The Replacement - Part 8
Part 8
Part 8.1: Final upgrade
True to John’s word, Greg and Sabrina were called in several weeks later to receive their final body upgrades. While everyone else from the group was to be called in later that day, and over the rest of the week, Greg, Sabrina, and Julie were considered VIPs and had the first available slot. While the last major upgrade to the artificial human bodies was several years ago, Greg still recalled it not taking more than a couple hours, yet John told them to expect to be at the lab all day. Confused, he decided to bring Ipek with them since he was sure that the extra time would be spent with John doing something the twins wouldn’t be interested in.
After they herded the twins into the car, with much help from Ipek, they made the long drive to John’s lab and to their own personal suite, where he was waiting. “Oh, I wasn’t expecting you guys for another hour,” John said with a surprised look when they came in; he was standing over an exact duplicate of both Julie and Sabrina. “I only got the girls done,” he apologized, looking at Greg and then at the machine which was still printing the skin and musculature on Greg’s new body. While Sabrina’s new body was completely naked, Julie’s new body was wearing the same clothes as she was currently wearing.
“It’s alright John,” Greg smiled, “The twins actually behaved this morning, so we were able to leave earlier than expected."
“I see,” John laughed, smiling at both twins while surreptitiously covering up Sabrina’s naked body in front of him with a cloth, “Well, why don’t I get Julie transferred over now so we can have some alone time?”
“Good idea,” Greg said, “Though doesn’t she need to download an A.I. update first?”
“No, I’ll explain later,” John said, getting Julie’s scalp panels opened up and pulling her brain out of her old body. John made surprisingly quick work of transferring Julie’s brain to her new body. As soon as Julie booted up in her new body, John set her down and told her to run off with James and Ipek.
“Thanks dad,” Sabrina said with a sigh of relief, glad that the kids were gone so she and Greg could play.
“Don’t mention it,” John winked.
“So, how much longer until my new body is ready?” Greg asked.
“Not long,” John said, walking over to the printer, “About 40 minutes."
“Okay,” Greg said, “Do you want Sabrina to transfer over now?”
“Not yet, I want to go over a few things first,” John said, removing the sheet from Sabrina’s new body, “We’ve made quite a few internal improvements, thanks in part to all the data we’ve been collecting over the years and during the final testing phase, as well as several technological advances that have come out in the past decade,” he explained, pulling a diagnostic tool from his clothes and running it over the torso, making the seam appear. Once it was there, he put the tool away and then separated both flaps, “Come, take a look,” he said, once both flaps were open.
Greg and Sabrina both casually walked over to the other side of the table so they could get a better look inside Sabrina’s new body, gasping when they saw the changes. Several of the components were relatively unchanged, mostly the sexual systems, the lungs, and the heart. Many of the other components had been drastically changed, including the artificial kidneys, liver, and the entire digestive system. Each of the changed components was much sleeker than before and were actually made to resemble their organic counterparts, though they were actually made from some sort of flexible metallic alloy. In addition to looking like their organic counterparts, they were also in the same anatomical locations. As for the motor control complex, it took both of them a while to spot it, since the more central location it used to be located at was now where the stomach and intestinal tubes were. They finally found it nestled between both lungs, much further up than it used to be. It also appeared to be smaller and was actually connected to the lungs with silvery tubes, though the multitude of wires coming from it had not changed. It was also surrounded on the front and back by a metallic looking shield.
“We were able to make drastic improvements to our internal design based on new technological advances over the past decade, and the treasure trove of data we collected last month and over the past several years,” John explained, “Suffice to say, we’ve been able to make these bodies more internally anatomically correct as well as externally."
“Yeah, I can see that,” Sabrina said, gingerly touching the intestinal tubes, “Why all the extra realism?”
“Believe it or not, those intestinal tubes are more than 60% more efficient than the previous method,” John said, “We wanted to implement that before, but the size of the motor control complex was so big we had to shrink most everything else,” he explained, “Which didn’t exactly permit us much realism inside."
“How come the motor control complex is attached to the lungs?” Greg asked, “And what’s up with the extra shielding?”
“To help cool it off,” John replied,” And the extra shielding is to protect it from shock and projectiles, since it's a rather important component for our proper functioning."
“Oh,” Greg said, “But wasn’t it capable of cooling itself off before?”
“Yes, but its internal cooling system consumes a great deal of energy,” John said, “By shrinking the computing components, we were able to shrink the whole device by about 40%, allowing us to move it up to the lungs and allow the lungs to cool it off,” he explained, “the internal cooling is still there, but it only kicks in if you happen to be in a situation where there is an absence or lack of air, or if you are engaged in extreme physical activities."
“Interesting,” Greg said, “So then, what was the point of us being able to breathe before?”
“We had always intended on it being for cooling off the internal systems, as well as for realistic vocalizations,” John explained, “But it was mostly for realism."
“Figure."
“Anyway, now when you go on a jog,” John said, “or have lots of sex,” he added with a wink, “You’ll actually be breathing heavily because you’ll be cooling off your systems, not just because the motor control is dictating that to your A.I. for realism."
“Wow, you guys really have thought of everything,” Sabrina said.
“Also, because of the lungs handling the cooling, the motor control complex saves about 40% in power consumption,” John said, “Basically, most of the changes we made were to improve both power efficiency, and overall reliability and stability."
“Is that why you made the organs look more like the real things?” Greg asked, pointing at the liver and kidneys.
“Precisely,” John said, “Now, depending on ethnicity, body type, age, and gender, we have standardized several different organ builds so they are much easier to both mass produce and replace in case of damage or failure,” John explained, “Before, we would've had to design a custom replacement for each person,” he said, “But now we can simply remove the damaged organ,” he continued, pressing a control on one of the artificial kidneys and removing it, “And immediately replace it with a standard model and your bodies nanites do the customization as it integrates,” he finished, replacing the kidney back where he pulled it from.
“Wow, sounds like you guys are really trying to make things easy,” Greg said.
“Yes, we are,” John smiled, “We think organ replacement should be a very fast and efficient process."
“Still, won’t the new organs change the way our artificial bodies move?”
“Of course they will,” John said, “But realistically, your current bodies don’t actually move the way a human body does."
“They feel like they do,” Sabrina said.
“Well, of course they do,” John said, “We configured the motor control algorithm to basically trick your minds into thinking that they do, but the problem with that was it made the motor control complex use a lot of extra processing power, consuming more energy,” he explained, “Now, with all the artificial organs in the correct place, the bodies will actually move in the same way, but more efficiently."
“Wow, I never realized,” Greg said, absently stretching a little and feeling his torso.
“Well, that was the point,” John pointed out, “Anyway, we had the designs all worked out before R. Sabrina here was built, but back then we lacked the proper technology to make it all real,” he explained, “Now, with the technology and data, this is basically going to be the final design of the artificial human project for at least the next century until we determine the next phase of our evolution."
“So, you keep saying that most of these improvements were all about power efficiency,” Sabrina said, “So, how much extra time can we stay online?”
“Well, with the efficiency improvements, as well as the better batteries we’ve installed, the average person should be able to stay online for roughly 72 hours on a full charge, that is, if they don’t eat, drink, or plug themselves in,” John said, “So, we’ve added an extra 40-48 hours,” he said, “And we’re hoping with further software improvements we can improve that to 96 hours."
“Cool!” Greg said.
“Aside from the improvements in the torso, are there any other improvements?” Sabrina asked.
“A few,” John said, and he pulled his tool out again and waved it over the neck and scalp, making the seams appear. He then pulled the head off, followed by the scalp. Greg quickly became aroused at that sight, since he still had a weakness for seeing Sabrina’s head taken off, “Sorry Greg, I know this turns you on, but take a look,” John said, holding the head out so they could see inside.
Greg smiled despite himself as he peered inside the open head. Unlike with the torso panel, not much had appeared to have changed within the head. All of the components were still in the same location, though they had been refined to be noticeably smaller. Another thing he noticed was that the area where the brain was now surrounded by a metallic cocoon of some sort.
“So, what exactly was done in the head?” Sabrina asked, looking inside her new head.
“Well, obviously we’ve been able to refine and shrink the processing hardware and other components in there,” John started, “But more importantly, we’ve also been able to add that extra layer of protection for your brains,” he explained, pointing at the cocoon, “Basically, when your brain is attached, it closes up and acts as a shield against any shockwaves or projectiles that might get through the material your skulls are comprised of."
“Damn, you guys are a little paranoid, aren’t you?” Greg laughed.
“Well, we figured we might as well give ourselves as much protection as we can,” John shrugged, “After all, we are basically inducing forced evolution, so why not give our new bodies the protection that biological evolution couldn’t? After all, if our biological bodies had this much protection, the real Sabrina might not have died the way she did."
Greg sighed a little, looking at Sabrina with a sad look. He still felt sad about losing the original Sabrina, even after all these years and even though R. Sabrina had been more than convincing and adequate over the years, even giving him a family. She looked back at him, knowing what he was feeling and patted his shoulder caringly. “You’re right,” Greg finally said. John stared at him knowingly before taking the head and reattaching it to the body, “So, are there any other noteworthy improvements?”
“Well, we were able to enhance the smartskin so it can heal a bit faster,” John said, “And we improved the EMP insulation by approximately 40%."
“What is it with all the EMP protection."
“Solar flares."
“Really?!”
“Yes, really,” John said seriously, “A lot of people don’t realize this, but a century ago there was a massive solar flare that nearly fried all of our electronics,” he explained, “Ever since then, society has spent a great deal of time and resources insulating all of our technology from EMPs,” he continued, “Since we’re converting the entire human race into mechanical bodies, we want to make extra certain our bodies can handle any surprises the sun might throw at us,” he said, “Otherwise we’d be like the Bynars in Star Trek: The Next Generation who were nearly wiped out by a supernova."
“Nice Star Trek reference,” Greg smiled, also looking at Sabrina who still hadn’t watched them, “So that’s why you blasted us with an EMP at the final test?”
“Yes, though that was only about two-thirds of the energy that the sun launched at us during the last massive solar flare,” John said, “But it was equivalent to the strongest EMP developed as a weapon in human history."
“Well, all I felt was a slight tingling,” Sabrina said.
“Me too,” Greg added.
“Good! With the improvement we’ve made, if we were to do it again, you shouldn’t feel anything."
“Well, I suppose that’s a relief,” Sabrina said, “Though now I’m going to be worried about a solar flare wiping everything out."
“No need,” John said, “We’ve had a century to prepare and more than 90% of our energy reactors are underground and properly shielded,” he assured them, “Obviously our solar, hydroelectric, and wind plants would be at risk, but we’re certain we’ve done enough to insulate them."
“Okay, now I can relax again,” Sabrina smiled, sighing with relief.
“So, aside from the smartskin enhancements, no other improvements?” Greg asked.
“Not really,” John admitted, “The skeletal and muscular systems were already exactly how we wanted them when we first built Sabrina here,” he said, “The only difference is we’ve finally been able to modify the printer so it can use more plant based materials too, which slightly cheapens the process,” he explained, “And we improved the print speed by about 10%."
“Cool,” Greg said.
“Well, that’s all the major improvements anyway,” John said, “Everything else is just minor bug fixes and software improvements."
“Wait, you never explained how Julie was able to integrate into her newly upgraded body so quickly,” Greg pointed out.
“Oh, we installed the A.I. update directly into the motor control complex, so as soon as your brains connect to it, the update will automatically install,” John explained, “Obviously, this new process is much faster than before when you actually had to download it yourself."
“That makes sense,” Greg said, “But will we still be able to download updates wirelessly if we aren’t here?”
“Of course,” John assured him, “But obviously this update is the biggest one yet, so we installed it into the body itself to quicken the integration process."
“Okay, just making sure."
“Anyway, I think I’m ready for Sabrina to transfer over,” John said, “You might want to take your clothes off first so you can wear them out in your new body,” he suggested, starting to close up her primary access panel.
“Wait, can you leave that open please?” Sabrina asked.
“Sure,” John said, stopping his progress and flapping the panel back open.
“Thanks dad,” Sabrina said, and she quickly stripped off all her clothes and folded them neatly on a nearby table. Knowing that she would most likely be wearing them out in a new body, she had shut off her current body’s sweat glands so she wouldn’t soil them. Once her clothes were off, she unsealed her scalp panel and lifted it up off her head, setting it down next to her clothes. “Did you want to do the honors?” she asked Greg with a smiled.
“You know I would,” Greg smiled back, and he reached in his wife’s head and pulled out her brain. Once he had it safely removed, he brought it over to her new body and carefully inserted it. Several lights blinked inside both her primary access panel and inside her open head. Greg noticed the cocoon surrounding her brain closed up until it completely covered the brain. He was briefly worried he wouldn’t be able to open it for next time, but he saw a button that could open it. After almost a minute had passed, Sabrina finally came to life by slowly opening her eyes and taking a breath. “Well dear, how does it feel?” Greg asked her, clicking her scalp into place once he was sure she had time to fully integrate into her new body.
“It feels about the same,” she admitted, “But different." She carefully sat up so she could look inside her open chest, “Wow, this is really cool,” she said, looking at the different configuration from her new body’s point of view. She gingerly touched some of the new artificial organs and recoiled slightly when she did. “Hey, I can actually feel them,” she said, touching them again.
“Yeah, I forgot to mention that,” John said, “We put a basic nervous system on each organ so the overall feeling is a bit more realistic,” he explained, “That’s partly how they reduce the overall processing load on the motor control complex,” he continued, “Since before, it had to fool your brains into thinking you could feel each organ."
“Oh, that makes sense,” she said, poking everything in there.
“Does it hurt?” Greg asked her.
“No, it doesn’t,” she smiled, laughing almost giddily at the sensation of touching her own internals.
“The point wasn’t so they could feel pain,” John said, “Only so they have feeling so you can move around more realistically."
“Okay,” Greg said, “Looks like we can have some more fun playing with our innards,” he smiled to Sabrina.
“I know,” she smiled back, “Wait until you feel for yourself,” casually flapping both sides of the panel back in place and sealing it up. She then dropped to her feet and stretched out her body, pausing briefly to look at her old body, still passively standing naked next to Greg, “Wow, I’m never going to get used to seeing my body staring at me like that."
“I can’t, wait” Greg said, and then he turned to John, “So, how much longer until my new body is ready?”
John quickly peeked inside the machine, which was about halfway done with the torso, “Between 20 and 30 minutes."
Greg sighed at the length of time he still had to wait, and then he looked next to him at Sabrina’s old body, still standing there; an idea suddenly struck him. “Hey dear, maybe I could transfer over to your old body and we can have a little Sabrina on Sabrina action while we wait for my new body to be ready."
Sabrina stared at him and at her old body for a while before a smile slowly appeared on her face, “Let’s go for it!"
“Interesting,” John said, “Before you do Greg, make sure to strip off all your clothes,” he said, “You have no idea how hard it is to undress or redress a body."
“Alright,” Greg said, quickly stripping off all his clothes and folding them next to Sabrina’s. Then he opened his scalp and allowed Sabrina to remove him. Moments later, he activated in Sabrina’s old body, with her standing next to him clicking his panel back on.
They both stood there after that, staring into each other’s eyes. For once, both were exactly the same height and were in the same person’s body. Finally, Sabrina spoke. “This is weird."
“Yeah,” Greg said, even matching her inflection.
“Why have we never tried this before?” she asked, since they had tried many things, even including Ipek in the switches.
“I don’t know,” Greg admitted, “We were always in such a rush to get home and play with ourselves, or to let the kids rest."
“Yeah."
“Well, I figured you two would try this someday,” John interjected, “So I’ve created the perfect setting for you to indulge yourselves,” John smiled, walking to one of their suites anterooms.
Greg and Sabrina followed him, leaving Greg’s old body standing naked and passive next to the printer, which was still working on his new body.
When they entered the anteroom, they saw it had several alcoves that were sealed up, as well as a bed and several other pieces of furniture. John walked over to one set of alcoves and opened it up, revealing each of Sabrina’s previous bodies. There was the first body she activated in and lived in from age 23 to 25, as well as the upgraded body she received two years later for age 25 to 30; she had just vacated that body less than a year ago. Each body was still naked and looked just as real as the one Sabrina was currently in.
“Wow, I didn’t think you were actually going to keep them,” Sabrina said, walking over to them and taking a closer look.
“Well, you’ll remember several years ago when you got your first body upgrade, you joked you wanted a ‘hall of former Sabrina’s’,” John smiled, “Well, I didn’t see any reason why I could make an exception in your case, so here it is."
“Aww, thanks dad!” she said, walking over and giving him a hug, not concerned that she was naked.
“I saved Greg’s old body too,” John said, opening another alcove which had the body Greg lived in briefly from the moment he was shot at age 27 until he turned 30, when John insisted on giving him a new body for aging purposes.
“Aww, he looks so lonely over there all by himself,” Sabrina said, walking over to it.
“He won’t be lonely for long,” Greg said, “Thanks John."
“Don’t mention it,” John shrugged, “Anyway, I’ll leave you two alone while I monitor the completion of your new body,” he said knowingly, and he quietly left them alone.
Once John was gone, both Greg and Sabrina stared at each other, and at the other Sabrina’s and Greg in the room.
“Well, what did you want to do?” Greg asked, finally breaking the silence.
“Well, we still have about 20 minutes, so we don’t have time for much,” she sighed.
“Well, considering we’re both in your body, maybe we could try some mirror fun."
“Mirror fun?” she asked with a confused look.
“Yeah, I stand a few feet in front of you and copy all your movements, like I’m your mirror image,” he explained to her.
“Oh, okay,” she smiled.
They had a few minutes of fun with the mirror fun. It helped alleviate Sabrina’s awkwardness of seeing Greg in her body while she was in her new body and helped them break the ice for what happened next. They slowly started making out, feeling each other’s bodies.
“This feels so weird, but so good,” Sabrina moaned in pleasure as she and Greg rubbed their chests together, “I feel so good."
“You do,” Greg said in agreement, “You look good too.”
“Thanks,” she moaned, “We should have done this a long time ago."
“What, have a little girl on girl action?” he asked, “Because we’ve already done that with me in Ipek’s body."
“No, the Sabrina on Sabrina action,” she laughed, “No offense to Ipek, but I look a lot better than she does."
“I don’t think she’d disagree,” Greg laughed, “You do look better! Perhaps later we could have a little Greg on Greg action."
She thought about it for a while before saying, “Maybe later, I don’t think it would be as much fun…especially for you."
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he admitted, shuddering a little at the thought of making out with himself.
“I thought so,” she smiled, “Now, why don’t we move to the bed now?”
“Okay,” Greg said.
They both spent several minutes on the bed getting comfortable with the unusual situation. They finally slowly started engaging in all the lesbian sex that Ipek had taught them each time they had borrowed her body over the years. This time was even more pleasurable, especially for Sabrina, since she was being pleasured by herself in her own body this time, so it was oddly like masturbating and it being someone else’s hand…like when people tell you to sit on your hand until it’s numb so it feels like someone else’s hand.
They kept at it for the entire time they had left, switching into multiple positions, until regrettably they had to stop and wipe themselves off.
“Wow Greg, you were great,” Sabrina panted, catching her breath.
“No, you were great,” Greg corrected her with a smile, though all he could think about when he saw her panting was that she was cooling off her systems.
“Ha Ha,” she laughed, “Wow, that sex was great and yet, it hardly even made a dent on my new body’s power reserves."
“Really, how much did you use?” Greg asked, “I used about 3% in your old body."
“Less than .5%,” she reported.
“Cool!” Greg said, “Well, my new body should be ready now,” he said, “Let’s go see it."
“Okay,” She said, and after taking another look at their previous bodies, they closed up the alcoves and headed back out.
Part 8.2: Next phase
When they returned to the main lab suite, they found Greg’s new body waiting on the table.
“Ah, just in time,” John said, stepping away from the body, “It just finished,” he smiled, “You two have fun?”
“Yes, we did,” Sabrina said, “This new body is great!”
“Glad to hear it,” John smiled, “Anyway, you ready to move to your new body?” he asked Greg, who was still in Sabrina’s old body.
“Yes,” Greg said.
“Then unseal your panel and I’ll move you in,” John said.
As soon as Greg unsealed his panel, John swiftly removed his brain and transferred it into his new body. As soon as his brain connected to the new body, he could perceive the massive A.I. update installing for several seconds before finally gaining control of his new body. The first thing he did was take a big breath of air. Despite all the improvements and changes John had showed them, he felt exactly the same. He couldn’t perceive the relief the air was bringing to his motor control complex, or the feeling of his internal organs. Everything felt normal.
“How do you feel son?” John asked, standing over him.
“Fine,” Greg said, “It feels exactly the same as the old one,” he said, though when he brought up his HUD and had it check his power levels, it showed he had a great deal of energy reserves in comparison to the old body, “The only difference is my power readings."
“Good, that’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say,” John smiled, “It’s better to ask you since these artificial bodies are more new to you, unlike R. Sabrina here who for all intents and purposes has always been an android."
“He’s right,” Sabrina agreed, “My A.I. alters my perception when it receives updates, but your human consciousness can still perceive the differences, or similarities.”
“Interesting,” Greg said, hopping down from the table and picking up the clothes he’d left folded. He noticed that in the brief time he and Sabrina had been having fun in the other room, John had put their clothes in the rapid clean machine. He handed Sabrina her clothes, and, while they both got dressed, he asked, “So, we’ve obviously got our new bodies now, so why did you ask us to be here all day?”
“Well, I’ve got a lot to show you, as well as tell you,” John said, “After all, today is the big day…or well, tomorrow is really the big day, but today is just as big."
“What do you mean?” Sabrina asked.
“Well, as of today, the world government has officially greenlit the artificial human project,” John announced, “As of today, they have approved of the final modifications and will be formally announcing the project tomorrow."
“That’s great!” Sabrina said, giving her dad a hug.
“I know,” John said, “This is the day I’ve been looking forward to ever since I joined this company and helped reinvigorate the A.I. project,” he said with a note of pride, “Before I got here, they were struggling, but I came along and inspired them with fresh ideas and expertise."
“Well, I’m glad you did,” Sabrina said, “Otherwise I wouldn’t exist."
“You will never know how much that means to me,” John said with the hint of a tear forming in his left eye, “I had a low sperm count, so I could never produce kids,” he said, tearing up even more, “But with you reborn dear, and everyone else getting second chances at life, it’s like you’re all my children in a way."
“Well, thanks for everything you’ve done John,” Greg said, patting his back.
John took a few moments to regain his composure, and then he smiled and said, “Anyway, today is the day all of our investors, all of our employees, and all the world leaders and politicians get converted into their new bodies."
“Really?” Greg asked.
“Oh yeah,” John said, “After all, how can our leaders expect people to convert if they themselves aren’t willing to?” he asked, “It should be noted, none of them declined our offer to convert them for free, even the religious ones,” he continued, “People of all affiliations and opinions will be converting together, for the sake of all humanity."
“Wow, I can hardly believe it,” Sabrina said.
“Me neither,” John laughed, “But to cut all the sappiness, many of them were suffering from radiation ailments and were spending large sums of money to conceal it through medical means,” he explained, “Obviously converting saves them money!"
“Now that makes sense,” Greg smiled.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t sound as nice as the first explanation,” Sabrina said, and then all three of them said simultaneously, “I hate politics!
Once they all regained their composure, they started talking again. “So John, what else are we here for?” Greg asked seriously.
“Well, for that, we’ll need to go to my office,” John said a bit cryptically, “Though I hope you won’t mind if we take the scenic route."
Greg and Sabrina looked at each other for a moment before shrugging, “Sure, why not?”
“Excellent!” John said, “I have a few things to show you, and tell you before we get there,” he smiled, leading them out.
Once they were out of their personal suite, John led them to an elevator and took it down, despite his office being on the top floor. The elevator eventually stopped at a level somewhat higher than the massive underground testing facility they were in the previous month. The level consisted only of a short hallway, which they walked down into a suite of rooms, including an overlook window peering down upon the facility.
“Wow, this is cool!” Sabrina rushing to the window and looking down; Greg slowly joined her and looked down.
From their vantage point, they were several hundred feet above the bottom of the facility. Unlike before though, this time there were thousands of people in the process of being converted. Greg had to use the optional focusing algorithms for his eyes to make out clear details, but he eventually made out the technician that had worked on him, Emily, being converted by her HRM boyfriend.
“Huh, so is this where you were watching us from?” Greg asked.
“Yes,” John said, “Obviously we’re in the process of converting our building’s staff,” he said, “Next up is all the politicians and investors."
“I take it you’ve also sped up the conversion process?” Greg guessed.
“Yeah,” John said, “We kind of had to, since the length of time was one of the major complaints of the world government,” he explained, “It took a while, but we’ve managed to cut the conversion time in half."
“Impressive,” Greg said.
“I know,” John said modestly, “Anyway, fortunately the staff is almost done, so they can get started on the next wave of converts."
“I’m curious John, what’s next in the artificial human project?”
“I’m glad you asked,” John smiled, “I was about to get to that."
“Wait, there’s more?” Sabrina asked, pulling her attention away from the window.
“Yes, there are obviously a few more projects we want to work on, but for moral and ethical reasons, we can’t until more people convert."
“What are they?” Greg asked.
“The memory database, and the resurrection program."
“And what exactly are they?”
“The memory database is intended to store all the memories and experiences of every single human being after they die,” John answered, “Obviously, no converts or HRMs have died yet, and we have no intention to murder one just to test the database out, so we’ll have to wait until one is murdered, or dies of natural causes."
“What sort of natural causes could befall us?” Sabrina asked.
“You do remember that our bodies are programmed to self-terminate after a long life, depending on our genetic algorithm and life habits, right?”
“Oh, yeah."
“Anyway, once someone’s time has passed, their memories and experiences will be transferred into a massive database,” John continued, “Sort of like a historical record of humanity from this point,” he explained, “We’re hoping it could have multiple uses, such as law enforcement looking up cold cases, or family members learning about their ancestors."
“Cool!"
“We’ve already got a massive storage facility in place, but we’re always working on ways to improve it,” John said, “Mainly the complex search algorithm that will be in place so all someone has to do is enter a search term, and the algorithm can instantly search through trillions of memories in a matter of seconds."
“Impressive,” Greg said.
“It really is,” John said, “We’re still working on a cool name for it, but it is essentially a means by which each of us becomes immortal."
“I’m really interested in the law enforcement aspects,” Greg said, “How exactly could it be used?”
“Well, let’s say you’re investigating a cold case,” John began, “You search the database for information and ‘boom’, it brings up an individual who either witnessed the crime, or has information,” he continued, “You could basically have a DPM built to temporarily store their memories and have it serve as a living witness for the duration of the case."
“Now that’s cool."
“It is."
“So what’s this resurrection program?” Sabrina asked.
“That is something we ripped from a 21st century show called ‘Battlestar Galactica,” John said, “Basically, we’re hoping in the near future to allow androids that are killed, either in an accident or murdered, to be resurrected in a new body."
“Wow,” Sabrina said, “But how exactly could we be killed?” she asked, looking a bit worried, “I thought we didn’t really have to worry about dying."
“You mostly don’t have to worry about dying,” John corrected, “But you still have to worry about your brain being damaged, since it stores all your memories and experiences."
“Oh,” Sabrina said, “But I thought you added extra protection."
“We did, but that isn’t to say something still couldn’t get through, like an armor piercing round, or if you crash your car into a pole or something which pierces through,” John said, “We can only protect your brains against shock or more common projectiles, but if someone really wanted to kill you, they could."
“That’s scary."
“My thoughts exactly."
“So, how would you resurrect us?” Greg asked.
“Well, in the next 10 to 20 years, we’re hoping to shrink the processing equipment in your head just a bit more,” John started, “Eventually, we’ll be able to attach a dedicated transceiver to your A.I. cores inside the protected cocoon that constantly monitors the configuration of your artificial brain and maintains a record of it in a dedicated computer,” he continued, “It would basically be backing up your memories on an hourly basis."
“So that if our brains get damaged, the most we’ll lose is an hour?” Greg guessed.
“Exactly,” John said, “Though it’s more than that, it will also transmit your entire A.I. to the computer as well, so you won’t have to break in a new one."
“Cool!” Sabrina said.
“But what about us converts?” Greg asked, “What about our neural energy?”
“Well, the converts will have a sort of black box device which stores it safely until it can be properly transferred into a new brain,” John said, “Though eventually, all of humanity will be artificial humans so that will no longer be necessary."
“Okay, that’s a relief,” Greg said.
“Just try not to piss off anyone with armor piercing rounds for the next ten to twenty years,” John joked.
“I’ll try,” Greg smiled.
“So, are there any other projects?” Sabrina asked.
“Just those two for now,” John replied, “Though everyone’s genetic data will be pooled into another database as each person’s life comes to an end and we’ll use that data to gradually evolve or physical appearance and mental capabilities for as long as our civilization survives."
“So, what are we going to be classified as now since Homo sapiens is essentially going extinct?” Greg asked.
“Homo artificialis,” John answered, “The term was already coined in the early 21st century."
“Well, it fits."
“Exactly,” John said, “Anyway, I think we’ve seen everything there is to see here,” he then said, “Why don’t we head up to my office now?...my guest should be waiting for us there.”
“Your guest?” Sabrina asked.
“You’ll see,” John said mysteriously, leading them back to the elevator and pressing the button for the top floor.
As the elevator slowly ascended, Greg and Sabrina both suddenly realized that in all their visits to this building, they had never once actually been in John’s office. He had always met them in their personal suite. The elevator finally reached the top floor and opened onto a much more luxurious hallway than the lower levels. They walked past several offices and bullpens along the way before finally reaching a mahogany door near the rear corner of the building.
“Well, here it is,” John said modestly, opening the door “My office." John’s office was fairly large, though the most striking thing about it was that it wasn’t a traditional office. It was sort of set up like a suite, with the entrance being a sort of waiting room, off to the side was what looked like a makeshift lab with one of John’s previous bodies set up in an alcove. The actual office portion of the office appeared to be around the corner, and when they rounded it, they saw John’s desk with pictures of his family, Greg’s family, and several other people Greg assumed to be converts or HRMS. There was a man sitting in front of the desk, and when they approached, he stood up and turned around.
Greg gave a start when he recognized the man, “Director."
“Agent Philips,” the director of the FBI said, walking over and shaking his hand. Director Singh of the FBI was a third generation Indian American, and the first Indian director of the FBI. Greg had a great amount of respect for him, since he was one of the few directors in the history of the bureau to be promoted from within, rather than simply be appointed by a sitting president. “I’ve heard great things about you from the deputy director, and from John here."
“I’m a little surprised to see you here sir,” Greg said, taking a closer look at the director, “Have you converted already?”
“No, not yet,” Singh replied, “But I will be shortly."
“I see,” Greg said, “Well, if you want my opinion, it is a wonderful transition."
“That’s what I have gathered,” Singh smiled, “But that is not the only reason I am here."
“Oh?”
“Why don’t we all take a seat so we can go into further detail?” John suggested, gesturing to the seats in front of his desk. John then sat down behind his desk while Singh and Greg sat in front of it; Sabrina sat down on a couch a few feet away, sensing she was not going to be part of the conversation.
“I’m sure you have already been informed that the world government will be formally announcing humanity’s conversion to Homo artificialis tomorrow?” Greg simply nodded as he awaited Singh’s next response. “As I’m sure you can imagine, this is an unprecedented historical event in human history,” Singh then said, “As such, extraordinary measures will need to be taken to both facilitate and safeguard the conversion of humanity, and those who have already converted."
“What are you getting at sir?”
“As of tomorrow, there will be a new branch of the FBI,” Singh replied, “The artificial human branch, and it will contain all appropriate divisions to handle any crimes committed to or perpetrated by artificial humans."
“What about the other branches?”
“Eventually they will be converted into the artificial human branch, or eliminated altogether, as the organic population dies out,” Singh answered, “All of our techniques for organic crimes will be obsolete in a century when the last of them is expected to die of old age."
“This is all fairly interesting, but I’m not sure why I’m here,” Greg said, “I’m just the SAC for the San Francisco field office."
“You Greg will be the Assistant Director overseeing this new branch,” Singh smiled.
Greg processed that information for a while, ignoring Sabrina’s words in his mind, before finally responding, “Me?”
“Yes, you,” Singh smiled.
“I assured the director here that you were up to the task, especially since you’re the only member of the FBI who has converted so far and have been a convert for quite some time,” John said, “Plus, the director owed me a favor or two,” he added with a smile.
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Singh laughed, “All joking aside, I’ve been keeping an eye on you, rising up through the ranks like I once did,” he continued, “I have no doubt you will be perfect for the job."
“Wow, I don’t know what to say,” Greg confessed, “I’ll do the best I can."
“I’m sure you will,” Singh smiled, “Though we do understand this branch is hitting the ground running, so John and Neovations here will be supplying you with a full staff of former security operatives who have received a crash course in FBI training,” he explained, “Also, depending on the crime and your needs, they will manufacture any forensic tools you need."
“I’d like to hope humanity will take this second chance as an opportunity to do better,” John said, “But ultimately, we will still be human and prone to our fallibilities,” he continued, “We’ve already anticipated several common crimes people might commit and have supplied your local branch office and teams with the appropriate tools."
“I’m still pretty speechless,” Greg admitted, “But did you say that my branch office is local?”
“Yes Greg,” Singh said, “We felt it would be better to have this branch office based in the Silicon Valley, in San Jose, due to the proximity to this facility here,” he explained, “You’ll still be sort of overseeing the San Francisco field office, at least until a full-time replacement can be found, but your current objective will be to train law enforcement agencies around the country, and world, on how to deal with crimes against or by artificial humans, as well as solve them yourself."
“That’s a relief,” Greg said, “Looks like we won’t have to move dear,” he smiled to Sabrina.
“Well, I need to head down to my conversion suite,” Singh suddenly said, rising to his feet, “I envy you your task Greg,” he smiled, “Not too many people have been able to pioneer a new branch in the FBI."
“I am very excited for this opportunity sir,” Greg smiled back, standing up and shaking Singh’s hand, “And if you have any issues following your conversion, just give me a call."
“I will, thank you Greg,” Singh said, starting to head out, “And everything you’ll need to perform your new job will be waiting for you in your new office,” he said, pulling a data card from his pocket and handing it to Greg, “This is your all access pass."
“Thank you director,” Greg said, taking the card and pocketing it. The director simply smiled and walked out of the office, as Sabrina and Greg took their seats in front of John’s desk.
“So you two, are you excited for tomorrow?” John asked them.
“Yes, we are,” Sabrina smiled, “I can’t believe the time has finally come!"
“Me neither,” John smiled back, “I am surprised the director didn’t take longer,” he admitted, “I honestly thought he’d be here all day briefing you."
“Well, he’s obviously nervous about converting and wanted to get it over with,” Greg said, “And he knows I can just as easily catch up tomorrow in my new office."
“Well then, I have nothing more for you today,” John said, standing up, “Make sure you come over for dinner later this week when you have some free time."
“We will,” Greg promised, standing up and shaking John’s hand.
“Oh, I’ll come by your office tomorrow with my briefing packet and to introduce you to your new staff,” John remembered, “It might be a while, since the announcement is obviously going to make things hectic."
“Don’t worry about it,” Greg assured him, “I understand."
“Good, then I’ll let you two get back to the rest of your day,” John smiled.
“Thanks dad,” Sabrina said, giving him a quick hug. She then joined her husband as they left John’s office to find Ipek and their children so they could go home.
Part 8.3: The End & The Beginning
Greg and Sabrina spent the rest of the day in their new bodies celebrating both Greg’s promotion, and the announcement that would be happening the following day. After the kids were put down to sleep, they entertained themselves by watching some of the videos they had recorded with their bodies over the years, including the few Sabrina recorded on her first day of activation.
The next morning, they both ate the wonderful breakfast that Ipek made for them and then they both got dressed and headed out to see Greg’s new office. Fortunately it was a weekend, so Sabrina didn’t have work and the kids could just stay home with Ipek. They made the half hour drive from their home just outside of San Francisco to just outside of San Jose, where the brand new FBI building was waiting. Greg could tell the building was brand new, because they were just putting up the block letters on the front and some of the windows on the lower level were still being installed.
Once Greg pulled into his marked parking spot, both he and Sabrina got out and admired the new building, and the picturesque mountains surrounding the valley the office was based at. They slowly walked up to the building, where Greg waved his all access pass to open the security doors. Greg was surprised to see that not only was the interior completely state of the art, but it looked like a cross between the labs he saw at John’s facility, and the standard bullpen structure of a typical FBI office. There were even quick charge slots set up at every desk and in every room so the artificial humans could plug in if they didn’t have time to eat.
Although it was fairly early in the morning, there were already numerous members of his new staff getting settled in to their offices and desks, several of which Greg recognized as the same security team members who came to Sabrina’s rescue several years earlier. Greg slowly surveyed each of the seven floors the building had, including the two basement levels the building had which housed its massive computer and reactor cores, and a sort of makeshift morgue for deactivated or destroyed android bodies. After Greg met every agent that was already present, he and Sabrina finally made their way to his new office on the top level. Just like with John’s office, Greg’s was set up like a suite, though Greg’s had a receptionist desk inside his with another door leading into the main suite. He was surprised when he entered to see Emily the technician sitting behind the desk working on a computer.
“Emily? What are you doing here?” he asked with a confused look on his face, since he had just seen her converted the day before.
“Oh, hello Director Greg,” Emily smiled, rising to her feet and greeting him, “I can sense your confusion, I am a DPM made in the image of Emily Dobson, the technician employed at Neovations,” she explained, “My host found you very nice and offered her personality and image to allow me to serve as your personal secretary here." Greg was slightly taken aback by that response, feeling somewhat flattered. He looked to his side at Sabrina, who had a mixed look of jealousy and surprise on her face. “And no need to worry Mrs. Philips, I won’t take advantage of your husband,” Emily smiled, seeing the look on Sabrina’s face.
“Okay,” Sabrina said, looking relieved.
“You’ll also be pleased to know I am linked up to your DPM Ipek, so I can give you updates on what’s going on at home if you so desire,” Emily smiled to Greg, “And she’s linked up to me so you can get updates on how Greg’s day is going,” she smiled to Sabrina.
“Hmmm, that’s convenient,” Greg said, with Sabrina nodding her head in agreement, “Could you show me my office please?”
“Certainly,” Emily said, and she turned around and punched in an access key which opened the secure door to the rest of his office.
To say it was well equipped was an understatement. Greg’s office had its own lab, including what looked like a spare body all decked out in full combat gear. It had its own rest area and quick charge station, as well as an area set up for him to kick back and relax. The area with his desk was all decked out with numerous status screens displaying all pertinent FBI status checks from across the country, as well as details on his remaining open cases from the San Francisco field office.
“Wow, this place is cool,” Sabrina said, rushing ahead of him and sitting down at his new desk, “And they moved all your stuff in already,” she added, looking at the picture of his family already in place.
“Yes, they shipped all your stuff overnight and I just finished setting it up,” Emily said.
“Thanks,” Greg said, joining Sabrina behind his desk.
He gave her a mock look of annoyance before she giggled and relinquished the seat to him. He slowly sat down and then felt the computer systems in his desk scan his body. Moments later, the built in computers detected his credentials and logged him into the FBI database. Instantly, dossier after dossier appeared, listing all potential people across the globe who were likely to attack any convert or HRM they could readily identify.
“Wow, this certainly beats my desk at the old field office,” Greg said, finding he could easily switch between navigating the computers with his hands or with his mind. Before he could do anything else though, an alert popped up on all his status monitor announcing the president of the world government.
“Oh look, they’re making the announcement now,” Sabrina said, and they all watched in silence.
The announcement was fairly straight forward. The president calmly explained everything that John himself had already explained to Greg and Sabrina several years earlier on their wedding day. He then smoothly segued into the artificial human project, including a basic history of Neovation’s progress over the past century. He then showed everyone that he himself had already converted, by opening his scalp panel and showing everyone his artificial brain. He closed by saying that while humanity had risked its existence the past century with petty wars, it had also used its best assets to perpetuate its continued existence. The announcement was followed by a half hour commercial-like presentation showcasing each of the features of the artificial human bodies, including the benefits, similarities to the organic bodies, and the differences. Following the announcement and presentation, the various news outlets around the world reacted to the announcement, including interviews with various elected officials across the globe, all of whom had already converted and where praising the Neovations Company, as well as the world governments decision from several decades earlier. There were also reports of riots around the globe, but they were regarding the radiation sickness cover-up, not the artificial human project.
“Wow, it’s finally official,” Sabrina said, once the status displays switched to media and public reactions.
“Yeah, looks like things went fairly smoothly,” Greg said, monitoring all the reports. The net data crawlers were already bringing up android hate data and tabulating it on his desk monitors. “Looks like I’m already going to have some work to do over the next few days,” he said, seeing several actionable threats listed.
Before anyone could say anything else though, John suddenly came in. “Ah, I take it you just watched the announcement?” John asked, walking in and joining them at the monitors.
“Yes, you?”
“Oh yes, I was watching it in the lobby,” John laughed, putting his bag on the table and pulling out a tablet, “I must say, even though I already knew what was going to happen, it was still fun watching it."
“Yeah, it was very well done,” Greg agreed.
“So, how do you like the new office?”
“It’s great, Emily here just finished showing me everything,” Greg smiled.
“Oh, sorry I didn’t tell you about her,” John apologized, “Emily wanted it to be a surprise,” he said, “I guess you made quite an impression on her." DPM Emily just stood there, smiling at both of them.
“Anyway, I’ve got a few things to go over with you,” John said, and the three of them sat down while John transferred information from his tablet onto Greg’s desk monitors for him to review. Emily just went to her desk and got back to work. John spent over an hour explaining how all the equipment in his office worked, including the android forensics lab, and all of his key personnel. Finally, John installed a program onto Greg’s office computers that tracked the registration of each convert and HRM as they came online, essentially creating a population list on one of the wall monitors for him to monitor. Greg was suddenly surprised when the monitor showed activity, particularly growth numbers; people were converting at that moment.
“Hey, I didn’t think people would start converting so quickly,” Greg suddenly said, stopping John in the middle of his sentence and getting up to view the monitor. It currently showed close to a million people just in the United States were converting.
“Yeah, it’s most likely young folk and people who are already disfigured,” John guessed, getting up to join Greg and Sabrina at the monitor, “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
Greg was about to respond to John before he was suddenly overwhelmed by emotion. Suddenly, he felt just like John did, like he had somehow been a big part of this whole project. All of the names popping up on the monitor, though he did not know any of them, suddenly felt as close to him as John and Sabrina did. Greg suddenly reflected on the past ten years of his life, from the last kiss he gave the real Sabrina, to hearing the news of her death followed by the calm offer from John to create a copy of her. He remembered all of what happened on the first days of her new life, and then he flashed forward to their wedding and the birth of their children. He finally came back to today and his new job and responsibility overseeing and protecting all the new members of his extending family, and thanks to his artificial brain, that entire trip down memory lane only took milliseconds.
“Thanks John, for everything you’ve done for me,” Greg said with a few tears in his eyes, “For us,” he corrected, smiling at Sabrina. She too had tears in her eyes, since she felt exactly the same way as her husband.
John stood there in silence for several moments before he too allowed the emotions to break through. He embraced both Greg and his stepdaughter tearfully for several moments before breaking apart and saying, “You’re most certainly welcome."
Greg simply smiled, feeling if he were to go back in time and tell his past self how happy he’d be at this point in his life, his past self would never believe it. Then, the three of them simply stared back at the monitor and all the new names appearing on it, watching as the world changed in front of their very eyes.
Epilogue
13 years later…
Greg was in a rush as he finished all his work and prepared to leave his office. He was usually in a rush to leave his office every day, but today was different. It was the twins 18th birthday.
In the past 13 years since the artificial human project was formally announced, just over 30% of the world population had converted, or died and been reborn as HRMS. So far, everything was going just as John had projected, with the elderly population slowly dying out from either old age, or complications due to radiation sickness. The younger population was slowly converting after they came of age and got jobs, and the ones who had converted in the first year were already having, or had already given birth to artificial human children. Another thing that had happened in the last 13 years was Greg and Sabrina had two more children, a boy and a girl, and both artificial. As things stood, James was their only organic child, though they didn’t treat him any differently, nor did he treat any of his siblings differently.
Once Greg had all of his pending work either saved or filed, he shut everything down in his office, grabbed his bag and headed out.
“Calling it a day sir?” Emily asked from her desk.
“Yes Emily, I’ve got to hurry home for the twin’s birthday,” Greg smiled to her. He initially found it odd that Ipek and Emily never aged over the years. But, as time passed, he eventually found it comforting to know that at least one or two things in his life would always be the same.
“Aww, I haven’t seen them in a while,” Emily said, “How are they doing?”
“They’re doing fine,” Greg said, “It’s their 18th birthday, and that’s a big deal for anyone."
“I see” Emily smiled, “Before you go, several of the agents here pooled their money and got them gifts,” she said, pulling a pair of wrapped presents from behind the desk.
“Oh, that’s nice,” Greg said, taking them from her and putting them in his bag, “Try not to work too hard after I leave."
“Don’t worry sir, I plan on powering down in less than an hour,” she smiled, getting back to work.
Greg liked how casually she referred to her functions. Ipek acted almost the same way, though she acted more like a family member than as a personal secretary; she even had her own bedroom and salary. Greg slowly left the office, dodging past the numerous agents that wanted to alert him to something. He referred them to his second in command and finally managed to escape the building to his car to make the short trip home. When he finally arrived home, the party had just begun, with all of James and Julie’s friends, as well as family members all over to welcome them to adulthood.
“Ah, I see you finally escaped,” Sabrina said, welcoming him into their house with a loving embrace. Time had treated her well, especially since she could control the way she aged. She still looked as beautiful as the day he met her, though her face looked wiser in a way only he could tell.
“Yeah, we finally caught that body borrower and figured out how did it,” Greg said, putting his bag done and placing the gifts on the table with the rest of them.
“Good,” Sabrina said, “That guy was totally creepy."
“I take it everyone’s here?”
“Yes, and the twins are waiting for you in the yard."
“Well, let’s not keep them waiting any longer,” Greg smiled, and the two of them slowly made their way to the backyard where everyone was having a good time.
“Dad’s home!” Greg heard, and then all four of his kids suddenly charged him.
James had managed to look a great deal like Greg, though he had many of Sabrina’s nicer attributes. Julie, on the other hand, looked almost exactly like Sabrina except she had more of Greg’s intelligent gaze in her eyes, and she had a more athletic build. His other two children, Kyle who was 15, and Lana who was 13, were also slowly growing up, but did not come as close in resemblance to their parents.
Once his kids broke apart, John suddenly approached. “Hey Greg, I heard you caught that body borrower."
“Yeah, thanks to all the help you provided with that equipment I ordered,” Greg smiled, giving John a hug.
John had become pretty famous following the world wide announcement 13 years ago, but he still worked out of the same office as before. “Yeah, it’s very interesting how the guy was doing it and not getting caught,” John continued, “Attaching the brains to a sandbox machine to fool them into thinking they were going about their day normally. Very impressive."
“It was,” Greg said, “Fortunately that latest update you released allowed my equipment to track his A.I. identification code."
“Well, I for one am glad that that guy is off the streets,” John said, “Though I do hope you’ll let us offer him a job once you’re done prosecuting him."
“Really? Are you sure?” Greg asked, “He was nothing more than a creep that violated people’s bodies for his own pleasure."
“Yeah, but he also managed to exploit all of the security we’ve painstakingly put in place, and with proper work, we might be able to use his genius to further fortify that security."
“Well, I’ll have to discuss that with the deputy director and the Attorney General,” Greg said, and before either of them could say anything more, Sabrina announced loudly that the time for presents had come.
Everyone gathered around the table that had all the presents piled up on it. The largest present by far, which was from John, was a very large box. Julie was very excited as she approached, because she and many of the other people knew what was inside; her 18 year old body, fresh from John’s lab. Greg had been pretty strict with her genetic algorithm, giving certain feminine attributes a more modest size, instead of the larger size she should have developed. He promised her she would be more well-endowed as soon as she turned 18. The second she opened the box and showed everyone what her older body looked like, he both smiled and groaned as he imagined all of the boys who would be fawning over her in college; several of them were already fawning over it now. It didn’t help that it was dressed in a very flattering dress.
“Looks like you’re going to have some trouble,” John smiled, sensing exactly what Greg was thinking.
“I know,” Greg sighed, watching as James used his new android repair tools he had just gotten as a gift to open his sister up and transfer her to her new body. She came online in it a few moments later, and naturally, the first thing she did was to feel her much larger breasts.
As he watched his children continue on with the presents, he once again reflected on his life and finally came to an inescapable conclusion: He was happy.
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