Everything Is Connected

[Riley Mackenzie]

The lights in the NOC brown out for a moment as the computers begin to whine.

The ship's system responds by informing Riley in that horribly inhuman voice that the newly installed matrix will be online in one minute.

"In the meantime," Riley asks, "is there anything uncorrupted you can show me in Shamus' matrix that won't kill him?"

'Yes. Standby.'

---beginning diagnostics---
---power levels nominal---
---analyzing stored data---

Memories...

London Drugs, Inc.
1st Bank of Flax.
Dr. Artifice. Bora Bora.
Veranda Incognita. Blinding light, searing pain.

A spark pops in the F-unit as the system runs the last line.

---system overload! aborting command!---
---buffering memory---

Riley freaks out.

"WHAT THE F*CK JUST HAPPENED!?"

'Sensors detected an unforeseen external power surge.'

"IS DAEVA OK?!"

'Standby...Personality Matrix file, Savannah Daeva X is unaffected.'

"What about Shamus?"

'Standby...Personality Matrix file, Shamus 2.0'Shawnessey is also unaffected.'

Deeply relieved, Riley calms down and says, "Run Savannah Daeva X."



"WHAT THE F*CK JUST HAPPENED!?" screamed a feminine voice with a blend of fear and anger, just before appearing on the screen.

---