Cytronica

Two

"And that gentleman is Mr Miller, our network engineer."

The group peered inside and noticed an elderly man typing at one of the workstations. He had his back to the glass, completely unaware of the tour. His desk was almost entirely bare, except for his computer and a framed picture of his dog.

"As you've no doubt read in our brochure," Mr Ramirez explained, "Wynter International Academy is one of the very few schools in the country to have its own fully licenced Cytro realm, where students are able to log in at any time and interact with one another. Research and feedback shows this enhances the students' learning experiences, as well as teach them about real-world sociology in a safe and controlled environment."

Priya and Jiaying both nodded in agreement. They'd heard the same information many times in the recent past; it was beginning to grow stale.

The speech continued. "This is one of our standout features in the academy, and something we're proud of. After all, our top priority is to invest in every student's education and welfare. And the reason why we have Priya and Jiaying assisting us today is because they're administrators for the Cytro realm. Each day at four o'clock they log in with the other three admins, and together they monitor the realm to ensure students are abiding by the rules, and that everything is properly maintained. If there are any concerns, they can report it to Mr Miller or myself."

Priya studied the countless parents' faces, as well as their kids'. Some were impressed. Again, others not so much.

"So," Mr Ramirez said, "if you have any questions—"

"I have one," a woman called, wasting no time in interrupting the tour.

The principal nodded. "Fire away."

The woman cleared her throat. "It says in the brochure that your Cytro has bots enabled."

"That's correct."

She folded her arms across her chest. "May I ask why?"

Mr Ramirez quickly faced Priya and Jiaying. "I'll handle this one," he whispered, then glanced back at the group. The question was often asked. "The academy wants optimal learning for our students, and we believe offering them a real-world experience will teach all societal aspects, but under controlled conditions."

The woman stood her ground. "I work for a company that has its own private realm too, and we don't have bots. It's only for us to interact with one another and work together from anywhere on the globe. So forgive me if I think it's a strange addition to your Cytro."

"A fair point," the principal accepted, "and you're not the first parent to voice their concerns about that. But as I say, it's a completely safe environment, and we want to encourage students to interact with not only one another, but with the bots of Cytro. This aids them in their adult life by giving them adult social skills."

The woman glared at the principal. "Well, I don't agree with it."

Priya looked away and rolled her eyes, cautious not to be seen. The bots were harmless. In fact, if anything, they were more of a hindrance. Their blank faces and overly happy nature was sometimes irritating.

"And you're entitled to your opinion," Mr Ramirez said. "Don't forget though, the use of Cytro is optional. It's an additional feature we provide here at the academy, but using it is completely at each student's discretion. Although, it's something we highly recommend. Now, any other questions for our best and brightest?" he asked, quickly changing the topic, motioning his head to Priya and Jiaying.

A boy raised his hand. He looked to be about twelve or thirteen.

"Yes?" Priya said, smiling at him.