The artificial lights seared Adam’s eyes as he ran around the indoor track. Over the sound of his labored breathing, he could dimly hear the news broadcast coming from the overhead flat screen.

“The weather for today, May 2, 2073, is sunny with no chance of precipitation, so get out and train! For those viewers who are waiting for the new Premier Labs X379 pill, the company has just announced an expected release date of May 14. Make sure you pre-order this wonder pill today!”

The TV suddenly went silent. Adam glanced at the sidelines of the track. A tall, grey-haired man in a white lab coat stood waiting silently. He extended one finger, beckoning Adam to come over. Adam slowed and jogged over to the man. As he made his way closer, he could make out the Premier Labs logo on the breast pocket of the lab coat. Stopping in front of the man, Adam bent over, hands on knees, his heaving breaths echoing throughout the room. Once his breathing settled, Adam drew himself up and addressed the man.

“Why did you stop me Doctor Mort? I could have kept going.”

“I know son, but it’s time for the next dose.” He pulled out a syringe filled with a dark purple liquid. Adam snatched it from the doctor and injected the serum into his shoulder. He sighed and smiled as the familiar buzz traveled through his body. He handed the empty syringe back to the doctor, who put it in his breast pocket. They both headed for the exit of the gym. Looking up at Adam, the doctor remarked, “You’ve improved. You ran for 2 hours straight today.”

“Really? It felt like minutes! Your serum really works doc. I feel great!”

“Hmph. It should work. I’ve been working on this project for 33 years.”

“I don’t think you mentioned that before. I thought this project started when I arrived 2 years ago.”

“No, but it will finish with you.”

They exited the gym and entered the sterile hallway. It reminded Adam of a hospital; white floor, white walls, and the smell of antiseptic everywhere. He followed the doctor down the hall until they reached a large steel door. The doctor withdrew a key and unlocked the door. “You should sleep for a while to replenish your strength.”

“Sounds good to me.” Adam walked into his room and lay down on the bed. As his eyes closed, he heard the heavy door close and lock.


Doctor Mort walked down the hall to the next door. He scanned his ID badge and walked in to the laboratory. People milled about like a swarm of ants, each busy with a task. Mort walked over to the large monitors and reviewed the recent data. The lab door opened, admitting a short, brown-haired young man carrying a stack of files, who hurried over to Mort.

“Sir,” he declared, slamming the files on the desk next to Mort, “I really think you should post pone further tests. The patient’s body can’t possibly stand this many alterations.”
“Nonsense!” cried Mort. “Adam said he’s feeling great, and the data supports it. The boy can run as fast as a cheetah, has the strength of an ant, and incredible endurance. He’s becoming perfect!”

“Yes, but sir, how long can this last? Surely it’s temporary.”

Mort spun around and scowled at the man. “Jared, when I was your age, we did not have perfect pills like we do now. Everyone wanted to be talented, beautiful, and successful, but few people were. People could try and try, but they could never achieve perfection. This my boy, is because human beings are not perfect. We must make ourselves perfect.”

“Yes doctor I know but…”

“And we have almost succeeded! Everyone trains every day to make themselves the best they can be. For those who can’t improve, why all they have to do is go to their local pharmacy and buy some pills. Speed pills, strength pills, intelligence pills, artistry pills, anything and everything that one lacks can be gained through a pill.”

“But these are only temporary doctor. True perfection cannot be attained by mere mortals.”
“It can! That’s what we are doing with Adam. My serum manipulates the water inside the human body.” Mort grabbed a water bottle and packet from a nearby cabinet. He dumped the packet into the water, turning it pink. “See how the water changes when the agility pill is added to it? It’s still water, but it has been improved. My serum is doing the same to Adam – it is improving him! He will be the first in a new breed of humans – a hero to us all.”
“Since you know much more about this than I do, I’ll take your word for it. But please, review the data in these files. I’m a little worried about it.”
Jared left the files next to Mort and exited the lab. As he was leaving, he looked through the one sided mirror into Adam’s room. It was sparsely furnished; a bed, a small desk and chair, and a set of weights. Adam slept peacefully on the bed, a slight smile on his face. Jared’s expression softened as he gazed at Adam. “Poor kid,” he murmured, “What are we doing to you?” He shook his head and closed the door behind him.

Adam slowly opened his eyes. His limbs felt heavy and everything was hazy. This must be because I just woke up he thought. Maybe some exercise will make me more alert. He got out of bed and started to lift his weights. As he was nearing three hundred reps, he heard the door unlock. Jared came in with a tray of food.

“You should eat, Adam. You haven’t eaten in a while and you need to keep up your strength.”
Adam turned away from the food and resumed his reps. “I don’t need food to give me strength; Doc’s serum gives me plenty. It’ll make me perfect.”
“That may be true, but as a human, you need to eat.”
Grudgingly, Adam put down his weights and ate the food. Jared watched him and took the tray away when he finished. He made to leave, but sat down instead.

“Adam, you know this is an experiment right?”
“Yes I know. Why do you ask?” he inquired with a puzzled look on his face.
“I don’t know what will happen to you if you take the final dose. Nobody knows actually. It could change you, turn you into a monster.”

“Or it could make me perfect.” Adam stood up and faced Jared. Looking down on him, Adam declared, “If there is a chance that I can become perfect, then I will keep taking the serum. I could save humanity; become a hero just like Doc said.”

A knock on the door drew both of their attention. The door creaked open on its hinges, revealing Doctor Mort.

“Adam, I need you to come to the lab. The final dose is almost ready.”

Adam exited the room and Jared made to follow. Before he could, Mort blocked the doorway and glared at him. “I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t try to discourage Adam from doing this,” he declared in a hoarse whisper. “We are so close to ending this. Once Adam takes the final dose, we will be able to use his data to develop the X379 pill. We can’t stop now just because a few cells have become unstable!”

Jared drew himself up and stared at Mort. “It’s more than a few cells doctor. 20% of the affected cells become unstable immediately following a dose. “

“But they become stable again after a few minutes! No harm is done!”

“Maybe not, but if something goes wrong, you could kill him. I hope you can live with that.” Jared pushed past the doctor and quickly retreated down the hallway.

All was quiet in the lab except for the humming of the computers. Mort filled a syringe with the final dose of serum. Its black color seemed to absorb all of the light and energy in the lab. Mort made his way to an exam table, where Adam lay dressed in a hospital gown. He held the syringe over Adam. “Are you ready son?”

Adam stared at the black liquid. “It looks like death. What happened to the dark purple color?”

Mort chuckled. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that each dose had a different color. I didn’t plan it that way – it just happened on its own.”

Adam’s muscles relaxed and his eyes closed. “I’m ready Doctor Mort.”

Swiftly, Mort injected Adam with the serum. Nothing happened.

“Vital signs are normal Doctor,” called one of the lab technicians. Mort walked over to look at the screen. A sharp scream brought him running back to Adam’s side. Adam’s eyes were wide open, but the white of his eyes were clouding over, turning black. He thrashed on the bed.
“Hold him down!” Mort cried. He grabbed Adam’s arm and gasped in shock. The veins in Adam’s arm were rapidly turning black. As he watched, the color spread from the veins to the surrounding flesh until the arm was completely black. Mort let go in shock, then was abruptly thrown across the room and smashed into a cabinet. Dizzy, Mort looked around at the carnage. All the equipment was overturned, and people lay moaning and bleeding on the ground. Then he spotted Adam. Mort’s face lost all color. Adam wasn’t recognizable anymore. Instead, a huge seven foot black giant stood in the center room, growling like a beast. It tore off the hospital gown, revealing a black body. It absorbed all light, just like the serum had, and appeared solid. Only one spot of pale flesh remained, right above the heart. What was once Adam spotted Mort, who froze from the force of the pitch black gaze. No white was in those eyes – just perfect darkness. Adam charged toward Mort, who was unable to move. He reached out toward Mort just as a gunshot went off. Adam collapsed to the ground, black blood pooling from his body. The shot had gone right through the small spot of flesh and into his heart, killing Adam instantly. Shocked, Mort slowly turned toward the direction of the shot. Jared stood in the doorway of the lab holding a shotgun. He picked his way over to Mort, who starred open mouthed at Mort.

“You…you killed him. Why did you kill him? We were so close. He was supposed to be perfect…”
“That thing wasn’t human anymore Doctor Mort. It was a monster. And I didn’t kill him. You did.”

“But… you pulled the trigger.”

“You killed Adam with your serum and with your obsession with perfection. Trying to be perfect is a waste of one’s life. Nevertheless, I do have to commend you.”

“For what?”

Jared laughed scornfully. “You did it Doctor. In the end, Adam became a perfect monster. If I hadn’t shot him when I did, I doubt he could have ever been defeated.”

Jared turned on his heel and left the room. As the doctor stared mournfully at the fruits of his labor, he could hear the sound of a heavy door closing.