Legends of Amacia Return of the Beowulf
Chapter 25: Pros and Cons of Cyberization

Once everyone got back to the Tower, they went into the living area and Hannibal asked Enoch to bring Josephine, Magnus, Muriel, Morpheus, and Horace in to discuss an important topic regarding Rachel. Kida and Rachel were elsewhere, but Electra was there and immediately asked if what she had heard was true. Hannibal informed her that it was, and that they were going to have a meeting that they didn’t want Rachel to know about. Electra nodded, saying, “I’ll make sure that they don’t come around while you’re in here. What is it that you don’t want her to know about yet?”

Hannibal looked around at those present, being Selina, Nemesis and Xavier, saying, “You saw the miracle hand. I’m proposing we replace her missing limbs with cybernetic prosthetics. We still don’t know if the Nano-Chamber has the proper setup to replace limbs yet, so I’m considering cybernetics for her and the others who are maimed. It’s just a stop-gap measure until we get confirmation the Nano-Chamber can do it. What I need to know from them is if it is possible, and if it can be made to look as real and feel as real as a real limb. What I want for Rachel and the others is to be able to have as normal a life as possible. I don’t intend for them to be a living weapon like Nemesis here, just to be more normal. I want Rachel to be able to move around on her own; jump, laugh, and play like any eight year old.”

“Oh,” Electra breathed in understanding. “I see, and you want it to be a surprise. She won’t hear a thing until you tell her.”

Hannibal smiled as he sat in a chair with Selina beside him in her new wheel chair. “Good,” he said. “Just keep them out of here for a couple of hours. I don’t want to get her hopes up just yet.”

Electra patted him on the shoulder saying, “No problem; I’ll go make sure they are kept occupied elsewhere.” She slipped away as Josephine, Magnus, Muriel, Morpheus, and Horace returned with Enoch and Elle. They came in and sat down.

“Now what’s this all about?” Enoch asked bluntly.

Hannibal smiled at all of them wryly. “Don’t be like that, brother,” he chimed. “It’s not what you think. This has nothing to do with the Emperor. But it does have to do entirely with a little girl that was crippled by those evil men in the dungeons, our sisters who were made into living dolls, and all the others who have lost limbs to the Emperor. I have asked you here for one simple purpose. Rachel has lost her limbs. I mean to replace them with some form of cybernetic limbs until we have definitive proof the Nano-Chamber where Jo reversed my mutation can replace those limbs. I want her to be able to do everything a girl her age is supposed to do. I don’t want her crippled for the rest of her life. She deserves better than that. The Almighty restored her hand, but I don’t think it is in His will to restore the rest of her limbs in that fashion, not that He couldn’t do it. So, what I need to know here is whether it can be done. Each of you are cybernetically enhanced and you, Horace, as both a former Cadre wizard and a cyborg, you may know something about the procedure. I don’t want to turn her into a weapon…just to give her and the others like her a more normal life.”

“That’s a truly noble request,” Magnus stated plainly. “But what you ask is going to be a difficult thing to do. As for doing what you want, I cannot tell you how it was done to us. We woke with the machinery already imbedded in our flesh. We have no memory of how we got this way.”

Hannibal looked at Muriel and she said, “He’s telling the truth. I have lived over six hundred cycles and I have no memory of how I came to be like this. But I can tell you with certainty, cybernetics are not always a good thing. They are affected by magnetic fields, electricity, and many other electromagnetic phenomena. Just recall what happened to me when you set off the core in Acheron. Furthermore, my cybernetics are integrated into my vital organs. I have to be very careful where I go and what I do, as does Nemesis, Magnus and Josephine. I don’t know about Horace though. I don’t think his cybernetics are tied into his vital organs like the rest of us.”

“It isn’t,” Horace admitted. “But they do tend to be a real pain in the ass at times.”

“I hate to admit it, but they’re right,” Nemesis stated flatly. “I know what you want to do for her and the others like her. But understand something. Rachel is but eight and is still growing. She still hasn’t flowered yet. Cybernetics don’t grow as a person grows. They are static. You could give her cybernetic arms and legs, but when she grows into the beautiful young woman that I know she will become, her cybernetic arms and legs will still be that of a girl eight cycles old. It will be awkward and painful. She’d have to have repeated procedures to upgrade the cybernetics as she grows. Full upgrades often involve surgery and can be dangerous to those who are not strong. Don’t let these mechanized attachments fool you. They are exceptionally painful at times, especially when the power levels drop off. You saw that when Josephine overtaxed her power reserves to restructure her lower appendages into the legs she now uses.”

“That we did,” Selina agreed. “We were really worried about her when that happened and found that short in her power regulator. I’m glad we were able to repair it.”

“I am too,” Josephine stated. “Since that repair, I haven’t had any trouble keeping my power levels up.”

“Such is my point,” Nemesis declared, “Cybernetics, even Josephine’s, require constant maintenance. Seems to me what you need is some kind of prosthesis that can grow with the girl, something that can mature with her. But as of now, I know not if even such a technology exists apart from the Nano-Chamber, which we are still studying. As of now, it can theoretically replace those limbs, but the program for doing it is corrupted almost beyond recognition. The program will have to be purged, reinstalled, and then tested repeatedly before we try it on little Rachel.”

“Nemesis is correct in his assessment,” Josephine said softly. “The Nano-Chamber’s limb replacement program was apparently decimated with much of its other functions in the Kragonar. From what we can see, a massive EMP hit it and scrambled most of the programs despite the shielding it has. With the help of Enoch, Elias, Nemesis, and Magnus, I was able to salvage and reinforce the core programs I used to reverse your mutation. However, the other programs are scrambled and inoperative. The drives holding those programs will need to be purged, and the backup copies of those programs reinstalled, just as Nemesis stated. Repeated testing and simulations will need to be done at that point, just as we did for your mutation reversal program to make sure nothing bad happens. However, that’s entirely dependent upon us finding those backups. We’ve been searching the Archive for them, but we haven’t found them yet.”

“I see,” Hannibal replied softly, putting his fingers together in front of his jaw. “Keep looking for the backups. I know the Nano-Chamber is the way to replace Rachel’s and her friends’ missing pieces. It’s the only logical way to do it.”

“We haven’t given up,” Josephine stated. “Even now, Elias is combing through the Archive looking for those backups. I’m sure we’ll find them and be able to use the Nano-Chamber in the way you want.”

“Do you agree with what Nemesis and Magnus said about cybernetics, Jo?” Hannibal inquired bluntly.

“I do,” Josephine answered firmly. “It’s one thing to cyberize an adult who has finished growing. It’s quite another to do that to a child. Rachel is still growing. She would not benefit from cybernetic attachments. Althea, Tala, and Suko, on the other hand would be prime candidates for cybernetic arms and legs since they are full-grown adults. Still, I would advise against it even for them. The cybernetics we would have to use are far cruder than what I have with my nano-machines. Because of that, they’d be very high maintenance, subject to breakdowns and failures. Furthermore, the cybernetic attachments you’re considering would have to be surgically grafted to the patient, which creates even more chances for failure. For one, the patient’s body may reject the fusion of machine and flesh. I’ve seen it happen on a regular basis as I monitored the Cadre’s cyberization projects. No, I would advise against cybernetics unless there’s no other option.”

Hannibal put his fingers together in front of his chin as he considered the arguments. They were overwhelming against cybernetics. This discouraged him. Turning to Horace, he asked, “All right, Horace. You were Cadre, and are a cyborg yourself. Are they right?”

Horace nodded, saying, “I’m afraid so. We have top of the line cybernetics, but everything they told you is true. Unlike my colleagues here, I was awake when they attached my machine arm. Even with the proper local anesthesia, the procedure was extremely painful, especially after that anesthesia wore off. That in itself is a major reason not to use cybernetic limbs for the little girl. As Nemesis pointed out, the upgrades would be very hard on her. I’m not sure she’d be up to it because of how much damage the guards did to her.”

“I agree,” Muriel concurred. “Rachel doesn’t need any more pain and she certainly doesn’t want to end up looking like us. There has to be another way.”

“I’m sure there is,” Horace stated. “And we shall continue to look for it. If it were up to me, I’d use more standard non-cybernetic prosthetics for our maimed brothers and sisters, at least until we figure out whether we can use the Nano-Chamber to do limb replacement. Give us time. We’ll discover the answer. I’m sure of it.”

“Horace is right,” Enoch admitted. “We must not rush this. It’s essential we get this right, just as we did with your mutation reversal, Hannibal. Besides, Horace is a genius when it comes to the ancient technology. It’s obvious that’s why he was Emperor’s chief research on the ancient tech. He has a natural understanding of it.”

“I see,” Hannibal stated. “I figured as much. We are certain glad you came on board with us during the rescue raid, Horace.”

“So am I,” Horace agreed, “But there’s one thing that is little known amongst my colleagues though. A large part of my job was research into the ancient technologies, which is why I’m so familiar with it. However, even with all the advances that we had over the tens of thousands of cycles since the Kragonar, our technology, when it comes to what you are talking about, is still serious lagging behind what our ancestors did. Mistress Josephine is our exhibit A for that. Her cybernetic enhancements are far beyond what we were able to do with Nemesis, Magnus, and the other Xenians, and they are cutting-edge tech. However, she does possess the key to what you want to do.”

“You mean her organic nano-machines, right?” Morpheus asked.

“Indeed,” Horace stated. “As everyone here knows, she was cyberized with a combination of metal and organic nano-machines created in the 1st Age. Those nano-machines are far superior to anything the Emperor has been able to recreate since the Kragonar. Nemesis and Magnus both are the top of the line when it comes to our ability to create and utilize nano-machines in the cyberization process. Yet, their cybernetics and nano-machines are incredibly crude when compared to what Josephine has. This was one of my primary missions as top researcher for the Emperor: to find the way to recreate both the metal and organic nano-machines used in Josephine and apply them to our cyberization program.

“As of now, we haven’t been able to do that. However, one of the last things I uncovered in my research of the ancient texts and technology is the versatility of these nano-machines used by both Thoth and the Emperor in the 1st Age. I discovered that Thoth used those nano-machines, particularly the organic ones, to provide replacement limbs such as arms, hands, legs, and feet for those maimed in the war with the Emperor. The most fascinating thing about this is these replacements created by the nano-machines would grow and mature if used on a child who lost their limbs. It’s all about the programing instilled in the nano-machines. The texts said these organic nano-machines could literally rebuild a missing limb organically. They’d be able to create a compatible flesh and blood limb using cloned material from the patient.”

Horace suddenly peeled the skin glove off his machine arm and declared, “When I saw that, I became obsessed with discovering that secret because of this machine arm of mine. I want a real arm, not a machine one, though this machine arm has been very handy in my research. But as Nemesis, Josephine, and Magnus have testified, these machines can be very temperamental and need constant maintenance. I was on the verge of a breakthrough in that research when Nemesis saved my life in the throne room after I reported the failure of the assault on Acheron. I was so close, but when the Emperor tried to kill me because of that bad report, I fled, giving up on that research until the Nano-Chamber came to my attention. Your thought that the Nano-Chamber is the answer to the missing limb dilemma is correct, Master Hannibal. When I saw that machine under Josephine’s control literally reverse a genetic level mutation on Hannibal using 1st Age organic nano-machines, I realized my research hadn’t been stopped. I’d actually been given a great gift that would allow me to find the secret of the 1st Age nano-machines.

“In the process of preparing the Nano-Chamber for your mutation reversal, I was able to study not just the organic and metal nano-machines of the 1st Age, but a true piece of 1st Age tech that uses them. The Nano-Chamber is designed to rebuild missing limbs using the nano-machines. But it just doesn’t replace the limb with nano-machines, the nano-machines actually reconstruct the living limb, just as it restructured you in the mutation reversal, Master Hannibal. It can, and will provide real, compatible living limbs to whoever needs them. The only problem we have is finding those backup programs for the Nano-Chamber’s mainframe. We find those programs and giving that little girl her arms and legs back will be child’s play. That’s why we’re combing the Archive so thoroughly. We must find those programs. Once those programs are reinstalled, calibrated, and tested, we can do what you want. I know we’re close to finding and fixing the Nano-Chamber’s primary functions. Because of this and the negative factors when it comes to cybernetic attachments, I’d strongly advise against using cybernetics, especially with your little girl. Just give us a little more time. We’ll get it up and running. You have my word on it.”

“That’s true,” Nemesis agreed. “We just need time to make the repairs to the machine.”

“Time is a luxury we do not have,” Hannibal reminded everyone. “The Emperor is on the move and the Rising is imminent. These last electromagnetic storms are proof of that.”

“True,” Josephine concurred. “We’ve all seen and felt the storms with their electromagnetic, temporal, and gravimetric anomalies. Each time one occurs, it’s a force of magnitude stronger than the previous one. The gravity wave that hit you from the last storm should be more than enough proof of that, Hannibal. Still, we must remember our priorities here. Yes, it’s important that we repair the Nano-Chamber so it’s fully functional. However, it isn’t a life or death situation. It’s not going to hurt our cause if we don’t get it fixed right away. Those poor souls who have been maimed like Rachel will not die if we don’t replace their limbs right away. Furthermore, it’s not like what we had to do for your mutation reversal. Doing that was something we could not put off and you know it.”

“You’re right,” Hannibal admitted. “I’m being distracted by this. The Emperor is gunning for our heads and here I am trying to get replacement limbs for those who lost them. What good will those replacements do if we don’t stop the Emperor? He’ll take more than their limbs if we don’t stop him. Thank you for reminding me of my priorities. Please, keep working on the Nano-Chamber, but don’t let it interfere with more important tasks such as our preparations to deal with the Emperor. And thank you, all of you, for your candid evaluation of cybernetics as an option for limb replacement. Does anyone have any ideas about how we could give our maimed brothers and sisters temporary replacement limbs? I’m now thinking some form of prosthetic that isn’t cybernetic might be a useful measure until we get the Nano-Chamber repaired.”

“We’re way ahead of you in that area,” Enoch chimed. “The people are already creating artificial limbs for those who have lost them. In fact, do you remember Tal?”

“I do,” Hannibal replied. “That’s one boss wheelchair he gave Selina, and it’s so easy to move too.”

“Well, Tal makes more than just wheelchairs,” Enoch stated. “I’ve been working with him for some time in designing what you call prosthetic limbs for the people. He’s been creating some of the most advanced non-cybernetic artificial limbs I’ve ever seen, and sharing them with those who need them. Maybe you need to talk to him about that.”

“That is a very good idea,” Morpheus agreed. “I’ve been in his shop several times. Every time I’ve been there, I’ve seen very advanced artificial limbs being worked on alongside the weapons and armor he’s very skilled in forging. Speaking with Master Tal would be a very good idea, Master Hannibal.”

“I did not know he was a master prosthetics maker,” Hannibal admitted. “I will indeed talk to him. Thank you for bringing him to my attention.”

“You’re welcome, little brother,” Enoch chimed. “Like we keep telling you, we’re here to help. You don’t have to do all this by yourself. We won’t let you down.”

“So true,” Magnus rumbled pleasantly. “We all know what’s at stake and will do everything to help you finish the Emperor. You just need to trust us to fill in the blanks when necessary.”

“You should pay attention to them,” Selina purred, touching Hannibal on the arm. “Have they let you down before?”

“No,” Hannibal replied softly. “Once again, I’m trying to bear the whole burden by myself. Forgive me, my friends. I truly do appreciate your help. Each of you has expertise in areas I do not, which makes you invaluable to me. Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome,” Josephine chimed. “We all know how big a heart you have. It’s why we love you so.” Everyone agreed.

“I am humbled by your praise,” Hannibal said softly. “That’s good. Keep doing it. Keep me humble. As long as I remain humble and focused, I won’t mess up.”

“We will,” Enoch stated. “Now, is there anything else you wanted to talk about before we get back to work?”

“I do,” Hannibal answered with a solemn sober expression crossing his face. “It’s about a threat I just became aware of.”

“Well, don’t keep us in the dark,” Horace insisted. “What is it?”

“The Azhidakar,” Hannibal returned bluntly. A deafening silence fell over the room with the name. Horace’s face fell dramatically, as did Josephine’s expression. “So you know what I’m talking about then, Horace,” Hannibal said sternly.

“Yes,” Horace answered fearfully, pausing noticeably.

“We’re waiting,” Hannibal said with authority.

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