by A. J. Ponder
Missy, her eyes stretched open to near breaking point couldn’t have looked more terrified. Brian, his face even paler than usual, turned to Lilly.
What was she supposed to do? This was a dangerous situation. And there was no point asking Squidge for help, he was turning a violent shade of green. His whole body shook in a reaction to Quetzee’s venom – or maybe it was the anti-venin. Either way, it was bad.
“Sure, we can make the dreadbeast in a week.” She shrugged in an effort to be casual. After all, better to live out the week, than die now. “That’s why we were emptying the AW, because we’re almost ready. But you have to realise the sterilization cycle takes a while … ”
“Whatever. Get your project finished by Christmas, or you’ll all go the same place as Prof and Unit Two.”
“B … but,” Brian stuttered. “Seven days is—”
Mr Big gave them all one last withering look and stormed out, the door slapping backward and forward behind him.
A moment later, Squidge also raced out of the lab, hand over his mouth.
Lilly, Quetzee cradled in her arms, followed. She could hear Squidge retching as he ran to the toilet.
“Emetic exsanguination,” Lilly swore, about to push in after him and make sure he was alright, when Brian barged past, Missy close behind.
“You guys okay?” she yelled after Brian and Missy.
Brian yelled something incomprehensible back.
“Good. I’m going to get on with the work. Call me if you need me.”
Another garbled reply from Brian, but it didn’t sound panicky. At least not as panicky as she was about not completing Mr Big’s dreadbeast. She had to worry about keeping her whole team alive. And their project was already so far from completion it wasn’t funny.
Dammit, it was hard to think. What if Squidge was not alright? What if he died? Her heart turned.
Focus, Lilly told herself. She took a deep breath as she walked through the lab doors. Somehow she needed to prioritise and get a viable critter into the AW tomorrow. Maybe she could get something viable ready. Even without Squidge.
She had one week. One week to incubate a near impossible monster. Or escape an inescapable lair.
“I need Squidge. And I need him now,” she said to nobody in particular.
“Prrrtssz?” Quetzee looked up at her. She smiled at him lying in her arms. Success. One impossible creature created – one absolutely unique and rather gorgeous creature. That had to count for something.
Didn’t it?
Only problem was, somehow it didn’t. Somehow she was in more danger than ever. And so were all her team. Especially Quetzee.
The End...not quite...
Watch out for Miss Lionheart and the Laboratory of Doom - Part 2: Twice Poisoned
1 Lilly decided Pinhead was as good a name as any for the muscled oaf in the pinstripes with a head at least two sizes too small.
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2 Phenotype: what a creature looks like – resulting from the interaction of the genotype (genetic code) and the environment.
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3 AW is an unofficial acronym for artificial womb
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Table of Contents
1•The Offer
2• Mr Big’s Hideout
3• The Menagerie
4• Dr Deathless
5• Uncertainty, Also Known as the Uncertainty Clause
6• In or Out?
7•Snakes, Rats and Spider Venom
8• Don’t Panic
9• Panic
10• Hope
11• Threatened
12• Twice Shy