John Krygelski - The Aegis Solution

“Then you already know what he does.”

“Yes. He takes people from birth and immerses them, as he calls it, in a different reality to enhance their skills.”

“Right. Did he show you the Auctioneers?”

Elias chuckled. “I’m guessing you mean the fast-talking subjects. Yes, he did.”

“That was his first experiment, right?”

“So he said.”

“His second experiment, motivated by his early success on the first, was with the Zippers. He’s been doing this one for years, way before he came to Aegis. He took babies…little tiny infants…and put them in a special room, basically from the day they were born. The room had screens for walls and even the ceiling.”

“He told me that Phase One was a virtual reality.”

“Virtual unreality is more like it.”

“What did he do with them?”

“These infants, every waking minute of every day, saw normal life on the screens all around them — people talking, people performing tasks, everything — except it was….”

“Speeded up!”

“Exactly. All those little babies knew was life at a pace way faster than our regular pace.”

“How were they cared for? Certainly the people who came into the room to do that moved at a normal pace.”

“They did. I didn’t get the benefit of the full tour, like you almost did, but I talked to a man who used to work with Kreitzmannstein. He told me that they would change the babies’ clothes, bathe them, and do everything else while the babies slept so that they never saw people moving at a slower pace. And they would blindfold the babies during this, in case they woke up while someone was still in the room.”

“But what about feeding? You can’t feed a baby while it sleeps.”

Her face took on a more serious expression. “You can’t? Ever heard of a feeding tube?”

“You’re kidding!”

“No, I’m not. That’s what the man told me.”

“So that’s what they are doing over there?”

“Not anymore.”

Elias started to speak; then he figured the rest of it out. “Phase Two.”

Tillie nodded. “They don’t need the virtual reality now. They have their first crop of graduates who do everything a lot faster than we do. They still have newborns there. And they are still enhancing them, but now they have a staff of Zippers who take care of the new ones. Many of the Zippers are old enough to be getting together and creating little Zippers.”

Tillie giggled and added, “Sorry. It’s not funny. But every time I think about them making little Zippers, you know, I visualize them…. Never mind.”

Elias shook his head. “It is a funny image. But back to your rescue. I’ve seen what the Zippers did to the thugs who tried to grab me when I first got here. How were you able to get me out of there?”

“Thanks a lot. What are you, a chauvinist? You don’t think I just jumped in and overpowered them?”

Before Elias could protest, she stopped him. “I’m kidding. Actually, it’s pretty simple if you think about it. They zip around real fast, right?”

“Yes.”

“So, therefore, they have accelerated metabolisms, like hummingbirds.”

“Makes sense.”

“That’s what I thought. I call it the Hummingbird Effect because every hypothesis should have a name. So I did a little research in my library.” With a swing of her arm, Tillie indicated a row of three mismatched bookcases off to the side, which he had not seen before. They were all overfilled with literature and textbooks.

“What I thought was that if they were running so fast internally, they would be susceptible to drugs at a level which wouldn’t bother us.”

“Very clever.”

“Gee, thanks,” she said sarcastically, before continuing. “I have a few medical books here. One has a great section on anesthesiology. I basically put together the same gases they use to put us under in the infirmary for surgery, Desflurane and Sevoflurane, and loaded them in an aerosol dispersal device. I use the Desflurane for the up-close work because it is less irritating to my mucous membranes.”

Elias was amazed. “An aerosol dispersal device?”

With a broad grin, Tillie stood up and crossed the room, opening a door on a tall metal cabinet. She reached in and removed a balloon partially filled with a liquid.

“It’s a water balloon,” she explained proudly.

Elias laughed. “Ingenious.”

“I fill up the balloon part of the way with water. I have the pressurized tanks with the anesthesia and use them instead of air to inflate the balloon. I need the water in the balloon so it will burst when I throw it. I still have to throw it real hard, and it’s more reliable if I hit something sharp, but it works.”

“Tillie, I’m impressed.”

She reacted to his heartfelt compliment immediately, beaming. “They work fairly well. One or two balloons in the area where there is a Zipper, and he drops within seconds.”

“Won’t Kreitzmann figure it out soon and give them gas masks?”

She shrugged. “Probably. I’ve only used them a couple of times. Well, three, counting my first test. And I’ve always made a point of picking up the broken rubber from the balloon so all they find afterward is a wet spot and unconscious Zippers. Rescuing you was the first time I did it in front of a non-Zipper witness.”

“The receptionist.”

“Right. So I’m not sure how many more times they’ll be useful.”

Elias thought of something. “Did you drop your little gas bombs from above?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m guessing, since we are in the air system of Aegis, that you utilize the plenum to move from area to area.”

“I do. It also allows me to watch and listen through the return air grilles.”

“I understand. But if you opened a grille in front of the receptionist to drop your balloons, she would have seen that and told her boss. They’ll be checking this system right now and will find us soon.”

Tillie rolled her eyes. “I was kidding before, but either you really are a male chauvinist or maybe I just look that stupid.”

“I am not a male chauvinist!”

“Okay. Then I guess I have a stupid face.”

“You don’t have….”

She interrupted, “I didn’t use the plenum. I was standing near the entrance door, waiting for you. You know there is no lock or security there. Kreitzmannstein has such a massive ego he doesn’t think he needs it. When I heard you go thundering into the room, I knew they wouldn’t let you leave. I chucked the balloon into the room from the doorway. They had only sent one Zipper, and he fell like a dead tree. I ran in, made the woman at the desk tell me where your guns were, grabbed them, grabbed you, and skedaddled.”

“You did all of that by yourself?”

Seeing the look on her face return, he held up his hands defensively and added, “Not that you couldn’t have. I’m sure you could lift me over your head with only one arm. I was merely wondering. I mean, dragging me up to the plenum to get me here would be a little tough, even for Wonder Woman.”

With a smirk, she said, “You’re right. I had some help.”

“Help? Who? Was it Wilson?”

Reaching out, Tillie patted him on the arm. “All in good time, Mr. Death. Just because I rescued you doesn’t mean that we know you well enough to share the whole membership roster with you.”

“I understand. I wouldn’t either in your shoes. And please stop calling me that.”

“How about some apple juice?”

“Sure, that would be great,” Elias answered, shaking his head in frustration.

He watched her as she walked to the refrigerator and pulled out the bottle. “If you don’t mind my asking, how did you get all of this stuff?”