Today is Episode Five of Unbiased Law, a robot drama set in 2111. As humans are phased out of the system of law, robots replace them becoming purely black and white in their dealings with the public. Crime is down, and almost eliminated completely due to the accuracy rate of the droids. However, after one man in prison is found innocent, the law system is thrown into question. If one robot can make these errors, how do they know more won’t… or already have?
If you’re just tuning in, Episode One is here feel free to catch up and then return to this Episode! Enjoy!
The courthouse felt like a second home to me, I’d testified so many times in cases I was hired for that the guards joked about getting me my own passcode for the building. However today would be different. As I marched in the front doors I made eye contact with the guards as I walked toward the robot security screening. “Whoa there sir, you’re going to need to take the other screening entrance just over there.” As the guard pointed, I realized he determined I was human. “I don’t know how to put this, but I definitely need this side.” The guard looked confused and agitated. “Sir, this side is for droids, that side is for humans. There are no metal detectors on this side because of the amount of metal in a droid, so we can’t let humans pass through here as the scans could harm them.” I looked around and then asked if I could speak to him in private. The guard looked to the other guard who nodded and we made our way to the security office. As I closed the door behind me, I made sure he was watching me. “I didn’t want to blow my cover, but…” I removed the hat and the nanite mask much to the guard’s shock. “Magnus?!” He managed to utter, and then he looked me up and down. “How did you look so human?”
After a short explanation and putting my face back on the guard walked me around the human side security sensors and smiled. “I heard you got shot, was kinda worried you wouldn’t be coming through any more.” I met his glance and nodded. “Yeah, being shot in the face is a blast. Just one of those moments you cherish forever. Thanks and I’ll be seeing you around.” As the guard walked away I made my way to the room where they were holding the judge who had convicted an innocent man. In the darkest halls of the building, three floors below ground level, I finally found the room and the guards had been given the heads up I was coming. “Magnus, good to see you, I assume you’re here to solve another case?” I smiled and nodded. “Here’s to hoping.” As they let me enter the room, I overheard them talking about my face. “For a robot he’s not looking too bad hey? Wonder how they got his face so realistic? How did he know what a smile was and when to do it?”
“So you’ve finally come.” My attention is immediately drawn to the robot sitting on the cot in front of me. “Yes your honour, I’ve come to…” He holds up his hand in protest. “Please, I’m hardly a judge now. Ask your questions and lets see this through. If anyone can get me free, it’s you Magnus.” I didn’t think he’d recognize me with the mask, but he is a judge who is programmed to see through lies and deceit. “You convicted an innocent man to prison and now that it’s being challenged, I’ll need full disclosure.” The judge nodded and I started my questioning. “It was said in the news that the case was extremely simple, the man you persecuted was found at the scene of the crime holding the murder weapon, with the victim’s blood on their clothes and their skin under the victim’s nails.” The judge shrugged, “That is indeed what happened, but apparently he wasn’t the killer.” As I paced back and forth I began wondering about the fact that it may have been a set up.
“So the man in prison beat the polygraph? He confessed to killing her and it read that he was telling the truth?” The judge seemed confused still by the whole scenario. “Yes, and when the new man stepped forth the only reason we now consider him the murderer was he knew specific details about the scene of the crime that not even the man in prison knew despite his being at the scene of the crime.” I began to feel uneasy, it was beginning to look like humans were challenging the law, proving they could beat us at our own game. “So this new man is the murderer then? Or could the other man have relayed the information to him somehow and they are both trying to get out and stay out of jail?” Staring off into space, the judge muttered something and then focused back on me. “I’m sorry Magnus, I really don’t know what happened. I remember thinking the man I placed in jail couldn’t have been the murderer, but then there is a gap in my memories and suddenly I remember thinking he was guilty and it was one hundred percent, without a doubt.” Something inside my own mind clicked, and I reached for the judge.
“What are you doing?” The judge leaned out of my reach, but I managed to catch him. “I need to see if you’ve been tampered with.” As I looked over him I could find no parts out of place. I switched to other scanners but still nothing was showing up, not a fingerprint out of place or anything. As I ran my hands over his head in defeat, I felt a small magnetic residue on the back of his head. As I looked closer, it seemed someone placed an extremely tiny, yet focused magnet on the back of his head. Just enough to scramble some memories. If the person was smart enough to do that, they could easily have found a way to alter his memories without the judge knowing. It seemed I would have to retrace his steps to the day of his gap in memory.
That’s it for today’s episode, as the investigation heats up in two days time the Serial Number Killer strikes yet again.