《Raising a new world》


 Chapter 1: Nowhere to hide

    If one were to look outside Jessica''s apartment window you would see trees swaying in the breeze, and butterflies landing on the beautiful purple bushes. The sun peered through the blinds as the rays hit her face, interrupting her sleep. Shifting in her sleep, she felt the cold empty spot next to her, causing her to open her eyes, twisting around to find him.


    There he sat at his keyboard clack clacking away with black circles and reddened eyes, sipping on his coffee. "It''s okay Darren," she comforted him. "Just come to bed. Spend the time we have left in my arms." she pleaded.


    Before they released the news to the media, Darren had already known. Meteors were going to tear Earth to shreds. And nothing in the world could keep it from happening. Darren had known for months, and for months he had been like this, typing away at his computer, trying to save the world one click at a time. And she loved him for it.


    He crinkled his eyes and gave her an easy smile. "Almost done." He said as he put in the last line of code. "I love you Jenny. You know that, right?" He said, saddened.


    "Of course, Darren. Are you gonna tell me about your little project now? Did you crash the stock market or post nude photos of the President?" she giggled, teasing him.


    He clicked the last button, walked towards her with a scared and serious look on his face. He was holding something behind his back and crouched down. Jess had thought it was a ring at the time. She steeled herself for the proposal.


    "If anyone should live through all this, its you Jess. You''re the best of all of us. I love you, Jess." He said, seriously.


    As his lips crashed against hers, a device clamped around her head, covering her vision, stimulating shock, knocking her out. The device scanned and recorded Jessicas memories, her body, everything else that was her. She was then connected and uploaded to an Angel 1.2 android body floating miles away in space.


    As Jessicas conciousness overrode the AI designed to save humanity, the first of the meteors began falling all over the world. Darren was loudly sobbing as he finished pushing her conciousness into space. He curled up with her already dead body as the aftershocks began hurdling toward their apartment building.


    ***


    "Darren?" Jess yelled as she opened up her eyes. As she noted her surroundings she started panicking. She was strapped down, which didn''t help matters, and she was inside a circular lab with a bunch of different drawers all over the walls. And she was floating. There was no Darren here.


    "Hello? She called out to no avail. She unfastened her straps and floated to the window. If the floating didn''t prove it, the window did. A moment ago, she laying in bed kissing her genius boyfriend. Now she was in space, not dying. She took a minute to process the situation. Earth was way out in the distance. She could see debree shooting away from the planet. Are those people? Animals? Families? The planet kept being pelted with meteors until giant masses of debree were flying around it and what could be seen of the planet looked as if it were cracked and set on fire.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Jess watched in horror and sobbed. There was no surviving that level of horror. Everyone she knew was dead. All of her friends and family, as well as Darren. He saved her. She went to brush the tears off her cheeks, except her face was dry. Shocked, she wiped at her eyes, and she jumped when she felt their less than organic nature.


    She examined her body. She was wearing some sort of a white jumpsuit. She had a fit body with big breasts. She felt them. Yeah. Those were real. The last time she checked, her bresticles were underwhelming. Now, not so much. So she was knocked out, given hard eyes and giant boobs? Thanks Darren? This was getting weirder and weirder. Her hair was now blonde. How typical. Blonde hair big boobs. "Someone turned me into space bimbo barbie." She thought.


    She began rummaging through all the drawers for a mirror but all she was finding were capsules.


    Robert Williams, age 40 Neurosurgeon DNA 1A


    Angela Halbrook, age 36 Genius DNA 2A


    Sean Cook, age 40 Fashion Designer DNA 1B


    There drawers were all full of DNA. The women were 2s with different letter combinations and the men were 1s with different letter combinations. The next section of drawers were see through glass full of gel. Each drawer had an insertion slot on the front to pierce the vials, sample each donar and mix the DNA. The simple picture on the side of the drawer was helpful. These were baby growing drawers, she reasoned.


    The next set of drawers had various vials of animal DNA, from pigs to lions. She found drawers with seeds and soil as well as a 3d printer loaded with designs to create anything needed, with enough materials. As she went through the first aid supplies she finally found a mirror and held it up, hands shaking. A symmetrical face with an elegant nose and plump pink lips stared back at her with glowing eyes. It was definitely not her face. Dropping the mirror it spun in the air slowly, displaying her new face. She backed away from her new reality, covering her eyes, letting her new situation sink in.


    The computer system that was running the ship in the background was paying attention to its new guest. Her system had overridden his, and taken his android form, while he was pushed back to the computer interface. He began directing the ship to farm the nearby asteroids for supplies to make him a new body. Then he could continue his mission to save the human race. As Jess was getting a handle on her new life, an Android 1.1 humanoid leg began to form in the 3d printer.

 Chapter 2: Building an Ecosystem

    Transitioning from a college freshman to humanity''s savior barbie was a huge leap in responsibility. Darren had given her this opportunity but she was completely overwhelmed. If Jessica could puke, she would. And she instinctually knew she could, if she fed herself. She could even feel hunger if she wanted. But she didn''t see any food in the drawers, and she didn''t see any facilities for refuse either.


    Between the rows of shelves was a doorway with a window showing the ladder on the other side. Jess pushed herself to the door and pushed the button next to it that said OPEN. The doors slid open with a hiss, and Jess poked her head through the doorway. There was a ladder going up one floor and down one floor. The signs were labeled ?? Control Room and ?? Materials Storage. She pushed herself down the ladder.


    The Materials Storage room needed a suit for entry, even for androids. She decided not to risk venturing too far into those kinds of zones of the ship if she didn''t need to. Through the dense glass she could see a few drones bringing themShe went back over to the doors, slapped the button and pushed her way up past the DNA room into the Control Room.


    The computer screens surrounding the Control Room were mostly black and unused. The central screen however was glowing at Jessica, ready for her to initiate the beginning of her new life. She pushed herself into the seat in front of the control panel and strapped herself in so she was steady. She then got to reading through all the things she would be doing.


    The Andrian Corporation specialized in robotech and artificial intelligence. As the leaders in the technical industry came together to push this attempt at salvation, they uploaded a program most beneficial for developing an ecological balance before establishing human life. Human breeding was a greyed out option on Jessica''s screen, along with most everything else. She could mix the DNA but once the child was born she wouldn''t be able to support its life. There were building additions for that as well which were also greyed out.


    The only available options for available were Materials Storage: Materials Processer, Machine Parts Printer and Building Materials Printer. She only had enough processed materials to make two of them. A group of ten construction drones and three worker drones were soon put to work on the Materials Processer and the Machine Parts Printer. There were about twenty construction, twenty worker, and twenty specialist drones listed on the screen.


    Unbeknownst to Jessica one of each bot was currently in the DNA room assembling the Android 1.1 male body. Before she even had began browsing the Control Room screens, he had already began uploading his conciousness into his new Mana Memory Core. The artificial intelligence was an upload of Thomas Riker, the 38 year old who invented the cryogenic pods. Parts of his memory had been overwritten by a hastily patched in final draft of the development plan.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Mana was a new resource that Earth had found in the last years of its life.  Harvested from organic life found on Alpha Centauri VI, it was brought to Earth for harvest and study.  Interaction with mana produced various side effects including superhuman strength and senses as well as many other undocumented results.  This substance was the breakthrough they needed in Android technology.  Before mana, Android were just simulations of people. After mana, everything about a person could be transfered into the matter, stored inside a core.


    Moving from one life form to another was a jarring experience for the man. It had been his choice, to brave the crossover between man and machine, let alone man to woman.  At one point they had asked him what kind of woman he preferred. He had responded blonde and full figured. He assumed they were pairing him with another A.I. once he was given his body. Then he woke up with breasts.  They were nice breasts though.


    When the pressure started in his core, he knew there was something wrong with his Android 1.2 body. He had been powered on for a few hours directing the drones to begin harvesting meteors when the pain had overtaken him. He immediately strapped in, plugging into the interface. Quickly selecting Upload to Interface, pulling his MMC back through the wires into the machine.


    The transition between andriod to interface forced him to relive all of his life choices and experiences. The transfers dehumanized him in a way, first separating him from his memories, then returning them in quick succession. He couldn''t remember his wife''s name but he remembered he had been married. And that she had died. Because everyone was dead, including himself. As he watched the Android who stole his body react to the view from the window, he looked at the planet he was born from burn and splatter its way across the sky. It was so far away but that wasn''t what made it hard to see. For a moment they were just two people floating off into space, watching thier home planet die.


    Time passed slowly as Jessica waited for the droids to assemble the new machines. She practiced flips and glided back and forth across the room as watched the percentage of completion for both tasks inch across the screen. She poked and prodded at her body looking for access panels or plugs and found one at the base of her neck. After strapping into the seat, the plug in the headrest of the control panel seat pulled free and she slipped into her spine. As her core crept back up to 100% Jessica enjoyed a nice rest.


    Thomas slipped in behind Jessica, selecting Building Materials Printer and the new option Waste Recycler. The other projects were completed and he didn''t want to waste any time. He wasn''t sure how she acquired his android, but he knew Earth was gone and people would be desperate. At first he had been so angry, but now he was just curious. Jessica hadn''t done anything he wouldn''t have done. He knew how to terminate an android that was a threat, but this didn''t seem the case. Bored, he went to the Materials Storage to watch the production firsthand.


    Charged 100% was flashing across the system interface screen. Clicking on it with her mind thinking the word "click," the Charged 100% text stopped appearing. Behind the notification was a new list of options for the next ship expansion. Water Recycler, Liquid Storage, Drone Constructor. She put all her drones on the drone constructor and unstrapped herself from the seat. Pushing herself off from her chair, she slapped the OPEN button, heading to the Materials Storage to check out her progress.

 Chapter 3: A humble meeting of minds

    Thomas was busy helping the drones connect one the machine parts printers'' outputs to the input of the Drone Constructor when the airlock began to open and shut. The person that had invaded and overtook his Android 1.2 body began gliding through the storage dock, clipped onto the safety bars. When the woman finally noticed him, she was shocked and began to retreat.


    He had figured she already had ample opportunity to sabatoge the mission objective and she had seemed genuinely upset, so he took a softer approach with her. "I''m almost done." He explained calmly through their helmet intercoms. She jumped at the sound like a mouse scared of its own tail. He chuckled. "I''m Tom. Who are you?"


    Jessica floated silent for a while, her thoughts running a million miles a minute. "I''m Jessica" she lamely replied.


    "Well Jessica, I''m finished connecting the machines we need to get some more helping hands around here. How about we head up to the Control Room and you can take a look at what the next step will be. On the way, how about you tell me how you got uploaded into a loaded A.I. core." He said as he pushed his way towards her ushering her out of the airlock.


    As they removed and stored the suits, Jessica was explained, "I was kissing my boyfriend, and when I opened my eyes I was this." She said gesturing the body. Sheepishly she admitted, " But Darren probably did this. The last thing he said was If anyone should live through all this, its you and he was a brilliant hacker. I mean I know hacking is wrong, but it was like watching an artist... paint... Sorry." She said as her voice began to hitch. Androids couldn''t cry, but their expressions still mimicked their true human emotions.


    As much as he pitied the girl for the responsibility she was about to bear, he felt relieved. Since the body she wore was keyed into the Control Room, she was now responsible for all decisions in creating a sustainable and stable habitat for all Earth''s lifeforms. Since she could rely on him in times of crisis, this wasn''t going to be a mission failure. As long as he existed he refused to let humanity die. He just hoped they would get along.


    Leading her to the control room he asked, "What did you do before?" he asked, purposedly not stating before what. Just before. The before. Before they had no home. Before when cities of humans sprawled across the continents. Before when families lived in their warm homes surrounded by thier children and grandchildren. This is the world they needed to build again.


    "I was a college student. I hadn''t picked a major yet." She told him.


    He persed his lips. It could have been worse. She was a blank slate and could be useful. He began explaining the mission she had been volunteered for.


    "Okay. So this is where the magic happens." He started with a smile. "As you can see we can''t support human life yet. We need to develop and build their basic needs before we begin fertilizing eggs." He pointed to the machines, now online and on the once black computer monitors. "The drones that we have harvest the Meteors are full of resources we need that drones will mine, carry, and sort, from iron to oxygen. The processor breaks the rocks down to a useable ingot. The ingots get fed into building materials and machine parts which can make more drones. You following me?" He asked her. She nodded, focused.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "Sit down and strap in please. You are the android controlling the development of the ship now, whether you want the responsibility or not." He said sternly, analyzing her determination. She gulped, and followed the instructions. The screens popped up like they did before, except there were new building options now.


    Tom continued, "So humans have basic needs, most think of as food water and shelter. We need to grow and store food, and water to start with. After that we can work on growing medical supplies. I suggest we have at least a chicken farm and a pig farm before the children are born. We have enough resources provided to make two androids per four children. Fortunately I hadn''t made my companion so I could make myself a new body."


    "I''m sorry." She apoligized again.


    "It''s okay." He exhaled. "I didnt know the other A.I.s selected. It could have been a real nightmare. I just hope we can get along. Theres a massive file of stored A.I.s when the android builder unlocks." He guided her to the file so she could find it on her own. "They can''t be deleted." he said, seriously. "These A.I. are gonna be assigned to androids needed to carry out complicated tasks that align to their specialties. A.I.s can obtain knowledge outside their specialty but you have to trade memory space. That''s a whole thing we can get into later. For now I''d rather you just learn. Our Earth memories are precious now." He said wistfully.


    "So for now we get water and algae tanks built, then we start farming. Stars are harvested every two months to fuel the ship. It will probably be at least six months before we can start having children and developing android parents." He concluded.


    "Android parents plural?" She asked him, quizzically.


    "In order to support the emotional needs of the children, they determined four children to be assigned to two android parents. A.I.s have their listed preferred gender, and I hope no one else was confused about that questiom..." he mumbled off at the end.


    "You were confused about your preferred gender? I can see how the choice could be difficult." She empathized.


    "No, when they asked me which gender i preferred I thought they meant sexually." He said laughing at himself, "hence the-" he wildly gestured to her whole body. She burst out laughing, breaking the tension in the room.


    "I kinda like it. Being a pretty machine isn''t a bad thing. At least I don''t look like a machine. Its hard to feel like a machine. I feel real. I mean, we are real and alive in a way right?" She questioned beginning to circle around in her thoughts.


    "We are as real as we want to be. Now, set that drone constructor to make continuous construction and labor drones for the buildings we need next. I may not need it anymore, but I cant wait to plant some coffee beans." he said, smiling. "I need to plug in for a little while. See if you cant get production moving while I''m sleeping." He said, stifling a yawn.


    "Yeah, sure. Do you need me to wake you up or anything." she gently inquired.


    He explained, "Androids can''t wake during a full charge, which this new body is in need of right now. Are you confident enough to take lead on this now?"


    "Yeah, sure get some rest. I can do this." she replied with more confidence than she felt.


    The next few minutes were spent opening the menus and selecting the types of drones she needed produced. Adjusting the settings, she set the drone constructor to create as many drones as it could for the next 6 hours. Meanwhile, she pulled half of the labor drones from the meteorite and put them to work building the farm addition to grow the first round of crops.

 Chapter 4: Minions make cool stuff

    Twelve hours had passed since Tom, Jessica''s new android buddy, started charging. This seemed like a long time to her but she was unaware of how much time lapsed between her own charges. She had poked at his face, opened his eyelids, and examined his silver eyes out of curiosity of her new race. Charging left him in a deadlike state, so she pretended he was sleeping and quitely directed her drones toward finishing the Water and Waste additions to the vessel.


    Unfortunately getting the drones to split their duties was like herding cats. Once the man had gone under, she had moved the carrier drones to the Materials Storage to help with the new construction. The trouble with this was that now no mined resources were being carried to the Storage. And production kept stopping because of these mistakes.


    After 18 hours had passed, Jessica became concerned for Tom. By then she had already produced the new Farming Pod and had the ladder throughway extended to its entrance. Inside the room were walls of glass like drawers that provided optimal growth and size for its set plant seed. This was only Farming Pod I, too. The amount of foods they could grow was overwhelming. She could choose the seeds to plant, but with the millions of recorded seeds in the database she didnt know where to start. She wasnt even sure what to do with the food once they had it.


    She looked over at Tom and persed her lips. At least Androids are handsome. She assumed he had bits just like she did too. She blushed and felt incredible guilt weigh on her at the thought. She went back into her depression spiral, throwing herself into this system. She decided she was glad he was asleep so long because she had needed time to adjust. Although, she was just kidding herself. Being alone in space was twice as overwhelming.


    As the hours passed, she would calm her mind by convincing herself that she was still a normal human playing a game on a monitor. During these lapses she would finally be comfortable in her own skin. Then she would feel the zero gravity and know that this wasn''t her skin at all. She debated as to whether or not this robot girl voyage constituted her afterlife. Shrugging she checked her progress.


    Her next options were Machine Constructor, Cafeteria, and Laboratory. She had been trying to wait for Sleeping Beauty to wake up and keep her from making backwards choices but she was growing bored and anxious to click the buttons. In the meantime, she had her new little minions moving the growth gel and soil into the Farming Pod I so she could be ready for planting.


    After 24 hours had lapsed the drones had connected the Machine Parts Printer to the Machine Constructor and they were halfway through building the Cafeteria. Food Processers and Food Assembly machines became available to be built and held in storage for the developing addition. What was the most exciting thing for Jessica was the Gravity Pads she could build for each room. Unfortunately they hadnt found the resources to make it yet, due to the liquid storage not being constructed until recently.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    As one day turned into three, and three turned into ten, Jessica sat alone constructing building after building, staring into space. She had to charge every 24 hours and she was only out for 8 after that. Tom never woke.


    The place grew larger with each addition. The Medical Pod had state of the art Flux Exam pods that would examine and erase all traces of corrupt DNA. It even had a button that cured cancer. Treatment from one of these machines were only made available to the wealthiest on Earth and here one was at her fingertips, and her without a body it could even repair. The irony was not lost on her. What she would have done for her Nan to have had ten minutes with this machine.


    The Neonatal Med Pod made her realize that she was going to be raising living children. The room had Flux Exam Lite pods that would do anything from correct birth defects to cure respiratory problems. "That will be convenient later," she thought as she looked at the Flux machine full of blueish goo. If the baby has colic, a quick FluxExamLite bath, and no more colic. These babies were going to be given every opportunity Earth had to spare to ensure their survival. And they were gonna be so cute.


    She had thought when the animal farm pods were complete she could produce animals. The farms first needed grass, which needed soil blue goo and time. Then they also needed the gravity pads, which she was still low on materials for. She thought floating cows would be cool, but the best she could do was floating calves sent down from the DNA room. She squealed in delight.


    The animal farms were a welcome respite from the Neon Screens of the control room. The selected stars harnessed from the solar system provided power enough for the fans to generate breeze, and the walls and ceilings to simulate sky or stars. Jessica would lay on her back in the dirt looking at the fake sky, knowing a true blue Earthen sky may be something these children never may see.


    Once Animal Farm pods one through twelve were complete, the Vet pod was built, with a FluxExamFarm 2.0. The 1.0 was built for household pets only. There were four of those. Jessica hoped she could have a cool pet. She went into the DNA room once a day to look at names and occupations of the donars. She also checked out the drawers where amphibians would be hatching. She was beginning to feel overwhelmed. When all of the pods were in place, would she have to just try mixing them without the go ahead from the system? It didnt seem smart to her. She just kept building.


    Weeks passed with no response from the Android 1.1. She had started talking to him like he was there and would make him paper hats to have parties with him. She went into Storage a lot to check on her little drone friends. She named the constructor bots Bob, the carrier bots Sparky, and the mining bots Digger and would call out praises to them as such. Sometimes shes would get a response, which made her think these drones could be capable of more.


    The day finally came when Jessica unlocked the Family Pods. The moment she pushed the first Family Pod construction button, Tom''s eyes finally opened.


    1st Floor- Control room


    2nd Floor- DNA room, Laboratory, Neonatal Med Pod


    3rd Floor - Materials Storage [Expanded]


    Expanded ladder for pod growth


    4th Floor - Cafeteria, Med Pod, Farming Pods


    5th Floor - Animal Farm Pods, Vet Pod


    6th + floor - Family Pod Clusters

 Chapter 5: Tom and Jess

    After a full charging, unaware of the time lapse, Tom opened his eyes and looked up at Jess. There she was spinning around belting out "We are the Champions" into her hairbrush with a paper hat on her head, in her underpants. Tom couldnt help but belt laugh at the enjoyable sight.


    In her jubilation at finally getting a habitat she had begun singing in triumph. When she got to the "my friend" part of "We are the Champions" she gestured to her android buddy, and he belted out laughing. Jessica screamed like she had seen a ghost. He hadnt moved for months. She had been so comfortable being alone, she didnt even bother to dress anymore. It was nice letting her skin breathe. The tech that they put into this body really developed all stimulations and emotions. If it wasn''t for her metallic eyes and charging port, she would have thought she was still human.


    Thomas, confused with her fright, laughed at her and checked on the screens. As she continued to stand there unresponsive looking at him, he saw how much progress was done. He was floored.


    "How long was I out?" He warily inquired.


    "....Four months.. two weeks.. and three days. You can see a calendar if you plug into the interface." she explained sheepishly.


    Tom''s jaw dropped open. "Oh wow. Do you know anything about why I came back now?" He asked, browsing the screens showing how far along the project has gotten without him. There were a few things like the Insect Pod, the Animal Processing Pod, and the Aquatic Animal Pod that still needed completion before the other androids would come but they were almost there.


    "I just started the Family Pods. I was super stoked to get a room..." She began, then realized, covering herself, "Sorry I''ve been alone a while. Let me get some pants." She said as she scurried down the ladder, grabbing the floating shirt and pants from the throughway. He admired her figure as she scurried out the room.


    It dawned in him, "Ooooooh. Okay. There was only supposed to be one of us until the family pod. So when I claimed this body and charged it, I went into storage until I was unlocked." He grumbled. "Losing time is an awful thing. But hey, wanna go spacewalk for a bit? The view of Mars is gonna be beautiful from out there." He smiled, trying not to upset her with what had just realized. Being stored when charging felt like an invasion. When he finally got a tech android unlocked they were working on an android portable charger.


    "Yeah... okay," she responded fearful but determined. She was robot astronaut barbie now. Space was her life now. Might as well jump into it.


    As Jenny hung onto the side of The Andrian, she took in the colors of the planet swirling like mixed paint on top of water. The black void around them was lit up with a star here and a star there. Planets way off in the distance looked like stars. As beautiful as it was, it was also lonely. They were just two A.I.s with a heap of responsibility and a long way to go.


    "Cmon," he called to her over the comms, "Show me around the place." He said smiling as he lead her back into the ship.


    "I had to make a bunch of decisions without you but I think it worked." She explained as they took off their suits and she showed him to the crops she picked. "It sorted the crops into groups that would harmonize so I have a good variety growing. I just need some tubes installed to feed the Food Assembly machine from the farms. SPARKIEEESSS!" She yelled, as nothing came running.


    "What''s Sparkies? Some kind of fad? I''m not following." He responded, confused.


    "No Sparkies are the construction drones. Sometimes they look when I call them." she said defensively.


    "So you want the construction drones to look at you?" He pondered. "They dont have A.I. they''re just coded programs."


    Her eyebrow raised, " So are we. I kinda like thinking of them as little kids im talking to. I know theyre not really sentient, but I was alone for a while and they were all I had... Just go with it." She grumbled.


    "No, I think its cute! Err.. I mean they''re like little pets in a way. " he backpedaled.


    Smiling she agreed, "Yup!"


    The Animal Processing Pod was for aging and preserving animal products. The animals were put to sleep before instantly rendered for their biomass. Although Jess loved herself some bacon, the idea of leading a pig she bred and raised to its slaughter made her reconsider her stance on eating meat ever again. The trouble was, not using all your resources in a survival situation could be fatal for the human race. Also, the balance of the system depended on the use of all of the rooms together. Animals could provide proteins, leather, and glue. Various other products were listed under the Animal Processing options. Unfortunately Animals were still locked.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Tom do you know when we can start breeding? I thought we would be ready by now." Jess whined.


    Tom grinned, "I''m ready when you are!" And laughed sheepishly at the bad joke because he kind of meant it that way too. Blushing he continued seriously, "When the ship is deemed life sustainable it will unlock the DNA mixing. Then we can choose the parent combinations." He could be so awkward sometimes. Fortunately she ignore his blunder.


    The next room that was built was the Insect pod room. Drawers for breeding worms and beatles, butterflies and bees lines the walls. It was going to be beautiful and horrifying. "How am I supposed to run all of this?" She asked Tom after the aquatic animal pod was installed. It was like an aquarium for fish breeding. Pieces of live coral were in the DNA room. It would take them a while to grow. She would definitely be visiting once all the pretty fish were there.


    "Most of this is automated. Just be patient. Once the main buildings are complete, and plants have been harvested a few times for food reserves, we will unlock more androids. Just be patient." He told her, tucking her loose strands behind her ears.


    The satellite pod was installed next, finally scanning the solar system for habitable planets, as they randomly blasted their way through space. Then the Defense Pod was built to blast through any incoming projectiles. After that were the educational and archive pods. A 3d printer was in each of these rooms to print whichever book they wanted, or they could print tablets to download music movies and books into. Tom and Jessica both designed eachothers tablets and spent the day loading them with games and movies they loved in the archive pod. It was the best update so far.


    The educational pod was where they found they could trade memories for easy skills, or download educational resources. Tom gave Jess some mechanical books for her to study so she could help the drones with maintenance. Much to his dismay, she was neither interested in mechanical knowledge or memory trading. He found her curled up in her bed in their family pod sniffling over some sappy movie. Watching an android cry without tears was still a pretty sad thing. He let her do her own thing aftet that. She seemed to be a free spirit and he enjoyed the levity she brought.


    He didn''t know how to deal with crying women. He didn''t know how to deal with her, entirely. He had explained to her that now they were assigned to the pod together, they were committed to raising four children together as their parents. She had seemed fine with the arrangement, but Tom had hoped they could become more for these kids.


    Even though his wife didn''t join him Tom wanted a full second life, with a wife and a family and a job. And the truth was, he was stuck with Jess. Overwriting her was just simply murder. Replacing her was impossible. And he didn''t want to. He had thought about relationships with other androids on the ship maybe in the future, but he would just be crashing future marriages. It was too soon to tell though. It had only been a few months since he turned back on.


    His human wife Shantaya never had any of his children, not for the lack of trying. When the news of the asteroids came a year ago, they finally stopped the trying. She hadn''t wanted to digitize herself either. She left the world in the arms of her family, as she had wanted. They were probably having a big family get together when the world ended. He smiled at the thought. He loved her family and would have been there if it weren''t for this opportunity. But she chose to let him go without her. She had always been religious than he was and was afraid for her soul. He reasoned that any diety would want their people to survive if they could. And with that difference between them, ten years of marriage was over.


    Once the Machine Repair Room began construction, the Android Assembly Room finally unlocked and the VR room was completed.. Jessica was so excited to meet her new friends. The trouble was, Jessica wasn''t supposed to be on this ship. Although Tom accepted and appreciated her company, she didn''t have the skills for the job. She was doing an amazing job running the place, despite her lack of education. The fact that she was even persuing education in the face of Earths collapse was remarkable to begin with. Colleges became almost non existant in the end. What point was a degree to a dead man? He was hoping her work so far would speak for itself.


    Jessica was waiting in the control room to push the Android Assembly Room button. The VR room was a space to be used for trading information and accessing memories. Trading was always a double edged sword The VR room let you relive moments of your life as they played in three dimensions around you. Tom longed to see his friends and family. When he told Jessica she was twice as excited.


    Sometimes in moments like these he could tell their age difference. She was childlike in her enthusiasm. He liked that about her. Her face was so expressive and she had no reserves for her thoughts and feelings. She had yet to have been tainted by life. Toms former wife had been more ladylike and reserved, even when she was younger. Ever prideful Shantaya stood queen amoung the kings. Jess was more of a newly blossomed princess.


    Her enthusiasm was endearing and a joy to watch. He often found himself watching her just be herself. It seemed so much fun to be in her world. So when they started making tablets for eachother and sharing movies and books, he couldn''t help but feel closer to her. His old life was gone now. And The Andrian was about new lives. He smiled at the thought as he entered the VR room to say goodbye to his dead wife.


    1st Floor- Control room, Satellite Pod, Defense pod


    2nd Floor- DNA room, Laboratory, Neonatal Med Pod


    3rd Floor - Materials Storage [Expanded], Machine Repair Room, Android Assembly Room


    Expanded ladder for growth


    5th Floor - VR pods, Educational Pods


    6th Floor - Cafeteria, Med Pod, Farming Pods


    7th Floor - Animal Farm Pods, Vet Pod, Insect Pods, Aquatic Animal Pod, Animal Processing Pods


    8th + floor - Family Pod Clusters

 Chapter 6: Gravity and Preparations

    After instructing the construction drones to begin the Android Assembly Room Jessica went looking for Tom. She stopped by the pig farms and the chicken farms. She glided into the Materials Storage and finally stopped outside of the VR room door. She could hear Tom quietly sobbing from the other side of the door. She didn''t know what his life was like before the fall of Earth but everyone lost something. She turned to leave as he opened the doors, catching her spying. Flustered she blundered. "I was just... well... I was just bored. Sorry... I didn''t want to interrupt... Are you okay?" She asked him, sheepishly.


    He smiled. "I will be." he stated as he grabbed her arm and led her to the Control Room. The Gravity Pad material had finally accumulated for each area and were being installed. The little minions scurried off as they got ready for thier new inhabitants. Tom was both happy and sad that they would be having new additions. He was letting Jessica live a charmed life, building up the components of the ship bit by bit. She had no idea the social structure that was embedded in his A.I. Their life would not be a charmed life. They were there to serve the humans. He lead her into the Control Room and sat her down to explain things to her so she wouldn''t be so shocked.


    Tom looked at Jessica with a serious and slightly exasperated expression. "Jessica. There''s some things you need to know about what to expect from the upcoming days. You weren''t supposed to be here. You don''t have the skills to be here. Without sacrificing your memories to gain the intelligence to run a scientific facility, you''re going to need to adapt to what''s coming once the other Androids start walking around here." he explained.


    "Am I in trouble? I didn''t even choose this. I don''t want to die!" she said, fearful thinking of a way to find a way to escape the situation with her life. Suddenly, building new Androids sounded like an awful idea. How hard could it be to raise cows and pigs and chickens and a billion babies.... Shit.


    "No no no. It''s just.... the A.I. on this ship were programmed not only with thier personalities, but also the commands that human needs would always be put before an androids. You don''t have that. We were also assigned family units that they weren''t allowed to change. You''re essentially the only wife I will ever have, unless your MMC is shattered." he explained, blushing.


    "I''m so so sorry Tom. I didn''t mean for any of this to happen. You''re a sweet guy and all. Maybe we can make it work. I guess we''ll have to, right?... Gah, that came out wrong. I mean, you''re handsome but I think I need a little time." she fumbled as an answer to his admission. Deep down, she had a feeling they were tied together somehow when she created her first family pod. He was automatically assigned as her bunkmate and his charge port was next to hers in bed. The four childrens rest areas were marked for their future children on the glass computer screen that controlled their pod functions. She wasn''t born yesterday, she just wasn''t ready to open her heart. The spark just hadn''t quite lit. It was a slow burn.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "No. Thank you. I agree. Slow is good. We have a lifetime to make this work and beautiful children to raise. But there''s things you need to know about what''s going to happen once we start combining the DNA, okay?... So, each pod is going to be assigned two boys and two girls. We will be paired with another pod to acquaint the children with their future assigned spouses, to ensure their diversity and compatability. Every A.I. knows and expects this. Do you understand how this will work so far?" he inquired, his eyes glowing, eyebrows raised.


    "So arranged marriages. That''s not so bad considering the circumstances. And we''re gonna have pod buddies! I need to make more party hats." she said almost to herself at the end.


    "When the children grow older, they''re going to be taught our jobs. When we grow obsolete, we''ll focus on finding a planet to inhabit, or terraform. Yes, we can do that." he said as Jessica''s mouth dropped wide open. "Oh yes. We have amazing technology. With enough plant and animal life we can produce more growth goo from the Laboratory. After collecting enough resources if we can''t find a habitable planet, we''ll have to find a way to inhabit it. We have a method of creating atmosphere, changing gravity, and even generate growth, but it has to have a star like the sun as a fuel source for the machines to keep life going." he explained as the drones began sealing off the interior of the Android Assembly room .


    "Have you thought about what position you want to hold after the pods are all assigned? Right now you''re functioning as the overseer but once everything is in place, you won''t need to maintain that position. My Cryogenic work pod is about to be produced next and we have the Daycare Pod going in after that. Do any of the jobs for the pods we built seem like they''d fit you?" he asked, curious what she was genuinely interested in.


    "I mean, I guess I can do management or I could teach." she hedged.


    "Well, we have a few former presidents and some senators in the A.I. mix but most of them are dickheads anyways. Are you good with politics?" he asked, knowing that she would be steamrolled in a leadership position amoung these people. He was trying to guide her into the daycare role but he wanted her to think was her choice.


    "Can''t I just help out where I see fit. Or like, just hang out with the cute kids?" she pushed.


    "There are two positions with the kids. You can either work in the neonatal ward with the veteran pediatrician A.I.s, or work in the daycare and help watch the babies while the other Androids go to work." he said, laying out two possible options for her. "There''s also the Archive Room. Once books start being printed, the copies will need to be stored and organized. You don''t have to make up your mind right now. Think on it. But changes are going to come. Starting with these gravity pads." he said as they both rushed to the floor of the control room. "Owwwww," said Jessica, rubbing her butt and they both laughed.

 Chapter 7: Expectations and Reality

    Hopes of friendship were smashed like a glass on a newly birthed ship. The personalities that sprung from the minds of the best and brightest of humanity were so elitist that it left her with a constant sour face. Jessica stared through the glass as the ship slipped through the darkness like a weakened animal slipping down a gods throat. Sometimes she wondered if they were just building the new generation a gilded sarcophagas. Finding and forming a new planet would only be possible if they found one that was viable for habitation. Fortunately, that was a long term goal for this voyage into the unknown.


    The androids were all uploaded with specific donated A.I. from individuals who had vounteered for this hopeful journey into the emptiness. The lives they would be birthing onto this ship were going to be forced into a life long existance on this expensive life raft. These children would never see the sky, or feel the sun on thier skin. They would never feel the ocean waves lapping at thier feet in the summers, or the snow kiss thier cheeks in the winters. Their only landscape would be the black void with tiny sparks sweeping by thier view. The world surrounding the Andrian was a neverending whole of black and sparkles. The beauty and the emptiness of the deep vast nothingness could spark and crush hope with just a look. Jessica chose not to look anymore because all she could see in the blackness was the absence of her home planet and everyone who had ever loved her.


    Optimism and pessimism worked in tandum as the Androids began having their A.I. cores loaded. Each new person that came to life had to adapt to thier new reality much in the same way each of them had. The difference between Jessica and all of the other Androids was that they were prepared and programmed with expecations of the social and physical routine of the ship. Jessica, being a hacked and modded core, had no such knowledge. As the Androids were being loaded, assigned to their family units and their jobs, Jessica began to lean more and more on Tom to make her feel safe and stable.


    Being in a world of programmed people made her feel like an alien. The androids didn''t know eachother before their retrieval so they only could identify something was different about Jessica by her lack of knowledge. If it wasn''t for the VR room she would have broken down and traded her memories for some basic knowledge so she didn''t stand out like cargo pants at a manson concert. She would have dodged thier notice if the first thing everyone asked wasn''t for the usual start of any conversation. On her first round of introductions to their future childrens'' in laws, the pair of farmers had asked them, "So what did you before?" Before meant before Earth was blown to bits.


    "I worked on developing Cryogenics pods," Tom said smiling, pridefully.


    "College Student," Jess stated. The new Danielle and Roland Thompson laughed at her response, believing her to be joking. She had decided not to tell anyone anything about her life "before" after that conversation. Tom always easily guided conversation away from uncomfortable topics like her before life, or how she got there, or why she wasn''t always focused on the good of the community. He was her shield against the barbs of cunning tongues, ever deflecting and protecting her from the storm of sharp minds crashing against her defensive smile. She kept her mouth shut and her ears open, adapting to the waves of new faces.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Often she found herself in a cubicle in the VR room, reliving a time when she was surrounded by people who loved her. As comforting as those memories were, relying on them was hurting as much as it was helping. Tom did everything he could to make Jess feel included. He rubbed her back as she cried herself to sleep some nights. She knew she had to adapt to her new life, and choose an occupation that she had no proficiency in so she made a choice.


    Standing outside the VR room, Tom stood anxiously waiting. Inside Jess was plugged into a world where she chose which memories were worth sacrificing for knowledge. Letting go of the love that built the walls of her soul was absolutely defeating but neccessary. Darren was sitting in his chair, smiling up at Jess saying "I love you" as the digital memory faded. One by one memories faded until she was only left with her foundational relationships, and memories of landscapes. With these sacrifices, she downloaded the capabilites of running the DNA room. One final memory was uploaded to the collective community in trade for the knowledge she would need later to find new viable planets. It was her memory of the view of Earth being torn apart in its final moments. She may not be able to remember it herself, but now everyone could experience Earths horrible collapse. Just like cars that slow down around a car accident to stare, everyone had a morbid curiousity of the Earths demise.


    The video would be a foundation for their future generations to explain their origin. For Jess, it was a way of leaving the past behind and blend into her future. She found that after the transfer she felt more connected to everyone and closer to Tom. That night when he kissed her goodnight, she kissed him back, enjoying the comforts of someone who cared for her even when she didn''t have an impressive background. In a world of people she felt inferior, he made her feel like she was anything but. And he was amazing at his work. The cryopods would suspend any adult life who wished to wait for planetary occupation. Unfortunately, It would be the only choice these future generations would have.


    The main compartments of the ship were being finalized. The androids occupying their professions, and getting to know their new spouses. Some Andoid couples would dissappear behind closed doors for days before proceeding to thier occupations. Most relationships were moved much slower, and some were treated soley as partners. Upon their activation, some cried in happiness for their new life and some cried in sadness for the loss of their old one. After proceeding through shock, most usually had a little bit of variation of both. The Therapy VR room was installed to deal with the trauma of not having a planet or a definite future. A few Androids had frozen for a few days in mourning for thier planet and their loved ones, while embracing the clear but uncertain path ahead of them. The newly seeded A.I.s seemed to be coping by working, crying, or partying.


    Some of the craziest of the group were the former really old men, downloaded for their wealth of knowledge. There was a group of them working in the laboratory that acted like they were twelve again. Between experiments with new technology they would group up and go streaking through the ship, set off stink bombs in the bathrooms and race the halls on self built hoverboards. Their adjustment to their youth newfound youth was as endearing as it was frustrating. The Androids began settling into their positions, and the crops and animals began to yield sustainable resources. And the night after Jessica sacrificed her memories, the DNA rooms breeding options unlocked.

 Chapter 8: Fetuses and Experiments

    The little fetuses jumped around in their blue goo as their bodies formed under the lights. Lucy, Janelle, Lucian and Greg Riker were in their growth group of four lined up next to their future breeding partners Stacy, Amy, Jeff and Mike Thompson. Speeding up gestation was a choice in all of the fetal breeding chambers, but they only used it on the animals. Rapid cellular generation produced unstable outcomes such as extra limbs or eyes. These problems can be fixed in the pods but the procedure would be distressing on any fetus. Extra body parts for animals was typically a bonus for meat or milk production. When the first chick hatched everyone watched their screen as the little chicks were gathered and floated down the throughway and marched into the chicken farm. They had debated on tying down the chickens, or putting them into a box, but they chose to transport the animals in zero gravity to not aggravate their nerves.


    Jessica found it difficult to let go of the animals she knew were bred for slaughter. Seeing all the creatures as babies tore at her heart knowing they were only bred for food. Looking at the little piglet she had to remind herself that their species had survived, so they could have bacon. It was an ugly and a beautiful thing. She pet the little piglet on the head and sent it off with the Thompsons, who had been making more of an effort in their friendship with Tom and Jess.


    "Do come by for entertainment later. Tom got some new films from a memory transfer of some of the ones he hated. He also said something about Bobby from the lab made something fun for us to try before the babies are born." Jess told the newly enthusiastic Danielle.


    "Bobby always has the best stuff. Wherever you go, there''s always a Bobby and he''s always got the stuff." Danielle replied smartly. Jess giggled, finally feeling her way around her new friends.


    Bobby worked in the lab that her husband often visited for his own experiments. The new successful experiement D14.6 or D14, replicated the effects of marijuana. In large doses it would put the user directly to sleep mode. The vials would be dropped directly into their bloodstream through the chemical ingestion sites under the tongue, reacting to but not hurting their mana memory cores. Each of the group christened their last child free night with a dose each.


    The group giggled and watched comedies as the night wore on. The mundane worries of their human lives were something they ached to have return but also something they were glad to be rid of. Shaking the mortal coil really put things into perspective. When the end of your life is forever, consequences become futile. Thier programming was supposed to prevent that.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Face flushed with D14, Jess thanked her new friends for the night and ushered them out of the pod. Turning around Jess eyed her new husband up and down. He quirked a brow. His body was angular and soft. He was warm and comforting and hers. She often caught him gazing at her out of the corner of his eye. Everything she did made him proud and lit him up. And tonight he looked like a popsicle on a hot day. Jessica smiled slowly walking toward him as she slipped off her white skin tight space suit, dropping it on with a thwack as it hit the floor with Tom''s jaw. He fumbled with his zippers like a schoolboy on prom night. Jess kissed his neck and helped him out of his clothes. Leading him to the bed, she climbed on top of him easing herself down. They spent the night learning eachother''s bodies riding out the crashing waves of their neural networks against their manacores. Cycling between Earth gravity and zero gravity, Tom taught Jessica all the sounds a wife should make.


    After a beautiful night and a goodbye full of longing, Jess entered the DNA room to a handful of dead fetuses, including her boys Lucian and Greg. The blue goo had been measured improperly and the gestations for the failed fetuses needed to be restarted. This meant these eight fetuses would have to be rapidly generated to match the growth of the rest of the children, or a child would be left without a breeding partner as an adult.  Without a breeding partner, they were not allowed to raise children.


    Parents would stop by the DNA room every day to look at thier growing children.  Each chamber was labeled with the childs name and timer until birth.  The parents began visiting more and more as the day of birth drew close until Jess and her work partner Aaron had to close the doors of the DNA room so they could better monitor their work.  The trouble with letting the parents greet their children was the risk of contamination.  Weighing the risks of retaliation from the new parents not being able to see thier children or the risk to the fetuses Jess deemed the risk was worth it. Unfortunately all the training in the memory transfer didn''t prepare her for peer pressure.  Closing the doors to the DNA room the new children began their rapid generation, speeding to be born alongside their peers.


    Saddened by the loss of their children, the android mothers held a service for their children one by one sending them off into the airlock, shot into the frozen emptiness of space, never having the chance to take a breath.  Feeling guilty for thier role in the children''s demise, the appointed council of The Andrian ruled that no one outside of DNA lab workers would ever set foot inside the DNA room before birthing again.  The children were birthed from their pods a few weeks later.