Prototype

Form One: “Embryo rejected, Day Forty-Seven.”

Form Two: “Embryo rejected, Day Thirty-Two.”

Forms Three through Twelve produced the same results, all within a similar time frame – ranging from one month to as old as four months. The embryos they were growing were unable to withstand the genetic altering and be carried to term.

“Again?!” he screamed. He calmed himself, “We’ll troubleshoot and start again in the morning.”

“Of course, Doctor,” his employee said before hanging up the home, leaving him alone at home.

His motivation to research methods of fertility and eventually to a synthetic uterus became his obsession quickly. Nights at the research facility became weekends, which became weeks, until finally his home was simply a nicer facility to shower in, and his bed was slightly more comfortable than his desk chair.

“Maybe I need a naturally sourced embryo? Meiosis of a human embryo may just be too complicated a process currently.”

The phone rang again.

“What now?” he seethed.

“Dr. Granat?” Dr. Malcolm asked over the telephone. His voice was stressed, but he was controlling it the best he could for the phone call.

“What is the matter?”

“I’m sorry for calling you so early, but we have an emergency,” Dr. Malcolm said frantically.

“What is the emergency?” Granat asked, but his patience with his employee was already starting to run out. He could not stand people who danced around the topic at hand.

Dr. Malcolm drastically slowed progress due his consistent desire to double and triple check his results. He was a brilliant scientist, but he was too fresh to the research world for his own good. He lacked the capacity to bend the rules; he limited the science.

“Dr. Granat, Project Bathos was rejected. The medical staff couldn’t do anything to prevent the miscarriage,” Dr. Malcolm stammered, as he always did when stressed.

Granat, at fifty-seven years of age, brushed his hand through his graying black hair. He rubbed his eyes to make them focus.

“Yes, thank you,” Granat said simply and then hung up the phone.

One of his previous attempts was successful, to a degree. It made it to term and was born of this world, as an insurance policy, as a failsafe. Sample: Theta was intended in the event of a disaster. Theta mimicked the power of whatever was present against it. It was an abomination; it barely even resembled a human, but it was a very effective countermeasure to a biological disaster. Unfortunately, it was too ugly and stupid to be used for his primary ambition.

If the media learned of the human experimentation he was performing, his career would be over in a millisecond. He needed an unmitigated success to bring his innovation to life, and to use.

He would have to start again, and this one would be Sample Omega. Sample: Omega’s brain chemistry would need to qualify as a genius by all modern psychological standards. The greatest problem with creating the specimen with so much intelligence is the specimen would also have the ability to think for itself, and “outside the box.” Sample: Omega would be able to behave for his purposes, but would also be capable of behaving selfishly.

Sample: Omega could prove to be the perfect success for his plans; using a pre-conceived embryo could be the answer he needed. He felt hopeful as he considered the prospect of the intelligent sample – he figured Sample: Omega would evolve with the times and blend in seamlessly. Sample: Omega gave Project: Bathos a whole new spectrum of purpose, and the possibility of excessive funding.

Granat started to search through his employee files for all the women in their child bearing years with male partners. He was going to find the perfect specimen.

The search finally stopped when he found a woman who asked for a day off next week to start her prenatal care. She was so perfect for his plans, healthy, smart, and already pregnant. She was almost too perfect to be real.

Soon, he thought while he took a sip of his nearly frozen coffee, I will have Sample: Omega’s embryo and start the genetic work. The child will be absolutely perfect.