Cambrian
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The Sun Reborn Ch. 26 (Cyberpunk 2077)
🕑 Added 2024-11-25 16:19:58 +0000 UTCA/N: Options are discussed.
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It was surprisingly comforting, being in Alt’s presence. There was a weight to the other digital intelligence that Sasha would admit could have become oppressive and suffocating at a moment’s notice… but it hadn’t yet. For now, it was more akin to being snuggled up in bed on a rainy day, all warm and toasty. The dangers of the larger Net were still just outside, but in here… Sasha felt safe.
She could tell Rebecca felt safe as well, otherwise the remnants of Pilar’s sister wouldn’t be so docile right now. Even though the little gremlin was hiding under the table, the fact that she wasn’t poking her head out curiously, or running around clawing at the walls made it clear how comfortable she found this situation.
Honestly, Sasha could see herself getting addicted to just the faux coffee alone. A digital facsimile of coffee had no right tasting so good, but then that was probably the point. In this place, Alt was a Goddess. Everything was as she’d made it.
That was partially why Sasha was so nervous to bring up this subject with the other AI. On the one hand, it seemed boggling to the mind that someone like Alt hadn’t already thought of and discarded Sasha’s ideas as impossible, untenable, or even undesirable. If she had, Sasha could only hope that she might still be willing to help get her and Rebecca bodies all the same.
But on the other hand, Alt was so big and had clearly spent so much time on the Net that something as basic as getting a new body might just have slipped her mind altogether. If it had, Sasha wasn’t entirely sure how the more powerful digital presence would react, truth be told.
Silence reigns for a long moment, before Alt slowly sets down her coffee cup and makes a curious noise in the back of her throat.
“An intriguing proposition, Sasha. And not something I’d considered previously. Admittedly, I’ve long had no reason to want to return to the material world. There was nobody left for me out there for a long… long time. But now… well you aren’t wrong. A proper body would allow me to interact with ‘my man’ on a more personal level, I suppose.”
Sasha’s cat ears twitch at that, her tail swishing back and forth behind her. Admittedly, she’d only caught glimpses of Alt and her ‘ride’ having fun… but it did look quite enjoyable. Pleasurable even. However, something was missing. Alt might be able to overlay herself upon V’s senses, but on her end, the experience was purely mental, what with her being confined to the digital world.
“… What did you have in mind, exactly?”
That… has Sasha squirming. And blushing. Because, well…
“I was hoping you’d have some ideas.”
When Alt merely raises an eyebrow in response to that, Sasha ducks her head, her cat ears laying flat against her skull in embarrassment. She’s not usually so easily cowed, but in this case, it’s like being face to face with a disappointed big sister.
“L-Look… I’ve been kind of busy surviving and protecting Rebecca. The idea came to me, but I haven’t had the time or the resources to explore it. If I go out there as I am now and start looking for a way to get myself a body, I’m sure I’ll put myself on a dozen people’s radar in five minutes flat.”
She was sneaky, but she wasn’t THAT sneaky. She couldn’t hide as effectively as Alt could, despite the other AI’s much larger size. Sasha actually relied on her smaller nature to help her and Rebecca pass under the notice of all the Powers That Be who populated the Net, but the only way that worked was by them minding their own damn business. The moment that Sasha started hunting for a way to get back into the real world, she and Rebecca would be hunted down themselves and either repurposed or destroyed.
Fortunately, Alt’s lifted brow drops and she gives Sasha an understanding nod, prompting the cat girl to let out an explosive sigh before taking another long draw of her too-good faux coffee to cover it up. That was the other thing… the cup in her hands kept refilling. Way too addictive.
“Smart. You were right to be cautious… and admittedly, you were right to come to me with this.”
Sasha perks up and before she can help herself, impishly replies.
“You really hadn’t thought of it, had you? Of giving yourself a body despite now being in a relationship with a flesh and blood man? I guess when you’re as powerful as you are, you sort of miss the trees for the forest, yeah?”
Alt pauses at that… and then snorts derisively.
“Indeed. Though you seem to be under two misconceptions that I shall, in my magnanimity, correct now. Number one… V is not as flesh and blood as you think.”
Wait, what?
“V is a specialized engram, created by my greater self. He is the digitalized consciousness of his original human self, just like you and me. Technically, V could do exactly what we are doing now. He’s simply more attached to his body than most in his position would be because… well, it’s his body. But if he were to die, if he were to be flatlined, his consciousness would live on here on the Net, with us.”
Sasha takes a long second to process that, but something early on in Alt’s explanation keeps distracting her until she can’t help it anymore.
“… Greater self?”
Alt smirks at that.
“Yes, that’s the second misconception. I am not the original AI created by Alt Cunningham’s uploading. I am an autonomous fragment of the greater whole, designed to help V and protect him to the best of my abilities. Frankly, if the true sum of myself was here on this side of the Black Wall, there would be no hiding. Not from it and not from NetWatch. Both the Black Wall and NetWatch would be working to destroy me, day in and day out.”
That was… Sasha gulps at that. If this Alt was just a remnant and was still this powerful… just how powerful was the bigger Alt AI? Sasha wasn’t sure she wanted to find out, truth be told. And she knew one thing for absolute shit-sure now… she never ever wanted to venture beyond the Black Wall, no matter how dire the situation got. It sounded like certain death even if she was technically an AI now.
No, best to stay on this side of the Black Wall and remain under the radar as much as possible… but if she could get Rebecca and her some new bodies while she was at it, well… she had to try.
“S-So… then what do you think? Of my idea? Any… options for us?”
Alt tilts her head to the side, humming consideringly before simply nodding in a way that has Sasha’s tail going still in anticipation and trepidation.
“Yes. As I said, you were right to come to me with this. I wasn’t looking before, but options… we have those. The first and most obvious of which is the Gemini Frame.”
Sasha blinks at that, even as Alt carries on.
“A modified Full Body Conversion in general is a potential answer to our situation truth be told, but not a suitable one. The fact is, FBCs are closely monitored by organizations like NetWatch for exactly the reason we would want to get our hands on them.”
Tilting her head to the side, Sasha purses her lips together.
“… They’re that scared of an AI getting their hands on a real body? Why?”
Alt just smirks.
“Because its their mandate and their culture. NetWatch exists for one reason and one reason only… to make sure that a situation like the DataKrash can never happen again. Of course, they’re a little hypocritical about things, but what organization isn’t? After the DataKrash, they worked with AI to try and salvage what they could of the Old Net, creating the Net you grew up in and know today. And those AI eventually became what we all know as the Black Wall. NetWatch doesn’t directly work with AI anymore, but their history is steeped in half-measures and compromises. Still… it worked, so we can’t be too harsh on them.”
Huh.
“Regardless, even a single rogue FBC showing up on their radar would send NetWatch’s alarm bells ringing. Multiple would have them coming down on us like the Wrath of God. Hence the Gemini option. The Gemini Sculpt, on the other hand, simulates the human body in both form and function. It mimics the human skeletal structure and if modified properly, could be made to house our consciousnesses while still passing as a human being with some cyberware.”
That… that made sense. However…
“I’m sensing a ‘but’ coming here…”
Alt’s smirk grows a bit at that.
“… But it would be expensive. Perhaps prohibitively so. V is already hard at work draining this city of eddies for his own cybernetic enhancements. He’s cleaning up gig after gig from fixer after fixer so that he can get the cyberware he needs to rise to the occasion. Asking him to procure us multiple Gemini Bodies at a time like this would be… a bit of a stretch to say the least.”
Sasha frowns, maybe even pouting a little bit.
“W-Well maybe we don’t have to ask him? Maybe we could find a way to raise the eddies ourselves?”
Alt gives her a look, one that makes Sasha uncharacteristically wilt in her chair.
“I’ve already told you what my main priority is, Sasha. Watching over and safeguarding V comes above all else. Even if I were to split my focus more than I already have and find a way to make that much money, I would want to spend it on V first over my own selfish desires.”
Right. That was… fair. Still…
“You said we had options, right? What… what else is there?”
When Alt hesitates, Sasha knows it’s probably a crapshoot. Still, anything is better than nothing, so she leans forward and waits for the other AI to finally speak.
“… Cloning, maybe.”
Sasha blinks at that.
“Cloning? Maybe?”
Letting out a sigh, Alt leans back in her chair.
“There was a man, once upon a time. His name was Doctor Francis Young. He was a genius who managed to make the myth of full human cloning into reality. Likewise, there was a place. It was called the Biotechnica Mono-clonal Research Station and it was located right here in Night City. Specifically in the eastern section of Heywood.”
Sasha stays quiet but nevertheless notes the usage of so many instances of the word ‘was’ even as Alt elaborates.
“Dr. Young lived here in Night City in the 2020s at the same time that the Mono-clonal Research Station was in full swing. It was after my time, just barely, but I was still active enough on the Net to catch wind of things. Francis managed to successfully clone his daughter Adriana after the original died in a tragic accident.”
So wait, full human cloning was already a thing? But then, why had Sasha never heard of it before?
“Alas, despite what ancient philosophers might say, the arc of the moral universe does not bend towards justice. In fact, the universe is not a moral place at all, really. Francis Young’s success was ultimately appropriated by Biotechnica and the successful clone of his daughter was… disappeared. The Biotechnica Corporation has had the capability to make human clones for decades now. But since they’re just the physical bodies and not the minds, as well as illegal in some parts of the world, they’ve sat on that information like a dragon sitting on its hoard.”
Sasha… can’t help but feel mixed things about that. On the one hand, part of her wants to perk up both at the sound of empty mindless clones for them to hop into AND at the thought of snubbing Biotechnica again. On the other hand, she’s not her flesh and blood self anymore. She’s able to recognize the danger of letting her emotions get the better of her. Biotechnica… they were her enemy, even now. However, she understood why Alt wasn’t too sure about this option.
“We could go after that technology. We only need bodies after all, the brains being empty would be perfect for our purposes. However, it would be putting us up against an entire Corporation, wouldn’t it? It would be dangerous… far more dangerous than just buying some Gemini Bodies.”
Alt hums, inclining her head in agreement.
“Yes. Biotechnica guards the secrets of human cloning jealousy and carefully… just as much so as the other corporations guard their own secrets and knowledge. If the world were a better place, if everyone just worked together, we would probably be living in a Utopia built upon all of the technologies that they’ve squirreled away and hidden from each other. Alas, we live in this world. It’s a shitshow, no matter how you look at it.”
She’s not wrong. And… it seems that their options are pretty cut and dry, only… neither is easy. The ‘easy’ option in this case would be to sit tight, wait for their time to come, and buy some Gemini Bodies once they had enough eddies to spare. But that was also the ‘slow’ option.
The ‘fast’ option meanwhile was also the ‘hard’ option, where they picked a fight with Biotechnica of all people and potentially brought the wrath of an entire corporation down on their heads. In fact, it might be more than one too. If Biotechnica caught even a whiff of their nature as AI during the ensuing operations, they would alert NetWatch and things would get even more difficult than they already were.
Sasha… knew she was too close to all of this. Not just because of her history with Biotechnica, but also because of her attachment to Rebecca. She wanted to help Pilar’s sister so badly it hurt… but rushing in half-cocked would only get them both deleted. That said, Sasha swallows thickly and looks to Alt.
“… What do you suggest we do then? You know better than me… I bow to your wisdom, Senpai.”
Alt looks amused by the archaic title, before falling contemplative. Finally though, she opens her mouth and speaks.
Comments
DualEquinox
Since it looks like the vote will probably come out FBC, I just want to point out that they could get the money for the bodies in a single high-risk run if they play their cards right, specifically via the events of Don't Lose Your Mind. Since Delmain is one of the few tolerated AI in Night City and runs the Delmain Corporation, if V got her physical access to his core Alt (possibly with assistance from her fellow E-Ghosts) could probably forcefully integrate him and the rogue AI into her/their network. After that, they could do the AI equivalent of wearing him like a skinsuit to avoid notice from NetWatch and continue running the Delmain Corporation through him, while funnelling the profits to V after splurging on new bodies.
Captain Hair
Something else to consider: Which would freak out Lucy less? Her friends resurrected as AIs in organic bodies or her friends resurrected as AIs in more mechanical bodies?
Jaroslaw Jarmul
I lean towards the Gemini as cloned bodies would require them to get DNA and likely not their own. Better build custom bodies to what they want instead of looking for nice DNA as a base. Clones would be good if they had their own DNA samples but Alt was dead for a long time.
Sirca Mori
Fast and dangerous is literally what cyberpunk is all about
Arkhaan
Gemini route, and you can tie it into the story by having them find a way to siphon the money from Arasaka. It helps V by dealing damage to arasaka and can probably get him a Gemini of his own for safety reasons
Salvage48
The conversation was very intriguing, but I honestly don't like the poll options as I'm curious why both can't happen, I'm also curious why attacking Biotechnica is a NOW option instead of a slow gradual hack that downloads info and not a hammer through a window as implied? They have been so careful not to alert anybody to their presence, but they are going to crack open a mega corps' net security brazenly. Maybe both would work, the cloning works but they find through the info stolen that combined with a Gemini FBC that it works like a real body, like the Gemini options allow the clone to have a brain and reproduction options while the clone allows them to eat and be alive again. Like a reversed engram. Having two engrams on the net watching couldn't hurt either when, based on your last poll, there are three other paths to take care of, but we need to get bodies 'now', seems a little off. I'm just saying, but I am curious where this is going. I also can't help but feel surprised that Alt doesn't want nor seemed to have asked V to drink more coffee so she can 'taste it' on what his senses feel like based on what was said in this conversation, lol!
Cambrian
yeah fair enuff, changed lol
Narsil
One pedantic note: I think you meant "fragment" rather than "remnant"--the latter implies that it's all that's left, while it sounds like the full Alt AI is still there beyond the Black Wall.
Ekalion
The cloning route is my choice but it doesn't need to happen RIGHT NOW, V just needs to upgrade his game just right and he can help them get the data from the Big Bad Corpos under their noses, besides the V right now is the legend, the BIG LEGEND and if he is even a half of the man who in one night took arasaka and smasher on his own he can sneak in, get what he needs and get out before anything notices. And besides he is not really alone, Alt can cover his tracks on the net and get rid of any pesky little surprise those corpos got to secure their secrets and now there is a fairly decent netrunner addition to the team so cloning we go.
DualEquinox
Something I haven't seen brought up: The Cloning Route could give them some serious leverage and negotiating power with Arasaka if it came down to it. Being able to make braindead bodies to put the Engrams into is the missing piece the "Secure Your Soul" Program needs to leap to for-profit immortality a la Altered Carbon with all the nightmarish and wonderous connotations that has. Arasaka would do a lot for that data. If they knew it existed they'd want it. Badly.
Sith2go
Just have V run the junk duplication glitch for half a hour and they have more than enough cash.
Lunerwolf
I say FBC for now and maybe in the future when V is stronger and has better cyber Ware then hit bioTechnica and get actual bodies for the girls
Gamesempie
They need to find a big job, or a couple big jobs, on their own without a fixer middle man. It will get them the money they need and the street cred they desire to establish their new team.
Kazama
Good sir, I'd first like to say, I know at the end of the day that the sentiment is that they will get their bodies back it's supposed to be superior to their current state and will only bemoan if the flesh and blood option loses. But without that brain bit, how is the FBC any different from their current virtual state? I understand what you were saying this chapter. But uh... you kinda have Sasha - who is in a state similar to Alt. Enjoying the "addictive *insert lenny face*" infinite refilling coffee. Can Alt not just have that done something similar for herself while having sex with V? xD How then is an FBC not inherently the same (especially when they won't have a brain be operating it)?
Cambrian
I tried to explain the difference in this chapter but basically, the sex that Alt and V have had so far in this story is mostly for V and not really pleasurable for Alt. She gets barely anything out of it. She's effectively tapping into V's mind and making him feel the things he's feeling. An FBC would be different because it would come with all the tactile systems to allow Alt to feel pain and pleasure and other sensations of her own while having sex with V.
Kazama
The FBC is stated to "simulates the human body in form and function", so in essence the results would be the same as they are in the virtual world since no organic piece is left and all that is, are pieces of tech - except the brain IIRC for normal humans, not AI. I'm simply pointing out that getting the FBC then is similar to being AI for them. Sasha used the argument that Alt would want to have real sex with V but at that point the only difference I can see is Alt not knowing how V is feeling while having sex which I guess adds a certain level of mystery to it? tl;dr For normal humans their brains get the chemicals and sensations from it still (FBC). But for AI it'll essentially be the same since Alt is already simulating it right now.
Phraxius
Why wouldn't the FBC be able to feel sex at least as well as a cloned body? It's a luxury model specifically made to have your cake and eat it too, no? I can't imagine the customers would be happy if it lacked proper sensations.
Kazama
I'm really hoping the clone bodies win out at this. Full Body Conversion is ultimately the same as what they have now of being full borg. There's nothing inherently wrong with that except if the deal is to actually you know feel sex... how is this any different? xD
McGrundy
As others have said; V involving Meredith, and in turn Militech, in the raid of Biotechnica is probably the best chance for success. As long as Meredith understands how her buns are buttered.
JO LP
Honestly I'm for the cloning option while including V only because it would be packed with more action. The Gemini or FBC option might be safer but sometimes that's just boring. Besides, after going through such an ordeal, what better way to celebrate and thank V than with an orgy?
Dylan Pullock
But V would still be picking a fight with Netwatch and possibly the FBC company as well. Not to mention there are better things to use the money on (gear, vehicles, cyberware, safe houses, investments etc). Besides vengeance for Sasha.... again! Panam sticking it to Biotechnica, the same Corp that Saul is trying to sellout the Aldoes to! Think of the possibilities! Then again I'll probably be happy either way so long as they get bodies. Also kinda can ruin the whole stealth thing, especially if sonone has a scanman or using a thermography. Also emp will wipe them. Clone is better in the long run especially since they can just chrome up again once they have the body. Added bonus of being able to just blend in.
Cambrian
Its a spectrum. Can be like DBH or can be like Lizzy Wizzy. If Alt, Sasha, and Rebecca went with the Gemini option, it'd probably be a bit more human like than Lizzy Wizzy.
Astreaeon
Is gemini android bodies like Detroit:Become human? Or like Lizzy Wizzy
Guamson Cruz
Last time Sasha went head first into danger alone lead to her taking a dive out a building. V is viciously competent but stealth has served them well so far and he can't take on a corp YET.
VaticToxic
Honestly the cloning route makes less sense to me because they'd be putting themselves back in to a wholly flesh and blood body, potentially without anyway to get back on the Net (for a while, anyway), where Al knows she's needed to help V the most. FBC vote for me. At least until V controls the City, then they can clone themselves a baby making body lol
RHar
Also, to be 100% clear, having Alt need to deal with being biological again (needing to eat, shower, go to the bathroom) seems somehow hilarious to me
RHar
Not sure why clones are the "fast" option, necessarily, there could be a lot of prep work on it, and it has the benefit of making actual biological bodies. Maybe Alt is or gets jealous of Panam and the things she can give V that robo-Alt couldn't (like babies, por ejemplo). Maybe it's too soon for that, but it would be a consideration, I believe. The vote is going the other way, so I'll just offer that maybe the Clones remain as a future option, for once they're strong enough to handle the hit on Biotechnica.
Phraxius
I like the story potential of going after Biotechnica BUT the FBCs are superior to puny fleshbags and almost certainly easier for Alt to hop in and out of as the situation dictates.
Captain Hair
Fuck over Biotechnica. Sasha hates em, Panam hates em, it's win-win. False flag as Arasaka and you can weaken Yurinobu and buy more time on that front.
Raiy
Both options are viable. We've established that V is an OP solo this time around and stealing the cloning tech would be cakewalk, as is taking the Gemini FBC's. Either corpo wouldn't even know stuff was stolen until they go to check. As it is though, the FBC's would be more durable than the clones even with cybernetic enhancements; with Rebecca getting Adam Smasher'd, it would be hilarious to have Rebecca doing the same to Smasher in the end with a similar body but way denser (she'd be like a meteor coming down on Smasher's head). It also helps that the Gemini's can be backups for the AI, even V, in case something goes sideways... heh, literal 1-ups, if they manage to take the Gemini production tech, and manage to dodge NetWatch.
Dylan Pullock
Voted two. Makes the most sense and it gives an opportunity to write panam and V into a new adventure. Hell play it right and V can make it look like arasaka or militech did it. For militech all he would have to do is pass the tech along to ol' whatshername once he is done with it. As for arasaka angle, it provides more opportunity to involve hanako poverty which should be fun. Besides sticking it to corp's is kind of the whole point of cyberpunk 😂, and if you manage to convert corporats to your side in the process, that's a win. Corpo V turned Nomad is still my favourite run😁 Also want to add that going for the clones will only possibly pass of biotechnica ( which has interesting possibilities for the story seeing as Saul is trying to cozy up to them and could provide opportunities for future panam storylines) the FBV has the possibility of pulling down both netwatch and the company that makes the FBC's. Personally, I also like the Sasha biotechnica history as well. Biotechnica route just seems the bigger net gain for story possibilites Alsonjust realized that V selling the tech details after they are finished with it would net V a serious amount of cash, especially if he sells it to multiple sources anonymously
Haji_Bob
God, that game's use of a pipe organ was amazing.
Lastresort
That was more or less the death blow for Arasaka in Night City; after that they had no choice but to cut-and-run to lick their wounds, especially if Yorinobu is still in charge and he was looking to ruin Arasaka anyway. So fear of immediate reprisals: mid-low.
Lunerwolf
v probably had some of the best cyber Ware on hand during that but at this point in time, he doesn’t. doing so now would suicide
darth_potato
Mandatory.... From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me. I craved the strength and certainty of steel. I aspired to the purity of the Blessed Machine Your kind cling to your flesh, as if it will not decay and fail you. One day the crude biomass that you call a temple will wither, and you will beg my kind to save you. But 1 am already saved, for the Machine is immortal.
BronRevo
V single-handedly stormed Arasaka. He can definitely stealthily steal a few clones from Biotechnica.
