SYNTHs #

SYNTH, or Synthetic Neurological Transference Human, was a project by ARC/HIVE/Nex Gen corporation, happening around their re-brand. Dallus Lauren was the scientist behind the project, notably giving Rebecca her synth body after she became terminally ill.

Backstory #

The first mention of the SYNTH project is in Ren’s log, as a source of inspiration for his own work, among several other inventions built with the goal of helping humanity. Dallus Lauren was Ren’s father, with his full name being Ikaro Lauren.

The First Synth #

Lab assistant Rebecca became terminally ill with the ‘big C’ or Chronic Environmental Respiratory System, being diagnosed in 2027. Rebecca’s next appearance is in the Tekka interview in 2028, with her now being the first human successfully transferred into a synth body. Nex Gen even encourages her to smoke as a marketing ploy, intending to show how indestructible the synth bodies are. The news articles tell us more about the synths and how they are perceived.

Synths in the news #

In the webbrowser, there are some articles that tell us more about the synths. Synthetic Humans is an in-universe article about how the synths work. They call the SYNTH project a fusion of artificial intelligence and human consciousness. The article reveals that head researcher Dallus was uniquely suited for the project due to his expertise in neural (brain-related) transfers and biotechnology. The article mentions that Rebecca quickly became a sensation due to the project.

The synths were supposed to be way to gain eternal life, intelligence and beauty. The author of the article delves deeper into the ethics of the project, exploring the concept of humanity itself and whether it is possible to preserve it in a synth body. They also point at dilemma’s around identity, freedom and possible misuse of synths. Nex Gen Corporation is also surrounded by controversy at the time of writing, due to their forced uploads of the consciousness dying humans. This article does not include a date or author, but also states that synthetic humans are becoming more common. It also refers to Rebecca Sinclair as a “cautionary tale”.

Synths & Lupamine #

The article about Lupamine tells us more about the consequences of the project. While synths are thought to be immune to addiction, Rebecca’s shining hope for humanity turns into Lupamine addiction instead. It even turns out that her synth body amplified the effects of the drug, making her even more violent and prone to addiction. Other synths, called SIMPs (or Subservient Intimate Machine Partners), are used to satisfy the depravity of others. Nex Gen also develops synths as a national security weapon, creating a type of combat synth.

Celebrity Synth Shenanigans #

Dr. Lee MD, the self-proclaimed “Man on the Inside”, details several scandals happening around synthetic versions of celebrities in another article. He mentions that a man named Julio The Mangler Stokes, a bald USC (Ultimate Smackdown Collective) fighter who became a synth so he could copy himself. Julio then let his synth clone fight on his behalf. The fight ended badly for his opponent Bonegrinder, who now has “permanent brain rot”, according to Lee MD.

The second scandal he mentions is Zeeva’s, a pop star whose synth clone was sent to perform instead of her, ending in controversy due to the synth glitching. Trey Harlow, another celebrity described as Hollywood’s golden boy, also experiments with a synth clone. The clone ends up having an affair with a waitress in New Elysium, causing Trey’s wife to file for divorce. Lee complains about the lack of loyalty in synths and how a minority ruins the reputation of hard-working synths.

Finally, he complains about Mindstream Studios sending a synth off a skyscraper, which resulted in a serious incident where he says the synth took out six unlucky people. At the time of writing, SYNTH actors have been recalled and Mindstream’s CEO is taking heat for insufficient safety measures.

Combat Synths #

Gideon Mourningstone, the author of multiple articles on the Daily Whisper, writes about Nex Gen’s combat synths in Ascension or Abyss?. He refers to the combat synths developed by Nex Gen, which are unofficially referred to as Sentinels. The machines use AI to prevent human hesitation, making them the equivalent of real world Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAWS), a very controversial topic in the field of Artificial Intelligence.

According to rumours about the Sentinels they may have gone rogue. He describes the tension around questions of consciousness of these national security weapons. He mentions that towns across the Western Frontier have been “silenced” by these rogue Sentinels and goes on to write the following:

“One unsettling transmission, attributed to the now-missing Dr. Elias Mortem, slipped through the classified channels: They know us now.”

Gideon is referring to the Sentinels. He claims that they have learned to see humans as parasites, remarking that Elias disappeared right after they were able to access his last known transmission. Mortem was the lead scientist on Project D.U.S.T.. From Sof’s journal we learn that Dr. Mortem, along with his team, had been slaughtered in the Chapel incident. Sof also questions whether D.U.S.T. or the dark side of Youtopia became Mortem’s downfall eventually.

“They say that just before his last known transmission, Mortem warned something had begun to haunt their own creations. One unit infiltrated ARC/HIVE’s black-lit vaults, lingering before humanity’s self-congratulatory relics.”

The article further speculates on Mortem’s disappearance and the consequences of his actions. Before this happened, Mortem warned that their Sentinels had become “haunted”, likely referring to them going against their programming. One of the units infiltrated an ARC/HIVE vault, seemingly doing something they were not supposed to do.