bookrandom Chapter 307: Terra What?
Chapter 307: Terra What?
[Big Sister] needed to feel like she was there, it was probably something about how her Core worked, was it not that the same restriction for the artifacts the Saintsworths teleportation gates worked?
Ale quickly started thinking about ideas on how to achieve that, she knew for a fact that they were able to interface with other Cores, they had the proof of that and showed it to Main Core. So what was one step further.
The mechanical components on her arm slowly shifted and morphed, then as if answering to her will, one of the cables in the armored part of her arm slowly wormed itself into her flesh.
It slowly wormed it's way to the AI Core that was embedded on her shoulder.
Ale didn't stop to think too much about that, even though usually the way this worked was the other way around, coming out from the Core outwards. Probably something about increasing efficiency or something of the like.
Main Core was starting to focus more on efficiency after all, something that Ale was thankful about. More so since...
Mana: 40/47That was going down after materializing her armored bit on herself.
So the fact that it was now worming across her flesh to save more Mana points was an acceptable exchange.
Mana: 35/47Even if that meant that the number was still going down nonetheless, how did people even use their powers that long anyway? She had seen [SuperForce] and [Vulcanus] use their powers almost nonstop...
Granted, the first one was basically keeping a forcefield armor across his body at all time... And The other was a machine and whose power was basically perma on...
Oh, so that's how they did it. Activation type [Core Powers] sucked huh.
It was also a difference in amount of Mana stored within their Cores probably, Ale did need to work on increasing hers then, or perhaps stop using such intensive transformations, now that her Mana was actually being depleted unlike how it was before.
Wonder why that didn't happen before? Was it a bug? Something going wrong with the ND0 System?
More question that weren't being answered, at least now that she was thinking about them she wasn't getting an error count going up nor a redirection of her Consciousness Stream.
So that was something.
[Modification finished.]
[Setting up Artificial Virtual environment...]
[Setting up data to be transmitted....]
[Setting up VR Translator...]
[Everything is ready Mistress, please place the communication device upon the target's head.]
Ale looked at her arm and yeah, that looked like something coming out of some weirdass science fiction game if Ale had seen one before, it also looked oodly similar to the armor of one of her newest video games, probably something that Main Core had used from her memory.
"This will not hurt." Ale said as she raised her hand and pointed it at [Big Sister], "But it may feel weird."
".... That's not comforting, at all." [Big Sister] said looking at the changed arm, "What is that supposed to do?"
How to explain...
"Basically... It will create a Virtual environment simulating a place I saw in a memory," Ale said as she fired up the programs in order and warmed up the device stored within her arm, "The Saintsworths have this technology that lets them experiment a VR environment, I am using that to share a memory with you."
Not entirely true, but close enough to matter.
Ale was... cannibalizing part of the program that she had used while controlling the pod, as that had been stored in the database that she shared with Alexa...
Among with many other programs and files she hadn't really seen or think about before, Main Core was combing through it for important or relevant stuff, and right now Ale had followed her insticts and used said database to make this.
The interface device she stuck into her arm, however, was an original one, one that Ale was mostly sure it would work. Mana shenanigans being a thing that is very real and what not.
"Is it safe?" [Big Sister] said as she sat in front of Ale cross-legged.
She hadn't hesitated (that much) before placing herself in Ale's hands.
"As safe as I can make." Ale answered honestly, "If something bad happens I am very sure we can fix it before it becomes troublesome... Besides there are some [Healers] around right?"
"... Please don't do anything that will get me into the hands of one of those nutcases." [Big Sister] said sighing, "I hate how they work."
"Really?" Ale continued the small talk as she placed her right arm atop [Big Sister]'s head, a data stream coming out from the arm straight into the AI Core.
[Collecting data...]
[Categorizing brain waves...]
[Recording mental state...]
[Recording Consciousness Stream sample...]
[Setting up artificial backup...]
[Saved restore point.]
[Proceed at your earliest convenience Mistress.]
That... was scary.
"Yes, really. You haven't dealt with the weird ones." [Big Sister] said sighing, "There are some crazy ones there, you would think that they are good honest people right? Since they live to help others."
"I mean... [Re-Wire] is the only sample we have, and even him..." Ale said as she replayed the memory from when they met him, "It wasn't that long the interaction, and he mostly dealt with other people around Alexa."
"Oh yeah, that one." [Big Sister] nodded, the data stream continued going on, for now Ale had decided to run a series of extra diagnosis and safechecks, since she had not liked how much data she could get from these things. It was way too much information for what she needed, there was no reason for her to get this much data. "He is among the better ones, probably some meddling from your big brother then."
"That one was from the good ones?" Ale asked surprised, "Really?"
"Yeah, so..." [Big Sister] turned her eyes to stare at her, "I am ready, you don't need to dance around it this much, just pull the trigger."
"...Are you... sure?" Ale asked again, "I mean, I have not done this before, we aren't even sure if it-"
"You believe in me right." [Big Sister] interrupted her, "Believe that the memories I have are real. That [The Scrambler] didn't make them from nothing."
"...I believe that we need to test a theory I have." Ale said, "I... saw memories of another place, that was like this, but different."
[Big Sister]'s eyes shone in recognition at those words.
"Do it." And then clamped her hand atop Ale's and pressed it down strongly, "Do it before something stops us."
Something... stopping them?
"Okay." Ale said thinking on the meaning behind those words. There was no reason why someone would conveniently come to stop them, but then again, there were many things that were too convenient for Alexa.
So if this wasn't convenient to Alexa... Would something convenient to Alexa (And in turn not convenient to them) happen?
"Start connection in three....two....one..." Ale said aloud as she started sending Mana into the device, while the creation did cost, keeping it stable didn't.
Preparing the program and the memory didn't.
But the last interaction, the one that would connect Ale's VR to [Big Sister]'s Consciousness stream? That one did ask for Mana.
"Trace Start!" Ale intoned the words and the device tied to her hand sent a mana pulse into [Big Sister]'s head, one that traveled into the awareness of her [Consciousness Stream] and started drawing on an empty part of it the memories that Ale wanted to share.
Ale closed her eyes and dived into the the small apartment room she had within her personal mindscape.
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"Welcome Mistress... You may connect to the artificial virtual environment using this device." The small round deformed eagle chick that was Main Core said pointing with one of its stubby wings to a helmet, "The subject Skye Venti is currently settling herself into the virtual environment, there hasn't been any bad reaction to the environment, so it is safe for you to enter."
"Thank you Main Core." Ale said, picking up the helmet and sitting on the bed in her room, "Please pull us out as soon as there is any degree of danger to [Big Sister], prioritize her safety over mine too."
"Could I ask you to reconsider that order?" Main Core asked frowning, "That is not a good way to think Mistress."
"If something happens to me, we can rebuild the blueprint." Ale said extending her hand at the PC on the desk and doing a pulling motion, an holographic screen with the blueprint to her body was pulled out, "How much Mana would it cost to make this one?"
"... Even so, while we can rebuild the physical body -Albeit at a steep cost- the damage to your psyche is not something we can fix." Main Core said as Ale felt a portion of her mana pool be reserved, "And any damage incurred during this phase of the experiment will be towards your Psyche Mistress."
"Right..." Ale nodded, that was true enough, "Prepare a message and send it to Alexa, she should be watching, but she can probably fix me in that case."
"...Alexa is unable to watch what happens within this part of the mindscape." Main Core said frowning, for some reason this Main Core was... not as servicial towards Alexa, something that Ale wasn't sure if it was good or not, it was not hostile towards Alexa. So she wanted to leave it like that. For now anyway.
"She will watch what happens within the virtual environment?" Ale decided to ask for now that.
"Yes," Main Core said back quickly enough, "That poses no risk to Mistress, so it was deemed acceptable."
"Good enough then," Ale shrugged, "You saw the memories, Alexa has helped me get over this kind of damage before. So she will help us, but [Big Sister] doesn't have this advantage, so this is just the most optimal way of going about it."
"...I will trust your judgment, Mistress." Main Core ended up accepting Ale's plan, so that was one problem solved, only 99 to go.
"Thank you, then I'll get over to [Big Sister]'s side now." Ale said putting on the helmet and getting herself into a comfortable position, "Take care of my physical body."
She didn't wait to hear the answer and instead merely clicked the mental button and dove into the program, it was almost the same feeling as when she had gone to visit Alexa before. Funny thing, perhaps Ale had used that as inspiration when designing this device?
She would check on that later.
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Ale landed into what looked to be a suburban house, there were pictures everywhere of a happy family, a normal nuclear family, two parents, two daughters and one son.
The family seemed to have gone for the brown hair color, but one of the sisters seemed somewhat familiar to Ale and she couldn't find the reason why.
"That's me and my little sister." [Big Sister] said walking out from another room, "House's empty... should have seen that one coming, this was too convenient."
"You have another little sister?" Ale asked, "You are cheating on me."
"Funny," [Big Sister] said shaking her head, "So... this was the place you wanted me to see? My house?"
"No," Ale said shaking her head, she didn't say anything about how the people in the photo had a different hair colour to what [Big Sister] had.
They had brown hair while [Big Sister] had black.
Their eyes were black, while [Big Sister]'s eyes was green.
The face was similar enough, but that wasn't enough to find a familiar link between them. But Ale decided to not mention any of these facts.
"This space was created by you." Ale said opening the front door, on the other side was a black void, same as with her own Mindscape, as Ale had suspected. "The translation program I am using creates an environment that is more easy to understand for you. One that helps you feel safe. So this place was made out from your memories."
"I see..." [Big Sister] said sighing, "I had hoped you could provide me with data about this place, I have been using this memory to try and get my [Core Power] to open a gate here... But nothing has worked."
"Sorry about that," Ale said shaking her head, "But I don't have that kind of data to share, the memory I saw was also not of any place like this one."
She had seen a memory of a laboratory in Antarctica after all, this felt like a place that was a little warmer than that one.
"If you are ready..." Ale said placing her hand on the doorknob, she executed another subroutine of the program she had loaded into her arm, one that seeded the data and set up the VR environment of the laboratory that old man Alexanders had shown her.
She edited the memory of course, she removed Alexanders and every other human being in the memory.
She also removed the pebble that was Alexa (Allegedly), only leaving the empty testing chamber.
"Ready when you are," [Big Sister] said as she sighed yet again, "This place is empty anyway."
So Ale nodded once and opened the door, this time instead of a black void, the door opened to the testing chamber.
"This is the place I saw," Ale said as she walked into it, she had seen it yesterday, but it still felt as if she had just seen it.
Main Core had reproduced as much as possible from the data she had managed to keep after the whole ordeal, Alexa was quite good at processing data, and so they had managed quite the good reproduction of the place.
"Can you do it?" Ale asked as she walked to the spot that Alexa(Pebble ver) was supposed to be, "Can you open some door or teleport here?"
"Hmm...." [Big Sister] walked around, breathing in the air as if she was tasting it, "I don't know..."
"You don't know?" Ale asked confused, "Is something wrong with the memory?"
"My Core is feeling something from seeing this place." [Big Sister] said frowning, "Something I haven't felt before. Do you know where is this?"
A paralel Terra Nova.
"The Arctic Circle." Ale instead answered as thus, "That or the antartica, not very sure to be honest, but one of those two."
"There is a very large difference in travel time." [Big Sister] said, smiling at Ale's answer, "I could make it to the Arctic Circle, but Antarctica is farther away."
That was... a problem.
"Would you know if the connection was made?" Ale instead decided to ask, "Like would you know if the issue was that you didn't have enough Mana?"
"Yeah," [Big Sister] said nodding, "My Power would tell me, I could probably eventually open the door if it was an issue of not enough Mana."
That was good.
"But we would need to test it in the real world." And with that [Big Sister] turned to look at Ale, "So... does that mean you are also a victim of [The Scrambler]?"
Ah right...
[Big Sister] got her memories of an alternate place from [The Scrambler], so... he was pulling memories from Terra Nova's alternate reality?
Terra... Alter?
Terra Nova 2?
Terra Nova 616?
What was Ale supposed to call that other Terra Nova?