IRREPLACEABLE

Yes, I’m back! (I say that on this blog so much it should be my tagline though.)

Apologies for being away. Was mostly busy with NanoWriMo in November (which I passed, yay go me!). Am now stuck with 50.000 words of manuscript crying loudly to be edited. My God, the nonsense I wrote. The ordeal also left me with a bit of a creative burnout, so I have not written anytime in a while. Which is why I decided to start on November’s topic so late.

I will continue with ‘Lost’ part 2 another time. I have an unfinished draft on my hard drive, but I do not feel like writing it now. For now, please do with this month’s attempt. The story started small, but eventually developed into a monster, and so I am only writing the plot outline. This seems to be my weakness as a writer: I cannot think small. Which leads to over-complication. My short stories morph into full-length novels, and then into epic multi-part fantasy sagas.

MEN OF METAL

(please excuse all the historical liberties I have taken)

HISTORY

This takes place in an alternate 20th century in an alternate Earth much like ours. History is about to be made: Christian Barnaard is about to carry out the world’s first heart transplant. The ramifications of this momentous occasion are tremendous: imagine the developments in the field of medicine! Men might finally be able to look death in the eye and laugh: no longer would they be victims of their own mortality.
However, something goes wrong. The heart that was supposed to be transplanted goes missing, and in horror, Barnaard goes out to find it. In his absence, however, his apprentice, Jeffrey Briggs, having had a few too many drinks at the pub, decides to play the fool. Donning the uniform of a surgeon, he decides to carry out the operation himself. In the absence of a human heart, however, he decides to try the next best thing.

The engine of a combine harvester, which he finds in a garage.
The surgeons protest this madness, but Briggs goes ahead with his mad idea. All watch in horror, unable to stop him, as he connects, veins to pistons, arteries to valves, in a mad mockery of engineering and medicine that leaves the operating theater awash with blood. The screams of the patient echo through the tiny town, filling all with horror.

Barnaard returns, to a shocking discovery: against all odds, the operation succeeds! Patient Louis Washansky is perfectly fine. Indeed, he is more than fine. The engine proves more adept at pumping blood to his system than a mere heart, and Washansky finds himself stronger and more energized than he ever was. Indeed, he is able to do his job as a labourer far more effectively, even doing the work of ten men at one point. The effort proves too much for his system though: eventually, Washansky rips a tendon in his arm from the over-work. But Briggs, enamored by his success, replaces it with themetal arm of a crane, and soon Washansky becomes an ultimate worker.

These events herald the dawning of a new age: The Cyborg Age. Scientists all around the world, inspired, begin replacing human parts with metal parts as much as they can. Lungs are replaced with pneumatic bellows. Brains replaced with supercomputers. Limbs replaced with metal prosthetics. Eyes replaced with fiber optical lens and ears with sensitive digital receivers.

The only body part they are unable to replace is a strange, previously unnoticed gland located nearby the liver: any attempt to remove that results in the death of the patient. Scientists name it the ‘Centiris gland’ (after the doctor who discovered it, Dr. Martin Centiris, Geneva Institute of Mecha-Human Development) while the common folk, as well as the religious, know it as the ‘soul-cage’.
Fast forward a thousand years, and the Earth is now an iron utopia. Humankind is unrecognizable, with most people more metal than flesh. The production of mecha-biological energy generators, together with new sources of renewable energy, result in humanity losing their dependence on food and water for sustenance, while synthetic gas turbines, combined with intelligent filtering systems, allow for lungs to subsist fine without breathable air.

As food, water and air are no longer necessary for survival, the surface of Earth now resembles a bleak wasteland, with machines and factories, as well as pleasure facilities built almost everywhere there is space. The production of mecha-developments in medicine have also made humankind immortal: any body part that breaks down can easily be replaced. This removes the human urge to reproduce, resulting in human population being stagnant for the past few decades. Globalization has also reared its ugly head, with the whole of earth being one huge empire divided into seven major precincts: New Paris, New Johannesburg, Celrio de Janeiro, New Canterbourne (also known as Newer Orleans), New Tokyo, New Antarctica, and The Soviet Collective.

Humankind is happy with all this, however. Well, as happy as they can be with simulated emotions from the revolutionary emotional implants, which allow them to feel various feelings at various intensities whenever time they choose.
The only reminders as to how Earth looked when it was still organic are contained within Heritage Sites, sanctuaries containing the last trees on earth. These educational centres, accessible with a Pass and a small entrance fee, contain old relics from a bygone, backward age.

It is in a Sanctuary in New Paris one day that worker James Melroy discovers a shocking discovery. Contained within an ancient cave, frozen in a suspended animation cell, is a young teenage girl. Who appears to be completely flesh, something practically unheard of!

He awakens the girl, who despite being intelligent, has no idea of the events of the last few centuries. Her name, she tells him, is Dawn, and she has no idea of how she got into the cell. A phrase, however, keeps playing in her head: ‘What can Sink the Ironclad?”

Melroy decides to take Dawn to his superiors, who ask that they take her to the Chief Laboratory in the capital city of Hortras for examination, as well as letting her undergo mechanization. Melroy and Dawn thus embark on an epic cross-country trip across New Earth, but things become complicated when it is revealed they are being pursued by many groups, including:

THE KGB

Motto: All is the Collective, and the Collective is All!

News travels fast in New Earth, and no surprise: its hard not to stay updated when you have your ears replaced with satellite receivers and your cerebellums with decrypting devices. News of the mysterious flesh-girl travels all over the world, even reaching the ‘ears’ of The Premier, mayor of the Soviet Collective. He becomes fascinated with the girl, and becomes paranoid: what if this girl is some kind of bio-engineering development which they plan to use against The Collective? His paranoia is fueled by his a secret resentment for the City of New Paris (whose GDP has been much higher than his for ten decades running). Therefore, he decides to intercept the girl, and take her to his Laboratories, where his scientists can examine her to engineer developments for his people, and take her out of the hands of the foul perfume-wafters of New Paris. To do so, he engages the aid of Boris Bkevko, his sadistic machine-gun- handed Chief of the KGB, and his daughter, the seductive yet mentally unstable agent Natalya.

THE NEW VATICAN

Motto: And the Word was made Flesh.

Despite the major religions almost dying out in the Cyborg Age, many still cling on to old beliefs. Foremost among these struggling cults is the New Vatican, led by Eternal Pope Bartholomew I, carrying on the ancient beliefs passed on Peter in the days before history. New Vaticanists tend to have a love-hate relationship with mechanization, many of them adopting as little enhancement as they can, often only the crucial ones necessary for survival. They hold flesh as sacred: after all, was not the Word made flesh thousands of centuries ago? And did it not say He would return to them someday?

News of a person of pure flesh appearing was therefore first met with much rejoicing. Who could this be but Christ Himself, returned to them in glory? But rejoicing turned to confusion when it was revealed this creature was female, and worse, did not even seem to have heard of the Church of the New Vatican. Panic arose, and an emergency council was summoned, in an event that would forever be known as the Council of New Vatican 2.

During the Council, Bishop Ogawa spoke eloquently: so what if the Second Coming is a girl? He said. Did that deny the divine essence within her? God worked in miraculous ways beyond understanding, after all. When He first came, He was born in a stable, to poverty, and not the conquering, glorious hero everyone expected after all. And look what happened to the ones who chose to reject Him. Who are we to reject a good merely because it does not conform to what we expect it? And so what if She did not seem to know of the Mission of the New Vatican? Christ only started His mission at thirty after all, and here she was, much younger than that. In time, all things would be well. Let us let the plan of Almighty work out. For it is beyond our mortal understanding.

And there were cheers at Ogawa’s speech, and he was appointed Special Monsignor of the Second Coming. His task, so bestowed upon him by the Eternal Pope himself, was simple: secure the Second Coming as soon as possible, and bring her back to the New Vatican. For the world awaits Her miracles.

THE BRIGGAND SCEPTER

Motto: The spirit is willing and the flesh is weak.

Or: Deus confirmis ex Machina (God really is in the Machine)

While most of the old religions died off in the Cyborg Age, new beliefs arose to take their place. Most prominent among them were the Briggands, a rather complicated cult, which devoted itself to the worship of Raymond Briggs, who they believed ascended to a sort of godhood after that first successful heart operation millennia ago.

Indeed, the first sentence of their holy book, the Manual, is: ‘In the beginning was Briggs, and he removed from man the image of God’. (Gears 1 :1)

While the Briggands are a moderate cult, believing mostly in good behavior and a duty to help others, more radical versions of the faith exist, most dangerous among them being The Briggand Scepter, a militant group believing flesh is obsolete, and an abomination. Believers tend to be mechanized as much as possible, some even resembling the fictional robots of old, their only organic parts being their soul glands, which they would rip off if they could.

So disgusted they are at the notion of flesh, that the news of a living breathing girl made completely out of flesh revolts them all the way to their metal hearts. A Briggand decree is launched: blessings and a life of fame and honour shall be appointed to the disciple who manages to capture this beast, a foul affront to the life they lead, and destroy it.

THE MECHA DE SADE

Motto: The only way is to experiment.

Alternative: Lets have fun!

Reproduction may have come to a standstill after the Cyborg Age, but that didn’t mean sex ended as well. Oh no. If anything, the advent of prosthetic enhancements and pleasure chips only meant the coming of a new sexual revolution, with all manner of things previously viewed as impossible or disgusting now possible.

One of the champions of the sexual revolution was young Kai Garros, a promising neurologist and mecha-surgeon. A brilliant student, he topped the class at university and pioneered many bio-enhancements, among them being the celebrated gamma-ray diffuser. Many expected him to join one of the top Laboratories, or even the Fusion Chambers at New Antartica: with such a brilliant mind, he could build anything!

Imagine everyone’s surprise when young Garros proved to be quite a pervert, and devoted his talent to the sex industry instead, which he proved to have quite a fondness for. Adopting the moniker ‘Mecha de Sade’ he opened revolutionary pleasure domes, catering to every kink possible, offering new and incredible ways to his patrons to fulfill their lusts and gratify themselves.

One of the most common kinks on New Earth, however, is flesh-and-mech (or F&M), which are sexual acts carried out on creatures, or even pounds of flesh. Which, in this mech-biological age, is hard to come by. Special flesh-sensations have to be programmed into his pleasure chips, a special menagerie of the few remaining flesh-beasts on earth has to be maintained, and his whores find themselves having to strap on artificial flesh packets, just to satisfy his randy guests.

Imagine the Mecha De Sade’s delight when he heard of Dawn, the last remaining flesh-girl on earth. Oh, how much his customers would pay for a night with her. He knew of many kings and ministers who would give him land and titles, just for a taste of her soft flesh. A master of disguise, as well as poisoning and torture (you’ll be amazed what you can pick up in a brothel) he goes off to kidnap her, accompanied by his ancient and randy man-servant Rafe.

(Author’s note: I actually only put this character in because I find the idea of a scientist who becomes the world’s biggest pervert amusing. And I like the name Mecha de Sade! I think its awesome!

I also intend to have him defeated in an ironic manner, after he discovers, too late, that a flesh induced orgasm is the only thing capable of over-riding the programming of his biological computer systems in his heart.)

CHILDREN OF EVE

Motto: Mankind must prevail.

Not all of humanity volunteered willingly for the Cyborg Age.

Modern day Luddites, the Children of Eve are a colony of people, who in the past, broke away from the ever mechanized-civilization, deciding that they weren’t comfortable with becoming more machine than man. Facing persecution and ridicule, they became more and more secret over the years, hding themselves in shelters, and later, distant parts of Sanctuaries, until they passed into legend and myth.

But that did not mean the Children of Eve were inactive. Far from it. They work tirelessly, working on bringing down the Machine Empire, waiting patiently for the day when they can reclaim the earth for themselves again. Some of them work as undercover terrorists: donning metal suits to disguise themselves, they lurk among the citizens of the Empire, doing their best to cause havoc as much as possible.

Agent Victor Brealis is one of these agents. On a mission one day, posing as a nuclear technician for sabotage, he comes across Melroy, and Dawn, who he is amazed and attracted to. He vows to rescue Dawn, delivering her from the process of mechanization, and bring her back to New Eden, the biggest holdout for the Children of Eve, where she may join their civilization as she rightfully should. There is nothing for her in this dark Machine Empire, where even the air is foul, after all.

Dawn is first attracted to his offer, and likes Victor, but later is forced to reassess her priorities. For she learns that on New Eden, women have little rights. Indeed, they are mostly viewed as breeding machines, kept in special chambers to ensure they keep on reproducing to ensure the survival of the species, which is held as the highest goal. Machines can live forever, after all, but humans take a long time to make and last for a short time. Dawn is repulsed by this fate: she has no desire to be a mere sex machine.

A conflict also arises when she discovers that Victor is in charge of a sinister plan, the Great Bug, which will release a computer virus into the heart of the city, effectively infecting all mechanized humanity, leaving them to a gruesome death. For this would mean the death of many of her friends, especially Melroy, who she has grown very attached to…

(Author’s note: The original ending of the story was conventional, in that Dawn left to live happily with the Children OF Eve. However, I realized it was more interesting to have it turn out this way. In a sense, this whole story is a reversal of the Matrix: what if the revolution of the machines turned out to be a good thing, and the humans who resisted it were evil?)

OTHER NOTES

Melroy and Dawn will also come across many allies in their quest to get to the City’s Laboratory. I sadly have not thought about them as much as the antagonists of the story, but they include:

-A robot dog with a tongue that can be converted into a laser
-A war veteran from New Tokyo who is very much like a mechanized samurai
-A soldier also on the way to the Laboratory, whose emotional receptors have short-circuited, causing him to feel the weirdest things the worst times (hey, story needs some comic relief!)
¬-a mechanic, and potential love interest for Melroy perhaps, who has flamethrowers installed in her arms (why? Because its cool!)

Also, have not completely figured out who Dawn is, and the true meaning of the cryptic phrase in her head. For now, the idea is she was actually an experiment by Dr Barnaard, who was horrified at the rapid advancements in mechanization. He thus decided to preserve human genetic material, in case humanity was lost completely, and placed some gentic material in a statis cell to act as a time capsule. The mechanization was to activate, and cloning techniques carried out on the genetic material to turn it into a person if certain factors were achieved. What these factors are, haven’t thought yet, but intend to have it match up with one of the terrorist schemes of the Children of Eve. It would be a nice irony: the acts of the last humans on earth against machines would be deemed to them losing their humanity.

The only problem with this idea is that it does not explain how Dawn is able to be intelligent and talk. I could say it was some advanced technology, but that might defeat the whole idea of Dawn being a ‘natural, organic’ person. I suppose I could invent some weird science up: engineered brain cells or intelligence hormones or some nonsense like that.

Also, still not sure how the story ends: I just know Dawn does not join the Children of Eve, and does not become a robot. As of now, I like the idea she actually accepts her role as the Second Coming of the New Vatican, although what the church is going to say when they find she cannot perform miracles is beyond me. I also have the plot idea that all her actions become over-exaggerated and misconstrued as miracles when viewed by the over-zealous New Vatican agents. But that might be hard to write, and become stupid after a while.

Finally, should I make Dawn and Melroy fall in love? Is there a term for machine-human love? Mechanistery? Damn it, the things I have to think about.