<
LOCATION: VOSS TOWER, 20TH FLOOR
CITY: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
DATE: AUGUST 10, 2026 | TIME: 7:30 AM
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System Broadcast
Vitalyx Recipients: 5,529,071,647
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@WHO: After an extensive battery of tests, World Health Organization recommends #Vitalyx to everyone, regardless of age, health condition, or racial background. Please find it at a pharmacy, hospital, or clinic near you.
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On Monday, August 10, Mallory convened a remote meeting of the Core Council. She also invited Colin and Valerie, as they often did. The members logged in from all over the country, and they had a full quorum.
"Good morning, everyone," Mallory began. "You all saw the Vitalyx numbers this morning. We're making tremendous progress."
Elise couldn't hold back her smile.
"I'm so proud," she said. "Five and a half billion people in perfect health is such a great boon for the planet."
Valerie jumped in. "And between the Vital Transition Act and similar legislation my Reapers have been pushing all over the world, the economic impact from the collapse of the healthcare industry has been… well, at least lessened."
"I'll never get over the irony," Grim said, "that the very people who should have been rooting for this all along are among the loudest voices against it. Selfish fucking assholes, the lot of them. Putting their own brokerage accounts above the health of humanity."
Colin and Ronan grumbled agreement with that sentiment.
"If they knew what was coming," Mallory said, "they'd be even more upset. But that's not today's problem. Today, we're here to talk about next steps. Elise?"
"Sure," Elise said, "so Rejuvenex is in place right behind Vitalyx. We've been mixing in the shipments to keep it under the radar. As of now, there are no port authorities or customs inspectors who are barring entry of the product. Samir's teams did a great job there."
Elise looked down at her notes again, and shared her screen.
"So the big announcement of the day is that I think we're ready to announce Rejuvenex. With 5.5 billion of the population, we're only a few days away from reaching the 75% threshold we set for ourselves. And telling everyone that you can't have the extended lifespan without having taken Vitalyx first will surely push adoption much closer to 100%."
"With the software we installed in the tablets," Colin said, "just their voice print is enough to identify them. Ronan and I will update the System broadcast this afternoon to include Rejuvenex adoption."
They discussed the details for a bit longer, but most of it was in place already. The distribution channels were already set, and getting everyone's attention with a second serum after the success of the first would be easy enough.
"I guess the last topic," Mallory said, "is the timing. Since everything's in place already, I could announce a week from today. That'll give me time to send out the press release today. Same drill as last time?"
"Works for me," Elise said. "I'll be sure to have more doctors on hand this time. Those questions just kept coming."
"And I'll be sure the Peacekeepers are ready," Grim said. "I have a feeling this one won't go as smoothly as the last one did."
Ronan laughed.
"You call that smooth? Chengdu? Caracas? The Vatican? There were reports of all kinds of shit going down."
"Yeah," Grim said. "That was all within the window of expectation. We always plan for every contingency. This one just feels like a shitshow wrapped in a shitstorm during hurricane season. We'll be as ready as we can be."
"You've got our support too," Valerie said. "All my Reapers plus our friends from Allovia. And all of us are very persuasive. Don't be afraid to call on us any time."
"The last update I have for today," Mallory said, "is the global nanite concentration. The latest numbers are incredible. We have reached 100% of the required saturation rates in every location we've measured. That includes the high population centers, too. Earth is ready. And the Aetherdrones are still going strong."
With that, she closed the meeting and got to work on her press release.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 10, 2026
VOSS FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES SECOND MAJOR SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGH
Follow-up Discovery Builds Upon Revolutionary Vitalyx Success
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The Voss Foundation announced today that it will host a global press conference on August 17, 2026, at Voss Tower in San Francisco to unveil what Foundation Director Mallory McInnis describes as "the natural progression of Elliot Voss's vision for humanity's future."
The announcement, titled "The Next Chapter: Beyond Healing," will reveal additional research that has been conducted alongside the development of Vitalyx, which has now been administered to over 5.5 billion people worldwide.
"Elliot Voss understood that healing the body was only the first step," said McInnis. "His research extended far beyond the elimination of disease. On August 17th, we will share the next phase of his life's work, one that addresses fundamental limitations that have constrained human potential throughout history."
The Foundation emphasizes that this second breakthrough is designed to work in conjunction with Vitalyx and will only be available to those who have previously received the healing serum.
As with the previous announcement, invitations have been extended to all major news organizations worldwide, medical institutions, and international health organizations. The press conference will be broadcast live globally.
Media or medical credentials will be required for in-person attendance. Space is limited, and organizations are encouraged to apply early.
WHEN: August 17, 2026, 10:00 AM PST
WHERE: Voss Tower, San Francisco, California
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Mallory read it over a few more times, and smiled.
"It hits all the right notes without giving too much away," she muttered.
She sent the final version to her assistant and walked out through the glass doors.
"Just sent you the press release for the next one," Mallory said. "Please ensure it gets out broadly. Just like last time."
Her assistant nodded and began preparing to send it out.
The assistant called for another latte. It was going to be a long day.
<
LOCATION: OVAL OFFICE, WHITE HOUSE
CITY: WASHINGTON, DC
DATE: AUGUST 10, 2026 | TIME: 11:30 AM
Jonathan Keaton handed a single sheet of paper to President Trent.
The President read Mallory's press release.
"What else could they possibly have been doing right under our noses?" he asked. "Make sure we have someone there in person this time, okay? Someone with a medical background, who can ask the right questions."
"Yes, sir," Keaton said. He left the room to get to work on it.
Trent leaned back in his chair. This has been an eventful year. And it's only August.
Barrett Langston was in one of the chairs in front of the Resolute Desk. He'd known Mallory's announcement was coming, of course, and wanted to be in the Oval when the press release hit.
"What is it, sir?" Barrett asked.
"Ah, it's Elliot Voss again," Trent said. "I'm sure you'll see it all over the news by now, but they're making another announcement a week from today. And seeing what the first one was, I can't even imagine what the second will be."
"One thing's for certain, Mr. President," Langston said. "It seems that all the good news has been far better for your polling numbers than any war could have been. If I were you, I'd just keep riding this wave. The American people love you right now."
Trent scoffed.
"How fucking ironic. I've had pretty much nothing to do with any of the reason they're feeling so good. Unless you include our response to the Ford. Ah, anyway, I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I'm just glad that things are trending up. And I mean the people, not my polls. Their happiness is more important than anything."
"Careful, sir," Barrett said. "You keep talking like that, and I'm going to start believing you mean it!"
They laughed and got back to the policy discussion.
But Senator Langston's head was miles away. He'd completed his reason for being in the room today. He had to be sure the President reacted just the right way to the news.
Later, he headed back to Capitol Hill. He had a bipartisan meeting with the heads of the House and Senate at 2:00, and he had a few things left to prepare.
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System Broadcast
Vitalyx Recipients: 5,794,323,741
Rejuvenex Recipients: 50,492
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@NewYorkTimes: Voss Foundation to make another announcement next week. What could possibly top Vitalyx? #BeyondHealing
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