Introduction

by Samuel A. Fletcher

I, uh, I was the lead surgeon... for A.G. Industries, when they brought the body in.

He was one of those people... he musta died really peacefully, you know? [He] had a really serene look on his face, and I almost didn't realize he was dead. [Be]cause, you know, I was told the patient I was operating on was dead. I said, to one of the nurses,

"Isn't this guy supposed to be dead?"

I just remember she looked at me, like "Are you crazy?" and when I realized the guy was dead I was shocked. But that made more sense, since the fascinating operation I was supposed to perform was on a corpse.

The tags, his paperwork, said that his name was "Alex Garrison". I still remember when they wheeled him in... it was noon. 12:00 P.M.

Uh... I apologize, these memories... I never really thought I'd have to, uh... [exhales] Never really thought I'd have to talk about what we did to that man. It's rather... hard for me, you know? I apologize...

So we began the operation at 1:34 P.M., from my old notes... and I made the first incision, directly into his chest, down to his pelvic region. I, uh, remember there was a lot of blood. It was stagnant of course, since he'd been dead a while... but a lot of it was on my hands. On all our hands.

And that was the first thing we had to, uh, do. Was drain the bodily fluids, one by one... I think we had it finished... let me dig through my old papers here... yes, that was complete by 2:30 P.M. that afternoon. Everything just sucked right out through his veins.

I was the one who did the dirty work when it came to organs. The incision he had now, uh, it allowed me to cut away his organs, basically put them into baggies off to the side.

It was the most vile procedure I've ever undertaken... to this day, I... well I still remember how oddly it smelled. Like straw. For some reason, he smelled like straw and wood. Dead wood.

That lasted a long time. We, uh, we weren't done until almost 6 o'clock that evening... by that point, his body was just a dry husk. And it was only going to get dryer, at least I uh, was told. See, I didn't get to work on the next part of the operation. It isn't my field.

What did we do to that poor creature? God only knows.

But I do know, we turned him into something. The body was handed over to another group of "surgeons", ones with mechanical expertise [experience?]. I asked the man who filled out his papers, I think his name was "Rockwell", what they were doing with the body at this point. He just looked at me and smiled,

"Making him better."

I'll never forget that smile. It just wasn't natural.

The next time I saw the body, it was on his activation day. We were all gathered to celebrate our creation outside his activation chamber, there was a lot of cheering for the amount of work and planning that, uh, went into it.

That Rockwell guy, he was just standing there, staring through the window at the thing we created. The reason, uhm... Christ, if I knew what he wanted to do... the reason his smile... [breathes heavily, in a panic] was so damned eerie was because he never stopped! He just kept staring, it's no wonder he led the project.

Finally, at... uhm, uh... [worried breathing] ... I don't remember what time it was, it's not in my notes. But the hissing sound his pod made as it let him loose was exceptionally memorable. If only because of how cliché it was.

They were all staring at it as it stepped out, me, Rockwell, all the surgeons... everyone watched it carefully. It had empty blue eyes, almost like there were no emotions. Like glass. [It had] pale skin, a sort of marble-looking substance. [It was] stunningly beautiful.

And those wings. God, those big beautiful wings on its back, with the metal frames and the gray feathers. They made him... they made him look like an angel. A robotic angel.

He looked right up at the glass, directly making eye contact with Rockwell, the only person he, or it, or whatever it had become, seemed to acknowledge. It looked at him and only uttered one thing,

"A... G... In... Duh... Strees..."

And I heard they had a name for him because of it. That the project went from being called "Project: PUPPET" to something else entirely.

I heard they decided to call him "Unit A.G."

 

TERMINATED PROFILES:

Name: Samuel Archibald Fletcher

Date of Birth: Thursday, Dec 25th 1922

Age: 79

Date of Death: Tuesday, Oct 16th 2002

Relation to Unit: Top organic surgeon to Unit A.G.

 

NOTE: It is important to point out that nearly 50 other researchers and surgeons were also mysteriously killed on or around this date.

Day 1

"Remember, remember, the fifth of November..."

System Activation Code:

41108

Life Support Systems: Full Capacity. . .100%

Power Unit: Charging

. . .

 

. . .

Power Unit: Full Capacity. . .100%

 

Project: PUPPET, Operational for the first time.

Date: November 5th, 1992

 

I am operational.

 

Optic Sensors: Online at 100% Capacity

Gauging Analysis Levels

. . .

 

. . .

Optic Sensors now Online at Full Capacity. Anomaly detected as supervisor "Louis J. Rockwell". Origin of anomaly unknown.

 

Project: PUPPET Optic Sensors analyzing data.

Date: November 5th, 1992.

 

I can see.

 

Body Functions intact. All systems now checked and fully operational.

 

Mission Statement: Keeping Us Better. . .

Task Identification Code:

SEEK116A.G.tt76

76fff-Guytt76768

5038662959483

5948382888110-

A.G.f77f88f99-41

 

Supervisor: Louis J. Rockwell, anomaly previously detected 3 meters ahead. Behind glass.

 

Servant of: A.G. Industries

 

"A... G... In... Duh... Strees..."

My first words. Date: November 5th, 1992. My first day of activation.

All is going well. I am to serve A.G. Industries under severe protocol of Louis J. Rockwell.

My body is new. Operational.

They lead me to my chamber. Tests are to be done.

 

Data Stream Process: November 5th, 1992.

Date of activation, according to scheduled deadline.

 

Activation tests must be performed, including but not limited to:

Nervous system Strain Test

Optic Capacity Test

Flight Test

Speech Test

 

My Surgeons and Caretakers test my reaction to pain and damage. All goes 100% according to plan. I feel no pain.

My Surgeons and Caretakers test my sight capacity. All goes according to plan until Supervisor Louis J. Rockwell enters testing chamber 4b. Presence brings about static and foggy vision. Supervisor Louis J. Rockwell smiles at me.

I do not know how to "smile" back at him.

My Surgeons and Caretakers test my capacity for flight. All goes according to plan. Wing structure is absolute and solid. I can fly.

Flying brings me feelings. Anomaly, error. Must report to Surgeons and Caretakers at a later point.

My Surgeons and Caretakers test my capacity for speech. Speech is slow and methodical, and easily understandable. Caretaker Susan Miranda informs Top Researchers that my speech is "like that of a learning child... it will expand as it grows 'older'." I can speak.

My first day goes according to plan. Activation has run smoothly.

Nervous system and life support at full capacity. Optic Sensors need further examination. Wing structure and flight capabilities are at full capacity. Speech systems at full capacity.

Day 1 goes according to plan. My body is new, it requires rest.

I shut down for protocol: Sleep Operation A45G-6.

I feel. Anomaly must be reported to Supervisors at a later point...

 

System Shut Down in progress...

...

System Shutdown complete.

Activating protocol for Recharge.