The Journey (unfinished)

by Karen Goldrick

June 16, 2002

They had a party last night, to celebrate CC. Everybody went. Marketing, of course, smoking a bigger cigar and drinking a more exclusive scotch. Repro, Transfer, Genetics, even Ethics, who has temporarily forgotten the 70% mutation rate, and the basement full of mutations preserved in formalin.

Anabel says the new head of Implant is Dead Gorgeous. I guess that means all unattached females, and some of the attached ones, will be on high pheromone alert. And I guess that means things will slow down around Cryogen Inc for a while, until Dead Gorgeous reveals himself to be gay, or a jerk, or both. But this is good for me. This gives me time away from freeze and thaw, to spend with project Q.

It’s kind of going OK, and I’m muddling through without anyone’s help ... so far. Draco volans was disappointing. More a gliding lizard and only three inches long. Even with a significant augmentation of growth hormone, he’d never make a convincing dragon. So I’m back to a bat reptile hybrid. I’ve resigned myself to two legs in the Chinese style, and not four like the classic English. But I’m going to have to work at the digestive system, because no dragon of mine is gonna be a vegetarian.

I could ask Sir Hubert. I’m going to need funds, somewhere along the line, if I’m going to go through with this. Of course, I’ve no intention of really going through, I just want to see how far I could go, if I was going to ... and with Sir Hubert’s backup I’d probably have the keys to the house, so to speak. Access all areas. And everything I need is right here at Cryogen. Well, almost everything. There is the small question of a donor egg ... and a surrogate mother ... and the fire breathing thing ... gotta think about that.

June 21

There’s a problem with CC, and it’s a bit of a setback for Cryogen, until Spin Doc and Marketing find a new angle. It turns out the donor cat was a tortoiseshell, while little CC is tabby and white. The perfectly reasonable scientific explanation about the ‘X-inactivation’ effect didn’t impress the people who’d mortgaged half a house to have their beloved Rainbow cloned. Perhaps they’ll have to redefine the small print: he may not look like your original pet, but deep down he’ll still be the same.

Anyway, since things have wound down until it’s sorted, I’ve had plenty of time to email Michael Archer at the museum, and after a few days of e-nagging he’s let me into the database, which seems to be connected to museum databases all over the world.

So I’ve accessed current gene sequencing data, including that of Pteropus vampyrus and Varanus komodoensis. Still working on the carnivore thing. Doesn’t matter if omnivore really. I could borrow some gut sequences from little Fluffy’s or Tyson’s stomach cells waiting ever so patiently in the freezer.

There's a meeting with Sir Hubert at two. Gotta go!

June 22

Bad ... bad ... bad ... bad ... any other word for bad ... anyway. Sir Hubert has pulled the plug. Officially. So it’s back to spectrophotography go I. He didn’t say why, just sat there with little Bbi Bbi snuffling and growling on his lap. Genetics tried desperately to explain in one syllable words that a fluffy white Maltese terrier was always going to be a fluffy white Maltese terrier, X-inactivation or no X-inactivation.

I’ve got to fast track Project Q before Cryogen folds and every last pen is sold to pay back the shareholders. So ... the plan is ... leave the fire breathing thing for now. There’s no genetic code for it I can think of anyway. Besides: I met some guy down at the Quay, one of those torch swallowing busker types. I’ve got his number. Maybe he can train project Q, later, when he ... or she ... is bigger.

But the carnivore thing’s a stickler. I just can’t seem to manage a splice with dog or cat genes. They’re too dissimilar. they have too many. Humans are a closer match.

Hey ... there’s a neat way to ask Dead Gorgeous for a date. Got any DNA you can spare? Stop it Jo ... get back to work.

I bet Anabel would ask for me though.

June 30

End of Financial year. There’s a shareholder’s meeting tonight. Our final hope is with Marketing and Spin. Can they cone up with a battle plan, impress Sir Hu and save the day at Cryogen?

I’ve got a nice little platter of E Coli ready to splice my sequences together. I’m tempted not to ask Genetics for help. I don’t think the expertise is worth the condescension.

Someone’s coming. I’ve skeddaddled under my desk and turned my torchlight off ... so this bit is probably illegible. It’s only Security though. I’m just going to let my heartbeat slow down a bit. That was close. One of these days, it just might be Ethics.

I’m gong to be a mum. Human DNA is the best match, for the gut. And even thought I’m a vegetarian, my hardwear’s designed to handle meat. So I rubbed my cheeks raw getting enough DNA to splice in. I feel a bit like Dr Frankenstein. Just take some flying fox, add in some Komodo dragon and and Homo sapiens and ...

Lets hope project Q turns out friendlier than Mary Shelley’s creation.

July 1

The wheels are turning again at Cryogen. This is a good thing. but cloning Bbi Bbi is now a priority. This is not a good thing. And there’ll be many a small white fluffy monster floating in formalin before we’re through. Lets hope Spin can keep Ethics busy.

I woke up at 4am this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. I’ve forgotten about the surrogate mum. I’ve got all the software. Completed my gene sequence. Replicated the base pairs. But I’ve no incubator. And no eggs. I tried to get back to sleep. Tried to remind myself that I never was really going to go through with it. But my mind kept coming bask to this problem. So right now I’m searching the reptile data base in search of a dam. She’s got to be big. And friendly. And I’ve got to be able to get her locally. Native reptiles ... salt water croc ... goanna ... bearded dragon ...

July 2

How about a Komodo Dragon?

July 3

Is there anywhere in cryogen with the humidity and temperature to house a Komodo Dragon? And her eggs? Somewhere where there’s no air conditioning.

July 15

Anabel’s depressed. Whenever I try to concentrate she heaves a few tragic sighs, or stomps around the lab to remind me how truly terrible her life now is. it seams Dead Gorgeous was at the Bar last night with his tongue rammed down another of the female species’ throat.

Oh well, maybe this is a good thing. Today I meant to ask him for help with the harvest and implant. This will be much easier if I don’t have to think about the whole mating thing because now he’s taken and i was never really interested anyway.

July 16

Implant is right down under the Cryogen complex. It’s like an oven down there, because the air conditioner doesn’t work. Dead Gorgeous said they’ve tried to fix it a few times, and have put in an application to Budget for a new one ... but but that could take months.

I wonder if you need a license to obtain a Komodo dragon?

July 18

Filling out licence application. Thinking of good reason must own Komodo Dragon. Single white female living alone. Need for personal security.

Will see how goes ...

August 14th

Haven’t heard from National Parks and Wildlife. I have to remind myself that I was never really serious about project Q in the first place. It was just that I was bored one day, and maybe I feel just a little under appreciated and underutilised. but really, I’m quite fulfilled and satisfied freezing bits of stomach, and thawing them carefully and tenderly when when Mitzy or Daisy pass on.

Really.

August 15

Am proud owner of female Komodo Dragon. Am trying hard not to retch every time I feed her. She’s a fussy eater. Only eats pinkies, which are small hairless baby mice. And I’m not even allowed to humanely kill them first. At least I only have to feed her once a week.

Dead Gorgeous is starting to ask questions, so I’ve drawn up a contract and sworn him to secrecy. I told him I’m working for ASIO, and shown him some pictures I found on them internet. Nothing too scary. Just to reinforce my position.

There’s a room at the back of Implant. The door way’s hidden in an alcove not covered by the security cameras. Dead Gorgeous had the lock changed, and I smuggled my Komodo Dragon in as contaminated waste.

I’m still not committed. I can still stop project Q. Can’t I.

August 20

Committed now. We’ve harvested an egg. Only one. Dead (Yes! I call him Dead now) said he didn’t know how to super ovulate a reptile, and it was too dangerous to muck around with fertility drugs. So he removed the only egg ovulating at the time.

Had some trouble with the anatomy. Had to refer to old biology texts. The anaesthetic thing was a bit dodgy too. We gassed her down, then her breathing and heartbeat seemed to come to a complete stop. I wanted to do CPR, but Dead just got on with the job. Told me to warm her up and sure enough, after I’d boiled several kettles and wrapped her in wet hot towels, she moved. Dead had to complete the closure quickly with superglu.

So now I have one precious egg waiting in an incubator. Labelled Project Q. I hope no-one accidentally uses it for Tyson or Fido.

Can still stop if I want to.

August 28

Waiting waiting waiting for Transfer to slot me in. They’re busy with Bbi Bbi at the moment. They need to create dozens of eggs containing his DNA ready for implanting in dozens of fluffy white surrogate mum’s.

Maybe it would be kind of funny if we got the DNA mixed up.

Maybe not.

August 29

Still waiting. Anabel seems happier today. Seems Dead had his tongue down another female’s throat last night. She is pleased that she wasn’t fooled by his charm, and that this somehow makes her a superior female.

I don’t care so long as he keeps his mouth shut and gets the job done.

So to speak.

August 30

It was so easy. Transfer is few words, but oh, such divine action. The soft caressing of the petree dish as it was placed under the scope. A finger barely touching the keyboard, one simple stroke, and it was done. My replicated DNA, part vampyrus, part komodoensis, part me, now inside the Komodo Dragon egg.

It’s in the incubator now. I’ll wait until it gets to 16. Hopefully it gets to 16. Bbi Bbi’s seem to stop at 8.

I wish I had more than one egg.

August 31

2 cells.

September 1

4.

September 2

8.

September 3

8.

September 4

September 5

Wonder if should transfer Komodo Dragon back to my flat, or find her a place at the zoo?

September 6

16 16 16! It was Transfers idea. Repeat the electrostimulation. The cells were still viable. Their mitochondria still doing their thing. So we gave it one last shot.

He’ll take another look at Bbi Bbi’s cells now, which should make Marketing and the creditors supremely elated.

And I have a date with Dead in the basement tonight.

September 7

Irreversibly committed now. No going back. The main thing I feel is ... well .. .confused. I want to pace up and down the lab, but my new high heels wont let me. What if I’ve created a monster? What if Ethics finds out?

Blastocyst has been implanted in what Dead and I hope is the uterus of my Komodo dragon ... whom I will now refer to as KD. No problems with the anaesthetic this time — I just turned off the gas as soon as she was down, and she didn’t breath until the procedure was nearly over.

KD was pretty hungry when she woke up, so I stayed late and fed her extra. We’ve perfected the feeding thing now. I hold the slippery wriggly pink thing in my hand, and she gently takes it with her tongue, which I’m disappointed to say isn’t forked. Perhaps I’ll tweak that next time. (What next time?) Anyway — then she snaps it in two with her jaw with a slick crunching sound, and it’s all over.

Speaking of tongues — I’m not sure about this kissing thing. He ... Dead that is ... really did ram his tongue down my throat, and I gagged. All a bit embarrassing really.

Better look up the gestation of a Komodo dragon.

September 15

Apparently gestation 5 weeks until lay, then a further 7. And I need to turn up the heat. I’ll have to speak to Dead.