John Krygelski - The Aegis Solution

Elias stared at the face of the unnamed woman on the monitor. The video had been paused and she was locked in mid-word, frozen. He tried to read her eyes in an effort to imagine what her life had been like as a subject for Rudy Kreitzmann, but they were flat, blank.

His thoughts were interrupted by Kreitzmann. “To answer your question, there are numerous applications for this skill, some immediate, some requiring a wider-scale societal immersion before the true benefits can be gained. There are many fields in which technology has progressed so rapidly that the slowness of human speech has become a true impeding factor to further advancement.

“Take air traffic controllers, for example. At the current velocities, if a plane veers off course and there is suddenly an impending midair collision, the controller is capable of viewing the data and mentally formulating the appropriate instructions to both pilots so that the disaster can be avoided; yet, the physical time it takes to verbally convey those instructions, when the closure rate is mere seconds, can last far too long to be effective. With the volume of airline traffic at major airports and the speed at which the planes travel, the benefit of the controllers and the pilots being able to convey information at a more rapid pace would, most assuredly, prevent accidents and allow for a more efficient utilization of the physical facilities. I have no doubt we could accommodate a higher volume of landings and takeoffs if the communication were radically accelerated. And imagine the effectiveness that could be attained if fighter pilots, in the midst of a rapidly evolving air combat situation, were able to communicate with each other and their base at five times the normal pace of verbal communication.”

“I can see how that would be beneficial.”

“Another obvious application would be the battlefield. The current limits of technology to deploy RPGs, missiles, tank-mounted weaponry, and the like far exceed the on-the-ground soldier’s ability to convey or modify targeting and tactical information or to request support quickly enough. The moment-by-moment coordination possible with a group of soldiers proficient in this skill would be dramatically improved.”

“I was wondering about that, Rudy. Is the military funding your research?”

Kreitzmann chuckled. “They would seem to be the likely source, wouldn’t they? The mad scientist working secretly with limitless funding from the Pentagon — it’s almost a cliché. The truth is, although I did receive a few grants from DARPA early in my career, I have not had a relationship with that particular group for well over a decade.”

“Why is that? You’re right. It does seem to be a natural for them to support someone who could be creating an entire army of super-soldiers.”

“It was mutual. Accepting funding from the military is surrendering control of the direction of your research to them. I did not care to do that. Additionally, with our history of imperialism and heavy-handed, corporate-driven adventurism, I’m not certain that I want the military of the United States to be the sole possessor of these abilities.

“And from their perspective, the military is seen, first and foremost, as a political organization, subject to the emotional whims and vagaries of public sentiment to maintain their funding. They were as uncomfortable with my methods and techniques as was the general public. Sorry, but there is no exciting black-ops funding going on here. Besides, from my early days directly out of Johns Hopkins, funding has never been a problem for me.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, where does it come from?”

The smile returning, Kreitzmann answered, “At the risk of shattering another cliché, I can tell you that there are no huge, multinational corporations shoveling dollars, yen, or euros at us so that they may reap the benefits of a faster, more efficient work force. No, our funding comes from like-minded individuals who believe that the human race needs a little assistance to realize its true potential. The names are guarded, as you can well imagine, due to the social stigma which has attached itself to our work.”

“Speaking of which, before I came to Aegis, I heard all of the comments about you and your work.”

“I’ve been called a monster, Hitler, a demon…an almost never-ending list of epithets.”

“Yes, you have. Although some of my colleagues, in private of course….”

“Of course,” Kreitzmann interjected with a smile.

“Some of my colleagues have called you a visionary and a genius.”

“How do you feel? About my work, that is. I am not fishing for a stroke to my ego.”

Elias knew that in order to continue receiving the free flow of information, stroking Kreitzmann’s ego was exactly what he needed to do. “You can count me as one of those who believe you are a visionary.”

The comment triggered the desired reaction on the scientist’s face. His reaction, Elias thought, was not dissimilar to that of a young girl being told she was beautiful.

“However, I must admit that I did struggle somewhat with your methods.”

The appreciative expression dimmed, but did not disappear.

“And by that I don’t mean your methods in the lab. I guess that I would be referring to your….”

“Acquisition of subjects?”

“Yes. If I have any unsettled questions in my mind, they would be related to that issue, and if you would prefer that we discuss this at another time….”

Kreitzmann glanced at Boehn, who was standing silently with them, and said, “No need. All of the members of my team have been a party to this conversation at some point. Many, prior to joining me, raised the same question.”

Boehn nodded his agreement and commented, “I was one of those in the latter category. I had a tough time of it, at first.”

Elias asked, “You changed your mind? You are comfortable with turning newborn babies into subjects of experiments?”

Boehn shrugged while releasing a heavy sigh. “Comfortable? No, I wouldn’t say that. I don’t believe that I can ever be what you would call comfortable with the idea.”

“I don’t understand then. You’re here.”

“Yes, I am. And I am glad to be a part of this team. You asked if I was comfortable. My sister is a research chemist with a major pharmaceutical company in Europe, one of the largest in the world. Whether she is working with laboratory animals or humans, she never reaches the point where she could say she is comfortable with the pain, disease, injury, or even death that is inflicted in the name of coming out with a new drug. But she believes that the benefits to mankind outweigh the costs.”

“And what we are doing here,” Kreitzmann broke in, “is a little different. Some of our projects will have a much farther-reaching effect than curing restless leg syndrome.”

“Our subjects,” Boehn continued, ignoring the brashness of his boss’s comment, “have a very good life. Other than the fact that they are, or will be, different from the ostensibly normal people of our current society — different in the sense that they possess a skill others do not — they have all of the benefits of a human life. This includes human interaction, intellectual stimulation, recreation, and of course procreation, when they become of age, with others who also possess the skills.”

“They are educated,” Kreitzmann took over, “perhaps better than they would have been in the world on the other side of these walls. What they don’t have are the daily trials and tribulations of life on the outside. They do not ever have to seek a job and tolerate the difficulties and frustrations of that endeavor. No taxes. No recessions. No military service.”

“They’re happy?” Elias asked.