Night 69: Secret Stairs

[ninelivesonce]

[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.

Comments

[informational]

"This is a facility that has been created to help achieve the noble aims of Next-Wave," she answered in a pleasantly cool voice that seemed better suited for an automated museum guide. "Here at Landel's Institute, we have the most b-b-briillliaaNNNNtt miiiiIIInndsss---"

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?"

[ninelivesonce]

Next-Wave? That was new. Taura's eyes widened, but she said nothing, as the android stuttered its--her way to a stop. Was she actually being compelled to stop, but trying to help? That was novel. Well, except for all the people who claimed the same was true of them, back home, on the bulletin. It went along with actual aliens -- all the things that humans still expected to find among the stars, when really all the strangeness came from inside themselves.

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.

[overlimit]

A message? It sounded like a bad joke. "Yeah. Tell him to go take a long walk off a short pier," Rita offered, rolling her eyes. There wasn't much to be said. Any requests would surely be dismissed, and any threats or pleas would go ignored. It was best not to give Landel the impression that Rita was interested in playing along with his games.

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.

[informational]

"Understood," the android replied, apparently taking Rita's request as seriously as she was programmed to. "Saving message for Doctor. LANDEL...message saved. Thank you very much."

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."

[ninelivesonce]

Federal? Country? That was the first information about anything outside of the Institute I.R.I.S. had let slip; General Aguilar and his army had been proof that there was more, but they'd been very tight-lipped. Federations meant multiple allies, working together -- or at least they started out that way. Factions. Fractionalization. And all on one planet, too.

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?"

[overlimit]

From IRIS’s answer, it sounded like they had a great number of enemies beyond Landel himself. Between her information, and the army from before… was there an entire country’s government behind this? That meant that, to put an end to this… stopping Landel may not be enough. Someone else could just restart the program and start kidnapping people again. And what could the activities at the institute be providing that was helping to “serve and protect” the country?

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.

[informational]

"No, you cannot access the third floor without activating the power crystal," IRIS helpfully answered. "MARTIN. LANDEL. is currently the only on-site administrator authorized to distribute the code."

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."

[ninelivesonce]

So much for the hope that Rita could just wave her hands and take the crystal. It had been worth asking, at least. So they needed a code, I.R.I.S. knew it but couldn't give it out, and Doctor Landel was the only one who could.

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?"

[informational]

"You will be pleased to hear that we have installed effective countermeasures in the event that someone enters the wrong code too many times," IRIS's automated voice brightly answered. "At Landel's Institute, security is one of our highest priorities."

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.

[overlimit]

They would be locked out after “too many” wrong entries, which meant they had at least one free try. Asking Landel for help was out of the question, so it looked like all they could do was give it a shot. Even if they had no chance of guessing it, maybe they could figure something out.

“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.

[ninelivesonce]

As long as they didn't tell I.R.I.S. they were unauthorized, they had a few chances. Or at least one, which Rita was working on.

"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.