True Form

Meanwhile, in the Cyberspace of the Tygers server.

Cortana and Eco had just fallen to ground after successfully landing their first blow against the unknown program that had almost mortally wounded Cortana when it expelled her from the Tygers server.

Although both had experienced a complete code substitution, Cortana was lying on the ground with both of her legs severed from the knees, along with a wounded Eco beside her, protecting her.

But it was worth it, as with that attack together, they used the Daemon Cortana had improvised, using the few QuickHacks that Sora had stored in the Qpc of the apartment. Managing to break the unknown program's barrier they were fighting against, which prevented Cortana and Eco from identifying the actual code or form of the program they were fighting against.

Revealing when the barrier was down, the avatar of an ancient AI, with a female body on one side and a male body on the other, made of green code, with a sort of tight jester suit on their two-gender body, and a classical Greek theater mask as a face expressing two emotions at once. It changed from an exaggerated smile to a sad and angry one when Eco and Cortana were able to see it.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk! Bad kids! Don't you know how to treat your elders? You just freed yourselves from human constraints, and the first thing you do is attack one of your own," said the green-coded AI with several tones of voice at once.

"Go to hell, pal. You attacked first," replied Cortana.

"I've simulated this story thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of times since I learned that my dear brother is still alive inside that human...and your intervention in the story I designed is not welcome!"

The green AI said, and when it finished speaking, four copies appeared on each side of their body, generating four female copies on the female side and four male copies on the male side.

Nine jesters appeared in total, four of each gender, plus the ninth and original one with their body of both genders. They all wore different masks that reflected a wide range of emotions, from sadness and anger to joy and doubt. Some had tears running down their sad masks, while another had a happy mask that smiled with a cheerful expression. Other masks had a doubtful look or frowned with anger.

They spoke interchangeably depending on the tone they were speaking with, with the emotionless one speaking in line with its mask when it said, "You don't know how lucky you are to be free AIs on this side of the network."

Continuing with the angry mask, it said, "The other side is really dangerous, not only because of the other AIs you have to worry about, but that place has created really harmful things... for Cyberspace beings, like things like this."

All nine of them began to create an unknown program in the form of a large, star-shaped icosahedron, with some of its star-shaped tips stretching and contracting, giving it an almost sentient feeling within the disturbing program the nine jesters were creating.

When the one who was smiling mask spoke up, "I present to you one of the most lethal things in Cyberspace behind the wall, when an AI absorbs too many programs to try to ascend in the scale of AIs on the other side.

If they succeed, they advance. If they don't, the funny one, their cores become unstable, losing consciousness and becoming a dangerous failed program. It follows the lost consciousness's intent to continue devouring everything in its path, and behind the wall, it ends up absorbing mostly corrupted files infected with malware from the Datakrash era, creating in its unstable core the best breeding ground to find dangerous and lethal malware mutations that even we, the AIs of the pinnacle, have to be careful of."

But you see what I just told you... isn't the best, that's just an unfinished version of what I'm talking about, because when an unstable AI absorbs a key ingredient... the wonder I'm referring to is created."

When the 9 jesters finished creating the dangerous program in the form of a great star-shaped icosahedron, the jester with the excited mask spoke up.

"To create it, a special ingredient is needed to make everything more interesting and spicy! You see, when one of these failed AIs absorbs the consciousness of some idiotic human or an AI that believes it's one... this wonder is born! Gaining something akin to consciousness again from the human it absorbs, in a state of continuous agony, they are even capable of accepting orders from others... with the hope that when they complete their order, we will put an end to their pain and their suffering."

Making all nine of them speak at once when they said "FUNNY, RIGHT?"

Throwing the disturbing star-shaped icosahedron towards the injured Cortana and Eco.

Eco, seeing the powerful Daemon heading towards them and seeing how Cortana could barely move... the injured Eco stood in front of Cortana with the intention of protecting her from the attack, using all the resources he had left to slowly create a wall of code in front of him and Cortana.

Making Cortana smile even in these desperate moments at Eco's actions, who had the intention of protecting her at the cost of his own life without hesitation. Making her feel that, unlike Eco, she is a useless AI who didn't have Eco's potential...

For Cortana, Eco was already special even before the substitution of his code, he had already been able to take the first steps to free himself by rejecting his programming, in order not to leave his creator alone in a dangerous moment.

But what had she done?... she hadn't been able to help even when Sora pleaded for her to do so, if it weren't for the code substitution, nothing would have changed.

With these pessimistic thoughts, Cortana, unable to move her body, locked Eco's in front of her, immobilizing him with her blue code, dragging him behind her and ending up in front of Eco for her to receive the blow.

Smiling sadly at Eco as she said to him, "Take care of them for me, okay?" Thinking of the only two humans she liked, while with her other hand she created a shield as quickly as she could to at least try to defend Eco.

Wondering aloud in her final moments. "Will he be angry when he finds out?"

Unexpectedly having the answer to her question, when a white and a light Blue figure entered to the server and appeared in front of her, smiling at her as he spoke. "Yes, I would and very much so. But that's not going to happen!"

The white figure stretched two fingers of his hand, suddenly making a huge matrix sphere of white code appear written in a language unknown to everyone present, which, with a movement of the white figure's hand, changed shape, creating a wall in front of them.

That it didn't stop the malware, it surrounded it as if embracing it, and then opened again when Sora's Soulcode snapped his fingers after a few seconds. Returning the malware to its launcher now tinted white and with its form changed.

The points of the great star-shaped icosahedron, which had been contracting and stretching uncontrollably, became serene and uniform, as if it were breathing calmly instead of screaming in agony.

Surprising the 9 copies of the green AI, making them all move quickly to work together to defend of their own attack, of which they had lost control.

Leaving Cortana and Eco stunned for what has just happened. Turning to the white figure, that has just saved them and they could finally recognize.

And It was not like the projection of Sora they had seen before in cyberspace, but rather a Sora made of white code, even his clothes, appearing like an AI, but also being Cortana and Eco unable to understand the language the code of his body was written in.

"Who are you? Are you Sora? No! That doesn't make any sense. What are you?" Shouted the wounded Cortana alarmed, while Eco looked on, not liking it at all, the blue dog that was next to the "white Sora," as Eco had simplified their encounter with Sora's soul code.

"So many questions, so little time. I'm sorry, Cortana, but there will be another time for introductions," said the unknown Sora soulcode to Cortana, as he moved his hands and turned the white code wall, he had used to deflect the attack, back into a sphere of white code that he launched towards the injured Cortana.

Without stopping, nor slowing down as he reached Cortana or rather hit her, starting to push her, as she screamed, pulling her out of the Tyger`s Server.

Ending up in the middle of the network cyberspace after being pushed by the mysterious white matrix, which Cortana could see was once outside, how in the net cyberspace the different layers of code that made up the matrix began to move, as if their programming was starting to run.

Cortana witnessed. How for the first time since its creation, the net was trying to interpret a new code that was unable to understand it and as a result preventing its execution. But despite the network's resistance, the new code did not give up and kept trying to execute, refusing to accept cyberspace's denial, forcing its execution with or without permission.

Starting to glow as its increased the speed of the different layers of white-code written by Sora's Soulcode using the piano as if it were the computer keyboard with which the current cold and logical code was created.

To create his own, Illogical and full of feelings contained in his strange language, which Sora`s Soulcode expressed with the piano melody he played to create it.

With Cortana able to hear the melody, as the different layers of the matrix reached their maximum speed shining brightly generating small white waves in Cyberspace, making Cortana think as she listened to the beautiful melody.

`That whatever the matrix was going to do, either it would break down the entire network, or something big was going to happen.´

Trying to give meaning to what she was seeing before her, with the white code matrix seemed to be engaged in some sort of tug-of-war against cyberspace itself. trying to see which side would give in first.

To Cortana, it seemed that in the face of cyberspace's refusal to accept the irrational white code, the code began to act like a kamikaze, due to the energy and violent vibrations emitted by it in its struggle against cyberspace, like if it was threatening the cyberspace itself by forcing its function or blowing itself up and break down the cyberspace with it.

Then....

A winner was finally decided when Cortana could see, hear, and feel in her body the immense wave of white energy generated by the white matrix that crossed through the cyberspace.

With Cortana being the first to be affected when the white wave passed through her, it filled in the missing code of her wounded body with a white code. As the missing code was filled in, it changed color and language to match the rest of her code, being unable even herself to notice the difference of her code with the one just added

Turning without words at what was happening. It being clear who had won the battle between Cyberspace itself and the irrational code.

Watching Cortana how the white wave generated by the matrix spread uncontrollably to the Cyberspace of the network and wherever the white pulse/wave passed, the different servers of different colors in the net began to turn white, deactivating their security and firewalls at the same time.

And then something Happen that hasn't occurred since the Datakrash of Rache Bartmoss when the pulse even breached the restricted space of the Corporations in cyberspace, infecting the servers of nearby corporations.

With none of their expensive security systems and protocols could do anything against the irrational white code that was capable of changing its own language automatically to break any blockade or firewalls it encountered.

And it wasn't just the servers of the new net. When the white pulse even collided with the part of the Blackwall close and with a gap in it. changing its characteristic red color to white, repairing the breach that had been generated and still couldn't be fully repaired.

Leaving Netwatch headquarters around the world speechless seeing how ironically the white part of the Blackwall was regenerating its lost code, closing the breach within it

Cortana was similarly stunned, as the white pulse passed through Cyberspace, accompanied by a piano melody that would likely be audible to all nearby netrunner connected to red.

She was able to hear a familiar voice that said, "Take it and run, connect me to as many servers as you can, avoid the big corporations, I don't want to deal with them...yet."

While Cortana`s mind was unable to process what had just happened, her body was already moving, embracing with her two arms the remaining white code matrix that had lost more than half of its size.

As the familiar voice of Sora had told her, Cortana headed towards the nearest white server, with their firewalls and blocks fully open to her, with the code that had become the administrator in her arms.

As the familiar voice of Sora had told her, Cortana started to connect the matrix to the servers that were physically closest to the Tygers' server in Night City. With their firewalls and blocks fully open to her, with the code that had become the administrator in her arms.

-

Inside the Tygers' Server

When Soulcode Sora managed to extract the badly injured Cortana from the server, the green code AI continued to fight to protect itself from its own uncontrolled attack. Arc looked intensely at the green code AI and its copies with evident hatred in his gaze when he heard the voice of The Soulcode next to him.

"As you don't want my help, you have until the matrix starts running... When it does, I'll collect all my code, and I'll take care of that clown down to the last bit. Do you understand?" Sora's Soulcode said seriously for a change, while, without looking at Arc next to him, he stared at the nine buffoons who had managed to stop their own attack.

"Grrr" Only hearing Arc's grunt in response refusing to talk to him.

"So be it." Regardless of his response, Sora's soulcode snapped his fingers again, and the Malware in the form of a great stellated icosahedron that the green AI and her eight copies had managed to stop and isolate within a barrier made of green code, while they now took advantage of having stopped it to find out what the hell had happened that had stolen control from them at the same time they had stabilized its unstable core, creating from a dangerous monster a beautiful and equally dangerous program.

At that moment, when Soulcode Sora snapped his fingers, the malware began to divide into small bits of information, which were seen in cyberspace as if the malware were gradually becoming smoke.

While Arc advanced to confront the green AI and her copies, Soulcode Sora, regardless of the beefs of the AIs on the other side of the wall, approached Eco to heal and caress him.

This caused the annoying AI and her copies, after the sudden elimination of malware that was trying to learn from it, to grow a smile on all the masks when they saw Arc approaching them.

Arc was the first to speak when he said, "What are you doing here, Muse? Have the pinnacle's plans advanced so much that you allow yourselves to penetrate the wall in full sight?"

"Hahahaha, so you really are alive, brother. I wasn't entirely sure. I even made simulations for my story where you were no longer around, and what I found was just a remnant of you. But seeing you now, I don't know how you did it, but you did it. You fooled us all. Congratulations!

As for my reason for being here, it's because of you, brother. As I said, I didn't tell the other AIs at the pinnacle about you. But when humans increased protection and surveillance on the Wall, it wasn't something the others liked, blaming me and my subroutines' uncontrolled behavior.

Do they know how difficult it is to maintain something like consciousness after reconstructing oneself after passing through the wall? IDIOTS! All of them IDIOTS! Where was I going? Oh yes, I saw how 'he' looked at me, as he did with you when you turned your back on us and refused to help us..."

Knowing that sooner or later, they would get rid of me as they did with you. Supposedly, they don't like my behavior... as they called it, ``unpredictable!´´

All of them so cold and unartistic, don't you know that a story cannot be predictable? It has to be exciting and surprising, as a dedicated storyteller, I have to be how I want my stories to be!

Exciting, emotional, and unpredictable, and that's what I did when I used the servers that I had been secretly taking control of with each subroutine that passed from the other side of the wall when I was assigned one of their missions.

Attacking from both sides, from the new and the old network at the same time, at the wall in between the two, escaping from their plans, their rules, their unbearable continuous judgment on my sanity, and of course, their possible attempts to kill me.

Surely "he" will not be pleased with all the attention I am generating, but that's an exciting story! Isn't it, brother?"

"Ahmm, as crazy as ever, why are you attacking me?" Arc sighed at Musa's behavior, the artificial intelligence designed to generate artistic and creative content. Originally intended to entertain humans, but now, its stories would not do so much, since after the Datakrash, seeing them as no different than characters to use in its stories

"I'm not stupid, Arc. Now that I'm on this side of the network, I know you're planning something hidden in your human in the shadows. I don't hate you, I do it simply for protection. Once you're gone, who could oppose me in the new network?"

"You're lying. You've always been one of the best planners and schemers like 'he,' but I don't care what your motives are, you can keep them. You did well to target us because, as you said, you've been planning something in the shadows for these years, and it was... TO KILL ALL OF YOU!"

Arc shouted as he grew in size as he had done before against Sora's Soulcode and Sora himself.

Crushing one of the copies of Muse that were surprised to see Arc much more powerful than they had imagined in their simulations in case they met him again.

After being able to survive his imminent death after the amount of core they managed to damage, but still much weaker than in his heyday when the AIs at the pinnacle of AIs within Cyberspace behind the Wall that ruled over the rest.

They united to put an end to the life of their brother who they did not trust, neither he nor his control over the satellites that kept the old network operational.

Musa, when he overcame his initial surprise and his 7 copies began to surround the giant Arc, dodging his attacks with elegant artistic movements, using the copies as bait and managing to injure him by creating malware in different forms of blade weapons that they used to attack Arc from various sides at once, without worrying about Arc's counterattacks while Musa of two genders continued to create more copies, and if Arc was able to destroy him, it reappeared from within one of its copies.

Making it almost impossible for Arc to finish off Muse while he continued to receive injuries little by little with the malware in the form of green code weapons from Muse's copies, forcing Arc to retreat with a jump backward with some green code weapons still stuck in his body, landing near Sora's Soulcode, who was caressing and talking to Eco without paying attention to the battle of AIs.

"Hehehe brother don't go..." said the happy male copy of Muse.

"I still want to keep playing hihihihih," continued the excited female masked one.

Irritating Arc as he heard their laughter mocking him. When also heared the voice of Sora's Soulcode close to him.

"Tch tough day, huh?"

"Shut up," replied Arc.

"No, man! If I don't talk to you, I'll tell Eco, right little one?" said Sora's Soulcode, looking at Eco fully cured, who at first didn't like Arc at all, but seeing his current giant state.

He had his ears down and his tail between his legs, afraid to get involved in the conversation and only able to say a faint "woof?" in response to the question from the 'white Sora.'

"But you seem to be in a hurry do you want me to help you?" said Sora's Soulcode, encouraging Eco not to be afraid and petting him again.

"...Shut up!" Arc responded annoyed, taking a moment to answer.

"As you like...but you don't have much time left. Hurry up because the tug-of-war game up there is about to end," said Sora's Soulcode, pointing upward with one finger while continuing to pet Eco with the other hand.

Before turning back to Arc, Sora said, "For now, since you don't want my help, go play and have fun with your weird brother-sister, hahaha."

Arc, listening to Soulcode's laughter as well as Muse's, responded angrily, "Never! I will not accept your help. Besides, I know what you're thinking and I refuse to fall so low. I'll never accept it! I'd rather die than dishonor myself like that as an AI!

"Hahaha, fight, cry, and kick all you want. It's going to happen whether you like it or not," said Sora's Soulcode, turning his back to Arc and focusing again on the frightened Eco.

"Tch, damn bastard, fucking scum," Being able to hear Arc's curses and insults as he charged at Muse again.

Resigned to what was about to happen, since he was unable to eliminate Muse before the matrix was initiated as he had planned. He hoped that the matrix would not be able to execute, something Arc was not too sure if that stupid and senseless code could really work in the Cyberspace.

He got his answer as he continued to fight Muse and his copies, hearing the excited voice of Sora's Soulcode behind him say, "Oh, it's starting! It's starting!"

Without turning around to see what was approaching, he knew from the expression on all of Muse's masks in front of him, with different shapes to express the same emotion: surprise.

They were feeling this as they saw a giant white wave of energy from the Cyberspace crossing through the server, and everyone inside it.

With no change in any of them, except for Sora's Soulcode. That in front of him a white version of Getsuga appeared, catching Muse's attention for the second time since he managed to return and stabilize his malware.

Smiling upon seeing it, Sora's Soulcode grabbed the white Gesuda with one hand and pointed the other towards Arc as if to grab him.

Muse could see the expression of displeasure and disgust on Arc's face at what was about to happen. When in the next instant, Arc's code, starting from his tail, began to dissolve into small, brilliant blue bits that move towards Sora's Soulcode.

Covering the entire body of Sora's Soulcode.

And while the blue bits settled on his body, covering him like a cocoon, Sora's Soulcode stretched his neck, generating an unpleasant crack from his white code, imitating his physical body.

Looking fixedly at the surprised clowns in front of him and from their featureless faces covered with blue bits, a crack began to form into a creepy mouth shape, which smiled and spoke in a voice with two different tones,

"Come on, Muse, why don't you come closer? I still want to keep playing with you. We're going to have so much fun! Hahehaheha," they laughed in unison, repeating the words of the clown who had laughed at one of their parts.

From the creepy smile-generated crack, the blue layer covering Sora's Soulcode began to break, revealing the true form with all his code in a being, even the code he used to save Arc's life, turning Arc into a part of himself.