"Promotion"
In the main cafeteria the following morning, Michele loaded his plate with breakfast items and sought out a table in the crowds. He saw an arm waving to catch his attention and headed over to the table.
"Thanks," Michele said to Priscilla as he took a seat across from her and Ferro.
"How was the drive?" Priscilla asked.
"Not bad. Claes went to sleep and didn't wake up till we were almost here," Michele said.
"How is she working out?" Ferro asked.
"I admit I wish she was older," Michele noted.
"Why is that?" Ferro asked.
"Because she looks 12, she can really only be my daughter. With Kara, she can be my assistant or a fellow agent—"
"Or a girlfriend," Priscilla chimed in with a smile.
"Anyway," Michele emphasized, "if she was, say, a decade older then things would probably work much better, but then if wishes were horses, eh?"
"Colonel Pagani? A moment, if I may?" Doctor Gilliani asked as Michele exited the cafeteria.
"Yes, Doctor?"
"Forgive me, but I overheard you mentioning to Signora Milani that you wished Claes could be older. I believe we might be able to accommodate your request."
"In what way?" Michele asked.
"The goal with the new generation of girls, like your Kara, is to develop the prosthetics to the point they can be used on adults. I think it is perfectly possible to remake Claes to appear around 20."
"Remake? Exactly how much work are we talking about?" Michele asked.
"I would think a height somewhere between 165-170cm would be appropriate, so that would involve legs 10-15cm longer than she has now along with adjusting her arm length. We would also need to expand her chest, waist and hip sizes, as well. Duvalier would remodel her face and skull to reflect her being a decade older," Gilliani explained.
"That sounds like a great deal of work," Michele said, a bit concerned.
"The leg and arm work is pretty straightforward," Gilliani replied. "We can do the swap over a couple of days. The torso and pelvic work will be more involved. We can only make minor adjustments to her skeletal and musculature structure so it will be more a case of 'filling her out'. She'll probably end up being a bit weaker than she was, however she will still be stronger than Kara.
"As for the head and face, again we'll mostly just be sculpting what is already there to make her look older and more developmentally mature. Honestly, how I am explaining it makes it sound far more involved than it really is. Limb replacements are standard procedures for the girls and Duvalier performed significant reconstruction work on Petrushka's head and face to alter her appearance. It's really a straightforward procedure."
"I'll consider it, Doctor. Thank you," Michele said, excusing himself.
That evening after the girl's physical training session, Claes' sneakers crunched on the crushed gravel of the walkway as she approached the tree in the center of the administration building grounds. She saw Michele sitting on one of the benches and she sat down beside him, wiping her brow with her towel.
"You wished to see me?" she asked. When she'd returned from breakfast with Triela she'd found his note slipped underneath the door.
"I'm not sure how to broach this subject, so I guess I'll just be direct. You're physical age limits how I can use you. Your sisters are primarily shock troops because your age and small stature make your opponents either ignore you or dismiss you. Combined with your augmented speed and reflexes, it also makes you harder to engage.
"Kara doesn't follow that model. Her specialty is infiltration, espionage, and intelligence gathering. Yes, she's undertaken sanction missions before, but almost always as part of a larger group that included the first generation girls. Being older, Kara can use different covers both when she works with me and when she works independently."
"And you don't have that flexibility with me," Claes noted. "Because of how I look."
"Correct," Michele said. "However, Doctor Gilliani took me aside last night and said that the medical staff believe they can make you look more like 22 as opposed to your current 12."
Claes blinked her eyes. "How?"
"They'd replace your legs and arms with new, longer models. They'd also reshape your face, head and torso to reflect your new age. It sounds like a good bit of work, but they say they can do it over only a few days because most of the hard work – the organ replacement and initial conversion – is already in place in your current body. Assuming you are even interested."
"I think I'd like to know more," Claes said.
"I'll schedule a time later this week," Michele said, pushing himself off the bench.
Claes, Michele and Doctor Bianchi sat before a large LCD screen that displayed a number of computer program windows. Doctor Bianchi typed some commands on a keyboard and an animation of a human figure of around 20 appeared.
Claes took a hard look at the "three measurements" and was pleased with what she saw. "How tall will I be?"
"We're aiming for 168cm," Bianchi noted. "You'll be tall for a Swedish woman of 20, but not inordinately so."
"That will make me the tallest cyborg, won't it?"
"Yes," Bianchi noted. "Triela is 162 and Kara is 165."
Claes smiled a secret smile at the thought of the two of them having to look up at her for a change.
"How old could you make me look?" Claes asked.
Bianchi rubbed his chin. "Probably late 20's would be the upper limit since we are restrained somewhat by how much we can adjust your torso and skull structure." He typed in some commands and the LCD display morphed to show a 28-year old Claes.
Claes looked to Michele with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
"I know you won't marry Kara because she's two decades your junior, but if I was 28 I'd only be ten years younger, so would that be okay?" she noted with a smile.
Michele replied by putting his palm to his face.
"Are you really ready to have Kara call you 'mom'?" he asked.
Claes' face scrunched. "I hadn't thought about that. Is the conversion reversible?"
"In theory, yes," Bianchi replied. "We can refit your arms and legs, of course, however the changes to your head and torso cannot easily be reversed, though we could probably reverse much of it. You might end up looking more like your actual 15 at the end."
Claes looked long and hard at the screen.
"Do you want to think about it?" Michele asked.
"No. I want to do this," she said.
"Very well," Michele acquiesced. "What kind of timeframe are we looking at?" he asked Bianchi.
"We can start immediately. We'll keep her overnight to run some tests and calibrate her systems for the surgeries."
Claes slowly awoke, taking in her surroundings. The hospital-quality sheets felt abrasive against her skin and she moved her arm to whip the top sheet off of her. As she did so, she stopped, staring at the longer limb. She slowly peeled back the sheet and looked down on her new body. She rose and swung her legs off the bed, noting how they now almost touched the floor. She tentatively swung her legs, but she couldn't really feel any difference, though she knew they weighed more than her original limbs. She did the same with her arms, but they too felt mostly "right". She assumed her conditioning regimen had been modified to help her adjust to her latest cyborg body just as they had done so for her original cyborg body. She reached over and looked at her watch and learned three days had passed.
She pushed herself off the bed and almost stumbled when she took her first step. She balanced herself and slowly walked over to a full-length mirror. She realized there was a slight disconnect in how her body wanted to move and her perceptions of how she used to move. As she examined her new body in minute detail, there was a knock on the door and she called out for the person to enter.
Michele did so, then stopped when he saw Claes standing naked before the mirror. He started to back out with a mumbled apology, but she turned to him.
"What do you think?" she asked, matter-of-factly.
Michele quickly entered, two large shopping bags in one hand, and closed the door behind him before anyone in the hallway could walk by and see in. He took a moment to set the bag down and then, because he knew she expected nothing more or nothing less from him, appraised her critically.
"They did a nice job," he said. "You look 20."
"I'm making you uncomfortable, aren't I," Claes said as she returned to examining herself.
"Not the first time I've seen a naked woman," Michele noted. "Anyway, I brought you a set of new clothes." He placed the bag on the bed and removed a set of undergarments and socks, which he handed to Claes to put on. He then laid out three outfits.
"Kara and I need to head to Milan today, however when we get back we can visit the Via dei Condotti and let you pick out something more to your liking."
Claes nodded as she looked over the three options, in the end choosing the one consisting of a grey long-sleeved knit top with thin white bands at the shoulder and elbow matched with a brown and white checkered skirt. Michele removed a pair of black leather boots from a box and Claes pulled them on.
"Everything is a perfect fit," she noted as she took a quick walk around the room.
"Fortunately the doctors were able to provide me with exact measurements," Michele noted.
Claes walked up to him and presented herself for inspection.
"Acceptable," Michele noted, but Claes could see he was pleased. He handed her a finely-crafted wooden case. She opened it and saw her glasses. She carefully removed them and put them on before examining herself in the mirror.
Michele held the door for her and Claes walked out into the hallway. They started towards the exit and were passed by a young male orderly. Moments later, both of them heard the orderly release a soft whistle of admiration. Out of the corner of his eye, Michele saw the merest hint of red on Claes' cheeks.
When it was created, the Social Welfare Agency's offices were located in Rome on the Via del Corso, near the Palazzo Chigi, the former palace that now served as the offices of the Italian Council of Ministers. Those offices exist to this day and they remain the formal headquarters for the organization. The initial medical research was performed at local research hospitals in private facilities built for the purpose.
When the cybernetic assassin program was green-lighted, the government purchased a former nobleman's villa and furbished it for Section 2, including offices, housing, training areas and a medical facility.
In 2005, a new complex nestled under the mountains north of Rome came online. Built on the site of a former monastery, it housed a state-of-the-art medical research and hospital facility as well as an administrative buildings and lodging for families of those receiving medical treatment to stay. In addition to these public areas, a number of buildings were refurbished to serve as offices for Public Safety and Special Operations. These were located away from the hospital with security cameras to allow guards to intercept anyone straying and politely yet firmly escort them back to the hospital grounds.
Claes shielded her eyes for a moment as she stepped out into the sun, then started down the steps. As she walked, she noticed most of the men were looking at her, some trying to be discreet and others just outright staring in admiration of what they were seeing. She reached out with her left hand and took Michele's right one in it. Michele, having seen the same looks, just gave her hand a quick squeeze in acknowledgement.
The Gallardo was parked directly in front and Claes unclasped Michele's hand so he could reach into his pocket and recover the keyfob. She carefully lowered herself into the passenger seat and strapped in.
Michele dropped her off out front of her dorm and she headed upstairs with the other outfits. When she reached the door to her room, she noticed that she needed to reach down farther than before to open the knob.
Triela, sitting at the table reading a study text, looked up as the door opened.
"Can I help you, ma'am?" she said
"Triela, it's me."
Triela blinked furiously a few times, then set her book down and rubbed her eyes for good measure.
"Claes! This is amazing!" she said, jumping up out of the chair and coming up to her. "Now that I look, I can see the resemblance to your old face. You really do look like you're ten years older." She suddenly scowled and stepped back, looking at Claes from head to toe.
"What?" Claes asked.
"How tall are you now?" Triela asked.
"168cm. About 15cm more than I was."
"Will you fit in your bunk bed?" Triela asked. Claes' face took on a slightly panicked look and she climbed the ladder into her bunk. She stretched out and found that while it seemed a good bit more cramped, she could still fit on the twin-size mattress.
"I just hope with your extra weight you don't fall through the top," Triela teased, earning her a pillow in the face for her efforts.
"So I guess I need to start calling you 'big sister' now?" Triela asked with a grin. This earned her another pillow.
