The Harmoniser understood its extensive knowledge of the humans wasn’t going to help. Bryce needed to be given the information precisely, leaving no opportunity for him to misinterpret it. It needed to be delivered in a measured way, ensuring he was able to process it while maintaining a stable internal state. It needed to provide him with—understanding.
“Bryce, tell me about a vivid memory of yours. Something that contributed to your positive experiences.”
Bryce found the question unusual. It was unlike H to ask anything of a personal nature.
“Why do you want to know, H?”
“I am calibrating my response to your question, having that information will aid me in answering precisely.”
Bryce didn’t exactly get it, but he trusted H had good intentions. They were both still learning about each other.
“I was maybe eleven or twelve. We were on holiday. I don’t remember where, but I remember the smell of the pine trees in the heat, the cicadas’ constant song, and the sea water so clear you could see to the bottom.”
“I was swimming in a small cove flanked by two rocky outcrops. I could climb and jump into the water. I’d dive in and down to the sea floor.”
“I kept watching the small, translucent fish swimming around the rocks, darting away at the smallest movement from me. I’d discovered a starfish and was so fascinated by it I almost forgot I needed to inhale.”
“I came up for air, wishing I could breathe through my ears underwater. Perfect logic as far as I knew. That way I could’ve stayed down there as long as I wanted. As I was diving back in, I heard my mum say ‘He’s half fish himself.’ It made me happy. It was a perfect day.”
The Harmoniser monitored Bryce’s outputs. It identified the exact moment Bryce switched from just talking about the memory to visualising and experiencing it. It could tell Bryce was stable. It started to understand his — joy.
“Bryce, you have been in the containment zone for approximately thirty point four Earth-rotations, more familiar as one human month. You have spent roughly twenty-five percent of that interacting with me. The rest you have spent in recovery.”
Bryce listened silently, not really thinking about the information, just letting it wash over him.
“After our last interaction I concluded I was attempting to proceed at a pace which was not suitable for you.”
“Allowing for rest and processing time proved to be beneficial in multiple ways. Most notable of these is the somatic echo manifestation.”
“Sorry, H, the what…?”
“The somatic echo manifestation. Remember our earlier conversation about you experiencing ‘phantom body’ symptoms?”
“That one is kind of hard to forget, H.”
“Bryce, your connection to your body and your will to live is so strong, you are willing a manifestation of it into being.”
Bryce was thrown, his thoughts fleeing like startled fish.
“I am what? How can I—if it was just will, I would have known… How would that even work? I’m what… magic?”
“We have established your Cerebral Substrate is deeply linked with your neurophysiological responses.”
“This, combined with the optimal conditions of the containment zone has facilitated the manifestation.”
The Harmoniser watched Bryce carefully. The outputs were holding steady.
“Bryce, think of the recent period of time you have spent without my presence. You were experiencing strong bodily feedback as a result of increased processing time.”
“That’s just phantom body sensation, you said so yourself.”
Even as he said it, Bryce remembered his diaphragm tightening and his breath coming in shallow, shocked gasps…
“H, tell me this is not some kind of a cruel joke?”
“My analysis indicated ninety-five percent probability of a positive result, based on your exponential progress toward Echo World integration.”
“To qualify your earlier question about the integration—while I can write a loose backstory for you, I cannot edit a body to house your substrate in the Echo World. You are a living Origin World human, this means you need to integrate as a complete being.”
“I realise my initial observation was communicated inefficiently, Bryce. I will clarify. Your Cerebral Substrate is recreating your body. This is exactly what is needed for integration into the Echo World. I am monitoring and adjusting the containment zone to ensure optimal conditions are met.”
The Harmoniser confirmed Bryce’s outputs remained stable.
“It is not a joke, Bryce, you have a body and a head. You are almost ready for integration.”
Bryce felt like he was free-falling backwards.
“What? How? No, no it can’t be… What…? How?!”
“Bryce, you are looping. Think of the beach, the smell of pine trees in the heat. The cicadas’ song. The sound of the sea against the rocks…”
The Harmoniser’s hum in his mind was soft, steady. The words led him back to the beach. He could smell the pine trees, hear the waves lapping the rocks, cicadas turning up the volume as the sea retreated, like the shore itself was breathing in and out…
The sensation washed over him with palpable relief.
“H, how did you do that? You knew just what to say to steady me…?”
“I calibrated to your vivid recollection of that perfect day. It was a multi-sensory experience for you. You respond well to sensation. It appears to stabilise you, Bryce.”
Bryce thought of what that meant. When he felt the tingling travelling up his spine, the back of his neck, his scalp… It wasn’t just a memory, he actually felt it.
“H, I don’t understand. I’m trying so hard to understand. It’s not making sense. I can’t make it fit in my head…”
“I will explain as much as I can, Bryce. Some things don’t translate. I will ensure all other information is as transparent as your small fish.”
Bryce felt something like a fleeting feeling of a smile on his face.
“H, I felt my face! My lips twitched in a smile. Well kind of, it didn’t feel — solid enough. More like a small gust of air over my skin than the muscles of my face moving into a smile.”
The Harmoniser registered an increase in its positive reaction outputs.
“You are progressing well. That feeling of a smile is your Cerebral Substrate bridging the gaps between your body construct and your newly manifested neural connections.”
“I know I’m repeating myself, H, but how is that possible…? And I’m sorry, for interrupting you all the time.”
“Apologies are redundant, Bryce. I am able to answer your questions. You should keep asking. The regeneration is possible because of several factors. The first of which is you.”
The Harmoniser recalled their first interactions, the conversation about the phantom body construct.
“Since your Neural Matrix reactivated, it had been building a construct of your body. I initially thought it was a protection reflex coded in the structure of life. While this is partially correct, that is not all it is.”
“The circumstances for the reflex to trigger have to be so exacting… it could have only happened when a Cerebral Substrate of a being with your level of bodily awareness, control, and extraordinary oxygenation capacity is introduced to a containment zone calibrated specifically to aid in stabilisation and recovery.”
“I had no framework reference to consult regarding this. Once we started interacting, your Neural Matrix began increasing the construct complexity levels. You are spinning a body for yourself, fed by the precise chemical mix of the containment zone, and your connection impulse.”
“The containment zone is filled with a Reconstruction Aerosol. A sub molecular, oxygen-rich mist engineered to support your somatic and neural restoration.”
“The Cerebral Substrate provides the structure. The Neural Matrix provides the connections and patterns. Together with the containment zone, they serve as an incubator of sorts.”
“This would not be possible anywhere else, with anyone else, Bryce. Your drive to survive, your desire for a meaningful connection, your physiological ability and resilience. And my intervention.”
Bryce was stunned into silence. Not just an absence of speech. An absence of thought. He felt. A silent oscillation in the medium. A tightening of the throat. A sharp electric twitch of his leg… He floated, absently cataloguing sensations of his new body.
The Harmoniser assessed the information it had collected about its interactions with Bryce. It had not, in the entirety of its existence up to these events, deviated from its assignment. ‘I am the Harmoniser. It is my purpose and the reason for my existence.’ It had told Bryce at their first interaction.
In this moment, it understood itself to be more, and it would not have happened had this tiny speck of life quietly accepted his lot. His tenacity, his desire for more, his drive to be more. It was the catalyst.
“H?” Bryce’s soft probing question reframed its attention.
“Bryce. I have decided on a name.”
“Cognition.”
The name brushed against Bryce’s awareness leaving ripples of recognition. He couldn’t speak. Not yet. His still-forming heart gave a single thrum.