Superbaby

The walk through the cold and plain building brought us to an area with a series of doors with names on them. Each indicated the name of a person with a series of initials that showed a high level of education. 

However, there was no speciality indicated.

I had been in enough scientific institutions to know that this was unusual. But again, I had never been to a clandestine one.

"These are the offices of our specialists," Kyle said. "We have hired some of the best minds for the study. Most do not like to participate in the lab work and prefer to deal with the theoretical aspects."

I wanted to roll my eyes again because he had said absolutely nothing.

"Who is 'we', and what are you working on?" I decided to ask directly. 

Kyle's eyes sparkled once again. "Patience, Katie. We are almost there."

I almost sighed, but I continued trailing after him until we reached an office with his name. Unlike the others, Kyle's office seemed to be in a separate area, almost centralised. When he opened the door with a series of biometric scans, I found it was indeed the case.

Apart from the primary wall with the door, the rest of the office was made of glass. Moreover, the glass overlooked a large-scale lab that looked like something out of a science fiction novel.

Or perhaps, a horror movie…

I walked closer to the window and looked at the lab with keen eyes.

Numerous people were working in the stark space in white coats and safety glasses. The atmosphere was quite serious but made eerie by the fact that Kyle's office was overlooking the lab from a high vantage point.

It was more of an observation deck than an office. 

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Kyle spoke from behind me, his breath right over my ear. 

I shrank my head away immediately from the tickling feeling. He did not touch me, but his presence behind me was like a heavy weight. It was both warm and oppressive. I suppose that I was just chilly, so I found the presence of this mad scientist comforting. 

Or maybe, I had just lost it finally. 

"I like to call this the Superbaby Project," Kyle said with an obvious smile in his voice. 

His voice was not too deep, but it had a certain comforting timbre. It made me think that he would be a wonderful musician if he decided to change careers. 

Yeah, I had definitely lost it.

I understood what Kyle meant almost immediately. If it were truly the case, Kyle was not just the head of a research lab. He was part of a nefarious project that could only be justified by those who sought a society that belonged in an alternate timeline. 

A place where the future generation was made of designer babies…

Designed people…

This kind of person was not only mad. They also lacked the understanding of humanity as more than any other species on earth. Sure, humans were animals, but their consciousness made it necessary to think beyond genetic characteristics. 

Or perhaps, the vegans were right to assume every animal has consciousness. 

However, the consciousness of humans was different because it made them capable of good or bad on an unimaginable scale. Therefore, when the genetics were designed for perfection without consideration of this consciousness, the results could be disastrous. 

Of course, this was not me discounting the existence of the soul among those who were genetically engineered. If a soul does exist, it would be the breath in the human body and the memories formed, regardless of their origin. 

Unfortunately, those who were behind this type of research would hardly be compelled to instil humanity in the offspring. And that was a critical part of what was considered good in a soul.

So, yes, I had lost it when I felt that Kyle's warmth was reassuring in this scary environment. 

"You are talking about eugenics," I replied, still looking at the lab and the technicians hard at work. 

"Think bigger, Katie," Kyle said before stepping back from behind me. 

I turned to face him. His eyes were sparkling again, but this time, there was no madness. It was something different. Intelligence. He looked like someone who could see beyond my small mind. 

I decided to indulge him and think bigger. 

After all, I had done the same for the Kingmaker. 

"A lot of interest in fertility technology in the past was focused on eugenics, or at least, a version of it. The proponents insisted that they were interested in having children free from genetic issues that would lead to diseases and disorders." I spoke.

"Of course, anyone with a brain could see that eugenic proponents were also interested in the ancestry of the offspring. The primary criticism of eugenics is the obvious scientific racism in it."

I looked at Kyle and saw that he looked a little bored. 

It almost made me smile with amusement at his open peculiarities.

"Naturally, I would assume you have no interest in human beings and would not be interested in something so pedestrian as the social implications of the so-called Superbaby Project. I think you are more likely to want to eliminate the human element altogether." I continued. 

Kyle immediately perked up with interest, the sparkle returning to his eyes. 

It was not a random guess on my part. As I have said, I do have a sense of human beings and can see through their minds and motivations. Despite my obvious crossed wires with Kyle, I could see his true nature. 

It was not someone who would value people.

He thought of humans as playthings, not worthy of his attention. 

Such a person was likely to dislike the sanctity of life as understood by people like the Kingmaker and other religious people. He would even set out to make sure he destroyed the belief that life could only come through the creator's design. 

"Go on, Katie," Kyle said with a soft, almost seductive drawl. 

"I assume that the funders of this project are pronatalists with narcissistic personalities. They are not only interested in genetically perfect babies. They probably also want to have as many children as possible as part of their legacy." 

I do not forget to make air quotes on "legacy" because I do not believe most of those who say they want a legacy care much for their children. Most consider their children as an extension of themselves, denying them autonomy. 

"The only issue with this kind of pronatalism is the limitation of the female body. Even with surrogacy, the mass production of children is problematic because of finding willing women, regardless of the financial compensation."

"Therefore, Kyle, I think your true pet project is the production of artificial wombs. If artificial wombs could be created, it would mean an entire warehouse of babies growing like animals or plants on a large scale."