Borne

A scavenger called Rachel discovers a creature she calls "Borne" caught in the fur of Mord, a massive, tyrannical bear, in a destroyed, unnamed city of the future. Once, until he was experimented on, grew enormous, learned to fly, and broke free, Mord would roam the halls of the biotech company called the Company, which is located outside of the city. Tormented by his abuse at the Company, Mord goes crazy and terrorises the city while feeding scavengers such as Rachel.

Borne first seems to be nothing more than a green lump that may have been discarded by the Company. There are rumours that the Company, although being gravely wounded, is still able to create creatures and transport them to far-off areas where Collapse has not yet occurred.

Rachel is mysteriously reminded of the island country that once existed but is now long gone due to rising seas by Borne. She is resentful of the bond she feels since in this world, every weakness may lead to death and attachments are traps. However, Rachel persuades her partner Wick not to reduce Borne to raw genetic material for the medicines he sells when she brings him to her underground refuge, the Balcony Cliffs, since she is unable to sever their relationship.

Wick is a unique kind of provider since the city's drug dealers don't offer your typical goods. They provide little animals that may be ingested or inserted into the ear, which can evoke strong recollections of better times in the past for the user or extract long-forgotten memories from their own mind. They can also just create lovely visuals that offer an escape from the desolate, craterous surroundings of the metropolis.

Wick supports Rachel's choice against his better judgement, either due to his passion for her or some other reason. Despite her allegiance to Wick, Rachel is aware that he has concealed information from her. When she searches his flat, she discovers proof that Wick designed the Balcony Cliffs to resemble the Company building's blueprint, as well as a burned and unreadable notebook named "Mord" and a cryptic allusion to the Magician, a rival drug dealer. What does he conceal? Why won't he tell her what transpired during his time employed at the Company?