Epilogue

Somewhere – south – of Manhattan

"They'll be excited to see you," the caretaker said to the research scientist who had spent a great deal of time with the primates.

"As I am to see them," Dr. Belitrov said.

"Will Dr. Wang be joining us?" the young woman asked as she walked with him to the designated area.

"I don't Dr. Wang ever leaves Wells Corp," the gray haired scientist joked.

"Well, here we are," the woman dressed in khaki colored pants and shirt said as they reached the carport where the jeep was.

Dr. Belitrov wiped his forehead with his white handkerchief as the noonday sun beat down on them. In a few hours he had gone from the cold winds of the Empire State to the eighty degree weather of the Sunshine State. He slid into the passenger side and strapped in. His young chauffeur got in and started the vehicle. She tried to shout over the noise of the car as they drove along a bumpy road in the grassy plain. "They're doing remarkably well," she yelled and the doctor nodded and smiled.

That was very good news. It was important to everyone involved that the family unit acclimates into the larger group.

Within minutes, the jeep slowed down as they approached the gate to the enclosed area. The caretaker pressed in a code and the gate opened. Dr. Belitrov made a note in his small notebook as the jeep went through. Minutes later, the jeep stopped.

"Here we are," she said softly.

The research scientist stepped out of the jeep and stood on the sunbaked ground. In front of him were hundreds of trees that the inhabitants watched from. The young woman, who spent her days out here with the residents of the sanctuary, called out by imitating their call. The scientist covered his eyes from the glare of the sun and peered through the leaves of the trees to see if he could see them. He could definitely hear them as they considered whether it was safe or not to come out.

"There they are," the young woman said as the chimpanzees started to descend and approach. At first there were a couple, but once the alphas deemed it safe, the others followed. Soon there were at least fifteen.

"Where is she?" he asked and then spotted her. "Oh my, God," he let out upon seeing the reason for his visit.

Off in the distance was a young chimpanzee, holding onto her mother's back tightly.

"Here," the caretaker said and handed him some fruit. "I'll distract the others." She took a bucket of fruit out and started to hand it to the chimps as they approached. Off to the side were the parents of the young chimp who seemed more hesitant with the stranger there. One of the parents stood up and snorted, approaching the scientist aggressively.

"You're okay," the caretaker said to the man who had spent a great deal of time with the approaching creature.

"I would think she would remember me," the scientist said, sitting down and allowing the animal to circle him and make sure he wasn't a threat.

"She's extremely protective since the baby," the custodian said.

The creature gently, but firmly, pushed the man, and when it was clear he wasn't going to retaliate in any way, she got close enough. She remembered the man – who was gentle and kind and now she decided he was safe. She called out to her family and the other chimpanzee joined her so he could meet their offspring. She pawed at the man to show he was accepted.

"Go very slowly or Junko will drop you," the caretaker laughed.

"I will," the scientist said as he handed the parents fruit which they took and ate.

"Have you noticed any behavior changes?" he asked the caretaker.

"Yes, it's quite interesting. Valentina is very maternal, as we expected given she is the birthing mother. But Junko, while still very maternal with the baby, has become more aggressive in the protector role.

"And the baby?" he asked as the second parent approached him, carrying the baby. He handed them fruit. The young offspring climbed onto Junko's back and started to play with him.

"She's very sure of herself. I think she is an Alpha. She does not seem intimidated by the dominant males in the group. It's remarkable to see in one so young," the caretaker said.

"Well, she is a remarkable offspring," Dr. Belitrov said.

"This is amazing work that Wells Corp has done," the primate custodian said.

The gray haired man smiled and thought back to the amount of time he had devoted to this special project. Only one person could have been brilliant enough to figure out how to advance cellular reprogramming that produced the necessary genetic material from two eggs that could create viable offspring. He may have labored over the research for hours, but the genius behind it guided every step of the process, including naming the family.

One mother was named Valentina after Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to fly into space. And the other was named Junko after Junko Tabei, the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Just like his boss, these women had soared to new heights.

Sitting now with the first of their kind, Dr. Belitrov watched as the primate parents stayed close to Eve and watched. He laughed as the chimpanzees surrounded him and engaged him in social mannerisms to show he was accepted.

Both mothers seemed to want to show the young chimp to him.

It was if they somehow knew just how unique their daughter, Eve, was to the world.

The End