One other thing happened during that time, humanity became a much more conservative place where people were expected to help themselves. Social services were limited to the truly needy, and even some of them were left to their own devices if they were deemed to be sound of body and mind. There would be no free rides in post-Event society. The struggles had been too difficult. Sympathy for those unwilling to help themselves disappeared. Survival of the fittest extended into society only marginally less than it existed in the natural selection of wild animals.
"Well, for the last two hundred years there have been telepaths, or advanced minds, that were created out of what happened during The Event."
I didn't bother correcting her that advanced minds include super geniuses.
"About fifteen years after the event people began to realize that telepaths exist, but no one thought anything of it for many years. That is until a second generation super, who was a super genius, who happened to also be a telepath came along. His name was Malcolm Beaumont, and he was the most powerful telepath of that age. He was also the first known Mad Scientist. And he was totally insane. He managed to take over the federal government by bending dozens, or possibly hundreds, of elected officials to his will. He was controlling all of them and setting the US up as his own personal kingdom."
I have never heard any of this before and I took a year of honors history in both American History and on The Event and The Awakening that came after.
“Beaumont took over just about everything and started to change society at his whim by presidential fiat. After nearly three years of his rule a young telepath was able to kill Beaumont with a sniper rifle from a distance of over two miles. It took telepaths banding together to figure out how to undo the changes that were made to the minds of the most powerful men in the country whose minds Beaumont had enslaved. He was advanced in his powers beyond any other telepaths in that age.
"I've never heard any of this before,” I reply, shocked.
"No one has,” she explains. “At least no one today who isn’t a telepath. Telepaths at the time did not recognize the dangers that Beaumont represented to them. After it happened there was in inquiry and that's when the world figured out how powerful telepaths can be. The government blew what happened out of proportion and there was a panic. Not that Beaumont didn’t do a lot of harm, he did. But they took it to another level in a propaganda campaign to turn people against telepaths.”
Carly was becoming upset. I can tell she believes to her core everything she is saying. “What happened?” I ask.
“The worldwide reaction was immediate and nearly unanimous. Telepaths were caught completely off guard. They were rounded up. At first the telepaths were ordered to register themselves with the government. Once they thought they had most telepaths identified, every known telepath was sent to an internment camp or just killed. There was no due process. Not a single trial. Not a single charge against anyone who was put in a camp. Any they suspected of being involved with Beaumont, or was suspected of having used their powers against another human, were summarily shot." Carly pauses, turns away from me and runs her hands through her hair, "That's when telepaths had to learn to fight back. And, when they did, they were angry and they were scared. As far as they were concerned, they had just saved the world from a mad man. But instead of being thanked they were being rounded up and persecuted. It was a genocide on telepaths.”
Taking a minute to breathe out some stress, Carly then continues, “You see, telepaths who were known from any government records were rounded up. That was most of the telepathic population as at that time no one tried to hide their powers. Being a telepath was a badge of honor to them. The handful of telepaths who were not rounded up began to fight back. First by freeing as many captive telepaths as they could, and then by wiping the memories of anyone who knew they were telepaths. It took years to overcome and take control of the very government programs that were meant to round them up and imprison them. Most telepaths went underground and there were literally millions of them. When they were finished they had altered the memories of nearly the entire population of the world. As far as baselines were concerned, telepaths were harmless and rare. That’s what the telepaths made them believe.”
Carly is becoming agitated like it was her who lived through those times, “But, the telepaths weren't happy about having to hide their powers while everyone else was openly using theirs, so they took action. They wiped the whole history of Malcolm Beaumont from the public consciousness and purged all records of his existence. Every telepath alive was part of the ‘Cleanup.’ That’s what they called it. ”
Carly is pacing back and forth in front of me by now. She’s staring at the ground as she tells the story and her arms are waving around for effect, “And. It didn’t end with Beaumont. Not by a long shot. It's happened two more times since then. Only those times the telepathic community reacted much faster and the fallout was controlled. Today there is a telepathic protection service that guards our public officials and every telepath is taught from an early age not to be ambitious. Not to want to control other people. Not to be a leader. They’re taught to remove bias against telepaths from anyone's mind whenever it's found, but other than that, stay out of the way. Stick with your own kind. Can you imagine that? Being told that?”
I'm completely stunned and what she's telling me is ridiculous like the wildest conspiracy theory ever invented. Except that from what I've been learning about telepaths since coming to Nova Academy, they could do everything she's talking about. They are that powerful and there are a lot of them, three percent of the population is considered to have advanced telepathic, or telekinetic, minds of a level that is considered a 'power'. The number does not break down between telepaths and telekinetics.
This is all incredible, but I am not one to stray too far from the subject, “So what does that have to do with all the hats?"
"It's not the hats, it's the neural neutralizer. That's what Isabel said they're calling it. The hats are covering up the devices. I assume to hide them.”
"Okay, but what does it mean? Why are a bunch of advanced mind science students wearing neural neutralizers?" I’m trying to absorb what she’s just told me.
She gives a short laugh, "That parts simple. To stop anyone from scanning their minds or to know what they're thinking.”
“That doesn’t sound bad to me.” If I didn’t already have that ability, I’d sure want it with what I know now.
“There’s another reason to want to protect a person’s thoughts.” Carly says, this time without the laugh, “If a telepath were to change someone’s mind, they could hide what they’ve done by using the neural neutralizers. To be able to change what they're thinking without another telepath being able to see what has been done and change it back."
I don't want anyone mucking around in my brain and changing what I believe. Not that anyone could, but I understand how everyone else would want it, too. "And, how is that a bad thing? Not the part about having your mind changed to begin with. The part about no one being able to see your mind and change anything in it?"
"Neither case is good news for telepaths. The very existence of neural neutralizers are a threat to our survival. Even if the only motivation of everyone wearing them is to stop people from reading their minds, it's a threat to our survival."
"What do you mean, 'only motivation?’ ”
“All right, here’s the deal,” Carly says, "Somebody created this device and somebody is distributing it. And they're able to do it without telepaths stopping them. At least no telepaths seem to have made an attempt to stop them yet. You have to realize, normally if someone were to learn about the device and decide to get one, any telepath that scans them will know it and wipe it from their memory. Then the use of the device is stifled. Its use never spreads. More importantly, any scientist that thought of building such a device would have it wiped from their memory before they could even have it on paper."
I’m stunned. “Do telepaths p
ay that close of attention? To what scientists are doing, I mean?”
“Absolutely. Keeping an eye on scientists is a first line of defense for telepaths. Every science lab, and every school of advanced science in the world has telepaths working there.”
I absorb that for a minute before asking, "You said they're calling it a 'neural neutralizer'?"
"Yeah, that's what Isabel called it."
"You remember the break-in at the robotics factory; do you remember why I wanted to watch that place when we went to Chicago?" I have a feeling there is a relation here.
"You mentioned they came out with some kind of neural interface so someone could communicate with a power suit," she replies.
"That's right. But, I'm wondering now if it can do more than that,”
Carly is not seeing the connection, "How do you get to thinking that? How do you know these are related?"
Carly has no real understanding of technology. It just isn’t what little she’s studied, it’s that I don’t have the words to explain the concepts to a layman. So instead of trying to explain it to her, I just look back at her. She’s got to learn to trust me on these things. Besides, I hate being questioned about my deductions. I don’t need as many, or as obvious of links, as most people. And, to have to explain my reasoning to people who are not going to get it anyway is just annoying. “You’re going to have to trust me here, the technology is similar enough, and I don’t think it is a coincidence it is in close proximity to Nova Academy. Especially with that welcoming committee guy being involved. There’s a connection.”
Chapter 33
"Welcoming Committee, the guy I fought, he's from here. His dorm was in Building 4 of Atlas Quad, so there's a connection with the college. The nature of the device, a neural interface versus a neural neutralizer, I can imagine some similarities of those devices because I've been trying to design one for my suit. And, they are both incredibly advanced tech that are both making their debut around the same time. Add it together and I think you can make the beginnings of the case of the two being related. At least enough to want to look into it."
Carly runs with that train of thought, "So what do we have altogether. The devices are being rapidly distributed to the science students, at least that we know so far. The person, or persons, have enough powerful connections to suppress a news story of our fight at the tech park. They are able to avoid the telepathic community’s interference."
"And, they're willing to break-in and steal what they need," I add, encouraging her to follow my thinking. "What we don't have is why they're being distributed, and why the science students. We don't have the end goal. And, there is an end goal. There's always an end goal, and it isn't the wellbeing of those students. You don't do everything that's happening just to protect people you don't know. There has to be a selfish reason underneath all of this."
"I don't know, either. But, I know the telepaths on campus will eventually step in to shut the whole thing down," Carly has more faith in her fellow telepaths than I do.
"I'm having a hard time feeling any sympathy for the telepaths to make me want to stop whoever is sending out the neural neutralizers. They're messing with millions of people's minds on a daily basis." I say, thinking I might incite some anger in Carly to protect her fellow telepaths.
"Billions." Turning to look at me, "They're doing it to billions and they have been for over a hundred years."
I'm starting to get a little queasy. "You're not helping me be sympathetic to your side."
"It's not just my side. Don't think you're not benefitting from what they're doing. You've got an advanced mind too."
"Yeah, but my advanced mind is in the sciences, and nobody can get into it anyway."
"Don't be too sure about the security of your mind. Besides, your ability to block out telepaths is definitely on the telepath side of an advanced brain ability. Both hemispheres of your brain are advanced. Damn, you're lucky you're not insane."
Click. A piece of the puzzle might have just fallen into place. "What if there is a Beaumont wannabe behind this? You said there were two other times after Beaumont that a telepath tried to take over. What if it's happening again?"
"First off, you're reaching. Second, what good would it do to make people immune to a telepath's power, if you're a telepath trying to control everyone's mind? Wait, we already decided that."
Right. That firms up the thought whoever is doing this must be trying to defend the science students from other telepaths because their minds have already been altered. “What if there are telepaths doing this and they have already gotten to the students and put them under their control BEFORE they have them wear the devices?"
Carly is taking her time chewing on the idea, "But why the science students? Why not politicians in Washington?" Whirling on me, she continues, "If this is a telepath that's doing this, I can tell you, they’re not going small time. All the telepaths who have attempted to control large numbers of people have one thing in common, they think they're strong enough to do it, and telepaths don't think like that if they're not actually extraordinary in their abilities. It just doesn't happen with telepaths. They are constantly testing each other. And they’re the most self-analyzing people you'll ever meet. Just about all telepaths collect other peoples' opinions of them like they're collecting baseball cards."
"Every science student at Nova is genius level, or above,” I say, “He could do just about anything with them. Death ray, armageddon bomb, zombie apocalypse virus. Anything," I start laughing at how much he could do, "Hell, he could do all three at the same time. I'm wondering if he's one of them."
Carly blanches at the thought, "Now that's just scary," and we look at each other.
We both decide we need to find out a lot more information about what is going on and who is behind it, then it's time to head back to campus.
Chapter 34
On the way back to campus, I ask Carly, "Why would I side with the telepaths on this? I mean, don't people have a right to not have telepaths messing around with their heads?"
"Telepaths do a lot more in people's heads than protect themselves. We haven't had a major war in over a hundred years. Racism, bigotry, religious intolerance, they've all been largely removed from our society."
"You're saying telepaths did that?"
"Yes, they did. Telepaths have been using their power as a stabilizing force in international relations and on societal issues for generations. We're taught as kids by our parents to make a better world, so we do — the only way we know how. And, they are expected to do it one person at a time."
"And who polices the telepaths? Who stops them from going beyond keeping wars from happening and stamping out bigotry?"
"Peer pressure for one. For another, It's fairly easy for a telepath to see if someone's mind has been changed and what was done to it. It also doesn't normally take more than a beating or two for your parents to knock the idea you can freely mess around with other people's minds out of you. That's all it took for me.
"So, we're all under the control and whim of telepaths who can turn us into drooling idiots with a snap of their fingers, and the only thing keeping them in line is peer pressure and a couple beatings when they were children?" I state, more than ask.
"Yeah. It's a good thing you have an advanced mind and will never have to worry about it."
"Ya think? But, I do have to worry about it. According to you, telepaths could take over the whole world if they want to and the only thing stopping them is some shared values that you'll limit yourselves to only controlling free will for stuff that's really bad. How's that work? Is there a Universal Standard Guide Book of Acceptable Behavior for Normal People?"
"We do limit ourselves! I know! I've seen it! People are not being controlled in their everyday lives; no one is directing them like some puppet!"
I begin to wonder if Carly is trying too hard to defend herself, "What about all the super villains? Why don't you stop those criminals?"
"For one, t
hey're dangerous,” she says.
“I’m sorry, what?” That’s just absurd and I can’t believe I just heard it.
“Telepaths are no more heroic than anyone else. Actually, less so, the way we’re taught. Besides, super villains give superheroes something to do with all that super-ness. So, we’re supposed to stay out of it."
"And, what about the telepaths on campus using Atlas Quad students as playthings?" I don't really care about dumb jocks being controlled like puppets, other than it is a sign of a larger issue. I've seen enough jocks out of control to be okay with someone slapping a leash on them.
"As much as anything, they're practicing their skills. Nova is kind of a 'suspended rules' zone so telepaths can practice their skills. They're free to do what they want, within reason."
"Okay, say I accept that, in an oddly practical, and totally twisted, way." It takes me a second or two to wrap my head around the idea of supposedly pacifist telepaths doing whatever they want playing with the most aggressive, super brutes and bullies of society. "Say I accept that, generally speaking, telepaths are not power hungry puppet masters. Instead you want me to believe they're benevolent overlords gently nudging humanity along in a peaceful manner. I'll give it to you, for the sake of argument only. But, who is setting the limits? Who is overseeing the overseers? At what point do our benevolent overlords get tired of nursemaiding the masses with lesser minds, full of ugly thoughts and inadequate brains, and decide to become a little less benevolent and a little more overlord? Who is going to stop them?"
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