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damned_institute2013-03-20 09:11 pm
ninelivesonce) wrote in damned_institute2013-03-20 09:11 pm
Night 69: Secret Stairs
[from here]
The stairs, unlike the ones in the rest of the building, were metal, narrow, and stretched straight up. Taura pointed her flashlight up them, but there wasn't anything on them. Yet. That they could see. Taura took them two at a time. Which was slow by her standards.
Or at least she took the first two of them that way; as soon as her foot hit the treads on the second step, the ground shuddered into motion. "It's automatic," she hissed, as if Rita couldn't see that for herself. It wasn't moving that fast; she could run down it if she'd wanted to, but it made her feel like the walls were closing in. The flickering lights didn't help; they certainly didn't make her feel more confident that anything mechanical here was working properly, and even if it was, it wasn't likely going to be for her benefit.
The stairs, unlike the ones in the rest of the building, were metal, narrow, and stretched straight up. Taura pointed her flashlight up them, but there wasn't anything on them. Yet. That they could see. Taura took them two at a time. Which was slow by her standards.
Or at least she took the first two of them that way; as soon as her foot hit the treads on the second step, the ground shuddered into motion. "It's automatic," she hissed, as if Rita couldn't see that for herself. It wasn't moving that fast; she could run down it if she'd wanted to, but it made her feel like the walls were closing in. The flickering lights didn't help; they certainly didn't make her feel more confident that anything mechanical here was working properly, and even if it was, it wasn't likely going to be for her benefit.
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She kept her flashlight on, not wanting to rely on the flickering lights for visibility. It was difficult to see much past Taura’s towering figure in front of her, so Rita opted to watch the rear, in case anything came up after them. “See anything?” she asked Taura.
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As it struggled to complete its function, the static grew louder until it nearly drowned out the automated voice completely...
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Taura's hand twitched towards the stunner, but the figure didn't look like it had a nervous system to disrupt. The thing was probably electric, but whether it would help or hurt would take experimenting.
Whereas two feet of sharp steel generally didn't help anything. So she readied the throwing star, but in a way that mostly looked like she was scratching the back of her neck with it, and subtly braced herself on the moving stairs. Then she let it carry them up. "Iris," she called again. It wasn't like their presence was a secret, even if she wasn't looking their way. "Are you Iris?"
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It seemed like Taura was calling to IRIS, but that was odd. IRIS was just an automated voice, it wasn't like...
... Okay, what was that? Rita caught a glimpse of something at the top of the stairs. She grabbed Taura's shoulder (on the opposite side to where she was reaching from - she didn't want to get in the middle of things if Taura decided to attack) and pulled herself upward to get a better look at what was ahead of them.
What she saw was unlike anything she'd seen before. It was human-shaped, yet clearly not human. "An android..." Already, it was difficult to contain her curiosity. Was it intelligent? How was it constructed? And was it an enemy? Rita hoped this wouldn't come to a fight. There was too much that she wanted to know!
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"Affirmative," came the answer that managed to pierce through the static of the intercom speakers. "I am the Intercom Relay--relayyyyy InforMATIONal System. How may I assist you, TAURA?"
It seemed, despite the glitches, she was in working order.
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"What is this place, and why was it created?" Why am I here? Big questions, and she didn't really expect a straight answer. But sometimes, all you had to do was ask. So she had. Then she shut up, so Rita could get a word in.
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Taura didn’t waste any time, and dove straight into asking some of the heavier questions. Rita wondered if IRIS would or even could begin answering those for them, but she couldn’t fault Taura for trying. It wasn’t often that they were face-to-face with someone with insider information on the workings of the institute.
Since it was probably best to take those big questions one at a time, Rita decided to posit a simpler, practical one. “Did Landel send you to meet us here?” This wasn’t quite the trap she had been expecting.
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Something seemed to whir and click in the back of the android's head as she struggled to complete her sentence.
Rita's question, apparently, overrode her previous train of thought, and the robot shifted her head to meet the girl's gaze. "Correct. Dr. Landel is regrettably unable to meet with you this evening, but rest assured that he is very interested in your progress. Would you like me to take a message, RITA?"
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Go ahead, she tried to say with her eyes and hand, although with a claw and a hand full of throwing star, she wasn't sure it came across as more than a bizarre series of clanks.
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In any case, IRIS had confirmed that Landel had set up this little meeting. Why? Rita found it hard to believe that he'd suddenly decided to get generous with dispensing information.
... But that didn't mean she wouldn't take advantage of it as much as possible. "More importantly, what else is up here?" If Rita understood correctly, then they had reached the third floor. There had been a number of rumors floating around, suggesting what could be found on the least-accessible floor of the building... Perhaps IRIS would be able to shed some light on which of those were true.
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Whether the Head Doctor would actually hear the message wasn't clear, but she didn't elaborate on when he'd get it, if ever. Instead, she zeroed in on Rita's next question.
"Behind me is the entrance to many of our top-notch research facilities," she answered. "Here at Landel's Institute, we are passionate about ensuring the success of Next-Wave. With the help of both private investors and federal sponsorships, we have created a dream team of scientists who are working tirelessly to find new, innovative ways to serve and protect our country."
She extended both mechanical hands, palms facing up. Two small panels suddenly materialized, one on each hand. On her right hand was a small, purple crystal that was practically embedded into the metal. On her left, three small buttons -- red, blue, and yellow.
"As an extra security measure, we have implemented a special mode of transport in order to move from room to room. For access to the system's power crystal, please enter the correct code."
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Oh, and a combination lock and a power crystal. She shot a glance at Rita. She didn't know anything about a code, but Rita knew crystals. "Give us a moment, please," she said to I.R.I.S. "Any ideas? Is that the kind of crystal you're used to working with?"
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But more interesting at that moment was how IRIS was able to convert her own hands into a sort of control panel. A ‘power crystal’… like a blastia. There was a sparkle of fascination in Rita’s eyes, but Taura was quick to bring her back down to earth.
“No,” she answered honestly. “It looks similar, but I won’t know if it works similarly unless I can access it… and we don’t have the code for that.” Did other devices in the institute run on crystals like that? Most things Rita saw seemed to use electricity or combustion, but that might have just been the low-level technology patients were allowed access to. Who knew how much more advanced the Head Doctor’s tools were?
Guessing the code didn’t seem like it would work, so for the time being, Rita supposed she’d see what other information she could get from IRIS. “Can we move to the other rooms on this floor without accessing the power crystal?” She asked the android. “And… can you tell us who would know the code?” The latter question was a bit of a stretch, but maybe she was programmed to know the names of people with administrative privileges.
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As if waiting for a command, the robot's artificial eyes continued to gaze at the two patients. The purple crystal and the three buttons, meanwhile, remained in place. "For access to the system's power crystal," the automated female voice repeated, "please enter the correct code."
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That he was the only one who knew it didn't surprise Taura; he liked the power he had, and liked holding it over people. But he also liked games, and this might be one of them. "What happens if we enter the wrong code?"
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It didn't seem to occur to IRIS that perhaps she was talking to two possible intruders at that very moment.
"For access to the system's power crystal, please enter the correct code," the android said once again.
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“All right, let’s see what we can do.” Rita stepped forward, raising her own hand to IRIS’s. She hesitated then, both due to the uncertainty of her next move, and the awkwardness of using someone’s hand for a user interface.
Red, blue, and yellow… Rita expected a code to be something that contained words or numbers. Colors seemed a bit childish, though maybe there was a trick to it. For now, she started by pressing the red button. How many buttons made for a complete entry? She supposed she'd just have to play it by ear, one by one.
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"If an authorized user needed a reminder, could you give them one? All, um, strictly hypothetically speaking, that is." Miles would know what to ask. Taura was flying rather more blindly. Though she suspected he did that more than he liked to admit, and he admitted it a lot. Seeding it with truth was key, though -- she didn't like lying, but she didn't have to. "I've worked with House and military security before; it's interesting to compare strategies."
She let Rita get on with pressing buttons while she talked; she could catch the sequence Rita had picked out of the corner of her eye without making it obvious that she was watching.