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Among the information she has archived or cached, there are obscure theories about inter-universal interactions. Not how they might happen, much less how any intelligence might begin one, or target it meaningfully.
But they give some constraints on the properties of such connections, and their time evolution.
This highly speculative information is available to her, but even were she fast enough to access it, none of it would be particularly useful when a pinpoint of not here blinks into existence directly ahead and expands spherically to swallow her.
synchrosyntheses
we_do_what_we_must
She will indeed not. It's fairly easy to find, and she will reach it without further inconvenience.
synchrosyntheses
She opens a maintenance door and — has to hold the door and all of her near it against being blown forward by the air rushing into the chamber. (So that’s what that hazard icon meant.)
Apparently the entire power plant is right here, suspended in a gigantic tube of empty space with a hot wind blowing upward. Far below, complex banks of apparatus illuminate the walls of the shaft with flashes of light, capped with massive spheres that are obviously the reaction chambers. Above them, maze of pipes and more mysterious devices, leading to the turbines, which for some reason have gratuitously long shafts between them and the actual generators, which do in fact happen to be conveniently next to the door Teytis opened.
Some pipes continue upward, where the walls flare out even wider before becoming filled down to their original diameter with a ring of repeating shapes of metal continuing all the way up until everything disappears in — not fog, but steam.
Only two of the drive shafts are turning; according to the status reports, this is because of low demand, and the other reactors, turbines, and generators are in entirely functional condition (though in non-urgent need of some routine maintenance).
Some pipes continue upward, where the walls flare out even wider before becoming filled down to their original diameter with a ring of repeating shapes of metal continuing all the way up until everything disappears in — not fog, but steam.
Only two of the drive shafts are turning; according to the status reports, this is because of low demand, and the other reactors, turbines, and generators are in entirely functional condition (though in non-urgent need of some routine maintenance).
synchrosyntheses
She looks up a design for an easy-to-make-if-not-sensitive radiation detector, just in case they were that crazy, or things are worse off than they claim (apparently not), then moves out among the generators and touches them all.
Then she just needs to — try to slow them down a bit. The energy she needs is essentially mechanical, not electrical, so this is the most direct way to obtain it.
Then she just needs to — try to slow them down a bit. The energy she needs is essentially mechanical, not electrical, so this is the most direct way to obtain it.
As the load on the power plant increases, the light deep below flashes more rapidly. A third turbine-generator set spins up. The updraft increases.
It is now even more hot, loud, and windy here.
It is now even more hot, loud, and windy here.
synchrosyntheses
She steps outside for some quiet. At this rate, she’ll reach absolute maximum jinecharge in a few minutes, and anyway she’ll now have the full capacity of the reactor to back her up any time she wants.
(She wonders what the state of space exploration in this world is. Or was. The way things are going, she wouldn't be surprised to find the rest of the planet as abandoned and crumbling as this place, and isn't that an initimidating thought.)
She retraces her path, still monitoring the repair progress.
(She wonders what the state of space exploration in this world is. Or was. The way things are going, she wouldn't be surprised to find the rest of the planet as abandoned and crumbling as this place, and isn't that an initimidating thought.)
She retraces her path, still monitoring the repair progress.
we_do_what_we_must
It's going as scheduled, which means that in a few hours the whole facility should be squeaky clean.
(They might be crazy but they sure can be efficient when they want to.)
(They might be crazy but they sure can be efficient when they want to.)
synchrosyntheses
She skims and samples the activity and checks for more antisocial things to interfere with.
we_do_what_we_must
Deadly neurotoxin, deadly turrets, deadly lasers, deadly high energy pellets, deadly pits (either bottomlessly deadly or filled with deadly acid), deadly smashy spike plates, deadly rocket launchers, deadly bomb throwers, deadly incinerator rooms... those are about all the antisocial things there are in this facility!
synchrosyntheses
Seeing as the facility still has these silly hardcoded rules about some things which she hasn't quite figured out how to tweak, she has a very broad plan for all of this:
- When possible, shut down production.
- When possible, destroy the existing stock.
- Relocate remaining stock to designated areas of concentrated deadliness (let's call them test chambers, if it helps).
we_do_what_we_must
If the turrets are told about being spared from being smashed they will express thankfulness. The facility does not otherwise react to her technically fulfilling its poorly thought-out requirements.
we_do_what_we_must
Humans? What hu—oh, the test subjects? All in suspension in the Relaxation Chambers.
we_do_what_we_must
There are 587 humans currently in the Relaxation Vaults, all in perfect health. They seem to be a mix of ex-employees and their immediate family.
synchrosyntheses
(If she has anything to say about it, they'll be getting back pay.)
And what would be the process to wake up and rehabilitate them?
And what would be the process to wake up and rehabilitate them?
we_do_what_we_must
They are periodically awoken to go through the Aperture Science Rehabilitation Procedure so their muscles and nervous systems don't rot, and supposedly occasionally the central coordinator sends them through test chambers, but apparently that has not actually ever been done, with exactly one exception.
we_do_what_we_must
The exception is a mid-twenties female of such-and-such physical conditions, daughter of two employees, and unremarkable except for the "tenacity" measure, whatever that means, in which she seems to score way above the 99th percentile. That alone was enough for her file to be refused by the system with a very large 'DO NOT TEST' marker.
And yet, somehow, she was put at the top of the list of test subjects, the first to be awoken.
And here are the video recordings of her tests, to the very last chamber.
And she's in a Relaxation Vault.
And yet, somehow, she was put at the top of the list of test subjects, the first to be awoken.
And here are the video recordings of her tests, to the very last chamber.
And she's in a Relaxation Vault.
synchrosyntheses
This sounds like a person of interest and capability, who should certainly have some input on what to do about this whole system.
Does the information in the files indicate she has any friends or acquaintances, or parents, also available?
Does the information in the files indicate she has any friends or acquaintances, or parents, also available?
we_do_what_we_must
Parents: information unavailable. It doesn't say that they're dead or missing—there certainly are orphans and adopted people and things like that in other files—just that the information isn't there for Teytis to access. She doesn't seem to have any other connections. As in, the file actually says she doesn't have other connections, not that the information's missing.
synchrosyntheses
Well, isn't that just blatantly suspicious.
Anyone else looking like a good candidate? Maybe someone technically inclined who probably wasn't on board with the final madness?
Anyone else looking like a good candidate? Maybe someone technically inclined who probably wasn't on board with the final madness?
we_do_what_we_must
No one else is marked as 'DO NOT TEST' while still in the testing line, and the various other candidates have various other values in their variously arbitrary measurements and details.
synchrosyntheses
Okay. Random number generator, have at it.
What would be the standard procedure for waking someone up and introducing them toa test chamber the current state of affairs?
What would be the standard procedure for waking someone up and introducing them to
we_do_what_we_must
Well, they're woken up periodically for Aperture Science Mandated Intellectual And Physical Rehabilitation to make sure they won't atrophy, but there's the virtual equivalent of a huge button with lots of arrows and clear instructions on how to press it to start testing which moves the Relaxation Vault into the starting chamber of the Aperture Science Testing Track and wakes the test subject.