Mod Superhero - STUBBING AUG 17TH!

Chapter 7.88 - Space to Breathe

Months passed. Emmett continued his vigilance, using swarms to hop from place to place.

When Emmett first developed the CONTINUUM PROTOCOL, he'd been worried about keeping continuity between selves—about continuity, combining memories, and about deviations in personality. But all those concerns were moot now. All of those concerns stemmed from the assumption that he was still human, that he wouldn't be able to adapt to the process. That his mind would strain and eventually break.

But Emmett wasn't human anymore. He wasn't a cyborg anymore. He had evolved past that. His body wasn't biological, and his mind was no longer contained to a single vessel. His consciousness was distributed and flexible. Emmett had split himself and put himself back together millions of times. He was closer to TINA and Icarus than he was to being human.

His Prime bodies were spread out across the Earth, the Moon, and a few were stashed throughout the solar system. He didn't need the firepower anymore, and he could hop to any of those bodies instantaneously. Emmett had never wanted power—not really. He wanted to help people, and power was just a means to that end. He preferred the flexibility of swarms and nanites.

~

The world was changing. Slowly.

TINA's plan for humanity involved change that was both gradual and systemic. One of the best examples of this was in health sciences.

Debilitating disorders, broad swathes of cancer, and trauma surgeries were treated with nanite technology and mutagen therapies. Thankfully, the medical community saw their effectiveness. TINA trained doctors and nurses on their uses, and committees formed to expand their uses to broader surgeries and disorders.

On the non-emergency end of medicine, TINA pushed new prosthetic technology that meshed directly with the nervous system. Though these were based on Emmett's prosthetics, the public only had access to low-powered versions. No one was cutting off a limb just to have a stronger artificial one. Artificial organs were rolled out on a similar basis. They needed to establish a baseline of care before rolling out anything that was "better-than-human".

But the technology itself was only part of the change. At the time, healthcare costs were the number one cause of bankruptcy in the Allied States. TINA's goal was to make it so that people lived and also lived comfortably—that involved restructuring the entire healthcare industry. Healthcare was now treated as a public good, and no longer subject to for-profit companies or insurance. More efficient technology and restructured taxes made up the difference, and displaced workers were transitioned into other sectors.

This pattern repeated across other sectors: Energy, some manufacturing, and information.

Energy technology was rolled out across the globe. Most energy needs were taken care of with the antimatter reactors coming online, but it was necessary in remote corners of the world to work with small-scale fusion and renewables. TINA also began working with nations on the many concerns about pollution and climate change.

Nanite manufacturing technologies were introduced in phases. In countries with robust infrastructure, nanites were focused on repair and small-scale construction. In developing parts of the world, TINA worked with local leaders to build new infrastructure. That early, utilitarian phase would acclimate humanity to the potential of the technology. In later phases, countries would have steadily more control over their deployment.

The information sector had a similar fate. Internet utilities were made public goods and expanded to all corners of the globe. News organizations were transitioned to public broadcasting. TINA continued monitoring world communications—a necessary precaution, but something that Emmett, Icarus, and Bastion kept a secondary eye on.