by Waiting for the Machines to Fall Asleep- The Best New Science Fiction from Sweden (retail) (epub)
As I mentioned earlier, I have ceased all experiments that caused any pain to the animals and delegated those parts of the project to others on my team. But I still am primarily responsible for all of the studies of viruses and bacteria. That research I have mastered to the most minute detail, and orders from above have compelled me to continue with them. Fortunately, this is something that does not harm the creatures as the other tests. It is also the part of the project I feel most passionate about. The fact that they can carry so many different contagions without being affected by the diseases themselves is fascinating to me. The committee, of course, is interested only in their genetic solution. They want to know the secret of the rats' immune systems and want to create a vaccine or some genetic manipulation so that it can be applied to us. The whole thing is a hugely controversial and ongoing debate. All the while, the rats are deemed to be one of the largest threats of spreading viruses throughout our civilization. The public is more afraid of diseases now than ever before in history. Epidemic outbreaks are occurring all around the world more frequently than ever, and we are hamstrung. I am doing everything in my power, I repeat over and over again that my results cannot be hurried, but the committee continues to call us practically daily. The world is in a state of terror.
I was contacted by the Center for Disease Control again today. They too have received their orders from above. New orders: the focus is no longer on finding a vaccine, though God knows we're trying. Now it's about something else: the rats must be removed from the cities. Stockholm first and foremost, but the goal is to get rid of them throughout the entire country. They said they're open to any suggestions. They sounded desperate. We scheduled a meeting for tomorrow afternoon, and I'll try to go through the possible alternatives. I'm against exterminating the rats and I made the committee aware of that. I still have a strong empathy for the creatures – they are not intentional disease carriers. But I understand the situation in the city is becoming untenable.
We had the meeting; it took most of the day. We went through the various options. Putting out food that will sterilize most of the rats instead of poisoning them is one alternative. A solution like that would not be possible for the rats to figure out immediately, but the CDC doubts that it would work quickly enough; they need a more extreme approach. I must admit I said straight out that I do not want to contribute to the extermination of an entire species. I am the lead scientist in this area and I cannot recommend such a drastic measure. The rats have a function in the ecosystem. If we remove them, there could be unforeseen consequences that I refuse to be held responsible for. They seemed to respect my words. I told them that I could probably offer them a solution. I was vague – said that they needed to give me a few more weeks to test it. They wanted details, but I asked them to be patient.
I met with representatives from the CDC again today and I was able to present an acceptable solution. I haven't had time to test it fully, but all indications are that it should work as expected. We have found a signal that only the rats can understand; that they react to and are drawn toward. My suggestion is simple. The committee should build a large transmitter and place it in an isolated nature reserve, preferably one far away from any cities. If everything goes as planned, the rats will be drawn there – not just from Stockholm, but from the whole country, provided the transmitter is effective enough. Once there, the rats can be kept isolated. Even if a few of them manage to leave the area and return to the city, or if not all rats react to the signal, the overall danger will be neutralized. The CDC representative was genuinely interested in this solution. They thought it sounded like an acceptable compromise and promised to present the idea to their superiors as soon as possible. They noted the advantage of retaining the rats as a species. Then, if we notice other problems in the ecosystem, we could reintroduce a smaller number of rats once the risk of infection is reduced. They left with all the relevant research material I used in the presentation: sketches of the transmitter and information about the frequency. They said they would be giving me reports if they decide to proceed with this solution.
It's been confirmed that the committee is moving forward with the project. I've understood that a lot of resources have been put aside for it, but they were also clear that they are taking over now. Even though I emphasized that it is my team and I who have the experience and knowledge, the committee has decided that our part in the project is done. It is, after all, not about the rats, but about our people. They guaranteed that experts from other countries have also been summoned in order to select the best possible place for the rats in order to set up the security system. They will take care of all practical matters regarding the maintenance and sustainability of the area. Construction of a small transmitter has already begun. If it shows promising results, the plan is to build a larger model as soon as possible. The committee is demanding quick results. The goal is to set the plan in motion within a few weeks. They made no assurances to keep me apprised of the details of the project despite my insistence – they did however guarantee that everything would be done openly. That the public would be provided with up-to-date information. They repeatedly swore that I would be able to see the project's progress and that I could contact them directly if there was any information I needed for my own research. I finally accepted the situation, because I understand that they need to set public safety as priority number one.
It has been weeks since the CDC was here. I have heard nothing about the project so far, and I'm uncertain whether they're actually planning to go through with it. Maybe the transmitter didn't work as planned. Maybe they've come up with a different solution. I'm frustrated at the lack of information. I've contacted them several times, but they only tell me that all information to do with the rats is now classified. That because I'm infected, I'm considered a risk factor and am not allowed access to all the information.
Government reports have begun to surface. I have to confess to being excited. Images flash by on the screens almost constantly at the lab now, and I'm following the development with bated breath. I have so many questions. Will my transmitter work as intended? How well will it work on such a large scale? Will all the rats feel drawn to it? Will small local variations or gene mutations make a difference? How have they solved the selected area's food and water issues? What methods have they used to guarantee safety so that the rats don't return to the cities once the signal is turned off? The project is still classified, of course. There are still terrorists who would use the project as a weapon. Place a transmitter in a city and produce an epidemic. And there are also those with the virus who would try to save the rats in a fit of empathy. This is why only carefully selected portions of the project are presented to the public and laid out in official reports. I want to know more, but I know the committee isn't taking any chances.
The transmitter has been activated. I haven't been able to focus on my work today because frankly, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the project. The curfew for citizens went into effect at midnight, the same time the signal was activated. I've been following the breaking news all night. Images have been taken from roofs and surveilance cameras but they are frustratingly unclear. A lot of the pictures taken by private citizens are actually of a higher quality than the official footage, but they don't really show the extent of the evacuation. The rats are being lured out of their hiding places around the entire city. Crouching, dirty figures running along the city streets. There are more of them than we thought. More than I ever could have imagined. Thin, pale creatures in hordes. They move toward their goal, almost as if forced. They cover the streets, pushing and shoving in their eagerness to get to the transmitter. The rats here in the lab are scratching the walls of their glass cages in the transmitter's direction in uninterrupted frenzy. Their scrawny bodies are pressed up against the glass and they whine in desperation. I still have around a hundred animals and they continue to reproduce so I can keep on with my research. The physical experiments can continue, but all behavioral resea
rch is on hold while the transmitter is active: their behavior is controlled by the signal now.
According to the news, Stockholm is now clear of rats. The people living along the road between the city and the nature reserve are encouraged to remain indoors for their own safety, but those in Stockholm can go out again. They can go to work, continue on with their lives. The rats lived primarily in the larger cities. I'm worried that they may not survive in nature without the same abundant access to food and warm places to build their nests. But they are adaptable and have strong survival instincts. Even if I doubt they will all survive – due to the coming winter, or inter-species fights – many of them will.
It's been months now, and according to my calculations, all the rats should have reached the transmitter. The news bulletins show the developments with painfully detailed reports. The rats are crowded together, teeming in great hordes around the transmitter. The signal needs to be turned off, so that they can focus on their survival. I was clear about that when I presented the plan for the CDC. The rats won't have time to familiarize themselves with the area; they won't be able to find enough food or take care of their young while the signal controls them. They cling to the transmitter to the extent that they will soon be unable to concentrate on anything else, and they will starve to death. They currently have a few instincts left, but it is clear these are gradually disappearing. I see it as well in my lab rats. They are apathetic, only wanting to press themselves against the glass in the direction of the signal. The reports continue to flash on the screens, though with less frequency as the public loses interest now that the rats are no longer a threat. But I follow each story, even though I'm really just torturing myself. I see how the defenseless creatures get thinner, weaker, more confused. They attack each other more frequently, or become extremely passive. Parents abandon their young, or even eat them, because they do not know what they are doing, or do not recognize their offspring. I can see the last glimmers of consciousness fading from their eyes. I see how the rats climb over each other to get to the signal and they die in heaps. It is unbearable to watch, and yet I continue.
I haven't been able to sleep for more than an hour or two each night. The acid in my stomach is corroding my taste receptors and I have a hard time keeping any food down. Again and again, I try to get a hold of the CDC and committee representatives. I contact the same people over and over. Sometimes I threaten, sometimes I implore them to turn off the transmitter's signal. They give me the same standard answer every time: the signal will be turned off soon; they just want to ensure that all rats have moved out of the cities and towns and gathered in the nature reserve. I curse at them, which I seldom do, and I don't want to repeat my words here. I have been clear in my disgust at their treatment of the defenseless creatures – I have repeatedly explained that the rats are peaceful animals that do not attack unless in self-defense. Treating them this way is completely unacceptable. All the representatives of the committee say that the decision must be made higher up, and that I shouldn't worry. They assure me the animals will soon be relieved of their suffering. But I am not assured. I keep having nightmares and wake up in a cold sweat, screaming. My mind filled with images of rats that scratch each other bloody and scrabble over each other's corpses.
The news has just broken in the last evening broadcast, probably to avoid debate and ensure that it doesn't wind up as a major story. I finally know what the committee's solution was, though I have suspected it since they began with their evasive answers to my queries. The light was blinding. Even through the screens, it felt like it was piercing my eyes. Intense white light. Directly above the spot where the transmitter was. Trees, grass, all living things in the area burned to ashes. With one single blast, they annihilated them. There aren't even any bodies remaining in the epicenter. Only gray-white ash. Millions of lives, taken in a single blow. I should have anticipated this. I keep calling anyone I've had any form of contact with. I don't even know why I'm doing it, because I know they won't give me any answers. I won't be permitted to talk to those who made the decision. I have no one to hold responsible for this atrocity. No one cares. No one bothers to try to explain to me, or even say it was a difficult decision. The rats were vermin, disease spreaders, pests. The decision was made for the good of civilization. Sweden was a test case; now the solution will be applied worldwide. They say I should understand. I keep screaming even after they have disconnected the call.
I've lost several days. It is only recently that I've managed to regain my self-control. After the blast, I've been catatonic. They committed mass murder, and their actions are on my conscience. It was my fault. It might as well have been me who gave the order. Without me, the committee's actions wouldn't have even been possible. I gave them the tools. What they did is unforgivable. Right now, I feel more connected with the rats than with my own species. I do not want to be a part of a civilization that can commit such acts. But I have made my decision; I pulled myself together and gathered my strength to return to the lab. The morning has been devoted to preparations for my return. I've washed myself for the first time in a week and put on a newly cleaned uniform.
During the day, I visit all the parts of the lab. Talk to my colleagues. Inspect the remaining research animals and check their health. They had to be force-fed during the final period the transmitter was active but all reports show that they are doing well, under the circumstances. My colleagues are calmed by my presence, even though they're concerned for my well-being. They keep saying how much they look forward to my imminent break-through in the research. Then we will have averted the two biggest threats to our civilization and we will be honored.
I'm finally the last person left in the building. I systematically go around and open all the cages. Just as usual, the rats are calm and cautious. The creatures don't even leave their cages, even though the doors are open. I activate my early prototype for the transmitter. It is surprisingly easy to lead the pale things through the deserted research facility. I easily avoid the night shift security guards and lead the horde of rats down underground and through an emergency exit. Once we are outside, I turn off the transmitter and watch them sneak off into the darkness. Watch the contrast of the two-legged creatures' light silhouettes against the dark night surrounding them. It's not a large group, but they carry every virus and bacteria that is a threat to my species. They will kill us all within a few weeks and I will be one of the first to die. Even as I write this, I have very little time left. I was likely infected the second I opened the cages without my biohazard suit. With my final act, I am actively responsible for the destruction of my own species, but I am convinced that the rats I set free have a chance to survive and reproduce. I will die with the conviction that my action was the right one. Since I was infected, I've had a hard time reconciling myself with the idea that we came and took their planet from them. Earth was our last resort; the only planet that was habitable for our species. In the beginning, we were completely unaware that the planet had such a high risk of infection. That we were so susceptible to the existing bacteria and viruses. Before I was infected by the virus, I viewed the rats simply as soulless animals even though I was fully aware when we arrived that the rats had some form of society. But I changed. I hope the rats from my lab will take over Stockholm. And I hope that's just the beginning.
"Getting to the End" – Erik Odeldahl
-click-
Is this thing on? I really hope so.
I want to tell you a story. This is a bit problematic, since you all know that words, shall we say, lack the permanence they used to have. Anyway, I found an old cassette tape recorder in the basement while I was rummaging through moldy cardboard boxes, searching for something – anything – that could help me avoid the visitors. It should do the job, at least until I get out of here and can tell the story to someone, in person. The way things are shifting here right now, I can't really rely on my memory. I need some kind of archive and this tape'll have to do.
I'm stuck in somebo
dy's old living room, deep inside the Event Sector. Hiding beneath an old dinner table, I shit you not. This in itself isn't an uncommon occurrence. Sooner or later in each of my cases, this is where I find myself: hiding from some unseen horror, desperately trying to kick my anti-beat-machine into gear. Anybody that uses them for more than the occasional jaunt across the border will tell you that those fuckers always break down at the worst possible moment. It's like they react to the presence of visitors. Thinking about it, that's probably what they do.
