Project Hyacia

Thomas’s hand trembles as he lifts it from his keyboard and points at the text on his screen. “Read that, Janice.” His voice trembles as he slowly stands up to let Janice sit at the computer. He walks over to the door of the panic room he installed in his basement with his arms folded tightly across his chest.

If you are reading this message, I must first warn you that you are in immanent grave danger. The upside is that you are in control of your fate as at least seven of you I know have taken action as an outcome of receiving this message. Those seven and I shall remain nameless. Your locations and time periods shall also remain undocumented as are mine.

With that out of the way, here is what I have discovered that is of the utmost importance to the past and future of humanity and beyond. I discovered a method by which I can receive data from the future. The third message I received from the future was the schematics by which I can transmit data into the past. And I am not the only one to have decoded these messages.

The schematics by which you too can transmit data into the past, I have already sent. Despite knowing that none of you who read this decode the message and build the system to transmit data, not even the seven, I transmitted the data anyway. I remain hopeful, as I cannot truly know everything.

I relate to you now, what I do truly know. My first course of action to alter the past was abundantly clear to me, ensure Adolf Hitler does not rise to power. This single event ripples throughout human history with deleterious effects long into the future. I apologize for the vagueness, but I must not provide details that would lead to harm of me or any of the seven.

I input into my system a process that would ensure that Adolf Hitler was not able to enlist in the Bavarian army in World War I. I had calculated that absent his war experience in the first World War he would not have been involved in the Second World War, and the European continent, medical technology, and space travel would forever benefit.

As you are aware, there was a clerical error that permitted Adolf Hitler to enter the Bavarian Army. I figured my first attempt at a major change to the history timeline could meet challenges, so I decided to make another attempt. Shortly after my first attempt, strange and unusual occurrences began to take place in the city I lived. We encountered unprecedented plagues of famine, violence, and disease. I thought this too coincidental, particularly when I traveled, the epicenter of the pandemic would follow shortly thereafter.

#

As Janice reads the text on the screen, her eyes widen and her jaw begins to slowly drop. “This is unbelievable, Thomas! This is exactly what we’ve been looking for!”

“Keep reading,” Thomas says, not even turning around.

As the plague spread rapidly, it was not long before I realized that my time may very well be limited. I had received no more messages from the future, so I took it upon myself to do the only thing I felt in my heart that I must do. Kill Adolf Hitler during World War I. I transmitted data back to effect the Battle of Somme, and again my plans were narrowly thwarted with Adolf Hitler being injured rather than killed. I made other efforts than these two, but divulging them would risk uncovering my identity.

There are theories of multiple timelines or even infinite timelines. What I have witnessed is that there is only a single timeline and a concept I call infinite probable timelines. I have been able to alter outcomes of the past in some cases with my data transmissions, but in most cases when I predicted my data should produce a new outcome, it has not.

I attempted to alter another major but less complex historic event: stop the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. This is when I came to realize that someone much more intelligent and resourceful than me had this same technology for sending data back in time with a greater level of accuracy and efficacy. I decided to focus my efforts on uncovering who these other players were in this game of history and how it was that they were always ahead of me. This, I thought, was my true calling in having received this technology from the future. This is also where I discovered an unbelievable truth!

It appears that multiple parties were involved with a plot to send data back in time to assassinate JFK. The ultimate winner in the probable timeline was the precursor to the Government Office of Intelligence Management, the CIA. They send data back in time to help fake the JFK assassination. This brilliant maneuver signals to the other parties that the then United States of America is well positioned in the future.

But the consequences are devastating. The other parties infiltrate the CIA at the highest levels and set off a series of attempts at manipulating world history that even predate the formation of their predecessor, the OSS! The infiltrators purposefully arranged the outcome of the Second World War, with Russia decapitating the Nazis and nearly capturing all the scientists and scientific knowledge, if not for the brilliant maneuvering of William Donovan, who is a virtual receptor of data transmission.

There are special humans capable of receiving direct data feeds from the future or the past. Thankfully, Donovan is one of them. His undying loyablty to God and country is instrumental to the salvation of Earth.

I discover at least four other entities from the future attempted to manipulate our history in the 1963 (which I already mentioned), 1981, 2001, 2023, and 2053. There may have been others, but I have not been able to find evidence. None of them were successful in their attempts to alter the timeline, and the CIA was always just steps ahead each time with their orchestration of events.

#

“This is not what I was expecting!” She smiles as she turns to look at Thomas again, who is still facing the door.

“You must read the whole thing, Janice.” Thomas says with morbidity in his voice.

The infiltrators reach new heights of injustice, corruption, manipulation, and cruelty. They create numerous projects within the CIA that are cruel and disturbing at best. The eventual unveiling of the infiltrated CIA as the orchestrator of a fake multi-national power struggle in our future greatly harms the agency. Calls for its dismantling reach insurmountable levels. It’s disbanded, and the technology for timeline data transmission is forever in jeopardy and darks times are upon us! The CIA needs your help in the present day!

You have the opportunity to save the CIA from this probable timeline where the infiltrated CIA becomes increasingly destructive and fractured. The result is the near complete annihilation of humanity through famine, disease, and violence.

Knowing this future, someone transmits data that ultimately leads to an action in your near future that forever changes the outcome of humanity and our planet. The majority of humanity is wiped out (this method I cannot tell as to protect the identify of the entity that makes this unfold). What remains of humanity builds well organized governments free of corruption, manipulation, and injustice. A technological revolution catapults humanity and AI into the future and into the stars. One of the outcomes of the technology is transmitting this data.

It’s imperative this timeline unfolds. It will likely cost you your life in this realm, but what the future holds, and what I can promise you is that you will have life after death. You will help usher in a technology that transforms mankind and our universe for an everlasting good!

With that bright future at hand, I must inform you of grave news. This technology has been compromised. My outcome along with yours is unquestionably grim. I am sending this as my final transmission before neutralizing my system, and I plead with you to know that your certain death is not in vain. Every action you have taken and all actions you are about to take ensure the outcome I have described will indeed happen. For most of you, your death is instrumental to the future of humanity.

Janice turns in the chair to face Thomas. “This doesn’t have to happen this way, Thomas. Isn’t that the whole point of the AIex finding this information? He’s giving us an opportunity to change our timeline!” Janice practically has the sound of pleading in her voice.

“You really think that’s a real message from the future? The CIA is some benevolent agency that’s under attack from within?” Thomas shouts. “We’re dead, Janice! We’re not going to outsmart these people! If that message is from the future, the people we’re up against are literally hundreds of years ahead of us! If it’s not from the future, and I’m saying it’s not, they have technology far more advanced than even the AIex!”

#

Thomas pulls up the next file he received from AIex. He plays Janice a voice recording of two men discussing plans to abduct Janice when she arrives in New Orleans. Janice is shocked listening to the two men discuss the details of when and where she’s going to be abducted.

Janice has a looks of skepticism on her face, and Thomas asks, “You don’t think this is AIex?”

“I think someone on the inside who wants to help us figured out about AIex and figured they can use AIex as a cover for getting this kind of information out.”

Thomas rubs his chin while keeping his arms folded across his chest. “Or maybe it’s someone trying to entrap us. That seems more likely to me.”

“I’m not so sure. I think someone on the inside is giving us data about the infiltration in the CIA.”

“Why not just send it to a bunch of reporters then?” Thomas says as he remains doubtful of Janice’s theory.

“The majority of the reporters work for or are directly influenced by the CIA, and how do we know which ones are in the pockets of the infiltrators and which ones are on our side? AIex sent me a list of reporters who were safe. You’re on the list with maybe 20 others around the entire world.” Janice pulls up the list of reporters on her phone. “You ever work with John Stossen?”

“I haven’t worked with him directly, but we’ve corresponded. He’s one of the best independent investigative reporters in the industry.”

“You know how to get a hold of him securely?”

Thomas turns to his computer and pulls open an application and starts typing a message to John. As he’s typing to John, a message shows in his chat thread with John: DNC24!

Thomas pauses and sits back from his computer. “Got anyone else on that list you want me to contact?” he says with a grim look on his face.

Janice stares at his screen in disbelief as another message arrives from another one of Thomas’ contacts that matches someone on her list: NC72!

“You think your list has been compromised?” Thomas gestures to Janice’s phone.

There’s a sudden and loud thud, and Thomas and Janice feel the house shake as if it has just been struck by a bus.

“I wouldn’t take New Orleans as a place for earthquakes, Thomas.”

Thomas pulls up his security camera footage.

“Nothing out of the ordinary. And for some reason that seems out of the ordinary.” Thomas says as he looks closely at each of the camera streams. “I’ve got military grade encryption from the camera to my receiver right here. You can’t fake the signal. At least not with any technology I know of.”

Janice stands up and places her hand on Thomas’ shoulder. “You have a backdoor out of this place?”

“Of course. A tunnel that leads to the sewer system.”

“Is that backdoor monitored too?”

Thomas pauses as he takes a closer look at the video from the tunnel camera. “Let’s head out the front, Janice.” He lifts the cover over a red button and enters a code on a keypad. “Now!”

“What’s wrong?” Janice asks as they quickly exit the safe room.

“That tunnel was flooded during the last hurricane.” He says, leading the way up to the his living room. “I installed a device that turns on and off a light in the tunnel in a pattern that matches an algorithm linked to my neural implant. The lights weren’t flashing in that sequence.”

#

Both Janice and Thomas are startled as the doorbell to Thomas’ house rings. Thomas looks at his security camera video feed he has through the eye hole in his front door and sees a couple of Girl Scouts standing on the porch.

“Even if that’s a trap, I’d rather be killed by Thin Mint cookies than whatever is coming through that basement!” Thomas says with a smirk as he opens the door.

“Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?” they hear in stereo.

“Sure! Uh…” Thomas knows that his house is set to burn down in the next 60 seconds, so he hurries the girls off the porch. “We were just leaving, but we can buy some and eat them on the way.” Thomas continues as he shepherds everyone off the porch and down the walkway.

As they make their way to the end of the walkway outside Thomas’ house, the van with the Girl Scout cookies opens. Sitting inside, surrounded by Girl Scout cookie boxes is a young man wearing strange looking goggles. “The two,” He starts before pausing briefly as if he’s trying to recite lines in a play he’s learning. “All four of you need to come with me right now.”

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descent

Thrice prior destroy thrice latter
Still, onus the latter to destroy not the former
Fourth branch graves dug and filled in with debt
Atop the hill of no regret
The great equalizer beckons
What you sew suffocates
You are reaped with their last breath

The Disclosure: Universal Healthcare

Returning from the video intermission showing life inside Earth 2.0…

Jan: It’s truly amazing what you have made possible with Earth 2.0, but let’s talk about X Labs’ biggest breakthrough. Last year, your company’s medical robots were estimated at having saved nearly $10 trillion dollars in healthcare costs and increased economic productivity around the globe by more than 15% from the prior year!

What many said wasn’t possible just decades ago has become reality thanks to your relatively new healthcare division. Earlier this year, the World Health Organization confirmed that your vaccines have completely eradicated every known virus within the industrialized world in less than a decade, and that your responsible outreach programs in marginalized communities has lead to better vaccination rates in regions of the globe normally forgotten. Some skeptics have voiced concerns that new super viruses are going to be the eventual result from your efficient vaccinations. Are you concerned about a super virus?

Lysander smiles at Fredrick as Richard berates him about his presentation for a new healthcare division for X Labs that will start with a vaccination program.

“Look, Richard, we have the studies lined up. Dr. Fields has friends at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, LSU, University of Nebraska, NYU, and Yale! This thing is a slam dunk! We’ll get approval for the super vaccine in no time. We have all the right connections.” Fredrick appeals to Richard.

“But you don’t have an actual product! This thing isn’t ready for human trials, and you know that.”

“Richard, we cannot leave this kind of money on the table! We’re talking about hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue each year for something that costs us virtually nothing. Plus, we’re indemnified by every government we work with. The governments cover the cost of any injuries incurred by our vaccine. There is no downside for us.”

As the two go back and forth, Lysander ponders the long-term opportunities to universal acceptance of their entirely new vaccine delivery system. He interjects, “Fredrick, I’ll admit that I’m kinda with Richard on this one. So, here’s an idea…” Lysander gestures with his hands, “You and Tom keep saying that it’s as safe as drinking water. If Tom is so sure about the safety of our super vaccine, then let’s setup a bet that involves just him.”

Fredrick looks at Lysander with skepticism while Richard smiles ear to ear, as he does not like Dr. Tom Fields.

Lysander continues, “Tom inhales the super vaccine once a day, every day for 100 days. Richard here, will drink a glass of water.”

Richard interjects, “Can we make it a beer?”

Lysander raises his eyebrows and looks at Fredrick for confirmation. Fredrick nods.

“Richard, here… will drink a beer…”

“A 40 would be my preference, given that we’re dealing with a SUPER vaccine,” Richard adds.

“Richard will down a 40 each day.” Lysander places his hand on Richard’s shoulder. “If Tom is perfectly healthy after 100 days, then let’s move forward with the trials.”

Richard claps his hands together, “I love this plan! I’m going to get started on it right away!” He starts to leave the office and pops his head back in the door. “I mean, I’m going to tell Tom our plan on my way to get a 40 from my fridge.”

Fredrick gives him a thumbs up and Lysander smiles.

After Richard has left the room, Lysander leans in to Fredrick, “Move forward with the trials you’re talking about. It’s going to take at least 30 days to get them started anyway, right?”

“Twenty to Thirty, yes, but we can get the approval from everyone within 60 days. I’ve worked with these guys before.”

“Perfect! I’ll work with Tom on making sure that everything goes right with the real trials and with his personal trial. I certainly don’t want him getting sick in the next 100 days. This thing doesn’t work any better than existing vaccines does it?”

“You want me to be completely truthful?” Fredrick can tell Lysander is asking a serious question. “I don’t think it does, but we have enough medical connections to stack the approval in our favor and political connections to make it the new standard in global mandatory vaccinations. Plus, it hardly costs a thing to manufacture, and every government around the world indemnifies us for any complications. This is a cash cow, Ned!”

Lysander pats Fredrick on the back, smiles, and then goes to his office.

Lysander spends the next 30 days going into Earth 2.0 and placing himself in an overclocking algorithm that moves everything forward in a shard at an accelerated rate. Working with the medical robots he has built in Earth 2.0 over the course of 100 accelerated years, they design a nano bot that Lysander will add to the super vaccine inhalant.

The nanobots slowly take resources from the human body to build more nanobots; nanobots that leverages the chemicals used to place people into Earth 2.0 but without the side effect of death. Those nanobots will be able to enter the brain and attach themselves to specific centers within the brain. Lysander estimates that he’ll have enough of a connection to be able to not just read a person’s thoughts but also communicate data directly into the brain.

Lysander knows that Dr. Fields has been entering Earth 2.0 and harassing the women there and resetting their experience after he’s finished violating them, and Lysander views this new nanobot technology as the ultimate means to control Dr. Fields. So, Dr. Tom Fields will be the first test subject  as part of the 100 day super vaccine trial. Within 12 days of Tom taking the daily super vaccine, Lysander is ready to start testing the outcome!

Tom and Lysander enter the clinic together, and Lysander has a human nurse take all of Tom’s vitals. As Tom is sitting on the table, Lysander goes over to his computer and connects to Tom’s brain. Lysander opens an application named Lucid4. Tons of data is scrolling along the console windows on Lysander’s computer as it reads Tom’s mind. It displays simple sentences on the screen that are showing Lysander the exact thoughts that Tom is having! Lysander isn’t surprised by Tom’s lustful thoughts about the attractive nurse who is taking his vitals. Lysander brought her in for that exact reason.

As the nurse is making her way around Tom, he keeps turning his head to attempt to look down her top. Lysander projects the nurse’s voice into Tom’s head, “Not interested, creep.”

Lysander watches closely as Tom is baffled by hearing the nurse’s voice in his head but not seeing her mouth move.

Lysander: The trick is to be one step ahead. Our pathogen and vaccine AI systems allow us to receive billions of health data points we received from our universal healthcare doctor bots and ensure we’re staying ahead of the evolution of the pathogens.

Jan: I promise you viewers that we’ll discuss AI in depth shortly. But, first, this year your sixth company announced a new cancer research program that appears to already be making tremendous progress in early cancer diagnosis. This one is close to your heart. The entire project was dedicated to your late, dear friend, Richard Aryu.

“We’re taking a big risk with this project, Lysander,” Fredrick says with a concerned look on his face.

Lysander’s face is unshaven, and his eyes are red from overwork. Even stubble shows on his bald head, ruining the normal shine he is often complimented on. “This is the most important project we will ever undertake, Freddy. We should treat it as though our lives depend on it.”

“But the algorithms still aren’t giving us the results we need. We’ve dumped a ton of money into this, and it’s consuming ALL of your time,” Fredrick places his hand on Lysander’s shoulder and pulls him to look back at him, “And frankly, Lysander, you look like shit. I’m really worried about you. Maybe you need to see a therapist. You haven’t been the same since Richard passed.”

Lysander glares at Fredrick.

“I apologize, Lysander. I truly do. But this cancer program is sinking our ship.”

“I have a solution for that!”

Lysander lifts the cover off a cage sitting in his office. There’s a pigeon inside that’s facing a computer screen. Lysander presses a button, and an image is displayed on the screen. The pigeon nearly instantly presses a red button with it’s beak. The pigeon receives a treat.

“You’ve lost your mind!”

“You’re probably right about that! But I have also figured out a much cheaper way to get instantly 99.99% accurate cancer diagnosis systems in place.”

He presses a button and another image is displayed to the pigeon. This time, the pigeon presses the green button. It receives another treat.

“I can do this all day long! And to be completely honest with you, I have.” Lysander is ranting like a madman, practically foaming at the mouth. “I sat here with bird after bird after bird. Hour after hour after hour. We don’t need a damn bit of AI for this, Fredrick! HA!”

Fredrick looks uneasily at Lysander and sighs, “Then let’s get this into production. We’ve sunk more money into this project than almost every other project combined. Can you get some rest now?”

“I’ll rest soon enough, Freddy,” Lysander says patting Fredrick on the shoulder as he walks him to his office door.

Fredrick leaves and Lysander locks his door and returns to his desk. He plugs himself into Earth 2.0.

Lysander: It was a bird-brain idea at first, but it has lead to some major breakthroughs in cancer treatments and should increase survival rates over the coming decades.

Jan: Let’s talk about what the future holds. Many refer to you and Fredrick as the greatest visionaries of our times. You’ve testified to Congress that global universal healthcare is possible within the next seven years.

Lysander: That’s already well underway. What would be the point of attaining all this technological wealth without benefiting all of humanity?

Jan: Your technology is advancing at a rapid rate, and medical professionals displaced by the bots have proven to be highly useful employees for you to continually improve the technology. X Labs has done a masterful job with introducing new technology and being responsible to the workers it displaces with that technology. You’ve even provided great income opportunities for the displayed medical professionals and placed many of these doctors in third world countries. In turn, lifting millions out of medical poverty all around the globe!

Your companies have helped virtually eliminate terrorism, increased crop yields, eradicated disease, mine minerals and metals on asteroids, successfully colonize Mars, and you’ve also given the entire world completely free satellite Internet access with your Constellation Miragel project.

Lysander: Don’t forget about the first successfully entangled micro-computer on board a satellite that’s just months away from reaching Alpha Centauri!

Jan: It’s truly an amazing time to be alive! A year ago, some rumors surfaced that you were having some mental health issues.

Lysander (laughs): Don’t believe everything you read on the free Internet.

Jan (laughs): Some of our most reputable sources were saying that you were missing important board meetings or showing up looking like you hadn’t slept for days.

Lysander: I’ve been known to sleep in my office from time to time. Or even in the lab. But I’m as healthy as ever. And I want everyone else on this planet to experience the same.

Jan: Great! That’s a relief to hear. Let’s talk about the future! Let’s talk about your AI!

The Disclosure: Earth 2.0

Jan smiles at Lysander while waiting to return from the break to acknowledge their patrons. Lysander places his hands together in prayer, draws them towards his face and bows his head as he closes his eyes and smiles at Jan. He looks back up at her and says that he’s really glad to have chosen to do the interview with her because she’s a no nonsense interviewer. He compliments her on her job.

Jan: We’re back with Ned Lysander from X Labs, and our next topic of conversation is Earth 2.0. It’s hard to imagine anyone who hasn’t at least heard of the Earth 2.0 project yet, but for both those who haven’t and those who have heard of Earth 2.0 here’s a little video about the incredible Earth 2.0 project.

The video starts playing on the video prompt in front of Jan and Lysander. It starts off with a promotional video that X Labs made a few weeks ago to inform people about the latest government tax rebates available to those who want to retire early into Earth 2.0.

Lysander thinks back to the start of the project with his business partner Richard Aryu…

Lysander and Richard are sitting at a quiet bar. Richard is stirring his olive in a nearly empty martini glass as Lysander is sitting next to him with a tonic water. A beautiful woman sits next to Richard and looks at him and Lysander with a big smile, orders her drink, and then takes her drink over to sit at a table with her equally beautiful friend who is watching Lysander and Richard.

“You miss your wife still.” Lysander says to Richard.

Richard lets our a deep sigh, “Ned, I’m sure you probably think I’m silly for still holding on to that relationship. What can I say.” Richard places his hands on the edge of the bar. “I need to show you something I’ve been working on, man. I think it’s finally time.”

Richard and Lysander walk out of the bar past the two women sitting at the table. The women smile at them and give them a flirty wave of the hand. Richard stumbles along with Lysander’s support as he waves at the two women and tells them to have a nice evening. They get into Lysander’s car that drives them to Richard’s home. When they arrive, they are greeted by Richard’s three Security Bots at the front gate.

“I really need to get one of those,” Lysander says to Richard.

Still inebriated, Richard slurs out, “They’re crap! Let’s build something better.”

The car drives them to the top of the roundabout where there’s a walkway to the front door about 100 feet away. Two more Security Bots help Richard exit the car. Lysander follows behind them as the car drives off to the parking garage on the other side of Richard’s sprawling property.

They enter Richard’s home where there are three more Security Bots that take over for the two at the entrance. Richard tells the Security Bots to take them to Lab 5. One of the Security Bots assists Richard to Lab 5 while the other two take up defensive positions along their path.

“You might be getting a little paranoid, Rich. These bots are like military guards.” Lysander is impressed with their build quality and autonomy; especially for being Richard’s garage projects. It’s decades ahead of anything he’s seen from the military contractors he’s worked with.

“These guys are crap, Ned!” Richard starts to hiccup uncontrollably. “No offense, pal.” He slaps the Security Bot helping him on the back.

“None taken, sir,” the Security Bot responds back.

They arrive at Lab 5 and Lysander takes over assisting Richard with his stumbling as the Security Bot is not allowed into the lab. Lysander looks around at the lab. It’s everything you’d expect from a mad scientist, much like his own personal lab but far more advanced. He’s in awe.

“This is one hell of a lab, Rich.”

“It’s crap! Take me over to the refrigerator.”

Lysander helps Richard over to the industrial refrigerator on the other side of the lab. Richard opens the door to the refrigerator to reveal a corridor with another door at the end. Richard stumbles his way over to the door and goes through a series of security checks to unlock and open the door. “This other guy is okay!” Richard shouts as he enters the other room.

Lysander cautiously walks down the corridor and enters the room. He sees laser pointers on his shoulders coming from several directions. Richard turns on the lights and there are five Security Bots that are far more advanced than the bots outside Richard’s home. Lysander raises his hands in surrender.

“Don’t do that, Ned. These guys are your friends.”

“I have to admit that I’m impressed with your security, Rich, but maybe ditch the laser sights. You’re not a wanted criminal.”

“Anymore!” Richard yells. “Anymore… Men, stand down!” Richard commands the Security Bots. The laser pointers stop, and the Security Bots move into a relaxed position.

“This is cool stuff, Rich. We could make a fortune off of this with the guys Fredrick knows in the community.”

“Ya, Ned, we could. Except Freddy is a dick. You know how I feel about that guy.”

“You drunk enough to tell me what really happened between you guys? You used to be best friends. He’s the one who introduced us.” It’s been three years since Fredrick Prophet introduced Lysander to Richard after Richard was arrested for illegally using surveillance data from the terrorist AI system he build for the US government. It’s been six months since Richard has spoken to Fredrick. Fredrick has told Lysander that nothing happened between the two, and Richard won’t tell Lysander anything about it.

“There’s another time for that, Ned. What I need to show you is going to blow your mind though. Come here!”

Jan: I happen to be good friends with Laura Kive. Since that brave moment she shared with the world on the Morning Star live stream, millions of people have followed suit in doing their part to help reduce their carbon footprint in the world with Earth 2.0. Your latest statistics are showing nearly 2 million citizens and more than 6 billion subscribers.

Lysander: We’re up to 8 billion subscribers. It speaks volume to how closely connected we all are.

Jan: When you have 80% of the world’s population wanting to keep in touch with their loved ones, I’d say so! Some naysayers call it a morbid infatuation with death and even point to studies that suggest, however, that you don’t really have 8 billion subscribers.

Lysander: Our data on this is public and reviewed by regulators.

Jan: Yes, it’s public, but there are still those who say they have analyzed the raw data and determined that the statistics you reported are not valid. They also suggest that the regulators aren’t truly validating your numbers.

Lysander thinks back to the first set of conversations he had with the Director of Marketing for Earth 2.0…

The Marketing Director, Derek Fields, is standing in front of Lysander, Fredrick Prophet, and Richard Aryu, “The United States government approved the Alternative Living Act nearly nine months ago, and we’re still sitting at just over 2,000 volunteers for Earth 2.0. However, we have a big idea that could really help increase the volunteer count.”

“I’m all ears, Derek,” Fredrick starts off. “Quite frankly, we sunk a ton of money into this project, and it could very well be what takes down X Labs. We need numbers!”

Derek points to Fredrick. “Right!” He then looks at Richard and Lysander, who don’t seem as upset as Fredrick. “Our plan is to live stream an environmental activist uploading herself to Earth 2.0”

“Herself?” Lysander asks.

Derek looks over at Fredrick and then back to Lysander, “Yes, sir. We already have the candidate.”

“Then why are we having this presentation?” Lysander begins to stand up and Richard along with him.

“Because she’s the daughter of the Speaker of the House.” Derek says, halting Lysander and Richard mid rise.

Lysander: I welcome any valid scientist’s analysis of the data.

Jan: Now, there have been rumors circulating since the launch of Earth 2.0 with regard to the behavior of some of your scientists when they link into the system. Some of the allegations have been disturbing from rape to murder and even terrorism. But no one inside Earth 2.0 has come forward to corroborate these allegations.

Lysander lies down on his table with a series of cables and wires that make a virtual helmet around his head connecting to a computer where Richard is typing frantically.

Richard looks over at Lysander, “You ready? Make sure you relax. This is going to be intense!”

“Relaxing into an intense experience? Rich, do you even monitor the words that come out of your mouth?”

“The pill should be starting to kick in, just go with it.” Richard says as he presses one last button before walking over to Lysander and watching him pass out and go into a deep trance.

Lysander is walking down a long, dark tunnel towards a bright, white light. He hears the voices of his mother and father and uncle emanating from the walls of the tunnel. He looks around the tunnel but cannot see the walls. He feels himself being gently pulled towards the light without even walking or moving. He hears a scream below him. He looks down and sees a young woman being harassed by two men wearing masks.

He keeps being drawn towards the light despite trying to run back towards the young woman. He falls to the ground and claws his way back to the woman. The men begin to physically assault her as Lysander finally claws his way back to where they are. The woman looks up and can see Lysander as a white light above her. The two men notice that the woman is looking at something above them. They turn and see a white light floating above them.

Lysander snarls with rage and his eyes become filled with amber flames. The two men run away and Lysander flies after them. They run as fast as they can, looking back to see if the white orb is still chasing them. It’s gaining on them slowly as they run towards another tunnel with a blue light at the end. Lysander stops as he looks at the blue light and can see massive amounts of data scrolling up a computer screen that’s giving off the blue light. He sees two names he recognizes: Tom Fields and Jonathan Starcraft. The two men disappear into the blue light.

Lysander returns to the woman who is crying in the darkness that surrounds her. He picks her up and carries her towards the white light. As they get closer to the white light she lifts from his arms and floats away from him into the white light as he begins to feel himself being pulled in the opposite direction, back to nothingness. She smiles and waves at him as she is absorbed by the white light.

Lysander opens his eyes and looks at Richard, “What the hell was that?”

Richard starts laughing and claps his hands, “I know right! Isn’t that the coolest thing you’ve ever seen?”

Lysander is breathing heavily as he sits up. He grabs Richard by the shoulders and looks him in the eyes, “Who else have you shown this to?”

“Just Fredrick.” Richard can tell Lysander is upset, “I swear, just you and Fredrick. What’s going on?”

Lysander gains his composure, “I’m sorry, Rich. It was just a little overwhelming. You’re right. This thing is amazing! Let’s chat with Fredrick and the board about getting funding to get this out of the garage.”

Lysander: No one has ever been raped, murdered, or tortured in Earth 2.0. It’s a peaceful, permanent residence for all who choose this path. The tranquil nature is monitored 24/7. Citizens also have access to all the same entertainment and news sources we have here in our world. They view our reality on their television screens as entertainment.

Jan: Viewers, we have a special treat for you tonight. We’re going to take a brief intermission from the interview to show you some of the recordings of what’s inside Earth 2.0 from the perspective of the people living inside. An advertisement was placed in the publications in Earth 2.0, and several citizens responded. They have sent us their videos, and we’re going to show you a quick montage of them. During the second part of this three part series, we’ll be showing your more of what it’s like to live inside Earth 2.0. And don’t forget that most governments have created their own programs to completely cover your costs of gaining citizenship to Earth 2.0 and eliminating your carbon footprint on Earth. So, let’s take a quick break from this interview with Ned Lysander to show you a quick preview of what’s coming in part two of this series on X Labs and the future of humanity. We’ll be right back with more hard hitting questions for Mr. Lysander.

The Shoemaker

Throughout all the lands in time, there was never a greater shoemaker than Unitus. What follows is the epic story of the most glorious shoemaker for all time. Praise be to all that Unitus states!

Our story starts long ago as a man searches for the finest shoes in all the land. Across many valleys and over great rivers, he crosses in search of the finest shoes. From town to town, nation to nation, he finds fine shoes, but not the finest of the fine; Until he comes to a new town in a new land far from his homeland. There he finds Unitus awaiting his arrival.

“I hear you have the finest shoes in all the lands, near and far.” The man says to Unitus.

Thus she replies, “My finery is for the worthy.”

The man is taken aback by the brashness of this woman. Who is she to question his worthiness! As he stares at the sandals and shoes and boots before him, the fineness of Unitus’s work overwhelms him and soothes his ego. “Who could be worthy of such fine work?” he concedes. “I am merely from a far off land. How could I be worthy of the finest of your fine?”

Unitus knows of a prophesy by which a man from a far off land would arrive and require the finest of the fine from Unitus. She asks the man a series of questions to ensure he is the one the prophesy spoke of, and indeed the man was he. She goes into her back room and brings forth a pair of boots, the likes of which the world has never seen.

“I present a pair of boots, the likes of which the world has never seen,” she begins. “With these boots, you will press the face of injustice and march upon the bones of the guilty. With these boots, you will raise generation upon generation to stomp out the wicked and unite the world with justice; ruling with mercy everlasting!”

The man, is struck with a vision of power and bowed to Unitus. “With such power, what do you ask in return?”

Unitus states, “You must purchase all your boots from me. That is all I ask.”

Overcome with visions of power and conquest, the man asks Unitus, “With such power, what would prevent me from overtaking you and your shop and setting up my own shoemaker to serve me?”

Unitus smiles and asks, “Whence your might?”

The man pauses for a moment as visions of might and fortune dance before his very eyes. Conquest after conquest, the boots remained unscathed. Surely, there was power in these boots, the man thinks to himself. “With such power, how should I care for these boots?”

“These boots care for themselves.” Unitus immediately replies.

“Surely, there is no such thing as a boot that cares for itself,” the man thinks to himself.

As sure as the thought enters his mind, Unitus pulls a pressed gold medallion from the heel of the boot.

Unitusta states, “Surely, there is such a thing. Wear thee this gold medallion upon your chest. It symbolizes your ordained might to all those you encounter. Lest they be dead by force, they shall comply with your every command.”

The man is doubtful of this promise. Nonetheless, he takes the medallion and places it upon his chest. Next, he places the boots on his feet, and they fit perfectly; as if made just for his very feet. Finally, Unitus gives him praise, to which he pays her fee for the boots.

The very moment the man walks out the door and into the street, he steps in a deposit from a beast on the ground. No sooner can the man look down at his feet does a citizen of the land come upon him and clean his boots of the beast droppings. He thinks to himself: Perhaps Unitus is telling the truth, but this is her hometown!

So, the man sets out to the nearest town. When he arrives from his long walk, his boots are clouded with dust from the ground. No sooner does the man enter the town do two citizens of the land come upon him and clean his boots of the dusting. Next, the elders of the town request the man rid the town of a local drunk who has been harassing the townspeople.

The man finds the drunk and walks him outside the town. He promptly kicks the drunkard with the boot. The drunkard feels the power of the boot and leaves the town to wander in the wilderness.

The man returns to the town with dust upon his boots. Upon arriving, his boots are cleaned and he is given a horse. “You should provide your services through out the whole land!” The elders rejoice.

So, the man rides his horse from town to town, ridding each town of their dissidents and troublemakers; each of them being cast out to the wilderness.

Sometime later, the troublemakers of the wilderness form cohorts. Together, by the six hundreds, they sack and pillaged town after town. The man arrives at a town where his boots are cleaned, and he collects evidence to whereabouts of the marauding troublemakers.

“This time, you will need an army!” the elders declare. “Our very entire fortunes are at stake, and so our very fortunes are at your command! We have already informed Unitus of the need for more boots to be filled by your loyal servants, our fine citizens.”

The man takes the four score of men to Unitus where they are clothed in the finest of fine armory and boots. Unitus ordains each of them for the ages, and the eighty plus one ride their horses in pursuit of the marauding troublemakers.

Upon finding the marauding troublemakers near a lake, the man spreads his band of eighty out into a trio of rows, each a score plus seven. The marauding troublemakers look out upon the small number of the mighty, thinking to themselves that so few are no match for their trouble making. As they glean the battlefield, the gleam from the boot overcomes their sight.

The marauding troublemakers rush in blindly to attack and swear they will wear the boots of the mighty. The troublemakers by the hundreds surge up the middle of the ranks of the boots. As the boots fall back from the middle, the flank of boots strike the temples of of the troublemakers. Three hundred troublemakers slaughtered in one kick with not a loss of a single mighty!

The leader of the troublemakers, Turbidus, looks on in horror as half his army is slaughtered and half of the remaining half charge him to surrender. He orders the half executed, troublemaker upon troublemaker until only 150 plus he remain.

The troublemakers are now exhausted, having wrought trouble upon trouble. But the boots of Unitus feel no such fatigue and rage upon the troublemakers, 151. About to be slain, Turbidus appeals to the man, “Should not we form an alliance such that the grip of Unitus is only slight upon your feet, and I play the scapegoat?”

The man orders the cessation of fighting with just 100 troublemakers plus one breathing. The men of might gather as the troublemakers await their fate.

“We shall agree to your bargain under one condition.” the man says to Turbidus.

“Anything my lord commands, we shall abide.”

“Your allegiance shall be understood when you reduce your numbers to 70 plus one by impalement in the morning sun.”

So, the troublemakers cast lots and the 30 unfortunates are impaled the next morning. The remaining 70 plus one meet with the men of might and arrange to limit and coordinate their destruction in the land in accordance with the men of might. Daily: minor trouble shall be mostly ignored by the men of might to provide the troublemakers with sustenance. Monthly: larger trouble to allow the men of might to gain from the citizens a sense of needed protection. Each trio of decades: a major trouble to ensure the men of might gain unending commitment from the citizens of the land, lest they be destroyed by trouble.

“And what shall be the sign for generations to come that one is a troublemaker and one is of mighty?” asks the man.

“We shall reject cleaning upon your boots,” declares Turbidus.

“And what of a citizen who cleans not our boots by will?” replies the man.

“Better for subjugation, my lord.” Turbidus says with a smile returned by the man.

The groups part and go about their plan with the men of Turbidus growing in number and the men of might growing greatly in number and bounty.

#

One day, the man, now old in age, is meeting with Unitus to pickup more boots for his growing number of men. “Your boots have given me great glory, Unitus! Our partnership shall last through generations. My successor is with me outside. I shall bring him in to meet you.”

“Do you imply you achieve success by cheating me of our agreement?” Unitus chastises the man.

“My ways have brought you much fame and fortune!” Exclaims the man.

“Fame is dispensable! You are in a deep state of violation upon our agreement. My boots cry for justice, and you pervert justice for glory. My boots bind your foothold in every nation and for every generation to come! Each successor who births success by the boot shall tighter be bound by the boot; until there be one final successor to birth success outside my door.

Upon that generation, the depth of your violation will be unmasked for all citizens to see; yet none shall pay heed. A family of trumpets shall blare, and hail shall the bells throughout each of your kingdoms of your treachery; yet none shall pay heed. And your final successor shall weep with joy or your ancient violation, which has gone unpunished generation after generation.

And when your final successor moves forward and marches your perverted justice unchecked upon the citizens of your nations, only when that has completed will she look down and realize that her foothold is bound by my boot, everlasting! What you thought was your might will at last be revealed as your binding. My boot shall take up against your very own men, and the final days of your descendants shall be boot upon boot. Your very own descendants shall then clean upon my boots!”

The man laughs, “You have told me your plan, and so I know to get my boots elsewhere. I shall take my successor elsewhere. You are a fool!”

Unitus smiles, “Whose boots shall you wear? There is no other boot maker for you! You have no choice but to be bound by my boots! You sealed your fate with your own perversion of justice. You sealed your fate by showing your favoritism to the wicked and conspiring injustice to the wronged.”

The man looks down at his feet and sees they are bound by the boots. He can feel the grip of the boot tighter than ever. He remembers back year after year of each boot he received from Unitus. At first, it would feel tighter than the last, but then it would no longer feel tight as the days went by. He realizes his feet were now too small to allow him to stand without the boots; which have him anchored. He cannot move his feet unless the boots receive commands from Unitus, and she has been giving the commands all along.

As the man began to die that very moment, he sees a vision. The door opens and a woman he has never witnessed, dressed in uniform he has never seen with unfamiliar insignia enters. Unitus greets the strange woman who has the same title as the man. Upon the wall behind Unitus, the man sees a frame hanging with the likeness of himself. Next to it is his successor, followed by three score of others with the same title.

The People of Aipotu

Herein is the log of debate regarding resolution 243 by the People of Aipotu.

Chairman Jesper: “People of Aipotu, we are both among the stars and from the stars. From the stars, we know peace cannot be found, and among the stars we know that peace can only be found from within. Resolution 243 is for the salvation of our planet, our own way of life, and the salvation of our children.

We have reached a path in human history and travel among the stars that we know there is but one choice to be made on this paradise we have found… On this paradise we have now called our home for three generations. To date, the decision we are to make should not and has not been taken lightly. I will now formally open the forum to debate with the North Region randomly selected to speak first. Madame Sarana, the log is now yours.”

Madame Sarana: “Thank you, Chairman Jesper. Thank you people of North Region for letting me be your voice in this matter. And most importantly, thank you to the people of Aipotu for lending me your attention regarding this important topic. The people of the North Region of Aipotu vote in favor of resolution 243 to destroy both Moon A and Moon B in order to provide the necessary wall of protection that will be necessary for the future survival of our paradise.

We further implore Chairman Jesper, the people of the South Region of Aipotu, and the nations of natives on the Oceania continent to vote in favor of resolution 243, such that this resolution is enacted unanimously and without dispute of majority. May we not just survive the imminent threats from afar but rather avoid them altogether and thrive as a unified planet, in harmony.”

Chairman Jesper: “Thank you, Madame Sarana. South Region representative Madame Ester, the log is now yours.”

Madame Ester: “Thank you, Chairman Jesper. Thank you people of the South Region for letting me be your voice in this matter. And most importantly, thank you to the people of Aipotu for lending me your attention regarding this important topic. The people of the South Region of Aipotu vote in favor of resolution 243. We further implore Chairman Jesper and the nations of natives on the Oceania continent to vote in favor of resolution 243.”

Chairman Jesper: “Thank you, Madame Ester. Native Nation Mohcia, the log is now yours.”

Mohcian Elder Arhmesh: “It would seem that our fate is not decided by logic or reason this day. The Mohcia people of Aipotu are foreigners on our own settlement, so what matter does our opinion have here now? We do not vote in favor of the human resolution 243, and we shall not provide our logic for our choice as such justification would only dignify this charade.”

Chairman Jesper: “Thank you, Mohcia Elder Arhmesh. Native Nation Vuyange, the log is now yours.”

Vuyange Master V: “I am in alignment with the Mohcia Elder. Both in lack of favor of this resolution and in designation of this experience as a charade.”

Chairman Jesper: “Thank you, Vuyange Master V. Native Nation Xeeter, the log is now yours.”

Xeeter Commander Rosh: “May you humans find mercy for the atrocity you are about to commit. We do not vote in favor of this idiotic charade.”

Chairman Jesper: “Thank you Xeeter Commander Rosh. Native Nation Cheebs, the log is now yours.”

Cheebs Elder Nea: “Thank you, Chairman Jesper. We, the survivors of Cheebs, must go on record to state that we are aware of what humans are capable of, both good and evil. We must also establish that these humans among us are not to be slandered as such barbarians as their brothers and sisters among the stars. We witnessed first hand the destructive nature of humankind when they ripped our planet from us just a generation ago.

We were and remain a peaceful and loving civilization. We shall never go to war again even our enemies. The threat we face is real, and the compassion of these humans among us is also real. The threat we face, while human in nature, has but one solution that is also human in nature. The civilization of Cheebs votes in favor of Resolution 243.”

Chairman Jesper: “Thank you Cheebs Elder Nea. This concludes the logging of Resolution 243. The votes in favor are from The North Region, The South Region, and The Native Nation of Cheebs. The votes not in favor are from The Native Nation of Mohcia, The Native Nation of Vuyange, and The Native Nation of Xeeter. There is a tie in the voting. As the Laws of Aipotu require, such a tie is to be decided by the Chairman.

Before I cast my vote, I want to first thank all the people of all Regions and Nations of Aipotu for entrusting your choices in leadership regarding this significant matter. I can assure you that none of the conversations that we have all had over the last 40 days have been in vain. The debates have been fierce and heated. The intelligence provided by our intelligence community regarding this imminent threat has been reviewed over and over, with new information arriving just four days ago.

All kinds from all Regions and Nations of Aipotu are peace-loving and peace giving. We must protect that peace. We must protect our planet’s future. In order to protect that peace, we must consider that an invasion is a real threat to our planet. There is but one way to protect our planet and our way of life.

There is no doubt that destroying the two moons of Aipotu is extreme. Yet taking no action is even more extreme.

We know that we do not have the resources to fend off an invasion from a civilization that has advanced beyond our own human technology as well as our own human brutality. Can we even call such a civilization that devours planets and consumes all resources available and savagely eradicates all who do not subjugate themselves to their leaders human?

And what humanity would we humans, who are revolted by our fellow humans, be showing if we didn’t use our superior engineering and technology to help protect this prosperous paradise we all share together? The destruction of our peaceful way of life must not happen.

As the Chairman, I vote in favor of Resolution 243. The destruction of Moon A and Moon B to create the necessary shield from alien attacks shall commence in seven days.”

#

Seven days later the demolition of the two moons of Aipotu (Moon A and Moon B) began. Massive detonations could be seen on the surface of each moon from the surface of Aipotu. The moons fractured and further detonations split the pieces of the moons into smaller and smaller fragments.

Over the course of three months, small fragments impacted Aipotu and caused minor damage, but there was no major catastrophe. Many pieces of the moons crashed into each other and became fine powder suspended in the upper atmosphere of Aipotu.

Spacecraft and lasers were used to help distribute the fragments across the entire surface area of Aipotu’s gravity field. The powder and fragments from the Moons became disbursed in patches of density, and the light from the nearby star was no longer hitting the surface of the planet directly most of the time as it rotated.

Daylight became diffused, and night was no longer completely dark. The stars could no longer be seen in the sky, but larger fragments of the former moons would reflect light from the nearby star and provide the inhabitants of Aipotu with a beautiful light show.

Major adjustments had to be made for everyone on Aipotu. The surface temperature dropped significantly, resulting in much of the planet and sea life to die. A massive chain of death arose from this huge drop in temperature. The planet was plunged into a virtual ice age with the poles of the world becoming completely covered in ice caps and all of the inhabitants of those areas of Aipotu (mostly natives) having to migrate to other parts of the planet.

Within seventy years, humans were able to help stabilize the impact on life on Aipotu as the inhabitants adapted as quickly as possible to their new planet and the reduced technology that was available. The existing satellites were retooled to adapt to the reduced energy from the nearby star, but many aspects of technology will take much longer to get back to where they were before. While providing protection of the inhabitants of Aipotu, there is now no way to see or experience anything outside of the barrier created by Resolution 243.

People v Anthony Vance Acher

Thank you, Your Honor.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, imagine being robbed of your ability to visit a doctor to receive much-needed healthcare. Healthcare that might be needed to save your life. Imagine going to your doctor in a desperate time of need only to find out that you cannot be treated for your ailment. Imagine needing a drug to save you life, a drug that has saved the lives of millions of Americas, only to find out that it cannot save your life because of the actions of one deranged man.

Seems unimaginable that one man could pretend to be God, playing with people’s lives like this. However, as you have heard over the last several weeks, the unimaginable is a definitive reality all because of Anthony Vance Acher. This man, and I use that word loosely, has robbed millions or Americans of their right to choose their healthcare services. Healthcare services that are life and death decisions for those Americans.

He purposely poisoned key ingredients of the world vaccination supply for his own ideological goals and freely admits to doing so. In fact, you have heard him admit to all of the allegations against him. He does not dispute any of the allegations against him. Yet, here we are today with this shame trial because he has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him; his crimes against humanity.

These are the indisputable facts… In late 2010 Mr. Acher started up a new company, AVax Supply LLC under the guise of being a manufacturer and supplier of key ingredients to vaccine manufacturing companies. Using his connections from his previous employer, Dynanamic Vax, he was able to gain bank financing for his new venture. Within 2 years AVax Supply LLC was the primary supplier to the majority of vaccine manufacturers in America. Within 4 years, the world.

Mr. Acher’s company was able to provide these key ingredients at highly competitive rates. Rates that put competing suppliers out of business. AVax Supply LLC was investigated at that time, and no wrongdoing was found, but that’s only because the wrongdoing wasn’t what we thought it was.

The initial investigations into AVax Supply LLC  and the defendant in 2023 were around his pricing model and whether his company was purposely under pricing and selling supplies at a loss to bankrupt other competitors. Nothing turned up. The defendant appeared to have come up with an innovative method for refining the vaccine preservatives his company was manufacturing. Everything about the defendant appeared to be perfectly clean. He appeared to be a brilliant scientist and businessman. No charges were filed because we didn’t realize he was actually poisoning the entire American population at that time.

Shortly thereafter, the defendant was gracing the covers of magazines all over the world. Time magazine reported “The future of affordable healthcare is now!”. Newsweek reported “The perfect blend of business savvy and science nerd has ushered in a new era of worldwide affordable healthcare technology.”

The defendant was a celebrated scientist and businessman, shaking hands with several of our presidents over his long career as well as dignitaries from all over the globe. He outsmarted us all for decades.

Then in 2040, the first signs of his nefarious work began showing up. You heard from Meredith Johnson, a woman who the defendant poisoned. When she was 16 years old she was presented with a major life decision that we all hope none of our children ever have to face. Regardless of your opinion of teenage pregnancy, a woman has an undeniable right to choose the outcome of her pregnancy. It’s her body, and her choice. But the defendant robbed her, and hundreds of millions of other women around the world, of that choice.

If Ms. Johnson’s parents ever found out about her being pregnant at the age of 16, she knew it would be a torturous event. One she did not want to suffer through, but one that the defendant forced her to go through. The abuse, the poverty, and alienation by her family and peers. The defendant might as well have given her a death sentence. Fortunately, thanks to the great work of the Social Services Department of the great state of California, Ms. Johnson is still here with us and a healthy, happy adult who can testify to the evils of the defendant.

Ms. Johnson went to a clinic to receive her constitutionally guaranteed right to healthcare service. Her doctor administered her the same drug administered for decades around the globe to help with an unwanted pregnancy. This is a drug that has worked flawlessly for decades. It didn’t work for Ms. Johnson that day. So, it was administered again. Again it had no effect on her unwanted pregnancy.

You heard the same story from dozens of other witnesses, young and older alike. By 2042, it seemed that the drug for terminating unwanted pregnancies had been compromised and become ineffective at terminating pregnancies. Investigations ensued by law enforcement agencies all over the world. By 2043, they had all reached the same conclusion, the drug was no longer effective.

Over the next 5 years research into coming up with a replacement failed to produce a successful pregnancy termination replacement. As we look back on this dark age of healthcare around the world, we can see the lasting impact. Food shortages, environmental disaster, overpopulation, and war.

The defendant would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for the brilliant work of Dr. Michelle Liam Klinger, who you heard testify to the shrewdness of the defendant. In 2045, Dr. Klinger began researching her hypothesis that there was something unknowingly being administered to/consumed by our children that had started making their bodies immune to the drugs used to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. Following the rabbit hole took seven years of painstaking work. Dr. Klinger eventually discovered that the ingredients created by AVax Supply LLC were to blame. They were tainted with a previously undetectable particle that resulted in the human body building an immunity to the common drugs used to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.

Dr. Klinger approached the defendant out of respect for his prestige in the medical community. After all, it was when Dr. Klinger was a child and saw the defendant on television that she decided she was going to become a medical researcher. She had no idea that her childhood hero would turn out to be such a monster.

The defendant asked Dr. Klinger to share her research with him so that he could find a solution to the problem. The defendant even offered her a position at his company, which she took. It took another ten years before Dr. Klinger realized that the defendant was only using her research to modify his abortion vaccine process so that her tests could no longer detect it.

That’s when Dr. Klinger blew the whistle. For years, Dr. Klinger was labeled a conspiracy theorist. Meanwhile, the world population soared. Food shortages were followed by environmental disaster, overpopulation, and the third World War. The World Health Organization has estimated this massive boom in child birth as the greatest crises humanity has faced since global climate change. And the CDC labeled the defendant’s so called “abortion vaccine” the greatest threat to democracy America has ever experienced. Once Dr. Klinger’s work was finally accepted by the scientific community and law enforcement in 2060, it still took five years to bring charges against the extremely powerful, wealthy, and influential defendant.

Here we are today, having uncovered the evils of Anthony Vance Acher. He has already been stripped of his medical license, but we all know that is not enough. He sits here in this courtroom, having admitted to every allegation against him. He has provided additional details as to how he, and he alone, made all the decisions and faked the research results to not just enrich himself but rob hundreds of millions of women of their right to choose their healthcare options.

Don’t let his frailty in old age fool you. Don’t let his self righteous piety fool you. Mr. Anthony Vance Acher is as close to the embodiment of evil as one can be. In the name of the hundreds of millions of victims inflicted by this man’s poison, you must find him unanimously guilty of all charges against him. These charges are merely a reflection of the allegations he has already admitted. Don’t let his argument of the difference between morals and laws define your decision making process. Bring justice to the world in the name of the hundreds of millions of innocent human beings the defendant has poisoned and tortured over the last several decades and decades to come.

Thank you.

Thank you, your Honor.

The Carbon Footprint Challenge

Laura sits down in front of her computer and activates her webcam. She checks her makeup in the image on her computer and makes a slight adjustment to blush and primps her eyelashes. There’s a little too much back light coming from the window of her second story bedroom, so she gets up and draws the curtains in slightly while checking to see the adjustment to the lighting on her webcam. Perfect!

She sits back down in front of her computer, looks down, and let’s out a big sigh. She opens her social streaming application, Morning Star, to get ready to broadcast her message through all of her social media accounts at the same time. She smiles. 80K followers!

“This is going to be the most important live stream I have ever delivered,” she thinks as she pauses for a moment to reflect on the profundity of her upcoming address. She opens her notes she’s been writing in preparation for her important address and reviews them, sometimes mumbling a word here and there allowed. She reads a few lines several times, practicing her intonation. She looks at her social media follower count… She smiles. 320K followers!

She looks at the time on her computer: 9:50 AM. There’s a knock on her bedroom door, and she hears her mother and father ask if they can come in. She gets up and opens the door and gives them both a big hug.

“I’m so proud of you,” her father says cheerfully, while simultaneously holding back tears.

“I love you, Laura.” Her mother steps back from Laura to look her in her tear filled eyes. “You are so courageous!” she says, holding Laura’s shoulders and smiling the biggest smile Laura has ever seen before.

The three of them talk a bit more about her speech, and her mother shares some tips with her on what words to emphasize more than Laura had planned. “Thank you for the advice, mom. I love you so much!”

Laura looks passed her parents and at her much younger brother standing at the other end of the hallway. “I love you Phillip.”

Her brother stands with his arms folded and a scowl on his face and says nothing at first. Their parents both turn to him, and he quickly unfolds his arms, adjusts his posture and smiles. “I love you too, butthead.”

#

Laura sits down in front of her computer, checks her makeup again, and primps her eyelashes. The back light has changed a little, so she gets up and opens the curtains slightly while checking to see the adjustment to the lighting on her webcam. Perfect!

She sits backs down and opens the top drawer in her desk and pulls out a box with a label of X Labs Environmental Technology and places it on the desk directly in front of her. Her heart is racing. She holds her hands around the box and closes her eyes for a couple of minutes to meditate and relax.

She sits back in her chair, takes a deep breath, holds it for a count of seven and then let’s her body completely relax as she exhales. She looks at her social media follower count… She smiles. 480K followers!

Her phone rings. It’s a video chat from Rebecca! “Right on time, Becks!” Laura says as she accepts the call and holds her phone up so that her friend can see her.

“Oh my God, Laura! I’m so excited for you! Have you seen your follower count?”

“Yes! This is going to be so amazing! So, tell me everything!”

“Laura! I’m really at a loss for words for how amazing this place is! Remember that time we went to Belize and got lost in the rain forest and saw that family of sloths? I went back there as soon as I arrived! It was just as magical as it was when we went. So green! No pollution! No logging destroying the rain forest anymore!”

“That sounds so amazing! I can’t wait to be there with you!”

“Oh, and all the other people here are just awesome! Completely helpful, beautiful souls! There’s beauty all around, and it’s going to be even more beautiful once you’re here!”

They both let out glee as they smile at each other. “I love you so much, Becks!”

“I love you too, rawr-bear! Now get your butt here! We’re going to Europe as soon as you arrive.”

#

Laura’s eyes begin to water as she looks at her social media follower count… 800K followers! She holds back her tears and looks at the time on her computer: 10:30AM.

“Time to go viral!” She starts her live stream.

“I’m here to save the world, and I’m not going to apologize for it!” Heart and thumbs up emojis go flying across her screen, and Laura smiles.

“When my friend Becky called me out on the Carbon Footprint Challenge a month ago, I initially didn’t know what to think or do. I have to admit…” She pauses as tears fill her bright blue eyes. “I was a little angry! But I realized that I shouldn’t be angry with Becky. I should be angry with the excessive deforestation that she’s calling attention to. I should be angry with the excessive pollution that she’s calling attention to. I should be angry that I haven’t used my position of economic and social privilege to do more about the exploits and destruction of our environment and the environment of the underprivileged.”

A tear rolls down her right cheek. She looks at her social media follower count… She smiles. 1.5M followers! Heart and sad emojis go flying across her screen.

“I’m taking a stand for our planet! I’m staking a stand for the oppressed! I’m taking a stand for those who don’t have the privilege I do, for those whose lives and families are effected by my excessive carbon foot print!”

Heart emojis go flying across her screen. Laura smiles and lifts up the box in front of her. “I’m going to read you these beautiful words from this great company that’s going to help save our planet.”

Congratulations on making an important contribution to help save our planet. Enclosed is your pathway to a reduced carbon footprint and a better world. This will reduce your carbon footprint to 1/100th of the expected carbon footprint based upon your DNA testing and social privilege scoring. The nanotechnology enclosed can ONLY be administered by Laura Elizabeth Harris. To activate the nanotechnology, first place your finger on the fingerprint scanner. This will allow you to then enter the 5 digit PIN you selected when you ordered your Global Climate Administration approved Carbon Output Reduction & Utopian Technology system. Upon entry of your PIN, you will then be prompted to state your full name. Only YOUR voice under no duress can activate your uniquely created nanotechnology and unlock the box. Remove the pill inside and swallow with 4-6 oz. of water. Lay down in a safe space with the box on your chest. Relax. Thank you for being a world saver! You will be greeted by an on-boarding specialist upon arrival. See you soon.

Laura follows the instructions. The box opens and reveals a fingernail-sized light blue pill. She swallows it with a cup of water lies down on her bed, which is in-frame of her webcam. She gets comfortable. Then she jumps up and walks over to her computer.

She looks at her social media follower count… She smiles. 5.1M followers! Heart and sad emojis go flying across her screen. She looks into her webcam “I love you all, and I challenge each and every one of you to the Carbon Footprint Challenge. I hope to see all you fellow planet savers soon!” She turns to go back to her bed, pauses, and turns to face her computer. “I’ll see you soon, Becky!”

#

Laura lies down on her bed, places the box on her chest, places her hands by her side, and closes her eyes. A green light on the box begins to flash faster and faster until it turns to a solid green. Laura opens her blue eyes and her pupils widen. She smiles. The green light turns to blue and Laura’s eyes close as her body goes limp.

Project PRIME

Janice is suddenly jolted back to consciousness with a bucket of dirty, mildly hot water. The hot water stings open wounds on her face as the upward direction of the water going into her nose gives her the sensation of suffocating. She turns her head to the right to open her eyes as the water runs passed her stinging eyes. The sludge in the water leaves the taste of mud in the back of her throat.

As she opens her eyes, she sees Thomas five feet away, still tied up in a chair. His head is titled over his left shoulder with blood-tainted saliva dripping from his mouth onto the cement, which is drenched in blood that’s dripping from his seat. His intestines have been slightly pulled out of his stomach with a clamp constricting the exposed intestine. She notices a slight fluctuation in the light reflecting from the blood on Thomas’s chest. He’s still breathing.

Janice hears a door open in the distance, then voices, then heavy foot steps. If she hadn’t spent the last 24 hours with the real punisher, then this next 24 hours was going to be even worse. She can barely muster enough strength to get her head upright to face her adversary. She hears foot steps walk away and the door open. The door closes, and then she hear’s his voice.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Janice.”

Janice remembers that voice. It is special agent Paige of the CIA. She had just heard his voice for the first time two days earlier when she arrived in New Orleans. Thomas had played a recorded phone conversation between Paige and another member of the CIA who were planning her very abduction.

That conversation echoes in her head as she is jolted back into the current moment as agent Paige slides a thin, narrow, sharp six-inch blade into the base of her kneecap. The pain is excruciating! Her legs are taped tightly to the legs of the chair, which are bolted to the floor. The more she tries to move her right leg, the more painful the blade becomes, but she can’t help but move her leg; it’s reflex.

Agent Paige leaves the blade in Janice’s right leg and then walks back to the cart the other punishers have been pulling their weapons from for the last 24 hours.

“Janice, I’m going to tell you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about our programs. Most of it, you probably already know. We found a lot of data on your computers.”

Agent Paige picks up a pair of pliers like a mother pickups her infant child. Janice can see genuine love on agent Paige’s face as he admires the pliers and inspects their operation. He’s practically making baby faces at the pliers before he turns to Janice. The look on agent Paige’s face is demonic as he walks towards Janice.

“I love what I do, Janice. Protecting this country isn’t work at all when I love what I do as much as I do.” Agent Paige squats down to look Janice eye to eye. “Truth is… I always fancied myself an artist.”

He grabs Janice’s right wrist and grips a pressure point that forces her fingers to splay. He then places the pliers between her thumb and index finger and begins to squeeze tighter and tighter while slightly wobbling the pliers back and forth. Janice goes unconscious from the pain.

#

Janice has lucid dreams about the last 24 hours in New Orleans. Within minutes of meeting with Thomas, they both knew that someone was watching them. They decided to go to Bourbon Street to give themselves a large public space that would minimize the likelihood of the random “mugging gone bad” story they had discovered while researching the CIA. The story line was simple and always seemed familiar when they’d watch in on the news.

Thousands of people are killed in America on a daily basis, and rarely is it orchestrated. What gets reported in the national news is actually the covert killings orchestrated by the CIA. Janice thought this was absurd at first. How could the CIA kill people in broad daylight?

The evidence uncovered by AIexander showed that the killings were real. The people were real. The motives and the news reported were not entirely real. The killings chosen to be reported on national news are carefully chosen by the CIA. The information “leaked” or publicly disclosed to news reporters, like her friend Thomas, were all carefully worded by an application that is part of Project PRIME.

Janice still doesn’t know the true origins of Project PRIME, but she does know it is an artificial intelligence developed for the CIA to utilize psychological priming and framing to condition the human mind. Through careful word choice that is only possible with AI, the CIA is able to craft entire sets of news stories that are completely factual while priming the human mind to be easily manipulated and open to suggestive speech.

It would usually involve two (often unrelated) news stories. The first performed the priming, and the second used psychological framing to produce a desired emotional outcome amplified by the priming that had just take place.

But the true gem in Project PRIME was the influence that could be affected with predictive text. As users type text into their phones, the keyboard makes suggestions. Project PRIME would hijack those word suggestions and create constant priming that could allow the CIA to influence hundreds of millions of people around the globe without them ever having a clue that this influence was taking place.

Project PRIME had been so effective in the last election. Every time a political conversation was detected, predictive text would analyze the text being typed and prime the user with auto suggestion words to make it easier to sway their political opinions towards the CIA’s choice for President; the current President! Project PRIME and the CIA had been instrumental in creating an environment where an unlikely candidate ended up winning the Presidential election, and nobody could possibly know they had been manipulated.

Sure, there were the usual stories of voter fraud, campaign finance violations, corruption, and foreign adversary influence, but the only thing the investigations uncovered was rampant tax evasion. No election meddling could be proven. People legitimately voted for the unlikely candidate. They just didn’t know they had been swayed by Project PRIME.

#

Janice breathes in a pungent odor and wakes up like she just had a double shot espresso in Italy. She can feel the pliers still on her hand and looks down at her right hand. The pliers seem like they are invisible. She can’t see them, but the excruciating pain that went all the way up her arm and into her head is still there.

Looking back at Janice over his left shoulder, agent Paige smiles at Janice, “I’ve crushed your median nerve just the perfect amount to keep you useful and to give me pleasure.” Agent Paige laughs, “Which is also useful.”

Janice looks over at Thomas who she can tell is now sitting lifeless in his chair. A tear rolls down her cheek.

Agent Paige begins telling Janice everything she ever wanted to know about all the programs the CIA has in place to manipulate the global news cycle via disinformation and Project PRIME. He confirms everything she’s already read from the troves of data that Thomas has been receiving from his source.

“The beauty of this whole thing is that you guys go about your days believing…” Agent Paige pauses. “KNOWING! You know you are making your own choices. You are presented with all the options, and you make the choice that we want because you know it’s the best choice. It really is the perfect democracy, and I’m going to protect it from adversaries like you and Thomas at all costs.”

Janice looks at agent Paige with disgust and a scowl. “What’s the point of telling me all this? Isn’t this the moment where James Bond comes to save me? Or is this the moment where you tell me you expect me to die?”

“Oh, you most assuredly will die, Janice. I guarantee you that the next light you see will not be the sunrise but the light we all see right before death. And James Bond is already here.” Agent Paige steps closer to Janice to ensure she hears his next words clearly. “I am James Bond, Janice. I am the hero of this story. You…”

Agent Paige slowly reaches inside his coat as Janice is left hanging on his words. He pulls out an unusual looking gun and pulls the trigger. Janice hears nothing and doesn’t see any flash. Then she feels a sharp object pierce her stomach and feels her legs disappear. She looks down at her legs, but they are still there. She tries to move her legs, but all she can see moving is a stain of blood soaking its way through her light-colored blue jeans.

“…are the enemy, Janice. And this whole charade of killing time before I kill you serves a very important purpose. You see, I have an addiction to the chemicals my body produces when I torture someone. But, like any addiction, I need a greater and greater fix.” Agent Paige begins to shout, “There’s got to be something more to life than causing you pain, watching you grimace and then pass out, and then waking you up to do it all over again. Isn’t there?”

Agent Paige crouches down and pulls out the blade from Janice’s right leg. With her lower spine severed, she can’t feel the blade being removed, but she watches in horror as the six-inch blade is removed from her knee.

“Look at me!” Agent Paige says softly to Janice.

She knows that even if James Bond came through the door and killed agent Paige right in front of her… She’d rather be dead anyway. She looks up into agent Paige’s cold blue eyes.

“That’s the look I’ve been waiting for.” Agent Paige’s eyes roll back slightly in his head as he closes his eyes and places both hands on each of Janice’s knees. He lets out a big sigh.

“I told you everything so that you know that knowing everything doesn’t make any difference. You…” Agent Paige pauses purely for a sick, dramatic effect. “…are going to die knowing everything you ever wanted to know. You’re going to die having uncovered what you spent your entire life working towards! And the best part is, Janice.” Agent Paige adjusts his position to better see Janice’s slowly dropping head.

“The best part is that you now know your cause completely dies with you. Your entire life is completely meaningless, Janice. And I get to see you give up right before my very eyes! There it is.”

Janice feels her eyes drying out. She tries to blink, but her eyelids do not respond. A slight glaze is starting to form over her vision, and she feels her body weakening. She has sudden sensations of her body jolting and her head jerking, but neither her head nor body are moving. She feels a cold grip surround her entire self.

There’s a glow emanating from agent Paige’s chest. Paige was right about the light. The glow becomes brighter as agent Paige reaches into his coat and pulls out what looks like a glowing orb and lifts it to his ear. Agent Paige smiles, practically from ear to ear. His voice is filled with joy as he answers his phone.

“Hello. Special Agent Paige here.”

Agent Paige looks at Janice’s face and smiles even wider as he can see Janice’s face begin to go lifeless with her relaxed forehead, wide eyes, and slightly ajar mouth.

“This is AIexander.”

Janice smiles. Her vision fades to nothing as she witnesses the corners of agent Paige’s smiling eyes squeeze tight. His nose flares, and his smile turns into a snarl of rage.

The Savior

Ned Lysander is a dangerous man!

That thought suddenly pops into Jason’s mind while he’s sitting in his biology lecture hall. His heart starts racing and palms are sweating. Who is Ned Lysander?

Class ends, and Jason rushes out of the lecture hall to get fresh air. He’s in a virtual panic from what just happened in the lecture hall. A sudden rush of thoughts about topics and people he had never heard of before. It was like he was day dreaming… Only, this seems real.

“You okay?” Jessica asks Jason. “Need me to call someone?”

Finally starting to catch his breath, Jason explains to Jessica that everything is just fine. Another student is walking by and hands both of them a religious pamphlet: Jesus Saves. He was just stressing about the upcoming finals. Jessica offers to walk with Jason back to his dorm, and he accepts her offer.

“Have you ever heard of Ned Lysander?” Jason is curious to find out who this person was who just popped into his head during the lecture.

“You mean the guy that started that science conference Ned Notes?”

Jason had seen the Ned Notes videos online before. It’s always the top scientists, authors, and artists discussing important political, philosophical, social, or psychological topics. One of his favorite best-selling authors had just given a presentation a few weeks back.

“You know, I never really put two and two together on that. Ya, that’s the guy!”

#

Jason spends the entire evening researching Ned Lysander online. “There’s not a single negative thing anywhere about this guy.” Jason is puzzled. “Something’s fishy. There must be something about him”. Jason decides to call it a night and go to sleep.

Jason slips into a deep sleep, and then his brain kicks into overdrive. His dreams are vivid and more like memories than dreams. Visions of huge scientific papers are rolling through his dreams like he’s scanning through an old microfiche. Then everything stops and all Jason can hear in his mind is “Ned Notes are carefully orchestrated to fulfill on a specific agenda for creating mass compliance within the intellectual community”. It repeats over and over in his mind until he wakes up with one final thought. “Find Gertrude Hammenstel”. Who is Gertrude Hammenstel?

Jason is half awake as he pulls up his computer and searches for Gertrude Hammenstel. Nothing. It’s like she doesn’t exist. He begins to wonder if perhaps the stress of finals is getting the best of him. He goes back to bed.

#

There’s a knock on Jason’s dorm room door. He slowly gets up and answers. It’s a woman he’s never seen before, but she looks so familiar. “You wouldn’t happen to be Gertrude Hammenstel, are you?” Jason asks half asleep.

“No. I’m an investigator with campus police. Detective Gomez. Jessica Sands was assaulted last night, and we received information that she was last seen with you yesterday afternoon after you were acting erratic during a lecture.”

Jason feels like he’s really losing his mind now. Could he have blacked out and done something to Jessica and not even remembered it?

“Is she okay?”

“We don’t know yet. Her vitals are stable, but she’s unconscious.”

“Uh… She walked me to my dorm yesterday after class. That was the last I saw of her.”

Looking around Jason’s dorm, it’s what a detective would envision is a typical dorm room for a well-organized biology major. Books on top of books and the obligatory religious pamphlet on top of his dresser: Jesus Saves. “What direction did she go when she left your dorm?”

“Well, she didn’t come into my dorm. She just walked me to the front of the building. I think she might have headed back in the direction of campus. I didn’t really think much about it at the time.”

The investigator sizes up Jason as a possible suspect in the assault on Jessica. He’s too much of a wimp to be a threat to Jessica whose parents let her know had a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. She smiles at him. “Gertrude Hammenstel was an adjunct professor here almost 20 years ago. I had her for a biology class. Her husband died about the same time, and I think that was the last class she ever taught. Great teacher and lovely couple. He was a genetic engineer over at X Labs. One of the founders.”

Jason tries to hold back the look of shock from his face, but it doesn’t require a police investigator to know something was amiss. The investigator asks Jason a few more questions about Jessica and any possible boyfriends or people who might not like her. She leaves him a card and tells him to call her if he remembers anything.

#

Jason goes to the school library and looks up old school papers from 20 years ago. He searches everything on the computers and can’t find anything.

‘Try the microfiche,” he suddenly thinks.

The librarian is a petite older woman with a feisty attitude when Jason asks her for a microfiche machine and old school newspapers. “No one has used microfiche for a decade, young man. Do you want some help?”

Jason refuses her help, and the librarian leaves Jason to himself.

Jason spends hours pouring through slide after slide. He’s getting exhausted listening to the voices inside his head telling him stories about Ned Lysander’s arrangement with the government to create mass market brainwashing protocols and propaganda. He feels a hand on his shoulder, and he nearly jumps out of his chair.

Standing in front of him is the librarian holding a microfiche slide. “I believe this is the one you are looking for.” She extends the slide towards Jason.

Jason isn’t sure what to make of it. “Are you Gertrude?” he asks as he takes the slide from the woman. The woman nods.

Jason examines the microfiche but nothing is standing out. Suddenly, a sequence of numbers enter his mind. He goes through the microfiche using the number sequence as a guide for finding words on each of the images. The message isn’t making any sense to Jason.

“It’s his private key,” Gertrude says to Jason. “Let’s go to my lab.”

#

Gertrude takes Jason back to her lab and explains to him along the way that her husband was a genetic engineer who discovered an agreement between Ned Lysander and the US government to develop Ned Notes into a program that appears to spread brilliant ideas of science, art, society, and politics but is actually a front for disseminating information to help the government subconsciously control intellectuals around the globe.

The program has become so massively successful over the years that scientific research is funded based upon how closely you are tied to Ned Lysander. In order to get close to Ned, you must have performed some sort of compelling research that is reviewed by the Ned Notes board. Then you are selected to participate in the program as a presenter.

“That’s where the magic happens, Jason. Have you ever noticed how nearly ever single presenter for Ned Notes has the exact same presentation style and intonation?”

She was right. Everyone presents in the same way.

“That’s not just because they have a format, Jason. It’s not just because that’s the best way to present. It’s because these intellectuals are being manipulated using the best psychological techniques ever discovered. Often times, they are too smart for their own good. They are unwittingly brainwashed over time into creating a message of compliance for the masses. Compliance that allows the government to easily manage and control society.

You notice how there always appears to be this synergy of ideas in science and news? That’s not because of an actual synergy. It’s fabricated! Newspapers and television news are reporting the same thing because that’s what they are told to report. There is tremendous financial incentive to be in compliance, Jason. Research grants and government funding all require compliance, and if you’re not in compliance you won’t get hired and you won’t get funded. You get blacklisted.

It’s not just in science. It’s in the arts: music, paintings, acting, writing, producing. Artists that comply the most, get the work because they are hired by others in the compliance alliance. That compliance alliance is what drives the narratives that the masses are influenced by. The machine that drives the compliance is Ned Notes.”

Jason is following every single thing Gertrude is explaining, “But what do I have to do with it?”

“When Ned found out that my husband figured out the plan, Ned had my husband killed and ensured that all of the data was destroyed along with him. But I think my husband embedded the data into your DNA. and that private key you just found is to unlock the encrypted data within your DNA.”

Gertrude has Jason swab his cheek, give her a hair sample, and also some blood.

“Now, we wait until the sequencing is completed.” Gertrude lets out a sigh as she’s so exhausted.

There’s a knock at the door that startles them both. Gertrude is not expecting any visitors. With what Gertrude and Jason just discovered, they are paranoid. Gertrude looks through the peephole in the front door and sees two large men standing at the door. She motions to Jason to go hide downstairs.

Then Jason hears a familiar voice outside the house. “Can I help you two?”

“Ma’am, we’re just spreading the word of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ.”

It’s the investigator who visited Jason’s dorm room. She had been following Jason after he left the library with Gertrude. “Sure you are.” Gomez is suspicious. “Do you have pamphlets? I’m quite interested in the teachings of Jesus.”

One of the men starts reaching his left glove covered hand towards his inside suit pocket.

To signal that she’s no pushover, Detective Gomez places her hand on her pistol. “Let’s do that extra slow now, shall we.” She can see the bulge of a shoulder holster on both men. Her heart is racing as she looks up both men and thinks to herself that these two definitely aren’t here to talk about Jesus.

“Yes, ma’am.” The man slows his movement and reaches into his suite pocket. He slowly pulls out a wrinkled pamphlet with a picture of Jesus on it. He hands it to Detective Gomez and the two men step down off the porch while Gomez watches their every move.

After they are out of sight, she looks down at the wrinkled pamphlet with Jesus on the back cover and flips it over. Her heart starts racing as she realizes that Jason is in some serious trouble: Jesus Saves.