Technobabel

22

Your eye on the shadows All the latest news bits and bytes from the Shadowland BBS Hey, chummers, things are happening with some of the AAA megacorps that do not bode well for us in the shadows. Renraku and Fuchi have been going at each other with a lot of runs in the past couple months and it looks like things are starting to come to a head. Like Black-Eyed Susan reported, the justices of the Corporate Court, all of them, took the boost up to the Zurich-Orbital for some closed-door meeting. Now Fuchi and Renraku seem to be arming quietly for a war behind the scenes; moving assets and perso

"So you have said. Fortunately, that is not a concern." Saigo allowed Lanier to wonder about that for a moment as he took in the room and the white-coated men making preparations around the examination chair where Babel sat. "You see, our Dr. Westcott is a sorcerer with some experience in spells allowing him to probe deeply into the minds of others, reconstructing any and all recollections of their experiences as if he were experiencing them himself. He can even retrieve information Michael is not consciously aware of, knowledge blocked from his conscious mind. Far more effective than any interrogation technique could ever hope to be, wouldn't you say?" Westcott moved over to the small bank of equipment near the chair where Babel sat and took two cables from the console, plugging one into Babel's datajack and the other into a similar jack behind his left ear. "We take the process even further," Saigo said with some pride. "Dr. Westcott has all of the neural cybernetics necessary to record the various sensory impressions he gets from his mind probe at the moment he experiences them. We can also record all of Michael's impressions as he relives the memories Westcott uncovers. The simsense records of the two of them can be reviewed and compared to give us a complete, first-hand picture of all of Babel's knowledge of the otaku and their secrets." "I know something of mind-probing," Lanier said. He had certainly seen the techniques used enough times by magicians to extract information. "The magic is exhausting for both the magician and the subject. Even if your spell-worm is as good as you think, he won't be able to maintain a sustained telepathic probe for very long. I also know mind-probing can be dangerous to the subject if he resists, and sometimes even if he doesn't. Digging around in the subconscious and breaking through repressed memories can cause permanent brain damage." "Hopefully something we can avoid," Saigo said without any trace of concern. "If not, Michael knew the risks of this operation, and he was willing to take them for the sake of his company. I hope you enjoying watching this, Lanier-san.

This will be the operation that puts Renraku on the track to dominion over the world market. Once you are removed from the Board of Directors, perhaps I will ask that your seat be given to me." "We're ready, sir," came Dr. Lambert's voice from across the room. "Ah, please excuse me, Lanier-san." Saigo bowed to Lanier and turned toward Dr. Lambert. "Proceed, Doctor," he said as he moved to get a better view of the proceedings. Dr. Westcott adjusted the placement of the fiber-optic cable leading to his datajack and placed his cool, dry hands gently on Babel's forehead, spreading his fingers a bit and resting them there lightly. The simsense equipment hummed quietly in the background, recording the sensory impressions of both men. "Michael, all you need to do now is relax and breathe deeply," Westcott said, giving Babel his best bedside ma