the book (hosie)

unexpected reasults

It was another late night at Watchpoint: Gibraltar. Everyone was asleep, and the halls were quiet. However, several levels below, in the basement laboratory, there was a single person still up and about.

Doctor Hope O'Deorain, once renowned throughout the world for her achievements in genetics was now the laughingstock of the scientific community when she published her paper on regenerating limbs that were not present on organic beings at birth.

When her paper was received as a cheap comedy show instead of the groundbreaking theory that it was, Hope worked tirelessly for days, weeks, even months, to come up with some form of proof that her theory was correct.

And so, Hope for the seventh time today found herself staring at a small beaker sitting in front of her. Inside was what appeared to be a simple, blue solution. However, to Hope, this was the fruition of her months of toil.

Hearing a ding come from nearby, Hope walked over to and opened a small centrifuge, removing a small tube from inside. In the tube were two liquids, both sitting on top of one another: one red, one yellow.

Carefully, Hope popped off the rubber end cap and delicately inserted a syringe inside. She withdrew all of the red liquid from inside and set down the tube. She walked back over to her beaker and emptied the needle into it.

The red liquid settled into the beaker but it did not mix with the blue. Hope picked up the beaker and slowly swished it around, mixing them. She set it down and found the solution had turned purple: it was exactly what she was looking for.

Putting down the beaker, Hope walked into a nearby room filled with cages. She opened one and pulled out a large, brown rabbit that was missing its back-left leg. She brought it back into the main lab and set it down, scratching it behind the ears to calm it down.

Hope grabbed a clean syringe and withdrew as much of the solution as the needle could hold. She held the rabbit still as she inserted the syringe into the spot where its leg was supposed the be. She injected the solution and withdrew the needle. Hope set her hands on the table, staring at the rabbit through her mismatched eyes. All she had to do now was wait.

After a few moments, the rabbit did nothing except stare back at Hope. Suddenly, the rabbit squeaked in pain and started hobbling along on the table. It stopped to show Hope its left side. She looked and saw a small growth protruding from the spot where the rabbit's leg was missing.

Hope gripped the table and smirked as the growth increased in size and began taking shape. It was almost formed to the rabbit's hock when it suddenly stopped. The growth shrank back into the rabbit's body as if the attempt to grow its leg never happened.

The excitement Hope experienced for only a few seconds was replaced by rage. She screamed as she grabbed the beaker with the solution and threw it as hard as she could against the wall. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the lab.

"DAMMIT ALL!" she bellowed. Hope kicked the sides of the nearby cabinets in anger as she walked over to her desk. She stood over the piles of notes sprawled across it. She slammed her hands against them.

"I'm so close, but it isn't enough," Hope said angrily to herself. She grabbed one of the notes that brought her to this point and asked herself, "What is it going to take?"

Exhausted and angry, Hope slumped down into her chair, long fingers combing through her short, red hair. She was reaching a breaking point. She was desperate for some sort of development. She'd give anything for it.

"I'd give my soul for a breakthrough."

Suddenly, the lights went out, causing Hope to jump from her seat. Her brow furrowed in confusion. The Watchpoint's electrical systems could still run even through the worst natural disasters, and Winston has several emergency generators on standby; they didn't just go out for no reason.