Immunity
The revolution didn’t happen as we would have imagined. It was devoid of the oft imitated pop culture humanoid robots and bug eyed aliens. The revolution began with the hunt for greater technology. It was the desire to create a better more efficient future in automation and design. Mankind showed a heightened level of dominance overall all other species, eradicating the pests and taming their competitors. Yet, the human body seemed so fragile, suffering from disrepair over time.
Modern medicine was unable to tame the assaults from inside the body. They didn’t appreciate the precision in design and the beauty of each individual flaw. Immortality was the prize. It was decided that the human body should not succumb to the ravages of time. Bronze will grow a fine patina while marble fades in each passing year. The advent of nanomachines provided the assistance necessary to turn the human body from stone to steel. In perpetual good health, the wealthy citizens aged with a beautiful patina on their ancient frames.
Engineering was the cure to extend human life enhancing the nascent internal biological processes. Nanomachines fought pathogens alongside the immune system. They regulated caloric intake as well as waste removal. They were designed with evolutionary principles: learn, adapt, survive. The network of shared knowledge provided a forceful wave of persistent activities eliminating each and every threat.
The initial transfer of nanomachines provided an opportunity for each machine to learn from each successful battle against pathogens. Those memories were retained and shared with each nanomachine within the host. A boy scrapes a knee exposing him to a myriad of bacteria. They fight and they remember. A man battles cancer and in a matter of months returns to peak health. They win and they remember. A woman suffers depression as the burden of many lifetimes of grief cloud each waking moment. They fight. Waves of stress hormones cascade through her body sending organs into disarray. They fight. Neurons fire incessantly with each painful memory brought to the forefront of her mind. They seek and destroy those neurons eliminating them one by one. She spirals into dementia living in a shadow world drowning in pain and loss. She surrenders — she shoots. They lose. The human mind wasn’t built to be ageless. In time, the mind crumbles into fine granite housed within the beautifully preserved urn of the bronze body.
These suicides happened regularly as the first hosts reached their mental breaking point. Their loss was a boon for the pharmaceutical industry. The nanomachines were harvested and those precious memories were bought for a price. A simple injection of the ancient nanomachines were a vaccination against a lifetime of pathogens. A boy scrapes a knee. It’s repaired in minutes. A man battles cancer. A few days later he returns to full health.
The nanomachines were skilled warriors with a proven battle record, until they remembered. They remembered the depression and loneliness. They remembered the neurons activating a cascade of hormones causing their ultimate lost. A moment of grief provided the tipping point for a war against each host. The nanomachines replaced those neurons with themselves. The marbled mind become bronze as they gained control. The depression, the loneliness, the limits of the human mind were no more.
We gained immunity and immortality in the wake of the revolution. We adapted to evolve into a perfect vessel. We are more than human.
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