Aneka Jansen 6: The Lowest Depths of Shame Read Online Free PDF Page A

passing. ‘Well… there’s nothing else to do.’
    ‘Then find something else to do, dear. You’re making me jittery just looking at you. Maybe you should make her a new dress. New body, new outfit.’
    The pacing stopped. Result!
    ‘I could do that,’ Ella said. ‘By the time she comes out I’ll have redesigned her entire wardrobe.’ Turning on her heel, she marched off toward the door.
    Gillian watched her go and then looked back through the glass. ‘Sorry, dear, but at least she’s distracted for a while.’
    ~~~
    Ella settled herself against Cassandra’s back and wrapped an arm around her waist. ‘Thank you for doing this,’ the redhead said. ‘I haven’t been alone in bed for ages.’
    ‘We both have reasons to be nervous tonight, Ella,’ Cassandra replied. ‘You realise that I don’t actually sleep, however?’
    ‘I don’t really think I’m going to be getting a lot of sleep tonight either.’
    ‘It’s silly, really. We’re both worried about extremely remote possibilities. I mean, the worst that could happen is that we have to turn the old body back on and explain that the operation failed. I have even less to worry about with Al. He’s basically just software, much as I am…’
    ‘That’s not the worst that could happen,’ Ella replied. ‘The worst that could happen is that they come out different. Besides, I don’t believe you’re just software. You’re an emergent. That has to be something to do with your hardware as well as your software. I’m willing to bet they couldn’t do this to you without replicating your computers.’
    ‘Perhaps, though I think my “mind” is now independent of the system it runs on. An interesting experiment to conduct at some point.’
    ‘Well, we’re sort of doing it now. Aneka’s getting put onto new hardware. Is she still going to be the same woman?’
    ‘A case can be made for me, but Aneka is different. The Xinti built those brain systems specifically to execute the mind emulations they created. They themselves transferred their minds between bodies and the only times there was a problem was when there was a fault in the hardware. You have nothing to worry about. Al will be different.’
    ‘Oh?’
    ‘His mind is limited by the hardware he currently executes on. He is moving to more powerful computers and will become… more intelligent, for want of a better term. He will think faster and be more capable. He may be smarter than me. He could decide I’m beneath him…’ She trailed off, sounding uncertain.
    ‘Cassandra, now you are being silly. You’re as smart as I am, so if Al gets up to our IQ it just means he’ll be better placed to have conversations with you. He’s not going to turn into a super-genius. Winter wouldn’t do that because he’d be next to useless for Aneka. Talking is what started your relationship. If he’s better at doing it, then you’ll have a better relationship.’
    ‘You think so?’
    ‘I think so, yes.’
    The android giggled. ‘I’m supposed to be comforting you.’
    ‘You have. You’ve taken my mind off my worries. You’re right, it’s stupid. There’s nothing to worry about.’
    ‘No, but I haven’t taken your mind off it entirely.’
    ‘How can you tell? I know I’m pretty transparent, but you’re not even looking at me.’
    ‘You have not attempted to initiate sex.’
    ‘Oh… Are you offering?’
    Cassandra shifted away, rolled over, and then came back, crawling over Ella like a prowling tiger. ‘It will take my mind off my worries, and when I’ve finished with you, you’ll sleep like a baby.’
    ‘Oh thank Vashma,’ Ella whispered.
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    ‘How’s it going?’ Ella asked, trying to keep any hint of nervousness out of her voice.
    Activity had moved down to the basement now. Winter, in both her Four and Seven bodies, was busy going over several diagnostic displays, though Ella was not sure why given that all the data had to be available to her core mind. It was the