Super Soldier Vampirism

Introduction

It is only due to ignorance and unabashed superstition that "Super Soldier Vampirism" is a feared medical condition.
In AD 2000 in the United States, the author successfully developed a fully functional Super Soldier process which can transform most American women soldiers and a significant percentage of men (albeit with significantly reduced lifespan) into super soldiers.
"What qualifies as a super soldier", one might ask. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of the U.S. of A. defined the goal as "double the practical measurable strength and travel speed of the 50% average American soldier (in standardized testing), equal firearm accuracy to qualify as an "expert marksman" using a target only 75% the size of standard, ..." and a host of traits similarly impressive but not beyond credibility.
Not every cell in the body needs to be transformed to meet the success criteria as a bona fide super soldier. Ten to twenty percent of the body has been shown to be sufficient to produce the desired benefits.

Development

Animal testing showed dogs, pigs, chimpanzees and bonobos (the contempory primates genetically closest to man) could be transformed at the cellular level producing an increase in strength, speed, and visual and auditory acuity.
The improvements were based on an improved cellular capacity to metabolize nutrition. A diet of the blood of a creature of the same specie allowed tremendously efficient energy absorption and delivery amongst the cells of the body. A normal diet caused all improvements to cease, except heightened visual and auditory acuity, which seemed permanent.
One by one, the formula was tweaked until it showed success with each mammal moving closer to the target of man.
In keeping with standard medical practice, the aforementioned creatures were treated and found to have no serious deleterious effects (aside from sensitivity to light and sound and apparent moderate headaches) before a human subject was selected for the treatment.

Mechanics

Blood (and admittedly pretty much any other bodily fluid) is easier to digest and can be drunk internally or absorbed fairly quickly through the skin of the treated super soldier. Solid food is a "heavy meal" and neutralizes the benefits of the treatment, returning the body to the standard slow and inefficient method of digestion. Also, synthetic "sports drinks" and vitamins can be absorbed just as well. They (in theory) should be even better food than human blood, but the test subject reported that she subjectively "felt" that she derived more strength and energy faster from human blood.
A notable side effect in the human super soldier is a very slow ability (and this was unexpected) to digest humans by touch. Holding the hand of an untreated human causes a rash as the soldier's skin slowly metabolizes the human tissue, (quite quickly on a cellular level, but slowly in terms of the small amount of mass ingested).
In this sense, the term "vampirism" may be purely psychological and superstitious, and "advanced canibalism" may be more accurate.

Fear

Fear of attaining this superior condition likely stems from two sources.

1. The misnomer "vampire" is traditionally associated with villains bent on subjugation or elimination of the human race in literature and myth.
2. The presumed method of attaining this condition is imagined by some to be involuntary.

..."Involuntary" I say, such as is the case of the author who was incapacitated when "patient zero" of the condition applied a scant amount of her blood directly onto the muscle tissue of his heart before reinserting it into his cardiac cavity from which she had removed it in a fit of emotion. In a mere hour, all trauma has been repaired. However, the author has not transformed to a full super soldier.

Super Soldier Thralls

Application of an insufficient quantity of altered blood produces a reduced effect, as the author well knows from personal experience.
It may be tempting to call such a subject a "ghoul" or "zombie", to coincide with the "vampire" misnomer. A more accurate term would be "Thrall", which means a servant or captive of the super soldier, because such a person might be given the insufficient dosage of blood from a super soldier for the particular purpose of making the subject less strong and fast as a fully transformed super soldier so that he can be kept in a position of captivity, forced service, and submission.
In theory, later application of a sufficient dosage of super blood should allow the Thrall to complete the full transformation into another super soldier.
Rough calculations (given a few assumptions) hint that internal replication of the modified cells may cause a Thrall to grow into a Super Soldier over the course of several decades. Consumption of super soldier blood would hasten the transformation. Knowledge of this might cause one to be "enthralled" with a super soldier, always keeping close, waiting for that opportunity to consume the mistress' blood and complete his own transformation. This theory has not been tested.
Consumption of human blood in trace quantities does benefit such a "thrall" subject slightly in standardized testing, but no amount of increased intake of human blood will increase the benefit beyond the percent error of the testing.
Eyesight and hearing are quite sensitive in such a person. Loud noises and bright lights such as the light and heat of direct sunshine become rather painful.
Speaking of which, please pardon the author a quick break from typing. The author has just noticed a small roach crawling across papers behind the desk, producing a faint but insufferable shuffling sound.
Ugh! The insect was quite dehydrated apparently as it had little juice and even less flavor and nutrition.
Where was I? Started rambling. Must thouroughly edit this article prior to scientific publication.
No time now... The Mistress summons.

Type

Genetic