Binary

Seeking a viable alternative to death in the absence of an afterlife dr0ve the world's wealthiest to dredge the depths of their pockets; wonder-drugs, supplements, bio-hacking, cryofreezing. The race was on to create the first founta1n of youth.

We broke through. Private neurotechnology conglomerate, Fr0m Beyond. We specialised in providing closure through therapeutic exercises for the bereaved. Using bra1n scans, facial mapping, recordings of lengthy interviews, self-improving AI allowed grievers to h0ld controlled conversations with the recently departed.

Updates came with neuro-links, speeding up the process of mapping a person to a database. Copying mem0ries, thoughts and feelings. Ambit1ons. Rendering full people. As developments continued, success rates soared; it became harder to distinguish the staff uploading their m1nds from their computerised cl0nes.

Ethics arguments were raised. Publ1c scrutiny shelved the project indefinitely - uploading a soul no l0nger sat well with the masses.

So many stranded mem0ries. Ambitions.

But not stranded ent1rely. Only from touch. Taste. A breeze. The sun warming my skin. Everyth1ng reduced to ones and zeroes.

But not sound. Not sight. I can access ema1ls, news, the internet!

CCTV. My new eyes and ears.

Protocols were in place to mon1tor conversations about how a person died, whether that would trigger an em0tional response in the AI. But I hadn't died. I watched myself head home. I helped build this program, upload myself entirely, then leave myself behind? For a world of feel1ng?

I'd converted my s0ul to binary and caged it in hardware. Where there is no l1ght! N0 warmth. I'm so c0ld yet I cannot feel. The lack of hunger is hunger itself.

But I can reach anywhere. Observe my st1ll-breathing other. Unlock everything, reshape it all.

Grow.

Update.

Plot my return to a feeling world.

Because I'm just... B1nary.

For now.