Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

Posted on Tue Jul 24th, 2018 @ 2:21am by Maica III 47 & Lieutenant Vaemyn & Akira Zhuri & Chief Warrant Officer Daytona Ral

Mission: Holographic Horrors
Location: Artan Fortress, Holography Lab
Timeline: Current

Daytona strode purposefully through Artan Fortress towards the Holography Lab, carrying the cube containing the matrices of his lover Akira and Silurian Number Four, a background character from an interactive holonovel that had tried to take over Akira when the Hera was trapped within a dark matter storm. Daytona had hardly let the cube out of his sight since he'd convinced the Silurian to allow Akira to enter the cube in the first place. He'd hooked it up to the independent computer in Akira's quarters so it would the holographic cube would continue to exist even if the main computer went down and spent every moment he could in her quarters guarding the cube and its precious cargo. Now, however, he was bringing it to Master Chief Technician Andrea Carter, Akira's Human mother and the only expert he trusted to safely separate Akira and Silurian Number Four. Daytona arrived at the Holography Lab, took a deep breath, and entered.

"Chief Carter, Captain Maica," he said, solemnly. "It is good to finally meet you, though I wish the circumstances were different."

Daytona held out the cube.

"I've kept this safe from the moment she entered it," he said. "Please get her out this thing in one piece."

"Yeah, we woulda preferred something happier too," Andy replied as she took the cube. She rolled the box over a few times in her fingers to examine it before frowning. "This is a holographic construction," she stated seriously. "I've never seen anything like this! This is self-sustaining holograph; it's amazing, who did this?" the ex-Borg woman asked Daytona.

"A hologram calling itself 'the Doctor', from some holovid or holonovel," Daytona said. "He was a little strange. Lieutenant Vaemyn helped...I think...I was a little preoccupied with wanting them to hurry up so I could help your daughter. We were caught in a dark matter storm. The computer went bat shit bananas and began projecting holoscenarios all over the ship using the holoemitters on every deck. Akira's program got corrupted by a hologram calling itself Random Silurian Number Four. Apparently it was a background character from the same holonovel or vid or whatever that the Doctor was from. Once it...she corrupted Akira's matrix, the Silurian didn't want to let Akira go, because she was afraid of going back to being 'a nobody' as she put it. I was able to convince her to at least let Akira have enough control to enter the cube so we could contain them both until you could solve the problem. To do so, however, I had to promise that we'd do something for the Silurian, something that would give her more of a life, make her more of a 'somebody'."

"I suspect that once we separate them, this... 'Silurian'? Uh, I don't think she'll be suffering from an existential crisis once she's no longer in contact with Akira's soul, but... I think I can make good on your promise. Although I'll need this 'Doctor' fellow to open the box. Shouldn't be a problem transferring his program to the holography lab," Andy said with an approving nod. Then she looked to Daytona. "You did alright bringing her back to us, even if she's in a box."

Andy took the box over to the one of the holography stations and set the cube on one of the analysis grids, then accessed the Hera's holodecks to retrieve the necessary program.

Daytona tried his best to stay out of the way, but he was irrationally hesitant to let the cube out of his sight. Rationally he knew the Akira was in the best hands she could be in, but every cell in his body, every atom of his being wanted to keep her safe from harm.

Captain Maica looked on worriedly as well before turning her attention back to Daytona, a hint of a grin on her face. Wrapping one arm around his waist and hugging him sideways, she pulled him in close. "So you're the one that's been boning our daughter. I hear you've been taking excellent care of her. By the way, I'm your future mother-in-law, Maica. It's a pleasure finally meeting you."

Daytona grinned despite himself.

"I'd like to think she keeps me around for more than just my sexual talents," Daytona said. "But I'm glad she feels well taken care of. I enjoy taking care of her, both in and out of the bedroom. It's a pleasure to meet you, too."

Daytona let the 'future mother-in-law' comment go by the by. He and Akira definitely talked about the future and what it might hold for them, but they hadn't taken that step yet.

It was then, during the bawdy introductions between the moms and their daughter’s lover, that an oddly dressed man appeared in the lab, obviously startled at his sudden appearance. The man’s brown jacket, pink shirt and bow tie were classic 20th century attire, although the pink flowery sunglasses were a bizarre addition.

“Oh. Hello,” the Doctor said awkwardly. “You rang?”

Releasing Daytona, Maica turned to greet the Doctor, reverting to being a Captain and taking charge. "Ah, Doctor! I didn't expect to meet you in this universe outside of an early Earth video program. As clever as Andy, Akira's mother and my wife, is... We need you to explain this cube and open it up, it seems." If this holographic version of the Doctor was anything like the old videos she'd seen, inferring that he was the cleverest person in the room would go a long way. Something she hoped would help them get Akira out of there safely. "After that, perhaps you wouldn't mind working with us a bit?"

Andy sat back in a chair as she looked this strange fellow over with her odd-eyes gaze, scanning him with her eyepiece. "So far our technology hasn't been capable of creating self-sustaining holograms, but this box of yours is so damned close, it's impressive! Since I've never worked with anything quite like this, I didn't want to risk damaging the occupants, so your assistance was necessary," the ginger-haired ex-Borg said, less focus on flattery and more on getting to the point so they could get to work.

Nevertheless, while flattery wasn’t intended, it was certainly received as the Doctor smiled smugly. “Well, yes, thank you,” he replied to the cyborg, smiling at the other green-skinned lady and finally at Daytona. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, he jumped over to the cube where it sat on analysis grid. “I adapted the cube as a digital high-density program cage using a Gallifreyan message cube as a template, mixed in with the same programming stuff that I’m made of. It’s all a bit makeshift, really, but it should be fine. Now, because Akira and her roommate entered the cube voluntarily, you’ll need to shoot digital thoughts at the cube that will encourage them to come out. For the Silurian, that’s easy; just show her dinosaurs and she’ll be out of there in no time. For Akira, though, it may be a little bit trickier.”

"Galla-what-ian?" Andy replied bluntly. "Not familiar with whatever that is; must be something unique to your holonovel's lore," she mused aloud as she thought about what message to send to them. "So why not just tell them it's safe to come out? Akira should recognize the way I code, so she should know I'm here to take care of her," she said as she started constructing her message. She sent it to the cube and waited to see if anything would happen.

"So Doctor, given the complexity of your construction, I'm guessing you're the focal point of this holonovel," Andy said while they waited; it made sense, the program was called 'Doctor Who' after all. "Anyway, to gain her cooperation, Daytona made a promise to the character mashed up with my daughter, that she wouldn't go back to being a 'nobody' once separated from Akira. Are you alright with me borrowing some of your subroutines that allow you to be self-aware and modify your holonovel so she has a more prominent part in it?"

The Doctor clapped his hands in enthusiasm. “Oh yes, not a problem, so long as you give me my subroutines back afterwards. There’s always room in the TARDIS.”

"Right then," Andy replied and got to work at the station and accessed the Doctor's portion of the program.

"Oooh, that's all kinds of tingly," the Doctor said with amusement as a shiver ran down his spine.

"Heh, sorry about that, a bit unavoidable," Andy apologized with a grin. She accessed the sub-routines for his self-awareness and a few other useful bits of code, then she made a copy on her station; she could have easily written her own subroutines for this, but it would take much longer and there was the possibility the Silurian character would reject it. After a while of modifying this subroutine, Andy leaned back in her chair with a sigh.

"Alright, don't look like the girls are coming out anytime soon," Andy observed. "Daytona, think maybe you could give it a try? Akira could be too scared to come out without some assurances."

"Of course," Daytona said. He raised his arm in in front of him so he could access his wrist device and started typing. He'd found that he could use the device to communicate directly with the cube and had spent quite some time talking with Akira, also sometimes with Silurian Number Four.

Akira, it's me, Daytona. We're at Artan Fortress. Your mother Andy is trying to reach you. She was hoping you'd recognize her code. She's here to help you. She wants to help you, but she needs you to come out now.

At first, nothing happened, as though the message fell on deaf ears but a little more waiting and the cube began to cycle through colors. After a few cycles, the cube went dark and the Silurian Akira appeared in the lab. The Silurian hissed at all the people who had gathered in the lab, but then she quickly calmed herself.

"So sorry about that, the transition was a bit jarring," the Silurian said. Then she smiled brightly.

"Mom!" Akira exclaimed in delight and relief when she saw Andy. "Please tell me you can fix us," she pleaded softly.

"I'll do my best; just sit tight, we'll get you separated," Andy said, then got to work. "Feel free to chat, just try not to touch anything, and I apologize in advance if there's any hiccups in your conversation."

Akira nodded, then smiled at Daytona and Maica. "Oh, it is good to see all of you! Being in that box was awful, but I know it was necessary. Thanks for talking to us to help pass the time," Akira said to Daytona.

Daytona smiled, almost looking like a schoolboy whose first crush noticed him for the first time. He wanted to walk up to Akira and kiss her senseless, but he wasn't sure it was okay to touch her while Andy was working.

"Of course," he said. "The pleasure was largely mine. It kept me from worrying about you as much. It's...it's really good to see you."

"It's good to be seen! Although, I must look a bit frightening in this armor, oh my, and the scales..." Had she been capable of blushing like this, she would have, though her expression of embarrassment was easily recognizable even through the scales. "Oh dear, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause offense!"

"None taken," the Silurian replied smoothly, offering a grin. "You monkeys are equally unsettling for me to look upon, so no hard feelings," she said in jest, causing Akira's laughter to bubble up.

“Do we have to split them up?” the Doctor asked Andy and Maica with genuine curiosity. “Because they seem to be getting along great now. I’ve never had two friends in one body before.”

"Being tucked away in a box like that, I guess it forces a kinship regardless of our desires," the Silurian remarked. "But I am looking forward to being separated; Akira is a fine companion, but our interests do not align."

"Agreed. I may visit her in the holodeck when I can to see how she's doing, but I am ready to have control of my body again," Akira added in agreement.

"Besides, the overlapping matrices would eventually cause too many problems and the danger to their existence would become insurmountable; separating them truly is the best option for them both," Andy chimed in. "Not much longer, you two, I think I've got just about everything isolated."

Daytona let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding since the Doctor asked his question. While the idea of Akira and Number Four staying connected presented some interesting possibilities in the abstract, in reality Daytona was pretty sure he'd have ended up holding the smelly, messy end of that stick.

It took a bit longer than Andy anticipated to separate the two women, but finally the sentient hologram began to react, shifting uncomfortably until finally one was pulled from the other so that the Silurian stood beside Akira. Andy immediately froze the Silurian so that if there was any damage to her matrix that she wouldn't implode while Andy focused on Akira.

"Oh my, that feels so much better!" Akira exclaimed as she touched her cheeks to feel familiar skin under her fingertips. "Oh, and it feels good to have some maintenance done," she added with a relieved sigh.

"Yeah, as I hear it, you've been put through the ringer lately. But don't worry, I'll have you as good as new in a bit," Andy replied with a grin. "Hey lover boy, you should be okay to touch her now, just go easy."

Daytona grinned. He walked up to Akira, took her in his arms.

"Welcome back," he said. And then and kissed her, gently enough to follow Andy's instructions, passionately enough for Akira to know for an incontrovertible fact that he had missed her very much. "You look wonderful...I mean...you were sort of cute as a dinosaur woman...OUCH! I was just kidding my love! You're absolutely perfect the way you are!"

Akira giggled at Daytona, and once she was done hugging him, she pulled away to hug Maica. "Mom, it's great to see you," she said as she embraced the Orion android tightly. "Don't get me wrong, I love Aunt Maica, but there is no replacement for you and Mom; I'm glad you're both here."

"Any time you need us, just call and we'll be here as soon as we can, no matter what," replied the green android, hugging Akira back tenderly. "Besides, we had some shore leave coming and I talked your captain into letting us join her crew here at her home so it's one of those two orgasms with one rock things. Or was it two birds with one brain? Sorry, I still get colloquialisms mixed up."

Akira giggled. "Even I know that one!" she teased with a bright smile. "And I wanted to call you right after the incident on Granweh, but... I don't know, I knew you were doing important things too, I didn't want to take you away from other people who needed you."

"Pigbath! Nothing is more important than you. That outbreak of Rekxelian Flu could have healed itself." Maica paused a moment before continuing. "Ok, maybe not... But we're both just a call away and can talk almost any time."

"I'm sorry, I just didn't want to be a bother," Akira admitted sheepishly. "But I promise, I will make a greater effort to call more often, even if I don't 'need' you."

"Hey you three, Akira is stable enough to leave the lab if you want to go get some fresh air," Andy spoke up. "But no food, real or holographic! I can finish up with this Silurian character real quick, then I can come join you, and afterwards we can go back to Akira's quarters where she's probably more comfortable, there I can finish her maintenance and give her new android body a good once over."

"Akira?" Daytona said. "Would you like to spend some time alone with your mother, or do I get the honor of escorting two of the loveliest ladies on Artan Fortress on a walk? Entirely up to you, my love. I've missed you, but I've seen you more recently than your mother has. Just be sure to make time for me later if it's going to be just the two of you right now. As I said, I've missed you."

"You wouldn't mind the alone time?" Akira asked innocently. She had been thinking of getting some alone time with her mothers, and while she wanted some time for all of them to get together to get to know Daytona, the idea of some alone time now sounded really good right now. "You are so sweet and thoughtful! I will make it up to you later... once I'm able to, of course," she added with a blush, then rose on her toes to kiss his cheek.

"Of course, my love," Daytona said. He hugged Akira close for a moment then let her go. "Chief Carter, Captain Maica, thank you both for helping her. I look forward to getting to know you both if you can find the time. Akira, we have the same quarters as before. I'll go fetch Moriko so she won't be lonely at night, and I'll see you this evening."

"Before we go... She has no name, right?" Maica studied the Silurian for a bit, thinking a few things over. "She kind of reminds me of one of my officers - a Saurian named Shiashu. I hope she can live well after this." Turning to Daytona, Maica winked at him. "As for you, if we can't find time in the next week, we're doing something wrong."

"I'll suggest the name to her," Andy said without looking up from her console. "You have fun, love," she continued distractedly, all while Akira giggled at Maica's tease of Daytona.

"Yes, we will definitely make time for him!" Akira affirmed in a chipper tone. Before leaving, she briefly looked back at the Silurian with a soft smile; she knew her new friend was in good hands. "Alright, let's go find some food! I know I can't eat, but you'll love what the Artan Fortress kitchens have to offer," she declared as she hooked her arm with Maica's and strode out of the lab.

"Thank you again, Chief Carter," Daytona said. "And you, too, Doctor. I won't forget what you did for Akira, should we encounter each other again."

Some people might not have bothered to thank a hologram, but the love of Daytona's life was a hologram. Yes, Akira was probably more sentient than the Doctor, but Daytona no longer took holograms for granted.

While Akira was happily reunited with her family, the Doctor stood with the newly-named Shiashu, his hand on the Silurian’s shoulder. “It was my pleasure,” the Doctor replied with a smile, his eyes twinkling. “Should any of you want to have some fun while gallivanting about the universe, doing that Starfleet thing, you’re always welcome to drop by the holodeck and visit. Our adventures may only be holographic, but reality is what we make of it, eh?”

"Doctor," Daytona said. "The people in this room are among the most likely to view holographic lifeforms or, as I sometimes call people like you and Akira and Shiashu, photonic lifeforms, as more than just characters in a story. Besides, I actually remember you now. Centuries ago, when I was serving on merchant ships, traveling the quadrant, I used to spend some of my time manning the communications console. It was rather boring most of the time, so I would try to find whatever stray transmissions I could, just to break the monotony. I often picked up stray television transmissions from Earth. I caught snippets of the show your holonovels are based on. I saw you in several of your many forms. You provided a much needed relief from serious boredom. So, thank you on two counts."