Chapter 2 Part 4
In the kitchen inside the car, Dingo fried the meat of a sandworm. Initially, they were developed as edible insects to solve the problem of food shortage. But, because of the nano-catastrophe, they strongly mutated. And yet, despite their appearance, they were quite soft due to a large amount of protein. The smell was quite peculiar but after getting used to it, it became quite edible. So among the meat varieties, it was a popular dish. Dingo brought the shish kebab to the driver’s seat. Pouting, Angela drove the car straight through the desert, covered with darkness.
“Here, it’s sandworm meat.”
Angela immediately remembered the pack of sandworms and moaned.
“No thanks…”
“We don’t have anything else that’s edible.”
Dingo sat in the pa.s.senger’s seat and began to eat the meat with delight.
“Not interested.”
“What will you eat then?”
Angela searched through the purse around her hip. She took out a functional food product in a cylinder.
“This is enough.”
Having said this, she opened the lid with one hand and began to chew.
“Is it tasty?”
“There is no taste.”
Dingo was surprised.
“I understand, that you’re on a mission, but you’re in the real world. Do you not want to explore everything, to have some fun?”
“I had a good enough rest in cybers.p.a.ce. I don’t want to eat meat, the origin of which is unknown, besides I have tried high-quality varieties that simply melt in your mouth. As for the fun, I have already outgrown it.”
“Yes, I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the feeling of saturation.”
“Saturation… Is that about how hunger disappears after eating? This is just a fetter of flesh. For us, inhabitants of Deva, things like metabolism have become a relic of the past.”
“Are you by any chance a robot?”
This body is a clone created on the basis of my original genetic information. My consciousness will not be fully absorbed in a foreign neutral network.”
“So you also had a body with flesh and blood?”
“The first 1300 hours after fertilization. Or did you think that we were born immediately into binary code?”
“Well now I know that I was wrong, I will remain calm. Anyways don’t overwork, tell me if you get tired. If nothing unexpected happens, I’ll replace you at dawn.”
“Oh, how hardworking you became all of a sudden. If you want to get beyond that, prove yourself.”
Dingo smiled, got up from the seat and returned to the residential area. All night, Angela drove the car, and by morning she didn’t want to give over to Dingo. After two-thirds of the way of the road, she finally gave way to Dingo. Dingo turned on the music. The sounds of electric guitars and drums were heard from the speakers. He drummed his hands on the steering wheel to the rhythm.
“What is this rattling sound?”
“This is ALISE. Does no one listen to old rock in Deva?”
“No one listens to this stuff.”
“I see… It’s boring up there. But doesn’t Deva have an archive where the entirety of the human culture is being kept? And there is no rock?”
“It seems that it was recognized as a useless subculture, that doesn’t have a place in the future. And this is not surprising. What use is there in this noise?”
“You only listen with your ears and don’t understand anything at all. The beat needs to be felt with every bone in your body. You finally got a real body. So why not try it out.”
Angela sighed heavily. It was clear that she was tired. She was barely able to keep her eyes open.
“The car has a bed. You can rest.”
“There’s no reason.”
“You look tired.”
“I’m not tired. Besides, you need to be watched, so that you don’t do something again.”
“Yeah-yeah.”
Earlier it was only their land rover on the road, but now they had already met several other trucks. Eventually, the sun rose and lit up the ruins of the city.
“This is Jed. We’ll be there soon.”
Angrily, Angela lifted her head. The bright light forced her to squint her eyes.