Afternoon. Pairs of feet tread a polished floor. Time didn’t have long to pass till who they belong too are eyeing a lab, inside are various scientific equipment. The group have just passed an electronic door using a female guide’s key card.

  The room is hygienic as a layman person would anticipate. Impressive as the devices were, paled behind something else. ‘What is this?’ he asked steely. His query had a destination, a business suit dressed woman. Her mouth opens, yet silent.

  The guide’s questioner remained steely, as if he wasn’t adamant about getting a suitable response already, ‘What is this?’ now his finger directly pointing at a large semi-transparent glass specimen tank holding liquid. One of a number. The woman’s voice is professional in her response.

  ‘Your company taught you well.’ Eshai makes clear spitting out unrelated technical jargon is short of an answer. His professionalism and will, will not accept short of real satisfaction, steely again, ‘What is this?’ eyes glaring. As if asking aid, she glances at the several others present momentarily. No one so much as covered her. She says the tank contains scientific material her firm develops – modified flesh.

  Another man, Lashon, ‘The company made this?’

  She nods.

  ‘Flesh?’ Eshai inquires. He wanted to comprehend what outside his expertise. ‘But this looks...’

  ‘Human parts, but grown from stem cells from scratch I assure you.’

  ‘Why in God’s name?’ Lashon interjects.

  ‘What happens is different from modified food in that its even of greater application for human prosperity – grow limbs, rewrite DNA caused disease. Surely endless possibility deserves a chance to prove itself.’ Her justification.

  ‘Today's Frankenstein. Hope you’re not testy.’

  ‘In compliance with ethical standard. You can rest easy.’

  The lab is toured further and questions asked, two learned men who have a need to just make sense of it. The question as to how is explained by her, ‘First a stem cell is one that can be become another kind of cell, hair, blood skin. Samples are collected…’

  ‘Collected or taken?’ interjects Lashon.

  ‘In compliance with ethical standard,’ she says professionally or is it like a book?

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  She continues, ‘…stem cells are checked for impurity, our genetic scientists come in and instruct them to divide. Into what is determined by gene sequencers and supercomputers, otherwise reading the code would take two years. It’s that long. Within the tanks we can have the cells divide and grow: up to organs, bone, skin, blood.’

  ‘Jurassic Park with people.’

  At tour’s end can any sensible person but conclude only the surface penetrated? Eshai waves a finger, promising the matter is not done.

  The team returns to their office. From tomorrow the already turning wheels are expected to rotate faster. Lead investigator Eshai with co-investigator Lashon made their way to the firm’s premises by way of a warrant to begin with.

  A mid-strength breeze blows hair and clothes, along with any vegetation. Morning saw the men and team walk the grounds of the firm, looming ahead its modern architecture. The lab discovery confirms what the search warrant implied: a justified search that said the men could hardly fathom this kind of bizarre and in their eyes troubling science. An investigation since last visit in earnest raised eyebrows, by sifting through requested documents and it thus far barely begun. ‘That woman had me imagining executive was her role,’ Eshai says. His inflection had a bite of suspecting her to it.

  The guide given personality as Laurona, possessing a doctorate applicable to a geneticist.

  Common curtesy putting it mildly he adds she should’ve explained actually a scientist. He is told half-jokingly by Lashon teaches him right not to judge first sight. Eshai deemed it of significance to the investigation. What men in his profession would like to be kept abreast of, potential impact of which cannot be gauged when unknown. Lashon again finding his wittiness says intellectuals have a sheen to them when it came to withholding information.

  They’d returned to search more thoroughly, will go beyond documents this round: computer hard drives, equipment, emails and facilities, chat with employees including the dear guide.

  The firm is judged worthy of intensified probes. The team in coming days make repeat visits to the compound.

  The firm for its part oddly remained largely quiet save for PR department statements that aren’t going to speak badly of their genetic program. Much as the men and the team try, the firm proves somehow beyond grasp. A trove of information is found such as financials and intriguing state connections. Tantalizingly, potentially suspicious, but only cracking the mystery can discern if prosecutable. Sense is will not go farther like a 4x4’s wheels spinning in mud but the Land Rover unable to advance.

  The investigators discuss indications the firm practiced soft power. Quietly using influence to shield itself, this is a leader in its field...of connections that is. Doubters will be in no position challenging the investigative team that learn first-hand. Not surprising of itself. Name a company that wouldn’t pull out the stops? Industry to industry reputation and public perception count.

  Proffered to Eshai leak information publicly to raise the temperature, declines he does for morality. Much of his team is not on board.

  Morality got this pebble moving, that as it rolls down, accumulates more and more material onto itself threatening to become a boulder. ‘Man wasn’t put on earth to emulate god,’ he’s slashed by someone. Response is unfair to liberally call it all bad just yet. The investigator within wouldn’t let him off unless he showed a fairness.

  The corporate hesitance would make it longer prying answers to questions like – was safety suitable and sufficient, was permission extracted from people in collecting cells, were deceased donors used, how old were they, are embryos sacrificed, the profits involved, the ultimate goal?

  Potential down sides outweigh the firm’s rosy picture. Conversely too hard an investigation risks impeding a revolutionary direction for man as a whole.