Chapter 15: Wayne's Philosophy
Suddenly, the android seemed to come alive. It howled and reached out to grab Wayne, shouting that it didn't want to die.
Wayne ignored the android's struggles as he guided his scalpel. He removed the bullet that had been pre-programmed into the android's chest cavity and began suturing the blood vessels.
The android opened its mouth as if to speak, then shut down.
"This is a scenario my father taught me. Sometimes there's no anesthesia available, and your patient is screaming, pleading, and thrashing violently. In such a tense situation, you must control your scalpel with calm precision. For even the slightest error kills the patient."
Wayne wiped the blood from his scalpel. "Of course, this is merely for instructional purposes. Some aspects don't meet...proper surgical standards, like the environment here."
Konrad nodded as Wayne retrieved the next android and changed his equipment. This specimen was almost ninety-nine percent human in construction.
Wayne moved the scalpel with precision, cutting into the android's body. Konrad observed as the android's internal organs and adipose tissue shifted how the organs assisted one another.
The dissection proceeded swiftly. Wayne cut through the ribs and removed the outer dermal layer, exposing the entire internal system to Konrad's view.
What did he see?
The heart relies on blood vessels. The lungs brought in air. The stomach, intestines, gallbladder, and kidneys all function according to their own principles.
This was a perfect embodiment of the universe itself.
Konrad's enhanced vision perceived this as a delicate and intricate operation, the human body's systems working in quiet concert.
The heart, that tireless crimson pump, rhythmically expanded and contracted, driving oxygen-rich blood to every extremity. These organs, though different in form and function, were woven into a complex network within the body, operating silently together to sustain life.
They were both independent and interdependent, like unsung performers in the symphony of biological existence.
Humans relied on this mechanism to survive. To truly live.
"Mutual reliance and cooperation."
"It's about precision and integration. If any organ malfunctions, it creates cascading problems immediately. That's what we are, Konrad, no matter what kind of creation you might be..."
Wayne felt a tremor of nervousness as he spoke. After all, this was the first time he had addressed this topic with Konrad directly.
Konrad wasn't Wayne's biological child, and the man worried about the impact this revelation might have.
Konrad understood what Wayne meant: he was not Wayne's biological son, but an artificial creation.
"I know, Father. I'm not your biological son."
"Hm?"
"Father, I grew in one year what takes ordinary people more than ten years. It's obvious I'm not a normal human, but rather created through some form of archeotech. I'm not your biological son."
"That..."
"Nostramo doesn't possess the technology to create me, so I know I'm not a creation of this world. I am your adopted Son. But A Son indeed."
Wayne opened his mouth and took a deep breath. For the first time, Konrad had genuinely surprised him. He had still been treating Konrad like a child, after all, he was only one year old, even when Konrad could now easily eliminate an entire gang by himself.
But in Wayne's eyes, he remained the child he had retrieved from the incubation chamber.
He sighed and reached out to grasp Konrad's shoulder. "When did you realize?"
"I knew after I started studying in the library. I was surprised you were concerned about this..."
Konrad now understood that Wayne truly regarded him as his son, in a completely selfless way. The Primarch was deeply moved. He opened his mouth but couldn't find words. He didn't know how to respond to such devotion.
Looking at Konrad like this, Wayne wanted to say: "You're going to be the gene-sire of tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of Astartes in the future."
Instead, the man sighed and asked, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Wayne realized he had underestimated the Primarch's capacity for understanding, and nodded with satisfaction. This pleased Konrad, as it demonstrated his father still approved of him.
"Konrad, look at this android. It represents precision. In truth, it's not merely precision; it's our instinct. The Wayne family philosophy is that humans cannot surpass themselves."
"What?"
Wayne observed Konrad's surprised expression, clearly finding the philosophy somewhat weak, just as Wayne himself once had.
"This philosophy sounds like weakness and inadequacy, but it's a statement of fact. Our will can push the body beyond its perceived limits. My mind can control my matter, but the absolute limits of matter cannot be transcended."
"The limits of matter?"
"A person's material limitations are finite. Just as I cannot conquer the world alone, or you cannot create a civilization by yourself, we all possess our own boundaries."
Konrad nodded. That was undeniable. One could not forge a civilization in isolation.
Wayne looked at his son and continued in a gentler tone, "When I saw you successfully disable the robot, I knew the training from six months ago was no longer suitable for you.:
"I shall assign you a squad of one hundred recruits to train and arrange tactical exercises."
"Is this appropriate?"
"It is. I am saying it." Wayne retrieved three ribs, which represented Wayne Enterprises' three military branches.
The Black Guard, The Robins, and The Cleaners.
The Black Guard served as Wayne Enterprises' security and stability maintenance force, responsible for voidship operations and regional security.
The Robins were trained as an elite combat force, powerful and prepared for Wayne's future wars.
The Cleaners were the most technologically advanced and heavily armed. They were responsible for underhive security, which meant confronting xenos, mutants, and cults directly.
These three forces comprised Wayne Enterprises' military strength, and its supreme commander was naturally Wayne himself.
After hearing these explanations, Konrad recalled the previous assassination attempts. Wayne hadn't pursued the matter aggressively, and Konrad realized his father still harbored secrets.
"Konrad," Wayne said, his tone becoming somewhat distant, "what do you believe these forces exist for?"
"To fight and protect yourself?" Konrad replied with the obvious answer.
"It's for humanity's future. Have you ever considered what the beings who created you were attempting to fight against?"
"I've thought about it, but I don't know."
"This is the limit humans cannot transcend. We cannot imagine what we cannot perceive. Konrad, a person's limit is ultimately that person's curse. The higher the limit, the greater the curse. When you claim you are carrying everything, you are also cursed by everything."
Wayne's words weren't directed solely at Konrad, but perhaps also at his own father's memory.
Wayne knelt, meeting his child's gaze directly. He didn't want to blindly perpetuate the Wayne family philosophy, but he had nothing else to offer him.
"And you must understand: Unity, Cooperation, Belief in others' capabilities. You must recognize that individual human limits are finite, but the collective limits of all humanity are infinite."
"This is my father's legacy, My Legacy. We believe in humanity's future. We believe that humanity can become better. This is what Wayne means."
"....I understand, Father."
"So you need to train these new recruits properly, learn to know others better, and unite everyone together. It's not beneficial for you to remain so absorbed in solitary training, because you are my future successor."
Wayne reached out and stroked Konrad's dark hair. This time, he looked entirely like a father.
"Only by understanding more people, understanding Wayne Enterprises, can you become my true successor. Don't pressure yourself, because I'm with you always. If any problems arise, we'll solve them together, like a family. Hmm?"
"I understand...Like a family."
[End of Chapter]