Panchaea
From the broadcast room, Adam stared out the window at the vast expanse of the ocean. The span of blue water stretched in every direction, impenetrable and entirely unpredictable, mocking him in its infinity. The sea churned and glittered under the tinkling stretch of the sun's last rays. The dusky orange orb was melting into the horizon, slowly being swallowed by the ocean's inky darkness.
Adam watched the clouds roll in as the wind increased in strength and veered into the sea. It whipped the tops of the waves into a graceful plume of curling spray.
Below the surface, the sinuous movement of the currents flowed in a perpetual motion. For an invisible force, the currents exerted enormous influence over the ocean. It was nature's cautionary tale. Despite the ocean's vastness, its strength and capacity for destruction, it was entirely dependent on the currents, an impalpable, unseen force.
It was difficult not to draw parallels with his own life. He felt that same invisible pull, the unfamiliar helplessness as he was pushed in a certain direction by unseen forces.
Looking over his shoulder at the control panel, Adam scowled, thoroughly disgruntled with the choice that had been thrust upon him. Truth be told, he was utterly exhausted. The responsibility was stifling. He heard the thunderous sound of millions of people's heartbeats synchronizing in fear. Across the globe, thousands were dying so that one man could prove a point.
Darrow, Taggart, Sarif. Three overly ambitious men. All with the same egotistical belief that their outlook was right. Who did he blame? The Humanity Front, VersaLife or the Illuminate?
While staunch opposers to augmentation technology, would the public believe that the Humanity Front could conceive, or even implement, such a global terrorist attack. Most saw their efforts as posturing and ineffective. Blaming the incident on the Humanity Front could only incite further antagonism between Augs and the public. Which was likely to end in more lives lost.
The Illuminate. Who would believe that an enigmatic organization like the Illuminate, which most people doubted even existed, could be responsible for the worldwide pandemonium. Adam wasn't certain that prematurely exposing them, without any proof, was the right direction. Brushed off as the rantings of a delusional old man, Darrow's claims would remain unfounded. And the Illuminate could continue to operate in the background, safe from exposure.
But blaming the hallucinations on VersaLife's supposedly contaminated Neuropozyne didn't appear to be the solution either. What goal would that achieve? Individuals who were augmented would forever be afraid of another episode, possibly refusing to use the drug which their lives depended on. More deaths and scare tactics weren't the answer.
So what was the answer? How could he, a single man, choose the outcome of today's events? What he personally believed didn't give him the right to manipulate the masses. Yes, he believed in regulation, but not at the cost of freedom.
It was possible that humanity could someday overcome their biggest flaw, egocentricity, through technological advancement. It was also entirely possible that technology could be the end of the human race. But, did a technology fearing future truly achieve? It felt like a step backwards.
If he chose Sarif's explanation, what future was he creating? Adam was only too aware of how dangerous scientific advancement and centralized power was. It was how Panchaea was even possible. Regulation of augmentation should not be in the hands of the very people who created the tech.
Walking over to the control panel, Adam hesitated, hand poised over the broadcast signal. There was only one choice which he found morally acceptable, which didn't involve falsifying information or implicating innocent parties.
Making his decision Adam sent the broadcast. Only time would tell if the fallout would divide humanity or make it stronger.