[Originally submitted as "Dr Valerian makes a Cog"]

"Single-minded" was the way most of her colleagues had described her; it was said that she'd kill a corgi as soon as butter the bread, and it appeared that she'd done exactly as predicted. When they broke down the door of her laboratory, they found two glass tubes, containing a dead cat and a dead dog. They also found a third, central cylinder, smashed to pieces on the floor, and most of Dr Valerian, who was literally all over the place.

What they didn't find, was what Dr Valerian's notes referred to as a "cog" - the combination of a cat and a dog.

If you happen to come across it, you will let them know, won't you?

[This piece has an alternative, single-word name. The clues are in the picture. This one won't be easy; the first to get it wins a pdf-download copy of one of my novels.]

[Vue 6 Esprit + minor PhotoImpression.]

[Created for *Arden18's Sci-Fi contest]

[Edit: I finally gave the five name-guessers the following clues:
It is either evening or morning, as shown by the dark skies.
The clock shows 7.00.
There are long, dark shadows directly acoss the floor, from unseen windows behind the point of view.
Only a strong, low light could make such shadows, but the shadows are parallel, meaning that it must be the sun. It is 7.00 pm.
The sun sets in the West, meaning that the windows opposite face East.
There is a single, huge star rising in the East.
Its light is shining upon something never before seen on the earth.
Eight letters - the first letter is "N".

I had meant the name to be "Nativity", but *CageyJay came up with "Natality", and the superb tag-line:

"The sun has set on humanity; a new predator is rising"

Thus, the name of the piece is now: Natality.