Mind & Machine C.39

Chapter — 39

As it turned out, the Samurai System had nothing to say, which was somewhat strange. It hadn't even recognized her new cyberware yet, but Rei had a theory as to why this was.

Now alone — not counting any visible and invisible cameras — Rei forced the influence of [Merciless] from her thoughts. It didn't cause any panic as it left her, but visceral disgust from the memories of the surgery still left her somewhat dizzy. She didn't feel the need to puke, though, sufficiently acclimated to blood and guts as she'd become after her many arena fights where such things were commonplace.

To distract herself from nausea and what she thought was the slowly building dissonance from having more cyberware, she set her mind to work on the coding of her Luminous Mark IV.

***

After four hours of Rei reviewing the software for her cybernetic eyes with [Data Analytics] and writing segments of code to replace specific parts while keeping them separate in her cyberdeck's internal memory, she was finally proven correct.

「Samurai System:
Alteration to physical vessel analyzed.

Recalibrate nanite structure?
(Yes / No)」

「Notice:
[2] new additions have been added to the [Implants] tab.」

As I thought, there was only a delay. It seems the System needed time to analyze it, and was probably hampered by my not being completely healed. Had I activated [Self-Repair] or slept, it would no doubt have been completed much faster.

Perhaps influenced by her adamant desire to have an option when to initiate the recalibrations, or maybe only because the notification was the less ornate 'Samurai System Notification,' she had a choice whether to recalibrate or not.

It feels good not having to mentally strain to keep it at bay, but I should probably not select 'No.' I just want to delay it, not refuse it.

Therefore, Rei ignored the notification and opened her status sheet to examine the new additions.

「Takeda Rei:

Level: 4 [2800 / 5000 Experience]

Body: 12 (16)
Mind: 13
Ego: 10

Perks: [...]
Skills: [...]

Implants:

[Neural Link]
Model: Cogmeld Link V6
Maker: Novum Industries
Description: Fast and intuitive neural link bridging the gap between the mind and the digital. Next-gen deep-learning algorithms to streamline thought processes into action.

[Eyes]
Model: Luminous Mark IV
Maker: Ghanhina Augments Corp.
Description: High-definition vision with mesh scanning capabilities. Customizable sclera/iris color and luminosity.

[Ears]
Model: Kosher Aug. Rend. 1
Maker: Demorama Tech
Description: Crystal clear sound with increased control of volume. Automatic dampening on damage-inducing sounds, such as gunshots.

[Cyberdeck]
Model: Mesh Herald 2 (Modified)
Maker: Singularity Systems Inc.
Description: A top-of-the-line cyberdeck with excellent processing speed and RAM. Great stability during operation. Caution is advised if put under heavy load for a prolonged length of time without an external cooling system.
WARNING: Tracker installed.

[Core]
Model: Soulflame Core Mark IX
Maker: Solaris Corp.
Description: Miniature fusion reactor powering any and all cyberware. Remains operational for an average of ten to fifteen years (earth standard) according to load.」

[Data jack]
Model: Bitflow 1
Maker: Singularity Systems Inc.
Description: Simple yet efficient data jack. Significant bandwidth and easy to extend or retract before or after use.

[Legs]
Model: Gazelle Steps v3 (Black)
Maker: Augur Augments Inc.
Description: Matte black cybernetic legs replacing everything from the toes up to the glutes with powerful servos and robust plasteel.

[Hair]
Model: Hue Strands V2 (Wavy)
Maker: Cosmec Corp.
Description: Synthetic hair and scalp that allows for color customization and slow regrowth of lost hair at will. Looks and feels similar to natural hair.

Perk Points: 0
Skill Points: 4」

These are pretty bare-bones descriptions, but they aren't wrong. There's nothing fancy about my new cyberware, after all.

As I expected, [Body] is now split into two parts, with the number inside the parenthesis representing my relative strength with my new physical cyberware while the number before represents my actual progress inside the System.

To raise it, I'll have to make these new legs of mine as familiar to me as my old organic ones were.

The additions to her status sheet were neat, and it was good to know that the System had found nothing amiss with her new implants. Still, she refocused on her programming to take her mind off the irritation and feeling of wrongness growing inside her mind as her body slowly healed around the new cybernetic additions.

After nearly eight hours of waiting, with River not having come to look in on her — no doubt feeling reassured by the data being supplied through her neural link — Rei finally decided to change the actual software of her eyes.

The software was complex, but it wasn't a challenge for Rei. Her slow speed in reviewing it and programming had mainly been to keep her cyberdeck running on low power, not wanting to start producing vast amounts of heat that any sensors could pick up on.

Working with code when not actually inside the mesh with her whole consciousness was different as it was much more like programming in front of a display. Rei didn't need an actual screen but could display something similar through the UI from her cyberdeck in her HUD if she wished to.

She did just that after copying the software from her eyes and doing her alterations, going over the software visually as she flicked between files and ensuring nothing was missed.

I think I've changed everything so as not to make my alterations crash the whole program.

Wanting to make sure, she recorded some footage of the clinic as seen through her eyes and artificially increased the framerate. Due to the still-in-place bandwidth limitations, it didn't make the footage any smoother, but it would serve as a good test.

When compiling the code and running the visual data from the recording through it, she was pleased when nothing crashed and no errors cropped up.

Without using the hardware, I cannot test how the mesh scanning feature will work with the increased visual bitrate, but I'll just have to risk it.

Rei went into her cybernetic eyes and shut them down, her vision disappearing. She copied the functioning software into her cyberdeck's internal memory and inserted her modified version.

With some minor apprehension, she initiated the booting sequence, panic spiking during the half-second it took for her eyes to go online.

What if I didn't account for something, causing a cascading failure and ruining the hardware?

Luckily, that didn't happen, as vision returned as suddenly as it had disappeared.

Wow, there's definitely a difference.

Still clamped tight to the operating table, she couldn't move her head to check for any motion blur, and nothing was moving inside the clinic. What she could focus on were the many blinking LEDs on machines in her vision.

It wasn't as if she could see electricity move into the lights before they lit, but she could detect the tiniest duration when they brightened to full luminosity from darkness and then dimmed as they lost power. It was near instant, so the difference was minuscule, but she could tell.

I think it worked?

She would have to test it further when she could move again, but there was one more test she could conduct right there and then.

Rei didn't feel any strain on her mind at the increased bandwidth of data; her neural link and brain were sufficiently capable of interpreting it, but what if she added the information from scanning the mesh?

Here goes nothing.

Rei triggered the scan function, and as the many devices with open nodes lit up in a near-instant wave, she felt a spike of pain in her head. It wasn't severe, but she could tell that repeated scanning would leave her with a horrible headache.

It seems Ghanhina Augments Corp. wasn't wrong to limit the bandwidth to those without mental augmentation cyberware. I'll need to either get some of that for myself or increase [Mind].

With her lack of funds, increasing the attribute would have to be enough. She thought she was close as it was from all the programming she'd done.

Now what? I suppose I can do some more work on my daemons and software…

***

River returned after eleven hours of Rei slowly healing and programming in silence. She was growing a tiny bit hungry but wasn't particularly thirsty due to the nutrient fluids flowing into her through the tube. She did have to pee, but it wasn't at a breaking point yet.

"I think your tissues have healed enough for me to activate the cyberware now. I still wouldn't recommend putting any strain on it as there's still much healing left before you fully recover, but you should be able to move slowly without tearing yourself apart now," River said as he walked over.

When meeting Rei's eyes, he almost seemed relieved and added, "How do you feel?"

Rei took stock as she closed out of her programming before answering, "Except for the ever-growing irritation in my mind, I feel fine."

River removed the sheet covering her modesty as he said, "Hm, yes. It will get worse when I activate the cyberware as your nerves and neural link both get new data, but from all the cyberware you had in the past, you should be able to manage. Do tell me if it becomes too much, though, as I can simply shut it down again to give you a rest."

"Alright."

River proceeded to open a panel in her new hip before one of his metallic fingertips shifted to expose a data jack. He placed his hand inside her hip and held it there for a few seconds, his eyes flicking back and forth as he seemingly looked through something in his cybernetic eyes.

"There we go," he said, and Rei immediately felt the difference as he removed his hand and closed the black plasteel panel, the piece locking itself in place with a tiny click.

Rei was still on anesthesia, but all the same, she felt a shiver run up from the bottom of her stomach all the way up her spine — her nerves registering the presence of legs that weren't there before. Her neural link also began feeding data as the cyberware legs' node began transmitting and receiving input from her.

"Don't try to move yet. The clamps still hold you fast, and you need a few minutes to get used to the feeling."

Rei barely heard him as she battled against the much-increased sense of dissonance. To cope, she focused as much as possible on the digital data passing through her neural link and followed it to her new cybernetic legs.

There, she focused in on the node.

Like all the software running her new appendages, the mesh node was protected, but splicing her way inside was nearly effortless. They were older models, and hence, their ICE was likewise outdated.

Another reason the Pistons' defenses were inadequate was that their ICE was undoubtedly a generation behind, and they didn't think to manually upgrade it.

At least the gangers I met at the start didn't. However, their situation appears to have changed, as whoever is behind them gave them an upgrade.

Rei wouldn't fall into the same trap, and after splicing the node, she went to work, converting it into an sNode split from the public mesh and only connected to her neural link. Augur Augments Inc. wouldn't get any performance data from her, and no Meshmagi would target her cyberware directly. They would have to go through her neural link to get access.

She'd reinforce the ICE of the Gazelle Steps v3, too, just to be safe, but at a later date. The irritation plaguing her mind had begun to scatter her thoughts.

This can't be a normal level of rejection. I mean, many people have cybernetic leg and arm replacements, and they can't have felt this much dissonance from merely replacing some limbs, can they?

Rei would have thought herself pretty safe from such issues due to her [Mind] at 13, [Ego] at 10, and the [Cybernetic Adaptation] skill at 4.

She felt a full-body shiver run through her but tried to hide it as River was still looking over her closely.

Is it due to the System adapting the parts of my mind that were 'Agnes' to this new body during the coma, making all modifications seem even more alien?

Or is it simply because my [Ego] has reached 10?

Rei suddenly realized that the attribute reaching 10 could come with some negatives. She'd been slowly patching up the discrepancies between her memories and different personalities, melding them into a more cohesive whole during all the time she'd spent living as Takeda Rei.

She'd studied, trained, socialized, killed, and fucked, her personality solidifying as more and more experiences, both good and bad, glued her past and present together. That burgeoning solidity to her individuality was now making things worse, however.

It makes sense that perks such as [Adaptive] exist for the attribute, as that would have no doubt limited this rigidity toward sudden change.

Her mind slowly grew accustomed to interpreting the sensations through her nervous system and the data through her neural link, but that didn't lessen the alien feelings. There was one skill that would help, though, and Rei didn't want River to see how much she was struggling. He might decide she needed to get the cyberware off if he knew.

Fuck it. Why did I save those skill points if not to use them when needed?

「Skill Points: 4 → 2」

「Notice:
[Cybernetic Adaptation] skill level has increased.
Level: 4 → 6」

A wave of relief washed through her, and Rei couldn't help but relax muscles she hadn't felt herself tense. The irritation wasn't gone, but it had lessened enough that she felt safe from any adverse effects, even if she were to go into combat that second.

Should I add more points? No, I'll let myself adapt the rest of the way over time.

Her skill points may not be as crucial as perk points, but they were still a valuable resource for situations such as the one she'd just been in. When used strategically, it could make a huge difference.

"Have you gotten over the initial disorientation? Your body seems more relaxed."

"Yeah," Rei said, her tone tinged with relief.

"Good. Then I'll stop administering the anesthesia, and you can try moving your right foot up and down. Nothing else."

Without needing to ask, River called her, and Rei got to see her own legs. It was thrilling to Rei how her upper body still looked human while her lower half was now sleek, black plasteel. The legs may be outdated compared to the newest models, but that didn't mean it wasn't a marvel of technology.

Technology had been fused. The center of Rei's lower midsection was still organic, but the legs and hips were not. Inside support structures of plasteel held the joining together — the hipbone having been removed due to its inferior durability and strength.

If synth skin covered it, there would be no way to know it was cybernetic unless touched.

Rei did as he asked, seeing her foot move up and down as the neural link did most of the work of interpreting her desire for motion while her nervous system mainly remained a backup. She could also feel her foot shifting — her heel against the semi-soft padding of the operating table providing a minimum level of sensation.

That's somewhat freaky, but being unable to feel my legs at all would be even stranger.

It wasn't as sensitive as her skin had been but more generalized, and Rei chalked it up to pressure sensors supplying the data instead of millions of nerves. Synth skin would solve that issue, but she couldn't afford it and didn't want it for the moment.

I want to see how much less human I've become, but I'll probably have synth skin in the future. I don't want to end up looking like River, even though there are probably other solutions than synth skin when it comes to sensitivity.

Any future intimacy on her part would become somewhat strange if all she got in feedback was general applied pressure and not skin-to-skin contact.

"Good, now do the other foot."

Rei followed River's instructions as he guided her through simple foot movements. Then, he released the clamps holding her shins and let her move the rest of her legs slowly up and down in circles while he monitored the process.

Not feeling the stretching of muscles in her glutes was strange and increased the dissonance in her head somewhat, but with every passing moment, Rei got more used to it. Her legs were practically silent as the servos inside hummed softly — only heard due to the otherwise dead quiet inside the clinic and her above-human hearing.

After he was satisfied that everything seemed to be working correctly, the rest of the clamps holding her still released, and her back was slowly raised until she sat inclined.

"Does this mean we're done, and I can go home?"

River kept inspecting her, prodding some of the flesh around her new hips, which were bruised black and blue as they slowly healed. "I wouldn't recommend it, as you're only going to be able to put the smallest of strain on yourself before things start tearing."

"It will be fine. I'll only go home and then spend a few days slowly recuperating," Rei said, infusing her tone and body language with confidence.

River met her eyes before slowly nodding. "Alright. If you think it wise, then I won't object. I will never hold a patient against their will as long as they can leave my clinic's threshold without dying. Do be careful, though, little panda. This isn't a small change to get used to."

Rei smiled, excitement bubbling up inside her. "Thanks, doc! I'll be careful."

River smiled back before straightening and unplugging the cable going into her neural link. "If any issues should arise, either with symptoms of cyberpsychosis or just technical issues with the cyberware, do come by, or at least call me."

Rei nodded and ever so slowly shifted her position on the operating table, her legs moving to dangle beside it before she lowered her feet toward the ground.

There wasn't any pain even with the anesthesia now out of her system, but through [Pain Tolerance], Rei could still pick up on the micro-tears such simple movement caused where her flesh and cyberware connected.

Yeah, I definitely have to be careful.

Rei's footing felt steady, and she was at no risk of slipping, thanks to the silicone-like soles of her feet. There was also a lot more input of sensory data from her soles, making balancing easier.

Taking careful steps, Rei slowly shuffled toward the exit, her posture straightening as she became more comfortable with moving. However, the pressure kept shifting, causing some discomfort, but she didn't let it show on her face.

"You seem well enough to move — if slowly — so I guess I can let you go," River said with a soft snort.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll get better fast, don't you doubt it."

Putting on her pants and shoes was much harder than Rei could have imagined, but she ultimately managed it. The rest of her clothes and weapons went on easily, and it wasn't long until she left The River Clinic, waving goodbye to the Ripper Doc on her way out.

Immediately after she'd left, Rei reactivated [Self-Repair] — the minute damage she'd caused by moving and that which had yet to heal after the surgery starting to fix itself.

It should heal faster than I can damage it as long as I'm careful.

Rei didn't want to look like a weak, easy target, though, as who knew what filth lurked in an area as downtrodden as the one she moved through, and hence made an effort to keep her strides purposeful even if they were slow.

Perhaps due to her desire to convey danger and purpose, [Sovereign Aura] slowly manifested unprompted; Rei immediately noticing it as her thoughts and posture shifted further, the very air about her doing likewise.

Why do I need to fear these insects? They should be the ones fearing-

No, I can't think like that. I may be above them, but I'm temporarily weakened. They may not know it, but I do, so I can't let arrogance cloud my judgment.

The mental balancing she had to do to avoid letting the perk influence her more than necessary was taxing, but as she walked on through alleys, seeing the occasional lowlife or addict shy away from her, Rei became increasingly adept at reigning her thoughts back into reality.

Rei still felt superior — she knew she was — but could also recognize that she wasn't mentally or physically superior to everyone. That would come with time, but for now, she could direct the feeling of superiority toward her identity instead.

I'm Takeda Rei, the fusion between the first true AI and a prodigy Meshmagi. There are no limits to my potential; I'll show the world this in time when that potential has blossomed.

What is time for someone like me, anyway? I may not remember most of it, but the eons I've experienced are inscribed into my very soul.

Yes, time is all I need, and to ensure I get that time to grow undisturbed, I'll have to end the pesky gang and whoever is behind them. I'll only need to adjust to my bodily enhancements, and then I'll strike back.

She subconsciously changed her eyes to orange as they burned in the alleyway gloom, her hair shifting in a wave — going from root to tip — into a uniform gray as it cascaded down her back.

A cold smile lifted one corner of her mouth.

I'm coming for you, Pistons.