Ghost Spark - Essence Engine

Seven

The elevator lifted to the next floor. The door opened to a bright light that blinded them both. Marcus' glasses polarized instantly. In the center of the room were rows upon rows of drums spinning around a long tube of light. Twenty drums per row, Fifteen rows deep. Forty rows straight up to the ceiling.

"What the fuck..." Marcus said.

"Ahh, Miko, just in time for harvest!" exclaimed the man in a clear overcoat. 

His long white hair fell to his shoulders. Dark bushy eyebrows and and a salt and pepper beard defined weathered  face. The facial recognition AI in Marcus's suit displayed on HUD details about the man;  his service record with the Japanese R&D consortium, his military record and dishonorable discharge from Japanese United States Armed forces, JAUSA.

"In between seasons, Koichi?" Miko asked.

"Well, Pot plants use too much nitrogen, so harvesting other food crops between grows helps keep the soil at peak efficiency."

"What do you do with the harvest?" Marcus asked.

Both Miko and Koichi turned and looked at Marcus.

"A good question," Koichi said.

"The answer is simple. Some of the produce is sold to offset my losses between grows. The other is plowed under to feed the soil. Sadly, it means being offline for two weeks for each turnover, but the quality of the product is undeniable. Look, here, have a carrot or a cucumber," Koichi said, gesturing to the bins behind him.

"Koichi," Miko said grabbing his arm. "He knows about Essence Engine. He can get me in."
Koichi stopped and looked at Marcus. "Well of course he can. He kind of stands out as a Merc doesn't he. Doesn't blend in well at all," Koichi said.

"Busted again," Becca quipped.

"Nice tech though," Koichi said,
"AI Mark7 right? Well that explains that hump on your back. I hear the Mark 8s lose the hump. Although Mark6 urban has better battery distribution so the hump is not visible either. But, why the suit though friend? Expecting a firefight on my farm?" Koichi laughed.

"Let's just say Miko makes an interesting first impression," said Marcus.

"That would explain the subdural hematoma on your left occipital lobe. Lucky she didn't splinter it with those brass knuckles of hers. Nasty things... But effective. As is the Katana; wears it like a belt. Of course, her augmented strength and beauty can be deadly in their own right." Said Koichi.

"Augmented?" asked Marcus as he cocked an eyebrow towards Miko.

"Koichi, the engine?" Miko said. "We need those files."

"Of course, of course. We are headed to my office," he said, as he guided them around thick stands of bamboo to an old redwood desk. He gestured them to sit as he dropped into an old high backed leather chair behind a desk strewn with tablets displaying readouts from the various grows. The glow from the tablets threw multi-colors across the walls and Koichi's face as he rummaged for something on the desk before he sat down.
The creaking from the settling of the leather as he sat fractured the silence.

Koichi smiled.

"So, where do I start."

"What you probably know is that the Essence Engine is the foundation for all current brain tech. Brain wipes, memory downloads, implants and neural modifications. All stem from early work on the machine. It was a byproduct of the original project's intentions.

Now, the original idea for the Essence Engine was devised as a way for deadenders to commit suicide in a way that would benefit humanity. The purpose of the machine was to collect and harness that person's energy, or life force for use in research as a way to heal the sick and save the dying." Koichi said.