The Conversion Bureau: Transhumanism

by Leobracer

Eleanor Maverick - Lantean

She swam across the reef as the sun hang over the sky.

Eleanor had always loved visiting the reef that was right off the coast of her hometown. Before, she would always remain near the surface, or hold her breath down long enough to catch a few glimpses of the reef. She loved looking at the natural beauty of the various species of coral, fish, and the like living in the reef. As much as she wanted to get closer, and spend more time by the reed, she always had to limit her visits to the reef as she hated wearing scuba equipment.

Eleanor had at one point considered taking the seapony or merpony conversion potions, but she didn’t feel comfortable of having to adapt to a change in her anatomy, and she very much would have liked to be able to return to the surface whenever she felt like it.

That all changed when the Transhuman Potion became available.

One variant of the Transhuman Potion was the Lantean Potion. The Lantean Potion allowed people to remain human, while simultaneously giving them the ability to swim faster and even breathe underwater. Upon hearing about the Lantean Potion, Eleanor wasted no time in driving to the nearby Conversion Bureau, and taking the Lantean Potion.

Months have passed since the day Eleanor became a Lantean, and she couldn’t have been any happier. “Don’t even think about it Riptide. I know you’re trying to sneak up behind me.” Eleanor said, without even looking behind her.

A chuckle could be heard from behind her as a merpony named Riptide swam right up to her. “You seem to be getting good at reading your sonar aren’t you Eleanor?” He asked.

Eleanor giggled in response, as she rested uopn a stone along the edge of the reef. Sonar was another trait that Lanteans were given when they took the potion. It took Eleanor a while, but she was able to get used to being able to see things in three hundred and sixty degrees while underwater. Riptide had a hoof in that of course, but most of it was done on her own. “Its gotten easier for me to spot things while I’m underwater.” She said. “Saved my life a couple of times.”

She wasn’t kidding. Eleanor had a few close calls with some sharks every now and then, but thanks to becoming a Lantean, she was able to outmaneuver and even outswim some of the overgrown predatory fish. “Well that’s good to hear, Eleanor.” Riptide replied, as he rested upon the rock right next to Eleanor.

Eleanor had met Riptide well over a year before she became a Lantean. She had spotted him while she was making a visit to the reef. For several months afterwards, they had gotten to know each other, and even became friends. Riptide had taken a job to the nearby offshore oil platform, helping to maintain the underwater pumps from rust, barnacles, and other hazards. He offered her a job with him after becoming a Lantean, but Eleanor turned it down, as she was afraid of the dark. “I’ve heard about Bonnie, Eleanor.” Riptide said breaking the silence.

Eleanor stared down at the ocean floor. Of all the things she didn’t want to talk about, this was the one thing that she most certainly didn’t want to talk about. “If you’ve heard about her, then you should know that this is something that I don’t want to talk about.” She replied rather bluntly.

“I’m aware of that Eleanor.” Riptide said. “I know what it’s like, to have a loved one break up with you.”

Eleanor knew what Riptide was talking about. He was once married to a merpony mare named Seabreeze. But when Riptide had taken the job at the nearby oil platform, Seabreeze had filed for divorce. Eleanor had never met with Seabreeze, but from what Riptide had told her, she probably wouldn’t have wanted to meet her, as Seabreeze was a PER sympathizer. “Perhaps.” Eleanor stated. “There maybe similarities between you and me Riptide, but they’re not the same.”

Riptide stared down at his hooves and closed his eyes. “I know.” He said. “I’m fully aware that your ex-girlfriend was an HLF sympathizer.”

Eleanor’s response was to blow out bubbles from her nose. “Sympathizer nothing. She’s a full fledged member now.” She snarled.

Riptide felt the water around them go cold. Of course, the ocean always was cold, but Eleanor’s response made it feel like it had gotten colder. Riptide could hardly believe what he had just heard. If there was one thing that Riptide knew about the HLF, it was that there was only one way to become a full fledged member. “Does that mean?” Riptide asked.

“Yes, Riptide. It does.” Eleanor answered not a split second later. “There’s blood on her hands.”

Riptide’s face was a mixture of horror and disbelief. He had met with Bonnie a few times when he visited the surface. Though she always came as rather off putting, he never thought that she would
go that far. In fact, she seemed rather polite all things considered. And to hear that she had actually killed someone, had shaken pretty much everything that he thought he knew about Bonnie. “By the great ocean, I can’t believe it!” Riptide called out.

“I can hardly believe it myself, Riptide.” Eleanor said.

Eleanor had known Bonnie for years. They had been dating since they met in their sophomore year in high school, about a year before Equestria appeared on Earth. When the Conversion Bureaus had opened, Bonnie made it no secret that she opposed the idea of taking the potion to survive the awakening of the leylines. Sometime later, Bonnie had started hanging out with some members of the HLF, and had even invited Eleanor to join them. A few times, Eleanor did go with her, but she stopped going when she had bare witness to the HLF’s initiation.

They had kidnapped a number of people who had all taken the conversion potion, and a group of new members proceeded to beat them senselessly to death, and Bonnie was among them.

It was at that point, that Eleanor realized that the girl she loved was too far gone to be saved. During the initiation, Eleanor had slipped away from the building, and drove off back home. During the drive, Bonnie had called her, but Eleanor wasted no time in telling her that she wanted nothing to do with her anymore, and that they were over.

It conveniently happened the day before the Transhuman Potion became available.

Regardless, Eleanor did not regret her decision to become a Lantean. What she did regret was that she wasn’t able to save her girlfriend in time. “So what are you going to do now?” Riptide had asked, pulling Eleanor out of her thoughts.

Eleanor laid her back down on the rock, and stared off to the surface of the ocean. “I’ve heard that they’ve started construction of an underwater city far off the east coast.” She answered. “I’m going to be moving there in a couple of weeks so that I could get as far away from this town as possible.”

“I see.” Riptide replied seldomly. “Well, I guess that means we won’t be meeting each other again then?”

Eleanor nodded her head as she sat back up. “Yeah. It does.” She answered. “I’ll miss you Riptide.”

“And I’ll miss you, Eleanor.” Riptide said.

A second later, Eleanor and Riptide embraced each other in a hug. As they held each other for the last time, Eleanor looked up at the sky, and saw that the sun was about to set. A moment later she and Riptide let go, and lifted themselves off the rock. “Well, it’s getting late. I better get back to the rig, since my shift starts real soon.” Riptide said.

“And I need to go finish packing my bags.” Eleanor said as she ‘hovered’ above the seabed. “Good-Bye Riptide.” She said as she swam back to the coast.

“Good-Bye Eleanor.” Riptide replied as he swam in the opposite direction.