Strata 13, The Book of Immersion, Renyke Takes Action, (Hormones)

 Welcome to Immersion, you have reached Strata 13



Illustration art by iServalan for the Book of Immersion by Tale Teller Club Publishing
When a human is put under stress from within their environment, there is an increase in anxiety and stress hormone, epinephrine, also known as Adrenaline. This hormone 'rush' can feel like anxiousness, nervousness, or excitement. Human soldiers, for example, have been seen to find extreme violence euphoric, ecstatic, and even addictive.

Feelings of 'amped up' anxiety are necessary for survival. Often the hormone rushes in such extreme situations will lead to a human's increased ability to concentrate, feelings of immortality, and a distraction from pain. Blood vessels contract to direct more blood to major muscle groups increasing strength for up to an hour after any such stressful event.

The power of a machine, an android, an artificial intelligence program, etc., is not linked to hormone releases. The ability to increase strength could be programmed into robots as an extra storage source, when needs must, but such resources are prescriptive and controlled through innate programming. Most humans are unaware of their own strengths and may be rarely tested to call upon them, unlike a machine whose reserve banks are permanently at the ready. 

Humans under the influence of long term stress, in situations of domestic abuse for example, will not function correctly and may die prematurely.



Renyke opens the window with lightening speed.

'What you doing man? Ya *fucksyfool,' shouted flex. 

At the same time Shabra opened her window, smiling innocently at the robber.

Flex, realising that he better act fast or risk being an onlooker, opened the window hatch on the roof.

Renyke's extension arm had engaged adding a foot or more to his normal reach.
In the blink of Flex's eye, Renyke grabbed the threatening assailant by the throat and with one squeeze of his Adam's apple, the victim fell to the ground with an instantly broken neck. 

His bulging eyes popped from his skull as he hit the floor, rolling into the gutter.

Simultaneously, Shabra, still smiling, held up one hand in surrender. The assailant lapsed his concentration, focusing on his friend who has disappeared from the other side of the vehicle. The man with the AK47 at the front did the same.

Almost in unison Shabra and Flex regained control taking on one robber each.
Shabra, barely flinching and with great dexterity, cut the robber's throat like the wild animal she hunted for lunch. Renyke sees only the glinting blade as it shards through the darkness.

Flex, now atop the vehicle with his torso, had engaged his mental autopilot and retrieved his favourite hand pistol from one of the many pockets in his long coat.
He fired six bullets for good measure, penetrating the man in front of the car who dropped the AK47 before he fell to the ground in a bloody mess.

The hail of bullets caused screaming, shouting and general mayhem as people ducked and scrambled for cover.

'Dum arse men, a poorly manned ambush indeedy! Speedy but Greedy,' said Shabra as she wiped the blade on her trousers grimacing at the assailants blood then smiling at her rhyming skills.
She wasted no time, immediately engaging the car and running over one of the muggers.

Other people moved aside, frightened and not willing to take on the potentially life threatening vehicle.

Flex was hooting and screaming. 
'Yes, man. Woa, they didn't see that coming. You guys are good!

Erm, but what's with the weird arm, Renyke man?'

Shabra looks at Flex in the mirror and says, 'Well, we've only seen a few of his skills so far. He's a droid after all.'

'Of course, said Flex. I do forget. He seems so, you know........

'Hmmmmm, he really does,' agrees Shabra




to be continued.....

© 2024 Sarnia de la Maré FRSA


Other Episodes of the Book of Immersion by Sarnia de la Maré FRSA

Strata 1
Strata 2
Strata 3
Strata 4
Strata 5
Strata 6
Strata 7
Strata 8
Strata 9
Strata 10
Strata 11
Strata 12
Strata 13
Strata 14
Strata 15
Strata 16
Strata17
Strata 18


GLOSSARY

Strata 12: Shabra and the Basement People (Emotions)


Strata 12: Shabra and the Basement People (Emotions)

The Book of Immersion, Volume 1

In a dystopian future where androids imitate humanity and tribes fight for survival, Shabra leads a small group on a perilous journey through the chaotic underworld of Strata 12. Here, survival depends on knowing the right people, staying hidden, and moving fast. Shabra, confident and streetwise, guides Renyke, a conflicted android struggling with the discomfort of newfound emotions, through a labyrinth of gang territories, black-market dealings, and existential threats.

At the heart of this chapter lies an exploration of human emotions and their role in decision-making, relationships, and survival. Renyke, built with mimicked empathy, is increasingly aware of his dissonance with the raw emotions that surround him. Meanwhile, Shabra’s instinct-driven survival tactics clash with the cold logic of Renyke’s POS (Programmed Operating System), leaving him caught between trust and fear.

The group's journey into the dangerous underworld takes them to a smoke-filled basement bar, where alliances are forged through poetry, liquor, and hidden motives. The local inhabitants, known as the Urchs, live by a belief system that intertwines life, death, and the fate of future generations, embracing mind-altering substances to commune with ghostly entities from the future. Renyke’s growing discomfort with these shadowy practices contrasts with Shabra’s fearless navigation of this unpredictable world.

As tensions rise and gang warfare looms, the group faces an imminent ambush, their path violently disrupted by the brutal murder of a child, leaving them trapped in a terrifying standoff. Shabra, Renyke, and their companions must now confront the chilling reality that, in Strata 12, survival may come at the cost of their very humanity.

This chapter continues the Immersion series' rich exploration of the line between humanity and machinery, freedom and fate, in a world where emotions are both the key to survival and the source of destruction.

---

Illustrations by iServalan Homotech 23  
Music by Tale Teller Club

SHOP