RP: Lazarus [Lazarus] - The long walk back

"As I said, I had to install hardware to prevent future brain damage from potential incident recurrences, and also to block possible incidents." Miles spoke, referring to the catastrophic events which transpired the last time he mucked about with Aiesu's brain, and ended up causing her to lose her arms. "Your brain is in a secured cybernetic containment unit, which your new optic is networked to." Miles explained, as he hoped that the information would not jostle Aiesu too much. "I went through the proper procedures to ensure your anonymity and security would be maintained, even implemented the most recent Lazarus secure connection suite."

"So now I'm a tin-man like her?" Aiesu said, scowling in Sana's direction who sat innocuously with some sort of vintage hand-held gaming system applying as much focus into not crushing it with her augmented strength as she does into actually playing.

"I didn't want this."

There was a surge of guilt, but even then, Miles had the words to speak, words of genuine truth; "No, not like her." he spoke as he sat before Aiesu "She was made that way through an elective procedure, it was her choice. For you, it is a measure to save your life, it is a treatment for what can quite possibly kill you, especially considering you're out of limbs to discard."

Aiesu sat up again, wobbling at first before she slid her fingertips into the gaps between her toes, clasping at them and squeezing, as someone might do with their hands. Her features tightened, clearing her throat as she did it a few times before rolling her ankles now.

"It feels different from the constructs..."

"I imagine some degree of compensation was made to allow your damaged neurology to process the input from the constructs." Came the words of insight from Miles, as he watched her undergo a distinctive 'settling in' process he had seen numerous times during his career. "I took my best guess on designing those legs for you, since we did not have the originals to go off of. Do you approve of them, or could they use some cosmetic changes to fit your memory of when you still had a pair?"

"Its been twenty years since I had a pair. I wouldn't know" she said, now squeezing each of her toes individually. As resentful and critical as her expression was, her exploration of these new features was surprisingly meticulous.

"I think thank-you is the word you're looking for" Sana stated flatly.

Out of curiosity, Miles rolled his seat to a tray, looking for a specific tool in which he had brought along, and with it in hand he returned to Aiesu's bedside before he gently reached out and grasped her leg from behind, gently cradling the calf as he spoke; "Mmm, I'm going to test your nerve response to touch stimuli." he spoke, before he applied the tool he had in hand, an ancient tool, refereed to as a neurowheel, which pretty much amounted to a rolling metallic wheel with a series of pointed ends which were meant to stimulate the nerves as it rolled along the skin. Miles did just as the tool was meant for, rolling it from her knee, all the way down to her ankle, before rolling the tool over the sole of Aiesu's synthetic foot. "How does it feel?"

Her lips were wrinkled in some strange zig-zag configuration which seemed uncomfortable for her to hold, cerise eyes darting to one side as her toes wrinkled.

"Hnnggk... Haa..Hah.. ... T...That's awful..." she cleared her throat, crossing her arms over her belly.

Sana eyed Miles suspiciously. This... Wasn't how Nepleslians reacted. They knew a few things about Lorath but this, this was new. Unless this wasn't new. Slowly, Sana turned back to glance at Aiesu with a look of skepticism.

"Awful?"

At Sana's gaze, Miles looked over, and with a sort of dialog that could only be shared between those which were truly a couple, there was a sort of brief exchange regarding Aiesu's reception of the favor, and sensation, as well as the cultural implications, but almost to prove a point, Miles set aside the instrument, before he ran his synthetic-latex encased finger over Aiesu's calf, then along the edge of her foot. "Your nerve response seems accurate, that means that your body is accepting the input. It is a good sign, means that the legs were made within tolerances to your individual biology." he explained, as he watched for Aiesu's reaction; "When I put the legs together, I made sure to design them with specifications intended for optimal delivery of torque and with an above average ability to react to weight distribution in relation to position and terrain stability. Though, I did use your biology and a computer extrapolation of your medical records as a basis, which needed next to no alteration from the original performance capabilities. You have an excellent set of legs for a Lmanel athlete."

"W-Whuh?" Aiesu uttered, her toes wriggling. Her calf quivered against Miles' fingertips as she held her leg up for him - a look in her eyes not one Miles had seen before. It hung there for a few moments, painfully honest before she snapped her ankle back and crossed her legs together to sit.

"T-Thanks."

From a distance, Sana smirked.

Miles did not even have to look to Sana, just his posture would say those words, those infamous words that were ever so the hallmark of being a bit of a brat in a debate; 'I told you so'.

"You're welcome." Miles spoke, as he withdrew his hands, not wishing to overstay the welcome within Aiesu's personal space, as he took a look at a monitor still observing Aiesu's life-signs. "Looks like the nanomachines have managed to knit you up enough so you're ambulatory. In fact, since the new organs I placed are doing their job of aiding in your mending, I don't see why we can't keep you under observation in your own dorm room. Still need you to have some bed rest though." as Miles spoke on the matter, his thoughts traveled along his checklist of things that needed doing, and by Miles' measure, most everything was going according to plan. There was one question though.

"Sana." Miles spoke over their secure connection "When would you like to conduct the test?"

"The test?" it came back.

At this point, Aiesu was now exploring the seams along her biceps and thighs, noticing how they'd become fainter in the last hour or so.

"They feel... Kind of cold."

"Yes, the test, of the components which were placed at your recommendation" Miles replied silently to Sana, even as he looked to Aiesu and spoke verbally; "Mmm, right now we're mainly concerned with function of sensory input and motor control. There are heating units within the limbs to provide life-like temperatures upon your exterior, they also double for keeping your limbs from having difficulties in freezing conditions, but they still need to be tested and calibrated. More work to be tackled over time."

"So I'm going to be able to walk eventually. That's... Reassuring?" Aiesu began, digging her synthetic fingernails into her synthetic leg. It didn't take her long to work out it wouldn't bleed in spite of the sensation. She watched as the small indent left by her nail slowly sealed of its own volition -- catching a glimpse at the metal frame supporting the artificial muscle and fake skin.

She tried again, this time further up her leg -- tracing her nail slowly along her knee and up to her thigh until she felt herself audibly wince.

"They're numb. But this is definitely a start... Though..." she rolled her shoulders, trying not to laugh.

"Numb?" Sana piqued up, holding something resembling a pizza-cutter in her surgically gloved hand. She ran it along the back of Aiesu's calf -- who hadn't actually even noticed anything was happening as the thin needle like spikes rolled gently over the skin.

"Do you feel that?"

"I don't."

"How about this?"

"...Nope."

"And this?"

"Haa...hahah... Stopitstopitstopit..."

Sana released Aiesu's ankle, heel slamming against the metal table. The Lmanel should have winced or cradled herself but she just... Stared at Sana -- who reached into a metal brief-case, replacing her Wartenberg wheel now with a stun-gun which clicked menacingly.

"So you're not completely numb..."

"I don't like where this is going. Dr. Gunn?"

"Hmmm...?"

Sana advanced.

"Miles?"

Miles watched, eyebrow raised, and as he observed he mused to his self; So this is how she wants to do it? A bit more aggressive than anticipated, more so without even testing the partition capability. So brazen... she likely forgot. Two brain surgeries in a day is what it looks like. Thoughts soon halted from Miles, as the situation escalated and he soon intervened. "Ah, Sana, now now, you're just being excessive... Whoa there!" Miles exclaimed, as he made a move... but as he made his exclamation, he sent a signal to Aiesu's newly installed neurological partition. A separator between conscious states, essentially using that moment of distraction as something which would not seem too suspicious to the unaltered portion of Aiesu's being. It would be a simple excuse for another time 'Oh well, Sana stunned you and caused you to black-out... she had a lapse of reason is all.' It would be perfect.

For that moment though, as Miles switched Aiesu over remotely, he went about plucking the electrical weapon from his fiance's hand. "Tisk tisk, Sana, we're still in the calibration phase. You're liable to blow a fuse or something like that. Though, thank you for the distraction." he spoke, before he went about working the weapon in one hand, causing the tell-tale high-pitch crackle to sound as he moved it over Sana's far-superior synthetic thigh. "Speaking of calibration... Aiesu, you there?" Miles asked, as he turned his gaze to the Lmanel who was due for some distinctively intensive adjustment. Sure, she would start out as the very same Aiesu as normal, it was just a matter of having her awake for the adjustment procedures to ensure they set in properly.

Whoever now sat there on the slab almost wasn't Aiesu Kalopsia. Gone was the scowl. The intense stare. The constant scratching and picking at her synthetic limbs.

This person, scarcely called Aiesu at all sat with her heels together, knees wide and flat in a diamond shape leant forward on the columns of her arms, rocking forward.

To say she couldn't sit still would arguably have made the word understatement blush. And yet in spite of that, she didn't seem especially interested in what was happening around her. Her eyes were barely open as if she were swimming elsewhere, her lips taut into a broad goofy smile and her voice humming quietly to herself as if she didn't even realise Sana was even there or that Miles was even talking.

Reaction is negligible. Cognitive behavior is significantly reduced. Impulse control seems sharply reduced. Normal behaviors seem suspended... but fuck, that smile somehow scares me... I need to cap those teeth. Miles' thoughts rang through his mind in that moment of looking upon Aiesu. "Looks like she's in her rabbit hole." he commented, speaking an ancient Nepleslian cliche as he turned his gaze back to Sana. "Well, now we get to pretend its Lewis Pasco Day, and we just received a gift machine-gun kit that needs assembly before we can go out and play."

They had their new toy, she just needed to be put together properly, and that was a job for 'qualified personnel', which in all truth, neither Miles or Sana really were anywhere near qualified to put together a full blown well balanced member of society, but they most certainly were qualified to put together the psyche of someone meant to be a blatant contradiction of the high-strung neurotic mess which was Aiesu in her natural state.

Remote cybernetic programming link said:

>Run: neurological-basic suite % Aiesu.K Connection % Stored Credentials ***********, ************, **************.
>> Connecting... ... ... ... ... ... Connection Established
>Establish New Profile - Aiesu.K Partition B
>Edit Aiesu.K Partition B
>Input?
>>> Immediate Instruction; Verbal Action; Say "You type it, I think it."

Click to expand...

"Well, here goes the first test." Miles spoke, while silently pulling Aiesu's newly established strings through his wireless link-up, his cybernetic optic showing a rather primitive programming interface, but one which had deceptively complex function hidden behind the simplistic interface.

"I type it... "

♫ Aivi & Surasshu - "Shapeshifter"

" ...You think it."

The words came almost without hesitance, shallow clumsy newborn laughter quietly ringing in her throat as she stared at her hands as if entering the existential quandary of why ten fingers were necessary and precicely what necessitated a finger as opposed to say a belly-button or nipple, the latter of which she was now exploring with her patient's gown hanging about her waist.

"Mmm, my work went better than I expected it would." There was an amused tone as Miles spoke those words, while putting his arm around Sana's waist and holding her at his side. "She's an open and empty book. I doubt she even has a concept of identity at this point. What do you think dear, should we make something from scratch for her, or should we import her normal personality and ah...remodel it?" A passive pat to Sana's bottom came from Miles, before he stepped over to Aiesu, looking into her distant ruby-like eyes.

Am I a good person? Miles could not help but to wonder in that moment, before a smile crossed his lips. Of course I am, because from this, I will heal her... It'll just have perks.

"Such innocence, such a pleasant state, I think regardless of if we start from scratch, or use some of the real her, we need to make it so she can remain as close to this as possible. Some may think being an airhead is a bad thing, but this, it must be the closest thing to peace she's had in decades." Miles spoke, waxing poetic, as he resumed his input through the interface.

Remote cybernetic programming link said:

>Input?
>>>Immediate Instruction; motor control.......

Click to expand...

There was a smile from Miles, as he patted Aiesu's cheek "Keep exploring yourself while we make our plans for you."

♫ James Houston - "Big Ideas (don't get any)" (Cover: Radiohead's "Nude")

At this point, Aiesu had began gnawing on one of her feet, sinking those worryingly sharp teeth into them. She'd actually begun by attempting to scratch her neck with said foot - stressing stitches along her body. She knew that something felt bad so she immediately chose to blame her numb foot. Even so it was ineffectual: Teething the same way a baby would.

With a thud she rolled off the slab and Sana had to lift the L'manel by the scruff of her neck, depositing her back onto it then giving her a pat on the head.

"Its like she's really gone, isn't it?" she then said, snapping her fingertips side to side before Aiesu's unblinking eyes before glancing back at Miles. It was like she wasn't even in the room with them - saliva trickling down the corner of her mouth.

"Am I like this when I'm under...?"

Nothing.

"Hey Miles, didn't I tell you this was a good idea? Didn't I?"