26 Wondering

Nothing came onto the third floor while she was slumbering, but Sia doesn't think she has set down enough boric acid along the main hallway. The only thing she can think to do is get more from another supply closet. Going downstairs is a no go, so she decides to go one floor up.

The fourth-floor supply closet should be near the stairwell entrance. Sia cringes at the creaking door as she opens it. She stands in the doorway for several moments to make sure nothing is going to come crawling at her.

The supply closet isn't exactly where her old jobs' blueprints show.

'Crap. They probably made the ordinary rooms identical for the scientists, and just stuck the closet in a surplus area.'

She walks along the hallway shining her small light on the walls but keeps it out of the windows in case something notices the light. She can't be sure all the shutters are closed in each lab. If something outside sees a light…would it break in to investigate? How starved are the creatures around here?

'Wait a minute. Weren't the mercenaries worried about a beast?'

Sia hears a scratching noise coming from the ceiling farther down in the hallway and scrambles into a corner. It doesn't hide her at all, but she feels safer crouched and curled into the little nook. Maybe whatever it is won't notice her. She crouches there for several moments.

Her legs don't ache.

'I can get used to this enchanted life. Aches and pains vanished with a word, seeing in the dark…oh and hearing on point now. Ha. Mucho gracias, lil Puter.' Sia rambles inside her mind.

OPENING LEXICON DATABASE...

COMMENCING SEARCH OF TERM: Mucho gracias…

DEFINITION NOT FOUND

LATIN ROOT DETECTED

DOWNLOADING LANGUAGE: SPANISH

DE NADA, SUJETO 001

Sia giggles at the computerized Spanish accent.

After several moments, she can't hear anymore scratching from the ceiling. Whatever it is has moved on to somewhere else. She finds the supply closet, grabs all the boric acid boxes, then returns to the stairwell entrance. Before leaving, she drops two contaminated MRE meals outside the door.

She slips back onto the 3rd floor and sets the bucket of boric acid back on the top of the slightly closed door. Anything that enters will be covered in the powder.

She rips one box of boric acid and spreads it on the ground some more. Then she goes to the end of the hallway to the corner lined with drain cleaner fluid. She tears the tops off of the boric acid boxes and leaves them lined there as well.

'You know I wanna modify something. When I'm talking aloud I want you to take anything clearly directed at you as a command, okay? I can't always be speaking in my head. It's weird….and I might lose my voice becoming a mime out here.' She thinks.

AFIRMATIVO

'And, another thing, what if I am sleeping and I have another nightmare. Won't it alert the roaches?'

AFIRMATIVO

'Is there a way to sleep without any dreams or something? I know it would be hard for you to differentiate between dreams, right? Is there anything that can calm my consciousness or something?'

AFIRMATIVO

'In English, please.'

tRainQuilT646

T1M3.out

B1ack.0ut.969

Stasis.Mode

Before it can continue listing programs, Sia halts it after the fourth one.

'Okay, maybe we'll just try out the new ones till we find a good fit? I've heard you mention the first one, and the second one…is that the program you used while I was attacked by those roaches?'

AFFIRMATIVE

'Okay, so let's go with the B1 program. What does it do?'

SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER MONITORS ALL STIMULI USING OLFACTORY AND SKIN TO DETECT

CHANGES IN ATMOSPHERE INCLUDING VIBRATIONS AND PHEROMONES

SUBJECT 001 WOULD BE KEPT IN STATE KNOWN COMMONLY AS NREM SLEEP

'Okay, sounds fine to me.'

IN THE CASE THAT ENVIRON IS ALTERED

ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS WILL BE TAKEN TO PRESERVE THE VESSEL OF SUBJECT 001

'Uhh…let's just change that to you waking me up.'

CHANGING DEFAULT MODE

PRESETS SAVED

'Is there anything else?'

B1ack.0ut INCLUDES MONITORING OF LOCATION OF OBJECTS WITH REFLECTED SOUND

AND SPLIT-SECOND LOWERING OF PULSE RATE TO NEGATE ADVERSARY ATTACKS

'Lowering my pulse to what?'

AVOID DETECTION

'So they'll think I'm a rock or something?'

AFFIRMATIVE

'I don't think roaches have that, but whatever. Maybe we can hunt fish down or something. That's useful sounding. Okay, let's stick with that program. I'd like to sleep now.'

B1ack.0ut INITIATED

The next morning, Sia awakens and sits up. She bumps her head on the wooden desk and rubs her head. Her sticky hands feel weird on her hair.

'Eww. Did I get something on myself after I removed my gloves?'

She looks at her palms to find blood on them. She doesn't feel any pain. The cuts have healed. She spits into her hands and wipes it onto her thighs. There are no marks on her skin.

Maybe B1ack.0ut isn't a good fit, she might be having seizures while she sleeps. Before she can direct her thoughts to the device she hears a bucket clatter to the floor.

Today is the big day.