SerialLit

[serialkillslit]

From the journal of Nurse Marjorie Taylor

January 15th, 2056

I’m not sure how much longer I can keep working here. I want to help the kids, but still. I think one of the older boys is torturing the younger students and the doctors won’t listen to me. No matter what the Center says, I’m starting to suspect only the level 1 and 2s get any help. The higher levels might as well be guinea pigs. And now we’ve got some jumped up military brass wandering around the facility. Are they really going to start using the children as weapons? Don’t these people understand we’re supposed to be making the world a better place, not a worse one? I wrote out a letter of resignation, just in case. If I decide I can’t do it, I’ll just submit it and see what happens.

[serialkillslit]

From the Journal of Jackie Reynalds

January 23rd, 2056

Things have been quiet and I’m not sure I like it. I never ended up getting the pinball game. The teachers found out about it and wiped it from the system. I guess there was something about it they didn’t like? I’ve been reading more, but I’m starting to run out of books. And that’s with level 1 access! I wonder what the 5s get to read. Not that they probably care or anything. Oh, that reminds me. They found the three missing kids. One of them was dead by the time they were found. A third grader did it. She’s been moved to level 5. I wonder how a third grader managed to grab 3 kids all on her own?

[serialkillslit]

From the Journal of Jackie Reynalds

January 16th, 2056

One of the younger kids pulled a fire alarm today. During the chaos, 3 of the kindergarteners disappeared. They’re looking for them everywhere, so of course, we’re in lock down. Which means I’m sitting here at my terminal wishing there was something more interesting on it than solitaire. One of the other kids was telling me they have a ripped copy of some old pinball game. I don’t know how they got it since we haven’t really got net access, but I might see if I can get a copy. Pinball sounds more fun than solitaire. Maybe we can convince them to do another audit and get some more games on these terminals. I get that they aren’t going to give us anything violent, but still. Pinball, guys, pinball.

[serialkillslit]

I took me awhile to find a new location that was safe enough to stay. I'm sorry.

[serialkillslit]

From the Journal of Nurse Marjorie Taylor

January 15th, 2056

I’m not sure how much longer I can keep working here. I want to help the kids, but still. I think one of the older boys is torturing the younger students and the doctors won’t listen to me. No matter what the Center says, I’m starting to suspect only the level 1 and 2s get any help. The higher levels might as well be guinea pigs. And now we’ve got some jumped up military brass wandering around the facility. Are they really going to start using the children as weapons? Don’t these people understand we’re supposed to be making the world a better place, not a worse one? I wrote out a letter of resignation, just in case. If I decide I can’t do it, I’ll just submit it and see what happens.

[serialkillslit]

I’m having trouble getting word out. I think they’re on to my location. I have to move again. I’m sorry.

[serialkillslit]

From the journal of Jackie Reynalds

January 8th, 2056

Sometimes I have to wonder why. I don’t mean why am I at the Center, why do I have this gene, blah blah blah. Whatever. I mean more like why do I have this but never show it? I’ve never hurt anyone, never wanted to hurt anyone. Okay, that’s a lie. I’ve wanted to when I got really angry. But doesn’t everyone? Even the people in the nice happy books they let us read get angry and talk about how they want to hurt people, kill people, but they never do. Why am I a level 1? What makes me so special? Its dangerous being a level 1 around here. People don’t get you. Especially not the 5s. They eye you like you’re mince meat. But I guess, to them I am.

[serialkillslit]

Internal Mémorandum 

Subject: Military recruitment from within the Monroe Research and Rehabilitation Center’s students

At our last meeting, we discussed the possibility of recruiting soldiers from within the student population of the Monroe Center. After some analysis, my final thoughts on the matter are that we not only can tap this resource but that we must. I recommend recruitment from with the level 2-4 bracket for standard soldiery, though level 4s will need supervision and should not be allowed among civilian populations. Level 1s are highly unlikely to prove useful to us. 

I recommend considering use of level 5s for special operations where we might lose the agent and don’t care about civilian casualties. You know the missions I mean.

General Arthur Sauerborn

Attached: A description of the standard assessment levels for Monroe Center students

The least level of danger. They have never exhibited violent tendencies and are generally safe around civilian populations.

To be watched carefully. These students have exhibited a tendency to harm small animals and have exhibited tempers

These students have exhibited violent tendencies against other human beings and enjoy harming animals

These students have exhibited a pleasure in enacting violence on others and have killed animals. They may plan to kill humans but have yet to attempt it.

These students have killed other human beings and show no remorse or sign that their behavior is wrong. Not to be around civilian populations at all.

[serialkillslit]

From the journal of Nurse Marjorie Taylor

January 7th, 2056

We’ve only just finishing cleaning up the rooms of the last three students who were attacked. I submitted another formal complaint about the housing system. One student has already been killed, and she was a level 2 for crying out loud. What about the poor level 1s? They should be housed separately entirely. They don’t even really need the dorm structure. But the doctors say it has to stay this way. I certainly hope the doctors are right. I have 2 students in the infirmary just now. One has a concussion, the poor little boy. Derek is a level 4 from the elementary wing, a third grader. Its terrifying when they’re that young. I hope they never transfer me to the early care building. I don’t think I could handle it over there. I’ve seen dismembered dolls hanging from the fence. And the oldest kids in there are only 4. Sometimes I wonder if the environment is hindering them, causing them to be more violent. But the doctors assure me that this is simply the natural and normal progression and that all I need do is look to our university level students to see how much our program works. 

[serialkillslit]

What happens to the ones who don’t graduate? Where do they go? That’s what I want to know…

[serialkillslit]

Patient Records - Jacqueline “Jackie” Reynalds

Danger Level - 1 Date of Birth - October 17, 2039 Arrival at Center - November 25, 2039

Room Assignment - 437G Age - 16 Grade - 10th

Jacqueline was voluntarily entered into the system by her parents as soon as it was safe to do so. She was tested and confirmed to be a carrier at birth. 

---------------------

The record was cut off abruptly. Further transmissions to follow.

[serialkillslit]

The Case for Testing

There are some who make the argument against the mandatory testing laws. They say that if children can be raised or medicated to overcome their genetic make-up, then why can’t they be treated when these traits become active. To that we ask a simple question : If we were discussing a debilitating genetic condition which could be detected at birth, would you even raise this issue? By singling out these children from the rest of society, lives will be saved, including the lives of the children themselves, in a manner of speaking. This is what’s best for them and that is really all we need to discuss.

This fine country of ours is a full mandatory testing zone and since that has been implemented, there have been no cases of serial murder and the cases of murder and violent crime in general have decreased to the point of being nearly non-existent. In societies where testing is optional, the crime rate is somewhat decreased, but still largely reflects pre-testing figures. 

Do you want to see the return of violent crime, serial murder and needless death? Of course not. Then you should support mandatory testing.

[serialkillslit]

Don’t let them lure you in. Testing is wrong. The gene doesn’t make you a killer. I have the science to prove it. Please. You have to listen to me. Don’t believe Monroe.

[serialkillslit]

Our Proud History

The Monroe Research and Rehabilitation Center was founded by Dr Carl Monroe, famed psychiatric researcher, as a means of research and treating his patients. Dr Monroe largely dealt with those patients who exhibited sociopathic behavior, particularly those who had committed serial acts of murder. After his great discovery, everything changed. Another man might have said we should eliminate those who have the gene which causes a serial killer, another might have locked them away forever simple because of a fluke of genetics. Dr Monroe said otherwise. He believed that genetics is only half of what a person is and that in the end, nurture would win out over biological nature. The first children brought to the Center because of the gene were raised in Dr Monroe’s own home by himself and his wife. As the numbers grew and his methods proved out, more dormitories were opened and a full curriculum developed.

Today, we have hundreds of children in our Center and countless graduates of the program living happy, successful, productive lives in society. The instance of violent crimes in general has gone drastically and in populations where testing is mandatory, serial murder is non-existent. While there are, of course, no method is foolproof, we believe that the methods developed by the late Dr Monroe are the most effective while also being the most compassionate towards our young patients.

[serialkillslit]

January 5th, 2056

There was another fight today. One of the new kids is getting transferred already. He’d only been in my treatment dorm for a month and he’s already being moved to a higher security building. They’re not saying what he did, but Ellen’s gone and her room is empty. I think he killed her. If she’s his first, which is possible, then I guess that’s his profile from now on. Its too bad, she was pretty nice. I mean, except for that thing with the squirrels.

There aren’t really any animals at Monroe. They used to try therapy dogs and stuff. I guess a lot of them went missing. There was a goldfish when I first moved into the elementary dorms. Then one of the boys in the year group ahead of mine ate it. We’re not allowed pets any more. Its a shame really. Maybe I can get a virtual one on my terminal. That would be pretty neat. Its not the same as it sounds in all the books, but its something.

[serialkillslit]

Why the Monroe Research and Rehabilitation Center?

The Monroe Research and Rehabilitation Center believes that genetics are not the be all and end all of a person. To that end, we seek first and foremost to instill a sense of moral and civil duty in our young patients in the hopes that they can one day enter society. 

We put education second only to rehabilitation here at the Monroe Center. The greatest wish of our dear founder was that all of the children we took in could aspire to be healthy and successful contributors to our great civilization. 

[serialkillslit]

January 1st, 2056

I guess this is their new idea of a form of treatment. Sure, I’ll play along. My name is Jackie Reynalds, id number 356-32-1463. I live in the Monroe Research and Rehabilitation Center in Upstate New York. I’m sixteen years old and I carry what they call the serial killer gene. I’ve lived here since I was born. I don’t know who my parents are, where they live or anything. Today in therapy, they told me they want me to start keeping a journal on the internal server, so here it is. I figure they’re probably going to read it and try to see if I’ve snapped yet. I don’t know if I’ll write every day, but I guess I can try. So far I’ve just had therapy and classes today. Pretty much the usual. One of the older boys got dragged out of lunch by the guards today. No idea why yet. I’m not sure I want to know. I should do my schoolwork and I might spend some time reading later. They just released a new set of books into the system and I’m excited to start reading. Sounds like there’s a fight going on in the halls. That makes it time to log off. Don’t want to have to my access go down during a lock down again. I’ve lost too many papers that way already.