Deep in the beating heart of a dark fleshy labyrinth, life was born anew. Birthed by the sickening desires and desperation of the depraved few, under lock and key they created unholy relics during humanity’s darkest era. Their lust for knowledge was never sated, they never settled for less than godhood and pushed endlessly towards their goal. Their ignorance blinded them as they mindlessly created, building to their maximum capacities. Acts that denied morality were hidden from the world and experiments were conducted that tested even the devil’s stomach. If by some stroke of perspective, if they had worked towards a noble goal, they could have changed the world for the better. If their genius aptitudes were put towards a truly righteous cause, if there is one, they could have created a utopia of their own design. Except instead, they achieved another goal, and still a world changing one. The Brains created a new life, one to succeed even humanity in their eyes.
Originally established as a weapons research facility, their facility was outfitted with state of the art technology. A desperate dictator carefully plucked hundreds of the most intelligent and well schooled scientists, he wanted an edge that would give him the power to rule the world. But before he could have what he wanted, he was executed by his own men in the courtyard of his palace, forgotten to time like many before him. Left to their own devices, The Brains began to act on their own. They further advanced the arms race and once they got bored of that they sought to create something new. It took generations and unimaginable sacrifice but they achieved their goal.
The red fleshy amalgamation was born in a cold tube, the overall size of it like a baseball. It lay limp on the ground, alone in the world and the first of its kind. Its pulsing heart thinly covered by a veil of membrane, an eye darting around the crowd around it. The Brains were impressed even with themselves, this was the first of its kind and surely to be the beginning of a new age. They could influence the world now but time is all imposing, and to truly make a difference they had to create the ultimate, living, breathing lifeforms to take their place. The rest of humanity was flawed to them, absorbed by the here and now, by the momentary conflicts in their tiny worlds. Down here, they aimed to change the future, and this small ball of flesh was the catalyst.
They perfected it, giving it capabilities to reproduce and spread, the ability to communicate and learn. From one test subject in a tube to a whole wing being dug out and dedicated to their research and study.
The years passed, wars were waged, power changed hands, people revolted, and all while The Brains spent their time improving their freakish baby. They began to take shape, not humanoid but something eerily different. To the normal person they would be considered horrific, something of urban legend or lovecraftian origin but to the tormented scientists, they were beautiful. They were playing God and they didn’t care what it took to get there. Countless experiments, paper after paper of research, even going as far as abducting surface dwellers, they took every extreme to reach their goal. They augmented their bodies, advanced cybernetics and streamlined organ efficiency.
But on one fateful day, things came to an end. They had flown too close to the sun and their ages of creations were locked away from the world. Most organizations didn’t even know of their existence, and the ones who did had already been replaced by ones who quickly forgot too. I can’t blame them, it’s been over a hundred years since they had last made any noise at all. There was a small group who traded information with The Brains, their only link to the outside world.
But they eventually came to the decision that they no longer needed them, and that sharing their own progress wasn’t worth the exchange. Afterall, when you’re leagues ahead of the world, what’s the point of caring about their petty squabbles? It was difficult to find out as much as I have, dedicating my life to answering perhaps the greatest mystery on the planet. What really happened down there?
Standing above an exhaust hatch, surrounded by thick blankets of pure white snow, I peered down the inky darkness below. I stood over the gaping mouth of hell and I was ready to take the plunge, but I wasn’t doing it alone. Behind me five battle hardened men were lined up horizontally, each standing tall and confident. Of course I had lied to them about why we were here, I mean they were mercs anyways, the more they knew the more it complicated things. All they needed to know is that they’re getting paid heartily for this, and it’s not like they could say no to how much I was paying either. This was a suicide mission whether they knew it or not, I just don’t want to get their hopes down. They’ll need it for what they’re gonna see down there, deep underground in The Hive.