"So This is Goodbye" - Reboot.Exe - S2 Chapter 16

## So This is Goodbye

Jenn

"So This is Goodbye" is the sixteenth episode of the second season in Reboot.exe. It was released on 2 December 2022 and is narrated by Dave.

## Episode Synopsis

As Seb, Eve, Pr0, Nyla and Oscar all pile back into the limo taking them back to Seb's parent's house, Pr0 asks if he can be dropped off close to the slums, that is on the way to Ugly's. They agree, and Eve chooses to follow. Seb turns to his mother, saying that he's going to head out as well. Nyla, knowing not to push too hard, offers a compromise for him leaving again. She asks him to come back to the house for a little while as she has something to give him. Seb complies. Eve and Pr0 find a pub to lie low in for an hour or so.

Back at the Allen house, Oscar retires for the evening to get more drinks, and Nyla takes Seb to her private lab downstairs. She shows him a suitcase filled with vials and certain test strips inside. She also reminds him that he's in charge of his own destiny, and hands him a few vials of fusion for Pr0, and another vial that she labels as "a contingency" if Pr0 were to go over the edge, and endanger Seb's safety. It looks identical to fusion, and is completely painless. Seb thanks his mother for the care and concern. He takes everything and then gets a car to be dropped off in the city.

They all meet up just at the edges of city and slum. Pr0 exclaims how happy he is to see Seb, and that he was worried that his mom would try to hold on. He then goes on to say what his plans are now to accomplish his mission - and that's through Joseph and tracking the circle through him. They all then start making their way to Ugly's bar.

As they are within range of it, they are all able to spot a forgotten promise. There is a deranged police robot standing outside of the bar, scanning the block for them. This was the caller's gift for Eve to retrieve the component to revive Possum's tech. Pr0's attempts at disengaging the robot are unsuccessful, as he gets reminded that drones and robots alike are a completely closed network, and without specific implants, the are untouchable by cybermancy.

The robot raises its orange weapon and exclaims for them all to come forward and surrender, as this is a dangerous weapon. Seb steps forward, telling the robot that they surrender as Pr0 quickly sneaks up and around the robot.

The robot steps closer to Seb as he is beginning to lie on the ground out of compliance. The robot states that his punishment has been "delegates as summary execution. Please hold still." Seb starts asking exactly what charges have been laid against him in attempts to get the robot to back off, but it is ignoring him completely.

As Pr0 sees the robot's finger move onto the trigger, he sprints forward and successfully breaks the gun out of the robot's hands. As the robot gets its bearings on what is happening, it enters combat as well. The robot's gun gets kicked far away in their scuffle. The robot grabs Pr0 by the scruff of his collar, making it impossible for him to leave close combat as Seb gets up and sprints towards its gun. Pr0 manages to quickly get around the robot and stagger it while Seb grabs the gun and aims it, only to find out that he's not authorized to shoot it. It's a specialized police robot gun that doesn't match his finger prints. Pr0, prone on the ground against the robot, gets snacked with its baton and electricity shoots from it. Eve, seeing how the situation is playing out puts her training to practice and transfers into a different Eve unit that's back at Ugly's complete with a high caliber pistol and a bullet proof vest. Seb winds back, and charges at the robot with every ounce of strength he has, and smashes his fist into the front panel of the robot. The skin on his fingers peel back and bones snap, but he successfully broke through its armor and made an opening. Eve appears from the doors of Ugly's bar, and shoots toward the robot, missing, but getting its attention off of Seb and Pr0. With one more shot, Eve pierces straight through the opening that Seb made with his fist and incapacitates the robot completely, killing it.

As the encounter is over, they attempt to drag the police robot back to Ugly's to scrap the piece they need. As they struggle to drag it, Eve and Pr0 notice a familiar face, wrapped in bandages and a tattered coat, snatching the orange police rifle on his pie tin, and then scurries back into the night. Incongruent comes out, telling Eve he wishes she would have told him she was transferring. She says that she simply wanted to try her new toy. Incongruent gives her a disapproving look, as he grabs the deactivated Eve from the street and begins carrying her into the bar.

They all gather in the bottom of Ugly's bar, where Eve gets transferred back into her normal body. Ugly congratulates them on being competent for once, but they describe that they aren't going to be staying for much longer as they have the corps hot on their tail. Ugly turns to Seb, saying that he thought he was supposed to be keeping Pr0 from having such bright ideas. Pr0 defends himself a little, saying that they have already achieved two things no one thought possible. They have an opening to the circle, and the powerhouse to knock down big corporations in the city. Ugly smiles, and reminds Pr0 to think of his friends down here in the slums if he achieves that, as he has a personal bone to pick with the Clements. Ugly also says that as much as he wants to help, he cant throw away his good people for this mission. Ugly settles down for drinks with the rest of them, as Pr0 goes off to find Incongruent.

They walk into the red string room, and Pr0 encourages Incongruent to keep it up and use it, as it can be incredibly useful. He also tells Incongruent that he needs his help with one last surgery, expanded and extracted memory storage in his brain. Pr0's plan is to syphon all of his memories, feelings, and conversations about Riley into a separate compartment so that he has something to dump back in her brain when they meet back up, so she remembers him, and remembers what the circle did to them. Incongruent gives him a few warnings about getting intensive brain surgery in a dive bar, one of which being that he will have to be awake for it. Pr0 dives in with reckless abandon, saying that he wouldn't have it any other way. Incongruent agrees, and rings Belle to assist him. Incongruent steps out of the room. giving Pr0 some privacy to contemplate his entire existence.

Eve catches Incongruent saying that they found the drone. Incongruent is aware, but informs Eve that Pr0 is going to require the majority of his attention right now, but that he will require her assistance, as well as Belle's. He then asks her if she is truly leaving, and why she is choosing to do so. She replies simply because they are her friends. And while she has friends at Ugly's as well, she knows that they are much safer than Pr0 is, and would be while out on his own.

As the time grows closer to the surgery, Xiang hurriedly enters the bar, screeching her motorcycle before she pulls in. Possum and Belle enter as well. As Seb spots Xiang, he asks for a private word between them. During their time of knowing each other, Seb has become fluent in Auslan, allowing them to have private conversations without a translator. Seb speaks quietly that he doesn't know if they're going to make it back from this after catching her up to speed on what happened, and why they have to disappear. He then asks her if she trusts him. She slams her fist into his shoulder, then signs, frustrated "When you're not constantly being an idiot. I didn't nurse you back to watch you throw it all away." He says that this one isn't on him, but rather on Pr0, and him needing to be there for him and repay what he sacrificed to get him back. Seb pulls out the suitcase and blood sample vials his mother gave him, and says that while he can't force her, or tell her why he needs this, he asks her to give some of her blood. He also gives her the rest of the vials to pass onto people she thinks are deserving of getting them.

After a few moments of silence, Xiang signs: "I'm gonna ask that you do this, and I can't tel you why, but I want you to trust me. Don't go. Stay with us." Using his exact words against him. Seb asks what she means. Xiang nods at the door, saying that she wanted to save Pr too, but that she's grown up here her entire life, has seen kids full of anger, pain, regret and a death wish. His path ends one way. She asks him to choose between family and friends, or happiness where ever he is. She says that Pr0 has chosen death down the end of a long painful road, and tells him not to make the same choice.

As Seb deliberates, Eve, Belle and Incongruent begin preparing for the surgery. Eve asks them to hold off for just a moment longer to wait for Xiang. Incongruent is wanting to get this done as quickly and safely as possible, so he encourages her to either get Xiang, or get a move on. Incongruent looks down to Pr0, asking if he is still wanting the surgery. Pr0 has to have the question repeated as he was so severely lost in his own thoughts. Pr0 says he still wants it, giving Incongruent even less patience for waiting. Pr0 agrees with Eve, saying that they need to wait for Xiang, as she wanted to be there and he wanted to see her again, in case something were to go wrong. Incongruent complies, lowering his tools only for Xiang.

Seb is standing in stunned silence. Having a completely new opportunity brought to his attention. Xiang tries to convince him further by stating that anything he needs do, that they can do together. And that she just had to watch Songbird leave, and she doesn't want to do it again. Seb, after even more thought, he follows Xiang to the door, grabs her human hand, and gives it a squeeze. He choose to stay with them. Eve opens the door to gather Xiang, seeing Seb and her holding hands in more than a friendly manner, smiles, and invites them all back to the surgery room.

Pr0 is lying on the table, completely lost in thought. Everything he's worked for is coming to fruition and if everything goes to plan, he's going to see his Riley again. Xiang enters the room, with Eve translating for her, tells him not to do this. Pr0's face is painted in serenity as he has completely come to terms with the fact that he's either going to succeed in his mission by bringing Riley back, or succeed by giving his life for her. Xiang scratches claw along his chest one more time, calling back to their training. She signs "Not dead."

Just as the procedure is about to begin, Pr0 tells Incongruent that he is going to push all of these memories he has about Riley to the forefront of his mind, and asks him to contain them for him, in a separate compartment of his brain that is easily deployable. Xiang lowers her head, knowing that this is official now. She released her hand from his chest, and promises him to make the best emotion bomb that she possible can as that is her area of expertise. She turns after a sentimental exchange, and signs "Die well." then leaves.

The surgery proceeds. Pr0 is doing his best to bring all of the trauma, horrors beauty, pain and salvation that he can remember to the front of his mind so that it can be extracted and bombed as a virus into Riley.

As the surgery continues, Ugly stands leaning in the corner, 'Tilda pokes her head in, Possum looks in, to immediately get shut down and told to leave. All of the friends he's made here have come to see him off.

While the surgery is taking place, Seb comes to Ugly, asking his general opinion on things. Ugly says that this is the best plan they have, but its not a plan he agrees with. Pr0 has gone off the deep end. He also warns Seb that they both are able to grow back and heal, whereas Pr0 can't. Ugly says that he is all for dying for a cause he believes in and that you genuinely believe you can do some good for, but not if its just going to come back and shoot you between the eyes. Seb explains how he feels he owes Pr0 so much as he spent months trying to get him back and back safely. Ugly counters, saying that it just isn't his responsibility. He didn't make Pr0 go save him, and he certainly can't make Pr0 see the error in his plans. He says not to die just because Pr0 has a death wish. Ugly asks him to seriously consider if this plan will fulfill Seb's goal of creating humanity in the slums. Sebg honestly replies that he doesn't have much of a plan anymore, and is left with emptiness. Ugly reminds him of all the good that he's done with the Bombers. Getting rid of the JetLag gang, starting a soup kitchen, and completely turning Ugly's ideals around, convincing him that there is still some good to leave in the world.

Nearing the end of the surgery, Pr0's body begins to go into an overdrive of sorts. Every synapse in his body begins boiling and the pain is only increasing. He blacks out after not too long, but quickly wakes up in the same position. As he looks around, he notices that his vision is completely changed. There are new things in his heads up display, frayed static around the edges of his vision. Really intrusive data. He is able to see the memory capacity increasing. Then he spots a packet being uploaded, titled "Riley.Exe." All of his feelings are neatly compartmentalized. They aren't easily accessed anymore, but they are still available with the right amount of digging. He also has the complete power to delete this at will. As Pr0 feels this disconnect, the harsh voice of Bagrov in his head spits about him being weak.

Pr0 shakes this off, and begins thanking Incongruent, Belle and Eve for their help. Belle warns him to be very careful as he is at a high risk for a hemorrhage and that he needs to take it easy for a few weeks. Pr0 tries to say that he doesn't have time to lay low, but Belle insists saying that if wants to die, then go for it, but she just shoved a bunch of back alley shit into the back of his brain, where there wasn't much space to work with in the first place, that he needs to take it easy.

As Pr0 begins to stand from his surgery, he states that he can't stay here forever and that he needs to be heading out. Incongruent states that he'll be keeping tabs on him, and then through his implant, speaks "I'll be by your side. Friends forever."

Xiang tells Eve that when she transfers into one of the bodies, that she's not going to let her go. She's simply going to take the legs off of the Eve unit she transfers into, and bolt her to the gaming chair. She hands her a modern pink handgun, and tells her to look after herself. Incongruent also states that he has had a look at the drone piece, and says that he will get it fixed and get it ready for her, but won't turn it on until she gets back.

Pr0 limps into Seb's old wheelchair, and looks to him. Eve asks what's on Seb's mind as he's been so distracted. Seb asks him one more time if he really needs to go through with this. Pr0 replies, saying its all he has. Seb then explains that he doesn't have much left in him. Pr0 sighs, saying that he'd be lying if he didn't see this coming. He knew he had very little left when they found him at Joseph's, and that this would take the last bit of humanity Seb had left. Pr0 says that he knows Seb searched him down for a reason, to find Maya, and that he understands that he can't continue on the journey with him. Pr0 tells him to hold on to that little sliver of humanity he has left, and to do some good with it. He knows he isn't going to change or save the world drastically, but getting Riley and Maya back will be worth anything he has to go through to get there. The look to one another, and wrap in a big hug.

Eve and Pr0 get into a car to start making their way to Joseph's, leaving Seb standing on the sidewalk. Xiang slowly walks up behind him, and softly squeezes his bicep, signing "Come on, optimist. Let's go save the world together."

YHTris

## TL;DR

* Back at the Allen house, Oscar retires for the evening to get more drinks, and Nyla takes Seb to her private lab downstairs. She shows him a suitcase filled with vials and certain test strips inside, and hands him a few vials of fusion for Pr0, and another vial that she labels as "a contingency" if Pr0 were to go over the edge, and endanger Seb's safety.
* They all meet up just at the edges of city and slum then all then start making their way to Ugly's bar.
* As they are within range of it, they are all able to spot a forgotten promise. There is a deranged police robot standing outside of the bar, scanning the block for them.
* The robot raises its orange weapon and exclaims for them all to come forward and surrender, as this is a dangerous weapon. Seb steps forward, telling the robot that they surrender as Pr0 quickly sneaks up and around the robot.
* The robot steps closer to Seb as he is beginning to lie on the ground out of compliance. The robot states that his punishment has been "delegates as summary execution. Please hold still." Seb starts asking exactly what charges have been laid against him in attempts to get the robot to back off, but it is ignoring him completely.
* As Pr0 sees the robot's finger move onto the trigger, he sprints forward and successfully breaks the gun out of the robot's hands. As the robot gets its bearings on what is happening, it enters combat as well. The robot's gun gets kicked far away in their scuffle
* After a few rounds of combat, Seb winds back, and charges at the robot with every ounce of strength he has, and smashes his fist into the front panel of the robot. The skin on his fingers peel back and bones snap, but he successfully broke through its armor and made an opening. Eve transfers consciousness into on of the other Eve units, and comes to shoot, successfully taking out the robot.
* They all gather in the bottom of Ugly's bar, where Eve gets transferred back into her normal body. Ugly congratulates them on being competent for once, but they describe that they aren't going to be staying for much longer as they have the corps hot on their tail. .
* Pr0 and Incongruent walk into the red string room. He tells Incongruent that he needs his help with one last surgery, expanded and extracted memory storage in his brain. Pr0's plan is to syphon all of his memories, feelings, and conversations about Riley into a separate compartment so that he has something to dump back in her brain when they meet back up, so she remembers him, and remembers what the circle did to them.
* Eve catches Incongruent saying that they found the drone. He then asks her if she is truly leaving, and why she is choosing to do so. She replies simply because they are her friends. And while she has friends at Ugly's as well, she knows that they are much safer than Pr0 is, and would be while out on his own.
* As Seb spots Xiang, he asks for a private word between them. During their time of knowing each other, Seb has become fluent in Auslan, allowing them to have private conversations without a translator. Seb speaks quietly that he doesn't know if they're going to make it back from this after catching her up to speed on what happened, and why they have to disappear.
* Seb pulls out the suitcase and blood sample vials his mother gave him, and says that while he can't force her, or tell her why he needs this, he asks her to give some of her blood. He also gives her the rest of the vials to pass onto people she thinks are deserving of getting them.
* After a few moments of silence, Xiang signs: "I'm gonna ask that you do this, and I can't tell you why, but I want you to trust me. Don't go. Stay with us." Using his exact words against him. Seb asks what she means. Xiang nods at the door, saying that she wanted to save Pr0 too, but that she's grown up here her entire life, has seen kids full of anger, pain, regret and a death wish. His path ends one way. She asks him to choose between family and friends, or happiness where ever he is. She says that Pr0 has chosen death down the end of a long painful road, and tells him not to make the same choice.
* Seb is standing in stunned silence. Having a completely new opportunity brought to his attention. Seb, after even more thought, follows Xiang to the door, grabs her human hand, and gives it a squeeze. He chooses to stay with them.
* Just as the procedure is about to begin, Pr0 tells Incongruent that he is going to push all of these memories he has about Riley to the forefront of his mind, and asks him to contain them for him, in a separate compartment of his brain that is easily deployable. Xiang lowers her head, knowing that this is official now. She released her hand from his chest, and promises him to make the best emotion bomb that she possible can as that is her area of expertise. She turns after a sentimental exchange, and signs "Die well." then leaves.
* As the surgery continues, Ugly stands leaning in the corner, 'Tilda pokes her head in, Possum looks in, to immediately get shut down and told to leave. All of the friends he's made here have come to see him off.
* Nearing the end of the surgery, Pr0's body begins to go into an overdrive of sorts. Every synapse in his body begins boiling and the pain is only increasing. He blacks out after not too long, but quickly wakes up in the same position. As he looks around, he notices that his vision is completely changed. He is able to see the memory capacity increasing. Then he spots a packet being uploaded, titled "Riley.Exe." All his feelings are neatly compartmentalized. They aren't easily accessed anymore, but they are still available with the right amount of digging. He also has the complete power to delete this at will. As Pr0 feels this disconnect, the harsh voice of Bagrov in his head spits about him being weak.
* Pr0 shakes this off, and begins thanking Incongruent, Belle and Eve for their help. Belle warns him to be very careful as he is at a high risk for a hemorrhage and that he needs to take it easy for a few weeks.
* Xiang hands Eve a modern pink handgun, and tells her to look after herself. Incongruent also states that he has had a look at the drone piece, and says that he will get it fixed and get it ready for her, but won't turn it on until she gets back.
* Pr0 limps into Seb's old wheelchair and looks to him. Eve asks what's on Seb's mind as he's been so distracted. Seb asks him one more time if he really needs to go through with this. Pr0 replies, saying its all he has. Seb then explains that he doesn't have much left in him. Pr0 sighs, saying that he'd be lying if he didn't see this coming. He knew he had very little left when they found him at Joseph's, and that this would take the last bit of humanity Seb had left. Pr0 says that he knows Seb searched him down for a reason, to find Maya, and that he understands that he can't continue on the journey with him. Pr0 tells him to hold on to that little sliver of humanity he has left, and to do some good with it. He knows he isn't going to change or save the world drastically, but getting Riley and Maya back will be worth anything he has to go through to get there. The look to one another and wrap in a big hug.
* Eve and Pr0 get into a car to start making their way to Joseph's, leaving Seb standing on the sidewalk. Xiang slowly walks up behind him, and softly squeezes his bicep, signing "Come on, optimist. Let's go save the world together." YHT