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They realized something after Pribadium!Two shot Sora, dispatching him to
the holding cell in an instant. This has to be a manned mission, because
somebody needs to get eyes on that barrier, but that person doesn’t have to
die permanently if something goes wrong. They just need to be streaming
their consciousness to the base, which both Pribadiums are doing all the
time anyway. It is Sora who figures this out, which is embarrassing. It’s
not that he’s too dumb, but they should have realized it ahead of time.
Smart people sometimes get so laser-focused on what they’re doing, and
iterating the work as needed, they can forget the more obvious solutions in
front of them. Well, if he understands that, she can let him out. He’s not
going to cause trouble.
Sora sighs as he’s stepping out. “So, which one of you is going to go out
there?”
“She will,” Pribadium!One explains. “We flipped a coin...an actual, physical
coin.”
He nods. “I notice that you two look a little different now.”
“Yes,” Pribadium!One begins. “This was my birth form. I sometimes make
adjustments, or just wear entirely different forms. I have a whole library
of substrates to pick from. I realized it might be confusing for you, so I
changed.”
He chuckles once as he’s shaking his head. “You people switch bodies like I
would my hats. I know, it’s commonplace for you, but it’s hard to get used
to. No one on Proxima Doma or Doma Tertia would ever dream of such...”
“Of such a brazen and thoughtless attitude towards what you consider to be
the core of your being?” Pribadium!One guesses.
“Flexibility,” Sora clarifies. “I was going to say flexibility.”
She nods. “I’m sorry she threw you in here. She didn’t have to do that. It’s
not like you could have overpowered us and snuck off the base alone. You
don’t have any authorization codes... Anyway, it wasn’t right, and I hope we
can still be friends.”
Sora smiles. “We once were enemies. It feels like years ago, but it’s been a
day.”
“I never thought of us as enemies, Mr. Shimizu,” Pribadium!One explains.
“You must understand that while what you and your people were trying to do
was unique, that’s what my job is. People have all sorts of complaints. Back
when the post-scarcity society was first blossoming, access accelerated
rapidly. What once cost became totally free. It became an expectation. But
post-scarcity doesn’t mean no economy. Energy credits were devised because
energy and raw material are the only things that matter in the universe.
Because they both give you time. People come to Gatewood expecting to get
whatever they want with no limitations, but it’s more nuanced than that. I
sit through many negotiations. I’ve never been taken hostage before, but...”
He’s bashful. “I’m sorry about that. I guess I shouldn’t complain about
being in there for all of five minutes when I kept you locked up for weeks.”
“I forgive you,” Pribadium!One promises.
Pribadium!Two appears on screen. “I forgive you too, and I’m sorry too.”
“Thank you,” Sora replies. He breathes to reset. “So, are you ready to
launch?”
“I just need the authorization from the quote-unquote
real Pribadium.”
Pribadium!One tilts her head. “You have the greenlight. Godspeed.”
“God is dead.” Pribadium!Two’s shuttle launches and heads for the barrier.
Only a couple hundred meters from the dimensional barrier, the base loses
contact with it. Then a bogey shows up on sensors on the opposite side of
the bubble.
