“I read something the other day that said life extension was the tip of the iceberg. They’re planning all sorts of things with genetics. If you’re rich enough, your children will have it all – night vision from owls, better hearing from dogs, better muscles from cheetahs, who knows what else.”
Sophia grinned. “It’ll give a whole new meaning to being hung like a horse .”
Dave followed up while the laughter subsided. “The next thing to watch are synthetic genes. Real gonzo stuff. Sky’s the limit. Crazy shit like flame-retardant skin. Imagine being able to scoop up liquid nitrogen with your bare hand.”
Jacob eased back on the sofa. “I think the whole thing is overblown. Everything’s expensive when it’s first developed. Look at cell phones or flat-screen TVs. Not everyone could afford one when they first came out. That didn’t split up society and make a Rich Super Class like NCO is worried about. In time, everything gets around. It’s the economies of scale.”
“Those are economic decisions.” Jack reached for another piece of dessert. “Life extension is political. You really think the power elite are going to hand out 300 years of life to everyone in the Third World ? Are you kidding? No way. That’s the dirty little secret they don’t advertise. They know the Third World is too busy surviving to watch what could happen. Those who are watching, people like us, they’ve got us believing we’ll make it into the club. We think poverty will be the only ‘pre-existing condition’ that denies GenLET coverage. Not so.”
“Where’s the poverty line?”
“Unfortunately for us, it depends on who draws it. You know it won’t be us.”
“Where would the elites like Mass draw it?”
“It’s not going to work if some get GenLET and others don’t.”
“Why not? It’s been that way for a long time. People at the top have always had advantages the rest of us don’t. Why not this?”
“It’s always been crony socialism for the rich and free enterprise for the poor.”
“When was the last time the IRS sent a member of Congress to jail for tax evasion? How many small farmers have offshore shelters to avoid estate taxes?”
Sophia tired of the debate. “Is anybody even sure they want to live 300 years? I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s hard for me to find things to do on a weekend. My God, what would I do with three centuries in my appointment calendar?”
Dave was the only one not chuckling. “Check out some of the stuff on NCO’s website. They lay it out clear as day. The perfected new world order will only have two classes – first and second.”
“What about the Third World ?”
“It’s never mentioned, as if it doesn’t exist.”
“It won’t exist once the developing world raises everyone’s standard of living.”
“Sure thing – like the Earth has the resources to do that .”
“Think about it. With life extension in play, what makes more sense – a slower or quicker turnover of the second class? A quicker turnover – of course. You don’t want those under you with the same length of experience and longevity as you. That would make them dangerous; they’d start to think they were equals.”
Faye’s phone vibrated in her pocket. It was a welcome diversion from the debate. The text message was from her boss at Fort Detrick . With a glance, she knew it was cryptic and ominous.
C-Value Imperative / NBACC
The message was easy to decipher. NBACC was the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center . C-Value Imperative was a code Faye had learned but never had seen used before. It directed Faye to call in immediately on a secure line. It signaled something had happened and everything around it was locked down. She was to act natural and tell no one.
Faye excused herself and hurried down the hall to her home office. She shut the door behind her and raced to open a safe built into the wall. Reaching in, she found the secure
Sophia grinned. “It’ll give a whole new meaning to being hung like a horse .”
Dave followed up while the laughter subsided. “The next thing to watch are synthetic genes. Real gonzo stuff. Sky’s the limit. Crazy shit like flame-retardant skin. Imagine being able to scoop up liquid nitrogen with your bare hand.”
Jacob eased back on the sofa. “I think the whole thing is overblown. Everything’s expensive when it’s first developed. Look at cell phones or flat-screen TVs. Not everyone could afford one when they first came out. That didn’t split up society and make a Rich Super Class like NCO is worried about. In time, everything gets around. It’s the economies of scale.”
“Those are economic decisions.” Jack reached for another piece of dessert. “Life extension is political. You really think the power elite are going to hand out 300 years of life to everyone in the Third World ? Are you kidding? No way. That’s the dirty little secret they don’t advertise. They know the Third World is too busy surviving to watch what could happen. Those who are watching, people like us, they’ve got us believing we’ll make it into the club. We think poverty will be the only ‘pre-existing condition’ that denies GenLET coverage. Not so.”
“Where’s the poverty line?”
“Unfortunately for us, it depends on who draws it. You know it won’t be us.”
“Where would the elites like Mass draw it?”
“It’s not going to work if some get GenLET and others don’t.”
“Why not? It’s been that way for a long time. People at the top have always had advantages the rest of us don’t. Why not this?”
“It’s always been crony socialism for the rich and free enterprise for the poor.”
“When was the last time the IRS sent a member of Congress to jail for tax evasion? How many small farmers have offshore shelters to avoid estate taxes?”
Sophia tired of the debate. “Is anybody even sure they want to live 300 years? I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s hard for me to find things to do on a weekend. My God, what would I do with three centuries in my appointment calendar?”
Dave was the only one not chuckling. “Check out some of the stuff on NCO’s website. They lay it out clear as day. The perfected new world order will only have two classes – first and second.”
“What about the Third World ?”
“It’s never mentioned, as if it doesn’t exist.”
“It won’t exist once the developing world raises everyone’s standard of living.”
“Sure thing – like the Earth has the resources to do that .”
“Think about it. With life extension in play, what makes more sense – a slower or quicker turnover of the second class? A quicker turnover – of course. You don’t want those under you with the same length of experience and longevity as you. That would make them dangerous; they’d start to think they were equals.”
Faye’s phone vibrated in her pocket. It was a welcome diversion from the debate. The text message was from her boss at Fort Detrick . With a glance, she knew it was cryptic and ominous.
C-Value Imperative / NBACC
The message was easy to decipher. NBACC was the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center . C-Value Imperative was a code Faye had learned but never had seen used before. It directed Faye to call in immediately on a secure line. It signaled something had happened and everything around it was locked down. She was to act natural and tell no one.
Faye excused herself and hurried down the hall to her home office. She shut the door behind her and raced to open a safe built into the wall. Reaching in, she found the secure
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