THE MOMENT
Technology was dangerous in the wrong hands, and very clear laws were written to explain which hands were the right ones. When the technology to quantify and study human souls was invented, the powers that be moved quickly to categorize and define every aspect of it before revealing their knowledge to the public. It would have been disastrous to the harmony of the overall system if the average citizen was able to define their own soul. It was powerful; but, still limited and there were too many variables in the human experience to account for. So, they limited those variables from the beginning.
Ethan was the definition of 'the wrong hands' by any external measure. It would be misleading to say he was proud of his accomplishments; but, he did think he was strongly in the right by sheer scale. He had an opportunity to rid the Earth of the wrong kind of people, so helpfully outlined by the government. They set the guidelines, and through his position, they gave him the power to adjudicate its use. He was only doing what was expected of him.
"You have been...," despite being in the middle of judgment, Ethan was distracted. His attention shifted, along with everyone else's in the courtroom. A vertical black portal appeared in front of the Judge's bench and a teen girl with snow-white hair and red eyes walked out as the sentencing continued. "...sentenced to ten thousand life sentences. Once you die, we will find your soul and merge it with another body, after which you will continue to serve your sentence...,"
The girl turned and looked at the judge as he continued. He was visibly surprised, and security had already closed in closer; but, he was a professional. Sentencing needed to be carried out uninterrupted, or the dangerous criminal might go free due to improper procedure. And, it seemed like discovering the human soul opened the door to a lot of strange new things. Ethan had seen quite a few unusual sights and it only made it easier to abuse his power. The girl watched patiently, seemingly understanding the situation.
"...In case of reincarnation, you will be arrested at birth and placed right back into your cell." The pounding of the gavel coincided neatly with a sudden burst of giggles from the girl. More armed officers entered the courtroom. "Can I help you miss?"
"My name is Rhapsody Sharp and I represent Sharp Development," she introduced herself to the judge. "I came to investigate some unusual distortions that are affecting the operation of my company; I think I figured out what it was," she grinned.
"This whole thing...," she made a dismissive gesture at the courtroom around them. "... sentencing consecutive lives... you're not allowed to do that," she said. "Also, it's technically impossible; but, the fact that your Earth is trying is what's messing things up."
"Not allowed?" The judge laughed with a notable layer of sarcasm. "Who are you to make that a rule?" Despite what he was in the middle of, Ethan thought it was funny a teenage girl was running around trying to be a big shot. All things considered, there could have been worse interruptions. She was still too young to know anything about how the world worked, especially now that souls were commoditized. It might be fun to see her humbled. He didn't think he was a bad guy; he just knew he was better than her. He'd seen the bare souls of hundreds of people and over time he developed an eye for their qualities, as categorized by his work. She was a variable that didn't fit into the system. And she probably thought that because of whatever ability she used to intrude in the moment, that she was above him.
"I have an answer for you, but I'm curious. What's your answer to that question? Who are you to condemn the lives of thousands of others just to punish this man?"
"We have the technology to do it. That alone is enough to exercise our right to use it responsibly."
"Oh," she smiled at the judge. "Actually, that makes my job a lot easier. If that's the philosophy this Earth follows then, we'll just enforce it manually.
"What do you me-," the judge leaned forward over his bench out of curiosity. He wasn't scared of anything he could imagine her doing. But, she held up a finger to distract him.
"Shhh, nap time," she winked at him. He was so confused at first that it took a moment to sink in. Everyone in the courtroom, except Ethan, was now asleep. They'd slumped over sitting upright. Some fell to the side, and some forward or back. Once she had his attention she met Judge Ethan's eyes. "Since I don't have to be diplomatic on this Earth, I'll just explain things the simple way for you. The universe has a system and you're here trying to do its job for it and mucking everything up across hundreds of realities. Stick to your Earth and one lifetime. You're in a position of power to change things."
Ethan hadn't missed the constant references to alternate Earths. But, he'd been more insulted than anything. He was doing a job and keeping evil at bay. The multiverse meant nothing to his personal struggles in his day-to-day life on his Earth.
"You're saying people like him are allowed to walk freely in the multiverse?" he gestured at the sleeping defendant.
"Yeah," Rhapsody giggled. "People like you, people like him, everyone. The multiverse got you this far, didn't it? It's working as intended."
Maybe it was a late reaction to the intrusion and disrespect in his court. Maybe her comment was a step too far. Maybe he'd fill in the reason later as he replayed the moment in his mind. Whatever the case, Judge Ethan was pushed beyond his limit.
"DON'T PUT ME IN THE SAME GROUP WITH THAT SORRY EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN SOUL!" Rhapsody looked surprised; but, she did not lose any of her amusement.
"That bad huh?" she asked. "What'd he do?"
"What?" It was yet one more sly insult disguised as a question. The mere assumption that they'd get to that point at all without that key knowledge was a personal attack on him and the system he worked so hard to maintain. "What do you mean, 'what did he do?'"
"What crimes did he commit?"
"His soul matches the profile of a criminal. That means he was born a criminal and he'll always be a criminal."
“You know, maybe I was too subtle. You understand putting everyone to sleep was a show of force, right? Most people would be a little more attentive and gracious after that.”
“I’m not most people,” Judge Ethan shook his head. “I’ve seen the human soul, there’s nothing you can do to intimidate me.”
“Well, that’s no fun,” she shoo’d him away and he was swallowed by a black hole before he realized what was happening. And, he’d never figure out what happened. Rhapsody then turned and glanced at the defendant. “You probably didn’t do anything wrong,” she sent him away too, to a different, better place. Then, she gave one last look around the courtroom and shrugged as she left it through another portal. She doubted her initial problem was solved; but, if there were any more logistical mishaps in the future she knew where to start looking to fix the system.