It sounded great at the time - infuse the ashes of your loved one with a patented hybrid flower that initially resembled a honeycomb that would erupt like a dandelion and shower the world with genetically enhanced wildflowers.
In practice it soon developed unexpected consequences which came to be known as "Sprouting". The seeds themselves were relatively harmless, just unusual looking flowers that maintained the same environmental role as their organic predecessors. It wasn't the seeds that were entirely to blame.
It was the wind.
A strong enough breeze picks up all sorts of matter that shouldn't be inhaled. The seeds were just swept along and just to happened to be inhaled by a few thousand people who loved downwind of the main manufacturing plant.
Something in the lungs of those people triggered the bonding agent that was used to merge the DNA of the deceased with the wildflower seeds and they began to grow, not as plants but as people. They grew so slowly that by the time they were recognised for what they were, dozens had already been removed and killed.
Protests were fought for and against these new emergent humans. Were they able to be classified as people if their DNA was still somewhat wildflowerish? Did they have the rights to the property of the deceased? Should they be classified as tumours and would removing them count as murder?
The definition of human was about to change again and the world was not ready.
In practice it soon developed unexpected consequences which came to be known as "Sprouting". The seeds themselves were relatively harmless, just unusual looking flowers that maintained the same environmental role as their organic predecessors. It wasn't the seeds that were entirely to blame.
It was the wind.
A strong enough breeze picks up all sorts of matter that shouldn't be inhaled. The seeds were just swept along and just to happened to be inhaled by a few thousand people who loved downwind of the main manufacturing plant.
Something in the lungs of those people triggered the bonding agent that was used to merge the DNA of the deceased with the wildflower seeds and they began to grow, not as plants but as people. They grew so slowly that by the time they were recognised for what they were, dozens had already been removed and killed.
Protests were fought for and against these new emergent humans. Were they able to be classified as people if their DNA was still somewhat wildflowerish? Did they have the rights to the property of the deceased? Should they be classified as tumours and would removing them count as murder?
The definition of human was about to change again and the world was not ready.
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