Young: This... this is awful. 


Soo-Yun: It's economics. 


Young: Ms. Soo-Yun, you mentioned something about 
there being no competitors until ownership was 
transferred? Is that related at all? 


Soo-Yun: This is a recorded conversation. | cannot 
disclose marketing strategies while an active competitor 
who may have necessitated management changes is 
sitting at this table. 


Young: | think we're a bit beyond that. 


Greene: If Pyongyang wants, | can put my fingers in my 
ears. 


Michaels: See? Diplomatic middle finger. 
Young: | can't tell which one is the finger. 


Soo-Yun: This isn't a sound-byte, or a pre-recorded 
message. Any actions that affect the marketability of 
Prometheus Labs' services will affect Hypnotraline's. The 
product is extremely vulnerable to any and all external 
changes. 


Dr. Mesmur prepares another stapled section of papers 
to pass out to the people at the table. 


Mesmur: Whatever the case may be, Ms. Soo-Yun, your 
company still arguably has the more moral solution, 
despite the immoral actions that you may commit in the 
name of sales. 


Dr. Mesmur once again passes out copies of the 
documents describing the various processes that 
Prometheus Labs entails regarding Full Body 
Transplants. 


Mesmur: I'd like to draw your attention to the kidnapping 
and preparing of subjects, the disposal of brains, and the 
distribution of false information to certain customers 


about the body source. | believe the rest of the document 
will speak for itself. 


Greene: It's not really kidnapping. 
A moment of silence passes as those present read. 


Michaels: (under his breath) | still can't believe Joyce is 
ok with this. 


Young: With due respect, Captain Michaels, you're the 
only person at this table who has the.... "enhancements" 
necessary to avoid this stuff. | was born in 1989, and it's, 
what, 2130? Raise your hand if you've not undergone the 
surgery? 


Only Captain Michaels raises his hand. 
Michaels: Not surprised. Still disappointed. 


Young: If FBT didn't exist most of us would be dead. 
Well, not dead, but worse. Asleep, perhaps. 


Mesmur: | myself am ashamed of what I've had to do to 
continue my research, but I'm proud to say I've only had 
the one transplant. 


Greene: Oh what is this? Are we putting the bottled 
water industry on trial next? 


Dr. Mesmur turns to Greene, glaring. 


Mesmur: Are you comparing bottled water to human 
lives? 


Greene: No, I'm comparing bottled water to disposable 
lives. Look, what do you think happens to the people we 
use for the procedure? The answer is nothing. 
Thousands of people are snapped up off the planet 
every month for organ harvesting, slavery and so on. 
They're screwed from the get-go, and their future is 
screwed as well. Is it really fair, then, to just let them go 


to waste when those of us with the will to live get turned 
into rotting mummies? 


Michaels: Sometimes, it's not their choice. | know, hard 
to imagine when you grew up with a silver spoon in your 
mouth. 


Greene: Look, what's your name, Young is it? Let me 
pull up your file, | can tell you exactly where your 
current... outfit came from. Give me a moment. 


Young: That's a bit rich coming from a grown man 
wearing the skin of an 18-year old girl. 


Greene: La vida loca. 


Young: At least | had a reason to change beyond getting 
bored of my own genitalia. 


Greene: Ah, here it is. Young, you were fetched off the 
streets of Lithuania. Your body grew up in a theater, and 
got its showers in bathroom stalls. You clicked your 
heels and danced for change in a hat and your parents 
were... oh, what a surprise... gone. Now, that body is 
doing jolly good work for the illustrious Foundation, is 
healthy, vigorous and blah, blah, blah. If we hadn't gotten 
it, it'd just be another maggot hive, sooner or later. Living 
fertilizer scraped off the street and dumped into the mud. 
| don't know about you, but | like to view this industry as 
a recycling one. 


Dr. Young audibly gags. 
Greene: I've got your other files too, if you're curious. 
Mesmur: Please. This is not what we came here to do. 


Greene: You're absolutely right, we should do 
something. And Prometheus Labs would like some 
money for it. 


Soo-Yun: What? 


Michaels: Of course you would. 


Mesmur: You really don't expect us to hand resources 
over, do you? Unless you are able to find a way to 
humanely deal with the problem at large, the Foundation 
will not contribute to your company. 


Dr. Mesmur turns to Ms. Soo-Yun. 


Mesmur: Or yours, for that matter. If you'd like to tell 
your higher-ups that. 


Soo-Yun: Fine. 
Ms. Soo-Yun takes out her phone and sends a text. 
Soo-Yun: I'll tell you if they get back to me. 


Greene: | mean, | couldn't help but notice that one of 
your issues against this service we all use is disposal. 
Sure, we could say, launch all the spare brains into 
space. That was on the table during inception, but that's 
expensive. 


Young: And just have living people floating around in 
space? What's the benefit of that? 


Michaels: You realize that's— It's not like the problem is 
solved because you've hidden it a couple hundred 
thousand feet above sea level. Same goes for your 
landfills. They're still there. They're still suffering. 


Soo-Yun: Marshall, Carter and Dark is willing to take 
actions against certain competitors in exchange for a 
subsidy. 


Young: Is that what they've texted you? 
Soo-Yun: Yes. | would be less vague otherwise. 


Greene: I'll take bullshit for 400, Jim. Come on, the 
McDonalds people aren't going to dismantle every drug 


network in the world just because you lined their pockets. 
And as for the disposal, | didn't say launch the brains into 
the stratosphere to create a big jelly ring. | meant far. 

Into the Sun. 


Young: The fucking sun? You're seriously proposing 
throwing people into the sun? 


Greene: | mean, Mars is also free real estate if you want 
to be picky. 


Michaels: Did you hear a word | said about them still 
being alive? 


Young: You know, once | got my credentials back | 
checked on what Dr. Michaels did with 3984 after I... 
left. 


Dr. Mesmur slams a fist on the table, causing her 
briefcase to clatter closed. 


Mesmur: Is everyone here going to continue to argue 
about ridiculous ideas or will you allow me to present an 
ACTUAL idea? 


Young: Sorry, Dr Mesmur, | just want to drill into Greene 
how idiotic he... she is. 


Mesmur sighs, and motions for Young to continue. 


Young: Dr. Michaels tried to incinerate the brain to see 
what would happen — nothing. The brain breaks up. 
Except all the cells are still alive and we had no way of 
knowing if those animals were still conscious or not. The 
sun won't fix anything. 


Dr. Mesmur glares at everyone. She pinches the bridge 
of her nose. 


Mesmur: Christ almighty, you're all hundreds of years 
old and you still act like children... 


Dr. Mesmur places her hand back down. 

Young: Apologies. 

Greene: Well, technically— 

Michaels: No one cares Greene. You're not a kid. 


Mesmur: Dr. Young, | personally am aware of your 
findings in regards to incineration of the brain. In fact, a 
secondary reason that | have brought Captain Michaels 
along to this meeting is because he is the solution we 
are looking for. 


Dr. Mesmur gestures towards Eric Michaels. 
Michaels: | actually have to show them, don't |? 
Dr. Mesmur nods. 


Eric takes off his shirt to reveal his cybernetic 
replacements. 


Mesmur: Captain Michaels' cybernetic implants have 
been able to not only keep him healthy, but keep him 
healthy by pre-OK standards for the last century. With 
proper funding and research aid from both Prometheus 
Labs and Marshall, Carter and Dark, this could expanded 
to more complex organs or body parts, or even to 
android carapaces that can be used to house brains and 
can be shut off at will. A combination of both of your 
products, if you will. 


Soo-Yun gets up and makes a phone call in the corner of 
the room. 


Young: Captain Michaels, what's, the uh, long-term 
outlook for your condition? 


Young: And by long-term | do mean long-term. 


Michaels: | mean, parts degrade, but they can be 


replaced. Any more than that, | don't know. | just do what 
the docs tell me. 


Greene: What sorts of androids are we talking about? 
The sort that are just robots that think good or the fleshy 
Ones indistinguishable from normal humans? 


Mesmur: Entirely depends on the funding. Ideally, the 
bare minimum is a carapace that does not require 
oxygen to operate. This would also greatly help the over- 
population process, as that would mean that humans 
could live in areas that were not previously habitable, 
such as the ocean. 


Young: Do we even have enough metal in the planet to 
do that for everyone? We don't have enough food or 
water as it is. 


Soo-Yun Lee returns to the table, and places her phone 
face-up upon it. 


Soo-Yun: Mr. Ji-Su is listening in. Please continue. 
Michaels: Oh. | see we're finally worth your time. 


Mesmur: (in broken Korean) Pleasure, Mr. Ji-Su. Glad 
you could join us. 


Ji-Su: (in English) Continue with the speech, 
Foundation. 


Mesmur: | was told there was a language barrier that 
prevented you from arriving. 


Dr. Mesmur looks at Ms. Soo- Yun disdaintully. 


Mesmur: In any case, the proposition was simply 
combining the aspects of both Prometheus Labs' and 
your own. Creating androids capable of housing brains 
for the human population. The market isn't necessarily 
about the product, but about the upgrades and 
replacements that would need to be made as it decays. 


Much like a phone, actually. | know you are very focused 
on market, and | figure this would be a good mid-point for 
both of our needs. And to address your concern, Dr. 
Young... 


Dr. Mesmur takes out her phone and begins tapping. 


Mesmur: I'm sending you an e-mail regarding potential 
resource usage should this plan go through. This is 
currently for Foundation eyes only until we receive 
further funding from other sources. 


Young: Understood. 


Greene: | can't speak for our friends in Korea, but | can 
tell you that | am, honestly, not focused on the market. 
I'm focused on quality of experience. If you can assure 
me full customization and accuracy with your little 
android project then I'll pitch it. But that's all. 


Young: "Accuracy" being the key word, right, Cassie? 
Greene: "Customization" is of equal weight. 


Michaels: (to Young) | can't believe he's still hung up 
about being able to fuck a hundred years down the road. 


Young: (in response) Simple things for simple minds. 


Greene: And | will add that we have far more repeat 
customers than first-timers, in case anyone thinks I'm an 
exception rather than the rule. 


Mesmur: Customization is currently higher on the 
projection table. Being able to look human is less 
important currently than being able to do certain actions, 
such as walk and eat and such. Most of those actions 
are unnecessary, obviously, but considering people still 
like eating despite their tongues rotting away and their 
stomach exploding, having those as additional features 
seems appropriate. 


EXPUNGED]. Subject had to be removed and sedated. 
Upon removal of the subject, SCP-959 vomited and 
asked that testing be halted for the day. 


« SCP-958 | SCP-959 | SCP-960 » 


Dr. Mesmur pauses, looking at Greene. She sighs before 
continuing. 


Mesmur: However... accuracy may be something we 
can commit to should we get substantial funding beyond 
initial projections. 


Young: Even | have to admit that we do have to retain 
some humanity for this to be marketable. 


Greene: "Some?" | don’t want to see Terminators 
bonking — thank you for that mental image, by the way, 
you weirdos. I'll pitch this, hell, I'll even support it, ‘f you 
agree to put Prometheus Labs in charge of the aesthetic 
side of this endeavor. 


Young: Define "aesthetic side"? What exactly does that 
entail? 


Greene: Skin, hair, eyes, tongues, fingernails, the works. 


Young: So long as you don't get those fingernails from 
eastern Europeans. 


Greene: Very funny. Is that the Lithuanian speaking or 
the humanitarian? 


Young: Oh, fuck off— 


Greene: —and no, they'd be synthetic but lifelike. 
Ideally. 


Mesmur: How much do you project that to cost? The 
majority of the funding we need is gathering resources. 
Testing and construction is minimal in comparison. 


Greene: Hang on, hang on. Before we do that, I'd like to 
hear what the Thing With Two Heads But Doesn't Talk 
has to say. 


Soo-Yun: (in Korean; into the phone) That question's for 
you, not me. 


Ji-Su: (in Korean) Do not want. (hangs up) 
Soo-Yun: He says yes. 


Mesmur: You do realize that | just spoke some Korean 
to you, yes? Would that not make you immediately think 
that | could understand basic Korean phrases like "I don't 
want this?" 


Soo-Yun: Kim is only in charge of Hypnotraline because 
the product is so easily pushed to the ropes. I'm smarter, 
more qualified and far more stable than he is. I'll pitch 
your idea above his pay-grade, just as he did to me. We 
will get back to you on this. 


Michaels: Huh. Never thought I'd see the middle finger 
turn itself around. You're pointin' right back at your boss. 


Mesmur: Well, that's definitely a pleasant surprise. 
You're sure you have the credentials to do this, Ms. Soo- 
Yun? 


Soo-Yun: | don't like Mr. Ji-Su. | don't like what he's 
done to approximately 8 million people, if that number is 
still holding. I'll be happy to make the sales pitch. 


Soo-Yun: | don't need credentials. | have a more stable 
product to offer, with hopefully decreased expenditures, 
and excellent powerpoint making skills. 


Greene slowly claps. 


Mesmur: Dr. Young, Captain Michaels, do you two have 
any opinions on the matter or are you in agreement? 


Michaels: I'm willing to let the kid help with the science 
project, but she'd need some supervision. Our 
supervision. 


Young: It's the only solution proposed so far that isn't 
completely abhorrent. Are we taking a vote? 


Mesmur: Unless anyone else happened to bring a 
solution they believe would appeal to us as well? 


Young: So far as | can tell, it's robots or the Sun. 


Greene: I've already stated that | don't much care either 
way. This life we all have is actually rather fun, so let's 
stick to ensuring that. 


Soo-Yun: It won't be for much longer. | hope no sudden 
revelations appear if we do this. 


Mesmur: If there are no more questions, shall we put it 
to a vote? 


Young: Aye. 


Mesmur: | also vote aye. Captain Michaels? Ms. Soo- 
Yun? Cassie? 


Michaels: Aye. 


Soo-Yun: | can't act on behalf for Marshall Carter and 
Dark. I'll send my aye in the mail once I'm back at the 
wheel. 


Greene: It's a school night and I'm beat. Aye. Just 
remember who you'll be trusting the design choices to 
once you get our money. 


Michaels: It's like you're trying to make me regret this. 


Mesmur: Perfect. This meeting ended sooner than 
expected, which I'm sure is convenient for those of us 
who had plans for the night. Shall we adjourn or does 
anyone have any final words? 


Young: Greene, you're not.... actually going to school, 
right? 


Greene: Hey, /a vida loca. 


Michaels: Let's just fix /a vida for now. 
<End Log> 


All five exited the conference room in a calm quiet. Lee and Cassie 
took the first elevator to the lobby, both smiling to themselves. One 
was much more brazen and smug than the other, but then again 
teenagers aren't exactly the subtle types. The other three took a 
second elevator. Eric and Emily bid Violet farewell in the parking lot 
as they walked to their car. 


"Back to the airport |, suppose?" Eric asked as he slid into the 
driver’s seat. 


"Not yet. We need to head out west a little ways first." 
"Really? Why? Our flight back is in a few hours."