Chapter — 11

"You should feel a slight buzz in your neck in a few seconds," Franklin said.

He held fast to his bored demeanor now that the slicing of her flesh had come to an end, and it couldn't be more apparent in his tone that he'd rather be anywhere than with her at the moment.

As he had said, Rei felt a tingling buzz run up her spine before sizzling out as it reached her brain.

"Huh, yeah. I felt that."

"Good. That's the neural link activated. Next on to the core."

He proceeded to work his ripper magic and soon said that was done, too. Rei hadn't felt anything this time, which was quite a relief, seeing as she now held a miniature fusion plant inside her chest.

No news is good news, or in this case, not feeling it should mean that it's working correctly. At least, I hope so. This piece of tech is absolutely insane.

I understand neural links and cyberdecks — at least vaguely. They're impressive as hell, no doubt about it. But a power source this efficient and this small? I thought fission and fusion power plants used steam and turbines. That can't fit in there, can it? It seems I've got a lot to catch up on.

After that came the cyberdeck, which was equally lacking in noticeable effect. Rei frowned.

"What?" Franklin asked.

"I don't know. I just figured I'd notice my cyberdeck activating or something?"

He nodded before walking over to the hologram displaying dizzying amounts of data. "I can see the confusion. No, it isn't noticeable unless you actually connect to the mesh or put it to task doing something else. I'm not your instructor or whatever, but the boss said to explain some and let you test it out to satisfy your curiosity for now. Better get it out of your system before you try something stupid."

He started swiping through the hologram, toggling different settings, and swiping away windows before looking back at Rei.

"Now, it isn't tricky to use your cyberdeck, as you only need to think about using it with enough intent for the neural link to correctly register your command. A new neural link often requires a little extra attention before they've learned to accurately interpret the electrical signals generated in your brain.

"You may use the cyberdeck for all manner of calculations or to sift through the local mesh you're connected to. Since you're currently not connected to this facility's secure mesh, I'll just give you something to test it out on without a pre-existing connection."

Rei listened intently, finding the basic instructions fascinating, even though she'd already read about similar things on her own at home. She thought that the ripper doc might have some new tidbits to share that she hadn't considered before, and as it happened, she was correct.

Franklin continued while motioning to the holo emitter placed beneath the hologram. "Every device connected to the mesh in any capacity, such as this one here, has a Mesh Node — mNode, or just node for short. It's what's used for incoming and outgoing data, nearly all of it heavily encrypted, of course.

"Let's take your entertainment holo at home — you have one, don't you?"

Rei nodded.

"Right. Everyone does. Anyway, it had a mesh node that your civilian-grade cyberware was connected to, like everything else on your local mesh. And when I say connected, it is in the loosest terms. You never actually had 'access' to the node, merely permission to receive and transmit data to it, and only data the device approved of.

"Magi often need deeper access. Hence, they need to connect to the node manually, bypassing the automatic but limited pairings that keep the world connected. To do this, you need cyberware capable of scanning the mesh for nodes.

"It should come as no surprise, but the Luminous Mark IV sitting in your skull are more than capable of this."

I can use my eyes to scan my surroundings for mesh nodes? Neat!

"When you've found a node, all you need to do is manually connect and then let your cyberdeck go to work, sifting through the encrypted data going through the node or the actual device data hidden beneath its ICE. You do know what ICE is, do you not?"

"Yeah, it stands for Intrusion Countermeasure Enmeshments, right? It's software integrated — or enmeshed, I suppose — into other programs or data to keep anything that doesn't belong out."

"Correct. Glad I didn't have to explain something so basic." He said with boredom.

So, if I understand this correctly, what I've been doing previously — and what Miyo does every time she starts one of those annoying shows on our holo — is merely tapping into functions prebuilt into the device for the user.

Connecting directly to a node, however, opens the whole system to me as long as I can overcome whatever ICE is protecting it from just such an intrusion.

Franklin motioned yet again to the holo emitter — his boredom evident — and said, "I've excluded you from this device's ICE. Go on and try to connect. Just prod your eyes for the scanning function and then go for it."

Rei didn't bother to question his claim about excluding her from the ICE as he had no reason to mess with her from what she knew. Instead, she used her neural link to mentally poke her cybernetic eyes, immediately getting a response. There were a lot of options presented to her, but one stood out:

'Scan.'

Looking at the hologram and triggering the scan function, a neat visual effect spread like a transparent wave through her field of vision. Every device visible from her place on the operating table lit up with a blue outline, visually representing mNodes Luminous Mark IV had managed to find.

There were many more devices than the hologram that lit up — not that the hologram itself lit up, but rather the tiny emitter beneath — but Rei didn't dare try accessing those yet. Who knew what kind of ICE was shielding them.

Refocusing on the holo emitter, she thought of accessing its node.

Immediately, a duplicate of the hologram surfaced in her field of vision just in front of her. She couldn't see any difference as her eyes flickered back and forth between the one only she could see and the one Franklin was staring at.

There is a difference, though. A very large, if subtle one at that.

She could somehow tell that this was only the bare minimum of what she now had access to.

"Now that you've accessed it," Franklin said, "just activate your cyberdeck. Your neural link may be new, and its algorithms may not yet be streamlined to your thought processes, but something as simple as this won't be an issue."

Rei tried following his advice, and it was easier than she'd expected. She felt a mental click as her cyberdeck engaged, and not a moment later, the vague feeling that she only saw the surface level of the holo emitter blossomed into the understanding of how genuinely blind she'd been.

Data started flowing into conscious thought but not in an intrusive way. Rei figured it was thanks to her neural link and cyberdeck working together to not overwhelm her.

She saw layers upon layers of data, of code. There was so much of it that she hardly knew where to begin. Amongst the data were also other connections going to and fro between different devices or servers, even Franklin's agent.

Rei could have tried following those connections through the mesh but didn't dare, as who knew what protections waited on the other side?

Ignoring the connections to other devices, Rei returned her focus to the holo emitter.

She instinctively recognized the veil covering all the internal processes supporting the surface-level UI as the holo emitter's ICE. The protected data beneath was inaccessible and, therefore, a mystery to her.

A mystery she was dying to unravel.

"Didn't you exclude me from the ICE?" Rei asked distractedly, her eyes glazed over as she gazed into nothing — data moving in tandem with her thoughts.

"How do you mean?" There was a tinge of interest hidden in the bored voice now.

"I can't access anything below the user interface." Rei's voice was confident as she said it.

Her instincts agreed with her assessment. Trying to breach the ICE with her lackluster expertise and instincts guiding her would be difficult at best — but even that assessment might be giving her too much credit — and if she made a mistake...

Let's just say that some of that data gives me baaad vibes.

"Oh? Impressive that you noticed that much. No, of course, I wouldn't give you full access-"

"Then why?"

Rei's eyes refocused as she turned to frown at the man, yet data was still being processed in her mind. The neural link and cyberdeck made this level of multitasking effortless.

"I gave you viewing privileges, not administrator rights, girl, " Franklin said, a hint of annoyance sneaking into his tone.

Ah, yeah. That makes sense. I wouldn't want a brain-scrambled Meshmagi amnesiac to fiddle with my stuff, either.

"Sorry, I wasn't disappointed, merely confused."

That's a white lie if there ever was one, but whatever.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

Franklin didn't seem to care either way. The connection she'd established with the holo emitter suddenly winked out, and the data flow dried up as he shut her out by re-engaging the ICE.

As if on instinct, Rei snagged the data she'd been privy to and packaged it before compressing and locking the file inside her cyberdeck's internal memory. The action was as effortless as it was automatic, leaving Rei blinking in confusion.

It wasn't her storing data of dubious value on instinct that puzzled Rei, but how she'd done it.

Her mind had simply grabbed whatever processes she needed to package, lock, and store the data from her cyberdeck without employing any interface or user command.

Did I just hack my own cyberdeck to generate and store a data packet? It felt so natural. I can still remember perfectly what I did, and boy, was it more efficient than navigating the cyberdeck's UI or using the command prompt.

Rei spent a few seconds going through the cyberdeck's user interface, which was visible in her vision due to her cybernetic eyes. She even found a digital user manual tucked away. She ignored it for now before closing out of her cyberdeck and returning it to idle.

Her attention returned to the ripper as he was seemingly finished going over his holo emitter for any damage she could have done.

Hey! I'm not that clumsy.

Franklin looked around the room for a moment with his bored posture before flapping his hand as if to oust her. "Well, this was the first and last time I give lessons to a Magi. Now get dressed and then get out. The medical nanites and reconstructive foam have done enough for you to move about. Just be careful, or you'll be back here, and I'll get to cut you up again."

The creepy smile that slithered across his lips on that last statement gave Rei a full-body shudder.

Yeah, no thanks. I'll be careful until I'm fully healed.

***

Back in WolfMosh's office, the lone occupant stared at the data compiled by his AI from Rei's first attempt at accessing a node since her coma.

"What the fu-"

***

"And this here is your room! Neat, huh?" Wilma said, flicking a loose sky-blue strand of hair from her face as she gestured through the open door.

After the cyberware implantation, Rei found herself adrift — that is, for all of two minutes — before Wilma found her and started dragging her around, excitedly showing off the various workstations, server rooms, storage rooms, training room, the dive room, and the common room.

She'd seen the dive room previously, as that was where she'd first met all her peers. This time, though, Wilma had shown off the tech and roughly explained most of their purpose and function. It was all super fascinating to Rei, and she was especially curious about the two occupied and two empty 'dive cabins,' or 'DCs,' as Wilma called them.

According to her, WolfMosh had his own, more advanced one in a separate room.

To Rei, they looked like coffins with a see-through top, and she'd hoped their appearance was no indication of her future inside one of them.

I guess I can still call them 'DCs'...

Mikaela — in a form-fitting mesh-diving suit — occupied one cabin, faint mist swirling around her figure as if she lay on a bed of dry ice. One cable went into her neck beneath the green-tipped black-purplish hair — into what Rei assumed were her neural link — and another went from one cybernetic arm into a data port along the dive cabin's side. Two tubes were also connected, one filled with a bluish liquid going into her dive suit and another gas-filled one linking to a mask covering the lower half of the woman's face.

Wilma explained it as a safety measure to prevent brain damage from overheating during heavy workload or if attacked by a hostile force inside the mesh. Rei had already figured that out, as it was no secret that most cyberdecks cooled themselves utilizing the user's bloodstream — hers included from what she'd seen — and that the easiest way to cool one's body was with the mesh-diving suit and an otherwise low ambient temperature.

Wilma had promised Rei to show her around the local mesh later and help her get back on her feet, first dragging her off to their current location:

The living quarters.

Rei walked through the open door Wilma gestured at and looked around curiously. It wasn't very different from her room in the apartment she shared with Miyo, but some things didn't quite match.

There was a smaller wardrobe and a larger workbench. However, nothing was on this table, having either been left empty or cleaned by someone else. The bed looked comfortable enough, and the covers were of black fabrics with red trimmings, staying in theme with the rest of the facility.

There was also a mirror on the wall and some posters. Rei felt a tiny buzz of familiar static in her mind from looking at them.

These were my living quarters here before the coma? I can't imagine staying here often — seeing as I've always shared an apartment with Miyo — but I can imagine this being useful for taking quick naps between shifts.

Wilma strutted in after Rei before plopping herself down on Rei's bed and falling on her back, stretching as she yawned.

"These beds are nice," she said. "Not as nice as mine at home, but still. It's better than sleeping in the DC."

This is a familiar sight, somehow, Rei thought as she looked at the shameless girl before her. But why does it feel... wrong? Is that the correct word?

Rei shook off the strange thoughts formed by her brain imitating white noise and sat on the stool beside her workbench.

"So," Rei began, "any idea on when I'll be able to start working the mesh again?"

She had to be honest with herself and state that despite her circumstances, she felt kind of excited about relearning and discovering the mesh anew. Rei had the inkling of an idea to facilitate her escape brewing in the back of her mind, but to even make it approach the term 'viable,' she needed to dedicate her mind fully toward learning all she could.

Wilma covered her mouth with the back of her hand to pretend-stifle her giggles, her cloudy-blue eyes sparkling in amusement. "Eager are we? Give me sec to check; I think the Wolf-sama might have plans laid out already."

As the mirth stopped sparkling in her eyes, they started swirling with silver, Wilma having obviously begun to contact WolfMosh.

Rei found it curious that her throat, hands, and eyes remained still — meaning that she didn't subvocalize or type using her eyes or hands on an invisible keyboard. How she communicated without doing either of those things was unknown to Rei, and she tried puzzling it out.

Is she using her neural link to 'think' her words into a chat or something? If so, that's clever. I'll have to try and learn to do that myself.

Miyo had never displayed any such technique to Rei, but perhaps she was just weird. At least, that was Rei's takeaway. There had to be a reason Miyo and Sally got along so well.

Wilma's eyes returned to normal azure and fluffy clouds as she shook her head. "Nah, sorry, Rei-chan. The boss himself wants to guide you through your first dive into the mesh tomorrow." Something like bitterness flashes in her eyes for a fraction of a second.

"Really? What am I supposed to do now, then?"

"Fuck if I know. You'll figure it out," Wilma said as she hoisted herself up and sauntered toward the exit. "Just remember to come to me if you need anything. I'm always happy to help, you know that, don't you?"

Rei nodded and smiled in thanks, inwardly conflicted about her future plans and what it could mean for her fellow apprentices. Wilma searched her features for a second longer before nodding and smiling back, apparently pleased that Rei understood.

As she disappeared and the door slid shut behind her with a hiss and click, Rei felt herself reach for her one and only perk.

As the coldness embraced her mind, she felt the minor — yet confusing — mix of emotions vanish, and in their place, only two things remained:

Purpose and resolve.

Play along, Rei. Don't get attached, but act as if you are when appropriate. It isn't so difficult, now is it?

Her coldly calculating mind went to the notification she'd received as Wilma left.

「Notice:

[Deception] skill level has increased.

Level 2 → 3」

***

Rei stood in front of the mirror in her sleeping quarters, gazing at her reflection. She'd changed into new clothes she'd found in her wardrobe; a pair of loose gray sweatpants, a white t-shirt, and a black hoodie with lime and pink text stating: "Witch bitch?"

Rei thought she understood the joke but wasn't sure. She could tell it was clothing she'd bought and left there — the static whispering of scrambled memories informing her of their bond.

She'd also wanted to change out of her sweaty bra after the surgery, as the straps chafed at her healing wounds, but that wasn't to be. Sadly, nothing she had left in the facility remotely fit her at the moment. That, luckily, also meant that the need to even wear one was minimal, and the comfy hoodie made the decision for her.

She was not focusing on any of that, though. Instead, she inspected her face and neck as her eyes wandered, taking in each tiny detail.

Most of her genetic lottery looks had returned, now heightened further by whatever blending shenanigans the nanites had been up to. She was vain to some extent, she knew, and looking good made her happy.

But that isn't unique to me, now is it? And speaking of genetics, both my siblings were likewise blessed. I don't exactly know if it was natural, though, considering what I've heard about those vats produced by Phanes Shaping & Proliferation.

All that aside, she looked healthy. Not overly so, but at least to an average degree, which made sense, seeing as her body attribute remained at five.

And it isn't as if I can risk recalibrating my body here, so five it will remain. Who knows how much my enslaver sees and hears. There's just no way I'd be able to explain it. Things might get even worse if he knows that the stolen data slate contained what's now more than half my personality and realizes I've gained something from it.

As there was a training room, Rei thought she might still try unlocking a few body skills. She should be fine as long as she remains careful not to exert herself too much. To date, she'd only unlocked one body skill if one discounted [Cybernetic Adaptation]:

[Athleticism]

And it isn't as if I don't have other attributes to work on.

From what Rei knew and speculated, no outward change would be apparent if she recalibrated her mind or ego attributes, meaning those were probably fine.

Rei had a feeling that at least [Mind] would increase no matter what she desired, as she'd resolved to push hard and master her mesh magic as soon as possible.

Thoughts and plans like these flitted through her consciousness as she looked over her new neural link. It was a sleek matte-black with red highlights outlining the data ports. Even more curious was the data shard she saw inserted into one of the ports. She hadn't noticed it before now, but at the same time, she hadn't really looked for it either.

She shifted her eyes from it before focusing on said eyes. They looked rather ordinary if one ignored that each iris dimly shone an ominous crimson. It was almost an exact match for WolfMosh's crimson, and the comparison now made her sick.

Remembering the options she'd dismissed when looking for the scan feature earlier that day, she brought up the menu for her eyes in her HUD. As she thought, there were settings to customize their appearance.

She spent some time fiddling with the color sliders, shifting her sclera and irises through the whole spectrum. There were no "cool" effects like those of Selvix' or Wilma's, but Rei had a feeling that wasn't something that came pre-installed with their cyberware but something they'd developed themselves to give their appearance some flair.

As it was, the number of choices gave Rei decision paralysis. There were too many combinations, and she only knew she didn't want black sclera or crimson irises.

Such a shame; I like black. Well, whatever. White is nice, too.

I need some inspiration. Do I know of anyone I want to emulate? Miyo? Nah, she can be the gorgeous green-eyed hostess gal 'cause that's not my style. What then?

It took minutes before inspiration suddenly struck, and she found it so fitting that it was embarrassing that she hadn't thought of it sooner.

Smiling, she shifted her sclera to a clear white while her irises became a radiant neon orange. The irises didn't glow too brightly but had enough spark in them to make them pop.

A bit different from my mother's. More vibrant, for one thing, and hers didn't glow. Close enough without being the same.

That, however, wasn't the only reason she'd chosen orange. The color struck her fancy, at least as much as her other favorites: cyan, violet, lilac, and black. But what really sealed the deal was what it now represented to her.

It was a tribute to the wondrous yet terrifying "thing" that had brought her back to life when all hope should have been lost.

Had been lost, as a matter of fact.

Her last actions as a fully-fledged AI had been the scrambling of a cornered beast searching for any way out, not someone properly cognizant and with a plan. Yet, things had worked out to an extent, oddly enough.

Rei was obviously thinking of the Samurai System and its inclination for the exact shade that now glowed through the windows of her soul.

"Not bad. Not bad at all," Rei muttered, a tiny smile flitting across her features.

Now, let's see what's on that shard.