Page 94 of Dark Island: Rescue
NAVUH
The young man standing in Navuh's office looked nothing like what he'd expected from Doctor Petrov's assistant. Where Petrov was wild-eyed and disheveled, Dmitri Volkov was neat and composed. Late twenties in appearance, dark hair combed back, intelligent eyes that assessed the room with interest, cataloguing everything. His clothing was almost ragged, but he carried himself with confidence.
Navuh leaned back in his chair, studying the newcomer. Losham sat to his right, a leather portfolio open in front of him, ready to take notes during what was ostensibly an interview but was really an evaluation.
"Doctor Volkov," Navuh began. "Thank you for agreeing to join Doctor Petrov's research team."
"It wasn't much of an agreement." Dmitri's English was accented but clear. "More of a rescue, really. Thank you for getting me out of the labor camp."
Interesting. Direct and honest rather than obsequious. Navuh appreciated that.
"Tell me a little about your background." Navuh motioned at the chair across from Losham. "Doctor Petrov vouches for you, but I like to know who I'm hiring."
"I have a doctorate in neuroscience from Moscow University. Specialized in consciousness studies and neural plasticity. I met Konstantin, I mean Doctor Petrov, when he chose me to assist him on a classified military project five years ago."
"What kind of military project was that?" Losham asked.
"Enhanced cognition protocols. The Russian government wanted to create soldiers with improved processing speed and faster reaction times."
That was interesting. "What were the results of the project?" Navuh asked.
Dmitri's expression remained neutral, but a flicker of unease drifted through his eyes. "The project was problematic."
"How so?" Navuh watched the man's face carefully.
"We were experimenting with consciousness transfer. We networked forty-seven rat brains together and then attempted to upload a man's consciousness into the collective rat mind. It worked for a few hours, but then his consciousness began to fragment. The authorities called the experiment unethical despite the fact that the man volunteered and was approved for experimentation because he was a murderer scheduled for execution. They claimed that we misrepresented the methods of our experiment."
"Did you?" Navuh asked.
Dmitri shrugged. "Doctor Petrov submitted the request, and he might have been unclear about what he intended, but I believe that they just didn't understand what he was trying to do. It's also possible that someone higher up wasn't happy with what we were doing and wished to terminate the project. Petrov was sent to the asylum, and I was sent to prison and then to a labor camp. When your representative showed up with release papers for me, I thought I was dreaming."
Gorchenco hadn't provided details about his methods of releasing Petrov from the insane asylum and Dmitri from the labor camp, and Navuh hadn't asked. It wasn't important. What was important, however, was this new information about the two having no moral problems with the subjects they were working with.
"And now you're here," Navuh said, "to work on a project that sounds remarkably similar to the one that got you arrested."
"With significant differences." Dmitri didn't flinch from the observation. "The Russian project was about enhancement within normal human parameters. From what I was told so far, this project involves something much more advanced. Consciousness merging. Hive mind formation. That's entirely different territory."
"It is." Navuh leaned back in his chair. "The consciousness merging was a side effect Doctor Zhao hadn't expected, and there are advantages and disadvantages to it. That's one of the things I want you and Petrov to figure out. But if you failed with a much simpler project, what makes you think that you will succeed with a more complicated one?"
"I've had a lot of time to think about what went wrong, and I think I figured it out. Doctor Zhao avoided the same pitfall by experimenting on people instead of rats, and he made a quantum leap forward. We are not talking about a simple enhancement. This is an unimaginable transformation that opens an entirely new frontier in human development."
Navuh smiled at the young man. "So, you have no moral dilemma about proceeding with the program?"
"I didn't say that. It's highly unethical, but the damage has already been done, and Doctor Petrov and I were brought in to salvage what's possible."
The damaged goods were probably beyond salvage, and Petrov wanted to start from scratch with a new group of test subjects who hadn't been damaged yet. It seemed that he hadn't had time to update his assistant on the full scope of their project.
"Your honesty is refreshing," Navuh said. "Though perhaps unwise."
"I believe that lying would be more unwise." Dmitri's tone was pragmatic. "I'm a scientist who was rotting in Siberia. You gave me a second chance. I intend to earn it by being useful in any way I can, even if it means uncomfortable truths. If you only wanted reassurance, you wouldn't have bothered interviewing me personally."
Smart. Very smart. Navuh could see why Petrov had insisted on retrieving this particular assistant.
"That's an astute observation. You represent a significant investment, Dmitri. Tell me why you are worth it."
"That depends on what you need. If you need someone to tell you the enhancement project is perfectlysafe and proceeding according to plan, I'm worthless. If you need someone to identify problems before they become catastrophic, I'm invaluable."
Losham cleared his throat. "Doctor Petrov's research notes are dense. Can you actually understand his work?"
