GMO Human.

Tightly sealed off with armored glass, people inside wrapped in white lab coats and masks, looking like they were not of this world-only the droplets of sweat on their foreheads hinted at a sliver of humanity still within them, or at least what was left of it. It was indeed incredibly hot, as high temperatures were used in the test tubes to denature proteins- about 90 degrees Celsius -but that wasn’t the cause of the sweat. Everyone was extremely nervous because this experiment was supposed to be one of the most important in human history. They were trying to create a genetically modified human - GMO - smarter, stronger, and sharper than the majority of the population. This individual was meant to lead humanity toward survival - as the scientists predicted, the world didn’t have much time left. As one might imagine, the experiment carried enormous risk. After all, humans were attempting to create a being that might surpass even the greatest minds in the world - everything could spiral out of control.

“Ralph! The DNA, please,” shouted one of the lab assistants. His words were muffled, as the mask stifled nearly all sound.

Ralph followed the command of his colleague. He slowly walked to the cold room, where the DNA was stored. Fresh DNA can be kept for up to four weeks at room temperature or at 4°C, but after that, it must be frozen. The samples had been prepared well in advance - with consent from participants in the experiment, each having an IQ above 200 - collected during cranial surgeries.

“For the good of humanity,” they said, grinning like mad scientists, blindly believing in the success of their experiment, as they donated part of their brains. Strangely, these highly intelligent people weren’t afraid of the risks involved - you’d think they would treat their brains like gold and never reveal their true value. Yet they made the decision easily: “Cut it.” Of course, they were promised gentle handling and respect for the most important part of the body - but could they be trusted?

Ralph delivered the required samples, which were then placed in test tubes where DNA polymerase began replicating the tiny molecules, eventually forming a full gene sequence of coding proteins. Once the gene was complete, it was inserted into human embryonic cells via a vector. These then had to be multiplied and transferred into a blastocyst, where they would merge with unmodified embryonic cells. The blastocyst was implanted into a carefully selected woman’s uterus. These women were strong, independent, and ready to give up their babies to the lab after birth. A special laboratory dormitory was prepared for them, where the children would study and develop their exceptional abilities. Coincidentally, all these women either currently served or previously served in the military. The blastocysts were implanted into 150 women. Now, it was just a matter of waiting for the results of the experiment.

That day, Ralph was assigned to clean the lab after work. He was stunned when he noticed a label peeling off a DNA sample container, revealing another label underneath that read “black panther.” Panicking, he rushed to the cold room to check the main container he had taken the samples from. It looked correct—the label read “Human Gene 2035.” He looked around for the black panther gene container and, upon opening it, couldn’t believe his eyes. The labels also read “Human Gene 2035.”

“No way...” thought Ralph. “Mistake or sabotage?”

Mistakes were common in labs, especially in virus experiments, but this kind of mistake could spell total disaster. A human with black panther genes - it was impossible to predict what traits it might inherit: fangs? Fur? Regardless, the result would be something completely wild, something… inhuman. Ralph felt dizzy and had to sit down. Unexpectedly, he lost consciousness - which proved tragic, as the cold room temperature was -24°C. That was enough to significantly cool his body. Normally, the human body loses about 1°C per hour in such cold, but Ralph wasn’t dressed properly, so his temperature dropped much faster. Even a 1°C drop results in unbearable symptoms, and when it drops to 33°C, a person begins to lose not just sensation- but the will to fight. Ralph regained consciousness an hour later, his body burning with pain. With his last ounce of strength, he crawled toward the door. He needed only to press the button on the wall, but he had lost feeling in his hands and couldn’t reach it. He tried leaning on his burning palm, but quickly lost balance and collapsed. He didn’t want his life to end this way. Perhaps his will to survive sparked some warmth in his body - biting his lips and summoning every bit of willpower, Ralph reached the button. He crawled to the phone and called emergency services - help was on its way. As he waited for the ambulance, a wonderful warmth brushed against his skin and all his cells, as if life were returning to them.

Nine months later

“How’s the ear, man?” asked Ernest.

“As you can see - it’s gone,” Ralph replied gloomily.

“You were lucky that it was just a fourth-degree frostbite on your ear…”

“If you had the same knowledge I had back then, you might already be dead. So yeah, you’re right - I was damn lucky to survive something so unbearable.”

Both were in the laboratory hospital, where two women were scheduled to give birth to the products of the experiment. Humans can’t reproduce as fast as mice - usually one child per pregnancy - so they had to ensure the women carried only recessive alleles, while the modified genes had to be dominant, to avoid a long wait for results. After delivery, something emerged into the light - a small, hairy, black ball, hissing and snapping with large fangs. The woman, upon seeing her child, had a panic attack, so they decided to sedate her- possibly permanently.

“Ralph, you know they can’t survive this. We have to eliminate the witnesses and act like this experiment never happened.”

“You don’t need to tell me that. We have to eliminate 150 women and 160 monsters - five of the pregnancies were twins.”

As they talked, they failed to notice a small, furry ball sneaking out of the hospital wing, hiding in a trash bin and being taken outside. At the garbage dump, it had no trouble finding food - this time, people who constantly waste food had unknowingly saved a life. Its body grew rapidly, revealing a fully muscular, medium -build figure, covered in black fur. It could walk on two legs but often crouched and moved on all fours, especially when it wanted to blend in and appear as an animal.

Ralph read the newspaper headline in horror:

“18 people dead after Beast attack. 25 women raped.”

They had known for a while that one experiment subject had escaped, but never thought it could survive. He kept reading:

“Survivors describe the Beast as resembling a black panther in human form. It’s incredibly fast, agile, and strong. It has piercing yellow eyes filled with rage and ruthlessness. The town’s residents are not safe. Military operations are underway to locate and neutralize the creature.”

The lab technician nervously spun in his chair. An inexplicable fear gripped his body and flooded his heart with dread.

“Will the monster find them?” he thought. “No, it’s impossible... It was too underdeveloped to remember the path... Although... who knows where it grew up -maybe right under their noses...”

Fear became his constant companion, clinging to his mind and fusing with him. He barely left the house and even took a leave of absence, seriously considering changing jobs. He spiraled into madness, constantly searching for information about the result of the great mistake he had been a part of.

One day, Ralph went to the store, and when he returned, he found the door open. He immediately knew what awaited him -facing his nightmares in the flesh. A voice in his head screamed “TURN BACK,” and he chose to listen. As he turned around, a noise came from upstairs. He looked up - and saw a figure leap down with ease, landing right in front of him.

Those furious yellow eyes.

Thirsty for blood.

Thirsty for revenge.

And those fangs - at least two centimeters long - moving closer to his artery...