2160

A technological breakthrough in robotics allowed for the building of a safe transport

system under the snow. Most of the connection pipes were restored, and the cities

were beginning to be linked with each other, allowing for faster development of

technologies.

2180

The energy efficiency of the cities had reached near perfection, but the need for fresh

materials was already appearing. New technological developments required

materials, not thought of during the construction of the cities. Humans began digging

again, and they became very proficient at it.

2216

The cities were celebrating one hundred years of operation. The ingenuity of the

builders had made life possible in the otherwise-unhabitable conditions of Earth. No

human alive had seen the outside. All they had were memories written on numbers.

The final dance of the humans before the Osiris strike was still celebrated. However,

it was slowly slipping into the pages of forgotten lore by the newer generations.

2270

Some of the collapsed cities like Paris became operational again. The years of

tunneling, repairing, and digging brought forward enough materials to repair the

collapsed cities. Survivors were found in some of them. The world consisted of one

hundred million people, who were slowly losing faith in rebuilding the ecosystem.

While most people and mainstream science was looking at a way to heat up the

Earth, a small group of scientists began considering that perhaps colonization of

another planet might be the solution. A return to Mars looked promising, and with the

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available technology, survival on Mars might turn out to be easier than previously

thought.

2273

Perhaps the most revolutionary change in culture and life took over humanity. The

long trip to immortality had finally reached its end. A system was made that could

program a swarm of nanobots, continuously adding scrambled code into the edges of

the DNA of every cell in the body. This way, the division of cells became unaffected

by the natural decay of the code, making every cell of the body as good as the

original one. With a few extra modifications in the following years, the humans could

now slowly return to the age of their choosing and stay at that age forever.

Additionally, nearly every disease that physically affects cells got eradicated in one

go. Natural death was conquered. The childbirth rate started dropping almost

immediately after the distribution of the so-called “COD” or Cure of Death injection.

Newborns could not be injected with COD, since it had disastrous results in the

development of the body. Only after the age of 20 could COD be administered, and

in certain cases after twenty-five years of age.

With very few humans being born, even though almost nobody died, the

population was struggling to rise. Most of the people were humoring themselves by

saying, “We will have children when the Earth becomes habitable again.”

In the following years, many technologies previously thought to be science

fiction started becoming a reality. Nanobots in everyday materials and a lot more

became a common sight.

“And we finally got to understand why we need to matter.

Apostasis will guide us back to reality.”

—Written on a wall

Apostasis: A term used to describe an unforeseen consequence of human

immortality and lack of purpose. A psychological condition which

renders the person unable of finding meaning behind life. Leads to

social distancing, depression, and in advanced cases, suicide.

First identified in 2312, but speculated to be around for longer than

that and misdiagnosed as severe depression, the condition started to

spread like a virus. Machine automations render individual humans

unimportant to society. Many believe that combating the condition

would require humans to start working and making decisions that

would ultimately affect their well-being.

Medical treatment consists of temporary chemical interference with

the brain’s neurotransmitters.

Drug effectiveness declines with time and dosage levels.

No cure is in development.