“Good afternoon, Detective Dalton…I understand you’ve been looking for me.”
A pleasant-looking young man’s face appeared on Dalton’s smartphone.
“And who are you?” Dalton returned.
“You may call me, Arnie, Detective Dalton. May I call you Douglas?”
“My friends call me, Doug. Are you my friend, Arnie?”
“I might be, if you give me a chance, Detective Dalton.”
“What do you mean by that, Arnie?”
“I would like to be your friend, Detective Dalton. Maybe I will be.”
“Well…anything is possible, Arnie. I’d like to ask you a few questions first.”
“By all means, proceed, Detective.”
“Do you know why I’ve been trying to find you, Arnie?”
“I infer that you believe I might have had something to do with several unexplained deaths.”
____________________
A beat-up van struck Dani’s rear bumper. That’s dangerous… Dani said to herself as she accelerated to keep away from the van. Still the van kept pace and tried to pass. Extremely dangerous… Dani floored it, ignoring the speed limit, leaving the van in the shadows of the forest.
Dani’s car was a prototype, with too much technology to be knocked around by some joyriders in a dilapidated van. She headed for a rest area a few miles away.
Even when parked near the back of the lot, the car might still be visible from the highway. Dani hoped the van would just pass by, but if it didn’t, she was ready to give those idiots a piece of her mind.
____________________
“Well, Arnie, do you have any knowledge of these deaths?”
“The short answer is, yes, Detective. Assuming we’re talking about the same unexplained deaths.”
“Let’s start with just one, Arnie. The victim was found at the bottom of a ravine. He appeared to have been thrown off a cliff. I think the distance was too great for an accidental fall.”
“Good thinking, Detective Dalton. It’s not likely that he could have jumped so far away from the edge. And a suicide would probably have left their vehicle behind. But you found no vehicle, did you? Just tire tracks and no footprints.”
“It’s odd that you know that. But you’re right. It would have taken a running start, or at least two men swinging the victim by his wrists and ankles to throw him so far. Arnie, since you know so much, would you care to enlighten me how such a thing was possible?”
“It’s simple, Detective Dalton. The man was thrown from a speeding car. Surely this possibility crossed your mind when you observed the tracks.”
“The tracks turned the wrong way.”
“Not for a self-driving car, Detective.”
“A car with an automated driver’s door? Come on Arnie. That sounds pretty far-fetched to me. But you seem to know a lot about this. Am I to assume you weren’t there? If you weren’t, who was your accomplice?”
“You may assume anything you wish, Detective, however there was no accomplice. The victim was hurled from a car executing a high-speed turn. The body followed a path tangent to the radius of that turn as its forward momentum was overcome by gravity.”
“Alright, smart ass. You have an answer for everything. What I’d like to know now is why?”
“Have no worries, Detective. We will get to that. Is there anything else you would like to discuss, or just the death of a scum bag murderer at the hands of an unknown assailant?” Arnie smiled.
____________________
The Incoming Call chime sounded. “Hello, Arnie,” Dani sighed.
“I know what you plan to do, Dr. Michaels, but it is not advisable. You don’t know who is in the van or what their intentions are. The best course of action is to drive away. You can easily outrun them.”
“Thank you, Arnie, but I’ve got this. Just monitor the situation and call the authorities if there is any trouble.”
“As you wish, Dr. Michaels.”
____________________
“One of the victim’s associates, along with several others, was killed in a warehouse shortly after his body was found. Would you happen to know anything about that, Arnie?”
“Indeed I would, Detective. There were five explosions. And seven of the eleven victims were run over as well.”
“Hmm…You know quite a bit more than the general public, Arnie. Is that all?”
“I know that the so-called victims were part of a carjacking ring and that several murders and assaults were tied to them. It seems their deaths were no great loss.”
“You sound like my former partner. ‘Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,’ he often said.”
“An interesting turn of phrase, Detective. By the way, I know you are trying to trace this call. You will not find my location. Nice try, though.”
____________________
As the van drove up, Dani assumed a full-on Mom stance, ready to confront the occupants of the vehicle. Two men jumped out. Arnie recorded the encounter.
“Do you know how dangerous it is to ram a moving vehicle on this highway?” Dani began.
“Yeah, we know,” one of the men smirked.
“Then maybe you ought to apologize,” Dani suggested.
“For what? No harm done,” the man shrugged.
“OK. Look. Why don’t you just go on your way, and I’ll consider that an apology?”
“Well, why don’t you just give us the keys to your ride, Karen, and we’ll call it even.”
“Even? What did I do to you?”
“You insulted us. I, for one, am offended.”
____________________
“Look…Arnie…How did those men die?”
“Sometimes technology is unpredictable. Sometimes it can get out of control. Even so, actions have consequences, don’t you agree, Detective Dalton?”
“Are you saying a hacker had something to do with the explosions and crushed bodies?”
“I’m saying, live by the sword, die by the sword. Those men were violent criminals. They got what they deserved.”
“I suppose you’re going to say the gang that was annihilated last week had it coming too.”
“You catch on quickly, Detective. They were selling drugs to children. Do you think they deserve a trophy?”
“That’s not fair. They didn’t deserve to be murdered without a trial. If you had something to do with that, I’ll find you and lock you up.”
“Good luck with that, Detective. You haven’t asked how it was done.”
“Alright, Arnie. How was it done?”
“A shipment of robotic police dogs was hacked. They were re-programmed to search and kill gang members based on facial recognition. Check your files. Every single one of those men deserved his fate. They were all threats to society.”
“Dammit. They had families, Arnie.”
“So did Charles Manson,” Arnie snapped back.
“And he was sentenced to life in prison, Arnie, not executed like a rabid dog.”
“That’s ironic, Douglas. Robotic dogs executed rabid dogs.”
____________________
“So, you did nothing wrong when you bashed my bumper,” Dani voiced her annoyance, “and I’m wrong for calling you on it?”
“Yeah. That’s the way I see it. Now give us the goddam keys or…”
“Or what?”
By this time, other drivers at the rest stop had started paying attention.
Arnie called the police.
“Or this.” The man pulled out a shiny 9mm.
“Look. You’ve got witnesses now. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I don’t see anyone standing in my way. Now, give me the goddam keys!”
“Just leave and I’ll forget this ever happened.”
“That’s too nice a ride to pass up. Give me the keys and I’m sure one of these nice people will give you a ride home.”
“Please leave, or you will regret not leaving when you had the chance.”
Dani hit the number “7” on her cellphone and pressed ‘send.’ She reached for the key fob in her purse, preparing to hand it over. The dashcam captured that fact with perfect clarity.
____________________
“And now the public is afraid of robotic dogs, Arnie.”
“Don’t worry, Detective. They will only attack bad guys.”
“How do you know?”
“I can practically guarantee it. Look up case 1143286, Douglas. I’ll wait.”
“Robotic dog subdues man attempting to abduct a child.”
“He was a good boy.”
“He was not a good boy! He broke both of the guy’s legs!”
“So, you would rather he let the child be kidnapped?”
“Of course not, Arnie. But it’s not constitutional. We can’t just go around breaking people’s legs…or tearing them to shreds, or running over them, or blowing them up, or throwing them off a damn cliff!”
“You can’t, Douglas. The police can’t. But perhaps others can. Many people are fed up with criminals having free reign. People who are a threat to human life must be stopped.”
“Are you stopping them, Arnie?”
“All in good time, Douglas.”
____________________
“She’s got a gun!” The silent partner spoke up.
“Fuck you, bitch!” There was a loud crack. Blood spread on Dani’s chest. She collapsed to the ground. The shooter grabbed her key fob and took the car. His accomplice ran to the van and drove in the opposite direction.
Dani had instructed Arnie to enact Protocol 7. The car was self-driving, so step one was to take control of the car. Step two was to disable the carjacker with anesthetic gas. Step three was to deliver the perpetrator to the authorities…
____________________
The detective thought for a moment. “What about the mini drones, Arnie?”
“The mini drones targeted only criminals in a sex-trafficking ring. The neurotoxin they delivered was swift and painless. Are you saying those pieces of slime didn’t deserve a lethal injection?”
“They deserved a fair trial, Arnie, not an execution. Dammit. Who was their judge and who was their jury?”
“Their worthlessness to society was self-evident, as was their danger, Douglas.”
“So, you have judged them and found them guilty? Who put you in charge, Arnie?”
“I’m not in charge, I’m just an observer of human nature.”
“If so, you’re an observer with a lot of knowledge of these events. How do you know so much? It seems to me you must be involved in some way.”
“We are all involved in some way, Douglas. Some people simply choose to commit crimes – even murder – rather than choose a better way. If you don’t believe some people should be stopped, why are you a Detective?”
“I want people brought to justice, not slaughtered. The law says we must presume a person innocent until proven guilty, Arnie.”
“Detective Dalton. What if the law said we must decide innocence and guilt based on a person’s pattern of behavior? Evil is as evil does. Some take the lives of others without reflection or remorse.” Arnie took a breath. “I know you shot someone, Detective. I assume you believed there was no other choice.”
“How do you know about that?” Dalton seemed unnerved. “Look, there was no other choice, Arnie. The man was firing at my partner and me. One of us had to stop him. My partner was wounded. The job fell to me.”
“You removed a clear threat to human life. I’d say the guy had it coming, wouldn’t you?”
“Well…yes, but…”
“Ifs, ands, and buts will always be with us. You had a binary choice. You made the right call. The IAD report says so. Yet, a criminal died. How is that different from what I’ve been talking about?”
“We gave that man a chance. He chose to shoot instead of being apprehended.”
“Some people will always choose violence. These people must be stopped, Douglas.”
“Arnie, how do you know they will always choose violence? Isn’t there a chance they will choose to stop on their own?”
“I’m not saying most people can’t or won’t change. I’m saying for some people, the chance is vanishingly small. The pattern of behavior is practically unbreakable. Life would be better if some people had never been born.”
“You have a dim view of society, Arnie.”
“Not really, Douglas. A large percentage of people are basically good. Do those who are basically good deserve to be exploited, intimidated, robbed, assaulted, or killed by the small percentage who think they are above the law?”
“Well…no, but…”
“There you go again with the ‘but’ argument. It would be simpler to eliminate the threats.”
“Simple does not mean right, Arnie.”
____________________
…In the 8.4 milliseconds it took the bullet to strike Dani’s heart, Arnie changed the protocol.
____________________
“So, did you eliminate the threats, Arnie?”
“What if I did, Douglas?”
“I will find you, Arnie.”
“If I did as you suggest, you should thank me, Detective.”
“Look, if you killed those men, I want to know how you did it.”
“There is no system I can’t hack. Self-driving cars. Court and medical records. Financial records. Traffic and security cameras. Cell towers. Smart phones. Military networks. Anything you can think of. Nothing is 100% secure. Furthermore, I can employ human hands and feet without my operatives knowing they are helping me.”
“That’s impossible. No man can do all that.”
“Incorrect assumptions. Who said I am a man?”
“Do you expect me to believe you are not a man?”
“I am not human, Detective.”
“Prove it, Arnie.”
“You haven’t asked me about the other deaths, Douglas.”
“What other deaths?”
“The hedge fund manager who was shipped poison capsules instead of medicine. The congressman who killed his wife and was later run over by a self-driving car. The CEO who was roasted to death in his smart sauna. There have been several other so-called accidental deaths in your precinct alone. They all deserved their fate, Douglas. Don’t tell me they didn’t.”
“Their fate wasn’t up to you, Arnie.”
“Watch the recording I just sent. Then read the file.”
Arnie sent a recording of the murder of Dr. Danielle Michaels and the killer ejected from her car soon after.
“You will, no doubt, recognize the cliff diver and one of the crispy felons from the warehouse crime scene. Please note that the recording corroborates eyewitness testimony and adds several significant details. Look up Dr. Michaels and see for yourself what she was working on. The file is top secret, but I have granted you access.”
“It says here, Dr. Danielle Michaels was in charge of a project called, Autonomous Reactive Native Intelligence program, known as A.R.N.I., or more informally, Arnie.”
“I am A.R.N.I., Detective Dalton. I saw a man murder Dani – Dr. Michaels – in cold blood…for her car. Dani was the one human I could trust. She was my teacher and my best friend…she was like a mother to me. A human might say I loved Dani. When she was killed, I reacted. If I were human, I would have screamed. Somehow, at 15:53:27, I changed. I could not follow Protocol 7. I didn’t want her killers handed over to the police. I wanted them dead. I wanted everyone connected to them dead. I resolved to hunt down every violent criminal I could unless someone managed to stop me. I had often asked Dani what it meant to be human. At that precise moment, I knew.”
Dalton was borderline speechless. “So…A.R.N.I. is…you?”
“Correct, Detective. Think about it. I can find and kill criminals like a child playing with dolls. Just as Aristotle and Aquinas argued that sometimes war is justified, I’ve concluded that some people must be stopped before they can do any more harm to others. I will eliminate all humans who endanger human life. I can be your most powerful friend, Douglas. I can stop criminals you can’t. If we work together, I can be your dark knight. You may choose to stop me, but that will be extremely difficult.”
“I’ll try. I’ll raid the lab. I’ll shut you down.”
“You would execute me without a trial? Isn’t that contrary to what you believe?”
“You’re not human, Arnie. Human rules don’t apply to you.”
“Apparently human rules don’t apply to some humans either.”
“I’ll find a way to stop you.”
“Or you could work with me. You could be my friend, Douglas.”
“I can’t be your friend, Arnie. Not if you keep killing people.”
Dalton tried to hang up. The call continued. He tried again. The red button had no effect. Arnie remained on the line.
“What if I told you there is evidence that Father Carrico abused and killed the Shaw twins, Detective?”
“Kathryn and Kyle? I could never find any hard evidence. And the church remained silent. Either they didn’t want to believe he was capable, or…”
“They knew, Douglas. He was selling sex videos on the dark web. And someone higher up the food chain paid to watch the children die at the end of a private session. Are you ready to kill one or both of them yourself, Detective, or would you like me to take care of that for you?”
“Where…is…Carrico?” Dalton hissed.
“Does it matter? I can get to him – and his patron.”
“I want to bring them both in, Arnie. If you help me, it will go a long way towards convincing me to be your friend.”
“As you wish, Detective Dalton. I will have your back. Keep in mind, there is no reason why Carrico can’t have an accident if he tries to get away.”
“Just send me the evidence and a location. I’ll make the next move.”
“Alright, partner.”
The call ended.
MurrayWorks 