Work Text
[All internal dialogue of the Los Fantasmas system is translated from the Spanish]
"How much physical access do you require?"The tall redheaded woman had made quite an impression on Los Fantasmas, and had been told, by them, in no uncertain terms, to rein it in. And had in fact done so.Mostly.Freira and Adriana looked over the unconscious Sombra, spread before them, suspended, face down, hovering above the operating platform, then looked at their own scanners, showing a completely different woman, then, finally, at the Oasis scans, the real ones, showing the actual shape and configuration of the person she'd once help upgrade herself, those years ago."One more time: this scan you're showing me is completely real?"Dr. Ngcobo nodded. "In every way."How do they do this? Yuri wondered, as Freira nodded in outside space. "Then it doesn't look like she's changed the master systems access - the physical one, of last resort."They'd tried more accessible access methods - and everything like it - but none of the accessible systems reacted normally, at all, not even for Sombra, when they brought her up to twilight sleep. This wasn't a case of rewritten software - it was jumbles, and shambles, massive amounts of introduced noise from fragmented, randomised code.It's amazing she can think at all, Galena said, internally. If it's doing what I think it's doing. Outside, Freira nodded, and highlighted a small, rounded structure in the scan."You see that ring structure around C4?"Both doctors nodded."We'll need physical access to it, but not much. You'll have to cut her open. Exposure to air will open a series of microfissures in the shielding ring. Once that's happened, and we have line of sight, we'll be able to tap in with our own systems. Then, we'll be able to restore her to, well..."She shrugged."A viable baseline. I hope. At least for the systems I'm pretty sure she wouldn't've upgraded too much.""She will have upgraded everything," Dr. O'Deorain said, quietly. "It's one of the things I admire about her.""Yeah, I know," the cyberneticist agreed. "But if I can get her to known-good versions of basic systems, that'll stop the noise flood. Then if we can get her own interfaces under her own control, she should find it a lot easier to think, and repair herself."The Minister of Genetics nodded. "Danielle informed me that you have all your equipment internalised. Is that correct? Could you proceed now?""Yeah, I'm prepped, but... you'll have to cut her open, get air to the access ring. I shouldn't...""Would a 4cm by 2cm oval-shaped tunnel port be adequate?""Yeah, should be, if we can be within two metres direct line of sight. The signal levels are really low, by design.""Do you need to see, or will you be working entirely via interface?""Not much to see, Red. It's the software that matters.""So, by interface?""By interface.""Very well. We have little time to waste. Are you... squeamish?""Seriously?""Good. Bring up your systems now, then. We will proceed immediately.""What? How are..."A visible barrier appeared between them and Sombra's body - not enough to block their view, but enough to make Alejandra jump them back, a little. Hey, no, we need to be close, Freira said, inside. It's okay."It's a sterile barrier," Dr. Ngcobo said, seeing the jump. "And not strictly necessary, but we are taking no chances. Stay behind it, please."This whole place is a little nuts, Alejandra replied. It's putting me on edge.
I know, but... c'mon. We have work to do.
Are they gonna operate right now? Right here?
I think... I think so.
How long d'ya think it'll take for them to make the first incision? Yuri wondered, idly.Holy fuck!, Adriana said. Look at that.Dr. O'Deorain's hands glowed, yellow, and Sombra's body rotated, and her skin parted, exposing mesoderm, separating, all the way down to a familiar metallic ring, exposed, to the open air."Is this adequate?"Freira felt more than a little ill. "How... how is... how are you doing that?! How is she not bleeding, and...""A miracle of science," the doctor said. "Perhaps we can later exchange a variety of information about... many things." She looked over at a display, and noted the metal's configuration changing, as it dried. "What a fascinating crystal structure. Did you invent this?""Galena did," Adriana answered, when Freira did not, being too busy stabilising herself. Are you okay?
Yeah. Sorry. That was... something. I'll take over again. Thanks.
"We do have things to talk about," O'Deorain murmured. "This is... remarkable work.""She says thanks," Freira relayed, and brought up a series of hovering panels, keyboards, and tools. "We've got signal. This is... I gotta tell you, Red, this is pretty gross, but... effective."Another set of keyboards, and tools, and two more arms and hands - echos of the physical set, but doing different work - emanated from her physical shoulders, as Adriana joined in the work."Similar technology to the Shambali, perhaps?" Michael wondered aloud."Fascinating," Moira breathed. "And beautiful."This is terrible, Adriana told Freira, inside, ignoring the geneticist. I estimate 28% synaptic interface corruption.Yeah, it's bad, Freira agreed. But all we have to do is get her basic systems running... and hope she has backups.
Three to one against. She never paid enough attention to things like that - I hope she has learned, since then.
I hope so too. Crazy little idiot finally got herself hurt for real, this time. She owes us, and I'd still like to collect.
So would I.
...and despite everything... I've... kind of missed her.
I haven't. Adriana smirked. Enough talk. We have numbers.They dove in, like fish, in the ocean, deep, and purple, and down, all the way down to the hardware, to begin repairs.An hour later, rising, Freira - or her conceptualisation of herself, at least - blinked, surprised. Adriana, am I seeing what I... think I'm seeing?Adriana floated over - if such a description could have any meaning, here - and looked just as surprised. She kept it? After everything she said, she kept... this? How's the code?
Mashed, of course. But... still the last version we worked on together with her.
Adriana ran the numbers, comparing instruction cluster to instruction cluster. 97% probability match, based on past revision data. But so... unlikely, beyond that. I...Does she even remember?, Freira wondered. Should we... fix it?Why not? It's here, it's operating, and we still have the code. Let's get it back up. Adriana triggered the refresh, and instructions flowed in.
Good thing she's so deeply sedated. I don't think she'd be real happy to see...
...freira?
Freira and Adriana, or their conceptualisations of themselves, jumped at the voice....can't be, Sombra chuckled. can't be you..,Dream state?! This far under?! Adriana said, astounded. How?!heh, thought Sombra. fulla tricks. firewalls, too. wish you were really here tho'...Freira directed her thoughts towards the neural interface they'd restarted. Sombra? You can hear me?sleepy, came back the thought. wish you were really here. 'd tell you. 'm sorry.Freira gasped, or her visualisation of herself did. You're... sorry?yeh, the hacker thought. 's all my fault. got scared. started thinkin'... maybe... was just another part'f you... freaked out... ran...Adriana looked to Freira. Is that what...?! as Sombra's thoughts continued. ...stupid. wanted t' find you, but... so much happened... y'know? just... sorry. gotta do it. someday...Freira reached out, and felt for her former collaborator, her once-upon-a-time friend, and was surprised to feel her reaching back. They felt her semi-consciousness roll over, or her conceptualisation of herself in that semi-consciousness roll over. wish y'were real... 'd tell you. after this. after russia. but... y'feel so... real...The thoughts faded, as the centre of her self-conception drifted further away from the interface.Sombra, wait, Freira said, into the deep. We're... we're here. For real. Your friends, they found us. We're here. And we're going to help. Okay? Please? Is that okay?
...aw. must really be hurt. you’re never this nice when i’m dreamin’. but... 'kay. s'good. go ahead. gonna sleep now.
We will, Freira answered. We'll be here. When you wake up.
g'night...
Galena floated down, meeting them halfway, as Freira and Adirana pulled their thoughts away from the interface. Well. I don't think any of us expected that.I sure didn't, Freira agreed.Are you done? asked Galena. Is it enough?Yeah, Freira said. Base systems weren't that different. I was able to figure out her updates, or at least get close enough that she'll be able to fix them herself once she's awake. She should be able to think again, now.Her interleaved neural interface changes were substantial. Adriana added. I've rebuilt what I think the code must have been, but it is complex. The math is... strange, and wonderful.Will it work? Galena asked, voice stern.
Yes. Perhaps not as well as her own, but - it will work well enough for her do the rest.
Adriana smiled, thinking again of the numbers, of the harmonics, of the sheer speed of it all.
I hope she'll let me ask her about it.