When Good Toys Go Bad

by Cairo, Debbie

  Under the prying eyes of the press, the officers were exceptionally polite as they escorted us into the police car. They even put a blanket around Kai’s waist to cover up his bare butt.

  I surveyed the scene as the tram pulled away from Marjin’s pod. Brynn stood in the doorway crying. Marjin was in her glory handling the press. She even had her bullhorn.

  When we arrived at the police station, the guards were not as polite. They stripped me naked and spat on me before throwing me like a sack of potatoes into the cell, which smelled more like a hospital room than a police cell.

  “Where is Kai?” I pounded on the wall where the door used to be. “We are not supposed to be separated.”

  “I’ll pass your complaint on to the magistrate. I’ll let you know when she gets back to me,” a voice echoed from an unseen speaker.

  I heard the other guards giggling through the wall. I’m sure they thought all of this would break my will. They were very, very wrong. Every indignity strengthened my resolve. I would survive this. Kai would survive this. And we would be together.

  The place was spotless, barren and cold. I sat down on the cot, the only piece of furniture in the room, and drew my knees up to my body to try and conserve warmth.

  It seemed like hours before the door finally shimmered opened again.

  “Get her some clothes, you animals,” Marjin roared like a mama bear.

  She took off her jacket and put it around me, taking a seat next to me on the cot.

  “These bitches need a good dose of humanity,” she said softly and stroked my hair.

  I pulled my legs closer to my chest and used the jacket to cover my vulnerability.

  “Where are those clothes?” Marjin shouted. A moment later a guard tossed an orange jumpsuit into the room. “Thank you,” Marjin said, vitriol and sarcasm dripping off her words like sweat off a runner’s forehead.

  I slipped into the jumpsuit. “Where is Kai?”

  “He’s being processed. He’ll be here soon, though you and Kai are being tried separately and for two different things.”

  “What is he being charged with? He didn’t do anything wrong. He can’t be accused of stealing himself.”

  “He’s not actually being tried for anything. There will be a trial to determine if he is the property of The Consortium and subject to their whims or if he’s a sentient being and entitled to determine his own destiny.”

  “Why would The Consortium allow that?”

  “Because I put the two of you in front of the world, and they can’t afford to be seen as cold and callous.”

  “What am I being charged with?”

  “You’re being charged with theft and resisting arrest.”

  “Brynn?”

  “She’s not being charged with anything. That was part of my deal with the magistrate.

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank god for small victories.”

  “So, down to business.” She slapped her knees. “They’re going to try you first. It’s going to be difficult for them to convict you of stealing a sentient being. And they’re pushing this to trial quickly. I think they want as little media coverage as possible.”

  “Like you’re going to let that happen,” I said, teasing, though I was sure she wouldn’t.

  “Exactly. I want public outcry. I want the world to see you and Kai as two people in love instead of the social deviants The Consortium is making you out to be. I need the community to be rooting for you and Kai. I want the jury to think twice about throwing you into a jail cell and turning him into a martyr.”

  “So when is the trial?”

  “Tomorrow. Like I said, they want it fast.”

  “Tomorrow!”

  “Yes. I need to go prepare.” She pounded on the door for the guard to open. “Try not to worry.”

  I thought about sniping a response when the door shimmered open and one of the guards shoved Kai through, nearly knocking Marjin down. They tossed sheets and a blanket in behind him.

  Within seconds of the door shimmering closed, Kai had me in his arms. Tears of relief flowed. I didn’t even notice he was naked until I heard Marjin in the hallway.

  “Again with the no clothes. Are you serious? You people disgust me. He had better be fully clothed when I get back.”

  “Are you hurt?” I looked Kai up and down. It was reassuring he was naked because I could to see without question he was unharmed.

  “I should be asking you that. When they took me away from you, I experienced what I assume was fear. What a horrible emotion. I never want to experience that again.”

  “That is all part of being human, my love,” I said, cradling his face in my hands.

  Kai took my hands from around his face and kissed each of them with soft lips before turning around and picking up the bedding lying crumpled on the ground behind him. Without saying a word, he dressed the cot as neatly as possible, trying to make the cold metal platform resemble a bed.

  As I lay in the bed, engulfed in Kai’s arms, about to succumb to sleep, I said a silent thank you to Marjin for making sure we remained together.

  “Oh my god.” I heard my mother’s startled voice in the doorway as she drank in the sight of her daughter curled up with a naked male android.

  “Shit,” I said, pulling the thin sheet over Kai and myself.

  “What?” Kai asked.

  “My parents.”

  “Really? I’ve been wanting to meet them.”

  To my horror, and to my mothers’, Kai jumped off the cot and strode toward them in all his naked glory, his hand outstretched in greeting. Mercifully, someone closed the doorway before he reached them. When the door shimmered opened again, Bema lay passed out on the floor.

  “The prisoner will clothe himself.” The guard threw a jumpsuit in the room and closed the door again.

  Kai’s face crinkled in confusion. I’d seen this expression a lot since he started thinking and acting outside his programming. Certain social graces eluded him, and modesty was undoubtedly one of them. Humor was another one, but he was getting better on that front.

  “Just put your clothes on,” I chided.

  He stepped into the jumpsuit and zipped it up. I announced to the air, “He’s dressed.”

  The door shimmered opened and my parents stood motionless in the opening. Bema looked haggard. Her face was white, leaning toward gray, and her eye makeup ran down her cheek. She wasn’t terribly steady on her feet. Mema held her by the waist, perhaps for fear she would faint again.

  I wanted to run to her. Instead, I put my arm around Kai’s waist and waited for them to make the first move.

  They stepped into the room. The doorway disappeared behind them. At least now the guards could stop gawking at us like we were animals in a zoo.

  “Do you see what you’ve done?” Mema pulled a stool over and sat Bema down. “What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean you’ve disgraced the family. You’re having…” she paused and threw out the word for effect, “…relations with this…thing. Look at her.” She pointed at Bema. “You nearly killed your mother.”

  Tears welled in my eyes. I brushed them away with the backside of my hand. “This thing, as you call him, is the man I love. All he wanted was to meet you, the parents of the woman he loves. I’m sorry if you find that a disgrace, because I find it a miracle. It’s not my fault if you have horrible timing. If you’re waiting for an apology, you’re going to be waiting till the topsiders come back.”

  “Hello, I’m Kai. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Kai again approached my parents with his hand out, which they stared at like a poison orb.

  I took Kai’s outstretched hand. “I’m going to make this easy for you. I love Kai. Kai loves me. I will be with him or die trying. You can help me and remain my parents, or you can go away and never speak to me again.”

  Bema found her voice, “Malvina, they love each other. Let them be.”

  �
�You can’t be serious, Aprika. Our daughter is in love with an android—and a male one at that—and you want me to let them be?”

  “Yes, I do. I’ll admit I was a bit taken aback by the scene we walked in on—” she forced a smile, “—but I don’t care if she is in love with a kitchen table if that kitchen table makes her happy.”

  “You’re a romantic and a fool, Aprika.”

  “And sometimes, as much as I love you, I wonder if your heart has turned to stone. Our child needs us, and I for one am going to be there for her.”

  Bema reached her hand out to Kai. “I’m Aprika, Darra’s birthing mother. It’s very nice to meet you.”

  The smile spread broadly across Kai’s face, and I had to smile also. He lifted Bema off the stool into a bear hug. She turned even whiter.

  “Kai, I don’t think she can breathe.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Kai said, releasing his grip on her and helping her back onto the stool.

  “This is ridiculous,” Mema exclaimed. “Guard, open up. I need to get out of here.”

  Bema came over and hugged me. “Don’t worry. I’ll work on her. She’ll come around,” she whispered in my ear.

  “Aprika, come on,” Mema shouted from the door.

  She kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll see you in court tomorrow. Don’t worry. Everything will work itself out. I love you, baby.”

  “Aprika!” Mema bellowed.

  “Coming,” Bema answered, and they both vanished with the cell door.

  Chapter Nine

  The morning of the trial, suits arrived for both Kai and me. Mine was gray with a thin blue pinstripe. Kai’s suit was navy with white details. Both appeared brand new and expensive.

  “Glad they fit.” Marjin appeared in the doorway. “Getting a suit to fit a man was no easy task.”

  “They do. Thank you, they’re wonderful.”

  “We don’t have much time. They’ll be taking you to the hearing chamber shortly. As I said before, they’ll be hearing Darra’s case first and then they’ll be starting Kai’s case. The magistrate we drew is fair and was outspoken against the laws allowing The Consortium to act as their own prosecution. She won’t let them get away with anything. I think we have a good shot at a positive outcome.”

  “What’s a positive outcome?” I asked.

  “One where you stay out of a Consortium jail and your boyfriend here—” she poked a thumb at Kai, “—doesn’t end up in the scrap heap.”

  “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?” S
he 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.