Richard was at a loss for words. Her emotional strength was inspiring, moving him to let go of some of the guilt he felt over the loss of his wife and kids. He wanted to help her through a tough time, but in reality, he was the one that received the help.
“What would you like to do today?” Josephine asked, seemingly unaware of the good she had done.
“I would really like talk to Dr. Stone. I have a number of questions for him,” Richard said in a daunting tone.
“Do you still have the urge to kill him?” Josephine asked.
“I would be lying if I told you I didn’t,” he replied.
“Then I should warn you that his point of view is probably not going to sit well with you. He seems to have some reverence for the Augs, and he is still protective of them,” Josephine warned.
“What? How could he see anything good in them? They are barbaric soulless creatures that lack morals or ethics,” Richard replied.
“I know, but you did promise me that you wouldn’t harm him unless he tries to leave,” Josephine said in a firm voice.
“I will keep my promise,” Richard replied as he clinched his teeth together.
“Okay, then follow me and we’ll see if he is up.” Richard followed Josephine down the tunnel for a considerable distance. Then she led him into a large open chamber that had a log table and crude chairs made from aspen trees. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” A moment later Josephine reappeared with Dr. Stone following closely behind her.
“Dr. Stone, this is Richard. He was the leader of a northern clan that joined up with us several weeks ago.”
“I have heard a lot about you Richard. It seems that you are something of a hero around here,” Dr. Stone exclaimed in a sarcastic tone.
“I don’t know about that, but I do know you’re the…”
“Richard!” Josephine interrupted before he could complete his sentence. “Why don’t you ask Dr. Stone about the Augs? Maybe he can answer some of your questions.”
“Alright,” Richard replied as he sat down in his chair. “How did the larvae evolve so that they could take over their host?”
“I genetically altered the parent worms to produce only sterile offspring. The subsequent larvae processing was designed to knock out all of the non-autonomic brain functions, thus ensuring the larvae would remain benign. My guess is that a critical processing step was omitted, and the resulting larvae had a fully functional brain. This in turn allowed the larvae to biologically interface with the host, ultimately taking control of it. I must say that early primate studies did not reveal the potential for host domination, and the implants were only supposed to enhance, not enslave the host,” Dr. Stone insisted.
“Come on, there must have been some warning signs that this sort of thing could happen?” Richard asserted.
“No, there is not a single documented case where a parasitic worm was capable of controlling the host organism. The only host manipulating parasite I have ever heard of is from, Toxoplasma gondii. It is a rat-born protozoan that infects the rodent’s brain overriding its natural biochemistry, so that the rat no longer fears predators. In return, the rat is killed and eaten by the predator, thus allowing the protozoan to complete its life cycle in the secondary host. I can assure you, no one ever expected that the larvae could become host dominating. Even suggesting it as a possibility would have discredited the researcher’s good name,” Dr. Stone replied innocently.
“You must have known that there was a risk of this happening, otherwise you would have never added those precautionary steps to the production line,” Richard remarked.
“I considered a large part of the larvae processing unnecessary, but to quell fears about implanting a fully functional life form into a human, I added those steps. The military needed to be able to show that the larvae were a biological augmentation, and not a parasitic implant. It was simply a matter of marketing and it had nothing to do with the scientific facts known at the time. As I said before, there was absolutely no reason to believe that the larvae could ever control the host,” Dr. Stone insisted.
“Well I guess that will go down in the history as one of the biggest scientific blunders ever!” Richard replied with a sneer.
“I disagree. In many ways the Augs have created a society that is far superior to our own,” Dr. Stone said as though it was a proven fact.
“How the hell can you say that? Augs are nothing more than mindless automatons whose sole purpose is to destroy humanity!” Richard replied in a harsh tone.
“They are only trying to survive. The same thing can be said about every other life form on the planet,” Dr. Stone responded.
“They are an artificially created abomination, the illegitimate offspring of a crack-pot scientist who loves to play god!” Richard shouted.
“No, they are the next step in our evolution, a hybrid of two species whose sum is greater than its parts. Augs do not commit crimes and they work for the greater good of their society, and they are healthier and more productive than their human counterparts,” Dr. Stone pointed out.
“That may be true, but in return the Augs have lost their individuality and creativity, they lack the essential qualities that make humans a dynamic and interesting species,” Richard claimed.
“What has been lost is a fat, disease ridden, antiquated excuse of a primate!” Dr. Stone retorted.
“And the Augs are mindless, soulless, robots that have no compassion for other living things!” Richard replied.
“At least they are not selfish, self-absorbed, greed machines, and best of all, they live in perfect harmony with one another. Something humans will never achieve!” Dr. Stone contended.
“Aaah,” Richard said with a smile. “That’s an interesting distinction. Although they don’t kill each other, they have no problem killing every other species that can further their cause in any way. Do they love? Can they appreciate a beautiful sunset? Would they take care of an injured kitten? No, no, and no!” Dr. Stone turned away, refusing to respond, but Richard continued on. “They may not be selfish or self absorbed, but that is one of the things that drives people to achieve great things. The pursuit of often seemingly intangible goals has led humans to many of our most profound discoveries and achievements. The Augs on the other hand have spread across the planet like a disease, what achievements lay ahead of them? What mysteries of the universe will they unlock? What great artist will spring from their evolutionary loins? Dr. Stone refused to make eye contact with Richard and would not respond to any aspect of his arguments.
“Richard, Dr. Stone can’t change the past, so stop persecuting him,” Josephine said in a firm voice. “If you have questions ask them, but enough of the insults!”
“Fine… why have you come here?” Richard asked as he stared directly at Dr. Stone’s stoic face.
“When you attacked the production facility, the Augs panicked, and they wanted to implant me so that I wouldn’t change sides. Luckily I got away before that happened, but I can never go back. Don’t get me wrong, I still believe the Augs are the next step in our evolution, but I’m not willing to give up my independence, or my identity. I’m a brilliant scientist,” Dr. Stone insisted.
“So you don’t want to be implanted, but everyone else should be?” Richard asked in a venomous tone.
“You can call me a hypocrite, a narcissist, or whatever you like, but I am no different than you, I just want to live out my remaining days as a human. That doesn’t mean I agree with your assessment about the Augs, it just means I want to finish my life the way I started it. In return for letting me stay here, I will help you avoid being killed by the Augs, but I will not help you kill them,” Dr. Stone insisted.