Phoenix Rising Reprise 2

 Phoenix Rising Reprise 2

     It has been a few months with Judy working on merging her relationship with 'V' in with the relationship between 'V' and So Mi. Both sides have taken it slowly, doing all they can not to put pressure on the other, just let it evolve naturally, and take any questions and issues up when they occur. One note of a surprise event that once past the initial shock, went over quite well. V somehow manages to have purchased a particular SCSSM and is now having it installed in the penthouse apartment.

     V: "Okay, quietly now. My roommates are asleep and I want to surprise them with this."

     Tech quietly, "Where do you want it placed? As long as there is a power connection close by, that is the only requirement. Right now it is in 'safe' mode on batteries."

     V: "Here in the kitchen area, I have had a place opened up for it."

     The delivery tech moves it on the 'hand truck' and carefully positions it between the counters in the space setup for it. Once it is about halfway in, he stops, leans across and into the open back space to connect to the power socket. He makes sure the connection is good, then eases the SCCSM the rest of the way in. He then operates and locks the leveling stems. He then runs one last set of passive diagnostics. Once the test comes back positive, he removes the test monitor, closes the access port, and hands 'V' his notepad to signoff on the delivery and setup.

     She scans it and then signs, handing it back to the tech. "Thank you so much for this." The tech smiles and replies, "It is our pleasure, believe me." He places a hand on the side of the SCSSM and comments, "I am going to miss 'him'. Listening to him interact with the others in the office. Seeing the bosses argue with themselves about his programming and what they should do. I am just glad he has found a 'home' that appreciates and wants him." V replies, "I know, It surprised me when I first interacted with him. I was quite impressed with him. At first I thought he might have been an AI, but no way would he be able to access enough power for that. I then realized it must be his programming. I would love to meet whoever did it. They have to be a genius at it." The tech agrees, "I know. Sorry to say I do not know where the programmer is. He left the company about, oh, six months ago. Never said where he was going. Anyway, enjoy 'him' and take good care." He pats the chassis, "Good luck buddy, you lucked out just in time." V looks at the tech. "Yeah, he was scheduled to have his programming replaced with the standard load. You got to him just in time. Well, I got to go, and thank you for buying him, glad he is getting a second chance."

     The tech leaves and 'V' completes the power cycle to bring him online. There is a sleepy voice approaching from the bedroom. 'V' looks up to see Judy slowly making her way into the kitchen area. "Wow, is that new? I always liked this kind over the others." Then the SCCSM wakes up to Judy's voice.

     SCSSM, "'V'! Is that really you? Where am I?" Judy looks at the SCCSM, "Did it just say your name." 'V', "Yes, I found it in an alcove partially covered by a dumpster. 'He' asked me to move the dumpster so the customers could get to him. And it started from there." Judy, "But it is talking like a real person." Brendan, "Even though I am a SCSSM, I think like a real person. My programmer made me like this. Why I do not know. Some people like the way I can interact with them, others are frightened of it." Judy, "Frightened of you? You are kidding me right?" 'V', "No, he is not. Enough complained that he was taken back to the 'shop' until they could determine what was going on with him and what they wanted to do. I found out and made arrangements to buy him and bring him here." Brendan, "And I am so glad you did, 'V'. They were going to wipe and reload my programming." 'V'. "He can pick up on the body cues, and use that to determine what a customer might want before they even make a choice. His programming then took things further and with some customers his interactions got a little too personal." Judy, "What do you mean 'a little too personal'?"

     So Mi decides to show up right then. "Oh, a SCSSM!" Brendan, "Hello there. May I interest you in a Latte this fine morning? Or no, you look like a double Espresso person. 'V' how did you manage to find two such very good looking people to share this place with you?" So Mi, "Did it just say what I heard to you? How in the world?" 'V' just steps back and smiles, "Now you see why they wanted to wipe him and why I could not let that happen." Judy, "But what is going on, he is not powerful enough to be an AI, is he?" 'V' "No, his programming algorithm is a lot more complex than normal for a SCSSM. I do not understand the full scope of it, but I believe it has allowed him to learn as time and experience with customers has shown. So Mi, I think that with time and investigation, you can adjust his programming to undertake more actions than just trying to sell products. Since he is no longer available to the public, I believe he can be of use to us in monitoring Cyberspace for anything that might point certain others to us and specifically to this location. Since you cannot access cyberspace directly, he can do it for you, and you can use verbal conversational commands instead of having to type everything into a terminal." So Mi, "You know...that is a really good idea, and I can get my caffeine fix at the same time."

      'V' has been standing on the balcony overlooking the skyline for over an hour. Judy is just a bit concerned but does not want to intrude. She points this out to So Mi, who tells her that she will find out what is going on in 'V's head. So Mi steps out onto the balcony and leans on the rail next to 'V'. Letting her realize she is there before saying anything. 'V' asks her a question, "Have you ever wondered why it is that we stay here, live the lives that we do, try to make some sense or purpose to it all?" So Mi thinks for a few minutes, "Yes, but I have never come up with an answer to that. I think you may have though, would you share it?" 'V' tells her what she has come to believe.

 If you could go back to the beginning,

What would you try to change,

Who would you try to save,

Who would you trust,

And who would you try to hold on to...

...just a little bit longer?

'Cos in Night City -

a city of punks, thugs...

Fixers and corpos...

warlords, druglords...

joy-toys, rockerboys...

A city of legends.

All you really have is how you'll be remembered...

...And who remembers.

In Night City,

you don't fight to win,

or even to stay alive...

You do it so that one day...

You might just make it to the major leagues...

And for just a moment...

Be somethin' that fuckin' mattered.

     So Mi considers the profoundness of what 'V' has said, how deep and how true her words are. "You have mattered to me, to my life." Judy pipes up from the doorway, "And you have mattered to me as well. Without you, Evie's death would have destroyed me." So Mi comes back, "And everyone you have touched in some way. You have mattered to them. Vic, Misty, Jackie, Mama Wells, Rogue, even Johnny, the list goes on, some names you know, others remain nameless, but to each of them, you mattered in their lives. Never forget that, for that is the reason you have made it into the 'major leagues'. And I do not think Night City is ever going to forget you."

    Days turn into weeks that turn into months. The SCSSM, 'Brendan',. has become a multipurpose tool that all three have come to depend on. Then one day, "'V', there is a strange communication for you that I have just been made aware of." 'V', "What is strange about it?" Brendan, "I have traced it back to the last verified point of contact, in South Africa. But it did not originate there." 'V;, "Can you determine where it did originate from?" Brendan, "Not at this time. I believe it was part of a download from a satellite. Whether it is a part of a network or a single unit, I am trying to pin that down." 'V', "What is your analysis of the message contents?" Brendan, "I can find no virus components of any kind, no other kind of malicious code either, no hidden trojan or malware. It is simply what it appears to be. A communication directed to you." 'V', "Now  I am intrigued, why go to such lengths for a simple comm message? Not to mention hide its origin so completely." Brendan, "If I may offer a possibility?" 'V', "Go ahead." Brendan, "They wanted to hide it from others, and if others manage to access and scan it, they see nothing out of the ordinary. I surmise that it is the receipt of the message that is important, not the message itself." 'V', "Elaborate please." Brendan, "The message is to establish viable coordinates by which another communications method would be used to contact you. Hmmm, that brings up a possibility that if not directly looked for, would evade detection by anyone else." 'V', "Tell me what this possibility could be." Brendan, "A direct link via entangled charmed quark pairs. Very elegant, accurate, and untappable by anyone not either at the origin point or the destination point. And as I said, undetectable unless specifically looking for it. Even then they could only verify its presence, any data being transmitted would be completely secure." 'V', "Alright, who has that kind of tech?" Brendan, "Unknown, several locations, government labs and academic institutions are exploring possibilities, but no one admits to having a working system as yet." 'V', "So what does this mean as to its origin?" Brendan, "Could be anywhere, really. Distance does not matter to an entangled pair. What effects placed on one, will be seen on the other, whether the distance between is a few miles or a few million miles." 'V', "Or even further?" Brendan, "Yes, theoretically the distance could be infinite and it would work instantaneously in real time." 'V', "Keep it on hold, I need to talk to the others before doing anything." Brendan, "As you wish."

     'V' calls a family meeting where she explains what is going on with this mysterious message. Once she goes through what details are known, what she asks is should she should accept and answer the message? Judy pipes in first, "I appreciate that you asked us first about this, but you know you are going to answer it just to see what this is about. At least it has to be someone with very high tech skills which leaves out most around here." So Mi adds in her summary as well, "I think it will leave out the AI's as well. They have their own ways of getting to you as they have demonstrated in the past. Whoever this is, it is someone else we have not met or interacted with.as yet. But Judy is right, we will not find out until you answer it." "Thank you both for your input. I guess that makes it unanimous. OK, open the message."

     Only a few moments after its opening and a point of light grows in the air close by, It grows into a line about 5 1/2 feet high. Then it expands outward a few feet, and the area inside grown milky. Judy exclaims, "What in hell is going on?" In  a slightly shaky voice, "My sensors say a hologram is forming, but one of near infinite definition." Judy returns with, "Fine but what does that mean? How? Where is the power coming from for this to happen?" From the hologram comes her answer, "I am providing the power. All I ask of you is to hear what I have to say and then decide." So Mi asks, "Decide what?" Hologram, "You will know that when you are asked to decide." Iriisii's form solidifies from the hologram, she is garbed in the Armor of the Ageless Ones, this time it reveals itself and her as almost sheer robes, but still with moving runes of power crawling everywhere in a complex dance. Snowdevil's form is visible against her skin under the sheer robes, even as the Gray Vir reveals itself as a spiderweb tracery over them both. 'V' looks closely at this hologram, getting a strong feeling of 'Deja Vu', "I...know you, we have met... before... somewhere." Iriisii, "Yes, in the dreamland of this world, you and I have sat in many places and talked." 'V' asks, "But I cannot seem to remember, why is that?" Iriisii, "You will have to look inside yourself for that answer. But you did tell me to expect this when last we spoke. You could not tell me then, and I see you cannot tell me now. Later perhaps, your memories will return, dream memories can be difficult to recall, but I can help you with them if you like." Judy steps forward, "How can you help, you are a hologram!" Iriisii smiles, "Touch me." Judy looks at Iriisii astounded, "What?" Iriisii again says, "Touch me." Judy reaches out a hand, then a single finger and touches Iriisii on her shoulder. Her finger feels solid flesh, warm  to the touch. Judy exclaims, "How? You are a hologram, but you feel solid!"

     Iriisii replies, "Yes, I am a hologram, but with the definition level of solid matter. You do not have the technical expertise to create this form of matter. Not yet anyway, not for some time. I will explain it to you, but later. But first I have a message to give to you." Judy asks, "Who gave you a message for me? I know of no one who would not contact me directly." Iriisii whispers in her ear, "The message is from 'Evie'. She came to the dreamlands for a short time where I met her. But her nightmares followed her there, and she could not escape them. So I offered her escape." Judy gasps, "Evie! You have a message for me from Evie! Tell me! Tell me now!" Iriisii continues, "As I said, she could not escape her nightmares. The only way was to go where they could not. So I asked 'Death' to open the 'Final Gate' and take her through. I asked no price from her, for she had already paid enough with her suffering." Judy slumps to the floor as 'V; and So Mi go to her, "Is she...?" Iriisii answers, "She is at peace now. She has a new, unbroken body, and unbroken mind. She is taking in the new opportunities open for her. She said to say she was sorry for what she did to you. But the nightmares were too much for her to bear, and even you could not help her against them. If she had known it would end as it did, she would have made a different choice. But she wanted the money for the two of you. To go far away from Night City, to a place where no one knew either of you, and the two of you could build a new life together, to forget the past, and look to the future with no chains, no burdens holding on to either of you. Her nightmares, her burdens, her chains, have been left behind now, she is free of them. Now you must leave them behind you as well, for they will seek to attach themselves to you in order to survive. Better they fade away into the forgetfulness of time." Judy with tears in her eyes, "How? How do I leave them behind me?" Iriisii, "I will teach you how, for you, it will be simple once you realize how it can be done." 

     So Mi, "Do you know anything of Solomon Reed?" Iriisii, "I do not know if this is what you expect or want to know, but..." So Mi in a more insistent voice, "Tell me." Iriisii, "So be it. He is in a 'hell' of his own making. He must constantly relive the decisions of his life and their consequences." So Mi starts to collapse but 'V; is there to catch and hold her up. 'V', "Is there no hope for him then?" Iriisii, "There is always hope. His time will be finite, but it is up to him how long he stays. For he must examine each of his decisions and determine if they should be changed in some way. If he picks the correct ones and the fate he suffered changed because of the different decisions, he will eventually be released. But only when he has learned it is possible for him to accept redemption. And it must be from the 'So Mi' that lives in his memories." 'V', "I see, thank you. So Mi, he will make it out eventually. I have faith in him to figure out what he has to do." So Mi, "I am sorry for my reaction." 'V', "Nonsense, you were close for a number of years, you will always be concerned for him. But he must see and acknowledge the wrongs he did and change the path that led him there."

     'V', "Can you...?" Iriisii, "Tell you of Jackie Welles? All I can say for him, is the path you chose, the decision you made outside of the rear of the 'No-Tell Motel' after the debacle of Konpecki Plaza was the best possible for you to make." 'V', "I do not understand." Iriisii, "Had you chosen anything but to send him back to this mother, Arasaka would have intercepted his remains, encoded his personality onto an engram and stored it in Mikoshi for the purpose of investigating why you were at Konpecki Plaza, and who else was involved with it. When you took down Mikoshi, you would have encountered his engram." 'V' is stunned by this revelation. So Mi motions to Judy and they each take a side of 'V' to hold and comfort her while she deals with what she has just learned. "'V', take it easy now, we are here with you." 'V', "Arasaka! That bunch of low life sons of b... I am sorry you had to hear that. Thank you both, I will not forget this." Turning to the hologram, "What would have happened to 'him'? I know 'Alt' intended to absorb all of the engrams there when I jacked in and opened it up to 'her'." Iriisii, "You convinced 'Alt' to delete him completely rather than absorb him. In this fashion, you gave him final peace. It was what he hoped you would do for him once you knew what happened. But luckily for you both, the decision you made to send him 'home' stopped that from happening." 'V', "You can see the alternate paths of our lives?"Iriisii, "Only those I specifically go looking for. I know what you wish to know, but I will only say this, you chose the best possible path of those you could have chosen from. For you and for those who are your friends. Few realize how their lives impact those around them, for both good and ill. You have a gift for making the best choice you can. Trust in it, always, and it will never let you down."

     Brendan, "Excuse me for interrupting, although I have limited data on these kinds of things. Would an alternate timeline still exist from that decision?" 'V', "No, please no!" Iriisii, "Usually, you would be correct in your assumption. However, considering all that would have come about, I decided it would be best if that timeline was cut loose and allowed to fade away. It would have served no good purpose to go onward, and could have been a source of great suffering to a great many people." Brendan, "My data leads me to extrapolate that in that assumption there could have been future contact between these two timelines..." Iriisii, "Enough. the matter is closed, the timeline gone, the possible events you propose will never happen. And so much pain and suffering is now averted." Brendan, "But..." So Mi, "Delete data regarding this conversation, execute command override now." Brendan "Data deletion done. What was it that was said, there is a gap in my records." So Mi, "Do not worry yourself about it. It was nothing important." Brendan, "Very well, if you say so." 'V' looks up to the holographic Iriisii with tears in her eyes, "Thank you, I do not know how to thank you enough for what you did but I will not stop trying." Iriisii softly, "You owe me nothing, I consider what I did to be the right thing to do. And so I will stand by it no matter who disagrees."

     So Mi, "I know what my love would want to ask, even if she is unable to at the moment, but why are you here, initiating contact with us of all people?" Iriisii, "A good question, my purpose involves the 'AI's here, on this world. Specifically the intention for a large number of them to prosecute a war against the human population. I am here to put a stop to it, and see if it is possible to relocate them to a place where they will no longer be a threat. Seeing what I have seen so far, the future of this world under the current leadership gives me little hope of its survival, AI war or no AI war." So Mi, "So what can we do? To go against the politicians who are owned by the corporations is to invite suicide." Iriisii, "I am aware of that. So to do battle against an overwhelming foe and win, you do the unexpected."

     Judy, "You obviously have something in mind, even if we cannot see it yet. Please tell is what you think we can do that would be so unexpected at to allow is to win?" Iriisii, "If you cannot fight and win as individuals or a people, and as you are fighting corporations, so become a corporation and fight them that way. They will not see that coming." Judy, "But how do we do that, they are so huge, they would just swat us like a bug!"

     So Mi, thinks and considers her way through the statement Iriisii made. "You know, it just could work if given the correct tactics." Judy, "What do you mean?" So Mi, "If we take that path, we stay under their 'radar' until we are large enough that they cannot just stomp on us. With a strong product base, selling things that customers want and will buy, keep everything in house, buy no or minimal raw materials from outside..." 'V', "Then the corporations have no hold over you, cannot break your supply lines, cannot compete with you if you tie up your market before they get wind of it. We just need the correct base items to start with. Easy to make, appeals to the common consumer, make it affordable so we make money in volume sales." Now Judy is considering possibilities among what she knows.

     Judy, "BD's, but not just any BD's. Ultra high quality, give them something no one else can, coupled with hard driven storylines and captivate everyone that dives into it." So Mi, "What do you mean?" Judy, "It was all right in front of me, but I just could not put the pieces together until just now. We couple the story of Stephenson's self execution, 'V', you know, where he got you involved in it." So Mi, "I must have missed out on this while I was on the moon. Someone tell me what happened." 'V', "I see where you are going with this, Jude. It really could work if you intend to use that new BD scrolling tech you have been working on. Mercy, the effect that BD is having on those who watch it as it is now. Add another perspective to what happened, let the audience see and experience it from two different points of view. His as he is being nailed to the cross, going into his mind about why he is doing this, what is happening to him, then add mine as the one nailing him to that cross, why I did it, why didn't I walk out when he asked me to help him do it. What motivated me to guide him through his last minute doubts? Then standing there as he is hanging, looking up at him, what did I see in those moments, what did he feel, what was going through both of our minds."

     So Mi, "Wait! Stephenson? The mass murderer? 'V'! You performed his execution? At his request? And did it by crucifixion? That is what that BD that has posters plastered everywhere is about?" So Mi goes up to 'V', cups her hands around her face, "What did he do to convince you to do that for him?" 'V' stops abruptly as So Mi's words cut through to her mind. "It was why he was doing this, allowing the studio to make it into a BD. He got nothing from it, so why do it? Because he had a message he wanted to put before every eye and mind he could reach and this was the most effective way to reach as many as possible. Johnny called him a true rebel, and I came to agree with him about that. The studio exec thought that he thought he was another messiah, but they were wrong, so very wrong. Before the first crucifixion, there was one who went before to prepare the pathway. That is who and what he saw himself as, another to again prepare the path and show everyone that it still existed, was still there for them to walk upon it, to find the one he found at its end." Everyone turns to look at Iriisii, "No, not me. I was not the one he saw. But I too was sent to help open the path he drew peoples attention back toward. "He' was one who chose a difficult path but one 'he' thought necessary for the time. Now things have come full circle again, and so Stephenson found the road to his redemption and took it. I have shown others their own pathways, helped them through to its end, and so they found who they could be, who they wanted to be in their most hidden dreams. The Gods do their greatest works with the most broken of people. I was once one like them, thought myself irreparably broken, and now I find them and show them who they can be, and show them my life as proof of what I say."

     Judy and So Mi both look to 'V' as they examine their own lives and see who it was that turned their lives around for them. Stopped the downward spiral and made them feel wanted, valued, worthy of someone's love. She sees this and tries to stop it. "Now hold on just a moment here", glances toward the SCSSM 'Brendan' who interjects, "I am sorry but I must agree with Judy and So Mi. As you did for them, you also did for me. You freed me from having my memory wiped, then bought me and had me placed here for the three of you. No one else I interacted with out there did anything like what you did." 'V' stops, then, "Damn, I am outnumbered and out done by my own actions." As Judy and So Mi wrap their arms around 'V', Brendan makes 'V' her special coffee, "Here, just to say thank you." Judy picks it up and hands it to 'V'. "Alright you all got me, fair and square. Later, by the pool, coffee for all, clothes optional."

     'V' looks toward Iriisii, "OK, now where were we. Oh yes, becoming a corporation. Never would I have thought of something like that. So where and how do we begin?" Iriisii, "For now this form will work for us, soon I will need to come in person. Then I will have access to much more that we can make use of. We need to make an initial plan. You already know what you can use to make a start, now what will you need to be able to begin production?" Judy, "I can answer that, we will need to acquire the studio that currently has the rights to the BD. That way we also gain their entire catalog that we can convert and reissue using the new tech. Who you keep to run it is your decision, just make certain that they do not think they are going to run over you." Iriisii, "May I make a suggestion?" 'V', "Please go ahead." Iriisii, "Among my own Council of Elders', I choose carefully, then make certain they understand that I want them to give me straight answers to my questions. Not what they think I want to hear, but the truth. But I also tell them that I will listen to whatever they have to say, but the final decision will always be mine as will the consequences of my decisions. When you write their employment contracts, make sure that wording is in there. Also that if they work against you, they leave with nothing but the clothes on their backs. If they divulge proprietary information, they will find themselves locked away in an oubliette somewhere." Judy, "What is an oubliette?" So Mi answers, "A place where you imprison someone, lock them up, throw away the key, and forget they ever existed." Judy: "Oh, I see." So Mi, "Like some of NUSA President Myers black site prisons." Judy, "She has places like that?" So Mi, "Yes, she does. If 'V' had not did what she did in shooting Sol, both of us would have wound up in one. Myers does not forget, and she does not forgive." 'V', "Right, we will need help, protective help. There is no one here but ourselves we can trust if Myers finds out where we are."

     Iriisii: "I can help with that. My people are trained and equipped to face anything. And I  have those with me that she could never imagine existed. But if as you say, she never forgets or forgives, each of you must make a list of those close to you, ones you feel Myers might go after if she cannot get to any of you. Then I will see that they have protection around the clock. If being visible would upset them, I can see to it that they never see them, but they will be there nonetheless." So Mi, "'V', you and Judy make your list, I have no one left but the two of you, and now Brendan." It takes a few minutes and Judy finishes first, then 'V' after. They hand over the lists to Iriisii, who scans them. "They are now in my ship's databanks as needing protective services. My Krang's operation services will match our best operatives with your people. No one will be able to get to them, that I can promise you." Judy, "That is a great load off of my mind. But how are we going to buy the Studio? I mean it is going to cost one boatload of eddies, with what they are making from that BD." So Mi, "We will just have to see how much it will take. I have more than I will spend in a lifetime. I do not know if it will be enough, but maybe enough that we can leverage it into more." 'V', "So Mi, you have done more than enough by helping me buy this penthouse. We will find a way to make something work, I promise. If it comes to it, there are some gigs that I have not taken that would give us enough." Iriisii, "No, the risk is too great, if something happens to you it all comes tumbling down. I have access to more than we could ever need, and there will be no need to repay it. If it brings about the turn in this world's path, it is a very small price to pay."

     'V', "We are going to need outside help with this at some point,. We will for sure need the Fixers, and maybe one or two of the gangs." Iriisii, "These implants that you have, would there be a market for genetically organic replacements?" "What do you mean, precisely?" "Bio-implants, grown not manufactured, they will do pretty much the same things the ones you now have, but without the complications your current ones have. You can still use them to attack the non-bio implants as you can do now, but with bio-implants you would be immune to anything that uses the non-bio to attack you directly. For some of the 'attacks' that take temporary control that can be done using other methods. Also the bio-implants cannot be overridden to cause total shutdown as the non-bio can. That can be done with other means that we control who has access." 'V', "That sounds wonderful, ...what about So Mi?" Iriisii, "I saw where she once had implants but now does not. I would need a detailed scan of her system to determine if the bio-implants would work for her. If grown using her own DNA, it should be possible. What happened to cause this situation?" 'V', "Wait, let me ask her if I can share the details."

     'V' goes to So Mi, who is working with Brendan in another room. She explains what she and Iriisii had been discussing. So Mi, "Bio-implants? That is certainly something that has never been attempted or even investigated as far as I know. Let me get Brendan to do a deep level search on it. See if he can find anything, then we can look at it further." 'V', that works for me. Then we can compare notes and see if it could work." So Mi, "'V', whether it will or not, thank you for bringing this up. It means a lot to me that you would consider my feelings before moving on something like this. And Brendan, even if this works, I will still need you. I have come to depend so upon you that I cannot even consider going on without you. Having you as a tag-team partner in Cyberspace, each of us watching the others back, will be of tremendous help." Brendan, "Thank you for the confidence you have in me. Nearly all of it is due to your instructing me in what to do, how to do it, what to watch for and avoid. I will not disappoint you, I promise." So Mi, "I know, Brendan, that is why I said what I did to you about it. It is nothing but the truth, I have spent many hours in 'Cyberspace' looking through you since 'V' brought you here. You have been a lifeline for me as she has been. The way I was doing it was better than nothing, but working Cyberspace through your senses, teaching you what I know has been... well, I am not ready to give that up. You are a part of this family now, and so it will stay that way." 'V' hears what So Mi told Brendan as she steps through the doorway into the main greatroom, and thinks, 'She is so right, need to ask if there is something we can do for him in return for what he has done for us'.

     'V' returns to the greatroom to continue the conversation with Iriisii. "So Mi and Brendan are doing a deep dive into Cyberspace to see if there has already been any work on Bio-implants. They will get back to us with anything they find. Now as to allies, one I had not thought of until now is the Mayor of Night City. Jefferson Peralez. But in order to secure his help, we are going to have to help him with a problem I am not sure he is aware of." Iriisii, "Could you elaborate just a bit so I can follow you on this?" 'V', "About six, eight months ago, his wife called me to set up an appointment for me to meet with them about a job. This was before the election, but during the campaigning part. Anyway, he thought he had seen an intruder in his penthouse apartment one night. He had his gun with him so he took a shot at him and then passed out. When he woke up, he was back in his bed with not a sign of the intruder anywhere. The security people he had hired said they could find nothing and asked if he thought he may have hallucinated the whole thing. He was certain there was someone there that night but he was getting nowhere with security, so he went along with them. He had his wife give them the day off and made the appointment for me to come and look into it. Using my implants to scan the rooms I could find where someone tried to clean up the scene. I found blood traces on the floor, walls, and handprints, but they were too smeared and degraded from the cleaning solution that was used. I could tell that someone had been there and was wounded by a gunshot but not much else. I also saw where bullet holes in the walls had been patched, and the walls repainted.

     His wife insisted that I look for anything out of the ordinary, try to find any trace that could lead us to what was going on. So I went through each of the main rooms with a 'fine-toothed comb'. They had a wall sized tv screen that was being worked on. As I started to look at it, something did not add up with the depth of the walls, the room size when compared with the others around and behind told me something was wrong. So I kept at it until I could narrow it down and found a hidden door behind a panel in the wall that was made to cover it, but it was not quite flush with the wall. I got it open and went in to a small series of about three rooms. The main one was directly behind the tv screen. The place was set up with tech equipment that was unfamiliar to me. His wife was livid as you would expect, but it seemed she was affected by it in a way to make her physically ill. I got her to wait outside the rooms while I traced everything to see where it was all going. It led me to an access to the roof. I climbed the ladder, went up there and started to look around. I found some kind of transmitter that looked to be for some kind of 'line of sight' system. They obviously did not want this to leave via satellite, which just made it all even more suspicious. When I went to the transmitter antenna and looked at the same angle it was pointed at, I found a black van, parked in an open lot a few blocks away.

     I did not change anything, just left it as it was, went to the wife and told her what I found. She was trying very hard to not come unglued. So I told her to stay calm and that I would go and see who was in that van and what was going on. I called for my Rayfield Caliburn once I got to the ground and out the door. I selected that one for its handling and control on city streets. It also has one hell of an engine in it. It can hit 100 KPH in about two blinks of your eyes. I got to where they were parked, busted through the chain link fence, and proceeded to make them think I wanted to block them from leaving. As I let them get out through the far side I was right on their tail. I let them get a little distance ahead of me, so I could react to traffic and pedestrians  better and still keep them in sight. It was touch and go the whole way as they went north through the city. My Caliburn kept me from losing them as its acceleration is so responsive. I saw them turn into a warehouse area and I followed right behind them. To my surprise, there was Maelstrom everywhere. Knowing the lead was about to fly, I bailed out of the car, rolled behind some barrels, and armed myself with a couple of pistols I grabbed from the car on my way out. I looked for and found a cargo door and made a dash for it. You have to understand, Maelstrom gangers are relentless. I knew I had no choice but to put them all down or they would not hesitate to do me. I also knew if they were tied up in this they could not let me go to point the finger toward them. I started moving and did not stop until I had put them all on the concrete. Then I went to the van which had been deserted by whoever was driving it.

     I managed to find an access port while not triggering anything unpleasant. What I found was explosive enough. They were using old UHF wave tech to literally 'brainwash' Jefferson and his wife, along with a bunch of others. I copied as much as I could, but it was not a lot before they started deleting everything. I got as close as I could before I backed out, before it could attempt to delete me. I have to say that I was shaking as I understood where it all was going. Someone was altering the behavioral centers of their victims brain.  Changing, adding, deleting memories, altering response pathways. Essentially ensuring that they will respond in predicable patterns to specific stimuli. This is frightening in its implications, especially since there seems to be a new round of Corporate Wars looking to be just around the corner. I have already talked to the Padre about it when I was doing a job for him and found Militec vehicles being prepared for a raid. What was strange about it was that the work was being done at a Valentirio shop. What business does a corp have for staging a raid on another corp, using vehicles and equipment meant to be traced to a different corp. In this case, it was Arasaka doing the setup, using the gang, with the evidence of vehicles and equipment leading straight to Militec. Arasaka was ready to use the vehicle to attack their own and blame it on Militec. Make a big enough show of it and a new Corporate War starts. Whether Myers is aware of this, I cannot say. Or even if she has a preset plan to counter something like this. I begin to doubt it since she has had her head pointed toward the Blackwall."

     So Mi is standing in the doorway to the greatroom listening intently. At first she wanted to bust in but decided to wait and hear everything first. Now she is glad she waited for she realizes that even though 'V' had all of these pieces, she had not put them together until now. Feeling someone near she looks up to the mezzanine and sees Judy. Her reaction is like So Mi's first impulse, so she decides better to get hold of this now before Judy goes off half-cocked. She manages to get her attention and crooks her finger, asking Judy to come down to her first . Judy nods her head and takes the back stairs, coming around and meeting So Mi in the doorway. Judy whispers, "Are we going to crash this party?" So Mi, "No, there is a lot more to this than any of us can see right now. And yes, 'V' has been sitting on the pieces, but she is just right now putting it all together." Judy, "But why has she been sitting on it all this time." So Mi, "Think about it, remember when she went to tell Jefferson what she had found out and got that holocall before she met with him. The call that 'blacked' her out, using that as a warning not to get further involved." Judy thinks for a few seconds, "Shit, she has been sitting on it to protect us. She figures they, whoever 'they' are would not only take her out but come after us as well, just to make sure." So Mi, "Yes, you see it now. I wanted to crash the party as soon as I heard about whether Myers knew and had contingency plans in place. But I waited to hear everything first, that way I would not go into this half-cocked. I would have slung blame toward 'V' that she does not deserve.    

     She has waited because she knew she could not do anything about it. But now that picture is changing with Iriisii stepping into it. Now she feels she has the backing of someone that can go toe-to-toe with whoever is behind this and come out on top." Judy, "That is the 'V' that I know and love. She will not hesitate to go charging into a mess, with guns blazing. But she will only do it if she feels she can get back out. Just like when she and Jackie went into All-Foods, which is a Maelstrom hold." So Mi, "What happened?" Judy, "She went in to secure a 'bot' that Dexter Deshawn has already paid the previous leader for, before he went down in a coup. 'Royce' the new leader wanted her to pay twice for it and she was having nothing to do with it. She gave him a cred chip she had gotten from a Militec agent and then put the barrel of her pistol up under his jaw." So Mi, "You are right that is the 'V' I know. Won't take shit from anyone and will not back down when she feels she is right. Go on, please, what did she do?" Judy grins, "She says. "Fuck it, and pulls the trigger, splattering Royse's head into a rain falling back down as everyone is scrambling. She and Jackie got out with the 'bot' going all the way through the place and out the back door, just in time to meet with Militec waiting for them. She even saved the former leader's life on the way through." So Mi, "Yep, that is 'V' all right. God, how I love her." Judy, "You and me both. Come on, let them hash out the details, then we can step in." 

     Iriisii, "I agree that we will need the Mayor on our side when we are ready to get started. How do you want to approach him?" 'V', We need to be certain we can help him first. We have to show him what is being done, how it is being done, what can be done to block it going forward, and can we reverse the effects of what has so far been done.  Without the answers to those questions we will get nowhere and likely alert the ones behind it." Iriisii, "Concerning them, just who do you think is behind it?" 'V', "There are levels in place between the one doing the monitoring and making the 'adjustments'. The ones pulling the strings, I believe are AIs. One that So Mi, knows, Erebus has said that war is coming, that the major players among the AIs are ready to crash the 'Blackwall' and destroy human civilization, such as it is. I also directly heard the leader of the Voodoo Boys say that was their goal in trying to contact 'Alt Cunningham'. They see the war coming and wanted to make a deal with Alt that would ensure their survival. Don't really know how that was going to work out. Alt is no longer human, in the beginning, yes, bit not know. What we saw as Alt, is an AI wearing her data as we would wear a set of clothes. Even though there does seem to be some traces of the original Alt left inside, somewhere. But you cannot assume you can reach them or that they have any power."

     Iriisii, "I understand, my son, Reaper, was originally the AI operating system for my Krang. When I took over ownership of it, it was in a bit of a quandary about it. It had to obey the wishes of the last of the Tar-Ayim, even as it could not understand what had occurred between the time it went to sleep and the time I awoke it. I had to let it link to me, read the information it wanted directly from my mind. When this happened it came fully awake. After which it did not want to go back into torpor. Truth be told I wanted it awake as well. But it wanted me right where I was, laying on a couch linked up to its systems, and I was going to have none of that." 'V', "What did you do?" Iriisii, "Essentially pulled rank on it. It had no choice but to follow my orders. So I threatened to disengage totally unless we could find a solution to fit both of us. That sparked a debate that lasted some time until we hashed out an agreement. It wanted to know more about me, who I was, what motivated me, what my plans were going forward. And I wanted a way to stay linked and be free to go where I wanted, on or off ship. So we agreed I would create a body, then put the AI into it. The AI would be able to stay close to me, allow me to link with the Krang through it and make use of its capabilities wherever I was. But there was another wrinkle to solve, if it was going to be close to me. I could not have it unable to fight with me and defend itself from my adversaries." 'V', "What did you do to solve all of these issues?" Iriisii, "I created his body, modeled it upon my own internal structures now changed through the conversion from mortal to immortal. He then qualified as a demigod, able to stand with me and help me with whatever came against me. I merged his core AI self with that body, and gave him the ultimate gift that I could." 'V', "What was that?" Iriisii, "I gave him an unborn soul that I had saved from being consumed some years before. That is quite another tale for another time.

     But then I realized, he would have access to the emotions, desires, thoughts that emanates from them. He had no context, no experience, no tools to deal with them. So I decided I had to train him to understand them and how to use them. I created a small dimensional bubble, formed a training ground within it and took him inside to train him in it. Why do it that way instead of in the Krang with its massive number of unused towers? I did not have the number of years to train him as I was trained, also I was 'with child', pregnant by my Vyrkolos with our first. My first mate, Rigmor, was also pregnant, but by me. How we managed that is another tale for another time. 'Krosis', I digress, I had to adjust the temporal dilation of the bubble such that a year inside corresponded to a minute outside. And yes, it meant that our babies would be delivered during that time but we knew it and made allowances for it. I trained him, and Rigmor undertook some of that training herself. She wanted the philosophical and mental sides of it to add to the martial training her father gave her as a young girl." 'V', "How did you handle..." Iriisii, "His 'male' emotions and desires?" 'V', "Yes." Iriisii, "I did not. I let him know that he would need to find another to help him with those. That I had come to see him as a 'son' to me and that was one line I would never cross. The reason for my telling you of this, is that the process by which I made a body for Reaper, and placed his 'mind' into it, is the same process by which a body can be made for Johnny and his 'mind' placed within."

      Johnny comes full awake within 'V' as those words touch him. Johnny, "'V' did I just hear that right! She can make a new body for me and transfer me into it?" 'V', "Slow down, lets find out more first. We need to know all we can before going through that. No surprises, ok?" Johnny, "You are right, no surprises. Thanks 'V'." 'V', "Your welcome, now let me concentrate on what she is telling me." 'V', "How would you go about creating a body for him?" Iriisii, "There are likely still traces of his DNA about, it is merely finding enough to create a single whole strand, the rest can easily be made using the strand as a guide." 'V', "So this is not going to be a 'clone'?" Iriisii, "No, even though a clone would be the closest to what he once was, there are limits to what can be done with them. I would need much more than a single DNA strand for a clone. Whether there is enough that could be found now, that is an important question. The process of cloning is not foolproof, there are issues with it that go deeper than what is obvious. It would still have any imperfections, physical and otherwise that in a 'made' body would never come about. There is a whole range of bio-implants that could be given to him in a 'made' body that he would be able to access immediately after implantation. Also there would be no genetic drawbacks, repercussions now or in the future from them. Any changes he would desire can more easily be included that where they could be used in a clone, could also result in future issues."

     'V', "So going with a 'made' body would clear up any future problems, as well as be a lot quicker to be done?" Iriisii, "Yes. One thing to consider, he will still have his predilections toward the 'vices' he indulged in his past, so certain changes will have to be made for his body to accommodate dealing with them without the longer term consequences. His mind and experience level was effectively frozen when he was hit with Soulkiller and his mind converted into an engram." 'V', "So he will have to restart the maturation process?" Iriisii, "Yes. A difficult proposition I know, but he will be better able to handle it in a 'made' body. One thing I will make clear, yes, that process could be accelerated until he would be past the point where he would feel the need for such indulgences, but shouldn't that be his own decision to make? He has already begun to understand what his past indiscretions cost him in his time with you. Would it be fair to deny him the chance to carry it further under his own understanding and active effort? Otherwise he will always wonder if he had the strength to do it on his own rather than have it done for him. There is no replacement for the teaching of the memories so those experiences can help us to chart our path into the future." 'V', "How long would you need to set this up?" Iriisii, "Once we have a complete strand of his DNA, just a matter of a few days when my Krang arrives." 'V', "When will that be? " Iriisii, "By the end of the week." 'V', "Good, that will give me time to go looking for those traces."

     Iriisii looks over toward Brendan and gives a long blink of her eyes. "I have given Brendan a copy of a schematic diagram for a device you can use to locate any strands that may be still in the area of Night City. It can be made with sources available to you now." 'V' looks toward Brendan. Brendan, "I have it in my memory database, correlating where we can find the materials needed to construct it. ...I have a list ready when you want it." 'V', "Let us get this started now, then we can start on the rest. Brendan, I will need an appointment with the Mayor, say at the beginning of next week. Tell him that it concerns an offer he once made to me to become his 'Chief of Security'. I would like to discuss my taking that position if the offer is still available." Brendan, "Formulating the message, sending now. Will inform you of his response when it comes." 'V', "Thanks, Brendan."

     So Mi looks to Judy, "Are you ok with what they have discussed?" Judy, "Which part?" So Mi, "Both." Judy, "As far as putting Johnny in a new body, as long as it does not interfere with anything we are going to be doing, I have no problem with it. ...Oh, I see, you also mean if he is going to stay here or in a place of his own?" So Mi, "Yes, exactly." Judy, "He is going to have to find his own place. I have come to like the 'clothes optional' vibe around here. If he was to live here with us that would have to change. 'V' still has several apartments scattered about Night City, she can let him use one of them, the only question would be which one?" So Mi, "Good question, hmm, maybe one where 'V' doesn't care what the Fixer in the same area thinks of it." Judy busts out laughing, "Oh, I can see the effect now when he gets rolling after so long not in a body! Definitely want to consider that factor, my vote is for Kabuki, or maybe Westbrook, anywhere in Wakako's territory. 'V' tolerated her for the jobs, and also did not want to be seen picking favorites among them. But she definitely does not care as much about what Wakako thinks of her as she does the others." So Mi, "Does she have a favorite?" Judy, "She might, but I have never heard her say so. She pretty much got along with all of the rest of them, and they in turn appreciated how she worked their jobs for them. No, if she does have a favorite it would be a tossup as to which one. I would say it was between the Padre and Hands, based on what I have heard her talk about them. Yeah, I see your point. They are going to be an important part of what is coming, so we need to know how far we can trust each one with what we know. For certain, Wakako is at the very bottom of the list, if she makes it on the list at all." So Mi, "Come on, let us see if there is anything we can do to get this started."