System online.
Rebooting…
System reboot complete.
System status: [unknown]
Power level status: [normal]
System error-
System error-
Static and strings of code that he didn't understand flashed across Revenant's vision. Seconds later, they were gone- seconds that felt like years to him, as he was capable of processing much more information at once than a human. He was without substance and floating in an endless void. Disconnected bits and pieces of information - a flash of an image, a jumble of distorted words - gave him a glimpse into the world around him as more of his environmental sensors came online.
It wasn't the first time he'd been in this transient place- existing as a program, or some sort of extracorporeal entity. This was where he found himself in the moments when he 'died,' before his consciousness was uploaded into a new body. He also ended up here, albeit for microseconds, when he shifted to and from his shadow form- a technology that had once been developed experimentally and long since abandoned, which allowed him to manipulate the quantum state of his body at a subatomic level, changing between wave and particle properties to negate otherwise-devastating damage.
This was the longest amount of continuous time that he'd spent in this strange subspace. It was also the first time he could remember that it felt calm and peaceful to be here. Usually, without anything else to focus on in the slowness and nothingness, he'd be overwhelmed by ghost pain and false memories that had never really happened to him- blood, exposed bone, the panic, agony, and then… drifting into darkness when a drowning man finally gave in and let the water into his lungs.
They were gone. For the first time that he could remember, the crushing weight of those experiences - which weren't even his - was absent. The static, distortion, and system errors were sometimes painful to him, when they reached a certain intensity- but they made sense. Unlike the human sensations, those things were supposed to be there.
With no environmental feedback to use as a frame of reference, he couldn't tell how much time had passed. It was beginning to feel like this was his true reality- like the physical world and all of the agony that had been inflicted on him had never really existed. If that was the case - or if they'd killed him for good somehow, and this was where he'd spend eternity - he was all right with it.
That turned out not to be the case, though, as little by little, the errors resolved and the static and broken signals subsided. Things slowly started to come back into focus- the positions of his limbs relative to each other, the smooth metal surface of the table, the voices of the people around him.
"...just taking some time for the artificial neural network to figure out what I did, and kinda... recalibrate around the new programming. He'll be up and running any minute now."
"Are you sure?"
"Considering that he's a prototype, and this is the first time that Milutin's theory has ever been seen in practice…? Can't really be sure of anything- but that's the beauty of scientific discovery, isn't it?"
He sat up straight, and they quickly ended their conversation. The skinbags were crowded around him, standing entirely too close… only Cade had the sense to keep his distance. For once, Revenant wasn't particularly concerned about their proximity. With one hand, he gripped the edge of the table as though to steady himself. He extended his other arm in front of him, optics following the motion.
The sense of the other, flimsier, disproportionate body, overlapping with his own proprioception and resisting his every move… wasn't there anymore. It was incredibly freeing- and at the same time, after having lived with that invasive second consciousness for so long, it was a strange feeling to be without it. He didn't have to constantly fight against the damn thing anymore… every movement was made too forcefully in the absence of that interference to counter him.
"It's… gone," he said incredulously. "It worked."
Crypto grinned ear-to-ear. Torc let out a shout of excitement as he leaned across the table to high-five Cade, and Wattson did something that was, perhaps, quite stupid despite her genuis intellect: she pulled the assassin into a tight hug.
"What the hell? Get off me, skinbag!"
Revenant grabbed her by the collar of her jacket and pulled her away.
"Oh, I- désolé pour ça, it- it's amazing! We've proven Milutin's theory and found a solution to the problem it presented, and tested it, and it worked, and we did all of that just today! I'm so glad I got to be a part of this… Thank you, Crypto, for inviting me- and Revenant, I'm so happy for you, and I'm glad you're okay! I still think you should teach humans and machines about each other, you know-"
The engineer excitedly shuffled her feet and waved her hands about in the air as she rambled. Crypto watched her with a blank expression- did she really just thank him for dragging her into his conflict against the Syndicate? Torc smiled approvingly; he loved to see the younger generation so enthusiastic about scientific discovery.
"All right, all right," he finally said before Wattson could start going on again. "This is huge, to be certain- but, Revenant, I have to warn you that I don't know how long it'll last. Your human counterpart isn't gone; I simply inhibited your awareness of its presence- it's like, locking yourself in the basement doesn't make the guests in your house go away - no matter how much you wish it did - but it does remove them from your space. Your control system has already overcome a similar program once: the one that inhibited its awareness of you… Enough time, or the right physical damage, could interrupt this one as well."
"What will happen if he's uploaded into another body?"
Crypto looked at Torc curiously. "Will it carry over, or… reset?"
"Afraid I don't know the answer to that, either," the scientist replied. "From what I can tell, the feedback between his core processor and the processor in the body is periodic and cyclical. His core processor 'checks in' here and there, from its remote location, with the body that's currently running, and compares the syncording data. Not entirely sure how it handles discrepancies- what prompts it to store them as new information, or erase them to protect itself… Fascinating thing, this control system! Fascinating! You're a lost artifact, Revenant- one that could have revolutionized technological development!"
He extended his arm toward the simulacrum. Revenant glared at him for a moment- then reluctantly reciprocated the handshake.
"You will not be studying me."
"Revenant," Wattson began with a little giggle, "that's not how you say 'thank you!'"
"Ugh…"
He turned his head to glare at the engineer instead. In fact, he was grateful for the work they'd put into making this happen. He owed them a debt that was impossible to quantify, but the meaningless, human sentiment of thank you didn't begin to touch it. Those were simply useless words, not tied to any progress or accomplishment.
Before the hacker had a chance to react, he had turned Crypto's laptop toward him and was typing on it. Upon realizing what was going on, Crypto moved to snatch it back, but stopped himself when he saw that Revenant wasn't doing anything destructive.
"What are you-?"
"Here."
The assassin turned the laptop away from him so that Crypto could see the screen. "I just got you remote access to the Syndicate's entire network of security cameras. These belong to the compound where Mila Alexander is being held. Don't say I never did anything for you, skin-suit."
Crypto raised his eyebrows as he clicked through the feeds. This would have taken him weeks - if not months - to gain access to on his own… Their camera network was, oddly, much better protected than the electronic keypads that permitted entry into their buildings.
"Whoa…" Cade looked at the screen over Crypto's shoulder, eyes narrowed, mouth slightly open. When he saw what the hacker was doing, he rolled his eyes. "Are you trying to get a glimpse of your sister? Dumbass. You should be looking at how we're getting in and out of there."
Torc, too, stepped around the table to look at the screen.
"Ah, how very useful! Would you be willing to set this up on a few more computers for us?"
The scientist smiled hopefully at Revenant. Cade gave them both a distrustful look, but kept his mouth firmly shut… His dislike for simulacrums wasn't so great that he would deny such value to his mission to take down the Syndicate.
"Fine," the assassin answered in a monotone voice. He found himself in a foreign position, in terms of circumstances… He didn't like the thought of working with these - or any - people. They were variables; he didn't trust them- but they'd come through for him in a way that he'd thought was impossible.
Without the influence of those human thoughts and experiences, he was more focused and driven than he'd ever been. There was only himself and the task- no interference, no alien entity inside him fighting his every move. The need to act, to strike, to not be idle… while it was still there, it no longer felt forced. It was simply desirable now; it wasn't something that he needed, to constantly outpace the other entity.
It didn't hurt to slow down anymore.
Giving their faction access to the Syndicate security network was, he figured, a relatively safe way that he could be of use to them. It could hardly be used against him, as he, too, was an enemy of the Syndicate these days.
Torc grinned. "Great! I'll go let the fellows upstairs know we're going to be doing that. Back in a bit!"
With a slight wave of his hand, the scientist turned and rushed out the door.
Revenant repositioned himself across from Crypto, where he could see the hacker's face over the laptop screen. "I'll help you get Alexander out of the compound- if you give me that universal key card of yours once we're done."
Crypto's hand reactively went to his pocket, as if to make sure the device was still there. Revenant had already stolen it once, before the Game yesterday… It wouldn't surprise him if the assassin tried to do it again.
"Deal," the programmer said quickly, before Revenant could change his mind. He liked his odds of breaking into - and out of - the Syndicate prison much better with the simulacrum on his side. "Going to tell me why you want it so much, now that you know I'm good for my word?"
"What I intend to do will have no effect on you," the assassin growled in response.
Crypto tilted the lid of the laptop down part-way so he could have a more direct line of sight. "If your plan is to weaken or destroy the Syndicate," he said in a quiet but clear voice, "I want in, after I get my sister to safety."
Revenant's claws tapped against his opposite arm with a metallic clink as he considered whether or not to answer. Wattson quietly watched the conversation from the corner of the room, a smile on her face- the change in his demeanor after Torc had inhibited the human consciousness was striking to her. He carried much less tension in his posture, in the way he moved… She still hoped that Revenant would eventually learn to accept the duality of his existence and guide society in bridging the enormous gap between humankind and sentient machines, but there was no denying that what Torc had done had effected a positive change.
"I'm going to use it to get into Hammond Robotics," the assassin finally explained, "and burn them to the ground."
Wattson frowned. Well- it was still a positive change, even if it didn't undo all of that inclination toward violence and aggression. She opened her mouth to say something, but Cade spoke first.
"I'm down with that plan," the enforcer said with a laugh. "Sick and tired of them making me have surgeries because they quit manufacturing my parts every two years. Cyborg problems… not that you'd know, you fucking sim."
Cade glared at the assassin. Revenant glared back.
"Tell you what, though- you give me that list of all the buildings where the Syndicate would keep prisoners, and I've got a guy who can supply bombs, incendiaries, whatever you're planning on using."
"Neither of you are doing anything," Crypto interrupted. "Not until I get Mila as far away from the Syndicate as possible."
The hacker turned away from the others and focused intently on his laptop. He needed a plan- and he had to set it into motion before Cade or Revenant got impatient and did something to set his enemies on edge.