VersaLife

"We make tomorrow look like yesterday."

- VersaLife's motto

The VersaLife Corporation is a large multinational company active since the 1970s. It specializes in pharmaceuticals, bioengineering and nanotechnology. VersaLife is a subsidiary of the mammoth firm Page Industries, whose owner is Bob Page. Its headquarters is located in Hong Kong, and has other major facilities such as in Roccasecca Beach, off the coast of San Francisco, USA.

History
The company was founded in 1976 as Versatile Life Solutions. In 1993, one of VersaLife's subsidiaries, White Helix Labs, performed a series of experiments on newborn babies, likely as part of an early attempt to develop augmentation technology. Adam Jensen was the only survivor of this series of experiments, thought lost when his birth parents burnt down the labs. The years prior to 2000 were described as VersaLife's "golden age", until it went into a sharp decline. Despite this, however, in 2008 it was one of several major biotechnolgy companies to participate in biotech research at the controversial Omega Ranch. VersaLife was eventually delisted from the NYSE as it continued to fall in value. This all changed in 2016 when the failing pharmaceutical giant was purchased by the, Page Industries. VersaLife did not start making a profit until it had been aquired by the larger conglomerate.

In 2020, Darrow Industries sold the patent to produce the anti-rejection drug Neuropozyne exclusively to VersaLife. Due to the rise in popularity of mechanical augmentations up to the mid 2020s, VersaLife made billions of credits through sales of the drug.

Neuropozyne
VersaLife's pharmaceutical products include paracetamol, a popular painkiller, as well as Neuropozyne. Since VersaLife is the only company producing Neuropozyne, it remains extremely expensive. Other alternatives to the drug exist, such as the relatively inexpensive Riezene. However, VersaLife maintains strict control of the patent for the anti-rejection drug which scares away competitors. The company continues to produce Neuropozyne even following the Aug Incident and the subsequent collapse of the augmentation industry. However, sales of the drug decline and the stocks of the company fall in response. VersaLife's CEO reassures its stockholders that the company will continue to perform well regardless. Page claims that "cutting edge research into infectious diseases and genome-based cures should turn a profit very soon".

Hyron Project
Up until 2027, VersaLife is involved in secret, unethical research related to the Hyron Project. The company has a number of employees stationed at the Rifleman Bank Station who are attempting to find compatible Hyron drone test subjects. This research is put to a stop following a leak of its existence by the Juggernaut Collective. However, VersaLife's involvement in the research is not made public, and instead Belltower Associates takes the fall for the scandal.

The Orchid
VersaLife's Orchid Project aims to find a way to remove the gene in humans that causes augmentation rejection. However, it is only useful as a way to prevent rejection if the removed gene is then replaced by another one. If the gene is removed without a replacement, the Orchid is almost always lethal to anyone it is administered to.

Disease cures
In the following years, VersaLife develops a cure for AIDS by utilizing nanite robots. An initial breakthrough occurs in 2027 when AIDS is successfully cured in lab mice. By the 2050s, a cure for the disease in humans is found, along with treatments for other viral infections such as the Century Flu.

Nanotechnology
By 2052, VersaLife is a commercial behemoth, with Maggie Chow as one of its directors. It specializes in nanotechnology, making several products involving nanites, such as nano-augmentations and nanotech swords. VersaLife is the sole source of the augmentation canisters and upgrade canisters found during the 2050s. It is responsible for developing multiple genetically modified organisms known as transgenics. These organisms include greasels, karkians and grays; although grays are simply a resurrected Illuminati experiment that was deemed unsuccessful when first performed. In order to create these products, VersaLife uses its Universal Constructor, one of the few in existence. In accordance with Majestic 12's plans for world domination, VersaLife also secretly produces the fatal Gray Death nano-virus as well as its vaccine, Ambrosia. As the source of both the virus and the only working cure, anyone susceptible to the virus is effectively at Majestic 12's mercy. Ambrosia is not a permanent cure, but rather only a temporary measure. By selectively increasing and decreasing the intensity of plague outbreaks while keeping the cure under tight rations, Majestic 12 is able to foster social disorder by dissolving the standard social classes.

Facilities
VersaLife's headquarters is based in Hong Kong from between 2027 and 2052. This building is composed of three major sections: the Data Entry facility, the Pacific Rim Research facility and the Nanotech Containment facility. The only part of the HQ open to the public is the Data Entry facility. All other sections are restricted to authorized personnel with the appropriate clearance. The VersaLife Corporation places high emphasis on security, to the point that even the receptionist in the Data Entry Facility will kill anyone who threatens the company. Very little trust is placed in regular employees. One staff member claims that he was held at gunpoint while performing a task for the corporation. Others are apparently intentionally infected with the Gray Death in order to reduce the risk of sensitive information being leaked. Some staff members, appearing to be regular Data Entry personnel, are in fact spies planted by Majestic 12 to oversee these regular employees. Certain workers, due to greed, disgruntlement or other reasons, can be persuaded to betray the firm, such as Richard Hundley, the shift supervisor in the Data Entry Facility.

VersaLife has a research facility at the Shackleton glacier in Antarctica. The Collapse cuts the base and its crew off from the world. The crew survive for some time, but are eventually overrun by cold, food shortage and transgenics. The transgenics adapt to the environment. The greasels and karkians roam wild, while the sentient grays are taken into care by JC Denton, and become the guardians of his sanctuary.

Trivia

 * VersaLife's motto can be heard in one of the episodes of the first Season of Max Headroom, by the old Australian punk hacker.
 * The USA Network TV show Suits mentions a company called Versalife in S04E12, which is a client of Pearson Specter. It is most likely that the name was unintentionally plagiarized from this game series.