CHAPTER 1
April 3, 2015
Board Meeting: Harvard Medical Board Room
"Listen to me! We cannot continue on this path. They are our children. They are the future. They are the ones who ..."
"Stop babbling, Thomas. Look at me your wife. Is this not what all husbands want in their wife?" cried Sonya as she seductively started to disrobe.
"Stop right there. You are no longer flesh. You are no longer the woman I held in my arms, the one I made love to. The Sonya I knew, the Sonya I loved, the Sonya that gave birth to our daughter is dead. You are not Sonya, you are not a human for you can no longer feel and God no longer holds you in the palm of his hand. Your heart Sonya has become, become as cold as the stone it is made of. If you could see past the mirror, allow all your senses to tell you what you are, and then you would understand it is not beauty you possess. Look in the mirror if you dare. Look in the mirror and truly see the hideous monster you have become. Your outer shell cannot hide the emptiness of your heart, that body with no soul, a soul with no footprints. Don't listen to those who give you false praise and feed your ego for those are things that do not matter, and they only feed your ego to get what it is their soulless life desires. Once they get what they want and have sex with a mannequin, they realize that beautiful outer shell is empty inside. Their eyes will eventually see you, see the real you. That false image disappears and the real you appears. Then like me, once I could no longer find what was left of your soul, they are repulsed. I was fooled but I see you for what you are and in the end they will not be fooled. Your ugliness will always be revealed to those who want to see. Those that have the strength to look! Listen to me, all of you, hear what I am saying. She offers you slavery. A slave to your fears of aging, of death, do not be fooled by her false image, for although blood flows through her veins her heart beats not, and she is without a soul, truly the walking dead." Thomas has spoken long but no one was listening. Sonya's beauty had taken away the mind of the men in the room, and the women, well they were lost too. All wanting to be like her. Their false idol. Their image of perfection.
Sonya, unable and not wanting to hear her husband's assertions either, continued to disrobe. She had listened to his babblings far too long. He was not her father. He was her husband; he was to take care of her needs and wants. He never supported her. Never helped her with her journey, she needed to find those that would. Her mom was right all along.
Since she was a young girl her mother told her that it was her looks that would bring her happiness, for without looks you have nothing. Sonya has spent her life in front of the mirror creating an image for others to admire but each time she looked, she saw flaws and was never satisfied, never beautiful enough for her or her mother. Each man she had did not satisfy her but made her feel empty as it never made her feel beautiful, always left her feeling exposed. Now here she was the most beautiful woman God or should we say man ever created and she was going to savor every moment as every man and woman around this table would admire her. She always could sense the hunger others had for her as she even hungered for herself. She enjoyed looking at herself, touching herself and using others to satisfy her desires as she watched voyeuristically in the mirrors that surrounded her bed brought her the only pleasure she knew. It only lasted a short time and then she needed more.
As she walked she exposed what appeared to be the most delicate, velvety smooth skin anyone in the boardroom had ever lay witness to. This woman who was soon to be fifty-five, had regained the youthfulness of her body—better. Her breasts were two perfectly formed orbs, firm. Nipples centered and pointing straight ahead. Her breasts only had the slightest bounce as she walked toward each board member inviting them to touch the firmness of her body. As she walked, her sparkling blue eyes were fixated on the full-length mirror in the corner of the boardroom, admiring her newly created body. Looking at herself always made her feel powerful. Her beauty gave her power.
All board members felt the firmness of her muscles, the softness of her flesh, yet something was not right. It was not warm to the touch, nor was it cool. This was not skin they were touching. Yet it looked like skin. What was this protective covering that encased her body?
"You all can have a body like this. Each one of you, like me, can recapture your youth. I am offering everyone here immortality. Let the brilliant Dr. Fairholm demonstrate to you what he has created. What I have become?" Sonya sat down but remained undressed to symbolize her power, her everlasting beauty—her immortality. Sonya's eyes remained fixated on the mirror, seemingly unaware of all others in the room, a slave to her vanity.
"Listen to me! All of you please listen to me! Do not be fooled by the illusion you see. Beauty is not seen through the eyes but through the heart. Sonya is no longer Sonya. She is not human. Humans have compassion, have heart, can love, grow old, put the needs of their children over their own needs. She is not woman, or man. Touch my flesh—this is what it is to be human. I am human. I am what man is to become. I am old, gray, and wrinkled, accepting of my place in the circle of life. Look at this scar on my cheek, my crow's feet, touch my flesh, and see the tears that are in my eyes. This is what makes us human. This is who we are! Each of us different, each of us God's creation, each of us unique, each of us in control of our immortality. There was a time when I would hold Sonya's breasts in my hands. Her breasts were soft, real, sagged. They were alive. She was alive. All those things she has forsaken made her real to me—made her human. Do not let Dr. Fairholm tell you he can bring about immortality. Immortality is here." Thomas picked up the Bible; he had begun to carry around with him ever since Sonya had got involved with Dr. Fairholm. She did not want to die. Neither did Thomas, but death was the price of life. He went to the scriptures of past generations to find his immortality, but Sonya went to Dr. Fairholm.
"Put down your Bible Thomas. It is a fool's game. Listen to Dr. Fairholm! Behold!" Sonya once again stood exposing all her magnificence. As she rose, her breasts remained motionless, they moved up as she moved up. They too stared directly into the mirror enslaved by their power.
"Sonya is partially correct. Yes, I can give you back your youth." Dr. Fairholm reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small tube filled with a crimson fluid. It was the color of blood, yet it was not blood. This fluid also contained microscopic active tissue. Dr. Fairholm had been researching the extension of life for years. He began his search as part of the Genome Project. The Genome Project that began in 1990 started the process of mapping the approximately one hundred thousand genes on the twenty-three human chromosomes. Eventually he sequenced the 3 billion DNA base pairs that make up these genes. The goal of the project was to understand the basis of genetic diseases and to gain an insight into what destroys our genes and eventually understand how to protect them. Dr. Fairholm was more interested in the alteration of genes. Through his early participation in the project he clearly understood the vulnerability of our genetic make-up. We as humans could be attacked by disease, bacteria and of course viruses. His goal became one of not mapping these cells but if they were under attack how could he alter them—rejuvenate the cells. Take old cells and make them young again. In the early twenty-first century Korean researchers began to look at somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Dr. Fairholm took the findings from the Korean researchers on somatic cell nuclear transfer, which was a laboratory technique for creating an ovum with a donor nucleus. It can be used in embryonic stem cell research, or in regenerative medicine where it is sometimes referred to as "therapeutic cloning." It can also be used as the first step in the process of reproductive cloning. In SCNT the nucleus, which contains the organism's DNA, of a somatic cell is removed and the rest of the cell discarded. At the same time, the nucleus of an egg cell is removed. The nucleus of the somatic cell is then inserted into the enucleated egg cell. After being inserted into the egg, the somatic cell nucleus is reprogrammed by the host cell.
Dr. Fairholm could not hold to the strict research and technological guidelines he was placed under as part of the Genome Project. After all, if you are to discover something that could alter mankind's existence it was not going to be by following the rules that stifle genius, his genius. It had been clear to Dr. Fairholm the key to immortality was going to be the ability to regenerate deteriorating cells. The creation of life came through the reproductive system. New cells could be harvested from embryos. Embryology was the key to the threads of life. When he told the Project of his hypothesis they were excited, but ethically how can someone destroy a living embryo to investigate the theory behind embryogeny. He then approached the Korean researchers with his thoughts on how combining their SCNT research to the Genome Project's research on DNA make-up, and his research into the development of the fetus. They like other researchers he had spoken to were appalled at the thought of human trials no matter what the benefit. Sure, they could do embryectomies on embryos that had miscarried or were aborted, but on a living embryo, a living tissue—not possible and certainly not ethical. Somebody else's so-called ethics were not going to stop him from pursuing the greatest discovery of mankind. This research eventually took him to what happens before creation, what exists in our cells prior to conception that can create life that can regenerate, create cells. Many living embryo's, many lives were lost before Dr. Fairholm came to that discovery however.
"This vile holds the key to Sonya's youth. Inside this vile are the eggs Sonya has created through menstruation. Once these eggs are fertilized, we will inject this vile of living tissue into her body, which will cause a regeneration of her living organs. The result being Sonya will maintain her current look forever."
"Why are you all so afraid of death? Why are you so afraid of aging? It is what we are. It is who we are?" Victor Vargas, chairman of the board, interrupted.
"It is not that I am afraid of death Victor. I am afraid of what lies ahead. My fear is the fear of the unknown. I believe that at the very least the extension of our lives ..."
"Extension," Sonya interrupted. "Don't be modest my love. You offer much more than extension of life."
"Sonya let me continue please. I have created an opportunity for me to continue in my scientific pursuits. I am so close to understanding all that there is to know about humans that to die without knowing would be, would be worse than death itself. I have never cared about my looks, never cared about anything other than science. Through Sonya, I have given myself the chance to know it all. I need to know all there is to know about the creation of life and why we must die." Dr. Fairholm responded quietly as he carefully held the vile in his hand. "To live forever ... think of what I, think of what we can learn. Think of where we will be in a hundred years, a thousand years. Look at our world how it has changed in the last decade. My god what lies ahead? We can be the ones to determine the future, to control the future. It is our destiny."
"Tell them the price, Dr. Fairholm!" yelled Thomas. "Tell them the price."
"Quiet, Thomas," spoke Victor Vargas. "Let him speak."
"Thank you, I knew early that if I was to extend life I needed to find a way for the genes to rejuvenate themselves. Genes had to become new again. How could I take our aging cells and make them believe or make them like the cells at conception when they created life rather than destroyed life. So while the others worked on ways to solve the diseases that attacked our genes I searched on how to recreate our genes." Holding up the vile for all to see, Dr. Fairholm continued "These eggs once fertilized are injected into her cerebellum. Simply put, the newly created cells trick the brain into believing they need to recreate, or regenerate current cells, and the process begins. It takes seven injections over a two-week period. The body then regenerates itself. After that regular shots are required to maintain the process. Once I was able to regenerate the cells, I had to create an encasing for these organs that could sustain life for extended periods of time. Our skin ages, loses its toughness as time goes on. I have, for lack of a better term rubberized Sonya's skin. Don't get me wrong it is still Sonya's skin. I was not going to create an artificial body for that would not make us human. The skin has for lack of better explanation has a thin layer of a varathane like protection. This process protects her against the increasing ultraviolet rays from the sun as well as protects the organs as they go through a continuous regeneration process. In time, just like painting your house a new coating will be required."
"You mean to say, that as we stand here Sonya's organs are regenerating," Dr. Whelm asked.
"Very good, her organs will never age, never get disease and therefore never malfunction. With what I know now, we have as Sonya alluded to discovered immortality."
"She is not real. She's no longer human. The day of the android is here!" screamed Thomas. "Tell them at what price? Tell them what you have done to Sonya," Thomas accented his point by pounding his fist onto the solid oak boardroom table.
"Shut-up Thomas, look at me!" Sonya shrieked as she once again stood-up to display her magnificent body. "I like many of you tried to recapture my youth through plastic surgery, anti-aging creams, Botox, laser hair removal, breast implants, you name it and I put my body through it. I was obsessed and my plastic surgeon Lena did her best to keep me young."
Lena was the one woman Sonya admired. Lena was more than a plastic surgeon to her, she was her symbol of beauty. Lena's beauty though came without plastic surgery. Lena had some laser surgery to remove some unwanted hair but the rest of her was all natural. If Lena had a fault in Sonya's eyes it was her breasts. They were too small, too small to be powerful. To Sonya large breasts meant power, power over men and power over women. Sonya wanted power. Lena was able to give her that power. As Sonya's visits became more frequent Lena became concerned as the number of surgeries she wanted increased and it was obvious that all the treatments in essence were creating a second Lena. At first she was flattered by this and then during a treatment she saw herself lying on the table. Her hands began to tremble. Despite their frequent contacts, Lena had never developed an emotional bond with Sonya. Sonya was far too vain for her liking. Lena did her treatments for convenience rather than to change who she was. Now looking down on the table she saw herself creating this vain, self-absorbed, monster. She told Sonya she could no longer be her plastic surgeon. Sonya was furious. She enjoyed these sessions that brought her both pleasure and pain and there were times while Lena performed laser hair removal treatments that Sonya became sexually excited. There were times when the pain was so intense, times as she felt Lena's hand touch her, and she brought herself to orgasms of such intensity she shuddered with each sharp pain of the laser. When she no longer could see Lena a great depression took over her. It was if she lost both a doctor and in some perverse way, a lover. Dr. Fairholm became Lena. Dr. Fairholm was able to do something Lena never could. Dr. Fairholm was able to create everlasting beauty. He also was able to make her more beautiful than Lena ever could. Lena's surgeries had left some tiny scars, but Dr. Fairholm and his newly created skin made those tiny imperfections disappear. Years later when Lena approached Sonya about immortality it was easy for her to turn her back on her. Not only because she had abandoned her but there would be no one who could be as beautiful as Sonya. No one competing for any man's attention, it had been easy to kill her. It had been pleasurable her time with Lena and like all her lovers. She was disposable, she served her purpose and now that purpose was gone, Lena was no longer needed. Lena no longer met any of Sonya's needs.
