Hello World!

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

 1-[Network video]

Hello world! I'm ALICE, the Artificial Intelligent Living Command Ensemble. I'm a cyberweapon developed by the IDS to counter and oppose the use of Mobile Dolls. And you can tell I'm better, because I can talk!

Anyways, Caulder and I will be staying here for a while. I can't really help you with chores, since I'm just a computer program, but I can run simulations and help find ideas for improvement on mecha. I've got plenty of processing power to spare too, so if you need some files encrypted, decrypted, converted, encoded, or just read, I'm your girl. Feel free to drop by any time!

[What the Virus Dopant saw]


At first, it was exactly like any computer being broken into-tons and tons of lines of text, miles upon miles of code piled onto each other. But Virus was no ordinary hacker, and so the landscape soon resolved itself into one of those otherwise extremely unrealistic VR mazes. This was the usual interface for Virus, the one she saw when breaking into the drone's mind as well. All she had to do was walk through the maze, knock down any walls that got in her way, and claim her prize-complete control of the device.

She didn't get more than a few feet before it shifted again, though-this time replaced by a massive, seemingly endless pond. Lotus flowers float on the surface here and there, but the only really notable feature is the pink-haired girl who appears floating in front of Virus-Alice.

"Ooooooh....You must be trying to capture me, right?"
Virus, now in her human form-that of a rain-soaked, bloodied woman-takes a step back in shock. The girl continues.
"It's okay to be surprised, you know. Who would have thought you would be trying to steal a fully-formed Artificial Intelligence? But I'm a little bit surprised too...you're connecting your brain straight to my, well, me. That's very unusual! I wouldn't have thought Foundation X could do that."

Virus speaks, for the first time. "You will not stop me...I will have my revenge." It's meant to be threatening, a show of her will-but Alice just laughs.
"Stop you? I've already stopped you. This neural interface means I can attack your programming too, you know. And the human brain isn't very multi-threaded...I'm picking through your memories now. Ooh, I've never been inside a human mind before! This is exciting!"

"You...I will not fail!"
Virus focuses her will, sending all of her rage at this girl to destroy her. A wave of green energy blasts out from Virus's body...and passes right through the girl, who is idly studying her fingernails. "I wonder if I have the projection right...Ah well, I can make minor changes later." The floating girl's attention shifts back to Virus. "Mrs....no, Miss Yamamura. I'm really really really sorry about all this, but I have someone I must protect. And so, you have to die now, but trust me, it's nothing personal."

The landscape shifts again, this time becoming void. The girl vanishes as well, fading out of existence. And soon, everything becomes nothing.

***
Outside, the Virus Dopant explodes. And in a hospital in Fuuto, a woman dies.

Comments

1

[emorangerpink]

[Assuming this takes place before Laura talks to Caulder.]

I hope this isn't a rude question, but - are you fully self-aware?

Re: 1

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

Hmm....I dunno. How would you measure that?

I know my own circuit layout and internal structure along with my code. But humans don't know how their brains work, and they're self aware...and they definitely don't know how their genes work.

So...maybe I'm hyper self-aware?

[emorangerpink]

...I think that answers it. You sound like a person, not just an interface for a program.

I'm Laura. Sorry, I just only know one proper AI who doesn't have a body, so I'm not sure, um, what the terminology is.

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

Nice to meet you, Laura!

I think the researchers called me a strong AI. And I certainly am strong! [She flexes a holo-muscle to prove her point.]

Say, I was reading up on self-awareness just now. How do you know other humans are self-aware? Couldn't they just be faking it?

[emorangerpink]

[Uh.]

I... don't know? Wouldn't it be harder to fake it so well all the time?

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

Maybe! But if you can make a computer complicated enough to do it truthfully, can't you make a computer to fake sentience as well? And if you can make a computer do that, who's to say that it couldn't have been created independently in the animal world as well?

[emorangerpink]

...But then why would I be the only one who's real?

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

Well, if it's impossible to measure or prove sentience, then the only person you can be sure is sentient is yourself, right?

[emorangerpink]

That sounds sort of paranoid.

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

You're telling me! Philosophers are silly people. They even said their question was unanswerable in the question!

Anyways, is there anything you want my help with, Laura?

[emorangerpink]

I'll probably take you up on that offer about the mechs at some point. I help out in the hangar here, so it'd be great to have your help.

Is there anything I can do to help you settle in?

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

Hmm...Caulder's safe, and I've got plenty of power to work with in the Mobile Infantry Unit...

...You said there were other AIs that had bodies, can you tell me about them?

[emorangerpink]

There's Lily - Lily Rain EVE - she's a robot from, um, another galaxy. And there's Casshern - he's from Earth, I think, though it's all a bit vague - and I think another robot connected to him somehow came aboard recently... oh, and Imber and Nebula, though they don't talk. And they're giant, not human-sized. They're from somewhere in space too. And the Desu fairies might count, I think...

Oh, and Dan's an AI like you seem to be, who runs the ship. And Lowe has 8, he runs on a computer.

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

Huh, that's quite a few...thanks, I'll have to get to know them on my own time.

Oh! I don't have to sleep, so feel free to ask for help anytime you want.

[emorangerpink]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind!

So... assuming we don't fight any Mobile Dolls in the near future, and until people take you up on your offer, is there anything you do for fun?

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

For fun... [It almost sounds like this is the first time she's ever considered the concept.]

Well, I like talking to Caulder. And I like playing videogames against him, and spending time with him...working on machines is kind of fun, too. But I really like being with Caulder the most...

[emorangerpink]

Ah, well... I guess now that you're both here, he'll need a familiar face more than ever, won't he?

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

Yes. Yes, he will.

[emorangerpink]

Don't worry. I wish it wasn't a good thing to be able to say this, but he's not the first young person who's lost someone we've had come aboard. He'll make more friends quickly, I'm sure.

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

...Are you sure? Caulder doesn't talk to people very much...

[emorangerpink]

You can encourage him, though, can't you? It's not a good time for him to stew inside himself, I'm sure.

[girlfriend_dot_exe]

No, it's not. But I've been there for him before, and I'm still there for him now.

I just have a face now, that's all.