The Transcension of the Naturals
A science fiction novel set in Berkeley 100 years in the future
This is the first chapter of a science fiction novel I’ve been working on for a while, and I’ll be publishing one chapter per day for the first 10 chapters or so. The remaining chapters I will release at a slower pace.
The core idea for the story came from a thought experiment I devised, called the Live Another Day Pill. One of the characters is our own Sun. Is our Sun conscious? It’s set in Berkeley, California 100 years in the future. If you know Berkeley, you’ll recognize the local references.
Chapter 1 — Ferdinand
Clark Winston was sweating profusely as he walked down the sidewalk on Adeline Street on a typical summer day in Berkeley, California, probably 120 degrees in the shade. One block to the west, Adeline Beach was crowded with people escaping the summer heat. Up ahead he could see the construction for the latest Transcendence Labs Eternity Center was almost complete. They had torn down an old retirement community to build the Center against the continued protests of the Berkeley Naturals. A small group of dedicated protesters was out in front of the Eternity Center walking in a circle in the bright sun, carrying signs that read “Transcension is murder”, “Life Needs a Body”, and “Give Life a Chance”. It was too hot for them to shout anything so they were just trudging around in a sad, sweaty-looking circle, carrying their signs.
In a few days, Clark would walk through those gleaming glass doors and get one of the first transcendence appointments at the new Berkeley Eternity Center. As he walked by the protesters he wondered if he would have to push his way through them to get inside when he came back for his appointment. Why couldn’t they live and let live? Clark laughed as he mulled this over in his mind — actually, he thought the question should be: Why couldn’t they live and let transcend? Maybe he would shout this back at them if they hassled him on his way in.
“Yo Clark!” Clark’s sister, Julia, called out from across the street. “Wait up.” Clark walked under the shade of an oak tree on the sidewalk to escape the noon sun while Julia ran across the street. “Where you going?” she asked.
“Hey, Jules.” Clark gave his sister a big hug. “I’ve managed to get rid of everything but Ferdinand, so I’m on my way to the garage to pick him up and drive him to the junkyard. Such a shame that no one is interested in buying him — that was a really hot car when it was new. I can’t even give it away today. You sure I can’t convince you to take him?”
“No thanks Clark, like I told you before, I prefer my car — Ray — to do all the driving,” she said laughing. “I don’t want to have to work that hard just to get where I’m going. Why don’t you donate Ferdinand to charity?”
“I tried, but they all said they couldn’t easily sell a human-driven, gas-powered car and they didn’t want to end up with a rusting hunk of metal they couldn’t get rid of. So I’m planning to give Ferdinand a joy ride one last time to the junkyard. I’m headed over to my garage now. Want to join me?”
Julia shook her head. “Honestly Clark, I don’t know where you would even find gasoline these days. But sure, I’ll go with you. How about if I have Ray follow behind us in case you break down, and then I’ll take us back in my car, okay?” Ray was the name Julia had given to her car.
Clark laughed. “Sure, if Ray can keep up!” They started walking down the sidewalk again. Clark continued. “Yeah, that gasoline thing is a problem. Before they tore down the last gas stations it was so easy. Nowadays you have to own your gas storage tank, buy gas on the black market, and plan your trip in advance to know where all the sources of gasoline will be on your road adventure. It’s really become quite difficult to operate a gas-powered car these days, and a car you even have to drive yourself.”
They walked a few more blocks and got to Clark’s garage. Clark heaved open the door, and they stepped inside.
“All I have to do is gas him up and Ferdinand should be ready for his final drive.” Clark unlocked the gas flap on his Porsche 911, walked over to his 400-gallon gas storage tank, unlocked the hose, inserted the nozzle into the tank, and filled up his gas tank one last time. The smell of gasoline filled the air.
After filling the tank, they got in the car and Clark turned the key. The engine roared to life as only a 911 engine does. Clark drove out on the street and saw that Julia’s car had just arrived too. “Come on Sis, let’s see if Ray can keep up!”
Clark nailed the gas and peeled out, leaving behind a cloud of burnt rubber and Julia’s gasps, as she was pinned back to her seat. There was a good amount of traffic on the road today but all of it was autonomous vehicles that could sense that an old gas-powered human-driven car was on the road, so they all got out of the way parting like the Red Sea to let the crazy human driver through with his antique smoke-belching beast lest they get into an accident. Human drivers can be so unpredictable.
Julia’s car sent a request to the other autonomous vehicles to let her car through the traffic too, but since Ray was just another autonomous vehicle and especially one with no occupants, its request was denied, so it got stuck behind in the autonomous traffic. Clark smiled as he saw the wave of cars close between him and Ray.
“See the fun you’re missing out on Jules? Sure I can’t convince you to take over Ferdinand?”
Julia was half laughing and half frightened out of her wits. “You’re insane Clark! Slow down! You need to be alive to make it to your transcension appointment!”
Having had some fun, Clark let off the gas. “Yeah, you do have a point there. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like to not be afraid of dying. To know that whatever happens, I’ll have a backup and can always be reactivated.”
“Well, you’ll know soon enough. Let me ask you a serious question though. Do you think you’ll still find your life meaningful if you have all of eternity to play with? I mean doesn’t the finality of death give some meaning to your life Clark? I know it does for me.”
Clark looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. “I think some people believe their life only has a certain amount of total life value, of meaning. These people think that if you live for a hundred years or a thousand years, you still have the same amount of life, so living longer doesn’t buy you anything.”
Julia replied, “Yeah, that pretty much describes me, and most other Naturals I’ll wager.”
“Well, I don’t think life is a zero-sum game, Jules. By extending your lifespan through transcension, you increase your life value, because at the end of the day, the value of your life is the sum of your lived experiences, your accumulated knowledge, your wisdom, the love you’ve given, and the love you get, and with all of that, what you have contributed to others and the overall good of our world.”
They traveled in silence, each deep in thought. Clark expertly passed all the traffic, diving between autonomous cars as they scattered out of the way like cockroaches in the light, their occupants gasping in surprise, Clark grinning with glee. Then Clark came up behind another obviously human-driven car that did not move out of the way, and as he drove up beside it he recognized his driving buddy Isaac driving an equally antique gas-powered Bugatti Veyron. They each revved their engines in glee, performing an ancient rite of motoring rarely practiced by modern humans, each inviting the other to see who was the fastest.
Clark shouted over to Isaac on the Augmentarium and asked “Hey Isaac, want to see if you can beat me to the junkyard? I’m driving Ferdinand there to get junked. Last one there buys drinks, ok?”
“Clark, don’t you do that!” shouted Julia. “Clark, don’t you get any dangerous ideas. Clark!” and with that they were off to the races, Clark and Isaac racing through the crowded traffic with big grins on their faces, Julia holding on for dear life.
Clark bought the drinks.
