"What is that?!" Satell screamed in wonder as he looked at the tissue displayed. He recognized the cells themselves, as they looked almost identical to normal muscle cells—a long cylindrical cell that would contract and generate movement in the body. But these cells were not neatly bundled together as they normally would be; they were woven together in an intricate pattern that boggled his mind.
Munger nodded with excitement. "I was confused at first too, but it's definitely a bundle of skeletal muscle cells. It belonged to one of the specimens that came back!" said Munger, expecting nothing less from his colleague once he could wrap his mind around this monstrosity.
"You're saying one of the subjects brought this back with them?"
"Well, no. This was one of the subjects."
Satell's hairs bristled on his back, and he suddenly felt a strange urge to leave the lab. He looked down at the long strip of muscle on the table, knowing that whoever this was taken from probably didn't feel too good right now.
Seeing his sudden apprehension, Munger corrected, "The subject resisted incarceration and was terminated. He was committing robberies most likely before this happened. What's there to feel bad about?"
"Right," Satel replied ruefully.
"In any case, I've analyzed a couple of other samples, and they all present such modifications to their cell structures. What I want to find out next is how deep the modification goes. Does it stop at the cell macrostructure, or does it go deeper?"
Satell immediately picked up on the implication and widened his eyes. "You're saying there's more than a couple?"
Munger nodded. "I estimate that most, if not all, of the specimens have been affected by possibly some sort of mutagenic agent in that world. We have less than thirty-six hours to figure out what to do with them as the countdown elapses. We don't have long."
"Specimens?" squeaked Satell.
Seeing as Satell's mind was nowhere near the research, Munger felt he'd only be hindered by him going forward. He sighed and decided he had no choice but to act. Munger refused to allow this project be jeopardized by Satell's work ethic or his prudish morality.
"Maybe this will catch your interest," Munger said, pulling out a white bony object from a drawer, slightly curved and longer than his palm. "This was found in possession of that magnificent specimen I showed you earlier."
"Stop calling them that!" hissed Satell, but his curiosity was piqued despite himself. Munger began to ignore him. His mind had already been made up.
He held the object up and laid it horizontally, pointing to the filed edge. "Press on this. You'll see something cool. I was shocked the first time I saw it."
Satell's mind was in disarray thinking of what he'd gotten himself into and didn't think too much of it. He placed his index finger on the object, but just as he was about to press, Munger pursed his lips. He didn't think it would be enough.
"No, place all your fingers and make sure they're as close to the knuckles as possible. You have to apply enough pressure, or else the effect won't be visible."
Seeing Satell follow his instructions, Munger grinned. "Good. Now press hard."
Shick!
Blood spurted onto Munger, staining his white lab coat a vivid crimson. Four fingers fell to the floor with a silent but conspicuous pat pat sound, both men looking down in surprise.
"Oh," said Munger, "I didn't know it was that sharp."
"Argh!"
A loud scream reverberated through the entire complex, loudly announcing a change in personnel.
.........................
"What do you mean he quits?!"
A buff man with short hair and donning a simple military uniform roared into his phone. His face was red, and veins were popping all over his face, making his male secretary waiting patiently to the side sigh with exasperation.
"I don't care that he just had surgery. Get him back to work!"
The colonel listened for one more second to the other side's arguments but got fed up and slammed the phone onto the desk.
Boom!
The desk cracked in half, and the phone exploded into a million pieces.
"Damn! Satell left the project saying he's scared of Munger. What did that idiot do to him?"
The secretary pursed his lips and shook his head. "The general will not be pleased."
"You think?" Colonel Biran glared at his secretary and wished to pounce on him and tear his arms away, but thinking of who his older brother was, his mind immediately cooled.
Seeing his superior's frustration boiling over, the secretary conceded, "There are, however, multiple candidates that match Satell's abilities, and with much more suitable personalities. I even dare say this was a blessing in disguise."
"Well, your opinion doesn't matter." The colonel snapped back, but he began to relax and slowly straightened his clothes with gritted teeth. "Even though you are correct, and I agree with you. But what matters is whether the general agrees with it. And I have to be the one to ask him. Not you, and certainly not Satell or Munger!"
Colonel Biran shivered when he thought of having to face that man. The general always preferred being spoken to in person and never took phone calls unless in a war zone, and even then, only if absolutely necessary.
He put it out of his mind for the moment and shifted subjects. "Have you found any good seeds?"
The secretary pulled out a digital notepad and passed it to the colonel. On it was a list of names along with corresponding photos. The colonel swiftly shifted through the close to one hundred names on it.
"It's hastily put forth," explained the secretary, "but I'm confident most of them fit the criteria you asked for."
The colonel nodded but stopped when he came across a face he'd seen plastered all over social media that morning. "Isn't he the one who threatened to kill his high school secretary?" His gaze turned cold. "I told you I need them to be strong and obedient. Neither can be lacking!"
The secretary's expression didn't change as he responded calmly, "He did that because he wanted to find out his friend's phone number. He is supremely confident in himself, yet despite this, he followed every order during his arrest and never caused a scene. He has answered every question directed to him and never once complained or even questioned being detained. He is composed to an unnerving degree, and that tells me he only intimidated the school secretary as a tactic to achieve success. He fits your criteria, Colonel Biran."
The colonel scoffed, but if his secretary was to be believed, this was an S-class seedling.
As he sifted through his pictures some more, he found one that made him frown. It was a picture taken with his clothes off, showing a conspicuously swollen belly. The profile picture was even more ridiculous, with his abdominal area protruding far outside his frame.
"Why is his belly so big? Is he pregnant?"
"Huh?" The secretary quickly looked through the folder again and shook his head. "No sir, his chromosomes are XY. That cannot be possible."
"Right." The colonel nodded but still felt uneasy looking at the picture. He put it out of his mind for now and moved to throw the notepad on his desk, but he sighed loudly, seeing the state of his office.
"I need to give the general the news. Bring me a new desk from storage and make sure nothing goes wrong while I'm gone. Also, alert the next co-department head of science of what Munger did. I don't want a repeat of this again."
"Yes, sir!" The secretary gave a customary salute, and the colonel swiftly left the office. He shook his arms and legs while in the elevator, as if preparing for a fight, and took a long, deep breath. He began to rehearse the words he'd speak in the general's presence, wanting to make sure he didn't misspeak and invite calamity. If the meeting went well, he would celebrate more than when his son was born.