University Research

  A few days after the arrest of an alleged snake-wielding serial killer a group of prominent individuals were meeting inside the Mayor’s office. Among this group was the state’s Governor and Attorney General, the Mayor herself, the chief of police, the President of the University as well as the head of its Biology department and the head of state’s largest zoo. They were meeting behind closed doors to discuss what to do with the snake and likely murder weapon which was found in searching the house following the arrest. 

“Thank you all for coming,” the mayor said as she started the meeting, “As you all know we are here to discuss what to do with this snake. There really isn’t much precedent for what we should do. The main decision we have to make is whether or not to euthanize it. There are complications that have arisen as this is different from a regular murder and from a typical wild animal killing a person. Attorney General, tell us some of the legal concerns regarding this matter.”

“Thank you, Mayor Davis,” he started, “The main concern is the trial. Does the snake need to be alive to be permissible evidence of a murder weapon? That will be determined by the judge and since there is no history of such cases in this state there is no way to predict what the judge will determine in his or her interpretation of the law. The prosecution can make a case without the weapon, but given the serious and unusual nature of this an iron-clad case would be preferable.”

“If the snake is killed,” the governor said, “and the judge doesn’t allow it to be presented as evidence, isn’t the evidence still overwhelming?”

“It is, Governor Price,” the Attorney General replied, “but my concern is a clever defense attorney could get all evidence regarding the snake dismissed. And that would hurt in showing motive and opportunity.”

“I think the concern should be public safety above all else,” Governor Price said, “People are going to be curious about this giant snake and if it’s somewhere it’ll attract at least a few people. Not to mention animal-right activists or someone trying to get vengeance on the snake. If someone else is killed in this way, it won’t be acceptable. Can this animal be absolutely secured at your University, President Williams?”

“Yes,” he answered, “Dr. Thompson will be able to give you more specifics.”

“Governor,” Dr. Thompson said, “If we are given the go ahead to keep the snake, it will be secured. We are prepared to take major steps to accommodate and secure the creature. Our research area will become exclusive to the snake and the security will be state-of-the-art. Only the select few would have access and no one could enter or exit the area without going through multiple layers of security and verifying their credentials.” 

“Have you thought of safety precautions about the possibility of the snake escaping its containment?” 

“Yes,” Dr. Thompson, “We have already designed special traps. Also, the snake will be monitored at all times and someone with access to sedatives as well a fatal means of subduing the snake will always be there.”

“Let’s say in a worst possible scenario,” the Mayor starts, “it escapes into the public and avoids attempts at trapping. What’s the danger then, Jack?”

“It could kill people,” Jack, the head of the state’s largest zoo, replied, “It could survive by eating deer, but it has certainly shown that it is capable of consuming an entire human. And quite frankly, I think humans would be the easier prey. It would fortunately be limited to one meal of that size a month.”

“What about reintroducing it into its native environment?” the Mayor asked. 

“That’s not a good idea,” Dr. Thompson said, “This snake is considerably larger than even a Boa Constrictor. I think it would outcompete local predators anywhere we put it and that’ll harm the ecosystem. If this snake is kept alive it will need to be kept in containment. At least, until we can research it and find out how it came to be. Then we may know where it could be placed in the wild without it being disastrous.”

“May I chime in?” the chief of police said. 

“Certainly,” the Mayor responded. 

“I don’t think this guy is going to trial,” he said, “He hasn’t formally confessed yet, but he isn’t denying anything. He’s clearly working on the advice of his Attorney. He’s a smart man and he’ll take a plea bargain, I’m pretty certain. Saying that, not knowing how that snake got into this town makes me nervous. I want to stop it if it’s an illegal animal trading ring that’s bringing such dangerous animals into our community. In my mind the snake is more valuable to finding that solution than it is to this murder case.”

“You look like you have a clever idea, Chief,” The governor said. 

“I was thinking that maybe the thing to do is to keep the snake alive available for research and whatever else it’s needed for legally, but tell the public that it’s been euthanized. No will come looking for the snake and the only people we’ll have to deal with being pissed is PETA.”

“That certainly is a third option,” the mayor said, “I’d like to have a press conference in regards to this today, so I think it’s time for the brain-trust to vote.”

“Who wants to euthanize the snake?” 

The Governor's hand went up.

“It is too risky to keep that thing alive,” he said. 

“Who wants to keep it and inform the public that we’ve done so?”

The zookeeper's hand went up. 

“So, I guess the rest of us like the chief’s plan?”

There were nods. 

“I don’t think this is the wisest thing to do,” the Governor said, “but we all need to show our support for this decision publically. Everyone agree?”

Less than an hour later, the seven prominent figures stood around a podium whilst the mayor announced that the snake had been euthanized and cremated. 

A few days later Dr. Thompson walked out to meet one of the few people who were working on the project. Security measures were installed and renovations were underway. It was summer so fortunately it wasn’t too hard to close down an entire Hall and not cause much fuss. The reason given to the press and students was that structural deficiencies were found and the building needed to have emergency renovations for the University to feel it was safe. While the truth of the renovations was that they were to close the first floor to anyone other than those who had the credentials to work on the project as well make a habitat that was comfortable for the snake as well as safe for those who had to work with it. 

He stepped outside and found the person he had come to get was already waiting on him. It was a graduate student of his named Candace. He had chosen her to assist him with the project, which was code-named, “Project Nagini.” She was hard working and specialized in reptiles, so he thought she would be a good fit. She was made to understand that their work was to be kept secret and she signed an agreement to that effect. 

She wore a white and yellow sundress, sheer black polka-dot tights and white high heeled sandals. She also wore her usual pair of glasses. Her hair was blonde and curly; it fell about an inch or two above her shoulders. She was 26 and had already received her Master’s degree in Biology and was two years from her PhD. 

“How are you, Candace?” Dr. Thompson asked as he led her into the building. 

“I’m well,” she said, “How are you doing, Doctor?”

“Stressed and busy,” he said, sounding a bit weary, “but I think things will start to calm down pretty soon as we get procedures down pat and the influx of new data dies down.”

“I hope so,” she said, “How are things coming with getting things set up?”

“There’s been a lot of progress over night, Candace,” he said, “and it’ll make doing research much easier.”

They approached a door, which was protected by a keypad. 

“You know the drill,” he said, “I need to see your ID and you need to sign in.”

She quickly pulled her ID from her purse and filled out her information on the sign-in log. Hers and the Doctors were the only two names on the sheet for that day. So few people knew about the project that it wasn’t surprising that they would be the only two at a given time. Once they had finished all the paperwork, he slid his key card and they went deeper into the building. Candace saw that they were approaching a door which hadn’t been there a day before. 

“They added another layer of security,” he said, “It really is quite impressive. There may be more added yet, but I feel much better with this door added.”

He had to enter a 6-digit code and then place his finger onto a scanner. The door unlocked once his finger print was verified and they walked into a room, which was different from the day before. It had been expanded and a few desks had been moved in. More importantly, 3 of the walls of the room where the snake was being kept had been replaced with glass. The fourth wall had remained the same, which was a concrete wall with a steel door. 

“This glass is beyond bullet-proof,” he said, “The governor was able to secure funding for these renovations and that glass was the biggest purchase yet. We can observe directly and be in no danger, which I think will end up being very helpful to our cause.”

“I’m amazed how quickly this was done,” she said. 

“The work is being done around the clock,” he said, “The priority is to get things done quickly and hopefully avoid any one from looking more deeply at the renovations.”

“It is quite impressive,” she said. 

“Yes,” he said looking around, “Today, I’d like you to go over some of the research that has been done so far. I’ve gathered a lot of new data today and haven’t had a chance to look it over in its entirety yet, so I’d like to get your impression on it. I need to check up on some of the construction and then I have a quick meeting scheduled with the University President. When I get back, I’ll need your assistance with a bit more data collection.”

“Okay, Doctor,” she said. 

“I’ll probably be back here in about 3 hours,” he said, “but I’ll still be in the building and the campus police are just outside should you need anything. I’m very glad you agreed to help me out with this.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” she said. 

Hours later, Candace sat with her head in her hands. Nothing was making sense. She couldn’t understand how this snake had come into existence. It definitely wasn’t natural. The DNA was unlike anything else that had ever been found. While it shared similarities with modern large constrictors, it wasn’t possibly just a modified version of a Boa. It was its own species. 

She kept thinking and going over stacks of data. The snake’s saliva wasn’t similar to any other large snake alive. Its blood was equally dissimilar. She sought some explanation when it dawned on her.

“It must’ve been made in a lab,” she whispered. 

She got up and looked at the giant creature through the glass. She wondered about its origin. It was troubling for her on many levels. She didn’t know why someone would make something like that. She deemed it to be deeply unethical to create a new type of animal. And she thought that it wasn’t possible with the current level of technology. She went back to sit down at the desk and had another revelation. 

There are so few people on the planet capable of bio-engineering and fewer still capable of doing it at a high enough level to even approach what she had found. Candace knew for a fact that one of those people was Dr. Thompson. It was quite the coincidence that this had turned up in the very town where he was. She was frightened, but she found herself disbelieving that it could possibly be him. He was so very kind. He worked within a high personal set of ethics. 

As her mind was racing she heard the door unlock behind her. She turned to see Dr. Thompson entering the room. He smiled at her as he approached where she was sitting.

“What’s your initial impression, Candace?” he asked. 

“Doctor,” she said, “I don’t think that the animal came to exist through natural means. Or even normal artificial means. I think it was made in a lab.”

“Very interesting,” he said, “what’s your evidence?”

“None of the data I looked over shows a connection with a modern large constrictor,” she said, “The DNA doesn’t match up. It certainly isn’t a species that currently lives. And I am pretty certain that it isn’t a derivative of one either. Other than looking somewhat similar to modern snakes, all the evidence points to this being a new species.”

“Do you think it could be a product of a natural mutation?”

“No,” she said, “mutations between generations are never this significant. And anything that could’ve caused such a mutation would’ve killed anything on the planet.”

“That is really quite the prospect,” he said, “An animal created by man in a lab.”

“Dr. Thompson,” she said, “do you think that it would be possible to do such a thing with our level of technology.”

“It is hard to say,” he said clearly in deep thought, “Things advance so quickly. It certainly would be very difficult to do it and have it be viable. It would have to be with state of the art equipment and in the perfect environment.”

“Why do you think the snake turned up here, Doctor?” she asked

“I wonder about that,” he said, “but I don’t know.”

“Doctor,” she said, sounding very apprehensive, “Aren’t you one of just few people who has the intelligence, knowledge and ability to try such a thing?”

“Candace,” he said, “I can see what you’re trying to get at. And I understand why you’re thinking that given your theory. My job is not to create new species and if it were I would resign.”

“It seems awfully strange to me,” she said, “that it just happened to be found here. It seems unlikely that it could’ve been moved here.”

“Unlikely,” he said, “Probably impossible at its current size, but even if it was made by a person it would’ve been smaller and easier to move when it was younger.”

“Doctor,” she said, “I don’t know if I feel comfortable working with you on this project anymore.”

“I understand,” he said, “but allow me to try to get you to stay.”

“Fine,” she said.

“I chose you to work on this project,” he said, “I chose you because you’re smart and your knowledge and understanding is greater than most of the professors in this Department. When the seal is broken on this and our findings are allowed to go public, you will instantly become a well-known and respected researcher. I think you deserve that more than any of my colleagues. And with a doctorate you’d have your pick of any job in this field. I want to find out the truth about this snake. And I think working with you is my best shot.

“If you still want out, I’ll show you out of the building.”

“No,” she said, “I think the conclusion I came to is a bit silly this early in our work and definitely unfair. I want to keep working on this project and I’m sure there’ll be more data for us to use to come up with an explanation.”

“Great,” he said, “I’m really glad you’ve agreed to help me.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” she said, “I appreciate the opportunity.”

“Alright,” he said, “I wanted to do some work with the snake and I was hoping you’d help me handle it.”

“Shouldn’t we have a few more people?” she asked.

“Well, yes,” he said, “but I’d like to have some more data to go over tonight and I’m sure we can handle it. It’s been pretty docile since the field turf was put in.”

“It hasn’t moved at all really since I got here,” she said, “If you think it’s safe, then I would like to see the snake up close.”

“Excellent,” he said.

They walked through a set of steel doors, which was another new addition. Past those doors was the door to where the snake was. The security at this door was quite significant. He had to use his finger, slide his keycard, enter a code and then have his eye scanned. 

“Before we go in,” he started and pulled a lanyard from his shirt, “If we have to leave in a hurry, this remote will unlock the door. If for some reason, I’m not able to use it, remember that it is breakaway, so just rip it off me and get the hell out. Okay?”

“Okay,” she said.

He got the door unlocked and they entered the enclosure. The snake barely reacted to their presence upon their entrance. The pair slowly approached the snake side by side. They were mere feet from the giant serpent when Candace realized Dr. Thompson hadn’t brought any equipment. She didn’t have time to mull the reasoning of that because she was grabbed and her legs were kicked out from under her. She fell right out of her shoes and landed with the top half of her body on the snake. 

Dr. Thompson unlocked the door and ran out of the enclosure. He soon appeared at the glass and watched Candace’s plight. She attempted to get up and she did, but only for a moment. The muscular snake had been forming a coil around her waist and when she stood it pulled her back down again. 

“Help me!” she screamed, “Get me help!” 

Dr. Thompson stood and watched for a moment before he began to speak into an intercom which could be heard through speakers in the snake’s enclosure. 

“You had me scared for a moment,” he said, “I’m surprised how quickly you figured it out, but you always were quick. But still naïve enough to follow me into that room.”

She struggled against the tightening coil at her waist. Her legs kicked and her hands pulled hopelessly at the snake’s body. Another began wrapping around her body, which ended up trapping her arms, which she failed to move from pulling at the first coil in time. She tried her best to fight the snake, but its weight and strength made her predicament nearly inescapable. 

“Why?” she screamed, “Why did you do this?”

“You know I can barely hear your screams through the glass,” he said into the intercom, “And there is not enough time left in your life for me to explain ‘why?’”

A third coil worked its way around the helpless girl just below her breasts. Tears ran down her face as screamed for help. She could feel it tightening and breathing was slowly becoming more difficult. She tried to writhe into a better position, but all she could manage was to move her shoulders. Another coil loosely came around her chest before it too began tightening. 

The power of the snake squeezing her was painful and she could hardly breathe. With every exhale the constriction became tighter and soon she found that she couldn’t breathe at all. The snake added another coil around her shoulders for good measure as the panicked girl tried to do anything to get free. All that happened though was that she frantically kicked her legs in black polka dot tights. Also in her fighting, the skirt of her dress rode up and now covered the snake’s first coil, which gave Dr. Thompson a nice view of her panties. 

“Candace,” Dr. Thompson said, “watching you kick your legs is quite enjoyable. I hope you keep it up.”

She heard his taunt, but couldn’t be bothered with it. The more pressing issue was the burning in her lungs. Her face had gone red. The snake was still tightening its grip on her torso as she felt the effects of suffocation. She wished desperately to be able to take a breath. Her chest hurt so badly. She wished that the snake would let her go and let her take a desperately needed breath, but it had no intentions of that. 

Candace’s face turned purple and her tongue and eyes bulged. Her legs still kicked, but they were weaker and much less coordinated than they had been a moment before. Her last seconds of awareness brought desperate struggles before she fell limp. Her eyes blankly stared at nothing as her legs made a few final twitches. But soon the girl was still. 

The snake loosened its grip on the dead girl causing her limp body to roll to the floor. The snake approached the girl’s head and started to enjoy its meal. Her head and shoulders disappeared into the snake’s mouth. Then it took in her chest and stomach. In a few more gulps on her nylon-clad feed stuck out of the snake’s mouth and soon those too were swallowed. 

The giant snake moved lethargically looking for a cooler spot. Its bulge could clearly be seen. Dr. Thompson moved back to the enclosure and grabbed Candace’s sandals before leaving again. Her purse and shoes would be destroyed. 

A while later Dr. Thompson sat in his office composing an email. He was sending it to the other professors he was working with. He informed them that there would be no direct observation of the snake until next week and that he would send what information he had gathered the next day. His next job was to make a trail to make it look like Candace had run away.