Case File: "Artificial Justice" - Mercy (2026)

The night the Gumshoes planned to clock out early and celebrate Jonathan's birthday was the morning the precinct locked them in. Rookie detective Jonathan “Sourdough” Manno, chasing what he swore was “just a cultural research link,” accidentally downloaded a rogue virus from an Estonian mail-order bride website, corrupting Clippy, the precinct’s overworked AI computer. Within seconds, the windows sealed, the doors magnetized, and Clippy’s cheerful paper-clip smile twisted into something far more sinister. The precinct computer announced a ninety-minute countdown: review Mercy (2026) and determine whether its AI justice system was guilty or innocent or the building would initiate “permanent shutdown procedures.” Trapped with nothing but stale coffee, flickering monitors, and a movie that hit way too close to home, the Gumshoes had one chance to crack the case before the algorithm decided they were officially obsolete.