The Blastula of Frankenstein

by S.T. Sullivan

The woman perched on the edge of a comfortable leather chair opposite

Sigis desk, nervously twisting a plump grape cluster of diamonds around
her finger. The right corner of her lip puckered slightly beneath her teeth;
her eyebrows arched anxiously over moist eyes. Sigi was looking at a
woman whose emotions sat ready to plunge, one way or another, off the
knife-edge which now balanced them.

Sigi savored the womans sweet anticipation. Her hope. Her fear. All the
meaning in this womans entire life, bottled up before her in this singular
moment, like a shaken bottle of Dom, ready to pop in celebration or
explode in anguish. And the next words out of Sigis mouth held the power
to make that womans future be whatever she chose.

Mr. and Mrs. Goldman, Sigi began. She paused to relish the moment just
a breath longer. I have excellent news. I was able to obtain two viable
grade four morulas free of the Tay-Sachs mutation.

Morulas are a good thing? asked the man.

Yes. A morula is an early stage of embryonic development, after the cells

have begun dividing but before they form the hollow sphere of the
blastula.

So that means you have... the woman trailed off as the materialization of
her hopes dawned on her.
Sigi sat back in her chair and steepled her fingers in front of her with
satisfaction. It means I have excellent embryos to give you.

Oh, God! The woman slumped her head into her hands bonelessly and
began sobbing in relief. Sigi inhaled through her nose, smelling the air to
compose herself. People often cried with joy in front of her, or sobbed in
sorrow, but sobbing with joy--that was a rare truffle indeed.

The stoic man put his arm around his wife, the gold face of his Tag tugging
at his suit coats buttonholes as he extended his arm. This is excellent, Dr.
Gernsheim, just excellent! At long last Im going to be a father...

The mans eyes lost focus as if the specter of his child-to-be were before
him. Sigi let a smile of genuine satisfaction--no, pride--bare her bone-white
teeth. It is right to feel as one feels, and to show it. Mr. Goldman, please.
This is my calling, the very reason I exist. To make this, this very moment
right now, possible.

The man took the womans head into the crook of his shoulder, planted a
kiss on the straightened black hair on top of her scalp. What might have
been a tear gathered in the corner of his eye.

Ill see you tomorrow at one oclock for the implantation, Mrs. Goldman.
As you know, I removed one of the eight cells from each morula for genetic
testing, but this will not affect development of your son in any--

Sigi cut herself off and the man gasped slightly. He picked up on Sigis
accidental slip. She covered her mouth with her palm, pretending to be
aghast at the mistake, and gently licked her palm with the tip of her tongue.
A shiver rose up her spine.

Meanwhile, the womans sobbing continuing uninterrupted in the

background. Such a delicious moment...

------------------------------

Dammit! Sigi shouted as she shoved the stack of files from her desk to
the speckled marble floor of her office. She jumped from her chair and
looked at the clock above the door. Three in the morning. Somehow, shed
lost herself in her research for twelve hours since the Goldmans
departure.

She walked to her file cabinet and slid out the bottom drawer of genome
analyses. Shed already been through these twice before, and found no
couple with appropriate genetics yet. Perhaps her standards were too high.
Perhaps perfection was simply not possible.

Sigi slammed the drawer back without removing a file. It was too late to
start digging through them again. She needed a walk. And a drink. And
some sleep. Finding a match would have to wait for another day.

------------------------------

I know youre not happy we have to do it this way. Aly put a hand on
Ravis shoulder and rubbed it gently. But weve tried everything else. Its
time to pull out the big guns. This is the big gun.

Ravi pulled away. He didnt like being patronized. Look, honey, I know.
The logical part of me knows that. But I still wish it could just work out,
normally, you know? Like everybody else.

Aly reached out again. Ravi didnt pull away. Me too. But the most
important thing is that we get pregnant. Her eyes glistened. We both want
that, right?

Ravi relaxed. He hadnt realized his entire back had been clenched into the
Great Wall of Obstinance. He hugged Aly. Oh, Alyssa, yes, of course.
Thats the important thing.

------------------------------

The lights in Dr. Gernsheims office were off when Ravi pulled into the
parking lot. Beneath the elaborate gold Seiglinde Gernsheim, MD, Genetic
Obstetrics painted onto the offices glass door, a note was taped:

Family issues--in at 11

Ravi checked his watch. Half past eleven, right on time for their
appointment.

Aly spoke up before he could say anything. Im sure shell be along soon.
Family issues, you know how those can go. Shes got an A rating and the
best reviews on Angies List.

And what, she doesnt have a receptionist? She cant let us know shes
running late?

Aly convinced him to give the doctor a little while longer to show up. Five
minutes before noon, a freshly waxed, silver A8 pulled into the parking lot.
A short, plump woman of perhaps forty years stepped from the car, her
stringy blonde hair pulled into a bun. Ravi could have sworn he heard the
expensive suspension of the car sigh with relief as she got out.

So sorry, the woman huffed through a German accent dulled by years

away from the Fatherland, you know how family problems can be. Aly
glanced at Ravi and knowingly poked an elbow into his ribs. You must be
the Mehtas. Please, come in.

------------------------------

Ravi settled into the leftmost plush brown leather chair, opposite Dr.
Gernsheims Aeron chair. She was surrounded by a dormant computer, a
stack of genetics textbooks, and a pair of notepads. Two antique ceramic
teacups sat in front of Ravi and his wife. Ravi took the intended sentiment
to be you can relax, because I am here to work.

Dr. Gernsheim flipped one of her notebooks to an empty page. All right,
Mr. and Mrs. Mehta, she began academically, please tell me how long
youve been trying, and what methods youve tried so far.

Aly cleared her throat. Its been three years and four months since we
really started trying. Another six months or so before that where we werent
really trying, but we werent not trying, if you know what I mean.

The doctor scribbled something and mumbled agreement. Aly continued.

Well, after about a year and a half we had some testing done. We both
came back normal, so we tried for a few more months. You know, the old
fashioned way. But when that didnt work we decided to try the thing where
they try to, you know, time the exact moment. In me.

Ja, Dr. Gernsheim answered, IUI. Intrauterine insemination. What

happened?

Aly frowned. Ravi could see she was uncomfortable, so he answered for
her. It didnt work out. Three rounds, and they told us that was enough
that it probably wasnt going to work if we kept trying.

And did you try IVF next?

Yes, in vitro, Aly spoke back up. But three tries of that didnt work either.

Let me be honest with you, doctor, Ravi interrupted. At this point our
other doctor says its completely in Gods hands whether this ever happens
for us. Well, were not religious, and were nearly ninety grand into trying to
get this to work. I need to know if you think you can do something for us.
We can only afford one more try.

The doctor put down her pen and folded her hands. She leaned forward
and looked directly into Ravis eyes with a sharp, unblinking stare,
strangely powerful for such a squat woman. I am the best at what I do. My
life has been dedicated to mastering the creation of life itself. In conjuring
life from the utter bleakness of sterility. If science can make you an
embryo, I will make you an embryo. And as you know, my policy is to
charge my fee only if I am able to do so.

Oh, I hope we end up owing you money, doc, sighed Aly. Shed been
disappointed by doctors before and Ravi knew her hope was running out.

He scowled and sat back in his chair. No fees at all if this doesnt work?
Whats the catch?

No catch, replied the doctor. I only require that you allow me to perform
some preliminary genetic tests on each of you. I must know what Im
dealing with. At my expense of course, unless I am able to give you an
embryo.

And how much would our bill be, should we be so lucky?

I am not a carpenter or a plumber. I cannot provide you a detailed

estimate as it depends on the specific circumstances of your case.
However, for a typical client it is in the range of fifteen to twenty thousand
dollars. Rarely more than thirty. And should you end up with twins, the fee
is the same. Buy one, get one free, as they say.

The doctor chuckled at her own joke. Ravi was less amused. All right.
When do we do the testing?

Dr. Gernsheim checked her watch. Ravi checked his own and noted it was
nearly one. I have another appointment in ten minutes. So not today.
Perhaps tomorrow, at eleven thirty again?

As long as you can mana-- Ravi began sternly, but Aly grabbed his arm
to cut him off before he could launch a full-on barb about the doctors prior
success keeping a morning appointment.

Sounds perfect, doc. See you tomorrow! Aly seemed consciously

resolved to be optimistic and led Ravi from the office by his heavy arm.

------------------------------
The black-haired woman laid on the exam table with her legs propped
open by the steel stirrups at its foot. She was dozing softly on account of
the midazolam Sigi had given her when she lay down. The woman had
actually asked for something to help with her nerves--Sigi didnt even need
to suggest it. So nervous, today. Excited, and giddy, and nervous.

Sigi finished drying her hands and threw a wad of paper towels into the
waste bin. As she pulled on her gloves, she looked up through the glass
observation window of the exam room and saw the man fixed on his
Blackberry. He must have seen her looking out of the corner of his eye; he
put the phone back in his pocket, smiled, and nodded to Sigi.

She carefully unscrewed the lid of the vial atop the small metal tray next to
the exam table. She slipped her syringe into the cold, clear saline shed
used to thaw the morulas and slurped them up by retracting the plunger.
The liquid in the barrel of the syringe sparkled in the bland fluorescent light
of the room.

Sigi walked over to the foot of the exam table, between the womans legs.
Another glance back through the observation glass. The man was again
absorbed in his phone again, furiously hammering out an email about
sales figures or legal precedents or bond yields with his thumbs.

She turned her eyes back down to the woman. Whaa... unhh... the
woman tried to say. Her eyes lolled about lazily but happily, like a
freshman sorority girl whod been given the special punch.

Sigi touched the inside of the womans right thigh with the back of her
hand. Let her hand caress upwards. The womans leg twitched once
drunkenly, as if trying to pull away, before relaxing again in concert with a
submissive yawn.

In this submissive state, with her husband absorbed in some email, Sigi
could do anything to this woman. Under the midazolam she could ask this
woman anything, do anything with her, and afterward shed be completely
oblivious to everything that transpired. Sigi could choose what the next
moments of life would hold for this helpless, nearly barren woman.

And she deigned to create a life inside her. Sigi had sparked life by
combining that mans seed with this womans ova in her lab, with her very
own hands, and now she would bestow the miracle she had made into this
womans womb.

She raised the speculum and leveled it at the womans bright pink flesh.
Slid the speculum into the woman, letting its length enter her slowly.

The syringe followed, threaded through the womans cervix and into her
uterus by expert hands. Sigi took a deep breath and slowly injected her
morulas into the woman.

There, it was done. Sigi closed her eyes and drew in another slow breath.
She had created life yet again.

Sigi removed the syringe but let the speculum linger in place a moment
longer while she smelled the air. The faintest odor of sex had begun
swirling about the room. She withdrew the speculum finally and looked
back through the window. The man was now laughing at some private
joke, still transfixed by his phone, as Sigi finished impregnating his wife.

------------------------------

Aly was shaking Ravis arm, bouncing the bed up and down in excitement.
Ravi, I had the best dream! I dreamt that it worked! That Dr. Gernsheim
did it! That we had twins!

Ravi rolled over to find Alys face beaming as brightly as her voice. Thats
wonderful, honey. I have a good feeling too. But its five in the morning and
our appointment isnt for hours. Can we get a little more sleep?

------------------------------

Dr. Gernsheims Audi was thankfully already in the parking lot when Ravi
pulled their too-large-for-two station wagon into the lot. He looked up in the
rearview mirror and couldnt help but imagine imagine a tyke or two staring
back at him, buckled into little booster seats.

The doctor opened the door for them as they approached. She looked
refreshed. Glowing, even. Ravi wondered whether this roly poly had found
a man to ball up with the night before.

Willkommen, Mehtas. Please, come in.

They followed her back to an exam room. It was clean, and bright, and
spartan. Stereotypically German, really.

A pair of plastic chairs flanked an exam table with a set of stirrups at the
end. Ravi saw Aly twinge when she saw them. No doubt hed feel the
same if his doctor made him use a getup like that.
Dr. Gernsheim directed them to sit in the chairs and walked to a cabinet
over the small sink. She returned with a set of needles, tourniquets, and
vials. I must draw a vial from each of you for the testing. It shall only take
a few minutes.

Aly looked at Ravi. She hated needles too. Pretty much anything medical,
really. Ravi knew how hard it had been for her to go through all these
procedures over the years. He grasped her forearm with a firm grip. Itll be
OK, honey. Just remember what this is for. Where we might be in
nine months.

Aly closed her eyes when the doctor wrapped the tourniquet around her
bicep. The doctor asked her to pump her hand a few times, then inserted
the needles butt into the vial. She stuck the needle into Alys vein, and
less than a minute later removed everything and pressed a square of
gauze over the pockmark.

The doctor took Ravis blood next and placed the vials into a small plastic
container. I should have the lab results for you in a few days. A week at
most. We will talk next steps then.

Aly let out a deep sigh. Doc, what do you think our chances are?

Too soon to say. But if the fire of life can be kindled in you, I will do it.

------------------------------

That night Ravi slept deeply. He hadnt noticed it the first time they met,
but something about the doctors aloof confidence exuded life. The
creation of life. It radiated off her skin faintly, and the longer he was around
her the more he saw it.

Maybe he was just seeing what he wanted to see, but perhaps he really
had misjudged her at first. She seemed like she knew what she was doing,
and those Angies List reviews couldnt all be wrong. Angie doesnt let
anyone pay for reviews. Reviews you can trust, thats what she says.
Maybe he really could trust this doctor to succeed where all the others had
failed.

------------------------------

Sigi stared at the results. Impossible, fantastical, wonderful results. I found

them, she muttered to herself.

No major chromosomal anomalies in either prospective genetic parent. No

insertions, deletions, or point mutations in eight dozen critical genes. And,
most importantly, stellar markers for brain development across all known
neural development genes. Both genomes as textbook perfect for cognitive
traits as one could hope for. The offspring produced through the
combination of these two genomes had one-in-a-million intellectual
potential. Perhaps one in ten million.

Finally, this was it. The couple shed been waiting for. Sigi set the results
down and walked over to her cryopreserver, placed her hand against the
cold double-paned glass of the door. Soon, my son. Soon.

------------------------------

Ravi closed the folder on the table and turned to Aly. Her eyes were
shining. Iridescent, glistening, joyous green eyes. They hadnt looked like
that since the day they married.

So you can see, Dr. Gernsheim explained, I am convinced your

problems have merely been a combination of mechanical difficulties and
medical ineptitude. Based on your cycle, we should begin hormone
therapy next Tuesday. You will give yourself an injection twice daily for five
days, and then come in for the extraction procedure.

Some question or another popped into Ravis head, but before he could
ask it Aly leapt from her chair to embrace him. He would have tipped over
backwards had the leather armchair not been stouter than the good doctor.

Tuesday, Ravi managed. Right.

------------------------------

Aly was getting close to completing her hormone regimen, and Ravi could
tell she was ready to be done. As a man, he was lucky to be bombarded
only with a constant firehose of testosterone. Women were subject to a
capricious symphony of hormones changing day over day, and throwing
extra injections full of them into the mix didnt make their lives any easier.

Ravi brushed past Aly as she stepped out of the shower. Her breasts were
fuller than they usually were. Particularly round. Ravi swayed his waist into
her hip as he passed.

Keep that thing at ease, solider. Alys cheeks were pulled upward by her
dimples, like a marionette perked up by a zealous puppeteer. I need him
to have a full magazine tomorrow.
You dont think a good solider packs extra mags? That hes equipped to
complete multiple missions?

Oh, no, I know he is. But its the doctor who thinks he isnt, not me. And I
wouldnt want that doctor to realize all those years of studying medicine
were a lie on account of a good solider like you.

Aly sauntered out of the bathroom, her hips swishing left and right and up
and down. Ravi loved that perfect, round ass. He stepped into the shower
with only the mildest pang of sadness when he remembered he couldnt
show her how deep his love was by getting her pregnant on his own.

------------------------------

The woman with the wonderful intellectual genomics lay on the exam table
in front of Sigi. She had been uncomfortable in the stirrups, and when she
saw Sigi pull out a twenty-centimeter needle shed nearly fainted. The
woman accepted Sigis offer of midazolam before she even finished
suggesting it.

But the man, he was watching. Standing behind the glass, watching the
exam room, a look of deep concern wrinkling his brow. It didnt seem like
he was even blinking.

Sigi was used to close observation by the men, but preferred a little more
privacy during these procedures. Like that black-haired woman a few
weeks before, with the husband stuck in his phone. With a little privacy,
she could really take her time. Enjoy the act of creating life. But with
someone watching, she had to play the stoic medical professional.

A gloved hand stretched the woman open while another inserted the
speculum. Sigi knew they were her hands, but she had to pretend they
werent in order to maintain her serious composure. Through her nose, she
inhaled as deeply as she could without it showing, a delicate appetizer to a
meal whose entre would not come until the man eased his scrutiny.

One of the hands picked up an ultrasound transducer and settled it on the

womans abdomen. Sigi focused her eyes on the ultrasound display,
pretending to herself she were watching a recording instead of a live
patient before her.

There were seven ripe follicles in total, five on the left and two on the right.
Sigi injected a long, sharp needle needle towards each follicle and
aspirated them one by one. It took her no more than ten minutes total, and
she let herself smile smugly at the efficiency of her work. It is right to feel
as one feels, and to show it.

The man was still watching intently. Sigi had to squirt the egg-laden fluid
from the needle into a vial without a final, deep inhale of the lovely scent in
the room. But the woman would be back, Sigi knew, and there would be
time for that then.

------------------------------

Ravi handed the sealed cup to Dr. Gernsheim. Hed been in the room over
ten minutes because he couldnt quite get into the mood. Something about
all this had started to feel weird to him. The doctor must have had an
odd impression about how graphic men liked their viewing material in
situations like his, so hed had to pull out his phone to find something a
little less... aggressive to help him out.

Danke. Now, return to the waiting room and Ill join you there shortly.

------------------------------

How was she? Aly asked when Ravi sat down next to her. She had a
playful smile on her face, like she was verging on laughing at Ravi.

Who?

The woman. Whoever it was you were just thinking about?

Oh, you mean you then? You were great!

Aly gave him a knowing smirk.

Seriously though, the stuff that doctor must think men like to watch... I was
on my own for material.

Really? Like what kind of videos does she have in there?

Well, theres a lot of leather, and some chains, and-- Ravi stopped
midsentence when the doctor walked in.

Both of your samples were satisfactory. They are incubating together now.
Fertilization shall occur during the next eighteen hours. Three days
following I shall remove a cell from each fertilized morula to test.

Ravi and Aly both asked at the same time: Remove a cell?

Its perfectly standard, the doctor replied. At the eight-cell stage, it is

both a safe and common practice to remove a cell for genetic testing. The
embryo will recover normally, with no ill effects.

Aly frowned but didnt press further. Ravi broke the uncomfortable silence.
What then?

Then I allow the best morulas to develop for two to three days, until they
become spherical blastulas of cells, and insert them into your wifes
uterus. Aly squirmed again, but Dr. Gernsheim continued as if she were
discussing last nights episode of 60 Minutes. Should one implant, and in
my hands at least one shall, it shall develop into an embryo, then a fetus,
then be born. And you shall be parents.

Aly squeezed Ravis hand so tight her knuckles popped. When, doc, she
asked, when will we know if it worked?

Anywhere between one and three weeks after insertion. Every woman
and every pregnancy is different. But if I obtain at least one acceptable
morula, I can assure you it will happen.

A question from weeks ago popped into Ravis mind. Hold on. What if
theres more than one good morula? Youd implant them all?

Yes, I would insert several. Typically three is ideal in situations such as

yours.

So... Aly began, ...we could end up with twins?

Ja, yes of course. Women your age have twins roughly one in three times
when three blastulas are implanted. Triplets roughly one in ten.

Tripl... Ravi began thinking before a blur of motion caught the corner of his
eye. Aly had whipped her head around to face him, a luminous smile on
her face. Twins, Ravi! Twins!

------------------------------

Sigi pushed the three unfertilized eggs to the side. The four that had
fertilized and divided to the eight-cell stage each looked morphologically
sound.

Her heart quickened. It was entirely possible that down there, one of the
thirty-two cells she was looking at was going to help her son, at long last.

She maneuvered the micromanipulator to the first morula, carefully

snipping a single cell from the ball. With practiced hands she placed the
cell into a small, labeled vial, and repeated the process with the three
remaining morulas. She nestled the four vials into an insulated Styrofoam
case, sealed the case in a FedEx box. She kissed the box gently before
placing it into her outgoing packages bin.

The results couldnt come soon enough. Her son was waiting for them.

------------------------------

Look, doc, I dont know what it is, but somethings off. She can feel it.

The mans voice grated on Sigis ear. Her temples ached. The days
awaiting test results dragged at her thoughts. Mr. Goldman, I understand,
but sickness in the first trimester is common. Especially so for women who
come about pregnancy with difficulty.

Theres a difference between sick and hurt. Shes hurt. You need to look
at her and see whats wrong.

There was no reasoning with this man. Hed spent the last thirteen years
taking his wife for granted, but now that she was keeping him up at night
with the pain of his seed, he suddenly cared.

All right, Mr. Goldman. Come in tomorrow morning at eight. Ill see you
then.

Finally. Thank you, doctor. See you in three hours.

Sigi slammed the phone back onto the receiver. She decided right then to
call cancel that stupid landline as soon as the phone company opened.

------------------------------

The black-haired woman looked up at Sigi anxiously from the exam table,
her eyes pleading for good news. The man squinted at the ultrasound
monitor, trying to make sense of what must have looked like raw static to
him.

The ultrasound image did look off to Sigi. There was an embryo, but there
was no suggestion of a heartbeat. At six weeks since conception, a dark
fluttering in the chest cavity should be plain.

It was all Sigi could do to keep from flying into a rage. These people had
done something to cripple the life she had given them. She wanted to jump
across the table and rip the mans testicles off, tear into the womans belly
and claw her ovaries out. Such was the punishment which befit those who
would destroy the life she had made.

But she knew she could not. In an unnoticed instant she swallowed those
emotions and assumed the grave mask of the Doctor with Bad News. Im
sorry, but Im afraid I dont see a heartbeat.

The woman cringed. The man seemed confused. But that must be
normal, right? The baby is only a few weeks old.

Embryos typically show a heartbeat three to four weeks after conception.

At six weeks after conception, the lack of a heartbeat is considered
significant.

The mans face scrunched up crossly. So how do you fix it? Can you give
her a pill or something? An injection?

Sigi had to bury a scream. There is nothing that can be done. The embryo
is no longer viable and must be terminated.

Terma... terminated... The woman sputtered and began sobbing abruptly.

She looked at Sigi with wide, red eyes. Her mascarashed taken the time
to put makeup on this morning?had run down both cheeks. Sobbing in
sadness, this time. A more familiar sensation to Sigi. Not the rare truffle
from before. But it was good that she suffered for being a murderer.

But we paid you forty grand for this! The man reacted to the news with
aggression and accusations, wild fury lashing at the nearest target. She
wished she could release her rage too, reflect fury back at the man who
must have done something to kill the gift she had given him. But she
needed to keep her clinic held in high regard, for her son.

She could enjoy his emotion vicariously, though. Sigi could smell him
beginning to sweat under his Clive No. 1, let herself inhale the predatory
scent of his testosterone once. So strong, this one, when he felt assaulted.
Perhaps it would be useful to add one of the extra cells she'd trimmed from
this couple's morulas to her son after all...

The man's face was red and he let short, ragged breaths seethe through
clenched teeth. You guaranteed youd give us a baby!

And a baby I did give you, though its life will be short. We can try again in
three months.
Youre a crook! The man burst out of his chair and jammed his finger in
Sigis face. So furious! Useful indeed. Ill sue you for everything youve
got, you bitch! Do you know who I am?

Sigi flushed. She needed to find control. Im so sorry, but your son--

Son?!? the woman cried. She didnt miss Sigis slip this time. Our
son?!? Her sobbing turned into shameless weeping, any trace of dignity
vaporized. She morphed into a puddle, a gelatinous mass that once
thought of itself as a mother-to-be. The stirring between Sigis legs
intensified, growing moist.

The mans fury melted into grief as he realized that hed not have an heir to
his name yet after all. His son--not just his embryo--was doomed to a
preconcious whisper of life. He sat back down and stared blankly at his
hands, turning them over and over as if he thought they could be of some
use in this situation.

The longer we wait, the more danger the embryo poses to the mother. We
must proceed with the termination immediately.

The woman was incapable of responding. The mans voice sounded like it
came from another plane of reality. Go ahead. Do it.

Sigi would make sure the termination was painless for the tiny life these
people had forced her to end. For the woman, her concern was... less.

------------------------------

Sigi tore open the large manila envelope, not bothering with the string
which wound its flap closed.

Embryonic Genome Analysis #2764492 was printed in large block letters

on the top sheet of the centimeter-thick report. Sigi sped through the
results. Samples A and B appeared normal, with the odd double-recessive
trait or synonymous substitution mutation. In all likelihood these would
develop into perfectly normal, acceptable embryos, with moderate
intellectual prospects. Sample D, on the other hand, exhibited a significant
deletion on chromosome 15 that rendered it highly impaired. Probably
mentally retarded, if it even survived.

But Sample C, that showed the promise Sigi had seen in the couples
genomes. No detected genetic markers for neural defects. No meaningful
deletions, duplications, or mutations. The presence of alleles known to
correlate with abstract thinking, spatial reasoning, and high IQ. Even a
gene variant associated with resilience to Alzheimers by a recent study.
As promising an intellectual genome as one could hope for.

Its you, she whispered at the data with tears in her eyes. You are the
brain of my son, and I shall name you Karl.

Sigi pulled the vial containing Sample C from the cryopreserver. In ten
minutes it had thawed, and she placed it under the microscope, removed a
second cell from the morula with the micromanipulator, transferred it to a
clean vial, and placed that vial back into the cryopreserver for use later.
Her cycle would soon be in phase, but until then her son would have to
wait.

That woman was going to need some of these morulas too, Sigi supposed.
Samples A and B would clearly do, but the risk of failure with only two
blastulas gnawed at her. No one was as expert as her at creating life, but
she would not purposely weaken her power by inserting only two blastulas.
She needed a third sample to insert.

The thought of inserting Sample D crossed her mind, and she would have
done it, were she not worried the morula was so impaired as to be unable
to survive. Sigi did not care whether the couple had a handicapped child,
for such was the caprice of reproduction. Only that she successfully
summoned yet another life into yet another womb. But Sample D was so
impaired that it was likely to do more harm than good to that end.

That left Sample C. Using Sample C brought a palpable distaste to her

tongue. Shed taken a cell from a sample for her son and then implanted it
before, but that was just for ordinary traits like musculature or internal
organs. This was for the brain, and that was a part of she didnt want to
share.

Of course, her son was much more than just that one sample: even if it
was the origin of his brain tissue, sample C itself was not her son. Her son
was far more than that lone sample. He was more than any one person,
really. And truly, inserting Sample C into that other woman was Sigis best
chance at creating another life.

Satisfiedhappy, evenshe placed the remainder of Sample C, along

with Samples A and B, into the incubator to mature into blastulas. That
couple was lucky to be given such gifts, and she was not an unbenevolent
creator, she admitted to herself.

------------------------------
Ravi was surprised how little the exam room seemed to bother Aly this
time. The observation window gave him a perpendicular view of her left
side as she lay on the exam table. He couldnt see her entire face, but her
body was relaxed. Even the stirrups didnt seem to make her
uncomfortable, and though she hadnt slept the night before, she was
peppy and eager. She was ready to be a mother.

Ravi felt ready to be a father too, though at this point he was something of
an external entity to the process. Hed completed his portion of the job in a
small room with a picture of Jenna Jameson on his phone. But that
wouldnt matter in the end, he supposed, when he held his baby in his
arms.

Through the glass observation window, he saw the doctor throw away a
ball of used paper towels. She pulled on a pair of purple gloves and
scowled as she began rubbing some sort of cream or oil on a long metal
tube with a scissor-like grip. A speculum, Aly had named it, when he asked
after their last appointment.

The doctor inserted the speculum into Aly, and then drew a small quantity
of liquid from a marked vial into a syringe with a long-needled tip. From
their earlier IUI and IVF treatments, Ravi had gotten used to the idea that
someone else would be injecting his genetic material into his wife. But still,
it was always weird to actually watch it happen. At least this doctor
seemed like she knew what she was doing. That feeling that she exuded
life had only grown since hed first noticed it.

Dr. Gernsheim seemed ready to proceed and lowered the syringe between
Alys legs. His wife said something and laughed, but the frown on the
doctors face deepened.

Aly had decided against any sedation this time because she wanted to be
awake when she got pregnant, even though the doctor insisted it would
make the procedure go more smoothly if she took even a mild dose of a
sedative. But Aly insisted too, and Dr. Gernsheim ultimately agreed to go
along and leave Aly unmedicated.

The doctors hands disappeared behind Alys thighs. Aly let out a nervous
laugh and tried to shift her hips, but the doctor stopped her from moving
with her hand. A moment later, the doctors other hand reappeared with
the syringe, plunger now fully depressed. The doctor set down the syringe
and took a deep breath.

That was it, then. If the doctor could be believed, he was now a father.
------------------------------

As soon as the doctor had finished and left the room, Aly put her clothes
back on and skipped all the way back to the doctors office. She was
glowing.

Dr. Gernsheim had changed out of scrubs and back into a lab coat. She
was sitting behind her desk, hands folded together formally in front of her.
That went entirely according to plan, the doctor began. I have inserted
three blastulas of high quality, and at least one should implant within a few
days. I advise you to take a pregnancy test every two days for the next
three weeks, or until you obtain two consecutive positive results.

Alys smile could no longer dam her words. Doc, I just want to thank you
so much. I have such a good feeling about this. I know its just my head,
but I think I can feel the baby implanting.

Bitte schn, you're very welcome. It was truly my pleasure. I am confident

in my work and believe you are becoming pregnant as we speak, though
there is no medical basis on which to believe you might actually feel it.
Nonetheless--I expect a positive result in your case.

That sense of creation emanating from the doctor made Ravi cautiously
optimistic. He couldnt tell Aly, but he really could believe she was right.

As you know, I removed one of the eight cells from each morula for
genetic testing, but this will not affect development of your son in any--

Son. The word rang in Ravis ears. Not his morula, or his blastula, or his
embryo. His son.

Aly was still digesting the word when Ravi spoke up. Son? You know its a
son?

Ja, a son. The doctors voice had sharpened, almost as if she were
excited. Apologies for my slip, but all three blastulas I inserted were male.

A son. Ravi was going to have a son. Or two, or even three.

He turned to Aly. Her eyes were glistening emeralds again, raw love and
joy streaming out of them. He could see her soul, and it was beautiful.

------------------------------

The cryopreserver held a lot of samples, but Sigi was there to retrieve the
most important two: the crystal vial containing most of her son, sitting
alone on the top shelf as it should, and the glass vial containing the cell
from Sample C shed retrieved four days earlier. Her womb was nearly
ready, and it was time to complete her work.

She set the two vials out to thaw. She had a few minutes before theyd be
ready, so she turned on the old sound system in the exam room. Her old
mix-tape CD was still in the player. The wah-wahs and cool distortion of
Lightning Crashes began echoing from the corners of the room, calling
up old memories of boys chasing after her so many years ago. Sigi was
never the prettiest girl, but the boys didnt seem to mind so much when she
played along, for a night or three at least.

...lightning crashes, a new mother cries...

Sigi held the two vials up to the light and swished them around. They were
ready.

She pipetted the contents of each vial up and placed the droplet under her
microscope. She found the seven-cell ball from her sons crystal tube first.

It had held up well in cryopreservation, which Sigi expected of her

handiwork. The cell from that black-haired woman and her phone-zombie
husbandthe ones who had killed the life she gave themhad bonded
well with the six other cells shed slowly assembled over the past years. A
round gap in her sons otherwise tight formation sat ready to accept the
eighth and final cell.

...lightning crashes, an old mother dies...

Sigi found the cell from Sample C. It was beautiful, perfectly round. Just
the cell her son needed to complete his genetic foundation, the foundation
of a boy equipped with all the genetic blessings to become a great man.

She grasped the cell with her micromanipulator and carefully slotted it into
the gap on the seven-cell morula. She transferred the now-eight-cell
morula into a vial and placed it into the incubator to ripen into a blastula.

...lightning crashes, a new mother cries...

------------------------------

Two days later her son was ready. He had everything a boy could want,
everything a parent could give a child. The best genes. The very best
genes, drawn from parents exemplary in their own aspects. The strongest
muscles, the best looks, the most efficient organs. And now, the smartest
brain. There would be nothing--nothing--her son Karl would be unable to
accomplish.

Sigi pulled her sons vial from the incubator. The tube was warm, and she
clutched it tightly with both hands to feel the warmth spreading from it. Her
sons first hug.

She opened the drawer beneath the sink and withdrew a speculum and a
syringe. They were both new, never used on any of those lesser women
she had previously impregnated. These were special, just for her, and for
her son.

Sigi relaxed onto the exam table and put her legs up into the stirrups. The
Cranberries were playing on her CD player.

...in your head, zombie, zombie...

Sigi stared at herself in the mirror shed set up at the foot of the exam
table. She was beautiful, no matter what anyone else thought. Beautiful
because she was a fount of life, the closest thing to a creator since the
gods abandoned the world.

She lubricated the speculum and held it against herself, between her legs.
It was cold, and smooth, and hard. She slid it in slowly and opened its
duckbill blades, locking them in position to free her hands.

Sigi unscrewed the vial containing her son and drew the fluid inside it into
the syringe. The light of the room shimmered through the liquid in its barrel
when she held it up to admire it. She cherished the fleeting instants of the
beginning of her sons life.

She reached down between her legs and carefully inserted her sons
syringe. Felt it slide into her, life entering to quicken her womb at last.
Sigi depressed the plunger to inject his blastula into her uterus and
released.

At last, at long last, Sigi was a woman. A mother. She had given life to so
many, but now she had her own creation.

She was the nearest thing to a god. A being whose mere existence begat
life.

...and their bombs, and their guns...

Yes, Sigi could feel the life sparking inside her. Maybe that woman was
right and one could actually feel it. Feel life igniting in the womb, in her
womb. The furnace of creation stoking to bright fire, her body forging the
life of a son from nothingness. It did not matter that she hadnt found a
man to give her a baby, or even that it had been over a decade since shed
slept with anyone. She created her own life, her own son, with no man.
She made this life, in every sense of the word.

And thus, the line of Frankenstein would go on.