LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter Five: Leaps and Bounds
Day 11
Laboratory Room 12
Science Wing
United Space Systems Vessel California
16:16 hours
Teresa claps her hands in excitement before reaching for a large glass container. Inside the container, a roach-like creature crawls slowly over a mound of detritus. Teresa twirls in her seat to face Harold and Bess, who have just walked into the laboratory.
“Ladies and Gentleman…You are looking at…The new and improved Judas Breed 4.0,” Teresa laughs.
Bess squeals and walks quickly to stand beside Teresa’s chair. She carefully takes the heavy glass container from her boss’ hands.
“Oh wow,” Bess coos. “She’s beautiful!”
Harold rolls his eyes and shrugs. He peers at the insect inside the container with an expression which says he'd much rather blow chucks of last week's salad than be in the same room with it.
“Not exactly the word I would use to describe that thing,” Harold says. “But to each their own.”
Harold awkwardly takes the glass container from Bess and studies the abominable thing inside. He looks askance at Teresa.
“She’s rather big,” Harold says, concern in his voice. “How many generations did it take to achieve viability?”
Teresa pulls both feet up into the chair and reclines her chin on her knees. Harold watches his boss with interest, secretly longing for the day when he can reveal his true feelings. Maybe once their project is complete. Roaches aren’t the only things that can breed on this ship. However, Harold is sure that once they’ve fleshed out their relationship status, he will be forced to leave the team. No fraternization clauses and all that.
“Well,” Teresa begins. “While you two were off enjoying a nice three day weekend…I was here in the lab…With my babies. This girl is a fourth gen. The growth accelerator is working as intended. The first few specimens died after only nine to thirteen hours. Most were sterile. No forced parthenogenesis. No viable eggs. I had no choice but to go the artificial insemination route. This girl has lived for fifteen hours. And counting. But—,”
Teresa drops her feet back to the floor and nearly leaps from her chair. Exiting her private lab, and entering the main laboratory, Dr. Boyd practically skips over to a small stasis ball in a wall cubicle. She waves Harold and Bess over. The lab assistant, and the technician, approach cautiously. Teresa waves more excitedly, urging them to hurry.
“Come on. Come on. It won’t bite,” Teresa chuckles.
Bess’ mouth drops open as she catches a glimpse of what is inside the wall cubicle.
“Oh my god,” Bess exclaims. “An oothecae. Dr. Boyd, she had babies. Oh my god…It birthed viable young. ”
“Now…Hold on there, Bess,” Teresa cautions. “We don’t know that. It could be a dud. All we can do is wait. But I also suspect...She's got another bun in the oven. We'll know in an hour or two."
Harold presses his face to the glass of the stasis wall cubicle and stares at the egg case inside.
“It’s so big, Dr. Boyd,” he says with alarm. “How many eggs do you think are in there?”
Teresa shrugs and claps both hands.
“Who knows?” she exclaims. “And I’m not going to risk harming those eggs. We’ll just have to put our old patience caps on and wait until they hatch.”
Harold takes this as his cue and puts an arm around both women’s shoulders.
“I think this is cause for a celebration,” Harold says between a laugh. “I’m buying dinner.”
Teresa gives Harold a quizzical look.
“It’s only 4:30 in the afternoon, Harold,” she says.
“So, we’ll eat early,” Harold insists, peering down into Teresa’s smiling face. “Maybe later, we can all tell stories and eat s'mores by the light of a simulated fire?”
Teresa stares up into Harold’s face, almost certain that she should be reading more between the lines of his actual words. There is a new tension in their relationship. She has felt it for a few days now. And for just as many days, she has chosen to ignore it. It is for the best. She cannot afford to get sidetracked.
“Okay. An early dinner it is,” Teresa says agreeably.
Harold’s eyes narrow slightly and his smile broadens.
“Great. Let’s go,” Harold chimes with excitement.
Harold still has his arms draped over both women’s shoulders as they leave the main laboratory. On Teresa’s desk, the over-sized cockroach takes a bite of the dead material littering the bottom of its glass case.
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Habitat Wing
Chief Engineer McAvoy storms angrily through the corridor. His eyes are narrowed and his mouth is drawn into a firm line. He crosses the spacious common area without acknowledging a single wave or greeting. He is a man on a mission.
Authenticating his identity and stepping into his quarters, Theodore plops down on his plush desk chair and powers on his computer. Theo's hands fly over the keyboard and he shoves an earpiece into his ear. An encrypted message glows on the screen. While a computerized voice emanates from the computer's speakers.
"The message you are about to download has been sent from a secure channel. Only authorized personnel may view the information contained within this message. Please do not open this message or disseminate it in any way, if you do not have clearance to view this encrypted information. Please proceed with the necessary identity verification protocols."
"Oh, cut the crap!" Theo says under his breath. "Always trying to cover their asses."
Furiously typing in various passwords, and performing other verification actions, Theo sighs when he finally is able to view the message. A smile explodes onto his face.
"That's what I like to see," Theo nearly groans with ecstacy. "I figured that was how this was gonna play out."
Typing expediently, Theo sends an encrypted reply. Now, all he has to do it wait. Climbing to his feet, Theo decides to take a nice long shower.
Now, comes the hard part. Sonic shower, or gallons and gallons of hot Dayshadow Industries supplied water from the storage tanks? Theo decides to go with the water. Even at two credits a gallon, he figures he can now afford it.