Nozomi ran through the barren wood, snow covered much of the ground and had resumed its cold flurry. Her auto-navigation system had taken over a defensive mechanism of her new body. She saw the world through the eyes of her severed head. She didn’t know the technical underpinnings, but she could view the world from a different point of view. Seeing her body carry over her head was both terrifying and exhilarating.
System Message: You are critically injured. Please perform the necessary self-repair routines until minimum safe levels have resumed.
The battle between the human known as Josephine Smith and the cyborg known as April Mason took more out of her than she cared to admit. She had been pushing herself hard these past several weeks. Her heads-up display distorted and flickered.
Dammed glitches! I need to find a way to reattachment my head. I wonder if . . .
The cyborg took her head and tried reconnecting it to the stump.
System Message: The major control unit has been severed from the main power plant. Please assist with the reintegration process.
Reattachment instructions appeared on her heads-up display. It was a three-dimensional representation of her body holding up her head. Arrows appeared on the display. When she moved the head away from the body, they turned red. She knew that she was on track once the arrows turned green. Moments later, when her head was correctly positioned, a final message appeared that explained to hold still while the attachment process was completed. She was astonished at the feats her new body could do.
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“Beatrice, are you there?” Nozomi asked her AI.
“Yes, but you have not been calling on me, so I might as well be dead.”
“Is that some kind of joke?”
“Forgive my impertinence master. How can I serve?”
“How long until my systems are operational?”
“Three hours and fifty-eight minutes at your current rate of regeneration.”
I don’t have that long. I need to strike back while I can—voices!
“Beatrice, where are those voices coming from?”
“Standby . . . accessing . . . the chateau’s wireless camera system shows several newcomers, including two walking from the road,” Beatrice said.
I’ve got to get into position—
A ringing sound enveloped her. She pulled up the caller ID interface, and it was Dr. Ash.
“What is it? I’m kind of busy,” Nozomi snapped.
“I received an alert that you were pushing your cybernetic frame too hard,” Dr. Ash said.
“I uploaded into one of the newer combat models. It can take a beating.”
“Since I didn’t perform surgery and transfer your core, you must have—”
“I did a core dump into this newer body,” Nozomi interrupted.
“A core dump is too risky; it involves transferring your essence. You should have allowed me to transfer your data core.”
“No time, and besides, that fucking Doc Chop has implanted a bomb in my old body.”
“What? When did that happen?”
“Just before that beast-thing rampaged through New York. He implanted bombs in Rick and me. He disabled his, but not mine.”
“Just be careful. If you die in this body, I might not be able to bring you back.”
“I’m performing some self-repairs.”
“Wait, there are enemies close by. I need to activate your eye,” Dr. Ash said.
Another system prompt appeared on Nozomi’s heads up display. It was a request for Dr. Ash to access her systems. She accepted the request. A moment later, everything went dark.