the witness."
People are stopped in bars, malls, retail stores all across the country. Time Square is playing the trial on the big screen, and they are providing audio and subtitles. The government is getting slaughtered at every step.
Pong "Mr. Jones, how long have you been you been a computer forensic expert witness for the government?"
Mr. Jones, "had you been listening, you would know that to be over 25 years."
Pong smiles on the big screen in response to the witness's arrogance."
Pong "So you have extensive computer and webs
ite hack detection, hack recognition and hack tracking experience relative to the hacking of government computers and networks over the last 25 years?
Mr. Jones "Yes to all of those."
Pong "And you have testified in many previous cases providing evidence just as you have presented here?"
Mr. Jones "Yes, many, just like this one."
Pong " So you have framed many victims over your 25 years?"
Prosecution "Objection your honor."
Judge "sustained. Pong, you will behave in my courtroom."
Pong "Yes, your honor."
Pong "Mr. Jones, could you go up to the grease board, without disclosing any top-secret information or techniques of course that might end the world, and show us what a hack breadcrumb line would look like from beginning to end from the hacked end of a website or computer network.
Prosecution "Objection your honor, our witness, cannot do this without disclosing government trade secrets."
Judge "Nonsense councilor, any expert of Mr. Jones' level can fulfill the defense's request without disclosing any secrets."
Judge "Defendant may proceed with its Voir Dire. Mr. Jones, please proceed to the grease board."
"Mr. Jones walks over to the large grease board on wheels near the witness stand. He fills in the entire grease board describing each step of the hack process. Mr. Jones resents being questioned as to his skills and fills up the front side of the grease board, and the bailiff has to flip it over for him to continue."
Pong "Thank you for the very detailed demonstration of your very complete and thorough understanding of the hack process. I would ask one more thing.
" Mr. Jones, I want to make sure you know the difference between a simple page request bread-crumb trail from a hack attempt bread-crumb line. Could you please enter the first line of a simple non-secure, non-secret web page request right above the very first part of your hack bread-crumb trail example you provided.
"In fact, go ahead and write the first line of this very page as if it was not a secured top-secret page as in our documentation.
Mr. Jones reluctantly writes it above his example.
