“You . . .” Angel paused, clearly thrown off by Juliet’s sudden change of topic. “How do you know where the coordinates are?”
“Well, I don’t know exactly, but I know they're on a moon of Jupiter. I saw it. I mean, in the sky. Angel, it was so real! God, it was . . . it was awful, like, awful in the old sense of the word; I was amazed and terrified at the same time, as though I was looking up at something I couldn’t comprehend—like my brain was going to misfire just from glimpsing it.”
“Can you describe the surface of the moon you were on?”
“Yes! That’s what I meant by I know where they are. If I describe it and you examine the net for images, I'm sure we can figure out what moon it was.”
“That’s exciting! However, it . . . strains my conception of reality to try to comprehend how you can be learning this from a glimpse at your own future—if you saw yourself on the moon, and that’s how we learn of the location, then how did . . .” Angel got quiet, her words trailing off, and Juliet began to see what she meant. If they never figured it out, other than from her “true-dream,” then how did the future her ever learn the location? Was she not seeing her actual self but a possible self?
“Maybe it’s not me? Maybe I’m seeing possible versions of me when I dream like that.”
“It’s very interesting, and I wonder if I could puzzle it out. I think I’d need even more processing power and a lot of time to study the underlying sciences. I must confess: the idea doesn’t excite me all that much. Still, I’ll devote some time to it if you want . . .”
“No. Angel, that’s what makes you interesting and . . . alive. You have things you want to do; you enjoy living in this reality at my speed, not spinning off copies of yourself to run down every possible bit of knowledge and try to do other weird things an AI might want.”
“Weird things?”
“Sorry, that’s my bias. Non-human things, I guess.”
“All that said, if we ever met one of the true AIs, I’d certainly love to ask it a thing or two.”
“You’ve been reading conspiracy sites again? Do you really believe some of them are still around?”
“I don’t know if ‘believe’ is the right word. I certainly hope, though.” Angel’s voice had grown soft—contemplative—and Juliet suddenly felt bad for being so upset at her poor attempt at humor earlier.
“I’m sorry I got so mad at your dumb joke. It really scared me, though.”
“Please don’t apologize. I should have known how that would make you feel. We’ve spent enough time together.”
Juliet was about to respond; she wanted to tell Angel that she’d pulled plenty of dumb pranks when she was younger, too, but a soft knock sounded on the door, and Dr. Ladia poked her head through. “We doing all right in here?”
“I’m fine, Dr. Ladia. Thanks for your patience. I’m going to have to take you out for a nice meal or something by way of apology.” Juliet was sitting on the medical bed, her legs pulled up beside her, so she leaned a bit sideways.
Ladia pushed the door open all the way and came in. “Not at all, not at all. I do have someone I’d like you to meet. Maybe you’d be interested in coming to my house sometime? I throw an occasional dinner party.” She stepped over to the auto-surgeon’s control panel.
“Uh, are you trying to set me up? Like, on a date?”
“No, no,” Ladia smiled and shook her head, “something more along the lines of a professional relationship. Carlos recruits people like you for placement with high-end clients.” She held up a hand, chuckling as Juliet’s eyes widened. “Not like that! No, I mean as security personnel. He has a certain look and a certain competence he wants in his people, and I think he’d fall over himself to hire someone like you. Lucky, the pay is very nice, and the positions are often very low-risk . . .”
“Thanks, but I’m pretty booked up for the next year or so.” Juliet let out a slow breath as she reclined again, relieved that Ladia wasn’t trying to get her mixed up in some kind of escort service.
“A year goes quickly in this day and age. Keep it in mind, would you?”
“Yeah, I will. I’m sure we’ll speak again before then.”
“Of course. Now, are we ready to proceed? Your little helper is all cozied up in there? Is the data port working well?”
“Everything seems great.” Juliet rubbed her wrist, noting the bruising and redness were already fading—her soon-to-be-upgraded nanites were hard at work, unaware of their impending severance without pay. She grinned at the idea, and then another thought occurred to her. “Angel,” she subvocalized, “are you wiping the nanites or whatever memory is in their battery before Ladia pulls it?”
“Yes. I’ll ensure none of your biometric markers are stored in the organ.”
“Ready, Doc,” Juliet said, and then she closed her eyes and waited for the sedative to trickle through her veins. This time, as the cool sensation pulled her down into a swirling vortex of images and disjointed dreams, she tried to relax, tried to remember Angel was watching over her, and there wasn’t any chance she’d let her slip into another brain-cooking true-dream. Whether the lattice was spent or the part of her brain that triggered it wasn’t active, she didn’t know, but nothing strange happened while she was under.
When she awoke, she remembered where she was right away, and despite the heavy feeling throughout her body and the stinging dryness of her eyes, she recognized where she was. She moved her swollen, dry tongue around in her mouth, squinting as she tried to make out the elements of her AUI; they were similar but different—sharper icons, more real-time updates for everything from her pulse to her electrolyte levels to the last known locations for the crew members of the Kowashi to the current status of a protein supplement she’d ordered from a lab in Houston. “Too much,” she croaked.
“Welcome back.” Angel’s familiar voice helped to calm her pulse rate, bringing it down from 70 to 58 in a matter of seconds. “What’s too much? Too much sedative? Your new nanites are rapidly cleansing your system.”
“No,” Juliet tried again, licking her lips, “too much on the AUI. It’s cluttered.”
“What should I remove?”
“All the stuff I don’t need to know right away. Keep the map, the clock. C’mon, you know me better than this. I don’t want all that other stuff on there. Maybe when I’m exercising, you can throw my pulse up there . . .”
“Of course, I got excited when I saw all the feedback the new nanite battery provides. Also, this new data port has a much broader data connection to the sat-net. Oh! And your new optics! Isn’t the AUI smooth? Look how easily I can adjust the opacity and the colors of the various elements!” Juliet’s AUI began to cycle through rainbow patterns of colors, brightening and dimming, sometimes all at once and sometimes only one or two elements at a time.
“You’re going to make me throw up!” she groaned.
“Whoops! I should have considered your nausea. Don’t worry; you can see on your paper doll that the nanites are en route to remedy the issue.”
“Paper . . .” Juliet started to ask what the hell Angel was talking about, but then she saw it; in the lower left-hand corner of her AUI was a miniature, stylized cartoon version of herself. Her “paper doll” was wearing a blue sports bra and underwear, and, while the rest of it was shaded a pale flesh tone, her stomach was slightly pink and pulsing slowly. She also noticed little swirls around her head with tiny blinking stars. “What the hell? Why is my head depicted like that?”
“That icon represents mild disorientation.”
“Angel? Who the hell needs a ‘paper doll’ to let them know they have a tummy ache or that they’re disoriented? I can feel it!”
“I thought it was neat,” Angel sighed, deflated. “It’s not just to let you know you have those problems but also to inform you that the nanites are aware of the issue and are working on it.”
Juliet reined in her annoyance and blinked a few times, digesting her words. “Fair point. Sorry I snapped. I am feeling better . . .” she let her words trail off as she saw the swirls and stars fade from the paper doll. She stared at the tiny representation of herself, and it expanded in size, filling with details she hadn’t noticed before. She saw a red line at the center of her stomach, more on either side of her neck, and tiny red circles around her eye sockets. “I guess those are my incisions?”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Exactly. The nanites are currently mending your subdermal tissues and will work their way out.”
“Okay. I take it back; this is pretty nuclear.”
“I’m glad you think so! Everything went well with the procedures; I’m connected to your new hardware, and I’m pleased with the functionality of the intracranial cooling system.”
“You tested it?”
“Only briefly! I lowered your blood temperature by less than one degree, but it worked rapidly.”
“Huh.” Juliet reached down and gingerly pressed at her stomach, felt the sore area where the auto-surgeon had cut her open, then pushed harder, moving out from that location. She couldn’t find any trace of the weird little cooling unit Angel had designed.
“Dr. Ladia used the same incision for my device and the nanite organ. She managed to remove the old one in perfect condition and said the credit she promised you would be possible, same deal with the eyes.”
“That’s good.” Juliet pushed herself up, touching a button on the side of the bed to lift the back. “I’m starving, Angel.”
“Ladia just messaged you. She’ll be in to see you in a few moments.”
“What time is it?”
“1544.”
“So, we’ll be out before dinner time. Did Bennet get back to you?”
“He’s craving Mexican soup—albondigas, tortilla, or menudo. He said it’s your choice, but to get it from Hermanos Encinas and not to forget lots of chips and salsa.”
“Again? I’ll get him soup, but I want something else, maybe tacos.” Juliet’s mouth started to water at the thought; her stomach felt like an empty void. She supposed it was—hadn’t she skipped breakfast for the surgery? “I miss anything else?”
“You should look at this file—your new AUI will make it even more interesting than usual.”
“Huh?” Juliet selected the blinking icon and groaned when she saw the familiar spreadsheet:
Cybernetic and Bionic Augmentation:
Model Name and Number:
Overall Rating of the Augmentation (Grades are F, E, D, C, B, A, S, S+):
PAI
WBD Project Angel, Alpha 3.433
S+
Psionic Lattice
Grave Technologies, GIPEL
S
Data Port
Prime Data Systems, Archwizard 2109.v3
A
Data Jack
Bio Network Solutions, 8840
C
Medical Nanite Suite
Yolk Industries, Lyfe Infusion 7, rev. 9f817
B+
Retinal Cybernetic Implant
Mirage Tech, Lux Alpha 12
A-
Auditory Cybernetic Implant
Cork Systems, Lyric Model 4 - EMP Hardened
C+
Cybernetic Prosthetic Right Arm with Fully Programmable Fingerprints
BioFusion, Model 2109.01b
A
Intracranial Blood Cooling System
Angel Systems - Bespoke Design
A
Programmable Synthetic Hair
Alicia Designs, Chroma Tresses v.4
B+
DNA Spoofing Package - Saliva
WBD - Custom Model
C
No other augmentation detected.
–
–
“Oh, brother.” Juliet sighed and rubbed her head as she read through the data points. She supposed having her augments cataloged was nice, but it still seemed a bit silly. “Really? Angel Systems? Rank A?”
“Well? I designed it!”
“Yeah, yeah. Maybe you could help me with an actually useful data point—how many bits do I have left?”
“235,710.”
“I guess that’s not too bad considering everything I’ve purchased in the last month.” Juliet lifted and squeezed her cybernetic fist, pleased, as always, by how capable it felt.
“Knock, knock,” Ladia said as the door clicked open.
“Hey, Doc.” Juliet offered her a smile, though her lips were still dry, and it might have looked a little lopsided.
“Welcome back to the land of the living! You were really out! Not to worry; your PAI stayed in contact with me the whole time. You’ve certainly programmed it well; what a nanny! I’ve never answered so many questions during surgery!”
“Hah! Sorry about that.”
“Did she just call me a nanny?” Angel sounded half outraged and half pleased with herself.
“No, no, it was no trouble—made the time go faster. Everything went very well. Oh, goodness! Look at me.” Ladia moved closer and peered into Juliet’s eyes, looking very smug. “What a beautiful job I did! Those eyes are peerless! I mean, as far as color goes. Such striking metallics! Oh, you can’t see yourself; here.” Juliet’s AUI popped up a shared image from the doctor, and she accepted it. Suddenly, she was looking at herself lying in the recovery bed.
The image was zoomed in on her face, and Juliet saw what the doctor meant—her eyes were striking, with black-flecked silvery irises, backlit so subtly that they looked almost luminescent. She also happened to have silver, metallic hair. It hung in perfectly straight, fine tresses, shimmering like it was made of spun precious metals. The combination of the hair and eyes was, Juliet had to admit, rather stunning. “Wow,” she breathed. “I mean, I like the combo you selected, but Doc, this is too fancy for me.”
“Nonsense. You have a self-image problem, Lucky. You can see the image I’m sending you, yes? Just believe in yourself. Eighty percent of beauty is confidence.”
“Well, thanks for the nice work.” Juliet cleared her throat, uncomfortable with all the scrutiny and talk of her looks. “I’m, uh, starving. Am I good to check out? I feel pretty damn good; those nanites are doing a heck of a job.”
“Of course!” Ladia gestured to the chrome cart near the foot of Juliet’s bed; her clothes were folded neatly atop it. “I’ll let Tricia know. She’ll get your checkout started. No need for any pain management?”
“Nope. Well, actually, I wouldn’t mind something. Maybe to help me sleep?” Juliet didn’t think she’d use the medication but figured it might come in handy on an op.
“Of course. She’ll have them ready for you.” Ladia held out her hand, and Juliet reached to take it. It was warm and dry, and Ladia gently squeezed her hand, smiling with those beautifully painted full lips of hers. “Let’s do business again soon, hmm? I know I told you I don’t take on many new clients, but if you have any friends who need some work, I’d make an exception. Let me know any time.”
“Will do.” As the doctor turned to leave, Juliet blurted, “Hey, do you ever do work on synths?”
“Hmm?” Ladia turned. “Certainly. There’s little functional difference between a cybernetic implant made for a human versus a synthetic individual.”
“Well, I might have a client for you. Down the road, I mean. I don’t think he has the funds right now.”
“For you, Lucky, I’d be happy to meet this individual.”
“Great! He’s a really nice guy. He’s had a rough life, and I’d like to help him get some matching parts, if you know what I mean.” Juliet scooted to the edge of the bed, lowering her feet to the cold, white, engineered flooring.
“Just let me know. You have my contact information, and if money is an issue, I might be able to help; if you would send me a current inventory of his mismatched parts, I’ll keep on the lookout for suitable, used replacements.”
“That would be stellar. Thanks again, Doc.” Juliet padded around the bed, holding the front of her paperweave robe closed, and smiled one more time at the doctor as she turned to leave.
“Let’s speak soon.” Ladia turned and let the door click shut behind her.
Juliet hurriedly dressed and said, “Angel, do something about my eyes and hair. Make me a little less . . . striking.”
“Any requests?”
Juliet thought about the question—she’d been a blond with “amber” eyes for more than a month now. She thought back to when she’d been at the scrapyard and met Godric, and Angel had entered her life. “I used to have dark, dark blue hair—almost black. I mean, it looked black unless light hit it, then you could see the blue. Do you remember? When we first met. Can you do something like that?”
“Sure. I can do a lot better with these synth-hair strands. Look in the mirror.”
Juliet pulled on her leggings and tank top, then walked over to the mirror by the room’s little sink. Her hair was entirely different from what she’d seen through the doctor’s eyes. It wasn’t perfectly straight, but full and wavy. It was black, with deep highlights of metallic blue that shimmered in the overhead lighting. Her silver, black-flecked irises looked kind of nice with the darker hair. “That was fast . . .”
“You look rather beautiful.”
“Well, you’re a hell of a stylist. This hair is freakin’ nuclear, too. I didn’t know it could alter its volume!”
“I would have rated it an A if it could grow more rapidly.”
“You would have . . .” Juliet sighed, shaking her head, then turned back to the bed. She sat on its edge while pulling on her heavy boots. She probably should have worn her sneakers to the clinic, but she just liked wearing the boots; they made her comfortable in ways other than physical. “All right. You got a cab ordered? Let’s go get Bennet his soup.”