You gape as the Minister's assistant leads you through the university, under vaulted ceilings and through vast libraries and past strange exhibits you can't make heads or tails of.
"You're lucky she's in her office," the man leading you says. "Usually she's got her nose buried in the secure labs, and the university doesn't let visitors down there."
He stops before a door and knocks. "Minister, your appointment is here."
"Come," a curt voice responds from inside, and the assistant gestures you in.
Her office is small, simple, and very messy. Her dark business suit blends with her wood surroundings, but her pale skin and bright orange hair stands out sharply from the natural color scheme surrounding her. She stands and extends a hand, her smile broad, if slightly lopsided.
"Minister." You shake her hand, trying to contain your excitement. Her fingers are long and skinny but very strong and very cold. "It's an honor to meet you."
She barks a laugh. "Please. It's only Minister in professional circles. You can call me Doctor O'Deorain." She gestures to the chair opposite hers. "Sit, sit."
You shift uncomfortably as you settle in the chair opposite her, wondering how many people she actually meets like this. "All due respect, Doctor, but aren't you a bit busy for, " you gesture at your surroundings, "this?"
"Exceedingly. But I make exceptions for certain people, especially those with curious minds." She stands and picks up her coffee mug from one of the shelves, then takes the seat across from you. You make out the writing between her fingers: Stand back; I'm going to try science! A smile darts across your face. She turns the script towards her, studies it momentarily, then puts it back on the desk, grinning.
"I see you're fond of science jokes as well. So tell me a little bit about your interests."
You shrug. "Well, I was in the field of biology, specifically human biology. My best course was microbiology, though."
"A fascinating topic, certainly, and definitely worth studying. Perhaps you were looking to take some genetics courses later in your education?" She sips at her coffee, still eyeing you.
"You kidding? I used to love doing Punnet squares in high school. I thought CRIPSR was the coolest thing since the freaking microwave. It's done a lot of good in the world. And I love your papers. They're really insightful as to how understanding us on a molecular level can change and help us as a whole."
She raises an eyebrow. "Do you now? There are a lot of people that would consider my work taboo."
"But, I mean, there are a lot of interesting research topics in them, and just because a lot of people don't agree with how you did things doesn't mean it isn't something we should explore."
"You seem quite open-minded about this. It doesn't bother you?"
"Maybe a little bit." You let out a short, nervous laugh. "I don't know if I would use humans if I was the one running tests."
"It's efficient, and there's only so much you can do with rabbits." She frowns slightly. "Don't you agree?"
"I…guess, as long as the person consents and is given proper knowledge," you admit.
"Then consider this: I am attempting a trial with the great potential to help thousands of people, including several individuals in the trial you just completed. I would like you to participate."
"Uh…" You don't know what to say.
"It's relatively simple. I'm developing a new kind of biotic system to map the nervous system real-time. A few injections, an hour in my office, some scans… you would be fiscally compensated, of course."
"Okay, I guess." If it's really as simple as O'Deorain says, well, this should be the easiest money you've ever made. And far and away, your greatest contribution to the sciences yet if Doctor O'Deorain is directly involved.
She stands up and fans out a stack of papers, beginning to paw through the mess for something.
"This is for you to read." She hands you a memory stick. "I will make the assumption, if you turn up for the trial, that you have read and understood this information and that you are giving your informed consent to participate."
You take the USB stick, not exactly sure if this is how giving consent to an experiment in Oasis is supposed to work. "Thanks? I guess I'll see you…"
"Tomorrow, same place, same time. Provided you decide to participate." She extends her hand again, and you shake on it.
It starts with a single test.
True to her word, it is as simple and quick as she promised, no pain at all, and the payment for sitting through such a short trial is almost a sixth of what the previous month-long trial paid you. Easy money, almost monthly rent payment. You ask a lot of questions during the trial, but Doctor O'Deorain answers a large portion of them openly. As the test (success, she claims) winds down, she offers you another trial to participate in, more money for your troubles. This time you don't hesitate.
This new test lasts longer, about a day, and again you are well-compensated for it. The money's so easy, and Doctor O'Deorain sounds so pleased with you. She suggests a hotel nearby while she waits for the test results, and you take her suggestion. You let your friends and family know what's going . Most of your buddies are in awe that you're getting to work with the Minister of Genetics, but your mom and dad have concerns, warning you about the things they've seen in the news about her.
Neither of them can answer you when you ask if they've read her research, and you hang up annoyed and dissatisfied with the conversation.
You lose a contact in the sink that night, and when you show up to the Minister's office the next day, wearing your spare glasses, she immediately notices.
I can do something about that, she says with a impish smile.
She agrees not to charge you, provided she can add a little twist to your genes. For beneficial reasons, she assures you.
You sign on the dotted line with a shaky pen.
She takes you down to her personal lab this time, throwing off her suit jacket in favor of a long white doctor's coat. You notice the scarring on her right arm, but decide not to ask. It's best not to antagonize her, right? Her touch is gentle but clinical, lingering only as long as necessary, and she runs the examination with such a straight face you think someone chiseled her features out of stone. Despite this dead-serious expression, she handles you carefully, telling you what to expect from your new eyes. You won't be able to do much for a few days while your eyes heal, but you'll see better in extreme light and dark and be able to see far more clearly than your average human. You're honestly just glad to be rid of your myopia, you tell her, your voice trembling a little with nerves. She tells you not to worry so much as she gives you a sedative. She's very good at what she does.
At least she take her job seriously.
When you wake up, your vision is so foggy you can just make out colors and your eyes hurt like you've been stabbed with ice picks. One of her assistants (she has a few) takes you back to your hotel and looks after you, and when you return to O'Deorain for a follow-up a few days later after the bleeding stops, you notice your eyesight is definitely healing. For the better, too; you can practically count individual leaves on the bushes across the street without your glasses. Just to be certain, she checks your vison and tells you that your scores are far above baseline for distance and light sensitivity. As I expected, she says with more than a little smugness.
You take back whatever concerns you had about her. She's incredible.
She mentions she has another trial open, a week this time. You'll have to travel for it, and it will require some preparation. It's all being funded through a group that wants to push the limits of human evolution, and you'll be paid better than ever. If you're still interested, that is.
Of course you are. You're just as curious about what she can do with genetics as she is.
You ask her about these people, this group. Where they get their funding, how great their influence is, what they plan to do with all this data.
Is it possible for me to join?
She smirks.
We'll see.
Been a while since I've updated things. My apologies. I usually have my beta check over things before I publish. She's very helpful at catching mistakes, but it takes time.
Anyway, hope it was worth it. Ch 3 is en route.
Thanks for reading! :)