Frederick Kiber was a scientist who disappeared from public view after announcing his plans to create a means of teleportation. He retreated to a mountain rising from the South Atlantic Ocean, there assisted by a large number of androids. In a terrible accident, the matter transmitter permanently bonded Kiber’s body with the molecular structure of his laboratory’s floor. Kiber was transformed into a misshapen semi-humanoid mass of protoplasm bonded to the floor, although he could project images of his former appearance. He gained an overwhelming appetite to consume food, and discovered that he could gain energy by absorbing the consciousnesses and life forces of other human beings, feeling that this would lead him to immortality. He ordered his androids to perfect the matter transmitter, a