The soft machine of the title is, in fact, the human brain. In the second part of the Nova Tetralogy, William Lee (of JUNKY and NAKED LUNCH, Burroughs`s fictional alter-ego) works for the Nova Police, travelling back in time to the Mayan civilization. The Nova Mob, a gang of aliens who have controlled humanity for 3,000 years through viral infections leading to various addictions, have worked within Mayan society and in particular the priesthood--establishing the calendar. Lee must redo the calendar, and bring to ruin the priesthood, and the structure it imposes on Mayan civilization. This book was originally published in 1961.