You get up out of bed, wash your face. Bag your fatigues and your package of clean laundry and change into your directors outfit. You stop in the mess for some coffee and nutrient paste before heading over to synth retention. No sooner had you entered had acting director Ayo approached you and pulled you into the back area.
“What are you doing proposing an operation of this magnitude without consulting me?” Ayo angrily hush yelled.
“That’s what this is isn’t it? It’s why I phrased the operation as a request instead of demanding you prepare for it.” You add attempting to calm them but maintaining that you were in charge here.
“I see, mark It as a ‘operation consultation’ instead in the future to prevent such miscommunications.” He adds with a slight huff while staring at you.
“Here’s the rundown then. Our target is the memory den. Primary objective for me is seizing the memory lounger pod and associated hardware.”
“Why now?”
“Because the railroad hadn’t been a problem till now. Without that pod and with Dr Amari and Irma replaced the new cell will be unable to provide synths with false memories to go with their false identities. And removal of the components we can use for detection will be a much more dangerous prospect without a brain specialist in their pocket.”
“And their replacements are there as a sting operation.”
“Precisely. That is why Dr Amari and Irma are the secondary objectives here. I’d like to assign Amari as a consultant for project giddyup buttercup to aid bio science with understanding smarty syndrome as well as other factors. I’d also like to interrogate them to see if they have been contacted by the new cell yet.”
“You’re not worried about an incoming teleporter scenario, are you? We changed protocols to account for that.” He adds with a confused but interested look.
“No. But if they understand the principle it’s possible they can learn to monitor for energy and signal fluctuations allowing them to monitor teleporter deployments. Even if they’re supposedly ‘random’.”
“Are you saying the railroad might be responsible for the missing fluffy signals?”
“Most are probably deaths or interference, but it’d be much easier to send out recovery teams if you knew the exact coordinates of their appearance.” You add as if to say ‘possibly’.
“All right, I can approve this. It’ll take at least three days to get the forces prepared and for two coursers schedules to align.”
“Im heading to robotics. Want me to submit the replacement requests while im over there?”
“Save’s me time I suppose.” You follow him out as he fills out some paperwork and hands it off to you. You give a nod and head out leaving the remaining cleanup and surveillance to them.
You walk the concourse over to Robotics and head in. You casually watch as the Vitruvian engine as you call it spins up to assemble yet another synth. You wait for a free moment from Director Binet before stepping in.
“Director Johnson, what a pleasure to see you.” They add somewhat nervous as it was the first time they’d seen them since johnsons break.
“Got a requisition, hope you can squeeze me in Director Binet.” You add producing the retention form.
“Lets see what we got… Hmm, since it’s you I think we can manage.” They would have normally dragged their feet and delayed synth retentions request cause Ayo is an asshat. He flags an assistant down to pause production after the current synth was finished and to pull their files on the two individuals being replaced. Many notable figures had such files pre prepared overtime in advance to save time in case they needed to be exchanged. “Anything else I can help you with sir?”
“Actually yes. I was interested in having a custom fluffy made but without consciousness.”
“. . .To what end?” He adds both curious and nervous.
“I want to test a device that might serve as a shortcut for the MIT project.” Binet looks very concerned for a moment but also relieved that he no longer has to hide this particular secret. “I’ve seen it previously upload synthetic personalities to overwrite a synth and allow biological minds to explore synthetic and organic memories. Therefor I wanted to see if it was possible to use it to transition a mind between vessels and figured a blank vessel was more humane then suppressing an established personality.” You add attempting to play into Binets normally ignored concerns.
“I see, most interesting. But why a fluffy and not a humanoid body?”
“I figured it was cheaper to produce for one. Second It seemed safer if something did go awry since the body would be much easier to handle. Third it will allow us to shortcut the development of fluffy coursers if we ever need them.”
Binet couldn’t help but laugh. “Fluffy coursers, that’s rich Johns~. . .You’re serious, aren’t you? I didn’t think containment efforts were going that badly.” He adds muttering something.
“Only as serious as a man who wants to play pretend in a pig horses body can be sir.” You add returning a laugh. “But yes, fourth reason would be field studies. If containment fails I think we could study the development of this new breed of synths society and culture by living amongst them as them.”
“Yes I couldn’t agree more!” Binet was suspected of deviant behavior related to synths and sympathizing with them so you knew they were very interested in project MIT and transitioning to a synthetic body to better understand his ex wifes proxy and the other synths.
“I wouldn’t need this until at least a week out and honestly it can wait. But if you can produce it sooner and put it on life support or something till it’s needed that’s fine too.” You add handing them an envelope with a written report of preferred characteristics since you weren’t relying on the random luck of breeding a new body.
If the coming operation failed, you could also potentially use it for Smarties new body or parts assuming they ever earned it. “I’ll be on break the next few days. If you need to consult me on the operation or this project, send a synth to fetch me from Sanctuary.”
“Very good sir.” He adds walking off muttering excitedly as his goals were potentially going to come to fruition much sooner then anticipated.
You return through the concourse as Irmas frame is being dipped in the flesh vat and slow your walk ever so slightly to catch a glimpse of her before semi naked form before exiting the lab. You proceed through the concourse and to your personal quarters where you take off your director’s garb and hang it up in the closet before changing back to your military fatigues and taking the teleporter home.
You appear in a flash of light and thump of sound and proceed through the front gates. The fluffies would have probably been up for about an hour or so by now and hopefully fed on schedule. You proceed inside and down the street pausing to walk through the fields to examine the produce.
“Definitely going to need to plant more to keep up…” You think to yourself seeing how much had been harvested over the last few days. You pondered if the robots were over portioning food as well. You should check to make sure they weren’t giving out excessive snacks or treats upon request. “Might need to make kibble… Good thing I’ve been storing food in one eleven.” You think to yourself aloud before going through the door at the back of the culdesac behind the tree.
You closed the door quietly and advanced to your right around the eastern side of the tree. You had no idea why you decided to sneak up but it felt right. You knelt behind the fluffy dog house you had initially made for phanes and watched as he and durum kicked a ball while running around. While this goes on you hear something from inside the tree that sounded like an attempt at singing.
“Mummah wub babbeh, Babbehs wub mummah, Babbehs drink miwkies, gwow up big and stwong.”
Something about this makes you smile picturing your wife putting Shaun to sleep with a gentle melody. “Who Waugh?” Phanes adds curiously looking back at the tree.
“Looks like you caught me.” You add standing up and stepping into view.
“Fwuffies find Daddeh!” Durum adds including himself with Phanes.
“Daddeh come wook, mowe babbehs open see pwaces.” Phanes adds excitedly with a tone of pride as if he recognized the foals as his own.
“Oh? Sounds exciting.” You let them lead you to see the mares and the foals.
“Good bwight time daddeh.” Daisy adds with a smile as her dull red unicorn and white alicorn had just finished feeding, last again you noticed… The orange earthy laid on its back looking bloated and overfed and gently rubbed its stomach until it burped contentedly. You’d need to address this.
Peach sat with her back to the tree having been propped up earlier by Nanny. The Smokey colored filly with the voice collar was snuggling the stuffy friend and let out mild electronic ‘meeps’ and occasional snuffle sneezes. Adorable.
The blue unicorn and red dehorned unicorns eyes were open and they had used eachother to sit up on their butts kind of like their mother and were in the midst of some kind of activity where they pushed their front hooves against each other while the fake black alicorn walked around them in a slow circle practicing their walking and avoiding as they occasionally leaned in various directions. “Dad-deh.” The black alicorn burbled as the blue and red caught sight of you finally and responded in kind. “My my, three talking foals already.” You add sitting down.
“Uh huh. Say Miwkies and mummah eawier.” Peach adds with a tone of pride watching the filly stumble run to you.
“Puh- Pway? Daddeh Pway?” They add standing on their back legs and pressing their front legs against you. You look at peach as if to ask permission and she nods.
You reach down. “Ok you can be on daddy’s team.” You add reaching down to pick up the black filly as the other unicorns struggle to get to all fours to follow as you stand up and exit the tree.
“The foals are curious, so we’ll need to be extra careful when we pass the ball.” You add to Phanes and Durum as you wave Nanny over and whisper a ‘guard’ order for the foals as she stands nearby ready to defend them. You lift the filly up to shoulder height and fly her around at above average walking pace making zoom noises and occasionally kicking the ball with the side of your foot or gently with your toe like you’re a coach practicing with a toddler league.
The foal squints at first but soon opens its eyes joyously as they feel the gentle breeze in their feathered wings and they extend. “Peep~ fwy. Fwuffy, FWY!” They add excitedly as you sideways kick the ball once again to Durum and rotate in place as the foal giggles from the corkscrew maneuver.
The smokey earthy opens their eyes confused that they cant smell their siblings and sees them in the distance. Curious as to what they’re watching they struggle trying to drag the stuffy till they settle with hugging it with their front hooves and scooting themselves towards the exit with their back.
“Bwudda, sissie- cheep cheep.” They add struggling to form their words but desperately wanting to ask them what was going on but settle in to observe the fascinating happenings before them. The two foals were excited for their sibling and double around and lean in on both sides of the stuffy and their sibling like three children on a bean bag chair barely big enough for two while watching a game of soccer.
Seeing the foals settle down Nanny responds to Peaches attempts to get her attention to help relocate her outside as Nanny leans forward and places them against the exterior of the tree next to their foals.
“Daisy wan watch too…” She adds with a hint of envy as she decides to leave her foals to the watchful eye of Nanny as she steps over to the exit as well.
(ran out of steam, may properly end later.)