What do you think about GenTech putting Project Tau and Kata in the same cell

[raindropreader]

But wait... if they only have one containment room suitable for projects why would Mason ever think of or go with this idea of kidnapping Kalin if he had the foresight to know that he would put in the same containment room as Tau and obviously tell him that he was a clone and explain the outside world etc and that would obviously lead to the uprising and destruction of the experimenters and entire facility. Wouldn’t he have foreseen this happening?

Nope

Okay, seriously; Mason isn't a scientist, for one thing. He's an administrator, and not a very smart one.

Secondly, Tau knows he's a clone. He doesn't need Kalin to tell him; the scientists have made very sure he knows all about that. He's completely brainwashed, and remember that the scientists don't believe Tau is capable (or inclined to) start conversations. Renfield speaks for all of them when he's visibly astonished that Kalin and Tau actually talk; like all his contemporaries, he believes that Tau simply goes in, lies down and goes to sleep.

There's also nothing obvious about it. Mason doesn't know how Kalin's likely to react, or how Tau's likely to react; although he can make a good guess that someone who does something as desperately stupid as breaking into GenTech for a frat stunt probably doesn't have any real friends and hasn't had much experience in socializing.

Also, in the beginning, Kalin also believes that Projects are sub-human (the fact that he considers, "Do you feel pain?" to be a perfectly valid question to ask Tau sums up his attitude perfectly ) He's not going to tell Tau anything that the scientists haven't already told him, although he would probably use naughtier words

Kalin only wants to help Tau after Kalin himself has been beaten and gaslighted into believing that he's a Project. He's not particularly altruistic, he's not a revolutionary; his actions aren't born of righteous anger so much as the desperate need to escape while they still can.

The only person who might have foreseen problems is Dennison, and he's very convinced that he can control and dominate Tau (as, indeed, he does right up until the very end of the book)

Okay so when you said how Mason doesn’t think much of Kalin and thinks he probably doesn’t know much about socializing bc of the frat stunt, I did want to reply to that one part because I forgot to earlier.

I guess what I mean to be asking is... okay let’s just take the fact that Kalin is human. No matter if he was living under a rock or a hermit or the least social guy he’s still a human with our basic moral set, which is to say that he would believe torturing a clone isn’t morally right. So just because Kalin isn’t a social person... he still would most likely react like the majority of humans and be like wtf this is wrong and that would of course result in him telling Tau in some way, right? It just seems like putting someone from the outside world in with one of their experiments would raise that risk.

[brendanwhite]

While I do think that it was an interesting and questionable move to put them into the same cell, I think Dennison did it with reason. I think he may have been hoping that instead of Kata corrupting Tau, Tau would train Kata into submissiveness. However, as everyone knows, the exact opposite happened--Kata and Tau became enraged and violence broke out.

But if Kalin knew that Tau was a clone and he realized how terrible it was that he was cloned and treated the way that he was why would he thin of Tau being submissive and instead think of him as someone who was cloned and treated very badly and want to help him and exact revenge on the company and experimenters?

I feel that Kalin/Kata did still act a lot more resistant to being submissive like Tau than Dennison expected

[Marlaszw]

I though maybe it had to do with their desire to brainwash Kalin into believing that he really was just a project. Afterall, they told him all his memories were implanted and treated him like a project. Perhaps they hoped housing him with another project would cement his belief. Gaslighting at its best?

[Jude Austin]

I guess what I mean to be asking is... okay let’s just take the fact that Kalin is human. No matter if he was living under a rock or a hermit or the least social guy he’s still a human with our basic moral set, which is to say that he would believe torturing a clone isn’t morally right. So just because Kalin isn’t a social person... he still would most likely react like the majority of humans and be like wtf this is wrong and that would of course result in him telling Tau in some way, right? It just seems like putting someone from the outside world in with one of their experiments would raise that risk.

In the beginning, Kalin sees Tau as subhuman, just like the rest of the scientists. They're not "clones;" they're "Projects." This is a very subtle difference, but a vital one; as soon as you bring in the word "human" or "clone" then GenTech's actions suddenly become a lot more reprehensible. As Kalin points out, "Project" is a nice, dispassionate word Beating or electrocuting Tau is, in Kalin's mind - and everyone else's - on a par with beating or electrocuting a bull. Yes, it's not a nice thing to do, and yes, the bull would probably like it if you stopped, but no one would think of telling the bull that he doesn't have to put up with it.

Even through the book, Kalin still considers himself superior to Tau, as he's a natural human instead of a Project, right up until the scene at the end where Tau finally snaps and calls him out on it That doesn't mean that he thinks it's okay to torture him, but in his world, Projects are livestock and the owners can do what they want to them (we know from the book that Tau is one of the first Projects to be capable of speech and rational thought). He is shocked at the revelation:

"They torture you?"
"They train me. The more practice I have, the less likely I am to cause problems for my future handlers."
Mouth dry, heart thudding painfully fast, Kalin pushed himself back, away from Tau. For someone to talk so casually of such a thing made his mind feel like someone had dumped a tub of ice water on it.
"You don't—you can't expect me to believe you just go along with it?"
Tau looked at him quizzically. "Why not?"
[...]
"And you feel it? You feel the pain?"
"Doesn't everyone?"

In the long run, what does it matter to Mason if Kalin tells Tau he shouldn't have to put up with his treatment? Tau's broken, he's terrified of Dennison and he's already had at least one taste of what happens if he directly challenges the scientists' authority:

TAU: I asked one question in the beginning, but I was...informed that such curiosity was an undesirable quality in a Project.
KALIN: What'd you ask?
TAU: Dr. Dennison told me to run around the track after working out on the weights. I was exhausted and I asked him why I always had to do what he said.
KALIN: What did he say?
TAU: (long pause) He was...not happy.

And later in the book:

KALIN: If you hate Dennison's sessions so much, Tau, why put up with them?
TAU: Because in case it escaped your notice, Kata, we have no choice!

Finally, the psychological effect of abuse runs much, much deeper than many people expect. Tau has grown up with abuse, and it's all he's ever known. For his entire life (admittedly, that isn't long ) he's been told, "You're a Project, you're subordinate to your human owners and masters" and that's what he believes. Mason knows that as well, or if he doesn't, Dennison definitely does.

Bottom line, Mason's fine with Kalin telling Tau, "You're being tortured, and that's not right," because Kalin is the one dissenting voice among everyone Tau has known (and known for a lot longer than he's known Kalin) and he's too broken and submissive to listen to him, not to mention whatever Kalin tells him in the brief time before they fall asleep is going to be directly - and often painfully - contradicted by the scientists for several hours during the next day. If Tau does listen to him and try to fight back, well, Dennison knows how to deal with rebellious Projects, and Tau knows he knows.

There's also a simpler reason: Mason's very, very arrogant, to the point of delusion (we see this right at the beginning, when most of the people are dead and he doesn't view this as much of a setback, much to Dennison's exasperation). The thought of failure or a serious rebellion wouldn't even enter his head, because that would mean admitting he was fallible

[Splendour0606]

I think Gentech overestimated it's control over the projects,therefore causing them to care less on any consequences...

[Nujudee]

Project Kata and Tau in same cell was a crazy decision Gentech did.
But just maybe, it was a way of figuring out if Kata had so much effect on Tau.

[Kachi_Ejiogu+_]

I honestly didn't buy the idea of placing Project Tau and Kata in the same cell, it was a wrong move by GenTech, because in the end, we've all seen how it panned out. Ended up disorganizing their mission.

[NatRose]

If Kalin really had been a Project, he would have been put in with Tau, as Tau's is the only room suitable for Project containment (remember the super-thick door? )

There's also a simpler reason: Mason's very, very arrogant, to the point of delusion (we see this right at the beginning, when most of the people are dead and he doesn't view this as much of a setback, much to Dennison's exasperation). The thought of failure or a serious rebellion wouldn't even enter his head, because that would mean admitting he was fallible

Wow, thanks for your in-depth explanation since this is something I had wondered about too. I hadn't considered that there would only be one room for project-containment. This along with Mason's arrogance makes the decision to put Tau and Kata in the same room finally make sense to me.

[Nath_chuks]

Placing them in same cell was a really foolish idea. Gen Tech should have enough facilities to separate them but chose to put them together. And this jeopardized their mission.

[raindropreader]

While I do think that it was an interesting and questionable move to put them into the same cell, I think Dennison did it with reason. I think he may have been hoping that instead of Kata corrupting Tau, Tau would train Kata into submissiveness. However, as everyone knows, the exact opposite happened--Kata and Tau became enraged and violence broke out.

But if Kalin knew that Tau was a clone and he realized how terrible it was that he was cloned and treated the way that he was why would he thin of Tau being submissive and instead think of him as someone who was cloned and treated very badly and want to help him and exact revenge on the company and experimenters?

I feel that Kalin/Kata did still act a lot more resistant to being submissive like Tau than Dennison expected

I do too. Jude mentioned to me how Dennison is overly cocky and that skews his logical thinking a lot.

[raindropreader]

If Kalin really had been a Project, he would have been put in with Tau, as Tau's is the only room suitable for Project containment (remember the super-thick door? )

There's also a simpler reason: Mason's very, very arrogant, to the point of delusion (we see this right at the beginning, when most of the people are dead and he doesn't view this as much of a setback, much to Dennison's exasperation). The thought of failure or a serious rebellion wouldn't even enter his head, because that would mean admitting he was fallible

Wow, thanks for your in-depth explanation since this is something I had wondered about too. I hadn't considered that there would only be one room for project-containment. This along with Mason's arrogance makes the decision to put Tau and Kata in the same room finally make sense to me.

I would never have guessed they had only room for project containment either!

[raindropreader]

Placing them in same cell was a really foolish idea. Gen Tech should have enough facilities to separate them but chose to put them together. And this jeopardized their mission.

You would think a big company like Gen Tech would have the money and resources to have plenty of rooms but the author explained to me they only have one room that’s secure for the projects.

[raindropreader]

I think Gentech overestimated it's control over the projects,therefore causing them to care less on any consequences...

Yes- it was Dennison’s cocky and foolish nature.

[raindropreader]

I honestly didn't buy the idea of placing Project Tau and Kata in the same cell, it was a wrong move by GenTech, because in the end, we've all seen how it panned out. Ended up disorganizing their mission.

And even when it did end up ruining their chances of survival they were all still completely shocked that the projects would do that...

[raindropreader]

I though maybe it had to do with their desire to brainwash Kalin into believing that he really was just a project. Afterall, they told him all his memories were implanted and treated him like a project. Perhaps they hoped housing him with another project would cement his belief. Gaslighting at its best?

Hey- a new theory I hadn’t heard yet!! Good thinking.