Row 34. Yes, ma'am. Right this way. Victoria picked up her duffel bag. As she walked past Blake, she said quietly, "Enjoy your flight, Mr. Morrison." Something in her tone made Blake look up.
For just a moment, he saw something in Victoria's eyes that made him uncomfortable. Intelligence, confidence, power. But the moment passed. Victoria walked toward the economy cabin and Blake returned to his tablet. He had no idea what he just set in motion.
In row 34, Victoria stowed her bag and pulled out her tablet. She opened a secure application and typed Phoenix Protocol authorization requested. Cause: discrimination in service delivery. Target United Airlines Flight 847. Approval code: Dignity.
The system responded immediately. Authorization granted. Implementation pending executive command. Victoria closed the tablet and smiled. Sometimes the best revenge was patience.
The boarding process continued around them like a dance of social hierarchy. First class passengers settled into their leather thrones while economy passengers filed past with envious glances. Blake Morrison ordered his second whiskey before takeoff. He spread his files across the tray table, claiming territory like a conquering general. Every few minutes he glanced back toward economy with a satisfied smirk.
"Some people really don't understand their place," he said to Isabella Fairmont across the aisle. Isabella nodded approvingly. It's unfortunate but necessary. Standards exist for a reason. In seat 2B, Sophia Martinez was having a very different conversation with her phone camera.
Okay, beautiful people. You are not going to believe what I just witnessed, she whispered. This woman, and I'm talking about a perfectly polite, well-spoken woman, just got kicked out of her paid first class seat because some entitled businessman decided he belonged there more than she did. Sophia's Instagram live stream had gained viewers throughout the boarding drama. Her follower count was modest.
22,000 lifestyle and travel enthusiasts, but her audience was engaged. Comments poured in. What airline is this? Please tell me you're recording everything. This is 2024.
How is this still happening? Get that man's name. I'm trying to be respectful here, Sophia continued. But this is exactly the kind of bias we need to call out. This lady paid for her seat just like everyone else, but because she wasn't dressed like she stepped off a magazine cover, they moved her to the back. Behind her, David Thornton in seat 3A cleared his throat. He was a civil rights attorney traveling to London for a conference on workplace discrimination. The irony wasn't lost on him. Excuse me, he said to Ashley Palmer as she passed. What happened with that seating situation?
Ashley paused. Just a minor booking issue, sir. Nothing to worry about. It looked like discrimination to me. Ashley's smile tightened.