White Veil paced back and fourth in his office. There was no way he could get out of this, no way he could avoid the fact that not only did a human in fact escape but also seems to be immune to ponification. He knew his superiors were in the building right now waiting to practically interrogate him on every last detail. Part of him felt like crawling under his desk and pretending he wasn't there.
The door to his office opened. "Doctor? They're ready for you," Silver Lining said through the doorway.
"I'll be right there," he replied, swallowing hard. Using his magic, he picked up the folder containing the immune subject's information and stored it in his cabinet. The file contained his name and his complete medical history and profile up until relocation. But that was the problem: with relocation happening, both human and pony records were mixed up. While they had plenty of information about Nathan Sheffield, nothing had been recorded after his relocation. These huge gaps meant they had no clue as to his current location or that of his family. Finding him would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack after the haystack had been picked up and dropped in the same place.
Dr. White Veil walked down the hallway with Silver Lining flying next to him. He thought of what he could say, the ways he could say it to try and make it seem like this wasn't his fault. The rooftop door should've been locked, security should've responded faster, the doors to the stairwell should've been guarded. Ultimately though, the Conversion Center was his responsibility and that included all its operations. He decided he would use the fact he was in charge to take however much they blamed him with an amount of confidence.
The two entered a large conference room at the other end of the hallway. A purple-maned yellow earth pony mare sat at the end of a long table. In the center of the table and a bit out of place was a vase of flowers. Silver Lining remained outside and closed the door behind White Veil.
"Dr. White Veil," the director announced. "It seems there's been an incident recently." The doctor had to look around the vase to get a good look at her. Administrator Clarabelle hadn't set hoof into this center since White Veil had been in charge, to his knowledge. But he'd spoken with her before; she was the Director of Conversion on this part of Earth.
He didn't know how much she knew. "Yes, unfortunately one of the subjects escaped yesterday." He had to phrase his words carefully. The director had been known for making harsh decisions. These were difficult times and upsetting the wrong ponies ended with severe consequences. Nothing quite as stern as being banished to the moon or being turned to stone but being the manager of a conversion center wasn't a position you walked away from. Not with your memories intact anyway.
"With knowledge of our operations," the mare added. She looked up at him with a cold stare, eyes almost unblinking through a pair of clear half-circle spectacles. It made the doctor prickle as if more than one pair of eyes were upon him at the same time.
"This is a major breach of security," she continued. "That human knows the location of this city's primary conversion center. If he goes public with the information that humans are still being converted, we could face more than just our operations being jeopardized." The mare got up as she spoke, her voice almost aggressive. "Humans are violent animals, the most violent Equestria has ever seen. They will lash out at us as some of them have before. This incident could literally start a war." She let the last of her words hang in the air a moment.
The doctor thought quickly. "The... the subject, he was only an adolescent. There's a chance that he might not tell anyone. Something could've happened to him in his escape, authorities might not take his-"
"I didn't ask for your assessment on the situation, doctor," the director interrupted. "We do not have time for excuses. Measures are being taken at this moment to take care of your escaped subject. What you have been summoned for is another matter. Tell me," she removed her glasses. "Why did you synthesize an airborne variant of the serum?"
So they did know about that. There was no use trying to hide it now. "The... the subject, the one who escaped," he swallowed midsentence, "didn't respond to the serum. I'm not entirely sure why and our records were-"
"Didn't respond?" Clarabelle interrupted. "What do you mean by that?"
"It, the serum, it didn't work. I gave him two doses of it and nothing happened. His medical records, everything we could find, indicated he's had a history of difficulty digesting liquid forms of medicine. But we don't have any of the pills here so I had Silver Lining transfer it to a gas so he could inhale it."
"So you had him inhale a dose? Then what happened?" Clarabelle asked.
"I tried to administer the dose," the doctor clarified. "He bumped into me and I dropped it. The only dose I had and it smashed all over the floor. I wasn't able to administer it."
The director turned to him. "He didn't inhale any of it? Are you sure he wasn't exposed at all?"
The doctor thought. They were pretty close and the stuff did get everywhere. "He... might've been exposed to some of it, I suppose."
Clarabelle looked down again, deep in thought. "There's a reason we administer the serum in liquid form, doctor. It's to avoid possible side effects."
"Side effects?" the doctor asked, confused.
"We've considered more drastic measures before. Gassing the entire population, applying it to the water supply or mixing it in with food. Single-dose administration in liquid form is the only way that we're capable of transforming the subject. All others have produced... unexpected results," the director explained. "You've introduced an unnecessary complication."
Doctor Veil didn't know what to say. He'd been given little information when he'd been assigned the position. Why had none of this been explained to him? Unexpected results? Nopony had told him what to do if the subject didn't respond to the serum. He knew he'd be forced to take the blame for something he wasn't entirely responsible for... but not something that was somepony else's fault.
"Why wasn't I told the serum couldn't be changed? I'm a medical doctor; when treatment doesn't produce the desired results, I seek an alternative," he justified his case. "I should've been informed that the potion could only be administered in liquid doses. As far as the subject escaping, this facility needs more security," he decided to add. What did he have to lose?
The director was quiet again. The two stood in front of each other almost like two predatory animals sizing each other up. Doctor White Veil didn't break eye contact as the director stared at him, unblinking. He was nervous and he knew the director knew it. But he also stood by what he said.
"You're correct, doctor," she finally said. "That was an oversight. It shall not happen again."
Was that an apology? Doctor Veil was even more confused but now, sort of relieved.
The director began walking around him. "A lot has happened since the barrier stopped moving. But our mission remains the same: Earth and its inhabitants will be reborn as a second Equestria. Humanity is a form of chaos that must be controlled. Our methods have had to change and they are about to change again. This conversion center is shutting down."
"Shutting down?" he echoed. He almost felt his heart stop and the relief vanished. What was going to happen to him?
"Yes doctor," she confirmed. "This facility's going to be used to transfer the serum into a gas. You'll continue to oversee operations with increased personnel, security and equipment."
The doctor found himself shocked again, at a loss for words. If the gas version of the serum produced 'side effects', why were they planning on making more of it? That's the question he wanted to ask but the most he was able to get was, "I don't understand."
"As you said doctor, when one form of treatment doesn't work, we seek an alternative. You're now going to be responsible for the production of that alternative. In the next few days, more staff will be added to your roster and more equipment will arrive. You are dismissed," the director said, gesturing towards out of the room.
Doctor White Veil opened the door and exited without another word. His aide, Nurse Silver Lining was waiting on the other side for him. The Pegasus smiled at him as he stepped through.
"So, how did it go, doc?"
"I'm not sure, really."
"Heh," the Pegasus chuckled as he hovered. "Been hearing that a lot lately."
The doctor had to admit his friend was right. "It looks like we're still in business. And we're going to be getting some extra hooves around here, it seems."
"Finally!" the nurse said. "We've been understaffed since they started relocation. Hopefully now, we'll be able to relax a bit."
The doctor looked over to his friend. His eyes, a steel blue, were the same color as they'd been when he'd been converted, one of the only similarities the Pegasus he'd once been. Sylvester Linus had been an exceptional, hard-working nurse for a biped. It was something that thankfully had carried over after he'd been converted. His memories about his past life were gone; he had no recollection of ever being human but his personality had been preserved. Doctor Veil wondered if they'd be having the same conversation if he hadn't transformed Sylvester Linus into the pony known as Silver Lining. Would they still be friends?
The two were quiet as they returned to their hospital duties and prepared to get very busy in the coming days.
Back in the conference room, Director Clarabelle closed the door. She looked around the room and focused on the flower vase in the center of the table.
"You're being awfully quiet," she said to the vase.
The vase rotated in response. "What's left to say?" the figure on the side asked.
"You're head of security. What do you think about Dr. White Veil? You think he's going to accept his new role?"
The vase spun rapidly and the figure flew off of it. Materializing in the room and standing a good bit taller than the director was a draconequus Clarabelle knew of from legend and most recently for requesting his specific assignment to this position.
Discord folded his arms. "Seems we've all been forced to accept new roles recently, whether we like it or not. Having a taste for the theatrical like myself, I'm usually able to excel in such things. Perhaps we should recommend the doctor take acting lessons?" he suggested with a flourish.
Clarabelle raised an unamused eyebrow.
"Fine, fine!" Discord through his arms up in exasperation. "You have no sense of humor. I'm certain the doctor will be perfectly happy with his new role as will the other current staff." He added excluding myself in his mind.
"Good. I want you to send out security to search for our missing subject and bring him back here. If he's immune, we'll need to study his resistance and determine the best course of action. He's not likely the only one who will be immune," the director said.
Discord put a claw to his chin. "Actually, I think I'd like to search for the young man on my own. As the doctor said, the hospital does need more security. Besides, it's likely I'll have an easier time looking for him then the others."
"Looking for an excuse to escape yourself?" the director asked. "I know about your nightly little sojourns."
How did she know about that? "I... just enjoy an opportunity now and then to stretch my legs."
Clarabelle looked deep in thought for a moment. "So be it. Return with the subject. You are dismissed."
Discord saluted, spun around and vanished. She treated him like any other subordinate. He was a being of pure chaos! In ages past, Discord ruled Equestria in a state of disharmony. Not long ago, he'd turned over a new leaf and vowed to respect the ponies and their harmony. But the way things were going now, it seemed like everypony was obsessed with controlling everything. At one time, Discord might've enjoyed Equestria's forcing of change upon the human populace but now...
It seemed like humanity wasn't the only thing being changed and Discord knew it. He'd neglected to report on everything he'd seen when the subject escaped, including the other human who'd managed to not only managed to break into the building but also escape with a sample of the serum. He decided he'd do his own investigation while he was out stretching his legs.