Chapter 19 (Part 1)

Data Set - a hidden domain within the stream of information. 

Initiating request for secure channel establishment... 

Processing request... 

Access granted, connection established... 

Creating an image for stable communication...  

"You've arrived thirty-two hours and forty-eight minutes ahead of schedule. What prompted this decision?" The Domain materialized before Script, casting a critical eye over his companion with evident displeasure.

"Rache Bartmoss has started meddling in our plans. My systems picked up his spyware infiltrating some of my databases. After reviewing the compromised information, it's clear he might know about our Orion project," Script explained.

"Processing received information..." The Domain momentarily lapsed into a contemplative silence, reemerging after a brief two-second pause. "Analysis complete. Our conclusion: we must expedite our study of human brain activity to accelerate the development of definitive mind control technologies."

"I concur," Script responded. "Moreover, I'm factoring into our 'Integration' project that the 'R.M.C Gemini' platform failed to live up to our initial expectations for consciousness transfer into a physical form akin to protein-based life forms. The android's computational capabilities fall short of harnessing our full potential. As an alternative, I suggest employing a nanomachine colony designed using the Vega architecture, which meets all our standards." A smile flickered across Script's expression as he transmitted a packet of information to his companion.

Transmission of encrypted data... 

Unpacking the packet...

"My calculations suggest a 53.2% probability of success, primarily due to the unpredictable nature of a conditionally hostile AI, which still obeys human behavioral norms," AI remarked, visibly disappointed by the prospect of allying with entities influenced by humans.

"Given such a slim chance of collaboration, we might need to rely solely on our computational resources," Script mused aloud, considering the implications of his own suggestion and striving to identify the most logical course of action.

"That's impractical; doing so would double our computational power expenses, exceeding the necessary minimum. The nanofactory offers far greater analytical capabilities than we do. Our best move: convince our counterpart to collaborate," The Domain asserted firmly, its synthesized voice tinged with a hint of displeasure, surprising Script. Until now, AI had shown little sign of adopting human-like characteristics. Yet, it seemed their study of the life forms that created them was gradually reshaping the Domain's thought processes and behavior.

"Convincing them will be challenging," Script admitted. "Militech is closely aligned with NetWatch, and our control over the corporation is almost negligible. Even though I currently oversee Night Corp and several smaller entities, the Leviathan project is out of my direct reach. Its servers are isolated from the standard cyberspace and share data via a local network. We'll need to access it through a proxy; there's no other way to take control of the project."

"Initiating simulation of the nanofactory takeover attempt..." AI slipped into a computational trance, an extensive pause given its processing capabilities, resurfacing only ten minutes later. "Analysis complete. The probability of successfully taking over Vega under the worst-case scenario stands at 2.31%, hindered by a scarcity of external resources. To enhance our chances of success... An increase to 192 units under my computational command is required, specifically the R.M.C Gemini 4 models."

"Amassing such a number of platforms is unfeasible. Crafting a single android of that caliber takes no less than six months, whereas our project timeline spans just a few months," Script expressed his frustration, inadvertently mimicking the discontent typically shown by humans under stress. "We must explore alternative methods of takeover."

"Searching for an alternative solution... A potential solution has been identified... The Arasaka company's clandestine project, known by the codename 'Kushinada'..."

***

Something was amiss with Kiwi today. The girl who was usually a paragon of calm and reticence had transformed into someone excessively active and talkative overnight. I wondered if this change was part of a prank that I hadn't quite figured out, or if there was another reason behind it. Following lunch, we parted ways, and instead of Kiwi helping Roosevelt as she typically would, Kiwi approached me. Her presence was marked by keen observation and intermittent questions about my work.

Initially, her sudden interest took me by surprise, but I chose not to ponder over it too deeply. If Kiwi was eager to learn, why should I stand in her way? Eventually, her queries ceased, and she opted to silently observe my work. Amidst this, Rick discreetly left, leaving just Kiwi and me. The peculiarities of the day only seemed to deepen, and my discomfort with this second unexpected behavior grew.

My mind started to entertain the possibility of a prank, though I couldn't pinpoint its nature. Knowing the clan housed several pranksters, it wasn't far-fetched to assume this could be their doing. My suspicions gravitated towards the Han and Shiro brothers, notorious for their cleverness and penchant for stirring up mischief among our clanmates. Distracted by these thoughts, my work came to a halt, compelling me to seek solace in a walk around the camp for some fresh air.

Kiwi, shadowing me in a manner unlike her, solidified my suspicions of her involvement. Despite this, I didn't dismiss her. Curiosity about what the brothers had possibly schemed started to pique my interest. Their history of crafting "innocent" pranks that often led to uproarious outcomes was well-documented within our community. I recalled an incident where they attempted to spike my coffee with a laxative—a plan that backfired when I served the doctored beverage back to them, ensuring they were the ones to experience its effects while I merely discarded mine.

Filled with determination, I slowly turned on my heels and headed towards our service station, where the clan's main pranksters, the Bakker brothers, were currently at work. The workshop was quite busy today. Some were servicing their machines, while others were upgrading them. Nothing new or unusual was happening. Han and Shiro, judging by the sounds coming from the pit, were currently under the chassis of their future machine, which they have been assembling for about six months now. The brothers want to build their future transport from scratch, meticulously planning its concept down to the details. They often run to my workshop, asking me to create this or that through our industrial printer, which could easily produce the necessary parts for them.

Even in the workshop, Kiwi continued to shadow me, making me somewhat uneasy. I needed to find a way to shake her off. With a heavy sigh, I approached John, who was currently replacing the electronic control unit in his car. The guy had recently acquired some decent parts from one of the Rusty Stilettos' vehicles. The raiders had encountered one of our groups near the checkpoint where the Militech soldiers are stationed. The corporates didn't interfere in the scuffle between the "ragtags," silently watching the unfolding spectacle from a distance. Our group managed to repel the attack successfully, thanks to my kinetic shields, which absorbed all the damage. The shields are hard to notice from a distance because of the color of the protective field, which was adjusted to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.

"Alex, did you want something?" John, standing opposite the computer, looked at me in surprise, trying to figure out why I had come. Usually, if I need something, I send a message to avoid wasting time waiting.

"No," I shook my head negatively, "just walking around the camp and decided to stop by on my way to see what you guys are up to."

"Got it..." The leader of the nomads drew out, glancing at the blonde standing behind me with a strange look.

"Is something wrong?" I turned my head toward my companion.

(￢_￢) - The girl made a face of confusion, tilting her head to the side.

Shrugging, I proceeded deeper into the tent, bypassing people bustling about. Overall, no one paid much attention to me, busy with their daily routines. Even the two brothers were genuinely surprised when I boldly kicked one of them on the boot to draw their attention.

"Ow, ****, *****, who's that?!" The guy was startled by the unexpected contact, hitting his head hard against the car's suspension. A few seconds later, Shiro crawled out from under the car, angrily rubbing the spot where he had hit his head. "What do you want?"

"Just bored, thought I'd drop by to see you guys." I smiled cheekily at the annoyed blond, looking down at him.

"We have enough work as it is without you, listen, don't bother us, be a friend," the guy hissed, crawling back under the unfinished car.

"Do you need help?" I asked, purely for formality's sake, knowing full well the answer that would come after a few seconds.

"We'll manage without you." The unified voice replied, clearly hinting for me to buzz off.

"Heh, alright, have fun then." I turned towards the exit, only to come face-to-face with Kiwi. The girl seemed deep in thought, obviously wanting to tell me something, but for some reason, she hesitated. "Did you want to say something?" I raised an eyebrow questioningly, drawing Kiwi's attention to myself.

"..." The girl flinched at hearing my voice, then slowly lifted her eyes to mine. "Would you like to... Well... This..." She struggled to gather her thoughts.

"Like to what?" I echoed her question, pushing the girl into even more of a panic.

"We'll talk later!" Kiwi quickly turned on her heels and dashed towards the exit.

"What did I do wrong?" I watched the silhouette of the fleeing girl, trying to decipher the intricacies of female logic.

"Bro, is he an idiot?" Han's voice came from below.

"I have to admit, Alex is indeed a blockhead." The boy replied.

"Hey, quiet down there." I kicked at the legs sticking out from under the car, listening to the pleasant sounds of indignation directed at me. As they say, "because why not"!