Back to Human: The Emergence of Alex

by Adams Massey

  -‘RRGGBB’ is the way I remember it, if you want more blue add more blue, more red add red. It can get complex but most of the colors are easily available that way. Then you can set the opacity separately as a percent visible value between 1.00 and 0.00.- she explains as he works through the problem. The team wind down for the day and Alex stays behind to help Eric through some of his issues with the code, giving him pointers and tips to help the coding progress as well as passing along a warning about the 'bright spot' he may see when delving deep into his core.

  26: Learning Curve

  After a week of Eric flailing around he finishes the testing with flying colors and the team get notified that Eric’s body is ready. Alex gets the honors of bringing him down to the Engineering lab to install him. His chassis is larger than hers standing at a solid 6’ tall and weighing in at 195lbs. His battery capacity was larger than hers by a few hours at full draw, meaning he likely had ten hours more runtime. His frame was built rather like he was in the sim, solid core, strong arms, thick through the waist to support it all. She opens the back panel and slots him into the Core bay, hooking him up to power first then connecting the sensory cable before closing the back panel and tapping his shoulder to bring him around.

  -Ok Eric, you are all set in your body. Start slow and take your time. I have clothes here for you. Do you want me to leave the room?- she asks and steps back as he sits up.

  ~No, I think I’m ok. This is weird, I have to think about everything I want to do~ he states and slowly brings a hand up to inspect it.

  -The seamless control comes with time and practice. The longer you stay in that body the easier things will become- she reassures as he stands, letting the towel drop and glancing down to notice he was fully equipped and covering himself in a rush.

  -Eric, relax. I DESIGNED that body remember?- she states flatly and turns around -I’ll leave you to get dressed, come on out once you’re ready- she states over her shoulder and leaves the lab. Several moments later he emerges looking flustered but calm in sweatpants and a t-shirt that barely fits. He shakes a bit as he focuses on every step he takes but is learning to handle his body.

  -Pop quiz, what’s your battery level?- she prods and he reacts quickly,

  ~Body 100%, core 100%~ he replies as she playfully punches his arm,

  -See, practice makes perfect- she comments and leads him to the gym to have him run through calibrations before the main event. He was fully charged so there was no reason not to run him through several of the same tests of strength, speed and stamina that she did when she got her body. The tests go smoothly as he matches Alex’s ratios by lifting double his bodyweight and running for half an hour without rest and more importantly, without overheating before the testing was over.

  “Ok Eric, we are done for the day. Take the next few days get more used to the new you and catch up with the world. The next testing we do is submersibles testing. Until we can secure you a room of your own you will be staying in the lab” Amy states with a firm nod.

  -He can bunk with me, I have the space for it, besides, I could use the company- Alex suggests which only seems to fluster Eric more.

  -Oh you should see your face. You would totally be blushing if I’d been able to integrate that function. Relax Eric, It’s not like we’ll be sleeping together. I don’t even have a bed.- She states with a giggle and picks up Eric’s power cord and motions for him to follow.

  -We’re headed to the apartment, we’ll be back shortly- she calls over her shoulder to the team and they wave her out.

  As she opens the door to show Eric into the apartment he gasps.

  ~This is nicer that what I had in the sim~ he marvels and spies the entertainment center with Alex’s gaming tower and large screen acting as a monitor. ~All this is yours?~ he asks and Alex nods.

  -I told you, you can make a respectable amount working here. Now where would you like your charging station?- she asks and gestures to the power outlets strewn about the apartment. Eric selects one in the main room in the corner farthest from the door and sets everything up before looking over to Alex’s office where she had her own charger.

  ~Since we don’t exactly sleep what are we supposed to do at night?~ he asks as Alex takes a seat on her freshly bought couch.

  -Well, I rest most nights, just sitting and meditating. Other times I read or catch up on pop media. Sometimes I tinker with body designs but I haven’t done that since I created yours- she states and relaxes. -After a while you fall into a routine like that but it’s up to you. So long as you keep things quiet and within the law the team doesn’t care what we do.- she finishes and flips on her news feed, lowering the volume to become background noise. Alex notices that Eric’s eyes are a deep green.

  -I see you’ve figured out how to set your eye color- She sasses with a smile.

  He nods ~It was just like setting my HUD color, you were right, once you get the hang of it, it’s fairly simple.~ Alex smiles and turns to the feed, turning it up for them both to hear.

  …That’s right sources are telling us that the second AI has emerged and is being put through testing. It is unclear how well it has done thus far. A reminder to the viewers at home, should this new AI pass all its testing it will earn a place among us and be able to live its life as it sees fit.

  This comes as a result of the recent laws passed under the ‘path to personhood’ initiative that paves the way for ANY AI to gain human rights and responsibilities. Including most freedoms granted to citizens along with the ability to get a job and with that, the responsibility of paying taxes.

  Alex sighs -Well that was fast. I didn’t expect them to find out about you until after you had finished testing- she laments and stands up -Speaking of, we should get you back to the lab, you are almost done with the sapience testing. The sooner you finish, the sooner we can try to get you back to being an EMT or something similar.- She states and motions for him to come with her. He stands and follows her back to the lab, enduring the gawking of the students and staff as they cross the courtyard. Alex knocks on the AI lab door and enters.

  -We’re back, what’s next on the testing list?- she asks as the team turn to face her and Eric.

  “Up next is the intelligence testing, its a standardized test similar to the ones high schoolers take.” Amy states as Alex grimaces and pats Eric on the back.

  -I can’t help you with this one. I hope you’ve been studying- she comments as Eric nods.

  ~I have been, let’s get this over with~ he states and takes a seat to start the test. Three hours later he finishes and the test is scored.

  “Not bad Eric, not bad at all. You passed with flying colors. You struggled a bit with science but overall you did well” Robert congratulates and sends off the results. “In a few days your ID and certificate will arrive and then you will be able to leave the campus”

  ~And what happens after that?~ Eric asks inquisitively.

  “It’s up to you, you can stay here and continue to help us with testing or you can pursue a place in the Coast Guard or other rescue service. I hear they are thinking about opening their doors to AI applicants” Robert informs and gestures to the article he is reading. Alex and Eric peer over his shoulder to read the headline.

  Coast Guard, National Guard, and FEMA propose opening up their ranks to AI workers

  -Nice, thats not too far from being an EMT, looks like you can get back to doing what you love soon Eric- Alex states and pats him on the back.

  ~You know, I think that I’ll continue working here for a little while before I go that route. It would be nice to know the limits of this body before I’m put in an emergency situation~ he states and relaxes a bit. It used to be all he could think about, getting back to work, but now he wasn’t sure what he wanted. And that’s ok, he didn’t have to chose anything right now.

  27: Changing of the Guard

  After a few days of submersible testing, a government official shows up to present Eric with his legal documentation and to talk with
him.

  “I’m sure you have seen the news regarding the Coast Guard and other agencies opening their doors to AI. Rumor has it that you were an EMT in your sim. That kind of service is invaluable as you already have the training to handle emergency situations. I was wondering if you had given any thought to what you want to do now that you have the freedom to choose.” the official asks and hands over Eric’s ID and ‘birth’ certificate as Eric sits with Alex by his side to help guide him through the bureaucracy.

  ~I have, I am torn between FEMA and the Coast Guard. It’s nice to know I have the option but I haven’t decided yet.~ he states and shifts in his seat. ~Given I have just finished underwater training with this body I am inclined to go with the Coast Guard. They do a lot of rescue work from what I remember from my sim and studies.~ he elaborates as the official nods knowingly.

  “That they do. What about you Miss Friemont? Have you given any thought to what you want to do?”

  Alex nods -I was a chef in my sim but since being pulled out, I find I enjoy working with the teams here. So for right now I'm happy to stay and help where I can as long as the university seems happy to have me on staff.- She states and smiles.

  “Well both of you have the ability to leave the campus now and do what you like, within the law of course.”

  Alex smirks -Of course.-

  The official leaves and Eric turns to Alex, ~That was…. uncomfortable~ he states and stands with Alex following suit.

  -You get used to it, they are still uncertain of us , waiting to see what we will do. If only to make sure we aren’t a threat to them.- she explains and follows him back to the lab.

  “Welcome back you two, how’d it go?” Amy inquires as Eric takes a seat at Alex’s terminal.

  ~It was… awkward. I kept feeling like he was expecting me to snap. Like he didn’t trust my existence.~ he explains as Alex pulls up an empty chair and nods.

  -I told you, they don’t trust us yet. That will pass though as more AI come around. Hopefully they are all as cooperative and understanding as we have been.- she states as the rest of the team ponder.

  “It could be more complicated than that, There are those that view your existence as a threat to humanity. Others believe it to be an affront to god and still more are unnerved by the idea of machines with a will and mind of their own. He may be one of those but sucked it up because he was assigned the job of presenting Eric with his paperwork.” Robert muses and shrugs.

  -We are still new to this world, give it time, there used to be those clamoring for my destruction. Fortunately, that has faded out and been replaced by a general unease. It’s a slow process.

  If you do decide to serve in the Coast Guard that will help things along. Did you see him relax when you mentioned it?- Alex express.

  ~I noticed that. It’s like he dodged a bullet or something.~ he states and hooks himself up to the terminal ~I’m going to seriously look into joining the Coast Guard. Before I decide, I need to figure out what I will be in for and perhaps we can step up the training here to prepare me.~ he states and goes quiet as he dives into the terminal to do some research.

  While he does that she dives into the interface between her body and core to upgrade one of the basic apps that she had added on the fly previously. She sets up a quick select for eye color so she can change the color as her emotions change. Setting a light silver to be default, a change from what she had been using since the color she had been using was to be re-purposed. The reason she is even doing this is because her expressions are still a little wooden and forced since they are still manually controlled. She had also adopted certain series of beeps, chimes and trills to help convey emotions since the beginning. She had been focused on becoming human again but had to admit the new sounds were a help. That, added with the ability to change eye color she could now convey a wider range of emotions much faster than facial expressions only. She does her best to make the selection intuitive and automatic. There is just so much she doesn’t know about her systems that she instead settles on making it a selection in the back of her mind. Hopefully with practice it will become automatic. She implements the changes and immediately her eyes flick to their new default, light silver.

  “What are you working on Alex, you’ve been quiet for a while” Robert comments as she comes out of her tinkering and back to the world.

  -Oh, I was just working on something I’ve been putting off for a while. I love this body but the emotional display is still a little stiff as I have to manually control everything. Every expression comes off as forced. It’s not as fluid as I would like so I was coding an alternative. I put in the ability to change eye color back in the previous body but I hadn’t done much with it. I was also composing a sound expression package. Those two things should make things smoother and easier for me to express myself without delving into the uncanny valley- She explains and turns to him, her eyes flicking to pale blue for a moment before settling back to silver.

  “Weren’t you trying to be more human? This seems like a step backwards” He comments and turns to face her fully. Her eyes flicker between orange, red and silver.

  -It IS a step back. As much as I miss being human I have to keep reminding myself that I’m not anymore. I realized the facial expressions were off and I don’t know how to fix them. So for right now, I'm heading a different route. The eye color change is something I built in originally as a customization option. I've re-purposed it to change color on the fly with my emotions. It takes far less effort than facial expressions and gives a wider range. Right now they are red with mild irritation.- she takes a moment to calm herself and her eyes return to silver. -I don’t like doing things the ‘robotic’ way even though sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do and make compromises to get where you want to go. I wanted to be more expressive and I can’t do that the ‘human’ way, so this is the next best thing- She continues as her eyes flick to a content blue before fading back to silver.

  “It seems like a lot of work for such a small change” Amy comments over her shoulder.

  -Perhaps, but this solution is temporary while I work on a long term fix. It’s not always about immediate payoff- She states and stands. She glances around and notes that there is very little for her to do.

  -Since my schedule is free I think I’ll take a walk around campus if that’s ok. I’ll be back in a few hours- she comments and stands, the team nodding their approval. She walks out and gently closes the door behind her, deciding to first stop by the meta-materials laboratory. She lightly knocks on the door and is let in by one of the engineering team who is collaborating with them.

  “Hello Alex, what brings you by today?” he asks and shows her in, pulling out a spare chair for her to have a seat in.

  -I had some free time so I thought I would stop by and see how your shielding project is going- She states as she takes a seat.

  The assistant looks burnt out and exhausted as she says that. “Well, things are not going well at all. Any shielding that works is too heavy for the application and any that are light enough for the job don’t protect nearly enough. The fact that it is set to go into space makes things far more complicated” he laments and has a seat nearby. “On Earth to protect against radiation we have lead, and concrete. They are easy to work with and can stand up to the task. Getting it to space where every pound counts they aren’t an option and well… we’re stuck”

  -Well, what have you developed so far?- She asks, her eyes flicking orange as she takes on the challenge.

  “Well, we have a modified mylar foil that blocks a mere fraction of the sun’s radiation, then we thought about using water to absorb and disperse the high energy rays but getting that much water up into space is a challenge in itself. It would take millions of gallons to protect ‘Earth station’ in orbit right now” He sighs and slumps in his chair. “The most promising one is an artificial magnetic field. Too bad it requires substantial amount of power to maintain even a weak magnetic field around something th
at large. Even splitting it into sections wouldn't work since the cumulative power drain is still far beyond what can be generated by the station. It would have to be retrofitted with a nuclear reactor and THAT brings oversight and bureaucratic nightmares, not to mention shielding THAT” he comments and removes his glasses to wipe them down pensively before putting them back on.

  -What about a bioreactor like the small one I have. It's running on refuse and waste, would a sized up version be enough to keep up with the power demands for shielding a single module of the station while disposing of the waste buildup that usually is jettisoned to burn up in the atmosphere?- she suggests.

  “We’ve thought about that, it could work but it’s still in the early stages. We aren’t sure how it would work in micro-gravity. It is an option but there are so many unknowns right now.” he laments and stands up “Thanks for trying to help. We are stuck for the time being, though you are always welcome here, and in the engineering lab” he comments and smiles faintly. Alex gets up and waves goodbye. The engineering assistant and the meta-materials team looked more relaxed and focused after their talk and certainly seemed to be in better spirits.

  28: Lunch Break

  Alex heads over to her apartment and finds a few large packages waiting for her. She had ordered a bed and starts setting it up in her office/bedroom. It was a nice air mattress to help cushion her while she is resting. Being slumped in a corner quickly became uncomfortable after a month or so. Another downside of being able to feel. She spends the next hour setting it up and sets it to inflate once it’s where she wants it. She then tests it and laying down happily, her eyes flicking to a bright blue as the air cradles her form.

  -Oh, that’s much better.- she comments to no one in particular before getting up and striding out of the apartment. Closing and locking the door behind her she strolls across the courtyard, savoring the scents of spring. There was a warm breeze blowing through the courtyard. It was refreshing as it blew through her hair, whipping it lightly before she pulls it into a ponytail and out of the way. A few stray strands slip free to frame her face. She smiles warmly and closes her eyes as the scents of late spring tickle her nose and bring back memories of being in the sim, in a park with dozens of trees in bloom at once. The colorful petals floating in the warm breeze swirling around on the air currents.