Anomalies and Abominations
It was around 9 AM. I was in an audio-visual room with twenty or more attendees. The topic was the Anoms and the Warped.
"It is common to mistake the monsters, the creatures we are used to fighting now, for the same as the Anomalies. Creatures of the Anomalies are Warped. They possess traits that a CODE BLACK usually has. The ability to manipulate itself and those around them."
The presenter switched slides.
"The difference is that they are limited. Records have stated that so far the Anoms have not reached a certain level beyond ORANGE and HIGH ORANGE."
One attendee raised a hand. We scowled.
"What are the possibilities of one reaching the RED risk level?"
"We don't know."
The room got loud.
"HIGH ORANGE risk level cases have shown enough power to level an entire block."
He showed a crowded street. On the lower left of the screen it said that it was from New York City, taken exactly between 8:01 and 8:05.
The moment the frame showed 8:02, half of the landscape in the shot had disintegrated. When it reached 8:05, the only thing left was the Charging Bull of Bowling Green, New York.
"All non-bronze materials disintegrated within that short time. Eyewitnesses said it felt like everything was melted down except for the bronze. And in the center of this is the bullhead."
The next slide showed a humanoid with flayed skin wearing an exact replica of the Charging Bull's head. Then the next frame was the bullhead under the heel of six graded agents with black boxes on their heads.
"The EX Graded Agents managed to take down the bullhead 47 times before it quieted down."
Now the presenter was showing the subjugation of the bullhead.
"Thankfully, despite how powerful these anomalies are, they do not regress to a cocoon or ovum state like some of the monsters we've grown to fight. We suspect that the Anoms are an after-effect of the Risk Level BLACK that appeared in Shanghai."
The presenter switched to the map of CHANGYE. The Upper and Lower maps were shaded to identify where most Anomalies were born or spotted. They were everywhere, but the most afflicted areas were the slums, the destitute street lanes and blocks that have low income.
"Super Emotional Response to Affliction. S.E.T.A. is the study made by the Fourth Reich. It details that after the Shanghai Risk, human emotions have become so unstable that it creates a warped placebo effect. Of course, such emotions can't be artificially replicated so far, and cases that we've seen so far are the responses made from these humanoids."
An attendee raised a hand.
"Are there cases where the afflicted were able to go back to their own senses?"
"None. So far there are no known cases of it happening. I am tempted to say that it is impossible, but imagine the possibility of it. To be able to retain your senses while holding such a power that could evolve you beyond your evolutionary limits."
After that it was just more statistics and comments from the presenter. After the presentation was over, I handed the cards I prepared to the attendees at the door.
"Oh, so your office is selling info?"
"Yes, on behalf of the Seven Swords!"
I said the Shichinin no Ken's name because it had more impact than just saying Kei's Office. Not to mention it was Sato who told me to attend this orientation. They still do this, huh… for free as well.
It was weird. Many of us were dubious about the 'free' part, and since it was OB-approved, we decided to risk it and attend.
I got my certificate and placed it in my messenger bag. I was walking along the street and as usual there were a lot of peddlers and stalls on NEUTRAL LANE. The lane was the spine of the city of Changye and was precisely located in the middle where you can sell or trade anything legally. While the Undercity Market was where you sell dubious stuff without the OB knowing.
In this large lane you can see the OB's logo. A bagua with a B in the middle of it. It was supposed to be the symbol only for Changye, but after it became warped, producing protective effects, it became the only symbol that the OBs around the world use.
Associates of the Otherside Bureau were privileged. Those who were in the Syndicates, Mafia, and other criminal organizations had the same privileges, but rarely matched the Bureau's spending power. The OB can take away everything they granted. The only reason they don't is because it would cause mistrust, and the OB was too busy worrying about the world to pay attention to the criminals. The Bureau was dead center. It was objectively neutral unless it came to the affairs of the monsters and anomalies that are living in this world.
I stood behind a crowd. A man in the livery of his god was preaching. Behind him was a man clad in full body armor wearing a crusader's great helm proudly. His breastplate had litany seals attached by wax. Behind them were the Mutants, the Abnormals that have been changed by the world. They were proto-anomalies who were warped into this mutated look. Mindless and without mercy. Even dogs had better consciousness than them.
"Here are the creatures of the devil. Demon spawns! Humanity, my children, are at war with such creatures from hell! Make no mistake! We are being invaded! Trapped into the corners! We must free the lands! Purge the demon spawns off our planet! For it is God's will!"
There were five billion believers of the current Church. It was not an exaggeration to say that many of the Agents are believers, but usually they do not suffer the zealotry that these Neo-Crusaders have.
"Let us spill the blood of evil!"
The Crusaders manhandled the mutants and placed them on a chopping block. The crowd's cheering was ear-deafening. The Crusaders raised their swords and chopped the mutants, their mutated heads rolling into the pit. The priest lit a torch and threw it on the pit, setting it ablaze.
The daily executions of the Church had ended for today.
—
I was standing inside a production factory to secure food for the Office. The Office had run out of emergency rations, and Kei wanted to purchase from a small production facility where she had a discount card.
They were selling real meat. But this meat station was operating with the permission of the Woo-Suk Corp, who owns the patent to the technology. Someone then based the idea on that technology and created the regeneration process.
H&N Corp, aka the Heinrich & Nakamura Corporation, created the technology. Dr. Hiroshi Nakamura and Dr. Heinrich Schmidt created it and had become quite a monstrous corporation because of it.
The breakthrough came when Dr. Nakamura identified a set of rare genetic markers and developed a cutting-edge gene-editing technique. By introducing the genetic elements into human cells, he found a way to activate dormant regenerative capabilities, unlocking the potential for super regeneration in humans. His discoveries not only revolutionized the field of medicine but also offered treatment for severe injuries and degenerative diseases.
But it did not regenerate an entire organ and limb but accelerated it only.
It was then a few years later that Dr. Nakamura and Dr. Schmidt's paths crossed during an international conference between the Fourth Reich and Imperial Yamato on regenerative medicine. Both were intrigued by each other's work and recognized the potential for collaboration. Their combined expertise in genetics, nanotechnology, and cellular biology paved the way for even more remarkable advancements.
Together, Dr. Nakamura and Dr. Schmidt refined the super regeneration technique using nanoscale delivery systems. They developed microscopic, bioengineered particles capable of delivering the regenerative genetic elements directly into targeted cells, maximizing their efficiency. The result was a method that significantly accelerated the regeneration of tissues, bones, and even entire organs and limbs.
The groundbreaking work of Dr. Nakamura and Dr. Schmidt fundamentally changed the way humanity approached medical care. With super regeneration, previously incurable injuries and diseases became manageable, and the potential for human enhancement raised ethical questions. Nevertheless, their discoveries ushered in a safeguard for mankind to be somewhat unafraid of the monsters that had begun roaming when they made their discovery.
The meat here was cloned animals of the Woo-Suk Corp, and by cloning the animals—they can continuously reuse their best animal. In this factory I was standing in, they had ten animals they regularly butcher alive and kept as the source of meat forever until their meat decayed.
They will put the cow asleep, and take huge chunks of it. They have huge cows, so after slaughter they usually get 800 pounds of beef to sell. I was able to witness the operation, and it was rather curious seeing how they basically took all the meat that the cow had and yet after putting the cow back into the chamber for regeneration, the cow came back whole again. The machine they are using here was for animals only, and anyone who tries to use it to regain their limbs will wake up to a nightmarish mutation of themselves.
There were many Rookeries that clone humans. But most of these clones were gene-edited so that their lifespan was that of a dog, they also don't last a month. To renew their lives they have to clone themselves every month.
Cloning animals and butchering them was easy since their purpose was to be eaten and consumed. But functioning clones are barely available, not to mention so expensive that all industries who tried it are bankrupt. It doesn't help that the Church considers them an Abomination to God and would regularly hunt them down.
Clones also suffer from MIDS. The Mirror Image Dissociation Syndrome, a condition that affects clones or individuals who are genetically identical to someone else. When a clone sees the original version of themselves, they feel extremely distressed and confused.
The clone will experience intense feelings of confusion, fear, and despair upon seeing their original. Then they become so detached from reality and are driven to inflict harm upon themselves, attempting to escape their perceived existential dilemma.
The exact cause of the MIDS remains unknown, but they say that it was a complex interplay of genetic, neurological, and psychological factors. Theories suggest that the syndrome arises from a disruption in the brain's ability to distinguish between self and other, leading to a profound internal conflict when confronted with an identical copy of the self.
Bioware augmentations were made by borrowing said technology, and yet there was no successful human clone out there because if the Church was to be believed, they do not have souls.
Soulless creatures cannot walk the earth.
Father Gabriel Montclair, a Vatican priest, said in his Soul Void Theory that clones lack a soul, rendering them fundamentally incapable of functioning as complete individuals. While clones may physically resemble their genetic donors and possess their memories, the absence of a soul leads to an inherent existential crisis, emotional instability, and disconnection from spiritual experiences. Despite their genetic similarities, clones are limited in achieving true individuality and self-realization due to the absence of a soul.
Clones are unfortunate creatures. But maybe I am conditioned to think that they aren't human. That they are just unfortunate creatures that are soulless and used as tools for the good of mankind. I had been company-hopping for years and have seen clones hold bombs to kill themselves for a company and saw businesses that clone popular actors, actresses, and idols for some nasty rich people to have fun with and throw them away after their expiry date was over.
Every naturally born human had their own patent on their birth certificates. A patent that gives you a choice to replicate yourself. Even though I was in debt, I wasn't going to sell that birth patent and I'd rather die with it.
"Sir, your package is ready!"
I could see the package readied with a damn smiley note stickered on the box. I took out the bills that Kei gave me and handed it over to the employee. Carrying the package of real meat outside of the factory, I saw a poster from the church that states their approval of this company.
I laughed to myself and got into a service train heading for Asobe Street.