The sterile white walls of the diagnostics chamber felt tighter than usual.
Koji stood behind the observation glass, datapad in hand. His jaw was locked, shoulders tense. Toma sat silently nearby, rifle across his lap not aimed, just present.
Mariel sat on the bench inside the scanning chamber, her posture steady, hands folded in her lap. She was calm, composed, waiting.
She hadn't slept since the procedure.
Test 01: Baseline Vitals
"Begin medical scan," Koji said.
The overhead sensor array swept across her body in slow arcs. Holographic screens lit up one by one, each showing a different readout.
Core body temperature: 40.6°C (stable)
Resting heart rate: 52 bpm
Blood oxygen saturation: 100%
Respiratory rate: 10 breaths/min
Blood pressure: Elevated, but within controlled range
EEG pattern: Unclassified waveform, stable cognitive patterning
Cortical latency: 0.03s (enhanced neural response)
Koji frowned.
"Her numbers are off… but they're consistent. Controlled. She's not in shock. She's operating under a different biological system now."
Toma leaned closer to the display. "She's not overheating?"
"Her blood is distributing heat evenly no hotspots. Whatever the Chimera cells did to her vasculature… it's working."
Test 02: Reflex and Mobility
The next room was a kinetic simulation chamber floor pads measured weight, balance, momentum. Walls tracked motion blur and calculated force.
"Begin reflex calibration," Koji instructed.
Targets appeared on the floor and walls glowing nodes that activated randomly.
Mariel moved.
Fast.
With no hesitation.
She struck every target within milliseconds, her body moving like memory and instinct had been pre-programmed. Not exaggerated or inhuman. Just clean, flawless execution.
"Try to sprint."
She darted across the chamber in under three seconds. Her footfalls were nearly silent.
"Balance beam."
She stepped onto the narrow rail and walked across without arms extended for balance. Eyes forward. Not even a sway.
"Strength test."
She gripped the alloy rod mounted to the floor.
With a slow inhale… she bent it.
Snapped. Crushed.
Bent it clean, even resistance across the middle. The metal groaned.
Koji's fingers froze on the screen.
"That's…reinforced tungsten titanium alloy."
Toma exhaled quietly. "She's a field unit now."
Test 03: Cognitive Stability
Mariel was placed in a sensory isolation pod.
The chamber was lightless, soundless.
Inside, stimuli were fed directly into her neural interface: puzzles, language tests, spatial memory drills, false input errors.
She completed them all under time.
No errors. No emotional breakdowns. Her self-identification remained intact, no signs of dissociation, identity loss, or psychological drift.
She emerged without a tremor.
Observations: Post-Test
Mariel sat on the edge of the diagnostics table, toweling sweat from her neck.
She still looked like herself if anything, her features were sharpe, her posture straighter. Her eyes no longer flickered with strain.
Koji approached, nervous.
"You're stable. For now."
Mariel nodded. "I don't feel sick. Just… awake."
Toma crossed his arms. "No cravings? No instinct spikes? Violent urges?"
"No."
"Any discomfort?"
She looked at her hands. "Not discomfort. Just… tension. Like my body wants to do more than I'm letting it."
Koji leaned back. "The Chimera cells are enhancing you, not controlling you. That's a major success."
"And replication?"
Koji shook his head. "Too soon. We don't even know why you adapted. We've tried over a dozen subjects all failures. You're… unique."
Mariel glanced at the chamber's reinforced door.
"Then maybe it's time we stop testing what I am," she said, "and start testing what I can do."