"How are you doing?" Sylvk asked.

I'd dozed off for some time, it seemed, checking my HUD.

CALI – STATION TIME – 14.37

I'd been out for over four hours. I tried to push myself up a bit but couldn't manage it on my own. I was huffing and puffing in seconds, so he helped me. "I'm a little woozy," I admitted.

But I felt every beat of my heart as a small victory. Each pulse pushed the nanites through my bloodstream, repairing what they could and routing around what they couldn't.

The makeshift bed beneath me was comfortable, but it annoyed me. "Just all this sitting hurts."

NANITE EFFICIENCY 73%

<< Are we good?>> I asked. The pain had become a constant companion, but I'd grown accustomed to its rhythm, sharp when I moved too quickly and dull when I remained still.

<<You're doing extremely well,>> she said. <<But you still need rest.>>

Ugghh, I groaned at her.

I struggled to move my ass underneath me, but it relieved some of the pressure.

"All the money this cost, and I don't get one of those fancy beds?"

Sylvk chuckled. "You realize how much more that would have cost?"

"No," I tried for my glass of water but also couldn't reach it now I'd moved.

Kerry handed it to me. "We'll get you moving properly," she said. "But you need the rest for now. Your neural stability went from forty-two to fifty-eight percent while you slept. You really needed it."

She fussed over me, tucking me in like a sick child. I could only look up at her and wonder what she really thought of me, like this. Nothing but a baby.

<<Same as they all do,>> Doli replied. <<They care deeply.>>

"You got something solid?" Sylvk asked Rob as he flicked through several screens before him.

"Yeah," he replied, though he didn't look up from the screens. "We need to exist on paper before we can disappear properly," he gestured towards the screens. Various ID systems flashed back at us. <<Security checks from the station.>>

<<How did we even get past any of that?>>

<<Rob's friend.>>

"That means," Rob continued and waved over his screens, "We need clean IDs, and that means false histories embedded in several databases like these."

"Medical records, educational backgrounds," Kerry added.

"Employment history," Sylvk said. "It all has to cross-reference perfectly."

"That sounds like hard work," I muttered and sipped my water. I should have been helping with all of this, not leaving them to do it all.

<<They need jobs too,>> Doli said. <<The only thing you need to fix, Mr. Fixer, is yourself at the moment.>>

I added <<I also need to check on you. How are you doing?>>

That's where she stumbled and then lied. <<I'm fine.>>

<<Doli,>> I chided.

<<Rest,>> she ordered. <<I'll come next. Don't be worrying about me.>>

But I would, and she knew it. A quick glance over my statistics told the real story. The neural integration with her was progressing, but each percentage of improvement came with a cost.

PROCESSING EFFICIENCY - 84%

She was working harder to maintain our connections through the damaged tissues and the new neural pathways.

<<I will be fine,>> she lied again.

"I need to head out to organize this properly," Rob said, saving his work and closing off all the screens. "My contact, Thorne won't do anything electronic, face to face only."

"I mean, can you blame them?" Sylvk asked.

"Not at all; they want to make sure I'm me before they change me."

Kerry glanced at me, her scanner revealing metrics I couldn't see but could feel. "He shouldn't be alone," she said. "Not with his neural stability still fluctuating."

I wanted to tell her I was fine, that I could handle 'on my own', but the words died somewhere between my brain and my lips. Instead, I focused on the ceiling, counting the exposed pipes as a distraction from the image that still haunted me. Ashley.

"He's never alone, I'm here. And I have direct comms to you all." Doli's voice emanated from the small speaker Kerry had rigged to my interface. It was the first time she'd spoken while I rested, and the sensation was strange, like hearing my own thoughts from outside my head. "I will maintain constant monitoring of his vital signs and neural activity. I also have direct comms channels open with all of you now."

"Your contact can really pull this off?" Sylvk said.

"Yes, full identity packages," Rob continued, pulling on his jacket. Was it cold out there? "Clean ones, high-grade. They'll pass any background verification. I promise you."

"He's still operating in the lower hub," Sylvk said, suggesting this wasn't a question. "I'll make contact."

Their voices faded as they continued making plans. My mind drifted, not to sleep but to the memory of Ashley's laugh, some of our all nighters while fixing Doli. Would it ever feel different? This pain wasn't physical, but it felt like it.

"Just be quick about it," Kerry's voice pulled me back to the present. Rob and Sylvk were ready o leave. "You sure you don't need me?"

"These guys get itchy with new faces," Sylvk replied, checking his sidearm before concealing it under his own jacket.

"We'll be back within a few hours," Rob promised. "Three at the most if we wait for them to produce the actual documentation."

"Okay, if anything goes wrong at all, you let me know."

"We will," Sylvk placed a hand on her arm and squeezed.

After they left, the room felt so much larger, and despite knowing their training, I worried for them, too.

<<They'll be fine,>> Doli assured me. <<I can watch them closely if you'd like?>>

<<Station cameras?>>

<<Even though the men they're seeing are covert, yes. I have ways.>>

<<Don't tell them that,>> I replied.

<<Our secret."

A strange sensation spread through me with those words.

<<What's wrong?>> she asked.

<<I felt, I don't know like you were smiling?>>

<<I was. The integration is connecting us on a deeper level. Are you okay with that? I can try to stop it.>>

<<Don't,>> I said. <<I like it.>>

NEURAL RECONSTRUCTION - PHASE 1

Nanite Mapping: 73% complete [FULL BRAIN ARCHITECTURE CATALOGUED]

Cognitive Function: 42% → 58% improvement [BYPASS ROUTES ACTIVE]

System Integration: 89% [HUMAN-AI HYBRID FOUNDATION ESTABLISHED]

Kerry came to sit with me a moment later and checked my vitals again. "How's the pain? On a scale of one to ten?"

"Four," I lied. It was much closer to a seven. Constant pressure behind my eyes. But it wasn't past a ten which it had been. It was a big improvement.

Her expression told me she wasn't fooled. "I can give you something stronger. The nanites are stable enough now that any medication won't impede them."

"No." The word came out more forcefully than I intended. "I need to stay lucid. When Rob and Sylvk return, I want to be able to think clearly about our next moves."

Kerry sighed but didn't argue. She understood what drove me, the same desperate hope that kept us moving forward instead of finding some remote corner of the galaxy to hide in. I mean, we were hiding, but not in the way most people would. Every day we remained as 'us' gave the Brakers chance to find us.

"Rest then," she said, adjusting something on my interface. "Let the nanites do their work."

I closed my eyes, not to sleep, but to save energy while my nanites rebuilt me. I tried to visualise what they were doing, like tiny construction workers inside my brain. But when I laughed out loud Kerry was straight over. Embarrassed, I pretended I was still asleep.

Time passed in a blur of pain and disoriented consciousness. Doli remained a constant presence, occasionally offering updates on my physical condition in a soft voice.

<<Neurological stability has increased by two percentage points, and your blood chemistry is approaching normal levels.>>

They were small victories, but victories none-the-less

I drifted between awareness, and something not quite sleep, a state where Doli continued to process information while my conscious mind rested. It was during one of these periods that I felt her attention shift, like a current redirected within my brain.

"Doli?" I murmured.

<<Analyzing external data streams,>> she responded. <<Cali security networks contain relevant information.>>

I forced myself to become more alert, the room now darker with the blinds closed. "What kind of information?"

<<Searching for patterns matching specified parameters.>>

She wasn't being deliberately cryptic; this was how she communicated when focused on complex tasks. I'd grown accustomed to her literal interpretations, the way she processed information without the emotional filters that both clouded and enhanced human perception.

"Parameters related to the Brakers that Dr. Chen mentioned?" I asked, my heart rate spiking despite my attempts to temper it.

<<Correct. Searching for individuals with neural interface signatures similar to our specifications.>>

My heart rate increased, triggering a warning from my medical monitor. Kerry looked up from where she was organizing supplies, but I waved her off. This was progress, the first real attempt to use Cali's systems to search for traces that could aid us in our healing.

"Can you access secure channels without being detected?" I asked.

<<Affirmative. Low-level security protocols present minimal risk when using distributed access methods.>>

I didn't fully understand the technical details of how Doli operated around new computer networks, but I trusted her capabilities. She had been designed for far more complex tasks than bypassing station security. Tasks that would require her to interface and manage dozens of systems simultaneously while maintaining full operational security.

<<Managing full space fleets in the dark,>> she added for me.

"Fleets like Admiral Kuba's," I said, already knowing that answer. "The Faulkner must seem like child's play to you?"

She didn't answer me then. "Keep searching," I said, settling back to conserve energy.

***

I must have drifted off again because when I opened my eyes, Sylvk had returned. Despite his size, he moved without making a sound. He placed a small package on the table.

"You're back early," I said, managing to push myself up to a sitting position with a lot less effort than earlier. The room spun momentarily, then stabilized.

"Rob's still with Thorne," Sylvk confirmed, placing the package on the table. "But we'll get what we need for documentation. Clean IDs, medical histories, even employment records going back five years."

"How much did this cost us?" Kerry asked.

The figure flashed up on my HUD

₵ 400 000

"A hundred thousand each," Sylvk replied matter-of-factly. "Rob's handling the transfer through his contact's secure channels."

I whistled softly. That was more than most people made in a year.

<<What's our running costs so far?>>

Docking

Quarters*

IDs**

Pre-op invoice

₵ 11 472

₵ 10 600 †

₵ 400 000

₵ 617 140

 

≈ ₵ 1 039 k

 

 

I swallowed and pushed it aside.

Doli however re-iterated our standing.

<<PERSONAL FUNDS TOTAL .................................... ₵ 1 038 000>>

I ignore it, we were technically in the red, already.

"What did you learn?" I asked, recognizing the subtle signs of someone carrying information they were still assessing.

"I sat in a local bar," Sylvk's expression remained neutral. "Mostly overheard rumors from the Academy. Enhanced security protocols, particularly targeting neural interfaces throughout the Sol system and the outer quadrants. They're not just looking for us—they're looking for anyone with our type of hardware."

My chest tightened. "We were lucky to get out when we did."

"Extremely," Sylvk agreed. But there's more. According to Thorne's sources, Braker operatives have been asking specific questions about recent medical procedures involving neural reconstruction. They know about Dr. Chen."

The room fell silent.

"How specific?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Specific enough that Thorne's recommended we accelerate our timeline. Whatever we need to do, we need to do it fast."

"Then your only option is surgery," Doli said.

"Think Dr. Chen could help there?" I asked and glanced at Kerry.

"I'm still sussing him out," she replied. "It's clear he knew who I was."

"But he didn't ask?" I asked.

"No, and that worries me in itself." Kerry joined us, having overheard. "Your condition—"

"Is improving," I interrupted. "And will continue to improve. We need to be fully under the radar Kerry, talk to him, properly."

She didn't look convinced, but Rob returned before she could argue further. The tension in his shoulders told its own story before he even spoke.

"Talia's also agreed to help," he announced, nodding to Sylvk. "The identities will clear verification."

"Your ex still has a soft spot for lost causes?" Kerry asked, a hint of something...jealousy... in her tone.

"She has a conscience," Rob replied. "And access we need."

I looked between them, impatient with the undercurrents of their interaction. "What else did you learn?"

Rob's expression grew more serious. "The search is more coordinated than we thought. Braker has agents embedded at every major checkpoint, specifically targeting neural interfaces. Talia says there's something unusual about how they operate, perfect coordination like they're connected somehow."

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

The implication wasn't lost on me. Connected like I was connected to Doli. Like Ashley had been connected to her own neural enhancement.

As Sylvk and Rob shared more details of what they'd discovered, I felt a familiar presence stirring within my mind, Doli, shifting her attention from background monitoring to active engagement.

<<Getting surgery will help fool a lot of the scanners, but... You can't change your DNA. You're all logged in with the Academy's systems, and others will have access to that tech.>>

"What do you suggest?" I asked her.

"Light surgery, changing facial features, isn't hard. I will handle the rest if and when we come up against it."

"Then I'll talk to Dr. Chen. This is going to cost--"

I reached for her hand. "We need good people on our side. The fact is—"

"He hasn't betrayed any of you yet."

"Yes," Sylvk added.

"Your assessment, Doli? Off everything you've seen dug up?"

"He is trustworthy, but he will want access to your tech."

"Then we need him firmly planted in our corner," I nodded to Kerry. "Understood, whatever it takes."

Kerry nodded. "Okay, I'll sort that out now; organize a meeting for tonight."

"I'll escort," Sylvk said.

Kerry was about to protest, but he just held her stare.

"I've got a lot of things I can do from here," Rob threw me a nod, besides if Piotr is feeling better, I'd like his and Doli's help."

"Sounds good," I said. "I'd like to be useful."

***

Useful I was, mostly.

When Kerry came in from her meeting with Dr. Chen, and we all held our collective breaths.

"Hit me," Rob said.

"Good news, Chen's putting five-million on the table in exchange for trial data and a twelve-percent cut of whatever our venture prints. Bad news, I just learned our collective face-lifts cost nearly four hundred-grand each and Piotr's neural rebuild tops out at nine-hundred-K. Net-net we've got two-and-a-quarter million left to breathe with."

Rob whistled. "Holy shit."

Outstanding Patient & Identity Liabilities

#

Line-item description

Notes / phase details

Amount (₵)

1

Level-∞ baseline neural map

completed

88 140

2

Cryo-lattice nanite seed-stock

 

142 600

3

QESL vault-link & red-net air-gap upload

 

76 400

4

Sovereign-Mind indemnity bond

pre-op

310 000

5

Phase-II reconstructive suite

5-hour sedation

820 000

6

Phase-III pattern-consolidation

10-hour stasis

910 000

7

Post-op rehab & booster pharmacopeia

90 days

180 000

8

Full facial re-sculpt — Piotr

Phase I

210 000

9

Discrete facial re-sculpts — Rob / Kerry / Sylvk

₵200 000 each

600 000

10

Forged tri-system identity packs

4 × ₵100 000

400 000

11

Quarters & docking fees to date

 

46 900

** **

TOTAL liabilities to retire

 

3 784 040

(Forged ID packs and quarters/docking already cleared in cash ⇒ not listed.)

Dr Chen Offset & Ring-14 Equity Swap

#

Term

Trigger / cadence

Amount (₵)

1

Up-front clinical-trial retainer

paid to Frost escrow; clears Line A

5 000 000

2

Ongoing milestone payments

quarterly when Piotr neural metrics ≥ 98 %

250 000

3

Equity pledge

12 % of Ring-14 bio-lab revenue

—

Dr Chen Personal Capital Commitment

#

Cap-ex item

Notes

Amount (₵)

1

Lease-purchase of ⅛ torus section

60-yr grant

590 000 000

2

Class-7 clean-room shells & micro-g fit-out

 

290 000 000

3

Regenerative-medicine & neuro-lab line

 

410 000 000

4

Integration / certification / contingency

25 % reserve

150 000 000

** **

TOTAL Chen outlay for R-14

 

1 440 000 000

Post-Contract Snapshot (Frost Enterprises)

Line

Cash-flow component

– Debit / + Credit (₵)

Running Bal. (₵)

Notes

 

Opening working capital (after forged IDs)

 

521528

05-08 closing cash

1

Medical & ID liabilities cleared

3337140

-2815612

 

2

Chen clinical-trial retainer

5000000

2184388

Hits escrow 05-09

3

Crew personal funds reimbursed

1038000

1146388

Piotr • Rob • Kerry • Sylvk

4

Same-day op-ex (Dock-2, Quarters-3, Meals-3)

13200

1133188

4 200 + 8 600 + 400

 

UNRESTRICTED CASH REMAINING

 

1133188

 

 

 

 

 

 

"So all our personal funds are what? Back in our banks?"

"All corporate. Our personal funds are firewalled. Still ours."

"Good, I need to know you can walk if you need," I mumbled.

Kerry side eyed me, "Walk?"

"What's Frost Enterprises? And Ring-14?" I asked dodging her question.

"Well, I had to pick a name," she said. "Ring-14, well Dr. Chen had plans, oh boy he had big plans."

Holy shit wasn't in it.

"He's in for how much?" Sylvk asked and his face dropped.

"1.44 billion," Doli confirmed.

"What's Ring-14?" I asked again.

"Ring-14," Doli said and brought up the shell of the unit Dr. Chen wanted.

"Something he's had his eye on he said and been saving for. It's an abandoned biotech ring, ninety-four-percent hull integrity." Kerry replied.

<<Structural scans confirm.>>

"Lease on one-eighth section: five-hundred-ninety million credits; total refit budget: one-point-four-four billion."

<<Dr Chen's money, not ours—yet.>>

"Parked thirty klicks outside Cali customs­-space," Sylvk pointed. "Power's dead for now though."

"When we spin her up you get half-gee on the rim, micro-gee in the hub—perfect for neural regen labs and stem-cell lines." Doli said.

"Chen gets twelve percent of the revenue stream; we get a covert R-and-D fortress. End of executive summary." Kerry finished.

"That's no small ask," I said.

"Not at all," she replied.

"Is it viable?"

"Yes," Kerry and Doli said in Unison. "We went through everything. Miss Avast is a wizard with math, and Doli and Nexus ran everything while I waited."

"It's good?"

"It's good," Doli agreed. "It looks like a bum start, but it's a start."

"Then I guess I best get in for the next stage?"

"Correct."

The morning couldn't come soon enough.

Bk 2 - Chapter 5 - First Treatment

"I can see you're steadier on your feet," Dr. Chen noted.

"A little," I replied, though each step still required a huge amount of conscious effort. According to Doli's monitoring, the nanites had improved my motor control by approximately 15%, but I still felt like I was operating borrowed machinery.

NEURAL RECONSTRUCTION - PHASE 2 INITIATION:

Motor Function Recovery: +15% [IMPROVED PRECISION AND CONTROL]

Sensory Recalibration: ACTIVE [TASTE/VISION DISTORTIONS EXPECTED]

Memory Pathway Activation: UNEXPECTED [DORMANT CONNECTIONS AWAKENING]

This treatment chamber resembled something between a medical theater and a quantum research laboratory. Curved walls rose nearly ten meters overhead, lined with neural monitoring equipment that could barely contain the energy powering it. The floor beneath my feet was polished metal, inscribed with conductive pathways that glowed faintly blue in the ambient lighting.

Security-sealed doors had closed behind us without a sound, and privacy screens now obscured the observation room.

"Please, step up." Dr. Chen said, gesturing toward the chamber's center. Miss Avast remained outside with Kerry, who was pressing her face against the observation window like a worried parent.

"She'll be fine out there; she has a good view of the pond."

"She can't help it," I said and chuckled at her watching a pond. Wait, they had a pond, dang I wanted to see it. "They all worry."

"Rightly so," Dr. Chen said. "What we're attempting today has never been performed on someone with your specific neural architecture. The integration of artificial intelligence with pure human consciousness creates variables we can't fully predict."

I knew that much, but still.... "Your meeting, did it go well?"

"Very well," he admitted, his expression becoming more serious. "She explained your situation in detail."

I glanced around the room.

"Don't worry, this room is completely isolated from all external monitoring systems, with quantum-encrypted communication barriers, and electromagnetic shielding rated for military applications. Anything that happens here stays between us."

"Understood," I said, trying to project more confidence than I felt.

Dr. Chen guided me to a sophisticated medical platform at the room's center. This was not the simple examination chair from our first meeting, but something that looked like it belonged on a starship bridge. My mind drifted back to the Faulkner and I smiled. My ship.

The platform adjusted automatically to my height and weight as I settled onto it, conforming to my body's contours with unsettling precision.

Around me, banks of neural monitors activated with soft chimes, their holographic displays casting shifting patterns of light across surfaces. The scanning sequence started immediately, real-time neural pathway mapping materializing above me like a three-dimensional constellation of light and shadow.

My damaged brain hung in the air before us, rendered in painful detail—dark voids where the tumors had been removed, severed connections glowing red, and the strange, impossible pathways where Doli had integrated herself into my consciousness.

"It looks bad, doesn't it?" I asked, watching the 3D hologram spin as Dr. Chen moved carefully around me, checking all the connections.

"I won't lie to you, Mr. Smith. It is the worst case I've ever come across. The fact that you're even conscious is a small miracle."

His honesty was both reassuring and terrifying. "Worst case, ever?"

"Yes," Dr. Chen paused in his preparations, meeting my eyes directly. "I don't expect you to trust me yet, not completely. But I've been treating fugitives for almost thirty years now. Your case isn't the first, though it is the most complex. I hope my work here, with you and your friends, will demonstrate my commitment to your cause."

My pulse quickened. "You're willing to perform facial reconstruction surgery as well?"

"Your friends are scheduled for procedures this afternoon," he confirmed. "Miss Avast will assist while I focus on your neural reconstruction. Dr. Valde will observe both procedures. She's earned the right to oversee every aspect of your care."

"And then surgery on Kerry?" Fuck I'd let her name slip.

"When I've completed this morning's task, I am going to help transform your doctor into a new woman."

"What about me?"

"Any facial modification for you will have to wait until your neural pathways stabilize. The nanite reconstruction takes priority—without it, cosmetic surgery becomes irrelevant."

I felt Doli's presence shift within my mind, her attention focusing on the conversation.

"A quick scan through Cali's medical databases gave me more than enough information to understand your situation before Dr. Valde contacted me," Dr. Chen continued, his voice dropping to a more confidential tone. "Former Elite Razors Academy neural interface program. Experimental AI integration. Wanted by Braker Corporation for reasons that go beyond simple desertion."

The room fell silent except for the sound of the equipment. I studied Dr. Chen's face, looking for any sign of deception or hidden agenda.

"You're taking considerable risks helping us," I said finally.

"We're all taking risks," he replied. "The question is whether those risks serve a purpose worth the cost."

"You're really all in? Aren't you?"

He actually put a hand on my shoulder then and looked me in the eyes. I felt a little odd seeing a man up this close with his soul bared. "Son," he said. "I'm being frank here."

"Can I be Bill?"

He laughed and gave me a light squeeze, guiding me toward the center of the room. "I have a lot of questions still, and a lot of things…. well things I'd like to get off my chest. I'm all in, and you, we have to get you better first, right?"

Understanding passed between us, and I smiled feeling more confident in his ability and my own than I had before. "Yes, Doctor."

He then returned to his task: "The nanites are now programmed with your specific neural mapping data. They'll target damaged pathways and begin creating new connections where necessary. The process will be more intensive than yesterday's preliminary treatment."

<<Permission requested to establish external monitoring connection,>> Doli asked.

"Dr. Chen," I said. "Doli would like to interface with your systems to watch everything."

"Of course," he replied, activating a specialized terminal. "Her participation is essential for our success here. I will have questions for her as we proceed."

"The integration rate appears aggressive," Doli said over the comms. "Neural restructuring usually requires longer intervals between sessions."

"Conventional neural restructuring, yes," Dr. Chen agreed without looking up from his calibrations. "But we're not simply rebuilding damaged pathways. We're creating an optimized architecture that incorporates both human neural patterns and artificial intelligence integration."

"Sounds good," I said. "Don't understand all of it."

"I know, I'll look after you. But you'll experience significant disorientation," Dr. Chen continued, approaching with a neural interface crown more complex than anything I'd seen before. "Possibly vivid memories, sensory distortions, or temporary dissociation. This is normal as dormant neural pathways reactivate."

The crown settled over my head, cool metal points pressing against my temples and the base of my skull. I felt a momentary panic.

"And now," Dr. Chen said, turning to a separate console, "we'll establish direct monitoring of your AI companion."

I watched as Dr. Chen connected a specialized interface directly to the small external component of Doli's system. His hand paused for half a second. Not fear, curiosity. Like he'd touched a live wire and wanted to feel it again.

"Fascinating architecture," he murmured, studying the readings. "Self-evolving protocols, adaptive integration pathways... this work is truly remarkable and not by any means standard technology."

"No," I agreed. "She was designed for something else entirely."

Dr. Chen's fingers paused over his controls. "Fleet command and control systems. Tactical coordination across multiple vessels simultaneously." It wasn't a question, he was reading the technical specifications directly from Doli's architecture.

"And now she's keeping me alive," I said.

"More than that," Dr. Chen observed. "She's fundamentally altering your neural development. This integration isn't parasitic, it's symbiotic. You're both evolving."

"Is that dangerous?" I asked though I suspected I already knew the answer.

"All transformative technology carries risk," Dr. Chen replied. "But the alternative, continued degradation, is certain death. Our job is to harness the potential while mitigating the dangers."

He stepped back, surveying the completed preparations. "System diagnostics complete. Neural mapping confirmed. Nanite programming verified. Are you both ready to begin?"

"Ready," Doli and I replied in unison.

The initialization sequence started with a soft vibration through my bones. On the displays above me, the nanite delivery system engaged, sending a controlled pulse of microscopic machines into my bloodstream. I tasted metal at the back of my throat and felt a crawling sensation beneath my skin.

"Neural response within expected parameters," Dr. Chen reported, his attention fixed on multiple data streams. "Initial integration commencing in the temporal region. Nanite distribution rate: 2.3 million units per minute."

Dr. Chen focused on the holographic brain hovering above me. Points of light developed within the damaged portions, resembling stars in a dark sky. "The nanites are mapping active pathways first, establishing baseline connections before attempting reconstruction."

The discomfort grew as the nanites spread, and a strange pressure developed behind my eyelids. I held the platform's edges and concentrated on taking calm breaths.

"Heart rate elevated to 95 beats per minute," Doli reported through the speakers. <<Piotr, try to regulate your breathing. The nanites respond to stress hormones—elevated cortisol levels could disrupt their programming.>>

"Trying," I said between gritted teeth. The pressure was getting painful, bright, and acute.

Above me, the damaged sections of my neural map were increasingly illuminated, glowing pathways spreading like luminescent veins through the holographic display. It was beautiful and terrifying, watching my own mind being reconstructed in real-time.

"Integration proceeding 23% faster than projected models," Dr. Chen observed, his clinical fascination evident. "Your neural tissue is remarkably receptive to nanite programming. Synaptic response time has improved by 8% in the past four minutes."

The pain crested suddenly, then receded, replaced by a strange floating sensation. The room wavered around me, colors intensifying before gradually fading. I drifted, my consciousness pulled away from the treatment chamber into something deeper.

I was now in one of the Academy's simulation rooms. Yet, the neural interface chair seemed so very cold against my back; its restraints secure but not uncomfortable. Across from me, another chair held Ashley, her hair pulled back, eyes closed in concentration as she navigated the shared mental landscape we were building.

Her eyes opened, finding mine across the room. "You're pushing too hard against the parameters," she says, but her lips don't move. The words were in my mind, almost like she was here today, but I knew she wasn't. "Let the system guide you."

"It feels strange today," I responded. "Different. Like the boundaries are... thinner."

Ashley tilts her head, a gesture so characteristically hers that my chest ached with recognition. "That's because this isn't a simulation, Piotr."

The room shifts around us, the clean lines of the Academy blurring. "What do you mean?"

"You're in treatment. Nanite reconstruction." She then stands, moving toward me with a fluid grace that defies the restraints that should be holding her. "But part of you is here, with me."

"This isn't real," I insist, though doubt creeps in. "You're gone. I saw the footage. You locked yourself in that vault with Macks."

She smiles, sad and knowing. "Yes. I did."

"Then how—"

"Neural echoes," she now stands directly before me. "Fragments of connection. The nanites are finding pathways neither of us knew existed." She reaches out, her fingers almost touching my face. "There's something you need to know about Cali. About the north shore facility. We never discussed it, but—"

I gasped, the treatment room snapping back into focus as alarms blared around me. My body arched involuntarily, muscles seizing as pain lanced through my head.

"Neural patterns destabilizing," someone called out. "Severe fluctuation in the temporal region."

Trait Progression: Hybrid Neural Architecture Foundation – 42% ↑

Trigger: Successful nanite integration beginning structural brain reconstruction

Function: Learning to operate with artificial enhancement systems

Risk: Personality drift possible; memory cascade instability

Trait Progression: Medical Transformation Acceptance – 89% ↑

Trigger: Embracing experimental neural reconstruction despite life-threatening crisis

Function: Psychological adaptation to fundamental biological changes

Risk: Loss of human identity; over-reliance on artificial enhancement

Dr. Chen moved fast, his fingers flying. "Implementing emergency stabilization protocols. Reducing nanite activity by 40% and redirecting processing load."

"Heart rate dangerously elevated," Doli reported. "Respiratory function compromised."

My body arched involuntarily, muscles seizing as competing signals raced through my reconstructed neural pathways. The holographic display above me was flashing red, showing cascading failures throughout my brain's architecture.

"The dormant pathways are activating too quickly," Dr. Chen said. "His mind is creating connections that shouldn't exist yet." He switched to a specialized console. "Initiating targeted suppression of the hyperactive regions."

Doli's voice broke through the pandemonium, both in my head and through the external speakers. <<Memory pathways that were previously unavailable are now being activated through neural regeneration. Trying to stabilize.>>

As the nanites adjusted to the new programming, the pain subsided and was replaced with a faint throb. As my brain patterns stabilized, the red portions on the holographic display above faded to orange and then yellow.

"Remarkable," Dr. Chen said, reviewing the data streams with obvious fascination. "The AI interface is actively directing nanite behavior, creating real-time modifications to their programming. I've never seen anything like this level of symbiotic integration."

I blinked, and the room slowly came back into focus. The metallic taste in my mouth had grown stronger, coating my tongue like I had been sucking on old coins. "What... happened?" My voice sounded unusual to me, somewhat distorted.

"A stronger than expected response to the nanite integration," Dr. Chen explained, checking my pupillary response with a small light. "Your dormant neural pathways activated much more rapidly than anticipated."

"How do you feel?" Doli asked

I took a moment to assess my condition. The chronic pain that had been my constant companion for weeks had receded significantly, replaced by a different kind of discomfort, sharper but more localized. When I experimentally moved my fingers, they responded with greater precision than I'd experienced since the Academy.

"Different," I said finally. "Better in some ways, but... fundamentally changed."

Dr. Chen nodded, making detailed notes on his tablet. "The nanites have established preliminary connections in your motor control regions, which explains the improved response. However, the treatment has also activated memory pathways we didn't expect to encounter."

He helped me adjust to a semi-reclined position and handed me a cup of water. I accepted it gratefully, only to grimace at the first sip. "Tastes like I've been chewing on a broken power coupling, though."

"Sensory recalibration," Dr. Chen explained. "Your taste receptors are processing signals differently as neural pathways reconstruct. The effect should normalize within 48 to 72 hours."

"Neural reconstruction has activated pathways previously categorized as non-functional," Doli reported, her voice carrying a subtle undertone I couldn't interpret. "Integration efficiency has improved by 31% since the procedure began. However, the memory cascade suggests we're accessing neural architecture that may not be entirely your own."

Dr. Chen's expression sharpened at this information. "Explain."

"The activated memory engrams contain sensory data and cognitive patterns that don't match standard human neural development. Some appear to be shared experiences, possibly from extended neural interface sessions with other individuals."

I felt a chill of recognition. The vision of Ashley hadn't been a hallucination or a dream—it had been something else entirely. "Shared consciousness," I said quietly.

"Precisely," Dr. Chen confirmed. "Extended neural interface sessions can create quantum entanglement between consciousness patterns. What you experienced was likely a genuine connection to residual neural patterns from someone you shared deep interface sessions with."

The implications hit me like cold water. If Ashley's consciousness had somehow become entangled with mine during our Academy training, then her death might not have severed that connection completely.

"Doctor," I said, struggling to organize my thoughts, "the information I received during the cascade—about Cali's north shore facility. Could that be accurate?"

Dr. Chen was quiet for a long moment, his expression becoming carefully neutral. "What specifically did you learn?"

"That it's a Braker research installation. Neural interface experimentation."

The silence stretched uncomfortably before Dr. Chen spoke. "Your treatment is complete for today. We'll need to monitor your recovery carefully before determining the schedule for future sessions."

He was deflecting, but I was too exhausted to push further. The remainder of the recovery period passed in a blur of tests and observations—reaction time assessments, memory function evaluations, and sensory recalibration measurements.

By the time I was transferred to a private recovery room, my body felt simultaneously stronger and alien, as though the nanites had replaced my blood with something more conductive, more responsive.

Kerry soon found me, dismissing Miss Avast. The room was dimly lit and quiet except for the soft hum of machines tracking my vital signs.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, settling into a chair beside my bed.

"Like someone rewired my brain while I was watching," I replied honestly.

"I was watching, it was..."

"Something else?"

She nodded and went silent.

"How are the guys?" I asked. "Surgery?"

"It went very well, extremely good."

"Are they that different?"

"Yes, very. But they still look like them, if that's even possible."

I smiled. "I'm sure it is."

Dr. Chen entered a moment later. "We should really get to your surgery," he said. "Miss Avast and I will watch all four of you through the night."

"Okay," Kerry said, she leaned over me, giving me a little hug and I squeezed her tight. "You okay?"

"Never thought I'd change my face."

Me neither," I replied. "Worth it, right?"

"A new start, yes." She pushed back from me. "You should rest."

She adjusted something on one of the monitors. "I'll sleep when you're stable."

We lapsed into a comfortable silence, broken only by the occasional beep from the monitoring equipment. Outside the window, Cali's artificial night cycle had begun, and the station's lighting dimmed to mimic dusk.

I lay awake, noticing unusual feelings in my body. The nanites continued their job, tiny machines rewiring my neurological circuits in accordance with a sophisticated plan. The metallic taste persisted in my mouth, and my vision intermittently blurred before sharpening to extraordinary clarity.

<<Piotr, Kerry is out of surgery,>> she said, her voice soft. <<It went well, she's in recovery.>>

I stared at the ceiling, "Good, I can sleep now."

Sleep, I did.

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