THE MOMENT
"Wait, what?" Kennedy had been attentive at every step, and this was the first red flag he saw; but, it was enough for him to be concerned. Professionally, he was a doctor, yet he was the patient this time. He was lying on a white examination table in a white room with a staff member running down the official procedure with him. He wasn't even a medical employee, Kennedy felt like the red-haired man gave off more of a corporate vibe. "What do you mean I won't be able to feel pain?"
"Uhh...," Phoenix looked at him for a moment, then chuckled. "You know how pain hurts? Well, it won't for you," he said. "It's part of the special sauce that makes our super soldiers super special," he added.
"But, I need pain," Kennedy chose to be insulted instead of angry at himself for getting this far into the situation. It sounded too good to be real from the beginning; but, Phoenix had managed to give all the appropriate answers and technical demonstrations he asked for. Kennedy had an opportunity to meet with many different super soldiers over the month that the negotiations took place.
Phoenix represented a company Kennedy had never heard of named Sharp Development, and apparently they wanted to work with him in a more professional capacity. He was approached about being set up as a referral provider for the super soldier procedure, something he didn't even know was possible. Naturally, he was curious enough about it for himself to insist on 'trying it out' to make sure he could properly care for his patients. Maybe they'd made super soldiers, but he doubted they'd have any sort of average lifespan without pain.
"I can't approve of that," Kennedy sat up completely and moved his legs to hang off the table. "The inability to feel pain is not an advantage or a superpower, pain is your body's way of telling you that there is something wrong," he said.
"Uhuh," Phoenix nodded with a smile. "I feel like it's a good time to remind you that Sharp Development mastered this procedure long, long ago. Our medical division is completely unmatched by anyone," he said. "In any universe," he added the reminder of what Kennedy was dealing with. He had visited other universes as part of their negotiations; at least, he was told they were other universes. But, they were so human and normal it was easy to doubt when he decided to.
"Well I'm sure they're very good," Kennedy replied. "But, if they can't understand how useful pain is as a signal, I don't feel like I want to join 'Sharp Medical Services' after all." Phoenix tilted his head.
"Who says we don't understand it?" he asked.
"I think removing it hints at that pretty well," Kennedy chuckled. It felt nice to finally launch some snark against such a big corporation.
"That's just a symptom of how much better we understand it than you," Phoenix grinned.
"What?" that was a reply Kennedy wasn't ready for.
"I'll agree it's not a super power, though I can assure you, the way we've implemented it is very much an advantage. You said it was a useful signal; but, there's no reason that signal has to be uncomfortable. It's only like that because that's how it evolved. Sharp Development has developed new, less painful ways to process the signal. It's as simple as a popup message in your vision that not only tells you that something is wrong; but, it tells you what's wrong and how to fix it. And, a body screaming for attention won't distract our soldiers from their duties." His matter-of-fact tone helped Kennedy process his awe.
"Oh... you can do that??" he asked.
"We can, and do, although it's usually unnecessary. Our super soldiers have superhuman regeneration abilities too, so very often there just won't be anything wrong to begin with. Sharp Development always errs on the side of caution. But, I of course understand if you've changed your mind."
"No no," Kennedy shook his head and threw himself onto his back again. "Give me the super juice or whatever, I want that advantage."