One of the Council nods to Locke, and he leads you back through the halls to the strategy center.  Binary is there, looking back to his paranoid self.  But it is a different scientist who begins a presentation.

"We have a very exciting announcement to tell you about.  We were working on this for a long time, but until we received the data you brought back, saw how Cala disconnected, and finished our research, we could not finalize it."

He leads you back to a mainframe computer.  "We call this Limbo.  This computer is connected to each of our jack-in stations.  It has a capacity of retention unlike any other computer we have ever designed.  We have tested it successfully now on a human.  Its success rate is about 95%."

He points to the consoles, which are meaningless to you.  "Every time you jack in, your operator will create a digital copy of your brain.  It will be uploaded into Limbo.  Then, if you die in the Matrix, your crew will preserve your body and upload your memories and digital image back into your brain.  Therefore, dying in the Matrix no longer means dying in real life."

Locke interrupts.  "What about the other 5%?"

The scientist shrugs.  "We don't know yet, but we think it will either be death or some extreme sort of mental disease, possibly psychosis or insanity."

Locke frowns.  "Wonderful."

The scientist continues, "And of course, even those who successfully return will have no knowledge of any events from the time their consciousness, as we call it, was uploaded into Limbo.  But it's better than death," he adds quickly.

"So they can jack right back in?" X asks.

"No, no.  There is a delay.  And the body will go into shock while it recovers.  The delay is between 10 and 30 minutes right now.  We have also encountered some weakening in Matrix abilities.  We don't know if it's the shock of death in the Matrix that makes the mind afraid or if it's some inherent loss in data.  This is all still new.  Any questions so far?"

OOC:  From a game perspective, it means this:

95% chance to recover, 5% chance of death or side effect

10-30 minute delay before you can jack back in and help the others (game time)

Loss of 3-6 CBP (or 9-18 CP).  (This will be taken in the form of loss of an ability, loss of points, or lack of receiving the XP at the end of the adventure...to be determined.)

No experience earned for the time between jacking in and death.

Rabbit looks skeptical, "If you haven't had any failures, how do you know what the failure rate is?" She fiddles with some split ends and adds, "Can you reload the digital copy into a damaged or different brain?"

"I didn't say we haven't had any failures.  We just haven't had enough to get a good sampling of what all the possible side effects will be.  Our researchers are making predictions about the various permutations."

Then he says, "We cannot load the digital consciousness into a different brain.  The hardware--your cells and tissues--must be identical to upload the consciousness."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:37, Thu 28 July 2005.

The scientist quickly adds, "We are distributing copies of the equivalent of a DNR -- do not resuscitate -- order for those who would...ah...prefer not to participate in the Limbo program.  It is completely voluntary, of course."