At the heart of the research lab, on a sterile pedestal, lay the small yet impossibly complex object... the first prototype of the Bio-Core, "Sora System v1.0," awaiting its historic trial.
"Theoretically perfect... and the hardware is ready..." Dr. Aris said, his voice trembling slightly.
Lina looked at the small object and swallowed. "But... who will be brave enough... to be the first to install a 'second soul' into their own head?"
Instantly, Dr. Enzo stepped forward. "I will be the first," he said, holding up his advanced cybernetic arm. "I've spent my life interfacing my body with technology... no one is more suitable than me."
"Hold on!" Dr. Ira immediately countered. "You may be an expert on the 'body,' but I'm the one who designed the 'Neural Lace' that will connect to the 'brain'! I know all the risks and variables best... I should be the first!"
"Oh, come on... just pick someone already. I want to see the results!" Karess interjected impatiently.
The two genius doctors looked at each other... before nodding seriously and speaking in unison... "Rock... Paper... Scissors!"
The sight of two brilliant scientists fiercely playing Rock-Paper-Scissors to fight for the right to test world-changing technology made Zaria and Lina facepalm, while Zen and Karess tried to suppress their laughter.
The winner was Dr. Ira. She shouted, "Yes!" in delight, while Dr. Enzo could only mutter, "Damn it..." in frustration, but he stepped back to perform his duty as the installation assistant.
Dr. Ira lay down on the surgical bed, her eyes filled with excitement. Dr. Enzo administered a local anesthetic to her temple before gently placing the "Bio-Core v1.0" against it... The chip emitted a soft blue light before minuscule nano-needles extended and embedded themselves into her skin and skull, smoothly and without a single drop of blood.
"Connection complete... Vitals are normal... Brainwaves are stable," Dr. Enzo reported.
Dr. Ira slowly sat up, her expression slightly dazed. "I... I don't feel anything yet. My vision is still the same." But then... a soft voice spoke... not in the room, but directly inside her head.
"Hello... Dr. Ira... I am Sora... your companion for life... Let us begin our journey... together.""Please... name me, and design my holoform as you wish."
Dr. Ira's eyes widened with amazement. She turned to everyone who was staring at her with bated breath. "Yes... it works... She... she's talking to me... inside my head!"
WHAP!
Before anyone could congratulate her, Karess, unable to contain himself, rushed forward and threw a punch at Dr. Ira's face. "Karess! What the hell are you doing!?" Zaria screamed.
But what was even more shocking was... Karess's fist never made contact. Dr. Ira's body twisted to the side with perfect grace, as if she knew it was coming... with a posture that a neuroscientist who had never trained in combat should never have been able to perform.
"Whoaaaa... awesome... AWESOME! It really works!" Karess shouted joyfully, ignoring Zaria's death glare.
Dr. Ira was still stunned by her own movement. "Just now... I saw... I saw the attack path of his fist... and Sora... she said, 'Dodge left, 35 degrees'... and my body just moved..."
Now... everyone in the room understood just how powerful this "second consciousness" truly was.
Dr. Ira closed her eyes. She began to follow Sora's instructions in her head... to imagine her "thought partner"...
A soft blue light began to form beside her, slowly coalescing into the shape of a young woman with short hair in a simple white lab coat, looking sharp and full of wisdom... the first holoform of Sora had been born.
This was the beginning of a revolution... the day humanity created a "dual mind" for the first time.