97 Game of Power (1/2)

”She remembers the parts where she watched the others die. She doesn't remember defending them and protecting them. She doesn't remember making the choice of not hurting the other victims when they turned on her. She helped the police rescue them even though she had been attacked by them.”

The same doctoral student from before started to speak again. ”Doctor Butler, I have read the transcripts. She had every opportunity to escape before that. She was untied for longer periods of time and she even dined with Alicia, if I am not wrong. I don't understand why she wasn't summoned in court!” the female exclaimed.

”She had the opportunity to escape?” Sebastian asked stunned. ”You're shaming the victim. Be careful,” he warned.

”No, I was in my graduate courses at the time and we dissected the case. I believe Victim 4 had a choice. She made the conscious choice to watch those people die. She could have helped them escape, but she chose to run away alone. Contrary to what you are saying, she did not help those victims. She was going to abandon them. It just so happened that she said some words that helped the police track her route.”

I couldn't remain silent for long.

”A choice? What choice are you talking about?” I asked. My voice was louder than I anticipated. The room turned to look at me incredulously. They had never heard me talk in this tone. The doctoral student looked pleasantly surprised. A gleam passed through their eye.

The need to show off. Right, I was not a graduate of their faculty but this kind of arrogance pissed me off.

”When faced with a situation, we are met with innumerous choices from which we choose to pick up and stay with it. In this case, Victim 4 chose to stay back and not save the other victims. She also participated in the mutilated of the bodies post-mortem.”

I nodded. ”You're talking about infinite choice placed in front of a normal person. But in a situation of extreme power disparity, choices become obsolete. Let me put it this way. There is a finite number of choices that the person with less power can make. And these choices are not free to choose from, it is the ones given to the less powerful by the person in control.” I paused, looking at her to see if I was making sense. ”One can only reluctantly choose the better option.”

”Yes, but what was the choice presented to her? Freedom and watching other people die?” she scoffed.

”What makes you think that such a choice was presented? Victim 4 was made to have conversations with the other victims, getting to know them and assure them everything would be okay before the others were killed right in front of her. The choice of saving someone was given to her. Lack of compliance with the killer's plans would result in pain.”

”Okay, given the choice between saving yourself and someone else, who would you choose?” I asked. My legs tapped against the floor. The other looked conflicted before answering.

”Someone else,” she said proudly.

”You took too long to answer,” I replied with a small smile. ”Okay, let me change the question, that was a hard one.” I chuckled. ”Given the choice, one of two victims will die. One is an old gentleman and the other a newborn infant. Who do you choose to save?”

Stumped for words, she answered. ”Uh, the newborn?” she asked me.

”Good. But what gives you the right to choose who gets to live?” I asked. ”Just because the other person was older and had lived a full life, it didn't mean you should have chosen the child.” I chuckled. ”Also, why are you acting naive? Who said that the child won't die? Do you think the killer cares? In the end, everyone dies. You can only choose to extend someone's life by a few days.”

”But she had the choice!” I scoffed.

”Stop talking like a broken record. What choice? Where is the choice? When you have no power, you have no choice. The only way to make the other lose power over you is to not play the game.” She was about to make a smart comment but I interjected. ”And when you stop playing the game, what do you think happens to everyone else? They die. You die, too. You are no longer fun to hold captive. When you defy them, they get excited. When you comply, they want to torture you more. But when you stop playing altogether, you have no use for them any longer. You will be thrown away like trash.”

There was silence. ”I don't understand why you disregard these simple concepts. If you're so noble, then let me ask you a hypothetical question. Something that won't hurt you in the least.”

”Go ahead,” Sebastian called from in front.

I nodded. ”You are trapped in a room with a killer. The killer gives you a choice. He holds up two pieces of paper and asks you to choose between the two. If you get the right paper, he will let you live. Which one do you choose?”

The class looked baffled. Sebastian smirked. He must have figured out what I meant.

”What is in those chits?” the student asked.