Mark from the Biolab

You press the button, your breath catching in your throat as the recording plays. “John, this is Mark at the Biolab. I’ve got the results ready for you whenever you wanna go over them.”

Not giving yourself time to lose your nerve, you call Mark immediately. “Mark, it’s John. I just got your message.” At that moment you happen to see Doe sitting on the edge of the bed, watching you intently. You turn away from her slightly. “I understand. I’ll be there in just a few minutes.”

“I’m going with you,” Doe tells you as she stands up.

“There’s no reason for you to go…”

“There is every reason to go. My alpha, my mate, is about to risk his life so that I will not be alone. I am going with you, John.”

You nod slowly. “Then let’s go, love.”

The two of you walk hand in paw to the Biolab. When you enter, you find Mark sitting at his desk with his back turned to you. He sets down his coffee mug and picks up his notes as he turns slowly in his swivel chair. “Hey, John, I’ve got the preliminary results for you…” he stops suddenly when he sees Doe standing beside you.

“It’s okay, Mark. Go ahead.”

He nods, still a bit unsure. “Anyways, the preliminaries confirm the DNA mixed perfectly. Based on the information we retrieved from Doe’s tests and the gene splicing equipment we have here, I think that an initial Phase Two test would have a 78% success rate.”

“Any chance of raising those odds?” you ask.

Mark shrugs. “If we could get a few more positive samples like Doe, sure. But so far all of the other samples and trials have been negative. No offense, but at this point she is a scientific fluke, a genetic anomaly that we can’t recreate yet. Based on the perfect mixture of human and animal DNA and RNA in her body and what we know of genetic splicing and reengineering, we can manipulate and rewrite another person’s DNA to match Doe’s. But the margin of error is quite high.”

“What will happen if the test fails?” Doe asks. Despite her brave front, you notice the way her voice quivers slightly as she squeezes your hand.

Mark rubs his temple with his fingertips. “That’s where the margin of error comes in. Since we only have your DNA as a blueprint, we know it’s theoretically possible. Too little animal DNA could result in only a small change, if none at all. Too much DNA, we might get something too animal to use or communicate with. Plus there’s the psychological strain of having new abilities, weaknesses, and attributes being rewritten on a cellular level. The change could happen immediately, over time, or not at all. It might just show up as a recessive gene that can be passed on to the test subject’s kids.” Mark sighed. “We just don’t know.”

You steal a sideways glance at Doe. Her eyes, full of love and fear and concern, meet yours. “I’ll love you no matter what,” she whispers.

You nod, smiling bravely at her. “Get some rest, Mark. You and Doe are going to meet me at Doe’s pod at 0300. We’re going to go to Phase Two.”

Mark looks at you with unbelief. “But that’s insane! John, I know why you wanna do this but it’s insane. It’s too big a risk.”

You can’t help but smile at this. “Mark, we’re on a platform in international waters conducting what some countries would call illegal genetic research and surgery, all so we can better understand the human genome and find ways to combine DNA to create new beings. Safety and sanity went out the window a long time ago.”

Mark shakes his head. “Okay, I’ll do it. But I want it noted I’m doing this under protest in case anything goes wrong. And I think you’d do well to make out a will and take care of any last minute business you have, just in case.”