R-Anti Virus 137

Fizzling, above a fluorescent light bulb flickered between life and death but hung on just to annoy those more attentive to details in the more high stress of times. It was dying, but not quite dead, and because of this wasn’t deemed a ‘priority’ even in what could be considered a ‘high end’ laboratory that housed some of the smartest scientists this area could find. All of it was trivial in the end, but it was always strange what a business would consider more important than another things.

Around the lab, other scientists were cleaning up after their shifts. All looked worn and tired as they were shuffling together their papers and notes, trying to put them loosely together to go into the manilla colored folders. A few were more anal about how neat their work was, but others just wanted to get things close enough to where it was meant to be so they could leave and try to get in those much needed hours of rest before the next shift or task was handed out. It was tireless work, the pay leaving much to be desired, but everyone there stayed for more than just the paycheck they got to compensate for how they spent their lives.

Among the lingering coated workers left, a darker skinned male was left at his desk just studying what he was calling his ‘prized experiment’. His nametag read ‘Ladislav Dragić’, but many of his coworkers knew him as nothing more than Ladi. He too sported the all too common bags under his eyes, a weak smile on his face as he rested his head into his arms to watch the glass container. Inside, a hybrid creature somewhere between manta ray, pangolin, and dragon, was floating and growing as it should. He was beat, tired beyond belief and his body begging for some sort of break, but he could help just watch his strange little bean half curled like a cooking ravioli. Waiting for its moment of peak perfection to rise to the top and dance around to be released.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he nodded off but woke himself back up. No, not yet, it would soon be time for the hatching moment. He couldn’t miss the birth of his first blood and flesh creation, what sort of father would he be to miss something like that? Well, he’d still be a father but not a very attentive one according to his own definition. It wouldn’t be too much longer, then he could move the experiment to its now holding container to continue before heading to sleep off some of his exhaustion.

Soon, his world would be filled with teaching a small creature of his own to exist and listen. To grow and form thoughts all of its own. At least, Ladi only hoped this would be the next step. Reaching out a hand to stroke the glass, he knew he had a few complications along the way. The creation was rather fragile being made from only his genetics and then computer generated. Still, he hoped to see his little baby flourish in the world beyond the glass.