March equinox

Rick Watson awoke alone in a darkened room. A dripping sound echoed throughout the chamber. To his surprise, he was not restrained in any way. A wave of nausea overcame him as he tried sitting up. His heart pounded; he was drained like he’d just finished running a marathon. He took a few deep breaths to try to calm himself, but it was no use.

Did the doctor experiment on me? Has my appearance changed?

Rick tried to stand. He held on to the bed to steady himself. He glanced around the room; it was a circular chamber about thirty feet across. A bloodstained surgical chair was in the center of the room. A dirty and cracked mirror was on the wall across the room. He looked at his hands, and in addition to the grime, he glimpsed something else: a slight reflection, like a ring catching the light. When he examined his hands more closely, he noticed metal rods with dried blood through open skin patches. As he moved each finger, he thought he heard the faint sound of a servomotor. He touched his face; it was different.

I’ve got to see what I’ve become.

Rick stumbled and nearly fell over, but with much effort he made it over to the mirror. He didn’t look much different at first. A metal plate reflected light near the hairline. The light in the chamber was poor, so it was difficult to see clearly. He pulled back his hair and gasped at what he saw. Most of the scalp on the left side of his face was missing, replaced by rubbery-looking skin. The rush of blood filled the fleshy side of his face, and he couldn’t feel anything on his left side. It was like someone had ripped half his face off and replaced it with metal skin.

I’m going to kill that doctor, not only for what he’s done to me, but for Nozomi. I have failed you, my love.

His skin seared like it was on fire; he was burning up all over and needed relief. He took off his shirt and realized the true extent of the damage. More than half of his torso had been replaced with the metal skin. In fact, his entire left side had been replaced. Repulsed, he punched the mirror; without warning, a flame shot from his fist and crawled up the wall, looking for something to singe.

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What the . . .

He looked at both of his hands. One minute they looked normal, and the next they were aflame.

Why doesn’t this hurt?

“Remarkable, isn’t it?” a man’s voice said.

Rick turned to see Dr. Sylvester. “What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing. I’ve enhanced you. You will no longer feel pain, but you can inflict it on others. In fact, I will require you to do so very soon.”

“I’m not hurting anyone!”

“What about the bad people who ruin the lives of innocents? Don’t they deserve to be punished?”

“I won’t let you.”

Rick grabbed a piece of broken glass and flung it at the doctor. It seemed to change shape and catch on fire as it sailed toward its intended target. Dr. Sylvester tapped something on his arm as the glass projectile bounced off an invisible shield.

“Good,” the doctor said with a smile, “let’s get that aggression out of your system.”

Rick flung both of his arms toward Sylvester.

Let’s see if I can fry his ass.

Two white beams with flames jutting out of them shot toward the doctor. He pressed another button on his wrist and the beams expanded, then shot into the tiled chamber; moments later, flaming fragments of the ceiling rained down. They burned Rick’s skin as they landed. Dr. Sylvester pressed another button on his wristband, and then made a flinging motion to Rick. He was immediately protected against the flaming tiles that dropped from the ceiling.

“You have only begun to explore the gifts I’ve given you,” Sylvester told him. “Together we will do great things. When we have enough of us we shall rule this city. You have just the right blend of moral gray I was looking for. You don’t care about people—not really. That’s what I found out during our weeks of testing.”

“Weeks? How long have I been here?”

“Six months or so, but I wasn’t counting on such a chaotic mess the city has become since you arrived.”

“Where is Nozomi?”

“She’s been undergoing some enhancements. Don’t worry, you will be with her soon. I’m looking forward to a long-lasting relationship that will benefit all humankind. The powers I’ve given you are just the beginning.”

Rick looked down at his flaming hands. For many years he had fantasized of having absolute power over people; now his only wish was to see his family again. Rick buried his face in his burning hands. To his surprise, the flames didn’t affect his skin. He wept for all the people he had hurt, and he wished he could take it all back and set things right.

“What’s the matter, lover?” a voice cooed.

Rick looked up, his face wet with sorrow.

“Nozomi?” he asked.

“No, lover, she is dead. I’m the catalyst of pain.”