(A/n apologies for the delay, after I had gotten better from my heart problem I decided to just spend some time to myself relaxing and gaming but now im back. I originally was gonna make 3 chapters but i couldn't lengthen it out so this one is more like a summary for time advancement pre-Borderlands 1 events.)
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Four years had passed by since then.
Two of those years i had developed a AI i named Lyra. She was a amalgamation of many numerous AI of multiple functions seamlessly merged into one to operate all those functions.
I was very cautious with this and even had Angel help develop the AI with me, it was only because of her help was I certain it was safe.
Lyra had been instrumental to me, and had helped complete a myriad of different plans of mine and develop weapons, technology, plans and contingencies, prepare for the future and more.
Lyra even helped in the DNA research i was doing.
Lyra had even helped remodel ship i had purchased and also build a Warp Drive for the ship needed for interstellar travel. Naturally, Angel was the one that helped aquire the blueprints for the Warp Drive.
I had in essence finally been able to achieve and created Nanotechnology, however it was far from perfect and had much limitations.
But for now they were more than sufficient and were controlled by Lyra herself, yes I made my AI a she since having a guy talk to me in my ear would feel weird, if I had someone I could make a relationship ship then sure, but natural instincts drives one to feel more relaxed when with one of the opposite sex.
I didn't even care if Lyra made herself a body, so long as its made clear and also she is loyal and does her job.
Im not some perverted person to make love with a machine because I created it, I'd just be as insane as Professor Nakayama then.
I also got a pet too!
My sister teased me relentlessly when she saw it, but I named it Sif. I still dont know what gender it is since it's a genderless species so I named it after my favourite 'pet' in fictional media in my past like.
Good old bus sized doggo with a monolith sized sword in it's mouth - Grey Wolf Sif, Knight Artorias' companion from Dark Souls.
Sif can be used for either a male or female name for a pet so im in the clear for that.
I had been obsessed with my research in these last 2 years after that, primarily in genetic research and sequencing.
I was currently sixteen years old now.
I was very tired as i had been forcing the absolute most that i could possibly do within this time.
I was ready to inject myself with. It was the result of research and splicing from many numerous species i had access to while on Aurix-9, all to harness and absorb their traits to myself.
I had been careful and even used this serum on live test subjects to ensure my own safety. I did this away from the prying gaze of Angel, as if she saw this she would see me as just a monster no different than her father would do in the future.
I had to adjust it many times over but it was finally ready.
It sounds dramatic, but that was the genuine fear. In the games, you just picked a skill tree. You pressed a button and suddenly you had 'Bloodlust' or 'Gun Crazy.'
Here, biology wasn't a menu, and i spent all of my last 16 years preparing for this.
One wrong splice, one miscalculation in the enzymatic trigger or genetic sequencing and my DNA would unravel like a cheap sweater, just as it did with a few test subjects. But I had eventually perfected it.
I typed on the holographic interface, pulling up the culmination of two years of sleepless nights: Project Chimera.
It wasn't one serum. It was a multi stage delivery system designed to interface with the nanotech already integrated into my bloodstream for the preparation phase. I couldn't just inject everything at once my sixteen year old frame would shatter under the metabolic load.
I began reviewing the primary cocktail the 'Foundation' strain. This was the core of it: the DNA splicing that would rewrite my baseline.
I had harvested genetic markers from various species across the galaxy some known, some obscure each chosen for a specific, brutal purpose.
I scrolled through the data readouts. The first layer was Enhanced Cellular Regeneration.
By integrating certain regenerative markers from hyper resilient organisms, I was targeting accelerated healing and controlled cell replication. This also had additional benefits. Reduced aging and enhanced stem cell activity.
Then came the physical architecture: Reinforced Musculoskeletal System and Enhanced Superhuman Physique.
I needed bones denser than granite and tendons that could snap like steel cables without breaking. I needed the strength to carry heavy ordnance and the agility to dodge a Psycho's buzzaxe.
The nervous system is the real bottleneck. From one of the test subjects i realised how important and overlooked this was. If I increase muscle output without upgrading the wiring (being my nerves and veins, I'll tear myself apart from the inside out.
As a result I also would gain Enhanced Nervous System module. Faster neural transmission, heightened reflexes, near instantaneous motor control.
This was the bridge between my enhanced body and my enhanced mind. Speaking of which the cognitive upgrades.
Enhanced Intellect and Memory weren't just luxuries; they were necessities for managing the sheer volume of data my new body would be pumping into my brain.
I ran a simulation, watching the virtual model of my body respond to the cocktail, while i confirmed this worked on other test subjects, my oen body i still would double check witj a simulation. It can n3ver hurt to be too careful.
The numbers flickered heart rate, oxygen efficiency, blood clotting speed, immune response.
The Enhanced Metabolism would be the most taxing part; I'd need to eat like a starving bandit just to keep the engine of a body running, but the trade off was the recovery speed, the radiation resistance, the sheer durability was worth it.
I looked at the syringe the real one, containing the first stabilized batch of the Foundation serum. It looked so small. So innocent.
I thought about my family. My parents, who saw me as their brilliant, slightly overworked son. My sister, who teased me about spending more time with computers than humans.
They were beginning to show me i had a chance for a life in this universe. But first i would have to guarantee the threats has been dealt with.
As for the serum, I confirmed that Sif could integrate with it seamlessly so I had already given it to Sif and I must say I was shocked by the results.
Sif had everything I had planned in the serum and more, sif had even developed numerous other abilities unique to alien creatures in this universe akin to elemental Skags and such.
As for now I had Lyra strap myself in onto my laboratory table as I braced myself for the process.
Even though I was absolutely certain this would work from the countless testing and preparations I had made, who wouldn't be nervous.
And so, as the injections one by one were administered into my body I felt my consciousness fade bit by bit until I finally passed out.