Regeneration X (11 page)

Chapter Nine

Why, then the world’s mine oyster.

Which I with sword will open.

—William Shakespeare,
The Merry Wives of Windsor (2.2)

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IT WAS JUST LIKE HER TWENTY-SOMETHING self to dive headlong into something she didn’t know much about. As much as she anticipated reading the literature about CR, she was glad she would have to temper the thrill until after work since she was only on a lunch break. The current priorities were editing a couple of new articles on the global trade agreements established in 2015 and their current effects on healthcare practices and the industry.

She made herself a quick snack plate of grapes, olives, tomato slices, cheese and rustic bread and headed up to her office, thankful for the ability to channel her mind in the direction needed for the moment. However, just one little segue was needed jot a quick note in her journal.

January 7, 2025

This is the day Dr. Baum told me I’m not clinically anything (except perhaps a candidate for Renovation). I just needed to get this much in writing so I would remember the moment.

He did say I have issues, but doesn’t everyone? I can accept that so long as there are workable solutions. I guess this means, technically, I don’t need to continue seeing him now that I have the answer I need.

Okay, back to work. Focus!

While political agendas weren’t exactly stimulating topics, the avenue of the articles she was editing related to nutrition—since modern agricultural methods and genetic engineering were substantive components of the terms of the trade agreements. Of all the aspects of health covered by
POV
, she especially enjoyed contributing to the discussion when it came to nutrition, primarily because it was an underdog topic in medicine. Diet was seen as a form of personal practice for aesthetic results, such as weight management; however, it was also closely tied to health and the overall feeling of well-being. Unfortunately nutrition was often overlooked as a possible medical remedy since the effects on an individual were typically gradual and, therefore, difficult to pinpoint.

Charley felt more compelled to serve as a public advocate when it came to nutrition. She could standby the statement, “practice what you preach,” and mean it. Because of her—be it for person, pooch, or a bitty kitty—food was one thing she and Michael didn’t skimp on. It was another conscious choice they made, which began over 15 years ago. After she and Michael mutually recognized feelings of sluggishness, she was inspired to conduct a little investigation, suspecting a food reaction/allergy since they both felt it and, for the most part shared the same daily menu.

Renewing this subject now, with minimum research, she gathered enough information to write an op-ed article. The article’s concept had been on her mind for some time, and with the trade agreement article coming out in this month’s issue, she hoped to have her own article worthy of its coinciding publication.

She spent the better part of the day working on it, and although it was a draft, she thought she was off to a solid start. Reading it over for the umpteenth time, it still needed work, a lot. Better to leave it and approach it fresh tomorrow. On this note, Charley’s mental alarm signaled the end-of-work-day whistle. Logging off the network, she opened her satchel and pulled out her tablet. She wanted to have read the procedure’s literature before Michael got home, so rather than taking the time to plan and cook dinner they would either have to order out or cook a late meal together.

They’d talked about it briefly already, but in the end, both of them agreed that more information was needed for any real consideration to take place. Hopefully the literature could provide a more complete picture.

First make sure you’ve received the document from Dr. Baum
, she thought as she waited for the cyber gatekeeper to deliver her emails.
Voilà. The times won’t change, only I will.
 

While the idea of living in another time entirely was appealing, she had already dissected this idea and concluded it was unrealistic in her case. It wasn’t that it was a fantastical notion. By happenstance, she found there were legitimate time-travel innovations in the works. When she also discovered it would require no biological reconfiguration on her part, her imagination quickened and she set forth to further prospect the technology.

She gleaned more information on this topic than she had Renovation, but in the end, her primary reasons for dismissing the option were Michael—and their life together. Apart from this glaring fact, Charley viewed time-travel two-fold. One, it was something akin to a “grass is greener on the other side” way of thinking and only good for brief experiences, as if going on vacation. In this view, she assumed the capacity to return, like in H.G. Wells’
The Time Machine
. Ironically, she didn’t want a vacation; she wanted to be around to maintain the lawn, so to speak. She was perfectly content with her vacations as they were; there was plenty to explore without adding time in the mix.

Second, if she travelled into a bygone era, assuming she couldn’t come back (while she could experience such things as she wrote about in her journal, for example), she would also be restricted by the practices of the day. Charley imagined it would be much more complicated than just experiencing a mild identity crisis because of a surname; she might very well end up as actual chattel. The dream of voyaging through the past could become a permanent nightmare.

She appreciated some aspects of each decade or century, but she didn’t think she’d like to live, or relive them, especially since there were bits of life today she appreciated as well. It would only be worthwhile if she could live a full lifetime in an era she had never experienced before. That would be quite adventurous.

Maybe in twenty or thirty years when the geniuses had ironed out all the kinks (like the known and unknown risks) and time-travel had become commonplace she would be able to pinpoint somewhere she wanted to be stuck. Moreover, it would have to be a time when the value of currency was very low since getting there would mean bankruptcy.

Until then, Charley felt it would be much easier to control herself than it would be to manipulate a bygone world to her liking. She didn’t even bother to consider time travel to future eras. If she had it her way, time would have currently stood still—nothing more would be allowed to advance.

・ ・ ・

She closed the door of her office and walked down the hall to the most comfortable chair in the house— the club chair in the bedroom—and started reading, slowly and carefully.

Have you ever wished for the opportunity to make a different choice and change your future by redoing your past? Cellular Regeneration through Renovation makes this possible.

With these first sentences Charley thought two things, this procedure was made for me and conversely, I guess I’m not so different after all. But the next line made her skeptical again; it was the same as in the pamphlet.

Bioengineering has been rapidly advancing for the past few decades.

Damn!
She wasn’t going to dismiss it now, at least for sake of knowledge.

Full-body tissue regeneration is a relatively new procedure. It was derived from the popular Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) technology of the 2010s, which isolated the regenerative properties of blood cells and re-innovated them for the purposes of targeted-area anti-aging procedures.

Renovation is essentially PRP and cellular regression (CR) on a broader, more holistic scale. Also called “cellular regeneration,” Renovation is a host-natural procedure, in that no foreign genetically engineered components are introduced into the body. Regenerative cells are wholly sourced from the patient’s own bio-matter. It should be noted; however, the nature of cellular regeneration requires a rewrite of certain gene functions, which control aging.

So it’s not a GM procedure
. Charley thought, paused, and re-read the section again and underlined the key phrases with her stylus. She added three question marks next to this paragraph so she would remember to ask Dr. Baum or find someone who could explain it in detail.

Procedure

1.
Prior to actual surgery, tissue, plasma, and fluid samples are extracted for the purposes of cell replication—specifically to increase or decrease cell numbers which advance or decline, relative to the normal human aging or growth processes.

2.
Cellular regression by means of Renovation is a minimally invasive, laparoscopic, albeit in-patient procedure performed over a four-hour period. During the actual procedure, the patient is placed in a subtractive, or deprivation, environment while certain cellular activities are targeted and halted in accordance with a specified sequence.

3.
The surgeon introduces new cells—with quantitative growth properties to help proliferate cells at the appropriate growth stages and to expedite the process toward the targeted age—either initiating the up-growth (aging) or down-growth (regression) of those cells. The regenerative cells are delivered through plasma pathways, i.e., the circulatory system.

4.
The surgeon will install a small bio-filtration device, the cellular filtration vacuum (CFV), which remains installed for 48 hours post-surgery. It removes the “dead” cells, which have been replaced and cannot be sloughed externally through the integumentary, lymph, or excretory systems. These processes occur simultaneously.

5.
Following surgery, the patient will be connected to regenerative continuation and support systems for 48 hours.

6.
The patient is monitored for an additional 48 hours in Patient Care Recovery, after being disconnected from support systems and the CFV.

7.
Renovation is not immediately apparent. Over the course of the following 4–6 months post-procedure, the patient will notice progressive visible signs of regeneration.

8.
The patient is required to consult with the physician assigned to the case for monthly post-op appointments.*

*All surgery poses risk, infection being the most common.

Restrictions

1.
In order to be eligible for Renovation, the individual considering CR must undergo a thorough psychological evaluation culminating in a clearance certificate from an accredited psychologist.

Note
: The procedure is irreversible, and has many social, personal, and biological consequences. All points should be considered carefully before moving forward.

2.
Prior to surgery, several tissue and blood samples are taken from which regenerative cells can be spliced and used during the actual Renovation.

3.
All systems, with the exception of the cells of the nervous system, including the brain, skeletal system and actual blood volumes, are regenerated during this procedure.

4.
An individual cannot biologically regress to an age prior to 16 or later than 55 for women, or later than 65 for men.

Note
: Growth stages prior to 16 or later than age 55/65 fluctuate and may interfere with biological systems. Also, since bone structure becomes more porous after a certain age, regeneration is not advisable post-menopause.

5.
An individual can regenerate to no more than 39 years for women and 49 years for men into his/her biological past or future if between ages 16 and 55/65 at the time of the Cellular Regression procedure. Furthermore, a 50-year span is the proven limitation of biological down-growth for individuals older than 66 years of age at the time of Renovation.

Note
: Up-growth Renovation is less common. Individuals under the age of 18 must receive parental permission to undergo an up-growth.

6.
Renovation procedure. Down-growth is not performed for candidates between 16 and 18 years old. Any up-growth after the age of 66 is not recommended. However, in certain cases, an up-growth procedure can be performed, but is limited to 9 years.

7.
As a society, no more than 10,000 individuals can regenerate into the same age year, per year.

Note
: This is in an effort to maintain the age differential of the population. A surgeon can advise as to the scheduling of the procedure.

8.
Insurance does not cover pre-op, Renovation, post-op, or future associated costs, such as medication or therapy.

Note
: This is an elective procedure and is in no way considered a wellness treatment, or alternative or preventative healthcare.

9.
Each individual can only Renovate once in a lifetime.

Note
: Multiple fluctuations in cellular composition can damage biological systems and structures.

Note
: The terminally ill are not candidates for Renovation. Likewise, individuals with other chronic conditions may not be eligible. A surgeon can provide more information on candidacy for Renovation.

Note
: Illness cannot be erased from cellular up- or down-growth during biological regeneration. Renovation can cause diseased cells to proliferate, resulting in a higher risk of premature death.

10.
Post-menopausal patients cannot bear children if down-growthed to a point between childbearing years.

Note
: Full-term pregnancy and childbirth; however, is feasible if up-growthed within childbearing years.

Note
: Population control is upheld with this procedure. In addition, repeated studies/tests show reproductive systems and associated hormones cannot withstand cellular and structural manipulation.

11.
GMMCOs (or GMCOs), Genetically Modified Multi-cellular Complex Organisms, i.e., GM humans are not candidates for Renovation.

Note
: As GM procedures involve engineered components, a disruption or convergence of prior genetic modifications with regenerative cells can cause severe autoimmune response and possible contamination of unmodified cells or systems.

Note
: In most cases cyborg implants do not interfere with regeneration and therefore such individuals may still be candidates for Renovation.