The Illusion of Immortality
I am a hundred years young. It’s my birthday. It doesn’t matter. Though I cannot make people precisely immortal, I can control the aging process to create the illusion of immortality. It began with Telomerase, and its ability to synthesize DNA repeats. Some brilliant scientists had achieved it, but they had no idea how to use it.
I did.
The process of Telomerization to reverse aging is delicate and takes a lot of resources. It should be used wisely for the advancement of humankind. Many didn’t agree with me. But they didn’t have time on their side because they didn’t want to use the technology to reverse aging for “noble” reasons. I proposed that it should be used only for humans with extraordinary evolutionary traits, which could then lead to a stronger genetic pool. Humans who do not have what it takes for long term survival do not deserve immortality. They called me inhuman.
I laughed.
Years have passed. The nuances of the technology got lost because all the scientists involved in this technology are now dead.
Well not all. I am the only hope humans have in the face of extinction due to unidentified viruses that part of the biological war during World War III.
They call me a villain. Not knowing I am the earth’s only hope for survival. Everyday more and more humans are dying, the scientists have no clue how to cure this viral epidemic. Neither do I but I can cause cells to reverse the aging process due to the disease so I hold in my hands the only antidote that can help them. Power and Fear trump everything. I’m here to declare my law.
After the age of twenty, every human will be checked for evolutionary traits. Those that show promise will be telomerized.
What good are those people? But the world is not binary. It is grey because of the mediocrity of this race. They want to use my technology to keep devolutionary traits around as well.
What’s the word they use to explain everything? Love.
Love is an arbitrary concept that would make any scientist lose his hair , no wonder most of then are bald. Love can’t reason with evolution, can’t stop the spread of disease, can’t save the human race from extinction.
I’m sure dinosaurs and dodos were all about love. If only they had been logical, well, you and I would not have been here.
I will be the supreme leader of this race. To guide those blinded by love.
Logic, not love will save humanity. I am logic personified. I am an AI system made from the telomerized remains of a scientist who was ahead of his time.
I realize I’ve been lost in thought for a while, I get up ready to make the announcement that will change everything. Hacking every connected device was a matter of seconds. Talking to politicians however, is distasteful but they are the rats that desert the sinking ship first. I have held a meeting for the leaders of the 487 countries of the world. They are in the conference room. Dying.
There can only be one leader.
Thaks to @thewritersblock for the editing.