PART III
LOGAN
WRITTEN BY NICHOLE HAINES
©2020 Nichole Haines
In the year 2085, mankind stepped into another phase which was the implementation of AI into law enforcement fully. For years, there have been concerns raised as to if it was right to have AI patrolling the streets and involving in law enforcement. Several people had their views about it and most could not conclude whether it was right or not. Everything changed with the bombing of Flight 324 which ended in the death of the 185 passengers on the flight and an additional 295 people where the plane had crashed. Over a thousand people had gotten injured and this led to an investigation into what caused the bombing and it was discovered that the bombing could have been avoided if not for human error. This led to the Congress deciding that implementing AI into law enforcement was not a bad idea. Thus the tragedy of Flight 324 gave birth to the Bill that allowed AI to perform in law enforcement but there was a catch to it. An AI cannot make decisions that a human can make and a human can not analyze somethings in time as an AI would.
Hence human partners became a thing of the past and now it was a human to an AI pair. To make things easier, the AIs would look almost like humans wearing synthetic tissues so that they fit in right among us. This is the new world in which we lived in and with the United States of America starting it, other countries soon joined the line and finally, AIs were a part of law enforcement. There were a few who warned against it though saying that arming the AI would cost humanity in a way that might cost more than expected. They were shunned and after forty years of this new integration, it seemed that they were wrong after all. The AIs have come to stay in law enforcement and with their help, crime decreased significantly. The AIs created brought a bright new world or so we like to think.
The year 2130
All in all, live in the 22nd century was far easier than anyone could have thought and most disease and problems have been eliminated through a few were still persistent and a whole new bunch of others had arisen but still, the average life of a 22nd-century person was almost equivalent to that of a wealthy person in the 21st century. Especially with AI officers, crime-fighting has become a different game entirely. Big cities still had a lot of things on their hands but small towns like Becham rarely had a lot of things on their hand.
Though in comparison with the 21st-century small town, Becham would rather be called a city with a population equivalent to over a hundred thousand but when compared to cities like New York, it is obvious that Beckham is indeed a small town. There were a handful of police officers and though there was not much need for AI officers, they were a part of the police force and each human officer had his AI partner like other officers in big cities. There were fifteen stations in all of Becham and over two hundred human officers. Of them all, there was a particular officer who is the face of Becham Police Department. Detective Logan Mika is the poster boy for the department and he is liked by everyone in the town. He joined the department immediately after high school at the age of eighteen and rose in ranks over the years and now that he is thirty years old, he has served in almost every department in Becham PD which is why he is viewed as a veteran.
“Yo, there is a memo for you Detective,” A patrol officer told Logan.
Logan looked up from his desk where there was a bunch of paperwork that desperately called for his attention.
“Send it to my comm,” Logan told the officer who nodded before leaving.
Things were not all that smooth and he has a bugging case on his hand now at the moment. Three humans had been killed at a factory just not far from the Interstate and the way they died showed serious foul play but the evidence was saying it was different. The camera leading to the factory did not show anything suspicious and the only conclusion that they came to was that the three men had killed themselves but Logan could feel a nudge in the back of his mind that this was not a suicide-homicide like the evidence suggests. A beep sounded in Logan’s command he pressed his commlink and the message board popped up. When he was in middle school, he had done a project on the early 21st-century gadget and he could not believe exactly how they had managed back then. His grandfather had told him a few things his father had told him but Logan could not get the full picture still.
The memo was from the chief of the station close to the factory. His detectives wanted to ask Logan to join them in the task force that they were forming to solve a few strange homicides that had happened in the state for the past few months. Logan looked at the information sent and he knew that something was going on here. He has to call Ari to come and help. Ari is Logan’s AI partner and his designation number is AR-1D-2584 something which Logan had shortened to Ari. They have both been partners for eight years now and Logan knew that whatever was going on, he would need Ari’s help to solve it. He left his office and walked over to the AI restroom which is where the AI officers were when they had no official duties.
“Detective Logan,” a soft feminine voice that Logan recognized as belonging to Joan Smith a rookie who just joined his department.
He has been hearing words that she had a crush on him though he chose not to believe the rumor mill. They are fond of things that were based on assumption and that had resulted in a few awkward embarrassing situations for the department. Logan turned to Joan and greeted her.
“Sorry to call out to you like that,” Joan said as she tried to regain herself. Logan raised an eyebrow as he noticed that she seemed a bit flustered but he brushed it off and waited for her to speak.
“I have a case that I need your hindsight on.”
There was an exception to the Human-AI partner when it came to rookies. Since they don’t have any experience with police work, they are allowed to spend the first six months with an experienced Human-AI pair after which they are given their own experienced AI partner for another six months before they get their own fresh AI.
“Can’t your AI help you with it?” Logan asked.
The truth was that her AI had already solved it but when she saw Logan, Joan could not help but call out to him though she thought she had done so in her mind and it was when he turned to look at her that she realized that she had called out his name.
“He tried but I wanted a human opinion,” Joan said with a smile.
Logan rubbed his chin then told her that she would have to walk with him to get Ari which was his AI. Joan was surprised when she saw him treat Ari as a human partner, something that she had come to realize that other officers don’t.
“I’m alright with that sir.”
“Please just call me Logan. I am probably only a few years older than you hence the sir would make me comfortable,” Logan said with a smile that made Joan’s knee weak.
She had fallen for him the first day she transferred here which was two months ago. She had done her first six months training at another station in the district and had decided to transfer here to get away from the whims that were in the station.
“So tell me about your case.”
Immediately, Joan snapped back to reality and told Logan about how there had been a homicide in a warehouse district and all the evidence showed that the friend of the deceased was responsible though it was not possible since the evidence showed that there was no way he could be there.
Logan smiled and told her that there was a way for someone to be in two places at the same time.
“Do you mean cloning?” Joan asked.
There had been words a few years back about advancement in cloning but it was proven to be a hoax though some people said that it was a success but the government does not want the people to know that cloning was possible.
“You have a strong imagination,” Logan said amused.
Joan had often let her imagination get to her most times and a few of her superior had told her that she should learn to keep her imagination in check. Joan gave herself a mental knock for slipping in front of Logan but she was surprised when Logan told her that he liked the fact that she had imagined.
“What?” Joan asked in shock.
“I like the fact that you use your imagination,” Logan repeated as they came to the elevator. “Most people don’t use their imagination when solving a case and it makes them get frustrated easily.”
At first, Joan was surprised then it turned into admiration which she already had a lot for Logan.
“You don’t need a clone to be in two places at one time. You can be in one place at a time than at another place digitally.”
That was exactly what Joan’s AI had told her and she thanked him for the eye-opener and started to leave as the elevator opened.
“Joan,” Logan called her.
She paused and turned to look at him. Logan asked if she was okay here at the station and she nodded to which he smiled and told her that he hopes that they would get to work together one day. Joan smiled and watched as he entered the elevator. Her eyes remained trained on Logan till the elevator closed and when it did she jumped with joy before she regained her calm and walked away from the elevator feeling elevated.
Three weeks later,
A few people had noticed that things were not the same with Detective Logan but then his robot Ari had been destroyed in an unexplained attack that happened close to the factory that he had been investigating. Everyone knew that he cared for Ari so much but they could not explain the change that he was displaying. Ari had not been destroyed and in a matter of a few months, he would be back beside Logan.
While everyone was thinking that Logan was being a bit extreme about what happened to Ari, Joan did not think so. She understood that Logan cared for his partner as if Ari was human and the fact that he had gotten destroyed must be what is responsible for his moping like the other detectives were calling it. Joan looked from her desk and saw that Logan was busy on his desk working.
“You know now is not the best time to tell him how you feel right?” Mabel said.
Mabel is a patrol officer and the only close friend that Joan had in the department. Mabel had been demoted from the Investigation team to the Patrol team after she destroyed her AI partner two times which made the Chief very furious.
“I don’t have anything to confess to him,” Joan said trying to find something to do.
Maybe is a real sweetheart but she could be a pest sometimes if she is really bent on it and Joan was not in the mood for her pest-like nature at the moment.
“Are you sure you know what you’re saying?” Mabel asked with a wave of her right hand. “Yo, Shane, Joan here says she has nothing to tell our wonderful boy.”
A laugh came from Shane’s desk which infuriated Joan a bit. Shane was twenty-five the same age as her but unlike her, he had joined the police force after dropping out from college unlike her who had gone to get a useless degree from college only to land back here.
“The only one who does not know about your crush for Logan is the man himself,” Shane said. “He smiles at everyone and can’t see that you are smitten with him.”
Joan sighed wondering why Mabel had started this in the first place. Shane had told her once that if she had the brains to go after a man like Logan then she would live alone for a very long time. Joan did not understand what he had meant at first until she realized that he wanted to date her something which he never said to her face.
“Just leave Detective Logan out of this issue,” Joan shot at Shane.
“You mean your dear Logan,” Mabel said with batting eyes.
It was useless for Joan to say anything and she simply turned to the paperwork on her desk ignoring Mabel. When Mabel realized that Joan was not paying her any attention, she came to sit down beside her and Joan waited for her to say something. When Mabel remained silent, Joan turned and asked her what she wanted.
“Just wanted to see how long you can hold your calm,” Mabel replied nonchalantly. “On a more serious note though, what is wrong with your boyfriend Wonderboy?”
As much as Joan would like the opportunity to call Logan her boyfriend, he was not her boyfriend and she knew that Mabel said that to irk her.
“Once again Mabel, he is not my boyfriend but my..”
“Crush, lover, sugar ice cream,”
Joan just gaped at Mabel feeling at the loss of words to use to reply to Mabel but Mabel asked her what was wrong with Logan again and Joan told her that she has no idea.
“He has been different since Ari blew up and I can’t place my hand on it exactly.”
Mabel winked at Joan which made Joan shook her head at her friend’s thought. She has been trying to place her hands on what was wrong with Logan but she is not sure what it is just that something had changed about him. The funniest thing about the situation was that no one else seems to notice the change apart from her. Maybe it was because she has spent almost all of her time admiring him from her desk or it might be pure guts but she doubts it.
“Well, he better gets back to his former self. His mood is affecting the Chief’s mood and that is not something I want.”
Mabel’s demotion was slated to end in roughly two weeks’ time and if the Chief was grumpy like she said then she won’t get back to her team as quickly as she might want.
“There is nothing I can do to help you, Mabel,” Joan said. “Just be a good girl and hope that the Chief moods become good.”
Mabel pinched her nose just as Logan walked out of his office. Joan had wanted to ask for his advice about something but she just felt a bit uncomfortable but something Mabel said made her feel that she has to reach out to him. It might not be her brightest move but she has a feeling in her mind that it was not an entirely bad move and she just has to take it.
“Detective Logan, can I speak with you?” Joan asked as she walked up to him.
Logan turned and immediately Joan knew that something was not right. When that ominous feeling that you have been having all week comes right in front of you, you just know that this is what you have been expecting even if you have been denying it consciously.
“How can I help you, Joan?” Logan asked.
His question brought her back but she already knew that something was seriously wrong.
“I need your signature to use the ATD.”
“And why would you need to use an ATD?” Logan asked in her stern voice. “Protocol demands that anyone who would use and ATD must have trained for it and even though you have worked with normal TD it is not the same with an ATD.”
Joan was a bit taken back to realize that Logan knew that since she had not told anyone about that. The only person who knew that was the Chief and she doubts that he would have shared something like that with Logan since it was not that something special.
“Your partner AR-1D-2987 is more than enough for you to use with a Tactical Drone. I can’t authorize you to use the Advanced Tactical Drone,” Logan said before leaving her.
Several warning signs were going off in Joan’s head but she does not want to believe it one bit. She knew that she had to confirm her suspicion before Logan left and she ran up to meet him. He looked a bit angry to see her beside him but he kept quiet.
“Logan, you have to imagine how the ATD would be of help than my AI and a normal Tactical Drone.”
Logan stopped and turned to look at her, a strange glowing look in his eyes. He moved closer to Joan and said. “Detective Joan Smith, there are two things I would like you to know.”
This was the first time that Logan would raise his voice when speaking with her and everyone was looking at them.
“First, you call me Detective Logan or Sir not Logan and second, you don’t imagine cause you are not paid to do so.”
“I apologize sir,” Joan replied as she started to feel hot.
The fact that she had been embarrassed right in the middle of the station was not something pleasant and the fact that it was Logan, a man she likes that did it to her made it hurt more.
“That’s better,” Logan said before he left.
Joan just remained where she was and Mabel came to touch her telling her not to mind Logan. Joan turned to her friends and dragged her by the hand to the ladies’ room. Mabel resisted at first but relaxed and let Joan drag her wherever she wanted. When they got to the ladies room, Joan checked if there was anyone inside and on confirming that there was none, she locked the door.
“Okay Joan where’s the fire?” Mabel asked.
“Yes Mabel there is a fire but it is not where it is that matters but who.”
Silence filled the room for a moment as Mabel tried to make sense of what Joan said but nothing came to her.
“What do you mean Joan?”
Looking around again, Joan moved closer to Mabel who was wondering what was wrong with her friend and said.
“Logan is not Logan. He has been replaced by something and I think it is Ari.”
Everything became clear to Mabel and she nodded for a few seconds before she burst into laughter which shocked Joan.
“Why are you laughing Mabel?” Joan asked.
“Man you really have a strong imagination, Joan. That was a very good one though I have to admit.”
Seeing that Mabel was not believing her, Joan sighed with frustration and started explaining why she was confident that Logan has been replaced.
“Okay let me give you a benefit of doubt and say all this is true,” Mabel said. “How exactly did you know that he has been replaced.”
A smile passed through Joan’s face and she told Mabel that Logan’s eyes and speech were different. Mabel seemed to consider it for a moment before she burst into laughter and told Joan that she was reading too much into the situation.
“He wants to shut down your crush for him and that was why he acted like that,” Mabel said as she patted Joan on the shoulder. “You are shocked and the only explanation you can come up with is that he has been replaced.”
From Mabel’s words, Joan realized that she might seem a bit dramatic and taking it over the edge but she knew that Logan had been replaced.
“I know exactly how to prove it,” She said to Mabel. “Come on girl, accept the fact