INFORMED CONSENT
After that, Minerva became a woman possessed. She spent all of her spare hours glued to her workscreen, and needed Max to remind her when to shower, eat, go to bed, and change her clothes when they smelled. Besides for Max's frequent check-ins, Minerva managed to avoid all unnecessary human contact, and only left her house to go to work. Her project needed to be absolutely perfect in time for the deadline Min had set for herself: the upcoming Morphological Congress. The timing of her appointment the Committee hadn't been a coincidence. Columbia needed to find the two new representatives in time for this.
Min's plan was to present her proposal in front of the whole global committee. Just because her colleagues back at the hospital thought she was delusional didn't mean everybody did. And the message needed to get out to the entire world. Every last city would benefit from Min's ideas.
And what were those ideas, exactly?
To put it simply, Minerva knew how to create a whole new being, far superior to any human who had ever walked the earth before. The pieces were already there, already being practiced around the world. All Min did was research, perfect, and put them all together, in order to build something that no one had ever dreamed of before.
When the time came for the Congress, Minerva requested to be transported in a separate hovercar from Maddy. Sympathy was given to her, of course. Everyone had known that she and Az had been a couple, and gossip traveled quickly.
The Congress was a multi-day event, in a far-away city. Min couldn't remember if she had ever played a team from there or not. The majority of the business time was devoted to sharing data on the operation and humans' reactions to different faces, but the officials somehow managed to fit Min's presentation into the schedule.
When it was time to give Min the floor, the doctor officiating everything announced her.
"And now, may I please introduce Dr. Minerva Cable, representative from Columbia."
The Committee applauded, and Min leaned forward into the special microphone at the podium. She greeted her fellow committee members, all in white lab coats like her own, and the ones who didn't speak English looked down at their workscreens, her words translated before their eyes. Min knew exactly where Maddy was sitting in the assembly room, and she would make sure that her eyes never wandered over there. The huge wallscreen booted up behind her, ready to project diagrams and other visual aids to her presentation. Min had a small tablet in her hands to control it all. She cleared her throat and began. Although sometimes antisocial, shy, and awkward, Minerva had never minded public speaking. To top it all off, she was absolutely confident in her knowledge of the subject matter, as well as the utter perfection of her plan.
/
For the next hour or so, Minerva explained and illustrated all of the components of her new surgery idea, down to every last detail, while the audience took careful notes. Her proposed operation was really a combination of ones she had already learned about, plus some of her own genius additions.
The subject's muscles would be replaced with synthetic ones, much stronger and able to self-repair. The reflex center of the brain would be significantly augmented, and the cardiovascular system improved upon as well. These would give the individual the ability to move faster than any human ever had before, and hollow bones made of aircraft ceramics would aid in this, too. (Those were Minerva's own idea, plus they had the advantage of being extremely hard to break.)
The senses would be enhanced, as well. A person who received this operation would be able to hear better than a bat, smell better than a dog, and see better than a bird of prey. More nerves would be added to make the sense of touch extremely sensitive.
Despite already being rather lethal, perhaps some mode of self-defense would aid the post-op. The fingernails would be replaced with a synthetic substance, hard as diamonds and dangerously sharp.
The benefits went on and on. A super-accelerated metabolism that would be able to quickly break down toxins. Nanos stored in the body for the purpose of self-repair. Vision overlays, including infrared, triggered by simple finger twitches. Chips in the hands that would turn sympathetic vibrations into hidden conversations with a simple touch. A communications system, consisting of an implanted skintenna and a chip in the jaw. (Plus, this would allow somebody to view the feeds at any time, when they closed their eyes.)
When Minerva had finished explaining the physical aspects of this theoretical operation, she began on the possible uses of enhanced humanity. They were endless, really, but the main purpose was simple: protection. Her audience didn't know the secret of pretty minds, but truthfully, the idea that there was still a small percentage of the population who was able to think freely had always made Min nervous. The world still wasn't safe. Trouble would come, eventually, even if the operation delayed it for a few hundred years or so. When it did, the cities would need some sort of a fighting force.
"And that is why," Minerva concluded, "I propose that every city in the world create a new department, a department of Special Circumstances, which will utilize improved humans to protect the people of the cities, and guard the planet as a whole."
And her presentation was finished. Minerva wasn't really sure where she had gotten the phrase "Special Circumstances," but she liked the way it sounded, and it described what her new beings would handle perfectly. Minerva caught her breath as the committee politely applauded, and then the floor was open for questions and comments, all of it translated by the special microphones everyone had. Minerva could see their words appearing on her tablet as they spoke. Some of her colleagues declared Minerva a genius, and said that they would meet with their cities' governments as soon as they got back home. Some, on the other hand, denounced her as mad. Minerva had been expecting that, of course. She didn't really care.
The debate soon turned ugly, since all of the doctors were cured pretties. Minerva tuned it out while she stood there. She had said her part already. To shorten things, the speakers began to nickname Minerva's idea for modified humans "Specials." Of course, the creation of Special Circumstances would still be up to the governments of the individual cities. But as long as some of them adopted it, the planet would be that much safer.
Minerva had no doubt that Special Circumstances would be created quickly back in her own city. They would listen to her. She had always been a well-respected figure, going all the way back to her days of international fame.
When she had been safely transported back home, Minerva was warmly greeted by her colleagues (except for Az, of course). Normal people didn't really watch the Morphological Congress broadcasted on the feeds, but it was of great interest to all the cosmetic surgeons. Minerva's ideas had become infamous over the past few days, quickly spread by the newsfeeds, and her presentation was deemed the highlight of this particular Congress, whether one thought her idea was genius, or insane, or frightening. In a way, this was the perfect revenge on Maddy and Az. Nobody was talking about them. Strangely, Min felt like she was back in her glory days.
/
The mayor approved of her idea quickly, naturally. How could he refuse the ingenious plan of one of Columbia's most successful citizens?
Minerva designed the Special Circumstances headquarters herself (with the help of some architects, since it wasn't her profession). It would be located on the outskirts of the city, near the factory belt. Headquarters would consist of a main building surrounded by barracks where the soon-to-be-created Specials would live (Minerva would be operating on them all personally, to ensure perfection.) All of it would be of the highest security. The buildings would all descend several stories into the earth, to provide the maximum safety during whatever storm may come, and to remain inconspicuous. To aid in the camouflage, they would be painted the brown color of the dried grass surrounding them.
That was another thing: although Min's presentation at the Congress was a hot topic among the more erudite, from now on, all of the advancements made towards its completion would be kept a secret in Columbia. Min didn't know how the other cities would create a Special Circumstances, if they ever did, but Min's background in cosmetic surgery made her think of her own touch: a new face for all of the operation's recipients. A face that would reflect how deadly the Specials really were. A face that would strike fear into the heart of anyone who made trouble, which would be their main business. And how would anyone be afraid of Specials if everyone knew about them, their faces on display to the world? Min had also done some psychological research on which shade humans found most unsettling and repulsive, and decided that the main Headquarters would be painted entirely in it, adding to the unsettling effect of it all. In addition, Minerva knew how to alter vocal cords, to eliminate the naturally sweet and soothing voice that some people had, and create a tone that would make anyone hearing a Special speak drop what they were doing and obey.
That still did not complete Minerva's plans for Specials. There was another finishing touch, one that only she herself would know about, and she would give it to all she operated on.
A new body, not even a new face, would be enough. The Specials would have to have a mindset that went with it all.
What would be the use of all that speed, strength, and reflexes if they weren't bubbly enough to actually use it to fight? Also, simply being superior would not be enough for some people. It would have to be embedded in their minds. And of course, all Specials would be cured of the pretty lesions (plus, anyone in Special Circumstances would be allowed to know their secret).
Minerva's knowledge of neurology had allowed her to create a whole new kind of brain surge.
/
Min flew by in a hovercar every week or so to check on the construction of Headquarters. It was coming along quite nicely, except their underground placement required a lot of earth to be moved. There was nowhere to put it, really, so the builders (who didn't know what they were building) decided to dump it all in a pile, creating an ugly, misshapen artificial hill.
/
Max and Dr. Valen knew of Min's plans, and thought that they were wonderful.
What was best, though, was that now Minerva could see that this was how she would save Max from prettyhood. Max would be one of the first recipients of the operation, as well as her husband. That was another thing that Min had decided: only those who fought the system would ever receive the privilege of being Special.
But that still left the problem of who the first recipient would be.
Max was asking Min this as they both sat down to tea (a very popular drink at the moment) in the former's house.
"But don't you see, Max?" Min asked, surprised that her friend hadn't been able to realize her thoughts yet. "I will be the first."
"No, Min!" Max gasped, grabbing both of her hands across the table. "You can't give yourself up to be experimented on! Your idea is beautiful, really, Min. You are an amazing scientist, and I have no doubt that your plan is perfect. But you know what all the surgeons are saying. No one has ever attempted that many modifications on a person. Not all at once. It's still very risky," Max whispered, leaning in close, an anxious and concerned look in her brown eyes.
In response, Minerva let out a long sigh. "I've been wishing I were dead for a long time now, Max," she said softly, looking down. "I thought that you knew that. But don't you see?" she repeated, meeting Max's eyes. "If this works, I have reason to live again."
/
Min called a meeting of all the surgeons in the hospital to put her plan into motion. Actually, she had sent the invite to all but two of them.
"But Dr. Cable," one of the men said from the other end of the conference table. "I know that you worked very hard on your plans. And I know that you 'don't make mistakes.' But you have to realize, from your training as a scientist, that there is risk involved in any surgery, especially one of this scale that has never even been tried before. Do you want Special Circumstances to happen or not? As its creator, I don't really think we can afford to lose you."
Min sighed. They had been over this several times so far in this meeting. "Of course I realize that," she said flatly, annoyance creeping into her voice. "But I give my informed consent." Plus, she needed to be the first. There was no way she was going to let an inferior receive this gift before she did.
"Alright, then," he said. "I suppose there is nothing we can do to stop you, now."
Min was handed a tablet with a document up on it, beginning with "I, Minerva Cable, give my informed consent…"
She electronically established her agreement, and the preparations began.
/
Minerva was a little bit nervous about her not being the one to perform the operation for the first time. But she created very detailed instructions, and hopefully the surgery team would execute them well. She lied about the function of the brain alterations she had made.
The first thing she needed to do, though, was create her new face.
She worked on it from her own bedroom. Min pulled up the morpho software on her wallscreen, something that she hadn't done since her childhood. She pulled her hair back, let it scan her, and soon, she was looking at her current face, staring blankly back at her.
The surgeons had completely destroyed any remnants of herself when they gave her the operation. Min's goal was to somehow salvage her old face. Not replicating it completely, of course. She still needed to be beautiful, and her original face certainly hadn't been. She just wanted to recapture something of its look.
Minerva's wide, innocent doe-eyed look would never do. She made her face narrower and longer on the screen, sharpening her chin and making it more pronounced. Her cheekbones shifted higher under the skin.
Not bad so far.
She made her full, childlike lips thin, her eyes slightly smaller. She completely replaced her nose, creating an elegantly aquiline one instead. Her eyes were still too round. Min made them narrower, and shifted their outer corners up. Perfect.
Nobody would be intimidated by blue eyes. They were much too pretty. Min eliminated all traces of the blue from her eye color, as well as all the silly sparkles. When she was finished, they were a dull, flat gray: the color of metal, or storm clouds.
Finally, she could get rid of her ridiculous hair! She certainly could not abide her current wavy, tousled bombshell look. Min wanted her hair to be completely uninteresting, as people should be focusing on her face instead.
She chose a basic style: long, stick-straight locks parted down the middle, with no kink or wave to them at all. As for the color, she chose a medium-dark chocolate brown color that wouldn't stand out. It was a bit lighter than her natural shade, which had been almost black.
For a finishing touch, which would really add to the terror effect, Minerva decided that her upper teeth would be filed down until they were sharp, almost like fangs.
Min couldn't wait until the day when this would be her real face. Like everything else she did, it was absolutely perfect.
/
Min herself was allowed to approve the ceramic skeleton after it was completed. She picked up one of the bones. It was as light as a piece of paper, it seemed, yet hard as a diamond. They were a strange gray color, but it didn't matter, as nobody would ever see them. In fact, it gave Minerva a creepy feeling inside for some reason, looking at them herself.
When the day came, Min found that she wasn't even the slightest bit apprehensive. She had reviewed the process with her surgeons over and over, and they seemed to understand it all. She undressed in the small hospital room and put on a gown, waiting for the orderlies to come.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Min called. Much to her surprise, it was Max who bounded into the room.
She practically tackled Min in a hug, squeezing all the air out of her lungs. Max held her like that for a long time, then pulled away and kissed her on the cheek. Tears were forming in Max's eyes. Minerva was emotionless as usual.
"I sincerely hope that this isn't goodbye, Min," Max whispered.
"I don't think it will be, Max," she said, trying to comfort her friend. Minerva herself did not fear death, but she'd feel bad if the surgery didn't work out and Max was sad.
"I have to go now," Max said quickly, and hurried out.
Several doctors and orderlies entered the room after her. Min offered her arm, and they injected it with the knockout drugs. As her eyelids drooped, Minerva wondered if this would be the last time she ever closed them.
/
Wow, that's a long chapter. But there's a lot of stuff there. I probably forgot something important. Tell me if you want Part III!