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Transfer agent Blake. Welcome to Russia.
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[5 - META increases SLD production -> Traton plot -> Avatara -> Mind Seal] | [5 - META increases SLD production -> Traton plot -> Avatara -> Mind Seal] | ||
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Hanna arrived in the east Russian sector. Average temperature of chilly zero degrees and bleak tundra landscape were not an expected welcome. Actually she had not expected anything but now she thought why people even lived here. | |||
A taxi was already waiting for her. She saw the driver in front of the car waving a hand. There was no need for that, nobody else was around in this cold wasteland. The man was wearing a thick coat, open, for him the temperature must still have felt quite warm. | |||
"Welcome to wild wide east, Ms. West." Cold hands were shaken. | |||
"My name is Blake. I will be your driver for today." He put the suitcases into the trunk. | |||
The car started to move through crackling ice and mud. | |||
"So you are American too? What brings people here?" Hanna asked. | |||
Blake threw a look over his shoulder searching eye contact. "Money. Ms. West. Money." | |||
"Haha, what did I miss? Is there gold in this region?" | |||
"Only for few of us." He smirked. | |||
"A driving job doesn't seem a well-paid job to me. So what is it?" | |||
Blake was driving out of the airport area. It was the last turn before the road became linear and frightening long. Next to them was a pair of new train rails. He let go the steering wheel and changed into autopilot mode. Then he turned around with his entire seat. | |||
"I am a transfer agent working for Green Village. I make sure their personal arrive at their destiny. When you applied for that job and got invited you already have become a VIP. And anything that involves Green Village also involves money. A lot of money." | |||
"Green Village, the WCG's prestige research complex", Hanna thought aloud. | |||
The man laughed. "No kidding. You will it for yourself. - Actually take a look, right there." | |||
He pointed at Hanna's window. | |||
"This city you see was built for their support. Here live the families of the technicians, construction workers, soldiers, etc." | |||
"Soldiers?" | |||
"Yes, the complex has its own defense ring. They have chosen this bleak area for multiple reasons. The complex is far enough from urban regions in case something happens." | |||
"Something?" | |||
"Outbreak of a plague. A nuclear incidence. An invasion." | |||
"I thought it was about ecological reasons." | |||
"Yes. That too. Multiple reasons, you see. - After global warming really started to kick in with the meltdown of permafrost and methane hydrate this area is become more habitable." | |||
"Yes, on average the world is heating up." | |||
"The thing about Russia is that it doesn't get too hot. It just starts to get comfortable, like Canada. The WCG has chosen Green Village is become the central place for preparing the land for new generations." | |||
"What about the Biocrisis?" | |||
"The colder temperature have kept xeno hybrids away. And the toxin levels are here less high. Apparently they got plans for these latitudes." | |||
"Maybe. But with all this half-dead rusty-green grass and stray trees this doesn't look very inviting." | |||
Blake nodded. "True but you really have to think in decades here." | |||
Hanna: "Are you saying the climate and bio crisis poses such a threat to WCG that they are looking for new grounds?" | |||
"Let's face it. Humans only change when they fall flat on their. Damage and pain tells them what to avoid, not intelligence. They are ... inert masses. Not a hundred crying little girls with protest banners in front of some institution will change that. People may protest for political and economical independence, for a stable climate and clean oceans. But they don't really want to change themselves." | |||
"Isn't this the fault of our representatives? Every political parties is promising their members the heaven on earth just if they help them into power. In their own ideological blindness they can't do the math for the true costs.<!-- Everyone ignores the factors of the … enemies.-->" | |||
"You said representatives. Who is voting them into power? It's them. Now don't talk about lobbies, that just excuses. General speaking, the all people drive with their car to the discounter, fly with airplanes into vacations, ship around the oceans and use the smartphone to kick off cascades of server interactions whenever making a simple online search. All the energy has to come from somewhere. Bla. Bla. Bla. The protests are purely symbolic." | |||
"Symbolic for what?" | |||
"For our all hypocrisy. - Why do they even protest? Think about it. They consider themselves as too weak, no, as too comfortable, to get up their own asses. They ask their representatives to create laws to force themselves do the right thing." | |||
"Yes, you are generalizing a lot of things. - And you don't think the politicians are not to blame?" | |||
"Of course, they, too. They want to become re-elected. They also have their own interests. But the real power comes from the people. But what do they do with it? - Not much." | |||
"It's fascinating how you can throw just everything together, oversimplifying. People are not not a unified thing, they are always groups of people." | |||
"Did you ever had the feeling that fighting politicians on talk shows are a gain for our society? The average Joe doesn't have the time to differentiate. In a society of specialization he is not meant to think, but to work. Therefore the slogans must be simple to make them act." | |||
"From all your talk I assume you think of people as dangerous stupid animals." | |||
"Are we not? - Our so humanistic societies regularly start new wars. And climate change will not improve the situation." | |||
"No hope in sight then, huh?" | |||
"Planed or not, economic-wise globalization made the WCG adapt the European model. That is former states are now so much interconnected that a war between the regions – trade wars, resources wars, or any other wars – will damage everybody's economy. You can say about the WCG whatever you want but they keep the nationalists in check and prevent a nuclear holocaust. | |||
It's probably the only thing that the WCG is better in compared to all other systems. This interconnected global community renders the red button pointless." | |||
"For an employee so close to the gov you are quite criticizing them." | |||
"Hey, in this car I can say whatever I want." | |||
"Interesting point right there. What about ideological people that are obliged to their own conscience?" | |||
"Victims of their own hypocrisy. It's never healthy to stay in a burning house. Just leave it. You know the WCG is not everywhere. That what the WCG is not, Africa is. Go there, maybe." | |||
"Haha, you are impossible. You said climate change accelerated. Isn't Africa becoming a desert?" | |||
"And?" | |||
"That means more waves of refugees WCG will get a thousand million new inhabitants, distribution problems, civil wars." | |||
"Or you let them die and evacuate your own citizens to new grounds." | |||
"There must be another way. We cannot let break everything down." | |||
Blake smirked. "You cannot save everyone. Question is can stay professional and do what is necessary?" | |||
"If there is no alternative, of couse." | |||
"Welcome to the our little family." | |||
"Wait a second. You just lulled me in, to reveal my political position. Was there anything you said your own opinion?" | |||
"Calm down. This is just the bureaucratic bullshit protocol. Terrorists don't write on their forehead that they are one. Only the most utterly ideological tinted blockheads and for those we have a special place." | |||
"Damn, how I hate this." | |||
"What?" | |||
"Psycho tests." | |||
"Hey, you passed. – Though, one note. You will have my recommendation. But please remember our talk about ideological blindness. Green Village is a sci prison. The inmates themselves are unable to play a stabilizing function yet they can be of use." | |||
"Aren't you too flexible? I could still change my mind." | |||
"No you will not, Walker said you will do your work. - If the WCG is all bad it would have been wiped much earlier. Authoritarian systems destroy themselves by continuously generating new enemies. Always remember that you can improve the system by being part of it, your presence radiates back on it." Blake throw her a smile. "Don't give up on us, then we don't give up on you." | |||
"You haven't seen Green Village yet. You have no idea what is possible." | |||
<!-- Los Alamos of the 21 century --> | |||
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Blake: "She's somewhat naive but still usable. We will continue indoctrination and monitor her for additional six month on the top of the standards time frame." | |||
"Good, good." The head of HR smirked at Blake. "I reviewed your talk with Ms. West. Sometimes just I don't know what side you are standing on. By chance, you are not a double-agent?" | |||
Blake: "Oh, why not a triple-agent. Haha. No Sir. In order to let the candidates make honest statements I meet them at their wavelength first and then getting to business." | |||
Blake exited the office. He grounded his teeth. "Paranoid asshole." | |||
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