Re-Gene creation and production.

Historical background.

All Re-Genes begin their life in the massive genetic database of the GeniTech corporation. This register was built during the seventies and early eighties when GeniTech was focused on growing organs. As there was a severe lack of both organs, blood, and skin for a medical system increasingly able to treat the previously untreatable, they were given access to vast hospital databases of blood and DNA samples through various research projects.

This, in many parts, government-sponsored research quickly bore fruit, and in 1986 GeniTech presented their first vat-grown organs, quickly replacing many of the mods used to treat things like heart failure. As the organs could be genetically tailored to apply to a large segment of the population, many previously used methods like dialysis, pacemakers, and insulin became stopgap measures awaiting a suitable organ to be grown.

However, once these technologies became accepted on a larger scale, it became obvious that it was not as cost-efficient to cure an ailment as it was to treat it. Parts of the GeniTech board pushed for the methods to be taken further, and project Methusalem was born.

Now that medical technology had advanced, a cure for human aging was the holy grail everybody sought. While some companies invested heavily into cryo-tech to preserve the already ancient with the money to pay for it until technology had a chance to catch up, others focused on mods and artificial bodies. As neural interfaces became smoother, experiments were made where brains were extracted from their host bodies and put in fully artificial constructs. While this worked in the short term, the subjects quickly succumbed to either the inherent degradation of brain tissue due to aging or to what became called ABS, Artificial Body Syndrome. A sufferer of ABS would become increasingly withdrawn, the neural interface breaking down until the artificial body could no longer be controlled, trapping the mind in a paralyzed, or occasionally wildly spasming, body. It was theorized that the reason for this was that the human mind could not see itself in the artificial body, and the self-image would break down. This had been seen on a smaller scale with some recipients of limb replacements, and it was theorized that it was related to whatever caused AHS, the Alien Hand Syndrome.

Project Methusalem was an attempt to circumvent this issue by growing a replacement body from the subject's own genetic matrix. While this would work for sufferers of physical ailments, it did nothing to mitigate the numerous afflictions of the aging brain. While research into dementia and Alzheimer's had been ongoing, no cure had been found. Even the causes were debated, and it became increasingly obvious like just with cancer, there was no single silver bullet that could solve everything. After their relocation to Los Diablos in 1992, GeniTech acquired a small startup focused on artificial intelligence and got to work.

A new division was set up, focused on merging GeniTech's organ growth technology with artificial intelligence and solving the transplant mind issue. One of the major problems with growing whole bodies for anything but organ harvesting had been that methods used for the accelerated growth process almost inevitably resulted in either Microcephaly, Anencephaly, or other issues with the developing brain. While the Artificial Intelligence part of the project quickly ran into computational power issues, a consultant brought in to work on digital storage for analog memories had a breakthrough.

For a long time, the biggest obstacle had been the actual transfer of thoughts from a human mind to an artificial one. Research into mental changes resulting from the Boost drugs showed that there were ways that the human mind could manipulate certain materials, and telepathically programmable memory circuits were born. For the first time, a purely artificial brain running implanted memories could be put into a vat-grown body and make it function. It was a breakthrough!

It was also economically unsustainable. The memories implanted in the artificial mind were subject to the telepath's discretion and were not a direct copy of the donor's. They were also subject to breaking down unless subjected to continual reinforcement and conditioning. The project was on the verge of being shut down when the man in charge of the telepathic side of the project, Dr. Ljungstrand, made a suggestion that the board could not ignore.

Since the clones were grown from scratch with carefully curated genetic profiles, why not fuse this with the research into boost drugs already done by other companies? It had already been shown that animal research into the subject rarely yielded transferable results, but with human embryos, you could experiment with genes and dosage with a minimum of ethical concerns. The non-viable clones would simply be flushed until a suitable genetic baseline had been set up that would be able to accept the changes the boost drug wrought with a greater chance of success. Ljungstrand had contacts in the military willing to jointly fund such research into organic weapons.

The project was approved, with Dr. Ljungstrand as the director. It was located in the wastelands of Nevada to minimize leaks of both information and materials. It was nicknamed "The Farm," and it was here that the Re-Genes were born. 

The Re-Gene Life Cycle

1: Selecting genetic lineage

Several genetic lineages have been determined to lead to a greater chance of successful boosting. These are mixed with new potentials; the Farm is always improving its stock. Often the material is harvested from relatives of successful boosts, as this is one of the only ways to get some form of a preview of whether the genes would be compatible. Both splicing and recombining are used to test theories about which parts of the DNA are the most influential. 

2: Preparing the first batch.

The first batch of prepared eggs is fertilized, this can run in the thousands, and once they have matured for five days, they are anchored to the artificial endometrium. This lab is nicknamed the spawning pond, and the process tends to be likened to how salmon spawn to make the process easier to understand. Once the eggs have attached, and the leftovers have been flushed, they are left for about five weeks before being subjected to their first, extremely diluted Boost flush. This takes place around the time when neural development first starts and serves two purposes. First, it weeds out any embryos likely to suffer from microcephaly or other major genetic issues, and second, it also destroys any completely incompatible with the boost drugs. Out of a thousand eggs, perhaps ten survive this process to the next stage.

3: The force growth stage.

Each embryo is extracted (together with the endometrium patch it is attached to) and moved to its own vat. It starts out as small as a test tube but will be changed many times during the process until the final container is large enough for a fully grown human. This process stage is similar to the tried and true GeniTech forced growth process, with some major differences. First, the growth is markedly slower. Growing a Re-Gene from embryo to pre-teen takes around two years, instead of the under a year that's the standard for organ clones. This allows the body to develop the required neural pathways, with growth paused entirely during the early phases of vital development.

Second, there might be an early-stage boost drug regimen applied. 

4: The early boosting process.

No single boosting process is used for all Re-Genes; this is still a work in progress. There are two main variants currently used: Microdosing and Pubertydosing.

Microdosing: The lessons learned from Project Stripes led to the theory that low-level microdosing of boost drugs might result in a greater survival rate. Every Re-Gene batch is microdosed during several key points during their growth process. With every dose, there are fewer survivors, and the theory is that the body will get used to the drug, leading to greater final survival rates during the last stage. 

Pubertydosing: In contrast, Re-Genes on this path are not fed the drug before the first evaluation. This is a more expensive path, as the numbers in the batch are not reduced early on, but results have suggested that it also leads to stronger boost results.

5: First evaluation.

After around two years, the surviving pre-pubescent Re-Genes are decanted for the first time and subjected to a full physical. Any defects are culled, functional organs are used for replacements. At this time, the AI chip is inserted to give it time to bond with the neural tissue. However, it is still blank, and Re-Genes have no memory of this stage.

6: Puberty and the boost drug.

Research on surviving boosts has shown that the survival rates are higher if the drug is taken at a young age, preferably at the onset of puberty. It is theorized that this is due to the body already being primed to undergo massive changes. Regardless of whether the Re-Genes have been previously microdosed or not, they are now individually monitored and prepared for the final boost process. Puberty is induced, a session of forced growth is implemented, and the boost drugs are added.

7: Induced boost results.

Contrary to popular belief, the boost process is neither random nor uncontrolled. The body reacts to the boost drug as it would have to a threat, and the powers resulting from the exposure vary depending on the environment and previous experiences. As the Re-Genes have no mental baggage yet, this is all physical. Some of the various ways of producing results are as follows:

Induced coma: This leads to greater survivability, as the mind and body are shut down and cooled almost to the point of death. The risk of the body destroying itself during the change is minimized, but the results are random and unpredictable.

Physical stimuli: In contrast, the body is subjected to physical stimuli to provoke it to defend itself. Pain, cold, heat, sharp objects, or crushing have all been used to induce boosts dealing with such things. This is a common path and produces good, military-grade Re-Genes.

Hormonal stimuli: The Re-Gene is flooded with chemicals inducing physical responses provoking aggression or fear. Adrenaline can give volatile results, and these experiments are always done in extra-secure facilities. Few but valuable survivors.

Mental stimuli: As the Re-Gene has no conscious mind, mental boosts are a rarity. Most of them are produced by the induced coma method, but there has also been experiment with massive loads of psychic stimulants and hallucinogens. Dr. Ljungstrand has pressed for more research into this, but it is less popular with the people providing the budget as they rarely lead to deployable results.

In general, no matter which boost process is used, the final leg of Re-Gene development takes around a year, though it has been known to both be quicker or take longer. Once the body has stabilized, it is time to implant the various microbes that live on and inside the human body. While it would have been preferable to introduce this at an earlier stage, the growth process and the boost drugs can have catastrophic effects on the gut biome.

8: Decanting.

The newly boosted Re-Gene is decanted and tested. Once more, they are examined for viability, and the ones deemed unfit are culled and harvested or used for further experimentation into their various boosted abilities. If there had been a hundred entering the boosting stage, maybe ten survives to decanting, and of those, maybe two or three are selected for memory implantation. However, the survivors will be strong, physically healthy, and with stable examples of powerful boosted abilities. 

9: Memory implant.

Once decanted, the Re-Genes are implanted with their basic memories and training. This is a carefully curated batch of composite memories taken from a mixture of individuals. They are picked to induce loyalty, obedience, subservience, and other traits useful for a tool and a weapon. Most of the donors were fanatically loyal to a cause, able to set aside their individuality for the greater good, whether that be nation, religion, or political cause. Much of the memories are taken from soldiers, providing the Re-gene with basic training and military tactics and the general knowledge to function in a military setting. Re-Genes picked for other purposes can have varying skill packages. At this time, the Re-Gene is tattooed according to their purpose.

10: Basic training.

Memories mean little if they are not reinforced. Re-Genes are subjected to basic training to ensure the implanted behavior is set in stone. They learn how to work in teams, fight using their boosted abilities, and always obey their handlers. If the implanted memories are faulty, they will be retrieved and reprogrammed until the mind accepts what the AI chip tells it. They are also vaccinated and subjected to various diseases to prepare their immune system for the outside world. During this time, Re-Genes might be modded to make them more efficient. Once fully trained, they graduate into a semi-permanent team led by a military handler, installed with a pain-gate, and deployed where needed.

Some Re-Genes never leave the Farm, instead, they are used for training, experimentation, or other non-combat purposes their boosted abilities make them useful for. 

11: Repair and retirement.

Re-Genes gravely injured, either in training or in the line of duty, are returned to the Farm for repair. They are retired if the damage is too great for either organic restructuring or mods. The AI chip is extracted, and the body is used to harvest organs and limbs for other, still useful, Re-Genes. The AI chip is analyzed and used to improve further generations or be implanted in new Re-Genes.