It's the 42nd batch in the last two years, with seven almost identical fertilized zygotes prepared with new DNA combinations.
Talia inspects the last one critically from the microscope and nods her approval to Dr. Horowitz, who inclines her head and retreats to start the proceedings as efficiently as she should as the head scientist of the al Ghul's.
Talia does not even glance at the empty space on her left, where all trace of the existence of batch 34 have been completely removed, and she certainly doesn't let any doubt enter her mind. She will create the perfect heir, the conqueror who will found the dynasty to rule the world with iron fist for eternity, with her and her Beloved alongside him.
And as a true al Ghul, she will never admit defeat, and certainly not by something that can be achieved with enough patience, money and time. She has already the last two, and the first is Dr. Horowitz's problem.
There has been also success, the latest an eight week fetus, but enhancing her Beloved's near perfect genetic material with metagenes had proven to be much more difficult than anticipated, the engineering needed increased significantly and the results more uncertain.
The light from the energy crystal lights the eight-well fertilization dish in Talia's hand, and Talia is momentarily lost in thought. She sees him on her mind eyes, her beautiful new Alexander, with her Beloved's blue eyes and jaw, and her cheekbones and ears. How tall and well-built he will be, and how gracefully and skillfully he will fight and lead. Brilliant in tactics and engineering, but also in music and arts.
(And if she wishes in her heart of hearts that he will also inherit his father's determination, courage and goodness, she daren't even voice it to herself.)
She is jerked from her thoughts when a hapless lab technician stumbles at her, and she is forced to grasp the table with her hand or drop the dish. The edge of the dish almost hits the crystal and there is a momentary silence when everyone looks in horror at the scene.
Talia rights herself, places the samples carefully on the table and reveals her saber.
The horrorstruck lab technician is already on her feet, eyes wide with fear. But instead of apologies — which would be completely naught as there is no place for clumsiness in the League of Assassins — she is babbling incoherently. "P—passed…the edge…edge through the cry—"
She is silenced by the saber cutting her head off.
"Clean this up, and I want that batch ready by noon." Talia says as she sweeps out of the room, before her rage can do more damage.
Four weeks later, three of zygotes, samples A, D and E from the batch 42 have survived to evolve to embroys. Talia looks at them from the screen — magnified ten-fold — and gives her approval. The embroys are each lying on their individual incubation spheres, but sharing the same artificial placenta to fight over the same nutrients — only the best deserve to live, after all.
Thus far all the samples have grown on appropriate levels for four week embroys, but sample A is her favorite. Designed to be ultimate warrior with metagene enhanced strength, he is the biggest one of the samples. Sample E, with only the lowest emphasis on telepathic metagene, only gets her cursory glance.
"Miss Talia, would you not want to hear about the sample D?" asks Dr. Horowitz.
Talia spares a contemptuous look at the smallest of the samples, "No need, I presume it won't survive for long now, without the metagenes"
Dr. Horowitz does not let Talia's disdain discourage her. "He is an interesting case, Miss Talia, nonetheless. Yes, as the middle one of the samples, he was indeed designed to be the baseline concerning the different modifications we did to the genome coding possible metahuman characteristics, which has made his development more moderate but also more stable than the others."
"I'm not interested in the by-product of our experiments." Talia says with disdain. "I have no use for an ordinary, useless child."
"I'm aware of that, Miss Talia. However, it seems that his DNA underwent some spontaneous, beneficial mutations especially in the genes that code neurological morphology and its regulation. There were also some others at least in chromosomes 8, 9, 12 and 17 that are very interesting to us. As his DNA was already close to perfect, due to the excellence of the genetic material and the advanced engineering we performed, he might prove to be very beneficial to our research."
Talia does not indicate her approval, but for the first time she really looks at sample D.
At week seven, disaster strikes. Talia is woken up by her assistant, and she knows before they even say what has happened. When she arrives at the compound, Dr. Horowitz is already waiting for her.
"It has started again. The embryos are deteriorating, and the nutrients are flowing back to the placenta. As always, we found that too late, but this time we might have an explanation even though there are no chromosomal anomalies."
Talia stop her walking and raises her eyebrow.
"Sample D is thriving. We assume that he is killing the others by taking a larger intake of the needed nutrients. A survival of the fittest, if I may say so.
"But we are afraid that he will intervene similarly with the growth of the sample B of batch 43 when connected to the placenta, so I'd suggest we terminate him now."
"No," Talia says at gets closer to embryonic sphere, where the tiny embryo is lolling around like a small bean in a basin. The monitor above showing a rhythmic pulse, his heartbeat. "No, he stays." she repeats. "Anyone who can kill the others with all the stakes against him deserves our respect. I will give him a chance to prove himself."
She turns to Dr. Horowitz. "Doctor, our work continues. Please prepare the batch 45 ready for the end of the week."
After that it is a waiting game. She has no high hopes for sample D of batch 42, but despite all the odds he continues to grow and develop. Placed within the same placenta, he survives the two embryos of batch 43 and the one from batch 44 strong with metagenes.
By week ten, he has surpassed all the other experiments and is starting to resemble a miniature baby. It's at week twelve, around the end of the first trimester that Talia finally orders a full genetic analysis done on him, as for the first time it seems unlikely that they will be able to do a full autopsy on him in the foreseeable future.
"Ms. Talia, we have created something extraordinary!" exclaims Dr. Horowitz a week later, when Talia is examining the nine samples of batch 49. She raises her head to show that she is listening and sees the gleam in Dr, Horowitz's eyes.
"We have now run the full DNA analysis of sample 42 D, and really, Miss Talia, he is the perfect human specimen." Dr. Horowitz rhapsodizes. "His genetic material certainly was extraordinary, but as you recall there were still some minor defects we had to modify.
"However for some reason, only his genes went through some serious mutations that were not present with the other samples — we checked."
But Talia is not really listening to the doctor, instead she is looking at the glowing crystal in the chamber with awe and horror. She feels it calling to her, with a promise of a perfect son — and the perfect family with her Beloved at her side.
"All the mutations we have found thus far seem to be beneficial in areas of great importance," Dr. Horowitz continues with the fervor of someone who has found the El Dorado. "His actin and myosin proteins for example..."
And when exactly did Talia have the idea of creating the perfect child? She had intended to build the island base, she remembers with sudden clarity, for her headquarters to train and build her own army, not for creating a perfect heir. But that had been before she found the crystal...
"...this new muscle tissue structure probably means that his growth will take longer than average — we estimate that he will be at least 6'4'' — but the sheer strength it gives to him even as child..."
Talia rises and crosses the room to look at 42 D, her miracle baby, still smaller than her fist but with impossible tiny fingers and toes while Dr. Horowitz continues her monologuing.
"...start the EEG measurement to determine how these changed molecule configuration of the neuronal ion channels function in..."
She puts her hand on the surface of the sphere and looks at the baby's tiny fingers clenching rhythmically, the determined closing of his mouth, and falls in love.
She names him Damian.
Bonus Scene:
On week 32, Ra's al Ghul comes to visit his grandson. Talia has not told him about their success, but considering the network of spies that she and her father have on each other's organization, there is no doubt in Talia's mind that Damian has remained a secret.
So when Ra's shows unannounced one morning in the laboratory just before Talia's time with Damian, she is not surprised.
"No metaganes" her father greets her without turning around. He's looking at Damian who is still sleeping soundly in his artificial womb, with his tiny chest rising rhythmically.
"His parents have managed perfectly fine without them," Talia defends, surprising even herself with her venom.
Her father turns around, one eyebrow up. "Interesting. Have you named it, too?"
Talia is saved from answering by Damian waking up. He kicks once with his small legs and opens his eyes. His gaze is still completely unfocused when it turns towards them. Her father gets closer.
"He has the Detective's eyes," he says disapprovingly, "and his jaw."
"But he has the al Ghul coloring as well as their cheekbones and mouth," states Dr. Horowitz, who, sensing a new prey, launches into an half an hour exaltation concerning Damian's fabulous genotype and remarkably advanced development compared to the abducted fetuses used for baseline.
When her father finally staggers back, Talia is quietly singing to Damian in Arabic while he does some wild aerobics in his artificial womb. Today he is perfecting a double roll.
They watch the baby for a few minutes in silence.
"His name is Damian," Talia finally offers. Her father nods in approval.
"Fitting name for an al Ghul. And if your doctor is indeed correct, we need to plan a strict training regime for him to be able to achieve his full potential. I have already two excellent teachers in mind."
And that is as good a concession as Talia will ever get, so she inclines her head, and invites her father to breakfast.