1 - Meet Doctor Crenner

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[Music]

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human

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extinction level loss

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new test subjects

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the white panel van rolled to a stop

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the driver's movements cautious and

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observant

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the length of the alley was demarcated

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with large trash cans

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filled to overflowing

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multi-colored ambient light from the

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surrounding sprawl broke up the darkness

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creating intermittent shadows

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there was only one other present

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a vagrant in threadbare pants and

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t-shirt sat against the wall

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his head down

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knees against his chest a tattered and

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soiled trench coat hung off his

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emaciated frame

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abner freeman wasn't always like this

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but he was weak

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unable to resist certain carnal urges

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it was two in particular that were his

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downfall

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alcohol and gambling

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like the devil's one-two punch

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the drinks were complimentary as long as

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he was playing

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abner freeman was eventually tossed from

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every casino in the city

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the number for gamblers anonymous on a

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business card stuffed into his hand on

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his way out the door

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even now a handful of them lay crumpled

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in the pocket of his coat

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life on the streets was hard and like

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the rest of the human flotsam and jetsam

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he had heard the stories of young punks

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filming their bum fights or playing

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knockout

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once he heard of bums being doused and

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set ablaze

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it added paranoia to the mix of

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dependency and homelessness

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so when abner freeman raised his head

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and saw the van idling in the alley

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its lights off and the driver staring at

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him through the windshield

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he ran

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inside the van dr wilhelm krenner

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gripped the steering wheel

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this was not his area of expertise after

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all

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he was a scientist and a researcher his

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best work was done inside a lab not a

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panel van

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but if there was one thing his

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experience taught him

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it was that science could often lead you

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in places you never thought you would go

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like the dank underbelly of the city in

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the middle of the night

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seeming satisfied that his efforts would

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go unobserved he saw the vagrant raise

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his head and look at him

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dr crenner cursed under his breath as he

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watched him rise and shamble off down

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the alley

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dr krenner hit the gas and gave chase

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the harsh glare of the van's high beams

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washed over the sickly frame of abner

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freeman as dr krenor clicked on his

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lights and tried to negotiate the maze

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of trash cans and garbage lining both

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walls

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the van swerved left and right down the

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alley its top heavy design making it

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cumbersome as a chase vehicle

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as abdul freeman propelled himself out

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of the alley and into the deserted

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street the van careened after him in an

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uncontrolled turn

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he let out a single yelp as the van's

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left fender hit him in the back

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even as the van came to a screeching

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halt abner freeman went flying

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his body rolled across the street

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ending up against the far curb in a

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crumpled heap

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unmoving

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in the van dr krenner clenched and

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unclenched his fingers on the steering

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wheel whipping his head around as he sat

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across two lanes of traffic

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his breathing became rapid

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throwing open the door he hung his head

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out his mouth opened wide

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he dry heaved once but nothing came up

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he took a breath

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wiped his mouth and climbed down out of

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the van

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seeing nobody his attention was again

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drawn to the vagrant

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he needed him but things had not gone

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according to plan

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a plan simple in design but decidedly

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more complicated in its execution

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what was supposed to be a simple grab of

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a forgotten member of society had turned

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into probable vehicular manslaughter

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dr krenor could not be detained or

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questioned about his activities

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there was too much at stake

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he debated within himself

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in the alley his chance of being seen

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was next to nothing

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but out here any passerby would

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certainly witness his illicit actions

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what was worse

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now it appeared that the vagrant was

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severely injured

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maybe even dead

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and that changed everything

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or did it

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what might be learned by testing the

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agent on a subject mortally wounded or

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already deceased

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the pure science of it was enough and dr

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krenor made his decision

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he climbed back in the driver's seat and

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brought the van alongside the vagrant

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putting the van in park but leaving the

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engine running he crawled out of his

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seat and burst through the back doors

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working quickly he hauled his ill-gotten

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cargo into the van

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pulling the doors closed behind him

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seconds later dr krenor sped away and

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was gone

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with no other sounds to disturb it

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the city slept on in indifferent silence

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animal testing

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it practically glowed

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the green translucent fluid in the auto

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injector

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seemed to pulsate with a life and power

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all its own

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at least that's how dr krenor thought

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about his creation

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and he did call it his creation

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he might admit begrudgingly that his

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life's work was still in its adolescent

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stage

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and not without its problems

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what adolescent didn't experience

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growing pains

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all would be well in time however

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his creation his life's work would

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thrive and fulfill every ounce of its

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potential

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of that he was supremely confident

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corpsman cindy jones inserted a blank

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video disc into the console

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and hit record taking a thick black

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marker she wrote

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test subject e

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on a blank sheet of paper

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tessie is ready doctor corman jones said

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standing still

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her hands holding the paper in front of

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her

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tse please miss jones

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we must not allow ourselves to view

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these creatures as anything but what

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they are

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test subjects for a greater

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good gorman jones frowned

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yes dr krenner

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you may begin

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dr krenner said

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corman jones looked up into a video

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camera suspended from the ceiling

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and held up the page

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having categorized the experiment she

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activated the auto injector

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in an airtight enclosure an adult female

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chimpanzee sat

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calmly observing the clean brightly lit

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laboratory through the glass

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tse gave only passing interest to the

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robotic arm that swung on its servos

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the metallic appendage turned and

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unceremoniously plunged the needle into

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tse

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the auto-injector doing its work quietly

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having fulfilled its program the

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auto-injector swung up and away

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docking itself at the top of the sealed

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chamber

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dr krenner his eyes full of hope and

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anticipation watched for any reaction in

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tse

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the irony was that if his latest tweaks

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to the agent were even remotely

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successful

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then nothing observable would happen

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only when it was allowed to join the

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others would he know if advancements had

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been made

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would the chimp exhibit increased

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fidelity to his troop

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even in the threat of attack

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though not one to needlessly harm an

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animal in the name of science dr krenner

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intended to do just that

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the psychobiological effects of trauma

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on the beast should be minimized under

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the influences of the agent even if the

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injuries themselves were severe

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corman jones stood beside dr krenner

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ready to assist

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the seconds ticked by and the nothing

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that dr krenor hoped for

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seemed to be achieved

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he smiled as he approached the enclosure

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and put his hands up to it

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tse recognizing the social gesture did

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the same on the other side of the glass

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raised a petition

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dr crenner said

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corman jones pressed a button and the

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wall behind tse rose

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revealing a habitat area

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several other chimpanzees milled about

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sensing them tse turned and scampered

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away from the glass rejoining her kind

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are the men ready

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dr krenner said

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yes sir corman jones said checking a

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monitor showing three men in protective

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suits with cattle prides just outside

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the habitat

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dr krenner and corman jones watched as

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tse joined her troop

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all seemed normal as they welcomed her

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in

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dr krenner was about to signal to let

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the men in when he hesitated

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his smile faded as through the glass he

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watched tse began to first shake her

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head then beat her chest and howl

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the rest of the troop began to react

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nervously and screech alarms to each

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other dr krenner went to the glass and

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watched as tse became aggressive

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tsc reached out to the nearest member of

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its troop and tackled it to the ground

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at first nipping and snapping

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tse seized its terrified companion and

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bit down hard on the fleshly part of its

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thigh

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the animal screamed out in pain even as

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it managed to break free and drag itself

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away

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wasting no time tsc turned and chased

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after another raking its teeth down the

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fleeing animal's back

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corman jones gasped as she watched the

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carnage being perpetrated in the

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enclosure

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dr krenner's shoulders fell

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his face too as he watched the

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chimpanzee with the wounded leg drag

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himself up

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seemingly forgetting his injury and give

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chase to a smaller adolescent female

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chimp

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seconds later the smaller chimp's arm

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hung broken and limp by its side a gash

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bleeding freely

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dr krenner what do we do

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corman jones said her face pale

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dr krenner only stared seemingly too

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taken aback to answer

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a second cry from the corpsman stepped

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him out of his fugue state

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let them in put them down

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he said

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corman jones leaned over and shouted

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into an intercom go euthanize the

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subjects

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on the screen she watched as the three

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men in protective suits abandoned their

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cattle prods and drew nine millimeter

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pistols

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in the habitat every monkey bore some

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injury and all had become horrifyingly

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aggressive

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seeing the men enter the troop hung

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together and worked as a unit to attack

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their enemy the chimps ripped and tore

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at the protective suits of the men

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biting and trying to sink their teeth

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wherever they could

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the men tried to fight them off hardly

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managing a tactical retreat firing their

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guns as they backed away from the

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aggressive chimpanzees

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dr krenner and corman jones jumped at

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every report from the guns as the

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panicked men fired now in defense of

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their lives

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the men continued to retreat as they

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witnessed the high velocity rounds

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ripped through the chimps but not slow

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them down

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only when it was realized that headshots

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were the single injuries stopping them

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did the tide turn minutes later the

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three men stood still their suits in

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tatters

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around them lay the torn and

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bullet-riddled carcasses of 20

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chimpanzees

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before you go

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i just wanted to tell you it's

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podchaser's third annual reviews for

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good

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for every review left on podchaser they

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will donate 25 cents to world central

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kitchen

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this year the effort is focused on the

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people of ukraine

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so leave a review of this podcast on

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podcaster

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they will double the donation if i reply

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to the review

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which i will

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thanks for listening