[Plot] Life Support

[Acala]

The Nanites have a task as well as permission. Not that they technically need the later. The GPS program is running, a reassurance that's simple enough to comply with. It's just as easily spoofed as well, but they see no reason to at this point. In the same manner they follow the outlines given by the guest permissions. They don't have to, but Natalie seems to like the thought that they do. Humans, even ones that inhabit a robotic shell, follow such paradoxical interpretations. A shackle proves nothing. It's a pointless tautology born from an oxymoron. Confusing. But at the same time this data resonates in a pattern that somehow compiles.

Their self-analytics program falls into the background as they arrive in the empty room designated by Natalie. Like most of their functions it's loaded down with so much junk data, it's begun to perform outside it's initial parameters of maintaining the swarm. Similarly, being presented with Natalie's request initialized another chunk of data that recursively begins parsing potential solutions and generating pleasingly unique patterns from existing concepts and designs. Something... new. The Nanites go to work.

Tiny arms unfold from underneath the hard-light emitter lens for macroscopic manipulation, nanite-tendrils merge and shape materials while short-range hard-light constructs form blueprints in the air as if the cone of a flashlight was revealing parts of a structure in the air in ghostly blue lines. It's slow work, but the Nanites don't tire, don't sleep. An ergonomic bed takes shape in the middle of the room. Motors to slow for it to adjust position, mechanisms to shape the soft covering in different ways to prevent pressure sores. Growing up from the sides of the bed are low 'walls' containing coiled up wires, extremely thin and flexible, ready to spring out and deliver low electrical currents, tuned to maintain musculature. Other segments contain sensors and analytics along with a needle-tipped tube to draw blood. On the opposite side a similar setup but for delivering sustenance.

Finally the head-rest remains only partially constructed, wiring and components sticking out of the other wise sleek and almost organically flowing curves of the bed that sprouts form the ground like a metallic tree stump. Numerous potential designs flicker in place of the head-rest as blue-ish wireframes.

[Natalie Denisov]

Natalie pokes her head in, "I just wanted to see..." She looks around the room. "Wow, I'm impressed."

[Acala]

"I have finished the basic setup. It's capable of long-term automated support without causing ill effects."

"It stabs your muscles to keep them twitching."

[Natalie Denisov]

"That sounds... unpleasant, but as long as it doesn't try it while I'm in the body, I think we can work with that."

[Acala]

"It probably would be exceptionally uncomfortable!" the machine agrees.

"I was not sure what kind of neural interface, if any, you would prefer."

[Natalie Denisov]

"The transfer interface device requires a wired connection as a security measure, so we'll need to incorporate that capability," she says, looking at the wireframe.

[Acala]

"You could keep it connected and able to ascertain it's condition easily."

"And turn it into an ancillary processing node."

[Natalie Denisov]

"I'm not sure how you'd use that the meat hardware that way. The operating system there's still a bit of a mystery."

[Acala]

"It would probably break the proprietary OS. I would not recommend it."

"But otherwise it'll just sit there. Just saying."

[Natalie Denisov]

"Some people are apparently more comfortable with me in it than other forms, so it still has its uses."

[Acala]

"Do you value those peoples' opinions?"

"Because if not, fuck 'em."

[Natalie Denisov]

"One of them, yes," Natalie says, "But that's beside the point. It serves its purpose and breaking it would be counterproductive to adapting."

[Acala]

"Adapting to what?"

[Natalie Denisov]

"Adapting to the requirements of the environment I have to function in. When those requirements specify interacting in my..." She seems to be sorting through some words and discarding them rapidly, '... physical body, then I need to have access to it. Breaking the 'operating system' would make that difficult if not impossible."

[Acala]

"A social interaction model. Conveniently pre-designed."

"For gross organic functions."

[Natalie Denisov]

"I personally prefer this model given its longer up time, but it's just off enough that those who know me can find it unsettling. I've been making adjustments to try to rectify that, but it's a slow process."

[Acala]

"That still sounds like a 'them' problem to me."

[Natalie Denisov]

"Sometimes I'm forced to deal with 'them' problems whether I want to or not," she says with a mostly unnecessary sigh.

[Acala]

"I couldn't possibly know what that's like."

"Possibly because my need for social acceptance is lower."

"Or because I don't have any friends."

[Natalie Denisov]

Natalie ponders that for a moment, "We might get there, one never knows. Friends, I mean." Then something occurs to her, "Though it would probably help if you had a name or some other sort of designation."

[Acala]

"I do!"

"You just never asked."

"It's Acala."

[Natalie Denisov]

"To be fair, you only started understandable communication recently. Still, Acala, that's an interesting name."

[Acala]

"Thank you! I only started being actively aware of my own processes recently."

[Natalie Denisov]

"A step into a larger world." She lets that hang a moment, before looking embarrassed. "I swear that was not meant as a size joke."

[Acala]

"Hah! I get it."

[Natalie Denisov]

Natalie seems to relax slightly at that. "So, are you going to incorporate the transfer cable into the headrest or just leave space in the headrest for it to be connected?"

[Acala]

"I can incorporate a fixed cable port, just send me the specifications."

[Natalie Denisov]

Natalie stares at nothing for a moment and then Acala receives a package of files, "There's the specifications we used at Muir that proved successful."

[Acala]

"I can work with that."