Neon District: ALPHA (The Neon District Trilogy, Book 1)

by Chad Campbell

  “You’re just a remarkable guy, my sweet superhero,” Hitomi replied in jest, as her sister giggled at her.

  “Whatever,” Caiden said, clearly frustrated.

  “Hey, brighten up some! You’re alive and well! Have some breakfast; we made a bunch!” Nami said. She stood and playfully ruffled his hair.

  Caiden begrudgingly rose from the couch and headed over to the kitchen to eat with the twins. Last night’s incident confirmed something that bothered him for a long time. He always had the feeling that he was not normal. He just didn’t know how to prove it, so he tried his best to carry on through his life as normal as possible. He was even moderately successful. But the memories of his extraordinary exploits never left his thoughts.

  The twins were radiating with jubilation. Their smiles were complimented by pearly white teeth as they laughed, and talked, enjoying their freedom. Free of judgement, free of captivity, and free of pain and heartache. It was contagious. They ate, giggled, and floated about in a gleeful manner akin to that of a happy child. Despite his current circumstances, recent hardships, and near-death instances he faced, their smiles filled Caiden with an inexplicable energy.

  After they ate, they headed to the living room to sleep off the impending food coma. Ten hours later, and the three of them were still exhausted from the previous night. At one point during their nap, Caiden awoke briefly, tired and confused, to find that that the twins had found their way close to him on the large couch. Their body heat was comforting. Uncharacteristically, Caiden rubbed their shoulder blades affectionately, stroking upwards to the base of their necks. They were out cold, but their bodies involuntarily responded to the affectionate gesture as they both smiled and sighed in their comfortable sleep as they snuggled up closer to him. The whispers of the dreamland he had been in began to call him back down to return. As he slowly descended back to the couch cushions, his eyes became heavy and they soon closed. He was fast asleep once again.

  The calm of his dreams slowly but surely begun to stir into absurdity and brutality. Memories of the near-death experiences returned with a vengeance caused him to twitch and mumble in his sleep. His eyes were closed, but he was wide awake. He was suffering from sleep paralysis. As the overwhelming panic overtook him he was finally set free, springing from the couch to an upright position, panting and sweating. By then, the apartment was dim, only lit by the wall-sized display monitor. As he relaxed, he looked behind him to find that both twins were topless. They began to wake up from their slumber. He was bewildered. What in the hell would make them do that? he wondered. Nami was the first to come to, then Hitomi. They slowly sat up, groggy and naked as they looked at Caiden looking at them.

  “What is it?” Nami asked as her voice cracked while rubbing her eyes.

  “Oh, nothing. It's just that you guys are just topless like it's normal or something,” he replied sarcastically.

  “You like what you see?” a sleepy Hitomi humorously remarked as they both put back on their clothing.

  “We like to sleep naked okay? Why didn’t you? With a body like yours, I’m surprised you don’t,” Nami said.

  “Whatever,” a confused Caiden replied as he got up.

  He activated the media apparatus’ holo-TV function. Meanwhile, the twins laid out in their respective corners the sectional couch; eyes still heavy and tempting them back to sleep. The first channel that showed was a breaking news report.

  “Reporting live from news center ten for Neon District. We have received multiple reports of gunshots and commotion at The LoveMaars hotel last night at around ten thirty p.m., or so. Authorities say there were several men inside the hotel, presumed to be Hybrid security guards, that are severely injured and in critical condition. So far, there have been no reported deaths.” The twins were glued to the holo-TV as Caiden sat back down, overcome by the insanity of the previous evening.

  “If the news is actually reporting about this, then it's almost certain Slavo and his crew are out there looking for us,” Nami grimly stated.

  The news update on the holo-TV made Caiden think back to what he went though to save the girls. His brief happiness was swallowed by a black hole of uncertainty, doubt, and fear. He remembered every guard he defeated, and how he narrowly escaped each encounter with his life still intact. He recalled the frightening moment he was shot, and began to panic. But he soon remembered how he fended off his enemies and saved the lives of two kindhearted girls because of those very actions. The conflicting thoughts ate at him. They were becoming unbearable. He abruptly got up and headed toward his lab.

  “Hey, Caiden, you okay?” Hitomi asked concernedly.

  “I’m okay, just gonna head downstairs and work on some stuff,” Caiden replied.

  “Oh, I wanna come!” both twins exclaimed simultaneously.

  “Sure, whatever. Just don’t touch anything,” He replied.

  Downstairs in the lab, Caiden turned on the large one-hundred-and-fifty-inch screen and logged onto CWR. He typed out a post that read: “Does possessing self-identity produce feelings of personal freedom? Facticity and the absence of it, what is fact about us and what is not? What is truly absurd? To not know your past? Or not envision a future?”

  The post was rooted heavily in existentialism. It spoke of the severe crisis and train of thought he inevitably operated under due to his unique life experiences. He was hoping one of his many followers would ease his angst by providing some level of insight. As VseR, he normally received an overwhelming amount of feedback from his followers on anything he posted on CWR almost immediately. This time, he was met with nothing. Desperate for answers and frustrated that he received none, Caiden prepared to logout when he suddenly received a request to video chat from an encrypted source. The user name was ‘Knight-1’. Caiden accepted the request.

  The video feed showed nothing more than an interactive avatar of the user. The avatar had the chrome metal face of an androgynous robot with red hair. It was difficult to make out whether this person was a male or a female based on looks alone.

  “Rez? Yes, I bet you’re a bit shocked that I am calling you by that name. I saw your post just now and I figured it was time to speak with you about some important issues,” Knight-1 cryptically stated. Knight-1’s voice was hard to discern; it sounded neither male or female. The video feed had a voice alteration override initiated. Knight-1 appeared to be the cautious type.

  “How do you know that name? Who are you?” Caiden asked frantically.

  “Let’s just say I am someone who knows more about you than you know about yourself,” Knight-1 replied.

  “What do you mean?” Caiden yelled back. The twins were bewildered and intrigued as they looked on.

  “You have been thinking that there’s more to you than even you can understand, especially as of late, correct?” Knight-1 asked.

  “So, what of it? What’s it to you?” Caiden snapped back.

  “If you truly want to find the answers, why don’t you start the search for them from within?” Knight-1 said.

  “Search within? If you know so much why don’t you just tell me?” Caiden replied.

  “The deeper you search within, the more the recollection beacon within your forgotten memories will unlock and resurface until you fully ‘awaken’ and remember who you really are,” Knight-1 replied.

  “Wait, I don’t understand! Recollection beacon?” Caiden wanted answers.

  “Don’t worry, when you think it over, you will understand. And when you fully awaken, I will know. We will be in touch. Search within, Rez Fayte!” Knight-1 said as the transmission cut.

  Caiden always knew he was different, but could never explain it. He didn’t know whether to be happy and relieved, or frustrated and upset. Finally, there was someone who could explain what he couldn’t. But he still didn’t understand.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Nami nervously asked.

  There was a long pause of unbearable stillness. His eyes were open, but unfocused. “Search within. Search wit
hin. Search within. How does that person know anything about me? What did Knight-1 mean? My psyche? My Heart? Heart? Couldn’t be that! A blood test maybe? MRI? A biometric scan… Wait! That’s it!” Caiden knew what he had to do.

  “Whoa what just happened?” Hitomi asked.

  “I’m gonna take a standard biometric scanner from the lab and upgrade it somehow. Maybe I’ll be able to get some answers from the readings from the enhanced scanner!” Caiden exclaimed.

  “Well, a standard biometric scanner can only be used for retinal scanning, fingerprints, voice recognition and other stuff like that But you’re saying you can repurpose one to do even more than that? Like to scan at a molecular level?” Nami asked.

  “Precisely. If I can repurpose well enough so that it will scan beyond even the cellular level, I’ll definitely find something. It’s a start,” Caiden said excitedly.

  “Sounds fun to me! What do you need us to do?” Hitomi said.

  “Just sit back and watch the readings on the screen. I’ll only need about ten minutes to tinker with this scanner,” Caiden replied.

  He made his way over to the lab area where the utility closets were. After sifting through a lot of equipment, he located an outdated biometric scanner he had acquired some years ago during a project for class. The scanner was rectangular, approximately five inches in length. It had an LED touch screen panel, with a special projector lens that emitted the scanning lights.

  He brought with him an elaborate tool case full of gadgets, including an automated mechanical arm that he attached to the lab table. Caiden opened the panel up on the mechanical arm and input a complex sequence of commands while he latched it to the edge of the table. He then refurbished the old bio-scanner with new updated circuitry and a brand-new screen for command inputs. He went to the control desk in his computer hub area and pulled out some connecter cables, along with a couple of plug adapters and routed them to the ports in back of the scanner under the LED screen.

  The final, and arguably most important, part of the process included assembling a new mini-motherboard for the device. This new motherboard would allow the scanner to perform enhanced, more detailed scans of a person when prompted. It would also allow the scanner to properly communicate with his computer and provide more detailed readings of the results from the scan on the large screen. With the materials ready, he initiated a holographic display of the updated motherboard design and hit enter. In a matter of minutes, the mechanical arm meticulously and precisely pieced every socket, memory chip, graphics card, CPU unit, and circuit together. The newly designed motherboard from the scanner was as small as a Cred codec.

  Caiden picked up the newly constructed piece and held it up to his eyes, inspecting its elements, ensuring its completion. The twins were intrigued. Once he felt confident with its design, he then installed it into the refurbished scanner while connecting the other wires he pulled from the control desk. After taking deep a breath, he flicked the power switch for the bio-scanner. The large computer screen synced its feed with the home screen on the bio-scanner without any issues.

  “Perfect!” Caiden exclaimed, while rubbing his hands together.

  “Jeez, he’s like a happy little fat kid in a candy shop right now!” Nami whispered to her sister.

  “I know; look at him go. It’s no wonder he built this place up the way it is,” Hitomi replied.

  “Hey guys, I’m about to ready the upgraded bio-scan. Once I input the command all you need to do is hit enter on the control desk,” Caiden walked in front of the scanner. He stood approximately ten feet away from the scanner’s projector lens.

  “Okay, ready when you are,” Nami stated.

  “Okay. Hit it!” Caiden replied with conviction. The newly upgraded device shot out a thin pink horizontal ray of light. The scanning light started at the top of Caiden’s head and slowly went downward toward his feet, intaking a vast amount of data along the way. Upon the completion of the scan, everyone congregated around large computer monitor.

  “Um, what are we looking at?” Hitomi asked.

  “I don’t even know just yet,” Caiden replied as he examined the data.

  The scan appeared to have magnified close to a quadrillion times! The scan had exceeded his expectations. But the immeasurable detail provided by the scan revealed something even smaller than anything at the cellular level. There were very small, strange objects, and lots of them. These nano sized objects, appeared octagonal in shape, were significantly smaller than a standard cell, and were more machine like in appearance. Each one even gave off a strange pulsating turquoise glow. There were quadrillions of them. They appeared around every single regular cell. But instead of attacking the regular cells, they somehow coexisted with them, even strengthened them. The data from the scan showed that these nano-machine structures were actually improving individual cellular function well beyond normal standards.

  “What is this?” Caiden asked rhetorically.

  He continued to swipe through pages upon pages of detailed charts from the results of the quick scan. Using comparative data, a standard human would have approximately thirty-seven trillion cells combined in their body. Caiden’s reading showed the same number of standard cells, but the nano-machine like cells doubled that number. The scan was even able to determine the bone structure density, in addition to viewings of what was going on beneath the skull. The results of these were fascinating. Caiden’s bones showed that they were denser, but somehow lighter than the average human bones in weight. His entire bone structure also showed an incredibly thin protective membrane made from the strange nano-machine cells.

  The most amazing part of all the test results came from the formations that manifested within Caiden’s body. More specifically, his cerebral cortex and spine showed extraordinary development. The scan revealed them both to be more cybernetic in nature than organic flesh.

  “How is this possible? This can’t be real.” Caiden said. His inner scientist was contrarily screaming with excitement.

  “Whoa, you really are a mutant,” Nami said. “So, what does this mean? Are you a Purebred? Or technically a Hybrid?” Hitomi asked.

  “I’ve never had any type of cybernetic surgery done of any kind that I know of.” Caiden replied while mulling over the results.

  “Yeah, and even with all of society’s advances in cybernetic implant surgery, it isn’t possible to just have a cybernetic spine neatly tucked in the body like yours. Even with your skin, there would be visible scars all the way down your back, and you have none.” Hitomi added. “And, yeah, black market doctors perform illegal brain replacement surgeries with advanced Intel Core Matrixes, but your brain is entirely different from that.”

  “It’s like you were born like that. There’s nothing in these results that show you were ever cut open for surgery. No scars, no nothing. You’re like a natural born Hybrid. Your brain and spine are like techno-organic matter.” Nami observed.

  “Let me ask you this; have you ever been sick? Have you ever had a bad case of the flu or anything like that?” Hitomi asked.

  “Well, yes, but to be honest, the last time I had a really bad flu, it only lasted for two days,” Caiden said.

  “Hmm, and you said that anytime you might have suffered a serious injury, that you would normally heal up in a few short days, right?” Hitomi said.

  “Yeah, that’s right,” Caiden replied.

  “What if the reason for your miraculous recovery time and powerful immune system is because of these nano-machine cell thingies?” Nami asked.

  “That’s not a far-fetched assumption, at all. That would actually solve a lot of questions I had been asking myself. But still, it would leave even more questions to be answered,” Caiden replied.

  “What about the shit you pulled off last night against those guards at the brothel? Any tough guy would have difficulty fighting just one of them! You took out five of them by yourself.” Hitomi said.

  He paused, recounting every maneuver, every punch, kick, an
d strike. “What better way to confirm these things than to test the capabilities of these nano-machines, right?” Caiden replied.

  “Lead the way, mad scientist,” Hitomi said humorously. As Caiden prepared to search for some basic research equipment, he paused, lost in a sea of intense thought.

  “What is it?” Nami asked.

  “It’s weird. I’ve been having this strange dream ever since I was fifteen, about a woman with a blurred face who called me ‘Rez’. And every time I try to call out to this woman, I always wake up,” Caiden said.

  “And that Knight-1 sketch ball called you by the same name,” Hitomi added.

  “Yeah, but we don’t know who this person is. How could they know everything about me?” Caiden asked.

  “Maybe this ‘Knight-1’ character has more answers somehow,” Nami replied.

  “Yeah, maybe. I’m gonna try and contact them,” Caiden said.

  “How? They contacted you from an encrypted source,” Hitomi said.

  “It’s worth a shot to try, though, right?” Caiden replied.

  The girls both nodded in agreement as they went to the control hub in the lab. Though Knight-1 had indeed contacted Caiden from a protected source, he utilized his adept skillset and re-opened the channel of communication anyway with instant success.

  “I am thoroughly impressed that you found me even after I contacted you from a protected source,” Knight-1 said.

  “I found something. I did a biometric scan and found these nano-machine cells in me. I need to know more about them and you’re gonna tell me,” Caiden demanded.

  “Again, I’m impressed. You got all this from a simple bio-scan? I don’t believe it,” Knight-1 replied.

  “I upgraded an old one that I already had. How do you know about these nano things?” Caiden asked.

  As he asked, Knight-1 sent an encrypted file to Caiden. When he clicked on it, it showed an amazing display of the nanocells in action in a way he hadn’t seen before. They were assimilating an object and changing into something more, as if whatever they assimilated had left some sort of imprint or impression on those specific nanocells.