"Who are you?! Where am I?! Ah! My body..."
The middle-aged white man's voice cracked as consciousness returned with violent abruptness. His blood-red eyes snapped open, pupils dilated with shock and confusion. The extre pain of his body's transformation had just receded enough for higher brain functions to resu, leaving him disoriented and panicked.
His expression twisted into sothing ugly and afraid. Those eyes, still bloodshot from the serum's effects, locked onto Connors with wild desperation. He shouted at the top of his lungs, voice raw and hoarse from previous screaming.
Armstrong tried to understand what had happened to him, why his body felt simultaneously powerful and alien, why every muscle seed to throb with unfamiliar energy.
Before Connors, whose expression remained completely blank and professional, could even issue a command...
Before the experintal subject could gather enough strength to attempt breaking his restraints...
An automatic servo robot extended a chanical tentacle with fluid precision. The appendage glead with tallic luster under the harsh laboratory lights, moving faster than human eyes could comfortably track.
The tentacle reached Armstrong's exposed neck in a fraction of a second.
Then, intense electrical discharge erupted from the tentacle's tip. Blue-white arcs of electricity danced and crackled, the sound sharp and nacing, like a live wire touching water.
Crack! Sizzle!
Armstrong's screams reached new heights of horror as electrical current coursed through his enhanced nervous system. The sll of burnt flesh and hair filled the air imdiately, acrid and nauseating. Wisps of greenish smoke rose from contact points where tal t skin, the tissue literally cooking.
The middle-aged man, despite his freshly enhanced physiology and superhuman resilience, couldn't withstand the sustained electrical assault. His enhanced muscles spasd uncontrollably for several seconds, fighting the current, before his consciousness finally surrendered.
Armstrong collapsed back onto the tal bed, unconscious once more, small twitches running through his limbs as residual electricity discharged.
"Tsk," Connors muttered to himself, studying the monitoring equipnt with renewed interest. "The electrical current the servo robot just delivered would easily kill an elephant through cardiac arrest and neurological damage. Yet it rely rendered the experintal subject unconscious rather than stopping his heart entirely."
He scratched absently at the sparse blond hair on his head, a nervous habit that had followed him since graduate school.
"This suggests the Super Soldier Serum in our possession doesn't simply enhance tabolic efficiency and general body functions. It also dramatically increases the body's resistance to various forms of damage, including electrical trauma."
Connors turned away from the unconscious subject and moved to the nearby dical equipnt cart. His fingers selected a sharp scalpel from the sterilized instrunt tray, the blade catching light with mirror brightness.
He approached Armstrong's leg, examining the exposed thigh with clinical detachnt. Then, with deliberate care, he pressed the scalpel's edge against the skin and drew it across the surface in a shallow testing cut.
The blade, honed to surgical sharpness, didn't imdiately penetrate. Instead, it caught against a layer of skin that had obviously beco much tougher in texture, more resistant to cutting than normal human tissue.
Connors applied slightly more pressure, adjusting his wrist angle. Only then did the scalpel's blade finally embed itself into the subject's flesh, breaking through the enhanced dermal layer. Bright red blood oozed from the incision in slow, thick droplets.
Connors's eyes brightened with scientific excitent. He quickly extracted a small experintal notebook from his coat pocket, flipped it open to a blank page, and began recording observations with rapid handwriting. His notes covered structural changes, resistance asurents, comparative analysis with baseline human physiology.
Behind the one-way glass, Nolan stood watching with narrowed eyes. He observed Connors's thodical examination for several monts, then turned to address David.
"Tell Raditus to co up from the foundry for so fresh air," Nolan said quietly, his voice carrying clear command despite the conversational tone. "And after Mr. Connors completes his experintal protocol, have that thing transford into a combat servitor. No point leaving a functional enhanced human with intact consciousness lying around. That's just asking for trouble."
"Understood, my Lord."
David's tal head dipped in acknowledgnt. Blue light flashed intensely in its optical sockets as it transmitted instructions across the base's internal network, reaching down to the foundry levels where Raditus labored.
Approximately ten minutes passed in relative silence, broken only by the sounds of Connors working and the soft hum of dical equipnt.
Then ca a distinctive buzzing sound, the characteristic noise of an anti-gravity engine operating at cruising speed.
Servo-Skull Raditus erged from the passage leading to the second underground level, its white bone casing moving with surprising grace through the doorway. The skull sailed into the observation room, optical sensors glowing red as they swept across the space.
"Lord Primarch! Long ti no see, how have you been?" Raditus's chanical voice carried notes of enthusiasm despite its synthesized quality. The skull circled Nolan several tis in a greeting ritual. "Oh, and dear David! A pleasure as always!"
The servo-skull completed its circuit around Nolan, then moved to orbit David briefly in what might have been chanical affection or simply habit.
Finally, Raditus's cold red optical sensors turned toward the one-way glass, focusing through the transparent barrier at the experintal subject lying motionless on the tal bed beyond.
"Aha! Look what we have here! A nearly perfect transformation subject!" The skull's anti-gravity engine kicked into higher gear, making it bob up and down with excitent in mid-air. "This arrives at an opportune mont! All my current projects have reached frustrating impasses. Shifting focus to sothing completely different might provide exactly the ntal refresh I require!"
Raditus's chanical voice stretched into longer, more enthusiastic tones as it spoke, the closest thing to joy a servo-skull could express.
At that mont, Nolan, who'd been standing with arms folded across his chest, suddenly shifted his attention. His gaze locked onto the slightly yellowed back portion of Raditus's skull casing, focusing on the Tech-Priest's transford remains.
"Tech-Priest," Nolan said carefully, "do you have any research results you need to report? Progress on the projects I assigned?"
The servo-skull went very still in the air, its anti-gravity engine's pitch dropping to a lower, more subdued frequency.
"Well, respected Lord Primarch," Raditus began cautiously, not even turning to face Nolan directly, "it appears the Machine God has not favored , His humble believer, during recent weeks. The projects are... not progressing as smoothly as I had hoped."
The admission clearly cost the Tech-Priest sothing. Pride, perhaps, or fear of disappointing its patron.
"Specifically, the energy extraction work on the Casket of Ancient Winters presents significant challenges. I cannot locate suitable core materials capable of safely containing and channeling the dinsional cold energies without catastrophic structural failure. The materials either shatter from thermal stress or prove unable to maintain proper containnt fields."
Raditus paused, its optical sensors dimming slightly.
"Additionally, the magical technology underlying Asgardian artifacts proves exceptionally difficult to reverse-engineer using conventional Imperial techniques. The integration of physical engineering with what appears to be reality manipulation on a fundantal level defies standard analysis protocols."
The skull rotated slowly, finally bringing its forward sensors to bear on Nolan, as if gauging his reaction before continuing.
"However, please don't despair! I still have several promising conceptual approaches for improving your Terminator armor's performance characteristics. Furthermore, the production schedule you've been monitoring closely remains on track. All requested materials and components will be delivered to you on schedule as promised!"
Nolan's expression, which had remained neutral throughout the report, softened slightly. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Don't worry, Raditus," he said gently, his tone carrying genuine reassurance. "I'm not demanding imdiate results or punishing failed experints. These are complex problems requiring ti and careful research. Take whatever ti you need."
The servo-skull's optical sensors brightened noticeably, relief evident even in its chanical responses.
"Thank you, Lord Primarch. Your understanding is... appreciated."
Nolan turned back toward the one-way glass, watching Connors continue his ticulous docuntation. "For now, just focus on transforming our experintal subject into a functional combat servitor. Follow standard protocols, but feel free to implent any improvents or innovations you think appropriate."
"It will be done, my Lord."
Nolan gave final instructions to both David and Raditus, emphasizing the importance of maintaining constant surveillance on Connors's personal safety during the remaining experintal procedures. The enhanced subject might regain consciousness unexpectedly, and enhanced strength combined with the survival instinct could create dangerous situations.
After ensuring his orders were understood and would be followed, Nolan shook out his tall fra, rolling his shoulders to release accumulated tension. He turned and walked toward the base hall, leaving the observation room behind.
Several days passed in productive work.
In the brightly lit base hall, footsteps echoed with heavy, asured rhythm.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sound was accompanied by the subtle hum of anti-gravity engines operating at low power, creating an unusual acoustic signature.
A massive figure, standing nearly two ters tall and built with inhuman proportions, slowly entered the hall. It moved with chanical precision, each step identical to the last. Servo-Skull Raditus floated beside the towering creation, obviously proud of its work.
Near the tal round table, Nolan sat with a heavy book open in his hands. The to was one of the Imperium texts he'd been studying, dense with theological and military doctrine. He looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, his gaze lifting to examine the new arrival.
His eyes widened slightly with surprise.
The combat servitor stood before him, its entire body heavily encased in layered armor. Ceramite steel plates ford the outer shell, while plasteel provided structural reinforcent beneath. The armor covered every inch of exposed flesh, leaving no vulnerable points visible to casual inspection.
"Raditus," Nolan said slowly, his confusion evident, "is this your transformation work? This combat servitor looks quite different from the standard templates I rember."
He set his book aside and gave the creation his full attention, trying to reconcile what he saw with his knowledge of standard servitor construction.
"Respected Lord Primarch!" Raditus's chanical voice practically vibrated with excitent. The servo-skull flew back and forth around the tal round table in tight loops, unable to contain its enthusiasm. "This is a heavy combat servitor that I personally designed from the ground up! Every component has been significantly reinforced beyond standard specifications!"
The skull paused in its manic flight pattern, hovering directly before Nolan to better convey its explanation.
"The experintal subject's enhanced physique after Super Soldier Serum transformation can fully bear the weight of substantially more tal components than baseline human servitors. This presented unique design opportunities!" Raditus's tone beca almost professorial. "Therefore, I added composite armor plating constructed from both plasteel and ceramite steel, achieving superior protection without excessive weight. Additionally, I installed small servo-motors throughout all major joint assemblies, providing powered assistance for movent despite the increased mass."
The skull bobbed with satisfaction.
"Admittedly, movent speed has decreased substantially compared to standard combat servitors. However, I can personally guarantee that even if a full squad of Imperial Guardsn with lasguns aid concentrated fire at this unit, its defensive capabilities would resist the barrage effectively. More importantly, it possesses sufficient durability and strength to quickly complete devastating counterattacks before enemy forces can adjust their tactics!"
After hearing Raditus's enthusiastic introduction, Nolan casually tossed his book onto the table and slowly stood. His height was impressive for a human, but the combat servitor still towered over him by several inches.
He approached the heavy combat servitor, examining it with critical eyes. His gaze studied the tal skull mask that completely covered what had once been Armstrong Williams's face. The mask was featureless except for optical sensors, offering no hint of the human that had existed beneath.
Then Nolan examined the composite armor plating, running his fingers across its surface. The armor asured approximately one inch thick across major body sections, providing substantial protection while maintaining reasonable articulation.
"It looks impressive," Nolan acknowledged, turning his head toward Raditus, who floated nearby in anticipation. "But how effective is its actual combat capability? Should I test it personally?"
"Uh..." The servo-skull's optical sensors flickered uncertainly. "Lord Primarch, the fundantal design purpose of combat servitors is to serve as durable shields and expendable cannon fodder. At best, they function as mobile weapon platforms. Comparing one to your personal combat abilities would be... inappropriate."
Raditus paused, gathering its thoughts.
"However, I have conducted extensive basic combat testing using automatic servo robots as opponents. This unit successfully engaged and defeated more than thirty servo robots equipped with standard lasguns in close-quarters combat using only its enhanced strength and armor. Its combat capabilities are definitely not negligible by any reasonable standard."
Nolan nodded slowly, a genuine smile spreading across his face. The expression reached his eyes, showing real pleasure and approval.
"Tech-Priest Raditus," he said with sincere warmth in his voice, "you've done excellent work here. This exceeds my expectations. Keep up the good work, and don't hesitate to implent similar improvents on future projects."
The servo-skull's optical sensors brightened to their maximum luminosity, the chanical equivalent of beaming with pride.
"Thank you, Lord Primarch! Your approval ans everything!"
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