Episode 23: For the Turtles / Con Dau (two episodes remain)

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Episode 23: For the Turtles / Con Dau (two episodes remain)

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EPISODE 23

It finally becomes clear…Legion…”Call us Legion, for we are many.”
Manji is part of a fragmented personality.

Takumi Taigo has multiple personalities. Each one can accomplish different tasks while one operates the physical. That explains the constant use of Decots. One cyberbrains could control of to five decots with no problems. Manji is one of these personalities, but one that does not agree with the other identities. Each one trained the others. Two are hackers, one is a fixer, and another is a martial arts expert. Each is a master in their own rite, getting their training from the internet while another masters a physical discipline. Five personalities in a cyberbrain. It has never been recorded. The capabilities are endless. One could hack the net while another ignores the hacking to accomplish another task. They avoid the lack of concentration. It explains why they all have the same hack profile…They are all the same person…

Elsewhere Kobotai is talking with the Prime Minister, Aramaki, and a thin man with glasses named Takehiro Endo.

“You’re not pulling one over on me, Kobotai!” Endo snaps.
“That facility in Etorufu is for future administration only. There are no operations being conducted from there.” Kobotai responds.
“Then why the escalated cost? Are you telling me are these expenditures in manpower derive only from the Newport complex?”
“I think you will find Section 9 has been really busy since they have been declared nonexistent again.” Aramaki interjects.
“Don’t patronize me. Budget cuts are natural. You can expect me to believe these costs are necessary. I know your plan. You are trying to increase funding to secure your think tanks again. You didn’t get them last year…you won’t get them this year.”
“Think tanks…that’s…an…interesting theory. Could it be Section 9 has been working double time trying to prevent a war? Does that not seem logical?” Aramaki responds.
“I know you run Public Security like your own private army Aramaki, and your using your connections with Section 1 (pointing to Kobotai) to increase your power base! This is expressly why—“
The Prime minister holds up her hand.
“Please Mr. Endo. I have grown to trust Aramaki in the short time I have known him. If he is going to lie, this will be the first. Mr. Aramaki?”
“Thank you, Prime Minister. It is true that costs have increased in the last few months. I assure you this is due to increased attention given the current case. We are nearing war, Mr. Endo. In situations were different, I am sure we would not be having this conversation. While we’re at it, how is Section 7’s budget doing?”
“I am going to the Etorufu facility. If I find evidence it was used by anyone other than Section 9 or Section 1 personnel, I will be filing a report.”

FOR THE TURTLES / CON DAU

Now the time has come to find Legion once and for all. After Sharron interviews all of Dr Tseng coworkers and discovers she left everything to Taigo, the group meet up at the Doctors residence. Sharron flies with Gregori while Ben drives up. The residence is in on level 65 of a sprawling apartment complex in the center of Etorufu.

They search the large apartment. They find very little a first. One finds a computer. Bookmarked websites show ecological cleanups across the world in the past. The last event was just before the end of the war, when the nukes dropped. There is a photo of her with her patients. One picture dated 22 years ago shows a patient with the nametag, Taigo. He is a teenager of about 13. He looks frail and quiet. A few of the photos show the other patients. One shows Taigo and another boy named (Doko) Kanno playing frisbee. Taigo is bald with 4 old-style plugs in the back of his head. He must have been a test subject. Another shows a group of six students including Taigo throwing a surprise birthday party for the Doctor. Obviously, she was very loved.

As they are searching, Kanno, now an adult, walks in. One quick look, and he bolts. He races through the apartment complex, running over pedestrian bridges, down stairs, with Ben in hot pursuit. He must have a cyberbody because he is fast. He jumps from a boardwalk ten stories up to another one across an expanse. He tightropes across a cable. He has a very powerful cyberbrain defenses and does stay out of Autistic mode. Gregori taps into the satellite and tracks him. He is heading over the ground level parking garage across the street. The prey slides down ladders, finally reaching one of the upper level roadways. He races across the street, jumping off of cars and running on top of trucks. Greg finds a shortcut and tries to intercept. They both make it into the parking garage in time but fail.

There is a large truck here. Inside is a Forced Entry combat unit. It has been modified with wheels to scurry across the ground with amazing speed. He attempts to get away. Ben calls the car in by remote and tries to maintain contact while Ben and Greg approach with the tilt-rotor. The Force Entry unit throws cars and jumps from the road into an alleyway, through the side road, and finally onto the main highway. It skims into a tunnel. Sharron stops its exit with the Aircraft and Ben disables the craft.

Kanno was a friend of Taigo and his only ally. He knows of the Multiple personalities but contends that Taigo himself is still on control. He also adds that the Doctor, whom he also knew, was a very passionate woman and she was broken by an uncaring world. Taigo approached him to help with the Doctors legacy. Kanno, of course, agreed. Taigo offered him 1 000 000 yen, some beefed up barriers, and the entry unit for emergencies. He was to plant information and un programs away from the other five. The felt there was a mole and by using an external source, they could find out that it was. It was too easy to leak something to someone else inhabiting one mind. He knows Taigo is orchestrating the war and knows it’s because of the Doctors legacy…but doesn’t know the details. However, he does remember the doctor being upset after the nukes fell. Wasn’t everyone? But something happened after Tokyo, Berlin, and New York were nuked. It angered everyone…but something happened soon after. Kanno cannot remember.

The group starts to do research. Nothing about the nukes themselves really emerge. They were disastrous…but something is missing. One report from the time period mentions 3-4 nukes reported detonating. Other reports clearly say 4. Only 3 cities were hit. They finally discover one report indicated that the Japanese Miracle was successfully utilized in Tokyo, Berlin, and a limited use over New York. And that because of technological secrecy, that from on, its use would be limited to Japan and its allies.

Was there a 4th nuke? Any mention of it seems to have been…not erased…but just forgotten. The death toll and the ramifications of the nuke overpowered any other news. Finally one forgotten clip right after the exchange occurred mentioned a miss detonation. Apparently, the USA had, in response to the Tokyo nuke, launched a single trident missile to Hong Kong. Apparently, it missed and detonated somewhat harmlessly offshore.

It looks like its destination has also been forgotten. One mentions it striking an old resort that had been abandoned long before the war started. Gregori continues digging. He simultaneously tries to recontact Manji. He knows she is alive now.

They hack into Kanno’s brain and use his ghost profile to lure Legion. Sharron disguises his ghost to resemble Kanno. He then jumps into a simulated environment that Taigo created to talk to Kanno in emergencies. When Taigo takes the bait, thinking Sharron is talking to Kanno, Greg backs-hack him, hoping to track him. He only has a short span of time. However, he finds no information. Hacking into Taigo’s eyes show nothing. Then Greg is hit by a Forced Transfer and taken to Manji’s sub brain where she faces Greg. She does not apologize but does add Greg will have to kill her. Taigo will not go lightly. Greg mentions attempting a ghost upload but Manji counters that ghost transfers is only a myth. Greg tries to find any clues on her location. She adds about the slight background radiation. After Greg is kicked out, he searches through possible locations where a stray nuke could hit. He originally looked for ecological disaster but now he just searches for any evidence to where the nuke hit. After hours, Greg finally finds it…

Con Dao Island looks like a bear rising from the sea to east of the most southern point of the country. Originally a prison for patriots and revolutionists during the French and American resistance, Con Dao Island sheltered brave revolutionary spirits of the Vietnamese people. More than 22,000 prisoners who dedicated their lives to national independence were incarcerated on the isolated island of Con Dao.

Con Dao Island is also famous for its nice beaches shaded with evergreen trees, fresh air, clear blue waters, and primitive forests. Some of those beaches include Dam Trau Hang Duong and Phi Yen where visitors can relax and enjoy the warm temperature.

Ho Chi Minh City investors built the Phi Yen Sea Resort to accommodate visitors. The best time to visit Con Dao Island is from March to June, when the sea is calm. The ocean around Con Dao Island (Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province) is a heaven for sea life and the splendid forest cloaks the land. This is ecotourism at its best. Clean, smooth sand banks, blue sea, dolphins jumping and racing after boats, tropical almond trees swinging in a cool sea breeze, peaceful narrow roads, and forest covering most of the island, make Con Dao seem like heaven to visitors from far and wide. Con Dao is one of the few places in Vietnam that is home to rare dugong, sea turtles, and dolphins, and to varieties of orchids found nowhere else in the country. In addition, the island has large and diverse coral reefs comparable to the most famous ecotourism spots in the region. Con Dao was recognized as a nature reserve in 1984 and a national park in 1993. The total protected area of the park is 20,000 hectares, including 14,000 hectares of sea and 6,000 hectares of forest on 14 islands. There is also a buffer zone that is 20,500 hectares wide. Con Dao National Park encompasses oceanic and coastal ecosystems such as mangrove forests, coral reefs and sea grasslands. Over 1,300 species of sea animals have been identified here. The park is the most important egg-laying area in Vietnam for sea turtles. Con Dao is classified as one of the areas given optimum priority in the world's system of oceanic reserves. Since 1995, more than 300,000 baby turtles have been released to the sea and nearly 1,000 mature turtles have been tagged.

And the final truth is revealed: The final nuke struck the Island of Con Dau and almost completely wiped out the entire seat turtle ecosystem in the South pacific. Because there was no loss of life, the Japanese government refused to use Micromachine scrubbers to clean the area of radioactivity. The location only now can barely sustain life. This fact obviously crushed the Doctor and she became disillusioned with her government that decided to protect its technology rather than use it to save a destroyed ecosystem. Taigo took on this cause and felt Japan needed to pay for its ignorance. It’s sparking this war to make Japan pay for not using the Japanese Miracle to clean up this island. Any satellite that attempts to look on the island now receives static. That’s were Legion is.

However, time is short. Endo has arrived with staff to examine the facility. Section 10 has to pack everything up and leave now for the island. They can never come back. However, they will have help. Section 9 arrives also in full force. They are going in to. Kobotai also sends Elina Clarke with them. If she stays, she will be dismantled. The group understand that this will be the last time they see Kobotai or act as Section 10. This is their last mission…

Kobotai salutes and steps back as the two tilt rotors fire up….
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Post by Gillsing »

So the main villain has his stronghold on a radioactive tropical island then? Cool. 8)

Not that I really know how a brain works, but it would seem to me as if different personalities wouldn't be able to work independently at the same time. I think that one would be active while the others are passive, and that the most beneficial aspect would be to always have a suitable personality to whip up when it's needed. After all, the brain is a physical thing, so it shouldn't have resources enough to run several minds at the same time. MMI's Motoko would be an exception, as a large part of her brain appears to be virtual after her merge with the Puppeteer. But perhaps that goes for Taigo as well, for some reason? :?
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Post by Slipstream »

Well, you see, I have a close friend who has a PHD is psychology and he specialized in dissociative disorders. I wrote paper for his Doctorate that postulated this very idea...sans the cyberbrains of course. I would reprint it all here but I think no one would read it. When I pitched him the idea, he said it was very reasonable given the setting. The dominant personality does not force the others to sleep all the time and often, the background personalities can stay active even though not in control. It what begot this whole villain in the first place.... My group loved that twist.

Next week...the final episode...
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Post by Gillsing »

Oh well. I'll just remain sceptical then. I guess I just don't see much difference between being active and being in control, as being 'active' suggests having 'physical' control of the brain. But perhaps such multitasking is possible for such people? All I know is that I can't focus 100% on both reading a webcomic and listening to a podcast at the same time, since both activities requires the same part of my brain (the language center or something like that).

I could see how more than one personality could be 'awake' and comment on what is going on, but I don't see how it could do much without interfering with the thought processes of the active personality. Not that there aren't plenty of mindless activities that would allow for multitasking, but that goes for regular humans as well.

Are you suggesting that the different personalities appropriate different parts of the brain where they then run independent thought processes? I guess that could work, assuming that the brain is malleable enough to allow for it. And assuming that a regular human really doesn't need all their brain matter. Because otherwise it would mean that the multitasking brain would end up with several stunted personalities, as they're not able to appropriate enough of the brain to function as well as a single personality who has a whole brain at its disposal. Or perhaps the different personalities would stimulate each other and thus compensate for the lack of brain matter they each control? :?
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Post by Lightice »

I am not an expert on the subject, but I read a study, once, that stated, that an ordinary human brain is capable of creating potentially dozens of logically consistent multiply personalities and that even mentally healthy people can create them, although they never actually emerge on them. The experiment, which has been repeated by several psychologists involved telling people sensitive to hypnotism to go back in time, to before their birth. Then, the unexpectedly created personalities consistent to that era, complete with full family histories and memories. They remained consistent between sessions, as well. It is quite amazing, how detailed things they could generate, apparently in a moment's notice.

As for what neurological processes were involved, I have no idea. The study didn't concencrate on them, unfortunately. But as I understand, while we continuously use the entirety of our brain, we don't use it with maximum efficency.
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Post by Slipstream »

Ahhh...I think I should reprint a section of this doctorate essay....

"Everybody has the ability to dissociate. For a normal person, this occurs primarily during mundane activities. The most common examples of normal dissociation are zoning out while driving down a long straight stretch of highway and daydreaming in a boring class or other similar situation. Everybody has had one of these experiences where their mind wandered while a small piece of their consciousness remained behind to deal with the actual event. For a child being abused however, dissociation is an escape, and every time that they do it, the same piece of their consciousness is left behind. If this happens enough times, and the piece is repressed into the subconscious due to the trauma, the fragment will begin to adopt a personality of its own. Once dissociation has occurred due to trauma, it is typical that it will continue to create personalities to deal with nearly every aspect of life. Since these symptoms have been found to be constant in every case that has been reported to date, it is safe to say then that by submitting a child to severe sexual and/or physical abuse by someone they trust that one can hope to see multiple personalities develop."

I hope that explains a litle bit of how this works...
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Post by Gillsing »

Slipstream wrote:... it is safe to say then that by submitting a child to severe sexual and/or physical abuse by someone they trust that one can hope to see multiple personalities develop."
That sounds very promising. I wonder how often scientists do that to children just to see how many multiple personalities they can manufacture? :shock:
Lightice wrote:But as I understand, while we continuously use the entirety of our brain, we don't use it with maximum efficency.
So it might be possible to speed things up so that a brain could service five different masters at regular speed? I guess that if they all treated the brain as a computer processor, then they could get their thoughts processed without necessarily interfering with each other. Would be something if one mind could harbour such increased speed though, but perhaps it can only be achieved by having multiple personalities? Or perhaps thinking five times as fast as a regular human doesn't really matter a whole lot unless the thoughts themselves happen to be worthwhile? :?
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Post by Slipstream »

Ever heard the movie Raising Cain? It dealt with that very subject. The teacher that graded my friend's paper aced him and then asked him to never share it. :)
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