Pd.+3+--+Group+2

Story of Colleen O., Maura M., Ryan Christian, Hilary W., and Rachel F.


 * __Identity Download__**

"I hope you know that I'm going to fight you every step of the way on this issue, Mark."

"Sorry Jack, but my team is already presenting this idea to Congress later in the week, and it looks like they're gonna like it. With the President on our side, you're going to have a hard time slowing this project down." Mark beared his awful, condescending smile. Jack tried to come up with something witty to say, so that he could make his point to Mark and every other big shot in that terrible corporation. Jack knew deep down that this project could ruin the standard of living around the world. Before Jack could conjure up anything, Mark patted him on the shoulder and said, "We'll download you first, as our trial run. That way, if it doesn't work, there is no big loss." Mark's barreling laughter echoed in Jack's ears.

No one treats Dr. Jack Temple that way. He had a doctorate from MIT, and had reaason to believe that Mark's company, Identity Download inc., could create a world-wide crisis. This project was one of several attempts at creating eternal life. Technological advances made it possible for people to download their thoughts and memories into a computer, theoretically allowing them to live forever. The idea behind this technology was that even if someone's body was gone, they could still think on their own.

The Presidental elecion of 2064 left the country with a leader who thought this process was the most incredible thing since sliced bread. Jack raged with anger when he thought about this. It seemed like no one else in the entire world saw the dangers in this situation. No one was asking the important questions. What happens if someone's thoughts or memories get erased? What if someone important dies? Would someone else be deemed less important and therefore sacraficial for the "greater good" so that another brain can be downloaded into their body?

Going home that night, Jack felt utterly defeated. He reflected on his past and contemplated the future. What had happened to Mark? Once, they had been such great friends. How did it get this way? The questions seemed endless, whirling around in his head. A voice interrupted his thinking. "Call from Mark. Call from Mark." Jack hesitantly answered the call, hoping Mark would be apologizing for his behavior. He wasn't.

"I was thinking about what I said earlier today, and my idea is brilliant. Why don't you come on down to the office early next week and we'll do a small trial run." Mark always bluntly stated what was on his mind. "I don't think I want to have my memories and thoughts transferred into a computer where everyone can see them." Jack could feel his heart pounding and blood pressure rising. "Congress hasn't even approved your plan yet! I'm not coming. You'll have to find someone else. I'm sure there are many willing volunteers." Mark's laughter echoed through the house. "You always did have a great sense of humor, Jack! I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. Come to my office. 9:00 am. Monday." Mark waited for Jack to reply, but when no snide remark came forth, he added, "By the way, I don't think my company will have any problems convincing Congress to approve the plan. And I'm sure they will be excited to hear you want to be first. See ya' around, Jack." Silence filled his house.

"I need a soda." Jack always needed a soda when he was depressed and upset. He walked out into his garage, only to be greeted by a blinding light. When his eyesight was finally restored, he saw, right beside his new red convertible, a huge metal box large enough to contain a horse. Suddenly, a door opened. A woman walked out. She had an hour-glass shape and a tiny waist, she was about 5' 4'', and her long dark brown hair was pulled back in a pony-tail. Her hazel eyes glimmered in the dim light. The only obvious difference was the clothing she was wearing. She wore a skin tight black leather outfit that looked as if she had come straight out of Aeon Flux. Jack stood holding the fridge door open, gaping from astonishment. "Hi, I'm Jenna, and you're Jack. Let's go inside." Jack's feet followed her, and he followed his feet, still dumbfounded and not understanding why he was letting this strange woman into his house. Jenna took out the coffee pot and handed a cup to Jack. She had something to tell him, but it could wait until he wasn't as stunned about the whole ordeal. "If I told you now, you would probably faint." After drinking the coffee, Jack felt revived and ready for anything. He was still craving a soda, but he really didn't want to go back to the garage, for fear of what might be there this time.

Jenna sat down at the kitchen table. "Are you ready to hear my story?" "I guess." "Listen to my whole story before you say anything." She cleared her throat before continuing. "I'm from 2 million years ago. This may seem hard to believe, but I will explain how it's possible. In my time, man was creating a mega-computer. People were beginning to store history, citizens' memories, and any idea ever created into the computer to create a sort of eternal life. The people of my time were becoming so connected that they lost their identity. No one really knew who they were anymore, because they were so caught up in everyone elses' lives. I forsaw a problem. The computer contained a glitch. No one would listen to me when I said that it would crash. So, I stole a time machine. I didn't want to go back and change the past for fear of what I might destroy, but I realized that I could re-write the future. I began monitoring the time we are in right now, 2064, to see what is happening. I noticed that the people of your time are doing the same exact thing. I had a realization. How many times before has mankind done this? By how much does our history differ each time? We will never know, because every time the computer crashes, all of our history is lost.

"Now, where do you come in, Jack Temple? I realized, while monitoring the present, that you do not agree with this new system. Your gut is telling you not to follow this plan. I arranged to arrive at the opportune time. By stating my position, I won your trust easily, and by waiting until the last possible moment, you have seen Mark's plan begin to unfold. You know that I am telling the truth. If we don't stop this, what will happen to mankind? I will tell you. The same thing that has happened who-knows-how-many times before. I'm here to help you. Are you willing to accept my offer?" She appeared to be holding her breath.

Jack was speechless. His mind was a confusion of thoughts. She's from the past? It took a moment for him to speak because there were too many questions whirling around in his head. He decided to proritize and ask the most obvious question first. "If there were computers in the past, then why did we have to invent them again. I'm confused." Jenna sighed, "Well, it's because of everything I just told you! When the virus wiped the system, no one was left with any memories or knowledge. Basic survival instincts were all that anyone had. So, everyone was living in a world that was too advanced for them. Eventually, the buildings fell down and the computers disintegrated. People began living like cavemen and had to work their way back to a higher technological planet. Now, society around the world is very technologically advanced again, but I'm worried the same mistake could be made." "Wh..Wha...What can I do?" "You can help me destroy Mark's plans by informing the public of the imminent disaster."

Suddenly, the television was blaring a loud news report. It took Jack a moment to realize that Jenna must have turned it on. "What are you..?" Jack started. Jenna's outburst scared him into silence. "Shh!" "People of America. I have come up with a brilliant invention and I would love for every one of you to be a part of it. Tommrow evening at 6 o'clock, I will be discussing how this new branch of technology will most certainly change your life. Be sure to watch!" Mark winked and the camera shut off.

"You see? His plan is already being put into effect! Congress will surely approve his plan by the end of the week, and people will be lining up to copy and paste their brains into a computer." Jenna's eyes were wide with anger. "How will we begin to let the public know?" Jenna looked at him, a determined look on her face. "We must let the leaders know. Then, they can speak to the scientific community. Maybe the 'geniuses' of your time will actually listen."

Jack and Jenna stayed up all night formulating a plan. They thought of anything and everything that might help them get out of this mess. At one point, Jack wanted to have both of them leave in the time machine, but Jenna refused to watch as the world self-destructed for a second time. Eventually, they came up with a plan that might work. Jenna would use the time machine to her advantage for a second time. She would travel into the future a few hours, and go down to the lab at Identity Download before Mark or any other workers were there. She would bug some of the stuff they had, in hopes of delaying their progress and preventing them from starting the transfer of identities. While she was working, Jack had to inform the President, Congress, and the world of all of the cons of Mark's plan. He had to convey Jenna's message without actually telling everyone about his newly befriended time traveler.

The next morning, both rose early and began preparations. Jenna helped Jack create a speech for his meeting with the President and Congress. Various calls had been made and some arms had been twisted to get him a meeting later in the day. It had not been too hard, considering Jack's good reputation in the scientific community. Jenna left later in the morning to deal with Mark's company. Jack was on his own.

When he arrived at the White House, Jack's heart was pounding. He replayed the lines he would recite over and over again in his head. The only problem was that he didn't know what the President had practiced to recite. Would he believe Jack, or would he just blow him off like it seemed everyone had done to Jenna? He could only hope the President's answer would correspond with his plan. "The President is now ready to see you."

The machine finally landed. Jenna slowly opened the door, hoping her calculations had been right. She was in a forest right near the Identity Download plant. Perfect. Stealthily, she moved toward the plant. Guards were posted outside the door. She looked for an opening, and quickly found a small window, out of range of the guards' watchful eyes. She inched toward the plant and jumped through the window.

"Mr. President, I want to speak with you about an urgent matter." "Go on." The President did not seem to be in a good mood. "I am sure you have heard of the Identity Download operation. I have reason to believe it may fail." "Really. Well, we do have the best scientists working on it." "Yes, Mr. President, I understand. I was looking at some of the basic calculations from the project, and it appears that there is a very likely chance that there could be a glitch in the main computer. If we continue to process our information on the hard drive, it could fail. We would quickly lose all of our history, ideas, thoughts, technology - everything. We can't control history with a computer that has a problem." "Well, no of course not. That would be horrible." The President's face changed from boredom to annoyance. "I am not even going to ask for your calculations of the problem. I have heard from numerous scientists that this project is ready to go. I expect Congress to approve it this afternoon. It's all in the works. I'm sorry, Mr. Temple, but there is nothing that needs to be changed." "Mr. President..." "Mr. Temple, I have listened to what you have to say. Please be respectful of my time and let me do the rest of my work. Thank you." Jack turned around and stormed out of the building.

Darkness met her as she landed. Silence. Jenna found herself in a room full of wires and metal boxes - the main computer. Guards were just outside the room. It was a good thing no one expected an infiltration. She hooked bugs on the underside of various components. "Cross your fingers," she muttered to the darkness. Jumping out the window, Jenna ran back to the machine.

"If the President won't listen, we don't have much of a choice, do we?" Jenna had been waiting for Jack when he came back. She knew right away that the meeting had not gone well. "We have to let the public know. It's the only chance we have of turning this project around."

The next day Jack decided it was time to take __//real//__ action. He was tired of all the planning and not seeing anything happen. He told Jenna that he had scheduled a TV announcment on the 6 o'clock news warning people aganist this so called "brilliant idea". He wanted to tell America that it was wrong to put everyones' personal thoughts into a computer. When 6 o'clock rolled around, Jack stood in front of a green screen ready to speak the truth, no matter how unhappy Mark was going to be. He knew it was right and he didn't want to see all of America's population wiped out. The interview went worse than he thought it would. To top it all off, after his announcement, Jack got a phone call from the President, telling him that he was out of line. "If you decide to make a fool out of yourself again, do it in private!" Jack hung up with dissapointment and called Jenna.  "Why doesn't anyone belive me?" Jack said.  "Because people are so caught up with all this new technology they forget to take a step back and see how much damage it can cause." "Well, hopefully they will realize before it's too late." Jack replied, worried. "Did you tamper with the lab equipment?" "Yes, and it should keep them busy for a while." "So now what?" asked Jack. "What is left to do?" "We could go back to the lab and totally destroy the equiptment. The risk of us not making it out alive is high, but I'm out of non-risky ideas." "Okay, we'll plan to do that tomorrow. I think tampering with the computer will be enough to distract them for now," added Jack.

Little did Jack realize, that statement would be one that he regretted for the rest of his life. When he awoke the next morning, Jenna was already in his house with the TV on, watching the news. "You're going to want to see this..." She sounded anxious. They could only both stare in disbelief as they watched C-Span. Congress approved the bill. Mark's company said that they were good to go and would begin downloading identities the next day.

"I need to use the time machine to look at the lab and see if they fixed the computer,"Jenna said. She was gone in a minute. Jack couldn't tear himself away from the TV until Jenna came back. When she did, Jenna looked pale. She sat down on the couch and remained silent. It was a while until she spoke. "It's our fault. My tampering...it...it caused a glitch. But they don't notice yet. Our tampering is what will ultimately ruin society! With them starting tomorrow, there will be people in the lab 24/7, preparing. There's nothing we can do! What should we do?!? Even a time machine can't solve this." Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. He somehow found himself saying, "Now we wait. We wait, and watch, and hope that they figure it out before it's too late. Because God knows after everything I did to try to stop this, they wouldn't listen to my warning." "I'm sorry, Jack. I ruined it all." A sorrowful silence filled the room. "You could come back with me if you want." "No, I had better stay here. It is destiny." "Ok. Good luck, Jack." Jenna stepped into the time machine. She gone as quickly as she had come. Silence.

Jack sat motionless in his family room. He didn't know how much time had passed while he was thinking. All he knew was that he had finally reached a conclusion. He was still walking around his house like a zombie, unable to comprehend how their error would lead to the downfall of society. "I can't live with myself knowing I caused this," he whispered. Then he realized that this would either end with him dying or being whipped of his identity forever. So why not cause the inevitable and save himself some shame and guilt? Jack knew he couldn't live with himself, so he decided he wouldn't. Once he made a decision, there was no stopping him. Jack Temple took matters into his own hands, and listened to the silence that accompanied the deepest sleep he would every fall into, one he would never awake from.