Director's Log

Siberia, Secret Research Institute No. 40120191. Log of Director Petroslov.

1970/4/20:

A few days ago, a massive meteorite was discovered to have fallen in the Siberian region. After an on-site investigation by local garrison troops, they found an advanced flight pod clearly not belonging to our country's or America's technology. Inside, they discovered an infant. Following orders from higher-ups, an Alien Research Institute was established around the crash site. The infant, codenamed 'Alien One,' is under secret protection and study.

1974/6/26:

Some fool actually proposed dissecting our only living sample! How did this guy get assigned to my institute? Did some KGB higher-up let a prostitute give birth to a son and stuff him into my institute to pad his track record? Let that idiot go to hell. Refusing to provide more research funding while wanting to exhaust limited resources in one go—that guy is definitely a spy sent by America to propose such a stupid plan. I'm going to report him and have the KGB investigate that bastard. Even his sperm's trail to whatever women it reached must be found, to completely cut off this foolish bloodline.

1976/8/14:

Alien One is now six years old. Observing his growth period, it's similar to humans, and various physical signs confirm this claim. It's just unclear how much he can actually eat. Some researchers proposed providing him with ample nutrition to see how far he could develop. But another faction worries that if Alien One grows smoothly, uncontrollable changes might occur. Mutants have already caused enough trouble; until we find good control methods, limiting Alien One's development would be the most suitable choice. Between the two opinions, I choose to adopt the conservative stance. Besides fear of losing control, the living sample is also the only one we have. I don't want to apply unnecessary pressure from unpredictable expectations and lose this precious sample. This isn't 1944, when Imperial Russian rebels allied with Nazi Germany to conduct a demon-summoning experiment on the coast of Scotland. They originally hoped to summon a powerful demon god to wreak havoc deep within Allied territory, but only got a demon infant—is that a joke? I've heard that infant was raised by American scientists as a soldier to fight supernatural forces. Using demons for that is only natural. But what I have here is just an alien; no one can expect him to fight like a demon. Train him as a soldier? Let the fool who proposed that bring in funding from the Winter Soldier Program or the Red Room Program. With more funds to provide protective measures, I'd agree to such folly.

1980/2/19:

Higher-ups are quite dissatisfied with the institute's results. To this day, we still can't reverse-engineer the flight pod's technology, nor even replicate its materials. Nor have we obtained any eye-catching value from Alien One. The Super Soldier Serum was abandoned long ago as a potential material from Alien One, because neither his blood nor spinal fluid has any superhuman-enhancing effects. Moreover, looking at Alien One's X-rays, if shown to an uninformed doctor, they'd only say it's a very ordinary human skeleton. If they saw other physical data, they'd likely conclude this is a child suffering from long-term malnutrition. In fact, if I didn't know this child was an alien who crashed to Earth in an advanced flight pod, I'd reach the same conclusion. But now, I can't help but doubt this claim. To verify, I went out of my way to question the first soldiers who discovered him. Because from all the signs, I have to suspect whether these people swapped the alien inside the flight pod. What the institute got is just an ordinary human child. But after cross-examinations, I only got the conclusion that Alien One was indeed taken out of that flight pod. Is this trying to tell me that humanity's origins come from outer space—that sci-fi fairy tale is real? Or is it trying to prove something else? Unfortunately, philosophical discussions don't count as satisfactory results. I need to deliver something more convincing.

1983/9/30:

The mutant war in Egypt—though our homeland didn't directly participate, we indirectly obtained quite a lot of intelligence, especially the various terrifying abilities displayed in battle. As a result, all superhuman research institutes received orders from higher-ups, and our institute's progress was criticized once again. Over a decade of funding, and still no gains to show. Do these idiots expect something like, 'Replace your blood with a virgin's blood to stay young forever'? And then drain my only sample dry! They might as well go study a few vampires; there are plenty of those in Eastern Europe. I believe Alien One must hold the secret to human evolution, otherwise their appearance and physical traits wouldn't be so similar to ours. I just haven't found the right entry point yet. Or perhaps current technology can't observe what we should be observing. Maybe I should start with genetics to explore finer details. Otherwise, I can't imagine how an alien race with technology capable of shuttling small spacecraft through space wouldn't consider developing biological tech for extending lifespan and strengthening the body. The mysteries within that body are definitely more valuable than that flight pod! To keep the research going, I had to compromise with higher-ups and hand over the alien flight pod. The institute still hasn't completed a full reverse-engineering of the pod's technology. Mainly, besides necessary sampling, I didn't want excessive damage—the same attitude I have toward Alien One. But higher-ups don't seem to approve of this approach. Especially since March, when America announced the Strategic Defense Initiative, determined to heavily develop military capabilities in outer space, making higher-ups more urgent about related materials and progress. To continue studying Alien One, handing over the flight pod was a necessary compromise. At the same time, they'll pull related researchers, streamlining the institute's structure. In exchange, the institute's funding won't be directly cut by the flight pod research portion, but slightly reduced. This also means more funds can be invested in Alien One's research. I hope this price will lead to a breakthrough.

1986/12/8:

The comrade leader's shift in direction sounds good, but I don't think so. Specific criticism isn't the focus of this log, but I only hope it won't affect the institute's operation. Clearly, that's just wishful thinking. To support the new direction, many ineffective plans were forced to shut down, diverting funds elsewhere. The Alien Research Institute was unfortunately placed on the watchlist, and the pressure that can't be delayed is imminent.

Fortunately, Alien One had already reached adolescence, and his body's growth should have progressed to a certain stage. So I had no choice but to agree to some experiments I wouldn't have dared to try before, using extreme methods to test that body's capabilities.

I hope this shift will bring me some progress.

1988/1/7:

Damn policies—not only affecting the motherland, but even the allied nations are feeling the ripple effects. The muzzle on that wolf of a Germany is loosening, and no one sees it?

The institute's funding and material supplies are running into problems too. What used to be allocated grain now has to be bought with rubles, and the prices keep climbing.

I suspect, if this continues, the scenario of fifty thousand marks for a single black bread could happen in my beloved motherland.

For this reason, I've had to reach out to some old contacts, securing funds and supplies through them.

The dawn is already visible on Alien One. His excellent healing ability may not match those mutants with regenerative powers, but for the same injury, he recovers in far less time than an ordinary human, and most wounds leave no scars.

Unfortunately, Alien One's genetic code remains undeciphered to this day. That said, seeing this, I'm finally convinced that what I hold is an alien, not a swapped-out Earthling disguised as one.

At least with current genetic technology, none of the verified methods can be replicated on Alien One. The only reasonable explanation is that his genetic structure differs from Earth's organisms.

Yet even this discovery failed to convince the higher-ups to continue funding. They only said they wanted something more practical—like the Super Soldier Serum to produce more Winter Soldiers, or the black tech to realize Project Fire Fox.

I can only try to use the resources at hand to barter for what will keep the research alive.

It's dangerous, and the sources of those funds are questionable. But I can't afford to care anymore. The mystery of Alien One is like a goddess lifting the hem of her skirt before my eyes.

Just one key, one spark of inspiration, one opportunity—or some random, chaotic thing.

1989/11/9:

Damn it, that wall fell. East Germany's existence is teetering.

The voices of doubt are no longer confined to a few far-sighted elites as before. Even ordinary people are starting to question their situation—neither as rosy as the leaders claim, nor as wealthy as the Western world.

I won't say whether the path is right or wrong, but something definitely went wrong.

I hope someone with a brain will clean up this mess quickly. I feel I'm only a hair's breadth away from success—this is a critical moment, and I can't afford distractions.

1990/8/1:

Damn, damn it! An old colleague from my Cheka days told me I'm being watched by the KGB.

I am loyal to my country, loyal to my ideology—everything I do is for a better future. What right do they have to stop me!

Aren't they brewing some plan? Why must I be the one eliminated?

I won't leave. I'll stay until the end. This is my life's work, and I won't give it up easily.

--

The August 1st log is the final record.