Dr. Vella Memoris's Arc

Chapter 1 of 3

Vella pressed her palm against the glass and watched the creature's gills flutter one last time. Fourteen days of cellular bonding, then the slow collapse she'd seen three times before. The sky-eel genetics were rejecting the marsh-crawler base again, and this specimen was the only one left with the respiratory trait she needed. She turned from the glass enclosure and crossed to the wooden chest she kept against the far wall of the barndominium. The lock clicked open under her thumb. Inside, folded notes documented every attempt, every failure, every adjustment she'd made. She pulled out the file from attempt three and stared at the scan image. Eleven days that time. This one had made it to fourteen. The gate surrounding the enclosure began to pulse with amber light. The monitoring system detected the creature's failing vitals. In six hours, her family's security sweep would pass through this sector. They'd find the hybrid. They'd shut down everything. Vella locked the chest and walked back to the glass. The creature's eyes tracked her movement. Its gills opened once, closed. She could call for help now, admit how far she'd gotten, beg them to save this one specimen. Or she could watch it die and protect four months of work no one knew existed. She reached for her comm device and pressed the emergency contact. The line connected before she could change her mind.