Ch. 6: Second Shot
Previously on Inspector Gadget: Body of Steel:
A phone rang and disturbed the tranquil night environment and jolted Taylor Ramirez awake. Groaning, she rolled over in her bed and fumbled for her cell phone. Eventually finding it, she hit the 'answer' button and put it on speaker.
"Ramirez," she said sleepily.
"Sorry to disturb you, doctor," came the reply from the other end. "I thought you'd like to know that one of the men you selected as a possible candidate for the Gadget Project has just been taken to the ICU ward of the Detroit Mediplex with severe injuries."
That woke Taylor faster than coffee ever could. "What happened and which officer is it?"
"It's officer David Harder, and he was caught in a bomb explosion about half an hour ago. He's in surgery right now according to one of our contacts in the hospital."
"I'm on my way, I'll expect a full report when I get there," said Taylor as she hurriedly threw on some clothes. "And I mean a full report. I want to know everything that happened. Dr. Powell and I will be there within the hour."
She disconnected the call, threw her hair into a ponytail, and called Jay.
It was time to go-go-gadget.
I was in surgery for the majority of the night. Shelby had paced in the waiting room for a considerable amount of time before finally falling into a fitful sleep. She was roused in the early hours of the morning by one of the nurses.
"Yeah?" she asked groggily and rubbed her eyes. What she wouldn't give for a fresh cup of coffee right now.
"Your fiancé is out of surgery but his condition is still critical. He's not awake but you can see him if you want. I should warn you though, he's not in very good shape."
"No, I-I want to see him."
"This way, please."
Shelby was led to a room with a window. Inside there was a single bed which was occupied by a man barely holding on to life. She couldn't suppress the choked sob that escaped, nor the renewed tears that flowed down her face. I was certainly in a bad condition. The explosion had covered the majority of my body in severe burns and the surgeons had had to amputate my left arm and right leg. I was covered in bandages and hooked up to life support machines which filled the air with their hums and whistles.
"Do you know him?"
Shelby was startled and whirled around to see a woman and a man. The first thing her bloodshot eyes were drawn to was their lab coats which had the Archangel Enterprises logo on them.
"Do you know that man?" the woman asked again and indicated me through the window.
Shelby took a second to take in these people's appearances before answering. The woman had an authoritative yet approachable air about her. She was pretty, dressed in a purple shirt and black skirt, had skin that hinted at a South American heritage, and dark brown hair with blonde streaks in it which was in a ponytail. Her brown eyes shone with a fierce intelligence. The man to her right looked like he had just been dragged out of bed, which he probably had at this time of the night. Or was it morning? He had light skin, a thin and short scraggly beard, and shaggy brown hair that somehow managed to look unkempt and orderly at the same time. Organized chaos was the words that immediately sprang to Shelby's mind. His eyes were also brown and shone with intelligence and a hint of madness.
"Yes, I know him very well. He's my fiancé."
The woman smiled a kind smile and extended her hand. "I'm Dr. Taylor Ramirez and this is my associate, Dr. Jay Powell. We're the heads of an experimental cybernetics program at Archangel that has the potential to revolutionize prosthetics, biomechanical implants, and law enforcement."
"What does that have to do with David?" asked Shelby as she shook the doctor's hand.
"We want to test our procedure on him," Jay answered bluntly.
"What?"
"It could save his life," Taylor interjected before the redhead could say anything else.
"What kind of life would he have?"
"It would mean almost a complete overhaul of his body but if he survives he could return to the life he knew before the bomb with an exception."
"And that exception is?"
"Our contract with Archangel required us to incorporate a number of devices and gadgets into our design to aid him in fighting crime. That's why the candidates we selected for the project were all from the DPD," Jay replied.
"We sent waivers out to the police precincts to get the candidates' permission to use our procedure on them and your fiancé was one of them. However, he didn't sign his before the incident and we're only going to try this if he lets us. He's under right now but we'll wait until he's conscious to record his answer. He's obviously in no condition to sign anything. But, to be honest, we're not that hopeful that he will regain consciousness."
"Well you don't know him like I do. He's a fighter," declared Shelby.
"That's good. We need a fighter for this project because it isn't without a fair amount of risk. If he accepts then it will change his life."
"What else can you tell me about this project?"
Pain. That was the first thing I was aware of as I came out of the fog. The more awake I got the more acutely I felt that pain. It felt like every single nerve in my body was on fire. The second thing I was aware of was the sound of numerous soft beeps and whistles and what sounded like a heart monitor. Was I in a hospital? And if so how did I get there? Finally, though, the pain lessened to a dull throb and I managed to crack open an eye. A white ceiling greeted me with fluorescent lights. I attempted to move my head but couldn't at first. After waiting a few seconds I tried again and this time I was able to lift it a little and look at where I was. I was undeniably in a hospital. I saw the life support machines in the room and knew that it should have scared the hell out of me but it didn't.
"You're awake. That's good, we weren't sure you would. Looks like your fiancée was right, you are a fighter."
I turned my head and saw a woman who looked like she had Mexican in her blood standing in the doorway. I tried to talk but my voice didn't work at first.
"W-who are you?" I finally managed to wheeze.
"Officer Harder, I'm Dr. Taylor Ramirez. I'm one of the head doctors on an experimental cybernetics project at Archangel. I'm here to offer you a second shot at life."
"Most people in my condition don't get that," I rasped in a dry voice. "Why me?"
"You're a police officer and the program was a contingency for a cybernetic law enforcer. Are you interested?"
"Maybe. What exactly would you do to me?"
"If you say yes to what I'm offering then it'll mean an overhaul of most of your body. We're going to replace your ruined and failing organs with mechanical equivalents that can perform the task just as well if not more efficiently, augment the ones that are still good, replace your skeleton with a steel one, and incorporate numerous gadgets to help you fight crime when you return to the force. Physically there wouldn't be anything different with you. As far as you and anyone else will be concerned you're perfectly human from the outside. If you survive the procedure then you can return to almost the exact life you had before you were caught in the explosion."
"That sounds like the Six-Million Dollar Man," I coughed.
"That's basically what we're offering but you'd be so much more. Do you want to try it?"
"Well, this sounds kind of like the beginning of Terminator: Salvation to me. You aren't also working on an A.I. are you?"
"No, I'm not," she laughed.
I coughed some and then got serious. "If it means a chance at getting back at the bastards that put me here then it's alright with me. You have my full permission to test your procedure on me."
"Thank you officer, you may have just helped others that also in your condition right now. We'll move you to Archangel right away."
"If this helps people like me get their normal lives back then I'm for it. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to walk when I get out of here and the thought terrifies me. By the way, does my fiancée know about this? What you're going to do?"
"Yes, my associate and I talked to her while you were out. She's rather stressed out but she is alright with it."
"Thank you, but I'd like to discuss this with her anyway."
Of course, officer. She's right out here.
Shelby walked in a second later and it was apparent she had been at the hospital since I had been taken there. Her hair was messy, her eyes were bloodshot, and there were tear stains on her cheeks.
"Hey," she said with a weak smile.
"Hey," I croaked back. "Dr. Ramirez says you know about what Archangel wants to do with me."
"Yes, she and her associate approached me after you got out of surgery."
"What do you think? Should I do it?"
"It's your life that's on the line, it's up to you. The doctors don't know how long you'll last. You have severe trauma from the explosion and even if you do live you'll be paralyzed from the waist down."
I grimaced at the thought. "I'll go crazy in the first week."
"I know. That's why I think you should take this opportunity. It's a chance to restore all your body functions according to Dr. Ramirez. You'll still be you, just… improved. And… I don't want to lose you."
"Hey, I'm not going anywhere. If you're all right with it, I'm going to let Dr. Ramirez do what she wants."
"I thought that would be your answer. I'll see you again in about seventy days."
"I'll be there," I smiled as she leaned down to hug me.
"Dr. Ramirez is waiting outside; I'll tell her your decision."
"Thanks, Shelby. Keep praying for me."
"I haven't stopped."
I lay there on the bed and thought a bit more about what I said and what I had been offered. I would be lying if I said I didn't have my doubts about this but it was a chance to do more with my life. I was not letting it slip through my fingers. Everything was going to be all right. Again, if I was honest with myself, what Dr. Ramirez was offering was also very, very, appealing. If this was half as good as it sounded then I was going to be one powerhouse of a man when this was done. If I lived then I was going to make sure that Detroit became as safe as possible. It was all I ever wanted to do and here was a better chance to do that being offered to me on a silver platter. How could I refuse?
Dr. Ramirez walked back in with another man I hadn't met yet.
"Officer Harder, this is my associate Dr. Powell. We've made the calls for you to be moved to Archangel. An ambulance will be ready soon."
"Do you have any questions before we move you?" Jay asked.
"No. But if what you're offering is as good as it sounds, I want a chance to do more with my life than spend the rest of it in a wheelchair."
"Alright, we're going to put you under right now. Time is of the essence," said Taylor and adjusted the flow of a sedative. "When you wake up you'll be a new man."
Justice was about to get an upgrade.
POWER ON
START UP
SYSTEM INITIALIZING…
CONFIGURE SYSTEMS…
LOAD PROGRAMS…
COMMAND SYSTEM CHECK
BIO SUPPORT SYS. CHECK
NEURAL INTERFACE CHECK
RAM CHECK
MEMORY SET
PARAMETERS SET
SYSTEM BUFFERS ONLINE
LIFE SUPPORT ONLINE
RUNNING DIAGNOSTIC…
SYSTEM EFFICIENCY: 100%
SYSTEM STATUS: OK
SYSTEM ACTIVATED_
A/N: Inspector Gadget is born! But what challenges will face him when he wakes up? Post a review to get the next chapter.
Gadget: Or I will come out of your computer to terrorize you.
Me: I have trained you well. Wait, what are you doing? Get your hand away from that band! Do not remove that band from your forehead, that's an order! NO!
Gadget: I think a little payback is in order now.
Me (running away): You'll get the next chapter if I survive!