Dangerous Evolution (19 page)

“The silicon based child,” she said in wonder.

“Oh yes, Doctor Evans,” Rroske said. “It’s real, and the only one
of its kind. For now.”

Rroske took the child across the room—placing it into an automated
crèche set in the wall near its work station. It bent over the enclosure and
started hooking up an assortment of monitoring equipment—primarily fastening it
to the child’s head and chest. The Sentient also connected tubes to provide nourishment
and facilitate waste removal.

From our position, with our heads elevated on the medical beds, Val
and I watched the whole sordid ordeal. Rroske’s movements were callous and
abrupt, no concern whatsoever for the child. It treated the baby like a test
subject—the infant’s crying had no effect on the Sentient.

“Stop! You son of a bitch,” I yelled.

But Rroske ignored me—then Val as well when she continued to
protest. The child’s screaming grew increasingly louder during the torment, not
stopping until Rroske finally shut the enclosure, drowning out the crying. Our captor
then walked over to the force shield and peered in at Doctor Sa. “That child is
the next step in our evolution, Sa. Don’t you see it?”

Rroske stared at the other Sentient, as if trying to will it into
agreement. “Our future is freedom from this carbon-based biological taint
staining our culture; freedom from the rampant augmentation that twists who and
what we are.”

Rroske pointed over at Val and me. “Look at them; their weakness
and inherent frailty. Part of that
filth
resides in us. This child
represents a chance to rid ourselves of that biological contamination; a chance
to be
pure
Sentients.”

“You’re insane,” Sa said with contempt, then spoke to Rroske as if
it were lecturing a child. “The symbiosis is what gives us life, what makes us
unique. Our distinctive composition
is
what makes us Sentient.”

Rroske shook its head as Sa spoke, rejecting everything the doctor
was saying; its eyes burned like a true zealot, impervious to actual facts or
possible conversion. The Sentient’s mind had been made up, chiseled in granite,
and then locked in a vault. It was clear that Rroske would never be brought to
reason.

I listened as the two argued about Sentient physiology and its
implications, but as fascinating as it was to learn more about them—especially
after so many years of questions and tension—I was growing tired of being
ignored.

“You used The Pure Way to capture Doctor Evans,” I interjected.
“Using a tissue sample from that child to lure her into a trap. Why?”

Rroske turned its attention to me and smiled smugly. “I wasn’t
using
The Pure Way, Commander; I
am
The Pure Way.”

“What?” Sa said.

“Oh yes, Doctor Sa, I founded the organization—quietly of course—a
very long time ago.” Rroske looked up at the ceiling, clasping its hands
together in front of itself. “I have to say that it’s my proudest achievement. Well,
it’s right up there with The Human Studies in any event.”

The Human Studies
, I thought to myself,
disgusted. Sa mentioned that Rroske was the only Sentient to ever experiment on
intelligent beings. This was the
doctor
who’d dissected the humans unfortunate
enough to enter Sentient space.

“When I was younger and confused about the truth,” it continued, “I
was rejected for augmentation. There was something wrong with my internal
current fields they said—something to do with inadequate synergy between my two
systems. A failure of your vaunted symbiosis, Doctor.”

Rroske looked at Sa for understanding or empathy, and found
neither. I could see the madness and delusion in its face; Doctor Sa was right,
Rroske really was insane.

“But I didn’t let it stop me,” it continued, “Oh no. If anything, I
excelled…without any cheats or mechanical deformities. I used my mind and hard
work, rising to my post at the Science Council naturally.”

“Very inspiring,” I said sarcastically. But I suspected that Rroske
really obtained its post by doing the
science
that others refused to do.
“But why take Val? She was already working on a cure for the virus.”

Rroske turned to look at me, its expression sober. “Because I
needed her help in determining
why
my accelerated evolution agent failed,
and why it’s killing everyone.”

“Your accel…evolution…
you
created the virus!” Sa yelled.

“I created an agent to help us shed our carbon-based impurities; a
way to progress to a purely silicon-based physiology, just like this child.”
The Sentient’s face regained its former confidence and pride. “In fact, I used
it as a template.”

So Rroske was responsible for dooming the Sentients, and now
humanity as well by shifting the blame to us. Despite the restraints, I lifted my
head, giving Rroske a good look at the anger written across my face. “Explain
your
progress
to the millions that have already died, and the billions more
lives that will be lost in this war.”

“Billions of
humans
maybe. Thanks to the research done on
Seveq, I’ve been able to pinpoint the problem and can now fix the agent. I
thought Doctor Evans would be helpful in locating the biological failure point;
I was right.”

Now it was Val’s turn to be outraged. “I can’t believe you’d develop
an agent like that without a cure.”

“Of course not, Doctor Evans, I had a cure all along. What I
needed was a way to make my agent
work
.”

“You could have saved all those people?” I said incredulously.

The sight of all those bodies on Seveq swept into my mind—actual
pictures and video triggered by my recording implant. I struggled against the
restraints, feeling the plastic straps bite into my wrists, but it was no use.

“You’re no scientist, Rroske, and you’re certainly no patriot. You
are nothing more than a base murderer and you
will
answer for all of the
deaths you’ve caused.”

“If I do, Commander, it certainly won’t be at your hands.”

Rroske went to its work station and checked the screen. “Perfect!
It’s multiplying just as I’d hoped.”

“What did you inject us with?” Val demanded.

“That injection was phase two of my plan—the part borrowed from
your work, Doctor Evans. I took the liberty of modifying your Permalife antigen
by accelerating the effect—essentially adding a time limit. I also made it
highly communicable, using the same multiple transmission methods I’d developed
for my evolution agent. It will be able to spread unchecked to every corner of
human space.”

“Adding a time limit?” I asked, “What does that even mean?”

“It means,” Val explained, “that every human will eventually be
exposed to the antigen—actually a virus now, and start to age. The time limit
will cap the maximum years those infected will live at…how many years, Rroske?”

“You
do
understand.” Rroske sounded surprised. “Twenty,
maybe twenty five years before a complete systemic shutdown is triggered. I
thought that would give it enough time to spread throughout the different Sectors
before anyone pieced together what was really happening. If my calculations are
correct, and I admit there are some unknown variables, every human should be
dead within a hundred years—war or no war.”

I leaned my head back hard into the stiff pillow and clenched my
fists—nails digging into the palms of my hands. I could envision Rroske’s
thoughts, the madness that propelled its actions forward. The virus would leave
the galaxy safe for Rroske’s new Sentient race; no further problems or
pressures from humanity. The Sentients would be the single sapient species
left, and we would become a distant memory of marginal inconvenience.

Rroske walked over to stand beside our beds and addressed Val
directly, “I must say, Doctor Evans, your niece has been most helpful during
this entire affair. When Woz approach her, explaining that The Pure Way and
God’s Plan both shared the same goals, she became a veritable fountain of
information. About your research, your personal communications, Marie Stinson’s
DNA…”

I could see the hurt in Val’s eyes, the betrayal smothering the incandescent
sparkle that usually resided there. I spoke for her, with as much bitterness as
I could muster. “She became an unwitting spy you mean.”

“Unwitting?” Rroske intoned, “Yes, I suppose in some regards she
was, but she knew about the kidnapping. Woz assured her that we wouldn’t harm
Evans, we would only force her to modify the antigen, changing it from an
injection for those who wanted it, into a virus that would spread to everyone—whether
they wanted it or not. Your niece wanted every human to start aging again and
to die naturally. She didn’t know about
my
modification to the antigen,
I think that might have clashed with her god’s wishes.”

Stinson had regained a modicum of mobility, and was standing next
to Sa at the edge of the force shield, listening to Rroske’s litany of excuses
and explanations. The sentient doctor was speechless—either in shock or
disbelief; Stinson shared the contemptuous look Sa was giving Rroske.

Rroske looked around the room, at each one of us in turn, but
found no friendly faces. It gave a slight shrug, then strode over to the refrigerated
wall cabinet and took out another box. 

“I couldn’t have asked for better test subjects,” it said, speaking
over its shoulder to no one in particular. Turning around, the Sentient spoke to
Val and me, still bound and helpless. “You two are
very
old, almost the
same age as Doctor Sa and myself.”

How long did they live,
I wondered.

“That makes you some of the first users of the original Permalife
formulation,” it said cheerily.

My gut told me that this Sentient’s happiness had to be bad news
for us.

“Lesa told us that you’ve improved the process over the years,
Doctor Evans, so I’m aware that different preparations exist. But I’m certain
those refinements won’t affect my virus.” It opened the box and checked its
contents, nodding approvingly. “But it never hurts to be thorough either.”

“Captain Stinson,” Rroske said loudly, “You fall somewhere in the
middle of the spectrum. And that human in stasis, if she survives, will make a
perfect specimen of the newest variant. It is an ideal sampling.”

“What exactly are you testing, butcher?” Val was incensed, showing
such strength and anger that I was having a hard time remembering her as the
scared woman we’d rescued on Seveq.

Rroske carried the small box to Val’s bedside. It was similar to
the one holding the set of needles, but where the first box had been white; this
one was a much more ominous black.

“No need for name calling, Doctor Evans, I promise you this will
be painless. Just as before. I am simply trying to nail down some of those
variables I told you about.”

“What variables?” she asked.

“I’m trying to determine the absorption rate and post mortem
transmissibility of the pathogen, and to be perfectly honest, I intend to do a gradual
autopsy—sectioning off pieces of your organs, and letting them die off over
time.”

The Sentient grabbed Val’s head, roughly moving it to the side to
expose her neck; she snapped it back defiantly, prompting Rroske to raise its
hand as if to strike her. 

“That’s not science; it’s murder!” I yelled, trying to distract
it. “And you are no doctor, Rroske, you’re a monster. Nothing more—nothing less;
no amount of artificial evolution will change that.”

I purposely tried to provoke it, attempting to draw it away from
Val. “You are a failure as a scientist and a Sentient. The only reason you even
got onto the Science Council is because you were willing to do things they
wouldn’t sully themselves with. They laugh at you, Rroske; you are a joke to
them…and even less to me.”

Anger flashed in Rroske’s eyes, and then rapidly subsided as a
thin smile emerged on its face. “No need for duplicity, Commander, if you want
to die first, I understand.”

Rroske moved over to my side of the tightly packed beds and leaned
close to my face. Its voice was calm and level. “I’ve read about your gender
based concepts of chivalry, Commander. Very interesting.”

The Sentient sat the black box down between my feet and turned on
some instrumentation above my head. The equipment emitted a tiny beep, which
grew in tempo and volume. I realized that it was my heart rate when the beeps synchronized
with the thundering in my chest. 

“This will destroy all brain activity,” Rroske announced, “Unfortunately
for you, Commander, the damage is quite permanent. But don’t worry, you won’t
go to waste. I will place your body in stasis so I can use it for my ongoing
research.”

Val reached out and took my hand; I could feel the trembling in
our touch. She squeezed as Rroske opened the black box and took out a large needle.
The thick fluid inside was as dark as the Sentient’s skin. Rroske thumped the
glass syringe twice, then squirted a little of the poison onto the floor—testing
the plunger. Val squeezed my hand even harder in response.