Dr. Molly Chen's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Dr. Molly Chen held the scalpel between two tentacle tips and tried to keep them from shaking. The blade wobbled. She set it down on the metal table and flexed all four tentacles, watching them curl and uncurl. Before the crash, before Auster's atmosphere rewrote her DNA, she'd had the steadiest hands in the surgical ward. Now she had tentacles instead of arms, and they moved like they had minds of their own. She picked up the scalpel again. This time, she used three tentacle tips together, gripping the handle from different angles. The blade held steady. A smile crossed her green face. If she could master these new limbs, she could perform surgeries no human surgeon ever could. Four arms working at once. Reaching impossible angles. Saving lives that would otherwise be lost. The tentacles trembled again, and the scalpel clattered to the floor. Molly cursed and looked up at the twisted metal beams above her. The crashed Celestial Station stretched around her in all directions, broken glass and debris covering every surface. She'd found this operating room three days ago, mostly intact. The surgical lights still worked. The tables were bolted down. It wasn't much, but it was hers. This wreckage would become her training ground. When she could hold a scalpel without dropping it, she'd move on to actual procedures. When she mastered that, she'd do surgeries no one else could attempt. One tentacle reached out and picked up the scalpel from the floor. She brought it back to the table and set it down gently. Progress, she told herself. Yesterday she couldn't even grip it. Tomorrow she'd practice suturing. The station had given her shelter and a workspace. Now she just needed patience.