STRATEGIC BEHAVIOR (REVISING)

CHAPTER 12: MORTALS

Mr. Betts raised an arm, and the blue background replayed Hiram's video clip. Witnessing the burning plane for a second time was an assault on the senses. Norma visibly flinched, but she couldn't show fragility. She straightened her spine as Chaz Chang's tearful message transitioned to the newscaster mentioning a protracted flu season. Mr. Betts ended the feed. "It has come to our attention a student at the academy shared this," he stated.

"I took care of it," Norma murmured. "Magnum, if you would, please transmit audio-file of the meeting with Hiram."

Skylar stiffened but hid her uneasiness with the AI having a spyware function. Her heart thumped in her chest when he nodded in compliance. "Syncing to sound system now," he stated. Her eyes darted from Norma to him. She worried he would give too much or too little audio to satisfy the stern members of the board. Her fear seemed warranted when she heard the segment he chose:

"If you don't think I have your best interest at heart, that's fine," Norma's voice surrounded them. "You're entitled to that opinion. Regardless, I'm responsible for the wellbeing of over ten-thousand people, and your opinion won't change that... So, how do you kill a conspiracy theory? You do it with knowledge. Therefore, I'll let you in on what we know."

Skylar gritted her teeth. She couldn't display any outward sign of distress, but her frantic heartrate ticked up another notch. Remarkably, Norma's calm demeanor didn't waver, and Magnum's face gave away nothing as the clip continued: "We determined the news clip was a deep-fake. We would have reacted the same way and alerted our superiors if we thought there was real danger."

"Thank you, Magnum," Norma said in profile. The AI inclined his head. As the doctored audio-file faded, Skylar quietly released the breath she was holding. Mr. Betts' expression lightened. He was satisfied. How the other board members felt was anyone's guess. They were unmoving. A stoic mass of god complex. Skylar ached to see their mythology torn to shreds.

Mr. Betts responded, "We knew we could count on you to maintain order."

"That doesn't change the fact you never intended for me to return to my former life," said Norma. "Which calls into question whether you were honest with any of your promises. Why didn't you reveal the story to me before running it? I would've given myself a more glamorous death." Her snark didn't reach her eyes. They were flint. Mr. Betts smiled apologetically.

"Ms. Mansfield, I understand you may not want to hear this, but all information released within Eutopia is on a need to know basis."

"You didn't think I needed to know you were killing me off in the press?" she asked.

A member of the board proved sentience by interjecting, "We have reasons for everything we do."

"What about bringing minors within the barrier?" Emotion hardened her voice. "I believe your reasoning for that is definitely information I need to know. You've flooded this zone with EI when you only asked me to look after androids. How am I supposed to do my job if I don't know what it is?"

"Your job is simply to run this city." Mr. Betts spread his arms as if the task at hand was elementary. "I can assure you our purpose will be revealed in due time. Until then, we expect you and your team to continue to function as our spokespersons and adhere to our vision."

Skylar bit her tongue to keep silent, but Dr. Lacasse's warning about men with visions of perfect societies clanged in her head like klaxons. Norma hugged herself as she paced closer to the communication screen, staring at the floor. "And how do you expect us to respond to the questions your heavy-handed recruitment techniques force us to answer?" she asked without looking up.

Mr. Betts tilted his head. "You're a genius, Ms. Mansfield. I'm sure you'll think of something."

The communication zapped to a clear blank screen. Dismissed. Impotent rage flooded Skylar as they filed from the computer lab into Norma's bedroom. She turned to Norms and saw the woman deflate. Years of friendship—however compromised by finding out she was a stranger—propelled Skylar toward her, and she grabbed her in a hug. The intimate touch stirred feelings she didn't want to address, but they were there. Deep down. Difficult to digest. A weight of butterflies in the pit of her stomach.

"It's good. You're good. I've got you," Skylar whispered.

Norma buried her face in her shoulder. "What if the reason they picked me is be- because they know I can't logically respond any other way than to do what they've ordered?" She sobbed.

Skylar lifted her chin. "There's more to you than logic and order. You have a heart. I don't know why they picked you, but I know why you're the right person for this. Because you won't quit until you figure out a solution. I believe in you, Norms."

Magnum approached and laid a comforting hand on Norma's back. "I'll run you a bath," he murmured. A look passed between the two, and Skylar retreated a step. Dismissed again. She swallowed a lump as the AI ushered Norma to the bathroom and closed the door.