Time for human trials.
James was the only human subject. He'd considered finding volunteers, but that introduced too many variables. Too many potential leaks. If Compound Alpha worked, he'd be the only enhanced human of this type in existence.
If it failed, he'd die in this laboratory alone.
He set the vial down and walked to his medical monitoring station. EEG leads to track brain activity. EKG for heart function. Blood pressure cuff. Pulse oximeter. IV line for emergency interventions.
He'd spent two weeks preparing for this moment. Reading medical literature on human enhancement. Studying what could go wrong. Building protocols for every possible complication.
This was it. The moment he moved beyond human limits. The moment he became something more.
James attached all the monitoring equipment. Started the recording systems. Spoke his intentions into a camera for documentation.
"Date is November fourteenth, nineteen ninety-five. Time is four thirty-seven AM. I'm about to administer Compound Alpha, a self-designed enhancement serum. Projected transformation time is seventy-two hours based on cellular uptake rates."
He picked up the vial and loaded it into a syringe. Thirty milliliters of blue liquid. Everything he'd worked toward for eight months.
No ceremony. No dramatic pause.
James pushed the needle into his arm and pressed the plunger.
The compound entered his bloodstream. Cold at first. Then warm. Then burning.
He pulled the needle out and set it aside. Checked his vitals on the monitors. Heart rate climbing. One hundred beats per minute. One ten. One twenty.
The burning spread from his arm through his chest. His breathing quickened. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Initial injection complete," James said to the camera. His voice was steady despite the discomfort. "Experiencing elevated heart rate and systemic heat. Consistent with predictions."
The burning intensified over the next twenty minutes. His whole body felt like it was cooking from the inside. His heart hammered at one forty beats per minute. His temperature climbed to one hundred and two degrees Fahrenheit.
Then the real pain started.
His muscles spasmed. Every fiber contracting and releasing in waves. It felt like his body was tearing itself apart and rebuilding simultaneously.
James gritted his teeth. He'd prepared for this. The compound was restructuring his muscle tissue at the cellular level. Breaking down old fibers and building new ones. Denser. Stronger. More efficient.
It hurt worse than anything he'd experienced.
He collapsed onto the medical cot he'd set up. Rode out the waves of agony. His enhanced intellect stayed sharp despite the pain, monitoring his condition, watching for signs of critical failure.
Hours passed. The sun rose outside. Light filtered through the factory windows.
James's body continued changing. His bones ached as density increased. His cardiovascular system burned as capillaries multiplied and strengthened. His nervous system fired randomly as neural pathways optimized.
He passed out around noon. Woke at sunset. Passed out again.
The transformation continued for three days, exactly as predicted.
On the morning of the fourth day, James opened his eyes.
The pain was gone.
He sat up slowly. His body felt different. Heavier but more responsive. He looked at his hands. They looked the same, maybe slightly more defined, but not dramatically changed.
James stood. Walked to the mirror mounted on the laboratory wall.
His reflection showed the changes clearly. His muscle definition had increased noticeably. Not bodybuilder huge, but lean and dense. His frame carried more mass despite looking only slightly larger. His eyes were clearer.
His skin had a healthy flush.
He looked like an Olympic athlete in peak condition. Nothing obviously superhuman. Just the extreme end of human capability.
Time to test the reality.
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