Halo-Halong

The Franken Stein Monstrosity Pilot

There were many things Stein had done that he wasn't proud of, but there were also many things he was. This, however, fell in a category of its own. He had almost completely forgotten about this particular experiment, yet it was one of his most significant. How could he possibly turn his back on his creation now? He couldn't just let it, no, her die right in front of him. Would it really be that tragic, though? She was an abomination after all. What could this world possibly hold for a mess of flesh and consciousness like her?

Now that she had stumbled back into Stein's life, bruised and bloody, the doctor began to remember how this beautiful disgrace came to be. He recalled two girls he went to school with, a weapon and her meister. Their names were Jupiter and Delilah. Jupiter, the weapon, was a cutesy Mediterranean girl who was always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Delilah was a beautiful Afro-Asian girl who was a good conversationalist, but would still rather train and study than socialize. Unfortunately, tragedy befell the lovable duo. Their bodies, or what was left of them, were found miles apart. No one is sure why they were so far apart in such a dangerous situation, but it was a fatal mistake. Seeing two young and skilled students murdered so brutally just didn't seem right, and that's where Stein comes in.

Without considering the consequences (he rarely did), Stein retrieved the bodies of the two and went to work. Using what was left of each of them, he created what he had thought at the time to be his greatest creation. He combined a skilled and focused meister with her powerful, yet charming, weapon. He brought the now singular girl to life, and two souls became one. She was not disturbed by her revival, but ecstatic to live again- to live as one instead of two. The rest of the academy, however, had mixed feelings about their new classmate.

Halo-Halong, as the combination of the two girls had been nicknamed, was often accused of dishonoring the two fallen students despite the fact she was both of them. Friends of either of them found it hard to enjoy Halo's company. Some would just break down and cry because she reminded them of the two "lost" students. Halo-Halong did not share their grief or discomfort, though. She cherished her new life, and did not see herself as a disgrace. She was proud of herself, and so was Stein, but in a very different way.

Stein was seventeen when he created Halo-Halong, and twenty three when she left. Jupiter and Delilah were fourteen and eighteen when they died. Now all these years later, his greatest failed experiment was possibly going to die again, and he realized he still had a certain fondness for the girl. Maybe not attraction, definitely not parental fondness, but something different. And this strange fondness certainly did not help the guilty feeling he got when he remembered that she once did feel attraction towards him. Even if he was interested now, it wouldn't work. Taking another look at Halo-Halong, he confirmed his suspicions that she hadn't physically aged a day. It would just be too awkward, and he could go without the disapproving stares and head-shaking. No, it wouldn't work at all.

Pushing the thought out of his head, Stein moved on to assess the bigger issue at hand. He had the ability to save Halo-Halong's life, but should he? For all he knew, her situation hadn't gotten any better over the years and she was still met with horrified gasps and hushed voices spreading hurtful comments, of course, maybe it had. She could also have a loving partner and kids (anatomy permitting), and just came to say hello, but got into an accident. Stein let the latter occupy his mind for a moment. Part of him wished so badly that this was true. It would erase so much of the guilt he felt to know that Halo had settled down and was living happily. The thought made him feel something close to happiness. Even if it wasn't true at the moment, it could happen some day. Halo-Halong was potentially immortal after all. She couldn't die of old age or sickness, but she could get fatally injured and die, like in this instance. Stein could save her, though. He could give her the chance to live a happy life or two. And he would.

Dr. Stein got to work setting bones and stitching up patchwork skin that had eventually fused together over the many years that Halo-Halong had been alive. He also took the liberty of making a few alterations to other aspects of her being. He had stimulated the pituitary gland (which belonged to Jupiter) in Halo's brain to finish off any stages of puberty that may have been halted when Jupiter was killed. Stein also cleaned up some old stitching that he had messed up when he originally created Halo-Halong.

When Stein finished, Halo-Halong had a new batch of stitches, and a few internal and cosmetic alterations. If she could keep from getting too badly injured, she'd live as long as she wanted, and suffer through next to no illness. Stein also fixed up some of her uglier scars. Taking one last look at the unconscious Halo before attempting to go to bed, Stein realized she actually wasn't that grotesque. Not at all, actually. Just a little rough, and a little strange, but who wasn't? Compared to some people Stein knew, Halo-Halong was actually rather average. And if she was going to be staying around for a while while she healed, Halo would have to meet these people eventually.