Two months.
That was how long the project took.
Two entire months of research, experimentation, testing, biological engineering, cybernetic integration, magical analysis, genetic modification, neurological reconstruction, and more paperwork than should have been physically possible.
At some point, Alex had started sleeping in the laboratory.
At another point, I had stopped asking whether he was sleeping at all.
The project had become one of the most ambitious biological engineering efforts the Foundation had ever attempted.
And somehow, Cleopatra was still complaining.
"This violates at least seventeen ethical guidelines."
"Only seventeen?" Alex asked while adjusting a holographic display. "That's actually lower than expected."
The black cat glared at him.
The glare had become considerably more intimidating over the last two months.
Mainly because the cat was no longer entirely a cat.
Several robotic components had been integrated throughout her body. The most obvious was her left eye.
The cybernetic eye glowed faintly blue and was connected directly to Foundation databases. It could project holographic displays, access classified files, perform threat analysis, record information, and communicate directly with Foundation systems.
It was essentially a supercomputer disguised as a cat eye.
Alex was incredibly proud of it.
Cleopatra was less enthusiastic.
"You turned me into a laptop."
"A very expensive laptop."
"A cat."
"A very expensive cat."
I rubbed my forehead.
The two of them had been arguing like this for weeks.
The cybernetic eye wasn't the only modification.
Since Cleopatra was already trapped in feline form, Alex had decided to improve the situation.
His definition of improve and everyone else's definition were completely different things.
Every bone in Cleopatra's body had been replaced with adamantium.
Her muscles had been reinforced.
Her nervous system upgraded.
Her reflexes enhanced.
Her healing factor improved.
Her sensory organs modified.
Her biological efficiency dramatically increased.
At some point Alex had started referring to her as a "next-generation combat support platform."
Cleopatra had thrown a wrench at him.
Unfortunately, due to the adamantium skeleton and enhanced strength, the wrench had gone through three reinforced walls.
The repair bill had been impressive.
A holographic screen appeared beside me.
Project Cat Pharaoh
Status: Complete
Success Rate: 97.3%
Subject Survival Rate: 100%
Unexpected Property Acquisition: 14
Alex smiled proudly.
I was honestly impressed.
Most Foundation projects ended with significantly more explosions.
The final step had been the most difficult.
The brain.
That was where things became complicated.
Simply modifying her cat brain would never have been enough.
Fortunately, the Foundation possessed Cleopatra's complete genetic records.
Creating a clone body had been relatively simple.
Afterward, Alex and I had spent weeks carefully integrating her original consciousness, portions of the clone's neural architecture, and necessary feline adaptations into a stable system.
The process had nearly failed three times.
Nearly.
But eventually we succeeded.
Cleopatra retained all of her memories.
All of her personality.
All of her intelligence.
In fact, she was now smarter than before.
Something she never stopped reminding us about.
The cybernetic eye suddenly projected several holographic equations into the air.
Cleopatra examined them.
Then immediately pointed out three errors.
Alex stared.
Then checked the calculations.
Then checked them again.
"...She's right."
I looked at Cleopatra.
The cat looked smug.
That was somehow even worse than usual.
The most surprising discovery came afterward.
Magic.
Initially, we had worried the transformation might interfere with her thaumaturgical abilities.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case.
The transformation had been biological rather than metaphysical.
Her soul remained fundamentally the same.
Which meant every magical ability she possessed still worked.
In fact, some worked better.
"Show him," I said.
Cleopatra rolled her eyes.
Then magical energy erupted around her.
Golden runes appeared throughout the laboratory.
Ancient Egyptian symbols materialized in the air.
Reality trembled.
Several researchers immediately backed away.
A second later dozens of magical constructs appeared above Cleopatra's head.
The cat casually manipulated them while floating several feet above the ground.
Alex adjusted his glasses.
"Interesting."
"Interesting?" I asked.
"She's generating approximately thirty percent more magical output than before."
Cleopatra blinked.
"What?"
Alex immediately began typing notes.
"The reduced body mass increases magical efficiency."
The laboratory became silent.
"...You're saying becoming a cat made me stronger?"
"Magically speaking."
The silence lasted several seconds.
Then Cleopatra began laughing.
"Oh, that is hilarious."
I groaned.
The last thing we needed was Cleopatra becoming even more arrogant.
Unfortunately that was exactly what happened.
The cat floated through the laboratory surrounded by magical circles.
"I'm a magical genius."
"You were already a magical genius."
"I'm an even bigger magical genius."
Alex nodded.
"Objectively true."
I regretted asking.
Still, despite the headaches, the project had been an overwhelming success.
The cybernetics worked.
The biological modifications worked.
The neurological integration worked.
The magical abilities remained intact.
And somehow Cleopatra had become stronger than most super soldiers in the Foundation.
A cat.
A cybernetic cat.
With an adamantium skeleton.
Foundation database access.
Enhanced intelligence.
And magical abilities powerful enough to flatten buildings.
I looked at Alex.
Alex looked at me.
Neither of us spoke for a moment.
Then we both reached the same conclusion simultaneously.
"We should probably never tell Julius."
The laboratory doors opened.
Julius walked inside.
"Tell me what?"
I immediately sighed.
This was going to become a problem.