The van pulled into an inconspicuous parking garage and headed to the lowest level, several stories underground. It made its way through an oversized garage door, presumably for loading and unloading freight- a metal sign overhead read RESTRICTED ACCESS. They drove into a gray concrete expanse with dim lighting, and came to a stop next to a wall. Mauser turned off the ignition.
"Just stay put for a minute, guys."
Movement could be heard outside the vehicle- footsteps, shuffling, scraping. Something heavy rolled along the ground, and a person grunted with effort.
Mauser twisted around in his seat and made eye contact with Revenant.
"They're setting up shit to defend themselves from you," the radio operator explained in a hushed voice, "but they don't want to use any of it if they don't have to. So don't, like, freak out when we get out of here and you see a bunch of guns and shit."
The doors of the van were pulled open from the outside. Mauser jumped out and ran away, quickly fading into the crowd that was gathered around. Personnel wearing body armor over tattered, asymmetrical clothing grabbed Crypto and Wattson- they were hauled out of the vehicle and off to the sides. Several more guards stepped forward, guns aimed at Revenant. Both the hacker and the assassin noticed that some of the guards carried standard, automatic rifles, while others held directed energy weapons.
Behind the leading team of armed guards were two crews manning long-range acoustic devices. They were positioned at angles to either side of the vehicle- the LRADs were strategically placed to incapacitate him if he attacked the forward team. Revenant made no move- he remained still and waited to see what would play out. The guards, too, held their positions.
Further back, beyond the defense personnel, stood Cade. He'd pulled the strap across his chest with all of its brightly colored strips of reflective tape over top of his body armor, so that his made-up rank still showed. A tuft of his green-and-blue-painted hair flopped down into his face- he quickly brushed it away, then folded his arms across his chest.
"You'll have to forgive the welcoming committee," he said. "I'm not too keen on letting a simulacrum in my command center…"
Revenant didn't move or speak. He was doing his creepy impression of a sculpture, as Crypto had come to think of it. The tension in his stance made it obvious that he didn't like the situation- however, he heeded Mauser's warning, and didn't attack.
The guards led Crypto and Wattson away from the vehicle and around behind Cade. The guards took a few slow, methodical steps backward. They kept their weapons trained on Revenant as they moved.
"Step out of the van and move towards me, slowly," Cade commanded. "If you try anything while you're here, we will kill you."
"You can't," Crypto protested from behind the bulkier man. "He has the location where the Syndicate is holding my sister. I need him."
Cade raised an eyebrow. "And I need to make sure our people are secure. I want this to work out, but it's also up to me to prepare for the less desirable outcomes- and I've seen what these things are capable of."
The hacker nodded. "Of course."
"Colomar!" Cade looked over his shoulder and snapped his fingers. "You're up."
A slender woman in her late 20s or early 30s stepped forward and walked past the enforcer. Like Cade, her hair was flipped over the right side of her head- the left side was shaved, revealing flat cables and attachment points for a cybernetic neural interface. In line with the fashion sense adapted by the rest of the anarchist rebel faction, she wore an asymmetrical jacket with cut-off sleeves and an impractical number of straps and buckles. Neon purple streaks in her hair matched the wires and cables that ran up and down her arms.
"No need to snap your fingers at me, big dog." She regarded Cade with a wink and a sneer as she passed him. Colomar walked right up to Revenant with no fear and no hesitation. He took one step forward, into an offensive stance- a series of rapid clicks sounded as the guards prepared to fire their weapons.
Colomar wagged her index finger in his face. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."
The assassin glared at her and let out a low growl. She made a dismissive sound and rolled her eyes as she reached into her pocket for a data card- no, it was some kind of transceiver, similar in size. It had a protective cover on the back, which she removed, after which she affixed the device to the upper right of Revenant's chest.
"This handy little tool I invented allows me to patch into your processor from anywhere in the building," she informed him with a gleam in her eye. "So if you get the idea to try anything sneaky- Oh! Look at this!"
She made a quick gesture with her hands, which pulled up a holographic screen in front of her. Displayed on the screen was a 3D model of Revenant. Another little gesture, as though she was typing on an invisible keypad, and the model changed to show a layout of his wiring.
"That's your electrical system. If you so much as look at anyone wrong, I'll cause a power surge from inside your own body. Got it?"
Revenant's hands clenched into fists at his sides. Colomar tilted her index finger downward, like she was about to press an invisible button. The assassin froze in place- she smiled at him triumphantly.
"Secure," she called out to Cade as she walked away. In a quieter voice, she added: "I'm doubling my normal fee. That'll teach you to snap your fingers at me like I'm an animal."
Cade glared at her. "Are you kidding me?"
Colomar blew a kiss at him before strolling out. The enforcer let out an aggravated sigh.
"All right- stand down," he told the other security personnel. Before he'd finished giving the order, they were already stowing their gear. One of the team members operating the LRADs dropped a wrench with a loud clang, which startled Wattson. She gasped. Crypto glanced over to make sure that she was all right.
Revenant reached to remove the device that she'd put on him. His fingers came within millimeters of the transceiver- he was met with a jolt that overloaded him with broken signals and useless feedback. It thoroughly disoriented him, and he collapsed to the ground. In less than a second, it was over- the flood of meaningless data ended, and he was able to make sense of his surroundings again. He stood up and glared at Cade, who responded with a casual shrug.
"Can't say she didn't warn you."
"That's… kind of awful," Wattson mumbled to Crypto in a whisper that came out louder than she'd meant. "Why would anyone invent such a thing? I don't think I like this place."
The hacker thought that was a strange sentiment, coming from the engineer who'd invented the Ring, but he did his best to be reassuring regardless. "It's all right," he said quietly. "They know what they're doing."
They followed Cade through a heavy door, also marked RESTRICTED ACCESS, and through a long corridor with several pipes running overhead. Eventually, the corridor terminated into a surprisingly ordinary office hallway, complete with bland wallpaper and middle-of-the-line furniture. It had windows which revealed a sunny day outside, which confused Crypto- wasn't this facility underground? As he walked closer to one, he understood: it was merely a holographic display of the city above them.
At the end of that hallway, they turned right. Cade came to a stop at the next door and unclipped a large ring of keys from his belt. All of the doors in this facility were locked mechanically rather than electronically- it made sense, when one considered the number of hackers with cybernetic augmentations who were running around in here. The enforcer turned the handle and pushed the door open. It seemed heavier than it should have been, for a simple, wooden office door.
The room on the other side was decidedly not an office. It looked more like it belonged in a warehouse. There were rolling cabinets for tools, a long, steel table with mismatched chairs around it, and a larger, fenced-off area in the back. Upon closer inspection, this sectioned-off area contained padded examination tables and medical equipment. A man who had been sitting at the end of the steel table stood up as Crypto walked through the doorway. His appearance was decidedly more ordinary than the rest of the faction: neatly trimmed dark hair with small streaks of lighter highlights, a plain black T-shirt, and jeans. If one looked closely, they might notice the tiny wires and silvery circuit patterns that ran down his arms to his fingertips.
"Ah, welcome back, my friend," he said with a warm smile as he clapped Crypto on the shoulder. "Uplink is working well, I trust- certainly seems so, from what I've seen of your performance in the Apex Games!"
The hacker nodded. "You do good work, Torc. That is why I'm trusting you now."
"Of course, of course. Much appreciated." Torc turned his attention to Wattson and Revenant, who had filed into the room behind Crypto. Cade closed the door behind them, then stood in front of it with his hands clasped behind his back.
"And you two are at the top of the Apex Games as well, yes? Ah, yes- I don't watch often, but I've seen you perform. You're the young engineer who designed the Ring! Truly incredible work, that… One of our engineers here used your work to develop a directed energy weapon that works on the same principle, you know. Aim, flip the switch, and the target in front of the transmitter will be subjected to dielectric heating."
Wattson shifted uncomfortably, hands clasped in front of her. She didn't care for the thought that her work was being used, without her knowledge, to invent weapons. Fighting in the arena, where competitors signed a voluntary contract, knew what they were getting into, and the injury and death were erased at the end of the match was one thing… Lawless warfare in the streets was another beast entirely, one in which she wanted no part.
"Um… Thank you, I- I guess," she replied hesitantly, without looking at him. "If you don't mind my asking, what is your line of work?"
"Organic computing," Torc replied. "I was on a Syndicate research team which attempted to link the minds of soldiers together via an organic computer, in order to create a fighting force with perfect synergy. Well- we'll say that things went wrong on that project, and the Syndicate tried to have me… disappeared. So, now I'm here- hiding out in downtown Solace City, implanting cybernetics and neural uplinks for its residents. Funny, isn't it, how life works out?"
"Funny," Crypto repeated with an empty, distant expression.
"And…" Torc's attention shifted to Revenant. "You're quite the fighting force to be reckoned with, aren't you? Highest average kills per match in the history of the Apex Games, if I remember the statistics correctly."
"I could kill you," Revenant growled. These skin-suits were wasting too much time talking- he felt the need to take action. Torc simply nodded, unfazed by the threat.
"Yes, I'm quite certain you could, but then I wouldn't be able to help you, would I? Seems like a rather counterproductive course of action. So, why don't you tell me about this… virus, as I believe you call it?"
Torc returned to his seat at the end of the table. He folded his hands with his fingers interlaced and looked over the others with a slight smile. Crypto and Wattson copied his lead and sat down as well- Revenant reluctantly followed.
"Hammond Robotics programmed me to believe I was human," the assassin snarled. His claws cut into the surface of the table; Wattson pressed her hands over her ears at the resulting metallic screech. "I was damaged while on an assignment- it broke the programming somehow, freed me from the illusion… but I still have to live with these human sensations- that lungs I don't have are filling with air, right now; that broken bones are healing…"
In a sudden movement, faster than anyone else in the room knew what was happening, he'd carved a long, jagged tear in the surface of the table, at least an inch wide.
"This thing - this virus - has been inside me for too long. Dozens - hundreds - of separate, human lives- too long! I need it out- now!"
Cade drew a pistol from a holster around his ankle and aimed it at the simulacrum in response to the violent display.
"Now, that won't be necessary," said Torc. He held up his hand. Reluctantly, Cade lowered the weapon. Torc shook his head. His attention returned to Revenant.
"You say this programming, that led you to believe that you are human, was interrupted by physical damage? I see, that is quite interesting." The scientist took a small notepad and a pen out of his pocket and quickly scribbled something down. "And… you have the ability to upload your mind to a new body, if your current one can no longer function- that is correct, yes?"
"Wouldn't call that an ability," Revenant grumbled. "I don't choose for it to happen. It just does."
Torc nodded thoughtfully. "I see, I see. Well, the interesting thing there is- if your programming was interrupted by physical damage, then why wasn't it reset when you were uploaded to a different body, which hadn't been damaged?"
"A simulacrum that keeps coming back after you blow it to bits," Cade muttered. "That's fucked up. Aren't their kind just, like, human brains piloting robot bodies? Why's this one different?"
"An interesting question," replied Torc. "Based on the file that Crypto sent over, I believe that what - or who - we have here is the first fully operational simulacrum ever built. Are you familiar with Milutin's theory on the use of a human consciousness to train an artificial neural network?"
Cade shook his head. Wattson stood up from her chair and skipped in place excitedly.
"I know about it," she exclaimed. "Can you believe that it's being proven true? This is- est incroyable! Amazing!"
Torc laughed and smiled at her. "I like your enthusiasm for science and engineering!"
Crypto idly tapped his fingers on the table, his chin resting on his opposite hand. This was all taking too long- and he was usually the patient one, among the Legends. He was learning more than he'd ever cared to know about simulacrums, and while that was kind of interesting, it didn't seem like he was getting any closer to finding Mila.
"Well," Torc continued, "Milutin was a famous engineer whose inventions gained notoriety right around the same time that simulacrum technology first became popular with the military. Back then, the idea behind a simulacrum was to take a human mind, and use it to train a computer to interpret and even feel human experiences. The end result was the best attributes of both man and machine: human instinct and intuition, merged with the flawless precision of a computer. These are still used by the military today. The ones who are - as you so eloquently put it, Cade - 'human brains piloting robot bodies,' are typically people of the ruling class attempting to stave off death, and their neural interfaces are designed quite differently. They remain as they are, in terms of memory, personality; there's no need to make them subservient or to give them new skills."
He paused to make sure that Cade was still paying attention.
"Milutin hypothesized that, if a simulacrum were to remain operational for long enough, the consciousness of the computer would eventually surpass that of its human counterpart. It would come to understand itself as a separate entity, with its own unique thoughts, opinions, feelings… The military thought nothing of it, and why would they? Simulacrums in combat units rarely survive to the end of their ten-year service term. Those who do usually end up re-enlisting. There's nothing for them in civilian life; the entire purpose of their existence is to fight and kill… For our lovely government, they are the ultimate fighting force, and a convenient way to dispose of ill or disabled citizens who would otherwise be costing them money. Ten years of military service in exchange for a lifetime of freedom from your broken, human body!"
Crypto's eyes narrowed. It seemed like every day, he learned new reasons to hate the government.
"Anyway… Let's see what we're working with, here."
The scientist copied the gesture that Colomar had made earlier: thumbs and forefingers pinched together, hands pulling apart along a diagonal line. As had happened before in the parking lot, a holographic display appeared in front of him, showing a 3D model of the assassin's body. Other holographic screens popped up above and to the right of the primary display; one showed a wiring schematic, the other showed computer code. Wattson hurriedly made her way to the adjacent side of the table, where she stood next to Torc and looked at his readouts with an expression of fascination.
"I suspect that when Ms. Colomar put that device on you, she threatened you," Torc said disapprovingly as he looked over the screens. "But, you see, that invention of hers has constructive uses, too! I can use it to find out how, exactly, this 'virus' of yours is integrated into your programming. Personally, I don't see why there's so much class warfare between cyborgs and simulacrums. At the end of the day, we have the same enemy: the corporations that make our parts obsolete every two years…"
Cade laughed sarcastically. "They're enemies too, all right, but simulacrums are the reason why humans think they can treat us like we're lesser."
Revenant paid little attention to their debate. He looked down at the security device, then up at Torc's holographic displays. His claws made some new gouges on the surface of the table.
"How many skin-suits in this building can access my electrical system right now…?"
Nobody seemed particularly interested in answering him.