Full-view of Edith hanging on the cruciform gurney. Bolts of “electricity” are surging forth from the large, ray-gun like objects and strikes her. Edith’s mouth is open.

SFX: Zzzzt!

CAPTION (Chen speaking): Initiate sequence beta.

EDITH: Ahhhrgh….

View of Edith’s head. It is hanging down with a stuporous expression.

CAPTION (Edith thinking): Time passes. Something like consciousness comes and goes.

Close up view of Edith’s thigh. Someone in a biohzaard suit is injecting something into it.

CAPTION (Edith thinking): The techs follow Dr. Sin’s bizarre protocol. I get a lot of injections.

Another view of Edith’s head. Her eyes are shut and her mouth is hanging open. An eerie glow of radiation surrounds her head.

CAPTION (Edith thinking): All sorts of quanta penetrate my tender ribosomes.

View of Edith’s midsection. Octopus arms are beginning are beginning to emerge.

CAPTION (Edith thinking): Changes are beginning to happen to me.

View of Edith’s face. Her hair has fallen away, leaving her bald. The head is flattened, retreating into her body.

CAPTION (Edith thinking): It grows harder and harder to breath in the open air.

A still-more octopus-like creature in the tank. A panel extends down into the water, with buttons that the Edith-octopus can push with her arms. She is pushing one and a button is lighting up.

CAPTION (Edith thinking): An arrangement has been made for me to communicate.

A close-up of one of Edith’s hands. Her fingers are abnormally short.

CAPTION (Edith thinking): Digits are retreating.

The gurney is positioned above a tank. It is now empty. A half-octopus, half-Edith like creature is in the tank below.

CAPTION (Edith thinking): Fortunately I can take to the water now.

View outside the tank. A large antenna-like object is pointing at the tank.

CAPTION (Edith thinking): I sure hope we’re capturing all the relevant data.

A view slightly further up her arm. Round circles – the beginning of suckers, are starting to appear.

CAPTION (Edith thinking): New organs are starting to appear.

Close-up view of the junction box Edith was installing on the panel below. It is glowing slightly.

CAPTION (Edith thinking): Because I am so fucked if we’re not.

View of a Thaumoctopus mimicus in a tank (Edith, her transformation nearly complete – from here on visual depictions of Edith in octopus will be referred to as “Edith Octopus”). Inside the tank there is a large screen with various computer windows open on it, as well as a sort of oversize keyboard and trackball. Octopus Edith is gazing at the screen.

CAPTION (Edith thinking): My memories and consciousness seem to have survived the transformation. That’s fortunate. I think.

CAPTION (Edith thinking): Some hasty improvisation in equipment was necessary for me to continue my work.

Close up view of Edith’s octopus arms on the keyboard.

CAPTION (Edith thinking): It takes some practice to get this rather tricky combination of arms to work.

View of the screen. In one of the windows is a sentence written in large text: CAN YOU COMMUNICATE, PROFESSOR STERLING?

CAPTION (Edith thinking): But with a little practice…

View from outside the tank. We can see the Edith/octopus within the tank. A screen facing us contains the text: YES, I CAN READ YOU.

CAPTION (Edith thinking): …I think I can manage.