Dr. Elara Vance pressed her thumb against the cold glass of the display case. Beneath it, mounted on a pin, was the wrist bone of a panda. It was a small, unassuming sesamoid bone, but to her, it was a miracle—and a lie.
“Why would a perfect designer,” she asked, “use a wrist bone to do the job of a finger? Why not just grow a real thumb? Why these crude, spare parts?”
Finch stood up. His voice was calm, condescending. “Dr. Vance, you see a mess. I see a bespoke adaptation. Just because you don’t understand the design doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”