The ELI Event B007R5LTNS

of their peers, against everything but their own sense of morality, they defied the ban and covertly continued their research, and their debate over its efficacy and ethics.
    Of course, the government had its own laboratories and its own research teams, but that was “legitimate.” Not because it was any different from the society’s, but simply because it was officially sanctioned. Oh, there were certain restrictions on the use of the technology even within the government’s own Science Ministry, but nothing an enterprising despot couldn’t get around. As Borok had often observed, wrong and illegal were by no means synonymous terms.
    So here they were, the four of them, all that was left of the group, hidden away in their underground laboratory. They had their equipment, they had their knowledge, and they had their freedom, at least for now. The time was finally upon them, the time when words were ineffectual, when debate no longer mattered. Pan-Li remembered what Lucinda said just that morning, moments before the attack. Now he knew she was right. They must do whatever it takes to change the world, for better or worse. They had to act, and act quickly.
    At a sudden noise, Pan-Li’s reverie was broken. He spun his chair around to find Denes standing in the doorway, looking a bit haggard. He decided not to ask any questions.
    “The chamber’s fine,” Denes said thickly, avoiding Pan-Li’s eyes. “Everything okay in here?”
    “Perfect,” Pan-Li said, standing.
    “Good. Let’s go back, shall we?”
    They returned to the kitchen to find the women just as they had left them. Aurora was still crying quietly. Lucinda looked up, her own sorrow and compassion for Aurora showing in her dark eyes.
    Pan-Li placed the tea, laced with plum wine—he was especially liberal with Aurora's cup—before his comrades and took his place. Denes, the elder and now the group’s senior scientist, finally sat.
    “Sadly, but clearly, our decision has been made for us, my friends,” he began. “We no longer have the luxury of observation. Regardless of our previous feelings for or against direct action, this morning’s vicious attack leaves us no choice but to implement our plan immediately. Only two issues remain: Who shall go, and to where.”
    “When,” corrected Lucinda.
    “Indeed,” Denes acknowledged. “Suggestions?”
    Pan-Li felt their stares. “What?” he asked. “Why me?”
    “Because you’re the mathematician, the logician among us,” Lucinda said gently. “Your opinions are consistently objective, based on fact, not emotion. And we need that objectivity now more than ever.”
    Pan-Li took a sip of tea, carefully replaced the cup on its saucer. “Yes, I understand. In… in anticipation of this dreadful moment, I took the liberty of preparing a list of likely target events. Perhaps we should begin by reviewing them, so that we may make an informed decision. As a group.”
    “Excellent,” said Denes.
    “Absolutely,” Lucinda agreed. “Aurora?”
    Aurora sat silently over her untouched tea, head bowed, hands curled around the warm cup. She had said not one word since they had tumbled into Borok’s skimmer, uttered not a sound, save for her gentle sobs, since her husband’s brutal murder.
    “Aurora?” Pan-Li gently urged, placing his hand on her arm.
    She lifted her face, eyes swollen and red, tear tracks down her cheeks. She set her jaw and tried to smile, but failed. “Yes, Pan-Li,” she managed at last. “By all means, let us see what our options are. Please proceed.”
    Pan-Li nodded. “Screen,” he said to the wall behind Denes. A large rectangular area flickered to life. “Display target event list.”
    The screen complied. Pan-Li took one more sip of tea and forced the terrible events of the past few hours from his mind. He put on his best professorial demeanor and began the explanation he had hoped he would never have to give.
    “For the past few months, I have been studying the historical events that have shaped the present, our present, over the course of the last four hundred years or so. Naturally, I concentrated on major events that had direct and measurable effects on the direction of political, technological, and societal evolution, with specific attention to those which affected the relationship between politics and technology.
    “As you can see, there are over eighty such events, some large, some small. Each one contributed in some capacity to our current timeline,