When Good Toys Go Bad (12 page)

They brought me, Kai and Marjin back to an anteroom. The same guard begrudgingly took our meal order. Kai, either because he wanted to annoy the guard, or because he genuinely had become fascinated with tastes, ordered a large bowl of chili. My stomach was too nervous to eat a big meal. I simply ordered a sandwich, as did Marjin.

When the guard left, I sat in Kai’s lap. He wrapped his strong arms around me. I felt more hopeful and safe than I had since this odyssey began.

“Did you see what that half-witted guard did to Brynn? She should be brought up on charges, stupid gorilla.”

“Yeah, all the guards are pro-Consortium thugs,” Marjin replied. She stood, seemingly lost in thought.

“I’m sorry for doubting you, Marjin. I was really convinced you had your own agenda and didn’t care what happened to us.” My comment snapped her out of her thoughts, and she looked up.

Marjin sat down across the table from us. “You were right to think I had my own agenda, but that didn’t matter because it coincides with seeing Kai declared a citizen and you a free woman. Any day I can bring attention to The Consortium’s hold on our society or bloody their nose is a good day for me. The one thing you were wrong about is I do care very much about what happens to the two of you.”

“The jury is obviously pro-Consortium. Do you think we did enough to sway them?” I asked as the guard entered the room with our food.

“If they’re women of conscience, we did.”

The guard looked as though she were sucking on a lemon, disdain dripping from her lips. She dropped our plates on the table in front of us and left.

The three of us ate and made small talk for the rest of the hour. I think they were trying to keep my mind occupied. At 17:55 the guards came in to take us back to the courtroom. They seemed to take sinister delight in separating Kai and me.

When the courtroom settled, the magistrate called for the prosecutor to make her concluding statement.

Sarina Fleck strolled up in front of the jury box looking decidedly the perfect Consortium employee in her expensive, gray, pinstriped suit, with her blonde bun sitting, perfectly round, on the back of her head. Not a wrinkle in her outfit or a single hair out of place.

“Ladies,” she began, “what you have seen here today is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. We all know an android is just that—an android—created to do the jobs we won’t, or can’t. What kind of precedent are we setting if we say the device sitting at the defense table is a citizen? Even the defendant’s so-called ‘feelings’ would be defined as malfunctions. I will admit the android is an exceptional achievement in artificial intelligence, but it is still a machine and subject to breakdowns and glitches. Is the defense suggesting we should give every android that malfunctions citizenship? Do you, the members of this jury, really want a faulty android— whose peers have, by the defense’s own admission, committed egregious acts against their owners—walking our streets as a citizen, with all the rights and protections that affords? I think not. Clearly the only verdict you can return is one confirming the android is nonsentient and therefore property of The Consortium. I thank you for your time and your service to the colony.” She returned to her desk and smiled at the jury like a teacher promising rewards if her students performed well on the test that was about to be administered.

Standing like Lady Justice bringing reason back into the proceedings, Marjin raised her eyebrows at the prosecutor’s bravado. Her black bob, brown and blue suit, and low-heeled blue pumps made her seem a different species from the women she addressed, possibly a bit ahead of her time.

“Good evening. I am going to appeal to you as women of conscience. All the prosecution has been able to prove in this case is that Kai was built by The Consortium. None of their witnesses, or ours, could explain the apparent existence of emotions in the Kai 2500 series android. Although the incidents of erratic and violent behavior by other units is public knowledge, despite The Consortium’s best effort to hide it, Kai has shown none of these tendencies. Rather, he is what he appears to be, a man in love.

“You heard the expert tell you the criteria of sentience and humanity. You notice she could not enlighten us as to the reason for his meeting those criteria. The prosecution would like us to believe his is malfunctioning. You heard in his own words that he experienced an awakening, not a malfunction.

“Kai wants nothing more than to live his life with Darra Athol. He’s kind, gentle and shows extraordinary empathy and compassion. He would be a useful member of our society. No matter what your social or political views, given the testimonial evidence, the only rational and legal conclusion is that Kai is a sentient being and no longer property of anyone or anything.

“Thank you for your diligent service. I know you will do the right thing and bring back a verdict which gives him the dignity he deserves.”

Marjin sat back down in her seat.

“Very well then.” The magistrate turned her attention to the jury. “You have been told the definition of sentience: self-awareness, self-sacrifice, empathy and emotion. If you believe there is sufficient evidence that the android Kai meets these criteria, then your verdict must be to grant him citizenship. If not, you’re verdict will be to return him to The Consortium as their property, to do with him as they will. We are in recess until a verdict is reached.”

The jury left the courtroom, the silence broken by the sound of their chairs being pushed back and twelve pairs of heels clapping on the marble floors

The guards led Kai and me back to an anteroom to wait.

“I don’t think they’ll take very long,” Marjin said, entering the room. She didn’t look surprised at all to find me on Kai’s lap.

“Why is that?” I asked.

“Because if they are women of conscience, they will vote our way. If not, they won’t. I don’t think the verdict will require a lot of discussion.”

“I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or worse.”

“Don’t worry—I think we put on a good case. Besides, I have something I think will make you feel better.”

Marjin opened the door and motioned. A second later Brynn appeared at the door.

“I’m going to take off now,” Marjin announced. “The guard should be back to get you some food. If she doesn’t, tell the captain to call me.”

“Thank you for everything.”

Marjin nodded and left.

I sprang to my feet, Kai on my heels. We both threw our arms around Brynn.

“I can’t breathe,” Brynn gasped out.

Kai stepped back, his brow furrowed.

“It’s an expression, Kai. You weren’t actually suffocating her.”

“Yes, he was.” Brynn laughed. “But I think I liked it.”

His face dropped as he immediately relaxed. “I don’t know what I would do if I ever hurt either of you.”

“Like I said in court, I don’t believe you could ever do that.” Brynn put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, which he drew to his lips and kissed.

“Why don’t we all sit?” I gestured toward the table.

Kai and I sat back down as we were before, him on the chair and me on his lap. I was happy Brynn sat down right next to us instead of across the expanse of the large, round table. The room fell into a stifled silence with many things unsaid.

I figured it was easier to start with a statement instead of a question. “Thank you for everything, Brynn. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you to admit your feelings, let alone stand up for Kai and me.”

“All I did was tell the truth. No thanks necessary.” In uncharacteristic shyness, she turned her head and blushed. “But I am accepting kisses.”

Well, it was out, but what was it? An admission, a suggestion or simply an innocent, playful comment?

Kai and I shot each other questioning glances. She did say kisses. Did she mean both of us? I leaned over and kissed her on the lips, and she nearly pulled me off Kai’s lap.

“What about me?” Kai asked.

“You’ll get your turn. That is, of course, if it’s okay with Darra.”

“Uh huh.” I nodded like a marionette.

Brynn moved from her chair to mine, and wriggled in next to me on Kai’s lap. She took his face in her hands and pulled him in for a kiss.

A blush rose in my cheeks as an intense heat rose in me. The two of them kissing right next to me excited me more than I thought I could be excited while sitting in a courthouse waiting to find out my fate.

I put my head on Kai’s right shoulder. Brynn did the same on his left. The kissing caused more questions than answers, and now was not the time to untangle this complex relationship. Instead, we took comfort in each other.

“Oh, that’s sick,” the guard blurted when she opened the door and saw the three of us sharing one chair.

Brynn jumped up and took another seat. I held my ground.

“Honestly, I don’t care what you find sick.” I don’t know where my sudden entitlement came from. Maybe I was merely tired of being pushed around. “May we help you with something?”

“Here.” She tossed sandwiches on the table and left after casting one more look of disdain our way.

We ate our sandwiches in silence. Not the comfortable silence, like when we all huddled on the chair together, but a strained silence full of tension and the unknown.

“Visiting hours are over. Say your good-byes.” An unfamiliar voice cut through our tense thoughts.

You could tell this new guard was sympathetic. There was no malice in her voice, no contempt in her soulful green eyes. She waited patiently as we hugged, even handing me a tissue for my tears and stuffy nose.

“I have a faith,” Brynn said as she was leaving. “It’s all going to work out.”

I watched the expressionless jury file back into the courtroom. With each blank face, the knot of dread in my stomach tightened.

The CG handed a workpad to the magistrate, whose face was also unreadable. She addressed the jury.

“Are you unanimous in your decision?”

“We are,” the jury answered back in unison.

And like any courtroom drama I had ever seen, there was an excruciating pause, after which the magistrate announced, “It is the consensus of the jury…”

Chapter Twelve

“I won’t tolerate any disruptions in my court.” The magistrate paused to caution the audience.

I let out the breath I was holding and sucked in a new one when she started again.

“It is the consensus of the jury that the android known as Kai is a sentient being and…” The court erupted, mostly in cheers with some hissing from behind the prosecution. “…will now be allowed all rights and responsibilities of any other citizen,” she finished her sentence, shouting over the crowd.

The magistrate banged her gavel down on the dais several times. The CG motioned to the guards scattered about the room and they spread out, admonishing people and pushing them down into their seats.

Kai leaned over and whispered something in Marjin’s ear. She stood and over the din of the crowd shouted, “Kai would like to know if that includes the right to marry.”

A collective gasp broke out from the spectators, followed by silence as they waited for the magistrate’s answer.

“Yes, it does,” the magistrate answered, and again the polarized hordes filled the room with their opinions.

When the CG finally got the courtroom settled down, the magistrate addressed the prosecutor. “Ms. Fleck, I’m dismissing the charge of theft from your complaint against Ms. Athol. Without it, you’re going to have a hard time convicting on the other charges. Do you still want to proceed with her case?”

Sarina Fleck looked exhausted and beat down, as if she’d run a marathon—and lost.

“In light of this court’s ruling, we withdraw our case against Ms. Athol.”

I leaped over the railing separating us and threw my arms around Kai’s neck.

His warm breath brushed my ear. “I told you everything was going to be okay.” He kissed my neck, and in a voice loud enough only for me to perceive, he asked, “Will you marry me?”

I nodded my head, and he wiped away the tears of joy streaming down my face. He was still kissing me when the magistrate announced, “Ms. Athol, Mr. Kai, you are free to go.”

Looking back over the still-animated crowd—the CG had given up trying to settle them down—my parents sat next to Brynn. They beamed at me. Mema was crying of course, but not nearly as hard as Brynn. Brynn’s eyes were red and puffy and mascara ran down her face.

Marjin pointed toward the back door to the anteroom. “You go out the back exit. I’ll go do my thing with the press and keep them occupied. They’re camped out at your place also. Best you go to Brynn’s pod. I’ll tell her to meet you there.”

I hugged her and thanked her for everything before taking Kai’s hand and leaving the courtroom with a triumphant stride.

I punched in the code and the door to Brynn’s pod clicked open. Kai had me off my feet, carrying me toward the bedroom before the door had even shut all the way.

“Mr. Kai Athol—I like the sound of that,” I said, showering kisses on his neck.

“I think Mrs. Darra 2500 sounds better,” Kai teased. His grasp of humor was certainly getting better. I was still laughing when he threw me on the bed.