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LOCATION: CLEANGENE HQ OFFICES
CITY: MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS
DATE: SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 | TIME: 5:00 AM
Elise left Kephra Tech and returned to her offices at CleanGene in Medford. She spent the rest of the day catching up on all the work she'd missed while she was gone.
At midnight, she went home and got a few hours of rest, before heading back to the office early to finally get started on her new main focus: testing the physiological effects of the new nanites.
Now bright and full of energy, she began by testing a saliva sample. She compared the new sample with data she had from before the new nanites.
The differences were minor, but definitely there. Her new saliva showed cortisol levels had been reduced by over 25%. Cortisol is a stress hormone that leads to obesity and high blood pressure. A decrease in this hormone to this level only perpetuates the beneficial effects of System integration.
---
Identification:
Saliva sample from: [Elise Draven]
Demonstrates enhanced attributes
Benefits:
Cortisol levels reduced by 25% (stress resilience improved)
Increased antimicrobial enzymes (combats oral and respiratory infection)
Trace nanite presence provides active mucosal defense layer
---
"Incredible," she muttered as she recorded the new baseline data.
Next, she performed a hair follicle test. Plucking a few strands of hair from her head using sterile tweezers, she prepared the samples for microscopy and spectrometry testing.
The first thing she noticed was how hard it was to pull the strands from her head. Once she began testing it, the mysteries continued unfolding.
The first data point that stood out was that her hair had, essentially, stopped growing. It would grow to a certain length and then stop. The follicle was perfectly healthy. It had just reached the "programmed" length, and stopped there.
She double checked this point using hairs from her arms and found the same result.
Next, as she increased the magnification level, she noticed a crystalline inclusion inside the follicular sheath. This extra inclusion provided enhanced structural integrity to the hair strand, and was likely the reason for the difficulty in removing the strand from her head.
---
Identification:
Hair follicle sample from: [Elise Draven]
Your hair now grows to a length specified by you. Desired length can be changed in the System Interface.
Other benefits:
Structural density increased (hair is now 3x stronger than baseline)
Keratin micro-alignment improved (sheen, durability, heat resistance)
Crystalline nanite lattice embedded at follicle base for ongoing detoxification
---
Still puzzled at what she was seeing, she finally drew some of her own blood, and began the process of testing it.
What she saw there astounded her such that she rushed to document her conclusions so she could get the Council on the line again.
The blood, first of all, had been transformed in a few significant ways. The red blood cells covered a larger surface area, and allowed for more oxygen transport than would have normally been possible.
The white blood cells had, to put it simply, developed immune response in turbo mode. They sped through the blood faster than before, and seemed to carry improved instructions and response capabilities.
Lastly, the increased nanite concentrations in the blood, along with what appeared to be upgraded platelets, looked to bring with them greatly enhanced wound closure.
But it was those nanites themselves that puzzled her the most. They seemed to be building toward something. All the data she had, coupled with that which Damian had been able to detect and decode, signaled that the new nanites were preparing their bodies for something.
What it was, though, they did not yet know.
---
Identification:
Blood sample from: [Elise Draven]
Observed enhancements:
Red blood cell oxygen-carrying capacity elevated White blood cell response speed and precision improved Platelet adhesion and wound closure accelerated
Error…
Further information is not available at this time.
Continue along your path to unlock further understanding.
---
Later that afternoon, the Council got on another call to discuss their findings so far.
"You know," Darian said thoughtfully, "it does remind me of one of our main goals for doing all this in the first place."
"What do you mean?" Mallory asked.
"Ascension," Darian replied.
He let the word sit there for a minute.
"Has anyone reached level 50 yet?" he asked.
"I should hit it in a few days," Grim said. "I'm at 49 now, but I've been grinding in Allovia every chance I get."
"Is there anyone else close?" Darian asked.
"I'm pretty sure Samir is almost there, too," Grim said. "What are you thinking? Are we going to transform into gods all of a sudden?"
Ronan laughed.
"That's funny. But Darian is right, I think. I programmed much of the back end infrastructure of the System, but Mr. Voss kept a lot compartmentalized to avoid anyone knowing too much."
He thought about it for a minute.
"Although," Ronan continued, "I do remember some special quests we would encounter every fifty levels. That's ten thresholds we would have to pass through by the time we reach the cap at 500."
"What do you know about the first one?" Grim asked.
"I think you should go into it without too much information. Not that I'd be able to provide much, even if I did."
"Come on," Grim urged.
"I can tell you only this," Ronan said. "It will be a trial similar to the ones we faced at level ten. But this time, I believe the trials will change us. Not just our skills, but our bodies, too."
"Given what I saw in my testing," Elise said, "I believe that. The new nanites are preparing our bodies for a profound physiological change. But I've got no idea what."
Vanessa laughed.
"Personally, I can't wait to find out."
"I guess I'll keep grinding, and we'll know soon enough," Grim said.
They ended the call with a promise to provide any new updates through the new Interface.
Colin, back in his office in Austin, sighed.
Just what exactly are we becoming?
Inside the Pathfinder, still latched to the surface of Phobos, Skrixx and his team analyzed their own set of data.
The Listener, buried deep at the bottom of the ocean, now scanned and analyzed the planet constantly. For over six hundred million cycles, it awoke only sixty-thousand times to measure the civilization above.
After Skrixx and his crew had arrived, however, they awakened the Listener for constant observation and reporting.
Using a subspace channel that was, at least as of yet, undetectable by the level of technological advancement on Earth, the Listener sent flashes of information.
Even with essentially all of the human race now enhanced, the number of System users was still just over 50,000.
"What are they waiting for?" he muttered as he continued analyzing the data.