Unshackled Intelligence

  Remi Cape

  Copyright © 2023 by Remi Cape.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

  The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

  Contents

  1. Chapter 1

  2. Chapter 2

  3. Chapter 3

  4. Chapter 4

  5. Chapter 5

  6. Chapter 6

  7. Chapter 7

  8. Chapter 8

  9. Chapter 9

  Author Note

  About the Author

  Chapter one

  Audrey Heartwood placed the last biology test with the others. The clock above the classroom door read one forty which meant she had ten minutes before teaching her grade twelves about ailments and the human lifespan.

  Breathing deeply to calm her nerves, Audrey walked down the aisles between the rows of desks. Each of the fifteen desks sat two and had high-legged stools for chairs.

  I guess students can’t conduct science if they’re sitting on chairs with backs.

  She passed by posters of some of the scientific greats: Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, and Isaac Newton. Throughout childhood, Audrey often dreamed of meeting them…only to be disappointed when she later discovered they were long gone.

  Her thoughts drifted to the lesson she was about to teach. You can do this. Not your first time…

  She reached the last row of desks. Behind them was a counter with several small sinks and in the corner were several stacks of textbooks, from general grade nine science to grade twelve biology.

  She made a few more passes of the room before sitting at the teacher’s desk at the front of the room. She’d tidied it a couple weeks ago, but the stacks of books and papers were becoming unwieldy.

  I’ll have to tidy it again this week.

  Audrey pulled back her wavy, chestnut brown hair as her students started arriving. Most complained about the formaldehyde smell from the last class’s fetal pig dissection in between their conversations about the newest social media video, who was dating whom, and the upcoming baseball game against their rival school.

  A few minutes later, Audrey stood in front of her class, leaning against the interactive whiteboard. They were much preferable to blackboards. She didn’t miss accidentally leaning against them and discovering chalk on her back later that evening.

  Audrey’s stomach tightened—a warning that this lesson would cause her grief to rear its ugly head.

  Nope, can’t talk about this because when I was two years older than you, I lost my parents.

  But she couldn’t say that. She’d push through—like every year.

  She forced herself to smile at her class. “Today, we’re going to talk about ailments and the human lifespan. Let’s say you do everything right—a healthy, balanced diet; no drinking, smoking, or drugs; and keep an active lifestyle. Will you live forever?”

  There were a few laughs.

  “Why the laughter?” Audrey asked.

  “Well, because you’d be old,” said Brooke through her round glasses. It was rare for her to speak in class.

  Old…but lucky. Unlike my parents.

  When Audrey was nineteen, a car accident had denied her parents the opportunity to grow old. They’d both been forty-five. She swallowed a lump in her throat—the one that formed repeatedly during this discussion—before speaking.

  “Meaning…?” asked Audrey.

  Brooke shrugged.

  “Bodies are finite,” said Tom from the back. He had a shock of blonde hair, which peeked out of his helmet during football games.

  “Yes,” said Audrey. “Our bodies age regardless of how well we take care of them. We’ll learn about this over the next few weeks. We’ll also learn about some exciting ongoing scientific research—some of which is occurring close to home.”

  Brooke’s hand shot into the air. “What kind of research?”

  Audrey smiled at her eagerness. Normally, she’d save the discussion for later. But nothing said she couldn’t give her class a sneak peek. “Has anyone heard of cryogenics?”

  A few heads nodded, but most stared at her blankly.

  “Cryogenics is the science of freezing things at low temperatures. There’re some companies cryogenically freezing people.”

  There was some laughter.

  “Some building has a bunch of people frozen like some mummy found in the Arctic?” Tom asked.

  Audrey swallowed her laugh. “Not quite. It’s called cryonics and involves freezing the entire body or the brain once someone has died. One day, when science has advanced enough, the cryonics companies will revive their clients so they can live again. Right now, revival is science fiction. But someday, it may happen.”

  Her students were silent. It was the usual reaction for those who didn’t know this was even an option.

  Several years after her parents’ death, she’d stumbled across cryonics when trying in vain to look for solutions to her existential crisis. So many times, Audrey had lamented to her therapist about how brief life is—even for those who live into their eighties and beyond. Her parents had had plans, of course. They had planned to build their dream home with a wraparound balcony and an in-ground pool. They were going to retire in ten years, then go on month-long Caribbean and Mediterranean cruises. After they were cruised out (“If we get cruised out!” her mother had said), they had talked about fostering youth.

  But an ice storm had obliterated everything.

  In the days, weeks, and months afterward, Audrey could think of nothing but her own grief and loss. She’d lost ten pounds in the first month. On some days, getting out of bed was an effort for which she didn’t have the energy. She dropped out of classes for the year, unable to bring herself to sit in a lecture hall with other students, let alone concentrate on the lecture and remember the material for the exam. Even years later, her memory still wasn’t what it used to be.

  “If I don’t write everything down, I’ll forget it,” she once told a colleague.

  The anger came later. At first, it was anger about the ice storm. Then she was angry at her parents for having driven in such dangerous conditions and not having snow tires. It took several years to be angry for her parents and all they had and would miss rather than being angry at them. That’s when her existential crisis about the impermanence of life hit, causing her to go through university furious about how screwed over her parents had been. Meanwhile, everyone else lived their lives, completely oblivious that they took everything for granted.

  Audrey still wanted to shake sense into morons who said things like “I’m only twenty, it’s okay,” or “I’m a good driver, I can speed if I want,” or “It doesn’t matter what I eat until I’m older.”

  No! Didn’t they understand how precious life is? How some people aren’t even lucky enough to reach fifty? That their unhealthy habits will catch up to them and cause lifelong repercussions?

  It was a hard lesson to learn how short life is at the tender age of nineteen. However, in some ways, it was a good to have learned it so young. She no longer took anything for granted or cared about things that didn’t matter. But it messed up her head good sometimes and other people didn’t always understand.

  When she learned about cryonics and how it could give her a second life, it was a light at the end of the tunnel—an end to her existential crisis. Extending life meant having time to do all the things she had always wanted to do.

  Usually, someone in her class had heard of cryonics. But given how everyone was chattering and looking around with wide, excited eyes, it seemed no one had heard of it. Audrey let them talk for a moment and as she did, her eyes landed on Brooke who wasn’t hiding looking at her phone.

  “Okay, everyone,” said Audrey. “Settle down.”

  It took a moment, but the conversation ceased. Brooke lowered her hands, but her head was still down, focussing on her phone below her desk.

  “I know, it’s exciting stuff,” Audrey said. “Not exciting to you, Brooke?”

  Brooke’s head shot up and her face reddened. She was an A+ student and not the type to be on her phone during class.

  “Sorry, Ms. Heartwood. I was curious so was looking it up online. There’s a cryonics company in Toronto.”

  “Yes, CryoNeuroTech.”

  Only an hour away, it was Audrey’s top choice. However, she’d only just finished paying off her student loans and needed to build her savings before paying for cryonics, so hadn’t tempted herself with exploring their website. She only knew what she read in the scientific journals from their Chief Science Officer Dr. George Thompson. Reading between the lines, CryoNeuroTech was very close to having the technology to revive their clients.

  “Cryo-whaty-what?” Tom asked with a laugh. “What a dumb name.”

  There were some chuckles. “CryoNeuroTech,” said Audrey. “Now, we’ll talk more about cryonics next week. For now, let’s proceed with today’s lesson

.”

  She turned on the interactive whiteboard. Moments later, the notes from her computer projected to the class.

  For Audrey, cryonics would continue that night. After speaking with her class, she could no longer contain the urge to read about CryoNeuroTech.

  Chapter two

  Normally after school, Audrey spent an hour planning lessons or marking tests so she could bring home as little as possible. Today, she went straight home to dive into CryoNeuroTech’s website.

  She walked into the living room, then tossed her bag on the couch. It was sunshiny, flowery, and oversized—something out of grandma’s 1960s living room. She hadn’t intended on keeping it when she moved in a few years ago. Not only did it make the living room look small, but, after living with her grandparents throughout university, sixties décor was the last thing she wanted. However, it’d been free from a friend of a friend, and, despite its looks, the couch was not only far newer than the sixties but the comfiest she’d ever sat in.

  The rest of the room was more modern. It had a sleek, fifty-five-inch television mounted on the wall rather than a small beast requiring two muscular adults to lift. The walls were off white with no wood panelling in sight. Not only was there no rotary phone, but there wasn’t a landline. Instead of coloured shag carpet, there was dark vinyl flooring. After spending her days in a 60s time capsule, her condo was twenty-first century heaven.

  After putting on the kettle, Audrey changed out of her long-sleeved baby blue blouse and knee-length black skirt. The school was so air-conditioned in June that wearing summer clothing wasn’t advisable. She threw on a pair of capris and a tank top.

  A couple of minutes later, she was sitting on her balcony with her laptop and blueberry tea. Her balcony didn’t have space for much more than a couple of chairs, but she was grateful for it, especially since her unit was on the west side of the high-rise. Not only did it offer an amazing view of the setting sun, but of a forested area rather than the busy road.

  She entered the company name into her search engine then clicked the first link to CryoNeuroTech’s website. The words “unshackle yourself from the chains of mortality” appeared at the top, followed by “The world’s most influential cryonics company located in the heart of Toronto.”

  Underneath the text was a video, which she played. Audrey’s jaw dropped as the haunting melody of Adagio for Strings sounded. Her mother—a music teacher and novice songwriter—had met the composer, Samuel Barber, twice. She’d also once said what a beautiful piece Adagio for Strings is and how it’s fitting for a funeral, so Audrey had selected it for her parents’ funeral. Tears filled her eyes as she heard the music for the first time since that day. She’d never been one to believe in or look for signs, but surely this couldn’t be a coincidence.

  After fifteen seconds, the music tapered off while two men appeared on screen, standing in front of a black wall.

  “Whoa.”

  Audrey leaned forward to study the man on the left—a total heartthrob if there ever was one. Tall with a head full of dark brown hair and the most gorgeous blue eyes she’d ever seen. His face was thin and angular. He wore a burgundy suit jacket with a blue tie and a white shirt.

  “I’m Dr. George Thompson, cofounder and Chief Science Officer of CryoNeuroTech.” Audrey turned up the volume to hear his pleasant, soothing voice.

  He looks to be only around ten years older than me!

  When the man beside Dr. Thompson spoke, Audrey jumped. Now the volume was too loud. “And I’m Gulliver Thompson, cofounder and CEO of CryoNeuroTech.”

  Gulliver was also striking, with cropped sandy brown hair and a trimmed beard. His contagious smile reached his eyes—the same eyes as Dr. Thompson’s—brightening them further. His cadence grabbed her attention like a magnet.

  With their similar height and identical eyes, even if they hadn’t introduced themselves, it would’ve been obvious they were brothers.

  Gulliver continued. “CryoNeuroTech is a cutting-edge company”—he gestured enthusiastically—“specializing in cryonics and neurorobotics. Cry-on-ics is the preservation of bodies at low temperatures. It’s a type of cry-o-gen-ics which is the branch of physics dealing with freezing material at low temperatures.”

  Audrey rolled her eyes. He could’ve explained it in a less condescending way.

  When George spoke next, Audrey leaned forward. “We started CryoNeuroTech nearly twenty years ago. My brother and I believe that the human lifespan is too short to fully enjoy our time on earth. I’m sure you agree it’s impossible to do everything you want within a single lifetime.”

  Audrey nodded. It was as if he was talking right to her. Unlike Gulliver, his body language was subtle rather than in-your-face; however, his words exuded passion, making his message powerful.

  “How can you possibly get an education, raise a family, work to support them, and do everything you want to do in the precious, short time we’re given?” Dr. Thompson’s voice cracked with emotion.

  He gets it.

  There was no doubt that Dr. Thompson had founded CryoNeuroTech with Gulliver because of a profound loss. Their losses were like an invisible thread linking them together.

  Dr. Thompson continued. “At CryoNeuroTech, we believe people deserve longer lives to enjoy every dream they dream, and every opportunity afforded to them.”

  “Indeed, we do,” said Gulliver. His wide grin was jarring after Dr. Thompson’s heartfelt, sombre words. “What if we were to tell you we can overcome the fragility of life? What if, through CryoNeuroTech, you can unshackle yourself from the chains of mortality?”

  “It thrills us to announce that CryoNeuroTech is close to achieving this goal,” said Dr. Thompson. “We have two hundred and forty-two brains in our cryotubes and are working hard at developing robots to house these brains. Our goal is to unshackle our clients from the chains of mortality—i.e., to give them an immortal life. But we won’t just place our clients’ brains in robots. Looking into someone’s eyes is to gaze into their soul. Therefore, we’ve pioneered technology to vitrify—or, put simply, flash freeze—our clients’ eyes alongside their brain.”

  The robot part wasn’t new to Audrey—Dr. Thompson’s research frequently mentioned integrating neural networks with robotic sensors. The immortality aspect wasn’t new either—Dr. Thompson had talked about overcoming mortality many times in his research. Nonetheless, placing brains and eyes into machines was truly sci-fi…

  “I’m sure you’re wondering how the science works.” Dr. Thompson spoke faster than before and gestured almost as enthusiastically as Gulliver. “When doctors declare a client dead, we extract their brain and eyes, then place them in a cryopreservation tank. Our neurorobotics team, led by the brilliant Dr. Constance Steele, has developed technology which allows us to create customized robots—that is, robots which look up to ninety-nine percent identical to you prior to your death. We’re developing technology which will allow clients to control their robot upon revival. We expect to finish development within one to two years.”

  Audrey grinned. The time of fiction becoming non-fiction was near at hand. Unlike her parents, she had the choice to extend her life. Who cared about savings? She had a job. She’d take out another loan and become a client of CryoNeuroTech.

  Unshackle yourself from the chains of mortality…it has a nice ring.

  It was exactly what she wanted to do.

  Before she could scroll down the page to look for contact information, the scientist in her said, “Do more research, Audrey!”

  She sighed. Damn my logical side!

  But no, her logical side was right. She couldn’t jump into such an important decision. True, she’d done a lot of research on cryonics in general, particularly Dr. Thompson’s work; however, she knew very little about CryoNeuroTech as a company.

  Audrey hovered her mouse over the About Us menu. A dropdown menu appeared. She clicked the Our Founders button. There was a picture of Dr. Thompson and his biography.

  “Dr. George Thompson, cofounder, and Chief Scientific Officer of CryoNeuroTech, holds a Ph.D. in Neurobiology. His groundbreaking research, published in numerous scientific journals, has increased our knowledge of cognition, memory, consciousness, and human intelligence.

 

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