100 years ago, amidst WW3's nuclear bombing, a deadly virus was released in the atmosphere and nearly wiping out the humanity.
It lives inside the human brain thriving on the empathy receptors, leading to irrational behaviour and ultimately brain death. To slow the damage, scientists created L.O.V.E, short for Living Off Vital Emotions, a nanovaccine that numbs the virus and switches off all strong emotions.
As a last resort and with a dying planet, the Supreme Government created the City, a place to contain the infected survivors suitable for the experiment. Those in the first stages of illness became ideal candidates to receive the neuroinhibitor. Having their feelings restrained and their memory altered, those who come of age are designated a life partner through a Selection process, thus preserving the humankind.
A few decades after the trial had started, scientists had a major breakthrough. The nanites, which are highly chemically reactive organisms, are changing their bio-engineered purpose when dopamine levels are high. With a new generation of nanoids, stronger and smarter to fight the battle, the virus doesn't have a chance. Many attempts were made to create a man-made version of synthetic dopamine and each time the outcome was a disaster.
Their goal is to create new generations, immune to the virus. These are called Purebloods, the offsprings of those who find pure love, the only cure to save them from a violent death.
Running out of time, the Experiment entered in its final stages. To minimize the threats, the Colonies have sent their best soldiers to oversee the trial and protect its key subjects. If only things were going according to plan, or better...stay hidden.
With Iron Guard, the resistance outside the walls, hunting the Purebloods too, will the trial save human race before it's too late?
#3 in #dystopianfuture (27.06.2020)
It was not noticed exactly when people began to fall victim to the broken life of routine and monotony but by the time humanity realized that witnessing strong emotion triggered violence in the infected, it was too late... In a world, where showing emotion is a dangerous weakness, love becomes the only beacon of hope.
Evelyn Li is not a fan of risk. Confined to the safety of an underground bunker for the past two years, when Evie stumbles upon a radio broadcast hosted by a mysterious boy with a sharp tongue and an impressive record collection, she's inspired to embark on a mission fuelled by the belief that her family might still be out there (and definitely not because she's desperate to finally meet the boy whose voice has been her sole companion since the darkness descended).
Jonathan Johnson is not an optimist and definitely not a romantic. He wasn't at all surprised when the world ended or even when the Soulless took over the streets. With the weight of rising tensions in the colonies, an absentee father, and heart-breaking tragedy resting on his shoulders, Jonathan would much rather escape into his record collection and secret radio broadcast than deal with the general bleakness of life in the apocalypse. As he is reluctantly roped into Evie's search for links to her past, Jonathan begins to wonder if he can ever truly escape his.
Together, the unlikely pair must navigate the treacherous landscapes of both the unforgiving world around them and the complicated emotions within. Will their connection withstand the trials of a world consumed by darkness, or will it become just another casualty of the apocalypse?
- Wattpad @ScienceFiction "Ambassadors' Picks," July 2024
- Wattpad @ScienceFiction "18 SciFi Romance Stories We're Obsessed With," November 2024
- #4 Dystopian
- #1 Cure