Humankind was finally facing its extinction. At a liberal estimate there were maybe two thousand or so humans left on Earth scattered around various settlements around the planet, and one balks at estimating the amount that would remain after having subtracted all the sterile and those who had passed breeding age. Of the sterile there were a significant number, usually due to the effect of ionizing radiation that had permanently altered the nature of the planet and everything on it.
The trouble all began in 2163 when environmentalists took it upon themselves to gather every container of nuclear waste on the planet and place it aboard a rocket that was bound for the Sun. As no government could be bothered to assist them in their holy mission their budget was limited and the contract for building the rocket had to be offered to the lowest bidder.
Everybody could see the impending disaster coming from years away but a kind of vertigo compelled them to watch with their fists balled and their teeth cracking with the tension as the rocket exploded while it was still inside Earth's atmosphere. The wind carried the entire cargo of mankind's accumulated nuclear waste to all reaches of the planet. Even the congenitally hostile tribes of the Andaman islands were unable to avoid this one. The nuclear waste rained everywhere and settled into every square inch of soil for good.
Generation by generation the global human population declined in quantum leaps and there was nothing within the power of mankind that could be done against it. Even the Norwegians' seed bank was useless and Dr. Bokanovsky had long since abandoned his research and had spent his remaining few years on synthetic alcohol. Taking pity, the beings from Sirius 4 who had been closely watching Earth's affairs broke their non-interference rule for the first time and condescended to provide mankind with a solution. They would create a seed from which would sprout a new and uncorrupted race of man and provide them with all they needed to build a new Eden on Mars. They would deliver to this seed man a harem of living teratomas, and all would once again be well.
So it came about that the continued survival of the human race now depended on one boy, named Adam. The engineers of this child had taken every pain to purify him of all inherited and acquired effects of radiation poisoning. He was by every measure a practically ideal human. His grandparents had been selected from the healthiest breeding stock available and Sirian genetic engineering technology took care of the rest. His development was closely monitored and not a single flaw in his being was ever noted. In trickles and torrents towards his vast and thirsty ocean he was taught all human knowledge (since his human mind was incapable of comprehending Sirian science the attempt to teach him that would have been futile and it would never occur to a Sirian to act pointlessly). All of mankind's resources had been turned over to the creation and training of Adam. Nobody saw it as a sacrifice. Adam was mankind's pride and joy.
As the sole focal point of mankind's efforts it was inevitable that he would be worshipped as a god, despite his awareness or permission. There had never before been any so-called saviour of mankind who had been able to provide evidence of having a right to that claim. Adam had been specially bred for the purpose and as such was the first to transcend the need for faith. It was impossible not to be moved to devotion towards him.
Now imagine the despair felt when soon after his fifteenth birthday mankind's saviour announced, to no one in particular, that while he was willing to fulfill the rôle that had been thrust on him without ceremony or warning from now on he would continue his work on his own terms. In order to reach his full potential and become what he was expected to be he would have to crush his testicles. Though reluctant he was willing to do whatever was required. Being a saviour was, after all, an enormous responsibility.
His father was aghast. His mother wept as if in mourning. When asked for his reason for such a decision he was unable to provide anything rational. It had come to him in a vision, he explained. This answer was not reassuring. In his vision, he told them, he had been bent double in agony and clutching his genitals. It was clear to him what he must do. With this vision came a sense of absolute conviction beyond earthly doubt (as doubt was for the older, primitive form of man and had evidently caused them more harm than good), a feeling that what he was about to do was the best of all possible courses of action, and a feeling that for a being as uniquely built as he was testicles would serve no purpose except to distract him from his mission with animal lust that he must sublimate one way or another. If his original namesake had been able to generate a wife for himself asexually then this Adam could create an entire race by similar means. The original was an evolved being and therefore inferior in presumably all respects to one who had been built from scratch.
Adam sat back down awkwardly and winced in pain. He clutched his genitals.
Adam's father stared into the distance for several minutes as he mulled over this information. 'You've lost your mind' he finally uttered. 'I'll break your arms and legs!'
Adam's almost supernatural ability to sense and flee danger impelled him to make a run for the door which, unfortunately for Adam, was obstructed by his uncle who carried him in a bear hug back to his father. Though he was far stronger than his uncle his superhuman compassion dictated that he humour his care givers. He stopped resisting and took his beating. This went on for several tedious hours, his father and uncle taking turns on him whenever the other had become exhausted. While one beat him the other pleaded and bargained. As a compromise they suggested that Adam freeze his sperm before crushing his testicles. Adam promised that he would follow their suggestion but through it all he never changed his mind. When it was over and his father and uncle were too tired to give chase he ran out of the door and looked for two suitable stones. Adam pulverized his testicles. He knew he was doing the right thing.
There were still a respectable number of people who continued to worship Adam, including his devoted father who was still not ready to lose hope. Rather than becoming disillusioned with him as their saviour as everyone else's reaction had been they fortified their delusion behind religious fervour. Concerned friends were unable to convince them that Adam was no longer the special being that he once potentially was, he had made himself as useless as any of them. People would risk their lives travelling thousands of miles for a chance to assault him. Though many died in the attempt to penetrate the wall of zealous disciples that surrounded him at all times this did not deter others. But eventually they lost their motivation to try and submitted to their fate such as it was. They were in the same position as they had ever been and it was their own fault that they had indulged in hope.
Within months of crushing his testicles Adam decided that he no longer had the desire to be a saviour. His heart was no longer in it. He announced to all his disciples that they were to start carving their own way without him. All were speechless at first and then began to weep and rend their clothes. His devoted father gingerly approached him.
'What's going on mate?' he asked with gritted teeth.
'I don't know. I just don't feel like it any more' Adam told him.
Adam's father turned purple and clenched his fist. Adam sat down and brought his knees up to hide his face. Adam's father deflated. He shook his head and whispered 'for fuck's sake Adam'.
Life went on as it ever had. The most positive thinking of people took consolation from reminding themselves of what it had been like to have a right to hope for a change. Everyone else found that the same thought had a maddening effect on them and did their best to forget all about the time that the survival of the human race had been a possibility.
If Sirians could smile then those who had continued to observe mankind would have smiled to see this outcome. If they could speak English then they would have said something distantly like the following.
'So who's going to tell them?' said Gyrf (this was not his name).
'It's best to just leave them to it' said Zsalp (nor was this). 'What they don't know can't hurt them. If we were ever going to tell them that there was never going to be a terraformed Mars and a harem of Eves it should have been from the beginning of it or else not at all.'
'Agreed. Fancy seeing how it'll play out?'
'What would be the point? It never gets interesting again after this. Let's call it a day.'