SCENE 1. DEBUT.
Moreau is at his home office, at his desk, pouting.
How could they do this to me, by force no less?
Bess sticks her head in the open upper French door, into Moreau’s office, she sees him looking down, depressed.
“What’s wrong, Moreau? You look terrible. Do you need a ride to relax?”
Moreau raises his head, suddenly feeling brighter with the thoughts from his friend, Bess.
“Actually, Bess, that’s a great idea, please take me for a ride.”
Moreau is feeling better, astride his psychologist and advisor. He enumerates the day’s events to her.
“Bess, I am out of ideas, I really don’t know what to do.”
“Make lemonade.”
“What?”
As Bess plods along the trail, she expounds her proposed solution to his problem.
“It’s a human expression that I like, ‘When life presents you with lemons, make lemonade’.
Moreau, consider everything that you still have control over:
Your Dungeon, your dedicated staff, your host animals, your ‘new creatures’.
You have already moved most of your ‘new creatures’ up to the mine and out of the reach of the company security force.
Safe, for now.
And what you can do with what you have:
The company has not terminated you, or your project, or products.
Yet.
Why don’t you hold your overdue debut and product introduction press conference?
Don’t ask for the board’s permission, just do it.”
…
Moreau peeks out from behind the curtain at the audience in the company conference room. The gallery is full, and the press personnel are murmuring to each other in their seats. Moreau turns to his students, dressed in their finest.
“You have been rehearsing, like I asked, haven’t you?”
Timmy, Lilac, and Sally all nod with their strange heads. Moreau smiles, cheered by their cartoon-like animation. He turns and walks out from behind the curtain to face his audience’s murmur.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Today is a great day. Today I will present the solution to the personnel shortage that has plagued our retirement communities, hospitals, recovery centers, schools, military, and others.”
Moreau notices the company’s board of directors standing along the rear wall of the hall. The chairman’s face is a bright scarlet, furious. Moreau continues.
“On your seats is a brochure that describes our new product line, and we will be introducing more products soon. Please note the product testimonials in the back of the brochure.”
“Tonight, I have arraigned entertainment for you while you read. Behold!”
The curtains open. Timmy is standing straight, with Lilac and Sally on each side, facing microphones. Moreau faces his students and raises his arms, as a conductor. The three ‘new creatures’ begin to sing,
‘a cappella’.
SCENE 2. PRODUCT.
Moreau is in the boardroom once again, facing another scolding for holding an unapproved product introduction. He is not listening to the board’s droning criticism, but congratulating himself for his idea to have the ‘new creatures’ sing.
Who knew that had such good singing voices, with as much trouble that they have with normal speech.
I would have gotten the boot if we hadn’t booked all of these product orders on presentation night. Fortunately for me, the owners are still after profits.
Moreau assures the board that he has products trained and ready to place, in homes, hospitals, and industry.
And the military, as he received a request for a proposal from his friend in the navy, from the expedition. This request from the military has him most worried, it is a mass order for custom ‘new creature’ dog-men and bull-men, for testing in various military assignments.
I know the military will like the Minotaurs, as they excel in defensive strategies and fortification designs. And the dog-men, as they follow any command for which they are physically capable. But, perhaps my navy friend would like to try a ‘new creature’ that may be better at ‘offensive’ strategies?
I wonder if I should tell him about the tiger-man.
SCENE 3. PRODUCTION.
Creation of the ‘new creatures’ has become more efficient, in time and resources. The Surrogate mothers and now able to accommodate several births at the same time and sacrifices of the hosts are now rare, allowing the established and successful surrogates to be repeatedly used.
But the big experiment, natural reproduction, is only now becoming a possibility as the first of the ‘new creatures’ reach physical and sexual maturity. Moreau plays matchmaker with species pairs. He started introducing the sexes together before their maturity, in hopes of establishing friendships, perhaps becoming lasting relationships. The organization of the schools helped with this, as they do for humans. Moreau had students of all ages, sexes, and species, together in classes. One consequence of his heterogeneous mixing, is that many of the ‘good friendships’ were cross-species. Prey-predator friendships are popular, not fearing, but enjoying, their differences.
Moreau grumbles, he watches as an antelope-girl with her foreleg wrapped with a lion-man’s, walks by in front of him. He speaks out loud and chastises them.
“Are you two trying to go ‘extinct’?”
…
Several species eventually do exhibit stronger drive for their species, the herd creatures, the goats, sheep, horses, and cows. The first natural births are announced and celebrated.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
I hope the ‘birth celebrations’ become a tradition. I guess with these small populations, it is too much to hope to preserve all the ‘varieties’ within the ‘species’ and just be satisfied that we got this far, to unaided natural reproduction.
As the numbers of the ‘new creatures’ increase, schools, vocational facilities and housing all are expanded beyond the company compound and into the town. As the ‘new creatures’ become physically mature enough, they are started in apprenticeships with the older generation.
The military takes them as soon as they are weened, wanting to do their style of training from the start. The youngsters can be seen running, marching, digging, and carrying wooden rifles around the parade grounds every day, rain or shine. Much of their supervision appears to be by androids, quadrupeds, and drones.
Moreau looks on, worried again about the future.
SCENE 4. EMPLOYEE.
Moreau gazes out from his lectern to his first class of thirty ‘new creature’ company employees, seated at desks. They are smartly dressed in the company uniforms designed to fit all sizes, as are the desks. They are wearing the company’s required silver neck collar, as is Moreau.
“Good afternoon. I am proud of you all, the first formal class of employees in your New World. I will be distributing a list of positions, both inside and outside the company. If you see one or more positions that you would like to explore, sign the interview roster, and you will be notified when your interview is scheduled.”
“I wish you all the best of luck, and I look forward to your reports.”
Clipboards with the lists of positions are circulated across the desks.
…
Moreau seeks the company's director of human resources.
“Does our company have a policy covering (human) employees on loan to other organizations?”
“As I understand, our robots are never sold, but always leased to clients, is there a standard contract for this.”
“You know about the ‘new creatures’. Can they be covered by either employment policy or lease policy to cover when they are placed in a vocational assignment for a client outside the company ?”
“Can we treat the ‘new creatures’ as ‘at will’ company employees, with a salary and benefits? Can we assure that they will not be required to take any assignment, or they can terminate any assignment, they feel is unsuitable, at any time, for any reason?”
The director suggests that Moreau writes his ideas in draft documents for leasing the ‘new creatures’ and employment policies that will govern the relationship between the ‘new creatures’ and the company, covering salary and benefits.
A more difficult question is dealing with the termination of employment of any ‘new creature’, as the ‘new creatures’ presently all live in company facilities and have nowhere else to go. Presently, the ‘new creatures’ are treated ‘de facto’ as company property.
Although the staff of the company’s human resources department and legal department disagree with the proposed policies covering the ‘new creatures’, they assist Moreau with the wording and completeness of his drafts.
Moreau looks down at the policy drafts.
Now all I have to do is convince ‘the board’.
SCENE 5. SLAVE.
Moreau is again facing the board of directors in the Inquisition chamber.
“Moreau, are you wearing that collar to mock us?”
“No, I am wearing the collar to show my respect for the ‘new creatures’.”
“Take if off. Now.”
Moreau unclasps and removes the collar, something the ‘new creatures’ cannot do with theirs.
“You asked us to consider these products as employees, with rights and benefits. Our answer to you on all issues of your request is not just no, but hell no.”
“After billions of dollars spent on this project, these creatures are the company's property exclusively, and 'property' has no rights. As of today, the board is assuming full control of this ‘creature servant’ project. You are immediately dismissed from further involvement with any part of it. If you violate our order, you will be terminated, with prejudice. My nephew has recently graduated from business school, he will be assuming your former position as project manager.”
“Your Dungeon is to be closed. The genetic manipulation apparatus will be left in The Dungeon as it is unnecessary, as the ‘creature products’ are fully functional and can reproduce naturally. The personnel will be moved to the old laboratory, where the production of the creature products has been moved. Adequate space is now available in that laboratory, as robot production has been moved from the Earth.”
Moreau stares at the board chairman, no longer concerned with his well-being, now that he has lost his life’s work.
“What will you have me do?”
“You will work with local law enforcement and other government agencies investigating the Ice Berg Gang murders. Law enforcement feels that the company has been uncooperative, destroying evidence, and hiding the details of what happened. You will provide daily reports on what you find.”
SCENE 6. MEDITATION.
Moreau walks through the piles of paper and office supplies on the floor of his home office. Moreau’s home and home office have been rifled by his company’s minions, greatly disturbing his family and neighbors.
I don’t keep any company materials here, and they know that, this is just harassment, to let me know where I stand.
The French door to Bess’s stall is closed, but he clearly can ‘hear’ her thoughts, calling him. He opens her top door, she thrusts her head into his office.
“Moreau! Are you okay?”
“Yeah, but it has been a rough day.”
“Let’s go riding. I think your friends from the company planted stuff in your office, and we need to talk, but not here.”
Moreau hears a knock at Bess’s door to the corral. Moreau walks out into Bess’s stall and opens the door. It is Ernie riding Dan.
“You brought over my boyfriend! Thank you, Ernie!”
Dan is carefully watching Bess, and is ready to run away if assaulted.
“Stop it, Bess, you’re scaring Dan, again.”
“It is good to see you Ernie, are you certain that you want to be seen with me? The company thinks I am radioactive.”
Moreau places a finger to his lips and points to his disturbed office, Ernie nods, understanding. Moreau places a saddle and bridle on Bess in silence, and the group rides out onto the trail to talk.
…
“What do I do now, Ernie? The chairman dismissed me from The Dungeon and put his idiot nephew in charge. All of my ‘new creatures’ are regarded by the company as 'property', as slaves.”
“I’m 'property'.”
“Bess, you are my trusty ‘at will’ employee. If there is somewhere else you would like to go, just ask.”
Ernie is amused at Moreau talking to his horse.
“We may have lost control over the ‘new creatures’ located at the company, but I think the company has forgotten about our beast-town in the mountains. I am glad that we moved as many as we did. No collars up there. Yet. Maybe we can smuggle a few more creatures out.”
“The vet from the zoo is still my friend, perhaps he will help us.”
“By the way, several marriages have taken place in the town, and we have a new generation on the way. They even built a chapel, and appointed me ‘Justice of the Peace’. I perform the wedding services, as well as arbitrate disputes.”
“The town has a few folks that were trained as medics, but the town could use a real doctor. Any interest in relocating there?”
“I’d love to, but I am being watched, and I don’t want the company goons following me there. And the board gave me the task of spying on The Ice Berg Gang. I don’t mind the assignment, as I have been curious about what our Ice Berg Gang was up to these last few years, but I didn’t have the time to follow up until now.”
“Apparently, something attributed to them has been killing people.”
End of Chapter 14.