writing_shadows

"Why are you trembling?"

It was such a simple question, yet so hard to articulate. He knew the answer he wanted to give, but somehow it was hard to drum up the words in his throat. Because we're playing God; and that's crossing a line that shouldn't be breached.

"It's cold."

The doctor laughed, and turned back to the cadaver. It was always cold down here, in the research wing. And the chill helped preserve the flesh; the body - specifically the brain - needed to be caught before it had degraded too far for the technique to work. It was less to do with cellular degeneration, and more to do with neurotransmitters - GABA and 5-HT. They were crucial. The rest of the body didn't matter at all - which is why the specimen was being kept artificially alive through a respirator.

"OK," the doctor said, nodding to his assistant. "Let's do it."

Their hands manipulated the body, bringing the head up so the tiny, breath-thin needle could penetrate the inferior colliculus. Gradually the needle drew in, the other man staring in silence as they watched on the monitor. Then the fluid - precisely titrated with a variation of 0.002ml - was deposited. The needle withdrew.

It was no magical elixir, or strange, Lovecraftian fluid that had entered the body; it was simply an expression of XT-F456, which in turn was a substrate of... it all didn't matter. The important thing was the result.

"What now?" he asked.

"Start the clock," the doctor said, grinning as he whipped his gloves off and threw them in the bin. Then, with a hearty, friendly pat on his assistant's shoulder, he walked out.

At T+8 the signs had begun. At T+9.32, the results were plain for all to see.

The rat's brain was showing activity. It was small, but it was enough.

At T+12, brain activity had been restored.

The dead had, technically, come back to life.