Endocrine Failure

Neurosurgery Laboratory

Cyclops Intelligence, Hatemoor

3 February 2157

10.00 NAM

After an hour of recovery, Rachel was able to carry on as usual, although Lars had restricted her from being very active. It's okay to have limited physical movement, but the most important thing to recover is the ability to think, monitor, and evaluate experimental results. So far, Lars hasn't allowed Rachel to move to another room, let alone an isolation room to test the initial workings of the genes and microchips that have been successfully implanted in her brain stem. Not only did Lars hesitate, but also Rachel herself.

DING!

DING!

The actual two-dimensional representation of how genes and microchips worked in Rachel's brain stem appeared in a twenty-one-inch hologram in front of her and Lars. Rachel needed to make sure that the genes and the microchip were fully activated and that they built up her body's needs for nutrients and oxygen automatically.

DING!

[System notification: 202 ICNG-257 microchip circuit has been successfully connected to the neural synapse]

[System notification: sub-genes 86, 87, and 88 have worked to form the main constituents of fats and simple sugars in the liver and muscles]

[System notification: adaptation needs to be done up to a maximum of one week]

"One week? Why wait any longer? " Rachel objected a little. Why should the automatic experiment time be extended without her prior approval?

Lars nodded, "Yes, it's because your endocrine or hormonal excitatory and nervous systems work slower than average, so I falsely predicted it."

"How could you predict it wrong, Lars?" Rachel frowned sharply. She did not like a failure in any form, although wise people say that failure is a delayed success. But wouldn't that delayed success still take time?

"I don't understand, even though at the initial screening stage, your endocrine system works normally, like the average woman your age. This means that before this experiment was carried out, something happened that affected your hormone system." Lars explained.

"S-something… like what? Which hormone is most disturbed?" Rachel was a little suspicious of one thing. She quickly found the possible causes of his hormonal system being disturbed.

"The hormones associated with pleasure, relaxation, and gonads. That sounds unrelated, but there's a chemical composition that kicks in and affects your metabolism."

Oh, Rachel's guess was not wrong.

"May I suspect, have you been thinking too much about things lately? Or... let's say that... you were interested in something new until you became obsessed with it." Lars continued, intrigued by the causes of minor changes in his patient. The question just now was the most likely diagnosis: that something was exciting Rachel so that her pleasure hormone levels in the blood increased and inhibited the others.

Rachel looked confused and said, "I don't think so. Maybe because of the panic disorder I had the night before the surgery. That's also possible."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes. I did take your medicine, but still, anxiety disorder isn't easy for me. I still haven't figured out the best way to deal with it." Rachel was telling the truth while preventing Lars from asking any further questions.

Lars then nodded, "Okay. Then you should rest and recuperate for another week before you enter the room without oxygen and food."

"Yeah, fine. How long would I be in the isolation room? Can it go as planned for just a week in total?"

"We will try to do as we planned, but it will also depend on the condition of your body later."

"Oh, thanks, Lars. You can go now." Rachel went back into the capsule, lying in it without pulling the lid. He just wanted to sleep longer and just think of the adaptation period as a vacation for her after years of unstoppable work.

Lars then left the room, but only after a few steps. Lars turned back and said, "Have you planned when you're going to come out in public and talk? Those crazy journalists are waiting for you outside the lab. They didn't even come home even though I asked them to."

Rachel opened her eyes again, "Ah, that's right. I forgot. I already have a plan to do a conference regarding what I will do when the surgical procedure and the isolation chamber test are done, as well as to show them what the Cyclops Intelligence lab looks like."

"Really? Then when is the first conference? Do you prepare for such a series of conferences that starts with the opening? "

"Maybe tomorrow. I'll be doing a live broadcast from here. Please tell Halsey in the PR department to get things ready, Lars."

"Okay. But… are you sure?" Lars looked doubtful, "You're not even fully recovered yet. What if your business and political enemies disturb you with their dirty ways? Are you ready for that?"

Rachel nodded confidently, "I'm ready. Why bother doing this experiment if not to beat their rusty ideas?"

"I'm about to start this business war, Lars."

****

Old Landald

District 15, Bridgewald

9 February 2157

09.00 NAM

Niels is enjoying his time off ahead of excavations in the Malarpon forest next week. It's not that they don't want to work, but the flow as experts and consultants is like a freelancer. Niels will only play a role in the critical stages: assessment, planning, and implementation. The man does not deal with the preparation of tools, materials, and personnel ahead of departure, and even at the implementation stage, he will not do much physical work, but only direct and confirm findings. However, there is no need to doubt how much the fee will be. So it's no wonder that Niels is quite enjoying his life so far.

There is no other activity that Niels likes to do during his holidays other than taking care of the plants in his backyard. A variety of vegetation grows in his large greenhouse, ranging from vines whose leaves are as small as grass to woody plants whose fruit can be picked when the harvest season arrives. His work as an archaeologist and environmentalist is indeed based on true passion. Who knows that it departs from his hobby of caring for plants?

Isabela could only sigh at times as she observed Niels' obsession with his precious herbs. Like now, when he brushed, one by one, the leaves of the lychee tree, which somehow got caught in the dust. The dust came mysteriously since they grow in greenhouses that are often covered with roofs and walls.

"You are an unemployed scientist in the guise of a scientist, Niels." Isabela sneered again, her mouth would be itchy if she didn't comment on her brother's movements.

"You'll never know what it's like to truly love something until you take good care of my trees and don't let them get to the dust of that pasta food factory, Isa," Niels quipped back.

"You're blaming me? Doesn't the dust come by itself when the front door and windows of our house are open? They flew from there, not from the roof of the greenhouse that you always close," Isa argued, not accepting the blame.

"Yeah, it's up to you. I'm annoyed." Niels moved to the next leaf, still the same, brushing its surface with an old toothbrush, blowing the dust until it is completely gone.

"Oh? It was today?"

Niels turned his head, wondering what on earth made his sister so enthusiastic? "What's wrong? Your boyfriend again? You better take care of my plants, less dating."

"Tsk! What an ancient man. But you're right, this is from my boyfriend."

"Who else is your boyfriend this time? Tell him to meet me first before you guys leave."

Isabela smiled as she stared at the screen of her cellphone, "My girlfriend will tell you soon after the experiment is successful. I have to watch the broadcast!"

"Ha?" Niels was confused.

"Rachel Richmann is doing a press release today. It looks like the gene and microchip experiment was a success. Aren't you curious?"