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The journey to the hidden facility was a lengthy one, and Erich could not see a thing, as there were no windows in the shuttle. But when the spacecraft finally touched down on what appeared to be a small forested moon, Erich was immediately greeted by a team of combatants.

Before he could even ask what was happening, they pulled Erich off of the shuttle, and began to march him into the forest without saying a word. The trek was long, but for a genetically enhanced individual like Erich, it was not the least bit tiring. And eventually he came over a hill and gazed upon a clearing within the forest where a small entrance to a bunker was located.

One of the combatants nudged Erich forward with the butt of his rifle before speaking to the man in a callous tone.

That bunker is where you will receive your further enhancements. Although your job is to be the pilot for a WRAITH squad, you will need to be cybernetically augmented so that you may be qualified to fulfil the role of your comrades should the need arise. Good luck...."

After saying this, the soldier led the rest of his team out of the area and back through the woods. Erich did not know why they had suddenly left him here alone, but he proceeded forward and into the entrance of the bunker, which appeared as if it were abandoned.

However, upon entering the hatch, Erich soon found that the bunker was indeed inhabited by a group of government personnel. Whether they were scientists, doctors, soldiers, or intelligence agents, none of them looked at Erich. Aside from a new fireteam who led him through the facility, and into the medical clinic where he was strapped to a table without his consent.

Erich initially struggled, but then heard a familiar voice over the intercom, one which was clearly filled with disdain.

"Commander Erich Jaeger, or do you perhaps still go by the name of Apex? I would say it was a pleasure to see you again, but the last time we met, you tore out my carotid artery with your teeth. Some nasty business, that was. Unfortunately for the both of us, I am the one who is tasked with overseeing your upgrade."

If Erich was panicking before, he was now beyond reason, as he called out the alias of the woman who he hated, perhaps more than anyone in this world.

"Mirage, you fucking bitch!"

However, this statement was met with the sadistic click of the woman\'s tongue as she said something that made Erich\'s spine suddenly feel as if it had been dipped in a pool of dry ice.

"Tsk... Tsk... Tsk.... I was initially going to grant you mercy and put you under for the procedure. But now I think I would rather watch you writhe in agony!"

After saying this, the automated surgical tools began to activate, as they spun towards Erich\'s flesh in rapid fashion. The man\'s eyes began to dilate as the metal pierced through his skin and began to work their magic. His torturous screams were like the greatest symphony to Mirage, who stood behind a one-way mirror and watched the particularly gruesome scene unfold.

During the procedure, Erich felt a more intense pain than he had ever endured in his entire life. He wanted nothing more than to cry his eyes out. But he did not. After all, how could he give that cunt such satisfaction?

It was not just Erich\'s NeuroLink which received a massive upgrade. He was given several critical cybernetic enhancements that would make him far more suitable for combat on the ground. For example, the first and most painful of the procedures was the act of grafting advanced composite materials to his skeletal structure, making his bones damn near indestructible.

Then he was given muscular enhancement injections which were designed to increase his already dense tissue structure, as well as decrease lactose recovery time. After this he was given a platinum pellet which contained human growth hormone catalyst, this was implanted into his thyroid to boost the growth of skeletal and muscle tissues.

After suffering through these already unbearable treatments, Erich had his retinas injected with a substance which was designed to increase his already superhuman level of perception. And finally, after all of this, he was given one last cybernetic enhancement. Which was an alteration to his nervous system. One which increased his already genetically enhanced reflexes by an additional 300%. There was also a noticeable increase in intelligence, memory, and creativity.

Once this was concluded, the nanites in his bloodstream were uploaded with an upgrade, which gave them the same capabilities that Mirage had, in addition to increased regenerative properties. If, for whatever reason, someone somehow managed to sever a limb of his, the nanites would be able to effectively repair the damage.

Of course, the result of all of these things was that Erich\'s body was now trembling in the most immense pain he had ever endured. As the restraints which kept him tied to his medical table released themselves, allowing his body to fall to the floor.

The last thing Erich heard was the mocking voice of Mirage, who taunted her most hated ex, before uploading the data package which contained all the theoretical knowledge that Erich would need to perform his duty as a WRAITH.

"Wow! I\'m honestly amazed that you\'re still alive. From everything I am seeing here, the operation was a complete success, and with no side effects at that. Normally, I have to go through the bodies of four to five different clones before I am able to get a functional package. It is just a pity that this next upgrade will most certainly cause you to black out, because I would love to watch your body tremble a bit more..."

After saying this, Mirage started the download of the data package directly into Erich\'s NeuroLink. There was so much information within this data package that Erich\'s mind went blank, and effectively caused him to black out, as the data streamed through his mind like a fever dream. By the time Erich finally awoke, a day had gone by, and he found himself dressed in fatigues while lying on a cot in an unfamiliar place.

After raising out of his bunk, Erich felt as if the unimaginable pain that he had endured had suddenly vanished from his body, as if it had never existed in the first place. He then looked around to see that there was a familiar face staring down at him with a hate filled gaze. The shrill tone in the woman\'s voice was the last thing Erich wanted to hear after enduring such agony in what seemed to have happened to him only moments before.

"Get your lazy ass out of bed, Commander! You have three months\' worth of practical training in combat, reconnaissance, and espionage to go through, and you will be spending every hour of every day doing just that! From this moment on, there will be no sleep or rest to speak of. Only hard work!"

Although his body had been enhanced to an ability that was equivalent to the legendary Star Marines of the Germanic Star-Empire. Erich felt only depression, because he would much rather be on board a carrier, serving as a coffin jockey than as a grunt on the ground. But this was not a decision that he could make. Instead, he would now have to suffer through months of torture at the hands of Mirage in order to fulfill a role he did not desire.

If there was one good thing about this whole endeavor, it was that Erich now had physical and mental capabilities on par with the most highly effective operatives in the Germanic Star-Empire, which when combined with his natural gifts, made him a force to be reckoned with.

And though Erich did not know it at this time, these gifts that Emrys had given him would be the stepping stone which the man needed to end his status as a pawn and instead become a major galactic player in his own right.

Of course, if Emrys had realized that he had just turned his most valuable pawn into a King. He probably never would have permitted the man to undergo such a monumental physical and mental change in the first place. But time could never be turned back, and thus, now Erich and Emrys could only move forward to whatever future lied in store for them.