A Kind of Guilt

Title: A Kind of Guilt

Author: John Cooney

Logline: When a former cop who insists he was framed for murder is released from prison to help a humanoid agent stop an imminent terrorist attack, he is free to pursue his hidden agenda – revenge.

Lomax, a former Investigator with the Department of Loyalty Enforcement, is serving prison time for a crime he insists he did not commit - the murder of his DLE partner, a synthetic life engine (sleeg) named Helm. Lomax’s former boss Taylor approaches him with a deal – a prison furlough in exchange for Lomax’s help in thwarting a terrorist attack on a major, as-yet unidentified US city. The suspected architect of the plot is Nord, an anti-government extremist whom Lomax investigated and sent to prison years earlier. Lomax believes Nord framed him for his partner’s murder, and he agrees to help for two reasons – to exact his revenge on Nord and to reconnect with his estranged daughter Sydney.

To his dismay, Lomax – a diagnosed synthephobe - is assigned to work the case with Claire, who like Helm is both a DLE agent and a sleeg. They soon determine the target of Nord’s planned attack is a popular park in downtown Los Angeles. Furthermore, it becomes clear that Nord has used his technical skills to infiltrate the Third Kingdom – a synthetic life engine regeneration environment – to modify several sleegs and recruit them to his cause. Lomax and Claire travel to LA, where an unsuccessful attempt on Lomax’s life is soon made; the would-be assassin is killed in a high-speed chase through the streets of LA. Lomax, with Claire in tow, tracks down Sydney, a former engineer at the synthetic life engine manufacturer Vitruvius. Sydney quickly determines that Claire has been illegally modified and warns Lomax to watch her closely.

West, a sleeg worker at the LA Crisis Command Center, is kidnapped and brought to Nord’s hideout. Nord removes West’s ID grid and modifies his behavioral inhibitors to bring him under Nord’s control. West and Green, Nord’s violent sleeg enforcer, travel to the Crisis Command Center, where West alters city emergency codes in preparation for Nord’s planned terrorist operation.

Lomax learns Claire has accessed Helm’s DLE murder case file. She refuses to give Lomax access to the file because it falls outside the parameters of his deal with Taylor but tells him she knows he did not kill Helm. Sydney contacts Lomax to report she has identified Nord’s modified sleeg crew after hacking Vitruvius’s internal production records. She meets Lomax and Claire at the LA DLE office and reveals the identities of Nord’s crew, one of whom is Lomax’s would-be assassin. After the meeting, Sydney is kidnapped by Green. Lomax hijacks a delivery vehicle and gives chase, but it stopped by armed drones under Nord’s command. Lomax and Claire track Sydney to Nord’s hideout, where Nord is making final preparations for his attack. Sydney sabotages Nord’s efforts as Lomax and Claire, joined by Taylor, make entry and apprehend Nord.

Claire reveals Helm is still alive in the Third Kingdom and that Taylor – not Nord – framed Lomax for Helm’s murder. Lomax is vindicated, while Claire decides to return to the Third Kingdom – permanently – to reunite with Helm.