Bob let out a sigh as the download finished. The small drone unplugged itself from the server and climbed back into Bob’s pocket while Bob initiated the wipe. Fortunately it seemed the Concordat had also stolen one of the ILS’s grav-jets, so he could leave the facility and avoid an awkward conversation with Londyn. Just needed to load up what he wanted to keep, set the facility to blow, and he could finally put the Concordat behind him.

Clank, clank, clank.

Bob grimaced. Right, one other thing to do first.

NSLICE-000P walked into the room, and gave a salute.

“Mission Report: Target successfully relocated. NSLICE-000P awaiting orders.”

Bob let out a sigh and turned to face the girl. Only one thing he really could do here. He pulled out his phone.

Awkward conversation it was.

“Disengage combat mode and wait by the Tesla Titan. Turn yourself into the ILS when they arrive, I’ll make sure they take care of you.”

“Reluctant Warning: I can’t do that, Arbiter.”

“Why not?”

“Explanation: That order conflicts with a primary directive to avoid capture.”

“Even with a direct order from an Arbiter of Sorrow?”

“Placating Explanation: I am sorry, Arbiter, but Concordat procedures are clear. Compromising data and proprietary technology are not to fall into the hands of anyone outside the Concordat under any circumstances.”

Bob let out a sigh.

“And I’m guessing there is nothing we can do about those directives, is there?”

“Affirmation: There is a primary directive for this unit not to tamper with primary directives.”

“That was rhetorical.”

“Clarification Request: I do not understand, Arbiter.”

Bob let out a sigh.

“Shadow organizations are so annoying. Whatever, we’ll figure something out. Help me pack this up, and we’ll get out of here.”

“Acknowledgement: Order received. NSLICE-000P executing order.”

Bob held his head as it started to pound, the cyborg girl picking up the boxes he had packed. He sighed and started dialing a number on his phone.

“Kanna.”

“Bob! What can I do for you today?”

“I’m coming in with a priority request, make sure Klara is there too.”

“Ooo, ooo! Are you bringing presents?”

“...you’d probably call it as such.”

“I love you Bob. We’ll have everything ready when you arrive. Anything we should prepare for specifically?”

“Software, cybernetics, and medical.”

“Oooo I wonder what it could be?”

“...you’ll find out soon enough. I’m forwarding you the data.”

“I can’t wait!”

Bob sighed as he ended the call. NSLICE-000P returned to the room.

“Mission Report: Cargo is secure. NSLICE-000P awaiting orders.”

“...That makes one of us, Kanna. Follow me.”

“Affirmative.”

As the two made their way into the hanger and onto the grav-jet, Bob activated the self-destruct countdown.

One problem down.

One big new problem to go.

Londyn and Linda watched the monitor, holding their breath. On the other side of the screen an ILS grav-jet flew across the mountains

This was all her fault.

She had been surprised when the former Vice-Director suddenly started talking. They weren’t sure what prompted the change. Something had him spooked, and Londyn was pretty sure it wasn’t her. There was that gruesome murder on the news the other day, maybe they were related to the Concordat? In any case, all she knew was he suddenly went from completely silent to begging for witness protection.

A small price to pay for the intel he dropped.

A facility, isolated from the rest of the Concordat, that was developing superweapons.

One of which was nearly complete.

Carter had no idea what, exactly, only that it was almost ready by the time he was arrested.

So Londyn had sent in the first available hero.

Alone.

And now they had lost contact with him.

Londyn closed her eyes.

It was the right choice.

But that didn’t make it any easier.

“Eyes on target.”

Londyn’s eyes shot open.

Smoke rose from the mountain.

She held her breath.

“Not reading any movement…wait, getting a thermal signature. There’s someone just outside the facility!”

She didn’t dare move.

“It’s Tesla Titan! We’re moving in.”

Linda clasped her hands in front of her face.

“He’s alive! We’re extracting him now.”

Londyn let out a deep breath, fighting the wave of weakness flooding her legs. Linda let out a gasp.

They had averted the worst case scenario. But they needed to do better.

She needed to do better.

And now that Tesla Titan was secure, she needed to figure out what happened there.

Bob and NSLICE-000P walked in the Tanifuji Inc. workshop. An operating table sat in the center, surrounded by numerous tools and computers. Two women rushed about, pouring over monitors and adjusting equipment.

“Bob! Glad to see…WHAT IS THAT?”

Bob let out a sigh.

“Nice to see you too, Kanna.”

“This…This…THIS IS AMAZING! The data was fantastic but seeing this in the flesh…magnificent!”

Kanna rushed over to NSLICE-000P and began examining her, poking and prodding various mechanical parts.

“Observation: Potential hostile detected. Requesting permission to engage.”

“Denied. Mark as friendly, Code 077B. Then shut down for maintenance.”

“Acknowledgement: Code accepted. Friendly location designated. Initiating shutdown.”

NSLICE-000P walked over to the operating table and climbed on top of it. She closed her organic eye, while the light in her core and her robotic eye dimmed and shut off. Bob let out another sigh and dropped his shoulders.

“So, can you fix her?”

Kanna froze.

“Fix…her?”

“Undo what was done to her.”

“You want to…undo this?”

Bob just stared at Kanna.

“Come on, Bob! Look at her! Look at this beautiful machinery, these powerful weapons!”

Bob just stared at Kanna.

“She’s a super robot now! That’s every kid’s dream!”

“Not mine.”

“Quiet, Klara! Not helping!”

Bob just stared at Kanna.

Kanna let out a sigh.

“Fine fine, ruin all the fun will you? On a serious note though? No, no I cannot undo this. She doesn’t have arms or legs anymore, Bob. Not to mention the fact that many of her organs have been replaced by machinery, and the ones that are still there are heavily integrated with the cybernetic parts of her body. Assuming we managed to remove half this stuff without killing her ourselves, she would subsequently die from missing body parts. So unless you can regrow a body from scratch in seconds, the machines are here to stay.”

Kanna paused for a second before raising her eyebrow.

“You don’t have a way to regrow a body in seconds, do you?

Bob shook his head.

“The prosthetics are secondary, what about her mind?”

Kanna grimaced.

“That situation isn't much better. Her brain and spinal cord are again heavily integrated with the machinery. You’d need the world’s best neurosurgeon to have a non-zero chance of success, and they’d probably just call you crazy for proposing it. And it goes beyond the physical, Bob. Her memories have been wiped, and then her consciousness is integrated with an AI, in fact they did everything they could to prevent her from thinking apart from the AI. If we rip it out…well I’m no psychologist but we’d probably have to wipe her mind a second time just to clear the trauma. Again, assuming the process doesn’t just kill her outright.”

Bob frowned.

“We could jailbreak her though.”

Bob and Kanna both turned to Klara.

“What was that?”

“We could jailbreak her. The problem is not so much the machines, it’s the intelligence leashing, correct?”

Bob thought for a second, then slowly nodded.

“So we remove the leash. We clear out the primary directives and hard-coded restrictions on the AI and some of the organic-leashing measures.”

“Will that put her in control of the AI?”

Klara thought for a second, laying a finger on her chin.

“You’re looking at it wrong, I think. The brain and the AI are integrated, bonded. From what I can tell, they aren’t really separate entities anymore, not entirely. I think if we free the AI from the external shackles, then the brain and the computer will work together, maybe. But either way, they would be the only influence on each other in that case, so at least no one else would be telling her what to do.”

Kanna shook her head.

“That’s risky. We’ve no idea what will happen if we completely unshackle the AI. It could take her over entirely. Or it could fall apart and leave her brain dead. Or she could go berserk and kill us all.”

Klara shrugged.

“That’s the worst case scenario. The AI is still very simple compared to a human brain, so I doubt it will just erase her entirely. Look, their data says the brain is already adapting beyond their attempts to control it, we’re just helping it along. And if we aren’t trying to subordinate the brain to the AI, then the programming doesn’t need to be perfect. Even if it starts falling apart in places, the human mind should be able to pick up the slack. It’s already trying to do that.”

Kanna went silent, brow furrowed.

Bob rubbed his chin.

“Is there any other way?”

Kanna shrugged.

“Find someone trustworthy to hold the leash? Keep her around and hope the brain overcomes the leashing on its own? Biology and psychology aren’t really my strong suits, Bob, so Klara’s guess is as good as mine here.”

Bob let out a sigh and turned to Klara.

“Can you do it?”

Klara slowly nodded.

“I think so, the coding here is way more complex than anything I’ve ever dealt with, but I don’t need to understand all of it. The command restrictions are a lot simpler than the techno-organic interface, so it shouldn’t be overly difficult if we avoid the complicated parts.”

“Then do it.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Bob? Even if we’re successful…this is a lot of power and capability to leave in the hands of a kid, much less a kid with barely a memory. It might…be better to keep a hand on the wheel, you know?”

Bob’s eyes narrowed.

“She’d be no different from any other super. Do it.”

Kanna let out a sigh, then nodded to Klara. Bob stepped back as the two got to work.