Development on Hensley’s project was well underway. Already a week had passed since director Shimada approved and BioLab was hard at work getting the construct developed. Hensley has been spending his time at work racking his brain over different variables. Right now, he was analyzing studies on how the conditions of patients’ bodies affected surgical procedures and body modifications.
“So, an infected arm could theoretically be nullified if it’s simply dismembered and replaced with a cybernetic arm. Fascinating…” Hensley murmured to himself.
The door to his office opened up. Jennifer approached him with a tablet in her hand. She handed it to him. Curious, he took it to examine the contents.
“Hey. This is the list of volunteers who has signed up for Project Soul Cage. We have at least twenty-four people.” Jennifer stated.
Michelle Jackson. 28. Diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor.
Alejandro Rafael. 36. Suffers from severe depression.
Kali Izami. 66. Locked up in solitary confinement for life.
Jacob Lopez. 25. Diagnosed with an incurable disease. Only has three months left to live.
Elise Berenger. 85. Retired. On life support in a hospital.
Michael Miller. 51. Lost everything including his will to live.
Lorraine Szechovik. 44. Fugitive currently wanted in home country of Russia.
Jeremy DeVon. 42. War veteran suffering from constant PTSD.
Victor Dominguez. 39. Fired from CEO position. Feeling suicidal.
Hensley continued reading down the expansive list. Most of the volunteers had valid reasons for wanting to commit to the project and accept any risks involved. A few were simply curious and clearly had nothing going on in their lives to warrant living. It was rather depressing for Hensley to see all of these people, complete with photos of their faces.
“Well now. I guess I should’ve expected a rather dreary list of candidates.” Hensley said.
He did notice one name on the list. One he was glad to see. Andrew Peterson. He nodded then handed the tablet back to Jennifer.
“I should also tell you; Several penitentiaries are interesting in contracting you once Soul Cage is up-and-running. They see it as an alternative to the death penalty or life imprisonment. This way, those prisoners who have families can be given a second chance but without breaking the strict laws that keep them from being released legally.”
“Oh? Looks like word is already making its way around about Soul Cage. We only just got approval to start looking for volunteers the other day.”
“Well, they are volunteers. A lot of people are actually interested or being coerced by others they know but want to wait until after the testing phase.”
“Makes sense. This technology is the first of its kind after all. We’re talking digital immortalizing here. Oh! That reminds me! I need to take a little trip down to the cloning division. Care to join me, Jennifer?”
“Uh… I-I would love to but I-“
“Oh, come now. Your work can wait. Aren’t you the least bit curious? You haven’t set foot in that wing once since you started working here.”
“W-well I suppose. But only since I have you for company. Flesh and bodies make me icky.”
“Marvelous. Let us go.”
The Replicant Division is the newest addition to BioMed. Opened just last year, the staff here in these ginormous labs equipped with state-of-the-art machinery have been working on a new age process dedicated solely to creating new human bodies. By extracting DNA and skin tissue from healthy bodies and placing them into trays, the raw genetic materials are scanned and transferred into tubes both small and giant to grow bodies from lumps of flesh stored in these tubes. Before, it was simply fetuses being grown. With Soul Cage having been in development, giant tubes had been installed and now adult bodies of various shapes and sizes are being created as vessels for the project.
Jennifer felt sick to her stomach as she walked around quietly observing the labs with Hensley. He was giving her the grand tour while the scientists silently worked trying not to be distracted by the man himself being there.
“And here we are. The real meat and potatoes of this place. If Soul Cage is to be a success, obviously we need choices. Everyone on the volunteer list is an adult so clearly, we need to shape them properly. Hmm?” Hensley pondered.
He and Jennifer approached one of the tubes growing a female body. On the screen above a metal tray insertion, it showed the face of one of the volunteers.
“I-it looks like this is one of them. Laura Jansen?” Jennifer read.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
A male scientist nearby approached the two. He pulled the mask down from his mouth and put a gloved hand on Jennifer’s shoulder.
“Once the lead scientist, doctor Bennett, received the list of volunteers, he got to work on having samples of their DNA sent here to BioMed. Ranging some hairs to fingernails. The machines AI system scans and extracts the samples to feed into the algorithm which in turn, takes that data and the samples and injects them into the flesh lumps. Now the flesh can grow and will soon grow into a new body completely replicating that who the samples belong to. Take Laura here for example. As you can see, every little detail from the size of her breasts to the curvature of her nose to her figure will be formed from the flesh. She’s still in the early development stage though.” The scientist explained.
“But… But what about eyes? Organs? The brain? Bones?”
“All from the samples. As for bones… Each machine is loaded with fresh bone meal. That too gets injected into the flesh so the bones grow naturally in the bodies alongside the organs and more complex features.”
“Jesus Christ…”
“Fascinating, isn’t it? Thankfully many years of studies, research and vast development cycles led us here in preparation for cloning. Particularly to prep for Project Soul Cage. An infant doesn’t take very long. But crafting exact replicants of these people is a lengthier process. Not a single one of them is finished. In due time though. After all, the construct is still in development, no?”
Hensley turned to the scientist and nodded.
“Yes. Do not worry and do not rush. The construct will take some time before completion. And it’ll have to be transferred here, installed, etcetera.” He stated.
Jennifer seemed a bit terrified. She slowly backed away from the tube and watched in horror as the feminine figure sat inside the liquid-filled tank. Hensley then turned to her. He went to press a hand on her shoulder.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” He asked.
“This… We really are playing God here…” Jennifer murmured.
“The price to pay for immortality. Alright clearly, you’re overwhelmed so we should go. Get some fresh air. Come along now.”
Hensley pulled her around and began leading her out of the labs. The scientist looked on in confusion and scratched his head.
In a conference room deep within the capital building, a highly decorated man in a military uniform with a stout face looked carefully at the contents in the tablet. He gave a stern look to Melissa who sat nearby with her arms crossed and a smile on her face.
“You’re crazy. Soldiers are born and bred naturally like everyone else. This would be… Well, it wouldn’t feel right.” The man spoke.
“General… Please think about it. Imagine, we wouldn’t have to send regular people to their deaths in some war-torn nation anymore. Not when we can breed our own soldiers. It may very well be possible once the replicant program is in full swing. There’s a whole separate area currently being constructed for use outside of Project Soul Cage. Imagine it. Men and women created to fight. Wouldn’t be as risky as using androids either since they’re prone to EMP strikes and other advanced weaponry capable of rendering machinery useless. We… Could finally bring all of our soldiers home while the replicants are sent off. They have no families. No friends. No feelings.” Melissa stated.
“Hm. You’re really trying to sell this, huh?”
“They won’t be affected by trauma. Post-traumatic-stress-disorder. No morality. Get in, get out, get the job done mentality. Ones we lose can… Just be replaced. A self-reliant American war machine. Train them. Send them out. Let them go to work.”
The general’s lips rubbed together. His eyebrows shifting. Eyes narrowing in on the tablet. He seemed to be deep in thought. Melissa stood up, patting him on the shoulder.
“Think about it. Okay? All of this could be possible in a year.”
After she spoke her last words, Melissa left the conference room. The general remained in silence. Alone. Glaring the contents over and over. He finally snapped, grabbing the landline phone on the desk and dialing a set of numbers.
“Hey. It’s me. Spoke with the president just now. You need to hear this sir…”
Hensley quietly observed Jennifer who was smoking a cigarette with a distant gaze. He sat on a bench in the outdoor lounging area back behind the BioMed building. Jennifer began pacing back and forth.
“Look I know what you’re thinking Jennifer. You already knew of the replicants but seeing their creation process in the flesh, no pun intended, is making your mind stir. Am I wrong?” Hensley talked loudly so she could hear.
Jennifer stopped in place. She puffed on the cigarette then looked over at Hensley on the bench. She shook her head.
“M-maybe a little.” Jennifer stammered. “I-I’m just concerned about the whole thing. Is it really going to be as simple as taking a data chip extracted from someone’s brain and slotting it into an exact flesh-and-blood clone and suddenly, they’re just back from the dead?”
“A very oversimplification of the process but yes. Let me, paint you a scenario…”
Hensley stood up. He walked over to Jennifer to face her. Her attention was grabbed by him.
“Imagine: You’re the wife of the man of your dreams. Fell in love, dated, eventually got married, yadda yadda. One day, he is stricken with a debilitating illness. We’ll say brain cancer. His time is short. Less then a month to live before his mind rots away. You’re heartbroken. Married say, two years now and you’re pregnant with his child. But that child will lose their father before even being born. Now… He passes away. His microchip is extracted and implanted into an exact replicant of him. His face. Hair. Eyes. Genitals. All the same. Your loving husband and soon-to-be father can return into your warm embrace. Now you and him can raise that family together. It’s as if the cancer never killed him. You can grow old together. Watch in awe as your child grows up and has their own kids. Then either die peacefully or continue going on in new bodies. All of this… Because of Soul Cage. Doesn’t that sound just… Just delightful? Life is already difficult. Why not take advantage of the knowledge and technology we have to make life a little better, hm?”
Jennifer shed a single tear. The way he told the scenario sounded as if it came from somewhere personal, judging by his heartfelt tone. She finished smoking her cigarette and flicked the butt over into the silver ashtray next to the benches. Wiping her eyes, she nodded with a pouted lip.
“That does sound delightful…” Jennifer sniffed.
“Doesn’t it? Soul Cage has no ill intent. I… Am just so tired of hearing of death and loss all over the news or from random conversations overheard in the coffee shop on Malibu Avenue. I’m going to change the whole fucking world, Jennifer. Save lives to be cherished if even for another few decades. Get families and loved ones through trauma completely out of their control. See what I’m getting at?”
“I-I do. And I’m with you one-hundred percent of the way, Hensley.”
Hensley pulled her in for a hug. Jennifer embraced him tightly. He patted her on the back.
“Thank you, my dear. Breaks almost over so we should get heading back.”
“Of course. Right.”