Relics of the past - Chapter Nine

“I don’t remember any of that.” John said.

“I’m not surprised. You were in such a rage that it’s amazing you could even function.” Mark said

“Why would I kill the director?” John begged.

“Because you were programmed to.” Mark answered, “Someone put a compound in your food to make you violent and irrational. When you argued with the Director, the rage inside of you had something to focus on and you violently carried out the murder of the Director.”

“You mean somebody used me?” John seemed confused.

“Yes. You were merely a tool to make a point. We are a community. We all have different interests and we all do different things but the one thing we have in common is that we do what we do for the common good. When we enhance the lives of everyone around us by doing the things that we enjoy, we are enhancing our own lives. Everybody benefits. You however, are not part of the community. You do not do things for the common good, you do things for your own good, which may not be what’s good for everybody else. We do not have to force anybody to do what is good for everybody because they do that naturally. You are different. We have no laws or courts like you are used to having. We communally decide the direction we want to take. The director could not force you to undergo the procedure if the community disagreed so to force the community to agree, you had to do something violent.”

“So I never had a choice, did I?” John said resigned to his fate.

“No. It isn’t in the best interest of the community for you to stay the way you are.” Mark said. “I’m sorry it had to be like this but the decision was taken out of your hands.”

“By who?” John pleaded.

“The director.” Mark answered. “The director sacrificed her own life for the good of the community. She must have believed that it was too important to leave the choice up to you.”

“That’s crazy!” John exclaimed. “The directory used me to commit suicide so I would be forced to undergo the procedure?”

“I’m afraid that seems to be the case. The directory was acting in the best interest of the community. Now that you know the verdict. The doctor is going to perform the procedure. When you wake up you will be a different person.” Mark said.

John didn’t say anything. He was scared of becoming somebody else. First it was the aliens who wanted to change him, but they changed their minds. Now he was in the future and his own people decided he was too much of a threat to be left alone. There was no hope for him now. He wasn’t sure what to expect when he woke up but he was scared.

John was put to sleep. The doctor performed the procedure and John was returned to his room to recover.