CHAPTER 9 - Proto-Spliced
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CHAPTER 9 - Proto-Spliced
In the late 23rd century, a group known as the Proto-Splicers emerged from the wilderness, pioneering the use of radical new genetic technologies.
These individuals experimented by combining their DNA with that of various animals and insects,
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seeking enhanced abilities.
3.
Some chose genes from felines for improved reflexes and night vision,
CHAPTER 9 - Proto-Spliced
while others chose cockroach DNA for toughness and the ability to consume almost anything.
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CHAPTER 9 - Proto-Spliced
However, this genetic experimentation came with significant risks,
5.
including accelerated DNA degradation
CHAPTER 9 - Proto-Spliced
and a heightened risk of cancers and tumors, diseases, and organ failure.
diseases, and organ failure.
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These warriors were called "Proto-Splicers".
Additionally, the modifications had psychological consequences.
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Over time, those who underwent these procedures tended to lose their moral compass,
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a condition described as becoming "Feral."
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The degree and speed of this transformation were determined by the type of animal DNA they integrated and the extent of their genetic alterations.
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The technology that facilitated these changes was carefully selected to avoid detection by city authorities.
11.
Advanced AI, which could be tracked or shut down remotely, was notably absent.
CHAPTER 9 - Proto-Spliced
The AIs used in urban centers had safeguards that would delete their data
and alert their home cities if compromised.
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If these fail-safes failed, the AI would still subtly sabotage its new users while pretending to assist them.
Consequently, metal enhancements, which required AI to function,
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were not risked in the wilderness due to the possibility of being tracked.
14.
The Proto-Splicers benefited from smuggled technologies that included
CHAPTER 9 - Proto-Spliced
advanced medicine and chemistry,
enabling their experiments. Although these new abilities were compelling,
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they came with the cost of ever seeing the fruits of their labor.
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In the cities, the wealthy and rich worked with Nehpets towards the developments of a new "Shell".
17.
In the cities,
CHAPTER 9 - Proto-Spliced
the wealth and rich worked with Nehpets towards the developments of a new "Shell".
18.
Rather than creating "shells" or full biological duplicates,
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they developed devices called "Vita Arca" (VAs),
which stored only their most significant memories.
These could be uploaded into clones,
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but each revival risked loss of information not deemed crucial, potentially leading to a gradual loss of identity.
20.
The clones were not "shell copies",
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where they mimicked the original action and behavior of the host individual,
but rather it gave them core memories but allowed them to behave and learn on their own.
ver time, frequent use of these revival technologies
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could reduce a person to little more than a basic human template,
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erasing the rich details that once defined them.