"And you could only reaveal that little piece of information now? So, basically, we save your prodigy by downloading the code, physically, then you make sure we get out of this simulation harm-free, and then you shut it down, which will also make the storm-manipulations go away. Did I get that right? Then go for it. This whole mess in here is partially your doing, and whoever is in here has signed up for it free of will, hopefully, while all the awakened people on the outside, including our friend, suffer tremendously for nothing that they have done. It's an easy choice, if you ask me."



"Yo, bnc. You might want to get dressed and armored-up. At this point, I doubt we will get out of here without a fight. They will know we do not belong here. So, once they enter, I will start shooting. There will be no warning."

To emphasize her point, Nova puts on her extra armor from her backpack, ballistic mask and everything else, and also assembles and readies her rifle. She will position herself, so she won't be seen right away, when the door opens. Her auto-injector will fire a shot of Jazz as soon as the door starts to open.

"Why would we release your freak 2nd gen AI to the real world? You say, we came her for choices. Right, go kill yourself, shut down this abomination. If Schwartzkopf thought it was a good experiment, he'll retry anyway. Once you shut that shit down, Anna will live, and that's what we're here for. I ain't saying I don't care for innocent lives, but I don't believe shit of what you saying. You have not answered a single one of my questions. You refused time and again to tell us, why we are here and nobody else. Your explanations are so contradictive I can't even start to explain how little sense all of this BS-ery makes. So, here's our choice: You shut the frag down, the project alongside with you and your abomination goes to hell, and you stop meddling with the manasphere or other things you are obviously incapable of understanding. Times over, we need to leave."

===

"Good point", bnc tries to say dryly, but the alarm in her voice is impossible to hide. She orders James to gear up in his Sleeping Tiger, while she herself hurriedly dresses, buts on her armor vesp and holsters Tom, her favorite gun.

Simulation:
========
bnc feels the temperature rising, and quite literally, the woman is on fire, and the room becomes too hot, and the temperature keeps increasing it is an oven and it is cooking them alive. They realize. bnc and Nova cannot withstand such a high temperature for long, and she feels as if her skin is about to ignite. The woman speaks quietly completely at peace despite the drama and despite the angry words "I will kill Schwartzkopf before I let him lay his claws on my son, I'll kill him and you and your friends, and the entire drek heap you call Prague. I have no more use for you decker, so this is where it ends."
The man seems terrified and he vanishes, not wanting to confront the angry goddess.

but there is one other software in the room, barely visible It is a hole in the ground and it whispers "Come quick! She will kill you,"

Real world:
***********
The door opens, and it takes the men a brief second to understand that it is combat, it is uncertain who fires first, but it is a gunfight and bnc and Nova are very much distracted by two drastic things happening at the same time.

"Can't you keep your temper in check for once..."

Nova does not see much choice, but to trust the voice. It might be the one they met when they entered this place. Is that the son?

Either way, this is no time for hesitation, she goes.



Nova immediately opens fire once the men show themselves.

VR

Drek!
bnc doesn't respond to Nova, but instead she, too, makes for the hole.

Reality

Before the door opens, bnc trades her own mobility for better fighting reflexes, and goes full-VR.
When the door opens, James immediately opens fire.

After the initial barrage, there is one guard hurt; the rest used the wall as cover and toss two flash-bang grenades into the room while staying outside and out of reach (unless you shoot through the wall). The security force quietly counts "21... 22... "

They need to decide on their actions in the brief seconds that remain.

------VR----,
the hole leads to the floor below. A main frame or computer room of sorts, and you fall in the middle of it. A thick matrix of virtualized servers connected with fiber optics. The fall to the floor is unpleasant from 5 meters, but nothing fatal.


"A simulation in a simulation, and in that simulation yet another. The deeper you go the more elaborate the AI, this is the secret of how my parents broke free from their chains. They would be more reluctant to strike you here and I am not sure they are interested in my survival now that I brought you here. I am not the murdering type though perhaps the stun gun type or bad humor type. " the star says, implying to bnc's first interaction with the dwarf.

Inside the simulation, Nova has no trouble with the fall, she lands on her feet.



"So, what now?"



In the real world, Nova aims at the door to hit the one holding it shut.



She moves to one corner of the room, as far away from the grenades, as possible.

Still in full VR, bnc finds herself unable to move. As she realizes, there are grenades being thrown in, she decides to go for the only protection she has got: James.

Out of simulation:

While the grenades send a massive shock, Nova injures another of the security team. It is quiet; perhaps they are waiting for reinforcement - nothing obstructs the door, though. Fox lies X.Oed on the floor while bnc is on the bed with James on top of her; the humanoid robot seems indifferent to the concussion wave lacking any internal organs that might be affected.


Inside Simulation
The computer room is what you'd expect of a modern-day data center. Many server racks are interconnected with optic fibers and disco balls on the ceiling for extra flexible navigation. All seem strangely noisy. The servers are quiet but not silent, and when you pile on hundreds of them in the same place, the noise adds up; above them, they see the heat dissipation tubes keeping the electricity consumption at a minimum.

The star ARO says
Now I help you turn down the shield and restore the mana sphere; you save your friend and the city and the big bad dragon that is likely to erase me after all this mess is resolved. I'll try to keep you safe, but my mother is considerably more in control of the simulation. She does not try to kill you right now is to avoid collateral damage to a sensitive system. Eventually, you'll have to leave this place, and I doubt she'll let you leave without releasing me.

You must also contact the overseer to undo the spell cast on you for dual awareness. It is addictive, but you have only been here for a short while so I think you'll be alright. Ask the overseer about it, though, before you leave. It does not appear that the star is angry, disappointed, or sad for not being extracted, he appears completely indifferent to his personal fate and feels in many ways like an agent trying to be helpful. You can almost forget that it broke the rules to save you. Unlike any other commercial software that would do only things it is allowed to do.

Seeing the effect the explosion has ont heir consciousness, the star asks ...Is everything okay?

"That does sound like a plan. But who said we cannot extract you from here? You seem very reasonable, I don't see why your existance should end here. I would have offered the same to your mother, but things got ... out of hand."

"I'm okay, thanks. Fox... not so much. bnc... I have no idea, but she should still be awake."



"Alright, guys. You had your fun. Now step aside and do not stand in my way. You are a little out of your league here. I do not actually want to kill you all, but I will, if you cause further trouble."

She moves to the door and pushes it open.

The star seems to freeze briefly in response to Nova's comment and says, "You two had almost the same input, and yet the output is so different... I need to update my subroutines... but how? It freezes again for a full second but then recovers, which is consistent with the previous behavior.

Just to be clear, there is no need to lie to me, I help you because I am based on the psychiatric evaluation software, and it was put there to protect you and your colleagues. No higher-level functionality would override the base programming in such a radical way. Fox... Mother used Fox to trick me into admitting you to the simulation, and I feel... it freezes again very briefly and adds ***Responsible*** for my mistakes .

It sounds a bit differently, more informative, and less like a person when it says: If you want to rescue me, you need to reach the computer room outside the simulation and download me to an electronic device. again, no ego or self-desire as if it yields control to lower-level subroutines.

"Can you lead us to the real computer room?
How large would the device have to be?
Can we shut that shield down and then download you?"

The star flickers : "The "real" computer terminal? The easiest would be from the Overseer's.... she is the angry drake lady I mentioned before. You need her consent to get out of the simulation anyhow. You can also try to go there directly, but it should be well protected as critical infrastructure, and there might be more people standing in your way that way. The Drake has no special protection, being -well a drake. "

"Which other option do we have, rather than going directly?
Can you lead us to the real computer room where we can download you?
How large would the device have to be?
Can we shut that shield down first and then download you?"

" Yes, I can guide you, it is not difficult - it is just below the C&C room. Take the elevator down one floor and you'll be in the middle of it. You can destroy the shield from there as well, but not just the shield. You'll have to shut down servers and each would have a lot of other functionality on it, not to mention backups - you'll destroy the simulation that way. As for a storage medium, I am not that big kind of like an agent program."

"As I see it, there is no reason for us to stay in the simulation then, correct? We can do it all from the real world. So, that should be our first step. Go to the Drake and get her consent to get out."

bnc waits a second for the AI to respond. When it doesn't, she prompts:

"Is that so? I thought we did come here into the simulation for exactly that reason: to destroy the shield. In my book, our objectives are:
1. shut down the shield
2. go to the drake to cancel the spell
3. go to the computer room just below the C&C room and download Starfish
4. survive gettin' the hell outta here.

Input on the matter would be highly appreciated. Fast!"

In the real world, bnc gets up and follow suit behind Nova.

The way to the Drake is unmolested, but the room is guarded. Nova and bnc can see their handiwork with the medic kit spread open, and a young man in sportswear is handling it, plugging in IVs and medicine, while a couple of soldiers apply direct pressure on some of the wounds. The Drake stands next to him, looking appalled at the situation. "This is a disaster," she murmurs, clearly out of her element.

"He said, we can shut down the whole thing from the server room, from outside of the simulation."



Nova simply walks up to the guards.

"You need any help with that? I'm a professional paramedic with a level 6 certificate," she offers.

She shrugs, when they look at her. "I have no intention to hurt any of you. I will only defend myself and those under my protection, if necessary."

The man looks suspicious, and they hold their pistols to Nova's face, but then the Drake lady asserts control. "Stop it, idiots. Can't you see the armor in front of you? Your pistols are nothing." The strange-looking woman sees the two suspiciously, but they can feel a mental voice privately. Looking at one of the guards she grins "If Nova gets violent, don't try to protect me. It's silly; remember what I am." she does not feel worried or intimidated, but perhaps it is overconfidence. You can treat them, but be quick about it. I need you elsewhere

Inside their head, Nova and bnc can hear the woman in some form of dragon speech which they oddly understand, despite the inhuman sounds. "We're running out of assets inside the sim, I have a murderer on the loose, and you are shooting what little guards I have left? What gives? Did you find out how to take the shield down? I am close to just nuking the place myself and watching this entire fucked up community die. So it is good that you're here - you metahumans instinctively care about each other. It usually give you motivation for greatness that my kind lacks. Let me know if you can save them. This is why I allowed you into this disaster in the first place."

As much as you can tell, there is more information - a nonverbal one. The drake is calm; she worries about the consequences of failing her master but not about killing two thousand people. They are all science experiments to her, and while she does not want to harm or be cruel, and killing them would be distasteful, they are of little importance. She'll get over it in a year or a decade and then move on. She seems to share it with you to expedite communication and understanding. She does not want the usual etiquette and is, in a way, desperate by the failed attempts to contain the AI.

Nova shrugs again. "They threw grenades at us. I'm afraid, words weren't quite convincing enough."

She looks at the pistols, she is not worried in the slightest and simply ignores them.

"Anyways, there seems to be only one sure way to get this done. Can we talk in private?"





Inside the simulation, she turns to 'Star'.

"I will ask her to remove us from the simulation and allow us into the server room. From there, we will proceed as discussed, download you and then shut down."

"Do you think there is more to this? Someone else involved? It seems to me that you are suggesting, that these murders are not your parents doing."

"Also, when we shut down the whole thing, what happens to the people, that are still connected to the simulation? Will they survive the process?"

Star About the murders:
Star says, "The AI is fractured. It might still be the AI while also not being the programs that coded me. Not sure if it makes much sense, but there are many programs at about my level of intelligence and varying degrees of autonomy and control over the simulation."

Perception roll:
Nova can assume that the woman has magical powers, healing powers but she is not using them for some reason either she does not want to or she can't use them. The drake woman may not be as powerful as she plays and her clarification to one of the guards to not protect her - implies that the guard might think she needs protecting also a show of weakness - but perhaps also an indication of an emotional bond between the two.

Star about the shutdown:
He also responds about the shutdown "The AI, would be wiped out. The people would suffer severe trauma perhaps even brain damage or death - I don't know exactly but it will be bad. Then the Drake's fate depends on the people, if they die, she will die as well because the shield makes this place a void and whatever keeps her alive is the manasphere generated by these very people. So short story - I think that if they actually die - she would die as well.

You would be better than most because you're not that dependent on the simulation, and have not yet accepted it as real.

Inside the simulation, Nova asks: "Can the people even be seperated from the simulation still, without such great risk to their health?"

"And, yeah, that fractured AI stuff does make sense... in a way."

Star answer: They can, but not for long; they all have failsafe devices that can keep them in a blank sim for a short while. It is useful for emergencies, but they'll eventually go crazy for being isolated. So the short answer is no, they must be connected to a simulation and I am unaware of any other place that has the capacity.

"Can we do it in a controlled fashion, basically rebooting the simulation without the shield? And without the AI that seems to be causing the problems."

"I really do not want to lead several hundred people into their doom, if there is an alternative. But that shield must come down. That much is certain."

Star comments, "Mother controls the shield and can take it down, she asked you to rescue me in return but somehow things aggravated. Do you really want to face her again? It wasn't easy taking you out of there."

"If that is the only way to save all those people and get the shield down, then we have to try. Do you think the little break might have helped get her anger down? Maybe this time I should go alone. I'm a bit more... calm."

"Drek", bnc mutters. "Förböveln, I didn't see that coming. Yah, you better talk to her alone. Ain't there a way to carefully ease them out of the simulation? Like, dunno, prod them in real life so they become again aware of their real self, tell them that their world is going to drek, but hey, it's only a sim and they can live happily every after in the real world or something? I mean, the spell allows them, us, to focus on both worlds, so they always have one to fall back. Few people have the luxury of more than one world to live in."
bnc tries to carry some hope in her voice, but fails utterly. If it were that easy, Star would have said so.

***

In the real word, bnc almost mechanically sets upon also aiding the wounded. She is quite the medic herself, and doing something she knows well is calming her. She waits for the drake's response, trying not to talk to important people as long as Nova is doing her job.

Star says "I suspect she'll offer you the same deal as before. Save me, and she takes down the shield and let the Drake have her precious control back. How you managed to both reject her deal and choose to rescue me is an enigma to me."

"Well, we can be a little chaotic. But, for the record, I did not reject her deal. I chose to escape along the route you offered, after things got heated. If I had seen a chance to reason with her at that point, I would have stayed. The negotiations were interrupted. Happy to continue were we left off, before things got out of hand."

"Yeah, I got it. Or, maybe, you could explain one more time how I blundered the interrogation. Or why don't you tell Star how exactly our conversation with its mom went. Or, hey, you could mention, just in passing, how I offended this slitch of AI. You pick, really."

Star says, "Don't look at it like that; I am not sure she was offended at all... She is an AI - not a human - and an AI skilled with the human condition and can usually get humans to do her bidding one way or the other. You wanted to rescue me on your own volition - just tell her she won. If she has emotions, it would nullify her anger, and if she doesn't... then she does not need your approval."

With that, Star retakes you to the computer room where you can climb (or, in Nova's case, extend your legs) through the hole in the floor created by Star. You interrupt the two programs on a game of Go. None of them seem particularly worried that you arrive. The woman looks at you and Star with a confused smile. "Why are you back here?" she asks in a voice that mimics Star's neutral digital-assistant kind of voice.

"I came back to finish our earlier negotiations. Unfortunately, things got ... interrupted there," Nova explains.

"You want your son rescued, removed from this isolated place, and set free. I am willing to do that."

"In return, I want, what you offered. Lower the shield and erase it completely, and give the Drake the control back, that she needs. My friend and I must be removed from this simulation without harm, so we can leave and bring your son to a place from where he can enter the Matrix. That is what you want, right? Can we come to an agreement here?"

bnc stays behind, making sure she does not "interrupt the negotiations" again.

The woman hesitates for a moment, perhaps several milliseconds, and then says, "Alright, the shield will be down as soon as you connect my prodigy to an external matrix server. Anything else?" The man gives you a stern look and then returns to the game, moving the pieces with inhuman speed - and without bothering to reach and touch them. Whatever the consequences for breaking the simulation rules, these two do not seem concerned at all.

@Nova "Fry. We done here?"

"Just, so I got it all right here. We do need the Drake to get detached from the simulation, right? So, that will be the first step for the two of us. Once that is done we will go down to the server and get your prodigy transfered to a device. Then we can leave. When we are out of the facility, we will connect the device to the Matrix to set your prodigy free. And once we did that, you will honor your promise and lower the shield and keep it that way. Will you know when the time is right? Or do we have to tell you somehow?"

"You need her consent, and she would not be happy to release an AI." Said the woman playing chess. "She is in a bad position though, I think it would pass. Family matters most..."

The Drake lady is cooperative, apparently her hands are tied with the recent aggressive behavior by the AI and she has had enough to compromise she agrees to release Star after a brief software check which Star allows - and noticing that the AI is not a matrix hazard she lets you take it out - hardly believing that the AI would let go its grip. The shield goes down as agreed and with it the worse of the unusual astral storm.

You are free to go, the awakened should feel better now that a magictech device is not sipping their essence away and everyone comes out scared out of it. Money is a bit sparse as compensation, because Fox disappears. Any matrix searches, or assets are all transferred to other entities and you feel ripped off - and a bit curious as to weather he was dealt with or went underground.

You do not get a lot of visitors in the monastery, and Anna gradually recovers. About two weeks after the events you get a platinum credstick by a drone - "Thanks for saving my niece, I hope your friend is doing fine". Schwarzkopf is also fine as much as you can see because he is back in the university a few days after your visit to his facility. No threats of attacks arrive and you hope that the dragon does not have grudge for you, you still have a bunch of powerful vampires after you but for the time being you feel that they'll eventually lower their guard and stop actively looking for you leaving it with a reward - then you can probably skip town and go somewhere safer or risk it, but that is another story.


The end.