Holtzmann opened his mouth to protest. Why? Why not embrace them? But Barnes was faster.

“You could euthanize them, Mr President,” the acting ERD Director said. “The law gives you the power to. And the ones born with Nexus in their brains… they’re from broken homes, drug-abusing mothers. We can manage the PR.”

Kill them? Kill these children? Even through his pumped up levels of serotonin and dopamine, Holtzmann felt like he’d been punched in the gut.

“I’m not going to kill children,” Stockton replied.

“The law says they’re not even human,” Barnes replied. “Not even children.”

“I don’t care, Barnes,” the president replied. “They’re kids. They didn’t choose this. I’ll lock them away to protect America if I have to, but only until we can cure them. I won’t sign their death warrants.”

Barnes didn’t let up. “President Jameson euthanized the Aryan Rising clones.”

“Barnes!” Stockton raised his voice.

There was silence for a moment. Then Holtzmann heard his own voice speaking. “Why? Why imprison them? Why try to cure them? Why not embrace them?”

They looked at him in shock.

Barnes spoke first. “Martin, really…”

Stockton raised his hand, silencing Barnes.

“I want to hear what he has to say,” he said to Barnes. “Go on, Dr Holtzmann.”

Holtzmann swallowed. What am I doing?

The right thing, something inside him answered.

“Mr President, these children… They’re the future, sir. They’ll grow up to be smarter than we are, better able to understand each other. And this technology… It doesn’t have to divide us. It can be the future for all of our children, or all our grandchildren…”

Stockton didn’t respond the way Holtzmann feared. The President didn’t snap at him, didn’t drum his fingers, didn’t look angry. He looked puzzled.

“Dr Holtzmann, you’ve already said that we don’t know the long-term effects of this drug. That those exposed to it in the womb grow up fundamentally differently than those exposed to it later. What about those parents that don’t want to try this drug? That don’t want to risk the life or health of their children on it? From what you’ve told me, their children, their normal human children won’t have any chance of keeping up with these Nexus kids. The Nexus children will get all the best jobs, get all the wealth, and leave everyone else behind. Doesn’t that worry you?”

Holtzmann closed his eyes for a moment. He couldn’t deny what the President was saying. Not everyone would choose Nexus for their unborn. And those who didn’t would see their children left behind.

He couldn’t deny it. So he spoke from the heart.

“Mr President, have you ever heard of the Neanderthal Dilemma?”

Stockton shook his head. “No.”

“It’s taught in ethics of emerging technology courses.”

“Martin,” Barnes cut in, “I hardly think we need to get into…”