"Frankenstein's" Monster

[Writing illegible] . . . something wasn’t right. With each step I'd taken into that forsaken laboratory, a chill ran through me. Not from the sterile cold, but from the discoveries that lay, for now, hidden within it. The structure had been built as the result of a question: can the flame of consciousness be kindled by mortal hands? My discomfort stemmed not from the question itself, but in the realization that one Dr. Alaric, in his hubris and thirst for recognition, had dared to seek its answer.
Indeed, in the surrounding region, tales had been whispered of a creature, not born but made, an amalgamation of human fragments forged by advanced machinery. Now, the question isn't just how doctor Alaric did it… but why?
Though my conscience wavers in the telling, my duty as a scientist must supersede it. What you're about to hear is a detailed account of the monster I uncovered in that chamber, of its disparate physiology, and of the technology that engineered flesh, and gave it… life.

---

We reached Dr Alaric's decrepit residence, nestled deep within the Ural Mountains, just as night was falling. Though, perhaps "compound" is a more appropriate term--several concrete and glass buildings surrounded the main entrance, each in the process of being reclaimed by windswept drifts of snow.
Completely unsure of what we’d find, we proceeded to what appeared to be the entrance of the main building, and noticed with some alarm that the front doors were swing wide open.
We had received communication that Dr. Alaric had continued his work here, despite a loss of funding, and now, it was clear that the situation had escalated.
Inside, we were greeted by a dark and empty foyer, crumpled papers scuttling along its marbled floor in the growing breeze, and at the end of a lengthy hallway, a faint light shone through another open door.
My team and I have witnessed a good many things, but even so, nervous glances were exchanged. At length, we made our way to the source of the light. What we found there was clearly a laboratory, cold and clinical, unlike the areas we’d so far seen.

The walls were lined with machinery of all kinds, bundles of wires and terminals and spools of printed paper strewn about the ground. Along the northern wall, a large, intricate piece of machinery spanned for dozens of feet, encased in chrome and brass and riddled with analog dials, switches, and several digital displays.
Suspended from the ceiling like a chandelier was what appeared to be a large, articulated mechanical arm.
Large shelves presented vessels of suspensions and liquids with labels that made little sense to me.
Marcus pointed to one of these shelves of vessels, where a single, handwritten label sent a chill down my spine: “contagions,” it read. Despite the cool of the room, I realized that all three of us were beaded with sweat.

Nearby, a human skull lay unassuming, notable for its bizarrely elongated eyeteeth. Behind it, an aging topographical map of the United States, with a single red-tipped pin jutting out from the northwestern border of West Virgina.
Ancient books littered the numerous steel countertops, tomes of what appeared to be arcane knowledge and some written in languages I didn’t even recognize. Juxtaposed were manilla folders of typewritten documents, including a sizable number under the heading “Project Starfall”-- printed on Vita Nova stationary.
I must admit that all of this led to a certain feeling of… disorientation. One thing was becoming disturbingly clear: despite my team's extensive experience, we still had much to learn.
Questions raced in my mind, and no doubt in all of ours--what was this place?
We didn’t have long to ponder, however--as we moved into the center of the room, we noticed one unusually clean metallic table, where a single, large machine sat--and on it, a small screen with a row of keys below.
On its green-hued display, a single phrase: "To those who seek."
I approached the computer, suddenly unsure of myself. After what we’d seen so far, did we dare uncover more? But has my team gathered around, I knew it was inevitable. I reached for the keyboard and pressed enter.
What scrolled on the screen then was the entirety of Dr Alaric’s work, what likely would have been thousands of printed pages.
I present to you now an abridged recounting of what he created in that laboratory, deciphered from many tangents and ramblings. For though intellect was vast, it was clear that he was plagued by the demons that so often accompany genius.

The Creature

Until this point, my dear reader, I have omitted a crucial part of the story. You see, I have presented a number of somewhat unbelievable creatures in the past, but even now, even I have difficulty comprehending what we found there. And so, I beg your indulgence once more.

While most of the lab displayed traditional clinical utilitarianism, embedded in one of the walls was an uncharacteristic stone archway leading to a darkened room. Just a few feet within, large iron bars separated us from what might have been considered a medieval prison cell. As our eyes adjusted to the darkness, we saw a hulking figure lying lifeless on the bare stone--a muscular human form, its skin taut and studded with stitches and bizarrely incongruent in pigmentation.
Full examination revealed it to be nearly eight feet tall. Its facial features were strong, barely decayed save for the external nose, which was missing altogether. Its ears were slightly pointed, the supportive cartilage appearing to have collapsed.
Needless to say, we were astounded. It was clear that this creature had recently been alive, and, judging by the utensils and bedding in the cell, may have been so for some time. Unfortunately, the cause of death was likely starvation. Interestingly, we observed no signs of an attempt to escape, even though the creature’s sheer mass could likely have damaged the bars that held it.

With some difficulty, we extracted the body and began an… unorthodox autopsy. As a result of this process, and combined with information gleaned from Dr Alaric’s computer logs, handwritten notes, and video recordings, I was able to piece together not only what this creature was, but how it came to be.
Indeed, the creature that lay on that cold slab before us was the culmination of intellect and technology that pushed the boundaries not only of belief, but of science itself.

The Science

I will waste no time in presenting my conclusions, my valued reader: this adult… human… which we pulled from that prison, had been given life mere weeks before, in that very lab, and was an unprecedented amalgamation of disparate human parts, each selected for their physical characteristics, fully grafted together, and somehow, made alive. The thought of such an undertaking has existed for centuries, even back to the alchemical homunculi of the sixteenth century. But until this discovery, and for very good reasons, it was never truly thought possible.
Perhaps, as it has been with so many discoveries, science had simply awaited the right… technology.
You see, more than simply separating and splicing together an arm, a leg, or even a skull, Alaric discovered a way to sequence vast amounts of DNA material, and even to isolate individual genes. But we will return that point in time.
Astoundingly, Dr Alaric used a combination of connections with local hospitals and morgues to regularly obtain human samples, allowing him to directly source his preferred genetic traits, and essentially mold what he considered to be the “perfect” being.

Preservation of Tissues

After he obtained his human samples, a process which is left unnervingly without description in his notes, Dr. Alaric was met with the immediate problem of decay.

His solution was cryopresevervation. The lab was fitted with numerous controlled-rate freezing systems each with a clear objective: to prevent decay of the harvested parts while preventing the rapid formation of ice that could rupture the cells.
Vials of cryoprotective agents such as with 'DMSO', 'Glycerol', and 'Ethylene Glycol' were found in abundance, each intended to safeguard against the intense chill of the preservation chambers. Tanks of liquid nitrogen flanked these chambers, as did sensitive monitoring equipment designed to detect even the slightest fluctuations in temperature.
But while the acquisition and preservation of tissues was an endeavor in itself, it was only the beginning. The real marvel lay in how these tissues were to be used.

Assembly

Scattered throughout Dr. Alaric's central work area were a number of what I would describe as anatomical blueprints, painstaking outlines of human anatomy at both the macro and microscopic levels, down to the very capillaries and nerve endings.
Elsewhere, a book of large, detailed photographs chronicled the body assembly process in procedural detail.
Special care was given to the skeletal framework, especially in the regions where entire limbs had been pieced together. Bones were meticulously aligned and attached by way of orthopedic pins and screws, while the application of bone marrow aspirates promoted growth at the junctions, ensuring that they fused almost… naturally.
Undoubtedly, however, the first major hurdle would be the initial bonding of muscles and tendons from differing samples. It appears Alaric devised a specialized bio-adhesive, primarily composed of highly biocompatible collagen, foundational to the extracellular matrix of many tissues, which naturally provided a scaffold-like structure to anchor the cells.
This bioadhesive also incorporated fibrinogen and thrombin, two vital blood proteins, which on contact, form fibrin--effectively establishing a natural mesh that not only binds tissue surfaces but also accelerates wound healing.

Simultaneously, at key junctions of the assembled tissues, Alaric introduced what he termed “bioelectric scaffolds,” infused with conductive, gold-based nanoparticles, designed to not only provide structural support, but to act as kind of communication system to “guide” grafted cells to synchronized functions.
At each of these junctions of disparate tissue, webs of fine electrode wires were placed on either side of the incisions, each leading back to a large machine that worked to modulate and monitor a steady, low-intensity electrical signal. In turn, amazingly, the scaffolds worked to initiate nerve cell differentiation in regions requiring neural regeneration, as well as muscle cell fusion and alignment.
The dual application of the bio-adhesive and the scaffolds meant that while the tissues were physically bonding, they were also being biologically integrated.
But as complex as this process was, it was only the beginning. Before the scaffolds could be left to work, there was another monumental task: the integration of the circulatory system.
to do this, Alaric first utilized precise microsurgical tools to directly connect major blood vessels, a process known as vascular anastomosis. According to Alaric’s records, this lengthy and painstaking process was met with numerous challenges, and for the first few… test subjects… involved a fair amount of trial and error.
The key for Alaric was his bioelectric scaffolds. Dynamic signal modulation combined with meticulous monitoring and sequential programming allowed these structures to target and signal endothelial cells within the tissues to begin angiogenesis. Simultaneously, these signals promoted the healing of stitched vessels, and even appeared to modulate platelet behavior, eliminating another hurdle: thrombosis, or the formation of clots.

The Blood

But of course, the circulatory system would not be complete without something to circulate. My initial assumption was that, given the dissimilar origins of each limb and some organs, Alaric would have to contend with a puzzle of blood types and their intrinsic incompatibilities.
However, Alaric’s solution was much more simple. Because he had apparently been afforded the luxuries of time and opportunity, he had been precise in the selection of parts, and, as determined by simple blood tests, was able to source only those containing type O blood--the universal donor.
Even still, prior to assembling these parts, Alaric drained as much blood as possible from each part he intended to use. This was achieved through a meticulous flushing procedure, where each limb and organ was perfused with a preservation solution, which not only removed the bulk of the original blood but also provided nourishment to the tissue. After final assembly, “fresh” Type o blood was transfused into the system.
But the circulatory system is, of course, more than blood, and viability of a heart large enough to support this creature was crucial, and Alaric pointedly chose a heart, from a "donor" of substantial physicality.
Apparently, however, this search took more time than anticipated, and Alaric could not afford to wait to begin the body’s assembly. In the interim, Alaric utilized a mechanical circulatory support system—a machine of sophisticated pumps, tubes, and sensors. This not only maintained perfusion to the creature's organs before and during the heart's transplantation, it also served to precondition the vascular system in gradually escalating pressures and flows.
Once the heart was sutured in place via additional vascular anastomosis, Alaric faced the monumental task of its… reawakening. To accomplish this, he utilized External pacemakers, which deliver rhythmic electrical impulses, and would initiate the first contractions. Over time, the reactivated sinoatrial node would take over, providing its own synchronized rhythm.
Finally, there was the seat of consciousness itself: the brain. Alaric had once again been selective, searching for a specimen whose entire head and upper torso fit his ideal build, thus eliminating the need for a brain transplant. According to his logs, he reasoned that the brain itself was less important than the intricacy of the connections it formed over time.
This implies, of course, that the cumulative experiences, memories, and synaptic pathways were of far greater significance than the mere organ itself. Rather than grafting a brain into a new environment and forcing integration, Alaric believed that bringing the entire unit — brain, spinal cord, and the cranial structure that housed them — would be more efficient. This would preserve the essential neural networks and provide a framework upon which the rest of the creature could be built.
But even after establishing the cadence of the creature's newly implanted heart and essentially integrating its brain, Alaric's next challenge was even greater: stitching together this being’s very genetic fabric--and blowing open scientific doors I once thought to be forever closed.

Gene Tailoring

Spanning nearly an entire wall of Dr Alaric’s laboratory, and encased in chrome and brass and riddled with dials and switches and digital displays was a machine that ultimately defies explanation. Masses of wires and tubes extended outward, some of which terminated in needles and clamps, like the lifeless tentacles of some eldritch monstrosity.
This machine is what granted Alaric an ability he called “gene tailoring”--the ability to not only isolate specific genes from incomprehensibly complex strands of DNA, but even to recombine them into unique, stable chains tweaked for compatibility.
The device seemed to utilize an incredibly advanced molecular scissor mechanism. These "scissors" were designed to recognize and cleave specific DNA sequences, enabling Alaric to make deliberate insertions, deletions, or replacements within the genomic structure.
But perhaps the true marvel was the precision with which the machine could reassemble genetic material. Advanced algorithms, far beyond computational abilities I have seen, predicted the outcomes of these genetic rearrangements and ensured that the resulting sequences were not only viable, but stable.
Furthermore, the machine appeared to incorporate fail-safes to prevent certain unintended repercussions of this kind of “gene editing.” Normally, almost any attempt to manipulate genetic information results in unintended mutations and genetic drift. This gene tailoring machine, however, appeared to have some sort of advanced error-correction system that cross-referenced the edited sequences with a vast database of genetic information and ensured the edited genes remained consistent and error-free.
Alaric’s notes on how this technology came into his possession are absent altogether, and I must admit my own curiosity… as it was truly unlike anything I had ever seen. Sadly, the opportunity to study its systems in detail has long passed. Perhaps time and more… mainstream science will one day shed light on its true capabilities.
What I can discern indicates that this gene-tailoring process produced cellular amalgamations that Alaric then nurtured in a nutrient-rich medium that included fetal bovine serum, various antibiotics, growth factors, hormones, and buffering agents, and provided an ideal environment for rapid multiplication.
Perhaps more amazingly, Alaric was able to insert this tailored genetic material into harvested mammalian cells—then directly to rats, and eventually escalating to a different method of delivery.

Viral Gene Delivery

Indeed, at a certain point, the question of how to introduce this edited genetic information into the creation’s cells provided a major road block. In order for the tissues and organs to function cohesively in their newly assembled form, they needed a shared genetic language.
Fortunately for Alaric, nature already had a solution. Over countless eons, viruses have become supremely efficient at transferring their genetic material into host cells. Alaric realized that, stripped of their pathogenic nature, they could be repurposed as vehicles – vectors – to carry the desired genes into target tissues.
I noticed a recurring reference to a particular viral strain that seemed... unusual. Its genetic makeup didn't completely match any known database. There was a cryptic nature to it—a structure that seemed to match certain known contagions, but strangely altered. Alaric's descriptions of its origins were frustratingly sparse, which suggests that he, for reasons unknown to me, intended to hide its true nature.
In any case, Alaric used this modified virus to deliver the intricately tailored genetic sequences into the harvested tissues. He did this through direct injection, but he also guided it through a process known as “electroporation.”

In this process, transient pores in the cell membrane are opened via controlled electric fields, in essence “guiding” vectors deep into the tissues. Here, the electric fields' frequency, pulse duration, and strength were meticulously calibrated to match each tissue type by their unique electro-physiological properties.
Muscle tissues, for example, are inherently more electrically conductive, and require different stimulation parameters than less conductive tissues like fat or bone.
Once these vectors penetrated the cells' defenses, the introduced genes, carrying Alaric's meticulously crafted sequences, found their way into the nucleus. There, they integrated with the host cell's own DNA.
For Alaric’s… creation, the success of this stage was absolutely critical. Without it, the tissues, while structurally integrated, would lack the synchronized function of a naturally formed organism. It was this synchronization, driven by a shared genetic blueprint, that would give this creature at least some semblance of life.
Of course, in assembling his creature, Alaric encountered another fundamental biological challenge: the natural immune defense, designed to repel and reject any foreign cells introduced to a system. Once more, Alaric leveraged gene-tailoring techniques, strategically modifying the creature's cellular Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules and effectively masking them from the immune system's “radar.” Without this step, upon completion, the creature would be at constant odds with its own tissues, its immune system launching continuous assaults on what it perceived as invasive cells.

And so Alaric felt that he had assessed and accounted for virtually every outcome. He and his creation were ready.
Now, In the final stages of assembly, Alaric implemented mechanical systems that stimulated muscle contraction and rhythmically expanded the lungs. Nerves pulsed with potential, and aided by electrical stimuli, the heart began to beat.
There, bathed in the dim glow of monitors and machines, a moment was coming, and there was little doubt that Alaric’s own heart beat rapidly within his chest.
Like the last tentative impacts of an aircraft’s wheels just before the air catches its wings, Alaric’s creation stuttered and trembled with energy… and in a way, it, too, was about to take flight.

---

Though until this point Alaric’s progress had been recorded on paper and digitally, the next phase was recorded on tape. That tape was lost along with the rest of Alaric’s work, but I still remember it vividly.
The creature--or, rather, the person on the slab trembled, as the machines designed to sustain its body wound down. Alaric stood over it, exuding a restless wonder. The creature’s chest continued to rise and fall, even as Alaric removed the compression device.
Its eyes opened slowly, undramatically, and it began to move. Expressions cycled across its face--a grimace, wide-eyed bewilderment, something like fear. A moment later, its eyes squeezed shut, and stayed closed for a time--though it continued to breathe.
We watched the tape in dumbfounded fascination. Somehow, the experiment had been a success. And the tape continued.
The creature's first days were marked by a mixture of bewilderment and instinctual learning. Its enormous eyes would focus intently on objects, seeming to absorb details with an insatiable curiosity. Movements were initially tentative, each limb flexing and testing its strength, slowly learning to coordinate with the rest of its body.
Alaric often observed from behind reinforced glass, taking copious notes on the creature's behaviors. He marveled over what he saw: rapid neural plasticity, progressing from crawling to standing to walking in mere days. Its intelligence became apparent when it began to mimic sounds from its environment, eventually attempting rudimentary speech.
However, its existence was not without challenges. Despite Alaric's planning, the creature faced certain post-operative complications. Infections, graft rejections, and minor seizures were but a few of the obstacles. The creature also exhibited signs of existential distress—episodes where it would gaze for long moments into mirrors or at its own hands. Interestingly, it appeared to shy away from the daylight that entered the laboratory through its few windows.
Interactions with Alaric varied. At times, the creature would regard him with what seemed to be reverence, touching his face almost tenderly. At other times, it displayed frustration, pounding at floors, shelving, and its own body.
Despite these challenges, the creature's adaptability was remarkable. Within weeks, it began to exhibit problem-solving skills, manipulating objects, and even showing signs of creativity, crafting rudimentary art from materials in its enclosure.
Even still, Alaric himself appeared less and less frequently in the same room as his creation. Additionally, it was clear from his notes that the being to whom he gave life was becoming a source of… anxiety. “I had desired it with an ardor that far exceeded moderation,” he wrote, “but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.”
The final video recording shows Alaric leading the creature to its cell by a rope tied loosely to its wrists. It was an odd sight, given that it towered over Alaric. And yet, It showed no signs of resistance, even as the iron door closed.
Alaric then returns to the camera, reaching for the switch. A brief expression crosses his face--something like regret, rapidly replaced by determination. The screen goes dark.

Conclusion

I have yet to determine what happened to Alaric, or his motivations as to the cruel abandonment of his creation. Disturbingly, he left a cryptic letter, addressed specifically to me, that I am reluctant to share here.
I will share, however, a particularly intriguing passage gleaned from his final journal entry, dated mere days before we arrived.

“Perhaps I was too hasty in setting my mind to this work. Perhaps the mortal body, tailored to near perfection though it may have been, is no longer suitable to host those mighty spirits, those who still hold the fire. I do not regret my work, however; we are particles, and it is clear that by sheer will, even dust can be revived. I have long wondered if the flame of consciousness could ever truly be kindled by mortal hands. I see now that perhaps it cannot.
But it can be stolen.”

Watch the video here: