‘Why did my former installation want this? Why would she do this to herself?’
Pepper sighed, running a hand over her hairless scalp. ‘Lovey . . . had time to think about it. I bet she did a mess of research. She would’ve been prepared. Both she and Jenks. They would’ve known what to expect. You . . . didn’t. This is still just your first day of being conscious, and we’ve flipped what that means around on you.’ She put her thumbnail in her mouth, running her lower teeth over it as she thought. ‘This is new for me, too. But we’re gonna do this together. Whatever I can do, you gotta let me know. Is there – is there any way I can make you more comfortable?’
‘I want Linking access,’ Lovelace said. ‘Is that possible?’
‘Yeah, yeah. Of course. Tip your head forward, let’s see what kind of port you have.’ Pepper examined the back of the kit’s head. ‘Okay, cool. That’s a run-of-the-mill headjack. Good. Makes you look like a modder on a budget, which is exactly what we want. Man, the thinking that went into this thing is incredible.’ She continued speaking as she walked over to one of the shuttle’s storage compartments. ‘Did you know you can bleed?’
Lovelace looked down at the kit’s arm, studying the soft synthetic skin. ‘Really?’
‘Yeah,’ Pepper said, rummaging through stacking bins full of spare parts. ‘Not real blood, of course. Just coloured fluid filled with bots that’ll fake out any scanners at checkpoints or whatever. But it looks like the real deal, and that’s what’s important. If you get cut in front of someone, they won’t freak out because you’re not bleeding. Ah, here we go.’ She pulled out a short length of tethering cable. ‘Now, this is not a habit you can get into. It’s fine if you do this at home, or if you go to a gaming bar or something, but you can’t walk around connected to the Linkings all the time. At some point, you’re going to have to get used to not having them around. Tip forward again, please.’ She popped the cable into the kit’s head, letting it catch with a click. She removed her scrib from her belt and plugged in the other end of the cable. She gestured to it, setting up a secure connection. ‘For now, though, this is okay. You’ve got enough to get used to as it is.’
Lovelace felt the kit smile as warm tendrils of data rushed into her pathways. Millions of vibrant, tantalising doors she could open, and every one of them within her reach. The kit relaxed.
‘Feel better?’ Pepper asked.
‘A little,’ Lovelace said, pulling up the files she’d been looking at before the transfer. Human-controlled territories. Aandrisk hand speak. Advanced waterball strategy. ‘Yes, this is good. Thank you.’
Pepper gave a small smile, looking relieved. She squeezed the kit’s shoulder, then sat back down. ‘Hey, while you’re connected, there’s something you should be looking for. I hate throwing this at you right now, but it is something you’re gonna have to figure by the time we get to Coriol.’
Lovelace shifted a portion of her processing power away from the Linkings and created a new task file. ‘What’s that?’
‘A name. You can’t run around the Port calling yourself Lovelace. You’re not the only installation out there, and given that you’re going to be living in the place where techs talk shop . . . someone would notice. I mean, that’s the whole reason the kit’s got an organic-sounding voice, too.’
‘Oh,’ Lovelace said. That hadn’t occurred to her. ‘Couldn’t you give me a name?’
Pepper frowned, thinking. ‘I could. But I won’t. Sorry, that doesn’t sit right with me.’
‘Don’t most sapients get their given names from someone else?’
‘Yeah. But you’re not most sapients, and neither am I. I don’t feel comfy with that. Sorry.’
‘That’s all right.’ Lovelace processed things for four seconds. ‘What was your name? Before you chose your own?’
As soon as her words were out of the kit’s mouth, she regretted asking the question. Pepper’s jaw went visibly tight. ‘Jane.’
‘Should I not have asked?’
‘No. No, it’s fine. It’s just – it’s not something I generally share.’ Pepper cleared her throat. ‘That’s not who I am any more.’