CHAPTER 4 #2
Lila nodded. “It’s… amazing, Mr. West. What you’re doing—” She swallowed and dropped her gaze. “It truly is something special.”
“And… how do you like Atlas?” Mr. West leaned against the desk. “He’s frightening, isn’t he?”
“Yes, but—” She bit her lip. “He’s fascinating.”
“He is,” nodded Mr. West. “And so is his genetics.” He sighed and leaned back.
“Did you know that his DNA is closer to ours than even our closest relatives on Earth? It’s extraordinary.
It forces us to re-evaluate the theory of evolution.
I’m sure Dr. Bryce has led you through the findings, and the difficulties with synthesizing his DNA. ”
Lila swallowed and nodded.
He hummed. “It’s so frustrating. His DNA is like a mirror of our own, yet it’s just different.
It’s like laying a three-thousand-piece puzzle, and just as I’m about to place the last piece, it doesn’t fit.
But we know why. It’s simply because he’s not from our ecosystem from our planet.
But, our DNA is so alike, we have a unique possibility. Could you guess what it is?”
Lila’s heart began to race. Slowly, she shook her head.
“With your grades and your biology degree, I’m sure you understand.” He smiled. “Come on, Miss Vernon. Have a guess.”
She swallowed. “C-cross breeding.”
Mr. West nodded seriously. “Almost. Hybridization. We’ve tried to splice his DNA with human DNA, but we haven’t succeeded. It’s just like that last piece again. So, we tried artificial insemination, but it didn’t work. Our last option is, well, natural conception.”
Lila felt faint. Her body trembled. Why did she have such a bad feeling?
“I bet you’ve wondered why we hired you, Miss Vernon; you’re so young, and lack the proper experience for such a project. But, to be honest, you don’t need that kind of experience for your purpose here.”
Lila could hardly breathe.
“Atlas chose you, himself,” Mr. West continued.
“We had over five hundred applicants. We had to sort out all the men, and then sort out everyone too old for the task. Then, we had to sort out those who didn’t pass the clinical tests.
Out of the remaining batch, we let Atlas choose his mate.
Yours was the face he lingered on, the one he chose. ”
She felt tears in her eyes. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. “So…” Her voice you barely carry. “So, you’re going to… inseminate me?”
“That was our first plan,” nodded Mr. West, but he furrowed his brows. “But, whenever we try to extract semen from the specimen, it’s as if it self-destroys. It’s mindboggling, and we’re at a loss. The last thing we can try is letting him do it himself.”
Lila widened her gaze and caught her breath in her throat. “W-what?”
“During the recruitment process, we subjected him to some… well, pornographic material in conjunction with the faces of the final women, which he seemed to respond quite well to. So, we’re fairly certain his way of reproducing mimics that of ours.”
Lila’s mouth was dry, she felt nauseous, and she could barely feel her legs.
“I’m going to be honest with you, Miss Vernon,” muttered Mr. West. “This isn’t what we wanted.
The procedure is risky, and you’re just as valuable to us as he is, if you’re able to carry his offspring.
Atlas is much bigger and stronger than a human, and we have very little knowledge of his mating habits.
We can only assume it’s similar to ours, given his anatomy.
What we’re about to attempt is unprecedented. ”
She shook her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. “No. I-I won’t do it.”
“You’ve signed a contract, Miss Vernon.”
“I didn’t sign up for this!”
“Yes, you did.” His voice turned harsh. “Suit yourself for not reading the fine prints, but it’s all there. Your body belongs to Howland maybe there’s another component that is needed, like a pheromone that is emitted during mating.
Another theory is that it must be done naturally, because the sperm must have something organic to cling to.
It could be anything, but if one of our theories is true, he will need a partner of flesh and blood.
If neither is true… well, at least, he will have company. ”
Lila tried to gather herself, but she could barely stop trembling. “And what if he kills me? Did you think about that? What if he tears me apart the moment we’re without that glass?”
Mr. West’s eyes were cold. “That’s a risk we’re willing to take.”
Lila tightened her fist and didn’t care about the tears that fell down her cheeks. She stood from her chair and spat, “You’re a fucking maniac, West.” His cold eyes were the last thing she saw before she stormed out of his office, half expecting armed guards to wait outside. But the hall was empty.
The tight corridors of the facility seemed to close in on her, never-ending as she strode toward her room. She passed Dean who asked her, with a surprisingly worried face, what was happening, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t stay for another moment.
Locking her door behind her, she pulled out her suitcase and started packing.
She didn’t care about folding her things, didn’t care about what was clean and not, and she just stuffed her bags.
It was Wednesday, and she knew there would be a helicopter leaving that night for a restock run—and she would be in that helicopter.
But she would have to be quick about it. She knew the pilot—Danny—and she was sure she would be able to convince him to let her go with him, but she couldn’t be seen running with a bag at dinner time. Tossing the bag into her laundry basket, she covered it with some sheets and unlocked the door.
Just as she opened it, she was faced with several armed security guards, Dr. Bryce, and Mr. West himself. Lila gasped loudly and took a step back inside her room.
“Miss Vernon,” muttered Mr. West. “Where are you going?”
Lila swallowed, but her throat was too dry. “T-to the laundry…”
Melinda’s mouth was pressed into a thin line, and she grabbed the sheet and revealed the suitcase in the basket. With a dark look, she glared at her. “You disappoint me, Lila.”
“Put her under,” muttered Mr. West to Melinda before he turned and left the room.
The security guys poured in. Lila screamed but was quickly silenced by the same men that had tried for months to get her in bed.
They held her steady while Melinda pulled out a large shot from her pocket, and a searing pain washed over her as the woman jabbed a needle into her neck.
Soon, the world started to blur, and before long, Lila slipped away into silence and darkness.