Junkyard

17/9/2020

I was in the lab checking out the latest blood samples when a Sauturan in a white lab coat called for me. I had no idea who he was. He looked too young to be on this team, but there was no time to clarify his identity when what the Sauturan said registered.

"Come quickly, Dr Juniper! The baby has started kicking!" He was saying. His body was positively vibrating and his hoofs ready to set off any moment.

Finally, some activity! Dr. Genome and I had been worried something had went wrong with the baby and I was just checking the blood samples for any deficiencies. It had been 4 months since the egg was implanted into the surrogate, but with no previous examples before us, we had no idea how long it would take before the baby developed. Dr. Genome had been especially nervous since this was his project and was even preparing another set of females on the side.

Of course, I was absolutely delighted to hear this news. I rattled off a series of questions to the Sauturan youngling as we rushed to the location, not really caring if he had answered. I could just check with surveillance monitors later.

The surrogate and baby were roomed in a spacious enclosure in the heart of the facility. The walls were black mirrors, to offer some sense of privacy for those inside. The humans crave their privacy, no matter how genuine it may be. It seemed like an utter waste of resources to me.

When we arrived, I had to calm down the jittery youngling, who had introduced himself as Parkeet Ovido and was apprenticing under one of the secondary division doctors in this facility apparently, as I feared his nervous excitement would cause anxiety in the surrogate mother. I deactivated the mirrors so that the occupant could see we were approaching before we stepped through the enclosure.

As usual, the human quaked and shrank into the corner. I understood the protective behaviour and paused, crouching down a distance away from her.

Unfortunately, Parkeet was none the wiser. I should have a word with his master later on. Such an impulsive one should not be allowed into this facility.

Parkeet had the sense to walk slowly towards the human. Once he stood over her though, he reached down and scooped up the trembling creature and carried her over to me, as if an injured pet.

The human female screamed and snarled in the youngling's hold, arms and legs thrashing and if it were not for a Sauturan's naturally superior strength and height, he would have fallen over and been mauled. Now, it seemed the human was just damaging herself.

"Put her down, San Ovido. No need to do something like that. Sit down now and hold her between your body." I seethed at the youngling, who looked properly cowed by my face. Good. No wants want to argue with an angry Devithian right next to them.

He did as he was told, and I moved closer.

The female was repeating some words over and over again, which I made out to be some sort of plea to a person.

"Plisss God, Plisss, God help me, plisss, help me." She chanted with widened eyes. Her limbs were locked tightly to her body.

"Shhhh," I cooed and rubbed her legs. This should be universal language for comforting, but she didn't react in any way besides blinking. I moved closer and rubbed her protruding belly, trying to get a sense of her insides through feelers on my palms.

Suddenly, there was a kick on her lower belly. I didn't feel it so much as saw it. And what a powerful kick! I must record this down. Dr. Genome would be delighted. The project is close to success.

I pulled out my holopad and placed it over the female's belly. A foetus the size of a fruit showed itself on a screen, curled up front facing. As if sensing we were spying on it, it gave another tremulous kick. The female whined and I rubbed her thighs soothingly.

After I had several shots of the foetus and taken measurements, Parkeet let go of the human who stayed where she was as if dazed. I told the youngling this was normal, and she would go back to whatever she had been doing before once we leave. I promptly exited, not wanting to cause the female any more stress. Turning back once, I saw him petting and massaging the female's shoulders and head in smooth strokes. Interestingly, she seemed to relax a little. Hmm...perhaps I should try that next time.

I decided to visit Dr. Genome's side of the facility to share the news and check out the progress of his side project. Dr. Genome was a Rulan from the crystal world, Rule. He possessed his people's natural beauty and grace, but that did not make him any less of a scientist. If anything, I considered him on a higher field. He had the patience and charisma to deal with anyone and anything, unlike me.

One side of his lab was filled with wondrous plants and crystals from his home world while the other was lined with several clear-walled enclosures. I arrived just in time as Genome was entering of one of them, holding a pump and a tube of fluid that must be filled with the embryo we had cultivated from skin cells of prehistoric humans – the Neanderthals.

"Ah! Dr. Juniper! I'm just about to begin insemination. If Clarise doesn't work out, Alice will be our new hope. She's in her sixteenth cycle. I read that primitive humans mated early. Neanderthals even more so. As such, Alice here would be at the ideal age." Genome paused to greet me. He gestured to the lanky brown-haired occupant inside who was eyeing him warily, but otherwise sedated. Genome waited till I have entered before continuing. "It would have been more ideal if the council could arrange for a mating event with the males instead of artificial impregnation. It is a pity we don't have the resources."

"I'm sure when this project is a success, which it will be when I tell you this recent development on Clarise, the council will have no choice but to provide more funds. It would be a real waste if they decided not to look more into human ancestry. They are utterly fascinating creatures." I motioned for the doctor to proceed with his work.

"Cloning Neanderthals was a good place to start. But you are absolutely right, it would be a real waste if they do not want to go further into the 10 million years of history in human genome. Imagine birthing the first human all over again!" Genome knelt beside the human female and laid down the tube.

The humans in the other enclosures were staring at us with wide eyes, some snarling, some resting passively and some scratching themselves. I wondered why they did that. That behaviour should be checked for before they do serious harm to themselves.

When my eyes went back to Genome, he was massaging the female's reproductive tract – the vulva it was called – as he slowly pumped the embryo into it. Sometime later, the vagina narrowed and clenched, the doctor removed the pump, the fluid completely absorbed into the female. The female's eyes rolled back into her head and we exited the enclosure.

"So, what exciting news do you have for me?" Genome spoke as he was washing the pump and tube.

Like me, he was delighted with the update. Was it just the previous sol cycle we were collecting samples from Earth? It certainly felt like it. We were going to go places with this project!