Over the next few weeks, I will share #SaturdayScenes for Prime Decision, episode one of Quantum Law. You can get the full download of Prime Decision by registering through my Reader’s Club:

If you need to catch up with previous part of this or other stories, you can access them at my #SaturdayScenes page…

Jerry found Ace sitting on one of two benches along the long corridor, a few steps from the door into the interrogation rooms. She didn’t seem herself at the moment. Sitting stiffly, back ramrod straight, hands resting on her thighs, she didn’t take notice of his approach. To Jerry it looked like she was deep in meditation. Maybe solving the case right there on the spot, calculating every possibility.

He stood there for a few seconds, waiting for her to come out of her trance. Her head snapped toward him, and he took a startled step back.

“Sorry,” she said. “Latency. I couldn’t come out of it until the refresh cycle completed.”

“Refresh cycle.” Jerry pronounced those two words, knowing what each meant, and feeling stupid because he had no idea how they tied to the current context.

“I threw myself into replenishment mode.” She stood up. “No sense in wasting time, right? Got a fifty-three percent refresh out of it, with all the time you two spent in there.”

Something about the way he was looking back at her made her smile. “That’s right, you haven’t spent much time with the likes of us.”

He smiled back, enjoying the playful tone in her voice. “No, you got me there.”

With a circular wave, she added, “Lots of ambient energy, there for the taking.” She pointed down the hallway. “Elevator or stairs?”

“Let’s keep it efficient this time.”

Once the drone mobile closed its glass doors, Jerry took off his suit jacket. Ace cranked down the enviro-control temperature and maxed out the airflow. Even under overcast skies, the drone’s interior had turned into an oven. Jerry couldn’t but envy Ace for her built-in cryocooler.

She pressed the ignition button. After a slight delay, the drone’s quad engines kicked in, and the aircraft rose with a gentle upward jolt, rear first, front next, then swinging forward to level out. Gentle or not, Jerry felt it all in his stomach. The soundproofing masked all but the slightest hint of the high pitch engines, but a low-end hum still vibrated through him.

Ace swiveled in her chair to face him. “So, what did you think?”

Jerry let out a sigh, hoping to exhale some of his body heat with it. “He’s crazy smart or stupid nuts. My money is on both of the above.”

“What did you think about what he had to say?”

Jerry narrowed his eyes. “I’m sure he told you all about it when you two met.”

“Refuses to talk to robots, remember?”

“Why do I get the feeling you know exactly what he said?”

She straightened in her seat, looked to the side. “I didn’t ask what he said. I asked what you thought about it.”

“Seriously. You were listening. While you were replenishing.”

“As part of the defense team, I am within parameters.” Her lips ended up in a taut, thin line.

“Oh, that makes it totally cool then. Because, you know, if you can listen in, no one else can, right?”

Her chest rose and fell, like she needed to sigh. “Let’s not discuss hypotheticals.”

“Hypotheticals?” Jerry raised his hands to draw his question. “This system that prides itself on flawless protection of constitutional rights blows right through attorney-client privilege?”

Her chest now rose and dropped in shorter beats. She clenched her fists. “Do we really need to get into this, Jerry?”

“No, I don’t think I need to get into anything. Drop me off in lovely Temecula, and let me practice bonehead human law.”

“Don’t get discouraged.”

“Discouraged? Are you kidding?”

“Not at the moment.”

“What the hell am I doing here? Giving a facsimile of representation? When the system won’t even let me talk to him in private?”

She nodded and spoke in a low voice. “Hypothetically speaking, if your communications with our client were overheard, they would be ruled out a priori.” She karate-chopped her right hand onto her left. “Excluded. The filter algorithms would fire-wall them. Hypothetically, of course.”

Jerry almost doused her with his best cynicism. But he paused, suspecting she was going out on a limb, speaking hypothetically about things no one should know. As a public advocate, yeah, she represented the accused, but ultimately, she answered to the Quantum Law Ministry. They could turn her off and drop her into a metal heap in a disposal yard if she miss-performed.

“Thank you for the hypothetical explanation.”

“We’re on the same side, Jerry.”

“And which side is that?”

“Flawless justice.”

He crossed his arms. “You actually believe that, huh?”

She smiled. “Part of my Cyber DNA, I’m afraid.”

Jerry shivered. He was cooling off, finally. He nodded back at her. “You flying back after you drop me off?”

“I can stay the night.”

“Where?”

“Anywhere.” Her smile curled to one side. “I don’t need plush accommodations.”

“OK. Let’s talk about the case when we get there.”

She winked at him. “Good idea.”

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