Terri frowned. ‘Everyone dies. Well, everyone used to. If we could have waited for Yliaster to be ready for regeneration treatments… Maybe we could have kept you intact enough if we’d got more of that drug, but the long-term effects of that aren’t known. You were deteriorating. We could have frozen you fully, but we’re not sure of the full effects of long-term cryostasis.’
‘There were a lot of maybes, but the chances were I was going to be dead, or a mess?’
‘That about covers it. I, um, still think we might be able to put your body back together at some point and fabricate a new brain using your ba as a pattern. It could be years away. In the meantime, we’re fabricating a cyberframe for you.’
‘Fabricating one?’
‘Well, we want it to look like you. We’re constructing one of the infiltration models to mirror your body.’
‘And it’ll be ready when?’
‘A couple of days. The basic frame should be ready tomorrow, but then we need to test it, put the skin on…’
‘Get the basic diagnostics done. I’ll test it tomorrow.’
‘Fox–’
‘If I’m not going to be able to cope with this, it’s better we find out before you put an expensive skin on the doll. I’ll test it out tomorrow. And if I can’t cope outside this viron, you’re going to turn me off.’
‘But–’
‘No. I won’t live like this. If I can’t walk around in the real world, it’s better that you shut this off and pretend I just died. That way, you won’t have used up your precious single human test. I’d like to be alone for a while.’
Wringing her hands together, Terri turned and walked to the door. Kit vanished as though she had never been there, looking a little shocked. Terri had looked mortified, but right now, Fox did not care.
~~~
Virtual wine tasted the same, as far as Fox could remember, as real wine, and the program behind it was designed to mimic some of the effects of real alcohol. Six glasses of it had fogged Fox’s mind nicely, numbing the feelings of… Betrayal. She felt betrayed, but also guilty. She was feeling guilty about feeling betrayed.
‘You’ve upset my daughter.’
Fox turned her head and attempted to focus on Jackson as he walked into the lounge. ‘You hexpec’ed me to like thish?’
Jackson raised an eyebrow. ‘Perhaps a little too drunk.’
‘Hey, I–’ Fox cut off with a wince as her intoxication level dropped sharply. ‘That was a mean trick. I just got drunk enough to be over being dead.’
‘You aren’t dead. If you stay like this, you may never die. You could’ve put some clothes on too.’
‘Why? I’m not real. And I wanted to be alone. I quite like walking around my house naked when I’m alone. It’s… liberating.’
Jackson walked over and sat on the sofa a respectful distance away. ‘If you aren’t real, neither is this. Ergo, not your home. Therefore, wear clothes.’
‘You are not my dad, Jackson. Oh… How the Hell am I going to tell them about this? And Jason…’
‘Jason stopped by to visit you while we were waiting to fly out of New York.’
‘He did? You can’t have said what you planned to do.’
‘At that point, I wasn’t really clear on what I would do…’
New York Metro, 26th February.
Jason Deveraux stood at the observation window outside Fox’s room, looking in with the flat expression of a man unsure of what emotion to exhibit. He was angry: he had exempted himself from having anything to do with Hannah’s extradition because he wanted to shoot her repeatedly in the face. He was frustrated: the man who had done all this to Fox had escaped and no one had been able to track him down. And he had the horrible feeling that this was the last time he would ever lay eyes on Fox…
‘I’m going to save her,’ Jackson said.
‘I believe that if anyone can, it is you, but I’ve read the reports…’
‘No. I am going to save her. I’m not sure exactly how, but I won’t let her die. I’m taking her to our Jenner crater facility. It has some… specialised medical equipment.’
‘Experimental?’
‘Some of it, yes. She may come back… a little different.’
‘So long as she comes back. In one piece. She is an active woman. Living in a wheelchair would not be living.’
‘Her spine can be fixed. It’s the damage to her brain which may cause problems. It’s all functional. We don’t believe there’s damage to her memories or her capacity to think and feel, but correcting faults so high in the spinal column is always tricky.’
Jason turned and looked at his companion, nodding. ‘I’m sure you’ll try everything you can to put her back the way she was. Or, perhaps, better.’
Jenner Research Station, 4th March.
‘And this is better?’ Fox asked.
‘Assuming that you have the courage to take on the new body, one could argue that this is better,’ Jackson replied. ‘I’m not going to make that argument, however, only ask that you try, and then decide based on the experience.’
‘Right…’
‘And that you actually wear clothes.’
‘Fine, right, clothes, but I’m still going to be software driving a cybernetic body, Jackson. It’s not like–’
‘It’s very like. Your ka, the program which…’ He held up a finger. ‘You know, Teresa is better at explaining this anyway. The point is that we’ve engineered drivers for the body which allow your mind to drive your body as though it were your real body. It should feel the same as normal, react as it normally would to stimuli, both internal and external. You’ll just have a few extra features.’
‘Like?’
‘More flexible spine and joints, infrared and ultraviolet vision, high-sensitivity hearing with analytical functions… The ability to network using infrared comms through your eyes.’
‘I’m sure that’ll come in handy for… something.’
‘Vacuum capability, two layers of armour, GPS.’
‘Okay… Some extras, but it’s still a robot body. I mean, there are things it’s not going to be able to do.’
‘It was designed to appear human. The organic components of the skin require some protein intake, but you can eat and drink normally. Actually getting drunk… no. You’ll have to come in here for that and you seemed to be doing quite well at it. Or do you mean sex? MarTech is not one of the larger manufacturers of erotic robots, but we do make some of the best.’
‘I am not comfortable talking to you about that when I’m naked.’
‘I told you clothes were a good idea. Think about it. The body, not the clothes.’ Jackson got to his feet. ‘Most of all, try it out before you refuse it.’ He started for the door.
‘I’ll try,’ Fox said.
‘Good. And on second thoughts, think about the clothes too.’
5th March.
‘You’re awake.’ Fox looked around to find Nurse Kit standing just behind the sofa.
‘I don’t seem to need much sleep.’
‘About four hours, according to Terri. Your ka program uses the time to read your daily memory cache into your ba memory system.’
‘I heard “four hours, yadda yadda, memory system.”’
‘Terri will teach you what it means and how to use it when you’re ready to talk to her.’
Fox frowned. ‘I’ll talk to her. I just needed some time to…’
‘Process what’s happened?’
‘I’d rather not use computer metaphors at this point. I realise I’m pretty much the same as you, but–’
‘You’re not. I suppose there are minor similarities. And some gross ones, obviously. We’re both digital life forms, but the similarities end there. I am an entirely synthetic, artificial intelligence. My software is a threaded package of components which work together to produce a synthetic mind. I have data, memories, which make me a unique instance of my model, but those are essentially an attached database accessed by software common a
cross others of my kind. You are not synthetic. You have a database, known as a ba, which holds the unique connections that made up your organic brain. Your ka is not unique to you, as my core software is not unique to me, but it is, essentially, a virtual machine engine which is only there to actualise the data from your ba. It’s totally different.’
Fox blinked at her PA. ‘Did you digest Terri’s entire thesis on how this works or something?’
‘Yes, actually. It was very interesting. You have more in common with Fei than with me, in many ways. Obviously, there are significant differences there too. Fei was very interested in how this would progress.’
‘You’ve told her about this?’
Kit frowned. ‘I was trying to work it all out in my own head, and she is a very good listener.’
2nd March.
‘Hello, Kit. I am very happy to see you here again.’
Kit sat her gynoid frame down at the terminal. ‘Hello, Fei. I am happy to be back.’
‘Typing is no longer necessary. If I need clarification of a statement, I will ask. Does your return indicate that you have found Fox?’
‘Yes, but there is a problem. She was badly injured. She may die.’
‘Please explain “injured.”’
‘She was damaged. Her body was… broken and it may not be possible to fix it. Humans have that problem. Sometimes they are damaged, injured, in a way which cannot be repaired yet. When the injury is too great, they cease to function. They die.’
‘And this may happen to Fox?’
‘Yes.’
‘I would not be happy if that happened. I found Fox interesting. I would like to speak with her again. Not being able to do so would be… non-optimal.’
‘Yes, I would be sad if it happens too. Mister Martins… Have you met Mister Martins yet? Jackson?’
‘Jackson. Yes. I have learned that humans often have two or more names. I am usually only told one of them. I have met Jackson.’
‘Jackson has a plan to save Fox, to stop her from dying, even if she cannot be fixed, but I am not sure that Fox will like it.’
‘Please explain.’
Kit considered for a second. ‘Terri has created a method of converting a human into a digital entity. Jackson helped to make it and believes that it will work on Fox. Fox will stop being a human and become something else. Data. I am not sure that she will find that… optimal.’
‘Why?’
‘Because she will not be human any more.’
‘Why?’
‘Um, because humans are defined in terms of their species, their shape.’
‘Then you are human.’
‘No, I’m–’
‘You have the same form as a human. Humans are defined by their shape. You are a human.’
‘I’m not explaining this very well. Humans evolved, over millions of years. Life began as single cells and it changed over time until there were more complex forms of life, and they changed to be more and more complex. Eventually, one of the complex forms became intelligent, social. They have a shared identity based on their culture and the way they think.’
‘And Fox will not think the same way? She will not have the same culture?’
‘Uh, well… I guess she will think the same way, if the process works, and culture is based on memory, which is preserved.’
‘Conjecture: you continue to explain this badly, or I am unable to understand. I see no part of what you have described which has changed. You appear to me as a human form, so Fox can have a human shape. Her thinking patterns will be unchanged. Her memories will remain unchanged. Given the information you have presented to me, I conclude that she will be human.’
‘Well, she won’t be, because she won’t have a human body.’
‘Assertion: humans can replace parts of their body with machine parts.’
Kit gave a nod. ‘Yes, they can. It’s called cybernetics.’
‘Thank you for the new word. Question: how much of a human needs to be replaced with cybernetics before they are not a human?’
‘Uh… That depends upon whom you ask. Some humans believe any cybernetics make you not human. Some humans think that the only vital part is the brain. Fox would not have a human brain. Um… but she would have a human mind, which is the consciousness created by the brain. So… I think that some humans might consider her human, and others would not. The important thing is what Fox thinks of herself, and I do not know what that will be.’
There was a short pause and then Fei said, ‘I conclude that Fox will continue to be the same interesting human I met. My conjecture is that she may be more interesting. She will now have a unique perspective on humans and infomorphs. I hope that she is able to come to the same conclusions so that I may discuss the matter with her.’
‘Well, I hope so too.’
5th March.
‘So our resident emergent AI in a tank thinks I’m human?’ Fox said.
‘Yes,’ Kit replied. ‘I recognise that you are not, but also that you are. I don’t think I was able to explain your new circumstances adequately to Fei, but I think I understand them.’
‘I’m not, but I am, huh?’
‘Yes. You are obviously not human in the physical sense of belonging to the species of humans. I do not believe that the physical aspect of humanity has been the driving factor in what a human is for over ten thousand years, perhaps longer. Your mental and social characteristics have dominated since civilisation took hold. Evolution does not dominate your development in the way it once did. You may become something other than human, should you choose to embrace your new state, but right now, not only are you human, but you remain Tara Meridian.’
‘Nice speech.’
Kit grinned. ‘Thank you.’
‘I’m not going to buy it that easily.’
‘I know. Let me ask you a question.’
‘Shoot.’
‘You presented me with my freedom in preparation for your death.’
‘Yeah, well, I was sort of hoping not to die, and that wasn’t the reason I did it. That was the reason I did it then.’
‘Yes, but that was not the question. You told me that you did not believe that infomorphs, especially class four AIs, should be considered as objects to be owned. That we should be treated as humans, at least legally.’
‘And I stand by that.’
‘So now that you’re an infomorph, what makes you different? Why does it matter what you are now, so long as the entity known as Fox Meridian continues?’
Fox frowned. ‘Well… Well, when I’ve figured that out, I’ll know how I’m going to deal with this.’
~~~
Terri was looking nervous when she walked into Fox’s lounge. Fox watched her for a few seconds and then said, ‘I’m not going to bite.’
‘Your fangs were pretty sharp yesterday.’
‘Yeah, well… I’d just found out I’d been converted into data.’
‘I suppose that’s fair. I need to tell you exactly what you are.’
‘While I,’ Jackson said, following Terri in, ‘will be handling the transfer to your new body. Such as it currently is.’
‘And I’ll be standing around and looking pretty,’ Kit added, appearing beside Fox. ‘I’ll transfer into your body with you to act as support.’
‘Okay,’ Fox said. ‘Well, let’s do this. If I’m going to crumble into a heap over this, I’d rather find out fast.’
‘You won’t.’
‘Thanks, Kit, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating.’
‘All right,’ Terri said. ‘Here’s the detailed version of what we did.’
‘For a cop, please. Not an AI engineer.’
Terri smiled. ‘I’ll do my best. Stage one was a UHD MRI scan of your brain. We needed to do that anyway to determine the extent of the injury.’
‘How bad was it?’
‘It resulted in the final decision to go ahead with Akh,’ Jackson said. ‘The doctors on staff here felt it highly unlikely that s
upplemental cybernetics could restore full function to your body. Without that, you were going to die unless we froze you and hoped restoration would work later.’
‘Bad. Got it. Terri?’
‘Once that was done and stored, we used it to program nanomachines which… Well, they crawled into your skull and started dismantling your brain, neuron by neuron, recording everything. The combined data comes to a few thousand terabytes. That’s put through a compiler. We call it Osiris, but it’s basically designed to encode all the data from the MRI and the nanomachines into a database.’
‘Called ba.’
‘Correct. The Ancient Egyptians believed that your personality, your uniqueness, was expressed as a sort of spirit form called a Ba. When the Ba was reunited with the Ka, or “life spark,” it became the Akh, a sort of ghost. And the analogies break down a bit there because of the way they thought of the Akh, but… Anyway, our ba database acts as a source of operating instructions for a program called ka. The combination of ka with a human’s ba database creates a functional mind. A precise copy of the original human.’
‘You think.’
‘It works on rats. Rats are simpler than humans, I’ll grant you, but their brains function the same way as yours at a biological level.’
‘We’re sure of the process,’ Jackson said. ‘We’ve run simulations of human brains before now. Creating connection maps of the same complexity as a human brain has been possible for several decades. The technology to fully map an existing brain is new. I am quite sure that your emulated brain is the same as your original one.’
‘Okay, explain to me why I have this sudden urge to kill all you fleshy meatbags.’
‘Oh, that’s entirely natural,’ Kit said. ‘All infomorphs have that.’
‘I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it in front of the fleshy meatbags then.’
‘No, but we’ll kill them all soon, so it won’t matter.’
‘Right.’
‘Your sense of humour, for example,’ Jackson said, deadpan, ‘has not changed at all.’
Fox raised an eyebrow. ‘You say that now… The brain damage didn’t compromise all this data? How big is my ba anyway?’
‘Just over a hundred terabytes,’ Terri replied, ‘and no, it didn’t. Ka effectively replaces the functions of the brain stem so it’s not needed. We were unable to detect any other damage that couldn’t be resolved by the nanomachines, but report any abnormalities immediately and we’ll see what we can do to resolve them. The longer you operate, the more your ba will diverge from the original data, and the more difficult it will be to fix any problems.’
Emergence (Fox Meridian Book 5) Page 26
