The Eighth Project

         "Well, this experiment has been wasted..."
         
                Oren, accustomed to traveling at the speed of thought, was sitting idle in a Florida traffic jam. The windows of the car were open, letting in the oppressive summer heat and fumes of the highway. The air conditioning unit was inoperable and the human body he was using was sweating right through its clothing. It was a sluggish body, out of shape both physically and mentally. Amazing, this human form designed for such ingenuity and strength, just wasted away on a diet of unnatural food and mindless pastimes. Thankfully, it was almost over.

         He hated this planet. He had to present his report to the Council without bias, however, and even if he'd ever enjoyed his time here, he couldn't ignore the facts. The humans were irredeemably disappointing. The options were to continue observing the experiment, or terminate it altogether.

         Oren knew he would vote for a termination. The humans were killing themselves anyway. No sense in delaying the inevitable.

         Even the speakers they sent down couldn't change these humans. The ones named Mohammed, Siddhartha, and Jesus - their messages corrupted and turned into religions. Religions! Trust the humans to kill each other with religion.

         They had the capability to power their cities and vehicles without using combustible fuels, but their governments and politics stifled any useful innovations.

         They still fed on animals. They killed themselves, ruined indigenous populations, and poisoned their own homes.

         After millennia of gentle nudges, they remained a divided, ignorant, arrogant species. The termination was long overdue, as long as Oren was concerned.

         The Council session was starting soon. Once the traffic started to flow again, Oren pulled off at the next exit and stopped at a gas station. The petroleum stench was nauseating. He found the public restroom and ducked into a stall. He heaved for a few minutes before he was able to catch his breath and relax.

         Choosing not to rest on the filthy toilet seat, Oren leaned against the wall, and mentally detached himself from the human. Within seconds, he was facing the council members in the meeting chamber, his consciousness returned to his own body. He was comfortably seated at a large table with the rest of the council members. They watched him patiently as he reoriented himself with his surroundings. He took a deep breath.

         "Oren," said Armi, the lead councilor. "Welcome back. What is your assessment of the project?"

         Without hesitation, Oren nodded towards the lead councilor, and told her, "I vote for a termination."

         This caused a murmur amongst the councillorship, and the project scientists who assembled to witness the meeting.

         When the hum died down, the lead councilor said, "Your vote carries great importance with this council. On what basis do you make this decision?"

         Oren transferred his observations to the council and within seconds they knew everything he'd seen and experienced on Earth, directly from his own mind. The disappointment hung in the council chamber like thick smoke. He noticed several of the councilors subtly shaking their heads.

         "Inefficient energy sources. War. Immeasurable social inequalities... are there any other issues, Oren?"

         "Yes. Take note of their population growth."

         The air went still as the councilors accessed that data.

         "Disturbing," the lead councilor said finally. "Is there nothing we can do?"

         "No. Their attitudes on homosexuality are evolving much too slowly. Infertility is aggressively treated as a disease. They are too short sighted to realize their collective issues are ruining the planet. They won't change soon enough to suit our purposes. "

         "Agreed. We have seven other projects in progress at this time. If the humans aren't performing to standards, we should purge before the planet is lost. Does anyone disagree?"

         There was one voice of dissent, as Oren knew there would be. Jua stepped out from the group of scientists.

         "I disagree," she said. "These humans are clearly on the brink of major changes. Perhaps they just need more time..."

         "They've had over two thousand years, Jua," said Rine, a senior councilor.

         "I understand, Rine. But we mustn't forget that of the eight projects, this species is genetically closest to our own."

         "That's a sentimentality we can't afford to dwell on..."

         "Not sentimentality. A fact that may lead to medical and technological advances that we could use to our advantage one day."

         "That's the whole point. They're not advancing. It's exactly the same issue we had on this planet before."

         "The reptilians? This is hardly the same situation..."

         "Isn't it? We ended that project for the same stagnation we see now. The only difference is that the first time, we still had a planet to use. The reptilians didn't destroy it. If we let the current project continue, we may lose the planet altogether. We can't afford such a loss, not at this late stage. And we can't afford to waste resources on a failing project when seven others are doing so well."

         The rest of the council nodded their agreement, and looked to the lead councilor for a response.

         "He's right, Jua," Armi said.

         Jua nodded and stepped back. It seemed that the decision had been made.

         "Are we prepared to vote?"

         The vote went around the table. One by one, the councilors stood up and cast their votes. The decision was unanimous.

         "Then it is agreed. The Eighth Project will be terminated immediately."