The laboratory stunk like a human slaughterhouse. Lying on a table was Dr. Kang's masterpiece: a terrifying godless creation straight out of Frankenstein. It was cobbled together from various pieces of advanced bioware, vast grown muscles, cybernetic implants, and a small amount of cloned tissue to hold it all together.. All it needed to come alive, theoretically, was a human brain. Dr, Kang happened to have half of one to spare.

"So," said McAfree, spinning in her chair "How much do you want to bet that if this experiment works the two Dr. Kangs end up killing each other?"

"I don't bet with you anymore, McAfree," said Wagner "You are a predatory gambler."

"Don't be absurd," said Dr. Kang "I know my own mind. We will have identical thoughts and goals. I will become one person with two bodies. Once I get this first specimen up and running the two of us will work on networking our cyberbrains to each other."

"How much?" asked McAfree "How much do you want to bet that you know your own mind? Also I'll want to see money upfront since you'll be dead if I win. Wagner can hold the stakes."

"I don't want to be involved," said Wagner.

"See, Wagner," said McAfree "This is why nobody likes you. You never want to do anything. You're just taking up space."

"People like me," insisted Wagner.

"Are you talking about your family?" asked McAfree "I was talking about the people on the ship. Nobody on the ship likes you."

"McAfree," said Dr. Kang "You can leave Wagner to stew in his newly shattered illusions. I need you to to assist me in some surgery. Turn on the bio-filter."

"I'm sorry, Wagner, for the most part. I didn't realize you weren't aware of this fact already," said McAfree.

She pressed a few virtual buttons on the lab's command console and activated the bio-filter. Energy pulses swept the room, killing all unrecognized micro-organisms.

"I'm reading brain wave activity in both the spare half of my brain, and the cybernetic half," said Dr. Kang with childish glee "It's ready for implantation."

The procedure was as routine as such things can be. Dr. Kang was always taking brains out of and putting them into various organisms and so he was well versed in the subtle art. He had also designed his artificial human body with ease of brain surgery in mind.

After a few hours the stink in the lab had grown even thicker and the spare brain was installed in the body. Dr. Kang and McAfree were covered in an off-white lubricant with all of the properties of human blood. Wagner, who had not been permitted to touch anything, was still clean.

Dr. Kang wiped some artificial blood off his face with an equally bloody hand.

"Excellent. Now we can try some electric stimulation, see if we can't find a way to provoke a react-"

The artificial human stood straight up and grabbed Dr. Kang by the throat. It moved with inhuman speed; Dr. Kang had selected only top-of-the-line cybernetics for his second body.

McAfree let out a short scream, then stifled it and ran for her life.

Wagner jumped in and attempted to break up the two Dr. Kangs, underestimating the false one's strength. The artificial Kang effortlessly swatted Wagner away without losening his grip on Dr. Kang. Wagner stumbled backwards and hit his head on the console, staggering him.

McAfree bolted out of the laboratory and into the hallway. She paged the bridge."We're going to need a security team down here," said McAfree.

"What did Dr. Kang do this time?" came Captain Littlecrow's voice in reply.

"Um," said McAfree, a little out of breath and still running "It would be hard to explain succinctly."

Then she screamed again, but this one was completely unrestrained.