By the time Johnson had finished accessing the coursers memory banks he finally noticed the light in the center of the table. Black lights weren’t particularly bright so he hadn’t noticed it at first. “Pam? Is this a black protocol that council was debriefed on already?”
“They have not Director Johnson. The Predictive Analytic Machine believes there is a 85.6% chance that the directors all muted their alerts assuming it was in regards to the a code Orange they had just debriefed on immediately prior.” The black light blinked as if to show lip movement.
Johnson sighed and rubbed the temple of his nose. “We’ll definitely need to fix that so a similar mistake is not made in the future.” He groaned as lights in front of each of the councils intercoms began to light up and a 2d facial image was displayed like a hologram.
“Director Binet checking in, Johnson what’s happening?” Came the voice from the red light for Robotics.
“Director Holdren checking in, lets see what’s going on~” The bio sciences director added with a few key taps going on in the background as their Green light came on.
“Director Li checking in, I trust this is important.” Came a mildly annoyed tone from a blue light for advanced systems.
“Ah good everyone’s here, apparently there’s a code black to debrief on~” Johnson added but no sooner had he begun to say this had the Black light for the synth retention bureau turn on.
“Direct Ayo check in. I demand immediate enactment of Orange protocol. Our forces are standing by to ‘apprehend’ director Johnson.” Ayo wasn’t in the mood to play beauracracy but he was committed to winning regardless of the cost.
“Funny you say that.” Johnson added walking over and pressing a button to mute their comm into the room. “I motion to temporarily deafen and mute Director Ayo as the black light is on and no director can participate in a Pam debriefing about themselves.” Johnson added as the vote came up on each of their screens.
Ayo was raging checking to see why he had been muted when a vote to deafen and mute them for a fifteen minute increment appeared. He naturally slammed the ‘NAY’ vote but an “Invalid” appeared on the screen. Checking the error code said ‘subject does not have voting permission for this topic’. #$%&
With a clear and unanimous vote the Aye’s had it and Ayo was cut off from the directors meeting.
“Ayo’s not going to like that. Im immediately requesting Black protocols. Acting Director Ayo has made repeated attempts on my life and I wouldn’t put it past them to assume you’re now my co conspirators meaning he’ll try and execute the rest of you to save his own hide.” The remaining directors all made the assumption that the black alert were not because Ayo would destroy the institute directly but because of what Johnson would do in response to their actions so they were feeling very compliant.
Johnson sat back down and sipped on his drink only to casually turn his head to sudden ‘thump’ at the door as the synths had begun to break the door down but it would take some time as this was one of the most secure rooms in the institute. “All in favor?”
“Normally I’d like to get the debriefing but this certainly seems like a time sensitive issue.” Madison Li added from their Blue lit intercom voting Aye.
“Limit the damage, then we can focus on due process after.” The green lit intercom for Holdren responded voting Aye.
“Im probably going to be busy fixing up a lot of synths today…” Binet added with a sigh voting Aye.
And with an Aye from Johnsons orange station it was unanimous. “The Ayes have it. Engaging Black protocols.” Director johnson added as a panel on the table opened with all the lights appearing in a row. He pressed the button and all but immediately Black protocols were being enacted across the institute. Passwords, permissions and overrides were locked out at the highest level for all systems and all the generation 1-3 synths save for the coursers received the update and cancelled their manhunt for director johnson.
Acting director Ayo had immediately moved to lock down the coursers from receiving an update to at least ensure the loyalty of his personal forces without being physically updated and he was glad he did. While security permissions had been stripped from the concourse, Synth retention had severed the hardline for incoming signals preventing the council from locking him out of his own systems and security. However, this also meant that he was cut off from attempting to hack things remotely.
“Would you like me to set the Synths to restrain the coursers?” Binets red light added curiously?
Johnson flipped his coin. “That’d be lovely Director Binet, will make my job of apprehending Ayo much easier. I don’t have mine on me, can we get a few synths deployed from Advanced systems with Syringers and reverse relay grenades? No sense damaging the high value courser assets if we don’t have to.” The issue with generation 3 and above synths was that their artificial blood and meat made them susceptible to pharmaceuticals that could render someone paralyzed.
“I’ve locked out all coursers from the teleporter both coming and going. If you weren’t the only one volunteering, I’d say it was a conflict of interests.” Director Li’s Blue light added with a huff. “We’ll deploy what we have available.”
“I’ll just stay out of everyones way.” Holdrens green light added.
“Smart.” Johnson added with a chuckle standing up from his chair finishing his drink and adjusting his hat. He paused to get limber as he heard a sudden increase in servo noises.
Followed by several synth voices in a round addressing the various assembled coursers that had up to this point been trying to breach the door. “You have been deemed hazardous, will you comply?”
With a single ‘pew’ from a laser pistol from a courser into the assembled lesser synths the fight kicked off. Johnson opened the door and the lesser synths motivation intensified.
“HUMAN IN DANGER~” they proclaimed in mock concern as they began to leap upon and attempt to wrestle the coursers into submission as they attempted to fullfill their primary mission of ‘Eliminate director Johnson.’
Johnson laughed jumping and rolling over the mass of machines that had piled up like a small hill that spilled through his doorway. He promptly got in the blue butcher for ‘safety’ and no sooner had he turned around had the hill begun to lurch upward from the sudden standing of the much stronger coursers attempting to shurk off the inferior previous generations. A gen 1 marched over and presented Johnson the requested syringer.
“Right on time.” Johnson added shifting the barrel in front of him towards a figure leaning in his direction while dragging two synths per body part and some on their back. He stuck it practically into their neck and ‘Plunk’ they fell on their face as the gen 3 restraints cuffs were applied to arms and legs.
One courser took a swing at him while throwing a few gen 1’s through the air and sending a Gen 2 across the floor as they pulled their leg free to step in but Johnson merely leaned back slightly pausing his reload of the syringer to clap them on the back with his last experimental reverse relay grenade. The lesser synths dispersed to swarm the remaining hostile coursers or into the concourse towards the fighting around the exterior of synth retention. Having received a resupply on the reverse relay grenades johnson tranquilized the last of the coursers here and proceeded to tromp his way down the concourse towards synth retention.
The battle was mostly over by the time johnson had to step in. Restraining the six coursers here had cost them about thirty generation 1’s and a dozen generation 2’s. Four were tranquilized and put in restraints before being taken away while 2 had to be relayed away having slipped their captures.
“Im not coming out.” Dr Ayo said from behind the ballistic glass and Johnson just watched the vein on his forehead threaten to explode as his middle power armored digit extended wordlessly. Johnson casually attempted to take count of the security left inside retention. There were four coursers in site and probably two auto turrets… Easy enough to deal with if he really choose violence.
After Dr Ayo was all out of bluster and stood there leaning against the glass breathing heavily he finally responded.
“I honestly wouldn’t mind you starving to death in protest if you want but you’re standing trial. You can surrender now, we can pump in the sleeping gas or if you choose to close ventilation you’ve got a few hours to asphyxiate until you’re forced to open this glass for my boot up your ass or die. I’ll give you a minute to decide.” Johnson added stepping back to sit down on a bench.
He people watched the director and was intrigued by his facial expressions as he attempted to figure out some series of winning moves but came to the conclusion this was checkmate. He observed him giving orders to a courser and saw a pistol set on the counter as they took out a coin and flipped it.
“You bastard, that’s my shtick.” Johnson added standing up watching the coursers head to the back of retention to their docking ports.
Ayo waited for johnson to approach. “Your answer?” Johnson inquired.
“Since I cant win the way I want,” He added putting the gun to his head. “I’ll win the way I can. Good game.” Ayo added having decided ‘spite’ was his best option and if taking him alive was Johnsons objective then he would deny him.
“NOOO~” Johnson added readying his hammer but before he could even pull it back Ayo had particulated themselves the pistol tumbling to the ground and landing in a ‘puff’ of ashes as the hammer landed with a loud ‘CRACK’ against the glass.
Johnson raged calling Ayo a coward as his hammer slammed again and again into the glass as it barely made minor fissures. After a minute someone on the inside came out from the back and began tapping at the desk terminal to end the lockdown of Synth retention. The glass slowly pulled itself back. “I want that in an urn.” Johnson added irritated.
With duck and cover rescinded the remaining directors gathered. Johnson debriefed them on his discoveries from the railroad. He made it clear that they still had a sympathizer at some level inside the institute according to this evidence. Therefor with Ayo gone they would need to take it upon themselves to ‘plug the leak’ until a replacement for the acting director could be brought up to speed. They would analyze the teleporter apparatus from the crumpled corpse in Biosciences. Instead of outright cutting them off from using their systems to jump around the commonwealth they’d see where cargo drop requests were made and dispatch synths with signal jammers to apprehend them. If done surgically enough they might not notice until a few agents had gone missing.
There was at least 1 teleporter pad out there to recall to of that they were certain. If there were two or more, they could jump between them assuming they had the power at each site. They would input the various parameters and variables into PAM as they deduced them to attempt and eventually verify where these bases that were keeping fluffies off their radar could be. “Call me when you need someone to sweep. Hopefully I can take a few days of R&R after this shit show.”
With the meeting called to an End he went to advanced systems. “Director Johnson.” Li added catching up to them.
“Yes?” Johnson added casually but curtly.
“We’ve finished analyzing the prototype you’ve sent us. We’ll be refining a more advanced version in the next month or so.” She added casually.
“Thank you for the update. Mind if I take it?” Johnson added curiously.
“Sure, it’d just be sitting in prototype storage anyway.” She added casually.
“Have it sent to the teleporter and I’ll forward it where I need it.” Johnson added feeling slightly more chipper now.
“Will do.” The two separated there.
After a short stint over to bio sciences to get his host fluffy Director Holdren handed it over in a large cannister that cycled vat substances keeping the vat substance clean and oxygenated. “The adults are one thing but I think I can make these things much more cost effective if I limit them to the foals and juveniles.”
“Like an incubator?” Johnson added curiously.
“Sort of yeah. Might even be able to sell them as novelties that way.” He added gesturing to a mock up on a whiteboard nearby.
“Heh, what are you gonna call em’? Foal in a can?” The two shared a laugh.
“You know actually that’s not that bad~” Holdren added taking a note pad out of their pocket.
“Please don’t give me the credit.” Johnson added in mock cringe. After some more light hearted Banter Johnson made his way to the teleporter.
~Thwomp!~
After dropping off the crate with the lounger inside his garage for later unpacking and docking his power armor for later repairs Johnson made his way down the street.
As the fluffies perked up hearing him coming he excitedly proclaimed “Daddy’s home!” As he rounder the corner and got low for a tackling hug pile.
(and we’ll be picking up with more then short fluffy cameos here in chapter 40)