STORY INFO
Solution-74
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Author
Michał Przywara
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Categories
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Danh mục
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Update
6 months ago
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Part Chapter
1/??
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Reads
42
Content
Dr. Marla Keen carefully brushed Solution-74 on both sides of the guillotine blade. Her hands shook, but she wasn’t sure if that was because of the arthritis, or the tequila, or the fact she was still in her lab at two in the morning. Or, because of what she was about to do.Not only was her latest grant still up in the air, no doubt thanks to that asshole Dr. Becker in the next lab over throwing his hat into the ring, but the university cut her funding today too. Small mercy she didn’t have any grad students left to disap...
Outstanding reviews
She could chop off the old arm and make sure it falls straight into a furnace.
I wonder if the evil Marla will know how to tell the joke about the arm? The ending was the work of genius!(or mad scientist) Great story, Michal! (:
Ha, that's a good question :) It doesn't quite work the same way from her perspective. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Karen, thanks for reading!
Great twist, perfect pacing. You really kept me guessing what's going on at quite a few points in this. What a twist, you show us the cut off hand, and then later on..aha we should have thought of that! At the end it made me think about the ethnical question of which one/s are the real Marla.
Thanks, Scott! I've long been fascinated by the idea of the Ship of Theseus, and combined with modern technology (well, conceivable sci-fi tech anyway), how that might apply to the human body. Particularly if the parts that get replaced are preserved - can you end up with two of the original? I don't think this has a definite answer. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it :)
Love it!! Sci-fi/horror’s one of my favorite hybrids, and you did it intelligently and in a chillingly understated way. Yes, cloning’s a familiar theme, but you put a great twist on it.
Thanks, Martin! I like that combo too - both deal with the unknown, and there's so much room for overlap. I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
If you want a great SF/Horror mindblower, find Devs on HULU. Stars Nick Offerman as a grieving tech guru, which is admission price alone, and I won’t spoil the concept, but it is truly staggering. I still want to throttle J.J. Abrams for the Lost payoff.
Love it- A lot of great comments, so as a fan of First Lines- I ll just say this is a great opener-'Dr. Marla Keen carefully brushed Solution-74 on both sides of the guillotine blade.'The 'carefully brushed' lets the reader know this Doctor is detailed and focused, and the named 'Solution-74' is of course an important chemical compound. Until the reader comes across the 'guillotine blade' and the wild ride begins!
Thanks Marty! High praise from the king of first lines :) I still think about your opener for “Long Distance Phone Call.” I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
I'm surprised at Doctor Keen's not noticing that she's just blown way past Nobel Prize territory. The mass of that new arm, or in the case of Young Marla, the mass of a nearly entire new body---where did it come from? She appears to have just put paid to the Law of Conservation of Matter and Energy.
You're right, of course! Perhaps it's a mix of the late hour, the tequila, and the shock. Or perhaps it's more science-fantasy than sci-fi :) (And on that note, *that* would be a great premise for a story. Seemingly shattering that law - the investigation into what we're missing could be great fun.) Thanks for the feedback, Ferris!
Wow, Michal! Captivating writing throughout. Great piece. Incredible internality. You take the reader on a carefully plotted journey in this one telling moment--giving the protagonist back the hope of redeeming everything they've lost only to take it away again.
Thanks, Jonathan! Yes, a little cruel, I suppose :) I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks, Jonathan! Yes, a little cruel, I suppose :) I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Great point, Helen! On that note, I wonder if society values middle aged citizens, or younger citizens. Sometimes it seems like “success” is an ever shifting target - because surely everyone has a different definition of it - and getting wrapped up in that is a great way to make yourself miserable. “Humans are never happy, always wanting more.” Too right. I wonder if Marla was ultimately her own worst enemy. I appreciate the feedback!
Marla may well have been her own worst enemy, but there was a sense of having sacrificed along the way for the ultimate scientific goal. She seemed to have been bypassed and as a result become fixated on achieving her goal, resulting in further isolation. Let’s see how the new Marla fares in the world. Not too well by the look of things!!! 😂
Lots of action in the comments.I can only say I agree. I kept thinking that arm was going to continue to evolve at a fast pace and become uncontrollable til it negated all her hard work and expectations of success. I guess cloning and killing the host was the same thing. Superb story telling as usual.
Thanks, Mary! Yeah, the arm continuing to develop would be a great alternate story too. That could easily dip into body horror, as the thing just keeps growing or something, especially if it had a mind of its own. I appreciate the feedback!
It seems like Younger Marla won't be taking the family route either. But will she make another clone and then get murdered by that clone, and then just keep getting murdered by younger versions of herself? Or is Anthony going to become the clone stopper once he realizes that the Marla he knew is completely gone? Or, wait a sec, they're BOTH going to turn to murder in an attempt to convince people that killing yourself is the best way to stay young.I see a lot of possibilities :)
Ha, lots of great ideas! “convince people that killing yourself is the best way to stay young” - this particularly seems awesome. It immediately put me in mind of slash and burn agriculture, only applied to people. Kill the old flesh for the young. And then it sounded like a really dark metaphor for having kids :) I'm glad you enjoyed it, Kailani - thanks for the feedback!
This was so great! She was so clearly determined she became blinded in a way. Gruesome, haunting but also poetic.
Great observation, Hazel :) Drive can help us accomplish incredible things, but it can also blind us. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Great observation, Hazel :) Drive can help us accomplish incredible things, but it can also blind us. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Great observation, Hazel :) Drive can help us accomplish incredible things, but it can also blind us. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Fine work. Too much finger-chopping from one cutting machine by inmates when I was in Dongguan International Prison. Maybe that machine isn't all that new after all.
Thanks Philip! I'd not heard of Dongguan before - did a bit of research, and it sounds like it has an interesting history. Terrible to hear about the fingers though! I appreciate the feedback.
My pleasure.
My pleasure.
Thanks, Tom! I'm glad those little details paid off, like her noting the arm weight. It was probably all she could do to not panic, given the circumstances. I kind of had in mind those people who performed surgeries on themselves, and the incredible focus that must have taken. "From the outside it seems like a wasted life, but when you live it day-by-day it seems somewhat sane" Heh :) What a wonderful sentence. Could probably describe a lot of things that way :) I appreciate the feedback!
Great ending.
Thanks!
Wow, Marla 2.0 is on a mission! Great story, and thought provoking ideas of ethics in the science world. What is “too far”? In so many ways here. I think if you’re looking to move around the niblings, maybe have her think of them right after the thoughts of her past relationships and before the chop. I agree with Michelle, and think it would flow well that way if you’re looking to move it! Then it would go from pondering, to chopping, to waking up. I like this take on the jaded academic. And the implications of it all!
Thanks Nina! I'm glad you enjoyed it :) And thanks for that feedback! I agree with you and Michelle, and I've moved things around. I had a vision for that section initially, but looking back on it, it didn't quite work, and I prefer this being one more motivation for her instead. One more regret, and one more push to finally seize the success she's always wanted.
Yes, the “solution” to her achieving her life’s ambition!
I thought you were setting Dr Becker up to get the chop, but he might still be in trouble with a homicidal (suicidal?) Young Marla out there. A nice idea. Begs all sorts of questions and sets up a lot of crazy story possibilities.
Thanks, Chris! Hmm, frustrated researcher denied funding, taking it out on the lab next door? Yeah, that sounds like a great story too :) But more murdery :) I appreciate the feedback!
Thanks, Chris! Hmm, frustrated researcher denied funding, taking it out on the lab next door? Yeah, that sounds like a great story too :) But more murdery :) I appreciate the feedback!
Thanks, Chris! Hmm, frustrated researcher denied funding, taking it out on the lab next door? Yeah, that sounds like a great story too :) But more murdery :) I appreciate the feedback!
Thanks, Chris! Hmm, frustrated researcher denied funding, taking it out on the lab next door? Yeah, that sounds like a great story too :) But more murdery :) I appreciate the feedback!
Thanks, Chris! Hmm, frustrated researcher denied funding, taking it out on the lab next door? Yeah, that sounds like a great story too :) But more murdery :) I appreciate the feedback!
Great ending. The new Marla definitely has no ethical qualms. I wonder how she disposed of the body? I did find the paragraph about her niece and nephew a bit jarring. It kind of came out of the blue and seemed to me to be in the wrong place in the story. Other than that, the pacing was superb and that twist at the end, just perfect.
Thanks, Michelle! Glad you enjoyed it :) And thanks for pointing out that paragraph. My aim was to thread the present with her recurring ruminations on how she'd given up so much and was still failing, and while she had the niece and nephew they still weren't good enough - not actually hers - but maybe this didn't quite land. I have a few days yet, I'll see if I can find the time to take another crack at it. I appreciate the feedback!
I get that, and yes that idea comes across well, but that thought happens the moment she lops off her arm? Perhaps move the arm lopping to after that section?
I've revised the order of things. You're right, it didn't quite fit where it was before. I had this idea it would be a feverish thought during the blackout, but a) that wasn't at all clear, and b) reflecting on it, I'm not sure that fits. Now instead, it's one more hesitation, and one more push to get going. Hopefully it stresses the point that her life, in her mind, is defined by almost-but-never-quite succeeding. Thanks for your help, Michelle! Much appreciated :)
That feels like it flows better.
That was a fantastic madfemale/scientist
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