Juan couldn’t believe it. Even for the rats, he’d had to filter out almost ninety-five percent of the genetic changes in order to produce a living specimen. It was an absolute miracle that these ignoramuses had any clinical subjects that survived.

A chill ran up Juan’s back.

My God, what kind of animal did they end up creating?

###

Wearing a positive-pressure protective suit—more commonly known as a blue suit—Juan sat on the tall lab stool in front of the class-three biosafety cabinet. The hum of the air circulator echoed through the small level-four containment lab.

Juan hated working in these. His suit and the guaranteed air inflow of the biosafety cabinet were the only things keeping him from being contaminated.

Since the dictaphone wouldn’t survive the chemical decontamination shower he’d have to undergo upon leaving the lab, Juan pressed the button on the side of his pressurized suit.

It activated the microphone built into the headpiece of his blue suit and was supposed to transmit whatever he said to whoever was listening to those damned recordings he’d been asked to make.

Picking up the specimen cage that he’d brought in with him, he placed it into the biosafety cabinet and for a moment, he felt a pang of sadness for the tiny white mouse.

This was probably not going to go well for the mouse.

“I’m putting the cage with the live specimen of mus musculus into the biosafety enclosure.”

Juan flipped another switch near the cabinet and said, “The video recorder is now on.”

Leaning forward, he reached into the cabinet and opened the small refrigerated unit that contained the contaminated samples.

“I’ve opened the refrigeration unit and am now extracting one of the biopsy samples taken from the calf.”

Juan opened one of the sealed evidence bags and with tweezers, extracted one of the cow biopsy samples that had been taken in the field. He watched the mouse and waited.

“The sample has been extracted. So far, no reaction from the test subject.”

He leaned closer, yet still keeping himself away from the open entrance to the cabinet. The fur on the mouse moved with the inflow of the air being sucked into the containment cabinet.

“The sample looks like it hasn’t undergone any decomposition. The flesh has maintained normal density and the coloration is also normal.”

Juan began rearranging the cage and the sample within the cabinet.

“So far, no reaction by the test subject. I’m placing the test subject behind the sample to ensure there’s exposure.

“The test subject has taken notice of what he surely sees as food and has placed his nose against the near side of the cage, facing the sample.”

Glancing up at the wall clock, Juan waited.

After a few minutes had gone by without any reactions from the mouse, Juan leaned forward and pulled out some of the other samples from the refrigerated storage.