Rebecca frowned at her tablet as she ate her breakfast. Quincy shoveled food into his mouth while Iliana picked through the stuff she didn't like. Opal was still in the bathroom.
Bruce glanced at his phone as he put the last batch of pancakes on the table. No notifications. He looked around the table and focused on Rebecca.
"Something happen?"
"Just the news. You read about that Phantasma lady?"
"Oh, right," Quincy said, swallowing his food. "She died, right? Just some medical complication nobody saw coming or something?"
"That's what the military's saying. To me, it smells of negligence, but we'll see what the autopsy reveals."
"Negligence?" Opal asked, rubbing her eyes as she came in.
"Basically the military should have been able to save her, but they weren't paying attention or ignored her or something," Quincy replied.
"They say she was under 24-hour surveillance," Rebecca added. "If that's true, they should have noticed any sign of medical distress. I really doubt a young healthy woman would have just died peacefully in her sleep. What do you think, Bruce? You're more knowledgeable than the rest of us."
Bruce frowned in thought for a few moments.
"It is possible to die in your sleep without many external signs, but it would be strange unless Phantasma had some underlying condition. Is it protocol to check prisoners for those?"
"Yep. They've got dedicated doctors for it." Rebecca swiped at her tablet a bit.
"Then I'm sure they would have known she could die at the drop of a hat." Bruce sighed and took another bite of pancake.
"Did the military kill Phantasma?" Opal asked.
"No way," Iliana replied immediately. "They aren't allowed to do that."
"The death penalty was removed years ago," Rebecca added. "And they definitely wouldn't have killed her before she even got a trial. The whole thing is just a mess. I hope there's a public inquiry after the autopsy comes out. And I'm glad I won't have to represent anyone in it."
"I guess one thing the military could have done is ignore her distress and let her die that way. If anyone deserved to die, it was probably Phantasma," Iliana said.
"Iliana Londyn Garcia!" Rebecca glared darkly at Iliana.
"Sorry, Mom. I know, I know, innocent until proven guilty and whatever. Let the system deliver justice and whatever." Iliana pushed her plate away and left the room.
"Is it bad that she died?" Opal asked. "Didn't she do a lot of bad things?"
"It's not that simple, Opal," Rebecca replied, hanging her head in a hand. "If we can just decide to mete out 'justice' without any rhyme or reason, things will get so much worse. Innocent people might be killed for crimes they never committed. Justice will be left in the hands of maniacs like Achilles, and normal people won't have a way to grasp it."
"Phantasma may have been a bad person," Bruce added, "but she was still a person. A human with rights like you and me. Would you want to just die without even getting to defend yourself in court?"
Opal sat quietly in thought.
"It's a messy situation," Quincy said. "On the one hand, I can see why people might be happy. But it's also terrifying what kind of consequences this will have."
"Exactly," Rebecca said. A ping on her tablet drew her attention.
"So basically even if Phantasma was a bad person, the next person this happens to might not be bad?" Opal asked.
"Something like that," Bruce replied. Rebecca put down her tablet and stood.
"And that is my cue to leave. Work wants a meeting. See you guys at supper. And..." She glanced hesitantly at Bruce.
"You can talk to Iliana when you get home," he replied with a smile. "I'm sure she knows you have good intentions. You two can work it out."
Rebecca smiled. "Thanks, honey." She gave him a kiss on her way out.
"And Opal, that means we need to get going to school," Quincy said, hurrying his little sister along. "You don't have time to eat all of that. Pack up half of it and Dad will heat it up tomorrow." Opal nodded and did as Quincy said.
"Thanks, Quincy," Bruce said. He started helping them clear the table.
"No worries, Dad. Have a good day at the hospital."
"Help lots of people, Dad!" Opal smiled brightly as she hurried off to finish getting ready.
"I'll do my best," Bruce replied.
But a shadow still lingered in his thoughts. Was Phantasma's death really an accident? And how would this change Arx?
