People in charge with the Matusalem project unanimously decided: they have to check the public reaction before going ahead and try to experiment on human volunteers. The moral issue was too important for all mankind to just take chances and try it before hand. And as they have all agreed, the need for volunteers will be publicized in the most extensive possible manner, so that everybody will have an equal chance to volunteer. This decision was unanimously taken as the only way to know for sure how people will react to the possibility to increase their life span. Only the time will tell what the outcome will be, and what future the Matusalem project will have.

 

“Extra, Extra! The “Matusalem” project is looking for volunteers to live longer and prosper”, a young kid was yelling at people exiting the movie theater in Palo Alto, handing them flyers with the internet address to apply for. And the same scene was present all around the country, announcing in this manner the event. Everybody knew from Internet and the TV news channels about the volunteering for the project, but nobody was expecting to be publicized this way, thinking of a more private and discreet approach.

 

Looking at what the flyers were saying you could easily see the wide media event intent hidden there. I remember myself reading one of those over exposed flyers:

 

“Would you like to live longer and prosper? Would you like to have a long list of grand children and grand, grand, grand children behind? Be then a Volunteer for the Matusalem project and you will have this chance, living 3 times over your actual life………….” and the flyer continued on this commercialized tone all throughout the end, giving the address were everybody interested can drop by. No scientific mentioning of any kind was there, proving again the hidden agenda present there.

 

It was a very good reason for all this, a reason only the very few working on the project knew. People behind the project have decided to make this largely publicized in order to see the general reaction people will have to a much extended living. Otherwise only an elite of the chosen few will volunteer, to their own advantage, and nobody will be able to assess the real impact the extended life scenario will have on people and the society at large. They very well knew, this is the only way they can be sure of the impact their project will have on people and their future behavior. Their approach on the matter was very wise indeed, and suggested by the ones knowing how powerful man’s instincts really are, in spite of his separation from primates.

 

But nobody outside this narrow circle knew about this, so a make believe show had to be put in place from behind in order to cover the real with a foe. Many such adds will make the subject of the daytime news on TV, being also spread on Internet, all as a very orchestrated show to make people believe in something larger than themselves and to get out of the hypnotic trance, still existent at the time, that you have to be famous and money loaded in order to have access to a better life. This vision has to be totally uprooted, in order for man to really appreciate man, and for all mankind to become a heartfelt united entity.

 

President Mitchell was helping in building this new vision, limiting the earnings of all those living in America - Americans or otherwise – and asking them all to equally participate in the Broadband Project. America was trying hard not to have rich and poor anymore, but the old vision was still lingering among some few. Those few had to be cured of their narrow vision and the selfish pride dwelling in their hearts. The new concept was based on the total equanimity and an equal respect for all mankind’s members, as well as for man’s environment as a whole.

 

All others outside the American borders were really scared this will spread in their neighborhood, making them “nakedly exposed” to their own people. That’s why the leaders of Russia, China, South America, Iran, parts of Europe, and other several countries, were vehemently trying to convince the world at large to stick with their old vision of money, power, and greed. But it was very hard even for them, because their money couldn’t buy much, due to the narrow market they were forced to deal in, and the fact their products were not in big deal of demand anymore. The world was obviously changing, but they have decided to be blind to it.

 

Mankind’s wise ones have realized from quite some time now that money, gold, diamonds, oil, etc. won’t mean a thing when man and mankind is about to be extinct. That’s why the wise man doings of late in those special countries were done in a totally protected manner, scrutinizing on daily basis what people and the world at large are thinking, and what their reaction to media events is. A very well orchestrated media handling apparatus was there to actually help the protection stay intact in place. But people and the world at large didn’t know of this, thinking of themselves mostly and trying to mold the world around in their own image.

This selfish and narrow vision had to be changed!

 

***

 

“Look at those huge crowds!” Cecile is addressing to all other students present in the biogenetic GLab inside the Future Technologies Institute, in Palo Alto. They were all astonished by the enormous crowd waiting outside to volunteer for the experiment.

“Yeah! We were right to conduct such a media research test”, Erick is enforcing Cecile’s words, looking at all his colleges with a long face.

“We have to tell them the need for volunteers has being canceled, and ask them to go home”, Stephanie is addressing to Mark Wells, their GLab Prof.

“Yeah! We have to”, Mark said, to continue after a pause………….

“And according with what I hear on the phone from other GLabs working on the project, the situation is the same all across America. As it looks, people will do anything to extend their life span. We surely didn’t predict this, but others did, suggesting us to do what we did.” With these final remarks he went out the room to ask the people in charge to make the cancellation announcement. The message all across America from authorities was unanimous: Cancel it!

 

The response to the wide advertised need of volunteers for the Matusalem experiment was tremendously high, showing how right the ones working behind the scene were about predicting the impact the potential of a very extensive living will have on people. When the crowds in different places all around the country were told the need for volunteers has been canceled, they started to behave aggressively, asking for local police forces to be dispatched in large numbers in order to disburse them. For those working on the project the picture was clear now: there is no way to make such an experiment public without having serious damaging effects on all living and the society at large.

 

It was only one way to convince the public about giving up on such ambitious and much desired living scenario: showing clear proofs is not worth it to take the chance. For that to happen, the ones working on the project should be the only ones qualified to try it on themselves and see what happens. If they will succeed, only a few will know of the outcome, and nobody else, and the public will know otherwise. If they won’t succeed, then this will truly show their dedication toward the wellbeing of all mankind has no limits.

 

Either way you look at it, the best candidates for this experiment were the ones actually working on it indeed, hiding the results by a reverse psychology in the first case, and going public in exposing the high risks involved in the second. This wise and noble approach was the best envisioned way to avoid farther social aggravations. After what they have seen happened with the people volunteering for the Matusalem experiment, the final decision was taken: only those working for the project will be the ones to volunteer, and only with their own accord. If the experiment will be a success or a failure will have to be seen. In either case they will end up as mankind’s heroes to be remembered throughout generations to come.

 

The announcement was made public 3 days later, saying:

 

“Due to the high risk involved in the Matusalem project, the ones to volunteer for the experiment will be those working on the project. This decision was taken for the sake of science and the safety of those outside the project. The public will be kept informed with the developments as they will unfold. Our hearts go with those brave volunteers taking the risk of trying to make man's live longer.”

 

***

 

Stephanie, Erick and Cecile, as well as some many others working on the Matusalem project in their GLab, all around the country and outside of it, were among the ones who accepted to be inoculated with the super-compressed human genome. Laying down on the tables inside the GLab’s special room, they were ready to take a lip of trust in their amazing discovery. All others like them were doing the same inside their GLabs, all around the country, as well as outside of the U.S.

 

“Ready for the trill?” Mark Wells is asking them, standing by with all others present there. You could see on his face the slight tension building up inside him.

“Yeah, we are ready!” they all answered in a calm tone. Those youngsters were surely having a total trust in the experiment they were working on. 

“Alright, we will proceed then”, Mark said, and a red light just started flashing inside and outside of the room. It was the moment of no return!

 

A minute later the serum was inoculated through an intra-venous shot, and everybody was waiting there to see their reaction. Their body was totally still, their eyes wide open looking to the ceiling. They were a little too motionless to be right, and looking at them from up close you could clearly see……….they were in coma.

 

“Everybody out!” a voice was heard in the room, making everybody there wondering about what is going on and leaving the room in a rush. Couple of seconds later an old man was entering the empty room. Without having any doctor garment on him, he just administrates a shot to all present there on the table, making a sign with his head right after toward the entrance in front of him. Several people were entering the room short after to remove all the young bodies laying down there. One minute later nobody was there but an empty room.

 

Next day the sad news was all across the country about those who volunteer for the Matusalem project:

 

“We have a sad announcement to make! After a short overnight coma, all the people inoculated with the super-compressed genome died next following day. Their body has rejected the new super-compressed genome, producing a chain reaction and making all the cells in their body to instantly lose their proper functions. They were all post mortem awarded with the first class Purple Heart by the President. Their courage will be always treasured!”

 

The sad news was transmitted on all the TV stations, as well as the Internet, and all Americans, all around the country, were stunned by the death of those youngsters, thinking what it would have happened with them if they would have been picked as volunteers. The same tragedy was taking place with the ones working on the project outside the U.S., but their identity was kept in total secrecy, for the sake of times the world was living in.

 

The Matusalem project failed miserably indeed, leaving behind a trail of broken hearts and dreams. All the ones sacrificing their lives for the future of mankind were declared national heroes, and their bodies were cremated on governmental grounds, without any possible request for family members to be released to them. Nobody ever heard from them and the Matusalem project since, and all the GLabs working on the project were retrofitted to work on other biogenetic projects at hand. The project was scrapped and forgotten.

 

Yeah!, the 4^th and the 5th Prophetic years were the “monkey years” indeed, were people all across America were wondering about what it will become of them in the years ahead. Some of them were vocalizing their discontent via Internet or in the street, but they all knew, in the end they will have to give up and go with the flow. Some of those, trying to take their discontent a step farther and become aggressive, were either jailed, or, as the rumor has it, they just disappeared without a trace.

 

But most of the GLabs projects were a success, and put to use in the most wonderful way. Such projects as the CarboGel, Hydro-fuel, and many others working on alternative fuels are among those. Then were some biogenetic projects which did actually totally eradicate some very known diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, breast cancer in women, and many minor others. Some other projects were improving human life in an amazing manner like the teeth growing genomic implants – a genetic discovery able to graft teeth buds in your gums which will later grow as new regular teeth; the replacement of body organs – biogenetically grown from stem cells; or genetic healings and tumors removal from the inside of the body by gene transplants in specific inside body locations, etc.

 

With such successful technologies in place the GLabs projects were highly regarded, in spite of some isolated failures down the road. So the two “monkey years” were showing to man his monkey side indeed, but the man side was very much alive and well. That’s why the government was monitoring all those GLabs’ projects with a keen eye, trying to inspire confidence in their future doings. The message was clear: there is no other way for man to continue with the living and prosper except through a patient and heartfelt work and trust in his future!

 

***

 

“Where are we?”, the three youngsters laying down in their beds were asking themselves when they woke up in the middle of a room shining in a strange silvery light, giving them a very pleasant feeling of warmth and protection. They were totally free to move in their comfortable beds, each molded after the shape of their body. None of them was attached to any devices or such, being totally free to move in their beds and outside them. Stephanie was the first moving out from the bed. Erick and Cecile were next to wake up and remember.

 

“Where are we?” they asked themselves loudly this time, looking at their light clothing they were wearing. Prospecting the room they have shortly realized, there was no exit door anywhere to get them out of the room, everything being so smoothly around them as one single solid piece of what it looked like a Dome. The silvery shining light was coming from the material of the Dome itself, but there was no door anywhere inside.

 

When they were just thinking of losing any hope to get out from there, a small opening in the dome, just wide enough to let them through, suddenly appear, inspiring them to go through it. Going through the door they found themselves inside of a dome shaped tunnel made of the same kind of seamless and shinny material. When the last one of them went through, the small opening behind them just closed in. Walking through the tunnel couple of yards or so, they were suddenly unable to move. Just couple of feet from one another, and kind of scare this time, they were not even able to talk. A silvery steaming compound started to rise from the floor beneath their feet, to engulf them a short while after. It felt warm and soft. Short after that a warm breeze blew their light garments away, leaving them naked inside that silvery and warm compound.

 

A little while later the foam was turning harder on them, molding on their naked body and taking the shape of it. Soon enough all three were dressed into a silvery suit, fitting them in the best possible way. An opening above each one’s head just appeared, and the same silvery compound still pouring from the floor started to go up through the three separate tunnels now opened above their head. At the end of the tunnel a very slim light was telling them that’s the way out.

 

Couple of seconds after the fluffy compound started swirling around them, pushing them slowly up through the tunnel. The swirl was gaining speed, to become like a tornado in a short while, having them right in the middle of it. But in the middle where they were was totally still, and in no way affected by the swirl. They kept on being lifted up slowly up to a certain height, when all of a sudden they were pushed up with an incremented speed all the way to the top of the tunnel where they were finally released on their own in the higher skies. Finding themselves up in the middle of the sky was giving them shivers on the spine for a short instant, until they suddenly realized, the suits they were having are holding them in total levitation. Soon enough they will discover how to use those suits for their own superman delight. Many others like them where there, all flying around like human birds in the sky.

 

They knew rightaway where they are, and they suddenly recall all their life events up to that point. The Matusalem project was a total success, but not to be told as such to the world they left behind. They are tri-centennial beings now, but the world at large didn’t know of this, only the ones here were entitled to know. Maneuvering their suits with skilful talent, all three were ready to share with all others the new life ahead.

 

The sky was crowded with people dressed in those suites, and a strange flying sphere was present there, glowing in the same silvery color present inside the dome they’ve just left. They knew right away, this is the Sphere of Perfection, were all the possible knowledge is. The Sphere was aware of everything and everybody present there, blessing them all with infinite wisdom. All that IT was there was part and the same with this wisdom………….as a mindscape in harmony with itself.

 

Everything existing there was glowing in the same silvery color, which was the light of Bliss disbursed in a heartfelt manner all around and deep inside everyone. Everything inside the protective shield present there was perfect in nature, and no dimensions were precisely defined in that place except that of mind, which was infinite. Due to this special existential status, the dualities existent in the former world of man were not present here, and the S/O separation was unknown among those living inside the compound.

 

The access in and out of the Sphere was accomplished by a perfect synchronization of mindful manner. That explains how the concern of Stephanie and her friends was triggering the door to appear in that very instance. The Sphere knew through their thoughts how to react in order to fulfill their wish. Everything was working in this manner inside that secret place, known from the ones outside of it as “the Abyss”. From the outside it was an inaccessible Abyss indeed, to turn into an omniscient and all pervading Bliss for the ones living inside it.

 

  

Prior     To be Continued.............     Next