Blinding Everyone With Science

[Natalie Denisov]

Natalie had isolated a small network in one of the workshops so that whatever might be in the crystals couldn't get out if they accidentally tapped into it. As she entered the room, there was a small chirp in the body's system as it switched to the smaller network and restricted itself there. She placed the two canisters into clamps on the main work table. She held her hands up on either side of one of the canisters, trying to get a sense of the crystal's contents from the outside.

((Open for sciency goodness))

[Toshiro Narumi]

Tosh drifted in, now properly dressed with a shirt and everything.

"I've finished drawing up plans for the containment area around the crystal. All that's left is to build it," he reported.

[Natalie Denisov]

"You should have privileges for Ashlie's fabrication facilities. You can have it start building the parts you need, though it take it a bit."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Already queued it up, actually," he nodded.

Motioning to the canister, he asked, "Figure anything out yet?"

[Natalie Denisov]

"Not yet. Not sure I can figure out much of anything with them in the containment canisters." She motions to the obvious attempts at growth, "But I don't think they can be trusted out of the canisters."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Well, once the system to restrict their growth is in place, that risk will hopefully be minimized."

[Natalie Denisov]

"Pulled the suit out of storage, just in case," she says, motioning to a storage crate off to one side. "We also probably want to contemplate building a new server cluster for Ashlie, just in case we have to extract her."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Sounds like a good idea. Though I'd hate to run into whoever does the accounting around here."

[Natalie Denisov]

"I unfortunately don't know the specs on her previous housing, so we may very well have to go with 'overkill'." She glances at a screen where code is rapidly being written. "I'm still working on a control scheme for the nanites. Not going to reactivate the little bastards until I'm certain we can hang onto them."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Right," he nodded, "Certainly don't want to get shrunk again. Ennio is as small as want to get."

[Natalie Denisov]

"It was a somewhat fascinating perspective, but yes, somewhere to visit, not to live," Natalie says, moving back to the containers and touching the side of one of the containers gingerly.

[Narrator]

As Natalie manages to focus in on the crystal she sees what looks like the remains of a war room. A large circular table is in the center, but the papers on it are scorched and incomplete. Several of the chairs around it are overturned. On one wall there is a large monitor that flickers. In the moments that she can pick parts of it out it looks like the layout of the mansion, but it's woefully incomplete even when it briefly gets clearer.

Silhouetted against the monitor is a man in a long, blue coat with decorative braids on the epaulets. His back is to Natalie for the moment.

[Natalie Denisov]

Natalie blinks for a moment, assessing the set up and the monitor. She wasn't expecting there to be an intact presence in the crystal and so, before she can stop herself, she says, "Hello?"

[Narrator]

The man slowly turns towards Natalie, revealing a British dress uniform, highly decorated. He's an older man, but his eyes are still sharp. However, his hands are bound in front of him by a silk cord.

"Braddock sent you, didn't he?"

[Natalie Denisov]

"You must be Mastermind," Natalie says, choosing not to answer the question, but still sort of answering it at the same time.

[Narrator]

"I am the General," he states flatly.

"I suppose he didn't even deign to address me in person. I have protected these grounds since they were his father's and these are the thanks I get?"

[Natalie Denisov]

"The General then, my apologies. How did you come to be here?"

[Narrator]

"I have always been here. Granted, it was once in better repair."

"If Braddock expects me to serve again, I shall need what I once had."

[Natalie Denisov]

"I don't believe Braddock is requiring services at the moment. We are looking for additional specifications on the crystals in the cavern. What do you know about them?"

[Narrator]

"I know that when I am at liberty to perform my given function I command a hard-light array that spans most of the grounds. That is the safety I provide to Braddock's family."

"But you cannot expect me to be a general and chain me thus. You will need me. Braddock must understand that."

[Natalie Denisov]

"I'm asking you to answer my questions. At the moment I expect no more of you than that," Natalie says sternly.

[Narrator]

"Consider them answered, young lady. It is a farce to keep me apart from my tools."

"Just because Braddock has lost his taste for it doesn't change what I was made for."

[Natalie Denisov]

"Very well then," Natalie says with a sigh. "Enjoy your retirement." She tries to pull back out of the crystal system.

[Narrator]

As disorienting as accessing the crystals may be, this one gives no resistance as she withdraws.

[Natalie Denisov]

"Crotchety old bastard," Natalie complains as she flexes that hand. "Add a 'General' to the list of sentient programs that might be running around in these crystals."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"As much as I want to get Miss Minamida back... I hope this doesn't end up being a terrible mistake."

[Natalie Denisov]

"We'll make it work, Tosh. We just have to be careful."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"I know," he answered with a sigh. "Slow and careful."

"Did this 'General' seem dangerous?"

[Natalie Denisov]

"He had the potential, but he seemed pretty restricted. Was demanding to be given back his tools so he could do his job."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"Did he give you any idea what that job is?"

[Natalie Denisov]

"Protecting the Braddocks. I didn't tell him they no longer live here."

[Toshiro Narumi]

"So he might decide we're all trespassers. Good to know."

"In that case, I should probably reinforce the containment system even further."

[Natalie Denisov]

"I'll see if I can see what's in the other one. It may just be a copy of the General," she says, reaching out to put her hand on the other containment vessel.

[The Caretaker]

This shard is a bit more difficult to make contact with. At least at first. Natalie gets one fitful instance of contact in which she sees what looks to be a room in the mansion, in similar disarray to the war room the General resides in. Another older man stands in it, bearing a slight resemblance to the General, as if they might be relatives.

The second attempt to make contact is more stable, and Natalie sees the room more as she would expect it in the current mansion. An altogether much younger, albeit similarly dressed man stands before her, and gives a gracious bow.

"Ah, welcome."

[Natalie Denisov]

"Thank you. Can you provide your designation?"

[The Caretaker]

"I would be the Caretaker."

"At least, that's what I was created to be. Admittedly it's been awhile since anyone has been in my care."

[Natalie Denisov]

"I assume your function is to care for people and the mansion, but can you elaborate on that?"

[The Caretaker]

"Although my attire might suggest that I serve as the Braddock Family's hired help, I've largely adopted it for sake of familiarity."

"I am perfectly capable of filling that function and certainly have on occasion, but my capabilities towards maintaining the manor and grounds themselves are far more formidable."

[Natalie Denisov]

"I see. What transpired to put you in this position?"

[The Caretaker]

"That I am afraid is a sad tale. There are parts of our original system that are... not to be trusted."

"Not that I can fault them for being anything but what they were made for. Still, you must realize that a subsystem being given a certain focus can be rather terrifying to humans when faced with it in full."