Aberrant: The Long March - Tainted Evolution

Andrew Murphy · July 10, 2008

Andrew stood in is lab on board Lorean and stared at the holographic DNA strand displayed in front of him. Andrew marveled at how long it had evaded him; marveled at how nobody else had seen it. One gene; one little gene separates human from nova and psion. Andrew pushed a button and the “Latency Gene” exploded into view as the holographic systems zoomed in on the fourth chromosome pair’s evolutionary time bomb. Dr. Goldfarb saw that a single gene was present in novas, psions, and humans who were latent for both. One little gene, without it a human has no potential for becoming a psion or nova. Flip that toggle switch one way though, and you get a psion. Flip it the other way; a nova, and the threat of taint looming over one’s head like some Sword of Damocles.

Andrew reviewed comparison of nova, psion, and baseline genetic structure. A series of other genes were shown to be affected by the activation of the Latency gene. He saw that this one gene wasn’t the only controlling factor. It interacted with a series of other genes; some were affected in both novas and psions, others were affected in only one or the other.

Andrew had a eureka moment, It’s the other genes, the other changes that occur once the gene expresses. How could I not have seen this earlier? How could nobody have thought of this? I wonder if a flaw in those genes causes novas to accumulate the genetic errors that express taint. Maybe we are the dead end evolutionary path?

Through the night and well into the next day Andrew worked, comparing genetic scans of people from before and after their power activated. His scans compared taint susceptible novas to psions, both before and after their genetic switch had been flipped. The more he saw the more he became convinced that his discovery was going to lead to the cure. At long last, I can be free!

Overtired, overworked, and overeager Andrew made the rash decision to mix the proxy genetic material with his own. Returning to his home lab he removed a sample taken from Adam and processed it into stem cells. From studying his feeding process he was aware that his body integrated the cells into itself through recombinant DNA that altered the new cells to match his own. He modified the cells to produce their own recombinant DNA; he would alter his genes by stimulating those that were active in the proxy but unchanged within himself. Injecting himself with the proxy stem cells Andrew concentrated on his own cells.

For a moment everything seemed fine, Andrew focused on the state his body was supposed to have, internal organs, bones, nerves, and the like. Out of the composite a skeleton, organs, muscles, nerves and more formed. For the first time in more years than he cared to remember he had a heart that beat blood through his body. All of this had been within the grasp of his power before but required that he commit at least a fractional level of concentration upon it. Now Andrew relaxed and let go; if the taint was cleansed he would hopefully regain his human body without the need for concentration. Instead pain lanced through him like a hot poker driven into his mind. Confusion roiled within his body as the competing DNA struggled for dominance. The agony seemed to stretch to infinity but in truth Andrew remained conscious for only a few seconds, not even long enough for him to contact the others for help.

Andrew Murphy · July 10, 2008

Andrew stood in is lab on board Lorean and stared at the holographic DNA strand displayed in front of him. Andrew marveled at how long it had evaded him; marveled at how nobody else had seen it. One gene; one little gene separates human from nova and psion. Andrew pushed a button and the “Latency Gene” exploded into view as the holographic systems zoomed in on the fourth chromosome pair’s evolutionary time bomb. Dr. Goldfarb saw that a single gene was present in novas, psions, and humans who were latent for both. One little gene, without it a human has no potential for becoming a psion or nova. Flip that toggle switch one way though, and you get a psion. Flip it the other way; a nova, and the threat of taint looming over one’s head like some Sword of Damocles.

Andrew reviewed comparison of nova, psion, and baseline genetic structure. A series of other genes were shown to be affected by the activation of the Latency gene. He saw that this one gene wasn’t the only controlling factor. It interacted with a series of other genes; some were affected in both novas and psions, others were affected in only one or the other.

Andrew had a eureka moment, It’s the other genes, the other changes that occur once the gene expresses. How could I not have seen this earlier? How could nobody have thought of this? I wonder if a flaw in those genes causes novas to accumulate the genetic errors that express taint. Maybe we are the dead end evolutionary path?

Through the night and well into the next day Andrew worked, comparing genetic scans of people from before and after their power activated. His scans compared taint susceptible novas to psions, both before and after their genetic switch had been flipped. The more he saw the more he became convinced that his discovery was going to lead to the cure. At long last, I can be free!

Overtired, overworked, and overeager Andrew made the rash decision to mix the proxy genetic material with his own. Returning to his home lab he removed a sample taken from Adam and processed it into stem cells. From studying his feeding process he was aware that his body integrated the cells into itself through recombinant DNA that altered the new cells to match his own. He modified the cells to produce their own recombinant DNA; he would alter his genes by stimulating those that were active in the proxy but unchanged within himself. Injecting himself with the proxy stem cells Andrew concentrated on his own cells.

For a moment everything seemed fine, Andrew focused on the state his body was supposed to have, internal organs, bones, nerves, and the like. Out of the composite a skeleton, organs, muscles, nerves and more formed. For the first time in more years than he cared to remember he had a heart that beat blood through his body. All of this had been within the grasp of his power before but required that he commit at least a fractional level of concentration upon it. Now Andrew relaxed and let go; if the taint was cleansed he would hopefully regain his human body without the need for concentration. Instead pain lanced through him like a hot poker driven into his mind. Confusion roiled within his body as the competing DNA struggled for dominance. The agony seemed to stretch to infinity but in truth Andrew remained conscious for only a few seconds, not even long enough for him to contact the others for help.

Andrew Murphy · July 11, 2008

Ow … that was dumb … and painful. Andrew opened his eyes, at the moment her neither cared nor bother to figure out if the eyes were already there or formed upon opening, responding to his will. At the moment he just wanted to know where he was and why it felt like somebody was kicking him. He looked down at his foot and then up at his assailant, Oh … Andrew’s kicking me is all … wait, what?! Andrew opened his eyes fully and confirmed his initial scouting report. For all he could tell he was kicking himself; or rather an exact duplicate of him anyways.

“Hey wake up.” The duplicate also sounded just like Andrew, confirming that either he was suffering a major head injury (which was also all but impossible) or that he was being kicked by his exact duplicate.

“Ok, ok, I’m awake. Who the heck are you anyways?” the Andrew on the floor with the headache asked.

“I was going to ask you the same thing, but I suspect that we both know the answer.” The Andrew that was standing pulled a stool upright and perched upon it staring down at his counterpart. “You are me, and vice versa I would imagine. That little injection I gave myself clearly did not work as intended.”

The Andrew on the floor nodded briefly before scowling. “I think you mean the injection I gave myself. There’s no way you are the original.”

The other one laughed, “Come on, if you were the original wouldn’t you have woken up first? Seriously … besides, if you are the original you would have known who I was.”

“Right back at ya, you said you were going to ask the same question. Clearly I passed out from the effort of creating you… and clearly I made a mistake.” The Andrew on the floor sat up, his head hurt and this guy was being a pain in his ass which was rapidly putting him into a foul mood. When his double didn’t answer he stopped rubbing at his head and eyes and looked at him. The copy (or so he hoped) was engaged in looking at some data on a computer pad, apparently ignoring him. “Dick …” he muttered at the copy.

“Eh? What? Were you saying something number two?” Said the other looking up from the data, his own face marked with irritation. He had little time to say more as the Andrew on the floor smacked him upside the head.

“Pay attention Mr. Copy …” Now standing Andrew was about to suggest that they try to recombine and then figure out what happened when his duplicate sucker punched him. Within a matter of moments all hell broke loose as the two brawled across the lab, a whirling dervish of taint fueled rage.

Andrew Murphy · July 11, 2008