The Man-Machine Interface
The Net is a virtual highway that connects the minds and consciousness of cybernetically augmented individuals. It is a world of information that is just as tangible as the physical world; no different from human reality. It is a place of freedom for one to exceed their limits and retain their individuality.
Here is where She created a new life.
An emergency meeting had been called to order and the Sphynx created a private server for itself and its requested members. 12 individuals hastily arrived and bowed to the seemingly omnipotent program. The individuals appeared female by human-standards and all looked related to one another.
The Sphynx peered amongst them and informed in an echoed voice, "Subject Kusanagi Motoko has disappeared from the Net."
The women kept their heads bowed yet side-eyed each other in concern.
The program continued, "I was created to protect you all and to keep you from harm's way by your 'parents'. However, now that your Mother is missing, half of my barriers have ceased functionality. It is only a matter of time until we are bombarded with cyber attacks."
"Where could she have gone?" Yamato the eldest of the daughters asked.
"I browsed the Net as far as Kusanagi could have possibly reached based on her components. She is nowhere to be found. Based on calculations, she has most likely returned to the physical world. Though she is free to come and go as she pleases, it has been long overdue for log in."
"Why would she leave?" Tamaki the middle daughter asked.
"That is a question even beyond my own comprehension. Despite her connection to this world, she still retains humanity; a component in which most of you all lack. It is a constituent that cannot be programmed, only simulated. The human mind is a powerful tool that sways even the toughest of shells."
"What can be done?" Kei, one of the younger daughters asked.
The Sphynx looked about the girls silently and its massive, feline-like body shifted somewhat uncomfortably, "I will summon one of you to go into the physical world to find her."
Their heads finally rose and they held back their expressions of shock. It is strictly forbidden for any one of them to venture outside the surface web, nonetheless the Net itself. The last daughter who did so ended up in the Deep Web, a part of the Net that can only be accessed by alternate means. She had not been seen since.
Yamato bravely stood up and stated in affirmation, "I am the eldest. I was created first and thus I obtain the most information from our mother. I am certain that I can use the data to track her."
"I do not doubt your capabilities...but I believe I already have someone in mind," The Sphynx raised its paw towards one of the girls with its discus shaped claws, "Aramaki."
Aramaki raised her head in astonishment. She was the youngest of her siblings and upon creation, was always regarded as "different". The redhead slowly brought herself to a stand and she seemed unsure.
Yamato's brows furrowed and she questioned the Sphynx, "Why Aramaki? She is so young that she has not even completed all of her training! Not to mention the fact that she is illegitimate and contains the least amount of information from our parents compared to the rest of us."
"That is precisely why she has been chosen." The Sphynx replied, "If I were to send someone of Kusanagi's rank, they would be easily detected."
Yamato could not make an argument against the program despite the absurdity of the situation. Aramaki had hoped that her sister would simply replace her for this mission but the Sphynx's decision did not seem to alter.
A series of holographic photos appeared between them and it ranged from buildings to human faces along with their profiles. The women had seen these images before and even recognized some of the people presented.
"Kusanagi Motoko was a high-ranked member of Public Security Section 9 approximately 5 years ago before joining the Net and creating 12 offspring with the Puppetmaster. Once she left the facility, Section 9 was shut down by the government and its members were forced into hiding. Many are now considered criminals. All but one have not had any contact with your mother," The Sphynx pulled up an image of a man with slicked back white hair and round prosthetic lenses for eyes, "Batou is the last member who had the most recent contact with her, approximately 4 years ago. He has information on her that has yet to be stored even here on the Net. He is the key to finding her."
Aramaki studied the man's face and recounted the stories she had been told of him.
"Yamato, make preparations for your sister and Tamaki, run by the diagnostics before we send her out into the field," The Sphynx took down the images. She looked over at Aramaki and warned, "If you come across any of the other former Section 9 members, keep your guard up. They cannot be trusted."
Aramaki bowed, "I understand."
"You have 3 days to retrieve your mother. If she has not returned by that time, all of the barriers will be brought down and every one of you will have to be relocated to separate servers. Most of you may even be deleted in the process," The Sphynx began to turn into pixelations as it exited the private server. The women soon found themselves back in their home page and shared their comments and concerns.
Being the natural born leader, Yamato silenced them and began, "I know what you are all thinking and let me be clear. Our mission is to preserve our part of the Net; it is just as equally important as finding Mother."
Kei added, "We understand that but it is the fact that you should be the one to search for her, not Aramaki."
Aramaki made no comment as she felt her contribution would cause more commotion.
Yamato kept her eyes on the girl and nodded in agreement, "I know...but perhaps the Sphynx has a bigger plan for her. To prove herself to not only us, but to Father."
"It's suicide. She cannot survive out there on her own…" Another sister butted in.
"Maybe…." Aramaki finally spoke up. The girls now had their full attention onto her, "The physical world isn't as bad as it's been portrayed to be. I mean, why else would have Mother returned to it? Hell, without the physical world, there wouldn't be a mother. There wouldn't be us."
Kei threw her arms up, still unconvinced, "She's lost her mind already…"
Yamato shot her a stern look before walking over to Aramaki. She laid a hand on her shoulder and said, "I know it's been hard being singled out for most of your existence. You're the youngest and you're 'different'...But what makes you different is what retains your unique individuality. Use these differences to help you in your mission."
Aramaki nodded before feeling a cold plug press up against her neck. Tamaki was wearing her lab coat and holding a cord in one hand and a holographic tablet in the other, "Sorry to interrupt the encouraging speech but I must get these diagnostics in check."
Yamato chuckled, "You'll do fine out there...and if anything, I'll keep in touch with you."
"Thanks," Aramaki felt a little less nervous with the help of the pep talk.
Tamaki's glasses were purely for cosmetic purposes but she treated them as a necessity as she pushed the up the bridge of her nose, "Looks like everything is clean but to be sure, I'll install some antivirus protection. Be sure to never hook up to any unrecognizable units as well as join any random unknown networks. Always ask permission from the administrator and if you are not granted access, be sure to hack with safety."
"I'll try to keep all of that in mind," Aramaki almost giggled.
They led her to the Dive Room, an area in which, with special permission, one can access an empty robotic shell in the physical world. All were previous bodies owned by Kusanagi and all are older MegaTech models. Aramaki sat in one of the loungers and leaned back as Tamaki began to connect her to the cyberbrain plugins.
Yamato leaned over her sister and reassured her, "You're not in this alone. We will help guide you when available, alright?"
Aramaki nodded and stared up at the blue cyberspace surrounding them.
"All systems ready for operation," Tamaki announced, "Commence dive."
One of the other sisters presses a large button on the control panel and Aramaki tenses, finding her consciousness being sucked into another realm. A flurry of colors and lines surrounded her and what were mere seconds felt like hours until finally she found herself in a dark room.
It is eerily silent and lacks any saturation. Her optics adjust to the unfamiliar lighting and she looks around at her surroundings. She slowly raises up her arms and they tremble at the usage. She looks at her hands and sees a collage of grey metal and red muscle fibers covering every inch of her exoskeleton. Attempting to touch her scalp, she also realizes that she currently has no sensory systems that would allow her to feel.
A sound pinged in her cyberbrain and in the corner of her eye, she could see a live portrait of her eldest sister communicating with her, "Congratulations, Private. You made it to the physical world. How do you feel?"
"I can't feel anything…" Aramaki replied, "I don't have any skin."
"These shells were once equipped with just about everything from skin to hair follicles but she got rid of them to avoid being tracked by the government," Yamato then chuckled, "The irony of it all."
"Where should I go first?"
"Visit the Black Market which is right on the outskirts of the city. There you can get whatever you need at a cheap cost."
"And where will I get this money?"
"We'll transfer you some yen and coins through a private server. From there, you can hook up to any register that accepts your transactions."
Aramaki forced herself to a stand, gripping onto anything that could give her some sort of leverage. It was extremely difficult due to the fact she could not feel anything in order to process any type of pressure or friction to calculate her location.
"Yamato…" Her voice sounded weary as she grew unsure of herself, "Do you really think I can do this?"
"Of course you can," Her sister encouraged, "You have your mother's data."
"We all do…" Aramaki slowly walked through the dark room before opening a door. Her optics were almost blinded by the outside light yet once they adjusted, she was welcomed by the sight of the city and its nightlife. She stood by a tall cliff that overlooked New Port City ; the buildings and roadways were lit colorfully. It was unlike anything she had ever seen in the Net.
"So...time to begin."