McMillan Tech Industries Lake Point Branch, Marketing and Accounting floor, waiting area near the meeting room
The past half hour or so had been a disturbing one. It had started as Rachel McLewis awaited the results of Ryan's using the Restoration Gun on Roman Coakley, the bank president who was one of five people transformed at least twenty times by the Random Gun in the incident in the meeting room. It would take twenty zaps, one to undo each transformation, with breathing room in between to minimize further transformation trauma. Rachel had waited, along with Dr. Elaine the accountant turned doctor, the professional psychiatrist Dr. Anissa Fairlane, the professional medical doctors Bryant and Andrews, and three of the transformees from the Board of the Directors (Stallsworth, Quarterson, and the company CEO Richard McMillan). But when a clearly frightened young woman dressed as a figure skater came rushing into the area screaming as if she'd seen something truly horrific, Rachel and everyone else knew something had gone terribly wrong.
The woman was yelling about murders. She was screaming "They're dead! They're dead! Blood! Murder!" several times in a row before Dr. Fairlane and some security guards restrained her. After a few moments, she calmed a little, but was still incoherent. "They're dead! And I think it's my fault..."
After a few moments, Dr. Anissa Fairlane concluded that the figure skater was, in fact, Roman Coakley, but only because Coakley had said one of the other forms was a female figure skater during Anissa Fairlane's interview with the transformed bank president. It did not take long for everyone to conclude that the Restoration session had gone wrong, and that Ryan Leeson, Larry Eastbrook, and Arnie Amspoker (the three who were handling the Restoration of Roman Coakley) could be in grave danger.
Dr. Elaine and Dr. Bryant had left, along with a few security guards, to rush to Mr. Stragey's office (where the Restoration was to take place) and supply medical assistance and other assistance as well. Dr. Fairlane, assisted by the other physician Dr. Andrews, had led the traumatized figure skater to a vacant nearby office Stallsworth recommended.
So for a while Rachel sat there, her only companions outside of the three transformed Board members being the nurse Jaclynn (who, like Dr. Elaine, was a product of the Random Gun) and two security guards. She felt helpless, wanting to rush over and see if her friends were all right, but she knew she needed to look after McMillan, Quarterson, and Stallsworth while Dr. Fairlane and Dr. Andrews were away.
She kept glancing at her phone, hoping that Ryan, Larry, and Arnie were safe, and that they (or Jeffries and Carrie, who were nearby) were going to text her with some news.
She tried to put it out of her mind. They're NOT dead, they're not!, she thought to herself. But the intrusive thoughts came in just the same.
She was startled when someone spoke to her directly. It was Nicholson Quarterson, currently in the form of a young woman dressed as a 1920's flapper. "I know you're worried about your friends," Quarterson said. "But sitting there staring at your phone isn't going to help anyone."
"She's right." the nurse Jaclynn said. "Dr. Elaine is there for them, and so's one of the licensed doctors. Trust them. They'll call us when there's something to report."
Rachel attempted to take this advice to heart, trying to focus her attention on the Board members. McMillan had been silent ever since the figure skater had arrived. Stallsworth looked grim, as if clearly this incident was confirming a fear that he had about the Restoration process. And Quarterson looked very unsettled by the latest turn of events. Rachel also noted that Quarterson had not in the least seemed to object to the pronouns nurse Jaclynn used when referring to Quarterson.
Still, she could not get the figure skater's screaming statements out of her head. No, they're NOT dead, they're not!
Finally, Rachel received a text. It was from Dr. Elaine (she was so glad they'd exchanged numbers a few hours ago).
Elaine: Your friends are fine. Jeffries and the other girl saved them.
Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. Soon after, she received another text. This one was from Jeffries.
Jeffries: We saved them. Ryan, Larry, and Arnie were hurt, and hurt bad. Carrie and I used Transformation Guns to save them.
Rachel looked at the screen wide-eyed. She had so many questions. Which Transformation Guns had been used? And how had those Transformation Guns saved them? What had happened in the first place?
Soon after, she received another text. This was from Ryan.
Ryan: I'm okay. We all are. Jeffries and Carrie used the Babe Gun and the Jock Gun to heal us.
Ryan: Long story. I'll tell you in person. I look a lot different now.
A selfie then followed. The selfie depicted an attractive young woman with long brown hair, who looked like she could be a movie actress or a model. She was dressed in a McMillan Tech Industries t-shirt, and seemed to exude a very feminine confidence.
Rachel gazed in astonishment at the woman in the picture. Looking closely, the woman looked like she could be Ryan's sister. But Rachel knew that this was, in fact, Ryan. One of her closest friends at MTI had now been changed by the Babe Gun, a Transformation Gun that Rachel had imagined in the first place.
Rachel took a moment, and then texted Ryan back.
Rachel: Please do. I'm glad you're okay.
Ryan: Jeffries and I are on our way.
McMillan Tech Industries, Marketing Department, cubicle hall
Ryann smiled, imagining the look on Rachel's face when she saw the picture of Ryann's new self. The McMillan Tech Industries t-shirt had been supplied by Ms. Hitchens, who thought it wouldn't do for Ryann to keep wearing that bloodstained shirt the rest of the night. Ryann had agreed, and changed into the shirt, leaving the previous shirt behind as it was just in case the police wanted to see it for evidence reasons.
Larry Eastbrook, Carrie Brierton, and Arnie Amspoker were content to stay behind and chat with Darby Adaway, Ms. Hitchens, Peggy Pegany, and the rest from Marketing. After all they'd been through tonight, Ryann could not blame them for wanting to just sit and relax for a while.
Dr. Elaine was also staying behind for a while, but she told Ryann and Jeffries that if she was needed, she would be there for them.
She and Jeffries turned and headed to the waiting area near the meeting room to speak with Rachel in person and tell the whole story of the Roman Coakley incident.
