Greater Than Zero

The work is based on 013, a character in my 2024 science-fiction novel of the same name.

The story is set in a future where ecology and civilization are close to collapse. “0” is a number on a detector. It also means the web of life has broken, ecological possibility is gone, and the umbilical cord between humans and the Earth is cut. Any new possibility means the world is still “greater than zero.”

People must find a substance called “new salt” to survive. 013 is one of the hunters searching for it. 013’s body starts to change: itching, peeling skin, and then plastic growing out of the body like new hair and skin. In the end, 013 strips off the plastic skin and runs into a sandstorm.

One inspiration for the story was a science news report: scientists found plastic chemically bonding with rock in a freshwater environment. Human-made material has entered geological processes.

The colored polyester yarn in this work is a cheap, everyday material, often used to make dishcloths and bath scrubbers. It is disposable and brightly colored. Polyester comes from petroleum, formed from ancient organic matter over millions of years. Plastic therefore carries a material history connected to ancient life. Pearls form when a living organism responds to a foreign object. The object is not simply expelled. Instead, the body builds a new structure around it.

Is evolution chosen, or forced? As humans keep searching for new life, can we accept that a new possibility for life may mean we are no longer human? Can humans adapt to an evolutionary environment they have created themselves?

Pain and change are part of the process. We do not choose the outcome. As long as it is greater than zero, change is still possible. It is also a new beginning—however cruel, unknown, or absurd the outcome may be.