Alpha Capella

Last Chance - (Part Two)

Doctor Evan Desmarais, the director of Last Chance Medical Research Centre and her boss, was waiting for Alice when she entered the building the following evening. Alice barely had time to take her coat off before Desmarais was ushering her into his office.

"Mrs Weston's planning to sue. Her nose grew back," he announced dramatically.

"You're joking, right?"

"Unfortunately, not," Desmarais was bleak.

"After all we did for her? We saved her life, dammit!"

"I know that, you know that, even Mrs Weston probably knows that. But apparently Mrs Weston is more concerned about her nose than her life."

"And what do you mean, 'her nose grew back?'" Alice finally heard what Doctor Desmarais was saying.

"She had a dose of N-23, your newest nanobots. Apparently there are a few side effects."

"Side effects?" Alice's stomach sank. And her research had been going so well.

Ever since the Research Centre had made that initial break-through in 2025, when they developed a nanobot that could fight cancer, it had seemed only a matter of time before they could develop nanobots to fight other diseases. Now there were nanobots to fight HIV, polio and multiple sclerosis, with even more in the pipeline. N-23 however, was cutting edge technology. Nanobots which could repair damaged tissue caused by injury rather than disease.

"It seems that not only do the N-23 nanobots repair the injury-damaged cells but they also repair cells damaged by surgery. In Mrs Weston's case, cosmetic surgery to reshape her nose. It takes the body back to its original state."

"I guess that makes sense when you think about it," Alice mused. "After all, how would the nanobots be able to distinguish between planned and unplanned injury? But honestly, it doesn't seem like that big a deal to me," she added, dismissively. "What's a nose job compared to your life?"

"Well, apparently the nose not only grew back but Mrs Weston says it's bigger than before. More... prominent."

Alice gave an exasperated sigh.

"That's what I thought at first, but then I saw this." Desmarais held up his wristcom. "I finally persuaded her to send me a before and after image," he told Alice. He moved his wristcom so that Alice could see the picture. "Do you see what I mean?"

Alice peered at the small image. "Not really. Could you put it up on your console unit?"

Desmarais bustled around behind his desk and transferred the image to the larger screen.

"Now. See?"

Alice stared at the two profiles. "This is the same woman?"

"It is," said Desmarais, grimly.

Both doctors stared at the two images placed side by side. One showed Mrs Weston as she had appeared when Alice last saw her, on the operating table after the hovercar accident. Her face was drawn and white with pain, but it was still recognisable as a fairly ordinary anglo-saxon face, with pale skin, a small narrow nose—courtesy of an expensive surgeon—and thin lips. The second image, taken a few days ago, showed a much healthier looking woman with a pronounced Roman nose jutting above a generous mouth and skin with a distinct olive tinge.

"But... how?" Alice turned to her boss, bewildered.

"Well I haven't had time to do a full and proper study, but I have an idea," said Desmarais. "As you know, normally genes don't change after birth, with the exception of aging or viral attack, but it looks to me as if N-23 has modified her genetic code. In Mrs Weston's case, it's selected a different genetic pattern than the one she was born with."

"Wha-?" Alice was struggling to make sense of what Desmarais was saying.

"Her personal history shows a Turkish grandmother. Seems to me, N-23 has focussed on those genes instead. As if N-23 decided that is how she was meant to be."

They both stared at the two profiles.

"How is that even possible?" Alice murmured.

"I have no idea! But what I do know, is that we have to withdraw N-23 from all human testing until we find out."

"But we can't!" Alice protested. "What about all those people N-23 has saved? Doesn't the no-liability clause protect us?"

Desmarais was shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but we don't have a choice. N-23 goes back to the research lab."