The Time of Murder

~7:56 PM, June 23rd, 2120 ~

“Jaylnn Brown, you are on trial for murder,” a human judge said. She pushed her polished wood chair back against the ivory walls. 

“Computing likelihood of events. Result in three. Two. One. Zero.” The AI judge said. It was nothing more than a screen, but it was the foundation of the criminal justice system.

“Decree: Guilty. Reasoning: You have committed past offences, and the evidence points towards you. Multiple witnesses have seen you commit your crime. Therefore, the likelihood is 95% probable that this murder was by your hand.” 

I exhale, loudly, and the red bangs on my forehead are pushed upwards. I have not committed any past offenses. I was wrongly convicted. But I did commit murder. It was January, and that girl was responsible for it all. Meri Sanders.

She had somehow filmed me committing petty crimes, like stealing a bag of chips or something. Then, when I pushed her to stop, she had sent them to my sister. My sister, seeing them all, had sunk into deep depression. And my sister had died. Because of this girl. I hated her so much that I wished she didn’t exist. She’d fed the world lies about me, destroying my reputation - but the worst part was that my sister had believed them.

The human judge stares at me with contempt. There is no mercy, not even a smile, for a criminal. No one cares for my side of the story, and the court-assigned lawyer said nothing to protect me. The judge’s fingers are typing at fast speeds, and then she has the appropriate punishment broadcasted to the room. The Red Seal.

My data chip is scanned, and as I watch the big screen, the red seal is stamped on it. Hard and firm, it is unbudging. They created the red seal to prevent time cheating. It was modeled after the red wax imprints people used to put on envelopes. But this is different. The recent discovery of time travel through parallel universes was shocking - but there were also opportunities to change the past, and return to the future as someone different. So they created the seal.

The seal stays with you throughout all universes, and it has an imprint of your crime and what the seal means. For me, it says this: This seal marks a criminal. Crime: The murder of Meri Sanders. Punishment: Death. Above what it means is the motto of the criminal justice system. Even time will bow down to the law. So long as the red seal stays on your data chip, there is nothing for you. Though they say that it won’t affect you too much, people won’t hire you if you have the red seal. They won’t give you food or a house or anything if you have the red seal. You won’t be able to live if you have the red seal.

The time system is relatively new, and I am one of the very few who will test it out. After all, no one cares if a criminal is killed. With this system, you are sent back in time to the correct date and location, and you stop the crime from occurring. If you do, when you come back to the future, you find a courtroom judge and they have the power to pull off the red seal. Because your crime would have never happened. 

My previous “crimes” haven’t been bad enough to warrant this punishment. So this is the first time - and hopefully last - that I will do this.

I enter an overnight cell while they calibrate the suit for my time warp. Though I don’t try to, I find myself dozing off. 

~8:30 AM, June 24th, 2150~

“You will be assigned one suit. You will enter, and you will be taken back to a predetermined time. You will then see your past self, committing the crime. You are not in any way allowed to expose yourself to your past self and may only fix the damage after your other self has left. Remote video footage will be transmitted from your suit to us, and time cheating will be punished severely,” the guard said. His armor is polished and shining in the sunlight.

I am escored to the suit, and I step inside. It molds itself to me, and the guard clears his throat. 

“Time Warp: Commencing in 3 . . .”

The multiverse opens up, displaying different scenes at times in the distant past.

“in 2 . . .”

My suit beeped in a series, giving me a barcode that can be used to identify me in time.

 “in 1 . . .”

The healing technology meant for Meri Sanders is firmly held in my palm.

“in 0 . . ..”

My red seal vanished from my records as I was fully absorbed into the past.

~3:34, January 5th, 2150~

My eyes finally opened again, and I blinked a couple times to work moisture back into them. I looked down to see the suit transformed into the newer trends of 2150. Namely, a button up emerald t-shirt and a denim skirt. My red hair twisted itself into a wire braid, just like it normally would be. I spun on my heel and turned in all directions until I saw myself. My past self was facing a girl, tall and lithe.

I remembered every detail of that girl, Meri Sanders, down to the way she stands, as if all the world is inferior to her. Her smile is teasing and taunting, and I remembered exactly how she faked videos of crimes with me in them, so I would be convicted. So, I spent years with a criminal record, not allowed to get a job, until I had no way of survival. My past self didn’t want to apply for redemption. My past self wanted vengeance.

“You are just a criminal, only thieving off the benefits of other people. Your parents were weak and deserved to die. You are nothing.” Her voice calls, her perfect lips spitting out the last word. Even now, I felt my temper flare up once more.

Then I saw my own face across from her; twisted with rage. I couldn’t help but turn away from what I know is going to happen. A quick noise, a spurt of red, and then it’s over. I looked again and see my past self-turn to run with an expression of disbelief on her face. I still feel a slight glimmer of pride that I was able to evade the police for a few months.

The minute I can no longer see myself, I move forward, trying to hide my facial features.

“Why did it happen to me? Lots of kids bullied her at school, she left them unharmed . . . Everyone told me I could do great things! Everyone said I was destined – for more than dying in some silly mall!” I can hear Meri sobbing, and I speed up, running towards her.

“Do not be scared. I can help save you,” I said, having approached the fallen girl calmly.

“Who are you?” Meri asked warily.

“Nobody,” I replied as I applied the bandage I was given earlier to her wound. The nanobots concealed in the silver middle section moved outwards, pulling the metal fragments from her body and stitching everything together. Though effective, they are slow, and the girl grimaced in excruciating pain. She stood up on wobbly legs, but before she could look up and see me, the face of her murderer, I pressed the chip on my arm. It spawned another exit, as well as a countdown. At three, it opens the portal. At two, it makes the same noise as it always does, overlapping a queer popping noise. At one, I am pulled in, and make it back to my time. Zero.

~7:56 PM, June 23rd, 2150~

“Jaylnn Brown, you are on trial for murder,” A human judge who looks just like the woman in my trial said. I felt an immediate jolt. My name is Jaylnn Brown. And I am in the defendant’s seat, looking at my sentence.

"Computing likelihood of events. Result in three. Two. One. Zero." The AI judge said, standing in the same spot he was in my trial. ““Decree: Guilty. Reasoning: You have committed past offences, and the evidence points towards you. Multiple witnesses have seen you commit your crime. Therefore, the likelihood is 95% probable that this murder was by your hand.” 

I see myself getting escorted out of the area, but after I am sent to a cell, I step forward.

“Wait. No, I prevented the crime from happening. The victim; she should be alive,” I said, desperation clear in my voice. I wanted the red seal off my records, I wanted to have another chance at an untarnished life. I started recounting the events that happened, up until I came back to the future.

“This story could be a lie.” The AI judge said. “There is a 73% probability she is not telling the truth. The course of action suggested is to carry out the punishment on the criminal. Would you like to proceed?”

The human nodded silently, and I tilted my head in confusion. Nothing that bad can happen, right? They wouldn’t really kill me for my crimes, will they? The security guard from earlier lifts up a weapon, and I did the only thing I could think of – I time travelled back to the past.

~3:34 PM, January 5th, 2150~

I entered the portal, and immediately saw my departing self. The suit had auto sent me to the time I left, as I didn’t readjust it. As if a parting gift from the robot, a laser shot came straight the portal, aimed at my heart. I ducked, and the shot fired straight into the heart of a girl, who was standing up on wobbly legs. Clenching my teeth in frustration, I ran over to Meri Sanders on the ground.

“Wait – don’t die! I can save you.” I said, frowning. I looked at the nanotechnology bandaging her other wound. Pulling it off her skin, I put it on the shot through her chest.

Please work . . . I’d prayed quietly. No new nanobots streamed out of the bandage, and the girl’s breath caught. Too soon, the girl’s life was over.

“That’s it, I’m calling the cops.” I’d heard someone say, but the voice seemed indistinct and tinny. I knew I had no chance then, so I clicked the button on my suit and go back to my time, knowing there won’t be a different outcome. Just like always, the portal gives a set countdown of three seconds for me to enter it, but I couldn’t focus on its counting this time.

~7:56 PM, June 23th, 2150~

I landed once more in the cold, white trial room, with everything just how it was earlier. I paid no attention to the words echoing across the room, and instead started creeping outside as I am taken away, but then I hear myself yelling.

“Wait! No, I prevented the crime from happening. The victim; she should be alive.” I heard myself say. A shot fired, and then silence came through the room as I travelled back to the past. There is some chaos as the human judge orders for me to be found. I emerged from the trial room, and immediately heard mutterings.

“Did they pardon her? I was sure she did it . . .” a girl that looks like Meri Sanders says before she starts crying. “My older sister was supposed to be invincible!” she yells, looking upwards into nowhere. My vision clouded a bit more as the tears started coming more freely.

I couldn’t live here. The red seal caused no job opportunities, no living in the best houses or apartments, no way to make myself better. The red seal that disappears when you go to the past. Strangely, a plan started formulating in my head, with my one goal in my head. I wanted to leave this world. I found some of my belongings; a laser gun and some nanotech and shove them into my pockets. I was still wearing my suit, and while I couldn’t live in the future with a red seal, I could live in the past without one. The remote still lay in my hand, with the option to go back to the past. This time, though, I change the time from the past. I’ll make it 2140, December 8th. The day I turned 20.

~9:02 PM, December 8th, 2140~

It will return me to this time in three . . .

I stood in the same shopping mall that I was by earlier, but this time, I don’t see myself. The shop is closed, but I was hungry. I thought I’ll steal food from there as soon as I reach the time. My record was already destroyed, so almost nothing can make it worse.

In two . . .

I saw a girl with straight black hair, VR-streaming in front of the store. I can place her. This was the younger Meri Sanders.

In one . . .

I laughed, despite the sadness I felt. I supposed that she’ll record me, and I’ll be caught stealing food and raiding closed stores, just like the AI said when I was first brought in for crimes. These are where my crimes came from. There is a sense of finality upon realizing that in a way, she was always right. It doesn’t matter, though. I have already taken care of her in the future.

In zero . . .

I raised my fingers in salute to the future and stepped forwards into the past.