Chapter 11: A quest for answers(2).

Salvatoris was still staring at the holographic screen projected in front of him. He completely ignored his puppets, as well as the android named Smith, who was vainly trying to keep the room in order. This prompted Salvatoris to say a single sentence.

"Birth rate crisis".

Almost immediately after his words, the screen changed. Barely a few seconds later, the sizzling video title, visibly damaged but legible and comprehensible, began to scroll before the eyes of the attentive Salvatoris.

"Recording number ten out of fifteen engage."

After this sentence, the screen changed, now displaying other images supporting the words of the mechanical voice that sounded.

"Over two centuries ago now, in the years 2XXX, a crisis struck humanity.

As the voice continued its monologue, the screen began to display various mechanical parts of robots coming together, giving birth to what looked like a human. The screen then began to display images of androids performing everyday tasks, or more complex ones, wherever they were.

"The invention of human-shaped androids, although initially designed for work, was a real revolution in society, both socially and professionally. Many jobs that had previously been impossible for machines without human form, or the ability to think for themselves, could now be performed by machines. This led to the loss of jobs for millions of humans who were only qualified for these now obsolete tasks, while at the same time creating many more maintenance jobs to keep society in balance."

Once the sentence was finished, the images on the screen changed, now displaying legal texts and legislation.

"Just a few months later, the first androids were restricted in what they could do. This was to prevent humans from being reduced to idle puppets, without having to exert the slightest ounce of effort, which would have precipitated humanity's downfall, and to prevent the invention of more advanced android prototypes, such as today's latest models, which imitate humans to perfection."

But as the legal texts disappeared, a couple appeared on the screen, which baffled Salvatoris, who stared at the scene with a mixture of confusion and intense reflection. His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to unravel the information presented to him.

"But this was not the only repercussion the first androids had on the human race, it was only the tip of the iceberg. Although the first android models were incapable of feeling the slightest emotion, and could barely simulate it, in the years following their invention the birth rate fell sharply in every country. Many men and women, tired of disappointments in love, or simply of having children, took advantage of a new type of business that exploded rapidly, while spending their lives with modified androids. Although they still felt nothing, and simply acted as their owners would have wished, they could now have carnal relations, which brought about a real change in society, as well as the norms of the time."

When the images of couples disappeared, they were replaced by statistics. This left Salvatoris trying to unravel the complex threads of the story unfolding before his eyes.

"It was the first birthrate crisis. The various states imposed restrictions on this new type of trade in modified androids, with functions not foreseen at the time of their conception. They also encouraged their populations in every possible way to have children, and made them aware of one simple fact. They would never be truly loved by an emotionless android. They would only live in an artificial paradise, destined to be destroyed the day the flaws in the behavior of their beloved machines became more and more obvious, and demonstrated the fact that they were not human.

Fortunately, this had a major impact, and the crisis was resolved peacefully, albeit with heavy consequences. The birth rate returned to its former level, at least until new types of android came onto the market."

At his words, images of a much more developed android, bearing a striking resemblance to those Salvatoris had seen in his vision, appeared. Leaving Salvatoris even more curious as to what was wrong with this. The population he'd seen didn't seem small, yet these androids were everywhere.

"Companies seeing the potential in differently-designed androids, marketed a range equipped to have any kind of relationship with humans, and a body almost devoid of imperfections. This was a runaway success, setting the standard for android creation and pushing forward a concept that many people at the time refused to accept: machines with emotions.

Images diametrically opposed to the previous ones then appeared on the screen, showing perfectly peaceful demonstrations organized by thousands, or even millions of humans in the streets. Seeing this, Salvatoris' mouth unconsciously dropped open. Never had he seen so many humans in one place, and yet the buildings serving as a backdrop to the video also seemed to be teeming with activity. It was definitely another world. However, ignoring Salvatoris' thoughts, the mechanical voice continued its discourse.

"This was the second birth rate crisis. The States' main argument that machines would never love their spouses was shattered. Numerous protests erupted at a time when populations were enjoying too much freedom, even to the point of threatening national stability. Some states even went so far as to allow androids a few human rights. The most egalitarian, not to say hypocritical, states even treated them like humans. This stupidity had the effect of drastically reducing the proportion of young people in the world's human population. The awareness campaigns that had worked in the past were no longer necessary. Androids were more beautiful, easier to find, more perfect, and disappointments in love were much rarer with androids than with humans. What's more, even if they did, they could be forced to stay with their owners. Human workers were even in short supply, prompting some states to try something forbidden by long-forgotten conventions: artificially creating humans from samples harvested from all over the place, more or less legally."

As the voice recited this, images of imposing greenish vats filled with liquid flashed across the screen, with a naked human figure inside. This shocked Salvatoris, who would have fallen to the floor had he not already been sitting down. He couldn't believe his ears, or even his eyes. Life could be created artificially? It seemed so unreal to him.

"Clones were thus introduced into the population with the same rights as androids, but this did not go down well with civilians. Despite the growing need for fresh blood to keep humanity's population from dropping drastically, the people once again rose up, outraged at seeing these artificial beings take over their jobs. They refused to be replaced in everything, on the pretext that clones were technically human, and far more manipulable. Although in some of the worst countries, specifically those that had given rights to androids, the population rose up to defend the rights of clones, using the pretext that they too were human, and even denounced their creation as "unnatural". Fortunately, Franc Lô's argument brought down the protests voiced in the most sensible countries, refusing to allow clones to take their jobs."

Once the sentence was finished, the images on the screen changed, giving way to the speech of a politician whose voice completely replaced the mechanical one. This abrupt transition from visual to political speech left Salvatoris somewhat perplexed.

"How is a clone different from an android? You've agreed to live with them, marry them, consider them worthy of your time, when they're little better than animals! So how are real, artificially-created humans, with emotions and restricted rights, any different from your androids? They're just instruments created to meet our needs! They won't endanger your lives - quite the contrary! They'll improve it!

After this short, inhuman discourse, the mechanical voice spoke again, displaying riotous images, albeit much more restricted than the previous ones. However, Salvatoris felt as if his stomach was burning. He didn't know an android, let alone a clone, but the experience he'd undergone had changed him without him even knowing it.

"At first, the riots did not falter in the face of this perfectly sensible discourse, but the seed of doubt had been planted. Little by little, many people began to rationalize, accepting the situation as the years went by, and eventually finding it normal, even very advantageous. Slavery, which had become legal through the purchase of androids, reverted to a more primitive and profitable form. Clones being the equal of androids, they too were seen as slaves by many countries, with their populations enjoying the benefits. However, it was thanks to clones that the second birth crisis was also solved. Children made with clones or other humans gave rise to a new youthful population, and the violence or rape tolerated in some places against these synthetic beings even boosted the birth rate in some countries. Of course, it was they who naturally refused to give up cloning once the crisis had been resolved, as all this was available to them at the mediocre price of a few replaceable clone lives. To give it up would have been a folly that would have brought about the end of our species long ago."

Salvatoris couldn't help but feel repulsed at hearing these abominable words, a growing unease taking hold of him, as a deep disgust registered in him while he felt himself shudder. But it was at this moment that images of battlefields appeared on the screen, contrasting with what had just been said, but Salvatoris quickly understood the meaning of these images.

"These countries were even the first to use these things, now impossible to consider human, during the war of unification. The country that gave birth to our beloved homeland, the dictatorial Ares, was one of them, crushing its enemies in that war thanks to this, using clones based on identical DNA to distinguish warrior clones from the rest of the population. Ironically, the republics that had guaranteed rights and equality to androids and clones were the first to fall to their enemies. It was their hypocritical ideals that made their glories, and caused their downfalls."

Hearing this, Salvatoris felt a great anger welling up inside him, he could hardly believe what he was hearing. Every word sounded to him like a profound injustice. Yet he had never lived in an egalitarian world. He lived in the kingdom of Drac, where racism and slavery were commonplace, albeit less so than in other kingdoms, so why was he so angry? However, the images changed again, showing cities that were largely destroyed, but peaceful. The most surprising thing was not the destruction of the cities, but the imposing shantytowns that surrounded the still inhabited ruins, and the poorer-than-poor inhabitants who didn't seem to be complaining. On the contrary, they all seemed happy.

"Once the wars were over, and populations stabilized in the states that had survived the war, the most beneficial period for mankind could begin. As molecular transmutation was able to bring the post-unification cold war to an end, cloning was almost entirely halted, and many factories were demolished or left in ruins, leaving only a tiny fraction in operation, creating the beginning of our era."

The video was over, but Salvatoris was still full of questions. In particular, the part about the Unification War had left him wanting more, creating an all-consuming curiosity within him. Why was the voice talking about it? Why did she talk about it as if it were all common knowledge and that talking about it in a video that didn't mention it seemed natural? Why did the cities seem to have regressed between the beginning and the end of the video? Why had the rich population of the beginning become so poor? Salvatoris lived in a world of permanent war, and he knew perfectly well that a war didn't transform a population, let alone a country, like this. But above all, he wondered what molecular transmutation was.

As his curiosity seemed to overflow, he spoke in a voice that was both energetic and off-key, as the screen once again displayed a choice of video from the one he'd been watching.

"Global shortage."

As with the previous recording, the screen changed to display its title. As a result of this little wait, Salvatoris's mind began to anticipate even more. He became hungry for knowledge, wondering how these two diametrically opposed crises could follow one another, and how this impoverishment was caused.

"Recording number eleven of fifteen engage."

Once again the title disappeared, this time displaying images similar to the end of the old recording. The city centers were also largely composed of imposing skyscrapers, and the outskirts of the cities shown by satellite and panoramic views on the screen looked destroyed. More importantly, the further the distance from the city center, the more decrepit the buildings became, before giving way to houses that were becoming destroyed and insalubrious. Similarly, the further away the insalubrious houses got, the more the dwellings seemed to be built from bricks and mortar, until even a shantytown seemed to be evolving in comparison with what was shown. The people seen pacing the center of this city wore nothing but simple clothes, but the majority wore nothing but rags, not to say that they were almost naked as their clothes seemed so torn.

But as scene after scene of poverty unfolded, a mechanical voice resurfaced from the TV's speakers, continuing to scroll images in tune with its words.

"In the years 2XXX, our planet experienced an irreparable event, a massive depletion of its resources. It was the scientists who had mass-produced clones, the weapons that had flooded the market, the over-consumption that reigned, as well as the new mass production of androids, that had consumed a substantial number of our planet's resources. In the absence of molecular transmutation, every country had become extremely poor. Most of the resources collected at the time were therefore either injected into the army, or redirected by the leaders of each country. The rivalries that some countries already possessed became even more pronounced, as each watched the next with greedy eyes, eager to grab what little they had."

The images then stopped, before once again displaying a battlefield, various firearms, or impulse weapons, being worn out. Poverty was evident in their equipment, yet they were far better off than civilians, proving what the mechanical voice had said.

"These rivalries and scarcity were a direct consequence of the war of unification, which drove dying countries into bloody, beastly combat with every means at their disposal, including nuclear. To be more precise, it was this threat of scarcity that triggered the first wars, with scarcity only wreaking havoc in the middle of the unification war."

The images then changed too, this time displaying a highly complex machine, protected in an imposing shielded chamber. Leaving Salvatoris incredulous at this degree of complexity and finish he had never seen, even in his vision.

"To compensate for this shortage, scientists from various countries quickly came up with similar technologies. This gave rise to the molecular transmutation we use today."

But as Salvatoris tried to understand how this machine worked, observing it closely, the image changed again to display battles, but quite different from the previous ones.

This time, the troops were perfectly equipped, lacking nothing - on the contrary, it was a veritable opulence. Ammunition was wasted, as the tanks on the battlefield repeatedly fired their shells, in addition to the most advanced prototypes firing weak but precise plasma jets in the direction of enemy lines. However, the images quickly changed to display a quick summary of the video, followed by a view of the cities Salvatoris had seen in his vision, as well as various politicians he'd never seen before.

"The period of scarcity was only a very short time in our history, but it nevertheless left an indelible mark. The war of unification followed in its wake. However, the abundance of resources following this revolutionary and life-saving invention quickly destroyed the world economy. Even the rarest of metals could now be produced by our sheer willpower, prompting the countries that had survived the War of Unification to unite around an even bigger problem than the war: the restrictions to be placed on molecular transmutation. The result was the restrictions still in use today, having preserved our economy, as well as our glorious civilization. May Ares be eternal.

The video stopped. It was much shorter than all the others, no doubt due to the short lapse of time it explained. Yet, despite its short duration, it had been very instructive for Salvatoris, who was struggling to assimilate all his new knowledge. But his overriding thought could not find a conclusion.

[If this civilization had unlimited resources, how did it become the ruins we know today? And why do our gods not even seem to exist in their eyes? And what about magic? Did they create it? Are they our gods?]