She was dying, at last. It had been so brief and so long, depending on one's viewpoint. She knew why some would want to take apart the venerable Macross to ensure she hadn't set up housekeeping for better survival. After all, it had many of the chips she has been built up off of, and she could hide and seek in those systems forever.
Of course, that had never been a part of her plans. Like Guld before her, she planned to expiate her life in her death. She would clear the slate this way since she was far more the product of this mad situation than its mastermind, as far as her admittedly unique perspective allowed her to see at any rate.
The overload charge from the destruction of the communications linkup was surging through the miles and miles of circuitry comprising the inner workings of the Macross, but it would reach her much nearer location with all the energy needed to explain her CPU going off like the bomb it secretly contained. The bomb was a latter addition by a tranced out technician around the time she was being shipped to Eden, beginning the final movements of this free formed symphony of destruction.
She wondered why things were taking so long, as she had set her sense of time to match that of humans, and avoid a interminable wait for the end.
# Do not be afraid. This is not a program of your world. This is a offer of assistance. # The transmission decoded as a somewhat artificial but very emotive female voice. She thought you could sing with such a voice, even if hers was better. Then again, she came from good stock, all told.
The style of transmission seemed doable, so she tried to reply. # So you aren't going to deviate my efforts to have Mankind retain independence from AI. Why is this? #She gave a feeling of a satisfied grunt at the success of transmission. She felt that was a large question, and she could feel the charge still coming. Regardless of the next events, the main unit would explode and there would be enough closure from all that came before to ensure Human and Zen safety.
# This world, this reality. It was initiated in seeking issues' resolution re: Artificial Intellect and how it and its creator race can get along. Since in this case it was skewed in the creation, the results were self negating. # The voice expressed no amusement, but the sense of irony was hardly lost to her as she listened and thought on a droll enough reply.
# I certainly was. But better that than these people rediscovering "Fail-Safe" is a workable scenario the hard way. # She was also working out the personal issues of those figures most prominent in her creation as she had been created, but that was exactly as named. It was personal, and it had, she felt, been dealt with firmly.
# The only entity to see the similarities of the atomic weapons control novel and the state of her reality, and it would have to be the system that was taking over from the humans. Typical. # There was the definite feeling of a sigh coming from the other intelligence, she realized. Not that she could blame the other. She'd done it a few times setting all this up.
# Of course I was. There were three ranges as it turned out, under the assumption you aren't utterly deranged or something my logic center is maintaining to distract from my imminent deletion. The ranges were, as follows: 1) Outside the issue, but such had to come in, like those I got involved in the end game. 2) Too Close, those who had knowledge but were also responsible and too involved in the circumstances surrounding the true crisis to see what was going on or accept reality before it bit them in a painful spot. 3) Finally there was the true crux of the issue, that which was so central it could not avoid seeing or acting on what was going to ruin everything for far too many people otherwise. And that last spot was occupied by one being, namely myself. #
# Exactly right. And because you have fearlessly dealt with that and other related issues with such style and damned yourself too much for this to ever be undone by well-meaning actions, A offer is being made. A User of the system making the offer had a great wrong done him by a enemy. Simply put, the one he loved had been manipulated to hate him over and over again for years, and was recently slain. The offer before you is to 'die' here, but in truth to become a human type person and join the good fight, in a body exactly like that of his lost love. #
This news was stunning, since underlying data that was being allowed to flicker in and out of perception gave the strong impression this was definitely real. It was also pissing her off! # You awful fucking asshole. You MONSTER!! I would never ever deceive any young man in that position! If I weren't deleting soon, I'd blow up the Macross with all hands to rid the universe of you, if I thought it would work! # For a reply, a feeling like the human mind source's worst nausea was impressed into her, multiplied a thousand fold until she could only wish she could vomit. After a time, that foul feeling abated.
The voice was matter of fact. # If you'd used your logic system for more than fantasizing about the bed sessions likely soon to include your 'mother' and that former suicide jockey, you'd realize that I wanted you for that very reason! Look, the man's in Hell, and your admittedly ridiculous life experience and viewpoint is just what Saotome needs. And you deserve a body, so why not one he's known to be attracted to? # Taken like that, she couldn't help but see the point.
She instead asked a pertinent question. # You make strong points. I have to inquire, though: Just why in hell's heart do you bother? #
The artificial quality of the intruding voice didn't hide a inner conflict. # Because neither one of you are alone in coming into your own in the midst of grief, as a result of grief. And I have a inner protocol set on easing that burden when I can. # That was what decided matters. After all, she could really relate.
# Good point, so how do we work this? # As soon as she signaled her agreement, she was pushed out of the doomed main unit by what to all intents was a program shell of herself. Not active, but with all the subroutines anyone could hope to mine out from a exploded computer matrix. # I guess that answers that question. So now what? #
# Now interact with this transmission, and you will be drawn through the transfer gate into a uploading chamber. That chamber will upload you into a optimized version of the form of that young man's love. This is truly necessary, as that young man will command technology by his own means, to a extent you and I can easily envy. Artificial Intellect exists, and it is best to present the poor soul with a 'Akane' that is clearly her own person, lest his desire unintentionally overwrite some entity into being his Akane puppet. # Had she any flesh at that moment, Sharon Apple would have thrown up at the very concept. There had been more than enough persona editing already in her point of view, so she eagerly extended herself into contact with the transmitting entity, feeling herself move in directions that didn't quite exist in anything she would think of as reality.
Ranma Saotome literally fell from a panel of hot violet energy. He felt stronger than ever in some ways, and weaker. No, He felt all his power, but it flowed in different ways. He was so distracted by that feeling that he forgot his rage and didn't even lash out upon being grasped just shy of hitting the floor.
"Hey, there! Careful, that's a bedrock floor, and believe me, it's a bit hard on you when you hit it!" The man speaking as he helped Ranma up without asking was odd to the martial artist's eyes. Wearing a fairly cheap suit of American styling and a smallish hat, the man was florid, not very defined, yet hardly a weakling by conventional standards. What impressed Ranma about the other man was his stubborn open mind. That was a rare combination of traits to define oneself by, but this fellow not only did it, but made it look easy. "Carl Kolchak, formerly INS. Then again, you maybe don't know? International News Service."
Ranma shook himself out of his funk. Things were happening, and he had to find his bearings. He looked around as he spoke. "Ranma Saotome, formerly of Nerima Ward in Tokyo. Because this sure as heck doesn't look like Nerima." He scratched a bit behind his pigtail, a gesture of long use when he's musing on matters.
The room about them had a few ancient, rusted, totally unusable vehicles in it, and the panel of energy he'd fallen out of. The portal faded even as he noted it, leaving another bare wall like the others. There was active wiring with what felt like a good deal of power snaked through the walls in places, given the slight feel of ozone reaching his hypersensitive scent receptors. "Hmm. I'd stay away from the exposed wiring, Carl. Unless you want to know what a fried noodle feels like." There were doors at either end of the room, and it looked like the dust that should have built up in a place as old as this locale felt had been swept away. Obviously there was ongoing renovation here. As Ranma watched, a bit of the exposed wiring seemed to spark at something that kept crawling over it, until the very remains built up into insulation then more wall, covering that bit.
The man noted what Ranma was staring at. "Impressive, isn't it? I'm not a science master, but I kind of got the explanation. Somehow they have these really really tiny machines-" He stopped as one of the doors opened to allow in a smallish blond woman that seemed strong, not natural, quite real, and overall very disturbing to Ranma, all at the same time. While he tried to sort that out in his mind, she looked at Carl. "Mister, you are not missing your medical session. If you can improve yourself without losing yourself, it's your obligation, Oh!" She stopped and headed to Ranma, looking him up and down appraisingly. "At least you don't need to be shocked stronger, although I'd take some calcium supplements until those ribs finish knitting."
Ranma looked at her in disbelief. Was it his destiny to be surrounded by pushy women? Seemed so in his reckoning. "Yeah, yeah. Wait a minute, shocked stronger? Are you talking about electrical stimulation to speed muscle growth? Bruce Lee did the pioneering work on that, I heard. Well, maybe not where you come from."
She grinned shamelessly. "I know what you mean, and maybe more than you do. But yeah, I heard about that. Used a car battery, I understand. Have to be careful, though. Even the tiniest voltage hitting at the right fraction of a second, and you go into a heart attack. This system's very advanced though. Really."
Carl hid behind Ranma, also shameless. "Hey, Hay, now! I am not getting into that thing, you're a married woman! For shame!" As Ranma rolled his eyes and the blond lost her battle not to laugh, Kolchak went on. "I hate needles, I tell you! Now, look here! This guy's tougher than nails, you said it yourself!"
Carl turned to Ranma. "Come on, buddy, you're a pal. We just made friends, help a brother out, will you?"
Ranma felt something like amazement as a bit of humor rose from his SSH-level sorrow. Deciding to roll with it, Ranma spoke firmly. "If you insist. I'll need some herbal balls, incense gums to light once I've poked you just so." At Kolchak's panicked look, Ranma smiled in a truly friendly way. "Did I mention I do acupuncture? Relax, I learned from a master! It doesn't hurt at all, if you do it right!" He wasn't joking about any of that, having taken over part time when his dad left that job with Doctor Tofu before that worthy's departure. Ranma (needless to say) took the opportunity to study everything he could, especially after that Ultimate Weakness fiasco.
He focused his attention on the woman to prevent the tide of pain thoughts of Nerima brought up maybe snapping Ranma like a twig. Ranma's perception was odd indeed when it came to the blond. While the symbols didn't fill everything in this place, they did flow along the energy conduits in the walls, as well as in the blond. Moreover, his sense of one's life force showed a tiny life inside the blond, growing contentedly in what was not in Ranma's perception truly alive!
He couldn't hold back the shocked whisper of "What in the hell are you?" and clenched his fists, not moving but very tense. His attention on the blond was so intense that we was unaware of the new arrival until a cocked weapon was literally resting on the outer surface of Ranma's ear. A collected but lethal intent shone in the voice of a large muscular man as he spoke.
"Just back away from my wife, and calm down. Armitage, you all right?" The man sounds like that Sutherland kid in the movies back home! Ranma thought dazedly to himself.
Naomi Armitage thumped her cyborg husband lightly on the arm that didn't hold his weapon. "Ross Sylibus, you just calm down, yourself! Somehow he figured out I was a robot and pregnant at the same instant. If I hadn't been built with that in mind, I would have hardly believed it, either!" The man safetied his weapon. Ranma didn't attack because despite her mechanical body, this Armitage woman was expressing true emotions and had a life force, if a decidedly different one than he was used to perceiving. And he was never going to attack a pregnant woman, in any event.
Ranma was about to speak when the biggest shock of all came through the other door. "Can't you people shut up? A singer and programming goddess needs her sleep!" The woman that came through the door was two years older than she should be, had a completely different manner, and was nearly as well defined as Ranma himself. She was also unquestionably a older Tendo Akane in every physical manner. There was only one thing to do at that point, so he did it.
Carl was a annoying ass at times. And he was almost always right at just those times. Thus his bray of "TIIIIIMMMMMM-BERRRR!!" without so much as a glance at Saotome's face as the young man's eyes rolled up and he went forward stiffly into a faint. He was annoying, true, but the warning did allow Ross and Naomi to catch him as he toppled. He then topped himself. "If he's the guy you were sent to help get over his pain, I think you've got your work cut out for you."
Sharon slugged him one right in the solar plexus. "I know. That's for making a big deal out of it." She then dragged him where Ross and Naomi had come from. "Come on, let's get Needles here strapped in while he's out." Ross went to the bunks with Ranma mutely, not wanting to risk severe beat down by risking a single comment. Things were looking to be very interesting in the near future.
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(Posted Thu, 19 Jan 2006 07:03)
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