How to Make a Monster: The Slender Foot Story

By Stephen T Hatlaban and D. Dart

In a secret base hidden deep within Russia's frigid expanse, the boundaries of science and ambition blur as the Cold War simmers in the backdrop. Driven by geopolitical rivalry and a quest for power, the brilliant Dr. Fyodor Molozov and his enigmatic partner, Dr. Ekaterina Markov, lead a covert sci-fi mil

• Language: English
• Publisher: Howlietzer Publishing
• Release date: Sep 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9780983797920

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How to Make a Monster:

The Slenderfoot Story

Written by S. T. Hatlaban

Illustrated by Dart and his Team

*****

Copywrite © 2022 by S. T. Hatlaban at Howlietzer Publishing

1st Edition, with added editing, 2024

*****

Special thanks to The Most High for working on me and never giving up.

*****

Dedicated to my family for always being there.

Chapter 1: Do You Want to Make a Monster?

Siberia, February 1995 23:41

The sun blasted through the helicopter window right into Dr. Fyodor Molozov’s face. Try as he might, he could not shake the blazing light from his sleepy eyes and found himself sitting up from his seat and peering out the window.

They weren’t far off. The frosted landscape reflected the infernal sun, sparkling like powdered diamonds as far as his eyes could see, straight to a mysterious crater that housed the secret military science facility, Schwanwitsch.

He stretched in his seat, ruffling his fluffy parka as he moved around, popping his old joints from his uncomfortable sleeping position. They had been flying for over ten hours from St. Petersburg to Siberia, and soon he would be back to work, creating a brand-new biological weapon in the name of Russian diplomacy.

Though the cold war ended between the Soviet Union and the United States recently, the two nations kept a close watch on each other. Molozov wasn’t too surprised by the outcome of the meeting he had with President Yeltsin and others; however, he wasn’t looking forward to sharing his lab with this newcomer. He looked up from his seat to her seat.

Dr. Ekaterina Markov sat reading her book, sheltered from the sun’s blinding rays. She was very pretty; her long legs, wrapped in nylons, curved over her seat – crossed – her round-toed flat dangled from her suspended foot. A short but tasteful skirt reached just above her knees, while her white parka reached well below her waist. Long blonde hair pulled tight in a bun on the back of her head and just over her book, he could see her sharp, blue eyes move down the page, scanning the information and logging it into her hippocampus.

He was smitten with her, but he also found her peculiar. She was the leading mind in genetics with many successful experiments under her belt, but with her youthful appearance she could only be in her late 20’s. How on earth could she be a reputable scientist and look like a supermodel?

He surmised that she must have been her own test subject at one time – to do what she did with genetics was simply astonishing! Rumor had it that she could change one’s entire appearance by changing a single strand of DNA, hence why President Yeltsin wanted Dr. Markov and him, Dr. Molozov, to work together on their latest assignment: spying on the United States’ newly formed Bureau of Monster Capture and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Molozov admitted that he wasn’t familiar with Dr. Markov’s work, but he had some experience in genetic experiments. However, most of his projects hadn’t gotten past the prototype stage due to their crude designs. They were less than finished. Less than human. Less than obedient. What would one expect from a monster anyways?

He preferred his electronic monstrosities. They were controllable. Flip a switch and they turn off. Just a combination of circuitry and reinforced steel, accepting all commands given to them without a whimper or complaint.

When he was commissioned to create human-animal hybrids, he did not blink at the challenge, but his efforts were less than fruitful, and it was in the Soviet Union’s best interest to create their own monsters in case of an American attack. So, President Yeltsin hired Dr. Markov to design a new weapon, a symbol of the Soviet Union’s immeasurable strength that would make the American’s shudder. He was still astounded by what he had learned during their meeting in St. Petersburg. Just imagine… an army of monsters obeying their enemies’ orders…

St. Petersburg, February 1995 09:00

More than fifteen hours prior, Dr. Molozov sat in a conference room in a building somewhere in the middle of St. Petersburg. He didn’t really know where he was. He entered one building only to take an elevator to the basement, ride a cart for about 3.5 kilometers till he ended up in another basement with several doors, one of which opened to the conference room. He walked in and was greeted by several SBP – presidential secret service – and President Yeltsin himself. After a salute, he took a seat next to Dr. Markov, who he’d not met by that point, and across from a man with short dark hair and dark eyes.

His name was Nikolai Zaitsev, a tall and burly man with a clean-cut beard and a face of cold authority. He had several light scars on his face – rumored to be from an accident in Czechoslovakia in 1968. He was former KGB, now a deep undercover asset for the Foreign Intelligence Service working for the American Pentagon.

President Yeltsin cleared his throat. Gentlemen and lady, he nodded to Dr. Markov, who put her book down on the conference table. "We all know that the US and the USSR are no longer engaged in the aptly called Cold War. However, the Norwegian rocket incident that occurred last week has me and all of our constituents wondering what is next when it comes to our relationship with the United States.

Mr. Zaitsev has brought something to my attention that I found very intriguing. There is a lot of chatter about the existence of creatures: paranormal beings, ghosts, et cetera. In our past we have experimented with psychics and ghosts. I want to reactivate those programs immediately, especially if the Americans are advancing in that direction.

Dr. Molozov’s mouth dropped. Mr. President wanted to do what now? Why? We didn’t have a lot of success with those experiments. They were haphazard at best and led to more problems than solutions. A complete waste of time and resources. Don’t get me started on the Humanzee project! Dr. Molozov hid his agitation as much as he could, but it didn’t go unnoticed.

You seem confused, Doctor. President Yeltsin’s eyes narrowed and bore into him. It felt as if he could see his insulting thoughts.

Dr. Molozov straightened up. Mr. President, with all due respect, those past projects yielded pitiful results. Indeed, we have reopened the Humanzee project but there are a lot of flaws. I’d say we need more funding and resources, but I have my doubts that anything good will come out of our continued research. As for ghosts and psychics, I’m honestly lost on the subject.

Doctor, in 1990 a terrorist organization nearly toppled the United States: Five psychics. Two survived American counterintelligence, according to my sources. One is held in a secret holding location at the Pentagon. The other’s whereabouts are unknown. She was last seen in Germany by our surveillance teams but disappeared without a trace.

Terrorists, sir? Dr. Molozov admitted he wasn’t up to date on current events. He blushed at the incredulous look that spread across President Yeltsin’s face. His research kept him locked away in his lab and if it wasn’t science-specific, he didn’t concern himself with it. Besides, if the US was nearly toppled by five psychics, maybe Russia was overestimating the United States’ position in the world.

It was Zaitsev’s turn for incredulity. It made national news. A group called the Psychic Society assassinated several politicians and bankers. Wiped out decades of banking data, specifically debt. Destroyed news organizations and sabotaged law enforcement and military efforts. How did you manage to not hear about any of that?

By this point Dr. Molozov looked like a beet. He spoke softly, I don’t have time for international news.

Zaitsev blinked.

President Yeltsin cleared his throat and Zaitsev continued. He stood up and pulled out a thick laptop computer from his bag and hooked it up to a projector that sat on the table. He gestured to a guard to turn off the lights and another to pull down the projector screen at the front of the room. He flipped the projector switch on and the screen lit up with a frightening image of a great ape-looking man, jaws wide open, large sharp canines glistening in the camera shot.

Dr. Molozov fell out of his chair. Was that an ape-man? He had not even managed to make an ape boy! Zaitsev smirked as he scrolled through the presentation he created for the meeting. He scrolled to the beginning of the presentation, to a picture of a young man, probably in his late 20’s, next to a young woman of the same age.

Dr. Molozov, said Zaitsev, "In 1990, a man named James Perry unlocked his psychic potential by using an ayahuasca gas chamber of his own design. He and his followers gassed themselves every day and achieved a level of psychic prowess that we never realized during our original experiments. Through further development, I believe we