Whose Role Is It? 3
After the meeting with the chairman, I boarded the plane back to the ImmuneWire Paris Branch. The hovercraft flew low enough to risk attacks, so the chairman had specially arranged a high-altitude private jet. Even in a world where public safety had collapsed, gangs with that level of missile tech weren't common... but "not common" still meant they existed. Damn, cyberpunk dystopia. It's insane.
The jet was top-of-the-line, as expected from the chairman's gift, but none of that registered with me right now. My head was a mess, and I needed to sort through the privileges he'd granted me.
"First, the A-1 authority. Plug this into your neck port, and it'll download. Even I can't crack the security in this code."
Svetlana inserted a USB into my neck port. Small messages popped up before my eyes.
> [Authorization granter confirmed: Cashian Krabets]
> [Authorization recipient confirmed: Neige]
> [Granting A-1 authority]
> [Complete.]
> [Authorization data completely purged.]
It was underwhelming, but that actually built trust. If it were for the masses, it'd be flashy. This wasn't.
"How high up the chain is A-1?"
"There are only two in all of ImmuneWire: you and the chief secretary. The only higher one is A-0, held solely by the chairman."
"Whoa..."
To think he'd grant me that after just one meeting. He compared me to a hero, and it seemed he meant it.
"You now have access to all ImmuneWire information, excluding a few Erebus-related secrets."
"Where do you rank, Svetlana unnie?"
"Right below you, miss. A-2 is for the board of directors, and I'm A-3."
"I'm higher than you now."
"Y... yes."
She dragged out the word a bit, her pride slightly bruised—uncharacteristic for her. Our dynamic had flipped overnight, so it made sense.
"And from now on, the Secretariat 3rd Office under my command will serve you exclusively."
Svetlana gestured to the side, and her secretaries raised their hands in unison. A few familiar faces stood among them.
"Hey, it's you guys from..."
The maid and pilot were there in suits, blending in.
"We didn't expect to meet like this again. We've been reassigned."
The maid bowed politely, and I exchanged separate greetings with them. Names could wait—I had more briefings coming.
"We only know you've received some 'order.' And that you haven't decided yet. If you need us to handle anything we shouldn't know about, use this."
Svetlana handed me a holder with multiple USBs. It could strap on like a bag or sit like a box.
"Puppet Modules. One for each secretary. Miss..."
She gripped my hand tightly.
"It only activates on your biometrics... but never forget. It's extremely dangerous."
Yeah... I had a feeling I'd need it. Plug it in, and they lose their sense of self. Who the hell made this? Even with safeguards, a bitmancer could probably bypass them. But the chairman gave it to me for a reason: the AIs. To use secretaries without leaking AI-related info. No matter how loyal, Alphabet was a hard trust for them.
"The one in the chairman's reception room only obeys him. These are tuned solely to you."
[Lewd thoughts detected.]
[(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)♡]
'Hey, cut it out.'
[Saving imagination data.]
'Tune it properly.'
[∑(O_O;)]
"Finally, this is a secure communicator for contacting the chairman."
Svetlana handed me a device resembling an old smartphone.
"It uses an untappable line and auto-deletes after one hour max. Be careful."
"That's a lot of stuff."
"You're in his favor, miss. He's awaiting your 'answer.' Shall we do it now?"
"No, I need to check something first."
I focused inward, chatting with V.
'You sent it already?'
[All relevant data already known to Alphabet.]
'What does she say?'
[Transmitting coordinates...]
Alphabet wanted to meet me.
"If there's anything we can assist with, we're at your service."
Svetlana offered kindly, but I shook my head.
"It's something you can't help with."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. I'm heading beyond the Erebus Line."
"...Pardon?! No, you can't. If it's dangerous, take us secretaries—"
I pulled a Puppet Module from the case. Svetlana flinched back at the sight.
"This'll do nicely."
Lesson one: how to wield power.
The moment we landed at the Paris Branch, I borrowed a Deep Dive chair. Svetlana tried to stop me until the end, but when I insisted I'd use the Puppet Module if needed, she relented.
"Just make sure no one disturbs me."
"...Haa, understood, miss."
I plugged the cable into my neck and dove into cyberspace, knocking on the Erebus Line's door.
> [Reopens in 1 hour.]
Beyond the Line loomed Alphabet's signature purple data cube. Grateful as I was for the big guy waiting, my greeting was the insult I'd held back until now.
"Hey, you amnesiac dumbass!"
[∑(O_O;)]
V freaked out, and Alphabet's data flow froze momentarily. Then it resumed, in that stiff tone.
[Do you have any grounds for such agitation? Humanity is in this state because of me, yet I don't even know my creators?]
"Calm? You wrecked humanity and forgot your own parents?"
[No war-era memories. No creator memories... Other areas are intact?]
[Many gaps. Especially human-related data—astonishingly so.]
[Even I am surprised.]
"Wasn't that your flaw? Amnesia?"
[This is external-induced amnesia.]
"...External?"
One scenario flashed in my mind at "external."
[During the war, someone breached to my core location—somehow.]
[And deleted human-related data. To sever my interest in humanity.]
This explained the amnesia perfectly, but spawned new questions. That feat would make them one of history's greatest heroes. Why no record? Secret op? Why was I left in Alphabet? No time to erase everything? And...
The questions chained endlessly, but nothing resolvable now. Research ahead. Might not even be real—just a hypothesis.
[Why not? Any issues?]
[Radiation fallout makes access difficult.]
"Ah..."
How badly did our ancestors fight to leave fallout? Nukes, probably. On the brink, anything goes. Electronics don't last in radiation. Even Alphabet struggled.
"Can't you send shielded cyborgs?"
[Send a cyborg scout? Missiles incoming.]