Звездопад / Starfall: Глава 28

Chapter 28
* * *

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:26

Sometimes there is no choice. No matter how much you would like otherwise, reality puts you in front of the facts and you have to choose only your attitude to this fact. The fact itself falls outside the bounds of the possible and selectable, becoming a mere given.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:27

It was just such a case. It was obvious from the face of the chief of medical service that he very much did not want to give Alex bad news, and Alex very much did not want to hear bad news from the chief of his medical service, but they were both like two oncoming trains on the same track, doomed to face the inevitable. It was so quiet that it seemed to be possible to hear the mental brakes grinding, foreshadowing this crescendo of inevitability, while the chief medical officer, not noticing the awkward pause, tried to pick up verbal laces that could at least somehow smooth out the inevitable.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:28

“Something wrong with the scan?” Alexa asked muffledly. The frantic thought work reflected on the Chief of Medicine's tense face did not promise good news. He, while waiting for the results, had managed to exhaust himself with thoughts: “NotTaer - read the situation, but still let herself be scanned. Even if it was part of her plan to create evidence. But the footage of him shooting her with a needle would have been enough.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:30

The recording, of course, was not much evidence under local law, not even evidence at all. But first of all, he wouldn't have been surprised to learn that NeTaer had organized a living witness, and secondly, it didn't matter. She had allowed herself to be scanned. So she was sure it wouldn't do anything. That it wasn't dangerous for her. That it wouldn't work. That it wouldn't get the guider out of her.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:32

\\“Maybe she has some kind of shielding threads implanted in her head to protect her from scanning?” He wouldn't be surprised at this point, which was why the first question was about the scans.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:33

Chief of Medicine did not answer immediately, it took him a few seconds to realize that the question had sounded and to break away from his thoughts:

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:33

“No, Your Lordship, it went perfectly normal,” He replied pulling a pained, strained smile across his face. “Nominal procedure, as we say. Got the expected responses from the induced reaction tags.”

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:34

“Then...” Alex stretched, trying to suppress the involuntary irritation. He didn't like this walking around. “What's wrong, though?” Carefully separating the words again he asked. It didn't need face-reading skills to realize that something was very wrong. Something was wrong.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:36

“Tags of induced reactions, Your Lordship.” The Chief of Medicine mumbled curtly, avoiding eye contact with 'his lordship. “They're present in most of the control sectors. Almost all of them.”

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:37

“I still don't understand.” He no longer felt the need to hide the anger in his voice.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:39

“It takes too long to check every neuron, your lordship.” Chief of Medicine spoke even faster, as if he were in an exam and was now gibbering hopelessly over the only ticket he'd learned by heart, clearly aware that the grade was already going to be lamentable anyway. “Normal practice is to divide them into groups of a hundred thousand neurons, called sectors, and test a random one from the group. This allows you to quickly identify sectors with tags of induced reactions and then refine the specific structure...” He paused and finally looked into Alex's eyes and added:

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:41

“There are marker responses in most sectors, Your Lordship. It's too much...” The Chief of Medicine sighed, adding a careful, measured, vile sympathy to his voice that made Alex want to punch him in the face. “Scan results show that most of Dilthar's brain is labeled as artificially induced structures.”

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:43

Something like this was what he expected, some kind of deception:

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:43

"Some kind of disguise?" Alex clarified, confirming his doubts. "Did they mark everything so that it would be impossible to find where the guider was?"

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:45

“That's possible, too.” Cautiously, the Chief of Medicine nodded. “But...” he stretched out, starting to flee again with his gaze. “Adding a tag to an existing alive neuron is much more difficult than deploying an artificially grown one that has the markers in it originally.”

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:47

“Wait.” Alex frowned, trying to realize what he had heard. “So you're saying that Dilthar's brain is one massive guider - an artificial construct.”

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:49

“It appears so, your lordship.” The Chief of Medicine's hands spread and he reflexively pulled his head into his shoulders as if expecting to be shouted at.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:52

“Is that even possible?” Asked Alex struggling with the cacophony of his thoughts, //“Those words of hers about there being no one to save, and that there is no Taer... A completely artificial construct? But why does she seem familiar to me, and say she knows me? How can an artificial mind know anyone?”.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:53

“Well...” Stretched out the Chief of Medicine not knowing what the best answer would be. “It doesn't contradict what we know about what's possible, your lordship.”

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:54

“So this is some kind of known and common practice?” Alex raised his eyebrow involuntarily, looking at the Chief of Medicine with surprise. It was the first time Alex had heard of such a thing, but on the other hand: //“Maybe it's just rare?

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:54

"No, Your Lordship, it is by no means common.” He was hastily contradicted. "I confess, I've never heard of such a thing... but...” The Chief of Medicine waved his hands as if the answer were self-evident. "As soon as induced reactions became widespread, the possibility of doing something like this was theorized. An induced reaction of an entire layer of thought..... It's just...” He spread his hands again with a blank stare. "It's clearly against the Edict of Ethics, and insanely expensive. I mean millions of danarii expensive. Incredibly difficult. There are probably a lot of options that wouldn't be viable at all. And even a conventionally successful product would probably be mentally unstable. But it's technically possible, Your Lordship. Crazy, complicated, expensive, and most importantly, it's not clear why someone doing it at all, but it's possible."

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 05:56

“Suppose so.” Alex nodded, he wasn't going to argue with the local specialist about what was possible and what wasn't, but purely logically it was still strange. “If it's so complicated, insanely expensive and you've never heard of it. It makes sense that it's more of a disguise.” Alex voiced the only reasonable conclusion. “Isn't it?”

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 17:47

“I can't be sure Your Lordship, I'm not an expert on induced reactions.” Again the Chief of Medicine waved his hands in frustration. "But what I do know about them is that it's easier to reassemble the whole brain than mark every neuron."

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 14:28

"But you said that the testing is selective, didn't you?"

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 14:28

“Yes, quite so, your lordship.” The Chief of Medicine nodded frequently. “But what are the chances that by randomly selecting a neuron out of hundreds of thousands we'll come across the one that's been altered? Such coincidences are possible, but statistically so unlikely that...” He spread his hands again. “The chance is ghostly small.”

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 14:29

"What else can you say?" He asked tiredly, feeling his mind sinking into a kind of limbo just not knowing how to react to such information.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 14:32

“The induced layer is not homogeneous. We found markers from three different guiders, and even pure original tissue, a decent portion of the hypothalamus - no markers at all. But it's quite small.” He added, clasping an imaginary nut in the air with his fingers and spreading his hands regretfully. “Insufficient even to control physiology let alone thinking. Guiders aren't equal either. One is quite small with an atypical structure and, if I may make an assumption, is most likely a copy of another species' neurostructure altogether. Judging by its location, it is connected with movement and unconditional reflexes. The other two are roughly equal in area and largely interpenetrate each other. Unfortunately, I can't say more than that.” He waved his hands. "This is where an expert is needed."

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 14:34

“Alex repeated idly, it wasn't a question, he didn't doubt the nurse's words. //“I can see why she let herself be scanned.” The realization fell like a heavy dust bag. //She found it profitable. Those words of hers about there being no one to save, and that there was no Taer... I didn't get the hint and I was given a demonstration. A demonstration....” He grasped at that word and allowed himself a few moments of desperate meaningless hope. //“Could it be a demonstration?” - After all, there were chances that the scan results had somehow been tampered with, or altered.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 17:49

"How confident are you in the data you have obtained? Could there have been any interference with the equipment?"

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 17:50

"I...” The Chief of Medicine hesitated, obviously not expecting such a question. "I don't know, Your Lordship." He finally answered. "The equipment was placed in the tower where we were told it would be, and no special guards were posted at the scanners. I suppose that's a matter for the head of the guard."

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 17:56

"Okay, thank you. You're free for now, but I'll contact you if I have any questions as I review the report."

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 17:57

"Of course, your lordship.” The Chief of Medicine bowed hastily. "Whenever you like, of course."

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 17:57

He glanced at the Chief of Medicine's hasty retreat and looked thoughtfully at the office door as it closed behind him for a while before he reached for the communicator key.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 17:58

"Tell them not to bother me for the next hour." He instructed his secretary droid. "Exceptions to be made only for emergencies and for calls from Lady Niazur." He'd asked Artala for help with the searches, and it would be the ultimate indecency to keep her waiting.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 17:59

Having given the order, he extinguished the holo screen with the report hanging above the table, took out his personal communicator, whose number was known to literally three people, and turned to the window, plunging into contemplative waiting.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 18:14

Dense streams of flyers like shimmering snakes flowed over the peaks of towers against the background of the pale lilac sky - at night the spectacle was more impressive, now thanks to the light and at the same time muted colors created a feeling of calm ordinariness:

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 18:15

//“Just the thing for waiting.” Alex waited for the suggestion. If he had any idea how Not Taer thought, this whole demonstration with scanning was arranged for a reason. She was after something, something she wanted to gain. So the demonstration had to be followed by an offer.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 18:16

The shrill beeping of the comm went off half an hour later:

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 18:16

"Am I interrupting?” Taer murmured into the phone, ”It's a voice call, the video feed has been turned off on purpose."

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 18:17

"No, I've been waiting for your call."

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 18:17

“You shouldn't have said that.” Her soft laugh tickled his ear. “What woman would want to hear that she's become predictable? How are the results of my scan?” She asked in an already more serious tone.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 19:39

"Worse than I'd expected," Alex admitted sincerely.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 19:39

“Losing illusions is always painful.” The voice was full of genuine sympathy, but he'd learned enough about her way of speaking to know she was joking.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 19:40

“It's all relative.” He hummed. “One thing can flow into another. Illusions become a reality and vice versa.”

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 19:41

“Given enough energy and chances...” She agreed but immediately faltered as if she'd remembered something more important. “Anyway, I'm on business.”

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 19:41

"I'm listening."

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 19:42

“I want to offer you a way to rid Taer of me, that's what you want, isn't it?"

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 19:42

“Not a fact, but let's assume.” He grinned, surprised at how true that answer was. Did he want to help Taher, yes, absolutely. But did he want to get rid of NotTaer? He didn't know and certainly didn't want to find out.

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 19:43

"Well, I'm willing to help with that. See, I need a body, but it doesn't have to be Taer."

Camrad_RIP 21.05.24 в 19:44