Over twenty million soldiers died during World War II. Twenty million, in the military alone. There had to be a lot of people who believed that their particular end justified some unfathomable means.
I honestly believe that what we are doing is much more important than going to the moon, or getting our hands on a few barrels of oil. In my opinion, it more readily compares with inventing the wheel, or making fire. I realize that others might disagree. I wish I could tell you exactly how many lives this is worth losing, but I cannot. At some point we might decide that we could live with 1,151 dead, but not 1,152. It is, by definition, arbitrary.
What I can tell you is this: in an underground warehouse in Denver, there is definite proof that we are not alone in the universe, undeniable evidence that there are civilizations literally thousands of years ahead of us technologically, and we are drawing closer to being able to use some of that knowledge. This can be a leap of monumental proportions for all mankind, and not just from a technological standpoint. This will change the way we think of the world, the way we see ourselves. This will reshape this planet, and we have an opportunity to help steer that change. How many lives is that worth to you?
—Let’s just hope no one else has to die, shall we? We could use some good news, and soon. Speaking of which, did you get that little mutiny of yours under control?
—As a matter of fact, I did.
—Good. The president is growing tired of all this. He’s also heard about your little stunt at the hospital.
—Exactly what nefarious deed of mine are you referring to this time?
—You forced a doctor to put some crazy metal knees into the linguist. Did you think no one was going to find out?
—Well, he needed knees.
—That’s not how the president sees it. Up to this point, he’s been willing to overlook certain risks to the population and he’s given you a fair amount of leeway when it comes to international law, but you’ve just crossed a line that wasn’t meant to be crossed. You performed very risky—experimental is an understatement—body-altering surgery on an American citizen without his consent.
—I apologize. I did not know that this was frowned upon.
—This isn’t funny.
—It is somewhat funny. First of all, I did not perform anything, the doctor did. Second, Mr. Couture is not an American citizen. He is from Montreal. It is a large city, about the size of Boston, in that very large country just north of here. You may have heard of it. They play hockey.
—That was just an expression.
—“American citizen” is not an expression. Are you seriously telling me the president is unhappy because I did not let some doctor saw off our best chance of success? I can shoot Mr. Couture if need be, but he finds surgery morally reprehensible? It makes him uncomfortable? Ill at ease? Tell the president we gave him really good knees. Better yet, tell him to give Mr. Couture a medal. That will make him feel better.
If Mr. Couture survives, our chances of success will be significantly greater than they were before the surgery. May I also remind you that the alternative was to have a leg pilot without legs? There was a unique window of opportunity and I took it. I would do it again without hesitation.
—The next time you want to turn someone into the six million dollar man, you should get his permission first. As far as the president is concerned, what you did is tantamount to torturing the guy.
—I respectfully but vehemently disagree. You can tell the president whatever you want. He is your responsibility.
—…
—Robert?
—You know, that medal’s not a bad idea.
—I was being sarcastic. You cannot give…Never mind. Yes. Give him a medal.
FILE NO. 141
INTERVIEW WITH DR. ROSE FRANKLIN, PH.D.
Location: Underground Complex, Denver, CO
—Where’s Kara? She didn’t show up today.
—On assignment. I wish I could tell you more, but she will be back in a few days. I heard you went away as well.
—You don’t miss much, do you? Yes, I went to visit Ryan.
—I did not know he was allowed visitors.
—He’s not. But government psychiatrists are allowed, apparently.
—They did not check your credentials?
—The NSA never asked for my ID back. It says Doctor on it…
—I must say I am moderately surprised. This seems a bit out of character for you.
—I don’t know if I should be offended or flattered.
—You should feel neither. I was merely pointing out that your recent behavior is uncharacteristic of your personal disposition. You are extremely brave, but also very rational and methodical. This seems somewhat rash, impulsive. These are words that more easily come to mind when speaking of Ms. Resnik.
—She suggested it…She said you’d bail me out if I got into trouble.
—I would not count on it.
—Well, I couldn’t just leave him alone out there. He had to know that people still cared about him. He seemed genuinely surprised to see me. He feels such shame over what he did; I don’t think he expected anyone to show any concern over him.
He says the worst part is that he remembers everything about that night. The hours before are either fuzzy or completely missing from his memory, but somehow the alcohol didn’t erase a single detail about the crash. He can still see Vincent’s face when the truck hit. I told him I would visit him again if he let me.
—Mr. Couture is also very forgiving, considering. That seems to be a common trait in the scientific community. I assume Chief Resnik did not join you.
—No, she didn’t, but it’s different for her. She feels…responsible. And I wouldn’t go so far as saying I forgive him. I think what he did is appalling. I also know everything he’s been through. Surely, you can understand that.
—I understand that these are unusual circumstances and that heightened emotions are to be expected. I understand that a strong feeling of attraction can easily develop in stressful situations and that the associated loss can also be proportionally amplified. I also understand that under the same circumstances, you, Ms. Resnik, and Mr. Couture have not attempted to murder anyone. Mr. Mitchell tried to kill one of his coworkers, showed reckless disregard for the life of an Army soldier, and jeopardized what could be the most significant endeavor in modern history. I believe I understand perfectly.
—Maybe you’re right. I just think that’s not all he is. What he did, however horrifying, doesn’t have to negate every other day of his life. He has a family, a mother that brought him into the world, fed him, bathed him. She dressed him for school. She drove him to soccer practice. You can’t expect her to see this in black-and-white. She can’t. Neither can I. I refuse to think of him in such simple terms.
You thought he was good enough before. Well, before hasn’t changed. Everything he did, up until that day, is still true. Ryan knows he didn’t just hurt Vincent, that he left a whole lot of lives in shambles. He has to live with that. I think that’s punishment enough.
—Let us agree to disagree. I did not come here to discuss Mr. Mitchell, nor your emotional response to his current predicament. There were reports of an incident in the laboratory.
—You could call it that. Work on the console has completely stopped without Vincent. Kara was getting restless having no one to train with. The lab feels really empty now that Alyssa’s gone.
—Where is Ms. Papantoniou?
—I thought you knew. Her work visa was revoked. Some technicality. She was sent back to Greece on Monday.
—I am sorry to hear that. I heard she was a brilliant scientist.
—She was. She had a hard time connecting with anyone, though; I don’t think she had any friends here. I’ll admit she was hard to deal with. She had really strong feelings about the way things should be done, but a lot of the progress we’ve made recently was based on her ideas.