What Was Lost

Xelena didn't really have all that much to do today. Maya was currently busy, so instead of being around her this time she had taken the day off. Or rather, she was told to since she hadn't sit still for a while. Xelena had persisted she was fine, and in a way she was right. Alpha didn't tire, and they didn't need to sleep though they could to like a normal person. However, like everyone else they needed time mentally to themselves. Even if their bodies did not tire, their minds did.

At least their 'human' minds did. The colder part, the computer that did the background task without protest or miss of stride continued on regardless what their mental state was. Xelena was actually proud of what she was. The Alpha Androids were protectors, something that had kept the Nalga and others safe, it was nothing to scoff at or be ashamed of. Back at home she had never once questioned or doubted that fact. She had always wanted to be like Varia, but regardless she never once thought too much about if she was real or not.

For the most part, Xelena did think she was real. And if someone gave her the choice to be completely organic, she'd refuse. This was part of who she was, she wouldn't change it to be anything else. Since awakening and coming to a galaxy so changed, she at times had to deal with the prejudice that came with being a completely non organic being.

It didn't happen all the time, thankfully. But when she was with Maya during one of her trips, she could sometimes experience it first hand. When it was discovered what she was, some of the people looked at her with disdain or pure contempt. Some were better at hiding it then others, especially in Maya's presence. It was in the eyes though, what wasn't said.

'You're nothing but a machine.'

Those words didn't bother her the first time. The next, and the other few times she began to wonder if her differences did make her just that. She never entertained the thought much but after losing pretty much all she cared about, waking up what may as well been another dimension, then it was understandable how Xelena might be a bit more emotionally fragile then normal. She'd talk to Maya but she was out on business. If Varia was still around, she talked to her, she always one of the people she'd go to talk when she needed too.

Shaking her head, she pushed the thoughts away. They were gone now. She needed to focus..and she didn't feel like getting depressed thinking about everything again.

Xelena got up from her bed, having laid down enough for now. Her and Maya were currently staying at a rather high end hotel. Xelena tended to go where Maya went so as such she got to travel a lot, it was rather nice. At least, it got her from thinking about things too much and she could learn more about this world if she sat. Sure she could download things, but nothing beat actual experience.

The Alpha activated a cube device on the desk,. It unrolled from itself and began running, a rather high-tech looking laptop appeared along with a hologram image instead of a normal solid screen. Not having anything better to do, she began to read various things on the internet, trying to find something of interest. Her eyes glowed faintly as her mind worked, going faster then a normal organic brain was capable of doing.

It stopped for a moment, only briefly, before Xelena found something worth interest. It seemed be some music she was interested in, so she 'clicked' on the area needed to get the download started. Thanks to all the advance techology, downloading was practically instant in most cases.

Life tends to be funny, the universe having it's own sense of humor, however abstract it may be. The funny thing about a multiverse, was that the large interconnected web of alternate universes could sometimes blend together at points, causing a sort of 'bleed effect'. Sometimes, the results were completely harmless. Sometimes, they were life changing. Such was the case when Xelena tapped into that 'music' file. In truth, it was an encrypted data file, compressed to a small data size, despite containing information that was staggering. Xelena's advanced brain easily and quickly decrypted the file, opened it... and what she got was not music.

A flood of information, cybernetic schematics, multiple childlike voices, and memories. Memories of the entirety of another person's life. Her childhood, a near fatal plane crash that put her into a coma, which she woke up from in a fully cybernetic body. Moving on to older bodies as her mind matured. Becoming part of a group called 'Section 9'. Solving crimes in a futuristic Japan. A name. Motoko Kusanagi.

"Now this is a surprise..."

A voice that silenced the childlike voices. A calm, mature voice.

"The net is truly vast and infinite..."

A title. The Major.

Xelena did process certain things at a faster rate then a normal person. If you gave her a math problem to solve or something revolving around numbers and cold facts, the computer portion could figure it out quickly. However, there were things the computer side couldn't understand. Emotions. When it came to people, there was no inherent logic. There wasn't a simple A to B answer, people were contradicting and confusing bits of information. Various situations that didn't involve cold logic were the same.

That was why when all the memories came to her in a flash, even as the brain quickly processed them she was understandbaly shocked. She stood there for a long moment, processing what happened. She didn't understand exactly what just happened, even with a computer brain.

How? Why?

"You.." Xelena tried to think of what to say. It wasn't something she had never once been in.

Then, finally something, even if its barely anything.

"..How?"

"That's a question I have myself, but I have an idea. Somehow, you downloaded my conciousness, along with those of the Tachikoma. The childlike voices you heard. I'm keeping them calm right now, for your sake. Based on what I felt while the transfer was taking place, I believe you actually have seen my memories. I've seen bits of yours in the process, but nothing of real note. I do, however, now know your name is Xelena Santos, you are an Alpha Android, and that you are the creation of a race of people called Nalga. I know a few other things, but again, nothing of real consequence. Point is, I'm now inside your mind, a position I'm willing to bet you are not happy about." There was a long pause.

"Hm... other than that, I'll admit I'm lost. This is a situation that I'm unfamiliar with. Diving into another's mind is one thing, but now I am apparently dealing with a being on another planet it seems."

This was strange, even by Xelena's standards and all she had seen. What she said though made sense, and she could understand it enough. Still, it was more then jarring to have a stranger in your head but the person seemed pleasant enough. At least they weren't a phycopath or something actively violent. She felt a bit guilty about seeing her memories like that. The mind was a person's last place of refuge, she didn't think anyone really had the right to pry too much into it without their permission. Even if it obviously wasn't her fault.

"..It's okay.." Xelena 'said' to her. "We'll..figure something out. You know a bit about me, and I know a lot about you. I just have to think of something to help you get back home..or at least in a physical body again."

"..I kind of think having multiple voices in your head qualifies as legally crazy." Xelena joked somewhat weakly, shaking her head. "..It doesn't really feel right that I know just about all about you and you don't know as much about me. If you're confused with anything or have any questions, just ask. As for bodies being built, I do know various people that could. Probably go talk to the people that work on my maintence."

"...But saying I have other voices in my head from some other planet or dimension might make some people think I'm becoming 'defective'." She said the last part a bit bitterly, though she didn't name those people but they were around and she'd have to deal with them.

There was a sigh in response. "I understand. Don't worry about the memory thing, by the way. It happened. I get the sense that your past is more sensitive than my own. Besides, I'm not completely in the dark. Anyway, what about this 'Maya' person? I saw flashes of her, and she seemed fairly important in your worlds government. Is she trustworthy?"

"Very much so. She's my mother." Xelena said with a fair bit amount of respect and affection in her voice "She's also the president and leader of Alus. Normally, they're elected for a set period as terms, you know that already. Then once its up, its voted again. It's a bit different then earth since people can apply for more runs in the office then earth."

Xelena went to the dresser to put on some clothes, she had just been in some lingere just lazily hanging around her room all day. She never thought too of her looks mostly because even with the Nalga she had always been busy, but at the moment many men would kill to see her black panties and a bra.. It was about time she went out and did something, but first she wanted to try something.

Heading to the computer, she went to surf a bit, and put 'Arkon' on the search before a few moments later downloaded a file, from the computer to her brain. "I'm going to upload something as an experiment, see if you can view it instantly all at once or have to read it. If it does, it'll make things easier then having to explain something's, but some stuff I can't find on the net.."

The Alpha paused. "We'll, I can find more but that would require hacking which I won't do for obvious reasons."

After a long moment, the Major made a sound of interest. "Interesting. These 'Arkon' are interesting beings. I can access any memories you are okay with me viewing, however. I can likely learn everything there is to know in here within a few days, if I pace myself so it's not overwhelming. It's likely easier than you having to explain everything to me. It's up to you, of course." Another pause. "Also, I can apparently see through your eyes when I choose. You are a very attractive woman. Perhaps when I get my body back...?"

Xelena agreed with that much. It would make it easier. "I'll do just that, just a few things to start instead of all at once. The earth I know and you know are alike in some ways, but they're very different too. I need to go talk to Cecil. She was originally an AI for a ship, but eventually along the way she was made a body for her to use, by putting her conscious inside. It's a bit like what happened to you."

As she went to the door, she paused at the last comment. Confused at first before blushing. "Oh..uh..thank you..but..uh..I'm not..into..girls l-like that." Xelena stuttered out, losing her normal speech as it knocked her off track. The Alpha regained her composure before heading out.

It wasn't crowded in the hallway and she ignored the other noises in the background as she headed to her destination. Xelena found herself in what seemed like an elevator, but it obviously wasn't. It was an transporter. It teleported people to various connected places. Jacob didn't like them, always had said "I don't want go into a machine where my elbow can somehow end up connected to my ass when I come out of it."

Xelena didn't have such worries, it wasn't exactly like Nalga teleportation but it was safe even if the exact process involving moving atoms would make some people a bit paranoid about it. She tapped a few buttons and went inside. Moments later, she appeared somewhere else, the door opening. In the front was a large room, that looked more like a lab. Cecil, should be in there, if not some of the people she needed to talk to.

Cecil indeed was in the lab, thankfully, and currently running the system of computers through some sort of simulation. The scenario seemed to be an outside party attempting to hack the systems during an attack. However, when she saw Xelena coming, she smiled, 'pausing' the scenario. "Xelena, how are you? I trust you've been keeping out of trouble today?" She immediately hugged the Alpha Android, burying her face in Xelena's chest and seemingly clinging to her. It wasn't any sort of aggressive sexual thing, and everyone had come to realize this when dealing with Cecil. She simply was very affectionate, and had developed a deep love for hugging people. She pulled back, smiling up at Xelena. She had to, as the woman was only 5'2".

"Well, she's an affectionate one."

Xelena didn't mind her hugs, she smiled hugging her back. "Nice to see you. And I've been staying out of trouble. Just been a bit boring." The reason Cecil had developed a deep urge to hug people was a theory Xelena had. She had spent most of her life as an AI, unable to physically interact with anything and merely observe. Now that she had a physical body, and was still relatively new to taste, touch and smell, she naturally had taken a liking to it. If it would go away or not was up in the air, but she was thinking it was just part of who she was.

"I came here for the usual check up, but there's also something else. It's better I show you. One second I need to see if it works.." Xelena scanned around, finding a device that currently was not in use. Finding at least one computer, she went over and placed a hand over it, her eyes glowing faintly as she got to work. Most Alpha could show their memories through devices and computers if they so choose, as long as they had some sort of contact. Her idea was to instead to show what was in her head; in this case the Major. She had never done it before so she'd see if it would work, but maybe in theory.

Unknown to Xelena, the Major actually helped out in this, physically 'seeing' the link ups, and correcting them as necessary. After a few moments, a nearby holoterminal activated, revealing the Major as her conciousness identified herself. Which, at the moment, was completely naked. She looked herself over, then turned to look at Xelena and the others. "Wish you'd given me a warning first. I'm not a computer program or a file, so I can't be copied, and you effectively just tried to upload me into that computer. I managed to alter it a bit so that it's simply 'reading' me. The technology here is astounding... I'd literally lose myself in it." At this, Cecil nodded.

"I know what you mean. Trying to keep my individual identity while inside the systems was extremely difficult, and I was born as part of it. You need to be more careful about connecting her to extremely advanced systems, Xelena. You could have destroyed her identity, making her just another component of these systems. Who are you, anyway? If it's alright to ask."

"It's fine. I am Major Motoko Kusanagi, cyborg formerly employed as the squad leader of Public Security Section 9 of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission, on the planet Earth, in the year 2029." At this, Cecil nodded.

"Ah, I see. Well that's strange... you must be from another realm or something. In this realm, it is Earth Year 2039 A.D., and human technology is not far enough along for cyborgs as advanced as you seem to be. I mean, you are completely digitized right now, without a body."

"Ah. Well, where I am from, humans are able to link up to the net quite easily, and prostetics have advanced to the point of cybernetics. My body is completely cybernetic, my ghost... my 'soul', able to freely move about through the net. I underwent full cyberization when I was a child, after I fell into a coma after a plane crash. At least, that is if those memories are not false memories meant to fool me into believing I was once human."

Xelena felt a bit embarrassed about that screw up, but she had never had anyone inside her head or how to deal with them. That was not one of her best moments, but considering she had no experience what so ever with this, it was understanbale how she might do something without fully thinking about it.

"Sorry, I'll know for next time." Xelena wasn't perfect, and these times reminded people of that fact. "Anyway, I was wondering if it was possible to get Motoko a new body made, like you did. Just one more combat efficient. I'm going have to talk to Maya to, but she's busy. I trust her because I saw through her memories, and she's seen a bit of mine as well. So I just wanted to get an idea; how long would it take to make one?"

Cecil paused. "Hm... depends. I assume she'd want one similar to her old one in functionality, but would you like me to give it some built-in weapons and the like?" The Major thought about that, then nodded.

"Alright, that sounds good. Just a moment...." She seemed to be adjusting something unseen in Xelena's head, before a nearby computer started suddenly downloading a large file. When it finished, Motoko nodded. "That's all the data on the capabilities of my old body. I'd like it to have at least the same ones, but you can improve as you see fit." Cecil smiled.

"Of course. Depending on current resources, it could take awhile. At least a month, but only three or four at the most. Is that alright?"

"Fine with me, but it's up to Xelena if she's alright with me being around that long. Oh, and I uploaded the Tachikoma into a protected file on the servers. Please build their bodies to the given specifications as well, but again, improve them as you wish. They'd be useful to you. That, and I doubt anyone would want multiple childlike voices in their head."

Xelena was thinking of a few things, mainly how things would go with Maya once the two had a chance to 'meet'. This was the first time to her knowledge something like this had happened. She had heard about AI and the like sometimes getting into bodies like androids and computers, but to have a person get that way from another realm entirely..that was something else. It also brought up a interesting point.

If Motoko could get here via cyber space, didn't that mean it was possible for the process to work in reverse? And if so, how did it come about in the first place. Realm traveling wasn't anything new, but this method was. Though considering you needed to put your conscious out like that, she doubted too many were going to bother giving it a try.

"All right. I just have to talk to Maya a bit as well and everything should be good to go." Xelena paused for a moment. "Tell me when you're ready to cut off the projection Motoko, I don't want to take any risk like the last time."

Motoko nodded, and simply disappeared from the holoterminal. "We're good, Xelena."

"Fascinating, really... I hope we get to know her and learn from her before she goes home..."

"Ah. Xelena, go ahead and let her know I'm not going to go back. THere's nothing for me back there. I'd long abandoned my cybernetic body after retiring from Section 9."

Xelena heard what Motoko said, then relayed it. "She said she doesn't plan on going back to her home world. So we'll be seeing her around more after she gets her body back."

And I'll help you if you need it when that does happen. The comment was sent silently to Mokoko.

There was something she was forgetting, and then it clicked. "..Before I forget and leave, I need brief check up. I kind of feel like something may be a bit different, nothing dangerous but still." If her hunch was right, just maybe one of her old powers or weapons may be coming back but she couldn't be sure. It wasn't anything life-threatening, at least if it was she was sure she would have picked it up. Still best to make sure and not let Maya worry too much; she had enough stress as is

Cecil nodded slightly. "Is this an isolated thing that you can point out where I need to look, or an 'all over' check-up? If it's the later, you know the drill; go into the private diagnostic room and strip."

"Strip? Should I divert my attention, or am I free to watch?"

I don't mind either way. We're going to be like this for a while so no need to be skittish.

Xelena nodded. "Okay." She went to where the private diagnostic room and stripped down. While she did this, she did a quick internal scan. Nothing came up, as expected. There was the usual notes of her other weapons and powers being offline at the moment, but otherwise fine. Xelena had never figured out why she had taken such a huge dive in power from what she once was. Even in the battle she showed Akina when they first found her wasn't hardly her peak.

She noticed it subtly with her other sisters during that time. However, there was never any hard proof. By the time she had taken her last stand, it had been more then a bit too late. Someone must have done something. But that was a long time ago; two thousand years ago. They had to have been dead by now, unless they had stopped their aging process with a injection or some other method. However, there was no proof the Nalga were still around.

Xelena always felt deep down they were. They could travel to other realms and even create small pocket realms with how advance they were, who was to say they were just keeping a low profile?

Either way, she waited for Cecil to finish. After this, she'd think of what to do next.

After about half an hour of diagnostics, Cecil smiled, handing Xelena her clothes. "All done. There are several signs of some energy being diverted back to previously disabled systems, but not enough to activate. I'm not sure yet what these systems do, but I'm sure you'll find out eventually. Hopefully at a good time." She tapped on Xelena's forehead, grinning. "And you, Ms. Kusanagi, try to keep her alert to things. And out of trouble."

"I think you're fairly capable of taking care of yourself, but I'll do what I can. Also, Cecil is good with her hands. Is she seeing someone? I've been stuck in that encrypted file for awhile. How long, I have no idea."

Xelena got herself dressed, not bothered at all being naked in front of two other women. Back during the war, she had to shower with others at the same time, often because there were few resources, or they were pressed for time and had to get everyone ready under a tight schedule.

She smiled at Cecil. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I should get going though, but I'll talk to you later when I'm done."

At Motoko's words, she was taken back just slightly.

'Not that I know of.' This wasn't something she was used to, then again she did distantly recall Cecil did have some admirers. Not that surprising.It was then something else clicked from what she said. Even if she had her memories, not everything was 'there' to the forefront, just as with a normal person couldn't recall everything unless they thought back on it. 'Stuck in there? Did someone put you there or just chance?'

"We will." Xelena gave her friend a parting hug. "And you too." She left her friend after that, going from where she came through the transporter device. Now that she could cross that off her check list, she had to figure out what to do next. Most people in her circle were the 'busy' sort. Cecil was busy running various things, usually having to do with communications and other computer-related activities. Most of those in Jacob's unit, if not on an assignment were a bit hard to get a hold of some time. The Kenzy's were all the way on earth; and though going too and from there wasn't as hard anymore that took time. Ignis and Karin had the same problem, and Maya, we'll her mom was so busy people joked she never took off her suit.

They weren't hugely far off the mark, either.

So that just left her to handle some mundane things, with her main company being Motoko inside her head.

Back in your world, is there people like me? I mean to say, people who were never organic to begin with like myself?