Just Your Spirit

Prologue

In the small city of Nomad lived a man that decided that things needed to change. The man was young and had developed a love for machinery when he was very little. He liked to watch his metal contraptions move and click and bleep like they were supposed to and he loved them for their durability. His creations could last decades without breaking or rusting much to everyone's surprise. His skill and interests sparked an idea that would change the way humanity functioned forever.

He called it the Mechanical body Project or MBP for short. The goal? Mix human and machine. The heart was replaced with a shiny chargeable core. The brain was taken and turned into a computer (Morals, memories, and desires remained of course. They turned into code). The stomach and sleep were not needed.

"With this experiment, no human will go hungry ever again! We can kiss sleepless nights and hunger pains goodbye." He had said in an interview. It was on every channel one night. Joseph remembered it well. "Don't believe me? See for yourself!" The man had unbuttoned his shirt near his chest area. It looked normal until he took a piece of skin and peeled back a layer to show off a metal plate with a latch. He unhooked it and it opened with ease. A shining disk connected to wires was showed off. It was exactly as he advertised. His chest was like a metallic box holding Wires of all lengths and colors that were plugged into its walls around his core.

Joseph's mother looked like she might faint and his father sat her down. "All I need is a few people to help me with this project." The man on TV continued. "They should be healthy and strong, preferably male. The family who offers up their child for the experiment will also receive a massive reward!" A number appeared on the screen. Joseph's parents looked at it and then each other with wide eyes. They were one of the poorer families in the town. Rent for their home was terribly hard to pay off and it was so difficult to care for their five children and parents with the money they had. That number would change their lives! The parents of Joseph listened to the man with an intensified interest. "We only take one at a time! So hurry up and call now!" Joseph's parents, along with 48 other families in that town, dialed within the hour and a day later, the first boy was dropped off at the lab.

Most of the experiments had failed. 48 children of the accepted 49 died from complications that came with the surgery that was performed. Number 35 died from a wire that had split, sparked, and set his body ablaze. (Joseph had learned that they use a type of flammable liquid to stop bleeding and such.) Number 23 had passed when the battery that was keeping him alive failed unexpectedly. After number 48 died from a brain surgery that went wrong, Joseph was the only one left and he did not want to go. Why would he? It was practically a death sentence! But he looked at his parents, his brothers, sisters, and grandparents in their small apartment and went anyway. He saw the number too. He knew how much they needed it.

Joseph said his final goodbyes to his family when he was accepted on March 17. He would remember this day for the rest of his long and painful life. It was the day he lost his heart, his flesh leg, and his stomach. He lived in a cell-like place in the lab. Being the only one to survive, it was horribly quiet in the halls. He was kept there for further testing while his parents continued to receive more money. He was happy that his parents were happy. That much was true. Though he would lie in his letters to them saying that the lab was a paradise. That care was good and the guards on the other side of his door often went in to talk to him. Joseph wouldn't mention how much recharging hurt at night and the tests were unbearable. He would lay on his cot with a long and wide cable plugged into the new plate in his chest with the skin piece peeled back and cry. It felt good to be reminded of the part of him that was human. The part that could function without machinery. But one day he couldn't cry. That was taken away too. A feeling unknown to him had taken over and he went to rip out his charger.

Taking out a charger when the core isn't fully charged sent a burning sensation through the body. Joseph recalled from his first day there. He had watched a video about his mechanics after the operation. He would have forgotten if it wasn't for the computer in his head.

Unlatching the plate and peering inside Joseph decided that the core had to go. He reached in and held it. It was about the same size as his palm and vibrated as it brought energy to his arms, legs, brain...

Fueled with an incredible rage he pulled as hard as he could and screamed. A warning shock was sent through his body, effectively paralyzing him momentarily. The pain he felt was sharp and hot, but it only lasted for a few seconds before being replaced by an uncomfortable numbness. A message was forced through his brain by the man responsible for his misery. It acted like a thought but Joseph knew it wasn't his. The message echoed in his memory: Suicide is not an option here J-49.