STRATEGIC BEHAVIOR (REVISING)

CHAPTER 10: FULL STEAM AHEAD

Skylar divested attention from Dr. Lacasse as neon words flashed her insert: I need you. Meet us at Vision Academy. –Norma. Fear skimmed her, but she brushed it off. Trouble couldn't have found them that quickly, not as long as Magnum was with the tech mogul.

Dr. Lacasse cocked his head. "Is that the General?"

"In a manner of speaking. Norma Mansfield," Skylar affirmed as she beckoned him to follow. "She's the manager of this operation, and she's... my friend. I'd like to introduce you. Do you know of her?"

"Hasn't she made quite the name for herself at Chang & Mansfield?"

"No, I mean is she part of your legacy?" Skylar rephrased. The verdant halls flew by in a blur. Her brisk stride carried her to the elevator bay, and Dr. Lacasse squeezed in with her.

"Wouldn't that be lovely? Two of my children running the show," he mused.

She chuckled at his perspective, but their conversation lulled in the crush of strangers. He seemed in no hurry to continue the chat with an eager audience. Skylar used the moment to access her map. Vision Academy shared a prominent space in the city square. Soothing blue arrows pointed her in the right direction when the elevator doors eased apart. Exiting the reprogramming center, humid heat struck, and she glowered at the greying afternoon sky.

"Sadly, no. I can't take credit for her design." Dr. Lacasse fell in step, neither surprised by nor interested in the mercurial weather. "Can any one person? From what I've heard, Dr. Black was the brainchild of a team of architects."

"You know about her past."

With twinkling orbs, he touched his nose. "I know a lot of things, Skylar. People don't care what an old recluse stumbles upon, dithering in his spare time. Your friend was built, born, and raised off the books. Yet, a shocking amount of gossip made the science rounds after her impressive debut within the Department of Defense."

"I met her afterwards," Skylar murmured.

The doctor studied her for a beat. "You likely met the better version."

His statement arrested her. She paused at an intersection, observing the city's transformation from earlier. Vehicles had been cleared from the streets, and pedestrians no longer wandered, lost. Those who hadn't disappeared into their new homes accumulated beneath outdoor Influencer-screens, discussing the pre-set slides.

In the brief hour spent finding her office, Norma had restored order from anarchy. It was her gift, but Dr. Lacasse's offhand remark suggested she had other, darker talents. They crossed the thoroughfare to the academy in silence.

Sure, the Norma that Skylar was familiar with had her faults. She was domineering and intractable. Easily swayed by libido. She was preoccupied with breaking records, regardless of rules broken in the process. But she wasn't callous or misanthropic, although the "better version" might be curated. What did Skylar know?

The shadow agency had chosen Norma to lead this project for a reason. For the first time, Skylar wondered if being one of the smartest women on earth wasn't it.

"She's not what you think," she felt the need to say.

"Oh, I reserve judgment. People rarely are."

"They should be at this location." At the doctor's quizzical look, she explained, "Norma and Magnum, our head of security."

"Another Enhanced Intel?" he asked.

She declined to answer, and he didn't press.

Like the reprogramming center, the Vision Academy was framed by sumptuous landscaping. The two of them strolled white pavestones to an entrance that was open to the elements. Skylar suspected a partition activated on-demand. As it was, the set-up invited nature indoors. It was beautiful. Eutopia was Eden, but that garden had been a trap. What was this place?