Cognitive Deviance

49. Whistleblower

June 5, 2045 - 2:15 PM

That afternoon was the first time Margo took solace in a cubicle back at headquarters. There were so many of them. They were hives, and the Empaths were all the little worker bees keeping it in business producing the honey. That was where she should've been all along. She should've been a harmless little Empath bee.

But she made a poor wish. She told her mother at dinner months ago that being a Neutralizer, a bee that picks fights and takes flights, would be far more exciting. She thought that because she knew the right things, her knowledge would block punches for her and pull the trigger for her and keep her wrapped up in a comfy blanket to wait out the unforgiving coldness of reality. But in the end, the knowledge of recovery from trauma wasn't the same without the actual trauma. To her, it would've just been paragraphs in a textbook. Experiences of another person, not herself, devoid of impact.

And because of that, she wasn't sure if her own problems would earn her any sympathy. Especially at a time when too many other people were in more pain than she was. At least she still had her limbs and a home and at least two family members left to miss her when she'd go. And she didn't believe her own perception of reality was warped beyond comprehension. She could still tell who was an ally and who was an enemy.

That last part is a lie, Margo she thought to herself as she lowered her head down into her arms, the cool surface of the cubicle desk beneath her face.

"What's a lie?" her sister said through her ThoughtControl piece.

"Damn it, that wasn't supposed to happen," Margo replied. "Sorry about that, Ellie. That should've been a private thought."

"No worries. Technology is stupid."

"Nah, I'm the one that's stupid."

"What makes you say that?"

Margo shrugged. "I just am. I'm surprised you didn't agree."

"Nah, you're not stupid." Ellie paused. "You definitely act stupid sometimes and say and think stupid things, but...you're still a smart cookie."

Margo rolled her eyes. "I appreciate your honesty," she replied.

"But on a serious note, what makes you think you're stupid?"

Margo looked over at her coworkers, some of them shrouded behind a large wall of holographic screens, their voices drowning each other out like an energized crowd. She knew what they were trying to do, but she had zero idea how they were doing it or what they were saying to get it done.

"I guess I realized I'm not as tech-savvy as I thought I'd be," she told Ellie. "My colleagues are trying to reconnect a holo-projector, and I'm just sitting here watching and not knowing how the hell they're doing it."

"Meh, so what?" Ellie replied. "Of course you're stupid in this case. You didn't apply for a job at Psychwatch because you're a computer nerd, right?"

"Right."

"You applied because you're a psychology nerd! Way more useful at Psychwatch than some weirdo who jerks off to holographic strippers all day."

Margo's eyes widened. "Oddly specific," she replied. "And weirdly accurate, too. Have I told you about Carl's nephew Holden yet?"

"No, but if I had computer skills, I'd be taking advantage of technology like that, too. Seriously, have you seen the dude strippers working for Specter's? Hot damn..."

Margo chuckled quietly. She wasn't afraid to admit she was willing to indulge herself in eye candy like that, and a part of her even felt like it could've worked as momentary levity. But she was needed elsewhere. She didn't know if it meant Psychwatch or possibly some other group of people who would constantly put her life on the line, but she'd find it.