The Zed-Faction

Prologue

We all want to evade Death. Immortality has been the holy grail of alchemists of yore. By the mid 2040s, the average lifespan of a North-American/European man was about a hundred years. Due to the tremendous advancement in medicine and surgery during and after the first Lunar war, many even made it past their One hundred and twentieth birthdays. Even this absurdly; and pointlessly; long lifespan did not seem enough to satisfy the human ego. Humans wanted to defy Nature and sought ways to cheat death; quite literally. Genetics; or rather, Genetic engineering gave us the possibility of eliminating the gene responsible for making living things age and degenerate. We wanted nothing short of eternal youth. In 2063, we made the most crucial breakthrough- the discovery of Vibrio Vitae, a species of bacterium found on damp rock surfaces. This microbe, once dead had the ability to rejuvenate itself given the right nutrients and environment. We found it in the most unlikely of places- Chaco-Dela-Muerte; in the Atacama desert- one of the most hostile places for life on Earth. All major global pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies decided that they wanted a piece of the pie. Even the Chinese and American militaries decided to carry out extensive research into the properties of this wonder creature. The race for the elixir of life had begun. Helios Pharmaceuticals won this race and in 2065, 'Amrit' came to be. This drug promised to "repair every damaged cell and even upgrade them". The sale of the drug grew to mammoth proportions. Within a decade, Helios Pharmaceuticals had rechristened itself to 'Helios Corporation' and had become the single most powerful corporate entity in existence. For a while regular consumers of Amrit did seem to live healthier. There were cases of re grown fingers and treatment of degenerative cerebral disease with use of the drug. There were rumors of paraplegics getting back the use of their limbs. Amrit was even rumored to reverse aging. As long as you could afford it, regular consumption of Amrit could extend your life indefinitely. While certain countries continued to ban the drug on religious grounds, the use of the drug boomed even further over the decade, as did its illegal sale and purchase. Humans had become true masters of themselves. It seems Nature didn't take too kindly to our arrogance…