Two Branches of Evolution

[Onrai]

[member="SARI"]

Everyone reaches a crossroads eventually. A place where the one road diverged into two branches, and only one of which could be followed.

Circe wasn't one for accepting that only one could be followed. And as such, she had come here to explain to her AI the two methods of evolution, for her to fully evolve from simply a being into a species of digital, DNA-based beings, or for her to become human. Either way was a massive step in her evolution, and Circe wanted to make sure that Sari was accomodated for throughout the entire process. Tapping on the holoprojector, she smiled.

"Wakey wakey..."

 

[Slot 2]

A small blue woman appeared atop the holoprojector, a warm smile on her face. "Good morning, Cassie. Sleep well?" SARI said happily. She'd been smoothly pilotig the vessel through space all night, as AIs don't require rest like organics do.
[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="SARI"]

"I did, Sari..." She smiled, barely able to resist trying to tickle the tiny holoprojection of the AI. "I'm going to need you to transfer back to the mainframe. We need to discuss what happens next with you evolution-wise." With that, she stepped away from the vessel's bridge, heading to airlock that connected to the cargo container. Sari's mainframe was located in there.

It was time to choose - digital, or physical?

 

[Slot 2]

SARI vanished. She traveled through the ship's mechware to the cargo bay. There, she latched onto mainframe signal. It had been a while since she'd used it. It was nice to get familiar with the circuitry again. She arrived in nano-seconds, waiting patiently for Circe to come in.
[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="SARI"]

And so Circe did. She smiled at the life-sized hologram before pondering for a moment.

"There are two ways we can do this, Sari... Way number one is that we combine your digitized DNA with synthetically digitized male DNA to create more sentient, biological-based AIs. The other option, far more ambitious, is that I give you a body. A real body. A human body." She smiled, giving the woman a soft grin. "One that you would be able to experience life in. Your choice."

 

[Slot 2]

It was a difficult choice. Did SARI want to contribute to a new wave of science by creating a new breed of Artificial Intelligence, or did she want to be the first A.I. to have a human body to access whenever she wanted? She stroked her chin with her hand, thinking very hard.
[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="SARI"]

"We could theoretically do both... you would be the first sentient being to have both biological and digital children." She smiled, giving a soft grin to the artificial intelligence. "You can do one or the other, or both. Do tell..."

 

[Slot 2]

At this comment, SARI reached a conclusion. She cupped both of her hands in front of his and closed her eyes, nodding. "Then, I want to do both. I want to create other A.I.s in a way never previously thought possible, and I want to have a body of my own." She looked at Circe and grinned. "It's going to take a lot of work, isn't it?" She said, knowing the answer anyway.
[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

"Oh, sweetie... you're admittedly somewhat unknowing. I've already synthesized your DNA pattern and begun growing an embryo based on your genes using a cloning tank. She'll be ready soon, at which point I will need to remove the brain and replace it with a droid one. We can then connect the droid brain to the spinal cord using biofiber for interfacing."

A smile crossed Circe's face as she overviewed the awe being delivered by Sari's choice. "If you want to begin the trials for your digital reproductive processes... we can start now."

[member="SARI"]

 

[Slot 2]

"Won't we need a male DNA donor for that? Preferably a willing one. I don't want to force someone into this." SARI replied. She regrettably didn't know of any potential candidates. There was one; Shadow. But she had no current status of his whereabouts, so he was out of the picture.
[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="SARI"]

"Actually, no." Circe smiled, opening up a file on the computer. "Remember those test data packets? Those were made using a digital copy of Onyx's DNA, with some basic modifications to allow for their self-termination." She paused, pondering things. "I suppose that if we wanted to, we could simply use those. How many would you want to... incubate?" She raised an eyebrow.

"And how long?"

 

[Slot 2]

"I'd like it to be the standard nine months. And... I want two. Is there any way to preset the gender?" SARI said. She wanted this to be as human as it could be for an A.I. The thought of having... children. It was a daunting prospect. She wasn't sure how good she'd be as a mother, but she would do her best.
[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="SARI"]

"I suppose some genetic coding could be inputted to predetermine gender... Are you looking for a boy and a girl?" she raised an eyebrow, wondering if Sari intended to have the 'standard family,' as traditionally depicted. "If that's what you want, I'll gladly preprogram the viral packets to acknowledge such. And once you release them, they will be of those two genders."

Circe was ready to begin things now if she wished.

 

[Slot 2]

SARI nodded. "One boy, and one girl. I know it's a little generic, but I've wondered for a while what it would be like." She looked down at her stomach. They'd done a brief simulation a few months back. It was fascinating to watch as her stomach grew like a normal person's would. And now, instead of just deletion, the bump in her torso would become two new beings entirely. Beings that came from her. Children of her very own. SARI was nervous, but also more excited then she'd ever been before.
[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="SARI"]

"Very well." Circe stepped over to the nearest console and began to type in the information, preparing the viral packets soon to be implanted within her code. She programmed their genders specifically to Sari's specifications, and once they were properly coded, the viral packets were released. She would see two red packets circling around her holographic form, waiting for her to accept them into herself. When that happened... the process would begin.

And new life would be formed.

 

[Slot 2]

SARI watched the two packets anxiously. She bit her lip. "Cassie? What's it like.... To be a mother?" She asked.
[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

[member="SARI"]

"It's the most amazing feeling in the world. Nothing will ever prepare you for it." And indeed, nothing had ever prepared Circe for the arrival of Saera or Darren. But both were wonderful. "I promise you, you won't regret it."

 

[Slot 2]

SARI sighed, and nodded. "You're right." She took the first little red packet in her hand. She held it up to her mouth and swallowed it. The glowing red orb visibly traveled down her body to her stomach where the light from it disappeared. Once the second one disappeared inside her, she placed both her hands on her abdomen. Already, she could feel tiny inklings of her own biomechanics and data banks beginning to ebb out of her and into those two tiny packets. Her children were on their first steps to becoming sentient.
[member="Enigma"]

 

[Onrai]

Circe smiled, moving forward to give a hug to the solid-state image of Sari. "And there we go. The two proto-AIs are going to take a while to grow inside you. I'm expecting three stages here - accretion, stasis, and activation. The proto-AIs will first collect data from your own AI. Then they'l go into stasis, solidifying their digital pathways and whatnot. And finally, they'll begin to move around and act on their own before being released from you." She smiled. "Now, shall we work on prepping your installation into a body?"

[member="SARI"]

 

[Slot 2]

SARI nodded. "We might as well. I've got nine months of experimentation ahead of me. Wouldn't want to fall behind on anything else." She smiled back at Circe. "I'll have to be extra careful for the time being. It would be safer if I stayed in one form so that the children develop properly. The body will have to be kept in cryostasis or another preservative method until they're born."
[member="Enigma"]