Evolution

“The nanites appear to be rewriting your DNA, which is not what we programmed them to do. They’ve gone rogue.” I stood frozen as I stared at my hands and watched my skin change color.

I imagined feeling the nanites crawl beneath my skin, weaving in and out of my cells like tiny machines. I tried to control my panic, but it was difficult when I could see my body changing from second to second.

“What does this mean?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“It means we’ve lost control,” he replied as he typed furiously on a keyboard. “The nanites were supposed to repair your damaged tissue, but they’re actively rewriting your genetic code.”

I looked at my hands again, now a pastel shade of blue. The sensation was becoming unbearable, like an army of ants crawling all over me. It was probably all in my mind, but I swore I could feel the nanties wreaking havoc throughout my body.

“We need to shut down the program,” the scientist said firmly. “But it may not work and it may hurt.”

Maybe the sensations weren’t my imagination. “Do it!” I shouted, clenching my fists and trying to ignore the overwhelming discomfort. The scientist nodded and rushed to a computer, typing frantically. The pain intensified as he worked, as if the nanites were fighting against their shutdown. My muscles spasmed, and I fell to my knees, trying to stay conscious through the agony.

Suddenly, there was an ear-splitting crack and everything went dark. When I came to, I was lying on a cold metal table. Dr. Ankeliwitz was hovering over me with a peculiar look in his eyes.

“What happened?” I groaned, rubbing my head.

“We shut them down,” he breathed. “But they’ve done irreparable damage.”

I sat up slowly, my body feeling foreign and heavy. Looking down at my hands, I saw they were back to their usual color, but something about them still seemed off.

I looked back at the scientist. “What kind of damage?”

Dr. Ankeliwitz forced his face into a mask of compassion but his eyes were alight with enthusiasm . “The nanites have altered your DNA in a way that’s never been seen before. You’re no longer entirely…human.”

My mind whirred with questions. “I don’t understand,” I said, my voice barely a whisper.

“You were out for a while, so I did some tests. You’ve been genetically enhanced. “It appears you are faster, stronger, and more resilient than a regular human.”

I took it in. “That doesn’t seem so bad,” I said.

Dr. Ankeliwitz cleared his throat. “Technology has now become an inseparable part of your biology. Your living tissue powers the tech, and the tech is now essential to your continued existence.”

I stared at him, his words dancing on the periphery of my understanding, but not sinking in. It occurred to me I was likely in shock.

“You’re part machine now,” he said simply. “And we can’t reverse it.”

A chill ran down my spine as the full weight of his words finally sank in. No longer human. Something…new.

I was afraid, certainly. But beneath the fear was a spark of something else. Curiosity? Excitement? My mind was racing, but not linearly. My thoughts were fragmented—going countless directions at light speed.

Dr. Ankeliwitz studied me, his concern evident. “We’ll monitor you closely, and we’ll do our best to help you through this transition.”

Transition. A common word, yet one with such profound implications. I looked back at him, wondering what my future held. I was human no more—a hybrid of flesh and technology.

I looked back down at my hands—I could see details I shouldn’t be able to see. My hands were stronger, faster, something new. The knowledge was irrefutable, though I don’t know how I knew this. My new mind began catalogueing the changes in my body and the associated benefits. I began to settle into my new skin and shed my fear. My perspective shifted.

I wasn’t a victim of circumstance or a freak of science. I was trans-humanism made manifest. I was progress. I was evolution.