Mask of Humanity

Nicolai glanced at the area before him, thinking of how this would work. He was going to use the permit, and have the surgeon install one of the augments he’d bought. Beth would have a BIS and Network Link of her own and didn’t seem to suffer any problems, but even so he’d do a quick test first. He’d decided to do this here because, oddly, it ticked the most boxes in terms of safety.

Sure, they were in some random little opening before a bridge over a chasm to the Trade Link, but this was a hidden area. If people other than Jo had learned of it, she would most likely have found signs of them or encountered them. He had good reason to believe only they three knew of this place. The chasm he was less sure about. It was dark and he had no idea how far down it went, but he’d questioned Jo and she’d told him she’d had her drone check it before, but it just went on so far her drone had reached the edge of her Link’s range, and she’d seen nothing.

His paranoia felt he ought to return to the safe-place, but a larger part simply wanted to get it done now; plus, since he still hadn’t removed the Karl problem, it could be the safe-place was a less safe area to be put unconscious than this deserted area outside the Trade Link. That decided things. Better here where he had reason to believe no one came, rather than there where he knew there was at least one person who hated him.

He set everything he’d purchased and brought with him to one side, except for the three boxes containing his new augments, the HT8, the BIS and the Network Link. Both the BIS and Network Link were specific variants, as he’d been very pleased to find that the Market offered just about every take on the devices that had ever been created.

This was good for him, because the typical branded offerings came packed with bloatware, adware and spyware, stuff he’d much rather not have installed into him. He’d been able to find top quality, open-source and moddable versions clean from any such problems, a rarity on Earth as the Corporations operating in the augmentation arena worked very hard to make such devices unavailable. There was a lot of money to be found in sticking adware and trackers in peoples BIS’.

Oddly, there had been no differences in prices whatsoever, every BIS and Network Link costing exactly the same, despite the fact some were trash while others were— for level 1s—pretty much top of the pile.

He opened the boxes then dithered for a moment, unsure if he ought to do more. He didn’t really want to remove anything from the sealed packaging and contaminate the delicate parts with his dirty human hands. If this Cherubic Surgeon can perform surgery, it should be able to open some packages.

He stripped all that he wore except for his trousers, as access to his lower body shouldn’t be required for any of the surgeries and his Mask informed him the girls might not appreciate him going fully nude.

‘Alright, then,’ he muttered, holding the golden permit tag. His paranoia was worried about the anticipated brain surgery and the unconsciousness that would require, but for now Nicolai wasn’t too concerned. He’d install the HT8 first, as a test, which would require no unconsciousness. Once he’d spent some time checking that over and seeing whether it had any impact on his Cultivation, he’d then either discontinue the whole thing and get the surgeon to remove it, or continue with the rest of the installations.

Nicolai held the golden permit with his right hand and Examined it. The same description as when he’d looked it over in the Market appeared, only this time there was an additional sentence.

Do you wish to activate this permit?

[Yes] [No]

Yes. The permit shimmered in his grip then transformed into lines of energy that wriggled out of his grasp, burrowed into the air and were gone.

A blinding white light burst out directly in front of Nicolai, causing him to blink reflexively and raise his arm to protect his eyes. But by the time his hand had finished rising, the light was gone and something hovered in the air before him. Nicolai stared at it, eyes widening involuntarily, hearing a gasp of fright from Jo or Beth behind.

The Cherubic Surgeon sort-of resembled a spider, if a spider was made from seamless white metal and capable of floating. The bulk of its body was about the size of his chest with slender arachnid legs hanging below, ending in a variety of sharp looking implements, scalpels and saws and needles, as well as a few that ended in small, human-like hands. The spider resemblance ended with its head, which was simply a flat circular face-plate holding a face like an infants, with glowing silver eyes and pudgy metal features stretched into an over-wide smile.

The spider-like body, menacing surgical limbs, and infantile, grinning face gave it a distinctly uncanny look. He felt the primitive instincts within him react, a thrum of tense terror and a rush of adrenaline running through him at the sight of the baby-faced spider. Nicolai forced himself still and did his best to relax, then took slow, even breaths to control his heart-rate and stop the adrenaline dump. It wouldn’t be any help to him here.

He played his Soul Sense over the Surgeon but there was some kind of barrier covering it. His Soul Sense slipped straight off. At the same time, something was emanating from it, an energy, a sense of authority, a kind of odd realness, like this thing was something more concrete than the rest of them.

‘Chrrrrzip?’ squeaked the apparition, then let out a few more beeping noises, spinning around where it hovered midair, legs shifting as it looked about. Nicolai took a wary step back in response. Apparently satisfied, the Surgeon turned back to face him.

His Mark shimmered, words emerging from it, alongside a genderless voice in his mind.

State desired procedure.

That was all. A little lacking, compared to the norm. Uncertain, Nicolai pointed at the box containing the HT8. ‘I want you to install this in me, the HT-8,’ he said, and paused before adding, ‘in the normal way. So that I’m alive afterwards. And patched up. Not bleeding and open. Once that is done, remain here and I will tell you the next procedures.’ The spider-thing was staring at him silently. Did it understand? It was utterly alien, hovering there. He hoped he was explaining correctly. ‘The normal way,’ he said again. ‘Then, the other ones when I say so, once the first part is complete.’

His Mark flickered.

Initiating surgical install of; Hand-Talon-8, Basic Implant Suite, Network Link.

Nicolai’s raised a warding hand and backed up, eyes flicking to the nearest weapon. The spider was floating toward him. ‘Stop. Halt operation,’ he attempted. It was not stopping.

‘Chrrrzap!’ squealed the Cherubic Surgeon, its fat little features twisting into an expression of glee, and it lurched towards him then a leg ending in a thin point lanced out. It was so fast that Nicolai only saw a blur of metal which twisted and danced between his hands as he attempted to swat it aside.

Nicolai grunted as the point penetrated his neck and what felt like electricity surged through his body, locking his muscles. He began to slowly topple over, unable to balance in his frozen state. The experience made him recall distant memories of being tazered but instead of a burning shock and spasmodic clenching, he felt only a radiating, aching numbness that was spreading through him and dulling the sensations of his body. Rays of solid golden light shot out from the creature and gripped him all over, catching him before he fell onto the ground, raising him back up and holding him steady.

The Cherubic Surgeon in all its awful glory scooted closer, more manipulators unfolding from its underbody. It swarmed him, grabbing and gripping him with some manipulators while flashing syringes punched into him.

His body grunted as the thing manhandled and jabbed him. He saw some of its arms dart towards the boxes, unsealing them and pulling the augments free. An ominous golden glow swelled around it. His world was darkening, growing hazy.

He had no control. He was its mercy. It could do anything to him. He was trapped, trapped and stuck and fucked. His Soul Sense surged, darkening and reddening and clenching tight around the Surgeon, hunting for a way into it. Electricity crackled over his body as he struggled to move, twitching and and letting out tiny snarls, the madness swelling within him.

The Surgeon paused, fat face forming a curious pout, then a wave of pressure pulsed out from it in a flare of golden light, and everything was shoved back into him. The blue sparks crawling over his body vanished and his Soul Sense was forced inside.

It raised a circular-saw of silvery metal, and with a hum and a buzz it activated, descending towards him.

A wave of artificial exhaustion rolled through him, his eyes grew heavy, and he was swept under.

###

‘Oh my god,’ Beth was saying, ‘is that hygienic? Holy fuck.’

‘Don’t look,’ said Jo, keeping her own head turned away from the grisly sight. The spider-thing had quickly opened up Nicolai’s head and his chest and one of his forearms and its many limbs were moving with feverish speed as it installed the stuff from the boxes into him. She’d watched for a moment but quickly things had gotten very bloody and very boney and she had no desire to see any more of the man’s insides.

Beth glanced at her. ‘He seemed a bit perturbed at the end, there. D’you think something’s gone wrong?’ She formed a vicious little smile.

‘I don’t know. He didn’t give us any details, did he?’ Jo muttered, and saw Beth shrug then turn back to continue watching.

‘That’s disgusting. Eugh. God. What the fuck?’ Beth continued, and a peek revealed her sister was fixedly staring at the sight, mouth gaping open. ‘I can see his brain!’

‘Beth!’ hissed Jo, ‘I don’t need to know! And, we’re meant to be keeping watch!’ She peered around the corner towards the ladder, rifle at the ready, trying to set a good example.

‘Yeah.’ Beth finally looked away. ‘I guess that’s what we do now. Whatever he says.’

‘No. I told you, that’s not how it works,’ Jo snapped. ‘Anyway, it’s only for a couple of months. Then you can drown yourself in Ultra.’

Beth snorted. ‘Well, it’s fine for you, isn’t it. You get what you want, anyway, right?’

‘You know I only agreed to this for you, don’t you? He had nothing on me. Everything I’ve done has been for you.’ Jo sent her strongest scowl at Beth.

‘I never asked you to agree to it, to do any of it!’ Beth snarled.

‘I would never abandon you. No matter what.’ Never.

Beth let out a little scoff and looked away from her. Jo pulled her own eyes way, looking back down the corridor.

‘I felt something,’ said Beth after some time, speaking over the uncomfortable whirr of a saw blade and the sounds of flesh being sliced. ‘Last night. From him. While I was taking control of my centipede.’

‘What do you mean?’ Jo shot a quick glance at her sister, seeing Beth looking unusually serious. Serious and worried.

‘I don’t know. But he’s not all that he seems. He’s dangerous. I felt it through my Soul Sense.’

‘Obviously he’s dangerous,’ Jo scoffed, trying to keep the unease Beth’s words gave her down.

‘Yeah, no, not just as in, like, with guns and shit. I mean… I don’t know. Didn’t feel human. We should be careful. Watch him.’

‘Bit late for that,’ Jo reflected, chewing at her lip, staring at the rifle in her hands. She flicked the bolt, moved it around a little, then stopped herself. ‘I love you, you know.’

She heard Beth sigh.

‘I know.’

Then, a moment later: ‘I love you, too.’

Another pause stretched. Jo broke it before it could grow uncomfortable. ‘Will you stop reading my emotions with the Soul Sense thing?’

‘Nope.’

Jo snorted. ‘Bitch,’ she muttered, smiling.

‘You’d know.’ She heard the grin in Beth’s voice. ‘Hey. Look. I think it’s almost done. That was fast.’

Jo turned slowly, wary that Beth might be playing a prank on her. She peeked with a single eye. The silver spider-baby’s aura of gold was fading into it and it was withdrawing its many limbs from Nicolai, who floated on a pillow of golden light, arms and legs spread. As she watched, it extended two metallic tentacles either side of him and they began to slowly spin around him, glowing gold. The bloody openings in his chest, in his stomach, in his back, in his arm, in his head, all began to close up, the flesh and bone knitting together until it all rejoined, the blood disappearing until he looked just the same as at the start of it all.

There was a weirdly natural look to the man, his body a biological aestheticists dream; at least, in a wiry way and if you ignored all the scars. He looked more real, more concrete, than the people she was used to seeing. His body was clearly the result of intense hard work, no cheating, something that no one did. Why bother, when you could have a pod-puppet massage and exercise your body into perfection while you played full-immersion VR games? Looking at the wiry, solid muscle of his body, and the scars of a life spend fighting, Jo flushed slightly and looked quickly away, busying herself with other thoughts.

How had he come to be? A Raw who seemed so experienced and competent and, apart from the occasional oddities, well-adjusted?

She’d never met a Raw before, not in the flesh, just seen clips of them freaking out, heard the stories of how they were all insane criminals, or deluded anti-capitalists. Why else would someone refuse to install even the basics into themselves? But that didn’t make any sense either, since given the first opportunity that was exactly what he was doing. Now, he was no longer a Raw. So why hadn’t he done it back on Earth?

How did he get all those scars? Her eyes drew back to him as though pulled by gravity. There was a tattoo on his shoulder, a black shield with a skull in the centre, a dagger buried in its crown. It looked like the kind of tat a merc might have. There was a line of pale burn scar through it, bisecting it.

Was he a merc? She’d met her share, hired by her parents here and there. They came in two varieties, in her experience. Some acted all tough; mean stare, sentences kept short and every word bristling with threat, festooned in guns and tech. All that had always struck her as a sign of inexperience, like a cat fluffing its fur to look scarier. Others didn’t need to act, because they really were that scary and you could see that fact in every move they made.

Before she’d gotten to know him better, she would’ve said he matched up with the second type. He was obviously dangerous. At times he was downright terrifying. But now she’d spent more time with him, she’d seen that he didn’t always come across as such. In fact, most of the time he seemed to be just some guy, fading into the background if you weren’t focused on him, and other times where… well. She flicked through her virtual media folder, finding a picture she’d taken recently. There he stood, beside that stone cat which had appeared to give Beth her Symbiote, his hand on its head, smiling a very uncertain smile, looking at once happy and horrified.

He was an oddity, that was for sure.

Jo shook her head, finding that the more she thought about it, the more questions and the less answers she had.