Agnate (The Island)

An **Agnate** is a type of clone that features in the movie The Island.

## History

Agnates were an example of research into biotechnology that was created by humanity in the early 21st century. They were the result of cloning experiments though clones themselves were a dead end line of research which was why agnates were developed. Dr Merrick who was the owner of Merrick Biotech was the creator of this line of cloning technology. One of his benefactors was the United States Defense Department who provided billions of dollars of funding and also allowed him to use an old military bunker based underground in Arizona as his base of operations. In time, the agnates were created to be compliant with the eugenics laws of 2015 which meant that they were supposed to be in a persistent vegetative state and not alive. With agnates being developed, Merrick Biotech began seeking out sponsors amongst the rich and famous such as celebrities. Such parties potentially suffered the loss of a limb or vital organs were shutting down or required cosmetic treatment or wanted a baby to be carried by the clone. To cater to such sponsors, agnates were grown from their DNA and matured to adulthood where within a twelve month time frame they were harvested. Though assured that the agnates were not intelligent, the Institute that created them began to experience a great deal of problems with the cloned organs as they began to fail following a number of trials and errors. Ultimately, they discovered that if allowed to fully mature and become aware then the organs remained health as well as intact. Thus, the agnates were allowed to attain consciousness and experience life in a regulated facility. To better control them, the Institute created a fictional controlled event called the global contamination where they claimed that the inhabitants of the facility were the last survivors of mankind. To better the illusion, they had holographic images beamed to outside the facility to portray a beautiful land which left the agnates unaware that they were based in an underground bunker. Those selected for harvesting were told that they were being sent to the Island; a paradise where they would begin the process of rebuilding humanity.

In reality, the needed organs or task for the agnate was taken from them whereupon the clone was terminated either during the procedure or through euthanasia. This practice of breeding agnates and forcing them to undergo such a life was not a known fact to the rest of the world with it being a closely guarded secret of Merrick Biotech. Events for the agnate program began to experience problems when Lincoln Six Echo began to experience memories of a life that were not imprinted on his mind. Eventually, Lincoln's somewhat more rebellious nature and curiosity led the agnate uncovering the truth about the Island. Thus, he fled with Jordan Two Delta where they escaped the facility and went into the world where they learnt their existence. Afterwards, they sought to reveal the truth about the program to their sponsors to get the experiment shut down but were chased by mercenaries led by Albert Laurent who was hired by the Institute to capture the clones.

## Overview

These types of clones were the result of humanity's long experiments in enhancing the lifespan of individuals. Individuals were capable of experiencing a wide range of health related issues that brought about death. As a result, agnates were made to compensate for this wear and tear that impacted the body by offering a genetically identical replacement who was harvested for vital parts. This allowed for the replenishment of the human body which was at the forefront of modern science. Agnates were part of the next generation of science and were organic frames that were engineered directly into adulthood to match a client's age and indistinguishable to the genetic parent. They were sequenced from a point on the cellular time clock and spawned post-maturate thus creating an adult. At Stage 1, they resembled a mass of flesh the size of the human body which were harvested in twelve months. Originally, in order to comply with eugenics laws, this type of clone were made and kept in a persistent vegetative state where they were never allowed to achieve consciousness's and prevent them from thinking, suffering from pain or experiencing feelings. However, it was determined that this impacted the 'product' as the organs of the agnate ultimately failed without experiencing life and consciousness. This led to the Institute conducting the illegal act of allowing the agnates to develop consciousness and personas.

Once cultivated, an agnate's brain was still in a vestigial state for the first three years which was why an agnate was kept in suspension where it was maintained in a fluid within a plastic based container. During this time, data impression was used to supply a template for functionality in a process called "foundation". Programmers were used to create a memory imprint for the clone which were fictional memories from one of twelve scenarios. Upon reaching adulthood, a medical team was responsible for aiding their emergence into life by helping in their breathing. After foundation, an agnate was transferred into containment whereupon it entered into the conditions process. During an ongoing series of quality control, staff tested the clone and maintained its functionality. After being released, they were introduced into the controlled environment of the Institute and all shared memory of a shared disaster called the global contamination as the reason for their seclusion within the installation where initially they were given guidance as the clones mental processes were so simple that they could not function. They were also told of the Island which was a paradise that select individuals won through a lottery as a reward for good behaviour and was necessary to instil hope and purpose in the clones. The staff were responsible for managing the aggression of the agnates and give them tasks in order to reinforce simple social skills. In order to avoid complications, no awareness was given of sex and the Institute eliminated the drive within the clones. Adult agnates were educated to the equivalent of a fifteen year old child with no experiences of the world such as knowledge of Latin.

The clones genders were normally divided and each agnate was given a name with a number attached. These included how old the clone was and a regional code to indicate the place of origin of their sponsor. Echo generation agnates were three years old whilst Delta generation were four years old. Regional codes such as Six Echo indicated that the sponsor resided in Los Angeles. These names were coded onto bracelets that were placed on the hands of an Agnate which allowed for ease of identification. After a minimum period of two years conditioning, the agnate became eligible for harvesting. Those that arrived at the Island were then kept sedated and harvested of organs or allowed to come to term with their baby whereupon the clone was terminated after its purpose was fulfilled. Ultimately, agnates were seen as products by the Institute and sold to the sponsors for the financial investment made in the project. Following purchase, a sponsor effectively owned the clone who typically desired them for vital parts. The Institute sold the agnates by claiming that they obviate from costly and effective treatments. Sponsors have the option of either keeping the agnate alive by maintaining the financial costs of the policy or simply allowing it to be terminated. However, all the sponsors were kept unaware of the advanced mental development of the agnates.

## Members

* **Lincoln Six Echo** : male agnate based on the genetic material of celebrity Tom Lincoln.
* **Jordan Two Delta** : female agnate based on the genetic material of the model Sarah Jordan.
* **Starkweather Two Delta**: male agnate based on the genetic material of a sportsman called Starkweather.