The Replacement - Part 5

Part 5.1: Wedding

In the time that passed after their engagement, Greg and Sabrina both returned to their jobs. Greg found that the features of his new body helped him handle his job a lot more, though he was suspicious of just how his new status had been cleared by John’s contacts, but he was just so happy to be back in his job and in a fully functional body that he didn’t investigate too far.

A few weeks later, Greg and Sabrina began looking into real estate and finally purchased their own home; two floors, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, an office/man cave for Greg, a living room, and a nice kitchen. With all the extra space they now had, Ipek was able to have her own room, though she didn’t decorate it because it was agreed it would be the guest room if Greg and Sabrina had any kids.

As nice as the house was, it was a slight fixer upper. They had to excavate the entire front lawn to remove all traces of a very ugly tree, and the exterior had to be repainted. Since they were building a porch as well, there was rebar sticking out of the cement.

Preparations for the wedding were already underway, though even though they had more than enough finances, John insisted on paying for it. They agreed to have the location at a nice section of Golden Gate Park, which was only a few miles from their new home.

The ceremony itself was held about six months after their engagement, and they were finally wed around noon that day. The public reception lasted well into the evening, ending with a more private gathering at Greg and Sabrina’s new house.

“So you two, how does it feel having tied the knot?” John asked, opening them all up a bottle of champagne and pouring it into their glasses.

“Great!” Sabrina smiled, taking one of the glasses and sipping it, “Though it merely formalized the way we already felt about each other,”

“Yeah,” Greg agreed, “About the only differences now are financial,” he laughed.

“Truer words have never been spoken,” John laughed, using that as a toast as well, “So, when are the two of you going to give me grandkids?” he asked.

“Well, I think we’d like to get used to our new status for a while longer,” Greg said.

“Yeah,” Sabrina agreed.

“I understand,” John said, “It’s just my job as your parent to worry about when you two will have kids,” he smiled, “You’ll do the same thing with yours…if you have them,”

“About that,” Greg said, “Suppose we did want kids now,” he said, “How exactly would that be done?”

“Well, we still have you two’s genetic material on ice,” John said, “So all we’d do is inject your sperm into one of her eggs and then put it in an artificial womb that we would then implant in Sabrina’s primary cavity,” he explained.

“I see,” Greg said, “Have you been successful at this before?”

“Not quite,” John said, “But the technology itself isn’t new, as there have been artificial wombs for decades in place of surrogates,” he explained, “it’s just the method we use to implant it inside her artificial body that is new,”

“Oh, okay,” Greg said.

“Don’t worry dear, I’m sure we’ll be able to safely have kids,” Sabrina smiled, giving him a kiss.

“I know,” Greg smiled.

“So dad, how’s the business going?” Sabrina asked.

“Very well,” John said, “We’ve been gathering a treasure trove of data from all 100 of you HRMs, as well as the dozens of converts like Greg here,” he said.

“Converts?” Greg asked.

“Yes, an android with an emulated personality like Sabrina is an HRM, while an android with an actual human soul is a convert,” John explained.

“Oh, that makes sense,” Greg said, “And what about the DPMS?” he asked.

“Well, aside from Ipek here, there aren’t too many out there yet,” John admitted, smiling at Ipek, who was tidying up the kitchen.

“Why not?” Greg asked.

“Because our whole project is still very top secret,” John said, “So the only donors we can get are employees, and that doesn’t exactly provide us with the right amount of data,”

“You keep saying top secret,” Greg laughed, “Do you guys work for the government or something?”

“Something like that,” John laughed, though with a secretive look, “It also just sounds cooler to say top secret,” he added.

“True,” Greg said, “But someday you are going to have to tell me how you’ve been able to pull so many strings for us,”

“What do you mean?” Sabrina asked.

“Well, for you he was able to arrange with that retail store to look the other way when they heard of your death,” Greg explained, “And then he was somehow able to reinstate my status with no trouble at all with the FBI,” he added.

“Huh, I didn’t realize that those would be very difficult,” Sabrina admitted.

“Well, they would have been more time consuming than impossible,” Greg explained, “So maybe someday you can explain,” he directed at John.

“Well, I’ll have to see about that,” John said a little uncomfortably, “I’ll have to see if you’re ready to hear it,” he added cryptically.

“I can tell you must hold many secrets,” Greg said.

“I do,” John admitted with a sad expression.

They continued chatting well into the night, pausing only to eat the delicious dinner that Ipek had cooked for them. They also continued drinking as well, dipping into some of the drinks that had been leftover from the reception and that had been gifted to them.

“Well, it’s been a long day for all of us,” Greg said at nearly nine o’clock, “Why don’t you head back home and we can meet for dinner in a few nights?” Greg suggested.

“Alright son,” John said with a slightly buzzed look in his eyes, “Congratulations,”

“Thanks,” Greg said, “Are you sure you don’t want Ipek to drive you home?” he asked, seeing John stumble a bit as he got up.

“No,” John decided, “I’m just a little buzzed,” he admitted, “But I’m fine,”

“Alright,” Greg said, “Drive safe,” he said, “And be careful of the construction out there,” Greg added, referring to their renovation of their front lawn.

“I will,” John smiled, and after giving the both of them a hug, he picked up his jacket and left.

“So honey, what do you want to do before we leave for our honeymoon?” Sabrina asked with a naughty smile.

“I can think of a few things,” Greg smiled as well, though before he could say what they were, they heard a loud noise outside followed by John screaming out, “Shit!,” Greg shouted, rushing out the front door to see if John was okay.

It appeared that John had tripped over the safety wire protecting the area where the porch was being built. He had fallen in and landed on one of the rebar, and it had punctured all the way through himself.

“John!” Greg shouted, “Hold on while I call 911!” Greg shouted, getting ready to run back into the house.

“Wait!” John shouted back, not appearing to be in any pain.

“What?” Greg asked, watching as John suddenly lifted himself up off the rebar and climbed out.

“Hurry up and help me inside, quickly!” John whispered, having trouble walking.

“Okay,” Greg said, still in shock at seeing his father in law climb out with no signs of pain.

Once they were inside, John quickly sat down on the couch; Sabrina had a worried and confused expression on her face. “What happened?” she asked.

“He fell into the porch,” Greg said, “But he doesn’t seem to be hurt,” he added with a confused look.

“Well, I’m not in pain, but I am hurt,” John corrected, and he gingerly removed his shirt, revealing an odd wound. It was a little bloody, but there were wires and metal sticking out.

“John, those wounds,” Greg said, “You’re an android too?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes,” John admitted bashfully.

“How? When?” Greg asked.

“Yeah dad, when?” Sabrina asked.

“A few months ago, I got sick,” John explained, “Really sick,” he added, “The only way to heal me was to make me a convert,” he finished.

“What was the illness?” Greg asked.

“Radiation exposure,” John admitted.

“What!?” Greg said, “How did you receive a fatal radiation dosage?” he asked, “I didn’t see any radiation danger signs at your lab,”

“I’m sorry, I can’t tell you,” John said.

“Screw it all!” Greg shouted, “For the past few months, no years, I’ve been able to tell your keeping something big from me,” he continued, “I think now is the time to trust us, especially since I am married to your daughter and apparently am a convert like you,”

John thought about it for a while before finally speaking, “Alright,” he conceded, “But I need Ipek to fix me first,” he said, suddenly looking very tired.

“Hey, what is it?” Greg asked.

“That rebar damaged some of my batteries and my power systems,” John reported, looking more and more tired, “I’m about to power down,” he then added.

“Ipek your assistance please!” Greg shouted, though she had already been listening and grabbed her repair kit from the closet.

“I need you to open both panels please,” Ipek ordered.

“Alright,” John said, and he swiftly unsealed both his front and spinal panels, allowing Ipek to immediately get to work.

“Alright John, before you power down, please explain what is going on,” Greg said, “There’s obviously more to these realistic android bodies than simply giving people a second chance at life,”

“He’s going to lose power before I can fix him,” Ipek interrupted, overseeing the damage caused by the rebar.

“She’s right,” John managed to say, “and you’re right,” he answered, looking more and more tired, “Humanity is dying,” he finally managed to say, just before losing all power.

Part 5.2: Forced Evolution

Greg was in shock after hearing John’s stunning declaration just before losing power, almost as much shock as discovering that his new father in law had been an android for slightly longer than he himself was.

Sabrina was in no better shape, though something in her expression didn’t seem too surprised that her stepfather might end up being an android.

All they could do was watch as Ipek worked inside John’s damaged body, and after several minutes, she finally pulled out with a defeated expression.

“Well?” Greg asked her.

“His damage is too severe for me to simply repair,” Ipek reported, “Even if I were to replace the damaged batteries, the damage to his power distribution center would prevent him from powering up,” she explained, “He needs to be taken in and given a replacement,” she finished.

“I don’t think I want to wait that long,” Greg said, “I really want him to answer my questions,”

“Yeah, but he also needs to be fixed,” Sabrina argued.

Greg pondered that for a while before smiling as an idea came to his mind, “Ipek, would you mind if we let John borrow your body until his gets fixed?”

“Not at all,” Ipek said.

“Good idea,” Sabrina congratulated him.

“Do you have the tool to unseal his scalp panel?” Greg asked.

“Yes,” Ipek said, and she quickly grabbed it from her bag and used it on John’s head. Once she made the seam appear, she pulled off the top of his head and reached inside, pulling John’s brain out. She then made her own seam appear.

“Alright, I’m ready,” she smiled.

“Thanks Ipek,” Greg said, removing her panel and pulling her brain out.

Once Greg had Ipek’s brain safely stored away in a special box he’d had made for instances like this, he took John’s brain from her outstretched hand and plugged it into Ipek’s head.

Several moments later, John activated in her body, though it took him a few moments for his brain to adapt to her body’s systems.

“Whoa, this is weird,” John said, once he had full control.

“Sorry John, your body was too heavily damaged so we decided to put you in Ipek’s body for now,” Greg explained.

“Good idea,” John agreed, looking at his feminine hands and feeling himself up.

“Is this your first time trying out a female body?” Greg asked.

“Yes,” John admitted, “Or any other body,” he added, “I keep trying to get my wife to convert, but she wants to wait until these bodies are past all the testing phases,”

“That makes sense,” Greg said.

“So, Mom isn’t an android too?” Sabrina asked.

“No, just us three,” John answered.

“What made you fall, by the way?” Greg asked.

“Oh, I was attempting to deactivate my drunkenness simulation,” John explained, “I fell because I was still buzzed,”

“Oh,” Greg nodded, “So, just before you lost power, you said humanity is dying,” Greg said, “What exactly did you mean by that?”

“Perhaps we can sit down first,” John suggested.

“Sure,” Greg said, and both he and Sabrina sat down beside each other on the couch while he sat in the other chair that didn’t have his damaged body in it.

“Alright, what can you two tell me about major events in the last century?” John asked, “And before you ask, unlike our company history, Sabrina doesn’t know this history,” he added.

“Well, the early portion of the 21st century was filled with much strife, especially in the middle east, Russia, and China,” Greg began, “Air pollution was rampant across the globe and was damaging the atmosphere, though the U.S. and much of Europe had finally transitioned away from fossil fuels and towards cleaner energy,” he continued, “Still, developing countries were still reliant on fossil fuels even when the last of the world reserves were running dry, causing many of them to declare war on each other for the resources,”

“Very good so far,” John congratulated him.

“Several of the countries were already at war, so they got pulled in as well, and then Russia and China joined in later, and eventually the U.S. and the European Union joined as well to prevent any attacks against them, and thus we had World War III,” Greg finished.

“And what can you tell me about the weapons used and the damage they caused?” John pressed him.

“Well, both Russia and China were forced to use several of their nuclear weapons in the Middle East and India,” Greg said, “As a result, not only were about 3 billion people wiped out in the course of a decade, but the entire region and several surrounding areas are still hot zones several decades later,” he finished.

“Very good,” John said.

“So, did you visit one of those hot zones or something?” Sabrina asked.

“Not quite,” John said, “I’ll get to that in a moment,” he promised.

“So, do you work for the government or something?” Greg asked.

“Yes, but not the U.S. government,” John admitted, “We work for the world government,”

“What?” Greg asked, “Just what the hell is going on?!”

“Well, in the past few decades, we’ve managed to stop and even slightly reverse some of the damage caused by all the pollution of the 20th and early 21st centuries,” John said, “Unfortunately, those 47 nukes going off didn’t help,” he added,

“They shot high levels of radiation into the atmosphere which have been slowly spreading across the globe and raining back down, polluting our water and food supplies,” he continued, “Also, it further weakened the ozone layer, letting more harmful UV rays in…levels which in some areas not even sun protection can stop,”

“How come we haven’t heard of any of this?” Sabrina asked.

“Because they didn’t want a global panic,” John explained, “And because they realized the damage wouldn’t be severe enough for nearly a century, so instead they started working on other options,”

“What sort of options?” Greg asked.

“Well, over the last century, we’ve observed that many of the animal and insect species have been evolving to adapt to the rising radiation levels,” John explained, “But humanity doesn’t appear to be evolving quickly enough,”

“Just how bad is it?” Sabrina asked with a look of dread in her eyes.

“We estimate that within the next two decades, the first signs of radiation sickness will start appearing in the major population areas,” John reported, “They’ve already started in some of the rural areas surrounding the hot zones, but soon it will be a global pandemic that will lead to birth defects, skin lesions, cancer, infertility, and eventually death,”

“How has this been kept a secret?” Greg asked.

“Well, instead of causing a panic, the world government decided to work on several plans to preserve and continue humanity,” John explained, “Basically, since humanity wasn’t evolving quickly enough, they decided to induce forced evolution,”

“Forced evolution?” Sabrina asked.

“Yes, before it would have been considered as eugenics,” John said, “or the selective breeding of only healthy people with certain characteristics,” he explained, “But since everyone would be vulnerable, we had to employ more drastic measures,”

“Like building us android bodies?” Greg asked.

“Yes, but that wasn’t the only option,” John said, “They also decided to pursue genetic modification of the human genome,” he explained, “Basically, they sought out one company per option that was furthest along in its field,” he said.

“And your company was one of them,” Sabrina said.

“Yes, our company was one of them,” John said, “The one stipulation was that whatever option they decided on had to not only preserve humanity as we know it, but also leave room for evolution,”

“So, I take it genetic modification failed?” Greg asked.

“Yes,” John replied, “It was promising at first, but the problem was they had to splice our DNA with that of several animal, plant, and insect species,” he explained, “The result was a human that was no longer human at a fundamental level,”

“How so?” Greg asked.

“When you alter the human genome even a little, you also affect everything else too,” John said, “The experiments developed some inhuman features, like scaled skin and extra organs, and their mental states were also inhuman,” he explained, “So in that regard they failed to preserve humanity and instead created something different,” he finished, “Also, the experiments were still subject to several of the effects of the radiation,” he added.

“Oh,” Greg said, “So then they chose you guys?”

“Yes, but they were actually funding us at the same time,” John said, “It is true that we were already attempting to develop an android since before the war, but we were originally interested in developing the most realistic sex bots, domestic units, and companion models,” he said, “not unlike Ipek here,” he gestured to his borrowed body.

“I see,” Greg said.

“Anyway, they approached us a few years after the war and said they would fund all our projects if it resulted in an artificial body for a human being to convert to and live out the rest of their life, continuing to procreate and continue the genetic and evolutionary chain,” John explained, “And the reason we were successful isn’t just because you two are still fundamentally human in regards to your minds and appearance, but also because we created an artificial human body that is immune to all bacteria, viruses, cancer, genetic disorders, and basically any disease or illness that would affect an organic body,

“But how would we be able to procreate safely?” Sabrina asked, “If you’re creating an artificial womb, wouldn’t any child we gave birth to be subject to the radiation?”

“Yes, but they could easily convert to an android body when they are ready,” John said.

“Yes, but what about future generations?” Greg asked.

“Well, that’s where our next type of android comes from,” John smiled, “The pure artificial human,” he explained.

“And how will that be accomplished?” Greg asked.

“In addition to the aging algorithm we’ve added to you two, there is also going to be a genetic algorithm,” John explained, “It can decipher a person’s entire genetic code and use it to further calculate the rate at which you age, and allow you to mix your genetic data with someone else’s to randomly create a completely unique individual,” he finished.

“You mean a unique android?” Sabrina asked.

“Yes,” John answered, “We would basically use the results of the mix to create a blueprint for an infant android,” he explained, “It would then grow up and develop just as naturally as a human child,” he continued, “It would learn from its peers, family, and environment and grow up into an adult just like you or I,”

“So that’s the unique android A.I. you were hinting at before?” Greg said.

“Yes,” John said, “Though unlike Sabrina who is an A.I. emulating a human, or us two that are human souls in an android, these would be pure A.I.s with human personality traits that would grow up, develop, and live just like a real human being…as a matter of fact, they would still be human in the most important ways: free will, self-determination, emotions, and consciousness,”

“Wow, so our race would continue as mechanical beings?” Greg asked.

“Exactly,” John said, “It may not sound appealing, but I think when people start suffering from the radiation, and discover that their new bodies would be free of sickness, infirmity, or disability, then they will be more than willing to convert,”

“Perhaps,” Greg said, “So what caused your fatal radiation dose?”

“Part of my job was to take some of the converts and HRMs to both the hot zones and some of the areas around the world that have contaminated food and water,” John explained, “I guess I went too often and for too long, but I always knew that someday I would be in an android body,”

“Oh,” Greg said, “So, I guess that explains some of your behavior over the last few years,”

“What behavior?” John asked.

“Well, just before the anesthesia took effect, I saw you had a look of relief on your face,” Greg said.

“Well, I was glad that you managed to convert before having to go through the ordeal of radiation sickness,” John admitted, “Believe me, it would have been worse than living as a paraplegic,”

“You’re probably right,” Greg admitted, “So how are you able to have so much access in the U.S. government?”

“Well, the world government now oversees each country government, so when it comes to our projects, we have carte blanch access pretty much everywhere,” John explained, “Each individual government already knows about the issue as well,” he added.

“So, what exactly did you do with Sabrina?” Greg asked.

“Well, we went to the shareholders of the company she worked for and told them if they helped us field test an HRM, we would give them contracts for the upcoming DPM models,” John explained.

“Oh,” Greg said, “And what about me?”

“That was actually easier,” John laughed, “We were already working on some preliminary details with the FBI and other security agencies to prepare for the day when people start converting,” he continued, “We pulled a few strings to get them to clear you before the laws were written in,” he said.

“So, our governments already know about this and are prepared to create new sets of laws to manage the new android populace?” Greg asked.

“Yes,” John said, “As soon as we finalize our androids, the U.S. government will vote on and sign into law several new laws regarding the birth, life, and death of the new artificial humans,”

“And they just expect people to convert right away?” Greg asked.

“No,” John laughed, “We expect most of the younger population, movie stars, and models will convert right away,” he said, “Others will convert when the radiation starts to affect them,” he continued, “And the elderly population will probably just opt to die out naturally,” he finished.

“You guys have put a lot of thought into this, haven’t you?” Greg asked.

“Yes,” John said, “After all, we are creating the new human race,”

“So, I’ve been wondering,” Greg said, “Can we actually die?”

“Yes,” John said, “Aside from any critical damage to the brain, the genetic algorithm determines at what age a person’s life will be terminated,” he explained, “Though, we are currently developing a resurrection hardware that would allow an android that determines it’s life is in danger to instantly upload it’s entire consciousness to a cloud server,”

“Cool,” Greg said, “What’s holding you back so far?”

“We need to invent a transmitter which can burst transmit a tremendous amount of information in milliseconds,” John explained, “So far we’re trying to have it overload the entire body’s power supply to do so, which would effectively destroy the body itself, so we need to make sure it will be successful before we test it,”

“That makes sense,” Greg nodded, “It almost sounds like an idea from a 21st century show called Battlestar Galactica,” he laughed, “The reimagined series, not the original,” he added.

“That’s actually where we got the idea,” John laughed, “I forgot you had a thing for early 21st century shows,”

“And 20th century shows,” Greg added.

“Well, our hope is that no human should ever have to worry about unexpected or early death again,” John said, “That way, there should be less crime and people can lead more productive, care free lives,”

“That’s nice,” Greg said.

“We’re also working on a massive database to upload each terminated person’s collective life experience into for future generations to view as a sort of historical record,” John added.

“Cool,” Greg said.

“So, are us androids going to grow old and grey?” Sabrina asked.

“That is the one thing we were allowed to deviate from in terms of natural human aging,” John said, “Basically, instead of getting old and grey, a person will instead appear more distinguished, though they can opt to maybe give themselves a little grey hair to add to that,” he explained.

“Cool,” Greg said, “What do you think of that dear?” he asked, looking over at Sabrina. Sabrina looked like she was slightly dazed though, and did not respond, “Sabrina, are you okay?” he asked, waving his hand in front of her eyes.

“Looks like I blew her mind,” John smiled.

“Yeah,” Greg smiled, “Sabrina, run full diagnostic,” he ordered.

“Running full diagnostic,” Sabrina replied in the clipped tone.

“Why don’t we rest a bit and get some refreshments?” John suggested, “Then, when Sabrina is finished with her diagnostic, you can ask me some more questions,”

“Alright,” Greg agreed, “I do have quite a few more,” he smiled, and he left Sabrina running the diagnostic on the couch and got them some drinks.

Part 5.4: Honeymoon

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Continued in The Replacement - Part 6

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