"Biological evolution takes infinitely longer to occur than scientifical development. Our technology has advanced and our bodies have not. It only makes sense to use one to improve the other. At S&S, every morning we sit at our desks and ask ourselves: how can we improve life?"
— Emma Schäfer, CEO.
Schäfer & Schäfer Headquarters Interior - Art by Uroš Jovanović
S&S does not have the long history that other large mega-corporations are known for. The company started its meteoric rise less than 20 years ago when twins Emma and Renate Schäfer decided to put their combined medical and business expertise to work in a joint venture. Renate was a prominent medical researcher, and Emma had a natural gift for branding and marketing.
The company started making experimental vaccines and palliative treatments for the pandemic of 2095. The initial products were highly effective, but each twin held equal company shares. Renate was reluctant to prioritize profit, declaring on more than one occasion that her products should help humankind in the long run and not merely make her rich. She was nominated for the Medicine and Peace Nobel Prizes but asked not to be considered.
The company started making experimental vaccines and palliative treatments for the pandemic of 2095. The initial products were highly effective, but each twin held equal company shares. Renate was reluctant to prioritize profit, declaring on more than one occasion that her products should help humankind in the long run and not merely make her rich. She was nominated for the Medicine and Peace Nobel Prizes but asked not to be considered.
S&S Facility Exterior - Art by Pavle Majstorovic
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After a few years, Renate retired from public life and the S&S board of directors. She hasn't been seen publicly for over a decade and announced her retirement in a recorded message. Emma immediately took over the CEO position, and the company changed its business strategies and research priorities. S&S started focusing on developing and aggressively marketing opioids, painkillers, and performance-enhancing drugs. These highly addictive drugs were first introduced as part of new medical cocktails for common ailments but, after a few years, the company began selling them as separate, more potent products at an increased price.
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With both the masses and the elite hooked on their products, some because they had an actual need for treatment and others because they were addicted to their recreational use, S&S lobbied the Unified Swiss Commonwealth of European States into relaxing the quality requirements for drug manufacturing and legalizing almost all recreational drugs. The company then started developing cheaper, less pure, and more harmful recreational drugs to keep the masses dependent on their products while offering a premium, safer line of drugs to its more affluent customers. At the same time, S&S started building and managing drug rehabilitation centers all over the globe, offering people the chance to break free of their addictions. However, the rehabilitation costs are so out of reach for most people that they often end up indebted to S&S for decades.
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S&S Facility Interior - Art by Pavle Majstorovic
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On some occasions, the company has offered to reduce the debt of those who accept participating in medical trials as subjects.
S&S Arctic Facility - Art by Pavle Majstorovic
Shortly after securing this endless revenue stream, S&S started heavily investing in researching and producing high-tech prosthetics and genetic manipulation technology. Some of these enhancements aim to augment physical performance and are popular amongst athletes, soldiers, and the like. In contrast, others offer connectivity to technological devices, such as neuronal implants, allowing users to interact with computers and other devices without needing peripherals. Although some are so dangerous that they require regulation, S&S products have no problem reaching the black market, often straight off the assembly line, but under other brands and with lower quality.
The company has been accused of using its products to interfere with its customers' bodily and mental autonomy and has been on trial for these accusations more than once. All cases have been dismissed rapidly due to obscure interpretations of the law, which absolve S&S of any responsibility. All the judges involved in the cases so far have been seen receiving complimentary implants and recreational premium drugs after the rulings. The laws that forbade this behavior were repealed in previous years thanks to the lobbying S&S had done.
The company has been accused of using its products to interfere with its customers' bodily and mental autonomy and has been on trial for these accusations more than once. All cases have been dismissed rapidly due to obscure interpretations of the law, which absolve S&S of any responsibility. All the judges involved in the cases so far have been seen receiving complimentary implants and recreational premium drugs after the rulings. The laws that forbade this behavior were repealed in previous years thanks to the lobbying S&S had done.
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Conspiracy theories seem to imply that S&S is constantly trying to secure human test subjects for its R&D Department and that they are ultimately involved in human trafficking. Some even suggest that the company has been trying to secure cloning technology to provide them with nearly endless test subjects. S&S strongly lobbied for the legalization of cloning, although some confidential documents surfaced and forced the UN to issue a ban on the subject. The company has an agreement with a London-based defense company with several contracts for managing private prisons that allow S&S access to inmates for testing. Whether or not the defense company is legally allowed to make use of their prisoners in this way has been the center of a lot of debate.
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S&S Headquarters Interior - Art by Uroš Jovanović
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Secret Experiment at Undisclosed Location - Art by Uroš Jovanović
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S&S's buildings and uniforms all share a minimalistic aesthetic, often in colors that project a hospital or health clinic look. Their main office in Zurich is a domed, sleek white building. This building houses the company's central laboratory, which conducts drug development, experimental research, and equipment production activities. This lab rivals the most advanced genetic manipulation facilities. At the bottom of this immense workplace is a pool of antiseptic and refrigerant liquid pumped throughout the building's walls by the primary energy core, a lustrous radiant orb that gives life to the whole operation. Suspended above the cooling liquid hangs a catwalk flanked by vats of cryogenic liquid with test subjects inside. The content of the vats is cataloged as "organic material," and no other details are available.
Most S&S personnel sport lab coats, scrubs, or PPE made of hydrophobic material to prevent stains and contamination. A filthy appearance is considered valid grounds for dismissal within the company. This strict dress code and the constant threat of discipline give visitors and employees alike the feeling that they are in a place where they should always keep their voices and heads down so as not to invite punishment. |
ABOUT THE CEO
Emma Schäfer Full Body Concept by Joi Rudin
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Emma Schäfer is the youngest CEO in Fortuna Magazine's Top 10 CEOs That Keep The World Moving. She is currently 35 years old and began her rise to fortune and power when she was only 18. Her sister Renate was a medical genius, and Emma's primary function was initially to keep the company financially viable and not necessarily profitable. Later on, Emma experimented with test batches of the painkillers her sister developed and became increasingly aggressive and unstable. Rumors indicate that her addiction problems deteriorated her relationship with her sister and ultimately were the cause of Renate's retirement. Others believe that Renate is, in fact, dead, killed by Emma during a psychotic episode and that the recorded message attributed to Renate is Emma impersonating her sister to achieve total control of the company.
Regardless of what might have happened, the reality is that after Renate was out of the picture, Emma became even more unstable. She began investing in projects aimed at genetic modification and genome editing, claiming that she could elevate people's bodies to become "superhuman." So far, most body enhancements S&S offers the public do not provide superhuman qualities, only improving existing characteristics. However, some sources claim that S&S' Research & Innovation Department still pushes the human body to new limits in secret laboratories conducting non-sanctioned experiments. |
Emma provides the rich and powerful with quality recreational drugs, which has earned her their favor and loyalty. She has used this influence to modify laws that would have prevented S&S from marketing medicines to children and would have made the company liable for any adverse effects its products might have. Emma has been caught on record saying that she has a "higher mission" and that side effects are "stepping stones on the road to a better world." The fact that these side effects can sometimes destroy the lives of those who suffer them does not seem important to Emma.
She had been lobbying for the legalization of human cloning for several years now, claiming that this technology would allow S&S to clone cells taken from people with hereditary conditions, correct their genetic code, and then replace the damaged organs. The company has stated that the process would involve cloning isolated organs. Still, some rumors existed that it consisted of cloning entire human embryos, accelerating the growth of the required organs until they were ripe for harvesting, and then disposing of the rest. Other sources speculated that S&S wants clones to be used as an endless supply of test subjects. Regardless, after disturbing images of S&S infrastructure and personnel involved in apparently illegal cloning research surfaced, the UN's Bioethics Committee has issued a ban on experiments regarding human cloning.
Emma's hair is short and blond, and she has blue eyes. She mostly wears white and is obsessed with cleanliness. People who have interviewed her previously say that she always looks confused as if her mind is somewhere else, but that is highly defensive and quite paranoid. Being in the same room with her has been described as "being in the presence of a marketing genius, a mental patient, a frightened cobra, or maybe the amalgamation of all three."
She had been lobbying for the legalization of human cloning for several years now, claiming that this technology would allow S&S to clone cells taken from people with hereditary conditions, correct their genetic code, and then replace the damaged organs. The company has stated that the process would involve cloning isolated organs. Still, some rumors existed that it consisted of cloning entire human embryos, accelerating the growth of the required organs until they were ripe for harvesting, and then disposing of the rest. Other sources speculated that S&S wants clones to be used as an endless supply of test subjects. Regardless, after disturbing images of S&S infrastructure and personnel involved in apparently illegal cloning research surfaced, the UN's Bioethics Committee has issued a ban on experiments regarding human cloning.
Emma's hair is short and blond, and she has blue eyes. She mostly wears white and is obsessed with cleanliness. People who have interviewed her previously say that she always looks confused as if her mind is somewhere else, but that is highly defensive and quite paranoid. Being in the same room with her has been described as "being in the presence of a marketing genius, a mental patient, a frightened cobra, or maybe the amalgamation of all three."