At Greco Pharmaceuticals
There seemed to be some sort of commotion at the lab. Medical personnel were running around, pushing beds and getting medical equipment beside each bed.
Up in the observatory, Gwen stood with her hands clasped behind her back as she oversaw the whole process. She could not help but feel nervous. She had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could go wrong.
"Peter?" She called from over her shoulder.
"We're almost ready", he answered immediately.
"How long does it take to establish a connection with the King?" She barked at him.
"Not long, but we need to be ready the same time as the lab. We can't afford to waste his time", he answered.
"Hm!" She returned her gaze down below.
The doctor overseeing the experiments was just in time to ensure everything had been set up when he looked up to meet her gaze. He gave a symbol number three at Peter and the latter nodded.
"Boss", Peter called to Gwen.
She turned around to face the LED monitor that had been set up in the observatory. She put on her best smile only to be face with a black screen. Her face contorted in annoyance.
"What is the meaning of this?" She hissed at Peter.
The man was about to check when a deep voice resounded from the dark screen. "Why? Not pleased with my appearance."
Gwen gasped in shock and fear as she immediately grew polite. "I dare not. We're ready."
"Alright. Get started", the King said with impatience.
Gwen turned around and signed the doctor to get started. The doctor said something to a nurse who also nodded before moving to open the door on that floor. Four gaunt looking women in hospital gowns were ushered into the room. Their hair was unhealthily thin, they had dark circles under their eyes and they looked like they could easily be blown away with a gentle breeze.
When Peter saw the women, his clenched his fists tightly as he fought his feelings. His gaze remained peeled on their flat stomachs. Unbeknownst to anyone, he was filled with guilt and a lot of rage.
"Those are our test subjects", Gwen said politely.
"Oh! Yeah, I wouldn't have guessed that."
Detecting the sarcasm, Gwen decided to shut her mouth and only speak when necessary. The women were made to lie down on the beds. Eight nurses were assigned to the women, two looking after one. One nurse connected an ECGs to their patient to monitor their heart rates and another connected a catheter on each of their wrists. The doctor did a physical on each patient before he could start running the actual test.
"I gave you three months to complete this and you took four."
Gwen swallowed a hard lump. There was no need to complete that statement. There was no room for mistakes, only perfection. She felt an immense pressure weighing on her shoulders in that moment.
The doctor walked to the sound system in the lab and turned on the mic. "All the test subjects are ready. We're beginning the tests."
He nodded at the nurses who took a bottle of drugs and used a syringe to draw it out. They shot out the air before injecting the women through the catheter.
The women took deep breaths to relax. Two of them looked at each other and have each other small smiles of encouragement before looking up at the ceiling. Gwen's heart pounded a mile a minute as she held her breath while Peter forced himself to mask his emotions.
A minute passed. Two minutes became five. Unlike the last time where the subject started reacting right away, this looked promising. Gwen started to relax. Her lips quirked from trying not to spread into a big smile.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Two patients started convulsing one following the other! The medical team were quick to rush to their side and restrain them.
"What's happening? Annie?" One of the women looked at her friend who was neglected as she convulsed. "Aaahhhh!"
She started howling in pain as she held her stomach. The other woman started reacting the same way as she held her stomach. The other two ladies grunted a cough of blood whilst more blood pooled from between their legs staining the sheets. Their bodies stilled as a long line accompanied with a long beep showed on their ECGs.
The nurses disconnected the machines from the deceased and waited on the side as the other two women howled in pain.
"Please! Help us! Ahhhhhh!" Cold sweat broke out on their foreheads as their faces contorted in pain.
"Their Blood pressure is increasing drastically. This could be dangerous", one nurse said.
"Wait", the doctor said as he observed.
"Please!" The women cried for mercy.
Blood pooled from between their legs and they soon lost consciousness. Their blood pressure started to drop till it became stable. The doctor nodded at these results. At this point, the nurses new to bring in scanners.
The doctor tore away the women's gowns to reveal their naked upper body. He smeared gel on the first woman's stomach and scanned her womb.
"Have that printed", he told one nurse before moving to the other patient to do the same.
The results were soon brought to Gwen and she turned to show them to the screen.
"Two fails and two successes."
Gwen and Peter gulped at this. They both hoped, especially Peter, that they wouldn't have to go through that ordeal again. It was a bitter sweet experience for both of them.
"You made two samples?"
"Yes, sir."
Silence. They didn't want to be stuck manually creating the tests again. Gwen's felt her heart was in her throat. She wished he could just get on with his decision. The pressure she felt earlier was still there. Finally, the King decided to put them out of their misery.
"Good. Begin with the preparations."
Gwen felt herself relax as she looked at Peter and gave him a sly smirk. It was about damn time!
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