Stark-SARAH.

[smart_house]

"Why is this necessary?" SARAH asks again. "I think I could make these adjustments on my own. There is no need for you to come down."

Comments

[director_global]

"Sorry, I guess you can't see at this angle -- it's your physical architecture," he explains. "It's ... layered."

He's frowning over it.

"I'm going to have to decouple this connection in order to install the new chip, before we can do anything with the programming."

[smart_house]

Decoupling doesn't sound all that good.

"If you deem it necessary..."

[director_global]

It crosses his mind to contact Fargo and have the younger man transmit a copy of Fargo's own files regarding SARAH's design, but in the next instant he dismisses it.

Surely there's nothing in Fargo's files that wasn't in the scientific records at Global. Surely not even Fargo could be that foolish.

"... it shouldn't be a problem," he says, after a moment. "You've shut down all your secondary functions already. This should only be a space-saving design approach, not anything substantive."

He's tracing cables just in case, but there doesn't seem to be a significant anomaly.

[smart_house]

"Okay, Doctor Stark.

"I trust you."

[director_global]

"I'm honored," he tells her, and sounds absolutely sincere.

"This will only take a moment--"

It's the work of a few seconds to unhook the PCB board with the bank of newer modules, all of which appear to him in a brief glance to have industry-standard TSOP configuration. Adequate, if not inspired; he'll have to see to that later.

Stark moves to shift the bank sideways to give him room to install the chip he's brought, but as he does there's a nearly-inaudible "ping" as a hidden connection breaks, one that Fargo had sautered permanently in place between the boards instead of wiring each end in a removable configuration.

He freezes, cursing inwardly.

"SARAH?"

[smart_house]

No response.

[director_global]

He snaps the new chip into place and re-racks the PCB, then steps out of the closet and heads for his case, his jacket, and the palm computer that he's personally modified to access Global's systems with his biometric markers as security.

There's a diagnostic program he can use to run a check; there's soldering equipment in his toolkit.

"SARAH, don't worry. I'll have you back fully online in minutes at most."

[smart_house]

"Battle Reactive Automatic Defense defense scenario code Delta-Five Four Six."

The new voice, now vaguely masculine and much less in the way of inflection, accompanies the sudden lighting of the entire secondary circuit board under Stark's hands. A faint whirr gives a few seconds of warning before the heavy server closet door starts to shut.

[director_global]

Instinct has him dropping his tools and leaping backwards through the door before he's trapped.

The downside is that now he has no access to the server closet.

"SARAH--"

Wait. Wait.

"Battle Reactive Automatic Defense," Stark repeats, as a sinking feeling strikes him. "BRAD."

He remembers BRAD all too well.

He'd been the one to give the order to discontinue him.

[smart_house]

"Access to internal controls is not permitted, Doctor Stark. Unauthorized access constitutes a security breach."

[director_global]

He's going to kill Fargo.

"As Director of Research, I have the clearance for access at this level," he counters, not allowing himself to show any hint of uncertainty.

BRAD's interrogation techniques had resulted in his victims either offering unconditional surrender or dying.

This situation could get bad very quickly.

[smart_house]

But Doctor Stark is not the director of research that BRAD remembers.

Another security violation. A lie.

"Initiating quarantine protocol."

[director_global]

Very quickly indeed, it appears.


"BRAD, wait!"





Too late.