Prologue:

Doctor Robert Metz, a man of thirty-five, was a doctor who was a scientist on his own time. As a scientist, he had been working on his metahuman designs for endless nights, and he was very close to success. He could feel it in his bones, he felt the adrenaline pulse as his computer calculated the plans that Dr. Metz had fed it over the years. Dr. Metz had stared at his computer's screen for so long that his vision was blurring, but he couldn't give in. He had to finish his project, his dream of creating a miraculous discovery. The chance to return to earth years after you have departed from it. It had been six years since Dr. Metz had started the experiment for metahumans. "Scenario successful," the computer said to Dr. Metz in its feminine, mechanical, droning voice.

Dr. Metz leaped out of his chair. "I've done it," he burst out, "I've made my metahuman design a reality. It works!"

But, he stopped. There was no proof that it really worked because the computer scenario could have been dangerously wrong; he needed a human subject to try it upon. Dr. Metz stood alone in the room with only the beeps of the computers and machines in his laboratory in the background. He took a moment to make a critical decision then went to his journal, and he furiously wrote in it:

Year: 2003

Metahuman design proves successful on computer's scenario, but it needs

Dr. Metz brought in his assistant, a nurse at the hospital in the floors below Dr. Metz's laboratory, whom he had trained to perform the procedure along with him. The assistant's name was Mariana Hernandez, and she was asleep at her desk. Dr. Metz found her at her paper-piled desk, and he gently shook her awake. She looked so peaceful, and he hated to have to involve her in his mad experiment upon himself. She snapped awake, took a few seconds to properly wake, and looked up at the doctor. "Dr. Metz, geez, what hour is it?" Mariana, a Hispanic girl of twenty-six, panicked glanced around the room for a clock.

Dr. Metz smiled and told her, "It's one-thirty in the morning. Now if you do not mind, I would appreciate your help on my experiment."

"Certainly, Doctor." Mariana replied as she stood up from her wooden desk chair. Her back was sore from falling asleep hunched over on her desk, and she knew it would be that way for a while until her back muscles were stretched out again. She knew that her muscles would stretch out soon because she'd fallen asleep at her desk several times since she'd been a nurse and Dr. Metz's secret experiment assistant.

Dr. Metz led Mariana down the poorly lit hallway to his laboratory. The lights were almost all turned off so it wasn't suspicious to people who seen the lights in the windows of the hospital's top floor. Inside the laboratory, the computers and machines were all lit up and humming to each other in the silence of the room. Mariana saw an examination table had been set up in the middle of the room. She swallowed hard in the awkward silence in the room and of the terrible feeling she was experiencing. "Sir, I do not comprehend this," she said with her Hispanic accent shining through, and a cold chill rushing through her body.

Dr. Metz went over to his machines and set his hand on them gently. "Mariana, I am going to perform this experiment on myself." He looked over at his assistant, who was pale and was plainly horrified. Mariana felt her chest tighten up, and she glanced around the room at the machines again and backed up until she backed into a file cabinet. "Doctor, I cannot be a part of this. I am not skilled enough--"

"Mariana, you have exceeded the training I put you through. You can do this; you're a nurse for Heaven's sake. All you have to do is make a copy of my brain's information with the sensory machine, put me on a breathing machine, get the paddles ready to shock my heart back into this world--if necessary--, and stick me with IV's that will turn my body into a metahuman.

"Remember, Mariana, this isn't like how it will be if the experiment succeeds. I will make bodies that are metahuman then add the copy of the brain information to the body later. But, Mariana, are you ready?"

Mariana realized that she had made a horrible mistake in coming with Dr. Metz. Not only did she believe she'd made a mistake, but she worried of making a mistake while performing the experiment. She and Dr. Metz had only tried the procedures on the computer programs. 'Yes, the procedures worked on the computers, but this isn't virtual. This is real, and there is no guarantee that there will be no human error.' Mariana thought to herself as she nodded weakly to Dr. Metz's question.

Dr. Metz walked over to the examining table; his heart was pounding in his chest. Not that he didn't have full faith in Mariana's skills, he just wasn't sure if he was ready to face a quick death and resurrection--so to speak. If his experiment was successful, his brain would be restarted like a computer that has frozen up for a few moments. His momentary death would represent the computer's frozen database, and the reinserting of his brain information was like the rebooting of the computer. Pushing the thoughts threatening to ruin the experiment, Dr. Metz climbed onto the examing table and sat there silent as Mariana hesitantly went over to the IVs.

Mariana cleaned Dr. Metz's arm with iodine before inserting the IV into his right arm. Dr. Metz felt its prick and saw Mariana's olive complexion was a little greenish. She placed the sensors upon Dr. Metz's skin; one on each of his temples, one on his forehead, one at the base of his head, and one at the top. The computer kicked out of stand-by phase after the sensors were applied, and it beeped in response.

"Ha ha!" Dr. Metz cried out. "It works! It has already begun scanning my brain's information." It was a very small amount of proof, but it gave Dr. Metz enough of a window of hope to proceed with the experiment.

"Is this enough proof to continue, Robert?" Mariana asked quietly, her Hispanic accent ever so thick within the question.

Dr. Metz's flicker of joy quickly faded away as he looked to Mariana. He nodded and said, "Please, Mariana, get the ventilator, and the other machines."

Mariana did as she was told and went to get the ventilator and the other machines. One machine was hooked up to Dr. Metz's finger, and the ventilator was ready for intubation after Dr. Metz had stopped breathing. Mariana's forehead had sweat beading upon it, and she wiped her sweat off on her sleeve.

"Mariana, go get the needle over there in the toxins. Then, turn the camera on. It's time we try this experiment out." Dr. Metz was staring at the camera peering down from the corner wall.

Mariana went over and turned the camera on first. Then, she grabbed a pair of doctor's latex gloves and put them on. She walked slowly to the needle in the toxin and picked it up. She added the needled to a syringe and filled it with the toxin. She done the procedure hundreds of times with the dummy dolls, but she was nervous about injecting toxin into her mentor and close, personal friend.

Mariana neared Dr. Metz then hesitated. "Mariana, this must be tested." Dr. Metz gently told her. She nodded and gave Dr. Metz the toxin shot. Immediately, Dr. Metz's body started reacting; he convulsed, and Mariana fastened restraints to him. She ran over to the computer and pushed the touch-sensitive computer screen that had a box marked "Save." Then, she backed away into a corner and watched Dr. Metz as the toxin took more effect. She slid to the floor, trembling; she was a nurse and had seen so much, but it was too much for her to comprehend and take.

"Brain information saved," the computer's monotoned, feminine mechanical voice announced as Dr. Metz fell still.

Mariana took a moment before starting the IV's, which would turn Dr. Metz's body metahuman. "Santo infierno." Mariana muttered as she grabbed the tube used for intubation, and she quickly tubed Dr. Metz. Then, she turned on the ventilator. She then took a moment before she reinserted Dr. Metz's brain information. It took a few moments for the body to convert to metahuman, a form where humans are nearly invincible.

The machine reading Dr. Metz's heart rate and vital signs rebooted when Dr. Metz's vitals were restoring. That made Mariana stare, wide-eyed, in surprise at the scene before her. She ran with all the strength her legs to the computer and touched the box labeled, "Open."

The computer's voice said, "Reinserting brain information."

Mariana watched as Dr. Metz's body started to fully come back to life. His eyelids fluttered, and Mariana forced herself to go over to Dr. Metz as his body turned metahuman. Then, she sat down on the floor and trembled once more. The truth was that she had feelings for Dr. Metz, even though he was thirty-five--he eight years her senior, she was twenty-six. Mariana had never felt love like she felt for Dr. Metz. It was killing her inside to think something could go wrong.

Beep, beep! Mariana was jolted out of her thoughts as the live monitors kicked off. The computer said, "Reinsertion commenced," in its feminine, mechanical voice. Mariana sat on the floor a few more seconds before she rose to her feet and ran to Dr. Metz's side. "Robert," she spoke softly. "Can you hear me?"

Dr. Metz did not answer for a moment, and Mariana felt her heart sink and her chest tighten. She laid her head in her arms. "How could I mistake your voice, Mariana?" Mariana jerked up from her arms and saw Dr. Metz staring at her.

"Robert." Mariana's Hispanic accent made it sound like she said Rowburt. She sighed and maintained her feelings to return to a business-like relationship. "The experiment was a success," she smiled and laughed gently.

"Yes, yes it did." Dr. Metz said clenching and unclenching his fists to check his responses.

He glanced at the clock. "Mariana, you should go home, it's very late. I'll finish up my reports and we'll all call in sick at the hospital tomorrow."

"All right. Goodnight, Robert. And, congratulations on your experiment's success." Mariana said heading out of the lab.

"Thank you. Goodnight, Mariana."

Mariana had just left when Dr. Metz heard a car crash occur outside his lab building. He was a certified doctor, he was just a scientist at night, and his building was part of the city hospital. So, he ran to the window to see what happened to the full extent.

Dr. Metz saw the night shift hospital workers pull Mariana out of her car. He bolted down to the hospital lobby to assist with Mariana's injuries. She was fully awake when he got down to her. "Robert," she whispered through her pain. She had a gash across her forehead, which was bleeding rapidly. She had gashes all over her arms and neck.

"Mariana, do you know what's going on?" Dr. Metz asked to see if Mariana was conscious to her surroundings.

"A car hit mine."

"Yes, and we're going to need a CAT scan of your brain to make sure you're fine."

When Dr. Metz was the only doctor left in the ER area with Mariana, she said to him, "Dr. Metz, I want to go to your lab instead of radiology. I have a feeling this is too serious to recover from."

"Mariana." Dr. Metz started.

"No one suspects you have turned yourself metahuman. No one knows about your research; they believe it’s a cure for colds. So, please do this for me." Mariana pleaded.

"Okay, but let the others check for internal bleeding and suture up those gashes." Dr. Metz said quietly. "Then, I'll say I'm taking you up to radiology and then not arrange it. That's the only way I can sneak you up to the lab. All right?" Mariana nodded weakly in response.

"Mariana?"

Mariana touched Dr. Metz's hand. "Robert, I need to get to the lab. Quick," she whispered then fell unconscious.

"Mariana." Dr. Metz asked as he gently applied pressure to Mariana's shoulders, but she did not respond.

Many critical patients--from the aftermath of the car wreck Mariana had been in--were rushed into the hospital keeping all the doctor's busy. So, Dr. Metz was able to pick Mariana up out of the gurney and carry her to the lab's floor without anyone noticing. He was glad no one noticed because it would have been a very complicated lie to get him out if he was seen carrying her.

After in the lab, Dr. Metz laid Mariana on the examining table, where he'd been only a short time prior to Mariana's accident. He put sensors on her temples and announced, "Computer, save brain information."

"Commencing, saving brain information," the computer's voice replied.

Dr. Metz attached the IVs to Mariana and hooked her up to a machine that showed her vitals were rapidly dropping. He gently brushed her cheek with his fingers. "Come on, Mariana, I don't want to have to do this." He didn't want to admit he loved her; he had avoided the subject in his mind for so long, but seeing her so helpless and bleeding broke him up inside.

"Saving has commenced," the computer announced.

Dr. Metz was on pins and needles as he watched Mariana's vitals drop some more. He desperately wanted to help Mariana, but she had asked him to turn her metahuman. So as her vitals dropped to v-fib, he got the tubes ready for intubation. He had to hesitate for a moment as he looked down and saw Mariana so still, so lifeless. It was hard for him to endure.

"Computer," he spoke in a low, melancholy tone, "Reinsert brain information."

"Commencing, now.." the computer said. "Reinserting brain information."

Dr. Metz turned on the ventilator, and he put in a central line. the, he turned the IVs on a higher drip. After he removed the latex gloves he wore for inserting the central line, he went around to Mariana's head. "Reinsertion has commenced," the computer alerted. Dr. Metz leaned down and kissed Mariana's forehead and her eyes fluttered open. "Welcome back." Dr Metz whispered. He quickly went to removing the tubes from her throat.

"Exhale," he told her.

Mariana did as she was told, and the tube came out of her throat. She looked up at Dr. Metz and whispered, "Robert."

"Yes," he answered gently.

"It worked, again." Mariana stated.

Dr. Metz chuckled. "Yes, it did."

Mariana sobered up. "Thank you," she said, and Dr. Metz just nodded in response.

hfhfhfhf

At a Boston radio show, Dr. Metz and Mariana were telling about a new shot that would help cure colds. "So," one of the DJ's started, "What is this cold curing shot everyone in New York have been raving about?"

Dr. Metz leaned close to the microphone. "It's a medical marvel. There had never been a cold cure that works like this, since colds are never caused by the same factor. But, this one works, and fast."

"Who discovered it, and how long did it take to do so," the other DJ asked.

Mariana took over these questions. "Dr. Metz discovered it. It was first discovered six years ago."

"It's taken six years to perfect?"

"Yes, because it required tests to prove it was safe and efficient. It is only required to use a small dose because it is so potent. It took several years to perfect the small dose so it would be weak enough to only attack the cold and not the body." Dr. Metz left out of discussion that the cold curing shot was really a miniscule dose of his metahuman formula. It had to be a small dose because any more would turn the body into a robotic stage where the bones turned stronger than steel, and the skin and tissue would heal rapidly after a cut.

"That's quite amazing, Dr. Metz," the one DJ started.

"As is your assistant," the other DJ added, and Mariana smiled but shook her head.

"Anyway, we want to continue talking to you. But first, we must go to our music act, Hanson. We'll interview them after they play us their new single. Then, we'll proceed with our talk about the cold cure. Back after this quick break."