Destiny: Quantic Dreams Book 3 by Elizabeth McLaughlin (dark books to read txt) 📕

worth, Eliza dumped a little in her palm and ran it through her short hair. She used the remainder to wash her face. I sifted through the offered food. It was a decidedly more stark spread thank the banquet offered to us the afternoon before. There were a few protein bars, a smattering of fruit, and something unidentifiable. I took the protein bars in hand and offered one each to Eliza and my father. The things tasted disgusting. Given the androids’ manufacturing capabilities, this was a clear ‘fuck you.’

“Listen here, Jacob Alvaro. You have,” she checked her tablet. “Twenty one minutes to convince me that you covered your ass in killing that homicidal psycho otherwise we’re all fucked.”

“For fuck’s sake Eliza, you know damn well I had no other choice with Gabriel.”

“I don’t know a damn thing, Jacob. You seem to forget that I wasn’t there when you stabbed a man in the neck. Was there really no other option?”

“...there might have been.” Dad looked down. “I didn’t see any other way for us to leave the shelter. He was going to kill me, Eliza.”

“All right.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “All right, I figure that we can use that.”

“Don’t forget the fact that he murdered something like two hundred people. Two hundred gravely ill people. Surely the senseless murder of humans can’t be something these people condone.” For all I knew, I was talking out of my ass, but it was worth a shot. It seemed like there were at least a few androids who didn’t agree with the wholesale slaughter of humans. We might be able to do something about that.

“Somehow I don’t think any argument is going to make a whit of difference. Let’s just go in there and deal with it as things come. It’s the only thing we can do, really.” That was quite a turnaround from his anger the day before. It would be a relief if it didn’t meant that the fight was gone from him at a moment when we needed it most.

A knock at the door sounded. It was Tenzen.

“It’s time.” He held the door open. Dad was the first one to leave, followed by Eliza and Marcus. “For what it’s worth, Ms. Alvaro, I am sorry for the circumstances you’ve found yourself in. Regardless of my opinions about your species, I understand that the prospect of losing your father is difficult.” I wasn’t sure whether to hit him or thank him so I simply nodded and followed the rest of my family. Marcus and I were directed to seats in the audience of the auditorium, right behind the table where Eliza and Dad sat. About a dozen androids filed in behind us, taking places far away from us in the shadows. An android ‘prosecutor’ took her place at a table across the aisle. Eleanor, Tenzen, Zohei, and three others took their places at the head of the auditorium.

“We are here today to discuss the murder of one of our own.”

And so it began.

Chapter Nineteen

“The man who sits before you is Jacob Alvaro. Until recently he shared shelter 10091 with the A.I. ‘Gabriel.’ After a series of events Mr. Alvaro saw fit to end Gabriel’s life without other recourse. As with human society, the punishment for this crime must be fierce. The defendant will now make an argument as to why he should be allowed to leave our city freely.” Eleanor made the pronouncement without visible emotion. I couldn’t be sure if that was a reflection of solemnity or a tactic designed to confuse our primitive minds; without facial expressions or vocal queues it was ten times harder to discern the underlying tenor of the whole thing.

Eliza cleared her throat and stood, smoothing down her shirt and squaring her shoulders. “My name is Eliza Ivanov. I am the daughter-in-law of Jacob Alvaro and I have volunteered to represent him, having extensive knowledge of the events that transpired myself. I would like to begin by saying that I met Gabriel after he forcibly commandeered one of our people. He took over a man’s mind and body against his consent and proceeded to use that body to accomplish his own ends before forcing Jacob to end an innocent man’s life.”

Murmuring from the androids. Clearly the issue of consent was something the A.I.s valued. “I’d like to continue by telling the whole story, if I may.” Eliza waited for Eleanor’s response patiently. I watched Dad shift around in his seat. I could only imagine the torture he was going through, knowing he had to keep his mouth shut.

“You may continue.”

And so Eliza went recounted the entire ordeal, from the moment Dad appeared in the virtual world. She painted a picture of a man desperate to save his family from certain death, his only motivations the selfless defense of a thousand people. She recounted Gabriel’s countless manipulations and threats, making it obvious that the A.I. had suffered a critical breakdown in judgment without insulting his personhood. It was impressive. My wife was known best for her bluntness and honesty, but somehow she pulled an untold eloquence out of thin air. I had to hand it to her.

The ‘prosecutor’ politely kept her opinion to herself through the explanation. When Eliza was finished, she was given the floor. Instead of speaking English, the android opened her mouth and let out a stream of machine-speak so arduous I had to cover my ears. No doubt it was more efficient to relay information in their own language, even if it was rude to the humans.

“My esteemed colleague would like to point out that you are flawed animals, capable of misunderstanding on a level that no android could conceive of. She suggests that your father-in-law has greatly exaggerated or outright lied about the circumstances of Gabriel’s demise.” Eleanor accompanied this with a slight tilt of the head, a subtle punctuation that she agreed with the prosecutor.

“Your esteemed colleague can kiss my—“ Dad yelped as Eliza stomped on