Seventeen months since James Carter arrived in Gotham.
He stood in his factory laboratory at three AM, holding a vial of crimson liquid that had taken four months to develop. Compound Beta. His second major enhancement formula.
The first enhancement, Compound Alpha, had given him superhuman strength and speed. Four times human strength. Three times human speed. Enhanced healing. It had been a complete success, transforming him from peak human to low-tier superhuman.
But James had been thinking bigger.
His meta-knowledge from his original world gave him advantages most people in this universe couldn't imagine. He knew about enhancement methods from both DC and Marvel comics. Knew what worked and what failed. Knew the science behind supersoldier serums and mutant genetics and metahuman biology.
More importantly, he knew how to avoid the pitfalls. The insanity from Lazarus Pits. The addiction from Venom and Miraclo. The instability from Blockbuster formulas. The mutations from poorly designed genetic modifications.
Compound Beta was his solution to a critical weakness. Enhanced senses.
Batman had hearing that could detect heartbeats from fifty feet away. Vision that could see in near-total darkness. Olfactory capability that could track people by scent. Those weren't natural human abilities. Bruce Wayne had trained and enhanced his senses through years of discipline and possibly low-level technological augmentation.
James was taking a different route. Biological enhancement.
He'd spent months researching metahuman sensory capabilities. Studied how Daredevil's radar sense worked in the Marvel universe he remembered. Analyzed how Superman's super-senses functioned. Reverse-engineered the biology.
The result was Compound Beta. A targeted enhancement that would upgrade his sensory organs to low-metahuman levels without the drawbacks.
No blindness required like Daredevil. No alien biology like Superman. Just careful genetic modification of his existing sensory systems.
Enhanced hearing through increased hair cell density in the cochlea and improved neural processing. Enhanced vision through modified retinal cells with better light sensitivity and expanded color spectrum. Enhanced smell through increased olfactory receptor count and improved chemical processing.
All of it tested extensively on animals. All of it proven safe and stable.
Time for human trials. Again, James was the only test subject.
He loaded the crimson liquid into a syringe. Thirty milliliters. Everything he'd worked toward for four months.
"AEGIS, begin monitoring," James said.
"Acknowledged," the AI responded. "All medical sensors active. Recording commenced. Baseline vitals established."
James injected Compound Beta into his carotid artery. Direct delivery to the brain for maximum effect on sensory processing centers.
The compound entered his bloodstream. Warm at first. Then burning. Then excruciating.
His head felt like it was splitting open. The pain centered behind his eyes, in his ears, at the base of his skull where olfactory nerves connected.
James collapsed onto the medical cot. Rode out the waves of agony. His enhanced intellect stayed functional, monitoring his own transformation, watching for critical failures.
Hours passed. The pain didn't stop. His sensory organs were restructuring at the cellular level. New receptor cells growing. Neural pathways rewiring. Brain regions expanding to handle increased data flow.
It hurt worse than Compound Alpha had. That had been muscle and bone pain. This was neurological. Every nerve in his head screaming.
He passed out around dawn. Woke at noon. Passed out again.
The transformation took seventy-two hours, same as before. His body had a pattern now. Three days to integrate major enhancements.
On the fourth morning, James opened his eyes.
And immediately regretted it.
The light was blinding. Every photon felt like a spike through his retinas. He squeezed his eyes shut and groaned.
Too much input. Way too much input.
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