As one can imagine, the experiment was a success. Surprisingly, both substances produced results, although one of them caused Willem nausea and other unpleasant sensations. The entire process was, of course, supported by a large amount of research – tests of manual and cognitive skills, as well as metabolism before and after the study began. All in accordance with scientific methodology. The trial was small, consisting of only one person, but the results are undeniable – some time ago, Willem celebrated his 100th birthday in quite good shape – Silvana called him a lithe old man.

As it turned out, however, the intensity of Sidone's work wasn't solely driven by a desire to find a way to prolong life; in fact, it was a project that took a backseat because Sidone had developed another desire – the desire to have offspring.

For obvious reasons, the matter was not simple, if not impossible. Again - logistical problems, but also Sidone's age and health prevented her from bringing children into the world naturally. Even before she began her experiment with the elixir of immortality on Willem, she began her research on "organism replication." It turns out that the surrounding jungle provides a wealth of plant and animal species that could serve as inspiration for a scientist of Sidone's caliber. There's a certain species of mouse, common in the area, that has the ability to shed its skin as a defense mechanism. This allows it to slip away from predators and escape danger. It is known to be capable of completely regenerating damaged tissue, including hair follicles, skin, sweat glands, fur, and cartilage. Sidone conducted research on these for a long time, hoping to find a method for regrowing human organs, though she knew she'd taken up the subject too late. Unfortunately, despite high hopes, nothing practical was achieved in this field.

Sidone managed to force cell division, but at a certain point, the process simply stopped. This was the moment Sidone confided her plans to Willem. The worse her condition became, the stronger her desire to have offspring grew. After some persuasion Willem joined her project, temporarily abandoning his own. He suggested another species that held biological potential – the water dragon, which possesses an impressive ability to regrow body parts.

It was a fairly easy species to import, so it did not slow down the work significantly. Sidone set to work again, this time without the need to hide for fear of her brother's disapproval.

The results appeared surprisingly quickly – the first tests showed that the substances secreted by the water dragon when it loses its tail trigger the division and multiplication of cells from the bones found in monkeys. These cells multiply as long as the environment is favorable enough, and what's more, the beginnings of their specialization can be seen. The biggest challenge was maintaining this favorable environment. Sidone and Willem worked for some time on creating a kind of "hatchery," similar to chickens (as it turned out, the idea was suggested to her by one of her scientist pen pals), but it turned out that the organism created by this method was so difficult to maintain that it fell apart before it could become a fully-fledged organism.

Sidone decided there was no time to continue fighting with an artificial environment, that they should use what was available and closest to the natural environment.

I found these stories difficult to listen to, and I still get chills when I write and think about them now. I'm not particularly religious, nor do I have a particularly strong moral backbone, but I still can't quite wrap my head around what I think about all this: as a living incubator (a life-support device), they used what was available: monkeys.