A Visitor to the Future - 92 - Implant Information

The transition back to my own senses was far less jarring than the other way around. I breathed in and out, blinked a few times, and looked up to see Sarkona and Tungsten looking up from projections on the table. Antonia was still stationary, and I saw her Proxy standing up in the background.

"What did you think?" Sarkona asked, an eyebrow raised inquisitively, as Blaise handed them a pitcher of something blue and carbonated from the table.

"Bizarre!" I said, "Completely strange! But at the same time, it felt so natural. I remember thinking that it was odd that I didn't feel the urge to blink at all. Not that I could have in a Proxy."

"That's the work of the implant," said Tungsten, raising two fingers to tap his own neck as a demonstration, "Neatly supresses and handles biological functions while you're... elsewhere, so to speak. That includes breathing, blinking, making sure you don't urinate yourself..."

Sarkona spluttered, slightly choking on their drink at the remark.

"Oh, don't be so juvenile," said Tungsten, noticing the response, "It's a necessary function of the implant! A more advanced model could handle more functions too, but you only wanted the basics."

"How exactly does that work?" I asked, "I mean, all of it? I get that it relays signals from my brain to the Proxy, but the implant itself?"

"Your particular model only reads your basic functions and sends the appropriate signals down your nerves," explained Tungsten, "It effectively takes control of your body for a time. Your body isn't particularly fussy about where controlling signals come from, whether they come from the implant or your brain. The implant can also mute incoming signals from your senses or limbs, though that functionality can be disabled once you master pass-through senses, like Sasha."

Sasha gave a back-handed wave at the comment from where she stood, still controlling her Proxy too.

"I'm going to sound like a broken record here," I said, an expression which seemed to confuse Sarkona momentarily, "But isn't there potential for abuse of an implant like that?"

"Yeah," said Blaise, chipping in, "Of course - as with all things. But there are loads of security controls involved. You'll also be glad to know that Regolith's doing an audit of all our equipment as we speak. He wasn't much interested in the tournament but he was interested in the tools involved. You can look at his results when we're finished if you'd like."

I looked up at the Peeping Tom above us, where Regolith was probably poring over mountains of data and telemetry. I had to say, it was really nice having friends who were Auditors, especially for someone in my position who wasn't as trusting of the Consortium and its technology.

"Encryption has come a long way since your time," said Tungsten, "I personally don't think you have anything to worry about. Speaking of which, my turn next, plug me in Anode?"

The CI to my right nodded, and Tungsten seemed to freeze up, the Proxy I had once piloted now beginning to move around in the distance.

"Neural links are much simpler for CIs," said Anode nonchalantly, "Our components are designed to run in isolation without much input from us anyway - fuel cells, batteries, that sort of thing. There's nothing for the link to take over while the CI is absent, all it needs to do is transfer sensations and commands, and stop us from falling over. Tungsten is effectively a statue right now. That might explain why most Teleforms are CIs, actually. Less trust issues with being absent from the body, perhaps?"

"If you practice, no need for absence!" said Sasha over her shoulder, still looking across the field.

I stood up and stretched my legs for a time, walking over to where Alexandra and Gatecrash were sat on the grassy field, a few sheets of paper spread around them. Gatecrash was cross-legged in the lotus position, synthetic eyelids closed. As I approached, one eye flicked open.

"My young apprentice," said Gatecrash in a strange hoarse tone, before reverting back to normal speech, "How was it?"

"Interesting," I said, "And a lot of fun. But I came over here to thank you. There was a brief moment where I sort of panicked. But I remembered some of what you've been teaching me, and felt better."

The CI opened both eyes, looking at me with a bright smile, "Then it was worth the time to teach you. If you're done I guess that means it'll be my turn soon! I'll head over to the table." With that they rose and gave me a pat on the shoulder, walking off into the distance. I sat near Alexandra, who seemed to be achieving focus in her own way, pouring over the different sheets of paper. She was one of the few people I'd seen who still continued to use paper and ink.

"Do you have a second?" I asked, not wanting to disrupt anything important.

"Of course," said Alexandra, writing a brief note on one piece of paper before placing both it and the pen down on the grass.

"It's just that I wanted to ask, why are you interested in Resiliency? I know that you're interested in sailing, and obviously Auditing is a big passion project for the entire crew of the Tom, but..."

Alexandra, perceptive as ever, anticipated my question, "You don't think I'm the type to be interested in something like this?" She paused, thinking briefly. "Maybe once upon a time you might have been correct. I didn't like sports much at all. You know, basketball was once the preferred sport of most Multisphere CEOs in the Americas, and I hated it. They all used it as a way to socialize, bankrolled various teams, bet ridiculous amounts of money on the outcomes of games. I knew all the notable players, all the teams - it was a valuable tool for trying to forge a connection with other CEOs, but truly, I thought it was a waste of time."

"Something must have changed over the years, though?" I asked, "After all, you seem interested enough now - excited, even. What was it?"

She smiled and shook her head slightly. She seemed so much more at ease today than she had when I had first met her - as if her defences were down a little. "I think it was two things. First, living so long gives you a unique perspective on things. When you find something that you think might be interesting for a time, you jump on the opportunity. I've done things I never would have done as the person I once was. Anything new or interesting is to be relished."

"And the second reason?" I asked.

She leaned forward a little and lowered her voice conspiratorially, "It took a few decades, but Sasha rubbed off on me. You should see how excited she gets when her favourite bands release new songs, or she finds a new group of interest. It's adorable. That sort of passion for the new, the exciting, is infectious. She doesn't let her guard down easily around new people, but last night, she was so excited to take part in the team that she couldn't sleep. Anything she's excited about, so am I."

I laughed. I'd occasionally seen the more playful side of Sasha but it seemed that Alexandra was the only one who got the brunt of it.

"Besides," continued Alexandra, "It's rare to see a game that equally prizes interpersonal skills - in the Ambassador position - alongside others. It reminds me a little of classic racing back in the days of money - you don't only need a skilled driver, but also technicians, and then the administrative support and financial backing to make the team work. Resiliency seems like an interesting enough simulation of that."

"If you like racing, you should talk to Sarkona," I said, "Though do yourself a favour - if they volunteer to take you rallying, eat a light lunch."


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