FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Sutopia

Ch 15, SFinal: Space Final

Although Logan was no stranger to staying up late, in what he had begun to think of his 'past life', late nights were usually related to losing track of time while getting lost in one of his games; in his 'present life', he spent the time reading through every last one of the social media messages deemed 'safe' by his implant. Truth be told, he was only nominally surprised that the vast majority of his messages involved Star or Harper. In the end, he was glad that he had his implant sort them for him.

True, he knew with certainty that there were a huge number of messages he HADN'T read which included any number of unpleasant topics but, he reminded himself, there was no actual REQUIREMENT That he read them... ever. He only realized while he was digging into a bowl of cereal that his implant was awaiting approval to delete them. After contemplating it for far longer than he probably should have, Logan simply shrugged and let it happen. Both Pete and Star had said that social media was optional, so why bang his head against a wall and get so worked up over something that didn't really matter?

As his routine in getting ready for class continued he felt better and better about confirming the deletion. He knew for certain that, if any of them were really THAT important his implant would have archived them. Almost as if reading his mind (which it probably had), the implant noted that six, and only six of the thousands of messages got archived for his later review when he was ready. Logan was tying his shoes at that point, and the action stalled when he realized that a big difference had come over him. It hadn't been very long since he was opposed to having another 'presence' in his head, yet, that morning, he was already relying on it.

The implant didn't miss that thought. "As I noted, Logan: I am here to help."

Letting that thought go, the young man chose instead to focus his mind on the upcoming final (half) day of class. He normally would have been fretting over any kind of test-- perceived or otherwise, yet he found himself surprisingly calm. That brought another consideration to the forefront of his mind and he addressed it. "Hey... are you controlling my stress levels or something?"

The reply surprised him. "Your hormone level is within acceptable levels, with only slight elevation of epinephrine and cortisol. Your lack of sleep has resulted in a higher level of melatonin and reducing cortisol levels may result in an increase of drowsiness."

Setting his empty bowl off to the side, Logan did a quick check of his morning routine and went into the bathroom to check himself in the mirror even as he continued the discussion. "I'm usually a wreck before final exams."

The implant was straight forward in its response. "You are ready for your final day of integration class and realize there is no reason to be stressed."

While Logan had any number of reasons why he could object to what it was conveying, he realized that, when it came down to it, the implant was right. It was telling him something he already knew. Although he had little experience of actually being a student of high achievement any other time in his (former) life, every time he was tested on his knowledge involving integrating into the new world of trans-humanity around him, Logan had performed well-- very well, in fact.

While he probably could have thought himself in circles over its significance, something else attracted his attention and he turned his head this-way-and-that as he looked over his face. "Hey... I haven't shaved since I first woke up after Corpus Verto... have I?"

The implant provided the answer. "That is correct, Logan."

Running a hand across his smooth cheek, chin, and neck, that realization raised a very pressing question. "Why?"

The single word could have had any number of implications but his implant was inside his head so there wasn't much of a wonder how it knew what he meant. "Your Corpus was designed to be efficient in every aspect. Unless you change your biological system settings you will not have a need to shave, cut your hair, nor trim your finger or toe nails. All will remain their current status until you wish to change them."

The fact that it only took a few seconds for Logan to come to terms with what he was being told made the young man realize that he really WAS finally getting used to the whacky world of the future. "So... if I wanted to grow a beard or something..."

"You may either grow one out over an extended period, or, with some preparation, I can make the necessary system changes to have one grow out during the time you sleep. Would you like to see a selection of facial hair styles from which to choose?"

Imagining flipping through a 'menu' of beards almost made Logan laugh at himself, but he quickly set that thought aside-- it wasn't hard when his eyes meandered to the toilet situated beside the sink. "Wait a second... I haven't actually used the--"

The implant was ready with an answer. "Metabolic efficiency."

That was a little harder to process. "I haven't even taken a piss!"

"That is a simple function to activate. If you would like to urinate I can have your kidneys transfer urine into your bladder to be evacuated."

Feeling a sudden pressing need to go, Logan quickly interjected "No. That's fine!" the sensation of a full bladder disappeared. "I just... didn't really put any thought into it is all."

He felt immediate bladder relief without even peeing, and the implant continued. "As far as defecation, improved metabolic function reduces your need to evacuate. Your next bowel movement will take place this upcoming Tuesday. Would you like me to reschedule it for you or--"

Logan quickly interjected. "No... next Tuesday is fine... I guess."

The implant didn't provide any more input on the topic as Logan made his way out of the bathroom. He was, as had become custom, early leaving his residential quarters so he decided he'd take a leisurely stroll down the halls. Logan was content to be the sole presence obvious in his mind, but, half way to the classroom he was reminded again that he wasn't alone. "Logan, Star has been attempting to contact you."

Realizing that he'd had his "Do Not Disturb" mode on since setting it the prior night, Logan did away with it. He hadn't spoken with Star in over a day and, upon realizing that, felt a warmth flow through him, reaffirming that it was definitely time. He let his implant accept the call. "Good morning, Star."

She sounded worried. "is everything alright, Logan?"

Rarely if ever had Logan been able to honestly answer that question in a positive way. That morning was different. "Getting there, yeah..." he paused, both in conversation and in walking as he stopped to gaze out at the moonscape beyond the wall windows to his left. His curiosity from the prior night suddenly came back to him. "Hey... I'm curious about something..."

Her response was both casual and magnanimous. "Sure. What's up?"

He got straight to the point. "I'm curious about my implant."

Star's titter was melodious even via the comm channel. "That's a pretty large topic... care to be more specific?"

Logan freely did just that. "I did some digging around the metanet and I guess this model isn't one that everyone has."

"It definitely isn't. When I got approval for your Corpus Verto I might have splurged a little on the top-of-the-line model."

The young man had a feeling that it was something to that effect, but he felt an immediate and strong sense of awkwardness that she'd done something so overtly and selflessly for his benefit. "Uh... why? Couldn't you have just got me one of the standard models that everyone else has?"

There was a long pause on the other end (a half second in inter-implant communication may as well have been an hour) before Star responded. "I've seen other Tier 1s try to familiarize themselves with life this century to mixed results and I wanted to make sure you had every opportunity to succeed. That model is designed to help with anything and everything so you can have as much support as you need."

Logan tried to zero in on what was bothering him. "But... this isn't something that everyone has... right?"

She tittered. "True. I had to call in a few favors to make sure I could secure one for you, but I knew it would make things a bit easier. It's the same model I have, and I absolutely love the flexibility."

That reveal made Logan pause again; he was waiting for the lift, and just started at the button he'd pressed to call it. Eventually he figured out what he wanted to ask. "So... you have your own voice talking back to you in your head too?"

Star's titter became a full blown laugh. "Oh Saturn's Rings, no! I'm not THAT obsessed with myself. That's just a factory setting. MINE sounds like an English butler... when I have the interaction functions on, that is."

The one-two punch of some humorous anecdote along with some pertinent information almost gave Logan pause again, but he pushed through. "So... you mean I can turn the interaction function off? Not just have it keep quiet?"

"Definitely. I usually keep mine on and just ask that it not bother me unless it's important... what's the use of having an assistant in your head to keep the small things from bugging you if IT is what's bugging you?"

He couldn't really challenge her logic. "Okay... and... what about all of the functions it has?"

Star presented an answer in a matter-of-fact business tone. "Oh, that's easy enough to modify. You can choose what functions you want to have active, which you want to control, and which you want to deactivate."

Before he had a chance to ask for clarification his implant piped up. "Logan, would you like me to downgrade my functionality?"

Not knowing exactly HOW he managed to communicate with his implant without also communicating with Star, he still did so nevertheless. "If I do that, will you always be downgraded or can I change things again later?"

Its response was direct and to the point. "As with any other program, you are able to activate, deactivate, and re-engage features at any time."

Star interrupted his discussion with his implant. "Are you communicating with your implant right now, Logan?"

Logan acknowledged inwardly just how astute she was. He quickly addressed her. "It's a littler weird having another voice in my head... even if it's my own voice."

Her laughter filled his mind anew. "I know what you mean. I may have had an implant for over a century now, but I still remember how strange it was when I first got one. It does take some getting used to, but that's the whole point of learning how to use it in orientation."

The young man stepped off the lift when the door opened; he was only a hundred meters from his class. "Yeah... I guess so. Maybe you can give me some pointers when we meet up next? I'm almost to class so I should probably focus on that."

He could hear the smile in her words. "Oh, right. You bet. I have complete and total faith in you. I'd wish you good luck, but I'm sure you'll do just fine. Have a great final day of class-- maybe we can go out to celebrate later!"

He found himself smiling too. "Yeah. That sounds good."

They exchanged a few more words before saying their farewells and Logan concluded his call. Standing at the door to his class, the young man let out a deep breath and turned to lean against the wall. It was the last day of class and he was finally getting used to being the first one to show up. Smiling to himself, he had to admit that, no matter the form it would take, he was actually feeling pretty confident when it came to his upcoming final exam.

* * * * *

Despite it being the final day of orientation, class started much the same as any of the prior ones. Pete welcomed the students in and, once everyone was settled, he went straight into a review of the material they'd covered. While that was standard for their prior sessions, one way that it differed was that he went through ALL of their prior classes rather than what they'd covered on just the previous day. Once they had done the brief overview of what got them to that point, the instructor focused on their homework.

Standing in front of his desk, Pete sat down atop it, facing the class. "So... did everyone get a chance to check over their social media? How was it as a first experience meeting the rest of trans-humanity?"

Having asked nobody in particular, Pete was fully patient as everyone waited for someone else to be the first to speak up. Logan wasn't entirely surprised when it was Lillian; she certainly seemed to be the gregarious type. He tried not to flash back to the prior day, remembering her leaning over the chair beside him while being railed into from behind by a large arctic breed dog. What he WAS surprised by was her candor.

With a large smile, Lillian addressed their instructor. "I am SO glad I got a chance to check my message. I hadn't realized just how many friends I'd made here and, I even had a chance to go on a date!"

Pete smiled. "That's great, Lillian. I'm pleased to hear that you're broadening your horizons. Anyone else?'

Logan didn't meet Lillian's gaze when she glanced his way, and he was also perfectly willing to let the rest of her story go untold. She, however, wasn't finished with him. Leaning his way, Lillian added "I'm so sorry about yesterday, Logan. I didn't mean to catch you by surprise. TOTALLY unplanned."

He was more than ready to disengage from the conversation. "Sokay."

She, apparently, was still looking to talk. "Noah mentioned to me that it wasn't the first time the two of you crossed paths either. You met him before?"

Thinking back to his first experience encountering the dog astride a different woman on the lift, Logan decided he didn't go into specifics. "In passing... nothing official, I mean. I hadn't caught his name until you mentioned it."

Lillian continued talking about her 'new friend' for the duration of other students covering their prior day of multi media experience, explaining that Noah liked to switch out his corpus every few years, and the one he inhabited was a genetically crafted malamute designed just for a trans-human sum to occupy. Eventually her continued discussion caught Pete's attention and he called her out on it. "Is everything okay, Lillian?"

She was all smiles, and Logan groaned inwardly at being pulled into her response. "Everything's great, Pete... I was just telling Logan here that I had a wonderful interaction with a dog. A DOG! Come to think of it, I haven't met a lot of animals here on Luna. Is there some kind of pet policy or something?"

Pete nodded, a his expression gaining a faint hint of sorrow to it. "The vast majority of naturally occurring animals on Earth went extinct when the biomes collapsed after the last war. While animals couldn't specifically be saved, their genetic information could. Animals from Earth now exist sparingly on various habs that permit pets-- though few do. Aside from that, there are some habitats that exist specifically as wildlife sanctuaries for animals and, in the case of Noah, the American Malamute I believe you were referencing earlier, some trans-humans have animal-like corpi crafted for their use."

Lillian's smile widened. "Oh! You know Noah?"

Harper interjected. "I think almost everyone knows him... really popular social media guy. It looks like he does a lot of sim recordings of him going to town on a different chick every day. I guess lots of gals have the hots for dog cock."

Logan was shocked by Harper's comments and, if the young man expected Pete to object to the obvious attempt at shaming a classmate, he was beyond surprised when the instructor didn't. Instead, Pete corrected him. "Not just females, Harper... Noah also enjoys male partners too, and plenty of guys also seem to enjoy his particular 'brand' of interaction."

"Don't you mean BREED of interaction?" The actor paused for a few seconds and his expression went from chiding to indignant when his attempt at riling people up failed. Perhaps it was only because Logan was so close that he noticed the quick shift, then rapid repair of the star's devil-may-care attitude, but he didn't miss the fact that Harper appeared dejected by the lack of response. "Oh. Cool. Yeah... equal opportunity performer. I get it."

Pete's eyes maintained focused on the actor. "What about you, Harper? How did your social media homework go?"

The star responded with a disinterested shrug. "Eh... It was fine. I was plenty used to dealing with that kinda stuff back in the 22nd-- new interface, but basically the same old system and all."

Eyes lingering on Harper for a few seconds longer than they needed to, Pete eventually focused back on the rest of the class, his easy-going smile returning. "Alright, folks... that pretty much catches us up to present, and, with that said, I think it's finally time to discuss your final exam. It shouldn't be anything too extreme, and, with any luck, you should be able to have some fun with it. You should all have received a file on your implants when you first entered class this morning-- I'm giving you all user access. Go ahead and open it and you'll have your lists."

One of the students in the front spoke up after a very short pause. "What is all this? It doesn't make any sense?"

Logan was still focused on watching Harper that he hadn't bothered checking his own. Quickly withdrawing his attention and bringing it to bear on the task at hand, the young man checked the file and saw that it was vague. As surely as Pete had suggested, what he was looking at was a list. Oddly, the list was protected so that he could only look at the first thing. It read "There are two main entrances. Find them."

While most of the class was murmuring quietly, one of the older women students piped up louder than everyone else "It's a scavenger hunt!"

Still smiling, Pete jointly pointed at her and the tip of his nose. "Right you are, Kathy. Your final is a scavenger hunt... of sorts. Utilizing your implant and whatever functions you want, I'd like you to navigate the Lunar Spire to locate locations, people, or items as they show up on your list. Once you're done, return here to me."

One of the men in front spoke up. "Can we work in teams?"

Pete, surprisingly, shook his head. "You all have different lists. There's no reason to work together. Also, I see that you're all sitting around-- the final has already begin. What are you waiting for? Go! Go! Go!"

Although the last part of the statement was said with a wide grin, likely in jest, it was still enough to cause the class to spring into action. Like a wave pulling back from the shore, the students filed out of the room-- Logan waited so he didn't have to deal with the crowd, leaving only himself, Pete, and Harper. The actor got up with a slow exhale and made his way out. He mouthed something to Logan before leaving. Although the young man didn't catch what it was, his implant had, and it repeated it. "He wants to meet with you once class lets out."

Offering a quick farewell to Pete, Logan finally went out after everyone else. Pulling up the schematics of the Spire, the young man quickly uncovered that there was a ground level exit as well as a top-of-the-spire set of doors. Once he had the knowledge of the locations it was a simple enough task to navigate to a lift, take it down to the ground level, and get to the airlock leading out to the surface; his implant alerted him that his list updated and that he'd satisfied half of the first item. From there, he repeated the effort and got to the top of the spire, at which point he received notification that he had a new objective. Logan actually started to enjoy himself at that point.

The rest of his list was as straight forward as the first one. The second item on his list was to locate a physical book (not an electronic version), and an old world one euro coin. He reached out to Star, who explained that she had both. She sent him a file, identifying the items and where she kept them. Logan expected that he would have to go to them but he was caught off guard when his implant indicated that the list considered what he'd already done to be a success. He moved on from there.

His fifth and final objective was to get in-person signatures from three people on his social media feed. Quickly opening his feed he realized that he'd only bothered to read the smallest portion of the huge number of messages he'd received-- how would he know everyone who sent him messages? His implant had an answer for that, providing him an entire list of every account that had sent him at least one message. When he questioned how he'd find them, the implant provided a simple answer. "Your HUD can list the status of anyone you see, including whether they've interacted with your social media account."

Since he was already close to where Star's indicator had her on the map of the spire he went to her first. She was reclining in a lounge chair on a recreation deck, looking as if she would be at home beside a swimming pool (despite there being no actual pool present). He kept things light and simple. "Hey, Star. I have to get three signatures for my final project in orientation."

She looked up at him over the rim of a pair of sunglasses, body illuminated by the sunlight that shone through the room's entire glass structure. "Of course it is. I assumed the same when it came to the book and the coin."

Logan watched as she gestured in the air with her index finger; a glowing light stuck in his vision, 'drawn' by her carefully manicured black claw tip. When she finished, her signature floated there for several seconds before disappearing. "That was kinda cool. Thanks, Star. Just two to go."

Rotating her head, she lowered her sunglasses. "Oh... and, just so you know?"

He paused to listen. "Hmm?"

Star smiled. "You could have had any fabber make a book for you. It's not like they're hard to make."

Logan paused. "Fabber?"

The Vixen smiled. "Short for 'fabricator', Logan."

Stowing that information for later, he followed up with a question that rose in his mind. "So I coulda done the same with the Euro? Just... gone and used a fabber?"

She smirked, leaning back in her chair and returning the sunglasses to their place on the bridge of her muzzle. "Nope. You can't make requests for weapons, old earth political memorabilia like money and national symbolism, or black listed contraband."

Weapons made sense to Logan, but prohibiting national identity keepsakes seemed odd to him-- as did the final item. "I thought trans-humans were all about personal freedoms. What would constitute 'contraband' exactly?"

Still gazing upward, she flicked an ear. "Depends... it's different from hab to hab. We can talk about that later if you want-- for now, don't you have a final to complete?

She was right, of course. Focusing again on his list, however, Logan realized something. "I just need two more signatures, then I'm done."

Laughing, she finally turned to him once again. "Then go get two signatures and turn it in, silly! We'll catch up later."

He said a quick farewell to his niece and returned to the lift. Logan knew that Pete was part of his social media presence so he would be a second signature, which meant that the young man only needed one more; he was confident that he could get one on the way. The moment the lift door opened, he found himself face-to-face with another occupant: it was Noah, the dog from before. The dog looked up at him. "This is a big habitat, Logan, yet you keep showing up where ever I go. Random chance, or should I be flattered that I have a stalker?"

There was something so casual about the dog that, coupled with his distinguished accent it almost came across as endearing, but, mostly, it just left the young man off-balance. Eventually he managed to overcome his shock and step into the lift, but not before his implant alerted him "Noah Doge is listed as a social media contact on your profile."

Of the numerous things Logan could have said, he was filled with immediate self-loathing when the first words out of his mouth were "Your last name is 'Doge'?"

Noah nodded with a single, succinct bow of his head. "Yes. As in, the Venician royalty... not the market-plunging eCurrency from the 21st century." He then went on to discuss the importance of understanding history for the entirety of the lift ride.

It had been a short morning but, at that point, Logan was convinced it was going to be a long day.