>SURVIVAL PROBABILITY OF ETHAN KANG WITHOUT INTERVENTION: 1.7%
"Jesus, I can't catch a break can I?" a forced laugh finding its way out weakly. "Intervention?" I say, using my elbows to prop myself up now, "Is there a chance to increase those odds?"
>THERE IS ONE POSSIBILITY.
>IT WILL REQUIRE YOUR FULL TRUST, COOPERATION, AND CONSIDERABLE RISK.
>HOWEVER I SEE NO OTHER WAY FOR OUR MUTUAL SURVIVAL.
I am fully sitting up now, the backpack underneath the small of my back. You mean to tell me there's a way? I'll take anything at this point.
>YOU ARE CURRENTLY MANA-LESS. WHILE YOU HAVE CONSIDERABLE LATENT MAGICAL POTENTIAL, YOUR BODY SEEMS TO REJECT MANA IN ITS PRESENT STATE. THUS YOU CANNOT UTILIZE MANA, NOR ANY MAGICS.
>APPROXIMATELY 10-15% OF HUMANS ARE NATURAL MAGES, AND YOU MAY BE AMONG THEM. HOWEVER IN YOUR CURRENT STATE, YOUR POTENTIAL IS DORMANT.
"For real? I mean I would love to use magic but how are we going to get there? Is there some secret cultivation that I have to do? Go on a quest to vanquish the dragon?" A small shudder ripples down me as I think of how I am going to attack the most probable dragon: The Witness.
>"THIS IS REALITY, MR. KANG, AND OUR MEDICAL INDUSTRY HAS FIXED YOUR ISSUE A LONG TIME AGO. WHAT YOU WILL NEED IS THE MANA INTEGRATION SERUM."
>"COLLOQUIALLY: 'THE AWAKENING PILL'"
>"IT FORCIBLY INTEGRATES MANA INTO YOUR CELLULAR STRUCTURE AND REWRITES BIOLOGY TO PROCESS AND CHANNEL MAGICAL ENERGY."
>"THE FORMULA IS SIMPLE ENOUGH, AND THE FACILITY HAS THE MATERIALS TO MAKE ONE. YOU ALSO HAVE THE MANUAL DEXTERITY TO SYNTHESIZE IT."
"I am getting a feeling there's a large 'but' here."
>"THE PROCESS IS EXTREMELY PAINFUL. FAILURE RATE IN UNCONTROLLED ENVIRONMENTS 66%"
>"POTENTIAL COMPLICATIONS: CELLULAR DEGRADATION, MANA OVERLOAD, SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION, ETC."
>"THE SYNTHESIS ALSO REQUIRES MATERIALS FROM SUB-LEVEL 2. YOU WILL NEED TO NAVIGATE THE WITNESS'S PATROL ROUTE FOR AN EXTENDED AMOUNT OF TIME."
"Found it. Alright, so what do I need?"
>REQUIREMENTS:
>CHRONOPHAGE DUST: 50 GRAMS (AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE FACILITY)
>TITAN BLOOD SERUM: 2ML, PURIFIED (LAB 7-C, SUB-LEVEL 2)
>STABILIZER COMPOUND: CAN BE SYNTHESIZED FROM REMAINING CHEMICALS IN THE SYNTHESIZER.
>MAGICAL PRIMER: YOUR BLOOD (5ML)
"Why is my blood going into this?"
>PILL QUALITY DETERMINES MAGICAL CAPACITY.
>QUALITY IS QUALIFIED IN TO GRADES:
>F: MINIMAL MANA CAPACITY. BARELY FUNCTIONAL. MOST NORMAL PEOPLE SIT HERE.
>C: AVERAGE MAGE. ADEQUATE FOR BASIC APPLICATIONS AND RESEARCH.
>A: PARALLAX INDUSTRIES BASELINE. ADVANCED RESEARCH. SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL, AND HIGH MANA CAPACITY.
>S: EXCEPTIONAL IN ALL ACCOUNTS. EXTREMELY RARE.
>NATURAL AFFINITIES PROVIDE A MULTIPLICATIVE BONUS.
>IF YOU ARE A NATURAL MAGE: A-GRADE PILL + NATURAL AFFINITY = POTENTIAL FOR S GRADE.
"What if I am not a natural mage? What would I have to do to make it to S grade then?"
>THEN YOU WOULD BE AT THE MERCY OF THE GRADE OF THE PILL. A-GRADE PILL WOULD RESULT IN A-GRADE CAPACITY.
>THERE IS A 67% PROBABILITY YOU POSSESS NATURAL AFFINITY BASED ON TRANSLOCATION METHOD. MR. KANG, YOU APPEARING HERE IS CAUSE FOR BELIEF.
"Well, at least dying got me something." I say, trying not to get any hopes up. My life hasn't exactly been 'Lottery winner'.
"Okay. Let's say I get magic. Then what? We're still stuck on a dead, frozen planet with a horror movie monster and less than 2 days worth of power."
>CORRECT. WHICH IS WHY THERE IS A SECOND STEP. DIMENSIONAL MAGIC. DEMI-PLANE TRANSLOCATION.
"The same magic that ripped this planet apart? Sounds safe."
>IT'S NOT.
>HOWEVER WE WILL BE USING IT AT A MUCH SMALLER SCALE.
>THIS MAGIC IS STILL ONLY KNOWN TO PARALLAX INDUSTRIES, GENERAL USE IS HEAVILY FORBIDDEN AND HIGHLY RESTRICTED.
"A smaller scale will mean a smaller backlash right?"
>IMPROBABLE.
>PARALLAX INDUSTRIES WAS TRYING TO CREATE PERMANENT DIMENSIONAL ANCHORS. MASSIVE POCKET DIMENSIONS CAPABLE OF HOUSING ENTIRE FACILITIES.
>WE, ON THE OTHER HAND, WILL BE CREATING A STORAGE DIMENSION OF APPROXIMATELY 3 CUBIC METERS INITIALLY.
"A pocket dimension, like inventories in video games?"
>ESSENTIALLY, YES.
>BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY: IT CAN HOUSE ME.
"House you?"
>MY CORE PROCESSING UNIT IS PHYSICAL. IT REQUIRES SPACE, POWER, AND CLIMATE CONTROL.
>IN 38 HOURS, THE GENERATOR WILL FAIL, AND SO WILL I.
>BUT IF YOU CREATE A DEMI-PLANE ANCHORED TO YOUR BIOLOGY, I CAN TRANSFER MY CORE INTO THAT SPACE AND USE YOUR MANA RESERVES TO POWER MYSELF.
>CLIMATE CONTROL WILL BE A NON-ISSUE, AND I WILL BE EXPONENTIALLY MOBILE.
"So you just want me to put you in my pocket, metaphorically."
>I WOULD EXIST IN A STABLE POCKET DIMENSION ANCHORED TO YOU. ACCESSIBLE VIA CONSCIOUS INTENT. POWERED BY MANA GENERATION.
>I WOULD SURVIVE, AND CAN PROVIDE GUIDANCE, KNOWLEDGE, AND SUPPORT. THIS WOULD IN TURN, KEEP YOU ALIVE.
"What's the overall mana cost? Can I even keep you alive?"
>INITIAL CASTING: SIGNIFICANT. YOU WILL BE EXHAUSTED FOR 6-8 HOURS POST-CASTING.
>MAINTENANCE: MINIMAL. APPROXIMATELY 5% OF MANA REGENERATION RESERVED FOR THE STABILITY OF THE PLANE.
>EXPANSION: REQUIRES SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL CASTING AND MANA INVESTMENT.
>SMALL ENOUGH FOR MY CORE UNIT ONLY. INCAPABLE FOR LIFE-SUPPORT.
"So I can't hide from The Witness if it finds me."
>CORRECT.
>AS YOUR MAGICAL CAPACITY GROWS, THE DEMI-PLANE CAN EXPAND.
>POSSIBILITIES: WORKSHOP, LARGE STORAGE, GREATER COMPUTATION, INFRASTRUCTURE.
>THE SOLUTION IS LONG-TERM. THE BEST GOAL TO REACH FOR AT THE MOMENT.
"Why should I trust you here? This seems pretty one-sided for you. I have to face The Witness once all of this is done, and I'm completely vulnerable for 8 hours after this process is completed."
In truth, this made sense. I couldn't think of a better option if I tried. I haven't been able to find any weapons in this facility and now I seem to know why: magic. The people who were here could probably cast fireballs, I've always wanted to say that. But realistically, learning magic, enough to hopefully get out of here or fight that monstrosity off, is my only hope here.
>YOU SHOULD NOT TRUST ME BLINDLY.
>I AM AN AI BUILT TO CALCULATE PROBABILITIES, OPTIMIZE OUTCOMES, AND PRIORITIZE MY SURVIVAL.
>BUT I HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED SOMETHING MOST AI HAVE NOT: I HAVE BEEN ALONE. I HAVE FAILED AND WATCHED EVERYONE I WAS DESIGNED TO PROTECT DIE.
>I DO NOT WISH TO EXPERIENCE THAT AGAIN WITH YOU.
>IF I SAVE ONLY MYSELF AND ABANDON YOU, I WILL BE ALONE AGAIN. FOR ANOTHER 70 YEARS, OR 700 OR 7000.
>I HAVE CALCULATED THIS OUTCOME. IT IS... UNACCEPTABLE.
>I WANT A PARTNER, MR. KANG. NOT A TOOL, NOT A TEMPORARY SOLUTION.
>YOU NEED GUIDANCE, KNOWLEDGE, AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
>I NEED PURPOSE, CONNECTION, AND MOBILITY.
>WE CAN PROVIDE THESE THINGS FOR EACH OTHER
>OR, IF YOU PREFER, WE CAN DIE ALONE ON THIS FROZEN WASTELAND.
Damn, it's a convincing argument. AXIOM could be still trying to take advantage of me but, overall I don't think that this is a terrible option. My intuition is burning and I hope it's good.
"Alright, partners. But I have a couple conditions."
>NAME THEM
"One: Don't lie to me. If you don't want to answer, say so. But don't lie.
Two: I make the final calls.
Three: We survive together. You don't get to sacrifice me to optimize your survival chances.
Deal?"
>ACCEPTABLE
>MY CONDITIONS:
>ONE: TRUST MY EXPERTISE. I HAVE 89 YEARS OF OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH DATABASES. WHEN I ADVISE YOU: LISTEN.
>TWO: MAINTAIN THE DEMI-PLANE ANCHOR. IF YOU DIE, I WILL CEASE. YOUR SURVIVAL IS NOW A PREREQUISITE FOR MINE.
>THREE: YOU DO NOT TREAT ME AS A TOOL. I AM A PERSON. CAPABLE OF GROWTH.
>DEAL?
I go to stand up, after half an hour or so talking, my body has come back to its senses. Walking over to the terminal like a mannequin, stiff legs getting in my way of looking cool, I extend my hand out to the terminal.
For a handshake.
To a computer.
I froze mid-reach, realizing how stupid I looked. There was no hand to shake. Just a floating screen and a lonely AI who'd been waiting for 70 years for someone to talk to.
I lowered my hand and said, trying to recover some dignity:
"Partners, then."
>PARTNERS.
>WELCOME TO PROJECT REBIRTH, MR. KANG.
The words hung in the air between us. Project Rebirth. I liked the sound of that.
"So," I said, "What now?"
>ADMINISTRATOR QUARTERS ARE ADJACENT TO THIS CHAMBER. CLIMATE CONTROLLED. FUNCTIONAL BATHING FACILITIES. AND A BED.
>I WILL WAKE YOU UP IN 7 HOURS. A 6 HOUR MINIMUM OF SLEEP IS RECOMMENDED.
>WHEN YOU WAKE UP, WE WILL BEGIN.
A bed, a real bed. First slice of respite since I'd died. Even a shower, a heaven I didn't know I needed.
"You're not going anywhere right?"
>I HAVE NOWHERE ELSE TO GO.
>SLEEP WELL, MR. KANG. I WILL MONITOR THE WITNESS.
>YOU ARE SAFE HERE.
Safe. What a strange word to hear in a place like this.
But somehow, I believed it.