Copycat

Dryden is playing unredacted videos of Casey for the jury—the material that Nemo’s lawyer claims was used to blackmail Casey and extort Nemo.

There’s a hushed, edgy, almost awkward air in the courtroom. It’s not every day that the “evidence” presented is essentially pornography.

The current clip shows a nude Casey delivering a defiant middle finger to the viewer. “Fuck Bitcoin, buy KnowCoin” flashes in neon text over her image.

“As the jury can see,” Dryden continues, “This is just a very advanced deep fake video. My client Original Syn has those technological capabilities. What you are seeing here is not Ms. Banks in the flesh, but a rendered likeness. It’s merely her face that’s been imposed on a simulated nude.”

“Judge and members of the jury, no such threat of blackmail or extortion could’ve existed. This is just the idle tinkerings of an inspired creator. If anything, it should show sympathy for my client. Clearly they had interest in supporting Ms. Banks as a muse. I would consider this a form of art, really. Besides, if it is true that Mr. Allman has been romantically involved with Ms. Banks, then when shown these, he should’ve known that these were indeed fake. . .”

There are groans and whisperings in the audience at Dryden’s audacity.

Frey—Nemo’s lawyer—calmly buttons his blazer, then approaches the jury.

“These are very good fakes, and my client would have no way of distinguishing that,” Frey says. “Furthermore, speaking of interest, yes it’s true my client does have a romantic interest in Ms. Banks. . .”

Nemo looks up as if his lawyer just popped a giant balloon in the middle of courtroom silence. Jaw slack, eyes wide. He looks over to Casey, who’s at the witness stand. Her expression is placid, giving him no signal as to what’s next.

“. . .and this romantic interest should be taken into consideration, in terms of the massive impact that extortion would have on him. As a result, Dryden’s point is moot, because fake or no fake, Original Syn’s intended effect would still be the same: to cause distress and error of judgment on the part of my client. Now, the necklace that Mr. Frey holds as evidence of my client’s fugitive status was a gift given to Ms. Banks by Mr. Allman this summer. Please bring the necklace to me. . .”

“Members of the jury will notice this is a locket. I had time to inspect the evidence in pre-trial—something I expect Mr. Dryden took the advantage of, too.”

Frey casts a sly glance at Dryden, who appears to be sweating a bit. Of course Dryden didn’t inspect the evidence. He had a predetermined conclusion and worked backwards from there. He wasn’t interested in digging into the nuance. He saw one piece of “evidence” and considered the case closed.

“Inside the locket is a small key. This key goes to a box in that was in possession of Ms. Banks and has been submitted as evidence. Officer, will you please place the box in front of Ms. Banks, with this key?”

The officer delivers the key and box to the stand. “Ms. Banks, do you recognize these items?”

“I do,” she calmly replies. “They are mine.”

“Then for the jury, would you please show us how the key unlocks the box, and what is in it?”

Nemo, completely puzzled, never knew the necklace was a locket. He knows nothing of this box, either. Casey twists the key.

Inside is an Original Syn mask—like the kind she was pictured as wearing in publicized photo shoots this autumn.

But how could that be? Nemo’s been in possession of the locket since the summer, and to his knowledge she only started working with Original Syn in the fall semester.

“Ms. Banks, how long have you been in possession of this mask?”

“Since July. I was approached by Original Syn at that time. They gave me the mask as swag.”

Frey reads aloud from a copy of the contract she signed in the fall:

“Any audience who is given access to the likeness of I, Cassandra Banks, allied with branded Original Syn content and/or copy, will trigger compensation in the form of KnowCoin payment; no other ephemera, paraphernalia or miscellany will count as payment. . . Ms. Banks were you compensated in KnowCoin for the content Mr. Dryden just presented?”

“Objection, your honor!” Dryden shouts. “We’ve determined that this is a deep fake body with only her face. . .”

“Overruled,” the judge declares.

“No, I was not provided compensation.”

“And Nemo, can you confirm that you were shown images of this content at Klout Casino?”

Nemo looks over to Casey, who’s as still as an obelisk. “I can confirm.”

“An audience of one is still an audience. No further questions for Ms. Banks at this time,” Frey says with a slight smirk.

Dryden is working his lips in frustrated silence. The judge calls for a lunch break. Nemo watches Casey exit the stand, with an ache in his stomach. Just as he was ready to trust her again, he wonders: has betrayal been at the heart of their love this whole time?

Not a single glance is cast in his direction—Casey seems to be submerged, underwater, in a world of her own. . .