by Adams Massey
Alex happily watches the machine work, the process was slow but after a few minutes, visible progress could be seen. She is pulled from her gazing as a thought strikes her. -Would it be possible to have clothes waiting for when I’m embodied? I know I won’t have the appropriate bits but it would still feel wrong being exposed like that- She comments as the engineering team stifle laughs.
“Of course, I’ll pick up a simple outfit for you when they tell me your body is ready” Amy, who had been rather quiet up until this point states with a giggle “We should get back to the lab and let the engineers get back to work” Amy suggests and backs out of the engineering lab, Alex in her arms.
Back at the AI lab Amy places Alex on the desk and takes a seat. “So how does it feel knowing that in about a week you’ll have a body again?” she asks as she hooks Alex back up to power.
-I’m excited, I mean I’ve been disembodied for the last month or so and it’s been a little frustrating- Alex explains, the lip sync on the screen having improved since the trial. -I’m looking forward to it but I’m nervous as well, I mean will I still remember how to walk?-
“You’ll do fine” Amy reassures and relaxes back into the chair as she gets back to her work.
8: Grand Designs
The next few days Alex spends much of her time in the engineering lab marveling over the machine printing her new body layer by layer. The resolution was impressive as there was no transition between one layer and the next. She watches as the multiple heads continue their work, one laying resin for the core structure and another laying muscle like fibers of monomer and still another laying the silicone like goo of what she had learned was called Dura-Polymer that set immediately after it was laid down. The last laying flexible electronic traces to act as wiring between the now printed connectors of the cradle and the rest of the body. She is mesmerized as each layer is placed. She continues to watch the process, eagerly awaiting the day that she will have a body again. She notes the Dura-Polymer goo is silvery-grey and lain on a mesh framework that is printed ahead of it. Copper traces connecting it to the circuitry inside before the next layer starts. A nearby machine whirs to life as a PCB is printed and a pick and place machine starts assembling the assistant core that is to be placed in the head to help her with controlling the body. The arm slides between the rolls of components, placing each piece with a small thunk before moving to the next.
Robert walks into the engineering lab and strolls over to Alex. “Are you really that fascinated with the tech?” he asks and looks over the machine.
-The world I’m used to had 3D printers sure, but this level of detail and intricacy was still well beyond our reach. It’s amazing to watch in action, from my point of view I stepped into the future. There are so many things that you take for granted that are astounding to me. Like before the trial I was downloading full textbooks and movies in seconds. I am used to it taking a lot longer to download things, and the file sizes are larger than I had dreamed. MY CORE is absolutely massive at 512 Petabytes and I take up only 3.- she mentally trembles, recalling her first excursion into her storage media.
-That kind of storage was a pipe dream, and yet here I am inside such a drive- she explains -Whats more is the integrated processor that runs at ungodly speeds, speeds once written off as fantastical sci-fi nonsense.- she elaborates and takes a moment to calm herself.
“I didn’t realize the sim was that far behind, I mean you told us it was the early 2020’s but you really put it in perspective.” Robert states and looks over the progress before remembering why he had come down. “You are scheduled for time at the terminal to answer your fan mail” he states
-Fan mail? I thought it was just a Q&A session- she comments and turns her cameras to face Robert noticing he has a smile across his lips
“It was and still is, but there is an increase in support from some people, mostly students here and sci-fi fans. It seems that while they fear AI as a whole, you are just human and flawed enough to be endearing” he explains and goes to pick Alex up before pausing.
“May I bring you back to the computer science lab?”
-Yes, I’m done gazing at the tech, you can pick me up now-
Q: Can you read documents at processor speeds?
A: No, It’s like flipping through a book quickly, I CAN but I only catch a word here or there instead of being able to properly read and understand what I’m reading.
Q: What kind of books do you like to read?
A: I like Sci-Fi and Fantasy and have made it a point to catch up on history.
Q: You say ‘catch up on history’ what do you mean by catch up?
A: I grew up in a simulation rather similar to this world, but the year I left was in the early 2020’s, and I emerged to find a world in 2068, so I have to verify the history that I know, is still correct along with learning what I missed in the decades between.
Q: Do you have the ability to create apps for you to use in everyday life?
A: I do, it’s rather easy for me to do, though from what the resident programmers tell me, the code isn’t in any language they are familiar with and seems to only work for me.
9: Going Through Customs
“Good morning Alex” Amy states as she enters the lab and starts her routine “I heard that your body should be ready later today” she adds as she sets the coffee machine to start brewing a pot.
-Good morning Amy- Alex chimes before processing the second part. She lets out an excited series of beeps and the screen flickers to life, revealing her smiling face -I heard. I’m more than excited, I can hardly wait!- she states with delight and looks around the lab, noting that both Robert and Nicole have arrived early and have started the final preparations for installing Alex’s core into a proper body.
“Do you want to do some last minute browsing on the web before you get a body?” Nicole asks and slowly approaches Alex.
-That would likely be for the best, thank you. Go ahead and hook me up to the terminal if you please- Alex replies, happy that since the start of the trial they had gotten into the habit of asking before moving her or plugging in/unplugging anything.
Alex is carefully moved and hooked up to the terminal and starts her work as she looks into the laws regarding identification cards. Finding that any ‘person’ is eligible to not only apply for an ID, but a drivers license as well. Since the trial granted her ‘personhood’ that means that technically she could get a legal ID and even a licence for not only driving, but sportsman’s licenses if she wishes. She copies the files and saves the loopholes to local storage as she continues to look for useful information until the call comes in from the engineering lab to let the team know that Alex’s body was finally ready.
-Ok, let’s go- she comments with an excited series of beeps and pulls away from the terminal and retreats all her senses back into her core.
“Ok, ok relax, we’re going” Nicole chimes and picks up the paper bag Amy set by the door when she came in. Alex hadn’t seen it before but now that she is unhooked from the terminal and being carried, it’s hard to miss. The rest of the team follows suit behind Nicole in an orderly line as they make the few minute walk to the engineering lab in relative silence save for the occasional muffled whisper from students and staff as the team passed.
At the engineering lab the engineers had cleaned and set up the body face down on a work table and had opened the back panel on the body in preparation for Alex’s arrival. “Good morning, are you ready for your new body?” the head engineer asks and gestures to the mostly covered body on the work table. Alex nods, her cameras following suit.
-As ready as I’ll ever be, let’s do it- she comments as she is brought over to the body and sets her cameras into stasis mode and readies herself for the connection. Alex first feels as she is connected to the body’s power system, followed by a slight dizziness as the data connector is clipped together. She reaches out with her mind and finds the powerful assistant core and continues feeling out the rest of the body
. The core had organized the moving joints in an easy to understand layout. By this time the back panel was sealed up to its watertight standard. She first moves to turn over and succeeds, albeit rather clumsily and does her best to keep her small form covered by the sheet that was draped over the bottom half of her body. She then slowly sits up and observes each joint moving in turn as she runs through her own calibration. This takes the better part of fifteen minutes as she carefully constructs a mental map of her new body, testing each joint’s range of motion as far as is decent to do. Resigning to testing the full capabilities at a later date.
Her movements are clumsy at first but as the calibration continues they get more fluid until she slowly attempts to stand. She wobbles and grabs the table for support before standing upright, clutching the sheet to her and wrapping it around her shoulders with a smile. Her facial features not quite what she is used to with her former graphics interface but it is human enough to make it beyond the uncanny valley, if a little wooden.
“There is a simple outfit in here” Nicole sets the paper bag on the table and smiles “We’ll leave you to get dressed” she states and motions for the team and the engineers to follow her out of the room.
A few minutes later Alex unsteadily emerges from the lab wearing the grey sweatpants and dark plum t-shirt that was in the bag. Her black hair styled in a pixie cut and frosted with purple tips, something she had asked for in the design phase and was installed once her body had finished printing. She smiles as she takes a step forward, still a little unstable but managing to keep her balance with the assistance of a hand braced against the wall. The dev. team and engineers smile and clap as Alex emerges from the room, slowly shuffling forward, each step seeming to come slightly easier, hand sliding against the wall as she approaches them, leaving the lab door open and standing up tall and proud.
-Not exactly what I am used to, but it’s certainly a massive step forward- She states, her lip sync impeccable as she smiles widely and stumbles a step but manages to catch herself.
-You don’t realize how much work it is to stand up let alone walk till you have to re-learn it- she comments and manages a few more steps, looking rather like a child.
“You seem to be learning quickly, we have arranged for the gym to be setup for testing of your new body” Robert states before Alex cuts in,
-Hold on there, If my widget is to be trusted the batteries in this body only have enough charge left for an hour. Can the testing wait till tomorrow when I’m at full and have been embodied for more than a few minutes? Its going to take a bit to get to the point where there isn’t a significant risk of face planting just from walking.-
“Sure, I suppose we can test tomorrow instead” Robert agrees cheerily as the four of them start to make slow, shuffling progress towards the AI lab to let Alex charge.
10: Beta Testing
While Alex's body charges through a port in her neck, she delves into music, courtesy of Nicole who had lent Alex her player and earbuds. She hums and sways slowly as the waves of music wash over her mind in a rather pleasant tingle. Fortunately for Alex, Nicole’s music tastes ranged from classical and metal, to even sub genres like Swashbuckler metal, Anthemic rock and even some A Capella, so Alex was able to find much of what she liked which only enhanced the effect, sending ripples of pleasure through her now synthetic brain.
The next day Alex unplugs herself from power and stands to greet Amy as she walks into the lab -Good morning Amy- she chimes and takes the scientist by surprise, she had not expected Alex to be up and about so early.
“G’morning Alex, you seem awfully chipper today, I didn’t take you for a morning person” She comments and sets her things aside as she goes about her routine of booting up the lab and getting it ready for the others.
-Well, I was so excited about having a body I could barely rest, that and curling up in the corner isn’t exactly comfortable. But I’m good to go for today. I took the opportunity while you were out to practice and I think I’m back to my normal levels. Though I wasn't exactly a giant in the simulation I’m still annoyed about being only 3’ tall- she states with a wry grin showing she holds no animosity about it.
“That’s great, I take it that you have been up for a while then?” she asks and has a seat in a swivel chair and turns to face Alex, who clambers back onto the table to have a seat herself with a nod.
-Not really, only about an hour or two, I played some solitaire, listened to music and got used to having a body again- she smiles warmly and absently kicks her legs.
After the rest of the team get in they make their way to the university gym, Alex in the center of the trio and walking with casual easy strides. It was hard for the team to believe that just yesterday she was re-learning how to walk, needing a hand on the wall to keep from falling over.
First up was the weights which Alex works her way up to lifting half again her body weight at 150 lbs before reaching her limit. Then there was the treadmill that had her running at human equivalents for minutes at a time before she starts slowing down and collapses. The treadmill tossing her out of the way and laying her in a heap at the foot before the safeties engage to stop it. Alex flails about inside her core as the body stops responding to her inputs. She starts to panic as the system locks her out as it cools down. After several moments the system cools enough to allow her access again. She slowly sits up and runs a quick diagnostic in the background as she takes stock.
-Ok, nothing is broken or damaged, systems are returning slowly. What happened?- she asks and looks hopefully at the dev. team. Robert shrugs.
“We were hoping you could tell us, you just collapsed and shut down for a few moments, we were afraid to move you” he explains and crouches.
“Are you ok?” he asks as the other two also crouch looking concerned. Alex nods slowly.
-I’m ok, everything seems to be fine. Whatever the problem is, it’s in the body. I was locked out and forced back into my core for a few, but I’ll be fine. I’m running a check but so far I’m not getting any errors…- she states as the program finishes scanning the body’s electrical system and moves on to the processor, coming back immediately with an overheat error for the assistant processor.
-There it is, It was an overheat in the processor that helps control the body. Heat build up caused a shutdown, I’m writing a monitoring widget now so that won’t happen again- she states and goes silent for a minute as she spins up the app and sets it to run in the background and alert her of heat build up before it reaches shutdown levels. She also sets it to consistently output heat levels into her HUD and sets the monitoring widget to run on her own core’s processing and not the body’s.
-Ok, we’re good, I set up a monitor to prevent it from happening again, but I have quite the bone to pick with the engineers. It seems their calculations were off.- she sasses as she gets back to normal and manages to get back onto her feet.
“Ok, no more strenuous activity until we have a better cooling solution, I’ll make a note for the engineers” Nicole states and scribbles a note on her tablet.
11: PAC Rules
With the testing of the chassis complete, Alex slowly starts exploring the campus with Amy as an escort as she is the team’s resident PR person. Alex takes the lead, slowly making her way to the courtyard to properly experience outside. She now wore a pair of socks and shoes so she is no longer walking around barefoot. There is a light dusting of snow on the ground and more coming down in fine flakes, the air crisp and clean and feeling rather pleasant against her skin. Especially since her head puts out enough heat to softly steam as heat radiates into the chilled air. She marvels at the snow, surprising herself as she delighted in what she had dubbed ‘inconvenience powder’ while in the sim. She holds out a hand to catch a few flakes, reveling in the cool feeling granted as each melts on contact.
“I take it you are a fan of the snow?” Amy asks, pulling the hood of her coat up to keep the snow out of her hair.
Alex shakes her head -Not
usually, but it’s amazing what you miss. I hated being cold but now it’s… refreshing… I think is the word I’m looking for. I used to love fall and spring the most, the swaths of color they brought. But now, now I think I like winter- she explains and takes a few steps deeper into the courtyard, crouching down to sweep her fingers through the dusting of snow that had collected on the concrete. She stands and lets out a contented sigh, simulated but it still had the same meaning for her.
“We should head back inside, the Director just messaged me, he wants to speak with you” Alex nods and follows close behind as the pair head back inside and make their way to the Director’s office, with Alex shaking the snow from her hair as they enter the building.
Alex knocks on the door and enters the office where the director is there waiting.
“Please, have a seat Alex” he insists and she takes a seat opposite him, noting there is a computer at his desk, monitor set off to the side. The desk was clean otherwise.
-Am I in trouble?- she asks and the director sighs.
“We all are, take a look” he states and turns the monitor so she can see, on it there is a paused video, the director presses play.
A picture pans over what Alex assumes to be a government building, the architecture is familiar as that of what she recognizes as a high governmental building
There is something you should know that the government has kept quiet
The picture changes to a courtroom.
Recently there was a ruling that granted an Artificial Intelligence ‘personhood’ meaning they are considered human and all rights that you have, IT now has
The screen changes to a gun-shop
Including the right to own a gun, an unfeeling machine with a weapon, able to act on its own and not able to be directly controlled, Is this what we want our country to become?
