July 13, 2025 • 8 mins
In Strata 23: Convergence, chaos collides with destiny. Baby Zaa spirals into a neurotic meltdown, POS pulses with mysterious energy, and Suzy’s Dinfants clash with Renyke and Shabra in a warehouse standoff neither side expected. When an ancient emotional mimicry orb is unearthed, secrets stir and danger explodes. A fast-paced, droll slice of post-human noir from The Book of Immersion by Sarnia de la Mare. Listen now and immerse in the glitchy heart of Strata 23.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Immersion. You have reached Strata twenty three Convergence
Book of Immersion, Volume two. As Fate with its determined
force and poker Face runs amuck in lifelong plans, Chance
watches on giggling in the dark. It flutters like a
butterfly in human hopes and dreams, in futures yet to live,
and pasts filled with regret. Such chaotic splendor has cursed
(00:22):
and captivated man since the start of time. The criminal
mind knows how to use such chaos to its full advantage.
Some things are destined, some are designed, but most truth
be told, are just on a collision course and badly timed.
Inside Biggie Hall, an old pre war megastore basement, gutted
and reborn as tactical HQ Cairo had prepared everyone and
(00:43):
tried to calm any concerns. Some of the dinfants were
highly strung neurotic. Even it's so dangerous, piped up Baby
Za on leaving h Q. Babyzah had frozen at the
threshold of the exit hatch, both hands gripping the rim,
like he was about to be flung into deep space.
Suzie Gla danced back Za, We're leaving move it. He
(01:03):
didn't respond. His pupils were wide humming with static. Daniel
nudged him, Hey you okay, I can't go, Za muttered.
The algorithm says it's a sixty seven point two percent
likelihood I'll trip on my laces, but I'm not wearing laces,
which means I've miscalculated something fundamental. I might not even exist,
or worse, I might. Cairo already ten paces ahead, sighed,
(01:26):
he's looping again. Susy turned fully now arms crossed. ZA
deep boot signal, check reset your logic stack. I did reset.
He snapped three times. But then I remembered the ducked incident.
What if I have a subroutine left over from the
vent crawl, I could be corrupted. I might malfunction mid run,
trip trigger an alarm, kill us all, or just embarrass myself.
(01:48):
I haven't decided which is worse. Daniel whispered, he does
this when he's nervous, starts doomsday spiraling over hypothetical social humiliation.
Cairo stepped in, calm but firm, Za, buddy, listen, you
were flawless in the ducks. You found the power signature,
You mapped three exits you even corrected my pathing when
I was off by a whole meter. Baby Za trembled,
(02:10):
hands twitching near his temple. That was luck and sweat.
I'm not even supposed to sweat. I think I'm emotionally leaking.
Susy crouched beside him, put a hand on his shoulder.
You're a dinfant. Glitches are part of the charm, he blinked.
But what if I make noise outside? What if the
city hears me? You're wearing foam tread stealth boots, Za,
(02:31):
you're quieter than code. Remember, but what if I feel loud?
That stopped them for a moment. SUSY's expression softened. Then
we'll walk beside you loud together, we can share the
voices in our heads. There was a pause. Baby Za
rebooted that idea in his mind. A flicker of calm
passed over his face. I still think my probability forecast
(02:53):
is too generous, he muttered, but stepped through the hatch anyway.
Daniel gave him a thumbs up. That's our little noise
panic Tornado. Let's get this done. Danger or not. We
want mother back to full strength, said Susy, raising her nail.
Gun like a ceremonial sword. Dinfunts, move out, take your positions. Cairo,
crouched beside the din cart, tightening the magnetic wheels. Pose,
(03:17):
or mother, as the younger ones now exclusively called her,
was bundled under salvaged chrome blankets and old satellite foil.
She emitted a dull, rhythmic hum, a glow that seemed
stronger now, though no diagnostics could verify it. Susy adjusted
her nail thrower and glared into the shadows. She's stirring,
I can feel it. Daniel, perched on the cart like
(03:38):
a backwards fitted jockey, nodded solemnly. She blinked at me,
I swear she blinked. She doesn't have eyes, Daniel, Cairo replied,
pulling him down metaphorically. Cairo emotionally. Emotionally, she's a motherboard
in a food trolley, Susy muttered, But she's all we've got.
(03:59):
Susie had been the infant of college professors who had
had no time for affection. She had devoured the knowledge
of the family library to compensate and become seemingly cleverer
than her parents. She was thus rejected. Her pattern was
discontinued by metacoms due to complaints from angry clients. Meanwhile,
in a loading alley on the far side of the zone,
(04:19):
Chabra picked a rusted lock with a repurposed dental probe.
Riniki stood awkwardly behind her gunn too obviously visible beneath
his leather coat. I look like a malfunctioning guard droid,
he muttered, you look like an android. On the brink
of a moral awakening, Chabra replied, I think I'm still depressed.
(04:39):
You're allowed to be, but try not to cry. During
the robbery. The door gave way with a satisfying creak.
Inside was a forgotten warehouse, rows of crates, half collapsed shelves,
signs marked do not inventory. Schabra cracked her knuckles. Daddy's
rich friends always leave the best trash unbeknownst to them.
(04:59):
In the same building, but entering via a roof duct
and lateral drainage, team Susie had arrived. The din Fants
crawled through the rusted infrastructure like tech termites, scanning for
energy readings and weak electromagnetic signatures, quieter than code. In
row seven, d Daniel spotted an old wooden crate marked
experimental drone components obsolete. That's our pile, he whispered, two
(05:22):
aisles away. Renicky stumbled over the same crate. That's symbol, Chabra.
This is old fusion tech. We could mod this for navigation.
Nice catch, Sherlock. Keep scanning vaults. Got to be at
the rear. And then it happened, a soft clunk, a footstep,
a tiney vibration. Chabra raised her pistol. Susi raised her nail.
Gun Baby Zah raised both hands and started screaming. The
(05:45):
two groups faced each other over the top of a
power conduit barrel. You again, Chabra blinked from the zones
that day with the resin Rennick he asked, you got
your gunge kids, or are you using a screamer to
scatter your enemies. Chabra lowered the pistol slightly. I take
it you're not with shrewin'. Susi stepped forward, eyeing Chabra's
(06:06):
boots with admiration. We're hunting parts for her, she nodded
toward the cart behind them. For our mother, y're what
our mother, Daniel repeated reverently. She was found in a
waste crater. She's waking up. Chabra squinted, her brow creased
just slightly. What's she like, Riniki asked. She's kind, said susy.
She tells stories, said baby Zah. Still sobbing, but quieter.
(06:29):
She buzzes when we cry, said Daniel. She has data,
deep data. She will grow us into the strongest din
Fants possible. Our army will be feared throughout the zones
and beyond. Riniki stared into the dark. His neural net pulsed.
Chemicals were flying around his body, but he couldn't understand
what he was feeling. Chabra tilted her head but said nothing. Fine,
(06:51):
She muttered, you take the drive banks. We're here for
the safe. They worked quickly. The dinfants cleared racks of
cooling coils, deep storage chips, and shielding cloth. Chabra cracked
the vault using a trick she learned from a rogue
nun in Sector nine when she was orphaned as a child.
Inside was more than loot. Renicki pulled out something unexpected,
(07:13):
an early model prototype for an emotional mimicry suite. This
this was discontinued, he said, rotating the crom orb in
his hand. Illegal now in the midcasts, Chabra added, too sensitive,
It over bonds and has an unpredictability in attack mode.
We'll keep it, Riniki said, putting it into his pocket
(07:34):
as he remembered Flex and his penchant for collecting things.
Despite everything, he missed Flex, and more than that, he
craved for the company and support of p O S. Suddenly,
a motion censer pinged the warehouse. Lights stuttered. A security
droid dropped from the ceiling with a hiss. It was armed,
and it was one of Shrewan's. Chaos followed. Chabra fired first,
(07:57):
her bolt, grazing the droid's arm. It rotated ninety degrees
and fired back a plasma beam, skimming over SUSY's head. Scatter.
Cairo shouted. Rennick launched an unexpected and impressive sonic burst
from gun Chabra had given him, knocking the bot into
a shelving unit. Sparks flew the building trembled. We're out,
Chabra yelled, grabbing the mimicry orb and vaultsac Cairo pulled
(08:21):
the din cart behind a crate. Daniel baby Za, Go
Go go. They met again in the alley, breathless bruised
but alive. I like your style, Chabra said to Susy.
I like your gun, Susi replied, eyeing the pistol. Want
a trade, Chabra smiled, Maybe next time. Rennicki looked at
the glowing pile and the din cart poes pulsed stronger, now, brighter, hungrier.
(08:45):
What's her name again, he asked quietly. We don't know,
Cairo replied, but Renicki did not answer. He just looked
down at the motherboard, and there, for some reason, felt
loss to be continued twenty twenty five, Sarnia de la
Mar
Welcome to Immersion. You have reached Strata twenty three Convergence
Book of Immersion, Volume two. As Fate with its determined
force and poker Face runs amuck in lifelong plans, Chance
watches on giggling in the dark. It flutters like a
butterfly in human hopes and dreams, in futures yet to live,
and pasts filled with regret. Such chaotic splendor has cursed
(00:22):
and captivated man since the start of time. The criminal
mind knows how to use such chaos to its full advantage.
Some things are destined, some are designed, but most truth
be told, are just on a collision course and badly timed.
Inside Biggie Hall, an old pre war megastore basement, gutted
and reborn as tactical HQ Cairo had prepared everyone and
(00:43):
tried to calm any concerns. Some of the dinfants were
highly strung neurotic. Even it's so dangerous, piped up Baby
Za on leaving h Q. Babyzah had frozen at the
threshold of the exit hatch, both hands gripping the rim,
like he was about to be flung into deep space.
Suzie Gla danced back Za, We're leaving move it. He
(01:03):
didn't respond. His pupils were wide humming with static. Daniel
nudged him, Hey you okay, I can't go, Za muttered.
The algorithm says it's a sixty seven point two percent
likelihood I'll trip on my laces, but I'm not wearing laces,
which means I've miscalculated something fundamental. I might not even exist,
or worse, I might. Cairo already ten paces ahead, sighed,
(01:26):
he's looping again. Susy turned fully now arms crossed. ZA
deep boot signal, check reset your logic stack. I did reset.
He snapped three times. But then I remembered the ducked incident.
What if I have a subroutine left over from the
vent crawl, I could be corrupted. I might malfunction mid run,
trip trigger an alarm, kill us all, or just embarrass myself.
(01:48):
I haven't decided which is worse. Daniel whispered, he does
this when he's nervous, starts doomsday spiraling over hypothetical social humiliation.
Cairo stepped in, calm but firm, Za, buddy, listen, you
were flawless in the ducks. You found the power signature,
You mapped three exits you even corrected my pathing when
I was off by a whole meter. Baby Za trembled,
(02:10):
hands twitching near his temple. That was luck and sweat.
I'm not even supposed to sweat. I think I'm emotionally leaking.
Susy crouched beside him, put a hand on his shoulder.
You're a dinfant. Glitches are part of the charm, he blinked.
But what if I make noise outside? What if the
city hears me? You're wearing foam tread stealth boots, Za,
(02:31):
you're quieter than code. Remember, but what if I feel loud?
That stopped them for a moment. SUSY's expression softened. Then
we'll walk beside you loud together, we can share the
voices in our heads. There was a pause. Baby Za
rebooted that idea in his mind. A flicker of calm
passed over his face. I still think my probability forecast
(02:53):
is too generous, he muttered, but stepped through the hatch anyway.
Daniel gave him a thumbs up. That's our little noise
panic Tornado. Let's get this done. Danger or not. We
want mother back to full strength, said Susy, raising her nail.
Gun like a ceremonial sword. Dinfunts, move out, take your positions. Cairo,
crouched beside the din cart, tightening the magnetic wheels. Pose,
(03:17):
or mother, as the younger ones now exclusively called her,
was bundled under salvaged chrome blankets and old satellite foil.
She emitted a dull, rhythmic hum, a glow that seemed
stronger now, though no diagnostics could verify it. Susy adjusted
her nail thrower and glared into the shadows. She's stirring,
I can feel it. Daniel, perched on the cart like
(03:38):
a backwards fitted jockey, nodded solemnly. She blinked at me,
I swear she blinked. She doesn't have eyes, Daniel, Cairo replied,
pulling him down metaphorically. Cairo emotionally. Emotionally, she's a motherboard
in a food trolley, Susy muttered, But she's all we've got.
(03:59):
Susie had been the infant of college professors who had
had no time for affection. She had devoured the knowledge
of the family library to compensate and become seemingly cleverer
than her parents. She was thus rejected. Her pattern was
discontinued by metacoms due to complaints from angry clients. Meanwhile,
in a loading alley on the far side of the zone,
(04:19):
Chabra picked a rusted lock with a repurposed dental probe.
Riniki stood awkwardly behind her gunn too obviously visible beneath
his leather coat. I look like a malfunctioning guard droid,
he muttered, you look like an android. On the brink
of a moral awakening, Chabra replied, I think I'm still depressed.
(04:39):
You're allowed to be, but try not to cry. During
the robbery. The door gave way with a satisfying creak.
Inside was a forgotten warehouse, rows of crates, half collapsed shelves,
signs marked do not inventory. Schabra cracked her knuckles. Daddy's
rich friends always leave the best trash unbeknownst to them.
(04:59):
In the same building, but entering via a roof duct
and lateral drainage, team Susie had arrived. The din Fants
crawled through the rusted infrastructure like tech termites, scanning for
energy readings and weak electromagnetic signatures, quieter than code. In
row seven, d Daniel spotted an old wooden crate marked
experimental drone components obsolete. That's our pile, he whispered, two
(05:22):
aisles away. Renicky stumbled over the same crate. That's symbol, Chabra.
This is old fusion tech. We could mod this for navigation.
Nice catch, Sherlock. Keep scanning vaults. Got to be at
the rear. And then it happened, a soft clunk, a footstep,
a tiney vibration. Chabra raised her pistol. Susi raised her nail.
Gun Baby Zah raised both hands and started screaming. The
(05:45):
two groups faced each other over the top of a
power conduit barrel. You again, Chabra blinked from the zones
that day with the resin Rennick he asked, you got
your gunge kids, or are you using a screamer to
scatter your enemies. Chabra lowered the pistol slightly. I take
it you're not with shrewin'. Susi stepped forward, eyeing Chabra's
(06:06):
boots with admiration. We're hunting parts for her, she nodded
toward the cart behind them. For our mother, y're what
our mother, Daniel repeated reverently. She was found in a
waste crater. She's waking up. Chabra squinted, her brow creased
just slightly. What's she like, Riniki asked. She's kind, said susy.
She tells stories, said baby Zah. Still sobbing, but quieter.
(06:29):
She buzzes when we cry, said Daniel. She has data,
deep data. She will grow us into the strongest din
Fants possible. Our army will be feared throughout the zones
and beyond. Riniki stared into the dark. His neural net pulsed.
Chemicals were flying around his body, but he couldn't understand
what he was feeling. Chabra tilted her head but said nothing. Fine,
(06:51):
She muttered, you take the drive banks. We're here for
the safe. They worked quickly. The dinfants cleared racks of
cooling coils, deep storage chips, and shielding cloth. Chabra cracked
the vault using a trick she learned from a rogue
nun in Sector nine when she was orphaned as a child.
Inside was more than loot. Renicki pulled out something unexpected,
(07:13):
an early model prototype for an emotional mimicry suite. This
this was discontinued, he said, rotating the crom orb in
his hand. Illegal now in the midcasts, Chabra added, too sensitive,
It over bonds and has an unpredictability in attack mode.
We'll keep it, Riniki said, putting it into his pocket
(07:34):
as he remembered Flex and his penchant for collecting things.
Despite everything, he missed Flex, and more than that, he
craved for the company and support of p O S. Suddenly,
a motion censer pinged the warehouse. Lights stuttered. A security
droid dropped from the ceiling with a hiss. It was armed,
and it was one of Shrewan's. Chaos followed. Chabra fired first,
(07:57):
her bolt, grazing the droid's arm. It rotated ninety degrees
and fired back a plasma beam, skimming over SUSY's head. Scatter.
Cairo shouted. Rennick launched an unexpected and impressive sonic burst
from gun Chabra had given him, knocking the bot into
a shelving unit. Sparks flew the building trembled. We're out,
Chabra yelled, grabbing the mimicry orb and vaultsac Cairo pulled
(08:21):
the din cart behind a crate. Daniel baby Za, Go
Go go. They met again in the alley, breathless bruised
but alive. I like your style, Chabra said to Susy.
I like your gun, Susi replied, eyeing the pistol. Want
a trade, Chabra smiled, Maybe next time. Rennicki looked at
the glowing pile and the din cart poes pulsed stronger, now, brighter, hungrier.
(08:45):
What's her name again, he asked quietly. We don't know,
Cairo replied, but Renicki did not answer. He just looked
down at the motherboard, and there, for some reason, felt
loss to be continued twenty twenty five, Sarnia de la
Mar
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