Crossover

When Cybio Incorporated announced that its project Crossover had developed the Silex chip, it took the scientific press by storm. The chip's unique coating allowed it to be implanted into the body without rejection. Driven by the Anthropos operating system, it was capable of growing neural connections to the nervous system and the brain. Advanced neural network programming gave the chip the ability to optimise these connections and potentially make changes to the body.

The choice of Carsten Pietersen, the geeky lead project programmer, as the first recipient was not universally welcomed by the project team some of whom expressed concern about his maverick attitudes. That concern proved correct when a chance comment about curing his diabetes threw the entire project into turmoil and created a worldwide clamour for more information.

Project leader Dr Mary McClusky discovered that Carsten had secretly installed a modified version of the full operating system minus many of the restriction designed to control the growth rate of neural connections. Cybio's CEO Mark Morgan decided that to salvage the multi-million dollar project they would develop a second-generation chip designed purely to treat diabetes. The only question was what to do with the increasingly uncontrollable Pietersen. He was walking around with the experiment inside him, but was he in charge of the chip, or was the chip in charge of him.

On the other side of the world GPC, a new commercial power in the synthetic insulin industry, learnt of the Silex diabetes development with trepidation. Financially stretched, it could not tolerate the threat of more competition or a potential cure. Jan Pieses, GPC's chief executive called a shady underworld contact and arranged for the threat to be eliminated and the chip destroyed.

The attempt to kidnap Carsten Pietersen and destroy the chip almost worked and resulted in him being shot. Amazingly, by the time he reached Cybio HQ, the wound had started to heal itself –the chip was ensuring its host survived. The Crossover team were shocked by this new development and so were the CIA who had been keeping an eye on the project and now decided Mr Pietersen would be better detained in one of its establishments. At first Mark Morgan resisted interference from the Agency but an impatient regional controller decided to snatch Pietersen with disastrous results which left the computer scientist walking the streets feeling threatened and very angry.

Something had to be done to control the geek and prevent him from either leaving the project or being snatched by criminals, Governments or other vested interests. Drugging him, injuring him, physically restraining him seemed almost impossible as his raging metabolism could fight any threat.

Finally, a solution was found.