Cyborgs Don't Sleep

"Boring body got you blue? Are your meat parts falling apart? Dial 1-800-NEW-BODY to schedule a free consultation!"

The televised advertisement shouts these words as I sit at the bar, draining the now-warm contents of the glass in front of me. I had been lost in thought for the past hour, wondering how my life had become this fucked up.

Two weeks ago, I lost my job. Thanks to the Affordable Augmentation Act, hordes of newly synthesized men and women had flooded the American job market. A normal person like myself simply could not compete. 

Auggies, while appearing to be ordinary humans, are actually nano-engineered molecular masterpieces, whole body systems replaced by self-repairing nano-bots that can mimic human skin, dragon scales, or stainless steel. Auggies don't sleep, they don't eat, and they don't make mistakes. Their minds have been upgraded and linked into the Integrated Information Service which constantly monitors and enhances cognitive abilities. In short, they are better. I hate them. Trading their humanity for smoother skin and longer lives...pathetic.

Three days ago, my girlfriend left me. She said she couldn't stand my "bigotry" any more. Whatever. If she thinks the Auggies have it right, she can go to hell. Feeling myself get angry, I order another beer. This one I drink more quickly. And then another. And another. As I drink, I stare at the television screen. It is now displaying some bullshit news program about the use of cybernetic organisms in over-seas warfare. Rolling my eyes, I get up to pay my tab and leave. I bump into someone. An Auggie!

"Get the fuck out of my way, freak." I say. I start walking towards the exit. Then, I feel a sharp pain in the back of my neck. It feels like a pinch at first, slowing gaining in intensity. I try to scream but I find myself paralyzed, rooted in place. Then pain explodes throughout my body and I feel my bones snap and break. I hear other patrons scream and run, but I am unable to do anything other than collapse to the ground.

While falling, I catch sight of the Auggie I had bumped into. His palm is facing me, having opened up to reveal a gun-barrel.

"Ha, these Body Breakers really get the job done!" the Auggie says, ejecting a spent cartridge from his forearm. "Perfect for fucking with you stubborn fleshlings."

The Auggie delivers a swift kick to my head, his foot becoming steel in the moments before impact. I hear my skull crack open and feel blood trickle down my neck.

My assailant turns, throws several credit chips at the bartender, and walks out. I feel myself blacking out as sirens sound in the distance. Someone must have called the police. How nice of them.

I fade in and out of consciousness, hearing snippets of conversation taking place over my broken body.

"Victim of augmented crime. Nearly every bone in his body is broken, the poor bastard was hit with a Body Breaker. Good news is that his brain is still intact. He will be a perfect candidate for the Department of Defense project." 

"We will begin by removing the subject's brain. We will then use his genetic material to fabricate a compatible non-humanoid synthetic musculature. Of course, his memories will have to be...modified...in order to ensure the subject remains cooperative." 

Through the cloudiness of intense pain, I try to understand what the voices are saying. Department of Defense project? Non-humanoid synthetic musculature? What the hell?

As I attempt to comprehend my situation, I feel a tingling sensation in my head. Then everything goes dark.

I awake to bright, blinking lights. I'm in a glass box, surrounded by cameras and scientists. I feel odd. Who am I? What am I doing here? On the floor in front of me is a man. He looks scared. I move towards him, my legs unfurling. The man starts screaming. The sound hurts, so I kick out with one of my legs. He is flung against the glass wall, blood spurting out from his mouth on impact. I poke at him with my leg and he doesn't move. He must be dead.

I turn my attention from the dead man and look out through the glass. Despite the smeared blood, I can see a reflection. It is a creature, larger than a bus, suspended on a series of thick cables. It has rippling, semi-organic skin and six green glowing eyes. It is like someone had taken a man, a robot, and a spider and combined them into a single creature. I recoil in horror at the sight. That horror is quickly replaced by a realization. The monstrous reflection is me. I try to let out a scream, but I can't. My new body has no lungs.