Research Background

The following passages are a series of fictional memos/research records written to help establish the Black Survival universe. They can be found in the "Collection" tab of the in-game main menu.



| December 10, 1917 - Memo from Dr. A, to Dr. G.
Hello G. It's been a while since I last wrote to you. You've had quite a long maternity leave. I'm glad your baby resembles you instead of your husband.

Anyway, we've had some significant successes in the four years you've been away. I wanted to tell you sooner, but, you know, we are prohibited from sharing information with anyone, even our former colleagues. We've been attempting to manipulate the process of fertilization, and we've finally succeeded in developing a human body that can recover hundreds of times faster than an ordinary human.

Even more surprising, the length of the telomeres does not change, even after an unlimited number of cell splittings has occurred. What we have created, in theory, is an immortal human body. But we still haven't found a way to control the proliferation of cancer cells.

Mice and humans respond very differently to our tests.

But, although supplies have been threatened by the ongoing war, we've enjoyed a steady supply of human subjects.

As you're well aware, our organization has been conducting research for hundreds of years, but we've never been as fortunate to be as well-funded as we are now. You can hear more about the progress of our research from the director. What I have just told you, think of it as an appetizer.

I am excited to work with you again. See you soon at the lab.

| April 2, 1928 - Record by Dr. K
Since 1917, we've been modifying the genes of our subjects. And it is known that 6 of them have developed what are essentially immortal bodies.

Their cells are stable. Though there are slight differences among them, all of them are showing hundreds of times faster a recovery speed than that of ordinary humans.

| June 7, 1928 - Record by Dr. K
One of the immortal children shot himself.

We quickly removed the shrapnel and fragments and waited for tissues to recover, but he didn't come back to the same state before, even after his body fully recovered.

After a meeting, we decided to conduct a trial application before applying the results to the other subjects. We've notified the other subjects that he died. And we locked his body up in a room located at the bottom of the bunker.

To prevent further incident, we've announced that guns will no longer be allowed in the lab building.

| June 22, 1928 - Record by Dr. K
We've conirmed that organs are not regenerated if they are completely removed from the body. Mental disorders are observed when the brain is damaged even though the tissue is repaired.

In addition, the subjects were still susceptible to suffocation, certain diseases, and self-immolation. Our goal is the development of not simply an immortal body, but a healthy body which displays a 'continuity of memory.'

| May 17, 1932 - Record by Dr. V
The research is not going well. All the funding has stopped since the war ended, and acquiring human subjects has not been easy.

Fortunately, a few passionate researchers decided to use their own children as test subjects. I believe that decision was possible only because our research has stabilized. Because of budget cuts, we've disposed of 158 specimens that had either shown a similar recovery rate to that of a standard human, or had experienced a proliferation of uncontrolled cell growth.

Let me take this opportunity to express my appreciation for their sacrifices. We will continue our efforts in this research so that their sacrifices were not in vain.

| September 1, 1939 - Record by Dr. R
We've decided to move our research center to a safer location since a resumption of war seems likely.

Our original thought was to move to a remote location, but we realized that it would be easy to deduce our location by tracking the shipments of the necessary construction materials. Since a research center in the middle of nowhere is likely to raise suspicion as a possible military base or military research center, we decided to disguise ourselves on this island as a 'Geological Research Center.'

As an island, it is naturally isolated, and an unlikely target for a military strike. Its natural boundaries should allow for easy clean up in the improbable event of any undesirable or unforeseen incidents.

| November 12, 1978 - Memo by Dr. P
There's been no significant progress in our research. While once we were excited by the prospect of using nanotechnology to transfer memories from one person to another, the human brain has proven itself a tough nut to crack.

As a junior researcher, all I could do was look over superiors' shoulders and take notes. And now three years have passed without any significant results. The stress levels of my colleagues may be reaching their limits. To avoid having them vent their frustrations on me, I quietly duck out of the lab and go for walks around the island.

It's a peaceful island. The population has decreased dramatically in the last decades as the young people have moved to the mainland, but the old people that remain are warm and friendly.

A few days ago, they gave me some wild mushrooms that they had gathered on the mountain. I think they miss young people. I wept a little. I miss my grandfather back home. I miss my family... It's driving me nuts. Using a phone is not allowed here. The only way I can take to be in touch with my family is sending out letters occasionally.

I can't remember what Mom looks like. I asked them to send me her photo. I was pretty smart at school, but now I see the way other researchers look at me and I know I'm not that special.

I wonder what my family would think about this. These are the things I think about on my walks. It takes about an hour to walk around the entire island. Because of the constant fog, I can't remember the last time I saw the horizon. It's always gloomy.

The temperature is always mild, which is nice, but I don't like this dreary weather. The rain is always lukewarm, around body temperature, which is creepy.

It looks like it's going to rain soon. I'd better get back. Coming down the mountain isn't bad, but now I have to climb back up. I may hitchhike.

| August 5, 1993 - Record by Dr. R
Angelika has been appointed as the new director. Because she looks like a teenager, Orlando will be showing up for formal affairs.

Both of her parents were leading researchers at the center. Since she herself has shown an excellent command of the biological sciences, there are no doubts about her ability to understand and carry on our research.

| August 5, 1993 - Memo by Dr. O
It's strange that she accepted the appointment. When a former director was killed 14 years ago, Dr. A showed no interest in leading the research.

But it looks like she now has bigger goals than just creating an immortal human body.



| October 25, 1999 - Record by Dr. R
After 'the meeting,' Angelika decided to name us 'Aglaia.'

She disclosed a part of our research to the international investors who have power and money, and successfully got the funding. I think the research is going to pick up the pace.

But I suspect that opposition groups will be forming, now that people know what we are doing here. We need to be prepared.

| October 27, 1999 - Memo from: Orlando, To: Angelika
Angelika, I just can't agree with you. Maybe you are right, maybe it's because I am mortal.

It is my limitation, and you, as an immortal, will never understand my fear. We will never understand each other.

I am sorry, Angelika. I guess this is the end.

| December 31, 1999 - Memo by Angelika
May God light our way.

| September 1, 2001 - Announcement
Dear residents, our KEFF research center has been monitoring signals in the Earth's crust for the last 60 years.

Recently, we have detected signals unlike any we have seen before.

We have no other way to explain this phenomenon, but it appears to be a sign of undersea volcanic eruptions around the island. If the caldera on the sea floor rises, there will be an earthquake. The worst case scenario would be an undersea volcanic eruption resulting in the total destruction of the island as it sinks beneath the sea.

We have notified the government about the situation, and they will deliver an order of evacuation shortly.

We are sorry that you will have to leave your homes, but we expect, and appreciate, your full cooperation during this very serious situation.

Thank you.

| May 11, 2006 - Record
Prior to the 1st phase test, we installed CCTV's and audio equipment throughout the island. We also removed all communication lines to the mainland.

The airspace and the sea lanes around the island have been restricted thanks to the investors from "the meeting". Satellite orbits have been altered so as to avoid the island being caught via satellite during testing.

Lumia Island is now known to only a few people. The preparation is complete.

| February 23, 2010 - Record
The island maintenance for the 2nd phase is complete. Due to the additional restrictions, this phase took longer to complete than the previous test.

Rather than providing a benign, long-term goal like 'reward X upon completion of the test', the repeated implementation of the simple, short-term goal of 'survival during the given cycle' should maximize their motivation. Once a Restricted Area is designated and controls for the tempo of the experiment have been put in place, the participants can be sufficiently focused and rid of useless distractions.

Researchers set a Restricted Area every two days, but the number of Restricted Areas is decided dynamically, depending on the situation.

A warning is given 24 hours prior to setting a restricted Area, and the subjects in the Restricted Area whose bodies contain a special reactive substance, are eliminated. The ARCH cells, protected by a bracelet worn by the subjects, are not affected by this special substance. We collect the bracelets to recreate the eliminated bodies, and then we upload their memories.

We believe that this may help resolve the mental breakdown issues we witnessed during the 1st phase test, and we will continue to iron out problems as we refine the system.

By adding the ability to cause physical harm to the subjects, we predict a greater level of control. Even more so when combined with selective memory edits.

| November 2, 2014 - Memo From Dr. P, To Tech Team
Please keep the equipment up-to-date. As absurd as it sounds, maintenance problems as simple as malfunctioning speakers have led to subject deaths. Some Lab guys and I had a bet on those subjects! Killed in a Restricted Area, do you believe that?

And please, can you scatter the supplies throughout the island instead of putting everything in one place? Also, regarding incoming packages, please handle them with care. There have been several reports of damaged contents. Getting packages from our families is one of the only pleasures we have. I hope you guys can appreciate that.

I'll tell you what,as a token of your remorse, sneak in a little alcohol when you come next time. Alcohol might be the only thing that could comfort me right now.

| January 30, 2015 - Memo by Dr. A
Testing is fun, but the clean up afterward is always a problem. At the conclusion of the final survival round, the first thing we do is lock up the last survivor in an isolated location, and then we clean up the body parts scattered all over the place. After that, we revive the subjects and reload the memory, check to see if there are any problems and record the data.

It is very cumbersome and tedious work, especially if there aren't at least some interesting, unexpected results. I'm looking forward to my next rotation as I cross off the days on a calendar. I don't really care about the new human thing. All I want is the opportunity to work with my colleagues with this high tech equipment and nearly unlimited funding. I came here to find the truth. Aglaia is the leading group in life science technology today.

Prior to Angelika, we were nothing more than a bunch of researchers only interested in testing the biological limits of mankind. Well, there are some who joined us because they have embraced the Director's values, but I don't feel comfortable dealing with those fanatics.

| February 2, 2015 - Memo From: Dr. T. To: Dr. N.
Hello, Welcome to Lumia Island. My code name is Taddy. Just call me Dr. T. I think your name is... Nadja or something? First of all, I didn't have time to review your profile. I am sure you are well qualified since you were sent here.

Have you read about the subjects' physical properties before coming here? Since it's important that you know, let me quickly go over everything. The subjects' bodies are fixed in a certain state. That's right, their remarkable recovery ability is not actually recovery as it's usually understood, but rather a return to an original state.

The body retains information about each body part's cell structures. Therefore, they can never develop scars.

The scars they had before they came to the island remain as permanent marks, but the scars they get after the procedure will disappear each time the body restructures. Sometimes a macromolecule, wherein the information is saved, breaks down, but you needn't worry about it, because the enzymes around it will restore it back to the original state.

That said, if there are problems with those enzymes, that could be a big problem. If this happens, you must call senior researchers or myself. It's above your pay grade.

The secret to this regeneration lies in the special endocrine gland cells underneath the bracelets. It is composed of A cells, R cells, C cells and H cells, so we call it ARCH.

Without ARCH, cells can't move or split so they can't even recover like an ordinary human.

A cells only comprise 7~8% of the body, but they are responsible for generating the hormones that change the cells around the damaged area into stem cells through dedifferentiation.

R cells comprise 70~85% of the body. When a cell dies, hormones are produced which induce replication of damaged cells.

C cells comprise 3~5%. It is one of the most important types of cells of ARCH. It controls the hormonal secretions of A, R, and H cells. If C cells don't work properly, other cells will experience runaway division.

Lastly, H cells comprise 15~20%. They produce a hormones that grows eyes on the damaged area.

If a subject is wounded, the wounded area is basically repaired by H cells. If the injury is so severe that no cells are left, then A cells take over and create the new cells. If part of the body is damaged by a stabbing or gun shot wound, it creates an eye and then expedites the cell division process. And if an entire body is gone, like an eyeball being plucked out, then cells around the eyeball are dedifferentiated into stem cells which then become the cells that make a new eyeball.

But I think I've gone too far. Let me stop here. I suggest you read up on all of this before your work begins. You can find the documents in the library. But let's talk a little more about the bodies. Even if their bodies are torn into pieces, it's like nothing more than a scratch to them.

All that matters is that their brains survive until the wounds can be repaired and that they have enough energy to do so. And they are designed to stop repairs once the brain is damaged. You've heard about the subjects that went crazy?

They couldn't be controlled despite being killed again and again. Repair is good, but it needs to be controlled for it to be useful. Once asleep, they are designed to not be woken up so easily, because their recovery is maximized when they are relaxed physically and mentally. But they are fully rested after sleeping just 2-3 hours. They are made to recharge their energy quickly.

In order to heal quickly, it is important to take in a lot of energy and to rest.

And you already know that they have much higher muscle strength, stamina, and agility than normal people, right? They have different cells. Don't be surprised when they pull out trees or break through walls. That's normal. When cells can't be returned to their original state, then cell division stops. If there's foreign debris in the wounded area, then it can hamper recovery.

They either have to clean out the wound or cut it off in order to go back.

For example, if a subject is locked in a tight space while their leg is cut off, recovery will stop. This is not a cell or enzyme problem, so you don't have to worry about it. Well, I think this is all I can cover. I don't know much about the bracelets that they wear, and the nano robot technology injected into their bodies is out of my league. I don't wanna get chewed out by Dr. S by telling you something I don't know much about.

If you want to know more about the bracelets, then go ask Dr. S yourself. But just remember he will go on forever once he starts.

Welcome again and see you at the lab.

| February 4, 2015 - Memo From: Dr. S. To: Dr. N
I don't believe this. I've never thought that there would be anyone interested in the bracelets and nano robots. You said you're Dr. T's successor? He was never interested in anything other than the human regeneration. Do you know why we failed the 1st phase test?

Maybe you don't. We failed it because we did not have any mechanisms to control the subjects.

They were just a bunch of fools used to working with bodies on surgical tables. They thought the subjects would just cooperate for them. You can think of the bracelet as a part of their bodies. It sends their locations and saves the brainwaves sent by the nano robot. The memory back-up is possible with this data. Just so you know, it is programmed to stimulate the brain to shut down when the bolts are loosened by force.

Sometimes, subjects have gone crazy because of shocks. In cases like these, all we have to do is simply reset it.

If it seems serious, you can call Dr. Y, who is a psychology specialist on land. Don't try to solve the problem on your own. A nano robot is inserted in their brain. These detect the signals from the sensory nerves and send them to the bracelet. It also helps with uploading the memory data back to the brain and building nerve systems by stimulating the brain. You can think of it as a mechanism that oversees memory.

It is a half cyborg. In the future, I think it will be possible to not only prevent memory loss, but to also allow for the selective editing of painful or destructive memories using this technology. For your reference, we designed this so that it always saves the last memory during our 1st phase test.

That was a mistake. They remembered everything they experienced after they came to the island as if they had just experienced it. If they found information that they should not know, we couldn't do anything except exclude them from the test.

Be careful when you talk to the subjects from the 1st phase test. They will remember everything you said even after 100 years. Now you may be wondering how it is you might meet a subject from the 1st phase test when you are participating in the 2nd phase. You might be surprised to know they are all around you. Dr. W, the spooky one? She's from the 1st phase test.

There is a video file of her when she almost went crazy... hmm... certainly more than 06M-RF01, not less. Even after the test, she was... she still looks scary.

I've even heard that she sometimes becomes hysterical. I would stay away from her. Anyway, they can be very useful as lab assistants thanks to the nano robots in their brain.

Well, it looks like we started by talking behind Dr. T's back and finished it with talking behind Dr. W's back. Let's keep this between us. Burn these memos after reading them, okay?

Gallery


"Aglaia"

Test Subjects Bracelet Design,(Contains Nano Robots)

Picture from the Research Background, Birth Of Aglaia 

(1935 - Present)