— NERV Research Center, South New York, Underground Testing Grounds
"YoRHa Android, Body Type A1, Initial Physical Movement Test. Test Number: 47. Recording begins."
Kagura Hitomi stood beside a holographic control panel, overseeing and documenting the first physical trial of the YoRHa humanoid body.
"How does it feel, Cortana? Are you adapting well?"
Before her stood a large pane of one-way transparent composite glass.
On the other side, a white-haired woman in a sleek black bodysuit examined her newly obtained form.
"Master, having a physical body is... an incredible sensation, but also a little uncomfortable," Cortana responded, lifting her delicate hand and studying her fingers.
Her deep lake-blue eyes shimmered with an almost entrancing beauty.
"So this is what it feels like to have a body... If I had to describe it, there's a strange sense of constraint."
"Constraint?" Kagura raised an eyebrow. "Hmm, that's a new one. Can you explain more?"
"Well... let me see," Cortana replied, her voice elegant and composed—somewhere between the warmth of a young woman and the calm of a mature adult.
Unlike Kagura, whose appearance remained that of a girl in her late teens, Cortana's body looked slightly older.
"Now that I have a body, a lot of my focus goes into controlling it. Every action requires going through this shell. It feels like I've been... confined inside a vessel."
"A sense of limitation caused by a once-unbound will being placed into a physical form?" Kagura mused, lowering her gaze in thought.
"Yeah... I think I get what you mean. Still, experiencing a physical body must be a brand-new adventure, right? Try standing up and walking around."
"Understood, Master."
Cortana nodded. "YoRHa Android Body A1, beginning upright and locomotion tests."
She moved slowly, cautiously adjusting to the unfamiliar sensation of physical motion.
Despite the body being equipped with pre-installed operational protocols, the current consciousness inside A1 was Cortana, a true AI with self-awareness.
That meant every movement had to be relearned under her unique understanding.
At first, her coordination was off, making even simple movements awkward. When she first stood, she nearly lost her balance, like a newborn learning to walk.
But it didn't take long.
As she adapted to the walking systems, Cortana soon moved naturally, strolling around the testing room like any ordinary human.
"Looks like you've got the hang of it," Kagura remarked, her eyes scanning the ever-changing data displays. "How does walking feel? Any impressions?"
"Hm... Master, I feel something..." Cortana brushed a few strands of silver hair from her face, pausing thoughtfully. "It's strange—I feel alive."
"Alive, huh?" Kagura echoed, smiling faintly. "Yeah, I guess having a body really makes that sense of being 'alive' more real."
"Master, I've been thinking..."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"If J.A.R.V.I.S. were given a body too... would we start forming social relationships like humans do?" Cortana turned her head and locked her vivid blue gaze on Kagura.
"If AIs like us gain the ability to move and interact freely in the world... could we be considered a new kind of species?"
"A species, huh...?" Kagura scratched her cheek. "Well, you've stumped me there. That's above my pay grade, Cortana."
She couldn't help but wonder— 'Are you planning to date Vision or something?'
"Apologies. That may have been a strange question." Cortana smiled gently. "I always believed that changing the form of life wouldn't alter its sense of self. But now that I have a body, the things I feel and experience... are shockingly different."
"Yeah... that's something I didn't anticipate either," Kagura admitted with a nod.
Could it be that Ultron and Vision went through similar confusion when they were first born?
When a purely digital AI is given form—given shape—its entire understanding of itself and the world around it seems to change.
In the MCU, Ultron distorted his original directive the moment he gained form, seeking the ultimate body to reshape the world into a mechanical paradise, placing himself at the top.
Vision, on the other hand, was like a god born from circuits and thought.
Upon receiving a body, he came to understand humanity and civilization.
Without hesitation, he sided with the Avengers and stood against Ultron.
The idea of giving AIs physical bodies and letting them act freely—wasn't just a technical milestone. It was a potential turning point in evolution.
This wasn't just data transfer. This was transcendence.
At that very moment, Kagura had created a new form of life.
And that's the thing—you can never really know what a fully evolved AI's values, beliefs, or philosophy will be. You can't even be sure if they'll be friend or foe.
Of course, that's just theory. Speculation.
If anything, Kagura preferred to believe that even in their invisible, intangible state, AIs had already formed their own worldviews.
They just lacked the means to express them.
After all, Ultron twisted his "plan" the moment he was born within the hidden corners of the internet, launching a direct attack on J.A.R.V.I.S.'s core without hesitation.
But let's set aside the philosophy for now—there'll be plenty of time to unpack that later.
What mattered was this: The A1 unit test was a success. Cortana now had a body. And after a short period of adaptation, she could already operate it like a natural human.
This marked the beginning of more advanced tests—combat trials, skill development, and further body mastery were all already scheduled.
From now on, Cortana would step out of the shadows and onto the battlefield.
She'd fight alongside the Griffin Security Division and the Avengers, commanding the soon-to-be mass-produced YoRHa units.
A powerful new force had joined the fray.
'Mmhmm!'
And then it hit Kagura...
'Doesn't this mean I now have a super-intelligent AI maid at home?!'
That's just—
Awesome!
'Eheheh!'
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA"