Unity by Carl Stubblefield (epub read online books TXT) 📕

I deserve to be preserved to perpetuate that weakness? No! Those must be culled out from among us. The Nth give us an excellent opportunity to advance humankind, and we refuse to take it. That is another thing that my employer and I see eye to eye upon. No more pandering to the masses—we must elevate. This trend towards making everything easier is folly. It goes against natural law! The weak are supposed to die off. They are supposed to get sick. They are supposed to be the prey that falls to the predator. It weakens the whole to artificially preserve these among us.

“I have always been fascinated by pain. What people will do to avoid even the threat of it is astounding. If you could quantify the amount of worry that exists from just the possibility of pain, I’m sure it would be staggering.

“And the amazing thing is that this perceived threat does not even need to be real. It can be manufactured or implied, and the mind will take that and amplify it into so much more. Do you realize how easy it is to influence and control others with some well calculated suggestions?

“The things people will do to avoid pain. It is so much more potent than the carrot. People will run from the stick, but they will do relatively little for the carrot if it isn’t easily obtainable. I see that as part of my duty. If humankind is to evolve, we must get past this hurdle. We must learn to love pain. Through it is the only way to true change and ascendance!

“Since most will not willingly submit themselves to any form of prolonged stress, I have made it one of my pet projects to see how far we can go. And it is so much further than even I ever expected. Almost infinite potential, wasted by almost everyone. The tendency to give up is too ingrained. But not for much longer. I will blaze the trail that will lead us to the next iteration of what humankind can become.

“You, though, you provide an interesting specimen. I would not have suspected you to be one of the elite, yet here you are! Not everyone can undergo the transformation, but if you are any evidence at all, there could be more possibilities than I expected in raising those weaker among us to our level. I am not against progression, you see. If the weak can be elevated without wasting too many resources, then so be it. But the cost would need to be calculated. It’s entirely possible that you are an anomaly and the trade-off is not viable. We shall see.

“I have been musing about your case as I have worked upon you. I recall when they contacted me about your situation. They told me they would hand me the situation all wrapped up tidy like a bow, and I’ll admit I did not believe them. The thing was, they were right. It is mainly the reason I work for my employer, you see.

“Precision. In my work, it is not a luxury, but an absolute necessity. Take your case, for example. Do you know how difficult it is to fold the cells of a living creature so that you don’t break a single strand of DNA? It’s no mean feat. That’s one of the disadvantages of genius. You will forever be alone. No one can understand or appreciate all that it takes to reach that pinnacle. But you learn to not need that recognition. How ingratiating is it to be adored by fools?

“I must admit, I feel a certain kinship to you. You have been touched by my hand and changed. By my grace, you have survived to this moment where you can finally serve purposes I need. Isn’t it fascinating how the universe rewards natural law? You sow the seed and do the cultivation and then years later the fruit is there to be plucked. I had not expected it would be you who came at this time, but I knew eventually we would meet again. Your mother served her purpose, much more than I ever anticipated. Maybe there is just something about your family, a combination of genetics and nurture that combine in the perfect storm of probability that is ideal for my purposes.

“One thing I think I would like to see is how you unravel when I undo all of the work that I did to stabilize you. What will happen? The anticipation is killing me. And you too, now that I think of it, albeit in a different manner. However, I still have many tests to run. I appreciate that you have held on so I could collect as many samples as I have.

“You see, I rarely get the opportunity to compare the physiology of someone before and after they make the change. It does gall me that I knew so little those years ago about the less material aspects of our species when I first worked on you, but the science just wasn’t there yet.

“I have already made some connections that have been eluding me for quite some time. Discoveries that will allow me to improve myself. And that, my young subject, was worth all the time I put in crafting your ‘cure.’ Stagnation is really the worst of curses, and when you are at my level, it is so difficult to eke out any sort of advancement or growth. To be so close to godhood, but have it dance tantalizingly out of your grasp.

“I think with time, these revelations will push me past those barriers that have kept me stymied for so long. So for that I thank you. Once again, I do feel compelled to remind you that this will not give you any clemency in my research, unfortunately. Ultimately, you are but a tool, used in the master’s hand. You shouldn’t think you deserve anything for that, wouldn’t you agree?”

Gus flinched as Mengele brought out a scalpel and