Cognitive Deviance

1. Officer Sandoval

"Haha!" Ellie chimed in through Margo's earpiece. "Mind-reading, am I right?"

"Shut up!" Margo whispered. "I told you I'll call you later."

"However, ladies and gentlemen," Mason continued, "these brave, intelligent men and women standing here before me have proven to be capable of comprehending the enigma that is the human mind. They have chosen to take the responsibility of protecting our future and saving us from our own inner demons. Because that is what Psychwatch was made to do. Neutralize the threats, empathize with the victims, stabilize society." She placed her hand on her chest. "Neutralize, empathize, stabilize. And we will continue to do so for years to come."

A loud applause rippled through the audience, claps and cheers filling the air. Mason waited patiently for the noise to fade out before moving on. Next she would read off the list of new recruits, all of whom would walk to the stage, receive a badge, and wait patiently as the crowd went wild at the mention of their name.

"Remember to smile, sis," Ellie chimed in once again. "Hope you brushed your teeth this time."

Margo rolled her eyes, not even bothering to stifle a chuckle. "I didn't ask for your opinions, Ellie. Now quit talking. You're making me seem like a weirdo just talking to myself. I'm not even supposed to have my earpiece on right now."

"Margo sweetie, you can turn the piece off, but you can't shut me up. But since this is a pretty big deal, I'll come back later then. Ciao!"

The vibration of Margo's earpiece vanished with Ellie. Margo clicked the button twice, a beep signaling the device's power resting.

She returned her view to the stage. She didn't know how many names had been called up during her brief little discussion with her sister. Her only indicator was that half of her side of the audience consisted of empty chairs. Only three more people sat to her left, and then it would be her turn.

As the third person to her left timidly stood from his chair to make his way to the stage, Margo could see her mother and Carl waiting patiently in the other section. Carl noticed her and flashed his famous Cheshire Cat-like grin along with a thumbs-up, both of which have been making her day ever since she was fifteen. She also caught a quick glimpse of his LED ring that flashes either red, blue, or green depending on which alter had control.

The light was blue. Carl should be the one in control.

"Margo Sandoval," Mason announced.

A wide smile stretched across Margo's face as she leaped from her chair and marched to the stage. Once again, she had to stifle her laughter as the audience applauded. Carl's distinct whoop only made it harder not to laugh. Mason waited for her at the pedestal and shook her hand before handing her her official badge.

"Congratulations, Margo," Mason said. "I look forward to working alongside you."

"Thanks!" she replied, no sign of her smile disappearing anytime now. "Is now the right time to give you a hug?"

Mason chuckled. "Maybe later."

Margo obediently walked over to where the other recruits stood. She held up her badge for her mom and Carl like how she did during her high school graduation. The two of them clapped a little longer for her as Mason continued summoning the rest of the recruits. And once everyone was up, the audience applauded one more time, louder than before as they rose from their seats.

Ten minutes later, the ceremony had concluded. The recruits had rejoined their families off the stage, exchanging hugs and handshakes. After getting that anticipated congratulatory hug from Mason, she reunited with her mom and Carl. Her mother threw her arms around her, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.

"I knew you could do it, sweetheart!" she said, her arms still wrapped around her daughter. "I'm not sure whether I'm more terrified or more proud!"

"Why not be both?" Margo replied. "Thanks for believing in me."

They parted ways. Now it was Carl's turn to hug her. First, he patted her on the shoulder. Then he pulled her in. "Why am I not surprised?" he said. "One of the hardest-working people I know, about to work one of the hardest jobs I've heard of. And with a smile on her face! Congratulations, Margo. As usual, I knew you could do it."

"Thanks, Carl," Margo replied. As the two of them let go, she grabbed his hand and looked down at his ring, still glowing blue. "Unless...who's out?"

Carl grinned. "It's Carl, I swear. Vince and Catalina told me they'd avoid dissociation for the next few hours. But we can't trust Vince too much, can we?"

"Only when you need to kick some ass."

Carl chuckled. "That's exactly what he would say. Or at least what he left behind in his audio log."

"Excuse me?" Margo's mother asked.

"Don't worry, Karen," Carl replied. "I've known Vince long enough. He's weird, but he's trustworthy. Plus, he knows if he gets himself hurt, he's also getting me hurt."

Carl's earpiece buzzed three times, indicating an incoming message. Thanks to it being a ThoughtControl product, all he had to do was think about answering the message to respond. And once he had accepted the call, he was greeted by the voice of Inspector Daniela Andrade, the second most respected person in Psychwatch after Commissioner Mason.

"Hey, Andrade," he greeted smoothly. "How's it hanging?"

"Maslow," Andrade replied in a more serious tone than Carl, "we have a situation."

"When do we not have a situation?"

"Quit being a smart-ass and head to my location. Royce and Holloway should meet you there as well."

"Holloway? Why would we need a stiff like him right now?"

"We found multiple bodies in an alley in a neighborhood beyond the range of the SanityScans. And whoever killed them clearly didn't care about making a mess."

Carl whistled with intrigue. "Out in the Psycho Slums, eh? Got it. I'll be there in a few minutes."

The call ended. Carl scratched the stubble on his chin before moving on to smooth his hand through his graying hair. He was only a year away from fifty, yet he sometimes felt like he was already getting too old for this.

"What did Andrade want?" Margo asked.

"Investigating a string of murders out in the Psycho Slums," Carl replied as he tapped his fingers against the grip of his Fatemaker gun. "She didn't care much for descriptions, but knowing the Psycho Slums, I bet it wasn't pretty."

"How long will you be out?"

"Shouldn't be too long, honey. The three of us are still up for dinner at the Atmos Terrace, right?"

"Yep. 7:30 tonight."

"Great! Well," Carl paused to hug Margo and Karen again before marching toward the elevator, "I'll see you two later then." He snapped his fingers. "By the way, Margo, Mason says you'll be starting off on the Empathy team in two days, so get ready!"

"Yeah, I figured," Margo shrugged.

Carl gave one more glance before disappearing into the elevator.