Transcendence - 11 (Patreon)

Weeks after the pivotal board meeting, Randy found himself standing at the EquiGen main headquarters in Virginia, a place that seemed worlds away from the turmoil and tension of the boardroom. The headquarters was set against a backdrop of green rolling hills, where beautiful horses grazed peacefully. The serene landscape was a stark contrast to the emotional upheaval he had been through.

Since the meeting, Janice had become a ghost, her promises hanging in the air. "Look, I've got ten thousand things to take care of," she had said to him. "Give me ten days. I promise my people will be in touch." Those words had offered a glimmer of hope, a lifeline that Randy clung to amid the uncertainty.

Now, standing at the EquiGen facility, he felt a mix of apprehension and determination. The facility was the heart of the company, a place where decisions that affected countless lives, including Beth's, were made. It was here that Randy hoped to find answers and possibly a way to help Beth, now known as Meadow's Grace.

The past weeks had been a whirlwind of emotions and events. The board meeting's outcome had been a significant victory against Raskin's unethical leadership, but it hadn't changed Beth's condition. She remained in her equine form, a constant reminder of the personal cost of Raskin's ambition.

Randy's visit to the headquarters was fueled by a need for closure and a desperate hope for a solution. He knew the challenges were immense, but he also knew that giving up was not an option. Beth, the woman he loved, deserved every effort he could muster to bring her back.

As he walked through the facility, his eyes taking in the horses and the vast expanse of land, Randy prepared himself for the meetings and conversations ahead. He was there with a mission, to advocate for Beth and to seek any possibility of reversing her transformation. The fight for Beth was far from over, and Randy was ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead in his quest to bring her home.

Randy was led through the corridors of the EquiGen headquarters to an office suite that bore the inscription "Office of the CEO, Janice Worthington." The door opened to reveal an expansive room, dominated by an immense oak desk. Behind the desk stood Janice, but she was not the Janice he remembered.

As Janice approached him with a familiar greeting, "Hey there, Cowboy," and embraced him in a hug, Randy couldn’t help but notice the drastic change in her appearance. Her once blonde hair had turned gray, and not just a subtle shift but a complete transformation that suggested the passage of many years rather than weeks.

Randy frowned in concern, a mixture of surprise and confusion evident on his face. "Hey there," he replied, his voice tinged with worry. He held a lock of her now bobbed and chic gray hair, trying to make sense of the change.

Janice appeared to have aged significantly since their last meeting. What was once the appearance of a healthy and vibrant woman in her 20s or early 30s had transformed into that of someone in her 50s or 60s. Her face was etched with deep lines, a testament to some unseen stress or burden.

"What gives?" Randy asked, his question filled with concern. "You look like you should be writing stern letters to the hotel about the lack of suitable accoutrements in your room."

"Hah, right?" she smiled, and Randy noticed her teeth seemed artificial. Too even, too white, too perfectly symmetrical in that face. Had the stress of taking over as CEO and dealing with the fallout from the board meeting taken such a toll on her? Or was there something more, perhaps related to the very experiments that had transformed Beth? "I'll have you know, Mr. Simpson, we take our mission here seriously and after consulting all parties involved, we're going to circle back at the end of the quarter and revisit our position in ligh of the current atmosphere."

Randy grinned. "It does, ah, suit."

"Hey if it walks like a duck…"

"Quack!" Randy said.

Janice rolled her eyes. "Be careful making animal noises in this place, Randy. You might find yourself as the animal you're imitating."

Randy nodded, his demeanor serious again. "Seriously, what happened to you?"

"The board decided to make me CEO," she explained, "but they felt that someone of my apparent 'youth' wouldn't be taken seriously enough. So, they insisted on an 'edifice adjustment' as part of my appointment."

Randy, trying to process this information, quipped, "Ah, so it's just makeup?" He glanced at her again, "It's well done."

Janice shook her head slightly, a wry smile playing on her lips. "Ah, no, alas. This isn't makeup," she clarified. "My skin and hair have been genuinely aged. That's all real. But internally, all my workings are still that of my 28-year-old self."

Randy's expression turned to one of concern. "So you'll be able to 'rejuvenate' at some point?" he asked.

Janice's smile faded a bit, replaced by a more somber expression. "Sadly, no. This change is permanent," she said with a hint of resignation. "But we're not here to talk about me."

Janice leaned forward, her aged features reflecting a mix of gratitude and seriousness. “First,” she began, “I want to thank you for finding that evidence. We’d been struggling so long under that demon Raskin, I can’t tell you what a relief it’s been.” The relief in her voice was palpable, underscoring the oppressive influence Raskin had wielded over EquiGen.

Randy acknowledged her thanks with a nod, his mind still grappling with the situation. He then shared his encounter with Raskin after the board meeting. “He offered a quite not-so-veiled threat to me, on the way out of the boardroom."

Janice’s expression turned grave. “Yeah, that...” she trailed off momentarily. “Jerome has disappeared into the wind, I’m afraid. You’re going to need to be extra vigilant, Randy, until he can be removed permanently.” The warning in her voice was clear. Jerome Raskin, despite his fall from power, remained a potential threat, especially to those who had played a significant role in his downfall.

Randy felt a chill at the implication of her words. The danger Raskin posed was not just corporate or legal – it was personal. Raskin’s threat, combined with his disappearance, meant he could be nursing plans for retribution. Randy realized that both he and Beth, in her vulnerable state, could be targets.

"I know you're dying to see Beth again, or Meadow, as we've come to call her. We'll take you to her shortly, I promise, but I do need to tell you—"

"No edifice adjustment there, I take it?" he asked, referring to Beth's complete transformation.

Janice shook her head, her response confirming Randy's worst fears. To his surprise, he saw tears welling up in her eyes. Her next words were spoken softly, filled with sorrow and remorse.

"I'm sorry, Randy," she said. "That bastard corrupted my work with gene splicing and CRISPR replacement therapy. It was never supposed to be used like that, and with me at the helm—" She trailed off, looking off into the distance, her expression one of pain and determination. "It never will be again."

Randy absorbed her words, a mix of anger and despair swirling within him. The realization that Beth's transformation was a result of the misuse of Janice's research added another layer of complexity to his grief. It was a cruel twist that Beth, an innocent party, had become a victim of such scientific perversion.

The room fell silent as both Randy and Janice grappled with the weight of the situation. The next step was to see Beth. Randy steeled himself for the encounter, preparing to face the living evidence of the tragedy that had unfolded.

"As you can imagine..." she began, her tone reflecting the gravity of what she was about to say. "We just can't have it get out that Meadow's Grace and Sir Archibald Noble Sterling were ever human. You're literally the only other person beside me, Raskin, and one or two others who know. If this ever got out, EquiGen would be done, I mean, done done. You can imagine what the fallout would be."

"And that concerns me why?" Randy said.

"You have a choice here, Randy,"  Janice stood up and went to the window, looking out over the complex. "You can work with me, work beside me, and we can move forward as partners."

She turned to him. "Real partners. I'll add you to the shareholders list and donate you all of Raskin's share. You'd be in the majority, not the largest shareholder, but easily one of the top five.  You can see Meadow every day, take care of her, help us to uncover the remarkable mind underneath the equine skin she's been given. It really should help us understand Equine dynamics that have been a mystery to us up to now."

Randy nodded. The implication of her statement was clear and sobering. The revelation of Beth and Alex’s transformations into equine forms as a result of EquiGen’s unethical experiments would not only spell the end for the company but would also have far-reaching consequences in the scientific community and beyond. The ethical implications were monumental, and the public backlash would be severe.

"Or…no." Janice stared at him with her old woman's face, her thin lips cast in a frown. "You can go to the press, do what you will, attempt to make contact with the authorities. I don't know if you've been in contact with them, yet, or not."

Randy shook his head. "Been waiting for this meeting first, honesty. I'd sort of hoped…"

"You hoped we would have been able to reverse it and you'd be able to take her home today."

Randy nodded, swallowing past the lump in his throat."

"Yeah, that's physiologically impossible."

Randy snorted. "What you did to her, in the amount of time you had, was physiologically impossible. A 164 pound woman into a what a fifteen hundred pound horse? How was that possible?"

"Randy, I understand how unfathomable it must seem, transforming Beth from a 165-pound woman into a 1500-pound horse in just over forty-eight hours. But let me shed some light on the advanced science behind it. We've developed a revolutionary process that goes beyond simple genetic manipulation. At its core, this process involves a combination of rapid cellular reprogramming and advanced nanotechnology, all orchestrated by a powerful AI we've designed specifically for this purpose.

Firstly, we utilized a cutting-edge technique called 'Directed Cellular Morphogenesis.' This involves injecting specially designed viral vectors into the subject. These vectors carry a customized genetic payload that rewrites the subject's DNA in real-time, instructing cells to divide, differentiate, or even transmute into entirely different cell types necessary for the equine anatomy. It's like guiding the evolution of every cell, but at an accelerated pace.

Simultaneously, our nanobots, operating at the molecular level, assist in this transformation. They facilitate the rapid restructuring of tissues, organs, and skeletal systems. These microscopic machines are capable of disassembling and reassembling matter at a cellular level, allowing for the drastic increase in mass and the reshaping of the body according to the new genetic blueprint.

Furthermore, an AI oversees the entire process, making real-time adjustments based on a myriad of physiological parameters. It ensures the transformation is not only swift but also safe, maintaining the subject's vital functions and consciousness throughout the process.

This approach, combining genetic reprogramming, nanotechnology, and AI, has allowed us to achieve what once was thought to be impossible. It's a testament to how far we've come in our understanding and manipulation of the very building blocks of life."

Randy nodded, feeling frustrated. "So why can't you just do that in reverse?"

Janice sighed.

"While our technology has achieved wonders in transforming Beth into a horse, reversing the process is, unfortunately, not as straightforward. There are several reasons for this, rooted both in the science behind our methods and the ethical implications of such an endeavor.

Firstly, the transformation process involves a complete and irreversible alteration of the subject's DNA and cellular structure. The 'Directed Cellular Morphogenesis' and nanotechnology not only change the form but also fundamentally rewire the biological systems. When we transform a human into a horse, we're not merely changing their appearance; we're rewriting their very essence at the genetic level. Reversing this would require not just a blueprint of Beth's original human form, which we do have, but also a way to undo the complex web of changes that have occurred, down to the smallest detail. It's akin to trying to unscramble an egg — the original structures have been so thoroughly altered that returning them to their previous state is currently beyond our capabilities.

Moreover, during the transformation, certain human elements are lost or merged into the new equine form in ways that can't be easily segregated and restored. Memory, personality, and consciousness are adapted to fit the new form, creating a unique blend of human and horse consciousness that doesn't neatly separate upon reversal. This intertwining makes it uncertain what, or who, would emerge if a reversal process were even technically feasible.

Ethically, there's also the question of consent and identity. Beth, as we know her, now exists with a consciousness that is a fusion of her human self and her new equine form. To attempt to reverse this process without being able to guarantee the preservation of her identity as it currently stands would be morally dubious. We cannot predict with any certainty that the person who emerged would still be Beth, as we knew her, in any recognizable way.

Lastly, there's the issue of the physical toll such a reversal would take. The initial transformation is already an immense strain on the biological system, even with our technology ensuring safety. Reversing this process could pose significant health risks, potentially leading to catastrophic failure of the organism's vital systems.

For these reasons, while the science has allowed us to cross boundaries we once thought unbreachable, it also imposes its own limits. We are bound by the consequences of our actions, navigating the complex interplay of technology, ethics, and the essence of life itself."

Randy looked down at the floor, wrestling with the enormity of what Janice had shared. The responsibility of keeping such a secret was immense, and the burden of knowing that Beth, the woman he loved, was one of the victims of this dark chapter in EquiGen’s history weighed heavily on him.