Mantrid made the final preparations in an almost methodical manner, checking and double checking that the ratios in the mixtures were correct.
"Of course, how peculiar that you would ask me that question..." Mantrid said, reassuringly. "We're only editing a tiny portion of your genome, less than a fraction of a percent." The Scientist explained, placing the vial inside a syringe, then he placed it against a prominent vein within Ayla's arm. "I've refined the infusion across several test subjects, but you'll be the... third human trial."
Mantrid withheld the fact that the first test subject after Harkov died a violent death, as their body digested itself, and the second one went insane, and then brain-dead from the sensory overload.
"I'm hoping your Adept physiology will be able to tolerate the enhancements, I've had marginal success on human test subjects acquired from Terra..." Mantrid explained, placing the IV inside Ayla's arm. The IV itself was hooked to a clear bag of sterile saline solution.
"You're very special, Ayla." Mantrid said, smiling. "If this is a success... it will propel the War Adept program to new; unimaginable heights!"
He slid the first syringe into a valve in the IV line, the clear fluid mixed with the saline, and began to travel into the body.
So far the procedure was, other than the needle prick of the IV, nearly painless.
A strange itch followed, that flowed from the arm, and into the entire body, engulfing Ayla in a hypersensitivity that was previously unknown, incomprehensible. The nanites began their work quickly, distributing themselves among the tissues of the body.
The next drug followed, a brilliant, and almost iridescent liquid that seemed to shimmer in the light of the laboratory, this was the most important part of the procedure, a part of the procedure that would find Ayla engulfed in a searing burning sensation that stretched from the arm, and engulfed the entire body. Muscles began to change, bones cracked and reformed themselves almost instantaneously. Cells, worked with nanites and began to transform the body. It was at that moment Mantrid introduced a powerful, and fast acting sedative intramuscularly, likely inducing immediate, and profound unconsciousness.
---
One couldn't be sure how much time would lapse, but when Ayla awakened, the pain was gone, and Mantrid was at her side, now wearing a thin metal device around his head that was easily recognized as a psychic inhibitor. Prince wore a similar device.
Mantrid briefly checked her eyes, shining a penlight and checking one eye, and then another.
There would be no perceptible differences, except many of the enhancements seemed less prominent.
She would likely be weaker, physically, as many of the muscle enhancements had been rejected by the procedure. And while she couldn't crush steel with her fists, she had some new abilities. The subtle details in Mantrid's face were more prominent, as if looking at him through high definition. Everything in the room was sharper, clearer than even an Adept's eyes could see.
Did the fluorescent lights always seem to buzz so loudly?
Intuition, a sharpness, Mantrid was going to hand her a spoon. But he hadn't done so.
Picking a spoon up on the tray, Mantrid took it, and inspected it, before he handed it to Ayla.
"Bend the spoon." Mantrid instructed.