Author's Note: It is my prediction, and that of many much smarter than me, that in the near future we will be able to purchase functioning body parts. This will include genetically matched replacement organs with no chance of rejection, but also those of a gender opposite of ours.
So people born with XX chromosomes (females) will be able to have functioning male genitalia that can impregnate someone, and people born with XY (males) will be able to bear children and breastfeed them.
The early 21st century gender hysteria will die down, just as the homosexual hysteria once did.
Eventually the last societal battle line will be drawn between those who have had surgery or treatments that change or enhance (Augmenteds), not just heal, their original human form, and those who have not. (Naturals or Normals)
Augmented (noun and adjective) aka Aug.
(This term will first appear around 2050).
A person who has enhanced their mental and / or physical abilities artificially beyond their baseline human functionality. Vitamin supplementation would not be considered an Augmentation nor would a replacement heart or liver.
Advanced bio-hardware and bio-software technologies and medical interventions will give Augmented individuals advantages over the un-Augmented. Included in the Aug category are people who enhanced their bodies to have biological functions they were not born with.
Those who are “Augmented” will simply be called “Augs.” Those who are not will be called “Naturals” or “Normals.”
This type of language will be used in almost every field of endeavour to differentiate the two.
i.e. Sports, Writing, Physical Labor, Intellectual Labor, Entertainment.
It will infest and preoccupy society the way gender and race did in the first few decades of the 21st century.
The world will start to segregate itself into Naturals and Augs.
Back to our story.
It is New Year’s Day, 2101, the start of the 22nd Century, AD.
We find ourselves at The New Century Natural Guitar Players Contest.
The field has been whittled down to five, and there is some drama happening on the stage.
It seems that Bill Tasker has just been eliminated by being outplayed by Jonathan Summers. Instead of accepting defeat, Bill Tasker jumps to his feet, fully extends his arm and index finger towards Mr. Summers and screams:
“Aug!”
There is a hushed silence, even though 20,000 are in attendance.
All participants had to sign contracts where they attested to being Natural or un-Augmented.
The main judge approaches Mr. Tasker, and asks what proof he has of this heinous accusation.
Mr. Tasker: “I have it on good authority that Mr. Summers has had micro-nanobot knuckle implants.”
To put this in context, this kind of accusation was exponentially worse than being accused of steroid use in Major League Baseball during the period 1994 to 2004. Those who took steroids would be considered Augs, aka cheaters.
Naturals felt being Augmented was a crime against humanity, as once you were Augmented, you were no longer human.
This was similar to feelings about people who perform in Blackface, or Womanface (transvestites aka drag queens). The former being extremely offensive to blacks, and the latter being extremely insulting and offensive to women.
Being accused of being an Aug was an insult of the highest order.
A collective gasp was heard from the 20,000 spectators.
The main judge said:
“Mr. Summers, will you please approach the dais?”
Mr. Summers hesitated and, at that moment, all watching knew he was a dirty, cheating Aug.
The security guards grab and carry him to the medical table next to the dais. Within seconds his hands are placed in the BRI (Bio Resonance Imaging) Machine.
The scan is projected in real time for all those in attendance to see.
They see thousands of micro-nanobots within his knuckles.
The chant of “Aug! Aug! Aug!” grows to a cacophony and many rush the stage to exact their revenge on Mr. Summers for infecting their event and their lives with his unholy, degenerate Augmentation.
He is swiftly thrown out the back door and left in the alley.
He is just one of the many Augs who attempt to enter spaces he does not belong in. Augs feel they are not Augs at all. They will proclaim they are a Natural and that their Augmentation does not change that. Of course these two things are mutually exclusive and cannot exist in any reality at the same time.
Within minutes he was canceled from every Natural group / association / job / facility.
The Naturals will be very serious about their purity.
These scenes will play out in every part of life, with cheating Augs getting caught and immediately being banished (canceled) from all Natural circles.
In the very near future be careful, because once you are Augmented, you will never be seen as human again.
Bill Tasker rightfully advances to the next round.
