Project Laz'r'us
Description
Project Laz'r'us is a human immortality project 26 years in the making [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2007-11-30%7C2007-11-30]]]. The aim of it was to give humans and other terran races a leg up in reaching the kind of perspective that much longer-lived races like the F'Sherl-Ganni have [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2008-02-06%7C2008-02-06]]]. The project was a success, resulting in a nanite treatment that succeeds in even more than just immortality:
When administered, the nannies purge competing nannies out of the subject's system, repopulate themselves, and do a full read of the subject's mind within a few days [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2008-02-14%7C2008-02-14]]]. Once that is complete, the nannies move memories and other data stored in the brain to distributed locations throughout the body [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2007-11-18%7C2007-11-18]]]. After this point, it is practically impossible for a would-be-killer to be certain that they have destroyed the subject's "brain", allowing the subject to be regrown from any available tissue, making them functionally immortal [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2007-11-22%7C2007-11-22]]]. This process incidentally makes the subject almost immune to mindrip (memory and cognitive function are no longer held in the brain where the mindripper would expect, but in the nannies) [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2004-03-01%7C2004-03-01]]], [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2007-11-18%7C2007-11-18]]].
The nannies also have the ability to create an induced interactive psychotropic metaphor state, allowing them to communicate with the subject [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2007-08-17%7C2007-08-17]]], and to activate "runt super-soldier mode," an armored state which allows the subject to effectively and easily take on armored soldiers and heavy cavalry in hand-to-hand combat with a punching strength capable of tearing through hullmetal [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2007-11-21%7C2007-11-21]]][[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2008-02-15%7C2008-02-15]]].
History
The project began 26 years before the [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2007-11-30%7C2007-11-30]]] strip, spearheaded by General Levaughn Matsui Xinchub. Doctor Todd Lazkowicz, creator of the magic cryokit, seems also to have been involved [[[1]]]. He hid the data inside that very cryokit [[[2]]].
Petey later acquired Doctor Lazkowicz's magic cryokit with its Project Laz'r'us nannies [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2007-05-16%7C2007-05-16]]]. He outfitted Kevyn Andreyasn with them without his knowledge, which allowed Kevyn to return from the dead [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2006-10-31%7C2006-10-31]]] and activate the "runt super-soldier mode" [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2007-04-27%7C2007-04-27]]].
Xinchub later sold the complete details of Project Laz'r'us to the Fleetmind [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2008-02-04%7C2008-02-04]]]. Using this data and the nanites in Xinchub's blood, Petey adapted the project for Unioc, Fabott'r, Vhorwed, Frellenti, Wogni, Tetri, and Kreely physiologies [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2008-02-09%7C2008-02-09]]]. Tagon speculated that Petey's purchase of the duplicate tech was to keep knowledge of Project Laz'r'us contained [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2007-11-20%7C2007-11-20]]].
The military version capable of complete personality takeover was known as RedHack. An earlier version was found on Haven Hive labeled as Retroexocephaloderm.
The demilitarized version of the Laz'R'us nanites was rolled out to the general public after the failed attempt to start a civil war in Dom Atlantis. [[[3]]] This version is known as RED-REO, and simply backs up the user's memories into their skin and bones [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2015-04-26%7C2015-04-26]]].
The civilian version sometimes requires medical/technical assistance. [[[4]] and forward] and [[[5]]] This has resulted in the development of the Laz Scale which describes how dead someone is. [[[6]]].
- Laz-1: The subject's heart and brain both stop. Nanny-bags, cryokits, and organ cloning have been saving people from Laz-1 death for years. Since the brain was intact, recovery is similar to waking up from a coma. There is no memory loss.
- Laz-2: Some brain tissue was damaged, but nanites can restore the lost information from skin and bone backups. Recent memories may be lost, back to the most recent backup.
- Laz-3: The brain is completely destroyed, but RED-REO redundancies are largely intact. Recovering from this state typically results in the loss of days or weeks of memory, and long-term memories may be slightly degraded depending on damage to redundancies.
- Laz-4: The brain is destroyed and RED-REO backups are compromised. Some original memories are recoverable, but they will be lossy and the person who wakes up may or may not be the same as the one that was injured.
- Laz-5: The victim's brain is destroyed and all RED-REO redundancies are compromised to the point that they cannot be meaningfully recovered. "Really, actually dead."
Appearances
First appearance
First mentioned by name during a briefing on [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2003-02-09%7C2003-02-09]]].
Other notable appearances
Xinchub inadvertently revealed the existence of Project Laz'r'us to the Toughs in the comic on [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2004-03-03%7C2004-03-03]]]. Kevyn was returned from death [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2006-10-31%7C2006-10-31]]] The entirety of Book 9: The Body Politic revolved around Project Laz'r'us [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2007-05-20%7C2007-05-20]]] to [[[@http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2008-02-28%7C2008-02-28]]].
Author's Note
[This space is reserved exclusively for Howard!]
Speculation
[Insert uncertain and speculative facts about the technology. Include links to Schlock in the Real World where appropriate.]