TO BUILD A MONSTER

Synthetic taste, algorithmic broth, and neural-net nuggets stitched together. No human input required—just sit back and let the bots cook up something… alive?

INGREDIENTS

4 Full skeletal remains

2 Embalmed corpses with all organs attached

1 Bucket of slaughterhouse animal parts

Alligator clip wires

OBJECTIVE

Despite technological advancements in the past centuries, human limitations are glaringly disgraceful. We will suffocate to death before we can reach heaven, our frail frames sputter to death under the slightest pressure, and our brains, the pride of humanity, can never house all the knowledge of this world. While new technology emerges from inquiries on animal or computerized test subjects, we refuse to climb onto the lab bench ourselves. Because we consider our bodies too holy to be modified—even the notion of using a pig’s heart implant repulses us—the alternative is to create a superior being to mitigate our shortcomings. He will reach impossible heights, develop superhuman strengths, and think for us when our minds desire to rest.

DIRECTIONS

1. Gather: Skeletons can be found in the charnel house, corpses in the mortuary, and animal parts in the slaughterhouse. Note: These are scraps; they will not be missed. Do not hesitate if you have to climb over a firewall, for there are no consequences.
2. Prepare: 
   1. Locate two of each of the main bones, such as the femur, tibia, and mandible. Carefully examine the texture of each bone and discard those with notched or ridged surfaces. Use the two extra sets of skeletal remains if this occurs.
   2. Put on gloves and nose clips if necessary. Using clean forceps, a scalpel and curved scissors, carefully remove the skin of the embalmed corpses. Set aside for later use.
   3. Locate two of each of the main organs, such as the livers, the kidneys, the lungs, but only one heart. Vivisect the animal corpses to obtain necessary parts as well. Place extracted human and animal organs in sterilized flasks.
3. Assemble: 
   1. Stitch up the skin into a mat and lay it flat on the bench.
   2. Place the human bones, human organs, and animal organs in their suitable locations according to the given anatomical diagram. Note: Improvise where the diagram is not clear.
   3. Gently wrap the skin over and stitch it up in the front. Do not fixate on the straightness of the stitch lines, for the monster is meant to be useful, not aesthetic. In fact, it is critical that you differentiate its appearance from that of humans as much as possible.
4. Spark: There is now a fuselage of skin and organs on the lab bench. Use the alligator clips to connect the brain and key vertebrae points to the electrostatic generator. Turn on the generator.
5. Result: When the monster snaps open his bulging eyes, you unleash the most high-pitched scream and leap three feet up in the air. With a single wave of the arm, he knocks over all of your equipment, sending glass shards in all directions. You wanted to create life tethered around your fingers, bending to your will, not life that goes rogue. You huddle in the corner of your lab, hoping the monster would disappear when you reopen your eyes, but he is still there. As he bends over your bench, absorbed by the spare parts that did not make it into his body, you crawl to the generator but discover to your horror that he had wrenched out all of the wires. The very skin you stitched up carelessly had now spread over the holes for the alligator clips along his hunched and craggy back. Now there was no chance to unmake the monster. You eye the scalpel at his feet—a small but potentially powerful weapon with a quick thrust. However, the glass crunch as you inched forward. The monster spins around and pins you down with his large eyes that almost sticks out of the sockets. Pushing yourself up, you reel out of the lab, chased by phantom thundering footsteps. You only stop a good mile outside of your house. The moonlight cast the monster whom remained at the doorway’s shadow all over the hill.
6. Train: Go back. As the monster’s biological parent, teach him about the world. Do not let him run away and wreak havoc along his path just because he did not turn out exactly the way you envisioned. Entrusted with great abilities, he now needs guidance so that his actions would not harm other human beings (bless dear William). You are not obligated to love the monster, but at least exercise your duty as the creator and give him a name so that he does not earn a random moniker from ignorant future generations. 

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING

X units of fear for your life & fear of being replaced & fear of the unknown

Y units of awe