The Soft Heart of the Electron

Bird, R. P. "The Soft Heart of the Electron." Aboriginal S. F. July-Aug. 1989: 9 f.

Disembodied brains run fighting machines rather like the Mobile Infantry armor of R. A. Heinlein's 'Starship' Troopers—just with "spirit soldiers" rather than full humans running them. Philip is such a person who falls in love with Sandra, his caregiver, who turns out to "a Cray AI 70 autonomous personality computer" (14). See entries for Heinlein, and K. O'Donnell, Mayflies.