Soil Reclamation - Part 1-3

The whole story is on the Discord server

Sterile air in the laboratory of the Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, was filled with the sharp smell of formaldehyde and the quiet hum of equipment. Professor Jacob Stein, a gray-haired man with tired eyes carved into his face by decades of research, leaned over the microscope, his fingers habitually turning the focus knob.

Behind him, inside a glass biocontainer, a hazy pink liquid swayed, and within it slowly rotated a complex organic object that looked like a flower of unearthly origin. Officially, it was “Prototype B-47,” a cultivated biomaterial component for “soil reclamation” under a contract with the corporation “AgroSynth.” Officially. But in truth, it was something far more… ambitious.

Doctor Elara Vance entered the laboratory, her steps silent on the linoleum floor. She held a tablet in her hand, the glow of the screen reflected in her glasses, hiding her eyes.

— Henderson called, — she said in an even voice without lifting her gaze from the screen. — A new contract is coming in next week. From the special department.

Stein didn’t raise his head, but his shoulders tensed. The special department meant the CIA, and the CIA meant their “flower” would once again be used for something other than “soil reclamation.”

— Who is it? — he muttered.

— Who? — Vance raised a brow. — Maybe you meant who we’re supposed to make out of the “flower”?

The professor let out a heavy sigh. He knew. He knew perfectly well that all information about the “before” biography was classified, and all he had to do was perform the transformation procedure.

— I know… It’s just… I’m so tired of all this secrecy. That CIA guy Henderson is getting on my nerves already. — pulling away from the microscope, he looked at Vance.

Elara opened her mouth to say something in response, when suddenly the phone next to the professor beeped. He grabbed it immediately and looked at the screen. A photo of a man in a sharp jacket, a confident smile, hair slicked back. The name under the photo, however, was “Samantha.”

Stein first raised his eyebrows in surprise, then his face slowly shifted into mild irony.

— Samantha… — he whispered, but froze as he noticed Vance sharply turn her head.

— Samantha? — she repeated and smirked. — What Samantha? Did you get yourself a girlfriend, Jacob?

The professor nodded toward the exit door, and after hesitating for a second and throwing him a puzzled look, she still left, leaving him alone. He sat in his chair, leaned back, and put his feet on the table. Pressed the answer button.

— Hello, darling. I’m so glad you called! — he tried to sound like a cheerful guy, but his voice came out strained.

On the other end came a quiet, barely audible, but still too squeaky female voice with a clear note of panic — one that absolutely didn’t match the photo on the screen.

— Darli… What? Jacob, is that you? — the voice trembled. — I’m not “darling”! It’s me, Arthur! Arthur Graham! And I have a huge problem!

Stein scratched the back of his head.

— Arthur… — he snorted, — I don’t know any Arthur. Only Samantha.

On the other end, somewhere far away, a man’s voice muttered something in the background, and then “Samantha” replied loudly in a strained voice: “Yeah, everything’s fine!”.

— Wow, — Stein said, a hint of sarcasm slipping into his voice. — You already got yourself an admirer, Samantha? That was fast.