Login

A/)- The Inner Phalanx · (This post was last modified: 06-15-2016, 02:41 AM by A/)- The Inner Phalanx.)

Within the earliest hours of the morning, the heavy steel doors to Project Thalatte slid open after a long silence. Like before, the tubes lined either side of the room, with the respective subjects still silently drifting inside. Yet, something was different. A single tube was empty. Zeta Zeta - Zero Zero Zero Two was gone. Michael Glass grasped the handle of his cane as he worked his way down the isle between the growth tanks, steadily approaching his seat at the console. His head turned from side to side slowly, as he examined each and every one of the remaining nine tank-breeds. He sighed quietly to himself, unwilling to disturb the silence beyond the low rumble of the machinery. He finally passed by the empty tube, which he took a small pause in his steps to examine it. He began to think back to the day it was drained.

On the twenty-seventh of May, Keeper Raven and Curator Endurance had arrived in the Zeta Section med-bay. The Curator, as always, was wearing his armor and robe, while the Keeper however, wore some casual loose clothing and a t-shirt. She appeared to have just woken up. Her face was slightly flushed and she was wiggling on the spot, apparently uncomfortable. She excused herself to the washroom and rushed off. After a brief moment, Raven returned, tripping over herself as she entered the room. "Weurgh!" She blurted out as she tumbled forward into the Curator's arms. "Woah. Hi." He said in response, holding her up. "Uh. Good day." She said, casually standing and brushing herself off. She cleared her throat and turned to face Michael. "A-alright." Michael looked at the two, attempting to analyze their posture. He gave up moments later, when he failed to read the Curator. "Shall we proceed?" Glass said. "Mhm." Responded Raven, who stepped back to the Curator's side and took his arm, swaying slightly as she walked.

"Come with me." Michael gestured for the two to follow as he walked out of the med-bay, making a right turn and heading down the hall. The two followed close behind. Eventually reaching the familiar, well guarded door, the trio stepped inside the room containing Project Thalatte. Most notable in comparison to the others, who were all children, an adult woman floated in the second last tank on the left. The three slowly approached the console, while both the Keeper and Curator stared in awe at the woman in the tank. "Oh. That's a person." Said Sapphire, who carefully leaned in and examined the woman. Remarkably, she looked almost alike to Raven, with some ever so noticeable resemblances to Joshua Hunt. "That's... Really... Creepy, in a way. Conceptual? Fine, but seeing it for real...?" Raven paused and took another look. "Hey, they don't have my nuzzly nose. Hah." She said, looking at the Curator. "Step back from the tank, please." Shouted Michael from behind the console, as he furiously typed away. Raven stumbled backwards, clearly lacking cohesion. The Curator walked behind her and supported Raven as she walked. The two stood together and observed carefully.

Within minutes, the woman inside the tank twitched slightly. The liquid bubbled up around her and slowly began to drain out the bottom, lowering her to the grate floor of the tank. The glass tube, once entirely empty, lifted from the pedestal it was connected to, and the young woman collapsed outwards onto the floor, naked. Raven seemed to have a mixed attitude as she examined what would be her biological daughter, which crawled briefly on the floor, soaked in the blue tinted liquid she was created in. The young woman let out a few coughs and opened her eyes, bringing them to look at the Curator and Raven. She began to stand up, steadying herself as she swayed slightly. She looked between the two again with a pair of green eyes. Standing ever so slightly taller than Raven, she spoke with a soft voice. "Wh... Where am I?" As she spoke, Raven took a look at her nude form and averted her eyes towards Glass, who had begun approaching with a towel. "Cover yourself." He said, handing the towel to the tank subject, known as Oh-Two. The woman nodded and wrapped the towel around herself, tying it off. She turned to look at the two before her.

"Wow, uh... They really do resemble me, huh..." Said Raven, examining the woman before her. Oh-Two tilted her head and stared at her with a set of eyes that resembled Hunt's. "You are my mother. Why wouldn't I?" She said softly. Raven looked at her with a blank expression. "Okay. That's creepy." She said, shuddering slightly. "I mean, this is amazing, but also terrifying at the same time." She said with a look of awe as she examined the finished product. "While Oh-Two is coherent and comprehensive, she lacks the finished programming that her siblings will have." Said Michael. Oh-Two followed the conversation closely, swapping her neutral gaze between the three. "Programming?" Queried Raven, turning her head to Glass. "She is no more than a civilian lacking expanded knowledge and social skills." He responded, carefully examining Oh-Two as he did so. "You act like if people aren't capable of learning." Retorted Raven who raised a brow. "On the contrary. While she can learn, her growth involved mental programming, which was halted when her growth was accelerated per your request." Glass responded, turning to face Raven and the Curator. "Elaborate on 'programming'." Asked Raven, carefully looking at Glass, then the Curator.

"Basic knowledge, basic socialization skills and courtesy, advanced knowledge, history, loyalty, training for combat, flight, infiltration, blending, engineering, mechanical skills, medical skills. All the necessary skills required for the project and its product. She, however, lacks many of those traits. The extent of which is yet to be known." Glass said, returning to his examination of the woman. Raven blinked, staring at Glass and the woman, unsure of what to say. The woman turned her head to Michael. "Why was my programming halted?" Asked Oh-Two. Glass looked at Raven, then looked back at Oh-Two. "You have a different purpose than that of your siblings." He said, turning to look at Raven. "There was a - uhm - a job that required... a special person." Said Raven, ever so slightly shaking. Oh-two turned to face her. "What job?" She asked with her soft voice. Raven began to stutter profusely, nervous and confused at the situation. "Basically, I needed to be in two places at once, and you... were the most similar." She responded, trailing off and averting her eyes. "A body double for you?" Asked Oh-Two, tilting her head slightly and closely examining Sapphire. "I see why I was selected. Is there a training simulator for this?" She asked. Raven began to stutter, growing more and more uncomfortable as the woman examined her. "I... uh... I... need to.. BE-RIGHT-BACK-I-LEFT-THE-OVEN-ON." She blurted out, shaking in her words. She hurried out of the room and down the hall. The Curator turned and followed her, leaving Michael and Oh-Two alone.

"Come with me. I have some clothing for you." Glass said, gesturing for Oh-Two to follow him. She nods briefly. The two work their way to the console and beyond it to a medical examination area. Along the tables, various jump suits and undergarments lined the top. Oh-Two removed her towel and finished drying herself off. She walked over and sorted through the clothing, finding herself a bra and some underwear. She quickly put them on and turned to Michael. "Stand on that mark. I'm going to conduct a bio-scan." He pointed to a small square on the floor with a machine scanner hanging over it. Oh-Two nodded and walked over. "Arms and legs out." He said. Oh-Two did so, essentially forming a 'T' with her body. The scanner spooled up and began to slowly circle the near-naked woman. "Should just be a while. Any issues or problems that you've noticed?" He asked from behind another console. "Negative. My body seems to be adapting to consciousness well." She responded, keeping her head forward as the machine circled her. Glass watched the readout. "Any thoughts, things or otherwise that are occurring which may seem unfamiliar beyond this scan?" He asked. "Negative, as this whole scenario is currently difficult to perceive. Is it normal to be confused after such an unusual response?" Oh-Two responded, slightly turning her head to look at Michael, who was chuckling slightly. "That's socializing. It often will be confusing for people." He said, returning to the monitor.

Meanwhile, within the hallway of the residential section, Sapphire Raven was stood outside her dorm, breathing heavily. The Curator, or Joshua Hunt as he's known to few, approached her. "Are you okay, dearest?" He asked. "NO. I CAN'T MENTALLY PERCEIVE THEM. THEY'RE AN ANOMALY TO ME." She shouted, exhaling heavily and inhaling, trying to control her breathing. Eventually, she sighed. "This is hard. This is so hard. They're like lifeforms, but they're not!" She said. She began to pace back and forth in front of the door, panicking and confused. "But they /are/ lifeforms, just created in different conditions. They're not lacking free will." Responded Hunt. "Nononon, that makes the AI and the Nomads as natural bei- NO." She shakes her head and speeds up her pacing. Hunt stepped in front of her path and stopped her. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug. In a calm, soothing voice, he spoke. "Calm yourself. Everything is alright." Raven sighed. "How do I mentally perceive them? I can't just go, 'Ohohohoh, hello my minion!' nor can I go ' Hello Daughter!'" She said, letting out another sigh. "They have numbers. You can refer to them as such." Retorted Hunt. "But I can't - it... it makes it sound so robotic. And... urgh... Let's... " She pauses to breathe. "Let's try again." She said, resting her forehead on Hunt's shoulder.

"You could always give them a nickname." Hunt said, leaning back and looking at her. Raven looked at his faceless mask. "I don't know. This scares me. I don't even feel an aura about this." She sighed in defeat. "Let's go." The two hugged once more and turned to walk back to the project room. As they entered, the scan was still in progress. "Apologies for that." Raven said as she looked to the back of the room at the two. "Fires are an unwanted cause. " She joked, stepping forward towards the console with Hunt close by. "Just conducting the bio-scan for any issues or defects. One moment." Noted Glass, who kept his eyes locked on the monitor. "That's fine." Responded Raven. The two continued their approach, reaching the pedestal where the controls and medical area were. Raven began to grind her teeth nervously. The machinery came to a stop. "Right. Oh-Two, you are healthy." Noted Glass. Oh-Two stepped out of the marked zone and approached the console. "Affirmative. Thank you, Doctor." She said. Oh-Two turned and approached Raven and Hunt. "Keeper Revenant. Curator Endurance. Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you both." She said, extending her hand out to shake. "Just call me Raven." Responded Raven, who shook her hand briefly. Oh-two nods and returns her hand to her side. "Very well, Raven."

"I am Zeta Zeta Zero Zero Zero Two - Oh Two for short." Said the tank-bred. "I think a nickname is appropriate. Do you have any... Preferences?" Asked Raven, cautiously examining Oh-Two. "No. Not really. Perhaps a defining character trait?" Responded Oh-Two. "I'll temporarily call you Aria until we find something more fitting." Stated Raven. Aria smiled and nodded. "Okay." She smiles to herself. "Aria... I like it." She happily walks over to the table and picks up a Jumpsuit, quickly slipping into it and zipping up the front. "Take the time to adapt to your surroundings." Said Raven, looking between Aria and Hunt. "Yes, Keeper." Responded Aria, nodding slightly. "When we're alone, you can refer to our names." Said Raven, crossing her arms. "Yes, Raven. Do you require anything from me?" Asked Aria. "No. Adapt to your surroundings. You may want to change your hairstyle, heh." Noted Raven, smiling slightly and leaning on the desk behind her. "I intend to prepare her for a haircut and cleanup." Said Michael, walking over to Aria. "As long as she doesn't look visibly similar to me - even though I change hairstyles every now and t-then." Responded Raven, yawning towards the end. "You appear to be exhausted. Perhaps you should get some rest, Keeper." Mentioned Glass, looking at her. "Y-y..." Raven had begun to doze off, when Hunt approached and picked her up. He nodded to Michael and Aria, and carried Raven out of the project room. Michael sighed, and walked Aria to a spare room.

Returning to the present, Michael Glass sat at the console, as the nearly finished project continued before him. The nine remaining tanks appeared to contain men and women of the same age - Seventeen. The final stage of programming was started, and Michael took the time to relax in his chair. "Just ten more days..." He thought to himself, slowly nodding off and slipping out of consciousness.

The first nine were nearly complete.

Project log: 003 Doctor Michael Glass

Login
Username:
Password:	Lost Password?
	Remember me