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Subject Name: Sebastian Solace
Date of Documentation: 09/15/2013
Time of Documentation: 9:32 PM
Class Designation: LR-P
Current Handler: Dr. Hayes
Containment Procedure: Sebastian will be currently kept in a standard 6 by 8 containment cell, under surveillance by standard procedures and personnel. At the moment of this document, he is of no threat beyond that of a regular human being. Containment procedures will be adapted as we subsequently observe the modifications that his body is expected to process. In case of immediate adverse reaction, there will also be a waste disposal unit on hand after each procedure is completed, should the subject be unable to adapt to the effects of the experimentation.
Subject Description: “Sebastian Solace”, is a Chilean-American male, aged 20 at the time of this document, weighing 148 pounds at a height of 5’10”. He is in perfect health, though it is noted that, due to the current stress and outward status of his given situation, he is somewhat malnourished, as to be expected. He has tan skin, blue eyes, and black hair that reaches past his shoulders. We have decided to leave his hair as it is, to see if it will be affected during each test. It should be noted that, before his incarnation, he frequently wore piercings, including multiple small divots in both ears from his lobe, to the helix, and a piercing on his upper lip. Most of these have healed from his time in incarceration, but we will observe if these have any noticeable effects on his body during testing.
Addendum-1: Sebastian was charged with the murder of nine individuals on February 17th, 2013. His execution was originally set for March 1st, however, due to a frequent degree of lobbying by local community members who lauded for Sebastian’s release and retrial, and with a degree of media attention on the controversy of the murders and their, quote un quote, “Uncharacteristically brutal nature for an individual with no prior criminal record, signs of mental deterioration, or motive”, the date was pushed back, first to May 12th, and then finally to September 1st. This finalization of the date of his execution was when Urbanshade acted, and on August 31st, Sebastian Solace was taken privately into custody, with a falsified document and news report on his death being prepared, filed, and distributed the following morning.
Addendum-2: For further clarification on the subject at hand, as Sebastian’s current Handler, I will note here my prior achievements and qualifications, should these need to be referenced for future Handler’s, if my position is to either be replaced, or expunged. My prior experience primarily revolves around the study of Muraendie, also known as the “Moray Eel”, though it was my most recent research into the hunting patterns of the Laticaudinae family, or “Sea Snakes”, that has landed me my position here at the Hadal Blacksite facility, where I am currently stationed. Alongside myself, there will be five other scientists conducting their experiments; Dr. Richards, Dr. █████, Dr. Clover, Dr. Hendricks, and Dr. Jones. Each of us has been given a designated DNA strand to observe, document, and test with how Sebastian will adapt, and react.
Footnote: Sebastian will be given the first, and arguably the most important part of these experimentations, by Dr. █████ on September 18th, 2013. This should, if his body does not react negatively, allow us to turn his DNA into a more malleable state.
[END OF OFFICIAL DOCUMENT]
Personal Addendum-1: I am adding these notes for myself, both as a personal record of events, and for the sake of journaling my thoughts as things transpire over the next few months. Currently, I am sitting in my ‘cabin’, in the eastern wing of the Hadal Blacksite facility. I was brought here on August 20th, 2013, to acclimate to the surroundings, and to be briefed on what it is I would be doing here. To be frank, I didn’t necessarily want this job, but the pay they offered me was astronomical compared to my usual income, and I’d be lying if I said that curiosity hadn’t gotten the better of me when I was informed of the existence of this place. Of course, not that I’d be able to tell a living soul about it, and I think most in the standard Marine studies community would think that I’m utterly insane.
At first, I thought this was a death sentence. The pressure of the Mariana Trench alone could, without proper care, planning, and an astronomical amount of time, effort, and money, could crush an entire submarine within a matter of seconds, should a single bolt or screw be out of place. So imagine my surprise when I’m sent into a submarine, strapped with enough power to jettison us into space, rather than into the ocean, and I’m suddenly in a place so impossibly deep below, that I honestly wondered if I was dreaming when I first arrived. I was even more so confused when I was told that, in this place, the pressure surrounding us was no more dangerous than your average sized swimming pool. I don’t know why that is, but I would do just about anything to find out. Within reason, at least.
Acclimating to the environment wasn’t as difficult as I thought it’d be, though if I had to be honest, I find some of my coworkers to be tolerable at best, and unsettling at worst. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that a place as top secret as this would attract some odd characters, but Dr. Clover, and Dr. █████ (the redacted Doctor in my official documentation submitted to the files), each give me the impression that they have been doing this for longer than I care to know. Dr. █████ is the one who will be injecting Sebastian with the █████, the substance that will change his DNA into a kind of clay for us to mold as we see fit, as morbid as the image may seem. That’s all I feel comfortable calling it here. I barely know what it is, where they found it, or why it works the way that it does, and I have a feeling if I asked, Dr. █████ wouldn’t be pleased with my curiosity. I’m taking a risk alone just even mentioning it here, if Urbanshade ever decides to check through my personnel files, but for now, they seem to have left me to my own devices.
Personal Addendum-2: It occurs to me now, frustratingly, that the other researches seem to think of my opinions as ‘lesser’. Or at least, that’s how I’m perceiving it. We each were given the task of presenting a specific creature to the board of directors, with the only condition being that they, of course, had to be marine life, and particularly, salt water life. Dr. Hendricks and Dr. Jones, of course, chose what they would almost certainly approve of: a great white shark, and a blue whale. Two animals that, when the ocean is brought to mind, almost instantly evoke the image of overwhelming power, so they were approved almost immediately. Dr. Richards presented the idea of a mantis shrimp, and, bewilderingly to me, Dr. Clover requested we use an, in his words, ‘mutated angler fish’, that had been discovered during one of their expeditions, citing that he would find that, if Sebastian were to grow the all-too iconic ‘light bulb’ on his head, it would be as though he could personally navigate through the darkest corners of the facility without need for equipment. I attempted to protest against this, citing that, as known by (hopefully) everyone there, the bioluminescent bulb of the angler fish is only present on the female species, but Dr. Clover insisted that this, if anything, should further be accepted by the board to, and I quote, “Test the limits of what the █████ can achieve when it comes to experimenting with human DNA.”. They approved. I think it’ll be a total failure.
Personally, I requested that we attempt the DNA of a green moray eel, citing it’s incredible hunting capabilities and stealth, along with it’s more cooperative tendencies to work alongside other sea life, but I was rejected. According to the board, they were concerned that, given prior testing, if Sebastian was exposed to the instincts and DNA of too many aggressive predators, not only would it cause him to be unstable, but there had, apparently, been occasions where the teeth of past subjects would completely outgrow their jaws, extending out and piercing into their own skulls. They also had concerns as to how the green eel’s second sent of movable teeth and jaws could clash with the rest of Sebastian’s anatomy. I reluctantly agreed, and opted instead to vote in for the blue-lipped sea krait. This was approved.
The only thing I can’t really seem to understand is why, at the last minute, the board requested we add a silver spinyfin somewhere in the mix. My best guess is that it’s been theorized that, due to their high number of visual ospins, they’re able to clearly see color in low light conditions, but I don’t really see what benefit that adds. Still, at least it’s also the only fish on this list that couldn’t outwardly harm someone.
Personal Addendum-3: I’ve been avoiding it, but, it’s time for me to put down on paper my thoughts on the actual subject himself. Quite honestly, it’s hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that this man, no more than two years younger than myself, could commit such a heinous murder so easily. Granted, I guess that’s the point with killers; it’s not like we can ever tell when one person is a psychopath, and the other is just a mild-mannered citizen who happens to like wearing a lot of spooky black clothing, but, it still feels surreal being a part of this. At the time they brought me to his cell, he had been put under anesthetics to draw blood and other samples, and I just couldn’t help but feel bad for him. I guess it’s where we all always look so peaceful when we’re asleep.
Still, at the end of the day, a killer is a killer, and nine people are gone. That’s nine sets of families, loved ones, friends, who all don’t have that person in their lives anymore. I don’t know the ages or names of the victims in question, but, I overheard Dr. Richards saying he thinks one of them was as young as sixteen. Needless to say, we don’t exactly have unrestricted internet access down here either, so, I couldn’t look up anything about what happened, even if I wanted to. I guess it was a big deal on the news at the time, but, with everything happening in the world, a slaughter of nine people is about as average as hearing that there’s a sale going on at the local supermarket.
Maybe I’m just tired. I don’t know, but, I’m sure I’ll feel a lot less empathetic toward him once he shows his true colors. I dread being his ‘Handler’ in this situation, but I guess being the newest hire person here, they figured I would be the one that would scare him off the least. A more cynical part of me thinks it’s also where I’m the only female doctor present, but, I guess maybe that’s me going off of prior bad experiences, so I’m trying not to let that idea get to me.
At least when all of this is over, I’ll be able to finally help my Dad with the funds he needs to fix up his house. I hate seeing him having to patch up everything himself. He’s a jack of all trades, but, there’s only so much one person can do when his roof is about to cave in and he’s got enough electric problems to scare off the fire marshal. That’s what I’m going focus on while I’m down here; help with the job, further Urbanshade’s research, get paid, and never think about Sebastian Solace again.
[End Personal Log.]