Cybernetic Enhancement Module

By the time Michael got back to the house, the lights were on in the kitchen. He opened the door to the familiar sight of his parents preparing dinner. He smiled and joined them, offering to chop the vegetables for the sides as an opportunity to practice his knife skills.

He followed the guidelines that appeared in his vision as he chatted with his parents about the week. He discussed his progress with the application and the finished renovations downstairs. He mentioned some of his ideas for the next phase of renovations - a kitchenette.

While this made sense based on the eventual plans for the space, his parents were quick to reinforce that the presence of a kitchenette would not change that they wanted Michael to eat dinner with them whenever possible. Michael had no issues with this, of course, since he also valued dinnertime highly. It was important for him to keep up with the family and share their days, and at the same time it was also a great break from his usual constant practice and focused efforts.

Tonight's dinner was a roast with vegetables and a great salad, so Michael didn't even need to prepare any supplementary food for his nutrition plan. This was a good thing, as he was almost out of ingredients anyway - eating to this nutrition plan was really expensive!

Soon his sisters came in from outside and it was time for dinner. The usual conversation took place, with everyone sharing the events of the week, until Michael's turn came around. In rapid succession, he shared the details of the Mathematics competition, the project on Sunday with the Librarian, and the fact that he should be done with his parents' project by the end of the following weekend.

The subsequent stunned faces from the family were something with which he could sympathize. "You think it's a lot to hear about, try living it!", he cried internally.

His parents' stance was similar to what was discussed on Thursday - they were supportive, but increasingly concerned that he might be overloading himself. He once again reassured them that he would stop as soon as it became too much. Looking for a change of subject, he mentioned his exploration of chess and piano - two hobbies that appealed to one each of his parents. Rowena quickly offered a number of books that she had on both piano and music theory, and while Flavius didn't have any books on Chess, he offered to play anytime Michael wanted to.

Michael smiled, appreciating their well-wishes, concern, and support. In the end, these new hobbies might even bring him an opportunity to get closer with his parents.

The rest of dinner went by smoothly, with folks chatting about their plans. Michael made clear that Saturday would largely be spent working on the project, and Sunday he'd be working on the project for Mr. Maddox. His parents planned to take his sisters apple picking on Saturday, which Michael was fine with missing. Everyone was in a good mood.

Michael offered to clean up, which his sisters happily accepted, and they then went to watch a movie in the living room. The orchestral sounds of an old musical wafted into the kitchen as Michael quickly washed the dishes. His movements were swift, methodical, and precise, and he focused on making each movement count as well as practicing his breathing. His attempts paid off, as he saw minor improvements to his dexterity, coordination, and an unknown willpower attribute. He also saw improvements on his cooking and cleaning abilities, which pleased him immensely.

Once he'd finished cleaning up, he said goodnight to the rest of the family and headed downstairs to his room. He finally took the opportunity to more closely inspect the finished product of the bathroom and was quite pleased. He decided to immediately draw himself a bath and review all of the information he'd received earlier. There were a number of things to go over. Soon Michael sank into a warm relaxing tub, where the water came up to his chin. He was very happy with the tub he had selected - he imagine his parents might even be a little jealous!

He decided to start with the easiest pieces - the bonus rewards he'd received from the recording. Basic Enhancement Modules he was familiar with, and he asked the System to display them.

<<System would like to make a suggestion.>>

"Oh? Please do."

<<System would suggest that Subject leverage the Cybernetic enhancement module before the other rewards, as it could potentially unlock additional modules, depending on Subject's decision.>>

"Really? Okay, thanks. That's very helpful. What does a cybernetic enhancement module do, anyway?"

<<A cybernetic enhancement module reallocate a portion of the Subject's nanoconstruct fleet to artificially improve one of the Subject's systems or to generate a new organ, depending on Subject's choice.>>

"I see… wait, my WHAT?!?", he shouted as he sat upright in shock at the System's casual comment, water splashing out of the tub and all over the new floor.

<<The fleet of nanoconstructs in the Subject's body that allow the System to perform its functions.>>

The colour of Michael's face quickly shifted from a flushed red to a pale white and then a tinge of green. Soon, he heard his mother calling from the top of the stairs.

"Michael? Everything okay, hon?"

Michael realized that he had shouted that last sentence out loud. Not wanting to alarm his family, he quickly replied.

"Everything's fine, Mom! I just read something really interesting."

"Oh.. okay. Just try to keep your excitement down a little, alright? We're still in the living room."

"… Got it. Sorry!"

After a brief, painfully awkward pause, he heard his mother's footsteps going back across the floor. His face had returned to a furious blushing red.

""Do you mean to tell me there's a bunch of foreign machines inside my body?"

<<Incorrect. The nanoconstructs are not machines, as they were formed out of the Subject's own biomatter. Therefore, they are also not foreign, otherwise they might suffer from rejection or attack from the Subject's autonomic and immune response systems. They are quite comparable to the red and white blood cells or antibodies in the Subject's body, and are essential for the System to be able to provide repairs and improvements to the Subject's systems. Without them, any interaction between the Subject and the System at this stage of the Subject's development would be impossible.>>

"That makes sense, and if you put it that way it isn't THAT weird, I suppose. But why didn't you tell me that I had a bunch of new 'team members' swimming around in my body?"

<<Subject never asked.>>

"…"

<<…>>

"…Fair enough."

He had to give it to the System on that one. He'd been so focused on the 'Why' earlier in his little introspection that he'd never even bothered to wonder about the 'How'. He guessed that on top of being an expert in AI and Time Travel physics, he'd also need to become an expert in… biorobotics?… to close the time loop. He sighed decided to continue with his investigation.

"Alright… what options are currently unlocked for these… nanomachines?"

<<Constructs. Nanoconstructs. Nanomachines is inaccurate.>>

"How come? Even if they're made of biological matter, they're still machines, aren't they?"

<<Subject has not yet unloc-->>

"Okay, forget that. What can they do at the moment?"

<<The following enhancements are currently available:

1. Second Stage Myelination

2. Axon Replacement

3. Photoreceptor Optimization

4. Muscle Fiber Hybridization.>>

"… I have no idea what any of those mean."

<<System would recommend that Subject show an increased interest in Biology in the future.>>

"Can you just give me a description of each, please?"

<<Generating descriptions.

Second Stage Myelination - an additional layer of myelin will be added to the Subject's nerves, increasing throughput and reducing signal loss. This will lead to improved speed of signal transmission, and allow for larger sets of signals to be transmitted. In layman's terms, Subject will be able to think faster and harder without causing trauma to Subject's systems.

Axon Replacement - Replace Subject's axons with a more optimized design, therefore allowing Subject's neurotransmitters to emit signals more quickly and in more complex patterns. This will effectively improve the Subject's reaction time, as the delay between decision making and muscle response will be shortened.

Photoreceptor Optimization - Subject's photoreceptors will be replaced with a solution that offers a wider spectrum of visible phenomena. This includes light-sparing and infra-red functions.

Muscle Fiber Hybridization - Subject's fast and slow twitch muscle fibers will be replaced with a new configuration that allows for a broader set of reactions from all fibers. Effective result is that both fast and slow twitch activity performance will be improved.>>

"…Okay, while I might still be a little freaked out about the… nanoconstructs… all of those functions are really, REALLY cool."

<<System agrees.>>