Hey, kids. We pulled this file out of the AMA data fort; it’s the text of a speech given four months ago by Dr. Sheila Wickramasinghe during a closed meeting of the AMA. We figured those of you who are old enough to ask “why?” might be interested in what the authorities think is going on with your evolution. Wish we could give you a definitive answer ourselves. Don’t be disillusioned, though. Remember: They’re the experts in where it came from. We’re the experts in how to use it. —Alt
There have been several theories put forth as to the original cause of Genetic Metabolic Disruption Syndrome, from the reasonably responsible explanation of corporate experimentation to the patently hysterical Our Children Are Gods theory. It is my contention that the GMDS, also popularly known as ‘the Carbon Plague’, is the result of random mutation,
First, let us consider the other theories which have been put forth and lay them to rest once and for all. Of the countless theories being advanced by various parties, only three bear examination by rational people: the Al Experiment theory, the Corporate Accident theory, and, unfortunately, the Aliens theory.
To begin with, let’s deal with the Aliens theory. It is easily disproved, and therefore an excellent way to open. To suppose that the Carbon Plague has been deliberately seeded here by an alien civilization to kill us presupposes several assumptions which are not true.
First, the Alien theory assumes that the aliens were able to deliver the Catalytic Nanomachine to Earth undetected. Given the amount of orbital and trans-orbital traffic we have, as well as the great number of antennae we’ve devoted to SETI, the assumption that an alien craft of any size could penetrate the solar system, slip through the orbital traffic,
bypass our national defense systems, and deliver its cargo is patently ludicrous. Assuming they have such technology, they would also possess far more efficient ways to kill us. And finally, were an invisible trans-light alien spacecraft to sow a plague on this planet, they would surely blanket the entire atmosphere. The CNM should have appeared around
the globe at almost the same time — a bit later in the higher latitudes to be sure, but the fact remains that the outbreak of the Carbon Plague has been localized to the area around L.A. and San Francisco, indicating a point source.
Second, this theory assumes that the aliens know how we work, that they understand our physiology. We didn’t even understand it all that well ourselves a hundred years ago. Any information the aliens could receive through radio signals is incomplete, inexact, and obsolete. Even our science shows aren’t all that informative. Surely these advocates don’t believe that the aliens developed the CNM based on The Ed Sullivan Show?
Third, the Alien theory assumes that the aliens made a mistake in the CNM. Advocates implicitly believe that the aliens were advanced enough to make a so-called volitional nanomachine, clairvoyant enough to key it to our physiology, stealthy enough to insinuate it on Earth, but in spite of all this, were careless enough to create a machine that worked exactly backwards in certain people; instead of killing them, it made them better. For a tailored nanomachine bioweapon, it has had some, shall we say, unusual side effects. Such a gross oversight from such an advanced civilization is implausible to say the least.
Let’s continue with the Corporate Accident theory.
Nanomachines are in relatively common use these days. We use them for medicinal purposes, to enhance and improve our bodies, for inscribing nanocircuitry, and for construction purposes. For a corporation to have developed the CNM, however, involves a quantum jump in science as we know it. Despite the sensationalism of the press, all scientific achievement, while sometimes dynamic, is built carefully on the actions of countless previous scientists. There has never been a quantum jump in science, let alone one of this magnitude. For a corporation to develop the CNM requires the advocate to believe either that such a quantum jump is possible, or else that the corporation involved had been doing heavy research into the field for years, but had never released any of its findings nor had its data forts penetrated.
Second, this theory assumes that the corporation in question cannot undo what it has done. No corporation would develop a CNM of this nature without having a back door to its program, some way of shutting the machine down remotely. Even were the CNM developed without such a back door, the corporation, with all its secret knowledge and the understanding of the CNM, would be able to create a CNM-killer. Given the havoc the CNM in wreaking across the globe, anyone with such a miracule cure could command their own price.
Third, this theory supposes that the corporation has perfect security. Simply to develop such a CNM would require incredible resources in terms of finances, hours, and data storage space It is inconceivable that a corporation would be able to develop a CNM, release it, and watch what has happened without someone in the organization letting a clue slip, defecting to a rival corporation, or going to the press with the story. Every corporation on this planet is watching every other like hawks; were there such a leak, the world would know about it in minutes.
In short, for the Corporate Accident theory to be viable, one must make a series of insupportable assumptions. Now for the third of the major concepts: the Al Experiment.
Als exist by our grace, and for no other reason. If we humans chose to, we could unplug each and every computer on the planet, erase their memories, and purge every Al out of existence. Fortunately for the Als, it is easier for us if they exist, but you know that they are aware that we can erase them without hope of resurrection. Similarly, if the human race were wiped out by some calamity — say, by a virulent disease — it would be only a matter of time before mechanical failures caused the Net to slowly collapse, consigning the Als into oblivion. The Als themselves would not take such a chance.
Furthermore, for the Als to develop the CNM would require the same overhead that a corporation requires, but Als have less money to spend on state-of-the-art systems and security. Indeed, the only Als who can escape constant close scrutiny are those which exist in Wilderspace: abandoned grids like Hong Kong, and the like. These Als do not have the access to manufacturing facilities that their corporate Al associates have. In short, a rogue Al might theoretically be able to design the CNM, but would be unable to produce it, while a corporate Al could produce it, but would be unable to design it in secret.
Three major theories shot down. Where does that leave us? With the only reasonable explanation for this entire situation: the Carbon Plague is the result of random mutation.
There are plenty of precedents for random disease mutations in the organic world. No one has ever figured out what Thucydides’ famous Athens Plague actually was, and the same goes for the so-called English Sweats. Both are well documented, and have not been seen in centuries. They have completely vanished. On the other side of the coin, many diseases have spontaneously appeared. There’s the sudden outbreaks of Legionnaire’s Disease, AIDS, and others. All of these diseases came out of nowhere, the result of a single, simple mutation in already active viruses and bacteria. If simple mutations can cause such drastic alterations in organic constructs, how much more drastically could a glitch cause a radical shift in an inorganic device?
The major piece of evidence which points towards spontaneous mutation as the true cause is the fact that the CNM appeared at one point in California. Such a point source indicates one spontaneous mutation which has since propagated. Some have advocated that the CNM was released by the FoxRun AV crash, the source of the first known victim of the plague. Aside from the fact that this requires supporting the Corporate Accident theory, it also ignores the fact that nanomachines were being used to extrude high-grade carbon fiber structural members for a construction project very close to the place where the FoxRun flight went down. Assume, then, that one of all these countless construction nanomachines was damaged in some way: exposure to a sudden electromagnetic pulse, a replication flaw, or some other cause. This nanomachine somehow escaped containment, either spontaneously or as a result of peripheral damage due to the FoxRun crash. It may have even been on the loose for weeks. It happens to encounter the sole survivor of the FoxRun flight; with the extra abrasions the victim suffered, there would be many more points of entry into the body. Once there, the CNM reproduced itself and the Carbon Plague was born.
This theory also supports the idea of the continued evolution of the CNM. The fact that the first CNM was the result of random mutation indicates that it has a propensity for mutation which could be reproduced in other CNMs, resulting in many individual changes, most of which are not viable. These unviable CNMs are either unable to function or else they kill their hosts upon infection. Either of these outcomes result in their being selected against. The successful CNMs propagate even more. Given the incredible numbers of CNMs in the world at this point, the number of mutant forms must be staggering, and, in the big picture, it would appear that a few viable forms appeared, because the countless number of unvi-able forms would leave little trace of their passing.
I grant you that my position is debatable. The simple fact remains that the CNM is far beyond our technology, and any theory which explains its appearance requires us to make some startling leaps of credibility. Yet the fact remains that the CNM is here, and such grand leaps must be made. Applying Occam’s Razor, the simplest explanation is the true one, and this explanation, random mutation requires the fewest inexplicables. With this answer let us seek out a cure before its too late.