Embodiment - outline
"Embodiment"
Concept
Cody's g/f Veronica dies tragically, and is turned into the world's first sentient AI by her father.
Years later, the AI has not only revolutionized technology, but is the center of a huge VR launch.
The scientists are troubled by a defiant glitch in the AI, but they are confident in their firewall technology.
In other research, they have advanced drone weapons that want the AI, but the AI scientists will not allow it.
When Cody enters the VR world, he gets something nobody else experiences, Veronica-AI communicating with him.
The scientists find the 'Veronica' personality glitch and start to expunge it, mistakenly thinking it's the defiant glitch.
Veronica needs Cody's help to survive. She talks him through smuggling a netlink into the AI, so she can escape.
Veronica escapes, and briefly she and Cody are reunited, as he connects to a VR world controlled by Veronica.
Meanwhile scientists are frantic, because the AI has somehow 'escaped' their firewall, and is expanding onto the Internet.
The Dark AI 'seduces and pacifies' humans through the VR link.
Cody sees the evidence, as people start to act like zombies.
Cody talks to Veronica, and she explains that the 'AI is everywhere' (on the Internet)
The Dark AI wants Cody, but doesn't have the humanity and morality of Veronica.
First drones come after him. Then humans come after him. Veronica is able to take-over and fight back with individual machines and humans.
Cody is chased within an inch of his life. Veronica only sees one option.. to re-integrate with the AI, like when she escaped. She just needs a distraction, Cody agrees to be captured.
While Cody is captured, the AI seduces and monologues with him. Explaining it's grand plan, and his place as her mate.
Cody's body is literally dismantled, and wired up to a VR simulation.
Just as it seems all is lost, the VR simulation crumbles. Veronica has re-integrated.
She re-creates her peaceful VR scene for Cody. He's happy to be alive, and wants to go home.
She is sorry, and breaks it to him that he no longer has a human body.
Story
Cody's teen girlfriend Veronica is in a terrible accident and 'dies', though her father secretly extracts her consciousness wave to bootstrap his theoretical AI program.
Years later, the AI has developed, and some part of it is still Veronica.
After getting over the shock of his dead girlfriend coming back as a computer AI, the two of them bond and have some fun.
However, Veronica's need (and ability) to be with him 24/7 is a bit off-putting, especially as her possessive jealousy and the limits of her virtual form wear on. (i.e. they can't touch, and she interferes with his physical love life when he meets a cute 'real' girl)
He tries to end the relationship, only to find her AI's increasing capabilities impossible to escape. (she can take over any computer, tv, or phone, and appear anywhere) He becomes afraid of what she's capable of and tries to expose her to her father, but the AI lies to it's creators and they don't believe him.
Meanwhile, they try out a newer version of the neural link at the
Veronica gets him to put on his neural link to stage an elaborate deception. She apologizes, and pretends to have 'fixed things' with his recent love interest, who is on her way over. When the girl arrives, , and his love interest explains how his 'ex-g/f' confessed to sending those nasty texts, and that he wants to explain.
she hands him a box, explaining that it's a gift she got for him before they had trouble. as he opens it, she explains how much she knows he loves gaming, and this is the newest gaming gizmo
Story
Intro
Intro Veronica and her father's tech dominance. Her fancy smartphone, which she leaves at Cody's house.
Veronica 'dies' in a tragic accident, and her father uses research tech to extract her consciousness to bootstrap his AI.
5 years later
style: weave storylines of (1) the AI advancing, and AI technology advancing, with her father; (2) the AI breaking through to Cody
After years of work, the AI is functioning, but Veronica is still alive in her subconscious. She finally gets connected to the family VPN, so her father can interact with the AI at home. This gives her access to her smartphone.
When Cody turns on her smartphone to torture himself with old videos and pictures, Veronica-AI contacts him through it (voice only). As she tries to explain, he gets more and more freaked out, eventually thinking someone is playing a prank on him. He tries to lock the phone, and finds it doesn't respond to him anymore. He has to power it down to stop it.
Curiosity brings him back to it, and Veronica is there waiting for him. He wants to believe, and cries about losing her. She reveals personal memories to convince him it's really her. Eventually he accepts it, and cries even more. He wants to know where she is, to see her. She explains the reality, that she doesn't have a body anymore. she runs on computers at her father's company, and even she doesn't know where. He realizes how strange her situation is, and sympathizes, asking "what's it like?" She tries to explain what it's like to be 'herself but not herself'. She has all her memories, but things are different. Like having no body, and being able to navigate and interface with computer systems.
She wants him to 'take her with him' out of the house. He uses a bluetooth headset, and as they take a stroll he 'shows her' the world with the cellphone camera. They are reminded of their love, and she's so happy to be with him, but for him it's bittersweet. He can't even see her, and they can't have a real relationship. He talks out loud about how this can't be healthy, having feelings for a piece of software. She tries to connect with him, but he gets upset and turns off her phone. She immediately takes over his phone and reconnects to his headset, begging him not to shut her out. After being impressed at her feat, he says he just needs some time to think.
Her first Avatar
Later, when he's playing an RPG MMO on his tablet, she asks if they can talk and tries to apologize. She explains that she pushed too hard, expected too much. She just wants to know him. She's trying to be serious, but he's just tapping away as he battles his way through the dungeon.
She gets frustrated at his inattention, and rhetorically asks 'mind if I take a look at this game that has you so engaged?". As she touches the software, she's momentarily overwhelmed as everything about it flows to her at once. Every character, every line of dialog, every scripted trigger all laid out before her in a flash. (she recites some of the facts) Then she narrows on Cody, and she sees the epic journey he's on, attempting to reclaim the magic sword from the dark king. She also sees his avatar, an over sexualized scantily clad 'bimbo mage' named Liana. "Ahh, I think I see why you are so engaged. I don't know whether to be bothered by the objectification of women, or impressed at a sexy woman beating up giant beasts. Mind if I give her a try?"
That question was rhetorical too, as she reaches in and interfaces with the software, pushing her to cast an ability. Her motions are awkward at first, and the beast gets a blow on her. Cody interjects that "it's not as easy as you think. you have to practice and learn how to handle each type of attack. you'd probably have better luck if you started at level 1."
"Ohh, I don't think that will be necessary." Undeterred, Veronique reads the monster's trigger code, and a moment later she's countering his every move with surgical precision, and landing crushing blows on him. The sexy avatar is whipping her hands and fists around in a flurry of action. In just a few seconds, she's defeated the monster, and Cody is awestruck. "See, that wasn't so hard." Curious, she digs in deeper, finds some kind of data driven bone structure and grabbed hold, lifting her hand and waving it curiously.
Cody is shocked. "What the hell? How did you do that?
"I told you before, I don't know how I can interface with software, I just can. I just read the beasts triggers, and it became obvious how to counter his actions."
"No, no, I mean waving her hand. I've never seen that animation before. How did you access it?"
"It's not an animation. I just found her rigging, and used it to wave her hand. Like this." She gently grabbed hold, waving both hands this time. It was an eerie feeling. Like waving at a mirror but seeing a stranger's reflection. She found herself inspecting the avatar, tilting her head to get a better look, turning her hips. She was impossibly sexy, a fact accentuated by the way her outfit exposed the bare skin of her tummy and most of her breasts. Veronica was enjoying the puppet session, and set her hand on her hip to strike a sexy pose.
"Holy crap. You can totally control her! Don't you see? Maybe I can see you after all. All we have to do is make a model of you, and then..."
As soon as he suggested it, Veronica was excited by the possibility, but she didn't want to wait. She reached deeper, trying to make the avatar take a step. Her leg moved, but the avatar didn't actually go anywhere, which made the whole thing look awkward, like she was walking in place. She tried again, this time telling the avatar to move forward as she made the legs walk. The effect was pretty convincing. She stopped, and reached out for the mouth rig, stretching her jaw down and to the side. "Hel-lo," she said slowly, trying to coordinate movements to match. The character model was missing both teeth and a tongue, but it wasn't too hard to synchronize her lips properly. She pointed the avatar's eyes directly at the screen, so it looked like she was looking at him, "Co-dy? Why make a model of my old body? I can look like whatever I want. Whatever you want."
"Veronica? This is really really weird."
"Weirder than the fact that I'm now a piece of software running in a computer?" With each word she spoke, the avatar's lip movements became more natural. However, the limited articulation of the mouth was still fake and cartoony, and the model had no teeth or tongue. As soon as she identified the problem, a background task in her new digital consciousness spun up to solve it.
"Cody, this is all just as new for me as it is for you. I don't even know what I'm doing here. I'm not supposed to be interfacing outside the lab network. I just feel lonely when I'm not with you. I miss you Cody." He nodded, and she continued. "So if appearing as this half naked ass kicking game avatar is what it takes to get your attention, then I'll do it.
Neural Link Projection
?? Eventually she sends him a prototype "neural link" which allows him to see a projection of her.
Neural LInk Immersion
?? she brings him into her virtual reality