A Short Walk to the Other Side by Matthew J. Pallamary

Author:Matthew J. Pallamary
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: short stories, horror, science fiction
Publisher: Mystic Ink Publishing
Published: 2016-03-06T00:00:00+00:00

FUSION

Suzanne adjusted the focus on her electron microscope and watched two sets of cells swim into focus. "Okay," she muttered. "Let's see if they're happy." She set the cell electromanipulator to deliver a quarter second .02 microvolt pulse at 400 hertz and hit the actuation switch, making the cells dance.

The phone rang before she could check her results. She snatched it up. “Hello.”

“How’s it going, gorgeous?”

Marcus. Pleasant warmth swept through her as she remembered their last night together before he left town to meet with investors.

“Still banging away,” she said, thinking of how he had hit all her pleasure zones. "If I can isolate the regenerative salamander gene and fuse it to mouse cells, I can replicate it in humans."

"If we show them regrown mouse limbs they'll be beating our doors down," Marcus said.

The unit beeped, demanding her attention. “I have to check this last cycle. I think I’m getting close.”

She switched the cell electromanipulator to its high voltage range, set the output to deliver a one second 500 volt pulse at one megahertz and hit the switch. The two cell sets drifted toward the center of the field, then stopped to key her observations into her laptop.

Dipole activity from a one second, 500 volt, one megahertz pulse. Cells approach field concentration, then stop. Increased field strength could enhance attraction.

She set the instrument to its maximum setting; a 20 microsecond, 3 kilovolt pulse at one megahertz. The cells jumped toward the field center and aligned themselves into chains. "Close, but no cigar,” she muttered.

She tried different voltages and varying pulse lengths. Each time the cells aligned, then drifted apart. "Come on,” she said to the electrode setup. “You mean to tell me you'll get close, but you don't want to kiss?" She keyed more notes into her computer.

Maximum three kilovolt setting produced pearl chains. No arcing. Stronger field strength could induce breakdown of cell membranes so adjacent pores can form channels allowing an exchange of cytoplasm, leading to a hybrid. The problem lies in the field strength, but the power needed exceeds the limitations of the instrument.

She had the mouse and salamander cells in the same media and they'd formed chains. How could she get more field strength?

She studied the electromanipulator. A Celltron 3000, the most powerful instrument on the market. After rummaging through her desk drawers for a screwdriver, she unplugged the unit and broke the silver label covering one of the screw holes, ignoring the warning.

WARRANTY VOID IF REMOVED.

REFER SERVICE TO A QUALIFIED CELLTRON TECHNICIAN.

A technician wouldn't give her the field strength she needed. She removed the rest of the screws until she had the back panel off. A schematic had been glued to the inside. A prominent red label stated:

DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE

She noticed the taps of the transformer added up to a total of 3500 volts. What were the extra 500 volts for?

Suzanne made a few calculations, then cut one of the wires and reattached it to the last transformer tap. According to the diagram, now it would put out 3500 volts.

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