Chapter Nine
Liam Blaine
Here, it seemed I had stepped into an alternate universe that was years ahead of the universe I belonged to.
This was an exclusive place built for specific people who could afford to have their DNA modified and transformed.
The clinic was sleek and modern, with clean lines and a minimalist aesthetic. The walls were made of glass, allowing natural light to pour in, and the floors were polished marble.
A team of highly trained scientists and technicians worked behind the scenes, and I could see all kinds of technology being manipulated, even though I had no idea what they were doing.
Dr. Manho turned to me with a warm smile, walking ahead into a room with a beautiful view of the city skyline.
He gestured for me to sit down and handed me a glass of iced juice, which I politely accepted then placed on the countertop beside me.
"Mr. Blaine, I must assure you once again that you have made the best decision given your circumstances. This procedure can literally add half a century to your life." He paused to take a sip from his own glass.
"Understandably, you will be nervous and even have doubts, but after seeing our success rates, I'm sure you believe if anyone in this country can do this, it is this clinic."
While he was talking, I was staring at the skyline. There was something odd about the scene before me. Even though the elevator didn't count the floors, I could have sworn we went down, so why did I see a skyline if we were underground?
I stared more closely and I saw it. It was a cleverly engineered picture that was so realistic it seemed natural to anyone except the closest scrutiny.
I didn't know whether to admire this clinic's cleverness or be concerned about it.
Dr. Manho cleared his throat, and I turned to him.
"Mr. Blaine," he tried to make his smile natural, but I could tell it was forced.
"Let me walk you through your procedure so we can begin immediately.
As we discussed in our last meeting, we are going to use a tool called a gene-editing toola that can be used to delete, add, or modify specific genes.This will allow us to replace your body's worn, dead cells with new, healthier ones. This will automatically increase your strength, intelligence, and longevity as you develop muscle mass and tone, while increased intelligence could result in improved memory, focus, and problem-solving abilities.Increased longevity could mean you can live an extended life without succumbing to age-related illnesses.Our ongoing support to you after the procedure is to ensure you adhere to lifestyle advice and dietary recommendations and ensure that the DNA alteration has not caused any adverse effects."
I had heard enough. I was here, wasn't I? I owed it to Emilia, and I owed it to myself to do what it took to live a healthy life.
I stood up.
"Which way is it?"
Dr. Manho almost pushed down his glass in his haste to get to his feet.
"This way, Mr. Blaine."
Beyond the room, we just walked out of was a maze of sterile laboratories filled with advanced machines and equipment.
Dr. Manho led me to a room that had nothing in it except a bed and a side table with a filled glass on it.
He handed me a gown and said, "Change into that. Drink what's in the glass. And wait for the doctors."
I turned my back to him and began to change. I heard the 'whoosh' sound the door made as it slid shut.
When I was done, I took the glass and sat on the edge of the bed. I sighed, thinking about so many things.
What if something went horribly wrong?
Should I not have lived my last few months with Emilia?
But would it have been fair on her to date her when I was so sick?
Mindlessly, I drained the glass and only noticed what I was doing when the strong flavor hit my stomach like acid.
I didn't know if I would survive this, and nobody knew where I was.
The only thing I did was leave a letter with my will, stating where I'd been and what I'd done.
If something goes wrong, I hope they find my body early enough to give me a proper burial.
And as these thoughts ran through my mind, everything began to fade and then it all went blank.