Author Note/Retcon Alert!

Don't forget to read new chapter, which released a minute ago below this ^_^

Note/Link:

Today is the day that the final Chapter of Book 1 has gone live on Royal Road.

If you recall, I said I’d ask some questions/do a poll/and give more details on the big note I’m putting on RR at end of Book 1. It’s the same as the one I did here but with questions and a poll and a summary of book 1 plus summary of Nicolai’s power/equipment etc as he goes into the jungle. So please do go and check that out, I would really appreciate your answers and feedback to the questions:

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/80031/mask-of-humanity/chapter/2193290/end-of-book-1-read-me

Feel free to just read down to the retcon note, I will put the link at the bottom of the next bit, too.

RETCON ALERT!!

Hey guys, I recently saw a comment on RR which was someone saying they were confused by Vikrum’s arc - since the story seemed to be implying that relying on an AI to do literally everything and make all the decisions wasn’t a good idea, but then ultimately the only times Vikrum really got in trouble was when he ignored Cornwall. The story was indeed implying that, because I had a plan for Vikrum’s arc and how it should end, but I… forgot about it lol. In the chaos of writing the big ending it just got lost in one of my notes.

So I never properly finished off Vikrum’s arc, but I feel it’s important I do so even if it requires a retcon. I’ve done it in the best way I can, by adding a new small bit of dialogue from Cyberwarfare at the end of Nicolai’s final POV of book 1, and then also a POV from Vikrum where we see the trouble occur.

I feel this change is better for the story as a whole - it makes Vikrum a more interesting character, plus its more thematic.

Below is the new material:

-Nicolai’s last POV before leaving castle, end of book 1-

For a moment, he considered the place he was leaving. A place full of many enemies, though some few might be closer to allies. There was a possibility that those enemies, especially Vikrum and Maxine, might organise some kind of pursuit. He felt it unlikely, considering the mess they had to deal with, but it had to be considered. With such a comprehensive AI guiding his actions, Vikrum’s strategies and methods were more thorough than someone with his level of experience would normally show.

You don’t have to worry about Vikrum, said Cyberwarfare all of a sudden.

He frowned, then his eyes narrowed. What did you do?

His AI got the better of me, in our battle. Or it thought it did. The Module was emanating a kind of vicious smugness. Cyberwarfare had always hated to lose. Civilian AI… the Module said in a derisive tone. The AI was GRECKON make. The G6 model.

Nicolai snorted. He was running that? The G6 consumer-grade ultimate HelpBot was an extraordinarily comprehensive and capable high-level assistant AI. It had been very popular, for a time, until the accusations that GRECKON had installed some very serious backdoors, backdoors that any GRECKON asset could hack into, given some time. GRECKON had called this a conspiracy theory but the damage had been done, and anyway, it wasn’t a conspiracy theory.

Surprising he would have had that model, Nicolai reflected. It had gone seriously out of fashion.

His parents must be affiliated with GRECKON, Cyberwarfare explained. There was a note that no GRECKON asset should make use of the backdoor nor harm him.

A note you ignored, said Nicolai needlessly. He smiled. He was a little surprised. He’d have thought the AI would have found some difficulty in resisting that. He wished Cyberwarfare had informed him earlier, however. He would have liked to ask Vikrum some questions. He shrugged the thought away. That hadn’t been possible at the time anyway, and it was very unlikely Vikrum knew anything serious about his parent’s dealings.

It’s the Governor’s job to take notice of things like that. I just do my job. I left the AI a present. By now, that present should have finished doing what I made it to do. So, if you’re worried about the AI, don’t be. There is no more AI.

Nicolai raised his brows. That seems a little spiteful.

If a threat can be removed, it should be removed, replied Cyberwarfare shamelessly.

Nicolai shrugged. He couldn’t argue with that, and was only glad Cyberwarfare was doing it's job well. Cyberwarfare had been built to excel in the vicious combat of the cyber world, which revolved around traps and ambushes and viruses that would lie in wait for months, or years, only to rear up and tear a system apart. Cyberwarfare had always delighted in the laying of such traps.

He orientated himself then began floating in a straight line, forward and down.

Towards the jungle, and the road ahead of him.

###

-Centipede POV as they emerge from the rubble, nothing here is changed-

###

-new scene!-

Vikrum rubbed at his artificial face. His body wasn’t tired but his mind was. He was having to manage all the various disagreements, and people weren’t happy about being stuck in the Trade Link.

‘We need to stockpile all the points together,’ Maxine was saying, a grim frown on her face as she looked out at the mass of people filling the dark space, illuminated by the faint blue glow and occasional brighter spots from personal lamps. ‘Take them all under us, then we can start to give out what needs to be given, and ensure none are wasted. People need food, and beds, and clothing, and water. Once we’ve done that, we could consider giving each person a small stipend to spend as they wish, should there be enough.’ She spoke as though it was already decided.

They’d dug a tunnel through the area which had been filled with rocks, and so both groups were merged. But this had only made people more unhappy. Vikrum’s Chosen were doing well for points-tags, and were able to buy what they needed. The result of the large amount of raiding his people had been doing prior to the big battle. The others, not so much. They’d spent all their tags fighting him, or been bilked out of them by Nicolai.

‘We’re not giving you our points,’ hissed Katnin, from where she sat beside him, glaring across at Maxine. He’d sent her off on business during all the action, but now she was back and full of opinions. ‘So they lost their points, because they—you—got tricked by some guy. And you spent the rest on guns and ammo to fight us. That’s not our problem. That’s your problem. This might come as a surprise, but when you make mistakes, there tend to be consequences. That’s what you’re experiencing. Consequences.’ She smiled smugly at Maxine. This was a view, Vikrum was aware, that was mirrored by quite literally all of the Chosen.

Maxine gazed back at her in the same way one might look at the dog shit they'd just realised was adhered to bottom of their shoe. ‘You can ignore me,’ the mousy woman intoned, ‘but I guarantee there will be trouble if you do. Some have plenty, and many have none at all.’ She glanced at Vikrum. ‘Not to mention, there are quite a lot more of us than you. And as she says, the one thing everyone has is guns and ammo.’ She leaned forward. ‘We need to take control here, and make some order. The Coalition and the Chosen are no more! We need to come together as one, fresh start, blank slate, whatever. This is the one opportunity to get ahead of the mess, to start it off right, and to avoid chaos and infighting. If we don’t do this… I don’t see us surviving.’ She glanced around again, and now he saw the concern in her eyes. ‘Someone will start shooting. This place will be a bloodbath.’

Katnin snorted. ‘Oh okay, so if we don’t share the points around, your people will be angry. Big whoop. What of our people? If we take their points away, you think they’ll be happy? We’ve got guns too!’

A lot of trouble, and it fell to him—him and his frayed patience, his crushed dreams, his baffled uncertainty as to whether he even wanted to lead—to deal with it. He’d only ever taken on this role because a Quest had been foisted upon him, demanded it of him.

It was difficult to focus, difficult to think. His mind kept returning to that notification he’d seen, like a dog unable to stop lunging for a porcupine.

Quest Failed.

The Symbiote of Change was stolen from you and used by another.

Unbelievable. Ridiculous. That man, that Raw had taken it from him! He’d lost to someone who was barely even augmented! It wasn’t possible! It shouldn’t be! How had this happened? Was it Cornwall’s fault? Was it my fault?

Vikrum couldn’t recall ever failing at anything, back on Earth. Not really, not at anything real, not at anything important. How had this happened? He found that failure did not sit well, not well at all.

Whatever. He couldn’t be bothered with everything that was happening, with continuing to manage all these people. He needed a break. He needed some time. That was all. Just a break.

‘Cornwall, make me some kind of plan to deal with all this.’ He’d just do whatever the AI said. Work or fail, at least he’d know he’d tried his best. Or at least, Cornwall’s best.

He avoided Maxine’s eyes and drummed his fingers on the table between them as he waited for Cornwall’s response. The AI was taking longer than usual.

‘Cornwall? Answer me!’ he demanded. A lot longer.

He swallowed. Cornwall had been complaining about some errors in its system registry, or somesuch, recently. It had been saying it worried that Viper’s Cyberwarfare attacks had done something. It had assured him that it had matters well in hand.

‘Cornwall?’ he begged.

Maxine and Katnin were arguing again, taking his silence as permission to resume the verbal jabbing. Maxine issued grim promises, speaking of grave mistakes leading to graver outcomes, while Katnin adhered with a fury just as grim to the point that it was their fault and the Chosen should do nothing, give nothing, change nothing.

He ought to do something, say something, but he didn’t know what. He’d already suffered the first true failure of his life. Was the next staring him in the face, speeding inevitably toward him? Was he, right now, failing to do what needed to be done? But what was it, what needed to be done? Who was right?

He needed help. He couldn’t do this alone. He felt like crying, but his face had no tear ducts. His father had told him they weren’t necessary, because he would never have any reason to be sad.

But he felt something in his mind, in his implants. Or more accurately, he didn’t feel something. There was a lack. A void. Something was missing. Something was gone.

‘Cornwall?’ he whimpered.

The name echoed through his mind, through his implants, but there was no reply. Only silence.

Final note,

And here is the link again to the RR post, if you wanna go and take part in the poll, answer questions etc.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/80031/mask-of-humanity/chapter/2193290/end-of-book-1-read-me