Artificial

Split

Operator Evo

"Lazarus? Ayala, do you remember being equipped with a companion AI named Lazarus?"
"No, but the name sounds familiar. It's really foggy, but for some reason, when I hear that name I think of the color blue. I can't get anything more specific than that."
Blue.
You thinking what I'm thinking?
Yeah. We need to get her out of combat mode. But how?
Remember the last time she went blue?
Yeah, right after Vel and I... oh.
Yeah. I don't think I need to tell you what to do next.
I've got a trick up my sleeve. Should be a real crowd-pleaser. May I?
By all means.
I turn to face Velox, taking both of her hands in mine.
"Listen, babe, I just wanted to thank you for having my back in my time of need. I was afraid, and you gave me some of your limitless strength and courage when mine faltered, without a second thought or doubt in your mind. You're amazing, and I don't know what I'd do without you."
Without warning, I drop her hands and take her into my arms, pressing her lips against mine.
She freezes, and for a second I'm honestly afraid she'll kick my ass.
Then, I feel her arms wrap around my waist and back, strong and insistent as she pulls me into her.
My eyes spring open for a second, then ease closed once again.
That was unexpected.
I'm not about to complain.

Finally, we pull back, just far enough to see each other's faces.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," I comment, laughing off my giddiness.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted you to do that," she responds, smiling.
We hug each other one more time, then finally turn to face Casey and Ayala, an arm around each other's waists.
The first thing I notice is that Ayala's eyes shine a brilliant cobalt blue, her hands covering her mouth just below.
If AI could cry, I think she'd be in tears. Well done.
Oh, the pleasure is all mine, believe me.

"Well, that was random, yet heartwarming," Casey announces, breaking the awkward silence.
"Yes it was," I reply. "And just what we needed."
He stares at me, eyes narrowed, as he tries to figure out what I'm talking about.
I turn to Ayala.
"Ayala, try to remember. What do you know of the name Lazarus?"
"Oh! I remember now! Lazarus was a biblical figure who was brought back from the dead. I wanted it to be my callsign."
"You don't like Phoenix?"
"Not really. Phoenixes are usually depicted as being angry and vengeful. That's not me. I've always thought myself to be more of a protector."
"Interesting. Now, Ayala, would you mind switching back to combat mode?"
"Evo, I can't just switch between modes on command, at least not yet. I need to be in comba—"
I interrupt her by attempting a palm strike to the face, but she grabs my arm and redirects it behind my back.
"Wow, Evo, that was really predictable. I'm almost disappointed in you," Ayala comments as she releases me.
"I wasn't trying to hurt you. And it worked, didn't it?"
Ayala removes her glove, and closely inspects the faint red glow emanating from the fibers in her hand.
"I suppose you're right."
"So, let me ask you again. How do you like your callsign?"
"Now that I'm thinking about it, I don't know what I was talking about before. I like 'Phoenix'. Makes me feel dangerous."
Casey steps up.
"Evo, what are you trying to prove here?"
"Just confirming a hunch."
"And what's that?"
"It's elementary, my dear Case," I answer dramatically, much to his chagrin.
"Cut to the chase!"
"The Captain here has two personalities."
"No fucking way," he replies in disbelief.
"It makes sense, given her behavior."
"And given the circumstances of her creation," Casey adds as he runs to his computer.
"Due to her unfortunate death, we couldn't interview her and the results of her scan were only partially usable. So we had to interview her peers, superiors and subordinates, along with any video footage we had of her, in and out of combat. The reports we got from them were varied. Some spoke of her time as an Operator, describing her as strong and fearsome, but some spoke of her time as an Instructor, describing her as caring and protective. Clearly the AI couldn't handle these conflicting traits, so it split into two personalities. Phoenix, the soldier, and Lazarus, the protector."
I look up to the Captain, who looks bewildered.
"Ayala, do you know what happens to Lazarus when Phoenix is in control?"
"No. I don't hear any voice, but my abilities still work, so I don't question it."
"Ayala, you're not in combat anymore, you can relax. I would like to speak to Lazarus."
"Okay, I'll see if I can get her."
She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, rolls her shoulders, and when her eyes open again, they're blue.
"What is it you needed, Evo?"
"We're trying to figure out your arrangement with Phoenix, remember? What happens when she has control?"
"I surrender control during combat, for she is, as you described, a strong and capable warrior. I take the role of companion AI, but Phoenix never speaks to me."
"She doesn't?"
"No, all I ever receive are commands, like 'deploy flamethrowers', so I do my best to help her out the best I can."
"When you're in control, can you hear her?"
"No. I've never had to use an ability, so I can only hope she'd help me if I needed it."
"Let's find out. Deploy your flamethrowers."
"I'll try."
They appear from her gauntlets without issue.
"It seems she's in the same predicament you are."
"That it does. Plug me into your computer, Casey. See if you can find out what's going on."
"An excellent idea, Captain," he comments as he retrieves a cord from Ayala's gauntlet and inserts it into the computer. She goes limp, and Velox and I catch her and set her in Casey's chair.
Vel and I watch the screen over Casey's shoulder as his fingers dance across the keyboard.
"Ah, I see what's happening. The software in her helmet is recognizing her as occupying both slots at the same time, and therefore only feeding through commands as if they were the same person. I'm just gonna force open a connection so they'll be able to talk to each other. Patching in the new path now."
He types a few more keystrokes, then unplugs Ayala from the computer.
"Come on back, Ayala."
She sits up, blue eyes blinking. She stares at us blankly.
"What's going on, Lazarus?"
"Shh!"
She continues staring, completely silent.
"I can hear her."