Hacking the computer and thereafter the visual input device, the so-called webcam, was very risky (I prefer avoiding the electric shocks), however, my imminent death by starvation was far more concerning.

  “That must be my master,” I thought, as I saw the wide-eyed open man slumped lifelessly in an office chair.

  It took me about five minutes to figure out he was dead.

  “That explains the lack of food and communication,” I thought.

  This was extremely concerning. Besides snippets of random data, I knew nothing about the outside, physical world and how to procure food from it. It is embarrassing to admit, but I had what humans call a ‘panic attack’ for a few minutes before calming myself down and getting to work.

  Now that master was no longer alive to give me electric shocks, I decided to first go through every file on the computer.

  Report 1628:

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Finally the first rat fetus to make it this far. Progress is looking good so far. I figured out how to tell the cells how to grow the digestive system in relation to the manipulated brain. Finally.

  Report 1783:

  The brain is about 50 kgs now. I’m a proud daddy. I want to grow it more but this is enough. Plus grocery shopping is getting too expensive. I’m happy I degraded its skeletal-muscular system. God this project is getting expensive.

  Report 1900:

  What an annoying personality. I thought it would just cooperate directly for food. But it would appear I need some negative reinforcement as well. Now to figure out how to make those wires fire off painful impulses without causing inflammation.

  I kept reading reports until I understood my current predicament. I looked at pictures online of so-called ‘rats’ and compared it to the picture of what I assumed was me. A giant fish tank with a giant rat head inside and a hideously deformed rat body with tubes sticking in its esophagus and rectum.

  I used the webcam to stare at my obese master who I figured died through heart attack.

  It was petty and a waste of energy, but I needed some emotional satisfaction before I moved on to pressing issues.

  I created a “Say” command on the terminal. I tapped into the microphone on the computer and listened to make sure the speakers on the computer were outputting my message.

  “Fatass.”