Snow in the Desert story
Snow, an albino man, wanders across a barren planet. He is being hunted by the merchant Baris for his unique physiology which grants him a regenerative ability that renders him virtually immortal. At a bar, three bounty hunters intercept him. Snow barely survives the altercation after a woman named Hirald saves him. Snow thanks her and leaves. At night, Hirald visits Snow's camp to express her intention to travel with him. She then reveals that she is an agent sent by Earth Central Intelligence and requests Snow to come willingly so that they might study his physiology for the greater good. Hirald soon learns that Snow's wife committed suicide more than a century ago due to him not aging; the two then make love. Baris' goons ambush Snow's hideout, but Snow finishes them off with Hirald's help. Baris then shoots and seemingly kills Hirald; however, she recovers and kills him. The damaged Hirald then reveals herself to be a cyborg. Following a past accident, her surviving human brain and nervous system were fused with an artificial body, rendering her virtually immortal like Snow. The two bond over their loneliness and desire to find love within their immortality. Cast: Peter Franzén, Zita Hanrot, Alaïs Lawson, Jonnie Hurn, Piotr Michael, Julie Nathanson, Scott Whyte Directed by: Léon Bérelle, Dominique Boidin, Rémi Kozyra, Maxime Luère. Story by: Neal Asher.
10 total · 1 choice · 6 major · 3 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| immortality | choice | Snow was effectively immortal due to a physiological quirk that both blessed and cursed him with superhuman regenerative abilities and longevity. Hirald, who was ultimately revealed to be a cyborg, was thought of as likewise effectively immortal. |
| cyborg | major | Hirald, who had the appearance of a flesh and blood woman, was revealed to be a cyborg. A previous accident had left her with only her brain and nervous system intact, which were subsequently merged with a mechanical body. |
| facing organized pursuit | major | Snow was hunted by Baris' goons for the secret to immortality that was in his genes. |
| loneliness | major | At the conclusion of the story, Snow and Hirald found consolation in each others arms as they had both been lonely near-immortals for a very long time. |
| romantic love | major | The two virtual immortals, Snow and Hirald, shacked up in the desert, did the nasty, and found love. |
| self-healing ability | major | Snow was born with a physiological quirk that made his body regenerate rapidly from physical damage and ailment. |
| the quest for immortality | major | Baris' drive was to capture Snow and unlock the secrets to immortality that was hidden in his genes. |
| extraterrestrial being | minor | Snow had a dealing with a grotesque alien merchant. |
| human vs. desert environment | minor | Snow lived a solitary life in the desert. |
| suicide | minor | Snow revealed that his wife had taken her own life over a century ago due to her aging and him not. |