#active processes

[nan0-sp1der]

␂ > 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 // @lyrate-lifeform-approximation , @spiderman2-99

There’s a thought stirring in Bridge’s mind. An idea rolling about and nudging against the capacitors in her head, poking and prodding incessantly to get her attention, “Hey, hey, you know you want to ask her. Don’t you? Don’t lie to yourself, now. You should just do it. Hey! Are you listening to me? Hello-o…?”

Yes. Yes, she knows, she is aware of her burning curiosity. And it’s hard to deny that even though it doesn’t involve her, she is unusually intrigued by the concept. She overheard them in his office, Miguel and LYLA–his A.I. assistant–discussing a plan.  A plan to create a physical form for LYLA to enhance her abilities as his assistant and grant her further autonomy beyond her access to the security network and other adjacent systems alongside her recent emergence into emotional intelligence. It was all so fascinating. The steps Bridge had taken herself in her development in the span of weeks, she was watching unfold in another intelligence in real-time.

There it was again. That sense of solidarity in knowing she wasn’t completely alone in her existence as an artificial being, made of code and metal. It was like a magnetic pull that made that little voice in her head that encouraged her to act on her wants all the more present in her mind. She wanted to be a part of that process that she’d been through so long ago yet was still so familiar with like it happened yesterday. She wanted to guide her in that process and grant her her own knowledge. What’s the worst that can happen if she pilots your hardware for a while? You’re prepared for this. You can handle this. You can trust her, and she will be entirely safe in your care for that short time. And think about how much she would benefit from the experience, how much more streamlined that eventual transition from intangible to tangible will be once her own body was complete. It will make all the difference–and maybe reduce the headaches for everyone all-around, mostly Miguel as he acclimates to the change himself. Just… Try it. You can’t account for every single last risk factor, can you? No. So just do it and take it as it comes.

She stood in the middle of her dorm a moment, eyes closed as she ran a quick check of her hardware before making her final decision. RAM is in good condition. Storage is defragmented and all directories are organized. Sensors are calibrated and functional. Nanomachines are synchronized properly. Servos and joints retain a full range of motion. Coolant is at above optimal operational temperatures. Energy reserves are complete. Good. Everything’s in its right place and ready for its–potentially–temporary host. It’s time to make the call.

Her gaze trains itself on her watch, her arm rising to eye-level and the sleeve that was weighed down by the leaden metal cuff at the end sliding to her forearm to reveal device so she can start the transmission, navigating the menus on the digital interface indirectly via wireless communication–the unique way that she operated and communicated the Society’s technology.

“LYLA, may I speak to you for a moment? At your leisure, of course.”

[nan0-sp1der]

17:15:45 UTC, Greenland, E-928. A small impact had just erupted in the snowy fields several seconds ago, creating a streak of scarlet in the setting sky. While the impact does not leave a crater, what is left is a clearly disoriented individual who is now stumbling through the landscape. After meandering a few feet away from the steaming hole in the snow, they stop to finally try and get their bearings.

“... Re-entry… Successful. Commencing return to…”

She doesn’t even get to finish her sentence as she inexplicably finds herself landing face-first in the snow. The sheer heat still radiating off her body makes the snow boil and evaporate beneath and around her, the temperatures she reached when falling through the atmosphere at Mach-Jesus being high enough to turn any normal human into beef jerky.

And, frankly, it just about nearly fried her, too.  Even though she did account for this by landing in as cold an area as possible while still being close enough to H.Q. that she could be recovered God forbid, it was going to take some time for her internal hardware to cool down enough to be decently functional.

For now, she just lay in the snow like an overcooked vegetable, blanching in the snow.

She just needs to rest for a bit. Just a little while...

She'll be fine. When she can move her limbs, again, anyways.

[nan0-sp1der]

I have returned. I have brought another cupcake. I promise it is not poisoned

-spiderbomb

"Again, whatever you have or have not laced this cupcake with, it will have no effect on me as I am lacking the faculties which would make such a hazardous substances a danger to me..."

Bridge gingerly accepted the cupcake from the young agent's hand, inspecting it before imparting her gaze to Pipebomb once more.

"Alas, I am thankful for your offering."

[nan0-sp1der]

"YOU'RE [MY] BITCH!"

@lyrate-lifeform-approximation

There isn't even a response at first. She simply stops dead in her tracks as she hoists herself up out of a Bridge-shaped crater in the wall that had just been made using her body and a generous toss by an anomalous Rhino. The desire to return an equally-charged quip at the A.I. is strong, but Bridge was the bigger person here. She's better than that. Her stare does most of the heavy lifting for her, despite her restraint.

"So what? I miscalculated the anomaly's hostility rating despite your better judgement. Fair enough, you won our little bet, congratulations..."

With a huff, she dusts some of the sheetrock off her shoulder and mends a crack in her helmet's visor with some material of a support beam that jutted out from the spot she crawled out of.

"... But must you ridicule me over public comms...?"

[nan0-sp1der]

*slides out from behind stairs after being sebt to their dimesion*Are you an ally? Can I trust you- oh. I must be in the wrong dimension.*puts away knife and holds out hand for a handshake* im spider bomb. Nice to meetcha.

Bridge picks up on Spider Bomb's presence as she strafes out from under that stairwell, their footfalls and movement being the first and second things picked up by Bridge's sensors, the weapon in their hand being caught in their sights immediately. She whips herself around to face the stranger, initially preparing to disarm them, the target indicator in her iris glowing alight. Though, they just as soon put the knife away, so she drops her stance immediately when she is met with an outstretched hand instead. After some hesitation, Bridge returns their gesture with a firm shake in return.

"... Greetings."

Her ocular readings tell her this was an anomaly. Luckily, they were nowhere near H.Q., so there was going to be a generous delay before Lyla would tip Miguel off to their presence. But they're still in E-928. At the very least, she'll be able to bring them in peacefully. She should introduce herself to the newcomer.

"I am Nano-Spider. 1-of-1 Daedalus manufactured Humanoid Android Surveyor System. You..."

She looked the newcomer up and down.

"You are lost."

[nan0-sp1der]

Hello hello!

I brought cupcake! You take?yes/no

*spiderbomb holds up a cupcake to you,staring at you expectantly*

Before taking up the confection, the woman eyed it with subtle suspicion. Unneeded, as whatever potentially biologically hazardous material may have been in the item would render her unaffected. But, still...

"You 'brought cupcake'... For the purpose of...?"

[nan0-sp1der]

"I know how big words are!!"

"Do you, now?"

A vague streak of... Was that amusement? Crossed the android's face as an old friend of hers, Fable, defensively exclaimed an attestment to their own intelligence. Of course, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to put that intellect to the test.

"Pray tell, what is the biggest word you know?"