Project Altered

By now, I'm sure you've heard all about me. Brett Ettridge. The creator and destroyer of the greatest phone app ever made. The documentary, the talk-shows, the podcasts, and more all claim to have the real story behind my life and my amazing discoveries.

They're all wrong. This is what really happened...

The day that life changed my life forever was an regular overcast day in late August. I was called into work early that day by my department head for a 'special assignment'. My coffee was already halfway gone and the ride in had been slow, so I was already not feeling it as I ascended to the upper management floors.

At the time, I worked for Quanta Life Technologies as a QA Mobile Applications tester. I know what associations that business has now, but, back then, it was the next upcoming tech company to compete with other juggernauts like Apple, Google, and Meta. While the company had almost exclusively focused on quality-of-life products like exercise equipment, health monitors, and hospital equipment, they were trying to break into the world of social media.

That's why they'd hired me. I'd been at the company for 3 years testing a wide arrangement of apps and programs and pushing them to their limits. So far, not a single app I'd tested had been even slightly workable. The email I'd received the day before, though, had me feeling differently about this assignment. For one, I'd never directly had a meeting in the upper management floors. For another, I was supposed to delete the email after replying to the RSVP... which I did after taking a screenshot. You never know when you're working for a soulless tech corporation.

I walked through the spacious looking offices, trying my hardest to look professional rather than awestruck, and into the large conference room on the other end of the floor. Inside, my department head sat alone at a large table, looking as serious as ever. Mr. Robert Draymond had been President of Mobile Applications Development for the past decade and the countless disappointments had left a toll on him. While only in his early 50's, his short military-cropped hair had streaks of silver in it and his short goatee was almost entirely gray at this point. His eyes and grim seriousness often reminded me of a hawk eyeing its prey before going in for the kill. I was a little put-off to realize it was just me and him in here, but I took a seat opposite him regardless.

"Mr. Ettridge, thank you for coming in so early today," Mr. Draymond started coldly. "Do you know what this meeting is about?"

I scratched the back of my neck nervously as I said "Uh, the email said it was for a 'special assignment'? I haven't had any new apps to test for the past week or so, so I figured that's what it was."

"And you deleted that email before coming, right?" asked Mr. Draymond.

"Of course, as per your request sir," I replied meekly. I hoped my bluff wasn't see-through.

There was a moment of silence while Mr. Draymond scrutinized me before he smiled and leaned back in his seat. "Excellent. Then let's begin, shall we?"

Draymond slid a small purple microSD chip to me. "Put that in your phone if you could Mr. Ettridge. This is the app we want you to test out for us that we are tentatively calling Project Altered." I followed his orders as he continued. "Project Altered is our latest program that we hope to have finalized within the next year or so. It pairs with this patch here," he said, holding up what looked like a purple bandage, "to allow a user to monitor another person's bodily functions remotely. A person using the program can see the subject's blood type, bone density, even what they're allergic too."

"Wow, that sounds incredible!" I said with astonishment. I looked at the app's basic design and couldn't believe that a company struggling for months to make a decent app could make something so revolutionary. "So, who would I be testing this app on? Do I need to ask one of my friends?" I asked.

"Absolutely not." Mr. Draymond's smile had vanished immediately. "This assignment and this project are top secret. You're to tell absolutely no one what you're working on and you'll be signing paperwork that makes you legally responsible to uphold this fact."

That changed fast. "Oh. So.. uhh.. who would I be testing this on, then?" I asked awkwardly as I set my phone down.

Mr. Draymond stood up and walked to the large window overlooking New York City. "We've assigned a new intern to work as your assistant while you test this app. They'll wear this patch while you test the limits of the program. After one month, we'll ask you to come in and give us a rundown on what you've discovered and any fixes you might have to the program's operations as well as its interface." He turned to look at me as he asked, "what do you think? Are you willing to participate?"

I sat and pondered this for a little bit. It sounded like groundbreaking tech that I was excited to try out, but the secrecy behind the whole project was really picking at my nerves. "Am I supposed to stay in the building during this month?" I asked.

"That won't be necessary," Mr. Draymond said matter-of-factually as he returned to his seat. "We have a property within New York City that you and your assistant will be staying at during this trial. All expenses will be paid for, but you will be under surveillance while on the property to monitor your progress." Mr. Draymond held out his hand and asked one last time, "do you accept these terms, Mr. Ettridge?"

After careful deliberation and negotiating, I accepted his proposal, signed the paperwork, and left with my head held high. Nothing interesting had been happening in my life and my roommate could survive a month without me. Plus, I was excited to test this new program out. I'd never had an assignment that was so detailed yet so vague and I honestly felt like I could leave my mark on the world by perfecting this app into something truly amazing.

I definitely changed my life with that one decision.