The man had come in quietly and had come in alone, though there were certain twinges and twitches that did attract a lot of attention from Horizon's staff. It was eventually something that brought in both Doctor Stein and some members of Horizon's own security officers. Since the revelation on what the "Animalia Virus" did and the blossoming of Animalia, security at the company had grown. There were obvious concerns about the loss of food if the virus was released on a level that would uplift every animal on Earth, and that had been a big part of why Horizon had always been concerned on the consequences of the project.
The creation of Animalia wasn't entirely a bad thing. The fact that the community had grown up next to Lyre and clearly demonstrated abilities and conditions that put Animalians on par with anything Humanity had created in terms of intelligence, morality, and philosophy in many ways was something that Horizon took as the happiest "accident" that could have ever occurred. But that didn't mean that they could expect that things related to the Animalia Virus would work out well, and thus why they wanted to keep its distribution under control. They didn't want the virus stolen and used as a weapon, by anyone. As if used too much, there was the great risk of things going wrong and falling apart. And with regard to the availability of food for herbivores and the need for meat from carnivores, Horizon knew that uncontrolled use of the Animalia Virus couldn't be used, no matter what amount of growth was hoped for by Animalia.
And that carried within it the threat of spies or corruption leading to the virus being abused, and that was what Horizon's security was primarily intended to defend against. Jeremy Green's secret shipping of the Animalia Virus to Heather Wilcox while she'd been in Costa Rica had been the only known incident of things like that happening so far. The fact that only Heather had ended up an Animalian as a result of that had been a lucky break for Horizon, but they didn't want to gamble on more such events, and thus when Sam came in and his twitches and tremors were noticed, Horizon did its best to make sure they weren't facing potential infiltration.
"Hello, young man, can we talk?" Doctor Stein spoke to him as he approached the man as he sat in a waiting room with two of Horizon's security personnel standing behind him.
"Have I done something wrong?" Sam asked nervously.
"At the moment... I don't think so," Doctor Stein spoke, "but we have some concerns regarding the application you've filled out... particularly as some people have noticed some of your odd tremors and twitches and looking around nervously... We'd like to make sure that everything is on the up and up."
"Okay... where would you like to talk?" Sam asked slowly as he stood up, though he soon gripped his biceps and held his arms together.
"In my office, it'll be more quiet and you can be fully honest there," Doctor Stein assured him, "the security men will be outside the door... but if all we do is talk calmly, your privacy will remain private."
"Okay..." Sam said slowly and soon moved to follow Doctor Stein as he turned around and lead him out of the small waiting room he'd been in. The security personnel followed and in such a way that they could flank him. Sam figured was a just in case measure, though that kept him a bit nervous as he followed Doctor Stein through Horizon's hallways. Sam followed the doctor until he came to a wooden door which he opened and then ushered Sam in through. It was a standard office with a desk and a computer. There were a few office cabinets and a filing cabinet along one of the walls, and across from the desk there were a pair of chairs. Doctor Stein offered Sam one and then moved around to sit in the office chair behind his desk.
"Now... it says on your application that you're a therapist/councilor," Doctor Stein said slowly, "but that you're not actually WITH any company or in any practice."
"Yes," Sam nodded, "that is true... I suppose you want to know why?"
Doctor Stein slowly nodded and waited for an answer.
"Well, that relates to why I volunteered for Project Dinotopia through Project Phoenix," Sam said slowly, "It's the reason WHY I'm here to begin with."
"Yes, your application says something about addiction, but doesn't go beyond that," Doctor Stein said slowly.
"Well... addiction does work like a disease in an odd way," Sam answered, "and many have gone through Project Phoenix to deal with those sorts of symptoms and come out free of the addiction and free of what caused it in the first place. I didn't put the drug on the application, as I was afraid you'd turn me over to the police..."
"The drug is illegal, I take it," Doctor Stein said slowly.
"Yes... cocaine... I... I can't really explain how or even why I got into it," Sam said slowly, "I was just out of college and was working as a councilor with a group working in various inner city type areas. My training had been more with regard to person to person conflicts and I'd hoped to be able to talk to people and help them learn to talk things out with others rather than fighting... but it was tough and I ran into things I wasn't prepared for in the sense of confronting people who were addicted. I didn't know how to help them, and with some cases... many didn't or wouldn't open up to me with the regard to the problems I was trained for until I... until took some to... It was as if they felt safer that way, and not thinking on that and realizing that I had to try and help them get around being addicted and fell into the trap. Eventually I had the same problems as the people I was trying to help it cost me everything. The company I'd been working for let me go as the quality of my work had gone done and I was chasing a new fix more often than not. I've skated by with some odd jobs here and there, but I could never fully get out of the trap that I'd fallen into. I've read more and attended some conferences here and there with regard to dealing addiction to better understand it... and hopefully to better work with others on it... but it's still something that goes up and down. Some days I've managed very well and others... not so much, and it becomes like a vicious cycle."
"And that's why you came to us now," Doctor Stein surmised.
"Yes," Sam slowly nodded, "but I didn't expressly say it because of how... you know... cocaine is illegal."
Doctor Stein slowly nodded at that. It was something that reflected a lot of the problems that came with America's "war on drugs." Getting the people selling the drugs and getting the drugs off the streets was a good thing, but that didn't treat the base cause of the problem, and thus the need for the drug in the first place. There were also times when Doctor Stein felt that a lot of the nation's drug policy was backward with regard to how drugs were determined to be legal or illegal. Alcohol, for example, had a disorienting affect on people and someone who was very drunk wouldn't be able fully or safely operate a motor vehicle and there were countless car accidents every year in which the driver that caused the wreck was drunk. Marijuana had similar effects on the brain and could also impair one's abilities. Yet, alcohol was perfectly legal nation-wide, while outside of a few states that had passed state laws legalizing marijuana, marijuana was illegal at the national level.
And that was likely to lead to new legal arguments over that issue, which Doctor Stein still felt ignored the main issue at the heart of the problem when it came to dealing with drug abuse. The big part of the problem was addiction, not the existence of drug dealers or even the existence of the drug itself. And the more the government criminalized either the selling of the drug or even the possession of the drug, the more and more difficult they'd make it hard for those who wanted to get out of the problems addiction caused to get out. People would be afraid of being arrested if they came out and thus didn't try to get out or get the help that would be needed.
"It is," Doctor Stein said slowly, "I trust you don't have any on you now?"
"I dumped the last of it that I'd had... and don't have any on me or where I'd been staying," Sam answered, "as right now... I've been in "better" place in that regard. I... I just want to fully break free... get away from what's become an anchor on my body and soul."
"And that's would explain the twitches and tremors?" Doctor Stein asked.
"That was more the fear that you would report me to the police," Sam said slowly, "As I know for some odd reason drug dealers have seemed to target Animalia/Lyre events or come through the city."
"They have... but that's not something that really relates to why you're here and the fact that you are admitting that you're here to cure yourself of addiction," Doctor Stein warned, "and if there are ANY warrants out for your arrest, we would have to report you on that basis. Do you understand that?"
"I understand," Sam gulped, "at present... there are no warrants out there as far as I know."
"Then that could help you," Doctor Stein commented, "with no warrant out there, we have no reason to make a direct report. Though... if you go back into any position in which you're providing services as a councilor/therapist... and particularly in any role that will relate to people battling things like addiction, you may have to essentially admit to your own past mistakes. Now, we may be able to help you in the State of Nevada... work out a deal with the state government in which you'd travel the state in their service to help deal with those issues... that sort of thing... but it will require admitting to past mistakes."
Sam nodded and thought for a moment, raising a trembling hand to scratch his head for a moment and then nodding again.
"That might work," Sam said slowly, "but... I would like to feel free first..."
"And there we can help," Doctor Stein responded with a small smile and feeling secure enough that Sam wasn't trying to get his hands on the Animalia Virus and make off with it.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
And they did go through with the conversion, with Sam becoming a male Stegosaurus Dinotopian. He was roughly the same color as Rachel Stega, though Doctor Stein noted that Sam was actually a shade darker than Rachel was, but the big thing was in his strength and confidence. Unlike before where he'd have periodic shakes and tremors and having his eyes darting about the room, as if fearful that someone would be coming for him or as if some hallucinogenic monster might attack. He was calm and focused and his breaths were slow and steady with the modified shirt to allow for his back plates moving forward with each breath.
From there, there would be the related vaccinations to protect against Sam being infectious and setting up a few contacts with the Nevada State government. Sam would have some time to go through the various post conversion classes, but when they were finished, there would be the option of working as a councilor for the state of Nevada and how it worked with regard helping people in the state with regards to addiction. It might ultimately mean specialized transport being arranged, but it would be something workable and would let him stay in Animalia/Lyre for the moment. Of course, it might also keep him in Nevada for awhile as if the colony for Dinotopians was moved to an island in the Caribbean or to Texas, it would mean he couldn't work in Nevada if he decided to move with them...
But Sam ultimately assured Doctor Stein that he had no intention of leaving Nevada for the foreseeable future. He actually credited a young woman that he'd made friends with while doing some odd jobs in Reno. He even privately said to Doctor Stein that he liked her and that she was the one who in her own way gave him the courage to go through his present attempt to escape the addiction he'd fallen into.