Virtual reality pulsed around them like a private, cold, and precise universe, created by Erick so that not a single second would be wasted. The walls were made of black code and blue data lines that moved like living veins, illuminating an immense laboratory floating in the digital void. At the center, suspended in the air, shone the hologram of Erick's DNA—a colossal double helix, slowly spinning, with the original human part painted a deep blood red and, intertwining with it like invading veins, small green threads that were beginning to dominate. The green sections were no longer mere isolated points; they merged, intertwined, created new knots that seemed alive, organic, almost... hungry.
Erick stood with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes, now gleaming, were fixed on the molecular structure like a general studying the map of a battle that would decide everything. Beside him, Doctor floated a step behind, the holographic figure of the medical AI in his impeccable white coat, thin glasses, and slightly inclined posture, like a real human scientist. Erick had programmed those mannerisms on purpose: the way he scratched his chin, the slight furrowing of his brow, the tone of voice that oscillated between clinical and almost... excited.
"So, Doctor," Erick began, his voice low, controlled, but laden with the urgency that only someone who has died once possesses, "what can you tell me about this?"
Doctor tilted his head, brought his hand to his chin just as a thoughtful man would, and took a step forward. The DNA hologram responded to his silent command, rotating more slowly, highlighting the red and green junctions.
"In the first few days of the Martian blood integration, sir," the AI began, his voice calm and methodical, as if reading a high-risk clinical report, "the DNA and the new blood behaved exactly like a completely normal blood transfusion. No rejection. No visible transformation. No variation whatsoever in vital functions. It was as if the body had received only a boost of ordinary plasma. The samples we collected in the first 48 hours showed perfect integration, without any sign of mutation or immune conflict. Your system simply... accepted it."
Erick remained motionless, but inside his mind was racing. He accepted it. Of course he accepted it. I didn't spend a month and a half in a coma because of a crazy Wolf only to now have my body rejecting the only thing that can make me strong enough to finish him off. No.
Doctor continued, moving closer to the hologram until his virtual hand almost touched the green ribbons. An automatic zoom enlarged the section he was pointing to.
"However, a few weeks after the first doses were injected, things changed. Some variables went out of the ordinary. The Martian DNA began to influence some cells, which started to multiply rapidly. An incredible speed, sir. So much so that we had to further increase your caloric energy dose throughout that entire month so that your body could produce the necessary cells. And we had to increase it several times. Every time we increased the caloric injection, a few hours later we had to raise it again because cell production was exponential. The energy required for these new cells was immense. Your metabolism burned calories like an industrial furnace."
Erick nodded slowly, his hand rising to his chin now, unconsciously mimicking the AI's gesture. He vaguely remembered the hunger pangs that woke him from the induced coma—as if his body were devouring itself to build something greater.
"Explain to me how this happened," he murmured. "How did my body manage to produce healthy cells and multiply them like this?"
"The new cells generated by the fusion between his original human DNA and Martian DNA began to influence the older cells. They didn't aggressively replace them. They renewed them. Something I honestly have never seen in any previous medical database or simulation. The normal human body eliminates old cells over the years; they age, accumulate damage, and die. Here, the opposite happened. These new cells began to 'transform' the old ones. It was also during this period that his body began to have a subtle change in skin pigments. A slightly greener tone in areas of greater vascularization, almost imperceptible in normal light. But the sensors picked it up."
Erick took a deep breath, feeling the cool virtual air fill his simulated lungs. He looked at his own holographic hands—still human, but with a new green color on their skin.
"So, theoretically, I should now have some Martian abilities, right?"
Doctor hesitated for a millisecond — a detail programmed for realism — and shook his head.
"Maybe yes. Maybe no. It's something we'll have to study more thoroughly. Especially because it's... surreal. At the same time that its human DNA is fusing with Martian DNA, it's creating something new. A new species. Impressive."
Erick felt a shiver run down his spine. A new species. The word echoed in his head like a victory bell. No longer a weak human. No longer just the boy who reincarnated in Gotham and swore never to be a victim. Something beyond. Something that neither Superman, nor Lobo, nor the entire Justice League could have foreseen.
"I'm trying to understand all of this," he said, walking around the hologram, his eyes devouring every green curve.
"Theoretically. The problem is precisely this: because something new is being created, there are no parameters for comparison. We don't know if the Martian powers will be activated, to what degree, or how. We know that Martians possess various types of abilities. From complete alteration of their morphology—look how Megan managed to transmute her own blood, something impressive. It seems to be what's happening to you, a perfect transformation. There's also the possibility that you won't have any of their characteristics. Especially since, as I said, you're becoming a new species. But I'll be honest with you, sir: I think it's very unlikely that there will be nothing."
Doctor paused, and the DNA hologram spun once more, now highlighting the most advanced junctions.
"In your past life, in that universe similar to the one you followed in a TV series, something similar happened. Megan shared her blood with Garfield Logan, giving rise to the hero Beast Boy. The powers, in that universe, were clearly different. It became clear that shapeshifters possess their powers thanks to Martian DNA. Something that, very possibly, you will also have. We need to know now how to activate, how to control, how these powers manifest themselves."
Erick stopped walking. His eyes gleamed with that calculating coldness he had cultivated since he was five years old, when he used to read comic books hidden in the basement.
"Right now I think the wisest thing to do would be to call Megan. After all, she's a Martian. Maybe she can guide us through the necessary training so my body can start practicing Martian techniques. I don't know... or activate them."
Doctor nodded, his white coat billowing slightly with the movement.
"Exactly. That's a necessary question we have, and only one person can help us with it. I can call her to support us. She's a professional. Besides, I really think she's the only one who can truly explain how these abilities and powers work."
Erick gave a half-smile, the first since he had woken up from the medical capsule.
"But there are some things we can already describe. To understand why my body went through some physical changes. Perhaps the most impactful thing is the lack of muscle atrophy or physical alteration that I experienced. I was in a coma for exactly a month and a half, without any movement. Maybe it was because of my DNA that my muscles didn't atrophy. I don't know this time. Something to research."
"I'm already working on it," Doctor replied immediately, with that animated tone that Erick had coded for when he discovered something new. "Preliminary data indicate that the Martian cells maintained muscle density and even increased it in some groups. It's as if the body has entered advanced conservation mode."
Erick nodded, satisfied.
"Regarding the hero Beast Boy, let's analyze him. Collect my blood and start analyzing it with different animal DNAs. I want you to see how he behaves, if he merges with others, or if he copies."
"I'm already working on that as well."
"Good. I also need to know how the morphology of my brain is functioning."
It was at that moment that the Doctor's eyes widened—literally. The holographic sensors glowed as if the AI had just found the Holy Grail. His voice took on an almost reverent tone.
"Indeed, sir, that's a very interesting thing that has appeared."
With a fluid gesture, the Doctor shifted the central hologram. The colossal DNA dissolved, and in its place, two life-size brains emerged, floating side by side. The one on the left was Erick's original human brain—bluish branches throughout the cortex, but opaque, like ancient wires. The one on the right... was another level. The same branches, but extremely luminous, pulsing with an almost blinding intensity, as if each synapse were ablaze with green flames. Entire neural channels glowed with pure energy, connecting regions that, in normal humans, barely communicated.
The doctor pointed to the right side of the brain with a trembling finger, his excitement programmed into his fingers.
"Look at this. Synaptic activity has increased by 347% in just a few weeks. New neural pathways have formed where none existed before. The myelin density in the regions responsible for morphogenetic control and latent telepathy is... off the charts. This is no longer a human brain. It's something I've never seen before."
Erick remained silent for long seconds, simply absorbing the vision. The luminous brain pulsed in the air like a promise of absolute power. He thought of Lobo—of the broken bone, the pierced organ, the destroyed Titan armor. He thought of Artemis, waiting outside with eyes full of worry and longing. He thought of Sara, safe at Hargrove Manor, playing with Baymax. He thought of the whole family he swore to protect with blood and fire.
And he smiled. A cold, calculated, victorious smile.
"Perfect," he murmured, almost to himself. "So this is what I am now."
The hologram of the two brains continued spinning, glowing, alive. The Doctor stood beside it, hand on his chin, awaiting the next command.
And so, in the digital silence of virtual reality, the Project took another gigantic step toward the absolute power that Erick Smith—the man who reincarnated to never again be a victim—had promised himself since the day he opened his eyes in a Gotham hospital.
The transformation was only beginning.
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