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When augmentation was first introduced to the public, there were hot debates over whether they replaced humanity with technology. The opponents argued that mechanical augmentation would erase the spirit of humanity, that it turned people into nothing better than mindless bots, that it would become the death of the soul. Even when mech-augs were approved for military and security work, they still carried the same stigma of being soulless or subhuman.
Carter never believed it. Augs don’t make the man, they only enhance him, and in all his years he had never met a mech that didn’t have wants and desires. Even if their eyes had been replaced or their face was augmented, you could look at them and see the light of the soul in their eyes. Shea had a genuine empathy for others; she had a way about questioning civilians and had left because she refused to execute a prisoner in cold blood. Hermann was a loyal soldier with a need to be accepted; despite his zeal for violence, he was polite and congenial to those who showed him respect. Even Navarre had a strong sense of morality, even if it was too black and white for Carter’s taste. She also had taken Hermann under her wing back when he was new to the agency.
The nano-augs hadn’t been revealed to the public, but he was sure they’d get the prejudice just as bad, and it would be just as unfounded. Paul was gregarious, clever, witty; he knew how to gain trust and complete the objective while respecting the lives of others. JC was reserved, quiet, restrained, but Carter could tell behind those sunglasses was determination, empathy, sharp intelligence and a sarcastic streak. In the end, both the Dentons had risked their lives to do the right thing for humanity as a whole.
So he was shocked when he met Walton Simons, looked into his eyes. He’d seen eyes like those before, in shell shocked veterans, but Simons wasn’t the same. Those poor vets had something broken in them, like their soul had been damaged beyond repair, but Simons wasn’t broken. He looked as if he had always been that way, devoid of spirit. It was the look they had feared, but it wasn’t from the augs. It came from inside, and that was more frightening than an army of augmented soldiers.