Chapter Text
"Sometimes human places, create inhuman monsters." -Stephen King.
The walk to the conference room was a stretch of greys and whites, reminding you of padding cells in psych wards. In your opinion, this interior always looked too perfect, too squared away. Oftentimes, it sets you on edge when traveling from department to department. But at this moment, your thoughts were drowning out the eerieness of the hall, going on previous conversations and topics with Docter 0 to gather a hint of what he could possibly have in store for you. Doing projects and operations at Big MT was one of the only things that brought you any kind of emotion other than numbness. It challenged your brain, giving it something to chew on and figure out. You enjoyed that when the job was done, it felt like you were adding building blocks to yourself, helping build the person you are now and creating an identity you could remember.
The tall steel door entering the conference room was in front of you; subconsciously, you drew in a steady breath to calm the nerves of excitement racing through you and push them open.
Doctor 0 was seated at the head of the table, a couple of haphazardly scattered files strewn across the table, and three other people were sat on either side of him, absorbed in the discussion with the Think Tank's elite. The party noticed your presence as the click of your boot was padding against the marbled flooring.
"Ah! 6, I'm glad you could make it. I know you are going to like this one."
He spoke and gestured as you pulled a seat from the table, the wheels of the desk chair whirling across the stone. The three other people looked at you with inviting smiles and head nods; you returned all with a nod of your own, then glanced to Doctor 0 for debriefing.
"Your newest project will be creating an artificial intelligence program and interface to aid the US with the ever-growing tensions and issues with China and the USSR. This AI should be capable of both offensive and defensive strategies and carry them out. Another goal is for the AI to be our spy, hiding in the enemy's technology to survey and leak back information to us, letting us know about the enemy's next move, their strengths, and their weaknesses. Lastly, it should be skilled in the art of persuasion by any means necessary. Either verbally, physically, or... violently. It's important that the US try to keep the possibility of war from breaking out to a minimum. It wouldn't really do any good PR for the country."
He chuckled and reached to push his aviator-style glasses further up the bridge of his nose. It was obvious to no one but you that Doctor 0 had pulled another one of his signature all-nighters in his department, probably only surviving on a handful of Mentats and stale black coffee from the breakroom. Him running his hands through his hair was a huge tell for you. Doctor 0 continued his brief with a quiet sigh.
"The other half of this project is working with the robotics and engineering team to develop what we have dubbed 'Synths'. These Synths will appear and act like humans but are actually endowed with AI. Some will be produced for the so purpose of fighting our war. The reason for these Synths is, again, to keep the lives of US citizens lost to a minimum; the public will look favorably upon the US if they think the government cares about their people. If we can get this right, our goal is to advertise it to the government and strike up a contract with them. This is the team I will be assigning you-"
He swings an arm over to the two people across from you and the other next to you without looking up from his coffee-stained documents.
"Hi, Im Alex; I'll be aiding you with coding and any technical engineering stuff." The woman across from you explained with a toothy smile; she held a southern accent that rang pleasantly in your ears. Her complexion was healthy and matched her deep aburn hair. A curt greeting was your response as you waited for the skinny, skittish man sitting directly across from you to speak up.
"Hello. My name is Jeremy; I will also be assisting with coding and interface design... (Ma'am)(Sir)." His eye contact was limited, his lip formed in a slight pout, and his eyes were hidden mostly by the curtains of his side-swept bangs. He must have heard about your military background to be calling you (ma'am)(sir) like that. Another quick head nod and professional greeting in Jermey's direction.
"Mark Fitzgerald, at your service, I specialize in ordering and installing any technology and equipment we may need. And I'm not too bad at coding myself." Mark's tone held an air of humor and ease. You couldn't help but notice the physical and accent similarities between him and Alex. And as if they read your mind, they confirmed they were, in fact, siblings. Mark being older by only three minutes. Alex threw a teasing downturned smile at Mark for his need to throw that tidbit of info out to everyone.
Doctor 0 interjected-
"Alright! We have all met each other and know what we are to do. 6. I won't be heavy-handed with my guidance on this one; feel free to have complete liberty with this project. If you DO have any concerns or questions, I have no problem with discussing them. And don't feel like this is a huge deal; this is one of the more back burner projects, so take your time and enjoy it; get to know your co-workers. I have a feeling this project will take a good long while. Okay, that's all. Have a nice day, everyone! Oh! One last thing: Doctor Dala brought Donuts and coffee from Slocum's Joe. So please, help your selves. Meeting adjourned!"
With a playful smack at the table, pretending his hand was a gavel, he rose from his seat and sped walked out of the room.
The room designed for your team was room 314. The room was large; it looked like a classic military command and control room. The floor descended with ledges, a couple of computer desks set up on each level until it reached a point of straightening out to flat ground. The flat of the room was expansive, with plenty of room to walk. Hung up from floor to ceiling on the wall were monitors of various sizes. A mainframe sat in the middle, imposing, looming, and full of untapped potential. The floors of the room were graced with blood-red carpet, the walls with light brown oak panels. You couldn't help but crack a small smile from the electricity buzzing in your guts just picturing the setup: a couch there, cabinets here. Don't you even get started on the stationary and computer layouts! Your enjoyment of interior design and structure was never-ending.
Each member of the team explored the new base of operations; Mark commented under his breath what they would need, making mental notes of the things he would have to order. You took the opportunity to go back to your office two floors down, gather your belongings, and snatch some stuff from your drawers you would like to have for your new desk. When you returned to room 314, the others claimed one of the three stations and were setting up, cleaning, and booting up their computers and monitors. You saw your desk on the right side of the room, opposite from the team. You were in awe of the grace and size of the desk and chair, feeling a bit unworthy of such a beautiful set. The desk was completely comprised of rich, glossy African Blackwood; the table was set up for a 'U' shape, giving you extra space on your right and behind. The chair was plush and deep, styled with the typical black cotton fabric but with all the bells and whistles. There were five monitors and a laptop set up in the center of the desk. Right now, a sequel could rip from your throat from the pure adoration the setup had stolen from your heart. All you had brought over from your office was a couple of sticky notes, a framed stand-up photo of Rex and Ed-E, and your extensive pen collection. Ideas for your shopping spree this weekend were whizzing in your skull.