Chapter 3

Tuesday, August 16, 2086

Base III, Moon

12:37 PM

Esme Powers clasped her hands together in glee. "Yes!" she exclaimed to no-one in particular, admiring the test tube in front of her. It contained a strain of virus that seethed and bubbled, demanding to be freed. 

A reminder appeared on the holographic tablet she had on her desk- her shuttle was due to leave in two hours, and she needed to be prepared. Esme carefully inserted a needle into the tube, drawing a sample into ten vials. Her work was nearly done.

Carefully, Esme labelled each one. Corn, potatoes, wheat, rice, and soybeans. Cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep, and goats. Her work was complete- the only remaining task would be to continue the production of her virus samples and the antidote. 

She did a careful sweep of the hidden laboratory, making sure she wasn't leaving anything incriminating. Esme ordered a bio-scan to destroy any biological traces she might have left- fingerprints wiped away, sweat dissolved, hairs crumbled into ash. The final step was to hide the vials on her person. After some careful deliberation, she decided on the minor surgery she had already scheduled. 

Esme lowered herself into the pre-programmed MedBot that would implant the vials in her ribcage, surrounded by a fine layer of cushioning gel. It was fully reversible and would appear to be a breast implant if anyone happened to request an Xray or full-body scan. Any traces of the virus would be hidden by her own biological identity.

It was a perfect plan, and she would execute it flawlessly. All that remained was for her to undergo the surgery. She would wake up on Planet Earth.

Esme closed her eyes as the needle containing her anesthetic pricked her arm. It was old-fashioned, but she liked the sharp pain. It made her feel more human- as human as a woman with a cyber implant could, anyway.

A timer flickered in her eyelids, telling her that she had ten seconds until she would fall asleep. 

Nine. Eight. Seven.

The whirring of the MedBot was reassuring as it calibrated the sharp scalpels. 

Six. Five. Four.

The ten vials were aligned in the body of the machine- animals to the left, plants to the right. 

Three. Two. One.

Esme Powers relaxed as she slipped into a state of unconsciousness, knowing that she was going to change the world. 

The timer hit zero, and Esme's world went blank.

⦓⦔

Wednesday August 17 2086

BASE, New York

1:30 AM

Nadia Chase, who had been awake for nearly three consecutive days, was on the verge of tears. But she had to steel herself- she had to deliver tiger cubs.

"I'm not even licensed to do this!" she had protested. "I'm a wild cat behaviorist, not a veterinarian!"

But BASE had been unable to find another person more qualified than Nadia, so she had been allowed thirty minutes of sleep and then been rushed to the hastily rearranged 'delivery room', which until that day had been an unused kennel run. 

"Does anyone have a pair of gloves?" Nadia asked. "I don't really feel like digging around in a tiger's blood bare-handed."

"There isn't enough time," responded Peter. The biologist was watching Tanni push with great fascination. "You're going to have to go in there."

Nadia sighed and pulled up her frizzy hair into a bun in one quick movement. "Okay. I'm going to do this, but I need someone to bring me a gallon of stimulant so that I don't crash." 

One of her apprentices dashed off while Nadia entered the makeshift delivery room. "Hey, Tanni girl." she said warmly, not making eye contact with the large feline. Tanni growled, warning her not to get too close.

Nadia crept a few inches nearer to the female, admiring her bloated stomach. Tanni's eyes lost focus slightly as Nadia drew closer. Hot breath wafted from a blood-stained muzzle. 

The two made eye contact. Predatory golden eyes stared into bleary brown ones, at a standstill. "I'm here to help," murmured Nadia. The tiger heaved a sigh and put her head down, allowing the behaviorist access to her abdomen. "Perfect." Nadia spoke softly and made no sudden movements so that the camera lens she wore in her eye and the microphone patch on her throat could catch every detail.

Nadia carefully trailed her fingers across the tiger's distended stomach, noting the frequency of her heaving breaths. "It's alright, Tanni."

Tanni seemed to understand the reassurance, letting out a rumbling purr. Her body went suddenly limp, then she yowled and writhed. Nadia dove out of the way just as a meaty paw swung where her face was just a moment before. Heart racing, Nadia stood up and prepared to make an exit when a tiny, rasping cry came from behind Tanni. She was trailing a mess of blood behind her- and a cub. The mewling infant was quickly noticed by its mother, who gripped it between her paws and, with a contented sigh, began to groom it.

The tiger's maternal instinct surprised Nadia because she had been created in a test tube and grown in an artificial womb. Scientists and researchers like Nadia had been the only mother figure in Tanni's life. But the overwhelming amount of estrogen and oxytocin flowing through her bloodstream were, apparently, enough to teach her what to do. 

"That's one cub down." Nadia whispered. She was crouching in the corner of the kennel, momentarily fully awake. Somewhere in her exhausted mind, she registered that her calves and ankles were killing her, and her vision was already beginning to fade slightly as her prescription eye drops dissolved. But in the exhilarating glow of the moment, all she could see was the mother and baby. Tanni's deep purrs were all the information Nadia needed. 

Roughly fifteen minutes passed before Nadia remembered about the twin. On cue, Tanni's eyes dilated. Her large mouth opened as she panted slightly, and her back paws scratched at the bedding hastily arranged in a corner. She jolted, once, twice, three times, and scrambled to the opposite corner of the kennel. Nadia furrowed her brow in anticipation of the birth, but nothing happened. Tanni repeatedly yowled in pain, and as she whirled around, Nadia caught a glimpse of the reason. The cub was trapped in its mother's birth canal, struggling to get out.

"I need a vet in here, stat! Get me a tranquiliser and some formula for the baby. We might need to do surgery." Nadia's voice caught on the word surgery- she was desperately trying to remain calm, but the stimulant she had downed an hour ago was leaving her system and exhaustion was catching up to her. Get it together, you're a professional. And all of this is going to be on the Datastream soon. 

Nadia rubbed some tranquiliser cream, handed to her by an apprentice, on her hand and caught the tiger's flank as she whisked by, nearly trampling her baby. Nadia grabbed the squealing infant in her arms, cradling it but not daring to leave the room in case it caught Tanni's attention.

The wild-eyed tiger continued to race around, panicking even as the tranquilisers went into effect. "That's not safe," fretted Nadia. "She's going to hurt herself."

Peter, who at some point had entered the room, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "She'll be fine."

Nadia turned to her bespectacled colleague as Tanni collapsed, quivering.

"We need to operate, now. This is a matter of life and death."

Peter handed her a scalpel. "I can't do that, Nadia. Only you can." 

Nadia groaned slightly, but she took the scalpel reluctantly and started towards the tiger lying prone on the kennel floor. "You owe me for this, Peter."

"How about helping me with my proposal for a budget raise? I have a sneaking suspicion that we're going to need one very soon."

"Done."

Heaving a great sigh, Nadia prepared to do a surgery no scientist had performed for thirty years. 

**Remember to like this chapter and add this to your stories if you want to keep up with Nadia and the gang!