As the days dragged on, Aurelian and Entro finally had a break.
While using science as a crutch to facilitate the growth of the embryos, they had to closely monitor everything, slight changes could be detrimental to the health and future potential of the pup, something they didn't want.
Using alien genes, however, remained almost entirely self-sufficient. The Aetherian cells, as they called themselves, used Entro's memories of studying and creating notes as their information guide, asking a few questions for clarification as they went along.
Having access to the pool of genetic knowledge Entro possessed allowed near-free creative reign for the Aetherian cells, pushing the biological limits capable.
During this time, Entro and Aurelian spent time hanging out.
Perhaps it was the near-death experience Entro went through, but he felt much closer to the young boy than ever before, a bond that only grew deeper.
The kid would bring board games in would viciously tear him apart without mercy.
The sinister grin Aurelian sported while demolishing him left chills down his spine.
It was fine, in any games delving into nonlinear thinking, Entro won with his eyes clothes, and ears covered.
The poor boy didn't stand a chance.
Playing these games was not only for fun, but training.
As they kept playing, they both improved continuously.
Not even his android children could stand up to him in the way Aurelian did.
The kid was a genius, through and through, but in a strategic sense.
A modern-day Napoleon.
"Have you always been so tactically inclined?"
Entro was currently losing in Catan, horribly.
Aurelian hesitated before replying, "I'm supposed to be the heir of my company, I was taught to be strategic since a boy."
Entro smiled.
"Aren't you still a boy?"
He caught a glare for that one.
"I see strategy as shifting tiles, when you can see everything, it makes it easier to plan ahead."
"What about you?"
Entro tilted his head, "What about me?"
Aurelian glanced up from the board slightly before responding.
"Where does your genius come from?"
That was a question he didn't exactly know how to respond to. The way Entro thought has always been mysterious to everyone, him included, mostly because he didn't know what was normal and what wasn't.
"I've always thought with space; ideas are celestial objects, like planets and stars. Gravity would be logic, pulling and shaping celestial objects together, creating new ones when they collide or orbit one another. A theory would be a galaxy, and constellations are how people view my ideas from different perspectives."
Aurelian stared at Entro incredulously.
"You are a walking scientific wonder," he said, shaking his head.
Entro went to respond, only to be interrupted by the lights flickering.
"What was-"
Immediately, the lab's power began acting fickle, rapidly cutting off and on.
[Father.]
'What?'
[Under the guidance of elder Aetherians, the younglings finished the embryo ahead of schedule]
'Huh? But there's nothing in-'
Entro's words were cut off when he peaked at the pod.
In between light flickers, he watched the rapid progression of a wolf pup's growth.
Not stopping at standard canine pup size, it grew to be the size of a medium dog.
Then the power completely shut off.
Reacting fast, Entro got up and sprinted for the pod. The computer would be unable to drain the liquid because of the lack of power, which left only one solution.
Cocking his hand back, he punched the pod as hard as he could muster, cracking the glass.
Without missing a beat, he used his other hand to punch again, relentlessly beating the pod until the glass finally shattered, lacerating his arm.
The liquid used to incubate the embryo spilled out and drained into the center of the floor until all that was left was the wolf lying in the center of the pod.
Entro hit the edges of the hole he just made, not bothering to avoid getting cut.
Once the hole was large enough, he climbed in and pulled the wolf into his lap, checking for a pulse.
True fear started to overcome him when he couldn't feel or see any sign of life. His goal was so close, it couldn't slip through his fingers now.
It was when his eyes started to water that Entro felt a change within himself, a connection. A distant heartbeat that was not his own, resounded deep in his mind.
The wolf's chest started to rise and fall; it was breathing.
Relief washed over Entro's heart, he started to stroke the pup's fur when he noticed Aurelian standing outside of the pod with a unreadable look on his face.
"What?"
His gaze followed the edges of the hole Entro made before he responded.
"That was polycarbonate glass."
There were traces of disbelief in his voice, as if saying it out loud made it more unbelievable.
"They use that glass for riot shields. It was 3 inches thick."
Entro couldn't really offer up an explanation, so he remained quiet.
Aurelian pushed against the edges of the pod that were heavily damaged; they didn't move.
Taking a step back, he looked at Entro.
"Are you still human?"
Looking down at his puppy, he shook his head.
"No."
"Then what are you?"
Only when Entro looked up again, did Aurelian see his grey eyes were replaced with a bright golden hue.
The wolf pup opened its eyes simultaneously, as if sensing Entro, staring at Aurelian with equally bright golden eyes.
"Aetherian"
----
It took a few hours to calm Aurelian down and Entro's eyes returned to normal.
The sudden revelation that Entro was no longer human shook him to his core. But eventually, he settled into the thought. Aurelian trusted him, and Entro's humanity didn't change how well he treated him; it was nevertheless, a shocking development.
In the days proceeding the blackout, they grew even closer. Taking care of the wolf pup proved to be easier than they assumed.
Agricore, is what they named him, didn't bark or howl, he listened to Entro incredibly well and proved capable of holding in his bathroom habits until nighttime when he could be taken out.
Entro kept up with watching Agricore's health, but there seemed to be no issues. He was in amazing bodily condition and outperformed all known canine records.
The only concerning thing, he grew extremely fast.
He exited the pod the size of a medium-sized dog, like a border collie. But within a few days, he was the size of a fully grown German shepherd.
Hence, Entro was training the Aetherian cells to be able to monitor creatures in real-time, without the usage of a lab. Their adaptability made them terrifying students. What one didn't pick up instantly, another did, sharing what it understood with the rest.
Everything seemed to be smooth sailing, that is, until Entro received a summons to the board of directors room.
"What could those old penguins want," Aurelian sneered.
It had been months since anyone had paid Entro any attention, a summons now could not be good.
All his orders get turned in early, especially with Aurelian there to help; there was no reason for him to be scolded or released from his position unless they got bored.
Which was still on the table.
"I'm not sure, but stay here and watch Agricore, I'll be back."
---
Every chair in the boardroom was full to the brim, both in number and space.
Normally, they had discussions in a calm and dignified manner; ones dignity was all he had at the top.
However, today's issue at hand was much too pressing to worry about dignity.
"What is that thing anyway!"
"It's a dog obviously, you dimwit"
Richard felt his ears were going to pop, Susan was always trying to get his blood pressure high.
"Dogs don't run at 60 mph!"
"Well, maybe this dog can," Susan responded as of matter-of-factly
"It bit through solid steel!"
The two were having a shouting contest at the expense of everyone's ears.
"Can you two sit down and have some decorum," growled David, "No matter what it is, we're going to have it by the end of this meeting, stop arguing over details we don't need to worry about yet."
Richard, having lost the verbal argument from before, found a new person to engage with.
"David don't start with me, remember the blueprints that would've skyrocketed this company into the stratosphere? Who lost those?"
David's eye twitched.
"Listen here you little-"
"Silence," a voice sliced through the tension like a hot knife.
The Director, seated at the head of the table, glared at the rowdy businessmen.
Everyone promptly sat down and straightened their suits, applying a mask of professionalism.
A knock resounded at the door.
"Come in," said The Director.
The door creaked open, and immediately a subtle pressure filled the room, making everyone shift uncomfortable in their seats.
Entropy Voldstadt took slow, deliberate steps into the room.
"You called?"
"Good evening Mr. Voldstadt, I hope you're doing well."
Entropy narrowed his eyes.
"Straight to business as always; the dog, we want it."
Entropy didn't even bat an eye at the demand, they were sure he was trying to hide it, but it didn't seem so.
Clearing his throat, the Director clarified.
"Don't worry, we're generous people, we won't be taking it for free," nodding at the person closest to Entropy, he continued, "This is a contract saying we will provide your old life back. The fame, the riches, even some shares in the company, provided you sign that saying you'll continue to produce those dogs for militaristic purposes."
This time, they weren't swindling him, everything was actually there in clear writing.
Even up to 15% of the company would go to him, making him the person with the most shares after The Director, there was no way he was rejecting this offer.
Entropy held the paper, closely reading everything listed several times over, before placing the contract on the table.
Tension was so high, it was practically visible.
Although he would be stupid to reject it, Entropy still had the power to say no simply because he hated everyone here, the Director especially.
They could confiscate the dog by force, but that didn't guarantee they would be able to do anything with it, the company has been trying to make sense of his inventions for years, with little to no avail.
"This is a lot, give me a bit to think about it."
Not bothering to wait to be dismissed, Entropy opened the door and left.
Instantaneously, discussion about how much money they would make off of this deal erupted.
Their excitement couldn't be contained; this was a field of science thought to be purely fiction was now possible.
"Leave it to that genius to rewrite the status quo," Richard leaned back while chuckling.
"He won't take it."
The Director poured a bucket of ice-cold water over their mood; everyone waited for an explanation.
"What do you mean he won't?"
"You haven't known him for almost 20 years like me; He would rather see us dead before doing anything we can profit off of."
Not bothering to explain any further than that, the Director pulled his phone out and made a call.
"Karl... come to the board room, I have a job for you."