Incident In Nevada: Chapter 1.

"Do not fear; you are the next phase in human evolution..."

What day is it?
I can never remember the days in this facility, only the certainty of more and more tests being conducted, more men and women in white coats with clipboards coming over to glimpse me and note down their findings to the upper echelons of government.
My name - well, my designated name, anyways, is Subject Epsilon-202, and I was one of 2500 people chosen for a top-secret project, hidden from many and known only by few.

My story begins on 14th September, 2075.
It was a cold, bleak morning that day - then again, all days seemed bleak back then.
I sat down to watch the TV: nothing much had changed in the past few days.

"Record Storms In Asia"
"Invaders Take Colorado!"
"70 Killed In Crossfire"
"Chemical Attacks On Capitol Ongoing"

"UFO Sighted in Kansas!"

Nothing much had changed at all. As I flickered through the channels, searching for something to watch, I heard a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" I called.
"Secret Service. We need to have a little chat with you." came the reply.
My heart skipped a beat. What were the Secret Service doing on my door, of all the doors they could have knocked on. I leaped from my seat, and keeping my nerves in check, I opened the door.
As the door as fully opened, I took a moment to glimpse the men.
The one directly in front of me was roughly my height, dressed in black with arms at his sides.
His face was featureless, with only the visage of stubble on his chin and a pair of glasses concealing his eyes serving as the only noticeable features.
His cohort was roughly the same, save for his right hand holding onto his holster - presumably a precaution should I do something wrong.
"Hello gentlemen, what is it you need?" I asked tentatively, not wanting to make a wrong move.
"We need to discuss some matters with you, Sir. Sensitive matters." the man in black said, his voice remaining in that dreary monotone.
"Come in, have a seat." I said, and as my sentence ended, both men entered and promptly sat down near the kitchen table. I followed suit, and before I could open my mouth to ask the questions that were burning in my mind, the first man spoke.
"Mr Jones, we know you must have a lot of questions right now, but they will have to wait for later.
This is a matter that not many people, not even those in government, know about."
"W-What are you talking about?" I asked.
"You have been considered for a top-secret project hidden underneath the Nevada desert.
The details of this project are in this folder - if you accept my offer, you are free to look through it.
If not, then we will be on our way and you can forget this ever happened." he said, his voice glowing with that unmistakable tang of authority.
"What is it you need?" I pressed.
"Have you ever heard of trans-humanism?" he asked.
I had heard of trans-humanism before, but never paid it much thought - the idea of deliberately manipulating the human body in order to improve it seemed like a scenario plucked straight out of science-fiction, something that could not be achieved up until a further hundred years passed.
"I have heard of it - why do you ask?" I said.
"Trans-humanism is the aim of this project.
You have been considered for the Augmentation Project, a project which if successful, could radically alter the physiology of an ordinary human being and turn them into a super soldier.
We know you have had some combat experience before, which is why you have been considered to undergo radical Assimilation procedures and become one with the Augmentation technology our scientists are hard at work refining."
"Wait - Assimilation? Augmentation?" I said. My mind buzzed and burnt with even more questions than before, but before I could reply, the agent issued an ultimatum.
"You have two choices; either say yes and be accepted into the next phase of humanity, or say no, and we'll be on our way and you'll never have to hear from us again." he said, his tone remaining low and monotonous.
I remained silent for a moment as I weighed up both options.
On the one hand, I had already experienced war - I had no desire to go back out there and murder in the name of my country, but at the same time, many of my fellow brethren are being slaughtered en masse right now, and my conscience dictated that I could not simply stand by and do nothing.
After letting a few more seconds pass by, I looked at the man, and said "Yes, I am willing to join the Augmentation Project", my body trembling with shivers of adrenaline.
"Perfect." said the man. Here is the folder - feel free to read through it as we travel straight to the facility.
Both men got up and headed for their automobile, with me following suit close behind.
As I headed inside and the engine purred beneath my feet, I took a moment to realize that whatever Fate had in store for me, there was no going back now.
I opened the folder and began reading the files.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

*AUGMENTATION PROJECT - BRIEFING*
If you are reading this paper, you are just one of 2500 people chosen for the top-secret Augmentation Project, an initiative designed to meld both man and machine together, creating a battle-ready hybrid with the strengths of both and the weaknesses of none.
Here is what to be expected upon arrival at the installation.

1.) You will be placed into either one of 5 groups - Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, or Epsilon.
Each group will contain 500 members, and upon entry, you will be addressed by your group name and number (for example, if you are handed the number 303 and you are in group Alpha, your designated name will be Subject Alpha-303).

2.) You will be guided to a solitary room with all manner of supplies required: food, water, clothes, all provided free of charge for the duration of Augmentation testing.
No contact is to be made with relatives - we simply cannot afford for the location of this installation to be revealed to our enemies abroad.

3.) Augmentation testing can vary depending on the individual. It is possible some of you will be tested upon arrival, others may be considered for Assimilation in several months' time. Whatever the case, always obey your superiors and do as you are told; disobedience is not rewarded.

4.) Augmentation implants work by first latching onto the muscle of the individual involved.
Then, using nano-meter thick injectors, minute nano-machines are injected into the muscle, where they will begin to rewrite the body's structure on a molecular level.
The process can vary depending on the individual, but the whole thing is painless and possesses no adverse effects.
This entire process is known as Assimilation, which will be described further below.

5.) Once the Assimilation process is complete, you will become stronger than ever before.
Intelligence, speed, strength - all these attributes will be boosted immensely by the Augmentation technology, and you will learn to master your new gifts in special training camps far away from here.
Once your new abilities are mastered, expect to be deployed in battle almost immediately.
Do not fear; you are the next phase in human evolution. You will succeed!

                                                                                                                                                                   

*ASSIMILATION - WHAT TO EXPECT*

The Augmentation technology we have here will be fused to your body, improving pre-existing structures in a process called Assimilation.
Here are the steps involved:

1.) Introduction.
Augmentation technology is initially introduced to the body and attached to all major limbs.
From there, nano-machines are injected into the muscle tissue in order to begin their work.
As the nano-machines spread out, there will be minute pain - but it will quickly subside as the robots reach their destinations.

2.) Rewriting.
This is by far the longest process of Assimilation - the nano-machines previously injected are now rewriting your body's muscle tissue at a molecular level, improving and enhancing muscle alongside other structures within the human body.
Organs will be dramatically boosted - cardiovascular endurance and physiology will be drastically strengthened.
The skeletal system will be edited, so as to create bones which can withstand the most staunch firepower.
Arteries and veins alike will dilate slightly, with red blood cell count increasing threefold.
The immune system too, will be enhanced, with phagocytes and lymphocytes being boosted to the point where they will be more than able of fending off foreign invaders.
The respiratory system will now be able to extract more oxygen from the atmosphere, and filter through air should Augmentation Subjects come under chemical bombardment.
Pain receptors will be dulled, and senses such as sight and hearing will be boosted beyond current capabilities, making you a force to be reckoned with.

3.) Elevation.
Augmentation technology does not simply make one stronger - it also helps strengthen the mind more than previous processes.
Nano-machines travel upwards to the brain, but instead of rewriting it, they strengthen existing links, repair any faults they find and boost intelligence - allowing for Augmentation subjects to formulate plans on the battlefield and outsmart their enemies in moments.
At this point, the body is placed into stasis within a structure known as a Birthing Vat for several days - allowing the Augmentation technology to modify the body at a much faster rate than before and provide the body with the nutrients it needs to function.
The Birthing Vat can used for upwards of 7-9 days for one individual, and when that period is over, the now Augmented subject is take back to his room and left, so as to allow the body to become used to these new adaptations.

4.) Culmination.
Now that all the major structures in the body have been improved upon, the nano-machines enter hibernation, and retreat deep into the body.
Both organic material and Augmentation material should be interacting freely with each other, without any adverse effects whatsoever.
Assimilation is now complete.

5.) Regeneration.

This final phase occurs should the enemy damage you in battle.
If you suffer from grievous wounds, the nano-machines will come out of hibernation and begin repairing your wounds, boosting your already-high regeneration factor.
Coupled with the gifts bequeathed unto you by the Augmentation technology within you, you will not only be unstoppable, but you will mark the next phase in human evolution - a phase that will serve as the vanguard for continued research into trans-humanism.

                                                                                                                                                                  

*END OF REPORT*

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

As I finished reading the files, I tucked them safely away back into that brown folder, and my body filled with both excitement and dread?
Were these agents really telling the truth?
Did the Augmentation Project possess any drawbacks?
All these and many more questions lingered in my mind like bad memories that refused to be shut out, until at last, the car slowed to a crawl and the engine was muzzled.
We had arrived. I and the agents got out from the car. and my eyes rested on the lone structure in front of us.
To the untrained eye, it would appear to be nothing more than an over-sized pillbox, but I knew better - this was the installation the agents told me about.
"This way." said the Agent, pointing to the entrance.
I was led straight into the compound, whereupon I was placed in a queue with several other persons.
Each were silent, awaiting their turn to be given their designated numbers.
The plaque above my queue read "Epsilon"(at least I knew which group I was in) but refused to divulge any more information; I was left waiting for what felt like hours, the only noises being the tick, tick, tick of the clocks and the sporadic drum beat of footsteps drawing near, then retreating.
At last, it was my turn to near the desk, where I met a lady of the most diminutive countenance; her demeanor towards me and the others suggested she would rather be somewhere else, anywhere but here.
"Number: 202. Room: E202. Remember those." she said matter of fact, and I found myself being escorted to my room by one of the many men in black inhabiting this compound.
We both walked down a long, grey corridor, passing men in white coats alongside clearly mechanical personnel; as we neared my room, I could not help but feel my spine tingling and chilling.
Eventually, we reached my new residence, and it was then that the man in black said:
"Enjoy your new home. Remember - you are the next phase."
Those are the last friendly words I heard before entering.
The room wasn't too bad; there was food, water, a nice bed, a bathroom, and even a television.
Now, there was nothing left to do but wait.

Many days passed without incident here.
I had everything I needed to sustain myself, and for a moment, I was happy.
Of course, there were... incidents.
Rumors of patients undergoing irreversible trauma, Augmentation implants reducing people to naught but their primal instincts. I dismissed such rumors with a grain of salt - our government would not carry out such atrocities on its own citizens.
My outlook changed on one day, that one fateful day where I was dragged, torn from blissful sleep, rough hands and rougher men taking me to a destination unknown
I awoke strapped to a gurney, my limbs rendered immobile by several constraints, and surrounding me, were machines fit to plague the nightmares of the most staunch Luddite, with trenchant needles jutting out aplenty from these constructs. A protective, translucent shield lowered over the gurney and myself as men in white coats surveyed the situation.
Scream, I tried, but nothing came out save for muffled cries; my mouth was kept silent via the use of a leather gag. Writhe, I did, but a man in white announced:
"Keep still - it hurts less if you don't move."
"What on earth could he be talking about?" I thought, before a horrifying realization dawned;
They were going to begin Assimilation on me.



Source of DNA image: http://www.wakingtimes.com/2014/06/02/transhumanist-singularity-ultimate-escapist-agenda/