章 27: Chapter 27

A/N: Chapters for this week will be slow since I have the flu but I will try to update every other day at least or every two days until I get better.

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As Axel laid on the surgery bed, his arms and legs were placed in their respective positions while he was strapped down.

All around Axel the machines started to move and administer the sedative which would put Axel into a state of unconsciousness. Before hand his his head was shaved and incision vectors were lasered on his body.

Once all of that was done Axel was transported from the pre-op wing of the facility to the operation wing where all the Spartan procedures were planned to happen in the coming months.

The aim of Project Aster is Chemical augmentation which works on a molecular level by targeting molecules within the body and then altering them to begin a growth process of targeted tissues. Although the chemicals work on a molecular level, they do not work on a genetic level, as targeted mutagenesis is impossible using chemicals alone.

As such the procedure was split into two parts, surgical procedures and injection procedures. Surgeries were highly risky, intensive, and required special medical talent. Their safety and effects varied substantially from subject to subject, with the benefits and risks varying with the surgeon, the surgical conditions, and the state of the patient.

Chemical augmentations have their own risks dependent upon the subject's genetic background and how they adjust to the alteration of cells and molecules and to a more physical point, tissue growth.

Axel had already fixed this problem and now anybody could undergo the procedure essentially, if they underwent extensive gene therapy. The next thing that happened was the replacing of the organs.

During the occipital capillary reversal, a neurosurgeon cuts out a small space in the skull, exposing the brain. The neurosurgeon then performs a procedure to rearrange the capillaries in the occipital lobe of the left cerebral hemisphere of the brain. This redistribution of blood vessels boosts the flow of blood beneath the rods and cones of the subject's retina. Once the surgery is complete, the piece of the subject's skull that was removed in order to access the occipital lobe is repaired and the subject's head is bandaged.

When the catalytic thyroid implant is inserted, surgery is performed on the thyroid gland, where an incision is made to the left thyroid gland large enough for a platinum pellet to be implanted; once done, the incision is closed up. The growth hormone is released and progressively works its way through the body, stimulating the growth of skeletal and muscle tissue.

As this takes place, muscular enhancement injections are administered throughout the subject's body to aid the previous procedure. This produces the most prolonged delay in the rest of the augmentation procedures as the subject's body begins to alter as a result of the previous procedure.

The carbide ceramic ossification is performed last due to the aforementioned complications with post-grafting bone growth. This comprises exposing the skeletal structure, removing a small layer of surface bone (no more than 3% of the bone's volume), and then bonding the carbide ceramic shell in lieu of the removed surface bone material. This bonding is achieved through biochemical means to encourage natural bone integration and a tendency of the body to reattach the bone and ceramic if somehow separated. Once completed, the natural bonding of the skeleton to the ceramic layer continues while other stabilizing and therapeutic procedures are performed.

The procedure dragged on for hours, and despite being sedated, Axel still felt intense pain. But enduring this procedure meant possibly becoming the most physically and intellectually capable human in history. So he did all he could and endured the pain throughout the procedure.

Once the augmentation procedures was finished, Axel was transported to a special Medical room to begin a long recovery process. In the normal Halo timeline the healing process was supposed to take anywhere from weeks to months, But Axel had managed to lower it to just a Month.

While he is recovering, Commander Talia and Petty Officer Taylor would assist with his duties. And incase anything comes up Axel had created the excuse that he had suffered a major injury during an electrical malfunction and was being treated by the medical staff at the Spartan Training Facility.

Of course this wasn't meant to be a well thought out excuse or anything since it could be easily debunked if anyone dug a little deeper. If anything when other high ranking officers found out about this, some would probably hope that he didn't recover so that he didn't keep rising in rank.

But leaving that matter aside, the procedure was successful and Axel was now a completely new human that had been chemically, and genetically altered.

The first week of recovery was the hardest. Axel's body felt heavy and strained, every breath he took was a battle, every step a war. He would often find himself losing consciousness in between his physical therapy sessions due to the overwhelming pain. But there was an iron will within him that refused to buckle under the torturous onslaught of his new reality, he kept pushing through.

His nights were filled with fevered dreams, memories warped and twisted by his current predicament. He would see the UNSC Leviathan, her hull gleaming in the sunlight as it cut through the celestial sea. He would see Commander Talia and Petty Officer Taylor, expressions hardened by responsibility but eyes softened by concern for their Admiral. There would be flashes of insurrectionists forces, their resolve unyielding even in the face of overwhelming odds. And amidst all this, a chilling presence lurked on the fringes of his mind, a cold whisper urging him to give up, to surrender to the agony.

But Axel always woke from those dreams drenched in sweat but with renewed determination. His new capabilities were coming into fruition gradually; he could feel his senses being heightened, his cognition enhanced. Each day he could see improvement in his speed and strength while practicing simulated combat routines against AI opponents. His muscles ached from exertion but there was an exhilarating sense of power coursing through his veins.

Weeks passed and slowly but surely, Axel was able to regain control over his own body once again. The excruciating pain became mundane discomfort; every step no longer felt like moving mountains but more akin to crossing pebbles.

His physical therapy sessions became less a gauntlet of agony and more a test of strength. Even his nightly dreams began to change; the images of war and destruction were replaced with ones of victory and triumph.

The final week of Axel's recovery was marked by a grueling series of physical examinations, stress tests and combat scenarios designed to fully assess his new abilities. With each test Axel proved himself again and again, shattering previous records and surpassing expectations. His body moved with precision and efficiency, each punch he threw was faster and harder than before, each step lighter yet more grounded.

On the final day Axel was at 100% and was able to return to his duties as Admiral and with his new appearance. He had gotten taller then before and was now standing at 6ft10in and weighed 290 pounds compared to his previous appearance of 6ft3in weighing 230 pounds.

Halsey had become extremely infatuated with Axel during his recovery and was even more infatuated now after he had fully recovered. She was intrigued by the results of the first procedure but also by his new appearance.