America 1982-Chapter 196 - 73: Angels and Demons_2

"I will, brother, they have misunderstood me. I don’t sympathize with black people. I will explain this to them and persuade them to learn from me," Tommy said to his older brother Eric with a smile.

Eric nodded seriously, "I believe you, because you, you scoundrel, are always so confident."

"Let me in," Tommy said firmly as he high-fived Eric.

Eric took out a black silk blindfold with the SSD badge printed on it and personally blindfolded Tommy, making sure he couldn’t see anything, before leading him by the hand and pushing open the door in front of them.

"Recruitment Chairman of the SSD Stanford Branch, Eric Bell, personally delivers my brother, Tommy Hawk, also from the SSD Stanford Branch, here to face the questioning of you all."

Inside the door was a large, dark hall, its windows shrouded in black curtains, and figures in white robes filled the round table that encircled the room.

The only light came from a small candle lit in front of each person, illuminating only a small space directly before them.

In the center of the hall, a solitary square table was placed with a candle brighter than the others, sufficient for everyone in the room to see Tommy’s face and also serving to guide Eric.

Eric brought Tommy to the square table to take a seat before rising to leave.

As the door closed, he heard a voice inside say, "Tommy Hawk, what does the last sentence on the last page of the manual tell you when you joined the SSD?"

"Jehovah says, ’I swear by my own life, and those who despise my oath and break my covenant, I will hold them accountable for their sin,’" Tommy spoke calmly.

Another stern voice asked, "At this moment, in this secret chamber, all are your SSD brothers. Are you willing to swear that you will not lie, deceive, or be anything but honest with them?"

"I am willing."

...

In the Capitol Building in Washington, Tommy Hawk, guarded by Delia and two renowned California attorneys and guest professors from Stanford Law School, walked through the hall filled with the flashing lights and torrent of media journalists to enter Senate Hearing Room No. 3. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

In reality, the presence of the three attorneys was not of great practical importance. At most, they could prompt Tommy with their eyes or subtle hand gestures to choose his words carefully, taking care not to be caught on camera. Their role was also to monitor Tommy’s state, ready to request a break from the convener if they noticed his psychological defenses being overwhelmed by the barrage of questions.

Their main significance was symbolic. Although only Delia accompanied Tommy into the hearing room, the other two lawyers could wait in the hall for news and take the opportunity to interact with the waiting media journalists, expressing Stanford’s support and views for their student.

The hearing room was not large, and it felt even more oppressive when crammed full of senators, aides, recorders, and reporters from a few television stations granted authorization to record the entire proceeding. This left the person at the center of the room—at the hearing table, passively receiving questioning—feeling suffocated, with an urge to flee the scene.

It is said that many who attend a hearing don’t have a psychological breakdown due to a single question but because they don’t know how much longer they’ll be restricted to that confining table, barely two meters wide, in such an oppressive atmosphere, leading to a sense of despair.

Once they can’t take the pressure, even if it’s just a normal desire to adjust their emotions and rest, the media tends to magnify it as a psychological breakdown, avoidance of questions, or seeking evasive answers from lawyers, which can easily worsen the public’s perception.

A hearing is a battle of willpower, against the opposition, and against oneself.

High above Tommy Hawk’s position, at least fifty centimeters higher, the chairman of the Joint Committee on Computer Development, Van Stan, and five senior committee members looked down indifferently at the young man below.

Once Tommy Hawk had settled in his seat, Van Stan signaled the assembly to be seated and quiet before speaking to Tommy Hawk in a somber tone:

"Mr. Tommy Hawk, before this hearing officially begins, you need to take an oath. Please raise your right hand and swear that all of your statements in this hearing are without any concealment, lies, or deception. If any such issues arise, you will face dual penalties, legal and moral."

Tommy Hawk raised his right hand and looked directly into the eyes of the other, speaking slowly, "I am willing."

...

"Do you sympathize with black people, Tommy?" came a question from the darkness.

Tommy Hawk replied casually, "No, I come from a small rural area in Warwick, Rhode Island. My great-grandfather was the vice president of the Warwick City 3K Party Death Benefit Association. Every time they burned a black person, he would proudly record it in his ledger. Thanks to my great-grandfather and his companions, black people in Rhode Island are even rarer than the animals in the zoo. This makes it impossible for me to sympathize with black people, as there are none in Warwick."

"But you have participated in many interviews, and you have never publicly expressed dissatisfaction with black people; instead, you show a closeness that makes your SSD brothers uncomfortable. From its inception, the SSD has made its stance clear, which is that it will never admit any person of color into the organization. Publicly, you are engaging in actions that are diametrically opposed to the SSD. Are you preparing to break your oath and leave the SSD?" a voice asked, hoarse with tension.