Enjoying this. Have to ask though, why the prophecized device requires "harvesting" hosts, and why Eva needs to be sacrificed to "unlock" the machine.
Those are both intentionaldesign choices, not really shortcuts or necessities for such technologies.
Im also surprised by this, especially, as, which is stated by the MC & Male friend, they are both genetically enhanced, meaning such technology should be either cutting edge, or well understood. I'm sure these therapies don't require sacrificing 1000 babies, just like real life bio-engineering, and genetic splicing doesn't.
2 simply reasons I can think of, is direct transplant, or bio reconstruction, both have so many other, and more effective options. E.g. simply building a mechanical machine that doesn't suffer rejection or incompatibility.
In the end, it feels forced for a moral dilemma. I understand writers aren't scientists, and neither are most readers(lincluding myself). I'm sure there are countless errors in this, certainly quite a few I noticed.
But, as the bioengineering bed seems to be the big story device, it really sticks out. They did a similar thing in rimworld aswell, with the gene extractors, etc for balancing purposes, I'm sure. In the future I imagine we will, in real life, all be very much enhanced without genociding entire species, or making other large scale sacrifices.
Also, related but not completely. I do wish there was an evil option here. It seems evident that you have been "enhanced" by the machine. But, I kind of wish you could have stolen the research & technology, and funded independent research for yourself and crew, sort of like limitless(yes, including the adult VN ripoff). Also, if you are "enhanced" I would have really appreciated a visual change to display it. Altered power output, thermal property & conductivity changes, sensory alterations, novel abilities, etc. these would all leave fairly visual, mechanical, and tactile changes to the structure. Elasticity, attenuation changes, thermal conductivity, etc, etc for sure, if not very noticeable morphological shifts.
These changes both would be immersive, and could be potentially cool.
If our dear MC has "enhanced strength", it should strongly show visually. Ballooned muscles, larger structurally stronger frame if that's part of the changes, etc.