Unified Earth, 33rd century, year 3275 A.D.

This day is as normal and ordinary as any other for the majority of the inhabitants of Unified Earth, but for a specific small group of inhabitants, it is not.

At Anderson Morse Hospital, the best hospital on Unified Earth in recent centuries, the first human 'brain and soul' transplant procedure is about to take place. That is why the best team of doctors and medical machinery that modern technology can provide is concentrated in the same operating room.

"Make sure the surgical AI is operating at 100%, and I want two, no, better make it three fully prepared clone bodies in case we fail. Although we have simulated the operation enough times for our average success rate to be 99.9%, it doesn't hurt to have extra bodies for any error we might commit," Said Dr. Carlos Angelo, who is in charge of preparing the necessary instruments and supplies for the operation.

"Preparing one or two extra clone bodies is understandable, but three is just too much, Carlos, stop attracting bad luck. Besides, even if you bring three or ten extra bodies, it doesn't change the fact that we won't withstand the physical and mental load of performing the procedure more than twice in a row, which is why we practiced the procedure in simulations so many times. Failing once would be almost impossible and twice would be madness, so relax," said Dr. Khan, the leading expert in micro and nano surgery today.

"Speak for yourselves. You both have the easiest part out of all of us, which is just removing the brain and preparing the equipment. We have to keep both bodies fully operational without a brain for the duration of the procedure," said Dr. María while pointing to Dr. Ana. They are the world's best doctors in bio-functional therapy, able to keep a body completely alive for certain periods of time even if all organs are absent except for the brain or vice versa.

"Come on people, it's good to be excited and all since we're about to achieve something as significant as the first space launch that took place over 1000 years ago, but don't get too worked up, you'll need to keep your nerves of steel in a few hours when the operation begins. You should learn from young Alex, who, despite being the most affected by the operation, is all calm waiting for the moment," said the hospital director. Although he will not be involved in the operation since he is not at the physical fitness level required for this operation, as his age no longer allows it.

None of them would dare to look down on the elderly man in front of them who has been the director of the best hospital in the world for the last three centuries. That, and his contributions to the medical field and medical knowledge are undeniable.

The young man, no more than two decades old, who compared to the current life expectancy of 'three' to 'four' centuries is like a newborn who has not yet explored the vastness of the world.

This young man is called Alex Díaz, born in one of the countries of the southern Unified America.

Although modern technology and knowledge guarantee that the birth rate and infant survival rate are 100%, this does not change the fact that a very, very small part of the world population is born with some type of genetic mutations. This is because despite modern advances in genetics and nanotechnology, life continues to evolve and always seeks to modify itself for improvement.

In its quest for improvement, errors sometimes occur, leading to genetic mutations that are mostly correctable thanks to current means. Though unfortunately, the mutation or rather defect developed by Alex since his birth is not one of them.

Due to this, he has had to live with complete physical paralysis since his birth. He cannot move any part of his body except for his eyelids, and he has no sense of touch, taste, or smell.

Apart from seeing and hearing, he has no other bodily functions and has had to live this way since birth. If not for the modern specialized machines that provide him with life support, he would have died a few seconds after being born, as his defect is a congenital disability of the nervous system. Except for the nerves that send and receive signals from the brain to his eyes and ears, all other nerve endings do not work.

His organs function because they do not receive orders from the brain and have been replaced by artificial organs with an AI that regulates their operation, keeping him alive.

Alex Diaz POV

"Alex, sorry to interrupt you, but I've been asked to ask you a few questions, you know, protocol and all that. It will only take a few minutes, and then you can rest easy until the operation," said a nurse.

The nurse's words brought me back to reality. I was focused on deciding which story, novel, tale, series, or movie would be good to watch to pass the few hours remaining until my operation.

Honestly, those few hours, which are such a short time in the grand scheme of things, are now feeling eternal. I look at the clock as my anxiety for time to pass quickly almost makes me see that instead of advancing, the seconds are going backward. I know it's silly, but that's how I feel at this moment.

"Sorry Mr. Akira, I was a bit distracted, you can ask anything," said a clear, slightly high-pitched voice with a barely perceptible mechanical tone.

This voice was the result of a device that was specially designed for Alex, who cannot speak due to his illness, to help him communicate. It is a very simple device for the current era and a great help for Alex.

"As I said, these are just protocol questions, but still, the answers are yours, and feel completely free to say what you feel, you have every right," said nurse Akira, in a very formal and serious manner.

Mr. Akira asked me many things, some simple like my name, age, place of birth, etc. Then he asked me more complicated things like "Are you still willing to undergo the surgery?", "Are you fully prepared for the minimal possibility of failure and losing your life?" and, "How do you feel about the life you've had so far?"

I took some time to answer the complicated questions, and even if for a moment, I felt terrified about the operation I was about to undergo. "No matter how much they tell me that everything will be fine and that the best Dr's in the world will take care of it, it doesn't change the fact that it's something that has never been done before, and it's me who they will do it to for the first time, which scares me."

"But then I remembered my whole life and all I know from my birth are the facilities of a hospital, that thanks to my Holo screen I can access and see through images and recordings how immense and majestic the world out there is, a world I have never personally seen. Modern technology allows people to dive into the total depths of the sea, fly in the immensity of the sky, or even go out and walk in space and other planets.

I'm not even able to join the most isolated and sedentary communities that live in the virtual world because my nerve connections don't let me connect to virtual reality devices. It can be said that in this modern world, which is a paradise for life and has so much to offer, I cannot enjoy even the barest minimum because of my condition.

But I can't complain either, although my life has not been as great as that of other people, it has still been good. If I had been born 500 or more years ago, I would surely have died a few seconds after my birth, at that time technology was not advanced enough to provide life support to a newborn with a problem like mine. And if I had been born more than 1000 years ago, before the earth was unified, then even if I was born as a completely healthy person, there would be no guarantee that I would even live to adulthood. At that time, people still took each other's lives, diseases and pandemics claimed lives in population percentages, and wars still existed.

Still, you can't blame the people of that era as they lived in a time where ignorance was prevalent, resources were limited, avarice and ambition outweighed reason and unity.

And that's why I know that although my life has not been as good as that of my contemporaries, it has still been much better than that of the people who were unfortunate in those past times.

And now I am given the opportunity for my life to be as good as everyone else's.

Yes, it's true that there is a possibility of dying, but it's a very small one, and compared to the inversely opposite possibilities that the heroes of the stories I have read and seen face, and despite that, they take those chances, that inspires me to take this step, a step with such a small risk, I would be a complete coward if I didn't take it. And if I die, then I will die with the peace of mind knowing that I took this step and will not live my whole life with the regret of not trying it just because of a little fear." This was my response to Mr. Akira's difficult questions.

"Well, with this, the protocol questions are concluded. Cheer up, Alex, everything will be fine. We have asked the main religious congregations of the world to pray for your well-being, and we have the best doctors and equipment available. Unless God Himself does not want it, today you will have a new body and a new life," said nurse Akira, with great confidence and faith that everything would turn out well.

"Thank you Mr. Akira," was heard from Alex's mechanical device.

Afterward, nurse Akira left, and Alex was once again in his own world, his gaze fixed on his holographic screen. He realized that 36 minutes had passed since he started talking with Mr. Akira, and he was very pleased because now there was even less time until the start.