The three of them were marching side by side, the little doctor in the middle, along the glass-enclosed walkway which connected the central, ten-storey solar-glass pyramid with the biochemical laboratories where they were headed, and which were housed in the separate, sealed-off, four-storey cube. 'When you think about it, we have made thousands of years of progress since the so-called "dark ages" of placental implants and ewe cell injections. Thousands! But then . . . ' - Dr Vassiltchikov permitted herself a smile, as if the three of them were sharing a very private, and very secret joke. -' ... I do not need to tell the two of you that, do I?' They stopped at a set of brushed-steel doors which had neither handles, knobs, nor locks. On each, a large yellow decal with black lettering had been affixed. The one on the left warned: CAUTION Biological Hazard Restricted Area Authorised Personnel Only And on the right: DANGER Carcinogenic Contaminants Teratogenic Substances and Radioactive Isotopes In Use Producing her plastic identification card, Dr Vassiltchikov slid it into a slot, a green light glowed, and the doors hissed apart.
