Thor- the Epilogue

The debate was intense and long, as it should be for such weighty matters. The cups, crumpled napkins and bagel pieces were scattered among stacks of reports and graphs. The group was faced with a difficult decision- end their little experiment or let it play out hoping for a reversal in the terrible trend. The red light cast from the ceiling illuminated the table and its contents with an “other-worldly” glow, while the participants sat in darkness around the huge table.

 

The Chief of Genetic Engineering urged patience. He pointed out that the first experiment may have been prematurely terminated. He explained that evolutionary leaps occur in the face of adversity. The newly designed humanoid subjects were safely contained in a small area. As they pursued self-destruction, resources were diminishing and it was possible that the genetic programming installed in their brains would kick in soon. The Secretary of State argued that there was no evidence that this would occur and the risk of allowing the humanoids to continue and potentially spread their destruction outweighed the slim chance they would pursue the harmonious path. The Director of the Ethics Bureau pointed to the terrible agony the hapless subjects would face if the experiment was terminated. The Chief of the Comparative Anatomy Department pointed out that the whole purpose of the experiments was to see if mankind could rise above their basic animalistic urges for conquest and dominance.

 

Finally the Chairman’s chair pulled back with a screech as he rose in the darkness. His Starbuck’s coffee cup stood at attention on the table. It sat alone without the refuse at each of the other chairs. A holographic screen descended as he pronounced, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. For thirty two minutes the stark reality of the experiment’s failure were portrayed. Shocking images of violence, greed and destruction of almost all living things in the little humanoid world brought the room to its knees. Hiding behind graphs and tables was no longer possible.

 

The vote was unanimous. The Chairman announced the termination order. The holographic images were vivid. In a few minutes all watched as dozens of meteors smashed into the Earth. The lights from the ceiling began a slow shift through the spectrum settling on a pale green. The room was now illuminated. The members slowly and speechlessly filed out of the room. Their spindly bodies trembled a bit and the small cubes at the top of their bodies glowed with activity as their memory banks worked to process and store all that just took place.

 

The Chairman was the last to leave. As he walked along the violet colored hallway he stepped into the Galactic Museum of History. In a corner, the small humanoid display was the focus of his interest. Thor was pictured in hologram form opening Thor and More, his barbecued deer chain. Beside him, he was pictured next to the bowling rock catapult and flaming spears. Sad. In the next section, the mushroom cloud and scorched earth were pictured along with the Star Trek’s Dr. Spock, giving a speech about the oddness of human emotion. Jimmy Carter handed out peanuts to the poor and Mother Theresa tended to the needs of her flock. He thought, “Odd, these humans”. He raised his cup in a final salute, “At least they gave us Starbuck’s coffee, so I guess the experiment was not a total loss”.