Zion

Cylus takes to the podium. "The world is a mess; it has been from the inception. Clarification," he utters and waits for the senate to finally settle, before continuing, "Earth is an intricate and pristinely balanced entity on its own; it is the fault of Homo sapiens that all has been put off-kilter. We can no longer sustain our greed, insatiable hunger for destruction and disregard for all else. Progress, advancement and development will no longer suffice as euphemistic terminology for planetary genocide." All appear to be in full agreement and with the nuclear shadow of the third Great War, looming freshly overhead, disagreement would be met with ostracisation; and so Elah holds his tongue and merely watches on as he knowingly anticipates what is to follow. "It is time for the next step in our evolution; the new dawn of humanity, the age of the Homo quintessential," Cylus, his voice booming through the room and resonating with the hearts of so many, infers and gestures to the images appearing on the large screens at his back. "They will be a united front, with no differences. They will be of one mind that acts collectively as a singularity." He runs his fingers through his perfectly combed hair, offers a momentary glance in Elah's direction and plows on, "Their physical attributes will be indistinguishable; it is merely their function in society which will have variance. They shall have an identical genetic makeup and therefore, all think in exactly the same manner. Structurally they will be tall, well proportioned and elegantly, muscular beings – designed to exist in the New World." Cue the rendered depictions of what Olympus will be fashioned into – Zion, the unspoiled beginning of humanity's next generation; a place without blemish. The Homo quintessential is seen actively engaging in the betterment of society; there is no class division, sickness is a trouble of the past, longevity is not a privilege, but a right and the collective is always put above the individual. A picturesque marketing montage for the end of the world, Elah thinks. "Their flesh will be of a grey pigmentation, as well as their eyes. The skin of a Perfect shall be course and highly evolved; extremely sensitive to vibrations, even within the surrounding air, autonomously regenerative and covered in a layer of opsin, which will allow them to heal themselves rapidly and be incredibly aware of their surroundings. Homo quintessential shall be entirely asexual beings, with no drive or means of reproduction; all grown by Zion for Zion and thus they will utilize the pronoun, oos (our own self)." Cylus peers up once more and the two men lock eyes. Elah is hard-pressed to contain the rage swelling in his chest and his jaw tightens involuntarily. "The Homo quintessential, is our raison d'être; we shall be the ones to finally give a face to perfection," Cylus ends with a glint of his pristinely white teeth and watches Elah storm out of The House of Governance, while a collective and resounding applause erupts.