Aruto swallows, his breath shaky. "So… that second explosion, the one that stopped everything… I guess that must have knocked me out properly. Explains why I can't remember getting out, if I wasn't awake at the time."
Fuwa nods. "I'm willing to bet if I have anything like this, it's going to say the same thing. Knocked down for a while by the first, and out by the time of the second." He slides another paper to Aruto. "Here's… the next part."
Aruto takes it, and continues reading.
Subject A was determined to have been unconscious for at least one hour at the time he was found. His wounds were severe, including-
Here, Aruto's eyes sort of glaze over at the descriptions of how badly injured he was. He doesn't want to see this, no nope nuh-uh. He skims past that and goes to the next part of the report.
Given the severity of his injuries, Subject A was not expected to survive the remainder of the night unless drastic measures were taken.A hand rests on Aruto's shoulder, and he startles.
Fuwa's there, a worried look on his face. "You sure about keeping going?"
Aruto turns back to the report. "Better to get it over with."
Permission was granted by Hiden Korenosuke, A's legal guardian-
Okay, Gramps was the only human relative Aruto had, so finding out that he was his guardian isn't exactly a surprise.
To perform a highly experimental surgery, in which bio-mechanical components are introduced to augment, and in this case repair, the human body. Said components are not unlike those found in HumaGear. However, they are theorized to be able to grow with the body they are in. To this date, trials have been performed in animals, to great success, and preliminary trials have been carried out in humans on smaller scale injuries, such as fractured limbs. This is the first attempt on this large of a scale, and the first attempt on a person who has not undergone puberty.
"Wh… why… how could I not know…"
While the majority of the implants are organic in origin, their structure is artificial, and must be introduced to the nervous system with caution. As the implants have no bio-electric charge of their own, they must be partially integrated via a wired control system. The aforementioned wires are designed to, in theory, be degraded and replaced by the implants as time passes. Owing to the experimental nature of this procedure, a security measure is to be put in place to ensure the continued function of the implants and control system, without causing undue notice. A microchip is implanted to direct electrical current between existing cells, the wire system, and the implants. Said chip cannot, as of yet, be designed to degrade. As such, the chip also runs a program to 'cloak' the mechanical portions of the augmentations. Any scans run without the pre-programmed authorization code will not be able to detect anything out of the ordinary. For all purposes, Hiden Aruto should be able to live a normal life.
With a small scoff, Aruto gives a dry laugh. "'Should be able to live a normal life…' Yeah, I think ya blew that for me when you said I needed to be Zero One, Gramps…"
Addendum: The control chip has had an unanticipated reaction with Hiden's nervous system. Upon regaining consciousness after surgery, he could be heard muttering the standard start up sequence for a Hiden Intelligence HumaGear. He does not recall this, and has not repeated the phrase when waking from normal sleep. As it stands, the odds are that this is a one-off occurrence. Additionally, his physical therapist reported a slight glow to his eyes during one musculature rehab session, when concentrating overly hard on an exercise. Said exercise was for his more heavily damaged arm, implying that connections may over-generate energy when overexerted, which is released through the path of least resistance – in this case, the ocular nerve.
The lengthy document, which details Aruto's recovery, is detailed, impersonal, and… Aruto has absolutely no memory of anyone who could have been writing it. Maybe they were just acting as regular doctors.
But what gets him, what really gets him, is that this was done with his grandfather's permission… and nobody saw fit to let him know. ever.
It's not that he's not grateful for it – apparently he'd have been another fatality of Daybreak otherwise – but still. He'd have like to have known. Maybe when he turned 18? That'd have been a good time.
Yeah, he could just get called up by his grandfather who he hadn't really spoken to in a very long time, never mind that he'd been a very 'hands off' legal guardian both before and after everything. But something like 'Hello grandson, I noticed you've started to come of age. I know I had a tutor give you The Talk before, but there's another version of it that applies specifically to you' would suffice.
Okay, so maybe he's a little bitter. It's not like this is the first time he's been railroaded into something, after all. Well, chronologically, yeah, it probably is, and definitely not the last, but it's the most recently he's found out about something.
Addendum Two: All trials of the implant system have been halted, as a result of an unforeseen development. No negative effects have been witnessed in any subject at this time. Further monitoring will continue, but no further implementations will occur. The metal and plastic components of the implants were intended to break down and be restructured into organic structures. However, this has not been the case. In all subjects, the mechanical components integrated themselves alongside the organics, and have proceeded to grow and integrate themselves fully. For most trial subjects, the difference is negligible, and functions like any other surgical prosthetic, albeit ones that increase in mass independently. In the case of Hiden Aruto, it evolved more extensively. For all external appearances, Hiden remains human, and the implants are undetectable without the codes to access the control chip. However, in part because he was so young, in part because he had been so heavily injured, and in part because the number of implants he required was so extensive, his implants integrated themselves more fully into his entire body than when they were first installed. A network of wires and electrodes has formed along his skeleton, integrating with his nervous system.
The report doesn't have much more to say, just that the scientists running the experiment had discovered the anomaly about three months after Daybreak. Aruto was the only person to be operated on to the extent that he was, which is at least somewhat of a relief.
When they've finished reading, all three riders remain silent for a moment, before Fuwa elects to speak up. "So, we're all in agreement that this is pretty messed up, right? No offense, Aruto, I appreciate you not being dead and all, but the 'how' of it is pretty messed up."
Aruto nods, wide eyed. "Y… yeah. Same here, on both counts." He rubs at the base of his neck, where a ""helpful"" diagram indicated the chip was implanted. "So… I mean, at least it's confirmation that I'm human. Or, I was, at least. Does this all make me, I dunno, half-humagear or something?"
Yua smiles, just a little. "I believe the go-to phrase is 'cyborg', actually. I hadn't thought that anything like this was possible… The application of humagear technology to prosthetics, yes, of course, since they have the same motor capabilities as humans, but for it to evolve on its own..." She trails off. "It's incredible."
Fuwa snorts. "Tech junkie."
"It is, though! If it had happened in any other circumstances, the applications of this sort of technology-"
"Hey, uh, Yaiba?" Aruto winces. "Could we not talk about the weird stuff going on in my body like it's a science exhibit? Because that's even more uncomfortable than the fact I apparently have an extra nervous system." He chuckles nervously. "And trust me, that's really uncomfortable to think about."
Shifting, Yaiba regains her composure. "My apologies. I got… carried away." Clearing her throat, she continues. "Regardless, this may explain how you're able to connect to Zea - if your belt and that chip are somehow interfacing with each other, that may play a role in you being Zero One at all." She gives him a serious look. "It does say that your grandfather gave permission for the… surgery, and he is the one who said you were to be the one to wear the driver."
Aruto nods. "And he was one of the only people with access to this information until today. That's… wonderful." He leans forward, one arm propping his head up, muttering. "Having some sort of seance is looking like a more and more viable option all the time… Anyway!" He returns to regular volume. "We still don't know what happened the other day. But since I know more details about… well, about myself, now, maybe Zea will actually give me some answers this time around."
He looks up at the ceiling. "Zea, you're listening in, right? Can you… I dunno, do holograms or something? Just in here?"
There's a small crackling sound, a staticky noise from a speaker, before they get an answer. "That is affirmative. However, doing so at the current time is inadvisable. Hiden Vice President Fukuzoe is currently en route to the president's office."
All three riders look at each other. """Oh."""
Fuwa groans. "Yeah, we probably should have left an hour ago or something. Our excuse for being here was flimsy at best, he probably got suspicious."
Aruto buries his face in his hands. "And I'm the next closest thing to grounded I can get, so all three of us are in trouble. I'd offer you guys a lift out the way I got in, but Yaiba mentioned that plausible deniability would probably be a good thing when we were planning all this..." He sighs. "Let's… pick this back up when I'm actually supposed to be here."
Karma and/or the Arc seem to have decided that they could all use a break, and there were no Magia incidents over the next week, nor did anyone get their hands on a Raidriser. It all seems a little too good to be true, in Aruto's opinion, but it meant he got to actually rest properly for once.
It also means he had the chance to steel himself for the meeting he, Fuwa, and Yaiba are going to have today.
"So. What I was thinking of doing, last time, was that if I do my usual training thing and connect to Zea, we have the lab project the interface that I'm in, so that you two can see it. The thing is," Aruto scratches the back of his neck. "I only really get good communication from it when Izu's also there, because it's way more willing to communicate with her as a proxy. Are you two okay with that?"
Fuwa nods. "It's your weird backstory, and if we get more info, so much the better."
Yua makes a sound of agreement, with a barely contained smile. "I can't lie, I'm incredibly interested in seeing what it's like up there. If we ask questions, will you be able to hear them, though? I assume the satellite will, of course, but it's definitely important that everyone is talking."
Aruto just shrugs as he pulls a chair over to the side. "Only one way to find out." He grabs his driver, and is about to put it on, when he pauses. "Uh, I just realized I should probably warn you now. I kind of… pass out when I do this, sort of? Like, my body is not gonna react, no matter what you do. I think." He grimaces. "I'd appreciate it if you could see if I'm… well, if I'm anything like what I was last week? Just… just so we know?"
Fuwa gives a thumbs up. "On it."
Nodding his thanks, Aruto sits down, joined by Izu, who descends from the office, closing the door to the lab behind her.
Yua goes slightly wide-eyed at the wall mechanism. "That is amazing."
"I know, right? Anyway..." Aruto waves his driver at the others. "Here goes nothing."
When he puts the belt on, there's no change for a brief moment, before his eyes unfocus and slide shut, his head drooping to his chest and arms going limp in his lap.
Lights criss-cross through the room, building a blank white area around the group, leaving only the people and their chairs visible. Steadily, blue columns of binary begin to crawl upward at intervals. Both Fuwa and Yua look around.
Yua grins, giving up on her stoic expression. "This is incredible..."
"Isn't it?" Aruto's voice filters in from… somewhere, and the other two look around. "Hey, wait, can you guys not see me?"
""No.""
"Okay, hang on… Izu? Zea?"
"One moment, President Aruto." Izu's voice joins his, and after a few seconds, the two of them appear."
"Okay, can you guys see us now?" Aruto grins nervously, and more naturally when the others nod. "Good. We could see you guys, just the two of you sitting in the open, but I guess it wasn't going both ways quite yet."
Yua stands up, looking over Aruto and Izu's projected forms appraisingly. "It's a tad disconcerting, seeing two of you at once… are these solid projections? I know that Zaia has that technology, but did your grandfather..." She reaches out to touch Aruto on the shoulder.
"Ah, wait-" He shivers when Yua's hand goes right through him. "Oh, that's still weird."
She pulls away immediately. "Sorry, I got carried away – could you feel that?"
"No, but that doesn't stop it from being really weird to have someone's hand go through me!" He glares. "From my point of view, you guys are the holograms right now, remember."
Izu nods. "Zea is merely copying what we are seeing and displaying it in the lab. President Aruto and myself are currently entirely immersed in the satellite." She goes over to Aruto, and touches him on the other shoulder. She makes contact. "As you can see, we are present for each other, as Agent Fuwa and yourself are, but it does not go both ways."
"Hunh." Fuwa gets up, and heads over to where Aruto's real body is. "That's weird. So you're seeing the same thing Aruto is? Does that happen when it's just a humagear up there, or is it for his sake?"
"Humagear render the world in a visual manner in much the same way that humans do. Yes, this is what I and others see when we connect to Zea."
Fuwa gives a noncommittal sound as he checks how Aruto is doing, with Aruto fidgeting nervously behind him. "Well, I'll give you this." He glances over his shoulder. "It's not as unsettling as last time."
Aruto tenses. "Is that because you've already seen that happen or because I'm fine?"
"You're… not as bad off? Everything's still really slow, but not nearly as bad as before." Fuwa jostles Aruto's real-world shoulder. "Can you really not feel that?"
"Nope." Pacing around to where he's sitting, Aruto looks himself up and down. "This is weird. This is never going to stop being weird. I mean, I've heard of out-of-body experiences, but-" he grins. "So, since apparently the body thing is because of this," he gestures around the area. "We can settle that it's going to happen to different extents no matter why I connect to the satellite."
Yua nods. "The next step is figuring out why it happens in the first place." She looks slightly up, for lack of any better direction. "Zea? Does everyone here have clearance to know what's going on?"
Izu's earpieces light up – on both Izus – as she closes her eyes. When she opens them it's with a slight nod. "I am pulling up the relevant information now."
A window, just like on any computer, opens in mid air, and enlarges itself so that all parties can read it.
'The Shining Hopper Progise Key was made to tap into Hiden Aruto's potential. This is not limited to his inventiveness and agility. It utilizes the additional processing power of the Zero One driver to augment his physical attributes. Additionally, the implant system within Hiden Aruto's body provides additional processing power and allows for enhanced reaction speeds, owing to its nature as a second nervous system and skeletal/musculature reinforcement.'"So..." Aruto hesitates. "When Gai was trying to copy the data from Shining Hopper… When I felt like he was trying to pull something from me, he really was?"
'Affirmative.'Fuwa shudders. "Well, that's not terrifying at all. I'd hate to think what he could do with a second you around."
"Hey!"
"You're a handful!"
Yua frowns. "Boys, if we could get back on topic?"
""Sorry.""
Sighing, Aruto turns back to the 'information window'. "Okay… so, what's with my pulse and everything dropping off?"
'During the situation involving the Thousand Jacker, the control system interpreted the attempt to duplicate Shining Hopper as an attack not unlike a form of spyware. As it is tied to you biologically, it elected to protect your consciousness in the most efficient way possible, that is, by removing it from the equation and making it unavailable to be read.' 'Engaging the protocol by which you are sent to the satellite interface requires the implant system and Zero One driver to temporarily divert energy from physical uses to mental, thus powering the implant system and your brain more than is standard. This enables both the connection between yourself and the network, as well as the amplified speed by which you perceive time.'Aruto blinks. "That's… really dangerous. I kind of need those 'physical uses' in order to not die, you know!"
'For that reason, it is inadvisable to remain connected to the satellite for an extended duration of time. The dilemma was exacerbated by the injuries you had already sustained during the preceding fight, and the unplanned nature of the broadcast.'Fuwa glances at Aruto's very immobile body, before turning back to him properly. "So what I'm getting out of all of this is that you should get back down here, now. Just in case this gets more intense."
"Come on, I'm not fond of this either, but I'm fine right now, you said, so-" Aruto's protests are met with three stern looks. "…Okay, fair enough. Give me a moment."
He closes his eyes, and his hologram flickers and disappears. Shortly after, Aruto opens his real eyes, lifting his head. "Hi again."
As Fuwa checks a reluctant Aruto over, Izu returns back to the physical world as well, and the Zea interface closes, revealing the lab.
"So." Yua drums her fingers on the table. "Where should we go from here?"
Aruto shrugs. "I… don't like a lot of this. But I guess we just… keep doing what we've been doing. Stopping Magia and Raiders, and all of that. Unless something else comes up, I'm just going to keep going the way I've been."