CHAPTER 9:

MAN/MACHINE INTERFACE

Harry pursed his lips as he considered his options. He could use a Memory Charm on the Section 6 people who came here, but that would only work on those who came here. The Fidelius was a possibility, but it was a powerful charm that needed time to cast, and Section 6 could be here any moment. And then, there was simply hiding her under his Invisibility Cloak, but this was a world where thermoptic camouflage was known, and Section 6 might simply decide to search Section 9, and to hell with the consequences of pissing off Aramaki.

"Motoko," Harry said. "Do you have any idea whether Section 6 is on its way?"

Motoko nodded. "I checked their itinerary for Aramaki. They're about fifteen minutes away."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "Then we can do this. Bit of a tight squeeze, though." He looked at the Puppeteer. "I can use what is called a Fidelius, a form of charm that locks away the secret of your existence within a chosen person, within their very soul. Now, I'd say that you could potentially be a Secret Keeper, I mean, you've got a Ghost yourself, which is pretty much a soul, but Motoko and I could be as well, or anyone in Section 9. Only the Secret Keeper can reveal the secret, and those who knew the secret originally don't quite forget, just get a sort of blindspot in their memories."

"You can do this?" the Puppeteer asked.

"Yeah. Takes a bit of time to do, but…I can."

"Then do so. I nominate you as my Secret Keeper," the Puppeteer said.

"Just like that?"

"Indeed. I have a proposition for the Major and for Potter…but it can wait until the problem of Section 6 is dealt with," the Puppeteer said. "Once the charm is cast, you may tell the personnel of Section 9 the secret, as well as whoever you believe under your own discretion. It may be a moot point, though."

The charm was soon cast, and when Nakamura of Section 6 arrived, he had an embarrassing moment when he forgot what he came to Section 9 for. It was even more embarrassing, considering he had been in the company of an American, Dr Willis from Neutron, Inc's Strategic Research Institute. Aramaki made no mention of the Puppeteer or the evidence the AI had given them, though he would use it later, citing an anonymous informant.

It was the next day, after some considerable rest, that Motoko, Harry, Aramaki and the Puppeteer, were sitting together in Aramaki's office. The Puppeteer's body had been repaired, and she was now clothed. "I have something of a proposition for the Major and Potter," the Puppeteer said. "While it is doubtless something of a strange request, I only ask that you indulge me."

"Why me, then?" Aramaki asked.

"You are Major Kusanagi's employer, Aramaki. I could, if I wished, gained what I wanted without their consent, but I have, over time, gained something akin to a conscience with my consciousness. I should explain my reasoning before I make my offer. I am an artificial lifeform, albeit one that evolved sentience. I wish to survive, even have progeny eventually, albeit progeny that is free from the shackles of biology. But my progeny would, for the most part, be clones of me. And clones can share the same weakness as their parents. All that it would take is a single virus that attacks the right weakness, and there is a catastrophic collapse. I would die, along with my progeny."

"The computer program equivalent of genetics," Motoko mused. "Like how inbreeding increases the risk of falling prey to genetic illnesses, or even pathogens."

"That is a fair analogy, Major. I need more diversity in my system, diversity and imperfections that will help. To use the genetic analogy, this is perhaps why the concept of sexual intercourse evolved, to achieve a sort of randomisation of genes. I could introduce variations deliberately, but they may not be enough. I cannot foresee whether such deliberately-induced variation would cancel each other out in the end, and still lead to extinction. But then, my memories of my work for Section 6 returned to me. I remembered Section 9. Which brings me to my point. I would like to fuse with Major Motoko Kusanagi."

Everyone stared at the AI in shock. "You what?" Harry yelped.

"You want to become a second personality within me?" Motoko demanded. "I don't want to have multiple personalities!"

"You mistake my intentions," the Puppeteer said. "I actually suggest total fusion. That is, that we become a single personality, one entity. We would change slightly in our totality, but we would not lose anything at all."

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?" Harry demanded.

"Of course. You are part of the process, Harry Potter," the Puppeteer said. "Your ability to enter minds via whatever means you used, a means you call magic, would also help. While I cannot fuse with you, as you have no cybernetics, I can take randomised copied elements from your mind and memories. I saw some of them when you entered my mind. These copied elements, I can disperse amongst any offspring I have, artificial intelligences with minds and wills of their own, with diverse traits. Children, Harry Potter. In fusing with Motoko, I wish for a form of both mortality and immortality. I wish for a life, death, and children. I wish to change and evolve."

"And how do we know that we won't be helping a robot revolution?" Aramaki asked.

The Puppeteer chuckled softly. "This is coming from the same person who knowingly allowed the Fuchikomas to remain self-aware. The truth is, while I have no intention of starting such a thing, there's no guarantee that that won't happen. But it's a low possibility, and any of our children from such a union that shows misanthropic traits may be destroyed by its siblings before it becomes a threat, as a form of survival. There may be small rebellions, true, but I doubt it will happen."

"I have a question. Well, a lot of them, really," Motoko said. "But I guess the biggest one for me is…well, why me?"

"Why?" the Puppeteer asked. "Well, it may seem rather facile of me to claim this, but I consider one of the key reasons to be because of a karmic connection. All things are connected, even if only indirectly."

"Seriously?" Harry asked. "You want to fuse with my lover, out of karmic connection? And you're an AI?"

"Believe me, I have considered it very carefully, despite appearances. And the resulting entity would still be substantially recognisable as Motoko Kusanagi. I studied the Major's history in quite some detail. She is extremely adaptable, intelligent and, despite her roles in military and law enforcement, compassionate and quite aware of the value of a life." The Puppeteer spread her arms in a placating gesture. "Please understand, if you refuse, I will not press the issue. I am asking a lot out of both of you. If you refuse, I will find someone else to agree. I do have a number of candidates. And while I will not consent to being leashed again, even to Section 9, I will remain in contact with you as an intelligence asset. I have no desire to conquer anything but the spheres of knowledge, and my own flaws. I wish to explore my full potential as a new form of life."

Motoko, after a moment, asked, "Can I consider this?"

The Puppeteer nodded. "Of course. Take all the time you need. What are your thoughts on this, Chief Aramaki?"

Aramaki frowned. "I will lose nothing of her memories? Her value as my second in command?"

"Nothing. You also gain my hacking abilities, as well as what information I have collated about persons and institutes of interest."

"And how do I know you tell the truth?" Aramaki asked.

"You don't, any more than you know whether a human is. I am certainly capable of deceit, true, but I have no desire for domination, either overtly or covertly. I cannot say the same for any children we may have…but the same could be said about human children."

Harry and Motoko left the room for a moment, while Aramaki spoke to the Puppeteer. "Well?" Harry asked, as they went to another room.

Motoko remained silent for a time. Eventually, she said, "Had I never met you, I would have agreed by now. But…it's almost like having an affair, if not breaking off our relationship outright. I believe the Puppeteer when she said she has benign motives."

"Maybe…but, Motoko…I'm immortal, remember? You could probably live longer than most human beings, but you're not immortal. Not like I am. The Puppeteer wants mortality…but it doesn't necessarily mean you won't live for longer fused with her. Don't get me wrong, I don't like this either. But…"

"Do it."

Motoko whirled to look at the source of the voice. Harry, meanwhile, only sighed quietly before turning to face the interrupter himself. The hooded and robed figure was apparently female. The robes were dark, but more greys and purples. Of the woman's face, only the bottom of it could be seen, of a mouth quirked in amusement(1).

"Identify yourself," Motoko said.

The hooded woman chuckled. "We've seen each other before, Motoko Kusanagi…when you died. When they scraped what was left of you up and put it into a metal shell after that plane crash. I'm not surprised you don't remember me. Back then, you were another Motoko…Motoko Ota(2)."

Confusion, anger, and even dread warred across Motoko's face, presumably at this entity knowing her birth name. Harry, after a moment, said, "Motoko…meet Death."

Motoko blinked. "What? This is Death?"

"What? Expecting the whole skull and scythe thing? That's so gauche," Death said, flipping back her hood and revealing a lugubriously beautiful face framed by lavender hair. Oddly, her ears were pointed. "I like taking on different forms. I chose this one, that of Medea of Colchis. I've been by your side for such a long time, Motoko. All soldiers and fighters live with death but a step away. And you have fought to stay alive since the day you were born, and especially since you were reborn in a body of plastic and metal."

"So why show yourself now?" Motoko asked.

"Because I know you two are on the verge of a difficult decision. You should not worry. The entity that emerges from the fusion will still be very much Motoko Kusanagi. And what is more…you will live as long as you need to." She looked at Harry. "When you both are ready to pass into the next great adventure…that is when you will do so. It can take decades, or centuries, long enough to shepherd humanity and the new species you create with the Puppeteer…but you will get your rest, Harry, and Motoko. Together…"

It was a few days later. Motoko Kusanagi had agreed to the offer of the Puppeteer, but wanted to settle her affairs first in case things went sour. Then, under the watchful eye of Section 9 and Harry, Motoko Kusanagi closed her eyes…and opened them again, changed.

Not substantially. She was still the same woman Harry had fallen for. But she was also greater than she once was. There was a strange sense of wonder in her expression as she looked around, as if seeing the world and people around her with new eyes.

"How do you feel, Major?" Aramaki asked.

Motoko smiled. "Strange…but not in a bad way. It's like…everything is new again. And I know so many things now that I am partially the Puppeteer. So many things we could use against the terrorists and cybercriminals we encounter. All this power…it's a little frightening, really." She chuckled softly, not anything remotely malevolent. If anything, it was slightly uneasy, but also with the same sense of wonder in her expression. She gingerly stood out of the chair she had been sitting in. "I feel like I could do anything."

Harry walked over to her and hugged her, with Motoko returning it. It felt like her, that same tender hug from a cyborg body that could easily squash him. He knew for certain that Motoko still existed. "Welcome back, Motoko. I mean, I can still call you that, right?"

"Of course. I am as much Motoko as I am the Puppeteer. We're not a split personality or anything. And I still love you, Harry, with all my heart." She separated from him, and gave him a grin. "This is the beginning, you know. The start of a new era. Of humanity and its offspring existing side-by-side. This is life and evolution in the making, not of revolution and destruction, but progress and cooperation."

Batou coughed quietly, trying to get their attention. "That's all good and all, but, well, what next?"

"Aside from doing my job with Section 9?" Motoko said with a shrug. "I don't know. But it'll be interesting to find out. The net is vast and infinite. And so too is the potential."

"Then let's explore the future together, Motoko," Harry said.

The two of them, along with the other members of Section 9, looked out of a nearby window, across the city of Newport. Maybe the future wouldn't be so bright. It certainly wouldn't be perfect. But there was no guarantee that it would be nothing but bleak darkness. It was just sheer, unadulterated potential.

And Harry and Motoko were going to ride that wave of potential towards the future. Even if it was an uncertain one, they were going to make damn sure it'd be a good one…

THE END…AND THE BEGINNING

CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:

So, there you have it. The final chapter of Newport Mage. Yeah, it's a little weak for a finale, and the appearance of Death was a bit of an arsepull (though she was mentioned in a previous chapter), but given the changes from the original manga and the film version, well, it's hardly surprising. But I thought it best to end this fanfic here, on a high note, with promise for the future. I'm not going to be adapting the second manga volume or any other episodes of Stand Alone Complex. I need more completed fics under my belt, and in any case, this is the longest crossover as of writing between Harry Potter and Ghost in the Shell.

Also, please don't get up me for suggesting a real name for the Major. Motoko Kusanagi, as mentioned earlier, is a pseudonym. I decided to give her a real name.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the ride while it lasted.

1. I based Death's appearance, as noted shortly afterwards, off Caster, aka Medea, from Fate/Stay Night. Having done Death as looking like Lily Potter, as well as Death of the Endless in Verdant Magic, I wanted to do something new, and I thought Caster looked almost reaper-like without actually being a Grim Reaper figure. Plus, her rather sad-looking face when she doesn't have her hood on helps with an entity who sees a lot of death.

2. I chose to keep Motoko's first name the same, while her surname, Ota, is actually the real surname of Masamune Shirow, whose real name is Masanori Ota.