Ava and Aphrodite: The First Human in 8000 Years (Featured)

Chapter 18: War is Eternal

Ava, Sylvie and the Major all sat in the private meeting room, facing each other. Neither Ava not Sylvie could understand why the Major was pissed off, but it was evident in her Block-6 shell body that she was annoyed. Upon returning to Mars, Ava managed to transfer their cognitions to blank Servs, temporarily while new bodies got made for them. It had been only an hour since then.

Maybe the Major was annoyed because she was in a man's body, somehow the stern look on her face didn't really look any different whether it was on a man or a woman though.

"Explain it to me again, for the record," said the Major, "more detailed than the fumbled explanation you gave me during the ship ride." The Major grit her teeth, "when I was locked in Sylvie's little brain."

Why was she so annoyed?

"I developed a new technique, a way to transfer cognition without needing to record it digitally as a copy and imprint it onto a blank body." Ava said, frankly,

"How? And why?"

"How? Simple, instead of recording the data itself, I record the way the data is constructed. After that it's a case of physically taking your actual data, your literal hard drive, shattering in to so many pieces that it becomes transmittable remotely, and then reconstructing it in someone else's cognition. As long as they have space." He said this as if it made sense,

"Basically you took my brain, broke it up into little pieces and threw it Sylvie to reconstruct." Said the Major, "rather than copying my brain as data, you turned it into data."

"Essentially, yes. That's why I needed our foreheads to touch. Can't do it wirelessly."

"We came up with the modification last year, after we figured out the flaw of the Copy system," said Sylvie, trying to assert her presence in the room. This was obviously a topic she wanted to address.

The Major didn't reply.

"Major, did you hear me? There's a flaw in the-"

"I heard you!" shouted the Major. Why was she so angry? "You think I don't know there's a flaw in the system? I've been a coward and have been avoiding using it since it was implemented. I've been a goddamn coward!"

"A coward? Avoiding the Copy system is what's made you so strong. And it's what makes Ava and me such a strong unit too." Said Sylvie.

The air was thick. There were a lot of things to discuss, why did Sylvie have to bring up the most sensitive topic first? No, the Major wanted to talk about it too. That was clear. Suddenly a smug look appeared on the Major's face.

"So what's the flaw?" she asked,

"Huh?" Sylvie was stopped in her tracks, she looked at Ava,

"... I... assumed that the Copy system is forced to reduce copies to the Block-level of the Servs they inhabit. It explains why people who are in other Block-6 shells for too long lose their personality, and why personality disassociation disorder exists in the first place." Ava frowned, "that is that flaw. Right?"

"Is that really such a surprise? That if you stay in someone's body for too long you start to associate with them rather than yourself." She sighed, "you're right, it's a problem, but one that's unavoidable if you want to have soldiers that are cognitive, while keeping the real soldiers behind." She smiled, "is that what you think prevents me from backing myself up? I have plenty of Block-1 backup bodies. My copies are never in other, weaker bodies."