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“What about the sociopathy?”
“The truth is that it’s a symbolic gesture that strengthens my resolve to never enhance myself again.
I guess I’m just anxious to develop that deeper level of trust. Besides,” she added, “I’ve never been able to compare notes with anyone.”
foolproof way to assess someone’s inherent trustworthiness and integrity.
the ethics and morals of those treated would return to baseline levels when their brains returned to normal.
patterns and connections. His mind raised a few interesting possibilities to his consciousness for consideration.
to do something about another discovery he had made, one that he had already incorporated into his analysis.
Emotions and compassion and altruism returned as if they had never left.
in the game and would form the core team. But after this, newcomers they wanted to recruit with important expertise would be carefully screened.
invent a foolproof detector, not just of lies but of intentions; of innate virtue.
be sure their super-intelligent alter egos couldn’t escape to do things they would regret
motivated by a desire to improve the human condition rather than by greed or power—the testing would ensure this was the case.
unintended consequences that might prove disastrous,
would continue to selectively recruit additional top talent: expanding the team’s base of expertise and relentlessly extending the frontiers of human knowledge.
find a way to enhance someone’s intelligence while maintaining their core humanity.
scale up, not just their intellect, but their capacity for selflessness
redundant security measures, and foolproof screening technology could be perfected, they could turn this dream into reality.
“You got us a Blackhawk?”
stringent safeguards against domestic surveillance, of course—” He raised his eyebrows doubtfully.
They’re in charge of cryptology for the US, which puts them in charge of signal’s intelligence: radio, microwave, fiber-optic, cell phones, satellites—everything.”
eavesdrop on whoever he wanted to at the highest levels of government—and blackmail them—would make him the ultimate puppet master.”
supercomputer center with the largest accumulation of computer power ever housed on Earth.”
“Eventually, all of you need to experience the effect, but under far more secure and controlled conditions.”
Us psychopaths don’t really see anything wrong with our behavior.
“But if power is your drug, pulling strings at the most powerful intelligence gathering organization in the history of mankind has certain advantages.”
ensure I would have an unlimited supply of your treatment.”
“When Lusetti reported she was closing up shop, I suspected she had made a breakthrough.”
didn’t count on the memory trap she had made,”
Make sure the entire world was a beneficiary.”
only way I could get it is if I let you go and you gave it to the entire world.”
Ebola cold-virus was a bluff. The explosive in my head was a bluff. The sterilization plot was a bluff. Why?
“As it turns out, Kira . . . everything.”
under what conditions would my little sister give up her secret?
respect someone enough to trust them with your secret. If you were forever a loner and didn’t have anyone to trust, no combination of circumstances would do.”
ensure she had someone to confide in.
He laughed again. “I should be a fucking matchmaker.”
When both parties can subconsciously pick up on each other’s signals of infatuation, the effect is accelerated.
“Ironic that a being of pure intellect could so accurately predict a largely irrational, involuntary response.”
what could possibly be more appealing than a tortured, unattached hero?”
Alan’s execution had been flawless.
“How did you get me assigned?” asked Desh.
agents sent after her were recorded in a database I knew she could breach.”
This thing pretending to be her brother was distilled evil.
your escapes from the motel and woods probably cemented your relationship.”
ordered a military surgeon to add a few implants in addition to fixing you up.
While the bomb in Kira’s head was a bluff, the advanced receivers Putnam told you about are very real.
cochlear implants—one for each ear. It’s a standard procedure for people deaf or very hard of hearing. Only the implants he received were silicon-chip based recording units.
“Putnam had no idea what my real plan was. Certainly not that his extermination was a key ingredient.
prisoners ponder just how utterly they had been manipulated; just how complete his victory.
I had a sniper targeting him while the rest of my men came up through his tunnel.
