Act I

Chapter 4-1

The Navis

Week 24 - Day 7

Cael tossed and turned in his bed. A light sweat was beginning to form on his forehead eventually, he woke from his restless sleep, panting as if he was exhausted. His eyes were wide open, partly from fear, partly from surprise. He shook off the effects of his nightmare and looked at his alarm clock which told him it was three in the morning. Cael sighed a heavy sigh, frustrated with yet another night without proper sleep, then pulled his wheelchair closer to the bedside and put himself in it.

He made his way to the kitchen where he fixed himself a glass of water and drank it there at the sink. When he had finished he returned to his bed but did not get in. Instead he stopped in front of the night stand where his alarm clock sat next to his phone and sat there, staring at the clock, watching as minutes went by. He looked at his phone and the small white card that lay next to it. The white card that had been the cause of his restless nights. Cael reached for the phone, his hand stopping just in front of it as if contemplating whether or not it was a good idea to pick the phone up.

A minute passed then he pulled his wheelchair closer to his bed and got himself into bed. He lay down, ready to try sleeping again. After fifteen minutes had passed, Cael sat up in his bed, grabbed his phone and the white card. He flipped the card over to the side that had text on it and read it carefully. He dialed the number that was below Dr. Vinheim's name and put the phone to his ear. The phone rang once, then twice, then again, then several more times, and again. Cael was about to hang up when he heard a voice say, "Vinheim here,".

Cael hesitated with the phone to his ear, ready to speak but not speaking. Dr. Vinheim's voice spoke again. "Mr. Nox?" the voice called, assuming it was Cael but not entirely sure.

"Yes," Cael said hesitantly.

"I was starting to think you would never call," Dr. Vinheim said sarcastically, "Well, better late than never I suppose. Shall I schedule a meeting?"

"Yes..."

After a brief pause Dr. Vinheim spoke again. "I can see you today or in two days, this monday at the soonest. If neither of those, I'll have to schedule you for sometime next month."

"Today..." Cael said, his voice slightly shaky. Dr. Vinheim noticed Cael's hesitance and reassured him.

"Don't worry Mr. Nox. We'll only be discussing things at the meeting. It's just to give you a chance to make sure that you make an informed decision,". Cael didn't say anything so Dr. Vinheim contiued. "Omerta Research Labs in downtown Circle City. Do you know where that is? Would you like me to send someone to bring you to the meeting place?"

"Yes..."

"Very well. I'll send an escort over to your place. Should be there at around twelve. That sound alright?"

"Yes..."

"Well then, Mr. Nox, I'll see you then... and Mr. Nox, do try to get some rest."

Dr. Vinheim ended the call and Cael put the phone back on the night stand. Cael stared at the card for a moment. He felt as if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders but he wasn't sure why he felt that way. Cael placed the card next to his phone then lay back down and in seconds, Cael was sleeping soundly.

When Cael woke, it was a little after eleven in the morning. He quickly got himself into his wheelchair and picked out the clothes he would wear. Once he had found something to wear, he sat the clothes on his bed and went to the bathroom. He got a clean towel and rag, then removed his clothes before he got in the shower, sitting on the chair inside the shower. He showered for about 20 minutes, making sure his body was clean. When he had finished showering, he got out of the shower, dried himself off, and made his way back to his bed where he put on the clothes he had set aside.

He ate a small breakfast consisting of two cups of instant noodles and a glass of water, then he brushed his teeth. By the time he had finished eating and brushing his teeth, it was a few minutes pass twelve and a knock at his door let Cael know that the escort Dr. Vinheim sent had arrived. Cael opened the door and was greeted by a man in a black suit, similar to the ones that the men who had escorted Dr. Vinheim had worn. The man offered to push Cael's wheelchair but Cael refused so the escort guided Cael to the vehicle he was driving.

The vehicle was a newer model made by a company called MiraTech and was powered by a Tesla Engine. Cael recognized the car by the diamond shaped symbol on the door because it was the symbol that also adorned the Tesla Engine in his and many other's ACs. The escort opened the door for Cael and helped Cael inside the backseat of the vehicle. When Cael was inside, the escort put Cael's wheelchair in the trunk and got into the driver's seat. The car came to life after the escort entered a code on the touch screen. The car vibrated slightly and the engine could be heard humming with electricity. After the escort enabled safety features via the touch screen they drove off towards the city.

The drive didn't take very long. The escort took several shortcuts that Cael wasn't aware existed. They weren't secret routes by any means, just uncommon old roads and paths that lead straight into the city's inner circle. Once there, they took the highway system that drove on the edges of the AC arena and Cael stared at the dome of the arena beneath him because beneath him, just under the dome, was the battlefield where a piece of metal stabbed his spine causing paralysis in his lower body. He stared at the dome, his mind blank, until it was out of easy view.

When they had passed the arena, they exited the highway into Downtown Circle City. Downtown Circle City is the place many of the businesses in the region had made their headquarters and unlike in many other cities, the downtown district was built around the edges of the giant dome shaped arena with the various transport systems, such as the highway, connecting them. They passed the buildings of many businesses including Summit Industries, MiraTech, and many others. Eventually they arrived at their destination, Omerta Research Labs, just on the edge of the downtown area they were in.

They drove into an underground parking area next. Most of the parking spaces were already taken but they soon found a place to park. Once the car was parked, the escort got out of the car and grabbed Cael's wheelchair from the trunk. He brought it to the side of the car where Cael was and he would have opened the door if Cael had not done so first. The escort helped Cael into his wheelchair then the man pushed Cael's chair to the nearby elevator.

They rode the elevator up, all the way to ninth floor where they got off. The floor was an office floor with glass walls that seperated the different rooms. Cael was pushed down the hall until they arrived at a room where Cael could see Dr. Vinheim through the blinds. Dr. Vinheim who was on the phone at first saw them and waved them in. The escort opened the door and pushed Cael in, closing the door once Cael was inside.

Cael sat silently waiting for Dr. Vinheim to finish talking to whoever he was talking to on the phone, looking around Dr. Vinheim's office when he had gotten bored. He saw many of Dr. Vinheim's certificates and rewards framed on his wall next to a few bookshelves. One of the book shelves only had a few books on it and framed photographs took up the rest of the space. Dr. Vinheim was in many of the photos, dressed in a lab coat in most of them. One in particular caught his attention but he didn't know why. When he thought he almost had figured out why he was drawn to the picture he heard Dr. Vinheim put the phone on it's base.

"Hello Mr. Nox. Pleasure to meet you again, under less awkward and rushed circumstances." Dr. Vinheim said as he stood from his desk. He walked over to where Cael was and picked up the photograph that had caught Cael's eyes. "That's from 2150," Dr. Vinheim said, "busy year that was. I was... twenty four, I believe, when that photo was taken. A number of small villages in Anatolia were at the center of a conflict between Anatolia's military and a resistance group,". Dr. Vinheim handed the photograph to Cael who took a closer look at it. "I was there with a few friends. We helped the people there as best we could," Dr. Vinheim said, "Both sides of the conflict fought with reckless abandon, fighting over control of the small Tesla Towers in the region. Many civilians were hurt...".

Cael examined the photo and noticed that what he thought was a wall was actually a bunch of rubble from destroyed homes piled up. In front of the rubble, five men posed for the photograph but none of them were smiling as they stood there facing the camera with blank expressions. Cael identified Dr. Vinheim in the photo. He looked drastically different than what Cael knew. He looked so different in fact, that Cael only recognized Dr. Vinheim because of the eyeglasses he still wore.

Cael placed the photo back on the shelf with the others, just as it was before Dr. Vinheim picked it up. "Five of us were in that photo... we went there with ten..." Dr. Vinheim said solemnly. He removed his glasses and wiped his eyes then placed his glasses back on his face as he walked back to his desk. Cael followed him and stopped in front of his desk in between the chairs the doctor had for guests.

"You told me you could help me walk again..." Cael said.

"I'm afraid you misheard me, Mr. Nox." Dr. Vinheim said, his voice slightly more optimistic in tone. "I said there's a "chance" I could help you walk again."

"Well? How can you help me when plenty of other doctors said they couldn't do anything?"

"With a special surgery, Mr. Nox. Those other doctors were doctors. I am a doctor that is a scientist!" Dr. Vinheim said. His voice had become jolly and a bit whimsical.

"What's the difference?" Cael ask, slightly annoyed but curious.

"The difference is that the doctors who diagnosed you only excel in medical fields. I excel in not only medicine but technology...!"

"So there's technology that can help a crippled person walk again? Why haven't I heard of it? Why hasn't it been reported about in the news?"

"Restoring an impaired person's ability to walk was never it's intended purpose but yes, in theory it can be used to help a crippled person walk again, so long as their legs are intact that is. As for why you've never heard of it... that's because the technology is new and still in developement. It's being treated as a closely guarded secret."

"It's intended purpose?"

"I'm afraid that's classified information, Mr. Nox."

"So why offer to use your secret technology on me?"

"Why you?"

"Yes, why me? I'm sure there are plenty of other cripples out there who'd jump at the chance... How is it that you came came to my door with this? Then, after almost a week, the offer is still on the table waiting for me."

"Well, Mr. Nox," Dr. Vinheim said pulling out a large stack of files from his desk and putting them on top of the desk in front of him, "There were plenty of eligible candidates. The problem is not lack of candidates but ideal candidates."

"Meaning...?"

"The technology, the surgery... this is expensive stuff, Mr. Nox. We can't just give it to anyone... not yet anyway. We only have enough in the budget to attempt this once. That means whoever we try this on, if it succeeds, needs to be able to pay the costs guaranteed."

"So money was the deciding factor?" Cael asked, chuckling a little. "In case you weren't aware, AC pilots don't make an insane amount of money and pilots that haven't piloted in two years aren't exactly the top of the middle class either. You got the wrong person."

"I'm aware, Mr. Nox," Dr. Vinheim said, laughing at Cael's words, "you need to understand... We didn't choose you because you were rich. No we chose you because we know that if this is succesful we can work you like a horse until you've made us enough money to pay back your debt."

"So you're trading me my legs for my freedom?" Cael asked in a serious tone.

"If that's how you wish to view it, then yes. We intend to have you compete in the arena on our behalf. You get enough to pay for your living expenses but the rest of the money from your rewards and sponsorships go to us. At least you'd be a slave doing something you enjoy."

"And how long would I be fighting on your behalf?"

"I've done the numbers several times. At most, five seasons in the single combat arena in Arizona."

There was a long period of silence between Cael and the doctor as Cael took time to comprehend what Dr. Vinheim had just said. Cael looked at his legs and rubbed them but there was no feeling in them. He tried to move them but they still would not move causing Cael to let out a sigh of frustration. Cael was being faced with an important decision, one that would determine his life for the next five years. If he accepted the offer, he'd have to leave Black Raven but if he didn't accept, he'd never be able to pilot again... or would he? Cael thought about what Noland had said about special cockpits for the handicapped. If he turned down this offer, would he have what it takes to compete at such a huge disadvantage? Dr. Vinheim sensed Cael's inner turmoil and interrupted Cael's thoughts.

"You're right to be conflicted about this, Mr. Nox. This is not a descision that should be made lightly. That's why we're here. So you can make an informed decision," Dr. Vinheim said, the tone of his voice more serious. "The surgery is a spinal surgery. We'll cut you open and drill holes into your spine where we'll implant the Navis-"

"Navis?" Cael interrupted, his voice slightly shaky.

"Navis is the name of the tech. It's name is from an ancient language called Latin. It means ship," explained, "Adequate considering how we intend to use it."

"And how will putting this Navis thing in my spine help me walk?"

"Navis is a powerful BCI, a Brain Computer Interface, or at least a prototype. To keep it basic, it will intercept the signals your brain sends along your spine. It will take the signals directed to your legs and send them where they need to go."

"And that'll help me walk? You've tested this before?"

"No. All of this is just theory. The basics of how it should work."

"So you're using me as a guinea pig?"

"An extremely valuable guinea pig!" Dr. Vinheim laughed. Cael wasn't amused.

"You keep saying things like "chance" and "if it works"... What'll happen to me if it doesn't work?"

"There are several possibilities..." Dr. Vinheim said solemnly. "Among those possibilities is the chance that we completely eliminate your chances of natural recovery. Drilling into the spine is a serious matter after all. However, the most likely possibility... is that... you die..."

Cael felt his body freeze, he was in shock. He felt like the room was spinning, even though it wasn't. Dr. Vinheim sat back in his chair, waiting for Cael's response. Cael's thoughts went everywhere and nowhere. When he managed to shake off his shock, he found that his mind was still blank so he tried to think about the chances of him dying but at the same time, tried not to think about dying. Many contradicting thoughts cancelled one another out, always leaving Cael's mind in a blank state. "Death?" Cael managed to say to himself.

"As I said before, Mr. Nox, this is not a decision you should make lightly. I will say one more thing though. Every day, every month and every year you don't walk, decreases your chances of ever being able to walk again. Even if you regain feeling in your legs, if you gain weight in your upper body, while your legs simultaneously degenerate, you'll be too heavy for your legs to support... No matter what you decide, you'll be taking a chance but you're the one who must decide what chance you wish to take."

Dr. Vinheim pressed a button on his desk and called for the man who escorted Cael initially. Cael sat, trying to make a decision but he couldn't. He didn't know if piloting an AC was worth his life or rather, he didn't know if piloting an AC the way he had been was worth risking his life. Noland had chosen to continue piloting his AC despite only having one arm. Cael questioned whether or not he could do the same. The escort knocked on the door but Dr. Vinheim held up a finger to symbolize wait, that the man saw through the blind.

"I understand this was a lot, Mr. Nox, but you don't have to make a decision today. You have two days to think this over. Talk to people you know about it. See what they think..." Dr. Vinheim said as he stood. He extended his hand to Cael. Cael shook it briefly then began pushing his wheelchair to the door, his eyes on the floor. The escort took Cael back to Cael's apartment outside the city and helped Cael get back inside. Once home, Cael watched TV, flipping through the channels but not really looking for anything to watch. Cael sees Solomon on one of the sports news channels and stops flipping through to watch. Solomon was being interviewed but the interview was not the thing that caught Cael's attention, it was Solomon. Solomon...