The Aegis Solution

by John David Krygelski

  "We've never had that many in a day."

  "I know. It's odd. But we've had too much to deal with to be able to take the time to interview them all. I have no idea."

  Wilson glanced at Elias, meaningfully.

  "What about food?" The question came from Sweezea.

  "As it turns out, we have a higher than normal level of stored food."

  "How could that be? With the wind as extreme as it's been in the past few days, I thought that our supply helicopter couldn't make a drop."

  "You're right," Pierce answered. "They haven't been able to, and we were four days overdue for supplies. Apparently, the logistics people at Davis-Monthan decided to solve the problem rather than wait for the gusts to subside. Early this morning Aegis received a much larger than normal supply delivery on the roof, more than double the usual quantities. We had no idea that it was coming or that it was delivered. We found it when the salvage crew went topside to work on the solar panels. It was near the perimeter wall and had been placed directly on top of the rubble of broken metal and glass. Packed inside several of the containers was a message that they had decided to utilize a crane to make the drop. Due to the travel time and other factors, they informed us that the deliveries would be spaced farther apart. Hence, the additional supplies."

  Wilson caught Elias' eye and winked, murmuring under his breath, "Another coincidence?"

  "With the stored goods on hand and the addition of this morning's delivery, under normal circumstances we would have enough food for approximately two months. Assuming that we immediately sequester all of the food and begin rationing, I would guess that we can all eat for double that period of time."

  "I hope that's enough," Leah said softly.

  Pierce's eyes turned to her, but he did not respond to her comment. "The Air Force was aware of the damage to our solar panels, so there were also two generators placed on the roof, along with a supply of fuel. Some of the containers of food must be refrigerated after they are opened. Between the existing battery reserve and the generators, I believe that we can accomplish this until we get a part of the grid back on line. And lastly…obviously, there are more than enough living quarters for all of our residents."

  There were no other questions. Pierce, his air of competence slipping slightly, looked at Wilson. "Wilson, do you think it's really happening?"

  Wilson allowed a weak smile to crease his face. "We know for certain that the pathogen is happening. With the call Leah heard from Faulk's man, Kennerley, and the radio reports heard by the Clements' family earlier, there doesn't appear to be any doubt. As far as the failure of the vaccine, of that we only know what Kennerley said to Leah when he believed he was reporting to Faulk. With regard to the last, and most profound, aspect of your question, have we really been selected to be saved while the rest of the world dies? I believe so, Milton, but only time will tell."

  Pierce gently nibbled on his bottom lip, his eyes avoiding contact with everyone at the table. It was clear that he was in a pitched battle between giving in to his emotions, and his need to remain calm and in control. No one spoke as he wrestled both sides. The muscles on his jaw tightening, he exhaled heavily and asked, "What else should we be doing?"

  Sweezea was the first to speak. "The Air Force guys didn't leave their crane, did they? I wouldn't want the people outside using it to get on the roof."

  Pierce shook his head. "No. The salvage team checked after reading the note. They must have transported it out and then departed with it."

  "Getting in!" Tillie barked. "Elias, the drainage tunnel. If the people outside find it, some snakes aren't going to stop them."

  "You're right. Tim, will you and Crabill round up the bombs and head down there? We need to collapse it."

  "Aren't those just firebombs?" she asked. "They won't destroy it, will they?"

  Sweezea grinned at Tillie. "Good question. The answer is that culverts are also called RCP, or reinforced concrete pipe. It's the ‘reinforced' part that's critical. They are embedded with rebar, or reinforced bars, when they are made. Those bars are tempered with heat. If you get them hot enough, the tempering fails, the rebar violently distorts, and the concrete collapses. Those bombs will get the concrete and the embedded steel plenty hot enough."

  Elias said, "Do it." Sweezea jumped up to leave.

  "I'm going, too," Tillie volunteered, standing. Sweezea knew better than to object.

  As the two left, Leah commented, "Speaking of perimeter defense, we should probably patrol the edge of the roof. Who knows how creative the people outside might get."

  "I'll assemble a detail for that," Pierce offered. "Such a horrific tragedy, leaving those folks outside. We don't even know for sure that they are infected."

  "I've been thinking about that," Elias spoke softly, attempting to crystallize what had been a vague idea. "The people on the outside are still basically within the protective blast of wind that is sheltering Aegis, or at least they might be. If they are not yet infected, maybe the pathogen won't reach them."

  "What are you suggesting?" Wilson asked, clearly interested in the direction of Elias' words.

  "Do you think we might be able to save them?" Lisa said hopefully.

  "I'm not sure. I wanted to talk it through with all of you. Wilson, what you said before, about each of us being the kind of person who deserves to start a new society on Earth, really hit home. I'm having a problem reconciling that with locking the people out and having armed guards patrolling the perimeter with orders to shoot to kill."

  Wilson began to speak; however, Elias raised his hand. "Please, let me keep talking for a minute. I'm not positive it makes any sense, but I'd like to put it on the table. If civilization is disintegrating that rapidly out there and people stop coming to Aegis soon, and I realize that's a big ‘if,' then maybe that final bunch outside the wall won't get infected."

  "Are you talking about letting them in?"

  "No…I don't know. Maybe not right away. Maybe we monitor them, lower food down to them. From what we've heard, the bug is incredibly fast-acting. Maybe if they are alive in a day…two days…and no one else comes to Aegis…maybe then we let them in."

  Everyone was silent.

  Pierce finally broke the silence. "That seems much more humane than just locking them out and forgetting about them. They deserve a fighting chance."

  "At the risk of sounding harsh," Wilson countered, "we have the continued existence of the human race on our shoulders. We have, apparently, been provided with help and protection, but at some point the decisions are ours to make. And making the wrong one could be catastrophic."

  "Couldn't we take it a step at a time?" Leah suggested. "We have a more than sufficient supply of food and water. Couldn't we lower enough to sustain them for now, and decide in a few days what our next step is?"

  After reflecting on her proposition for a moment, Wilson spoke. "The single most significant unknown for us is how long we must survive within Aegis. We know for a fact that additional shipments will not be forthcoming. How can we say that we have an ample supply of food when it is possible that we will need to remain within these walls for a year? It may take every morsel in our stores to keep all of us alive until it is safe to emerge from Aegis."

  The image of the future, as painted by Wilson, caused all of the people around the table to visualize the upcoming weeks and months, each scenario painted with the perspective and the fears of that individual. A somber silence fell over the group.

  Wilson continued, "I fear, as time marches inexorably forward, that we will be faced with some very distasteful and harsh decisions, decisions which will test the limits of our intellect and our humanity. This question today is merely a sample, the first of many. I believe it is critical that we understand two things as we wrestle with each of the impending dilemmas yet to come. The first is that we recognize the burden we carry. Our very existence, as the populations of the world succumb to extinction, may be the last hope for the continuation of mankind on Ear
th. We must never lose sight of this. Every choice, large or small, must be viewed through the lens of this duty."

  Wilson paused and Elias asked, "And the second?"

  Wilson's eyes riveted to Elias. "The second? Why, that is obvious. Mankind…our species…must be worthy of saving. Otherwise, what is the point? Therefore, despite the unknown answers to our questions, I don't see any reason we shouldn't take that first step, and feed and cloth those poor souls outside our walls."

  Pierce waited for a time, giving anyone who might have an objection a chance to voice it, before he concluded, "Then it's settled. We will provide food, water, additional clothing, and blankets, since I doubt any of them expected or planned for the cold temperatures out there."

  For the first time since the meeting began, Samantha spoke up. "This isn't right."

  "Why, Sam?" asked Matt.

  "It isn't just us we're talking about; it's all those people standing outside that door and all of the others inside Aegis. We're sitting in here deciding whether we should give away their food. Shouldn't we ask them? Shouldn't they get a vote?"

  Wilson drew in a deep breath, clearly planning to respond, when Pierce spoke up. "Miss Clements, what you are talking about is a democracy."

  "Right! Isn't a democracy the best way to govern?"

  "This may come as a surprise to you but, no, it isn't."

  She hesitated, startled by his response, and stammered, "I…I don't…why not? That's what America is…was!"

  "Actually, it is a republic, not a democracy."

  "What's the difference? We vote."

  Pierce was in his element. He had, in fact, been preparing for this discussion his entire life, his position and his arguments finely honed by years of arguing with, at first, his sister, then countless others. "Numerous papers were written by our founding fathers. They referenced intense and occasionally heated debates on this very subject. The truth, Miss Clements, is that Americans do not vote on any thing; it is not our role to pass laws and make decisions. We have only one task to perform as citizens, and that is to vote for candidates. It is up to the elected officials to pass laws, to set priorities, in other words…to govern, the exception being the occasional proposition or referendum within the states. In fact, we do not even technically elect the President. That decision, according to the Constitution, is made by the electoral college which, originally, was intended to be a group of the wisest and most trusted members of each community, appointed at the state level, who would then travel to a meeting and, without further input from the populace, select our leader."

  "But it doesn't work like that anymore. Except for a couple of close ones, the person we've elected is the one who gets the job."

  "True. I'm talking about the original intent. Ever since the Seventeenth Amendment, which took effect in 1913, we also now directly elect senators. But at the time the Constitution was signed, senators were selected by the legislatures of each state."

  "Really? I didn't know that. Why did they do it that way? It sounds elitist."

  Pierce smiled. "The concept of checks and balances. The House of Representatives was the people's house. Congressmen were elected directly by the voters. The Senate, chosen by state leaders, was intended by the framers to be the cream of the crop in terms of intelligence, wealth, education, experience, and the like. Over our early history, the litany of bills proposed and passed in the House reflects people attempting to govern in their own self-interest. You would be amazed at the nature of some of those bills. A large number would have been, essentially, handouts to the public. Had the vast majority of the proposed legislation passed, America would have been bankrupt a century ago. Since the bills were then turned over to the Senate, they quickly died, never reaching the desk of the President for a signature.

  "And the reciprocal also worked quite effectively. The Senate, in those days, frequently proposed legislation which would support, enhance, and subsidize business, industry, and the landed gentry. In other words, they, too, pursued their self-interests. When these bills stepped over the line and created a blatant handout to industry, for example, the legislation failed to survive the House. Insofar as constitutional power, the two interests were balanced. If the, as you described them, elites in the Senate wanted something, they had to modify it, temper it, and make it palatable to the House, whose only goal was to obtain the best deal it could for the people. And the reverse was true. When the House wanted something that would benefit the general population, they had to make it attractive to the Senate. The system, before it was modified, was designed to give both sides equal power so that only legislation which made sense for the job creators, wealth creators, and industry builders...as well as for the workers and the citizen population in general...could pass. And if the pendulum swung too far in either direction, the Supreme Court was standing by to swing it back."

  "I still don't see how this relates to our situation here."

  "I have digressed a bit, but only to provide context. As you can see, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, and the others knew that pure democracy was as tyrannical as any dictator or monarch. That was why they placed so many layers between the voter and the final piece of legislation – to temper that despotic tendency of the population."

  "Are you saying that people, when they vote as a group, would do bad things? I don't think I believe that. People are basically good."

  "You are right; for the most part, they are. On a one-on-one basis, a person will help another, even to his or her own detriment. But pure democracy is nothing but mob rule. And the mob mentality is something quite different; this difference is exacerbated and compounded by the privacy of the voting booth. Let me ask you a question. Do you believe, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, that had it all been put to a popular vote, the Civil Rights Acts would have passed? Before you answer, I'll tell you that, according to the polls, according to all measurements of public opinion, they would not. Nor, in the previous century, would slaves have been freed. Women would not have received the privilege of voting. We would not have entered World War I or World War II, at least not until the enemy had reached our shores.

  "There are nearly countless examples of our leaders making decisions contrary to the will of the public, occasionally destroying their own political careers in the process, to do what they perceived to be the right thing. In many cases, history has judged them as having been right. In many cases, not. But the point is, that is how our republic was intended to work."

  "So you're saying that if we walk outside this room right now and present the facts to the crowd, asking them to vote on whether we share the food or not, they'll vote against it?"

  "No. What I'm saying, Miss Clements, is a far worse indictment than that. The sad truth, as any student of history will tell you, is that the crowd outside this room will vote either way, depending entirely on how the so-called facts are presented."

  "You lost me."

  "It's quite simple. If we were to pick the most gifted orator among us to sell them on the idea of lowering food and water to the people outside, they would vote to do so with a large majority. If, on the other hand, we presented a persuasive and frightening argument against the idea, it would be soundly defeated. This was proved, conclusively, during pre-World War II Germany by Hitler. Our founders knew this. That is precisely why we must decide what to do and then present our position, and only our position, to them, as eloquently as possible."

  "Why not pick two people, one on each side, and let the group hear both?"

  "What would be the benefit of that?"

  "You're kidding, right? Then they could make up their own minds."

  "You refer to ‘their own minds' as some monolithic thing. I'm talking about the final vote. What do you think would happen?"

  "Well, one side or the other would win. Either we would feed the people outside or we wouldn't. That would be it."

  "And you think everyone would be happy?"

  Samantha paused for a moment. "Happy? I think they wou
ld be glad they were brought into the loop, had a chance to vote, a chance to participate in the decision, instead of being left out."

  Wilson, silent to this point, said, "Sadly, Samantha, that is not the case. What would happen…what has happened out there in the world…is that you have winners and losers. And the losers are never appreciative of the opportunity to participate in the process. When learning that they've lost, they will claim fraud in the voting process, manipulation of the facts, and any other charge they can think to bring. Quite simply, what occurs is that prior to the vote you have a single group; after the vote, you have two. And, when the importance of the vote is significant, the two groups become enemies."

  Sam was silent as she thought about what Pierce and Wilson had put forth. After a minute, she said, "That is what it's been like on the outside, isn't it? Has been for years now."

  Wilson nodded. "And it festers."

  "You're right," she acknowledged.

  "Although it was reaching intolerable proportions in the world, that was after decades of florid prose and inciting rhetoric. Here, within the confines of Aegis, any schism or any polarization would escalate much more rapidly. For you see, Aegis is like a lifeboat upon which we are all adrift. If we are to survive and retain our civility…our humanity…dissension must be held to a minimum, order must be maintained, and we must find a way to live under a common accord."

  Sheepishly, Samantha looked from Wilson to Pierce. "I don't think that just applies to us. They could've used it out there."

  

  Another twenty minutes were consumed with discussions on the mundane details of logistics, before Pierce, deciding that the immediate business was adequately covered, stood up. "I believe we've already kept our citizens waiting too long. I think informing them of our situation would be the best thing to do right now."

  The balance of the gathering stood as he continued, "Wilson, I would appreciate it very much if you would stand up there with me. Many of the people here know you and respect you. Your participation in this would be helpful."