dr. victor reed (jeremy childs) is a humorlessly committed biological scientist with a privately funded genetic experimental laboratory secreted away on a locked floor in a hospital. we first encounter him as he's delivering elizabeth, a seemingly normal infant who's nonetheless very special as the first of her kind. reluctantly if cryptically announcing this breakthrough to the public (he refuses to name anyone involved in the baby's conception or birth besides himself, or to let her be seen as yet), he braves an immediate firestorm of pushy press inquiries, as well as outrage from those who believe such scientific explorations represent a grave offense against god and nature. others note the great medical advances that cloning might help instigate, but they're generally shouted down by the pious and appalled.