HOME | DD

Description
This is an image of Mia, a synthetic human, age 1.
This image was created with Midjourney, then tweaked and modified with Photoshop.

Here is Chapter 01 of a story (created by A.I.) based on Mia's creators, The Body Builders:

---
Alex Reed had always found the term "cutting-edge" to be painfully cliché, especially in the over-saturated market of tech journalism where every second gadget was hailed as the next revolution. It was a Tuesday, indistinguishable from any other Tuesday, except for the fact that Alex's inbox contained an email encrypted so heavily it would make a Swiss bank vault look as secure as a cardboard box in the rain. The subject line simply read: "The Bodybuilders—A Story Worth Your Wit."

Intrigued and mildly annoyed by the presumption of the sender, Alex set about decrypting the email with a mixture of professional curiosity and the kind of reckless abandon that usually precedes disaster. The message was brief: "Meet me at the corner of 5th and Verona, midnight. Come alone. It's about the Bodybuilders." No signature, no further explanation. The kind of message that, in a less digital age, would have come slipped under a door by an unseen hand.

Alex smirked. *Come alone*, as if they were in some spy thriller. Still, the mention of the Bodybuilders piqued their interest. An elite group of engineers shrouded in mystery, rumored to be the architects behind the latest generation of humanoids that were indistinguishable from humans, save for their lack of legal rights and a penchant for not aging. If the rumors were true, this could be the story of the decade, the kind that would have conspiracy theorists and technophiles alike frothing at the mouth.

Armed with nothing but a digital recorder and the kind of naive optimism that can only be fueled by the prospect of a career-defining scoop, Alex headed to the rendezvous. The streets were slick with the remnants of an afternoon downpour, reflecting the neon chaos of the city in a kaleidoscope of color. 5th and Verona was a nondescript corner, home to an all-night diner that claimed to have the best apple pie this side of the galaxy and a pawn shop that had seen better days.

Midnight came with a silent fanfare, the city's noise a constant backdrop to the anticipation that hummed through Alex's veins. A figure detached itself from the shadows, its features obscured by the brim of an outdated fedora—a hat so anachronistic, Alex almost laughed.

"You Reed?" the figure asked, their voice a low rumble that seemed oddly familiar in the way a song heard once in a dream might be.

"That depends," Alex replied, their voice steady despite the adrenaline. "You going to tell me about the Bodybuilders?"

The figure nodded, a gesture that seemed to convey both assent and caution. "What do you know about the Turing Test, Reed?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "A test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human. Why? Planning on taking it?"

The figure chuckled, a sound that seemed to carry with it the weight of untold secrets. "Something like that. What if I told you the Bodybuilders have been playing God, creating beings that don't just pass the Turing Test but live it, breathe it, and bleed it?"

"That would be the headline of the century," Alex said, the pieces beginning to fall into place. "But why tell me?"

"Because," the figure said, stepping into the light, revealing a face that was hauntingly familiar, yet impossible—a face that mirrored Alex's own, down to the scar above the eyebrow. "Who better to uncover the truth than one of their own creations?"

The revelation hit Alex like a physical blow, a sucker punch to the gut that left them gasping for air. The world tilted, reality and fiction blurring into a maelic dance of possibilities and existential dread.

The figure, the mirror image of Alex, smiled wryly. "Welcome to the story of a lifetime, Alex. Let's see how deep the rabbit hole goes."

And just like that, the chase was on—a chase that would unravel the very fabric of reality, challenge the essence of humanity, and perhaps, just perhaps, redefine the boundaries of existence itself. But first, Alex needed another coffee. If they were going to confront existential dilemmas and uncover the darkest secrets of the Bodybuilders, they'd need all the caffeine they could get.

[continued in The Body Builders - Chapter 02 of 10]

Description
This is an image of Mia, a synthetic human, age 1.
This image was created with Midjourney, then tweaked and modified with Photoshop.

Here is Chapter 01 of a story (created by A.I.) based on Mia's creators, The Body Builders:

---
Alex Reed had always found the term "cutting-edge" to be painfully cliché, especially in the over-saturated market of tech journalism where every second gadget was hailed as the next revolution. It was a Tuesday, indistinguishable from any other Tuesday, except for the fact that Alex's inbox contained an email encrypted so heavily it would make a Swiss bank vault look as secure as a cardboard box in the rain. The subject line simply read: "The Bodybuilders—A Story Worth Your Wit."

Intrigued and mildly annoyed by the presumption of the sender, Alex set about decrypting the email with a mixture of professional curiosity and the kind of reckless abandon that usually precedes disaster. The message was brief: "Meet me at the corner of 5th and Verona, midnight. Come alone. It's about the Bodybuilders." No signature, no further explanation. The kind of message that, in a less digital age, would have come slipped under a door by an unseen hand.

Alex smirked. *Come alone*, as if they were in some spy thriller. Still, the mention of the Bodybuilders piqued their interest. An elite group of engineers shrouded in mystery, rumored to be the architects behind the latest generation of humanoids that were indistinguishable from humans, save for their lack of legal rights and a penchant for not aging. If the rumors were true, this could be the story of the decade, the kind that would have conspiracy theorists and technophiles alike frothing at the mouth.

Armed with nothing but a digital recorder and the kind of naive optimism that can only be fueled by the prospect of a career-defining scoop, Alex headed to the rendezvous. The streets were slick with the remnants of an afternoon downpour, reflecting the neon chaos of the city in a kaleidoscope of color. 5th and Verona was a nondescript corner, home to an all-night diner that claimed to have the best apple pie this side of the galaxy and a pawn shop that had seen better days.

Midnight came with a silent fanfare, the city's noise a constant backdrop to the anticipation that hummed through Alex's veins. A figure detached itself from the shadows, its features obscured by the brim of an outdated fedora—a hat so anachronistic, Alex almost laughed.

"You Reed?" the figure asked, their voice a low rumble that seemed oddly familiar in the way a song heard once in a dream might be.

"That depends," Alex replied, their voice steady despite the adrenaline. "You going to tell me about the Bodybuilders?"

The figure nodded, a gesture that seemed to convey both assent and caution. "What do you know about the Turing Test, Reed?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "A test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human. Why? Planning on taking it?"

The figure chuckled, a sound that seemed to carry with it the weight of untold secrets. "Something like that. What if I told you the Bodybuilders have been playing God, creating beings that don't just pass the Turing Test but live it, breathe it, and bleed it?"

"That would be the headline of the century," Alex said, the pieces beginning to fall into place. "But why tell me?"

"Because," the figure said, stepping into the light, revealing a face that was hauntingly familiar, yet impossible—a face that mirrored Alex's own, down to the scar above the eyebrow. "Who better to uncover the truth than one of their own creations?"

The revelation hit Alex like a physical blow, a sucker punch to the gut that left them gasping for air. The world tilted, reality and fiction blurring into a maelic dance of possibilities and existential dread.

The figure, the mirror image of Alex, smiled wryly. "Welcome to the story of a lifetime, Alex. Let's see how deep the rabbit hole goes."

And just like that, the chase was on—a chase that would unravel the very fabric of reality, challenge the essence of humanity, and perhaps, just perhaps, redefine the boundaries of existence itself. But first, Alex needed another coffee. If they were going to confront existential dilemmas and uncover the darkest secrets of the Bodybuilders, they'd need all the caffeine they could get.

[continued in The Body Builders - Chapter 02 of 10]