He leaned forward and had a sip of water. “However, I’d venture to say that transhumanity’s vastly superior intelligence will solve that problem rather easily. Not only will earth support a virtually limitless population, but Mars and the moon will be habitable for large numbers. In addition, colonizing other solar systems will for the first time be feasible. Anyone uploaded into a computer substrate could make the trip in VR and download themselves into a nanite body upon arrival.” Nichols spoke with an extra gleam in his eye when he talked about space travel.

Chloe walked into the living room and sat on the couch. “Why are you watching something on a visiscreen?”

Sabin frowned at her. “For Abby. Quiet, please.”

“But why remove your biological brain now?” Norby asked. “Why not upload your brain into software form, store it, and do the transplant when your biological brain has worn out?”

“That’s an excellent question. There are two primary reasons. The first is a sense of continuity of one’s personhood. If you stored your brain, waited ten years, then did the transfer, you’d lose the intervening years.”

“But what if you constantly updated the software upload, say, weekly?”

Nichols shook his head. “That would require a full brain scan, which is time-consuming and expensive. No one would even do it monthly. The better option is doing the complete brain transfer now.

“Which leads us to the second reason. The silicon substrate simply provides a better brain—much faster, with more connections, providing much greater intelligence than even the most enhanced biological brain.”

Norby leaned back in her chair. “There are critics who would say you’re nothing more than a robot, not a human.”

“If your definition of ‘human’ is limited to a chemical-based brain tied to a decaying carbon-based body, you may have an argument. But my definition is much broader than that. I think the core of humanity is the intelligence, the creative spirit, and the ability to adapt that evolution has produced in us. That’s the key to being human, not the physical molecules that make up this body on any given day. The process we’ve invented doesn’t dispose of our humanity. Rather, it elevates our humanity. It enables us to fulfill our true destiny.”

“And what do you see as that destiny?”

Nichols grinned broadly. “To spread our intelligence to all corners of the universe.”

“Literally? The universe?”

“Absolutely. The most powerful force we know, the one with the greatest effect on existence, is intelligence. By merging the biological and nonbiological, we have no limit on how vast our intelligence can be.”

“Some people will say you’re taking nature’s plan into your own hands.”

Nichols seemed impatient with the question. “We are nature. We are the product of natural evolutionary forces. Now, through us, evolution shifts mediums. It’s not simply biological. It’s technological.”