LITMIR.BIZ

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usually took eighteen to twenty minutes without traffic jams. This time Kayla arrived in thirteen.

      The first thing she did was take out all the food that needed to be placed in the refrigerator. Kayla put everything else aside for later, leaving the bags and work bag lying in the kitchen. To save time, she decided not to change clothes. Once in her home laboratory, into which she had converted one of the bedrooms, Kayla put on medical gloves, and then began studying new samples of her months-long experiment. She took out a chicken egg from the incubator. Before starting work, Kayla turned on the voice recorder on her phone:

      – Study of sample number «forty-five». Twelve days have passed since fertilization. The appearance of the egg is healthy. There are no damage or defects observed on the shell around the hole through which fertilization took place. I’m autopsying the egg.

      Kayla lightly tapped the shell with a scalpel and poured the contents into a plastic container.

      – As in all previous attempts, the yolk and white are missing. Instead, there is the same liquid watery consistency, which in some places is yellow in color, and most of it is dark gray. There is a fetus inside.

      Kayla picked up the creature with tweezers, which was covered in mucus from the environment in which it lived. She transferred it to a wide glass container and continued the audio recording:

      – The fetus has a flesh-colored pale pink tint. The sample size is about four to five centimeters in length and up to one centimeter in width. The shape is different from most of the previous ones. At one end there is a black bulge, similar to an eye. In the middle of the body along the edges there is something resembling limbs that have not yet had time to ripen and separate. There is also a gap visible at the opposite end, the length of which is about one and a half centimeters. The sample makes slight movements in the area of the black bulge. Compared to previous attempts, this sample is more similar to a human embryo. Perhaps the higher temperature at which the egg was stored had an effect.

      Kayla fixed the moving creature with tweezers, took the scalpel with her other hand and said, without taking her eyes off the twitching limb:

      – I’m performing an autopsy.

      Dr. Fox made a longitudinal incision, after which she took blood samples using a syringe, which she immediately placed on a slide glass and covered with a second one, causing the drop to expand. Kayla placed the glass with the samples under the microscope and began to examine the contents. At that moment the intercom rang.

      With a feeling of irritation and impatience, after the seventh ring, Kayla still went into the hallway.

      – Who’s there?

      – Hello. Dr. Fox?

      – Yes.

      – My name is Stephen Frost. I am looking for a broad-spectrum specialist in the field of biology. You were recommended by our mutual friend, Miguel Guimaraes. He said that you have considerable experience in hydrobiology, molecular and microbiology. In this regard, I have a business proposal for you. Will I bother you too much if I take a few minutes?

      A grimace of impatience appeared on Kayla’s face. She answered, trying to imitate politeness in her voice as much as possible:

      – Not at all. Come on in.

      Pressing the button on the intercom body, Kayla hurried to close the laboratory door with the key.

      Pulling the front door towards her, from the threshold she saw the tall man in a business suit and highly polished shoes walking along the courtyard path in her direction.

      – Hello again – Frost said with a smile.

      Kayla Fox nodded in greeting and invited him inside. Before he had even taken a few steps around the house, Frost turned to her:

      – Miss Fox, I will try not to take up a lot of your time, because I understand that you are a busy person, and I have to rush all day today. Therefore, with your permission, I will get straight to the point.

      Kayla suddenly noticed that the man was saying these words without taking his eyes off her hands. And only now she remembered that she had not taken off her laboratory rubber gloves.

      – Oh, that’s what you’re talking about. It’s OK.

      – So I didn’t distract you from anything important? Can we talk?

      – Of course – Kayla answered, continuing to perform the play in her own small drama theater. – Let’s sit down.

      Frost sat down on the soft upholstery of the leather chair and waited for Kayla to sit down on the chair on the opposite side of the coffee table.

      – I represent the company «Best Technologies». Have you heard about this?

      – Still would. This year all laboratories of our university were equipped with your centrifuges and microscopes.

      – So we can omit this part. – Frost then pulled out several printed images from his inside jacket pocket and handed them to Kayla, adding: – Before we start our conversation, would you do me a favor and take a look at something?

      Kayla took the pictures and began to examine the contents in detail.

      – What will be your opinion? – Frost asked, waiting for her reaction.

      The biologist looked at the pictures in bewilderment for almost a full minute. She turned the pictures around, looking at the image from different angles, and then asked, without taking her eyes off the pictures:

      – And if it’s not a secret, where did you photograph this?

      – Several years ago, our company began a program for the development of deep ocean layers. A group of specialists developed and lowered an unmanned amphibious vehicle to the ocean floor. And this is what this device discovered.

      The first two photographs showed an individual of a fish species unknown to modern science. The first thing that caught an eye were the fins on the sides with pointed ends, the absence of eyes and the translucent purple color. The other two photos showed a strange creature that looked like a cross between a crab and a squid. The main part of the organism resembled a squid, but instead of tentacles there were legs, like crabs.

      – The quality of the pictures is not very high. We had to shoot under floodlights because it was completely dark. But the main details can be seen.

      Kayla said, sighing in surprise:

      – Well, it’s hard for me to say anything specific. This appearance may be the result of adaptation to a specific external environment. Organisms are formed as they are by the environment in which they live. That is, here we are no longer talking about evolution or long-term adaptability to external conditions. Rather, they are simply characteristics of organisms that ensure survival in a particular ecosystem.

      Having listened to the end, Frost began to expound:

      – Our company is planning a research expedition to the abyssal of the Atlantic Ocean. To do this, we need a group of reputable scientists. How do you feel about your participation in this type of research?

      Frowning, Kayla clarified:

      – Did you say «abyssal»?

      – Exactly.

      – But how?

      – Miss Fox, high technology is our specialty.

      Maintaining a puzzled face, Dr. Fox for some time imagined traveling to such distant ends of the Earth. But it was still difficult to digest this. She asked another question:

      – How long is this expedition planned?

      – The voyage will last a little over two months.

      – Is this a single expedition? Or…

      – Considering the value of the data that

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