The elixir

[GlytchMeister]

Dude must be a wicked martial artist. Several thousand years(?) of being a warrior/soldier probably does that to you.
...
Waaaait. Didn't the doctors put metal rods and stuff into Niel's bones? How the heck did his body get rid of them after he injected the juice? I mean, they were anchored into his bones. Either that hurt a lot, or it hurt more than a mitten made of bullet ants.

[TazManiac]

I recall him mentioning stuff would be coming to the surface, and his care givers were to pop them out from under the skin like pimples... (eeeewwwwwww)

[Dave]

Waaaait. Didn't the doctors put metal rods and stuff into Niel's bones? How the heck did his body get rid of them after he injected the juice? I mean, they were anchored into his bones. Either that hurt a lot, or it hurt more than a mitten made of bullet ants.

Not to worry. His friends exposed him to a recording of a spat between two Kardashians, and that put him into a medically-induced coma for as long as was necessary for the metal to work loose.

You could just hear those billions of little osteoclasts humming "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go..." and "Workin' in a coal mine, goin' down down down..."

[GlytchMeister]

I recall him mentioning stuff would be coming to the surface, and his care givers were to pop them out from under the skin like pimples... (eeeewwwwwww)

Still... Those were big friggin metal poles put in to reinforce his crushed-gravel bones. I can understand sutures wiggling their way to the surface... But something that amounts to a chunk of very clean rebar? That doesn't wriggle out like a little piece of thread.

Not to worry. His friends exposed him to a recording of a spat between two Kardashians, and that put him into a medically-induced coma for as long as was necessary for the metal to work loose.

You could just hear those billions of little osteoclasts humming "Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go..." and "Workin' in a coal mine, goin' down down down..."

You know what, that just gave me an idea. Instead of the big foreign object just getting shoved out in one chunk, maybe the immune system broke it down into little bits, sent it through the bloodstream, and deposited it in the large intestine. Course, poor guy would be dropping literal metal bombs, and that can't be pleasant, but it seems more plausible than a huge metal pole getting slowly pushed through bone, muscle, tendon, and skin.

That's my new headcanon here now. He pooped out the big stuff after dissolving it.

[MerchManDan]

You know what, that just gave me an idea. Instead of the big foreign object just getting shoved out in one chunk, maybe the immune system broke it down into little bits, sent it through the bloodstream, and deposited it in the large intestine. Course, poor guy would be dropping literal metal bombs, and that can't be pleasant, but it seems more plausible than a huge metal pole getting slowly pushed through bone, muscle, tendon, and skin.

That's my new headcanon here now. He pooped out the big stuff after dissolving it.

One could infer that Neil is tough enough to eat nails and sheet metal.

[Sgt. Howard]

Actually, I have seen bone 'spit' a plate and screws- I would envision that the bone simply 'rejects' the hardware and the surrounding tissue pushes it to the surface. Remember, during the rejuvenation he will spontaneously heal ANY and ALL wounds... including the holes left by departing nuts and bolts.
There are no osteoblasts or phagocytes capable of digesting titanium or vanadium steel- but the body CAN rid itself of some interesting stuff by 'spitting'.

[Sgt. Howard]

... and yes, he has studies martial arts of multiple races for two thousand years. You cannot touch him unless you TOTALLY surprise him or he allows it... remember in the first story- he dodged Phix's claws.

How many of Paul's characters can make THAT claim?

[Mark N]

As for the metal infused skeleton, there is always a teleporter around.

[Sgt. Howard]

No... THAT's 'the whiteboard'... and it only works for pizza...

[TazManiac]

I envisioned the expulsion like how a tree or other growing thing envelopes something; like a boulder or another tree...

But in reverse.

[Sgt. Howard]

I envisioned the expulsion like how a tree or other growing thing envelopes something; like a boulder or another tree...

But in reverse.

Pretty much- first the bone pushes it out and re-seals, then the flesh follows suite.

[GlytchMeister]

Actually, I have seen bone 'spit' a plate and screws- I would envision that the bone simply 'rejects' the hardware and the surrounding tissue pushes it to the surface. Remember, during the rejuvenation he will spontaneously heal ANY and ALL wounds... including the holes left by departing nuts and bolts.
There are no osteoblasts or phagocytes capable of digesting titanium or vanadium steel- but the body CAN rid itself of some interesting stuff by 'spitting'.

Huh. I'd have figured when something is BOLTED (And I'm talking when a doc has to go Home Depot on somebody, I ain't messin around) into place, it would stay friggin PUT.
But then again, you do not issue challenges to Mother Nature.

Case in point: Deckhand Mark Anderson once said "Is that all you got?" To the Bering Sea. The Sea, which was obviously already in a cantankerous mood, promptly sent a 5000 gallon wave over the deck of the Cornelia Marie.
Mama Nature will wreck your crap. And then laugh at you.

[DinkyInky]

Actually, I have seen bone 'spit' a plate and screws- I would envision that the bone simply 'rejects' the hardware and the surrounding tissue pushes it to the surface. Remember, during the rejuvenation he will spontaneously heal ANY and ALL wounds... including the holes left by departing nuts and bolts.
There are no osteoblasts or phagocytes capable of digesting titanium or vanadium steel- but the body CAN rid itself of some interesting stuff by 'spitting'.

Huh. I'd have figured when something is BOLTED (And I'm talking when a doc has to go Home Depot on somebody, I ain't messin around) into place, it would stay friggin PUT.
But then again, you do not issue challenges to Mother Nature.

Case in point: Deckhand Mark Anderson once said "Is that all you got?" To the Bering Sea. The Sea, which was obviously already in a cantankerous mood, promptly sent a 5000 gallon wave over the deck of the Cornelia Marie.
Mama Nature will wreck your crap. And then laugh at you.

When the body rejects something, it ain't kidding. My sister had a stainless rod screwed into her femur, and was told she'd be wheelchair bound except for therapy for a year until it healed. Her body began to try to push it out after three months. They had to surgically extract it rather quick when they xrayed it and saw the screws were no longer in place...not to mention literally seeing a bar shape bump forming on that leg. Though she's more fortunate than I. I have base metal allergies, and back then, titanium was not a viable option, as insurance did not cover it. I would not have been able to use that solution.

[Sgt. Howard]

Actually, I have seen bone 'spit' a plate and screws- I would envision that the bone simply 'rejects' the hardware and the surrounding tissue pushes it to the surface. Remember, during the rejuvenation he will spontaneously heal ANY and ALL wounds... including the holes left by departing nuts and bolts.
There are no osteoblasts or phagocytes capable of digesting titanium or vanadium steel- but the body CAN rid itself of some interesting stuff by 'spitting'.

Huh. I'd have figured when something is BOLTED (And I'm talking when a doc has to go Home Depot on somebody, I ain't messin around) into place, it would stay friggin PUT.
But then again, you do not issue challenges to Mother Nature.

Case in point: Deckhand Mark Anderson once said "Is that all you got?" To the Bering Sea. The Sea, which was obviously already in a cantankerous mood, promptly sent a 5000 gallon wave over the deck of the Cornelia Marie.
Mama Nature will wreck your crap. And then laugh at you.

When the body rejects something, it ain't kidding. My sister had a stainless rod screwed into her femur, and was told she'd be wheelchair bound except for therapy for a year until it healed. Her body began to try to push it out after three months. They had to surgically extract it rather quick when they xrayed it and saw the screws were no longer in place...not to mention literally seeing a bar shape bump forming on that leg. Though she's more fortunate than I. I have base metal allergies, and back then, titanium was not a viable option, as insurance did not cover it. I would not have been able to use that solution.

Wow- what did you have put in you? Plates and screws are rejected by living bone 0.03% of the time- the bone erodes away from the metal and slowly re-forms once the metal is gone. Usually it holds on long enough for the bone to knit, about 6 weeks. What Neil had in his hip is a nail in the intramedulary upper femur and a cross screw going into the ball through the nail at about 135 degree angle and locking together- THAT would be an impressive 'spit'! You'll notice I did not bother to describe it... not sure how that would work so I let it lie.
I also envision that he would blow off and re-cut all his teeth- easiest way to deal with missing teeth/fillings. Facial and pubic hair falls out as well- similar structuring and cell formation, so why not? Also- Neil was 5' 3" in the service of Rome- rather tall for his day. Occasional miscalculations with the dose have given him extra growth in slight increments that kept him on par with average height.
And always a soldier- regardless of what era you are in, somebody somewhere needs a professional military. Leadership skills are universal. Every 40, 50 or 60 years or so, some unknown raw recruit masters his basic training and skyrockets in rank. His mastery of tactics, leadership, logistics and moral are astonishing. He remains enlisted, so as to attract less attention. Battle tech changes constantly. Tactics change with it.

War never does.

The writings of Rommel, Gunderian, Patton, von Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, Napoleon, Geronimo and Alexander are every bit as valid as when they were first written. Neil has served in many militaries, land and naval, through history. He was witness to many new innovations and was quick to capitalize on the advantages they offered- but the basics of warfare have never changed.

[DinkyInky]

My sister had surgical stainless. Her body started rejecting it after the bone knitted. I cannot even use that...

Example. I had surgical stainless glasses frames. An hour later, after running track, the metal was pitted, and my upper cheek and ears were burning. Upon removal, I discovered the skin where there was contact had blistered and scabbed slightly. So until I quit being chicken and tried titanium, I had nerdy plastic frames taped in the middle(from being hit in the face with various objects all the time). It still costs me over $200 for the cheapest, smallest frames in titanium.

My son got me jewelry candles, and even with coating them in nail lacquer weekly, it goes from silver rhodium plated to copper in a few months, or treating them with multiple doses of silver cyanide/nitrate, then a gold dip and it lasting a couple weeks at a time... I wish I could recast and reset them myself, but I sold off all my gear during my time as a single Mom. Unlacquered Copper turns dark in about a minute.
My Mother cannot wear even silver. Her jewelry is high carat gold, or platinum.

My half Korean genetics are responsible. Even trying to change my bodies ph, most base metals hate me.

[GlytchMeister]

Example. I had surgical stainless glasses frames. An hour later, after running track, the metal was pitted, and my upper cheek and ears were burning. Upon removal, I discovered the skin where there was contact had blistered and scabbed slightly.

Wat.

Seriously. What in the hay-ell do you sweat? Sulfuric acid? You partially dissolved yer dayum glasses with an hour's work!

[Dave]

As for the metal infused skeleton, there is always a teleporter around.

No... THAT's 'the whiteboard'... and it only works for pizza...

It's dangerous, too. If activated improperly, it can accidentally fetch a drop bear.

[GlytchMeister]

That is the longest string of Wikipedia citations in a row I've ever seen. Wow.

I'm suprised the page doesn't mention that Gum trees were the original inspiration for Drop Bears. Apparently, gum tree branches can just fall off without a sound, and they can be quite large. So you could just be walking around in Australia and suddenly have your noggin caved in by a ninja tree branch.

Everything in Australia wants to kill you.

[Atomic]

I can second that about Stainless eyeglass frames. I ran track back in High school -- my frames were corroded and pitted near my nose in a few months.

Similar problem to the Green Gold Jewelry issues.

[GlytchMeister]

I always use memory metal frames, full-rim around the lenses, with some kind of shatter-resistant material for the lenses.

(Must be a habit I picked up from being a Boy Scout, a martial artist, playing baseball and football, and having several gym teachers who must have really liked dodgeball.)

Anyway, I never seem to have much trouble with corrosion with that stuff. I once owned a pair for so long the outer layer started coming off, but that's it.