Next time Rick came round he was surrounded by pitch darkness. He felt that the cast had been removed, so thankfully had the maggots, but he felt ....diffrent somehow. He also found himself heavily strapped down, unable to move. "Hello?" he called.
"Ah, Mr Barber, you've come round at last." said the Doctor's voice.
"Is that you Doc?" he groaned "How long have I been out this time?"
"About a month."
Rick was too shocked to answer for a few moments. "What's up with the darkness? Put the lights on!"
"There's something I need to tell you first. When you were caught in that explosion, you were contanimated with mutant DNA. It repaired your body, but also had other effects on you. We're going to slowly turn the lights on. There's a mirror next to your bed so you can see more clearly. Prepare yourself and don't be too shocked."
The lights came on and Rick saw his body - and nearly passed out again.