biological-engineering
The chapter reveals Kern's World as a site of bioengineering, where creatures have been programmed to act autonomously, raising questions about their nature and the ethics of their destruction.
2 chapters across 2 books
Children of Time (2015)Adrian Tchaikovsky
In this chapter, the crew of the Gilgamesh confronts the reality of an external threat posed by bioengineered creatures, leading to a tense discussion about the implications of their sentience and the potential need for drastic measures to reclaim their ship. Holsten argues against the notion of simply exterminating the creatures, suggesting they may possess a form of language and sentience, while Karst prepares to lead a security team into battle against the attacking spiders.
Ribofunk (1996)Paul Di Filippo
The chapter follows two officers investigating Rowena Mayr and her son Bertie in a decaying urban environment beneath a high-speed monorail. They discover Bertie has been manipulating a large, dangerous cryptoflesh creature called a Blankie, which attacks one of the officers before being subdued by a dog. The chapter ends with a poignant scene of Bertie, incapacitated by a neurotoxin, and Rowena grieving over him, highlighting themes of familial dysfunction and the consequences of bioengineering.