First Story

***Dallas Diaries*** is a blog first published online as the travel blog of Derek Becker, and later is collected in a volume and bound book format.

The blog is the personal journal of Becker as he travels through Zimbabwe and his thoughts and research when he returns to Dallas.

## Synopsis

Derek Becker, a medical scientist for UT Southwestern, is convinced by his friends and family to record his thoughts and scientific processes in a public journal. Though he has reservations at first, he soon believes that it is a good way to organise his information and keep track of what he is doing. Becker and his colleague, Sam Merryl, soon go on a research trip to Zimbabwe in hopes of finding materials for a breakthrough in curing diseases. While there, they discover a plant that they name *Folium melanoma* that changes the colour of animals who eat it, much in the same way that flamingos turn pink by eating shrimp.

Becker and Merryl take specimens of the plant to do research for possible use in medical tattooing. The first trials of the plant are on Wayne Stenson to add serial numbers to his kidneys so that they may be tracked during donation. With the trial successful, Becker tests the resultant plant formula to redye a portion of Stenson's back that has a large burn scar from a fire several years prior. With this trial likewise successful, Becker expands the project onto helping those born with vitiligo, having had a friend with the condition during high school.

The trials on vitiligo patients are successful, and awareness of the procedure begins to grow. It gains moderate popularity amongst the vitiligo and other skin tone unevenness communities. Two months after, one of Becker's patients, Mia Adams, returns to speak with Becker about her concerns that she is treated differently as a result of now having an even skin tone. She does not have the same position in her social groups because of how radical her changes are. Becker comes to a dilemma about the ethics of the procedure, and whether he should use more discretion when performing it. His assistant, Kendra Lanning, having been very invested in the project since Becker's initial research in Dallas, offers support to Becker in coming to a resolution of what he will do.

Becker resolves to put potential patients through thorough vetting before performing the procedure. However, the major investor of the project, Henry Duncan, is too thrilled with its popularity, and forces Becker off of the project. Duncan patents the procedure and opens his own company—SKN Tech—with Becker's procedure at the forefront. SKN Tech is succesful in offering the procedure to most anyone who wants it, and Becker laments that his project is no longer under his control as more and more people elect to change their skin.

### Key Characters

* **Dr. Derek Becker**: A medical scientist researching plant life in Zimbabwe for possible uses in curing diseases.
* **Dr. Sam Merryl**: A biologist assisting Dr. Becker in his research and collection. He notes the animals changing colours as a result of eating *Folium melanoma*.
* **Henry Duncan**: The investor into Dr. Becker's and Merryl's research. An executive of a large medical research facility chain, and takes over the *Folium* project, renaming it to the 'SKN' procedure.
* **Kendra Lanning**: Dr. Becker's lab assistant. She takes note of the tests and results, and acts as a support to Dr. Becker.
* **Wayne Stenson**: The first trial patient of the recolouration procedure. The procedure is used to add serial numbers to his kidneys, and later to dye a large burn scar on his back.
* **Mia Adams**: A trial patient of the recolouration procedure during the vitiligo process. She expresses concern about how the procedure affected her to Dr. Becker.