Rushing the story while my mother was ill left an important plot point unsaid. Now that I'm no longer spending as much time as I can at the hospital, I can remedy that with a sequel.
"Why did you bring it back with you?"
"I wasn't going to leave a body behind, where anyone could do who-knows-what with it."
Noah stared at Yayoi for a long moment. Finally realizing she wasn't going to be intimidated, he sighed. "Booby traps?"
"Korhan says no."
"Logic bombs?"
"A.C. says no."
"Memories?"
"Takami says she was being used as a telepresence remote, so we think they're all copied to Agatha."
"You think."
"And they were backed up in Takami's lab before she pulled the SSDs and memory boards."
"I see. What have you replaced them with?"
Yayoi blushed. "Is my plan that obvious?"
"Only to people who've known you for years ... which would be half of the SMOFs." Noah took a quick but careful look at the preteen gynoid chassis on the workbench. "That's a lovely head of blonde hair; better than anything I can make. She looks like -"
"No. I want her to wake up on her own."
"Are you sure?"
"... No."
"Then wait until you are sure. She isn't going anywhere."
"We have a bit of a problem."
Yayoi looked worried for a moment. "What sort of problem, mother?"
A.C. smiled for a brief moment at the reminder of the connection between the two women, then returned her concentration to the matter at hand. "This processor complex isn't designed for long-term growth. At best, it can handle simulating an existing personality template, just like the one installed in Yuu. Either Agatha isn't as smart as she thinks she is, or she's something of a sadist."
"Or she doesn't have access to anything better."
"That's possible, but given the reports and rumours about her activities, I doubt it. You can't keep giving her the benefit of the doubt, musume-chan."
"What can we do about the problem?"
"In general? Give Agatha some better plans somehow, although she probably wouldn't use them if she knew they came from us. In Yuu's case, nothing; she's tied too tightly into the processors she has now. That's something else we can blame Agatha for. This girl ..." A.C. gestured to the chassis as she thought. "We could give her an existing personality template, either from the Catalog or from fiction. Or we can pull the processor complex and install something more powerful and versatile."
"Can you do that?"
"This brain case is a variant of a design that I originally created for the six of, sorry, the seven of you. Of course I can. Kohran probably could, too. For that matter, I've had some ideas for a few years for upgrades for all of you. We could try adding in a mana co-processor design from the Whole Fenspace Catalog while we're rebuilding her brain."
Yayoi blinked in surprise. "I didn't think that was possible with our technology."
"That's why I said 'try;' there's no guarantee it would work. Although Noah somehow gave Honami one, or the equivalent of one. And it would be appropriate, given her appearance."
"You and Noah both want her to be -"
"I don't want anything," snapped A.C. "This is your choice. I'm just saying it would match her looks."
"Why isn't she waking up?" Yayoi almost sobbed.
"Is the replacement braincase A.C. built working properly?"
"You can read the displays better than I can."
Noah studied the monitors. Finally, he said, "The system appears to be working as designed."
"Then what's wrong?"
Noah placed his hand on Yayoi's hand, and quietly said, "The system was designed to run an existing personality."
"I have no choice, do I?"
"I'm sorry. Do you want help building the base personality file?"
Yayoi shook her head. "I'll do it."
"You've been awfully busy with this project of yours, darling. Don't you have any time for me?"
"Oh, Ginny ... I'm sorry. It's just ..."
"I know. I want a child as much as you do."
"You could get an artificial insemination treatment."
"That sounds so romantic, Yayoi."
"Well, if you put it that way ..." They both giggled.
"Let me help."
"I want to do this on my own."
"Like Mr. Scott does? You know what that takes out of him better than I do, and I've seen that it's like a bad Blue Hair Day. More importantly, if I help, she'll be our daughter, not just your daughter."
Yayoi couldn't answer her wife's statement.
"You know I'm right. Let's do this together. But there's one thing I want to know first."
"What?"
"What name do we put on her registration certificate: Kittredge-Fujisawa or Fujisawa-Kittredge?"
Yayoi smiled. "We can figure that out later."
The family were gathered around, not too near, to see Yayoi and Ginny's daughter wake up for the first time.
The little girl opened her eyes.
"She has your smile, Yayoi." Noah smiled as well, recalling fond memories of when Yayoi first awakened.
Yayoi didn't hear him. She was focused completely on her daughter, gazing into her green and red eyes.
"Hello, Yayoi-mama."
"Hello, Vivi-chan. Welcome to the world."
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
"Why did you bring it back with you?"
"I wasn't going to leave a body behind, where anyone could do who-knows-what with it."
Noah stared at Yayoi for a long moment. Finally realizing she wasn't going to be intimidated, he sighed. "Booby traps?"
"Korhan says no."
"Logic bombs?"
"A.C. says no."
"Memories?"
"Takami says she was being used as a telepresence remote, so we think they're all copied to Agatha."
"You think."
"And they were backed up in Takami's lab before she pulled the SSDs and memory boards."
"I see. What have you replaced them with?"
Yayoi blushed. "Is my plan that obvious?"
"Only to people who've known you for years ... which would be half of the SMOFs." Noah took a quick but careful look at the preteen gynoid chassis on the workbench. "That's a lovely head of blonde hair; better than anything I can make. She looks like -"
"No. I want her to wake up on her own."
"Are you sure?"
"... No."
"Then wait until you are sure. She isn't going anywhere."
"We have a bit of a problem."
Yayoi looked worried for a moment. "What sort of problem, mother?"
A.C. smiled for a brief moment at the reminder of the connection between the two women, then returned her concentration to the matter at hand. "This processor complex isn't designed for long-term growth. At best, it can handle simulating an existing personality template, just like the one installed in Yuu. Either Agatha isn't as smart as she thinks she is, or she's something of a sadist."
"Or she doesn't have access to anything better."
"That's possible, but given the reports and rumours about her activities, I doubt it. You can't keep giving her the benefit of the doubt, musume-chan."
"What can we do about the problem?"
"In general? Give Agatha some better plans somehow, although she probably wouldn't use them if she knew they came from us. In Yuu's case, nothing; she's tied too tightly into the processors she has now. That's something else we can blame Agatha for. This girl ..." A.C. gestured to the chassis as she thought. "We could give her an existing personality template, either from the Catalog or from fiction. Or we can pull the processor complex and install something more powerful and versatile."
"Can you do that?"
"This brain case is a variant of a design that I originally created for the six of, sorry, the seven of you. Of course I can. Kohran probably could, too. For that matter, I've had some ideas for a few years for upgrades for all of you. We could try adding in a mana co-processor design from the Whole Fenspace Catalog while we're rebuilding her brain."
Yayoi blinked in surprise. "I didn't think that was possible with our technology."
"That's why I said 'try;' there's no guarantee it would work. Although Noah somehow gave Honami one, or the equivalent of one. And it would be appropriate, given her appearance."
"You and Noah both want her to be -"
"I don't want anything," snapped A.C. "This is your choice. I'm just saying it would match her looks."
"Why isn't she waking up?" Yayoi almost sobbed.
"Is the replacement braincase A.C. built working properly?"
"You can read the displays better than I can."
Noah studied the monitors. Finally, he said, "The system appears to be working as designed."
"Then what's wrong?"
Noah placed his hand on Yayoi's hand, and quietly said, "The system was designed to run an existing personality."
"I have no choice, do I?"
"I'm sorry. Do you want help building the base personality file?"
Yayoi shook her head. "I'll do it."
"You've been awfully busy with this project of yours, darling. Don't you have any time for me?"
"Oh, Ginny ... I'm sorry. It's just ..."
"I know. I want a child as much as you do."
"You could get an artificial insemination treatment."
"That sounds so romantic, Yayoi."
"Well, if you put it that way ..." They both giggled.
"Let me help."
"I want to do this on my own."
"Like Mr. Scott does? You know what that takes out of him better than I do, and I've seen that it's like a bad Blue Hair Day. More importantly, if I help, she'll be our daughter, not just your daughter."
Yayoi couldn't answer her wife's statement.
"You know I'm right. Let's do this together. But there's one thing I want to know first."
"What?"
"What name do we put on her registration certificate: Kittredge-Fujisawa or Fujisawa-Kittredge?"
Yayoi smiled. "We can figure that out later."
The family were gathered around, not too near, to see Yayoi and Ginny's daughter wake up for the first time.
The little girl opened her eyes.
"She has your smile, Yayoi." Noah smiled as well, recalling fond memories of when Yayoi first awakened.
Yayoi didn't hear him. She was focused completely on her daughter, gazing into her green and red eyes.
"Hello, Yayoi-mama."
"Hello, Vivi-chan. Welcome to the world."
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012