John Krygelski - The Aegis Solution

Pierce folded his hands together on the desk. “You’ll be pleased to know that we don’t engage in the same newcomer filtering that my sister does at Walden. So long as you understand that we have rules and you have no problem abiding by them, you are welcome to stay. You are, of course, expected to contribute to the community, in whatever way you can.”

“Thank you, Mr. Pierce. That’s good to know. I’ll be honest with you, though. I’m not sure where I want to end up within Aegis.”

A genuine look of surprise filled the Chief of Staff’s face. “I see. So you are planning on returning to Walden?”

“No. I’m afraid not. Your sister has made it clear to me that I am not what they are looking for.”

“Then where? Surely not ZooCity!”

“No,” Elias chuckled. “I think I would prefer that my first experience with them would also be my last.”

“I repeat, then where are you planning on going?”

“There are no other enclaves within Aegis?”

Pierce shook his head rather forcefully. “Essentially, no. Just the three. There are some small pockets of people who live on the fringes of our communities. From what I understand, there are also some loners, who don’t wish to be a part of any group. Other than that, we are the only games in town, in a manner of speaking.”

Shrugging, Elias explained, “I guess I’ll poke around a little. I do want to try to find Eric. If I don’t have any luck, I’m sure I’ll be back.”

Pierce stood up and Elias followed his cue. “As I said, Mr. Charon, you are more than welcome to stay. From our brief chat I believe that you are the type of person who would fit in quite nicely here. Since you have decided to leave, consider it an open invitation.”

Elias shook the man’s hand. “Thank you very much. It was a pleasure meeting you, and you are right — Madison is probably the best spot for me.”

Picking up the clip for the Beretta and dropping it into his pocket, Pierce said, “I’ll walk you back to the checkpoint.”

“Thank you.”

They exited the room and retraced the route Elias had taken several minutes earlier. As they walked, Elias asked, “What do you think is next for Aegis?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the steps so far have been logical. At first there was so much room that individuals were able to live the way they wanted. And then, as people started bumping into each other, conflicts began, until the incident you described which prompted the creation of the enclaves.”

“I suppose you’re right. It’s all been inevitable. I remember reading, before I came to Aegis, about the changes that occur in primates, like chimps, when they are brought in from the wild and caged in groups. The behavior described in that article is strikingly similar to what has happened here. The brutality, the savagery, the wantonness of the acts in many ways have mirrored what I read. But to answer your question, ever since that horrible day of the rampage, it seems that I have only reacted. Everything I’ve done since then has been a response to that day. And that includes creating Madison. I haven’t mentally looked forward. I’m curious — what do you think is in store for us, Mr. Charon?”

Based upon what he had been told and witnessed thus far, Elias had a very clear image of the coming events, but he answered, “I have no idea. I was wondering what you thought.”

For a moment, it appeared as if Pierce did not believe him. “Time will tell, I suppose.”

They continued walking, and nothing more was said until they arrived at the checkpoint. Pierce extended his hand. “I hope that you return to us, Mr. Charon. It was a pleasure.”

“Mine, as well, sir. I’m sure I’ll be back.”

Reaching into his pocket, Pierce pulled out the clip and handed it Elias. “I hope you won’t be needing this. Good luck.”

Elias took it from him and dropped it into his own pocket. “Thank you.”

Pierce turned and walked away. Elias entered the zig-zag barricade and, after the third turn, saw Sweezea.

“You’re leavin’ us, huh?”

“Yep. I might be back.”

Sweezea grabbed Elias’ suitcase from the corner where it was stowed, and turned to join him as he walked. “Why are you going? You don’t like Madison?”

Elias grinned at him. “Can’t say. Haven’t been here long enough to decide. I’m looking for a friend and I understand from Mr. Pierce that he isn’t here.”

They finished the serpentine route and emerged, passing Crabill who was stationed directly behind the entrance, peering through one of the view slots in the wall.

To Crabill, Sweezea said, “I’m going to walk with the doc for a ways.”

“Don’t make a run for it,” Crabill joked. “You’ll be in my cross-hairs.”

Sweezea laughed, and they continued out into the corridor.

After they were out of hearing range, Sweezea asked, “Who’s your friend? Maybe I’ve seen him.”

“Stone, Eric Stone.”

Shaking his head, Sweezea answered, “Don’t know the name, but a lot of people who come here use something different. What does he look like?”

Elias described Stone and watched as the soldier processed the information in his mind. After a brief pause, Sweezea concluded, “Afraid not. If he came through here, it wasn’t on my watch.”

They stopped walking at the first crossing, and Elias changed the subject. “I was wondering about something; maybe you could explain it?”

“Shoot.”

“I didn’t expect much chatter in ZooCity, but Pierce’s sister interviewed me at Walden and I had a fairly good little talk with the Chief, and neither one of them asked me the one question I thought I would get asked in here.”

“What’s that?”

“Why I came to Aegis.”

“You won’t. It’s kind of an unwritten rule. We don’t ask each other or the newbies.”

“Why’s that?”

Sweezea leaned against the wall in a nonchalant pose. “We just don’t. If you want a better explanation, you’d better get your ass back inside and ask the Chief. I’m just a dumb grunt.”

Elias grinned broadly. “Save your moron act for the other guys. Do you have a first name, Sweezea? Mine’s Elias.”

“I do. Tim.”

Instinctively, they shook hands with each other to formalize the introduction.

“Tim, as I said, can the ‘I’m just a dumb grunt’ act. I know better.”

Sweezea looked away from Elias for a moment, leaned his head back against the wall, and either composed his thoughts or decided how much of his opinion to share with Charon before speaking.

“There are two reasons, really. The first one is that people are going to lie to you, anyway. Remember, we have no way of checking on anyone or anything from the outside. Somebody could walk through the front door and tell us he was a brain surgeon, a movie producer, or the head of the CIA, and we would have no way of knowing.

“That’s the weird thing about Aegis. People who come in here feel like it is their chance to be who or what they always wanted to be. Usually, the real reason for checking in is tied to who or what they were. So…they lie to maintain their story.”

“What’s the second reason?”

“Privacy. Most guys are ashamed of whatever they did or whoever they were, whatever it was that brought them here. This is a chance for them to start with a clean slate. Why ruin it for them by making them tell us the truth or forcing them to lie to us? Both options are bad deals for them, because then either they haven’t escaped what they did, or they are starting out their new chance with a big, fat lie that they’ll have to maintain for the rest of their lives. We decided that everybody who joins us should at least be allowed to have a little dignity.”