When Good Toys Go Bad (10 page)

“I don’t care if I go to jail. You just make sure Kai stays intact.”

“Darra, you’re in enough trouble because of me.” Kai turned to Marjin. “Keep her safe. What happens to me is of no consequence.”

“Listen to the two of you. Like I said, we’re going to make sure nothing bad happens to either of you. Kai, you need to remain silent when you’re not on the stand. They won’t tolerate any outbursts. That goes for you too, Darra. Try and keep your cool in court.”

The courtroom was filled to capacity. Three hundred people must have filled both the main floor and the balconies. The crowd was broken into two groups. The pro-Consortium crowd sat behind the prosecution’s table, looking as if they were the androids in their identical gray skirts and jackets and, regardless of race, blonde buns. These women needed to develop their individual senses of style. To the left, behind the defense’s table and sporting every hair color imaginable, was the anti-Consortium group. No mistaking their nonconformity—some even wore pants!

There was no denying who built the courthouse. The Consortium architectural signature was evident in every inch. The floors shone with highly polished, white faux marble, incredibly clean despite the heavy foot traffic. At the front of the semicircular room stood a simple, brushed chrome dais for the magistrate and her seconds. The benches for the lower-level audience were of the same material, as were the prosecution and defense tables. In fact, the only unique piece of furniture in the room was the jury box. It was an austere brown, standing out among the white and chrome almost as much as our supporters stood out from the sea of blonde across the aisle.

I was pleased to see my parents sitting on the defense’s side of the room, along with Brynn, who smiled back at me from the front row. Kai touched my hand before they escorted him to his seat, where two guards stood watch over him. They led me to my chair at the defense table. Brynn reached over the short railing and placed her hand on my shoulder, which elicited a growl from the guard at the end of her row.

The courtroom guard, or CG, appeared from the magistrate’s door on the wall behind the dais. “All rise.”

A collective shuffle echoed through the room as the large crowd rose to its feet. The magistrate in her blue robe, and her seconds in their silver ones, entered the courtroom and took their places on the dais.

“Bring in the jury,” the CG instructed.

They filed in, ten of my so-called peers, all in gray, all with hair in buns, and all, I feared, pro-Consortium.

Built into the top of the prosecution and defense tables were interactive displays. Marjin was busy rearranging her documents. She didn’t even look up when the jury entered the room. I was quite impressed at how deftly she resized and rearranged everything on her display, giving her easy access to any information she might need.

“They’re all Consortium,” I said in a hushed tone.

“Doesn’t matter,” Marjin replied, her eyes still fixed on the display.

The last juror took her seat. “Be seated,” the CG said and glanced down at her pad. “Magistrate—we’re here to adjudicate the case of Darra Athol. She is accused of stealing Consortium property, resisting arrest and aiding a fugitive. Sarina Fleck will be presenting for The Consortium and Marjin Grak will be presenting the rebuttal. The jury has been sworn in, and we are ready to start at your leisure.”

“Is The Consortium prepared to present their case?” the magistrate asked.

“I am, Magistrate.”

“Is the defense prepared to present their rebuttal?”

Marjin looked up from her display. “I am, Magistrate.”

“Ms. Grak, I trust there will be none of your antics in my courtroom.”

“No, Magistrate.”

“Very well, I declare the case of The Consortium versus Darra Athol begun. Ms. Fleck, you may call your first witness.”

“The Consortium calls Marby Shane to the stand.”

A slender woman in her mid-thirties crossed from The Consortium side of the courtroom and stood in the witness box located between the two tables.

“Raise your right hand,” the CG instructed. “Do you, as a citizen of Earth and this commonwealth, swear the testimony you provide will be truthful and accurate to the best of your knowledge?”

“I do,” she declared in a strong, confident voice.

Sarina Fleck rose and walked toward the witness box. “Ms. Shane, can you please tell me your profession?”

“I’m in charge of The Consortium ADR fulfillment for the Northeast Commonwealth.”

“And what are ADRs?”

“Android Domestic Rentals. We supply domestics, which perform various household duties.”

“And the Kai series—” she pointed at Kai, “—what were they designed to do?”

“Multiple tasks.”

“Is there one task that is unique to this series?”

“Yes. They are programmed, as far as we have been able to determine, to simulate the male sexual response.”

“So they are sexbots.”

“Among other things.”

“Ms. Shane, can you tell me, from your records, how many times Ms. Athol requested the services of this particular sexbot?”

Marjin shot to her feet. “Objection, Magistrate. Prejudicial and inflammatory.”

“Sustained. Ms. Fleck, you will keep decorum in my courtroom.”

“Understood, Magistrate. I apologize. I’ll rephrase the question.

“Can you tell me how many times the defendant requested this particular android?” She handed the witness a Consortium workpad.

After a few quick taps on the pad the woman announced, “Fourteen times—fifteen if you count the time she stole it.”

A murmur passed around the courtroom. One woman said, “Pervert,” loud enough for me to hear.

“Objection, Magistrate.” Marjin made no attempt to hide her contempt.

The magistrate didn’t wait for Marjin to specify her objection. “Sustained. The witness will refrain from drawing conclusions in this case. The jury will disregard the use of the word ‘stole’.”

“Thank you, Magistrate.”

“Ms. Shane,” the prosecutor began again, “can you tell me the last time Ms. Athol ordered the services of your android?”

“Four days ago.”

“And how long was the service contract for?”

“Twenty-four hours.”

“And how long did she keep the android?”

“As of today, one hundred and six hours.”

“Did you try to contact Ms. Athol to retrieve your property?”

“I sent a notice when the return was ten hours late. After forty-eight hours, I sent the contract over to security and collections. I only handle standard paperwork.”

“So, just to clarify, Ms. Shane, it is your testimony that Ms. Athol did not return the android when she was supposed to
and
that she did not respond to your reminder.”

“Correct.”

“Thank you, Ms. Shane. I have no further questions.”

“Ms. Grak, you may cross-examine.”

“I have no questions for this witness, Magistrate.”

There was whispering in the courtroom as Marby Shane left the witness box. I scanned the front row. Brynn shrugged her shoulders. She was trying to put on a brave front for me, but the twitch in her upper lip told me she was concerned. My parents had never learned the art of hiding their emotions, and they stared at me with looks of confusion and concern. Marjin, on the other hand, remained engrossed in the contents of display in front of her.

“I hope my trial is not disturbing your reading,” I hissed.

“Don’t worry. Her testimony is not relevant to the case.” She put a hand on my arm and whispered, “Wait for it…”

“Very well,” the magistrate said, “you may call your next witness, Ms. Fleck.”

“The Consortium calls the android Kai to the stand.”

“Gotcha,” Marjin declared under her breath.

Chapter Ten

Kai met my eyes, questioning. I smiled and nodded my head. Then he navigated through the rows of benches with ease until he was standing in the witness box. He was devastatingly handsome in his new suit.

The CG approached him. “Raise your right hand…” She paused for him to comply. “Do you as a citizen of Earth…”

“Objection!” Marjin was on her feet, hands on her desk in an offensive stance.

The magistrate’s eyebrows migrated toward each other. “You can’t object to the Oath of Citizenship!”

“I can if it’s being administered to a piece of property my client is accused of stealing. The Consortium can’t have it both ways. If Kai’s a simple machine and not responsible for his own actions, then he cannot testify against my client.”

“Magistrate—really,” the prosecutor whined. “We did not ask that the oath be administered.” She dropped her shoulders and sighed in an exaggerated show of indignation. “This android has a complete record of everything that has ever happened to it. Is it not easier to access the data directly from the source, than to download it, have the information analyzed and then question the technician? Also, the download might damage the android’s memory, which is in direct violation of your order that its condition must be as it was when we retrieved our property. Ms. Grak is making a mockery of your court. Don’t let her antics interfere with the expediency of this trial.”

“I don’t appreciate the tone, Ms. Fleck. You did call him to the stand instead of trying to admit him into evidence. You walked right into that one. Ms. Grak makes a good point. You opened yourself up the question of his status.”

Marjin made a large, sweeping gesture with her hands. “I move for an immediate dismissal, Magistrate. Clearly this man can think for himself. Therefore, it was his decision to run away as opposed to being stolen by my client.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, Ms. Grak. Though I do believe this is a matter that needs to be cleared up before this case can continue. I believe the issue of Mr.—um—Kai’s status is on the docket to be adjudicated next week. I think we will move onto that case and postpone Miss Athol’s case pending the outcome.”

Sarina Fleck jumped to her feet, panic-stricken. “I object.”

“On what grounds, Ms. Fleck?”

The three women at the prosecution table whispered frantically, all of them pointing at their display screen.

The prosecutor straightened her jacket and squared her shoulders. “This is obviously one of Ms. Grak’s courtroom stunts. She’s making a circus of your court.”

The magistrate’s eyes narrowed. “First of all, Ms. Fleck, that’s not a valid legal ground for an objection. Second of all, I will judge whether someone is trying to make a circus of my courtroom or not.”

“I apologize, Magistrate,” the prosecutor said contritely. “We respectfully request time to prepare.”

“Very well. You have until this afternoon.” The magistrate brought her marble gavel down on the metal dais with a loud ping. “This court will recess until thirteen hundred hours, when we will reconvene to hear the case of the android Kai’s status.”

Half the room erupted in applause and the other half in boos and hisses.

“There will be peace in my courtroom!” She brought the gavel down again and the crowd silenced. “That’s better. I will clear the courtroom if there’s another outburst.”

The magistrate nodded to the CG, who called, “All rise,” as the magistrate exited. The moment the door closed behind her, the courtroom erupted.

I could tell by the smile on Marjin’s face that something positive had happened. Despite that, dread settled in the pit of my stomach when I saw the guards lead Kai out of the courtroom. I pushed back the urge to break away and run after him. The only thing helping me to maintain my sanity was the tender expression on Kai’s face as he looked at me on his way out of the courtroom. I took a deep breath and prayed we would still be taken to the same cell.

“It’s time to go now,” one of the guards barked at me.

Marjin put a reassuring hand on my arm. “Don’t worry. Things are definitely looking up.”

I mouthed a thank you as the brutish guard grabbed my arm, leading me from my place behind the defense table.

I let out a cry of relief when the door to the cell flickered open and I saw Kai there waiting for me. Jerking myself free from the guard’s hold, I launched myself through the doorway and into his arms. Tears stung my eyes, and I heard the door shimmer closed.

“This was her plan all along,” I whispered into his ear. “She wants to get your case heard first.”

“Then I guess her plan worked,” Kai said with a grin, pulling me in for a kiss.

“The prosecution calls the android Kai.”

Kai winked at me as he walked confidently to the witness box. I wished I had his certainty—or his naiveté. The last thing he said before the guards returned to take us to the courtroom was, “Everything will work out, don’t worry.” His telling me not to worry was not only impossible but also laughable.

The CG began to administer the Oath of Citizenship to Kai. This time it was the prosecution’s turn to object.

“Your honor, giving this machine the oath is disrespectful.”

“Again, Ms. Fleck, I’ll decide what’s disrespectful in my court. But, for brevity’s sake… Mr. Kai, do you promise to tell only the truth?”