by M. Modak
Whitman nodded to him. Mr. Tanaka said, “Mr. Whitman, we all know of your long journey to the place you now stand. And we are aware that it was you who brought this committee together after the Atlanta Light Street demonstration two years ago, which has since changed the world.
“Your background is well known. You studied as a boy under my brother and gained your Ph.D. in Particle Mechanics and engineering at my University. Your years in the military gained you the tidal of Four Star General. This is also equally impressive, especially for someone with a science background like yours. Many in this room contributed to your research through those years. Without your company, we could not have removed the greatest obstacle to this council, the US federal Government. That’s how you became the Chairman. So, we know your ideas. Most of us understand where this will lead because we have backed you this far, we helped you grow.
“I think Miss. Maddox’s questions are irrelevant because key blocks of the masses can be re-memorized, as you call it, and so fearing them is no longer a threat in the long run. However, we did build this new world much too fast for humanity. They carry old information in their DNA and old superstitions in their minds, which are now out dated but cannot be dislodged. Even if we could update everyone’s genes to meet the next century’s needs, what would be the point? We are stronger.
“You say that this new technology of yours, this Synthlife is greater than the clones my company has produced, fine. You have connected the world with light-matter roads and you have shown us the power of your holographic generators and matter stabilizers, so it’s hard to doubt your new claims, even though I still have not seen the evidence. But I think this is good. What else have you done Mr. Whitman?
“You come to us with a pompous attitude and talk to us like children, not even you are that stupid. And your comment to Mrs. Dian on controlling powerful life forms is ridiculous. They are unpredictable by their nature, and I assume that nature is based on some part of human nature. In the end, no council will understand them much less have control over them. Therefore, I can only guess you have a new trick up your sleeve. What new gift of science do you have for us today?”
Whitman looked over at Void and his smile vanished into a stern command. A scream tore through the quiet as Commander Rigger fell from his chair. He kicked and screamed pulling his hair out in bloody clumps! His body twisted and convulsed as vomit poured from his mouth. Then he went silent.
The pause lent Whitman’s audience time to consider what had just happened. Then Whitman broke the silence. He said, “Mr. Tanaka I’ve found the path ways into consciousness.”
He paused, allowing them time to worry. Then he continued, “Right now the Commander is experiencing the unlocked guilt from evil choices he thinks he has made over a life time.” The man jerked in painful spasms. Whitman continued, “A new life history can be found stored in his mind.
“As you pointed out, I now have the re-memorizer which can change chemical markers in the brain making you believe any general history I choose, but this is still very limited.” He gestured to Void then said, “She is altogether new. Its ability, my new VOID, to reach into the mind, seems to be unlimited. We may have even found the soul. Right now, I am in the first stage of actual use. My research is being field tested to perfection. At this moment, I can’t tell you who you think you are or what you really want, but by unlocking your fears, guilt, worries, and shame I can make you believe, without a doubt, anything I say. This is an internal process. Science has always come from the mind and now the mind can come from science.”
Commander Rigger screamed as bloody tears streamed down his face, “AHHHAAAAAAAA!” Then he stopped. Everyone jumped in their seats and turned toward his screams.
With a calm voice Whitman said, “I don’t know exactly what haunts his dreams so badly but as you can see, something does. I can tell you the specific nature of his nightmare but I can’t tell you why it bothers him so much.”
Whitman cheered up. He glanced at the only two Global Senators on the council and said, “I may soon be able to change elections. You understand that through this new mind altering technology, I also have control of what a person feels and what they see. People trust their gut feelings, and they believe what they see. They trust that the thoughts and emotions they are experiencing are coming from themselves.” Whitman glanced down at the Commander, “After he recovers from this he would rather die than piss me off again.” He stopped and smiled, pleased that he could finally give them a first taste of Void.
He decided to tell them about the full extent of Sapen’s design. It would help to fill them in on why they went through so much trouble to secure building permits for semi-conducting warehouses in such a specific grid pattern dotting the whole globe. However, just as he started to speak he felt a strong compulsion not to. He wondered at this as he looked back to the commander lying on the ground wetting his pants. After another moment, his screams began to fade into a soft moan and Whitman forgot about the warehouses.
“The Void will keep the clones and Synthlife in line for us,” Whitman said, “but you are wrong in one thing Mr. Tanaka; the human masses have a right to play their role, even if it’s against their will.”
“But there is the chink in your righteous armor Mr. Whitman,” Mrs. Maddox said, “You would do all this against the will of the people.”
“The people don’t know what is good for them,” he replied, “They have been lied to from the beginning. In the past, councils as this one and well as other powers, have had to drag them kicking and screaming into a world where all humanity has a chance to survive. Let’s not fool ourselves here. How many died in the American Civil war, 600,000? What about all those people who secretly backed those who would use terror on civilian populations? Did this very body subdue the actions of those nations and their people?
“What will happen when BioHygiene’s first batches of clones, only five years old now, are grown, normal looking people just like you and me? How will the people of the world react then?
“I am a guardian of the people, which is this council’s creed. We are here to serve their higher good not their limited ideas of right and wrong.
“I am trying to stop the coming genocide that will be started by the humans but it will be ended by clones and Synthlife beings. I am here to protect both human and all forms of sentient life from the likes of you, people who can’t see the point in trying to save everyone. You who can’t see two steps in front of you.”
Groans came from the suffering council member still writhing on the floor. He laid in his urine and vomit gargling curses on himself, “I can end this man’s pain with a word. I can tell him to rise and walk or command his death from a gesture of my eyes. Do you think I need this vote? My reason for this vote is both symbolic and compassionate. A vote of yes will shake the world in years to come. It will happen in no less a way as when a small body of great men convened in a dark room, and plotted treason against their king. Then they proceeded to take the new world for the betterment of all mankind; no matter who they hurt in the process.”
He paused and took a breath. He let his tone match his cooling mood. “But this doesn’t have to be done in haste, we do need to allow the events of the future to unfold somewhat naturally, as Miss. Maddox has suggested. The actions of my plan unfold in stages over years, decades and centuries. But this council must vote now so that the first of many steps can be taken. Without your vote my plan will still happen but it will take longer and more people will suffer and die. History’s view will not look kindly on me for what I will have to do then but there will still be humans left to hate me.
“If you vote yes tonight we will begin to gently nudge and mold the public mind in our favor, they will come around more quickly with your help, otherwise this can turn into a bloody mess,” he gestured to the moaning Commander, “Or this can be a walk in the park.”
He looked back to Mrs. Diane. “Forces are at work that will not allow this vote to wait. Ladie
s and gentlemen, you decide. I call a vote, and Commander Rigger here seconds the motion.”
The commander moaned loudly then hushed.
“Does anyone protest this motion?” he paused for only a second. “I must go now and leave you to your choices.”
Whitman exited the half circle of council members and walked to the door. Void, looking as if a shadow had just taken solid form, took a step forward and opened the door for him. The dim light enveloped the figure of a beautiful slender woman with long black hair.
Whitman turned one last time to face the group. “This is only the beginning. Don’t fail to do your duty now.”
The two left the room and the door closed silently behind them. They entered a brightly lit stone hallway, as they emerged from the darkness two guards straightened in attention. The secret council room was located deep below the ground underneath Atlanta’s Capitol Building. There were several exits from many of the upper levels but there was only one exit from here. Without a word, they walked down a long hallway. Their footsteps clicked on the polished concrete.
The end of the hallway opened into a furnished red lobby that contained two elevators on each side and one directly in front of them. Two guards, dressed in black from head to toe, stood with guns in hand just outside the elevator doors. The larger man was so huge he barely fit inside the hallway. Void whispered, “The bigger guard fits the description of our new secret agent. Sapen used him to infiltrate the Council’s Sentries.”
Whitman looked at him and nodded as he approached. This was the biggest man he had ever seen. He wondered where Sapen had found him and how intelligent he was. There could be no mistakes tonight. Void was his greatest protection against physical assault, it didn’t matter how big the enemy was. The advantage here was having someone on the inside feeding them information about the councils next move.
Whitman and Void walked into the lobby and immediately the smaller guard stepped forward and pointed his gun to Whitman’s forehead. The soldier said, “General Whitman, please forgive me but I have orders sir.” Then the larger man’s hands seemed to blur as he quickly pushed the first man holding the gun. A shot rang out, reverberating off the solid concrete walls and down the hall to where the council was sitting.
Whitman blinked and Void was gone. Crack, tick, pop, crunch! A flash of steel appeared then disappeared as the soldier holding the gun fell dead before Whitman; his shoulder, arm and hand laid in three pieces on the other side of the room. Blood splattered the elevator doors and covered the second soldier from head to toe but he didn’t move.
Whitman seemed paralyzed from the shock of what she just did. Then he shook his head and let out a deep belly laugh as he pointed down at the dismembered soldier twitching on the floor. He said, “He never had a chance, the poor bastard. President Chan!” he yelled at a small camera mounted up in the corner, “Can you see me Chan? This blood is on your hands. You’re all dead now! We’re going to cut you to pieces and ship your remains to the UN’s Global Congress as an example for them all! I thought all you guys were smarter than this. The least you could have done was get a full unit down here.”
Ding! The elevator door rang as it opened before him. Ding, ding! To his right and left the elevators opened. The trio stood in silence at the center of the small lobby looking into the crisscross pattern of red laser beams, all aiming at Whitman. All three elevators were full of soldiers holding weapons.
A single soldier stepped forward from the open elevator door straight ahead. Void disappeared again and Whitman felt his legs give way as he began to fall to the floor. Taking another step forward, Void pushed the big defective guard to the ground. A flash of light sprinkled the air as a small flame burst into a ball of smoke. Three bullets exited its center. Void simply turned and ducked under them. Then she took the remaining steps toward the elevator and closed the gap between her and the first attackers. Dropping into a roll, she withdrew a concealed sword from her back then jumped to her feet with blade in hand, tip pointing to the ground. Rotating and flexing her forearm inhumanly, she sliced up between the lone soldiers’ legs, through his crotch and out the top of his skull.
With a precise touch and one-step, she slipped in-between his separating body and entered the elevator he had come from. The five waiting men didn’t even see her as her blade turned like a propeller. Decapitated helmets began to drop as her sharp edge spun through belts, sliced through armor and guns began to fall to the ground with the hands still attached to their grip.
Her head turned back toward the lobby, the man she had cut up the middle was still opening as the two parts of him were falling in front of the door way. With tremendous force, she kicked twice. Each strike hit the man on both sides of his now two lower backs. The divided body split in a V formation and flew into the two open elevators full of soldiers starting to exit.
Blood and guts sprayed over Whitman and the big guard. The three previously fired shots thudded against the wall and bounced into the ceiling and floor behind Whitman; their reports echoing down the stone hallway.
The left half of the soldier’s split body crashed into the elevator on the left, smashing into the group of armed men and knocking them to the floor. The right half of his body mirrored the left bulldozing through everyone in the third elevator. Void grabbed Whitman and the secret agent by their feet and pulled them into the elevator she had just cleared. She pressed the ground level button and watched the doors close shut.
Whitman opened his eyes. He had closed them as a reflex to his body’s sudden drop only a split second ago. He looked up to see Void staring back at him. She smiled as she always did when she looked at him then she turned and checked the guard beside him. Whitman saw a mass of bloody meat, bone, and gristle everywhere except on her. Blood dripped from the ceiling like rain onto intestines that lay on the floor like discarded ribbons in a messy quilting factory.
A drop of blood landed on Whitman’s face. He lifted his hands in an attempt to wipe himself clean but when he saw the bloody remains on them, he nearly gagged in disgust. Her victims were now just tiny chips of bone and a thin layer of fat that stuck to the ceiling and walls. Echoes of screams that cut off too soon to be real, still lingered hauntingly in the back of his mind.
The lone guard stayed silent. After a moment, the two men slowly stood up. Whitman’s three-piece suit dripped blood from the cuffs and the guard’s black uniform had a slick glaze with tiny white shards of bone that reflected in the dim light.
Whitman waited as shock held him in place. They were ready for the next wave of attack that was sure to come once they reached the ground level. The elevator ascended quickly and then it swiftly settled, causing another sickening feeling to come to their stomachs.
Void stood in front of the door, indicating to Whitman that she wanted to be the first to leave. The door opened and she quickly scanned the large room before her.
Whitman whispered to Void, “Is there anyone in there?” She slowly turned to face him. Her face held a puzzled look he had never seen before as if his question may have had another meaning she did not expect. Whitman pointed outside the elevator in front of him, poking the air as he spoke slowly, “Is it clear? Is there anyone in there? Can we go now?”
Void paused, and to Whitman she looked to be in deep contemplation. He knew she could not have a deep thought; not any thoughts beyond a standard inquiry. He had removed that part of her brain. Her brain was Nano-wiped by billions of tiny surgeries, blanked so Sapen’s alternate program could utilize her nervous system for quantum computing. She could only react and she really wasn’t a she, but an it now. Her body could transform to such a degree that she qualified as a poly sexual being. It was a synth-life hybrid, which knew nothing about living. It followed procedures he and Sapen had created, you could have sex with it but it could never actually experience the joy of making love. The woman Void had once been had died; now she was an it. It could make a laughing sound but it was not happy. The connection was not there because it
did not exist. Still something about it bothered him. Human brains had a way of adapting to trauma. It could annex other parts of its gray matter for task it previously never would have associated with. He would have it scanned as soon as possible for any deviant programs.
Independent feelings and uncoded observations leads to uncontrollable actions that would be unacceptable, especially if I lose the leash on it.
“Is there anyone in there?” Void turned and walked outside into the Capitol’s large empty atrium. Whitman peeked through the door and looked left then right.
He said, “Why are there dead people everywhere!?” Bodies of men and women lay in pools of water and blood. He counted 30 soldiers total. It was past 6:00pm in the evening and Whitman could see the street lamps shining just outside the capital doors. It was raining hard and water was blowing in through broken skylights and windows and onto the cracked marble floor. The smell of death and blood was only less overwhelming than being in the elevator due to the large size of the atrium.
The floor looked like a hungry dragon had gotten lose and torn everyone apart. Whitman screamed in horror! “What the hell happened here?”