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creature while Dr. Huggins administers the dose to the
animal’s shoulder from behind.
    ›
    The creature’s arms and legs are still belted to an
examination table and the scientists have given the animal enough time to be
sure he’s asleep. EKG wires are hooked up to him and an electrocardiograph
displays his heart’s vital statistics. Huggins is drawing blood from the prone
animal. Sahar moves a portable x-ray machine near the table. The scientists step
away and she shoots two or three pictures. Once the x-rays are done, Huggins
pulls a hook down from the ceiling which he attaches to the table. He presses a
button and it lifts the top portion of the examination table and the animal up
an inch or two.
    “Thirty-seven kilograms,” he says.
    June writes this down on a clipboard she is holding. She
starts removing EKG contacts. “Looks like we’re finished,” she says. “At least
he cooperated and stayed asleep. Let’s get him back into his cage before he
comes to.”
    “If he comes to,” says Sahar under her breath.
    June pretends not to have heard but a slight smile crosses
her face that Sahar cannot see. Sahar reminds June of her younger self. She
really appreciates how much Sahar cares for the animals that come through this
lab.
    Sahar moves the x-ray machine away. Huggins moves the
portable tray table away from the examination table, then positions himself near the head of the creature, June goes to the feet. Sahar
is near the belts with the Hauptner syringe.
    “Ready?” asks Sahar.
    June looks at Huggins, who nods. “Okay,” she says. “Unstrap
him.”
    Sahar does so and the other two scientists pick up the
animal carrying it quickly to the cage. Huggins takes over once in the cage and
places the animal down as gently as possible. He comes out, relieved. “Well,
that went okay.”
    “He’ll probably have a headache when he wakes up,” say June.
    Huggins closes the cage and locks it. “He’ll get over it. Anybody up for Pizza Hut?” He pulls off his mask and cap
showing his gray-streaked black beard and hair. June and Sahar do the same.
    “I’ll go,” says June. “I’m famished.”
    “I’ll get something later,” says Sahar. “I’m going to stay
and make sure he wakes up all right. I can get started on the blood work.”
    “That can wait until we get back, Sahar,” says June.
    Sahar is firm. “I’ll stay. Thanks for the invite though.”
    “We’ll bring you something,” says Huggins.
    Sahar smiles her thanks and watches as June and Huggins
leave. She wanders closer to the cage. Looking at the sleeping creature, she
regards him with quiet wonder. He is the most amazing animal discovery in two
hundred years and they have pumped him with enough ketamine to put a horse to
sleep for a week. They had no idea even how the tranquilizer would affect the
animal before they used it.
    After a few moments she walks over to a lab bench, puts on a
clean pair of surgical gloves, and pulls a vial of the creature’s blood for
testing.
    ›
    An hour later, Sahar stands up from her lab work, stretches
and yawns. She lets her long, black hair free from the hair clip she’d had it
in now that she was done with her work. She looks at the lab clock on the wall
and sees the time. Suddenly, she looks over at the animal and becomes worried.
She walks over to his cage.
    “I hope they haven’t overdosed you, little guy. You may be
asleep for days with the amount of ketamine in you.” She notices that his water
bottle in the cage is low. “Let me get some water and some food for you while
you’re still asleep.”
    Sahar goes to the cage, unlocks it and opens it. She walks
in to get his food dish and water bottle, pausing to look at his face. He’s
sleeping. When she turns her back, the creature’s eyes suddenly open wide and
he watches her leave the cage. He is not the least bit sleepy.
    As she walks away from the cage, she not only leaves it
unlocked, but wide open. The creature doesn’t waste a