LITMIR.BIZ

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Alex’s commanding officer,” at these words he twitched his tail and its color grew slightly darker.”

      In fact, Alex was perplexed by Abel’s words. She had no plans of serving in intelligence and joining such an unusual team. The good news was that her friend and navigator Eol was saved. Their long joint service had made them real friends. Eol could find non-standard solutions in any tricky situation. On top of that, he was prone to scientific research with focus on astrophysics.

      Her thoughts were interrupted by Abel’s voice in her head:

      “Alex, the commander has finished his job and joint us. So now I can introduce you to all of us: the most short-spoken member of our team and our esteemed commander is general Nikolo nicknamed Absolem. He specializes in the Outer Space research. Doctor River, Helene, also called Cyber-screw. You’ve already made her acquaintance. Major Alim Connoisseur is in charge of analytics, geophysics. He is also Doctor of Science and our spiritual Mentor. Senior lieutenant Frol Kulibin is our programmer, printer operator and developer of artificial intelligence and cyber bodies. My body is one of his creations. Come on now, shovel down your meal, this is no obstacle to our conversation.”

      Alex readily got down to her meal. As her nervous strain had receded she realized how tired and hungry she was. A thought ran through her mind: “Thank Gods, I’m among friends now, eating in a canteen. I’m really lucky to have met Wolf Abel.”

      By nature Alex was inquisitive and calm person. She would be pleased to join that team. Abel was lying on the table with his legs crossed in front of him, and his tail hanging off almost to the floor. From time to time Alex caught his watchful gaze on her. The Wolf’s hair assumed iron-gray color with black scorch marks on hips.

      Alex had always taken interest in artificial intelligence beings, cyber bodies with their amazing biological processes and powerful batteries. Their owners used those bodies as substitute for natural biological ones and felt quite comfortable within them.

      The issue of body change was widely discussed among pilots, possibly due to the profession specifics. For the first time she found herself at a base with the whole team rewritten into a bio-processor and living in virtual forms. It was not an easy task to get used to that right away. People are generally reluctant to abandon their stereotypes.

      She kept thinking about her mate’s fate. They had gone through a lot together, “How’s Eol? What state is he in?” she asked addressing to everyone present.

      “He is not yet ready for communication,” someone’s strict voice uttered in her head, “I’m working on preservation of his individuality and integrity. Damage was inflicted on him. But now he is all right and is recovering. Judging by the scope of information stored, he has highly advanced mental capacity. By the way, the fact that you are alive was entirely his credit.”

      “Don’t worry,” Abel’s voice was having a calming effect on the girl, “Alim Connoisseur who has taken on responsibility for your friend’s mind is highly qualified. I think you’ll be able to talk to Eol in the morning. And for us all it will be interesting to study his data base. By the way, he has willingly provided us with a great deal of information.

      “That’s good news, Alim,” Alex looked up unintentionally at the black sphere as Abel did. Eol saved my life a dozen times. Officers, my understanding is that you already know everything about me; therefore I’ve got nothing to add, aside from the fact that I’m a bit tired after the recent events and really pleased to have made your acquaintance. It’s slightly unusual for me to walk along a base without meeting people. But since my mate and I have stuck here, we’ll adapt quickly. I like this place. I was impressed by the flying vehicles I saw in your armory,” Alex said through a thought form to everyone present.

      Alex was dressed in a white tight shirt and sand-colored trousers. Thick blond hair was combed into a ponytail. Like all pilots, she had natural and easy manners. One could barely call her shy. On the contrary, in dealing with people, she displayed self-confidence, while her trim figure and nice-looking appearance gained everyone’s likes. Her sincerity and good temper, coupled with a habit to look one straight in the eye and lack of any flirtation, made her utterly irresistible. That was probably the reason why Wolf Abel, lying on the table opposite the girl, was ceaselessly looking at her. His gestures and the way he moved his ears showed he was truly enjoying her company. Sitting at the table in carefree pose, Alex wolfed down her meal which did not prevent her from having a leisure talk. Rest and food gave her strength and good mood. The place where the wound used to be was no longer aching.

      “Can I have seconds?” she asked Abel with a smile. Then she lightly got off and came up to the synthesizer again, “I’ll try to fix up a dessert”.

      The Wolf followed her with his eyes and sent a thought form to everyone in the room: “Frol, how do you like our beauty fallen from the sky?”

      “Abel,” said a young clear voice, “during the Pole Battle this beauty in one day changed two “Predators”, and both were pierced like sifters, then she knocked down the Coalition’s ace, who together with his navigator, had plenty of medals.”

      On hearing these words, Alex shook her head, smiling: “Come on, guys that just happened.”

      As a matter of fact, Alex was an outgoing person. And now that everything was behind, she regained her self-confidence. Her innate curiosity prompted her to learn more about those unusual people, now living within powerful processors, while successfully carrying on their military service. She kept thinking about what would come of her, if, one day, she would have to rewrite her conscience into a processor and leave her body. What would she be like? In what way would her life change? And what part of the former Alex would be forever lost?

      Having eaten up her dessert, Alex put dirty dishes into the utilizer, and turned to the Wolf, who was looking at her all the time: “Abel, I do enjoy staying here in your company. Who knows, maybe tomorrow I’ll be sent to another base? But personally I’d rather stay here for another couple of days. So let’s assume that we are short on time and talk things over, seeing as I’ve been given such a rare chance. You don’t mind guys having a talk, if you are not busy, of course? Frankly speaking, like all other pilots in natural bodies, I can’t help wondering what it feels like to be rewritten, since sooner or later, this will happen to us”.

      “Well, let’s come over to the conference room then? You’ll feel more comfortable there,” Frol seemed to have heard her thoughts about an after-lunch rest. Alex was gradually getting used to conversations by means of thought forms, during which she heard voices of unseen interlocutors in her mind. Having chosen Abel as the sole visual object, she stopped before him with her hands on her hips and simply said: “Then show me to the conference room, Wolf.”

      At first nothing happened, but then suddenly one of the walls illuminating soft white light smoothly vanished into the air, opening up an enormous round room divided into sectors by translucent walls. In one of the sectors, Alex saw armchairs of the conference room. With a single move, the Wolf jumped off the table and came up to her, his large head being at the level of her shoulder. Then he headed slowly towards the armchairs, and the girl immediately followed him. Upon their approach, the next translucent wall on their way dissolved, while the lightning of the hall turned brighter. Alex, feeling full and happy, sat up with relish into a large cozy armchair.

      “What a first-class facility you’ve got guys! All these holographic walls, wide open spaces… While we have bunkrooms for three and food synthesizers without a dash of fantasy. Which is quite understandable though since you’re intelligence! The elite.”

      “Already missing the company of living people?” Abel slightly poked her elbow with his head. His hair was surprisingly soft. He lied down on the floor next to her armchair, while all other residents of the base seemed to have transferred their conscience into the room. Alex could feel their presence.

      “No, Wolf. I’ll tell you what pilots love: we appreciate solitude, illimitable space of the sky, which we chose to share with no one but our flying mate”.

      “Commander,” said Helen’s voice transmitted through a commonly heard thought form, “the state of senior lieutenant Bjorg requires additional treatment and a three-day rest due to brain

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