Microvores: A Chemical Romance
Creator:......................Brian Fiore
Consultant:...........Dr. Kara Fiore
Writer:..........Ernie Laurence, Jr.
Concept Artist:...Michael Knapik
Illustrator:..................Ng Jing Jer
Graphic Artist:...........Brian Fiore
A special thanks to all of our backers on Kickstater.com:
Patrick Siebert, Swarm of Dice, LLC, Ernie Laurence, Jane Trudeau Smith, Matthew Fiore, Amy Varnado, Carol Mattern, Kevin Crosby, Paul Hormann, Marco
Rodriguez, Ken Shannon, Nelson Mattern, John Stout, Cory Goff, Jenna Hormann, Elizabeth Kerr-Woller, David Drake, Angry Mojo Games, Jay Bushey, A.J.
Fowinkle, Chaiyawat, and Robert T. Hartsell.
Microvores: A Chemical Romance was inspired by the game Microvores: A Game of Parasites.
Microvores: A Chemical Romance
A series of chemical strands activated as if for no reason. They found their counterparts in the membrane of the nucleus
which in turn sent a poly-molecular message to the powerhouse of the young organism. Energy spiked and production began of the
polymers that would provide an extra coat of proteins to shield the outer membrane of the cell.
Such was the nature of thought for Adan. He did not know how or when he achieved self awareness, only that he was aware.
He knew himself as distinct from the others of his kind. He knew also how to actively trigger chemical events within his body in
anticipation of situations rather than simply react like other microvores did. It gave him an edge.
Adan sent a chemical strand to the S-ring surrounding the largest opening in his cell membrane. The sphincter dialed open as
a rigid protein construct erupted out until nearly a quarter of the length of his entire body.
Weapon in place, Adan shunted some of the energy from his mitochondria to the cilia that provided motive force in his
aquatic home. With a quick rotation, he burst forward. Constant motion of the cilia accelerated him until he judged his speed to be
sufficient without being reckless.
"There." The protein signature wafted into his membrane and registered in his nucleus. "An amoeba." Adan wiggled
happily. Amoeba's had large bodies full of protein and organelles. They often killed his own kind, but Adan's anticipatory sentience
and advanced adaptations made the amoeba nothing more than fat, slow, and easy to kill.
Adan oriented himself in the direction of the protein stream. Still at speed, he plunged the protein spike into the membrane of
the amoeba.
The amoeba attempted to reach out and envelope him, but it had no free will and could only react.
"I don't think so." Adan reversed his cilia-motion and backed out. Plasma leaked out into the water. It would draw others
soon, but not before Adan fed well. He reversed the cilia again and slammed the spike into the amoeba's membrane once more. By
the third hole, so much plasma had leaked from the amoeba's body that it could no longer move to envelope him.
With his prey essentially dead, Adan withdrew the spike and dissolved the protein shielding. He absorbed it along with an
array of organelles, and the largest prize, the nucleus. Some of the chemical material he distributed throughout his body for immediate
consumption and incorporation. Most of it he diverted to a large vesicle near the opposite end of his body from the protein spike.
"That's plenty for the both of us. Time to get out of here." He followed the chemical trail of his own body back to the
origination point of the hunt. Then, with the pleasure inducing touch of a familiar chemical scent, oriented himself again toward a
large inorganic structure near the boundary of his world.
In a large dust particle waited Eva.
Adan had encountered Eva on one of his hunts, and by her chemical signature in the water he knew they were of the same
kind. Generally, their kind avoided each other except to procreate, and cannibalism was simply not within their genetic code.
"Are you like me?" She had surprised him with the question. Eva was self aware. He found a connection to her unlike any
other of his kind. Only the need for food had driven them to part ways.
Adan found more and more reasons to be around Eva. He had adapted his protein shell from the spike for protection while
hunting. Eva had not yet adapted such a weapon or protection. It worried Adan that she took such risks hunting for food when the
food had an almost equal chance of eating her instead. Adan began sharing his kills with her. Eva rarely left his side after that.
They discovered the structure together. "I can stay there in its protection while you hunt for us." By then, Adan had
developed the vesicles for various purposes. One of which was transporting excess food he could later share with Eva.
Eva, like many of his own kind, was a genetic receptor. As a genetic receptor, she would take some of Adan's proffered genetic
material, replicated in his nucleus and transported through the cell membrane for the purpose of reproduction. Where Adan had
developed the vesicles and spike, Eva had adapted a complex structure akin to the vesicle where a small version of their kind could be
assembled and provided for until it was large enough to provide for itself. During this time, Eva would grow.
As Adan made his way through the caverns within the inorganic structure Eva came into sight. She was now four times his
size. Only when she had ejected their offspring would she return to something close to his volume in space.
Eva greeted him with a wiggle. "Welcome home. I have news." She seemed very happy.
He moved in and rubbed cilia. Through a secretory vesicle he ejected the vacuole containing the stored protein material from
the amoeba. "Tell me of your joy."
After she consumed the proteins and organelles, Eva settled down and transmitted the chemical message directly across their
membranes.
"It seems your genes have won. Our child has the beginnings of a protein spike like yours. Our son will be a hunter like his
father."
***
Adan drifted through the flotsam occasionally finding a chunk of organic material to incorporate into his body. He had
grown more powerful. During a close encounter with a highly adapted version of his original kind, the other had almost consumed
Adan. After a swift search through his genetic code, Adan found patterns for an adaptation that allowed him to move much faster and
escape the toxins the other had ejected near its body.
The adaptation wriggled at the opposite end of Adan from his spike. It pushed him through the fluid of his world faster than
his cilia could. The flagellum consisted of a series of flexible protein chains similar to those in his primary weapon.
Adan enjoyed the speed and contemplated another adaptation for speed he had discovered, an upgrade to his mitochondria.
While he considered, his body drifted through a chemical stream that caused his body to reflexively extend the spike, and his
cilia to beat wildly to move him backwards.
Below him, at the bottom of the world, a forest of algae cells waved back and forth almost as if beckoning him. The bulbous
pod at the end of the stalk opened into a maw surrounded by hardened mineral spikes. In the midst of the forest, an amoeba struggled
weakly. Six of the algae stalks had latched on and stretched their victim to the tearing point. Plasma leaked from one such tear.
In his haste to retreat, Adan failed to sense the bacterium floating nearby until two of its pseudopods wrapped around his
body. He jerked away in response, but it only served to draw the bacterium along.
The struggle to free himself continued for a few moments, then the bacterium spasmed. A green cloud of chemicals spewed
from one of the orifices facing Adan. It covered him and began to eat away at his glycocalyx shield. Toxicyst!
The primary ingestion orifice latched on to Adan, then tore through his cell membrane. Without the glycocalyx, the
bacterium could rip him apart within moments.
Adan revved his cilia, flailed his flagellum, and sent a special RNA code to his mitochondria. They, in turn, injected a burst
of energy into his motive appendages. With a flick of movement, Adan pulled away from the bacterium. One of the pseudopods
trailed along with him as he made his escape.
Chemical messages passed at a furious pace from his nucleus to his cell membrane and back as he assessed the situation. His
shield had little left intact, his food stores shrank as he continued to wriggle through the murk. Adan realized he had encountered
toxins a number of times now. The adaptation grew popular among his aggressors. Surely there is an adaptation in my DNA
somewhere to address this.
The bacterium s appendage lost its grip and floated away.
There it is. Adan considered the adaptation, but realized he did not have enough food stored up to enact the change. He let
his body drift, senses focused on finding food.
By the time he stored up enough to make the change, Adan realized he needed to get back to Eva and their child. With a
moment of apprehension followed by guilt for even brief consideration of himself first, Adan headed home.
Adan! Eva s chemical stream contained more than a hint of concern.
He felt his body leaking slowly still from the wounds received against the bacterium. With great care he transferred all the
extra food he had collected to Eva. I will live, my love. Worry not.
The flow of worry diminished, but did not cease. Eva drew him near with her cilia and gently caressed him.
They were becoming different. Everything Eva had went into nurturing their growing child. Soon now, she would expel him
from her birthing vacuole. Her great size could not move at Adan s speeds and she would be a tempting target for any passing
predator cell if she left the confines of their rocky home.
Adan desired to live long enough to teach their son to hunt for himself and find a mate like Eva. His thoughts grew random
as Eva continued to caress him. He let his body reorganize itself back to its healthy configuration in the long, tedious process between
hunts. If only I could speed the process up.
***
Adan s thoughts cleared and he examined himself for any remaining damage. All of his parts seemed to function as they
were supposed to. He stroked Eva s body with his cilia. I am off to hunt.
Please be careful, Adan. Our son is almost grown. He will need you to teach him things I no longer can do.
Adan wriggled his flagellum a moment, and sent her a stream of humor. I ll pay attention. Tonight we will feast and our
son will have enough material to separate from you.
They brushed one another in farewell and then Adan darted away. His nucleus felt weary from the number of repairs it made,
but he prevented any of his concern from entering his chemical stream to Eva.
For a while his hunt produced limited success. A few proto-cells, and a severely damaged prokaryote gave him sufficient
food to continue the hunt and perhaps enact one adaptation should the need arise.
Adan sensed a chemical stream he had never encountered before. These streams always made him wary, but this one
indicated a potentially rich source of food. He twitched his flagellum and turned toward the source.
When the chemical stream became four distinct streams, he realized the richness was due to multiple sources. By now they
had sensed him as well. Adan had heard of lesser microvores working together to take down larger, single cells. He had developed a
plan in case he ever encountered such a group.
Adan reversed his cilia for a moment and let himself drift while he prepared the necessary food, energy, and RNA strands.
His body grew warm as his ribosomes spat out a multitude of protein strands into his reticulum then to other organelles. The number
of many of those organelles doubled as protein strands formed new ones.
Then it happened. In his mind, his thoughts started to echo. The echoes grew further apart as his chromosomes thickened
then doubled. He felt a sensation akin to a rapid current or perhaps what some microvores had described as free fall as his nuclear
membrane dissolved. Microtubules invaded the open nuclear space and attached to the chromosomes.
Adan felt himself torn in two as the process continued. It did not register as a loss of material as an attack might, but it was a
sensation he had not encountered before. His RNA made no mistakes, however, and soon his nuclear membrane reformed. His cell
membrane pinched closed and the glycocalyx shield covered over the open area. The sensation of his unique chemical stream flowing
near him and not from him gave him a moment of pause.
Now, two Adan s faced the coming fight instead of one.
With renewed confidence, Adan continued forward along the divided chemical stream. It led to a stone maze much like his
home where Eva waited. He stilled his cilia and waited. Within moments, the trap closed. Six small circular cells drifted out of the
depressions in the rocky surface on all sides of him.
Four hardened protein spikes on the end of what might have once been short flagella surrounded a central orifice lined with
miniature spikes. The anterior of the cells appeared smooth, though likely had glycocalyxes similar to Adan s.
Adan did not wait. With a whip of his flagellum, he darted toward one of the cells. His spike ran through the cell s
membrane with little resistance. In moments the cell broke apart into small enough chunks to consume. Adan drew a couple of these
in and his organelles began to dissassemble them into useful chemical strands slated for his mitochondria for energy.
While focused on the food, Adan considered the five remaining cells. They would not reach him at their current movement
rate before he had consumed the remainder of the one he had destroyed.
It took a moment for Adan to realize what had happened when the first remaining cell pierced his body. The four protein
spikes or claws latched on, penetrating Adan s shield with little effort.
He beat his cilia and spun attempting to dislodge the cell. Two more slammed into him and embedded their claws. A faint
cloud of gas expanded past him indicating how the cells had moved so fast. Adan realized they must have a vacuole that stored gas
near the surface of their backs, which could be rapidly evacuated to thrust them forward for attacks.
Underestimation of this prey would end fatally for him. Adan knew his demise approached, but he did not give up. With the
new food available from the one cell he had destroyed, he engaged one final adaptation from his DNA library. With the same speed
used during his subdivision, he formed a new organelle similar to his lysosomes. Rather than channeling the waste to be expelled, the
lysosome converted the waste into highly toxic gel capsules.
When the five attacking cells bit down and tore his body apart, he released one capsule next to each of the cells. The
capsules expanded into a semi-cohesive cloud around each cell, corroding their protein shells and weakening their cell membranes.
Adan released a final chemical stream containing information about his mistake before his organelles lost contact with his
nucleus. He registered no sense of loss as one of the cells consumed his nucleus. Just before the attacker dissolved his nuclear
membrane, Adan felt its body jolt as something large slammed into it.
He died with a feeling of satisfaction that Eva and his son would be cared for.
Adan wasted no time consuming the second destroyed cell. He pushed through the disrupted sack of organelles until his
spike pierced the gastric sack at the other side. The expulsion of gas pushed the rest of corpse away from him, but did little to slow his
much larger body.
The four remaining cells still focused on eating the remains of Adan s other self. It gave him time to come around and
skewer two more on his spike. He slammed them against the rocks, the wound and the force of the impact splattered them.
Adan expended little effort destroying the last two attackers. Though they had released or consumed the rest of his other self,
two smaller cells with limited adaptations could not handle a single, larger cell as advanced as him.
The final cell did attempt to activate an adaptation. A portion of its cell membrane grew fluid and reached out for him.
At his speed, Adan ignored the pseudopod and ripped through the final cell. Then the area returned to tranquility while Adan
collected the bountiful food his other self had sacrificed for. So much food floated in the area that Adan activated the fermentasome
adaption he had contemplated earlier. It allowed him to consume the five toxic spheres to reassemble as food on the trip home.
Eva waved her cilia to push her chemical greeting out to him once she sensed his own stream. Then she changed tones
subtly. Adan?
I m home, my love.
What happened?
Adan first brought himself against her and transferred the food. He kept the toxicyst ejecta for himself as he had not fully
converted it to food and it would harm Eva. Once Eva had enough, Adan streamed the story of the fight to her.
Eva responded with a stream of intense sadness.
Please, Eva. I knew going in what might happen. That is why I subdivided in the first place.
You died, Adan! Will you leave our son without a father? Who will teach him to hunt? I cannot. Every adaptation I have
activated is for growing Avedaan. You risk more than yourself when you hunt these dangerous prey.
The more complex cells contain richer material for food, Eva. We want the best for our son. Avedaan will be far superior
to us. Cease your worry. I have brought you enough food to birth him. You both will need food after he is born. One more hunt
alone to feed you both and then he and I will hunt together.
Eva calmed then, but Adan knew she still worried. It concerned him that the stress might complicate Avedaan s birth.
Tomorrow I will hunt simple cells, Eva. No more advanced predators for a few hunts.
The chemical stream from Eva mellowed and she returned to a state of drifting thoughts.
Adan allowed his own thoughts to drift, but in them he imagined being surrounded by uncountable cells of great and varied
complexity. Though he adapted as fast as he could, the relentless assault still damaged him. No matter how fast he moved the cloud
still closed in.
Some cells stuck together and their chemical streams intertwined into one voice. The sphere of predators resolved into a
single giant body. It had four appendages made up of individual cells rather than proteins. These resembled the claws of the previous
hunt s attackers. Like those six cells, the claws surrounded a large orifice, except this one could swallow him whole.
Adan shook himself and brought his thoughts back under control.
What s wrong, my love? Eva had stirred at his thrashing.
Nothing. Just some silly thoughts about things that cannot be. Let your thoughts drift again.
Eva stilled once more.
I love you. Adan brushed her gently with his cilia, but he did not let his thoughts drift again.
***
Adan felt the bump of Avedaan s proto-spike against Eva s cell membrane. It brought him great joy to know that his son s
birth would happen now.
Must you hunt now? Avedaan may come while you are out.
The birth process will weaken you greatly. I could not bear to lose you at a time that we should celebrate together. As I
said before, I will only hunt simple cells and those nearby. You need food to complete the process without exhausting yourself.
Eva relented.
Adan pushed back gently against the bump and felt a faint chemical stream join Eva s that was part her and part him. With a
final farewell stream, he darted off in high spirits.
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