Conceptual Design #1-A:
Failed. Subject unable to metabolize alteration nanites. Hormone-imbalances seem to have interaction with programming. Ore-laced osteoenchondroma resulting.
The child had been too old. That was what he told himself; too large, too near puberty, perhaps. The shifting hormone levels shouldn't have affected the nanites, of course. He'd programmed them to attach near the bones, to spread out and shroud them. His intentions had been clearly designed. It shouldn't have resulted in...
Well.
Mutation was the correct word. It was unpleasant to face, repulsive to see. Protrusions of bone had burst from beneath the skin, the metal overlay giving them a sickening metallic sheen stained by slick, warm blood. He was accustomed to the sight of terrible things. He'd lost his hand, created a new one from the metal he ored himself.
Reaching out, he pressed lightly against the thing stretched out upon the table. He would become accustomed to it before he managed to complete the project successfully. It was unfortunate, but inevitable.
He would simply need to steel himself -- harden his heart to such terrible sights.
The project must be successfully completed.
Conceptual Design #123-C:
Failed. Nanites attached as ordered. Process continued without previous osteo issues. Current required to trigger nanite growth seems to have generated concurrent development of ore dispersion past intended targets. Ore continued development into musculature surrounding ball joints, fusing muscle and bone too tightly for movement to be allowable.
Subjects terminated.
Next attempt will need better processing in order to specify orthopedic targets more highly. Conception should include programming a lower voltage for startup. Cannot lower this charge more than twice the typical ion channel voltage gradient or process will not commence.
The younger subjects seemed to survive more frequently. The fact that he and his colleagues were most often working separately on different colonies held its difficulties. S had better information on human research, of course; his were often the better refinements because of it, but they also tended to be a little too experimental. O rejected several of the earliest experiments and refused to hold them on his subjects, but his situation and that of H were different. They were far too close to the people living on their colonies.
It was easier to find unattached subjects for himself and G. More so for G, who had his pick of orphans. S's subjects were often deposited in his laboratory, ready, waiting and... well. Willing wasn't a question he was prepared to ask.
Some answers, it was better never to know.
Conceptual Design #347-I:
Nominal success. Issues related to overgrowth of osteonanites seem to be resolved. Some amount of metal poisoning occurred, but liver and kidneys processed the vast majority of the pollutants with survivable damage.
Current subjects seem to be acceptable age range. Hormone fluctuation seems to have been key in earlier nanite imperfections. Subjects should be no older than six years of age in order to survive the process.
This wasn't what he'd intended.
The enchondroma in early subjects had been by far the most visually disturbing effect. Two years on, at least they had managed to progress past leaving their subjects fit only for cremation... if only just. The problem was that there were things they hadn't taken into account. Quite a lot of things, actually, and they were only just becoming apparent.
Heavy metal poisoning had been more of an issue than he had first considered. Clearly they would need to target the liver and kidneys in order to heighten their functions in response to the ore. It wasn't the best of solutions, but it was what he had. In order for the subject to live longer than a few weeks, they'd have to create a more highly functioning waste removal system. Programming the nanites to develop the ore into functional bone sheathes wouldn't be enough.
They were going to have to go back to the proverbial drawing board.
S was good with the nanite development regarding the ore. He wasn't the one for this more delicate work, though, and he didn't have enough experience with the development of small human systems.
He'd have to discuss this with H. He was the one most often called into consult for the Winner Corporation's in vitro experimentation. Perhaps he would be able to send him in the right direction.
Conceptual Design #422-M:
Originally seemed successful. Subjects adapted following nanite ore deposit and subsequent manipulation of filtering organs. Within week, several began showing signs of anemia and fatigue. Three developed convulsions and vertigo by end of second week. Clearly need to more highly refine the ore as well as stepping up modifications of filtering organs. Possibly will need to create mechanism to be installed in next batch of test subjects to try and resolve the problem. Gastrointestinal issues suffered by all from early days, finally resulting in kidney failure for most subjects, neuropathies for remaining few.
Subjects terminated.
He had been tinkering with the solution to the heavy metal poisoning for over seven months now. Perhaps he needed to move on, get a fresh start. Developing a device to run constantly and clear the remnants from the body whenever the nanites triggered would perhaps be more complicated than it was worth.
S had some interesting ideas regarding elasticity of the bone and organs, and J knew he was working on it. That was his idea, though, separate from his own current project. Truth be told, J wasn't crazy about it; the flexibility was only temporary, and so far the subjects had developed extreme cases of ankylosing spondylitis in every instance. Admittedly they were living for longer and longer periods without the spine fusion, but J still felt that his own methods would guarantee him a warrior who could fight long enough to put an end to the ridiculous notions of war the Alliance currently espoused.
A few more trial runs, perhaps, would tell him if it was worth his effort to develop the device beyond the preliminary concept. Then he'd make a decision as to where to go next.
Conceptual Design #428-F:
Successful trial. Subjects all survived initial nanite development as well as heavy metals poisoning. Each subject will be observed for the following six months while more serious development of filtering device is implemented.
His main trouble was the metal itself. Sheathing all of the bones made the poisoning worse, and even the device he had created wasn't enough to keep the body clean of the effects for very long. He'd managed to increase the filtering processes of natural human organs, and that helped, but it was becoming clear that he would need to develop a design that used less of the metal, or at least.
There were other problems becoming apparent, too. In the few test subjects who had lived thus far, growing pains were becoming extremely common. He was going to have to use something that could stretch, or be created to thread in as the bones themselves grew. It was possible that he would need to lay aside his chosen metal and work for a while with something different. Carbon fiber would be a fair thought, although perhaps he could program the nanites to do the same with his ore.
He would have to work longer on the device, and perhaps talk to G about the reprogramming. G had branched off in his own efforts, and was doing things that required geneticists more than designers. Some of the things he had suggested were quite a bit beyond what J thought would be applicable; indeed, he wondered if G hadn't strayed far off the path of creating a suitable pilot and into areas more appropriate for Dr. Moreau.
Conceptual Design #478-J:
Successful trial. Believe that this will be the final development. Using a more limited number of subjects in the last several rounds of testing allowed for more intensely creative experiments.
Changing full bone sheathing to a fiber-type overlay lessened toxicity levels. From available data, subject will likely succumb to gundanium poising at approximately nineteen years of age. Fiber overlay has increased flexibility to some extent. The weight of the overlay is less than that of the sheathing, and has allowed for additional programming in order to grant a certain amount of flexibility.
As previously stated in other data, some experimentation with hormones versus nanites was necessary to ensure that the subject's torso would be large enough and sturdy enough to withstand both the fiber-sheathing and the g-forces which will be exerted with use of Wing Zero. While this originally caused some issue, experimentation with hormone suppressants allowed for subject to continue to grow enough that subjects reach the point of maturity that will allow this. Additional problem of shortened limbs has been solved via use of illizarov device. While painful, it allows for the gundanium fiber to build in the spaces created in the bone, lengthening limbs and further strengthening the bones.
Two subjects remain. While the female has the additional benefit of further limiting the weight of the subject as well as greater fine motor control, the male seems to have greater control of his emotions and his abilities with mobile suits are far superior at this time. Given this situation, the female subject will be terminated.
Male subject Heero Yuy will commence with Operation Meteor.
Finally.
Success.
It was heady, knowing that he had finally managed to create the perfect soldier. G was close, yes, and S had accomplished the more outwardly agile pilot. H... well, H had created a psychopath, capable of hiding behind the face of that small blond with his violin. They said that Nero fiddled as Rome burned; J thought that there would come a time very shortly in the future when H's creation would do something quite similar.
And then there was O.
O's creation had been interesting. Two hundred years of experimentation would inevitably lead to that; a devotion to the creation that was far beyond what the rest of them had. It was unfortunate that the recent attack had destroyed half of the pair he had created. While J was uncertain at this time as to exactly what O had accomplished with his pilots, he felt sure that attempting to change his plans so late in their timeline was going to be difficult to say the least.
Well. That wasn't his problem. His problem had its solution, and he was going to set it all in motion.
"Heero. I have a mission for you."
And if the Prussian blue eyes looking back at him were a little more real, a little more... something... than he had wanted them to be, well. He was out of time.
"Ninmu kanryou."
It would have to be enough.