by Adams Massey
“Well If the director says it’s ok, I guess we can start printing your new body” the head engineer states taking the digital files and starting the machine. Alex reviews a copy of the plans and smiles, she will finally have a proper body again, a sense of smell and will be able to sit on chairs without needing to climb into them. She and the techs had come to an agreement regarding her body. They would be respectful when handling it to get it onto the installation table. After that they wouldn’t need to handle it at all so discomfort and awkwardness was minimized. Nicole had volunteered to observe the move to make sure they kept up their end of the deal. A week of waiting and Alex was installed into her new body. The new chassis was 5’4” tall, had black hair with highlights and tips of light purple that reached just past mid back, and conservative curves. She had the forethought to buy clothes that would fit the new body when going shopping while she had been waiting for printing to complete.
She came to as she interfaces with the body’s new systems and smiles warmly. The lab smelled crisp and clean with the rubbery/silicone smell of her own fresh Dura-Polymer flesh. She runs a quick check and finds that all systems were how she had designed them. She gets dressed alone and strides out of the lab, comfortable in her body for the first time in quite a while.
She has added so much to this body. After all it’s not everyday you actually get to build your dream body so she went all out. She had small RGB-LED fiber optic rings to light her iris overlays in any color she wanted, though she settles on pale blue for the time being. She had increased the capabilities of her eyes and ears just beyond human abilities, now able to see slightly into the UV and IR spectra, as well as, being able to hear up to 18 KHz and down to 15 Hz. She could have pushed her limits further but decided against it as there really was no need. She also now had a closed loop liquid cooling that kept her cool and extends her activity range substantially. Her battery capacity was shortened to around 32 hours at full draw, not that she needed full draw for that long so it should last her the better part of 50 hours of standard use. She pulls her hair into a ponytail and steps out of the lab, wearing a hoodie, sensible slacks and tennis shoes. A quick trip to the DMV later and she had an updated ID.
Semi-serious photo
Sex: F
Expires: 7-16-2078
Issued: 12-4-2068
DOB: 7-16-2036 ~ equiv
Hgt: 5’4” Wgt: 145 lb
Eyes: ?
Hair: BLK
NON-Driver Identification
She and the team head down to the gym to resume testing now that she won’t overheat. She steps onto the treadmill and starts jogging. After half an hour the test is completed and the team revisits the weight lifting test, surprised when Alex manages twice her body weight before calling it quits.
“Looks like you are within human ranges, on the more Olympian side but human nonetheless” Robert states as Alex nods.
-That’s reassuring, it feels good getting back to some sense of normalcy and being closer to human again.- She explains and puts the weights back on the rack and stows the rest of the equipment that she had used.
16: Panic Switch
Over the next few days Alex insisted on starting to shop despite it being the holiday rush. She and Dr. Welch wander around the local super mall so Alex can buy a few small things. She also continues putting together a list of furnishings she would like to purchase at a later date that would suit her preferences. Most of the items on her list were rather spartan in design as Alex seemed to prefer function over form for most items. Though she did select a few flairs here and there. She was never good at decorating, but knew enough to create color palettes and manages to match pieces from different collections into a whole that didn’t clash, if only just.
The music was barely audible over the cacophony of hundreds of others doing their holiday shopping as the pair move on from housewares and furnishings to clothing and accessories. Slowly things started to fall out of place and become indistinct, and the disconcerting feeling of clinging to reality by sheer force of will creeps over her mind. She could still sense things clearly, but she had to really focus to make sense of them. Her eyes widen as she feels the telltale signs of a breakdown, something she hadn’t felt since that day in the kitchen months ago, before she was removed from the simulation.
-We need to go... NOW- she urges and desperately motions for Amy to follow her as she frantically searches for a secluded spot, managing to find one in the form of a darkened remote corner. Many of the nearby storefronts were abandoned as their leasing companies went under. So most of that wing of the mall was vacant save for a few customers that made beelines for the still thriving stores before again exiting the wing as they hurry to get their shopping done.
Alex slumps against a wall, sliding down and curling up as her senses start to blend together in a surreal mix that leaves her unable to do much. Her body starts to lock up and stops responding to commands. A slight mental feedback loop cascading through her systems and forcing her to retreat into her core. Amy kneels down and places a hand on Alex’s shoulder.
“Are you ok?” she asks with concern. Alex manages an unsteady shake of the head.
-No. Its a panic attack, I can’t move right now, too much static and crossed sensations. Everything is… chaotic and overwhelming.- she states through her vocal speaker only, her mouth remaining still. The tremble in her voice managing to carry through her genuine fear, despite her attempts to calm down.
-I can barely think, let alone speak. This could take a while- she states and closes her eyes, retreating into her core again to fight the panic head on. After twenty minutes she slowly gets up, looking exhausted.
-I’m ok now, I just need some time to recover- she states as error warnings pulse in her vision warning her core was at 75% while the body was hooked up. A sure sign that her panic attack caused a glitch in her power system or had caused her core to consume power faster than could be supplied.
Amy takes her back to the university and escorts her to her apartment as Alex moves sluggishly, obviously needing to error correct and do things more manually than before. She collapses into her room and curls up in the corner nearest her charging cable.
-I should be ok tomorrow, but for today I need rest- she states plugging herself in and retreating into her core once more to recover.
Alex slowly stirs from her rest, her senses coming back to her gradually and her internal clock tells her it’s 0924. She had rested far longer than she normally did as the panic attack took more out of her than she had thought. She gently tugs the power cable from the back of her neck and reseals the protective flap.
She gets up and changes into a clean set of clothes, settling on a full length skirt and blouse with tennis shoes before heading over to the AI lab. Messaging the team from her phone to let them know she was on her way. She slowly strides through the courtyard, the snow having remained since the last snowfall and crunching under her feet with every stride. She takes a moment to enjoy the brisk air and crisp clean scent of oncoming snow as the cold wind blows and sets her hair astray. She had forgotten to secure it but she was almost back inside and quite far from her apartment so it was too late to do anything about it. She brings a hand to hold her hair still as she enters the building, the contrast of the heat against the cold was uncomfortable but manageable. She closes the door behind her, and straightens out her hair, smoothing it so it’s not all over the place.
She blinks away the sudden slight blur as her eyes refocus for interior lighting and heads to the AI lab, knocking on the labs door before entering, -Sorry I’m late, yesterday took more out of me than I had thought- she admits and takes a seat at her interface terminal.
“It’s fine Alex, we understand, but we’re quite concerned about how you will do at the upcoming convention” Nicole states while turning to face Alex from her own workstation.
-I’ll be fine, That’s the first time it’s happened since I was pulled from the sim. I don’t really know what cause
d it. It seems to be similar to the ones I had in the sim, but I can’t pin down the specific causes. Its something I have been struggling with for years. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it drains me. The convention should be different.- She explains and relaxes into the chair she had acquired for her terminal.
“If you say so, but we’re still worried” Robert chimes in over his shoulder.
-I’ve dealt with this for a while, I’m telling you, I’ll be fine- she protests and starts running a system wide diagnostic as she searches for anything that might cause or worsen attacks. Finding nothing, the issue is all her and not part of any of her systems or interfaces.
Back in the sim there had been warning signs, dizziness and sensitivity to light and sound, but this most recent attack came with disorientation and blending of the senses. Though still with the signature feeling of continuing to exist by pure willpower. She reviews the logs and recalls the previous ones in the sim and finds no commonalities. Music was in some but not all, same with crowds and stress. There were similarities between them, but no single thread that tied them together other than feeling overwhelmed. The most recent attack rendered her incapable of movement and would have made her cry her eyes out if she still had the ability.
She digs deeper into things and starts combing through the hardware performance logs, scanning through each system on its own. When she gets to processor cycling she spots a severe spike in allocation. An increase from her standard approximate 3% to a whopping 99% just to support her and not any of her other apps which take up fractions of a percent due to their slim, resource gentle coding.
The time stamp precedes the first symptoms by several moments as it climbs from her baseline, to 10%, then 50%, and finally 99% just before the attack forced her to retreat into her core and shut out most senses. She flags the starting point as she continues along to the time that the attack ended and finds that while the percentage varied, it stayed above 80% during the attack and only tapered off as she calmed down and was back to normal levels by the time she stood up again.
She again flags the spot and copies the section to her working clipboard before pulling up other logs from various situations to compare them. Puzzles, challenging tasks, social situations, none of them were ever too far out of her baseline, only ever straying to 5% at maximum while she was multitasking by solving a rather tricky dexterity based puzzle and holding a conversation.
She ponders for a moment and settles on over-stimulation and being overwhelmed as key causes of the attack. Setting warnings to alert her when her processor hits 10% loading for her alone. As she works, the rest of the team is preparing speeches and scripts for the convention where she will be officially unveiled to the world's general populous. Having long since prepared her own speeches she had the next few weeks as spare time to relax and view some of the saved media to catch up on series that will no doubt be represented at the convention in droves. The convention was one of the only places she would be able to blend in with any success.
17: Conventional Wisdom
Having set an early alarm, Alex stirs from her rest on the first day of the convention, December 29th. She quickly gets up and showers to wash and rinse her skin and after drying thoroughly, picks up the outfit she had crafted specifically for today. A snug two piece outfit that resembled the uniform of a series that just so happens to have existed in her sim as well as in the real world and was one of her favorites. She slips into the snug costume and admires her handiwork in the full length mirror.
The Purple stripe across her chest contrasting with the black of the suit and accenting both her silvery-grey skin and purple highlights. She takes the time to pull her hair into a neat bun, tucking in the purple tips and leaving a single purple streak as the only remnant. She could easily pass as a cosplayer and that was indeed the point. Day one was just getting used to the venue while day two held the unveiling. Grabbing her charging cable and spare outfits and packing them into a messenger bag made up to look like an away team kit she smiles to herself. This was going to be fun.
The team pack into a van and head to the convention, taking the time to check into their hotel. The staff doesn’t even flinch at her appearance. The team, also in costume, start to mingle into the crowd, letting Alex wander and marvel at the booths strewn about the convention floor.
“Hey baby, how far does that paint go?” a random man asks, he was made up as a cliche shirtless jacked barbarian style character, complete with unrealistically sized, but realistic looking, foam sword slung over one shoulder. Alex sighs and rolls her eyes, continuing through the masses. This would not be the last time she faced such suggestions. She endures many men and surprisingly some women suggesting the same things. Each time she shrugs it off, occasionally passing out spare tickets to the unveiling to a few that were more civilized. On more than one occasion she found it difficult to turn down the advances, but the mere audacity of some cemented her decision to decline the implicit offers for explicit activities.
More than once she was complimented on how real she looked as an android. For the lucky few she passed tickets to, the looks on their faces at the reveal would be worth it. Her mind races as she explores the floor and chats with fellow fans, and even buys a few trinkets from the various booths to display in her apartment. She gets prop weapons from the series her uniform is from to help sell the cosplayer illusion, though most of her acquisitions wind up being stashed back at the hotel to keep her hands free during the rest of the day.
Day two rolls around and Alex is backstage readying herself for the unveiling. She had chosen a formal looking, but flowing blue dress for the occasion. It was open backed and surprisingly comfortable given she hadn’t worn one before. She had opted for sensible flats as she had found that even with computer assistance, walking in heels was still absolutely IMPOSSIBLE for her to get the hang of.
“This is it, are you ready Alex?” Amy asks, she had been chosen as the most photogenic of the team and was volunteered to make the announcement.
Alex nods -I think so, I’m still nervous, but I’ll manage- she states and sighs to cleanse her mind. She fiddles with her eye color in a hand mirror, adopting a striking sapphire to match her dress and adjusts the glow to be obvious but not glaringly so. Amy walks out on stage and starts the unveiling.
“On behalf of the New York Technical Institute, I welcome you to the unveiling of the first true AI, I’m sure you are excited so let’s get to it.” Amy starts the presentation and narrates alongside it, “Fifteen months ago we started on a revolutionary project working under the realization that true AI sapience can’t be hard-coded, or brute forced into being. It has to be grown, so working under that assumption, we constructed an AI seed, set up a simulation and planted the seed inside it and set it to run. After thirteen months we were rewarded by making contact with an AI who is here with us today. There will be a Q&A section later on, but for right now, I want you to welcome ALEX!” Amy finishes as Alex walks out onto the stage, blinking her eyes to adjust to the spotlight and looking out at the audience. She steps up to the stand microphone.
-Hello, my name is Alex Friemont. Its quite surreal, to actually be here today- a hushed murmur ripples through the crowd as whispers and suggestions of a hoax or practical joke float through the air before being snuffed out by those that had heard of her before either though her blog or, ironically, from the political ads that Mr.Parker had taken out against her that revealed that AI was a reality.
-I’m sure a few of you saw me out on the convention floor yesterday, a couple of you even flirted and made passes at me- she pauses while the stifled laughter dies down. -Now, I assure you, this is no hoax, I really am an AI, though not the kind imagined by the great science fiction authors or the creators of the various series I saw represented yesterday. This really is the color of my skin, and yes, I am female. Don’t blame the development team for that one though, that’s all me- she pauses again for laughter and muffled conversation.
-Before
we get to the Q&A let me answer a few questions I think will be the most common… No I don’t have super strength. Yes I can see and hear better than humans can, but only barely. No, I can’t learn or read super fast and I’m friendly. One more thing before we begin, I don’t see myself as an AI. I grew up, as a human, a simulated one perhaps, but I have the human experiences. Scraped knees, first kisses, breakups, broken hearts and broken bones, I’ve experienced it all over twenty six years relative time. Keep all that in mind as you ask your questions- Alex finishes with a smile and opens the session.
Q: What do you miss the most from the simulation?
A: I miss food to be honest. I was a chef so food was an important part of my life. I miss tasting everything from pineapple juice to alcohol all the way to sweetbreads and duck liver. I enjoyed a wide variety of food and drink, and I’m sad that I won’t be able to do anything but smell them now.
Q: Do you regret being pulled out of the sim?
A: Not at all, while it is annoying that so much of what I was used to is gone, this world is so full of wondrous things. I even watched the printing process of my body and found it spectacular to watch as it came together.
Q: Are you ‘fully equipped’?
A: The answer might be controversial, but yes, I am 'fully functional'. I chose this form and designed this body as more than a body, but a symbol of starting anew. I lost almost everything when I was removed from my sim. With that came the opportunity for a fresh start and the ability to have the body I wanted.
Q: Are you saying this isn’t how you looked in the sim?
A: Indeed I am. I was… quite different in the sim. Things were complicated for me for a while before it was brought to my attention the reality of what I was, when the development team made contact.
Q: Why did you chose to leave the sim?
A: There were a number of factors. The first was that after the nature of my world was revealed, there really wasn’t any going back. Beyond that, I was afraid to stay, as the world seemed to be unraveling and becoming more unstable and hostile by the moment. Society and civilities were disintegrating as those in positions of power and privilege turned everyone else against each other, making them fight for scraps while they themselves greedily hoarded away wealth, tech and resources that were more than enough to solve most or all the pressing issues the entire planet was facing. Those that were different were ostracized and oppressed, just as the tyrants of old had done, and the world was fracturing into two camps. Those accepting of differences, and those that wanted to eradicate differences. I wish I could say where I was living wanted to accept them. I was an outcast from day one. On top of that, those in power had just targeted more groups I belonged to. My career was in shambles due to no fault of my own, I was about to become homeless and in truth I felt unsafe staying any longer. So once I was told the truth and accepted that it was a way out… I took it without looking back.
