body to be highly fragile. By all means, this situation has an advantage – we’ve survived. And do you know what we’ve come to realize?
No matter where a Piece of Mind abides: be it an innate biological body or artificial one. Everything depends not only on the number of neural impulses but also on the DNA genetic memory. The biological body has more capacity for self-regulation thanks to the Creator’s vast experience.
By the way, the cyber body biosensors allow for a deeper perception of the world. For example, the range of my visual and audible perception stretches far beyond human capabilities. What also changes is the thinking pattern. The unique human brain is more adapted to the conventional three-dimension perception of the world. Far more is available to me now. And you know how this affects one’s outlook on life? Life goes on, but on a different scale with changed priorities.”
Alex had never seriously considered changing her physical body before and was listening attentively to the doctor’s account.
“What’s your name? What do you do at the base?
“Bioengineer, Captain, Helen by name. Nick: River. Another nick given by our guys: Cyber-screw. Ha-ha! Doesn’t that sound funny?”
Alex could felt the arm manipulators proceeding with operation. She enjoyed her talk with Helen.
“How many of you were there at the beginning?”
“There were five of us: two girls and three boys. The fifth was Ninochka named Arrow, our pilot-explorer. When the enemy detected us, they started bombarding us heavily. But that caused us no harm. The base was hidden deep underground. But what we did not expect was the nano-virus attack.” Helen sighed, “No matter how hard we tried, we failed to rewrite Ninochka and so we lost her.”
Alex saw that Helen felt uncomfortable remembering the nano-virus attack. She could barely imagine herself in a similar situation.
“Well,” said Helen, “I’ve almost finished. The edges are being coupled. Avoid abrupt movements for two or three hours.
There are also a few micro-bleedings in the brain. You seem to have been beaten up pretty bad by the Coalition. You may have headaches, but I will deal with that later on,” the manipulators stopped operating. “Alex, pick up some clothes at the warehouse and come to the bunkroom. You are already being waited for.”
Alex slowly got off the table and examined herself: instead of the lacerated wound there was only a barely visible scar. The air pleasantly smelled of medical drugs. With a hum of content Alex headed to the equipment warehouse, where she started raking around shelves for something suitable. She came across packages with standard underwear, shirts and shoes. All necessary combat gear was manufactured by the military Printers in compliance with the standard programs. The military never washed their clothes by themselves, but simply disposed of them, while new clothes were printed as required. Alex knew that clothing printer operators liked creating something non-standard and unusual. They proudly referred to their works as “military collections” in “Gladiator”, “Viking” or “Star Wars” styles. Those could be colored shirts made of gyroscopic material or unusually designed trousers. Such clothes were especially favored by soldiers and officers. Everyone wanted to have, aside from standard suits, something unique and convenient.
Soon Alex found a one-size white shirt adjustable to the body dimensions with a fit-in heat control system. Her clothing set was supplemented with sand-colored sports trousers and loafers. Having changed, Alex threw her worn underwear into a utilizer and returned to the equipment warehouse to explore its contents. There she saw racks with combat suits designed for military campaigns in desert environment.
The gear was properly improved and upgraded directly at the base and included built-in batteries protecting hips and back, stimulating agents reserves, hypodermic injectors used for wounds healing, high-protein food stocks and body heat control systems. What a remarkable collection! Alex added some required devices to her combat gear set. Having studied and assessed the most advanced gear options, she went to enormous sand-colored machines that reminded of scorpions.
“Combat cyborgs,” she muttered “and evacuators as well. You guys seem to be specially made for deserts!”
The scorpions were standing in the depth of the warehouse near a large hinged door corresponding to their dimensions. But Alex passed them by, as her attention was caught by most unusual combat exoskeletons. Alex turned short in admiration before them. The nearest exoskeleton steadily rested on huge legs that looked like those of a tyrannosaurus. The second one was similar to a mantis. At a closer look, Alex realized that their legs length could vary as required.
A pilot could ensconce himself cozily in the mass center point, which provided for balance and easy control. A pilot’s body was securely protected by several armor layers. And the air regeneration system seemed to be provided as well.
Close by there were manipulator samples and weapons specially designed for state-of-the-art developments. Everything was thought out to the last detail in terms of functionality. She touched and closely examined the rough mat surface of the exoskeleton to make sure that it was also designed on the Printer. The design author took as the basis the insect body structure, inspired by its perfect and simple natural forms.
“The master touch is clearly seen,” she reflected in admiration. Further on there were various new models of AI-based exoskeletons and combat machines. Alex with professional interest noted a few advanced and highly sophisticated models of flying exoskeletons, whose distinctive feature was the capacity to fulfill combat mission both under a pilot control and in automatic mode. In addition, their control function was extended in such a way so as to allow a pilot to use either standard control systems or verbal and mental ones at choice. In essence, those models were universal combat platforms for any equipment or gear to be built on. She looked automatically at a hanger with her old worn-out flight suit and boots that now seemed to be part of her past.
“People seem to have surpassed themselves in efforts to destroy their own kind,” Alex muttered, “I will back here later – there’s plenty of interesting,” she thought decidedly. Alex put a pistol with a holster next her new suit. "I ought to make sure the suit is filled with water and all required medical arsenal before going out,” she thought.
“Lovely,” Alex said to herself as she stepped out into the hallway “I’m really lucky to have access to such a warehouse!”
A convenient combat suit and sophisticated armored exoskeleton were what anyone in her world would like to have.
“I wonder what is there of interest in the food unit?” she said to herself again.
She liked the base: like any other military facility it was perfectly clean, neat, and functional. She guessed that the base used to be a home to a special reconnaissance unit. “Used to be..?”
“No, they are still operative. Only they have abandoned their natural biological bodies.” Still Alex could not get accustomed to the concept of “abandoning a body”.
Thinking about that, she stopped near the next door down the hallway; the door noiselessly crawled aside upon her approach. On entering, she immediately saw Wolf Abel. He was lying on a large table and funnily swirling with his whole body in a doggy style. The long soldiery table was the ideal place for that amusement he obviously enjoyed.
At her unexpected appearance, the Wolf stopped swirling, deftly turned over and assumed the sphinx position.
Smiling, Alex stopped short at the doorway, staring at the Wolf’s huge body whirling like a small puppy. He slowly and proudly turned his head in her direction and, gazing her in the eye, sent
