the welcoming of the newest class of level 3 officers was about to begin.
the two hundred and forty-two recruits were all in their seats, in twenty-two rows of eleven recruits each.
austin was seated in the eleventh row. in the fourth seat from the left. a nice inconspicuous spot, she thought, in case the speaker was inclined to ask questions of the recruit audience.
not that she had any real fear of a question, or any lack of confidence in her ability to answer one.
austin had a simultaneous feeling of relief and apprehension every time she started a new class.
relief that she had made it so far without being found out, apprehension that she would be exposed somehow at the next level.
always the same fear - that at the new level, an effective program of mind scanning would be in place.
austin felt confident that she could navigate and bluff her way through anything less.
a person emerged in the periphery of her vision, walking down the left aisle to the podium.
all the recruits sat perfectly still with their eyes facing forward as the person, presumably the instructor, ascended the podium.
the instructor wore the green uniform of a level 3 officer, but without any insignia denoting rank, or - austin’s sharp eyes noted - any name or i d tag.
“good morning,” the instructor announced. “this will be brief. you were all issued wrist devices this morning. there is a single button on each one and i ask that you press them to turn the device on.”
the instructor took a small tablet out of his pocket and consulted it. the recruits assumed it was recording whether they all turned their devices on.
“good,” the instructor said after a few seconds. he looked up. “we are going to show you a short film, and the devices will measure your responses to the film. when the film is over, you may leave the auditorium and you will be free for the rest of the morning.” the inspector gave the recruits a friendly smile. “i would advise you to spend your time studying the manuals you were issued this morning. but that is up to you.”
and with that, the instructor descended from the podium, and the film began playing on the screen behind the podium.
a flat green field under a blue sky. no trees, and no clouds.
a brown rabbit with a white tail bounds into the picture from the right and stops.
a person austin recognizes as a “knight in shining armor” energes from the left. face covered by a visor, and carrying a long pointed lance, but not riding a horse.
the rabbit and the knight exchange words, in a language austin does not recognize.
subtitles appear. also in a language that austin also does not recognize. the words spoken and the words in the subtitles do not seem to match, at least not phonetically.
austin keeps her eyes on the screen and does not look around to ascertain the reactions of the other recruits.
a red rubber ball falls from the sky and lands at the feet of the rabbit and the knight and bounces around for a few feet but they ignore it and continue their conversation.
the knight picks the rabbit up and puts it on his shoulder and walks away, into the center of the screen, down a dirt road that opens up and gradually out of sight.
a little girl appears on the. screen. she is dressed in the style of the 23rd century, but has a hair style from the middle of the 25th.
she sees the red rubber ball on the grass and starts to cry.
the scene changes. an old dark house, a dark and windy night. a single light shines in an attic window.
wind and rain and thunder. a sudden flash of lightning.
the little girl’s sobs can be heard over the sound of the rain and thunder.
the film ends.
austin and the other recruits file out of the auditorium in orderly fashion.
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