“Would you like to name the embryo today?” asked the embryologist.

Mark stared. “That’s… that’s not how it works anymore, Rae. You know that.”

She burst into tears.

“I’m sorry,” Rachel whispered. Then she pressed the button.

From across the room, her partner, Mark, was already signing the digital consent forms with his thumbprint. He looked up, catching her eye. “It’s the right choice, Rae. Everyone’s doing it.”

She stood before Pod #47. Inside, Luna-Kai — still unnamed, still waiting — floated in synthetic amniotic fluid, connected to a thousand tiny tubes. The heartbeat monitor showed strong, steady rhythms.