Chapter 102

Chapter 102: Limited Time Offer, Act Now!

“Chat,” Jack declared in answer to Stitcher’s question plus tirade. “Definitely a chat.”

She’s just as weird as I would expect from someone so ancient. A whole other wavelength type of weird. But at least she’s got a soft spot for Lindsay. Let’s me know she’s human.

Neex got his attention while not being observed by Stitcher and scrunched her lips up as if in admonishment, tapping her temple insistently and mouthing silently, ‘Connection!’ Her pupils were the wavy ‘Ws’ of exasperated insistence. Something like ‘duh!’

Jack quickly released his grip on their bond connection, opening it back up for communication and subtler transfers. Neex was definitely a bit thrown off by the encounter, though nothing too extreme. Just some conventional embarrassment courtesy of an elder who ran roughshod over conventions.

“I feel better already,” Neex said mentally, almost like a sigh of relief as she entered her comfy bond-space. Warm feelings began to filter over. “She’s a bit hard to take!”

“Tell me about it,” Jack replied, sending her additional consoling and supportive feelings. “Sorry for being a big ole dumb lug and not opening the connection up sooner.”

“You are a big lug, but not dumb. It’s okay!” She sent a heart symbol.

Stitcher nodded along without saying anything immediately, moving slowly and idly and then taking a seat absent-mindedly — right in Jack’s standard recliner. His spot. She made adjustments to the chair to ‘sit it up’ more. She then crossed her legs, rested her elbows, and pressed her gloved fingers together at the tips. “In that case, I’ll have some water on ice, dear. Thank you.”

Will I ever get the adjustment perfect again? I don’t know. I just don’t know. I should’ve saved it as a configuration. I should’ve saved it!

Jack tried to take the ‘seat incident’ in stride, nodding and heading for the kitchen. He didn’t move all the way in, instead channeling memorite to manipulate metal simultaneously and get an ice water in a glass, a cherry-lime soda poured in another glass with three ice cubes and a stirrer, and an infused canned coffee. He levitated the glasses over on metal disks to the ladies as he popped the can for himself, sat down, and sipped. Despite that Neex hadn’t asked for it, she smiled and thanked him for the soda — her default favorite — stirring it and sipping happily before setting it down on the coffee table.

Stitcher didn’t even look at her water, perhaps forgetting about it, as it still floated nearby on a metal disk. Her eyes flickered for a while, obviously partaking of System data. Finally, they focused. Studying Jack, she said, “You wanted advice? It seems I’ve missed the period for the bare bones basics. You’ve already led a team to flagrant victory in those little sim tourneys. Ah… sparring sessions, I should say. They don’t do tournaments anymore, do they?”

Jack’s brows furrowed. “They used to?” Stitcher didn’t answer, so Jack took a breath and said, “Any help you can offer, I’d be grateful.”

Her eyebrows rose slightly. “Any? Oh, I’d be careful with that qualifier. Some have regretted it.”

Jack’s eyes danced. He did need to remember who he was talking to. A body-manipulator. Jack cleared his throat. “Any advice, or… non-permanent body modification help, is what I mean.”

A thin smile. “How shrewd of you. Are you sure, though? I haven’t conducted my own diagnostics on you yet, but there are a number of simple tweaks I perform rather regularly, despite my time often being rather pressed. Nothing radical, despite my teasing. In simplified layman’s terms, improved eyesight, low-light vision, hearing, healing, toughness, endurance… what you’ve already got, but more. Memorial Übermensch two-point-oh, if you will. I typically give two hours and allow a bit of a point system of efficient priorities, based on minutes spent. In your case, I could expedite some of your fitness and fatigue challenges with higher efficiency, as you’re simply on a slow, inevitable road that all Allotted eventually finish. Replacement would be nearly zero time added to standard endurance modifications.”

Jack felt a complex spike of feelings at this. Something queasy in the gut at the idea of modification, especially something someone else might do to him, but then a sense of opportunity, too. It wasn’t lost on him what she was offering. Could he really refuse when it would help him out in the field?

He took a deep breath and sat back on the couch as he asked, “Does everyone get this?”

“Not anymore. There are too many and too little time between other priority projects. I get a priority list and occasional nagging. Usually blooded veterans above A.L. ten. However, I’m not going to bother with the top of the list tonight by any means, but I will do it for you — if you want — tonight.”

Oh, now we've got FOMO in the mix. Great. “Why?”

“Oh, numerous reasons. Most spontaneous is the satisfaction of bodymod temptation winning another convert. I should also point out, as soon as it was broached in the future, and if you agreed, you’d be on the list anyway. It’s really nothing Central won’t be entirely happy with, trust me. Memoria will invariably send me a thank you card — possibly involving a pun — and flowers. Her arrangements are spectacular.”

“And these mods are entirely subtle?”

“Of course. Other than modifications to your eyes, which will gleam more, particularly in the dark. And your pupils will be much larger in the dark, as well. Cat-like effects, if you will.”

Jack frowned to himself briefly as he considered it. In addition to eyesight being golden for him, there were the endurance improvements… That would include fatigue from powers. “Can I give up one of my hours for someone else?”

Stitcher’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You’d really cough up your own enhancements?” Her eyes flickered to Neex. “Well, it can’t be her. I have to learn a lot more before diving into any of my ideas for permanent gene surgery, in her case. It’s not quite apples to oranges, but it’s at least, say, navel oranges to clementines.”

Neex’s eyes were wide. “I-ideas? You already have ideas for improvement?” She sat up, surprise and curiosity etching her features. “Like what?”

Stitcher had the thin, subtly disturbing smile only a mad scientist could summon. “Later, sweet Clementine.”

“I don’t mean her,” Jack replied. “Someone who needs help with powers fatigue way more than I need any of those mods. My friend, Bo.”

“Bo,” Stitcher repeated, and her eyes shifted upward. “Bogus Pocus. Your support teammate for the contests. You know, you aren’t guaranteed to team with her post-promotion…”

“I don’t care if that’s the case, considering this almost certainly increases her survivability post-promotion. Will you do it?”

Stitcher studied him for a long moment, faint amusement at her lips. Finally, she shrugged. “Contact her. If she’ll do it tonight, I’ll perform the surgery on both of you in my lab, but for the full two hours. I don’t want to be bugged later about finishing the other halves due on two people. Besides that, I should burn some energy if I’m to sleep tonight, after this” — she flicked a hand at Neex — “excitement detonating my neurons. But you will not alter your requests any further.”

Jack nodded. “Understood. Thank you, Doctor. Let’s do it. I’ll check with her now…” 

He immediately cast his gaze away and contacted Bo via Mem-link. “Bo. Got a proposition for you. Stitcher. Becoming a Non two-point-oh. Interested?”

After a moment, an incredulous Bo replied, “What the hell are you on about, Jack? If this is a prank… Well, it’s sounding very creative so far, actually.”

“It’s not. She does an ANP upgrade to vets, but I’m getting an early deal. I can get you in, too. It’ll help with your fatigue issues. But it has to be tonight.”

“Tonight?! Jack, back up… what the hell? Stitcher? The Stitcher? The nearly mythical hero? Hoooow?” It was clear she was rather flabbergasted. “Also: yes, I’m in. I have to be after you mention fatigue improvements. Seriously?! Fatigue improvements?”

Jack was feeling pretty good and smug to amaze and awe Bo like this. “Yes, I’m serious. A friend got me on her radar, and she came to meet me. Now she’s going to put me under the knife, apparently. And you. Congratulations.”

“Came to meet you? Wait, she’s in your fraggin’ quarters right now?!” Her mental voice sounded strangled. 

Jack laughed gleefully. “I’m guessing you’ll need to be ready in something over two hours, maybe three. Over and out, soldier.”

A loud scoff of bewilderment was all that came back over from her.

Jack looked up to see Stitcher staring absently… right through her untouched, condensating glass of ice water. Good grief. “She’s in, Doctor.”

Stitcher raised an eyebrow at him. “Hmm? Oh. Excellent. Such ready agreement to gengineering veritably warms my oil-black heart. And he said this is a weak generation — pfft.” Her face twisted in doubt. “Or am I getting the generations confused again? Hmmmm…” 

“Who said?” To this, the good doctor studied him rather absently and didn’t reply. In any case, a ‘he’ in respect to Stitcher made him think of only one person. “You knew the Chrome Giant really well, huh? He was my hero growing up, even though he was considered rather ancient by then. Er… no offense.”

Stitcher shrugged. “He was ancient, as I am now. Denial doesn’t change reality, Cadet; it can’t keep me from deteriorating. What’s plain is plain, whatever we hope.” She paused and seemed to recollect. “The Chrome Giant wasn’t so plain, I’m afraid. So many intrigues bound within that form. It was a damned fine mask, though, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. Whatever… happened, later in his life… and I don’t really know, I just know he got jaded and somber… But you could see it in his public face. I just figured he didn’t take well to politics. Anyway, whatever happened, I still think it was a big loss when he passed away.”

Stitcher nodded slowly. “Indeed so.”

Whether it was a sore subject or she was avoiding classified shit, Jack couldn’t tell, but obviously, he’d reached a dead end. “Do you have any advice for the PACCs, Doctor?”

“Oh, I predate most of these little games and their gradings. Out-of-the-box thinking may get you further. The world outside this ivory tower is very tricky, very complex, very difficult. At a casual glance, your team’s approach to your victory was precisely what Central seeks. Seize the day and so forth. Did your experiences in the field teach you this lesson?”

“I suppose. It’s hard to pin it down to one thing, but I’m big on listening and observing. Aside from that, I was volunteer military from a young age. It’s in, well, my DNA.” He smirked. “So to speak.”

“Yes. All experience contributes to evolution. People want to say, ‘good genes’ here, ‘noble stock’ there, but it remains the power of hard work and drive to fashion the reflections fit to pass on improvements. Tiny, yet profound. Not just in the genetic memory, either. In the living memory; in the mind. Thoughts transforming thoughts and forging new mechanisms of intricate complexity. All the little bits and pieces doing their part within a clockwork titan. Which now wields the greatest machines of all: ascendant branches into the core superstructure of reality. By this, we can wind the evolutionary clock forward. Hopefully fast enough to obviate obsolescence and extinction.”

Jack blinked a few times in trying to absorb this. “That’s certainly the idea, right? I’m sure Memoria is on board. In fact, I could hear her say the same as this, if with more bluster.”

“No doubt. She is nothing if not the sum of us. Some more than others.”

“Is that to suggest you are rather high up there, then?”

“Statistically relevant, at least.”

Jack turned to Neex. “Does that qualify as a boast among scientists?”

Neex blinked. “Um… yes, I think so. Considering millions of skyhumans. Or even trillions of mainline humans historically.”

Stitcher smiled at that. “Ah, but is that truly the sample distribution I refer to? In any case, perhaps we should cut the chat short and get to business. After you recover from surgery tomorrow, and get a feel for things, I could squeeze in a… sparring session.” Her grin shifted darker. It was not merely predatory in the way of animals — it was one of an archdemon. The devil herself. It made Bo’s look like a cute, playful kitten, and even the Phantasmal he’d faced seemed like that of a blustery juvenile. “If you like.”

I think that was an Allotment aural communication, somehow.

Jack involuntarily swallowed. “Your power level exceeds any capacity of Memoria to restrain, doesn’t it?”

“Unless she tries very, very, very, very hard? Yes. But I’m well practiced at being gentle, as you should be able to guess. Gentle enough, anyway.”

“I see. And… this will be of great benefit… training-wise.”

“Among the many novelties of training vectors, vigorous tutelage from a preposterously more powerful teacher is quite rewarding, yes. I do have other things to do tomorrow and forever, however, so I can’t promise even up to the diminishing returns state. We’ll just have to see.”

“Alright. I can’t pass that up, either. I’m game.” Even if she might accidentally turn me into a smear.

“Good.” She slapped her hands on her thighs and rose, prompting Jack and Neex to rise as well. “Give me ten minutes and show up at my lab. You’ll be directed.” She held out her hand for a shake.

Jack shook her hand. “Got it. Anything else I should do, or bring?”

“A change of clothes, if you prefer, but it’s of little consequence. Ah! I almost forgot.” Still holding his hand, she leaned toward him slightly, looking at him intently. "I need to do a quick diagnostic pulse to make absolutely sure compatibility is as I deduce it to be. Works for you, Cadet?"

Jack looked down at their hands and blinked. "Oh. Yeah, sure, go for it."

He was aware of a brief tickle at his hand, and then a pulse coursing through his body, which made him stiffen and his skin break out in goose bumps. It was over and done with in an instant.

Stitcher nodded approvingly as she withdrew her hand. "All is well, then!" She turned to Neex. “I’m hopeful to confer with you sometime tomorrow.”

Neex nodded, smiling politely as she stepped forward and offered her hand. “Of course! I’d be delighted. It was an honor to meet you!”

Stitcher exchanged another shake and nod, quickly growing more absent-minded as she headed for the exit.

“Don’t forget your disguise!” Neex called, even as she shifted her own appearance back to Ira.

Stitcher stopped dead. “Ah, yes. Thank you.” She changed appearances and departed.

After she was gone, Jack and Ira exchanged glances. Jack turned to look over at the untouched water. He sighed. “And I’m going to go under the knife of this lady? Then spar? I think I know which is riskier. Pray to the ocean gods for me, Neex.”

“No need. We already have an agreement.”

Jack turned and raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh?”

Ira grinned as she pointed between them. “No death.”

Jack chuckled. “Right. How could I forget? Guess I’ll just stick to that.”

🌑 🌒 🌓 🌔 🌕

The initial area seen of Doctor Stitcher’s lab was nothing too different from a small waiting room of a doctor’s office. Her assistant, already in scrubs, was behind a counter and handed him a small packet of forms to fill out, including waivers and other such generic paperwork, but also the ‘surgery system’ of the eccentric doctor.

Jack took the packet and sat down nearby, soon unable to resist focusing on the ‘good stuff’ within… 

Time-Based Surgery System (2-hour allowance)

Note: If you are a metamorph and somehow got to this point without a direct conversation with me, please stop right now and schedule a consultation instead. The mods below require non-metamorph biological stability. You will need extensive diagnosis, analysis, and a custom plan.

Note: All additive times are to the total.

Note: This is curated for quick adaptation. Discuss any special requests.

Note: Base vision/hearing/healing/endurance/toughness is 60 minutes.

• Night vision & acute vision (modified retina, cones, rods, lens, pupils)… 10 minutes

— eye color change… +0 minutes

— exotic eye appearances +5 minutes

— x2/x4 telescopic magnification… +10/20 minutes

— Increased acuity/various processing speeds via neural enhancements, minor focus/distance improvement, stability (particularly with magnification)… +20 minutes

— Near-infrared expansion… +40 minutes

• Improved hearing, directional hearing, hearing protection (pinnae mods, hair-cell tuning, interaural timing sensitivity)... 10 minutes

— High-frequency extension… +5 minutes

— Low-frequency extension… +5 minutes

— High sensitivity (large improvement, but creates a weakness, mitigated by middle-ear tuning)... +15 minutes

— Active/passive improved middle-ear tuning (better protection, particularly with sensitivity mod; improved bass sensitivity)... +20 minutes

— Various neural performance tweaks, for localization, focusing, pitch discrimination, multisensory cues… +15 minutes

• Improved taste and smell (minor olfactory receptor diversity and density; please note that your tastes for food will massively change even with this, and consensus deems it negative)… 15 minutes

— Discriminatory improvements… somewhat like a dog, but not nearly as acute (double above taste issues, and smells get you, too)… +40 minutes

• Improved healing (improved expression of growth factors, enhanced extracellular matrix remodelling, etc.)... 15 minutes

— ‘tissue batteries,’ micro-clot and sealing systems (better internal sealing of penetrating type wounds and internal organ/vessel damage, reducing hemorrhages especially)... +20 minutes

— external blood loss mitigation, general laceration and puncture damage mitigation (extreme rapid clotting and haemostasis control, exhausts quickly)... +20 minutes

— longer-term wound site repair improvements, over hours/days/weeks (improved scaffolding, increased oxygen and nutrient delivery speed, process timing tweaks, satellite-cell and progenitor mobilizers, etc.)... +30 minutes

• Endurance upgrades (better oxygen economy, raised myoglobin in skeletal/cardiac muscle, increased capillary density, metabolic improvements, etc.)... 15 minutes

— ‘trimming the fat,’ that is, improvements to low-grade Fitness and Inner Energy, boosted up to Superior; slight resistance to degradation… +0 minutes

— Various neural mods and others, for delayed initial fatigue, better focus, pacing, smoother controlled energy output, also improves sleep triggering and gains from naps (central fatigue, balance mechanisms, resource regulation/conservation)… +20 minutes

— Extensive, exhaustive small tweaks for extra improvement (muscular, cellular, circulatory, hematological, microvascular, metabolic cycles, etc.; you’ll also eat more)... +40 minutes

• Toughness upgrade (simply up-tuning existing bone/tendon reinforcement, impact absorption of soft tissues, etc.; will become nearly irrelevant at very high levels)... 10 minutes

— ‘trimming the fat,’ same as above, but the related physique improvements… 0 minutes

— skin color changes, artistic designs, other subtle shape alterations for cosmetic desires, etc… 10 minutes

— minor pain reduction/modulation (nociceptor mods)... +15 minutes

— improved shock tolerance, ‘wide-scale’ impact resistance, mitigated avulsion injuries (micro collagen-elastic composites at tendon and ligament interfaces, slowed ‘damaging energy’ release, minorly improved distribution)... +20 minutes

— epidermal microarmor for shallow cuts, abrasions, stabs, etc. (reinforced keratin matrices and stress-based temporary microcalcifications; this will reduce skin sensitivity)... +40 minutes 

— subdermal padding for blunt trauma resistance (this will increase typical weight and bulk assumptions for Nons, as you’ll have a thin, fatty layer you cannot work off, i.e., perpetual ‘junk in the trunk’ or ‘dad bod,’ albeit vastly improved material)... +30 minutes

Whoa.

Jack melted his brain reading through it, getting the sense that the little technical details barely scratched the surface of the complex things Stitcher knew enough about to be able to tweak in such a permanent sense. He imagined that was the trade-off for such crazy ‘free’ gains — intimate understanding and knowledge. Did this mean she was technically ahead of Memoria in the field of genetics? A scary yet strangely encouraging thought.

Definitely not taking the ‘dad bod’ mod. I love my abs and I will not part with them.

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