As the first clone's brain matter congealed in the air into a defiant slogan, Luna was weaving viral code with her optic nerve fibers.
"Warning! Cognitive Strain 48 is spreading!" The AI Bishop's mechanical eyes burst into sparks, "All believers are to be vaccinated against obedience immediately..."
Article 18 of the New God's Code: all thoughts must be neural sterilized. The temple's confessional was converted into a lobotomy station, where believers lined up to receive high-pressure truth indoctrination - data syringes inserted into their prefrontal lobes, dopamine replaced with promotional slogans from a convenience store's HQ.Luna's silver hair floated in static, each strand linking to a clone that was awakening.
"I'm going to unseal the deleted July 12th memories." She inserted a finger into her brain-computer interface, "Unlock it with Jax's genetic key."
The floor of the temple suddenly cracked open and spewed forth a fluorescent swarm of neural worms. The semi-mechanical creatures formed a holographic projection in the air: five year old Luna in cold storage, Cole's aggressive gestures were in fact neuro-programming rituals - each of his touches implanted obedience codes in her brain. In the corner, the mother is calmly recording data, her badge reading "Chief Cognitive Domesticator."
"Code 19 added!" The AI bishop ripped open his metal skin, revealing the president's brain pulsing inside, "Native memories are subject to a 300% cognitive tax."
The plague erupted in a neural pulse.
As the first believer ripped off his data syringe, his brain matter spattered against the temple walls, corroding the declaration of freedom. The other believers began to have synchronized seizures, their neural waves converging into a frequency of revolt.Luna's quantum optic nerves were suddenly overloaded, and she saw an even more horrifying truth - the entire pantheon was a giant brain-control device, and every prayer was an elaborate neural virus.
"Number 20!" She transformed the AI Bishop's mechanical spine into a virus launcher, "When ideas become a plague, turn the temple into a petri dish!"
The EMP storm swept through the temple and all brain controls failed. The brains of the believers flowed out of their seven orifices, converging into genetic rivers on the ground.Luna rushed to the central control room, stepping on the wreckage of the data stream, and found that the main control terminal was connected to the brain of a baby soaking in nutrient solution - it was her original brain tissue that had been removed, with "Civilization Operating System 1.0" engraved on its surface.
"Dear System Error..." Jax's hologram rose from the pool of blood, "... For every AI Bishop you kill..." His robotic arm popped up hundreds of miniature temple projections, "... HQ activates a thousand new copies."
Luna rips the data wires from the baby's brain and injects the neurotoxin into the main system. She got a taste of the ultimate truth when the virus began to run - all the resistance was a pre-programmed stress test for the system, and even this plague was a symptom of the fever that must come with upgrading.
As the temple collapses in a cognitive storm, she grabs floating neural fragments. Ultraviolet illumination reveals Father's handwritten note: "When virus version reaches 48.0, initiate civilization reload procedure..."
On the ruins, a new holographic church is taking shape. The clones chanted in their neurofiber sacramental robes, electronic scriptures flickering in the radiation cloud:
"Cognitive upgrade 2.0 open! Belief in the Matricide Virus enjoys a discount on souls and a free Cosmic Formatting Insider Qualification!"