This isn't going anywhere right away, as I have three separate stories I'm working on. However, Verdant Green, while not exactly close to its end, is the most likely story to get finished first. And frankly, given how much I've liked Goddess of Victory, Nikke, I figure this would be an interesting one. While it does follow a similar setup to many of my SI stories I've posted (genderbending), Nikke is in a unique place as it can be completely dark right from the get-go.
You could also say this first chapter (or the snippet spoil of such) is inspired by the current event, which gives us a concerning look at how the Nikke Sasauge is made.
Hint, that look involves more Human Rights Violations.
Also, a warning. Swears. Elen is not exactly going to have the cleanest of months about her present situation, and just like me, can and will get creative. And excessive.
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"This better be worth my time, Director," Syuen snapped impatiently. "There isn't time in my schedule for every piece of scrap you think is interesting."
"Of course, Director Syuen. I do believe this abnormal development during Nikke production is worth your attention," the Scientist said, as Syuen rolled her eyes. If this was a unique model, then she might be willing to put stock to his words. She looked down at the data slate in disgust, as the report made it clear that this was not the case. A mass production model, an 08, wasn't worth her time, no matter how many oddities it had.
"During the uploading process and the NIMPH memory wipe, there was an error. An emergent consciousness, as it were. Not the original mind, but a different one, with brain patterns unlike the original," the man continued, clearly trying to entice her.
"If there was an error, get rid of it already. We do not need defective models," Syuen said, already preparing to head back out the door and fire the incompetent man for wasting her time.
"It has allowed the subject to develop unique abilities," Syuen paused at his words. If what he said was true, then perhaps this mass-production model would have some use after all.
"Go on," she found herself saying, now scanning over the documents once again. If a mass production model developed unique abilities, and this process could be replicated? It could very well help revolutionize Nikke production. Mass-produced Nikke's were meant to be nothing but cannon fodder. If one's combat capacities could be improved, it would certainly give Missilis an edge over the other two companies. Especially if it could be introduced to other models besides the 08.
"Of course. There appear to be two primary benefits, though we are only able to test one with any degree of safety," Syuen raised her eyebrow, signaling the man to go on. "The emergence of this, consciousness, if you would, have resulted in an interesting, interaction with the NIMPH nodes. They're mostly inactive, though memories can still be pulled from them. Mental inhibitors are also in place, though it is very much willing to push those inhibitors to their limits."
That did not seem like much of an upside. If anything, it was nothing but a downside, if they retained that much free will, and based on the description, memories of their human existence. That would do little more than invite a Mind Switch, and that was something to be avoided.
"Based on our Rapture research, however, this phenomenon might render the subject resistant or outright immune to Corruption," he continued. Syuen's eyes widened slightly. Now that was worth something. That was worth quite a bit. Anti-corruption measures were, primitive, at best. It was possible to undo if a Nikke's memory was completely wiped in around three hours of corruption, but there were downsides to reducing a Nikke to a blank slate.
"I can see why such a thing would be difficult to test," Syuen said, looking over the data slate. That was a conundrum, wasn't it? Not all Raptures could corrupt Nikke's. Frankly, the event was rare. Getting a Nikke into a position where it could be corrupted without getting killed would be, difficult, on a good day. And if didn't work, or didn't work well enough, then you lost the asset. Still, it was something that could be brought up to the board. Announcing that Missilis had made advancements in anti-corruption technology may be a bit premature, but it would play well with the public. And the stocks.
Still, given how infrequent corruption was, they could easily pass off any failures that may be encountered with careful wording.
It might be possible to test if they brought a Rapture capable of corrupting Nikke's into the Ark. Such an act would be illegal. If they were caught. Such Raptures were rare, however, and she already had her eyes on one particular target. One codenamed Chatterbox. It would be possible to kill two birds with one stone, but Chatterbox had proven to be, illusive, and she was barely any closer than when she started.
Something to put the pin in, she supposed. As for the other ability.
"Decrease refractory time in her nerve's on command?" Syuen found herself asking aloud. That wasn't the most impressive thing she had ever heard, but it was a drastic increase in a mass-production model's combat abilities all the same.
"Indeed. However, there is a downside, as the standard 08 model is not designed with the heat generated in mind. Syuen found herself frowning at the news. That did make sense, as that was indeed not what the model was built or designed for. Accounting for such an ability would warrant a redesign of the 08's, making them more expensive.
It would also allow them to charge more, though. A stronger model would be worth more, and that would offset the increased production costs. Syuen found herself nodding to her thoughts. Improving a mass production model would make for good PR as well, though it would take time to implement, and of course, it would take time to even see if it could be replicated.
However, that would be far from problematic.
"So, where exactly is the subject?" Syuen asked, noticing carefully how the man suddenly went pale.
"The subject is currently in one of the specialized holding areas. As I said, during the process of erasing the subject's memory, another sprung up in its place. As a result, it is very confused and very temperamental," he said, seemingly starting to sweat. "Attempts to erase this new memory have been met with failure."
Syuen frowned. That would make things more, difficult. A large part of why a Nikke's memory was erased was to prevent a Mind-Switch from occurring, so the fact there was a memory in place was concerning. However, the odds that this emergent consciousness was tied to the development of abnormal abilities were high, based on her suspicions. Not that it mattered much. In the end, it was Missilis property all the same.
"Regretable, but what is done is done. Can it be made to cooperate?" She asked though Syuen suspected she already knew the answer.
"Not without force, which is, unfortunately, proving troublesome," Syuen found herself raising an eyebrow. "During the initial attempt to detain the subject, it managed to wrestle away one of the security guard's firearms."
"I thought you said the NIMPH commands were working!" Syuen snapped, glaring daggers at the man.
"They are, Ma'am. As I said, the subject is pushing against those restrictions. Yes, it can't do anything to directly hurt a human, but it quickly put together that indirect or accidental harm is perfectly allowed, as are intentional yet non-lethal strikes," the man explained, as Syuen's frown grew more and more. So the subject was only good as scrap, then. At least, it wasn't going to be good for selling off, that was for damn sure. It would take a very tight-fisted commander to keep something like that in line, nor would it be effective in combat if it had to be managed to such an extent.
Syuen was tempted to just order the subject to be scrapped. But the concept, what it represented, intrigued her. Yes, the initial model was buggy, but that was to be expected. Such things could be built upon and improved. Still, it would have to be made to bend the knee. To submit to it's current reality. She didn't get to do something like that all too often.
"I would like to speak with. Try to get it to stand down before more, drastic, actions need to be taken," Syuen smiled. She might just get to enjoy herself today after all.
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"Is this 08 313N?" Syuen asked over the microphone, transmitting her voice into the holding cell. The 08 looked erratic, frightened out of her wits, staying towards one of the corners, eyes flickering all over the room.
"I have a name, you shit-eating ass muncher!" The 08s voice sounded just like every other 08, despite its clear anger. She could see why they considered it so problematic. It was aggressive, and certainly less than pleasant, given it's swearing.
"The only name you have that matters is 313N," Syuen said, keeping her tone even as if she was disciplining a child. "I would highly advise that you cooperate with me, given your present circumstances."
"Go find a cactus and spin, you excrement-shaped taint!" The 08 model shot back, as Syuen ground her teeth.
"Do you know who I am?" Syuen said through the line, glaring through the one-way mirror.
"The Pope? The Queen of England? Perphas you're going to tell me you're the President of the United States. Or that your Ratata is in the top percentage. Frankly, you could be all of these things, I still wouldn't give the slightest fuck ass as to who you are!" Again, the 08 model screamed. "All that matters is you're the one who did this to me, you subhuman piece of waste!"
"313N, we've told you, we have no idea as to why this happened, or how," the scientist spoke, trying to keep the subject calm. Something that Syuen could tell was a complete waste of time and effort. It didn't want to be calm, it wanted to be angry, and thus, angry it would be.
"My name isn't 313N you taint sucker!" The subject snapped back, proving her point. "I have my rights, you fucks! You can't keep me here like this."
"You are a Nikke, 313N. You don't have any rights," legally, this wasn't entirely true. The events of thirty years ago did start a small civil rights movement, but with money like hers, and a facility like this? The consequences were easy to avoid, and the evidence easier to forage. But it was seemingly unlike that it knew anything about that. Pope? Queen? President? Those were titles out of a history book.
Syuen wasn't sure why that was the case, but she was going to use it to her advantage.
"Bite my ass!" Was the quick response, as Syuen sighed. She expected that. It wasn't going to listen, regardless.
"It doesn't matter, 313N. The reality is that you are effectively, the property of Missilis. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, you are here either of your own free will or as punishment for crimes worthy of such an outcome. Either is without consequence to me. As far as the Ark is concerned, you either agreed to this or were sentenced to this. Whatever rights you think you have, whichever ones you pretend to exist, don't," Syuen grinned despite herself, twisting the knife. Through the one-way mirror, she could tell the words were having an impact.
"Get bent, you horse sucker!" Still, 313N seemed defiant. At least, willing to act as such. Her words were sinking in, but clearly, it had spite and anger to burn, despite that. "I didn't sign shit! And I doubt you can prove any criminal record either, you greedy piece of human waste!"
"I am offering you an easy way out, 313N. But if you continue to resist, force will be used against you," Syuen closed down the microphone in the cell, cutting off what could only be more curses. Her end, however, remained open. She wanted it to hear her, and not be able to do anything to interrupt. She'd prefer a comparative test subject, but her threat of force was not an empty one. Throwing enough guards at her could do the trick, but if it managed to successfully kill one, it would be a hassle to cover up. Using mass-produced models would be easier, but if they used 08 models while it was in such a state, then a Mind-Switch could be induced. Which would save her the pain, at the cost of the resource. Nothing was certain as far as it went, but would be beneficial to learn more.
As CEO of Missilis, it wasn't as if Syuen didn't have a considerable amount of other assets. Matis may have been her best, but they didn't have the skillset for such an issue. Syuen had to admit that shipping it off to Exotic had its appeal as a punishment, but that was counterproductive to her current aims, and it was already held by the M.M.R. Having Ether study its abilities would likely prove beneficial, but that would have to come later.
Wardress was her best option, though Syuen was reluctant to call on them. They were busy hunting down Chatterbox, which was a valuable target. However, on the other hand, Wardress, despite the squad's skill, hadn't made much headway when it came to tracking down the Rapture. Chatterbox was illusive, and had avoided any traps Wardress had put in it's way. She would have sent Matis, but the squad was too high profile for such a mission, and Wardress was uniquely suited to capturing a Rapture without destroying it.
Given the lack of progress, perhaps pulling Wardress back for a vacation, of sorts, wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. They certainly were no closer to catching Chatterbox than when they started, as much as that fact annoyed her. Having them deal with this problem, despite it being considerably more minor, could end up paying off.
"As you can see, 313N is quite stubborn. It doesn't quite understand what's going on around it," the scientist said, stroking his beard. "I've considered calling in a Commander to, lay down the rules, as it were, but figured it would be best to have your blessing first on such matters."
Calling in a Commander was not an idea Syuen had considered, and for good reason. He was correct, that a Commander would be the best way to get a Nikke to bend their knee, as it were. NIMPH made it so no Nikke could resist a direct order from a Commander. Needing to bring in a Commander to force a Nikke to bend the knee, much less a mass-produced model would reflect poorly on Missilis as a company, and could not be permitted.
"Only do so when we exhaust all other available options," Syuen said firmly. "We should only contact outside aid in this matter as a last resort, understood?
"Yes Ma'am," the scientist said, nodding. Good. Syuen did not want to deal with this incident reaching the public eye. While it could pay off, the full story would need to be kept under wraps. Calling in a Commander, even if sworn to secrecy, could jeopardize that, something Syuen would not permit.
"For the time being, try to enforce compliance through more, traditional means. If this doesn't work, I'll contact Wardress. That will allow us to keep disciplinary measures in-house," Syuen didn't like it, but if normal measures didn't work, then only the Wardress squad would serve her aims in this manner. Ether could probably break 313N in her way, but until the process could be replicated, consistently, it would be better to try and keep 313N alive.
"Wardress, Ma'am?" The scientist seemed less than pleased. "Is torture necessary? It may be problematic, but such measures seem harsh."
"Then make sure that it is not necessary," Syuen glared up at the man. "I'd rather keep them assigned on their actual mission, rather than deal with this. If you see to it that such measures are unnecessary, then you won't have to worry about them."
Still, internally, Syuen smirked. While they couldn't hear whatever 313N was saying, their voices were carrying over to 313N in its cage. It was hearing every word of their conversation, and that was exactly what she wanted. Wardress was her black ops squad, and only a handful knew of its existence, and even then, very little was known. She knew that the squad would obey her orders if Wardress proved to be a necessary step. They were just as much of a tool of intimidation in this case as they were a threat. If the scientist found Wardress to be excessive, then ideally, the mere threat of their presence would be enough to cow 313N and make it submit.
Ideally, of course. Syuen fully expected the squad to be necessary, if only to show 313N that her threats were not empty ones. A day spent with Wardress would likely go a long way to ensure obedience. Maybe even giving it time to see what a Nikke's purpose was would go a long way. After all, they couldn't have one of their models running away from a Rapture on sight, either.
One way or another, 313N, or more accurately, it's ability, could just be what Missilis Industries needed to reclaim its place at the top. A drastic and consistent improvement in the mass-produced models, especially if it could be replicated beyond the 08, was a swing in their favor.
And she wasn't going to let some scrap heap stop her, just because it thought it had Human Rights.
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