Rei's sonar "vision"

As you are well aware, toward the end of Part 1 of Rome's Revolution, Rei Bierak was given a yellow pill to fix his back pain. OMCOM "forgot" to mention to Rei that there were to be other side effects. One of the changes in Rei's body was the creation of an EM-based "cellphone" in his head which allowed Rei to communicate first with MINIMCOM the later with Rome over long distances.

Another effect was that a neural net connected Rei's auditory cortex to his visual cortex and created another mechanism for Rei to "see" even in complete darkness. This is actually superior to the method of echolocation used by bats. Bats have an advanced auditory cortex which produces the findings they need to locate and ingest insects which are their primary source of food.

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OMCOM wired Rei's brain so that this sonar-vision would only kick in when Rei's eyes were closed. In fact, in the cane-tree woods of Deucado, that was when Rei first discovered he had this new power. It allowed him to detect the Deucadons moving through the woods even hidden by their invisibility cloaks. He later use this power to help himself and Rome race down the lava tube within Kilauea in the pitch black. It also allowed Rei to discover the hidden chamber which eventually led to uncovering MASAL's lair.

The one downside of this, of course, is that it would prevent Rei from ever sleeping. As soon as he closed his eyes, his sonar-vision would kick in and he would "see" as well as if his eyes were open. Luckily, OMCOM thought this through and Rei's sonar-vision only kicks in when his head is upright at higher than a 45 degree angle. When he lays down, even when his eyes close, the sonar-vision remains off and he can sleep peacefully.