Artificial

Revival

Captain Ayala (K.I.A.)

I open my eyes to a plain white ceiling. Everything smells.... sterile. Am I in a hospital? I look over and see a technician, typing away at a computer.
What happened? Last thing I remember I had shoved Vel away from that rocket...

Was I knocked out?

I raise my hand, but see a neatly woven array of black cords and shiny metal instead of flesh. I scream, but my voice isn't mine. It sounds robotic, and artificial.
"What the hell happened?!"
"Sorry, Ayala, we haven't synced up your voice yet," the technician answers calmly. "Still combing through security footage for enough samples to synthesize speech."
"What happened to my body?"
"Oh. Right. It's boxed up, ready to be sent back planetside. Trifold flag and all. You can go see it, if you'd like, once we give you the all clear."
"How am I alive?"
"You're technically not. It's a long story."
"Not like I have anything else to do!"
"Fair enough."

"The rocket you saved Operator Velox from killed you. Shrapnel severed your spinal cord, and the blast broke your neck. There was no saving you. Near-instant death. It was awful. But what came after was even worse. You should've seen the aftermath. Operator Velox flew into a berserk rage. She was killing people with her bare hands. She punched through a man's chest and punctured his lung, ripped someone's arm off and beat him over the head with it. Eventually her AI had to sedate her after she turned on Operator Evo when he tried to calm her down. Companion AI Boost said it took ten minutes for her to go down even after she had administered enough tranquilizers to incapacitate a small elephant."
"That sounds like her."
"Operator Evo's friend, Casey, approached her when she awoke and told her he could pull some strings and see about reviving you as a Generation 2.0 AI. She was reluctant, but agreed. The hardest part was gathering enough data to recreate you. Normally there would be a brain scan, and intelligence and personality evaluations, but none of those were an option since you were already deceased. So instead, we interviewed as many people as we could who knew you. Former Recruits, current Recruits, your squadmates from your days in combat, administrators, everyone we could find who would comment. We also collected all the helmet cam footage we could, along with the feed from any security cam that had caught sight of you. We had a few researchers cross-reference everything to make sure it was accurate, and hoped for the best. Seems to have turned out pretty well."
I want to scream, but instead I calmly respond, "I suppose, all things considered."
When people look to you, you have to remain stoic.
It's the best way to inspire loyalty: lead by example.
Yes, exactly—wait a minute. Did I just hear myself again? Is this a side effect of being an AI?
...
No echo there. Whatever.
"So, when can I get that 'all clear' you were talking about? I'd like to go see my Operators."
"Just need to run some diagnostics, and you'll need to come in later so we can update your vocal driver."
"Well, run 'em. I'm kind of curious to see how this body handles. If Evo's is any indication, I should be impressed."
"Well, for starters, let's get you on your feet."
I slowly lower one foot to the floor, and then the other. I expected to be disoriented, or at least a little clumsy, but everything feels smooth, and perfectly coordinated.
"How do you feel?"
"Stable."
"Stable?
"Yes, stable. Incredibly steady on my feet. Unshakable."
"You sound impressed," the technician comments, smiling, as she scribbles down notes.
"Not yet."
The technician stops suddenly.
"What did you have in mind?"
I crack a smile.
"What I have in mind can't be done here."

"Are you sure this is necessary?"
"Yes, now stand back and count down. I'm gonna put this artificial body to the test."
I lower myself into starting position, and the technician begins counting.
"3... 2... 1... Go!"
I take off sprinting, each stride perfectly measured, my balance perfect. I'm moving faster than I ever could before. I leap into the air, soaring up and carrying over a five-foot-tall vertical wall, and land with a heavy thud.
How can such a heavy frame be so agile?
I run up to the entrance to the killhouse, which is blocked by a HVTT "RHINO" armored transport vehicle. I take hold of the front bumper and lift it up to my chest, then push the massive vehicle back until it no longer blocks the entrance.
Okay, that's impressive.
And useful. This strength could save lives.
And end them just as well.
As I sprint through the tunnel, I pick up my old sidearm, recovered from the battlefield. I sprint through the target course at top speed, never breaking stride and never missing a target.
It's an amazing feeling. I look at the target, think about what needs to be done, and my body will follow through with pinpoint precision.
The gun goes empty as the last target falls, and one obstacle stands between me and the end of the course: a steel door. I begin sprinting at full speed, and lower my shoulder during my approach. The door goes flying off of its hinges, and I charge through unimpeded. I jog to a stop, catch my breath, and cheer.
"Holy shit, I kick ass!"
The technician approaches me, her tablet displaying my performance in the killhouse. A slight smirk occupies her face as she combs through statistics.
"You were like a goddess of war."
"I'd say so," Velox comments, walking out of the killhouse observation room.
"You saw?"
"Saw everything! That was amazing to watch! You're like the female Evo, with more experience!"
"Thanks, sweetie."
"So, you like the new bod?"
"It's... okay, I suppose."
"What's wrong? Seems pretty nice to me."
"Don't get me wrong, this," I respond, pausing to gesture to my synthetic body, obscured only by a tank top, exercise shorts, and trainers. "Is amazing. A true marvel of science. But it's not mine. It's too perfect. My old body had its quirks, sure, like that little layer of flab I could never quite trim off of my stomach, or my disproportionately big feet that I needed custom-made combat boots for, but it was mine, and it worked well enough.
"I feel you on the custom-made thing," Velox comments. "They don't make combat armor for short girls with broad shoulders, but I wouldn't trade mine for the world."
Evo embraces her from behind.
"Yeah, they don't know what they're missing. I love you just the way you are."
"That's sweet, babe, but we both know my ass more than makes up for it."
"Your legs are pretty nice, too."
"I honestly do hate to interrupt your little love fest," I interject. "But can we get back to the subject at hand?"
"Of course," they respond in unison.
Dear god, these kids were made for each other.
"I know it's weird at first, but you'll come to love your new body. I know I did," Evo remarks, flexing his left bicep.
I let out a quick chuckle in spite of my conflicting emotions.
"I know, it's just hard letting go of who I used to be."
"You don't need to! I never did! Was I a little more confident? Absolutely! But did I stop studying because I was strong? Not at all! I kept learning, kept practicing my aim, and never got cocky. It's up to you to stay true to who you are, Captain! Your body may have changed, but that doesn't mean everything else has to!"
"You're pretty wise for someone so young."
"I've been through a lot," he responds, smiling.