Chapter Twenty-three

SSDF Orbital Station 002
Mars orbit

Seto watched the alignment graph on the monitor directly before him. The AI's white "ribbon" was starting to encircle Seto's blue one. If he turned his attention inward, he could feel the steady stream of the AI's intentions flowing underneath.

He felt a brief surge of pride at being the first to attempt this, at knowing that he and his Dragon would be the first to accomplish this. It was something that was his alone -- Gozaburo could never take it away from him; Yami would never eclipse him. Unanticipated pride warmed him. He almost sent a burst of that sudden pride toward the AI before he remembered he had to remain passive.

He shifted uncomfortably in the pilot's sling. Ordinarily, he would already be deep in gestalt, unaware of his physical body except as status read-outs on the virtual displays. Now, however, he was all-too-aware of the minute pressure points affecting various portions of his anatomy as he hung suspended in a harness designed for the safe containment of the human body in zero-g. It was never intended for extended use in a gravity field. His flightsuit rustled as he switched positions once more, and Gears seemed to take that as her cue to start chattering at him.

"Your readings are looking good, Captain. Everything is right where I would expect it to be at this point, and Blue-Eyes is responding well. I think he's really going to do it this time. In fact, I'm sure of it. I know he's missed you, so he's bound to be eager to gestalt with you again."

Seto couldn't help it. As much as he wanted to achieve this gestalt, hearing her babble on about the machine's emotional responses was simply too much. He made a derisive little sound that, unfortunately, the mike picked up.

"I know you don't believe it," Gears said. "But the Duel Mecha have feelings. Their AIs are programmed to want human contact, specifically, contact with their designated pilots. In fact, they need a certain amount of interaction in order to function properly. That need lends itself to the AI developing a strong affection for its pilot."

Seto was momentarily speechless. After a few seconds of gaping at the comm console, he managed to find his voice -- and, with it, the flat, sarcastic tone he had always wielded as a weapon of crass destruction. "Are you trying to tell me my Dragon loves me?"

He couldn't see Gears, but he could hear the flinch in her voice when she replied. "Um... Well. Would you be more comfortable with the phrase 'likes you a lot'?"

"...Have you ever considered setting up an appointment with Dr. Korone?"

"Uh? I see him all the time. In fact, we have daily status meetings. Why would I need an appointment?"

"Never mind."

"Are you feeling all right, Captain? The stress isn't getting to you, is it?" She had the nerve to sound concerned. "Do you need to speak with Dr. Korone?"

Firmly resisting the urge to smack himself on the forehead, Seto growled, "No. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Because he's right here and--"

"Yes," he almost shouted, then forced himself to calm down. He took a deep breath and switched comm lines. "Mokuba?"

"I'm here, Seto." There was the faintest hint of amusement in his little brother's voice. "Want to do a little biofeedback?"

"Please."

"Okay. Just listen to my voice and breathe with me..."

Mokuba led him through the calming exercise, synching their breathing, his soft voice soothing Seto's raw nerves. In a remarkably short time, Seto had settled back into the proper frame of mind. Relaxing into the pilot's sling, he watched the computer display where the AI's VR ribbon drifted languidly, its leading edge just brushing his own.

You can approach me, he thought, knowing that the AI could 'hear' him through their tentative contact. I won't hurt you. You are welcome.

A quicksilver flash of queryneed? flickered against his mind, then was gone.

You are welcome, Seto repeated. He wasn't able to stop himself from stretching out a tendril of thought toward his mechanical partner, trying to urge it closer. You are wanted. We have important work to do. Come, let us do our job. Together.

Carefully, he reached toward the AI. On the VR display, his blue "ribbon" extended itself toward the white one, nudging it gently, attempting to coax it into twining union.

"Captain? What are you--?" Gears sounded agitated. "You have to remain passive! Let Blue-Eyes come to you on his own terms."

"Easy for you to say," Seto muttered under his breath. But he let his "ribbon" fall slack. Into the comm, he added, "You told me to offer. I did, but the AI is just sitting there. When is it going to accept that I'm not going to act against it?"

There was a frustrated sound, then a few seconds of studied silence. When she finally answered, her voice was as stern as he had ever heard it. "I know you don't want to sabotage your chances for success. Blue-Eyes has made overtures -- tentative, yes, but he's making real progress."

Seto opened his mouth to snap back, then subsided. As much as it pained him to admit it, she was right. "It's difficult. I... am not, by nature, a passive man."

There was a funny, strangled noise over the shared comm channel. It took Seto a moment to decipher it as Korone's hastily choked-off laughter. Seto directed a glower at the communications console, even though he knew the psychologist couldn't see him.

"Sorry, Seto," Korone said. He sounded a bit breathless, as if he had just been on the receiving end of a sharp elbow to the stomach. " I know this isn't easy for you, but you're doing great. Really."

The Blue-Eyes chose that moment to make contact, again, effectively stopping whatever retort Seto might have made. The burst of welcomequery?, closely followed by the AI's "ribbon" nudging his own shoved all other considerations from Seto's mind.

Reminding himself to remain calm, passive, to let the AI sense his thoughts rather than projecting them to it, Seto responded with as much acceptance and affirmation as he could muster. Yes, he thought, hoping the AI would 'hear' -- and believe -- him. You are welcome, accepted. My Dragon, my... partner. Will you accept me back?

Briefly, the white "ribbon" coiled about the blue, and Seto almost drowned beneath the surge of satisfactionassurance/devotionpride that suddenly swamped his mind. Then the spike of contact flattened again, and Seto gasped as if he truly had been submerged.

"Alignment was at seventy-three point zero eight percent, that time." Gears sounded pleased. "We're definitely seeing progress. You're doing great, Blue-Eyes. I knew you could do this!"

Her uncharacteristic enthusiasm startled Seto -- until he realized she was talking to the mech. He thought he could hear Korone stifling another snicker over the comm channel, and suppressed his own urge to groan. A brush of the Blue-Eyes' thoughts against his revealed the AI's amusementaffirmation.Despite himself, Seto found the AI's amusement contagious. He snorted softly.

You just think it's funny because you like her better than you like me, he thought. He was joking, but the Blue-Eyes' instant denial went a long way toward bolstering his ego.

Emphaticrejection! The white VR "ribbon" wound itself possessively about Seto's blue one. Singularacceptance/emphaticaffirmation!

Only me, huh? Seto couldn't keep the smug satisfaction out of his mental "voice." Good.

Emphaticaffirmation. This time, the AI did not retreat. Welcomequery?

Yes. Always welcome.

Satisfactionpride.

"Alignment at seventy-five percent and rising," Gears reported. "Everything's still in the green. Primary TEM levels are within tolerance. Dr. Korone?"

"Pilot's vital signs are good," Korone's voice acknowledged. "We're 'go'."

"Lieutenant Kaiba?"

"Everything's 'go', here." Mokuba switched back to their private comm channel, and his voice went from professional cool to fraternal warmth. "You're doing it, big brother. I knew you could."

"Pilot/AI alignment at ...eighty-one, eighty-two...eighty-five percent," Gears announced, her delight fairly crackling over the open comm. "Gestalt entity is stabilizing within tolerances."

Seto barely heard them. All his attention was focused on the AI. The Dragon's white "ribbon" wove around Seto's, wrapping him up in that ... inexplicable warmth, again.

In the twilight space of their link, human and AI met, merged. Became more.

-------------------

"Pilot/AI alignment steady at eighty-nine-point-zero-two percent. Gestalt entity stable and holding." Gears looked up from her instruments and shared a rare, open grin with Korone. "We have gestalt!"

Korone swung gleefully around on their shared platform, cupped his hands to his mouth like a bullhorn, leaned over the rail, and shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is back!"

All around him, the gathered crowd erupted in a spontaneous cheer.

Beaming like a searchlight, Korone reached over and slapped his hand amiably against the mech's armor, including it in the celebration. "Good work, buddy."

Despite the safety lockdowns, the giant form of the Blue-Eyes seemed to stand straighter in its gantry. Korone's grin softened as he tilted his head back to peer up at the cockpit. He gave the white armor a final, congratulatory tap.

"Welcome back, Captain."