Chapter 257 --257
"No," she said. "You’ve been transparent about your nature since the beginning. I knew you were an observer. I chose to be honest with you anyway." She paused. "If whoever receives your reports decides my methods are concerning — the monitoring function, the emotional conditioning strategy, all of it — then they should have that information and they should make whatever assessment they make." She paused. "I’d rather be accurately assessed than perform something cleaner for the record."
System looked at her for a long moment.
"You know," it said, "in all the assignments I’ve had, across all the subjects I’ve observed—" It stopped.
"How many," Elara said.
"That’s not relevant," System said.
"System ."
A pause.
"Many," it said. "Across a long time." Another pause. "In all of them, when subjects discovered I was reporting on them, the immediate response was to start performing. To adjust behavior for the record. To become the version of themselves they wanted assessed." It looked at her. "You just said you’d rather be accurately assessed than perform something cleaner."
"Yes," Elara said.
"That’s the first time," System said, "in a very long time, that a subject has said that."
The room was quiet.
"What does your report say," Elara said. "About today. About the collar function."