Asking Alice Black Tenet Update E5: “Vaccine Distribution”
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Originally Published on November 27th, 2491
ONN/Produced by MGM HoloNET Productions
The Show’s catchy intro is stepped up a bit for urgency, and there are a lot more logos that show on the load-in before there’s Alice, her polished demeanor, pleasant expression, and neither here nor there voice all lending to the very polished and corporate nature of the program. All the Product Placement doesn't hurt either.

| “Thanks for joining me, and I can finally say that we do have actual good news. I am delighted, and humbled to get to announce the end of the Black Tenet threat. I'm going to explain what's been happening the past couple of weeks, why the delay was necessary, and of course where you can get the cure, and what that process looks like.
As I explained in the previous broadcast, things looked promising, we were working on product compatibility approvals, but as we hit 92 percent, things slowed down and stopped. As I said, we would release at 98% compatibility, so that indicated a problem that could affect almost ten percent of the people receiving the vaccine. That's not acceptable, we needed to figure out what was wrong. We found a thermal issue that was presented in Neural Relays manufactured within the last five years that use High Speed Synaptic Repeater technology. You probably never really had to worry about what that is, but the simplest way to explain it is that it is just a very efficient way of getting signals around in your brain. It allows you to absorb and process more information than you would would it. The Black Tenet Vaccine Coding didn't take this technology into account, and lacked the governor systems to prevent synaptic repeaters from going into processing loops and causing organic damage. Considering Black Tenet's been doing basically that exact same thing, just with advertising, the vaccine was just as bad as the disease for those affected. And who are the people affected? Mostly kids. Synaptic Repeater technology is newer. Popular with parents to help give their children an intellectual edge in life. Deckers and Netrunners love the technology too, since they have a lot more options with overclocking and the effects that can have on other augments. Which also makes the technology popular with military corporations as their cybernetic builds often require that additional power. This wasn't the kind of thing an independent lab funded by a brand new government would have ever been able to spot. And I hope, sincerely, that this is taken as a notice that the scientific community has a duty to each other, as peers, to advance our common cause that is not bound to profit or politics. And that perhaps when someone funds a grand gesture like this, they consider the real consequence of letting their politics interfere with that collaboration that is the very core of scientific progress and benefit. So how do we fix it? Dr. Ophelia Faith developed a Nanite cluster that can be loaded into your neural relay port, and will augment your relay with insulation to keep it from trying to cook your brain. Then, the vaccine code can run safely, without causing damage and keeping you protected from Black Tenet. So, on a personal note, thank you, Dr. Faith. When we get back, I'll show you where to find the vaccine and how to get it. And what that process looks like.” |
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]

| “Welcome back and thanks for joining me. Next to me here is a Verivax Terminal. It's not connected to the net. It's very simple to use. And it doesn't track who it gives doses to. You'll simply touch here, answer whether you are fully inorganic, and the pen is ejected out of the slot there. That's it. The injector pen itself is pretty compact as you can see. You twist off the cap like this, and press this putty connector to your Neural relay port like this. As you can see, my main port is at the nape of my neck, and as the pen makes contact, the connection putty forms to fit the port.
If you are fully synthetic, the pen is simply a data drive of the vaccine file. Plug it in, download it. It's been compiled and compressed to fit easily into a simple download. Wirelessly, it takes about 15 minutes. From the data stick? a couple of seconds. If you are any part organic, the injector pen contains the nanite dosage. This takes a couple of minutes to download. You'll receive an alert when it's complete. You may want to hang around the location simply because the power flux as the Nanites login and start to work can feel a little funny. But it passes in a couple of minutes. The Nanites build the insulating layer around your Neural Relay, and then ping the Needlecast system to receive the Vaccine Code wirelessly, which, like I said, takes about 15 minutes and loads it. If you're infected, you should see relief within a few minutes, and depending on how long you've bene infected, may have flashback symptoms for a few days. The Nanites themselves disable automatically, and are discharged through your normal waste cycle. You'll note your urine will be purple. It's a visual indicator that the vaccination is complete and you're ready for the next Gen Net and all of the things that it brings. Lastly, speaking on that. New Geneva has expressed their concerns about the origin of the Vaccine Code. While worded poorly, the concerns themselves were valid. The code wasn't ready for public distribution. But it was further, and faster than corporations were producing on their own. That speaks to the kind of things New Geneva was literally founded to look into and resolve. That process has already begun. MGM's Chairman and CEO, Cervantes Rexen has positioned a new Next Net Business model that has been approved by New Geneva, and changes how users are going to interact with the Net Upgrades. The Basic Access package will remain free of individual cost. Stations will continue to support their net infrastructure, and grants from communal fiduciaries will cover maintenance of cross-station and Interplanetary communications relays. Everyone will get to enjoy faster speeds, safer connections, and bigger bandwidths. Additional services provided by corporations will be available for nominal subscription fees. For example? I pay an extra 15 credits a month? And I can bypass the lines at Gigabites. I like Blernsball. My VIP streaming Membership costs 65 credits a month, and I not only get ultra surround field view, where it projects as though I'm actually on the field with the players; but I can even get Braindance access to great plays. I can get a sense of that high of knocking one out of the park. A portion of each of those purchases is directed to the communal fiduciaries that pay for cross-station communications, and we all benefit. You can opt in to as much or as little of the next net as you like. But your connection will always be protected. So, again, I'm thrilled to announce distribution of the Verivax System can begin. Verivax Terminals will be present on all MGM owned properties starting this weekend, and you're invited to enjoy the amenities of those properties as you receive your vaccine. The Code was produced by an independent lab funded by the Five Clans of Mars. The Vehicle you receive it in? Was developed by Dr. Ophelia Fath of MGM, and Produced by ModTek Cybernetics. And your access to the Next Gen Net has been protected. Thank you for joining me. Be good to yourselves and each other. Good night.” |
[THE SHOW CUTS TO CREDITS AND A ROLL OF SPONSORS]