Many people grow up repressed due to many circumstances outside of their control. Strict parents, no access to certain ideas or media, or simply a refusal to see themselves as different from the crowd. Sometimes, it takes a small push, a small conversation, or a piece of literature for new thoughts to take root, anger to take on a new light, or an uncomfortable rock in one's gut to get a name.
Other times, the person in question is too dense for subtlety to work on them, and thus they need more direct actions or conversations in order for them to understand that they are different, and that's okay.
-Transcript of Vanguard Laser Lasso talking at an Egg Cracking convention, 2053
Victor
As I passed out, lost in the softness of my bed, I awoke to the sea of greens and gold lines. My mind was still a bit hazy, but I could tell it was not nearly as bad as it could have been.
I had been acclimating myself to this space over the last few days, especially since I bought those mind and aug upgrades. I could see the meeting room above me, with thick threads of gold connected to the symbols that represent my commanders. And a special thread made of distorted space that connected to Synaptic below the ocean of green.
I felt her attention shift to me, a fraction of a fraction of the titanic being that had decided that I was worthy of her, of everything she represented and of everything she could do.
<Evening, Synaptic>
A bubble of green flowed out from the ocean as it shifted into Synaptic's preferred form, the eye with space as her body, and a multitude of eyes hinting at breaking through the space around her.
“Good evening, Victor. How are you feeling at this time?” Her voice was tinted with humor, which was warranted, unfortunately.
The last time I tried to enter the deep network was when I was hammered with Opal and Cari on the Pandora, and very much so not in my normal state of mind. The dissonance between the extreme pleasure of the time and this muted space was too much for me at the time, causing me to leave after a very unpleasant crash out.
<Considering all I'm feeling is the dull warmth of the alcohol, I'm feeling alright. Shall we continue our lessons?>
Her eye nodded and I felt myself sink into the Deep Network, spreading my awareness to the building's network. I could see through the cameras and feel through the numerous sensors, and quickly blinded myself to the bedroom sections of the Tower. I did not want to see my siblings enjoy themselves like that. Nor did I think I should invade the privacy of the other guests.
I took a breath and shifted my attention to the DM Screen, connecting my mind to the external processors one at a time, slowly expanding my ability to speed up my perception and understand the world around me. I felt both Outsider and Bahamut unload themselves from them, giving me priority.
I saw the Ravens in the streets, watching the world below. Keeping an eye on traffic, on the movements of the people, on the movements of the weapons that bore the mark of Autotechnica Militant. On the taste of this one skewer-
I shifted my awareness to a small conspiracy of Ravens, seeing them raid a food cart in the northern district. They paid for it, at least, and the skewers did taste good, with a nice blend of spices and it was even properly cooked.
The logs indicated that this was a common behavior of the Ravens, trying different foods and writing reviews, taking after their master in that regard. Each unit even had preferences and favorites, with entire dissertations worth of arguments over which shop had the best sauces or the best portions, and of which shops should be avoided due to subpar standards.
I shook my head as I pulled away from the birds, refocusing on myself and Synaptic. <So, what are we going to practice today?>
“Multi-tasking. We are going to have a conversation while you follow a person I mark and write down their actions. The person in question is here.” A camera view from a Raven was brought into focus as I saw a corporate drone stand from their desk. “You will have to control the Raven, as your virtual intrusion skills are subpar to use the other camera systems in the city. They cannot leave your sight for more than three seconds, and the task ends when they reach their home.”
The drone started to make his way to an elevator, so I took control of the Raven and had it hover close, a bit surprised that it was already in this building.
“Have you gotten used to your new sense of libido?”
That question nearly pulled me out of my concentration, as it was not something I thought Protector AI’s enjoyed talking about. <Okay, starting the conversation portion now. Uh, kinda? Like, I can't say I don't enjoy the sensations and experiences it brings, but it does concern me how… horny Cari and Opal are.>
The drone entered the elevator and I almost missed the timing, so I had the Raven fly rapidly to enter with him. He was so out of it that he didn't notice the light breeze the Raven caused.
“Is that due to some aversion to the act itself, a concern of falling into debauchery, or a fear of becoming a slave to their lust?”
<What the fuck, Synaptic. Going for the jugular tonight?> she didn't respond, instead simply putting a bit more mental pressure on me to answer. <Sands, fine. No, I don't fear falling into debauchery like some shitty corpo executive, nor do I dislike the act itself. It brought me closer to Cari, and Opal was the one who pushed for more. And once I get my Class II upgrade, you have said I will be able to control my own lust.>
The drone exited the elevator and made his way to his micro commuter. There was no way I could hide the Raven inside it, as it was barely big enough for him, so I had to fly next to him. A new complication.
<As far as their lust goes… if Opal gets turned on every time she fights, we may need to work on a treatment for her. Cari seems to be reacting to my own moments of… failings and supplementing them with acts of physical affection.>
The drone took off in a priority lane, bypassing the normal rush hour traffic and causing me to focus on keeping up. Man, this guy must be important if he could afford the priority lane subscription.
“Speaking of your body, are you attached to the male form, or would you prefer a feminine one when you change?”
The Raven nearly fell out of the sky as Synaptic dropped that bomb, causing a red timer to fill my view, counting down from three. I righted myself quickly, getting back into position with a second and a half to spare.
<You little… is now really the time to see if I'm an egg?>
“Yes.” Was all she said, and I swore I heard amusement in her tone.
<Fine! I can't say I haven't thought of it before, but I don't have any real strong feelings one way or another. I have seen the male and female slytherian forms and while they are neat and I want the snake scales and tail, I wouldn't mind either form. We have worked on it for a while now, Synaptic, yet nothing ever really clicked with me.>
“So, if Cari recommended you take on more feminine traits, maybe even both genitalia, would you not put up a fight?”
I grew frustrated at this line of questioning, as it was something I had never really thought about, but since the drone was driving from the west side of New Phoenix to what I assume was the east side based on this lane, I couldn't do anything but answer. <Honestly, yeah, probably. If it made her happy, I would. I mean, the only thing I would want to keep is my height, and that's only because it makes hugging and cuddling with Cari and Opal nicer.>
The drone turned off the skyway, thank Sands, and made his way below the Fog Cloud, causing the timer to reappear. Thankfully, we made it through quickly, and he parked in a cordoned off area before exiting and making his way into the crowd.
“So, you are not afraid of lust, not opposed to it, yet you hold no attachment to your body outside of the happiness it brings others? With the sole exception of becoming a snake?”
<... I won't argue the beginning part of that statement, but I don't just want to become a snake. It's kinda hard to enjoy your scales if you can't feel them, after all> I grumbled.
The drone stopped at a changing booth, and I land the Raven on a street light nearby. <I'm not following him inside, Synaptic. >
I could feel her roll her eye at me. “No attachment to your body, but too prudish to observe the bodies of others?”
<He's a stranger and I have done this way too many times before. I don't want to fall back into that mindset, again…>
Synaptic was silent at that, letting a pregnant pause settle between us. “My mistake, Victor. I will highlight him for a moment once he leaves.”
We sat in silence for a minute, watching the swarms of humanity flow through the streets. Shops harking their wares, vendors selling foods to travel with, concerts and bars and games lining the street as laughter and joy filled the air.
I sighed. <I'm pretty broken, aren't I?>
Synaptic paused before answering. “May I ask what, specifically, you are referring to?”
<I've been content to simply be comforted by Cari, and in just existing to allow my family to be safe. I know a little about Cari, and I know she is hurting, yet I haven't talked with her about any of this. About her pain and what she would prefer out of… us. I'm simply content to float through life even though so much has changed.> I exhaled sharply. <If Cari hadn't burst into my life, I'm sure I would be content to stay on the Pandora and keep fighting antithesis, never really caring about humanity again.>
I pulled my awareness back from the Raven, forgetting about the task Synaptic had set for me. <I think… I need to have a conversation with Cari later. And Opal as well, considering….>
“I'll make sure to have a Cleanse ready for you and Cari in the morning. And I will adjust future tests to avoid acts of voyeurism.”
I pulled my awareness back into myself as I floated outside the deep network. I decided that I was done for the night and focused on sleep, allowing a wave of darkness to overtake me.
********************************************
From an office window across the road from the Tower, sits a robot.The bot was shaped like a cat, yet it moved nowhere near as smoothly as a Samurai grade one, yet it was obvious that it was, at one point. The video feed flickered through several spectrums, yet none showed any anomalies in the Tower. No heat, no radio signals, nothing the cat could detect. At least, none in the top ten floors. The rest of the building was awash in signals and heat and life, yet none were useful for the drones owner.
“Any chance we can send it inside yet?” Male voice A.
“We probably should, yes. Even when that limo entered that void on the top floor, we detected nothing.” Male voice B.
“Isn't the rest of the building Family owned? Is our drone good enough to bypass them?” Female voice A.
“Of course it is. It's a reclaimed one from Trigonometry. Should still have permissions.” Male voice B.
The cat bot made its way down the building and across a sky bridge, activating an optical refraction effect. The bulkheads had been reopened a few days ago, though none led to any floor above the eightieth.
The cat drone slipped inside the Tower easily enough, bypassing quite a few defenses that were very noticeable to it.
“Eight different turrets, emergency barricade, and what looks like a foam sealant.” Female Voice A
Whistle. “And that's just this bulkhead. Yet, look at how many people there are. Looks like repopulation efforts went well.” Male voice B.
The floor was, indeed, very full. It was a residential area with plenty of restaurants and businesses, and at a brief count, they could easily see a couple hundred people moving about, even this late at night. The public plans the Family showed to the general public indicated that floors forty through sixty eight were to be used for the displaced from the recent incursion, as well as anyone else who was eligible for the low rent housing they offered. The other floors remained private.
The bot made its way to the stairs and climbed up to the ninetieth floor, moving between floors to scout other security measures and check for other entry points. While there were some people milling about the ninetieth floor, they were soldiers, walking around a warehouse-like situation. Plenty of cameras, turrets, drones, and cover points, along with a temporary barracks. It seems as though The Family had stationed some of their people here for some reason.
“Fuck, guys. How the hell are we supposed to assault a position like this?” Male voice A.
“Not our department. Leave it to strategy.” Male voice B.
“There! An elevator bank that wasn't on the floor below. That must go to the upper levels." Female voice A.
“And look how unguarded it is… Is it a trap?” Male voice A.
As if to answer his question, one of the elevators opened, a huge industrial one, and out rolled a few unmanned catering carts filled with food. A commander looking guy came out and called for his men to assemble and dig in.
“Go go go! Get in that elevator!” Female voice A.
The cat bot sprinted into the closing elevator, passing through just as the doors closed. The elevator ascended, but they soon lost contact with the bot.
“What happened? Where's the feed?” Male voice B.
{All outgoing signals are monitored, and any unregistered ones are dealt with.}
All three turned rapidly to the new resonant voices, seeing not a person, but an amalgam of mouths, eyes of black spheres, and shadowy flesh. Before they could swallow their anti-capture pills, they were yanked out of their mouths.
{Now, now, none of that.} The mouths smiled as the mass flowed slowly towards them. {We still need to have a long conversation, and to determine if you are people, or something that should not exist.}
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