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

Monday, August 23, 2254 Time: 18:23:47

Subject: Rikka Kuzuka

Designation: Semi-Synth (84%)

Age: 19

Sex: F

Status: 90% complete

Remaining processes to load: Control 1.3.7., Genesis link 3.9.1b

Cause of medical need: Explosion, acid, and electrical exposure. 90% unrepairable tissue

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

Subject: Kyro Kuzuka

Designation: Human (Natural)

Age: 19

Sex: M

Status: 96% repaired (OEM Parts)

Remaining treatment: 8 hours of rest

Cause of medical need: Electrical, Minor burns (20%)

A familiar sterile smell drifted through the laboratory, the cool light of LED lamps and a familiar effervescent background noise comforted Dr. Ruby Valentine as she sat cradling her cup of coffee. Thinking over and over about this latest reconstruction. I went to school for robotics and nanotechnology, how the hell did I end up in a bio-genesis lab? I never should have submitted that thesis. I only theorized that a full conversion was possible I didn’t think anyone was crazy enough to try it. Well, that is until I met Dr. Young.

“Ruby, how are our siblings doing?” Dr. Young triumphantly sauntered into the room.

She jumped, almost flinging the 137-degree liquid over her holographic keyboard. “Just fine Dr. Young, the males’ burns on his body healed well with the printed tissue and he is under a sedated rest.” Ruby let a deep sigh escape “However, the female refuses to accept the control software and Gen-link.” Walking over Dr. Young was peering into the stasis chamber of the female patient.

“Any indication why?”

“It seems like the remaining salvageable tissue is trying to wrestle control of the soul core. I keep having to reboot the system.”

“Remarkable, a 6% survival rate and we pulled it off.”

“Did we do the right thing?” the muddy liquid swirled around and around clockwise.

“What makes you ask that?” he adjusted his glasses.

“Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. This girl is much more machine than human now.  I don’t know what we have created, but it isn’t human and it isn’t a synth either. Are we gods or demons?”

“Nonsense, we are heroes!" he grinned "but that may just be the mad scientist talking. Besides this wouldn’t have been possible without your research my dear. Whether or not we did the right thing well, only time will tell.” Ruby furrowed her brow. She still had her doubts, after 3 years, about David Young the mysterious scientist, philanthropist, and wonder child. Was he truly as mad as they say?

“Should I wake them up?” Ruby whispering to Dr. Young.

“Give them a bit more time to rest, why don’t go grab something to eat, and recharge, you can’t survive on coffee alone.”

Letting out an exhausted sigh Ruby got to her feet, she closed down her work station and put a concerned hand on Dr. Young’s shoulder. His hair was a mess, glasses crooked, dark circles caused his eyes to appear sunk in, and yet, still he beamed. He is the Einstein of this age, Ruby thought as she started to walk away.

“You can’t keep this pace up, please try and get some sleep David.”

“Do not make the mistake of telling me what I can and can’t do, I don’t sleep Ruby, there isn’t time.” Dr. Young powered up the nearest terminal as Ruby headed out the lap door into the decontamination chamber.

Dr. Young smiled, “Standing on the precipice I cast myself off, only then will I know if my wings will hold.”

Loading Software incomplete

Multiple Errors

Elapsed time 8.23 Hrs.

Subject stability: 83%

Recommended action: Do not continue

Force Continue? Y/N

Y

The next morning was gloomy, no rain, just the melancholy sky. “Let’s meet the twins” Ruby said walking into the Lab

“The girl” his expression turning dark and serious, “the boy we keep under.”

“But sir he…”

“Is a security risk, especially now, have you read his file. I haven’t seen an anti-synth activist of this caliber in a while. This boy has been at all of them Ruby, every place that went wrong… Barstow, New York, Vienna, Hong Kong…” His expression told Ruby that there was no room to argue. 

“Did you get all the bio-ware installed that we needed to?” She asked

“Yes” His expression blank

“Smashing” Spinning around in the chair she pulled up the various prompts. Hands flying over the projected keyboard and she initiated the startup sequence for Rikka.

Loading…

Initial startup sequence engaged…running checksum

Validating software install

ERROR: Stable Control Link not installed

ERROR: Genesis Link not installed (Non release)

Proceed? Y/N

Before Ruby could move Dr. Young’s Hand flew across and hit a key

Y…

“David?!” Whipping her head around “Why the hell…” before she could process what was happening his hand hit the screen again.

ERROR: Unknown outcome

Version detected: 4.0 (alpha)

Proceed? Y/N

Y…

“So when they come it will be for me, only me, the camera footage shows you can’t be implicated” His grin was that of a mad man, wild, excited, and without remorse.

“What else did you do?” She asked in a concerned hush

“You know those next generation parts I was working on? You are looking at them.”

“My god, David those haven’t been…”

A gasping breath came from the table, back arched, muscles tightening, the restraints held, her head falling back on the pillow. Rikka relaxed and slowly returned to a relaxed state. The two doctors held their breath, azure eyes peered at them between half open lids.

“Wha…What…Ha...Happened…” Rikka’s shaky voice seemed like it was loud enough to shatter glass but it wasn’t more than a whisper. “There was an explosion and acid, I couldn’t run fast enough…Kyro…he was on the…oh god…Kyro.”

“Kyro is fine love, he is in the next room, and well on his way to making a full recovery.” Ruby placed her hand on the girls clenched fist for a moment.

“Did I?” morbid shock dawning on Rikka’s face.

“Seven times” Dr. Young piped up giddy “You died seven times, quite a fighter” He walked into her field of view. “I am Dr. Young, you are in my special recovery facility?”

“Wait, THE Dr. Young?” Rikka asked tilting her head slightly to the right.

“One and the same mon Cherie” He made an exaggerated bow.

“But you’re…” she choked

“26 as of 3 days ago” he adjusted his glasses nonchalantly

“I was going to say monster.”

“A monster who happens to be 26 as of 3 days ago?”

“The man who advocates the oppression of people without augmentations, who takes jobs from people that are ‘unmodified’, the man whose factories and chemical plants killed hundreds each year because of unsafe conditions.”

Dr. young had migrated to the window, looking out on the lush rainforest below. “The man whose technology is keeping you alive.”

Flashing though several emotions in seconds Rikka settled on anger, she held up her hands. Opening and closing slowly she tested them. Did he replace them? She looked around, everything was perfectly in focus, and that was a problem. She touched her face, her glasses weren’t there. So my eyes definitely, but what else. “What did you replace?”

“Only what was necessary” he said placidly.

 She couldn’t read his expression, she looked harder. Suddenly his face was 2x closer. Jumping back, pulling on the restraints. Dr. Young cracked a smile.

“Nifty huh? When you recover a bit more I would like to take you on a tour of the lab. I hope your opinion is not unmovable, I won’t seem so monstrous. No doubt your information came from Kyro. Oh how wrong that poor boy is.” Dr. young turned and sauntered out of the room. Rikka’s eyes dashed to Ruby, confused and in pain.

“He really isn’t that bad dear, eccentric and a little brash but not monstrous.” Ruby chided from behind the medical diagnostic machine. The readings on the monitor had to be incorrect, she would have to ask Dr. Young about them later. Ruby stopped tapping away at the screen, she slowly reached up and ran her fingers through her fiery red hair. At least I hope he isn’t, I’m not so sure anymore. Ruby selected to reboot the machine to try and get new readings.  Ruby could hear that Rikka was trying to choke back sobs when she spoke. “What. What happened to me?”

“Well you know there was an explosion” Ruby placed her hand on Rikka’s. “Took out a good 3 city blocks originating from the building that you and your brother were in, just 6 floors below.” She gave the hand a small squeeze. “It was a chemical bomb that the people your brother was working with accidently set off. There were 112 fatalities in total.”

“How many survivors?” Tears were welling up in Rikka’s eyes

“Two” Holding her hands up.

“So Kyro and I…”

“Yes, miraculously the elevator shaft that you and your brother were in was one of the only spaces mostly intact. Your brother was largely unaffected, however, some of the super-heated chemicals broke through your side and came down over you.”

Staring down at the monitor in front of her Ruby grew concerned. The readings for vitals were high. Not just a little high, remarkably so. She remembered clip from her nanorobotics class: Synthetic parts function on the Young Scale of Effectivity which is divided into 5 levels, Sub human, human, Augmented, Ascended, and Unbounded. These were a measure of a mix of cognitive, physical, and emotional capacity. Rikka was idling at Augmented, most people even with cognitive boosters and parts only reach augmented under stress. This is due to the control and limiting software that is installed in the synthetic parts to prevent misuse. David what have you done?

“Dr. Valentine?”

“Lord don’t call me that, Dr. Ruby please.” Smiling brightly Ruby looked up from the monitor.

“Dr. Ruby, I can’t pay for this. I don’t have medical coverage for synthetic parts”

“We know dear”

“But then how…”

“Dr. Young paid for it himself.” Ruby smiled

Rikka turned her head to the window, tears welling up in her eyes, a small memory returned.

A massive boom shook the elevator shaft, the metal creaked and groaned. A loud snap like a gunshot went off and the elevator began to plummet to the ground. A hot liquid dumped over her frail crumpled form in the wreckage. Blackness…

A sob escaped her lips, she held herself, curling into a ball.

“I see, tell him…thank you”

Rikka began to cry.

Ruby quietly turned and left the room.

Rikka drifted into an uneasy sleep, plagued by flashes and images. She remembered that morning before, the huge fight that Kyro and she got into. It was about synthetics, it was always about those ‘damned’ synthetics. She could still here him as clear as day “We were created in God’s image Rikka, to mess with his creation is to thumb your nose at God himself!” Throwing a mug against the apartment wall. Problem is Rikka wasn’t so sure killing them and attacking them was the best way to bring about the change they wanted to see. Kyro argued that there wasn’t another way, that they tried and the big corporations just would listen. According to him if you lost an arm it was ‘gods will’ and you were not meant to continue as you were. The dreaming ended abruptly and she snapped awake, Dr. Young was sitting at the end of the bed playing on a Gameboy Advanced, she had seen them in the museum, and it was an archaic piece of technology used to play simple electronic games.

“Brought you some toast and orange juice, how are you feeling?” He said without looking up “Damn you charmander…”

“Charmander?” Rikka said inquisitively

“Fire type Pokémon, little pyro lizard with an attitude problem. Got him from a friend but he is too high a level to listen to commands.”

“Oh, umm… thank you.”

“Don’t mention it”

“I know, you know, I can’t pay for these.” Rikka said pointing at her eyes.

“No really, don’t mention it. The stuff I put in you won’t hit the market for another 10 years.”

“Wait what?”

“You are using my prototypes” Dr. young furiously tapped at the Gameboy

“The last article you were featured in said you were working on something big, the next level in synthetic technology. Stuff that could cause human beings to transcend to the next level of existence.”

“How’s it feel?”

“What”

“Do you feel transcended?”

“Umm…”

A large grin spread over Dr. Young’s face, a boyish glint in his eye. His pictures didn’t do him justice, Rikka followed the line of his smile up his jaw to his adorable cheekbones. She could hardly believe he was ‘the most evil man on the planet’.

“Just messing with you, on a more scientific note could you please step off the bed? I need to see if the motor control software is functioning optimally.”

“So you didn’t replace just my eyes?”

“People who take a superheated acid bath don’t just need their eyes replaced Rikka, please get off the bed.” His tone was a little more firm. Rikka moved her legs gingerly, everything felt too easy, and she should feel fatigued after what she went through. However, the more she tested moving the more she realized that it required almost no effort. She on the end of her bed legs hanging over.

“This is remarkable” She said standing up concerned

“Well that is about the last thing I would expect to hear from an Anti-syn.”

“I’m not one of them you know, I don’t have anything against synthetics. My brother just lost his mind after our parents died and he focused his rage on synthetics. I am sure you read our file, an unregulated synth user murdered our parents on our birthday. He has been bent on destroying them ever since. He said that it was the synthetic parts that let the devil in. I wasn’t fond of his methods but he is my brother and I do anything to protect what family I have left.” Rikka took two steps

Dr. Young burst into laughter “You have got to be kidding me?! Synth parts let the Devil in?!” He could barely stand. Rikka was furious, it was this man’s technology that killed her parents and now he was laughing at her, mocking her brother.

“Rikka, don’t act like a child.”

“I am as old as you.”

“So don’t act like a child.”

“Shut up! All your kind seems to want is the next breakthrough I wouldn’t expect you to know anything about faith!” She was yelling now.

“One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4” Dr. Young’s gaze was like ice. “What do you think keeps me going? Who do you think keeps me going?”

Rikka was stunned, Dr. Young to a step closer to her and reached into his lab coat. He pulled out a very worn, very small KJV bible.

“All the biographies said you were an atheist”

“I was at some point, Then I realized, who better for a creator to aspire to be like than God.”

She looked down at her hands, there was much more to this man than she had been led to believe.

“Let’s get back on track.” He chimed.

“My best friend was a partial synth, she had to have her arms replaced after a car accident. I never told my brother. I didn’t want him to hate her.” Dr. Young coughed, Rikka looked up. He motioned for her to come near him.

“Raise your right arm. Good. Now raise your left arm. Good. Raise both as high as you can, excellent. Upper body control seems to be responding well. Rikka looked at her arms. A sinking feeling was blooming in her chest. Eyes, Legs, Arms, what else did she have replaced? Dr. Young placed a medical scanner over her chest. “Power core is functioning well.”

“Power core?”

“Yes, or as I more affectionately call it. A Soul Drive. Though this type won't need to be recharged.”

“Holy Shit”

“Huh?” Dr. Young looked up from his tablet

“HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT”

“Rikka.”

“WHAT DID YOU REPLACE?! YOU BASTARD WHAT DID YOU REPLACE?!” Tears began streaming down her face.

“I told you before, what was necessary”

“WHAT THE FU…” Dr. Young shoved the medical tablet in her face, Rikka saw the text next to her name.

84% unrepairable tissue

Subject survival chance 6%

Recommendation: Do not attempt recovery

“I’m… I’m a… a machine”

“Not all, just mostly, a good chunk of your brain and spinal chord survived.” Dr. Young’s tone was almost excited.

“So what does that make me?”

“Rikka”

“What?”

“That is what it makes you”

“As far as I can tell your still you. You feel like you right? Not someone else, maybe a Karen or a Jenny?”

A brief smiled creeped up on her face. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath. Minutes passed as she sat mind racing, terrified, confused, finally pulling herself out of that mental spiral she looked at Dr. Young.

“I am supposed to have a control interface yes? To check power levels and regulate my energy usage?”

Dr. Young stood for a moment dumbfounded, he had braced himself for a fight.

“Visual Augment 9, show HUD” He said recovering his composure. “How did you know?”

“Just because you hate something or disagree with it doesn’t mean you must be ignorant. My brother has always had me research synths before he would do a job. I could never tell him it was interesting or he would fly off the handle.” Feint blue lines started to coalesce in her vision, they started outlining objects in the room. Information came next, distance, time, estimated weight, composition, the list went on, she could cycle through so much information. It was making her dizzy, bracing herself against the sterile plastic hospital bed she focused on Dr. Young. Closing her eyes she stopped for a second.

“Too much?” He asked concerned. “Visual Augments come in levels, 1 being no information and 20 being as much information as the unit can distil. Here is a trick I use, when it becomes too much pick one object and focus on it. The software should only display that information instead of a wide overview. Or we could set you at a lower level?”

“No, no it’s fine I’ll stay at 9 for a bit.” She breathed deep and opened her eyes. Immediately the information came flooding back. She focused on the sheets on the bed, all the visual noise went away save for the information on the sheets

1600 Thread count

Egyptian Silk

O Pigments detected: White

Trace amounts of dead tissue and dust

Rikka let out a sigh, running her fingers over the sheets.

“Thank you”

“No problem, I had to do the same thing when I got mine” Dr. Young smiled

“1600 thread count?”

“Finest silk that you can still buy”

“Ah it’s a measure of quality.”

Dr. Young moved around to the opposite side of the hospital style bed where Rikka was sitting. He turned his Gameboy off placed it in his right breast pocket. Adjusting his glasses, he motioned for Rikka to stand up. Rikka slowly released her grip on the bed. A message popped up in her right eye.

Calibrating…

17%

39%

60%

91%

Calibration finished

Dr. Young took a few steps back and motioned for her to follow. Rikka moved her right foot gingerly, it lifted gracefully off the ground and glided forward. When it made contact with the ground she could feel the cold worn stone floor pushing back. It was different than before, yet it wasn’t. She could quite figure out what it was, so she took another step. It was so easy, and that was it, it was effortless. She looked up, Dr. Young’s face expectant. “Good?” He asked.

“Great” and for the second time today she was smiling.

    Ruby waved the door to open and stepped in briskly, she was shocked to find Rikka standing next to the bed and less shocked to see a gloating look on Dr. Young's face, in fact Ruby convinced that was his default. He made a showing gesture at Rikka who seemed more put together than the day prior.

"How are you feeling love?" Ruby smiled

"Umm.. fine, it's a lot to take in" Rikka's eyes darting to the floor. Ruby faced Dr. Young and handed him the medical pad.

"It gets easier, pretty soon you will love it. Anyway, Dr. Young the brother is waking up."

Dr. Young looked at the medical pad, fingers rapidly flying over the incandescent blue screen he looked at Rikka. "Would you like to see your brother?"

"Yes!" Rikka started to the door, a strong hand grabbed her wrist and spun her around, her eyes flashing with anger. Dr. Young had a concerned look on his face, he removed his hand. Taking a step back, adjusting his glasses, he spoke slowly. "Are you sure?" Rikka paused, a look of understanding spreading across her face, followed by sadness.

"Have you told him?" she shifted uncomfortably

"No, not my place, it would be best coming from you. If you want to at all that is."

"Will he be able to tell?"

Dr. young held up the medical tablet, he switched to the front facing camera, and handed it to Rikka.

"Can you?"

Rikka reached out and took the tablet from Dr. Young, staring back at herself she looked over every feature. Her jet black hair still had the streak of blue in the front. She still had freckles, her nose still had a small kink from when she broke it, cheekbones, jawline it was all there. The eyes though, they were a brighter green than before.

"My eyes are a little bright."

"Told you" Ruby chided from behind Dr. young

"Ah damn" Dr. Young reached into his pocket and pulled out a 20 credit bill placing begrudgingly in Ruby's outstretched hand.

Dr. Young cleared his throat "Rikka, take your right hand and hold it  in front of your face, finger tips together, fan your hand out and you should get a control interface for your augmentations." Rikka made the same motion as Dr. Young and sure enough on each of her 5 fingers appeared a category. Optical, Physical, Calculative, Auditory, and Diagnostic. "Good, now bend the finger that has optical at the first knuckle." The interface expanded and she saw appearance as a new category.

"Can I have any eye color I want?"

"Yep, all 99 million of them. But why stop there?" Dr. Young brought his hand to his face, a few quick motions and he suddenly had feline eyes that were violet and shifted brightness. Rika just stared, shocked, that was pretty cool. 

"I..I'll just stick with normal for now." Looking back at her hand she adjusted the color wheel with her left fore finger.

"Probably best, follow me" chimed Dr. Young.

Rikka's steps were still a little off, not clumsy, in fact the opposite, she was too graceful. She tried to alter her steps but no matter how she moved a Russian ballerina would have been brought to tears. Continuing down the sterile grey hall things popped up randomly. The floor was primarily granite from eastern china, the walls have been reinforced past military blast standards, and the lights were emitting a perfect equivalent of the sun. She was marveling at the information that was now available. So much so, that she almost ran head on into Dr. Young who had stopped in front of a white door.

"You're Sure?" He seemed concerned

"Yes, Dr. Young, he is my brother"

"If you need anything press the blue button on the wall, it will page out to us. Should any...unfortunate circumstances arise press the white button under the desk."

"What does the white button do?"

"It releases a harmless anesthetic into the air." He smiled 

"What about me?"

"Oh you'll be alright, the life support systems you have can filter out all but the most toxic gases."

Looking concerned she was about to press further but she heard her brother cough, waving at the door it slid silently open . Her brother sat on the bed, his sandy brown hair fell around his shoulders, thinner than normal the shirt hung off him. His grey eyes starred down at the scars on his forearms.

"Kyro?"

His head snapped up and he looked in her direction, he moved to get off the bed but the I.Vs and sensor equipment held him in place.

"Rikka! You're alive! They told me you were in critical condition!" Tears welling up in his eyes.

"I was" she shifted uncomfortably "But, they were able to repair the damage."

"Amazing, medical technology at this place is state of the art! The doctor said you were able to make a full recovery, but I had my doubts, at least they didn't turn you into some synth monster"  

Rikka's tongue caught in her throat, what was she supposed to say, do, anything. She couldn't tell him that not only did they replace some of her but most of her. "I'm glad your ok too Kyro." Turning away from him to the window she twisted her hands round and round together. She felt sick. Minutes passed in silence.

"What were you doing up there Kyro?"

"What do you mean?"

"On the twelfth floor"

"What about it?"

Rikka spun around with a venomous gaze. "WHAT DO THINK! Why did the floor that you and your lunatic friends never let me go to EXPLODE AND RAIN ACID!!!"

"It's top secret"

"Really? After what happened your really going to just tell me it was top secret?" She scoffed "This has gone too far Kyro, I almost died! YOU almost died. If not for Dr. Young we WOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD!"

"Dr. Young?" His face flushed with anger

"That sick bastard!?"

"That man is not who you think he is, but how would I know, I was never a part of what you were doing. You just dragged me along like child. Did you ever stop to think that I never wanted any part of this. That the only reason I came along is because I couldn't bear to lose you too!"

"That man is the very person we are fighting against"

"Like him or not, he saved my life." She turned back around to the window staring into the lush forest below. Tear welling up in the corner of her eyes, her remarkable eyes, she took in every detail. The way the dew clung to the leaves. The light dancing across the branches to the ground covered floor. She could still see, still talk, still cry because that 'bastard' thought her life was worth saving.

"Rikka?" He whispered "Did they use any Synthetic parts?" his tone was dark. it snapped her back to reality. She was frozen. She started to cry, turning to her brother she saw his face. All her worries, fears, everything was affirmed in that expression. It was cold, unfeeling, and dangerous.

"Rikka, did they use any synthetic parts?"

"Kyro...I don't..."

"DID THEY!?" He strained against the ties to the bed. Rikka walked over to the desk and placed her hand on the small button underneath.

"I'm sorry" She choked.

She hit the button, a small warning appeared in the upper left corner of her vision:

​WARNING: AIR UNSAFE

​Bio-emergency systems engaged: Threat level minimal

Air filtration system functioning at 100% effectivity.

"RIKKA! Did...they..." His head hit the pillow on the bed with a dull thump. The white door opened on the other side of the room. Dr. Young and Ruby stood, faces solemn. Rikka wiped the tears from her eyes and walked over to them.

"Can I get you anything love?" Ruby placing her hand on her shoulder gave a light squeeze. Rikka simply shook her head back and forth. She brushed past Ruby and Dr. Young, expecting them to stop her but they didn't, they just let her walk. Endless white corridor after endless white corridor she walked. She was numb, why did she expect her brother to react in any way other than the way he did. Over the last few month he had grown increasingly reclusive. When she asked about it he would change the subject or spout off in a fit of rage. She loved her brother but that love had blinded her. Finally she hit a dead end, the doorway was labeled Elevator. She waved it open and stepped inside, she pressed down. Nothing happened, a melodic female voice drifted through the elevator "There are no floors below you, do you need assistance?"

"What floor am I on?" Her interest peaked

"Experimental Synthetics, Basement floor 30"

"No way"

A different voice made her jump, it was Dr. Young's

"I'm sorry I can't let you leave"

"Why not"

"Your only wearing a hospital gown"

Rikka looked down, her face flushed, she was.

"I have some clothes for you back in your room"

"Sorry" She said quietly

"Nonsense it wouldn't be the first time someone has tried to leave in a gown and not the first time completely naked either" He laughed.

"Am I free to go?"

"Well your not a prisoner if that is what you are asking. I would appreciate it if you would stay so we can make sure everything is running at 100% before you go gallivanting through New Denver."

"Sure, but what about Kyro?"

"He'll be ok, he just needs some time, we can try to talk to him when he wakes up again if you like?"

"Ok" She gave her best no committal shrug. Truth is she was too angry right now to see him again.