Exterminator : The Dark Beneath
Empty Cages

“Despite the huge strides seen in the use of computer modelling in the aim of replacing laboratory animals, there remains a high demand for their use, particularly in cutting-edge fields where computers may lack sufficient data to hypothesize a new products reactions. For instance, testing the action of a totally new substance on a living being may be impossible to model with computer programs as it has no pre-existing examples to base its algorithms on. However distastefully and unpleasant, for the time being at least, animal testing remains cheap, efficient and vital to science”

-Science and Ethics 101, by Professor Elana Clare, University of London

10:05 ,13th September, Lab 0

The specimen room stank of animal waste and disinfectant as Malcolm entered, the overhead lights flickering to life in response to his presence. He tried to avoid the room where possible, preferring to monitor the specimen’s vitals via the net of cameras and sensors that monitored each cage. Automated feeding and washing systems kept the need for human input to a minimum, something he greatly appreciated given the small number of people allowed into the restricted lab. Malcolm had last visited a week ago, but today’s task could only be carried out by himself.

He’d spent his morning organizing the more public sections of Lab in anticipation of Doctor Branson’s team, but due to some idiotic delays in the shuttle port, their equipment and samples were stuck in transit. Never the less he couldn’t help but feel excitement at the possibilities. His current team was twenty strong, filled with good hardworking scientists and engineered, and with them he’d managed to push the project far beyond its initial targets, but they lacked the creative spark that he, Jeffrey and Holden had. He needed fresh eyes and new ideas, and the Branson team had been doing incredible work, even with the limitations placed on them by the UN’s research accords.

Now they were here on Ares, he could free them to push this work forwards. Eventually he hoped some would prove trustworthy enough to view the second lab and grasp its possibilities, maybe even opening up the opportunity to begin a simple human trial, but for now their assistance with the fundamentals of the next experimental series would be vital.

Walking through the specimen room he moved over the grated floor to the monitoring station, passing by the heavy reinforced cages that lined the wall, aware of beady eyes watching him from their recesses. He picked up the tablet sitting on the console and checked the cage readings. Monitoring the specimens’ health and continued development was vital, especially with the stage two candidates. Any issues at this point in time would suggest a rejection of the implant or the vector, leading to a significant setback in his timetable as they assessed the issue.

The tablet showed all specimens to be healthy so Malcolm placed it back on the table and walked into the nearby autopsy room, the cold metal surfaces and sharp lighting making him shiver slightly. Today he was going to open up specimen 2B5 and run a full diagnosis on its progress. The bulky creature was their most advanced specimen, having shown significant increases in strength, bone mass and physical resiliency to stress factors, although the secondary characteristics it continued to develop were worrying. What had prompted the formation of scales confounded him, but he hoped the dissection and later testing would answer some of his questions.

He heard the door open behind him and Holden entered , the Senior Technician’s appearance was immaculate as always, his lab coat and trousers pressed, and his light brown hair carefully combed to the side of his round pleasant face.

“Good morning, Professor!“ the man greeted him cheerfully, “how are you this fine day?

“Good morning, Holden!” Malcolm replied politely” I’m fine. Eager to get under way and reveal 2B5’s secrets”

“Ah yes 2B5. I won’t say I’ll miss the brute. I hate to admit it professor, but the creature makes me nervous. It doesn’t look at you like a normal Rat,” the normally cheerful man shivered slightly, ”I swear, when I’m in here alone all thinks of me is food!”

“Don’t be silly, Holden, it’s perfectly secure in its cage.” he replied glibly, secretly agreeing with Technician. 2B5 was their largest and most successfully specimen, having been implanted along with its siblings in adolescence. All had responded well but 2B5 had undergone a significant increase in size and strength, before killing and eating the other subjects. They had decided to keep it as its development was most informative, but Malcolm often found the creature unnerving to be around, its red eyes always following as he moved around the room, and although he hated to ascribe such a emotion to a simple lab animal, secretly he swore they were filled with what he could only describe as malice.

“Anyway,” he continued firmly, ”2B5 has an appointment with destiny, so let’s not keep him waiting. Imagine what we’ll replace out when we dissect him!” Walking back into the Specimen room he picked up the tablet and selected 2B5’s Cage and authorized the administration of the euthanizing agent. In the earlier studies his team used dart guns to control the specimen’s, but after their modifications he worried about safety and so had automated systems installed, after all why risk the dart failing to deploy its payload.

“Right Holden, let’s prep the autopsy table while we wait for the gas to take effect.”

The two men busied themselves, warming up the scanners and setting out the laser sharpened blades they required. Every aspect of the dissection would be recorded and monitored, but Malcolm was a firm believer in the importance of human eyes being involved. However good the quality of recorded data, it would never match a trained scientist’s ability to notice anomalies in real time.

The preparations complete, he returned to the other room and picked up the tablet and frowned.

“That’s odd” he murmured, staring at 2B5’s vitals before raising his voice. “Holden, we appear to have an issue with the euthanizing agent, the subject is still showing normal vitals.”

“It should be in order Professor, I checked the system the other week,” the technician replied, moving into the room and removing his surgical gloves. ”I’ll have a look at the gas tanks. Could you check the cage itself. Maybe the cunning creature chewed up the nozzles or blocked them.”

Malcolm swore softly as the other man moved to the side, and walked over to the cages, tapping a command into the tablet to retract the shutters over 2B5’s cage. He knelt down in front of the reinforced glass and looked inside and froze. The cage was empty.

For a moment he stared in disbelief before raising the tablet. Oh his screen 2b5’s vitals appeared strong, and pulling up the cameras showed the shadowy creature sat inside, but the cage in front of him was most certainly empty. Panic shot through him and he quickly keyed in the opening code, retracting the door.

“Professor!” Holden shouted from the side in shock, “What are you doing, the creatures dangerous?”

Malcolm waved his hand inside the cage like a madman, eyes glued to the video recording, where the specimen 2b5 still sat.

“It’s on a loop,“ he whispered before springing to his feet and sprinting to the console. ”Holden! Someone’s looped the feed lock down the lab and removed a specimen!”

The technician stared at him in shock before turning to the wall, slapping his hand down on a red panel. A signal immediately radiated out from the room to Mr Rinehart’s communicator, summoning the fixer and his team. Malcolm typed in near panic, checking the logs for entry and exit of the room. Someone had taken his most prized specimen and the damage to the project could be astronomical, but not as dangerous as the possibility of the creature breaking free, God help them.