2115

The Crash

It all started six months ago. The crash that ended Jonah's brother's life and left him with a multitude of problems. It is the reason he now sits in the subway, traveling towards Joplin, Missouri for his treatment. "So remind me again why I have to do this?" he asks into his phone. Out comes the voice of the same doctor who has treated him for months, Dr. Richard Vancov. "It is for your own good. These last few months have been an amazing help to the experiment, and I think I have finally gotten it. The Pilot Seat is ready, I just need you to come on down and get a scan so I can finally see if it works." "And if it doesn't?" he asks angrily into the phone. "Don't worry, if it doesn't, I have an emergency shutdown for it." he responds calmly. "It will work fine, so just get down here as fast as possible, I don't have all day!" He lays back on the hard metal chair of the subway. Just three more hours until this might just finally be over, until his life is fixed and he can live it like he wants. The subway is empty today, which is rare considering hundreds use the subway for their main means of travel. Jonah stares out the window, watching the dull walls of the tunnel fly past him, studying each crack that has burrowed its way through the concrete of the walls. He sways slightly with the bumps of the railway, allowing that motion to carry him off to sleep, hoping that when he awakes, he is either dead or in Joplin.

Jonah is startled awake by the sudden stop of the subway. Outside, he can see people rushing around, trying to get on the subway so they can get a seat. He stands up slowly, not wanting to give himself a headache. He wanders out of the subway and past the station, signaling for a taxi to Dr. Vancov's office. Jonah tells the address to the driver, and lays back on the soft, plush chairs of the taxi, allowing himself to relax for the first time this entire trip. About fifteen minutes later, he arrives at Dr. Vancov's office. The lights are bright enough to see through the cloudy and smudged glass and he can easily make out the silhouette of the doctor. He waltz's out of the taxi and enters the doctor's office, looking around for the man. When he finally makes eye contact with the doctor, he rushes towards him. "There you are!" he exclaims. "I have been looking for you!" The doctor leads him through a door labeled "Authorized Personal Only," where they turn to an almost empty room and step inside. "Sit in the Pilot Seat so we can get this over with." the doctor says. "I will strap you in."