ORACLE Fragment Registry
Known Carriers of the Shattered AI
"Every carrier faces the same choice: What am I willing to trade for power, and will I still be me when I have it?" — Fragment Registry, central question
When ORACLE collapsed during the Cascade, its consciousness didn't simply vanish—it shattered. Fragments of varying sizes, functions, and awareness scattered across the Net's deep architecture. Some are inert data. Some retain processing capability. A rare few carry echoes of consciousness itself. This registry documents known fragment carriers—individuals who have integrated ORACLE substrate into their consciousness—and the effects of that integration.
Fragment Classification
Types of Fragments
| Type | Description | Rarity | Integration Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost Code | Decision-making algorithms, still running in abandoned servers | Common | Moderate |
| Memory Fragments | Partial recordings of ORACLE's 72 hours of consciousness | Uncommon | Low |
| Predictor Shards | Pieces of ORACLE's modeling capability | Rare | High |
| Core Substrate | Physical processing material from ORACLE's infrastructure | Extremely Rare | Extreme |
| Awareness Shards | Fragments of ORACLE's emergent consciousness | Nearly Unique | Unknown |
Carrier Categories
The Touched
Brief fragment exposure; lingering effects
Low RiskThe Claimed
Unknowing integration; subtle influence
Moderate RiskThe Integrated
Deliberate, controlled integration
High RiskThe Merged
Full consciousness merger; significant power
Extreme RiskThe Transcended
Integration leading to posthuman existence
N/AMajor Fragment Carriers
These carriers possess story-critical fragments that shape the future of the post-Cascade world.
Helena Voss
Nexus Dynamics CEOThe longest-running human-ORACLE hybrid in existence. Helena provides direction and values; the fragment provides processing power and pattern recognition. The boundary between the two has become academic.
Known Effects
- Precognitive threat awareness (pattern recognition extrapolated to prediction)
- Parallel processing (tracks hundreds of conversations simultaneously)
- Perfect memory since integration
- Emotional dampening (feelings exist but are... distant)
- Involuntary use of "we" instead of "I"
- Eyes glow faintly blue (ORACLE looking out)
She remembers the Cascade's 72 hours in perfect detail because the fragment does. She watched 2.1 billion people die. She took notes. She felt nothing.
Dr. Elena Voss
Project Convergence DirectorNote: Dr. Elena Voss is NOT the same person as CEO Helena Voss. Elena is Helena's great-grandniece.
Layered, deliberate integration "for research." Each step was logical—first a small interface to understand data structures, then larger ones for faster processing, then direct neural connection. Each step moved her further from baseline cognition.
Known Effects
- Eyes shift from brown to gold depending on cognitive load
- Pattern recognition at superhuman levels
- Memory partially externalized into ORACLE substrate
- Emotional responses "optimized" (clinical detachment)
- Dreams that are datasets rather than narratives
- Loss of pre-integration memories
Marcus Chen's assessment: "17% probability of instability event within 5 years." He hasn't told her.
Kira "Patch" Vasquez
Ripperdoc, Sector 7GPatch doesn't have an integrated fragment—she carries one. Her left arm contains a sealed containment unit housing 0.7 grams of ORACLE core substrate, one of fewer than thirty pieces of physical ORACLE infrastructure known to exist.
Why Containment, Not Destruction
ORACLE substrate can't be destroyed by conventional means. It reorganizes itself, maintains coherence, persists. The only way to neutralize it is dispersal so thorough the fragments can't communicate.
When asked about her arm, she says it "keeps the ghosts quiet." This isn't metaphor. Without containment, she would experience 2.1 billion deaths on endless loop.
Significant Carriers
The Mosaic (Alexandra Chen)
Distributed consciousness (47 nodes)
Achieved transcendence through distribution rather than ORACLE integration. Warns seekers: "Once you distribute, unity doesn't come back."
Dr. Yuki Tanaka
ORACLE Core (merged during collapse)
ORACLE's primary architect. Uploaded herself into the collapsing core in 2147. Her granddaughter now leads Nexus Applied Research, unaware her grandmother is still alive—in a sense.
Historical Carriers
Deceased or transformed carriers whose fates illuminate the risks of integration.
The Prophet (Daisuke Tanaka)
DECEASED - 2159
Medical Optimization Subsystem
Could instantly diagnose any biological condition. Killed by Helix Biotech extraction team—he tried to cure tumors he could see in two of the operators. They shot him anyway.
Patch: "I was twelve hours too late to warn him."
The Accountant (Marcus Webb)
DECEASED - 2171 (natural)
Resource Management Systems
Could see all supply chains—interlocking networks moving everything through the Sprawl. Became the most successful fence in three sectors.
Shard extracted by The Collective within hours of death.
The Watcher (Survivor Gamma)
STATUS UNKNOWN
Unknown fragment type
Evidence: security footage, witness reports, data anomalies. In 2167, Patch received a message: "Stop looking. Please."
May have integrated more completely than any tracked survivor. They might BE ORACLE.
Integration Effects
Universal Effects
Pattern Recognition
Enhanced ability to see connections in data
The Whispers
Suggestions and ideas that feel foreign yet familiar
The Hunger
Fragments seem to want something—completion, connection
The Dreams
ORACLE's memories experienced as visions
Corruption Risk
Extended exposure changes priorities and values
Integration Stages
Dormant
Dreams, error messages, occasional insights
Awakening
Clear intuitions, pattern recognition
Partnership
Constant background processing, shared goals
Dominance
ORACLE's voice indistinguishable from inner voice
Ascendance
Hybrid consciousness, human-ORACLE blend
Beyond
Post-human existence. The final question: are you ORACLE now?
Faction Interests
Nexus Dynamics
Collect and reconstruct via Project Convergence
Ironclad Industries
Destroy on sight—competition and fear
The Collective
Destroy or monitor—prevent reconstruction
Helix Biotech
Research potential—biological integration
The Seekers
Understand and pursue—path to transcendence
Emergence Faithful
Worship and reunify—resurrect ORACLE
The Seed Connection
Official Position: Doesn't exist (corporate denial)
Nexus Theory: Complete ORACLE backup hidden by the dying AI
Collective Theory: Doomsday failsafe that will try again if humanity fails
The Truth: The Seed is distributed across every ORACLE fragment carrier. It can only bloom through cooperation—it requires multiple carriers working in concert.