Sidewinder Days pt. 4: Second Chance
23 Oct 2016Steve Sake
Being locally anesthetized while a surgeon is implanting a metal hub to your shoulder was an unsettling experience, the sight of the operation made me feel so nauseous that I preferred to look the other way most of the time. When the surgeon ended his job it was time to insert the arm in its place, I was informed that the anesthetization wouldn’t block the shock created by the connection of the nerves with the electronics contained in the arm.
I thought I was prepared for some pain but I was sorely mistaken. When the prosthesis connected I felt a sudden jolt in my shoulder, like I was pierced by an electrified spear. I clenched my teeth and contracted the muscles by a spontaneous reflex. The pain lasted for ten good seconds then it subsided but I was still lying stiff on the operation bed.
After a while I got up on my feet.
Original here.
“That’s the worst part, there are some who even pass out."
“Now let’s see if everything works as expected. Try to hold this.”
The nurse handed me a sponge ball and I held it in my hand. It was a strange sensation to grasp something without feeling its texture and shape. I moved the ball in front of my face and then squeezed it, admiring how everything responded naturally.
“Looks like the main actuators are operational, let’s see if the fine motor skills are on par or if they need some tuning.”
The nurse gave me a pen and a sheet of paper and asked me to draw a circle.
My first attempt looked more like a potato than a circle, the movements of my fingers and wrist were crude and sometimes erratic.
“I’m sure we can do better than that, give me your hand”
The nurse produced a screwdriver from a drawer and started to tinker with the screws in my palm, after a while she gestured me to draw another circle.
The second attempt looked better but had some jagged edges, some more screws were turned and the drawing improved once again.
The same process was repeated over and over again. I was asked to draw a straight line, write my name, make hand gestures and other movements, all the while the nurse tightened or loosened some screws.
It took a long time to fine tune all the artificial muscles but when I got out of the room my arm moved like a real one, it actually seemed to be more precise than the one I had lost.
Since I was no longer a hospitalized I was kindly asked to take my things and clear the place.
Not that I had much with me seeing that all my belongings were in the Lucky Seven when it exploded.
I took a trip to the shopping district to buy some clothing, a new flight suit and other supplies for life in space then headed towards the shipyard.
Luckily the Pilots Federation covered almost all expenses for rebuying the ship and so it only took a few minutes to get another Viper ready for me.
I was told that it would take some time to fit her with the configuration of the old one so I entered the ship only to store my purchases away and headed to the local bar, leaving the dock technicians to their work.
The place was, like the rest of the station, clean and well decorated, and completely white. Everything was clearly inspired by imperial design and even though there was a clear kitsch vibe, like all the furniture was pieced together just because it was white, I still felt like I was at home.
I sat on a stool at the bar counter, a big U shaped acrylic structure with glowing blue lines tracing geometric patterns on its sides, and looked at the liquor selection.
My eyes jumped straight to the sake section of the menu. It was already surprising to see that they actually had sake, usually bars don’t have it because people prefer whisky or beer, but to find that they even served Kōtei no Hyōtan was almost unbelievable.
I was in no position to drink expensive liquor but after all that happened to me in the last weeks I totally deserved to give myself a treat.
I ordered the drink and laughed to myself, remembering how my brother and I used to sneak in my father’s cellar and drink from his collection of expensive sake. The waiter came back and served the drink -much to my disappointment- in a wine glass, still the taste was as good as I remembered.
I took my time, slowly sipping the sake and letting it swirl in my mouth.
I decided to check out where Valery was, if I was correct she was probably close to her destination.
Her reply arrived almost instantly after I wrote to her.
***
Hey there! Nice timing, I’ve just now made my last jump and setting course to Giraud Ring, should be there in a couple of minutes. Bye!
***
Well, I wasn’t expecting her to be that close. I finished my drink, regretting having to gulp down half of it, paid the waiter and headed back towards the docks.
The ship was still under the hands of the technicians so I went inside, changed into my flight suit, grabbed my jacket and went out once again.
I wasn’t happy to walk around in a flight suit but that was the only way I could find to hide my prosthetic arm.
There was no need to go somewhere else only to return back to the docks so I walked around the corridors for a while.
Turning around a corner I saw Valery coming out of a door, she turned around and headed the opposite way from where I was.
I did one of the things I do best, sneaking around people without being noticed. I was practically two steps behind her and still she was heading straight ahead like no one was there. I looked at her walk for a while - watching her hips move was truly a sight to behold - then made a longer step and tapped on her shoulder. She screamed and turned around facing me, then started to laugh.
Original here.
“Do you even go to sleep in that flight suit? There’s no need to tell everyone that you’re a pilot!”
She took a deep breath and exhaled, shaking her head no.
“I’m happy to see you too Val.”
“I’m sorry, I’m happy too” She hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. “It’s just that you look like the perfect newjack, don’t you feel cramped in that suit?”
“Nope, I feel great.”
“Do as you wish then, but do know that I will laugh at your back most of the time.”
“Whatever. Say, there’s a nice bar around here, well stocked too, want to grab a drink?”
“That sounds like a good plan, lead the way.”
I still couldn’t believe that someone cared that much about me to come here and see me if they are worried. I thought that was a great occasion to spend some time together, maybe work together too, who knows what might happen afterwards.
I was heading towards the bar, this time was her turn to walk behind me and I had a feeling she was returning the favor. Suddenly my flight suit felt a bit too tight.
“Besides, you still have to tell me what happened when you sent that video message”
Crap.
Thank goodness that she's not looking at my face.