The Apex Theory

Before the sun rose, Avery was getting ready for her first day of class. She dreamed of attending the university all her life. Her father was an alumni, and his father, and his father too! She felt it was only right to assume the tradition, despite her mother urging her to go in a different direction. 

“That’s too far from home, Ave, you won’t know a soul,” her mother spouted right after receiving her acceptance letter. 

However, the long-distance was what thrilled her. It was going to be like visiting a foreign country, where no one knew her name. She could be anyone she wanted to, if she desired. Therefore, she was able to happily kiss her parents farewell and promised she would see them on her first break. 

Avery marveled at her university; it matched the pictures: grand, brick, and pristine—despite being built in 1884. The courtyard was immense. The trees were beginning to color, and the orange leaves were a beautiful hue that complemented the building. Avery felt as though she were in a storybook. 

She ascended the stairs, squeezing between people coming and going. “Excuse me, excuse me,” she whispered politely but others weren’t as kind. 

Avery studied the schedule she saved on her phone. The halls were a labyrinth and she swore she had passed room 252 four times although having never made a turn. She sighed out of exasperation. The arrows didn’t make sense and after having met several dead ends, Avery was beginning to panic. 

Instantly, she decided she’d turn back to find the entrance, and ask the groups of people loitering in the courtyard. Brilliant! Surely she’d find a guide. She quickly turned to walk the way she came when, smack! Books clamored onto the tiled floors. Pens and pencils scattered. Before Avery could glance at who she bumped into, she dropped to the floor to pick up the items and uttered repetitive apologies. 

“I can't blame you. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” 

Avery slowly peeked at the person kneeling in front of her as she collected their belongings. When the two rose, her breath was caught in her throat. The man before her had a youthful face, however, his hair was peppered gray. Ageless, yet he dressed as if he were twenty years her senior. Still, it didn’t take away from his austere beauty. 

“Can I help you with something?” He asked.

Avery, feeling suddenly embarrassed by her shyness, quickly replied, “Yes, I’m lost actually.” Awkward laughter escaped her lips. “Where’s room 243D?”

His eyes narrowed. “Honors Evolution?”

“That’s the one,” she smirked. 

A smile stretched across his lips. “Well, right this way.”

Avery followed behind. When they reached two large robust doors, she paused. But continued forward. 

"First year?"

"Yes," she replied meekly.

“Who gave you the recommendation?”

“Dr. Harrow, my mentor, spoke to the director. I would like to major in Human Evolutionary Biology. I’m fascinated by the sciences but nothing holds my heart the way evolution does. One day, I’d like to make a life-altering discovery…” Avery, suddenly aware of her babbling fell quiet. 

“Aha…” he took a glance over his shoulder at the petite woman. “A true scientist in the making. You must be the real deal if the director gave you the pass. Freshmen aren’t allowed in this course.”

Avery smirked. “My mentor informed me… he also said that in all his years of teaching, he never met a mind as brilliant as mine.”

He chuckled. “A resounding compliment.”

The corridor they walked down was lit by a dim light. It was long and cramped. Just when she thought they’d reach a dead end, they made a sharp turn to find a single door. 

“And we have arrived,” he said. 

Avery tried to look around him as she followed him into the narrow room. The lights beamed the moment they stepped inside, illuminating a petite classroom with as few as twenty desks. They all faced a large projector screen and a singular long mahogany desk. The man placed his items onto it and swung his messenger bag over the chair. 

Avery stepped further into the room, “I wasn’t expecting such a show out.” Her awkward laugh echoed. She turned to face him and furrowed her brow. “Wait…”

“I am Dr. Oswald. You can call me Dr. Oz. I will be your professor this semester.”

Avery’s cheeks warmed. And, as the class began to file in, she made sure to grab a seat in the front row. 

At the end of the lecture, Dr. Oz summed up his lesson with a final think-piece on the trajectory of the course. He said, “Today, it remains survival of the fittest. The strong survive. In every living species, adaptations and evolution happens at a faster rate than in human beings. It begs the question, therefore, is our comfort in our environment hindering us? Can we claim the top of the food chain despite not being able to make adaptations to the changes in our environment? I’ll leave you with that final question and urge you to read chapter 10 of your book: The Organism That Doesn’t Die.”

The classroom packed their belongings and exited the room in seconds. Avery lingered a moment longer as she stuffed her things into her messenger bag. 

“I don’t think we are on the top of the food chain, Dr. Oz.” She said at the door. 

Dr. Oz nodded. “Indeed. Perhaps, we need to change.”

Avery stood with a perplexed expression, and then she left. 

In the following months, Avery was always the first to come and last to go. She read the textbook cover to cover, including every research article assigned. The small class of eighteen grew vexed by Avery’s constant dialogue. At times, it felt as though it were just Dr. Oz and Avery present in the quaint classroom. The others blurred around them and faded from Avery’s existence.

One morning, Dr. Oz waited for his students to file from the room. Avery was still placing her notebook in her bag when he approached her. Gently, he said, “I think your instructor was right about you.”

Avery perked up. She tucked her hair behind her ear. 

“You have a truly interesting perspective. And, I think you’d make a great fit into our research program.”

Avery was screaming, internally. An opportunity like this one was one in a million. First-year into her dream school and, already, she was going to be conducting research beneath her favorite professor in her field. “Thank you so much for the offer!” Avery gleamed. 

“If you have time, I’d love to show you the lab. It’s not too far from here.”

“Absolutely!”

Avery quickly followed behind Dr. Oz as he led her from the room.

The Human Evolutionary Laboratory was on the lowest level of the building. It was void of windows. And was only slightly bigger than their classroom. However, it sported every technology necessary for the research Dr. Oz was conducting. 

“My research is called The Apex Theory. My mission is to discover apexes within different ecosystems and find a way to splice their DNA to make the true apex,” Dr. Oz explained as Avery looked around the room. He marveled at her astonishment. 

She whipped around. “That’s extraordinary! Are there any other lab assistants?”

“Just one. You.”

Avery’s eyes widened, along with her smile. “It’s a privilege, sir!”

“Well, I believe you can offer a new perspective. And perhaps, take this project to another level.”

“Certainly!” 

Avery was practically dancing. Her parents would be so proud. This news meant doors would open for her. Where this could lead her? She could only imagine.

“I could really use the help.” He stood at the black lab table, over a microscope. “I’ve hit a wall… but the university is looking for progress. Unfortunately, my deadline’s approaching.”

Avery’s smile faded. Her jovial expression was replaced with a serious tone. “I’m equally dedicated to your research, Dr. Oz.”

In the following days, Avery spent all of her free time with Dr. Oz. She learned the ropes of the lab. He walked her through the mechanics—how to separate different strands of DNA from samples gathered, and combine them to create something entirely new.

Days passed like seconds. In a single blink, a month was gone. Failure, after failure, after failure. All of their trials were ending with poor results. When Avery reached a 63% success rate, one even Dr. Oz was unable to obtain, it was still dismissed. 

“We cannot have a success rate below 89%, Avery.” He said out of frustration. He pinched the bridge of his nose. They weren’t going to give in, however. 

In the following days, Avery no longer dedicated the same amount of time to studying for her other courses. Even her parent’s phone calls went to voicemail; and for the holidays, they settled for FaceTime calls. She was so close to something that could change the world—they’d understand, Avery believed. Late nights were spent with her lab coat on, gloved, and dawned in goggles. She tested so many trials; her record book became the length of her textbooks. 

“Something’s missing…” she said to herself one afternoon. She sat back in her chair. “What am I missing?”

The pressure was mounting. She could see Dr. Oz’s growing impatience. She hadn’t asked how long he had been conducting research at the university. But she imagined for years. Maybe decades. 

At the end of the semester, Avery earned her A+ in Dr. Oz’s class, but her frequency didn’t yield in the lab. He found her working on a Friday morning. He was shocked to see her. Pen tucked behind her ear. Her jet-black hair was in a messy top knot bun. Beneath the lab coat, a long sleeve shirt, and pajama pants. And her big amber eyes spotted gray bags beneath them. 

“Avery?”

She looked up, startled, and at that moment, the test tube she held slipped from her fingers and shattered onto the table. 

“Oh no!” She cried while quickly trying to pick up the pieces. “Ouch!” 

Dr. Oz lightly pulled her onto her feet by her wrist. “Please be careful, Avery.” He studied the gash and then walked her to the sink. 

“I’m sorry…”

“I think you need a break from our research.”

“No, wait! I’m so close. The last test was 71%.”

“That’s great news. Honest. But you need to take care of yourself. And right now it looks as if you could use some rest.”

The cut stung, but it didn’t compare to her aching heart. Her eyes glossed. “I’m sorry if I disappointed you,” she whispered as Dr. Oz retrieved a bandaid. 

“Avery, you could never.” He helped bandaged her finger and sighed. “The spring semester is almost to a close. I’m afraid we’ve exhausted our resources.”

Avery fell solemn. “I’m very sorry, Dr. Oz.”

“Don’t be. I’ll present what we have found, and I’ll be sure to note your advancements in our research.”

“I don’t want you to give up.” Avery’s voice was merely a whisper. But in the silence of the room, it was as loud as a drum to Dr. Oz. 

“No, of course not. I have committed my life to this, Avery. Even if the school rejects further funding, I will never stop.”

She smirked. “Correction. We will never stop.”

He smiled softly. “Please, add your data to my file cabinet in my office. I’ll clean up the mess.”

She nodded, snagged her folder, and sauntered to the back of the lab. The door was usually locked, so Avery didn’t bother with it in the months prior. Only Dr. Oz filed their results. Avery peeked into the room like a scared toddler who just had a nightmare. It felt bizarre to be in his confines, even with his permission. Avery was tempted to leave the folder on his desk but became struck with curiosity at the sight of his filing cabinet. One tug of the handle, and the drawer popped open as if it were stuffed. Files upon files, labeled with dates as far back as 1998. 

Avery began to slip the manilla folder into place, but she wondered. Was there an opportunity to learn from the past? Dr. Oz wanted new eyes. Maybe, the new eyes needed to view the work he had started. Prying fingers slipped into a file, and easily it slid out in her hands. She peered over her shoulders, and then back down at Dr. Oz’s research. It was dated 2002. On the first page, a series of names and numbers: amphibian (Lacertilia) .64, crustacean (Brachyura) .9, mammal (Canis lupus) .10, mammal (Homo sapien) .17, Subject 34.

The second page made Avery drop the folder onto the floor. Pictures scattered. Ones that were more horrifying than the scariest movie Avery had ever seen. 

The picture was of a baby crying from having entered the world. There were tiny limbs on the infant’s neck, resembling those of frog legs. Black beaded eyes, unlike human eyes. And on his little round belly was crackly rough skin. Noted, by Dr. Oz: Skin as tough as shell. And lastly, written in red ink: Terminated. 

Avery hastily gathered the photos and reassembled the file. She placed it back neatly, but her breath was still caught in her throat. And her stomach was twisting into knots. She didn’t agree to anything like this and hadn’t wanted to be a part of something so cruel. Subject 34 meant there were numerous before and several after. Would that mean that her samples were to be a part of the same test? 

“Aha! Ha!” The thunderous exclamation made Avery spin around. She closed the file back and rushed from his office. “We did it! We did it!” Dr. Oz shouted and whooped. His hands raised over his head in celebration. 

“Wh-what..?”

“98% success rate! You did it, Avery!” 

Avery’s eyebrows furrowed. “I didn’t..?”

“Your last trial, it reached 71%. Your splicing yielded our highest yet, but then I combined your DNA and—”

“Wait. What? I never gave consent.” Avery said sharply. She felt herself shaking in her sneakers. Was it fear? Anger? Confusion? A conglomeration? She hadn’t a clue.

“I know, I’m so sorry. I just…” he fell silent as he looked down at the glowing green light showing that he had finally done it. His life’s work was finally completed. “I thought you wouldn’t mind being that we have the same goal. You too want to create a life-altering discovery. That’s what you told me. And now, we have.”

Avery paused. 

“This could save millions, billions… the entire human race!”

Avery stood, her heart telling her one thing and her mind, another.