Pierce stood outside of the lab, wondering where Dr. Claries was. It was out of the Doctor’s character to be late for anything. Am I at the right room? Pierce wondered. She doubled checked the room number. Yep, it’s the right lab and my science lesson was supposed to start five minutes ago.
Pierce drummed her fingers against her thighs, frustrated she wasn’t able to unlock the door to the lab; actually, she still couldn’t unlock any doors with her fingerprints…at least not yet. Dr. Spencer had promised he would reprogram some of the locks to recognize her print soon.
Click-clack! Click-clack!
Pierce jerked her head up, hearing the sounds of the pair of heels tapping against the floor long before she saw the person.
Dr. Claries hurtled around the bend and towards Pierce; she attempted to straighten out her outfit and repin her bun once she reached her.
“My apologies for being late,” Dr. Claries said. “I had some business to take care of that was out of town.”
The Doctor swiped her thumb against the print reader and the lab doors slid open on their own accord. Dr. Claries threw on a lab coat, slipped on some gloves and then marched over to the freezer. She opened the lid and pulled a large, dead cat.
“What are you waiting for?” Dr. Claries asked Pierce. “Go put on your lab gear.”
Pierce yanked on her own lab coat and gloves then joined Dr. Claries at the smart-glass counter. Her eyes skimmed the array of tools Dr. Claries had laid out on a tray besides the dead cat. There were scalpels, tweezers and metal rods just to name a few.
Dr. Claries glanced down at Pierce’s wrist and said, “Where did you get that bracelet?” She pointed to the silver charm bracelet.
“Dr. Spencer.”
“Take it off. No jewelry allowed when dissecting animals.”
She waited for Pierce to stow away the bracelet in a cabinet and return to her before saying, “Alright, I’m going to walk you through this. I’ll help you out if I need to, but other than that you’ll be on your own. As we take out each organ, I want you to give me their names and functions.”
Pierce prodded the cat with her finger.
“Don’t touch!” snapped Dr. Claries. “Don’t you remember lab safety rule number three? Don’t touch anything unless given permission.”
“Sorry.” Pierce withdrew her hand and waited for instructions.
“Pick up the four metal pins from the tray and lay them besides you.”
Pierce did so.
“Now, flip the cat onto its back and spread open its legs. Secure each paw with a pin to keep it in place.”
The pins had strong magnets at the end of each point, which stuck to the smart-glass. Pierce peeled away each pin from the table with some difficulty and placed them onto the cat’s paws. The magnets, still wanting to latch itself onto the smart-glass desk, clamped the cat in place.
“Take the marker and draw this pattern on the belly of the cat,” said Dr. Claries. “You will cut open the cat along these lines.”
Dr. Claries pulled up the pattern on the smart-glass desk. It looked almost like a cross with an extra line. Pierce did her best to copy the pattern onto the cat. Her lines were a bit lopsided and crooked, but passable.
“Use the scalpel to slice through the skin. Be careful not to cut too deep and pierce the organs.”
Pierce’s hands shook as she slit the cat open. I wonder if they killed a cat just to use in this lesson, she thought. Oh my god, I think I nicked an organ. She lifted the blade up slightly to free it then quickly finished the job.
