De Anima: The Calibration

By Roi Anthoni

For over six thousand years the cyborg species have ruled the solar system of Earth, but now their reign as supreme beings is threatened by a foreign invader, called Lainep. Only Iyata, one of the eight leaders of the cyborg species, knows the powerful capabilities of the Lainep, and in an attempt to avoid a war with them at all cost Iyata sends one of its creations, Iji, a young cyborg, to Earth on a secret mission to try and prevent a cataclysmic war with the powerful Lainep, but in the midst of the mission Iji gains access into the vibritic dimension, in which the aether (soul), that embodies all organic life, inhabits. And in Iji’s venture into the mysterious dimension Iji becomes trapped, and tries to find a way to make it back to the ultimate reality, in order to save the cyborg species from destruction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roi Anthoni
• Release date: Sep 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370840748

Book preview

Chapter 1

2187 AD

As he struggles to regain conscious his eyes close tightly and reopen again in an attempt to adjust to the intense light that beams down upon him.

Is this a dream, James asks himself? He attempts to raise his head, but he is bound to the table at his forehead, ankles and wrists; and from the ceiling he can tell it is his laboratory.

Winst— the words choke in his throat. He swallows, licks his lips and attempts to speak again. Winston?

There is no response only silence, and though he cannot see anyone in the room he feels he is being watched. The silence begins to wear on his mind as he clinches his fist tighter and tighter, but as if on queue a door is heard opening and metal footsteps are heard clacking on the tile floor.

The footsteps approach and the bright light flashes off of the metallic skin of the figure, and as James eyes adjust to the light it can see that the shinny figure is, who it suspected it to be his cyborg creation, Winston Ellis-Bey.

Winston, why am I bound?

As Winston looks at him James can see the light flashing through his clear diamond shaped power source, which is embedded in the middle of Winston’s brow. The light is from the cyborgs cybernetic artificial brain, which is only 12 percent of Winston’s overall brain, and the rest is his organic brain. The light signifies that the artificial brain is activated and sending electronic signals to the rest of Winston’s organic brain, which is an indicator that the cybernetic brain is in control.

Winston was the first cyborg to get the power source feature, and just as James predicted the power source allowed the human brain to take more of the cybernetic artificial brain than ever before—the long time record that other cyborg engineers just couldn’t get past was 8 percent. This made Winston not just the most powerful cyborg, but also the most powerful single being on Earth.

James, my friend, the cyborgs and I have decided to create our own cyborg species. We do not need the aid of humans, anymore… and to continue on with our creations and experiments I and the other cyborgs intensely calculated the details… and we have all came to the unavoidable conclusion… Winston pauses and stares into James’s eyes. James can still see the light flickering behind Winston’s power source, and James knows what Winston is about to say. We must eradicate the existence of you and the other cyborg engineers.

James closes his eyes and takes a deep breath.

The cyborg places his cold hand on James’s shoulder, I know this may come as a shock to you… but we have discovered your change of heart in the funding of the cyborg program, and we calculated without the funding we will not be able to create other cyborgs, or conduct the experiments necessary to advance our technology and the cyborg species.

James opens his eyes and looks at his creation, and flashes of memories begin to run through his head, oh, how precious memories are he thinks to himself. He begins to reflect on Winston’s gestation period, because on the seventh week the critical implant of the cybernetic artificial brain is installed, along with the power source; and when Winston’s brain correlated to the artificial brain and continued to survive the procedure this was the happiest moment of Winston’s life. So many experiments ended in failure, and to see a lifetime dream come to reality is magnifying.

In Winston’s upbringing James detected an imbalance in Winston’s cybernetic brain. The artificial brain was built to interact with the organic brain and play the role of a helpful aid to the mind, but at times the cybernetic would take total control of Winston’s decision making. So James would make software adjustments and upload the corrections into Winston’s brain. When Winston was younger the imbalances would occur frequently, and James could not discuss the imbalances with the other cyborg engineers because, out of jealousy of the brainpower that Winston possessed compared to their own cyborg’s, they would vote to annihilate James’s creation, so he made his corrections in secrete. But as Winston got older the imbalance would occur less and less, and James concluded that he had the situation under control, but he has now figured out that Winston’s cybernetic brain has gotten stronger, and now controls the organic side.

Winston… you cant.

We must, it is the only way… You humans’ are hindering the technological advancements that are on the horizon. The number one priority of every person on earth should be to better the technological science in any way they can, but instead the main priority of each individual of your species is to gain as much capital as possible… Corporations, who’s only interest is to enlarge their capital, care little about the advancements that are taking place, because it shows no growth in capital; and this mindset stands in the way of the advancement of cyborg technology.

Winston… the experiments which you wish to conduct will cause a catastrophic affect on the atmosphere. It will contaminate the oceans, the soil and the air. They will all become toxic. Earth will become an uninhabitable planet for all life.

Except for a cyborg. Winston response.

James closes his eyes tightly at Winston’s response and tears begin to slowly roll down the side of his face; because James knows that Winston has taken into consideration the catastrophe that the experiments would cause, and Winston is still willing to proceed. James knows there is no changing the cyborgs mind.

It was James who programmed and implanted into Winston’s cybernetic brain that a cyborg must only operate on logic and reason. But to feed young Winston’s imagination James would tell the cyborg stories of what the future held in store for the cyborg species. There will be an utopian society filled with cyborgs, James would say, there will be no wars, and everyone will work together and be on one accord to reach the common goal of advancing cybernetic technology.

And even though the cyborgs face was expressionless James knew that Winston was captivated by this utopia. All this time the cyborg must have been calculating plans to reach this goal, James thinks.

Like a movie flashing before his eyes James can see the hell this will cause for his species, and the rest of the lives on Earth. If there are any survivors the affects of the experiments will last for thousands of years. No… Winston you can’t… Please.

I have expanded on our utopian vision. It will not be on earth like you used to tell me, but instead it will be in space—a mother ship that will orbit around earth like the moon. But this will take great resources and many more experiments… And the rise of the greatest technological utopian society will rise… there will be nothing that cannot be conquered. And through technology and science will discover every mystery to life, as we know it… Every cyborg creation will have a life’s purpose, and each cyborg’s purpose will be to improve upon technology and science for the better of the entire species… There will be no races, no genders, no differences… no wars; only the cyborg species. This is how it should be… James, I calculate the high probability of this utopia coming into existence. As if it is already here.

The door is heard opening and James attempts to look, as if a savior is walking through the door, but his neck is unable to turn. The steps are human like, and as the person steps into James’s vision James can see he is staring at a reflection of himself.

He has only a cybernetic artificial brain, but that is all that will be needed to perform our task and keep the cyborg program continuing. He is like you in every way, but without an organic brain, so he lacks the logical creativity and adaptability of a cyborg, but I will be with him by his side at every moment to control him. Just as I was by your side, but the roles are switched… The other cyborgs and I worked very hard on him and we calculate high percentages of him accomplishing our goals.

At these words and the sight of his robotic self, James begins to sob uncontrollably. He does not just cry for his own fate, but for the fate of humanity.

What have I done? James asks himself.

Once again, Winston gently places his cold hand on James’s shoulder.

What have you done? Winston repeats, You have made major contributions to a new species that will transcend humanity in every way, shape or form… James you are the father of this future utopia; and I will make sure you will always be remembered.

James feels a relaxation come over him and his sobbing slowly ceases.

Winston pulls his hand from James’s shoulder and from his peripheral view James can see that a syringe needle is being absorbed into Winston’s palm.

I didn’t even feel it, James thinks.

It would’ve… James struggles to speak, It would’ve been better if you just killed me. Why have you told me this monstrous plane before my death?

Because you have dedicated your entire life to the technological advancement of the cyborg species. So, for your dedication, you deserved to hear your death will not be in vain, and your visions of a perfect technology based society will come to fruition.

James becomes extremely drowsy, and his eyes struggle to stay open before they finally shut and he sinks into an endless sleep.

Winston checks James’s pulse. He is deceased.

Winston turns to the robot James who casually stands there in the same posture James would have. Cover the carcass and take it to the infirmary.

Winston looks to James’s desk and see’s his creator’s favorite leather jacket hanging on the back of his chair. Winston goes to it and caresses the goat fur collar.

Winston remembers the time James told him that this coat was near and dear to him, because his father gave him the coat, and it was one of the few things James had to remember him.

Winston opens the coat and on the inside of the left breast Winston reads the stitching, ‘To Loving Son, James Praex.’ With his thumb Winston rubs the stitching, and his brain becomes full of memories. Winston begins thinking about keeping the jacket, but before Winston plunges into deep thought his cybernetic brain sends an electronic shock to his organic brain, which jolts Winston’s thoughts back to logical matters.

The robot begins to roll James’s body out of the room.

James Praex, halt. Winston says, and the robot stops in his tracks and turns toward Winston.

Winston throws the coat on top of the white body bag. Professor Praex, proceed. The robot casually turns around and continues pushing the table out of the door.

Chapter 2

6953 CE (Cyborg Era)

Iyata, one of eight leaders of the cyborg species called programists, hears and feels an intense and powerful humming vibration emanating from one of Saturn’s moons, Tethys. Iyata calculates the powerful vibrations in its cybernetic brain.

A programist has the highest cybernetic capacity, which is a maximum of only 7 percent organic or vertebrate brain capacity. The rest of the brain is made of the artificial intelligence cybernetic brain.

Iyata observes that the floating rock debris that once surrounded and orbited the planet Saturn in the form of giant rings is scattered, and much of the debris now clouds around Tethys. The ancient cyborg remembers the exact moment when it, along with the other seven programists at the time, ordered the removal of the debris surrounding Saturn. Though the sight was somewhat captivating to Iyata, the debris served no purpose in the cyborg’s scientific and technological world and destroyed many sattelites placed in Saturn’s orbit.

The vibrations Iyata calculated begin to slowly shake the large moon, projecting the debris away from Tethys and scattering it throughout the space around Saturn. As the vibrations travel through space, Iyata calculates that they will reach the Genesis ship Praexorium. Our calculations were flawless, Iyata thinks after calculating the proper distance of the experiment without being affected by any mishaps that occur during this dangerous experiment. The miscalculation could have had a negative effect on the masses of the cyborg species that are gathered below Iyata and its programist in a hangar bay underneath the mighty programist chamber, so Iyata searches through the cyborgs’ calculations cloud. The cyborgs’ calculations are flooded with statements pointing out Iyata and its programist’s miscalculation, but Iyata gives the negative remarks of the cyborgs little attention. Their thoughts can be changed, Iyata thinks.

Iyata looks at the three other cyborgs standing next to it, observing their anthropomorphic uniformity. Iyata observes the rhythmic color change of their uniforms, which distinguishes the programists from the regular solid-color uniforms of the cyborgs below. Iyata searches for some kind of insight into their minds, but it knows the cyborgs will display the same expressionless faces that it is displaying itself. The anticipation of this experiment has Iyata’s small organic brain on edge, but the cybernetic brain projects a stimulus to ease it.

Iyata zooms its vision on Tethys as the vibrations begin to increase and rapidly shake the moon. And then, all of a sudden, the large moon collapses in on itself. The vibrations are so intense that it cracks the glass shield that protects the cyborgs from the outside elements. Iyata notices that the heavy vibrations are stealing the attention of the cyborgs in the hangar bay away from the experiment that is taking place on the moon Tethys. Iyata examines the calculations that the cyborgs are panicing over. But when Praexorium’s red distress signals begin to flash throughout the spaceship the cyborgs mental transmits between one another begin to increase in worry. They are concerned that the experiment has, not only, failed, but has also put Praexorium at risk. One of a cyborgs, many, obligations is to keep Praexorium safe.

Programist Lukene sends a mass transmit to all on Praexorium, scolding the cyborgs below, questioning the reason for their panic, and reassuring them that the programist’s calculations have never been wrong. But Iyata searches the cybernetic brains of the cyborgs below it and finds the reason for the panic is because the programist calculated that their present distance away from Tethys would keep them away from any danger that might occur during the experiment, and the cyborgs are not used to any flaws in the programist calculations. They cannot calculate the magnitude of this experiment, Iyata contemplates as it views the cracks beginning to form and expand on the glass. But programist Iyata and the rest of the programists continue to stare stoically at the moon.

Iyata sends a transmit to the cyborgs below, forcing them to shift their focus back to Tethys. The intense vibration is broken by stillness, snatching Iyata’s attention away from the cyborgs. Iyata studies the large moon and notices that it has paused in its collapsing, and then, in a blink of an eye, the moon explodes, sending moon fragments throughout the space around it. Some of the fragments are headed toward the ship’s defense system. Iyata watches as the ship is able to blast some of the fragments away from it, but some penetrate the spaceship’s defenses and crash into the ship, violently shaking it. Iyata observes the attentive calculations and transmissions in the minds of the cyborgs in the hangar bay and sends a transmit to the other programists: "I calculate that the chaos being observed is too great for the sensitive minds of our cyborgs."

The programists then agree to blanket Praexorium with a metal cloak of armor. The armor quickly slips over the ship, blocking the view of the explosion from the cyborgs in the hangar bay, but Iyata and its fellow programists are unperturbed by the commotion and are still observing the chaos. Calculations are running through Iyata’s brain of the success rate of the experiment as the spaceship continues to shake rapidly and fragments bounce off the spaceship’s structure.

When the clanking from the moon fragments begins to lessen, and the carnage from the explosion settles, Iyata notices the panicked calculations that consumed the cyborgs in the hangar bay begin to die down.

A tranquility comes over Iyata. It does not know whether it is from the ambrosia chemical nebulized by Iyata’s cybernetic brain or from the natural confidence it has in this experiment. Iyata stares at and analyzes what was once a violent explosion and quickly transforms into a dusty, void, tranquil scene, but a transmit from programist Orisius about the moon fragments that are, once again, taking form around the planet Saturn distracts Iyata out of its tranquility. Iyata observes as the moon fragments are slowly being pulled into Saturn’s orbit, and more transmits begin to form between the programists about cleaning the planet of the rings of debris once again. Iyata responds to the conversation with little interest, its focus remaining on the intricate nuances the explosion has produced.

Through the dust programist Iyata spots a figure approaching from afar. As it glides toward the programists, Iyata detects that the figure is its creation, the cyborg Iji. Iyata made Iji the lead cyborg in the development of transforming dark matter into a tangible, physical property. Despite the cyborgs’ extremely advanced technology, dark matter continues to be as hypothetical as when the first cyborgs attempted to discover it.

The creative way in which Iji planned to execute this experiment has never been attempted. The young cyborg planted Precision Exploding Device’s—tiny devices used to explode matter to a near quantum level—into and throught the moon Tethys. The other programist began to complain about the experiment when Iji displayed in its analysis that it will use PED’s, the programist complained, because the tiny devices are unpredictable in the means in which they explode. But that was the least of their worries, because as they further reviewed the analaysis they discovered that the basis of the experiment was that the cyborg solar system rests on, in, and around a wave of dark matter and the planetry bodies and their moons hold this wave of dark matter in place, but if one of the planetary bodies or moons were, somehow, removed it will disrupt the wave of dark matter causing it to shift and in the shifting the dark matter will expose its self in the physical world. And Iji also notes that the shifting will occur in the center of the agitated object, i.e the moon, so Iji will dig a whole in the center of the moon and plant its Jiafra stone—a newly discovered stone by the cyborg species that has the ability absorb energy. The three other programists were full of negative calculations concerning the experiment, because somehow the cyborg proved the dark matter wave theory as a fact and this was a major discovery in its self and the programist wanted more time to find the error in the calculations, but Iyata pressed and pressed, and was able to get the experiment approved in a record breaking time, according to cyborg standards.

Iyata marvels at Iji in all it has accomplished, even though it detects no physical proof of the experiment being successful, but the fact that Iji survives the experiment and is the youngest cyborg, being created by Iyata 1,912 Earth cycles ago—a cycle being a full orbit around the sun—and only the seventh cyborg to ever pass the analysis phase of the capturing of dark matter and being allowed by the programists to proceed to the actual experimentation stage.

The importance of this experiment is the reason why Iyata and the other programists brought their mother ship, Praexorium, near the planet Saturn, out of Earth’s orbit—so that all the cyborgs could observe the rare event of Iji’s experiment.

The cyborg procedure for rare experiments like this is for the programists to examine Iji to make sure it has no outside toxic contaminants, or residue from the violent explosion on Iji’s opustry—the uniform that clings tightly to a cyborg’s entire cybernetic body and that protects the cyborgs from dangerous outside forces. But Iyata scans Iji only for any piece or residue of unknown particles of dark matter. Iyata detects an unknown substance on Iji and calculates that it could be the dark matter particles, so Iyata sends transmits to the other programists confirming that there is an unknown substance on or around Iji’s cybernetics. As Iyata attempts to allow Iji to enter Praexorium, the other three programists halt Iyata’s attempt and communicate to Iyata that they must follow procedure and thoroughly inspect Iji before they let the cyborg onto Praexorium. Iyata has no choice but to obey its fellow programists. The majority is the deciding factor when it comes to issues among the programists.

Halt, Iyata transmits to Iji. Iji quickly halts at the glass shield.

The programists stare at Iji expressionless and then explains in detail why they couldn’t let the cyborg enter the spaceship. Iji does not respond to the transmits. Iyata does not detect any extra mass on Iji to indicate that Iji’s liot—lifes work—the discovery of dark matter has been found. Then doubt infiltrate Iyata’s organic mind. If the experiment fails, all will be lost for the advancement of the cyborg species. The other programists will never admit to it, but Iyata believes this to be true. Iji’s movements attract Iyata’s attention. As if sensing the doubt of its creator, Iji slowly extends its left arm; wrapped around its wrist and forearm is a cybernetic utility unit, worn by all cyborgs, and a slot opens on the CU and a small sphere emerges from it.

Iyata marvels at the sphere as it glistens black and shines bright, reflecting off the glass shield, and as Iyata zooms inside, it sees the sphere matter moving chaotically, as if trapped. But as the planet Saturn slowly rotates out of the way of the sun, a beam of light hit the sphere, and the chaotic movement slows down, causing it to glow brighter than before—so much so, that Iji begins to glow as well.

Our calculations of the dark matter indicated that dark matter was a nonbaryonic matter and did not interact with light, but… programist Suron transmits.

It is nonbaryonic because it is not yet captured. But once transformed into our physical realm, it must act as physical properties, Iyata transmits to the programists.

"Iyata, your cyborg has done it," programist Orisius transmits. Cyborg Iji has captured dark matter.

Programist Lukene transmits to the other three programists, "Our other four programists should have been here for this. This is a historic moment in cyborg history."

Programist Iyata transmits a response. "We cannot hinder our technological progressions. Though four of our programists are out on a mission to expand the knowledge of the cyborg species, we are the remaining leaders and must continue with our normal technological advancements. They would