8. Digitize me Cap’n #2
He took a moment to catch his breath, still staring at Kalacia who saw, just as we had, the frustrated scholar that had erupted from the teenager that was Boyband.
Ralia clapped. Kuni joined.
I knew he wasn’t a scholar, but I hoped this eccentric display of societal criticism showed his value.
It was a reawakening for me. Seeing the mind within the constant slang and sarcasm made me want to chastise myself for any doubts, especially those related to his conscience.
It was in there, now out and screaming for injustice against the world.
Perhaps I was wrong in mentally scoring him for how he was treating this woman.
Still, she had no part in this. No current part, despite her intentions.
He wasn’t right or wrong. None of us were.
We failed and succeeded on moral and corporate ground every day.
We wouldn’t stop. My only hope was that the good would outweigh the bad in the end, despite the world’s ever-changing view of what those words meant.
That was all we were. Flawed people trying to do our best.
Boyband slapped her.
Trying to do our best just like him.
“Nothing,? Really?” He guffawed. “Fine, we’ll take a break from criticizing you. Tell us what your Light Leech did and why we all had a kid’s toy battle fever dream.”
“My Light Leech lets me manipulate ands and turn them into vehicles.”
“Cool, but that doesn’t explain the zegging hallucinations.”
She scoffed. “That was all Veren. Before heading in to meet you–”
“To kill me, which you failed to do.”
She nodded. “I researched the ands on the premise, even though I knew many were disguised as humans. Veren was a high tier and I had seen her therapeutic work with kids, allowing them to revert to childhood memories for cognitive practice.”
“Sounds like a fun excuse for manipulating their minds.”
She shrugged. “Are you surprised?”
“No, just upset that it worked on us.”
“I amplified the signal. It’s not magic, you know, just a reskinning of your vision and a mind modification, all tied to your neurospace.”
“Ascend.” Zhu’s reminder echoed loudly in my mind.
“I think we’ve learned enough,” Ralia said.
“What about what these Light Leaches are?” asked Boyband.
She looked at Kalacia. “Do you know? No? What about who is running Pure Knowledge? Why our mods aren’t working?”
Kalacia shrugged, lacking confidence.
“I think we’ve run her dry, BB. She’s just another wannabe scholar who can’t answer the questions you bombarded her with.”
“Then what now?”
“We gotta head into the neurocore. I’m not saying it’ll be simple to double the admittance, but this wouldn’t be the first time I’ve used someone else’s access to enter a database. You ready, Pet?”
I shrugged. “I guess so.”
“Pulse. BB, come put your hand on my neuroset. I’ll trigger your death, then Pet and I will attempt admittance.
“ Ralia pulled two light lines from her neuroset, attaching one to the base of her skull and the other to mine. “Like I said, we won’t be able to communicate with ourselves once we’re inside, but I should be able to see out here if we succeeded or not. ”
“Then what. We wait?”
She shook her head. “While our other halves work in the core, we on the outside will focus on whatever Abbas has from Haven.”
“And David.” Boyband looked at me.
Ralia crinkled her nose.
I nodded. “It’s important, Ral.”
“Sure. Whatever.”
“I’ll go grab him!” Denji exclaimed, running down the hall despite Ralia’s protests to wait.
“Is this going to hurt?” Boyband asked.
Ralia smirked. “Only if I want it to. Come over here, babe. Does someone deserve a spanking?”
He rolled his eyes and walked up to the neuroset. Now less bothered by her extreme displays of affection, I was happy to see that he still smiled at the gesture. Naoma still grimaced. I was glad Denji wasn’t here to hear it, but he would understand soon enough.
“Don’t talk like that around Kuni,” Boyband said.
Right. Kuni.
“He’s fine. Aren’t you, Kun?”
“Huh?” Kuni asked.
She waved him off with a wink, then placed her hand on the neuroset.
“Walk us through,” I told her.
Her and Boyband’s eyes started flashing.
“Oh, I will,” she said. “You and I will have a slim window, based on what I can see from the admittance bounty, mostly because I want to slip in before it picks up on both of us. Okay, BB you should start to feel it soon.” She started tickling him with the other hand holding his against the neuroset.
“The zeg are you doing?” He smacked her hand.
“Making sure I can still keep you on edge.” She laughed. “For real, though, you’ll have a brief neurospace shutdown. Shouldn’t last more than a second or two.”
“Why do I have to do it?”
“Because you’re the only other one here that I could bribe with Kalacia’s teeth.”
“What?” Kalacia shrieked.
Kuni shocked her unconscious.
“She’s out for now.”
“Awe, thank you, Kun!”
“You’re serious, Ral?”
“Yup, just save a few for Pet and me.”
“Two molars each.”
“So you do have a heart? Pet, you raised our little boy well.”
Boyband groaned. “Just finish it off already.”
“I know, I know.” She took a breath. “Alright, Pet, I’ve got the bounty wired to you and I’ll slip in the stream when it’s open.
Seeing the code, there’s only the smallest window of error, so we have to go simultaneously.
I’m going to link my neurospace to you right after the admittance opens. You plug?”
“Yup.”
“If, by any chance, only you make it, you have to keep going.”
“And what if I’m in danger? Didn’t you say something about dying in there?”
“Yeah, don’t do it. You do have the opportunity to withdraw if you are on the brink of death, but once you’re out, you’re out.”
“But if you go out, can I bring you back in as the host? If that’s what I am?”
“No. I won’t have the option to retreat. It’s the risk of attaching myself to you. I’m not going to be a present entity as far as they’re concerned.”
“Are you sure about doing this?” Naoma asked. I was glad she voiced her concern.
“It’s worth the risk to me,” Ralia said. “Me or the world? I choose the world.”
“But that’s not the same, Ral,” I said. “I can just go alone if I have a safe way out.”
“A safe way out, but not a sure way to success. Love yah, Pet, but you need my expertise. If this Pure Knowledge is as all-encompassing as Kalacia says, then maybe we can unlock our mod blocks.”
“You’re really sure?“ I asked.
“No. I’m not sure about one zegging thing except that you need to trust me.
Every day we’ve played life or death games of chance and by the Light, our luck hasn’t run out.
I would take this any day over facing Nichley again or going to that fetal god.
It’s a test of knowledge and together we outsmarted Sanna-Kalacia. You plug?”
“I trust you, but I’m not comfortable.”
“Comfort died when Deleon found you. Boyband, you ready?”
“Hit it.” he said.
“Petya,” she said.
“Yes. Send it.”
“Zeg, I can’t see anything!” Boyband gasped.
”I told you, BB. Keep your hand on the zegging set. Let me know when you get the admittance approved, Pet.”
A message flashed onto my neurospace interface.
Assignment complete. Please enter the Standardized Test.
I read the message aloud. “Ready when you are.”
“Can you see now, BB?”
“Yeah, everything is booting up, but I think I’m good. You heading out?”
“We’ll still be here.”
“Right. Split minds. I plug.”
“I’m merging over, Pet.
A new message appeared.
User Ralia Esparai is requesting link access. Accept or Decline?
I selected accept.
“Oh, Pet, the urge to wander around your neurospace is almost too hard to resist.”
Boyband scoffed. “All you’ll find his storages full of are fixes and anything and everything to do with the Neon Idol.”
I was glad to be in my neurospace where I didn’t have to face Naoma after that comment.
Everyone, including me and her, knew there was something between us, but that something was yet to be defined.
Our instalove had evolved into something more patient.
I wanted to be with her. I thought she wanted to be with me, but she needed time.
My only worry was that my time alive would end before she was ready.
Ready for what?
I decided to flip Boyband off, hoping my hand pointed towards his voice.
I got that he jabbed me with comments about fixes to keep me off of them, but it didn’t help constantly bringing it up to the group.
Perhaps it did, to keep me in check, but I still wondered if they saw me as something lesser.
I hadn’t used as many socitabs this week as the weeks before, but the desire to satiate my vain need for affirmation was ever present.
Still, it wasn’t as loud as the growing anxiety that called to worrytabs, regardless of their withdrawals.
“Ease off, BB.” She continued to speak over his attempt to defend himself. “Merging for entry. Pulling you into the neurocore right… now.”
I felt myself disconnect from reality, while still recognizing that I had left a part of myself there. I stood with a violet outline, though the form didn’t match my own.
Ralia. We moved in sync down a wide corridor with dark, pixelated walls. They matched the pattern above and below us with red light lines along the corners of the walls, floors, and ceiling. Each step pulsed with subtle light.
“Welcome to the neurocore, Pet.”