239 Misc Items 4

Dr. Sokolsky: Alright, walk me through what you did after we entered the Way.

Researcher Harkness: My bit was to handle the on-site security. Oh god, the sophonts. The Library's infotechnomancy opsec included these interlinked… things. People?

Dr. Sokolsky: Security hive, yes. Magical constructs. That you can hack.

Researcher Harkness: Whatever you say. It was like hacking, but something entirely new to us. Messed with our head.

Dr. Sokolsky: Your. Messed with your head.

Researcher Harkness: Yeah, what I said. It was fucked up.

Dr. Sokolsky: Right. So, the flash-forging went as expected?

Researcher Harkness: Yeah. The labcoats explained it to me like… Our universe is surrounded in a bubble, er, two bubbles, two membranes. Nothing gets through those layers naturally. Sometimes, though, the two layers come very close to one another. And the closer they are, the easier it is to poke a hole through them for a small time. So I used the electric saw Agent S. gave me — did she get out okay?

Dr. Sokolsky: Yes. She did.

Researcher Harkness: Awesome. So yeah, the saw with the sigils on it. I used it to open the potentiality space suffusing the wall behind the Way.

<He unscrews the water bottle's cap and takes a few swigs.>

Researcher Harkness: Oh, that's really warm. Why is it so warm?

Dr. Sokolsky: You were saying?

Researcher Harkness: Uh, right, so. The other side was just… cold, empty darkness. Felt like it went on forever. It was terrifying. And still better than Florida.

Dr. Sokolsky: Mm.

Researcher Harkness: Agent S. got me that helmet that looks like a glowing pasta strainer, and…

[...]

Researcher Harkness has just finished stringing a set of leads into the dark space behind the treadmill Way, attaching the other ends to the treadmill itself, his helmet, and a monitor. He sits down on the belt and places the helmet on his head.

He projects his consciousness into the Wanderers' Library Network. He sits in an upright position on the floor, back turned to the empty black hole behind him, eyes fluttering and closed, green light pouring out past his lids. He accesses the security hivemind, an interlinked web of Docents providing the Serpent's Hand security with a comprehensive overview of the gaming pit, a confirmation network periodically checking each local node against the overall consensus and triggering lockdown should discrepancies arise. His high CRV allows him to penetrate the hive without assimilation. One node at a time, he subordinates each Docent's connection to the network of connected vessels into his own consciousness.

***
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