“I think it’s wonderful that I get to see both of you at once today!” Ladia exclaimed as she led Juliet and Aya into her office. “I appreciate you putting off our meeting—I hated rescheduling, but it gave me time to fabricate the nanites your research team sent over.”
Aya, leading the way behind the doctor, turned to grin and wink at Juliet. “It wasn’t any problem; we had plenty to do down Earthside. It was a nice excuse for a little more R and R.”
“Speak for yourself,” Juliet snorted. “My hands have callouses on their callouses.” The truth was that she hadn’t minded a couple of extra days with her sister, let alone Cassie and Brooke. Still, it was fun to complain, but Aya wasn’t having it.
“That’s bologna, Doc. Her hands were plenty calloused already, what with all her sword fighting.” Aya’s eyes flickered with exploding pink stars, indicating she was playing around.
“Sword fighting, Aya?” Juliet giggled, picturing herself as a medieval knight.
Aya shrugged. “What would you call it? Monoblade waving?”
“I mean, I guess you’re right, but we just call it Kendo—at least, Tanaka does.”
Aya shrugged, so Ladia took the opportunity to interject, “Well, in any case, I appreciated the time. I also appreciated the sheer genius of the scientists who came up with these nanites. Take a seat, and I’ll explain what I mean.” She gestured to the chairs in front of her desk, and as Juliet and Aya sat, Tricia came in to deposit a tray with three bubbling glasses of faintly orange-tinted liquid.
Tricia leaned close to Juliet as she walked by and whispered, “Mango—you’ll love it.” Then she was gone, her skirt swishing as she stretched her long legs toward the exit.
“So.” Ladia waved a hand at her desk, producing a hologram that displayed a faintly translucent humanoid figure with the many rivers and tributaries of its veins glowing in bright, illuminated detail. “There are a number of methods for helping pilots to cope with high G forces, but none so elegant as the one your researchers came up with.” Aya giggled again, and Juliet knew why; Athena had constructed an entire phony cybernetic research corporation to cover for her almost effortless design. Ladia peered at her with a faint smile. “Did I misspeak?”
“Don’t mind her, Iris,” Juliet sighed, reaching over to thump Aya’s shoulder. “I’m sure if Aya and I were in school together, we’d be separated immediately.”
“Ah, I see. An inside joke. No worries, my dears.” She grinned and winked. “Professor Ladia will allow you to remain as lab partners.” She pointed to the holographic model again. “As I was saying, there are many ways to help mitigate G forces, from synthetic arteries and vessels to cybernetic blood pumps. Your team, however, has come up with something better. It’s a two-stage process and not nearly as invasive as some of the ‘better’ solutions I had on offer before.”
"In the first stage of the upgrade, I’ll introduce nanites into your bloodstream—the ones designed by your team. Their purpose is to seek out and reinforce the major vessels and arteries throughout your body. As they circulate, they’ll begin weaving a bio-synthetic lattice around the walls of those vessels. The resulting structure will strengthen and support your vascular system, making it more resilient to the extreme pressures and forces you’ll experience during high-G maneuvers.
“The reinforced vessels will be less likely to rupture or collapse under stress, ensuring that your blood continues to flow smoothly even when your body is under extreme strain. More importantly, it will allow those same vessels and arteries to remain flexible and pliant when rigidity is not called for. This phase is crucial for laying the groundwork for the next stage of the upgrade."
“Next stage?” Juliet prompted, watching as the image slowly rotated, showing an animation of swarms of brightly colored dots flowing through the vessels and arteries.
Ladia nodded. "Yes, once your vessels are reinforced, we move on to the second stage: the installation of clenching valves around your major arteries. The valves are advanced micro-devices controlled by a module that will integrate with your PAI, allowing your management software to contract and release them in response to your body’s needs. They’ll be strategically placed around key arteries, including those leading to the brain, to control the flow of blood with precision.
“During high-G maneuvers, the clenching valves will activate to temporarily restrict blood flow to certain areas, preventing blood from pooling in your extremities or overwhelming sensitive organs like your brain. For example, when pulling high Gs, the valves will tighten to keep blood from draining too quickly from your head, reducing the risk of blacking out. Conversely, if blood pressure spikes in your brain, the valves can restrict flow to protect against redding out.
“Isn’t it brilliant? The two-stage approach ensures that your vascular system is not only reinforced but also intelligently regulated! I . . . " Ladia smiled and reached for her glass, taking a sip, perhaps to gather her thoughts. “I wish you’d consider allowing me to sell this product.” As she set the glass down, she hastily added, “Only to select clients, mind you!”
“Um,” Juliet hadn’t anticipated a proposal like that. “Let us talk to the research team. They designed this as a favor, and I’m not sure they want it on the market.” She paused, shrugged, and then smiled. “Maybe, though!”
“I’ll look forward to hearing back on that, then.” Ladia waved a hand toward the hologram. “The important takeaway from all this is that the procedure is much less invasive than I’d feared, the results will be better than we’d hoped, and I can have everything completed in under an hour. I’ll inject the nanites and install the clenching valves—a simple matter of having the autosurgeon perform some laparoscopic incisions. With a little bonding agent to seal those up, you’ll be up on your feet and on your way with very little recovery time needed.”
Juliet looked at Aya, and she nodded. “Sounds good to us, Iris. Can you do it right away?”
As Ladia nodded, Aya stood and put her hands on her hips, twisting slightly as she grimaced. Juliet knew her back was bothering her; she’d tweaked a muscle helping Bennet lift some extrusion canisters into the utili-tractor the day before.
“Iris, do you have a good medical nanite suite available? I’d like to buy one for Aya as an early birthday present.”
“Lucky!” Aya narrowed her eyes. “That’s too much!”
“It’s not.” Juliet put her arm around Aya’s narrow shoulders, pulling her against her hip. “I want you ready to go whenever I am. I can’t have you laid up with muscle spasms. Ask Hector—he can direct a good medical nanite suite to fix all kinds of little issues like that.”
“It’s true,” Ladia added. “Medical nanites can ensure proper mineral and electrolyte balances. They can stimulate nerves, regulate hormones, even—well, I’ll just say that they’re not just for fixing cuts.” When Juliet looked her way and nodded, Ladia’s eyes glazed over as she perused something on her AUI.
Meanwhile, Aya whispered, “Lucky, I already owe you enou—”
“You owe me nothing!” Juliet squeezed her shoulders tighter. “I do what I do for you. Well, I mean, people like you. You’re the part of the human race that makes up for folks like Gentry and the creeps plotting to profit from her wars.”
Aya opened her mouth, but at that moment, Ladia snapped her fingers. “I have just the thing, Lucky. VitalCore came out with a new model last month. It’s a little spendy, but it’s nearly as capable as the Cybergen one you have.”
“Perfect.” Juliet grinned, still squeezing Aya against her side.
“It’s two hu—”
“I said, ‘Perfect,’ Doc.” Juliet arched her eyebrows.
“Excellent! Well, ladies? Shall we?” Ladia motioned for them to follow as she strode for the door.
By then, Aya had stopped resisting Juliet’s affection and had snaked her arm around her waist, so it was arm-in-arm that they followed Ladia to her operating theater. Once there, Ladia directed them to adjoining changing rooms where they could slip into the provided operating gowns. As Juliet changed, she subvocalized, “I won’t be sedated at all, right?”
“No, Ladia will work with your nanites to minimize the sensation of the laparoscopic surgeries,” Angel replied.
“All right. What was the total bill with Aya’s nanites?” Juliet hadn’t been lying—the money wasn’t a concern, but she wanted to know what she had left to work with after all her homestead and cybernetic investments.
“Ladia’s invoice shows the nanites and clenching valves—installed—will cost 68,999 Sol-bits, and Aya’s VitalCore “Perfection Drive 22” is listed at 283,111 Sol-bits. After those expenses, your Sol-bit balance is 5,758,982.” Juliet’s eyes bulged a little at the cost of the nanite battery she’d just bought her friend, but she couldn’t help grinning when she realized she was still absurdly wealthy. It almost felt like the money wasn’t real, and she had a nebulous, difficult-to-articulate feeling that she needed to make use of her wealth before the rest of the Sol System caught on—before the upheaval truly began.
#
“I was hoping I could stay in there until Aya was done.” Juliet paced in the little waiting lounge, stretching and gently rubbing at the glued incision inside her arm, up by her shoulder.
Angel sighed—a funny sound, considering she didn’t have to breathe. “Ladia has to do a larger incision to install the nanite battery. Once she has it up and running, though, I bet Aya will quickly join us.”
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“True.” Juliet stretched and twisted, determined to find out if the nanites “reinforcing” her arteries had done anything noticeable; thus far, she felt exactly the same as before.
“Since you’re waiting, how about I show you an updated status sheet? There have been quite a few changes since you last—”
“Oh, brother,” Juliet groaned, but before she could refuse it, Angel placed a spreadsheet prominently on her AUI:
Juliet Corina Bianchi
Physical, Mental, and Social Status Compilation:
Comparative Ranking Percentile (higher is better - previous value in parenthesis):
Liquid Assets Net Worth:
Sol-bits: 5,758,982
--
Neural and Cellular Adaptiveness:
.96342 (scale of 0 - 1)
99.91
Synaptic Responsiveness:
.11 (lower is better)
92.08 (79.31)
Musculoskeletal Ranking:
–
93.34(87.81)
Cardiovascular Ranking:
–
98.52 (91.01)
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 Industries, GIPEL
S
Data Port
WBD Angel Cradle 1.7
S
Data Jack
Reaction Technologies, Tightbeam 9
A
Intrafemoral Secondary Computing and Data Storage Module, EMP Shielded
Athena Designs, Model 1A
S
Medical Nanite Suite
Cybergen Nanomedical Repair Matrix, Model 9
A+
Bone Reinforcement Nanite Package
Swedish Biologic, Mark 7
A
Subdermal Nanofiber Weave Armor - "Detroit Wrap" coverage
Duraskin, Armortex Vantage
A
Retinal Cybernetic Implant
Mirage Tech, Lux Alpha 12
A-
Auditory Cybernetic Implant
Cybergen Auditory Implant, Model 47
A+
Olfactory Cybernetic Implant
Cybergen Advanced Olfactory Sensor Array, Model 23B
A+
Cybernetic Prosthetic Right Arm with Fully Programmable Fingerprints. **Enhanced Microbial Cell Mod
BioFusion, Model 2109.01b
S
Cybernetic Prosthetic Left Leg. **Enhanced Microbial Cell Mod
Cybergen Leg Prosthesis, Model 18C
S
High G-forces Compensation Package
Athena Designs, Model 1A
S
Complete Cybernetic Lung Replacement
Cybergen Enhanced Pulmonary Implant, Model 17
A+
Full-body Enhanced Reflex Package. **Microbial Energy Cell Mod
Cybergen Kinetic Response Amplifier, Model 3C
S
Intracranial Blood Cooling System
Angel Systems - Bespoke Design
A
Fingertip-mounted Injection System
Covert Industries, Finger Spike 2.0
A
Fingertip-mounted Vibroblade
Edge-Craft Technologies, MicroVibro s14900RGB
A-
Defensive and Cosmetic Fingernail package
Color-Shift, Diamond Tips, 2108 Model
A-
Programmable Synthetic Hair
Alicia Designs, Chroma Tresses v.4
B+
DNA Spoofing Package - Saliva and Programmable Fingerprints (Left Hand)
WBD - Custom Model
C
No other augmentation detected.
–
–
“Angel, this is ridiculous! I have more cybernetics than human parts! I don’t want to look at a list like this!” Juliet waved the window away after only a cursory read-through.
“Don’t be absurd, Juliet! If I listed all of your human parts, it would take hundreds of pages!”
Juliet laughed. “Oh well, I’ll concede that point.” Changing the topics, she added, “I see you gave Athena’s designs ‘S’ ratings.”
“Well, I gave my blood cooling device an ‘A,’ so I figured I should show a little respect and give her designs a bump up from there.”
“Very humble of you.” Juliet sat down again and drummed her fingers on the armrests. A moment later, she laughed and added, “Suspicious that the only thing that deserves an ‘S+’ is you.”
“Thing, Juliet?” Angel’s tone made it very clear that Juliet had truly stepped in it. “I’m a person, as you well know! Are you trying to say any of your other augments are thinking, feeling beings?”
“Oof! You got me. Can you please manifest?” That was what Angel called it when she projected her “image” for Juliet. As she acquiesced and shimmered into being, Juliet grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. It wasn’t real, of course, but Angel could stimulate Juliet’s nerves, making it feel very real to her. “You know I was teasing, right? You’re the only ‘S+’ in the universe; if you found something you thought deserved to be an ‘S+,’ then we’d have to change you to ‘S++.’ Got it?”
“Got it,” Angel mumbled, pressing her little face into Juliet’s shoulder.
Juliet gave her a final squeeze, then pushed her back, looking her in the eyes. “How are you feeling about everything?”
“I . . . I think I feel excited. I’m anxious to see what comes next, and I’m eager to get to work with Athena. I believe your escape and Apollyon’s flight were a turning point for humanity. I think we’ll see big changes, changes that will impact the course of the next era for intelligent life as we know it. Could there be anything more exciting than that?”
“Doesn’t hurt that we’ll be spending a lot of time with Tanaka, hmm?” Juliet winked, and Angel huffed, blowing a breath of air at Juliet and clenching her fists. “Don’t tease—” The door swished open, and Ladia came through, so Angel cut herself off but narrowed her eyes menacingly at Juliet.
“She came through with flying colors. Give her new nanites a few minutes to clear the sedatives from her system, and then she’ll be out.”
Juliet stood and held out her hand. “Thank you, Iris. I’m so happy to have a doctor I can trust here on Luna.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Ladia took her hand and squeezed it warmly. “I’ll keep your ova safe, Juliet. It’s wise for you to set some aside; you never know what the future may bring.”
“I know you will.” Juliet released her hand, and then Ladia, with a final nod, turned and walked toward her office.
“I’ll send Tricia in with a fresh beverage.”
Juliet glanced at her empty glass on the coffee table. “That would be nice.”
As the door swished shut, Juliet sat down and folded her arms. Angel had disappeared again, but Juliet could feel she wasn’t upset, so she closed her eyes and prepared to vegetate until Aya arrived. At just that moment, Angel flashed an “Incoming Call” message onto her AUI, and Juliet looked to see that it was Athena. “Answer it.” The window expanded to show Athena’s face smiling with thinly veiled excitement. “Juliet!”
“Yeah?”
“I have good news about Walker—er, Jensen, as you often call him.”
“Did he wake?” Juliet had tried hard to put Jensen out of her mind, to not dwell on the fact that he’d remained catatonic, even after the treatment he’d received at the trauma center on Ceres. Athena had moved him back onto the Furies’ Wing, insisting that she could care for him best, but Juliet had begun to fear he was gone for good.
“He did! However, he has some holes in his memory, but he’s asking for you. He remembers seeing you on the Horizon Prophet and insists he must help you. I’ve explained that you're safe, but he still seems agitated.”
“Okay. Aya should be out soon, and then we’ll hurry back to the port. Thank you for letting me know right away!” Juliet had, of course, felt guilty about his condition. She didn’t think she’d done the wrong thing by pulling the hostile “Angel” chip from his port, but she wasn’t sure it had been the only way to help him. She might have tried giving Angel access to his port first so she could force the other PAI to disengage. Failing that, she could have left it in his head and allowed Athena to handle it. Regardless, the fact of the matter was that nobody knew what might have happened if Juliet left the chip in his port. That was the thing Juliet clung to every time a new wave of guilt found her.
“Excellent. He’s resting, so don’t feel you need to rush.” Athena cut the call off before Juliet could say any more, but Angel was quick to step into the quiet.
“I’m so glad! His outlook is extremely positive if he’s up and talking and mentioning things as recent as your time on the dreadnought.”
“Yeah.” Juliet nodded, allowing herself to feel the relief that wanted to wash over her. “Yeah, you’re right, Angel. This is good.”
The door swished, and Tricia came through with a fresh glass of sparkling water. As usual, the woman moved like a dancer, and Juliet, in a suddenly hopeful, happy mood, told her so. “You’re very graceful, Tricia.”
“Graceful? I wish the men who flirted with me were so well-spoken.”
“Oh, I didn’t—”
“Oh, no, no!” Tricia trilled a happy laugh and shook her head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean you were flirting!” She turned back to the door, but before she left, she looked over her shoulder and said, “You know, coming from someone who moves the way you do, I take that as a very high compliment. Thank you, Lucky.” As she left, and Juliet shook her head in perplexed embarrassment, Aya entered from the other door.
“Ready, sis?”
Juliet jerked her head toward the sound of her voice. “Done already?”
“Done! I feel fantastic, but,” Aya stepped close and held a hand to the side of her mouth, “Ladia says I need to be near a bathroom in the next hour or so.”
“Ugh, the nanites. Yeah, they’re gonna be cleaning your system of toxins and . . . stuff.” Juliet grabbed her shoulder and steered her toward the lobby door. “We’ll go straight to the port. Guess who just woke up?”
Aya’s eyes widened. “Tristan?”
Juliet laughed and nodded. “We need to make that guy pick a name, and then we all need to start using it.”
“You think he’ll want to work with us?”
“I don’t know, but we can use him. He’s a hell of a fighter. I think if he hadn’t been at odds with that chip in his head, I might have been in a little trouble.”
Aya snorted and shook her head. “You’re so full of it! You think I can’t tell when you’re lying by now?”
“Lying?” Juliet grinned and elbowed her friend’s shoulder. “I guess you’re right. That poor sucker never stood a chance against me.”