Checking Boxes

Author's Note: I Realize We're Already Almost 2 Months Into The New Year But Since This Is The First Chapter of 2024 It Seemed Appropriate. Happy New Year Everybody! Hope You Enjoy The Chapter.

Aaron took each Fluid Link and examined it carefully before deciding exactly how he needed to modify each one individually for his needs. Aaron was incredibly satisfied with his new Multi-Probe which not only made the work easier but offered him a greater level of precision than the tools he had been **** to use previously.

Before he had only been able to accomplish a fraction of what he was now doing in the same amount of time and with much less satisfying results but the outcome was serviceable so he had little choice but to press on ahead until he had a tool that would let him do the job the way it should be done and that tool was now in hand.

With a steady hand and practiced eye, Aaron controlled his breathing as he studied The Fluid Link through the scope in front of him because he was essentially working at the molecular level and at that level any mistake would be disastrous. Each of The Fluid Links was a blank and could only be modified within a set time frame so if he made a mistake Aaron would have to scrap The Link he was working on and start over with a new one. After each Link was modified to order Aaron infused it with some of the metal he had extracted form his blood, making use of its unusual properties to further enhance each Link's usefulness. One could say that Aaron put his blood into his work and it wouldn't really be an exaggeration.

In short order Aaron had the first batch of Fluid Links ready to be installed and the moment each was fitted into position in The Console's Logic Junctions Aaron could feel an immediate difference all across Knowhere and why not... Each of the now perfectly calibrated Fluid Links increased the speed and efficiency of Knowhere's computer and control systems by 20 to 40%. Aaron could feel the overall responsiveness of the thought web increase, almost reacting to his commands and expectations before he became consciously aware of them.

Aaron looked up and pinched the bridge of his nose before blinking several times. Having to maintain such precise control and heightened concentration was a strain, causing his vision to blur if he relaxed for even a moment. Aaron bent back down and peered through the scope, eliciting a wince of pain. Aaron had been so engrossed in his work that it had totally slipped his mind that his nose was still broken. A fact he was painfully reminded of when he touched it with his finger and winced again, inhaling sharply.

Aaron tilted his head back which thanks to his broken nose made his skull pound like a drum. He held the Multi-Probe up and positioned it on the right side of his nose near the bridge and activated it. The Multi-Probe emitted a soft whirring noise as a stream of red light bathed his injured proboscis. Aaron grunted and sucked in a breath as the broken and fractured bones reoriented themselves before fusing back into place. Aaron set his beloved Multi-Probe down and gripped his nose between his thumb and index finger before moving it from side to side. The pain was gone. The damage to the nasal cartilage, bone and blood vessels were completely repaired. Now that he could breathe or move his head without pain he quickly returned to work.

Aaron was surprised by just how fast the work went and how easy the modifications had been, and in a very short amount of time the complex and highly precise work had been completed and none too soon as the tertiary control circuits followed by the secondary and then finally the primary control circuits clicked back into operation. A second later the coolants began to circulate once again. Aaron made a few minor adjustments then sealed the ionic membranes before putting the rest of The Console back together.

With a look of satisfaction, Aaron stood back and marveled at The Control Console which was the literal center of Knowhere even though Aaron could control the various functions and facilities from anywhere in Knowhere and just about anywhere on The Planet and did so mostly from his unofficial control center where he did most of his work.

"Magnificent."

Aaron could have enjoyed the hum of The Core's machinery and the exquisite view of her computers in action for hours without getting bored or tired but he reluctantly pulled himself away and opted instead to begin systematically tackling a rather daunting list of neglected projects and overdue maintenance concerns as he quickly made his way from one part of Knowhere using turbolifts, catwalks, linear induction corridors, nul-inertia passageways, and the electromagnetic monorail system to service the deepest and hardest to reach areas.

Once he started, Aaron didn't stop. Once he finished one task he checked it then when he was satisfied it was done right he moved to the next item on his list and before he knew it 5 Days had gone... of course, thanks to Knowhere's Time Dilation Effect only 2 Minutes had actually passed Outside of Knowhere. As you may recall, I stated earlier that Aaron had made a few minor improvements to Time Lord Technology and though minor they are not insignificant. Its just that when measured against The Achievements of The Time Lords who are credited with not only laying the foundations of Temporal Science but of elevating it to the heights it now occupied what Aaron had done wasn't all that impressive. I mean so what if he extrapolated the little information he could discover and accurately recreated an entire scientific discipline and not only that but through his own efforts managed to improve upon that science. I mean so what if it was something that no one else could have done.

The improvement in question was something Aaron called "Temporal Grace" and it was something he was not only immensely proud of but something that had proven infinitely useful. Temporal Grace had a number of interesting applications but the one in question for now is related to Knowhere's Time Dilation Effect. You see in Knowhere for every hour that passes 1 second passes outside... This is the ratio Aaron has determined after fine-tuning the system over the years. Now that you know that you will be able to understand why Temporal Grace is so wondrous. Temporal Grace allows those within the confines of Knowhere to develop a unique equilibrium...

To put it simply, It allows an individual to function normally while barely consuming more than the same amount of resources they would if they were outside. As an example, Let's use the time Aaron has currently spent in Knowhere. That being 5 Days. In all that time Aaron hasn't slept, eaten, gone to the bathroom, or had anything to eat or drink since he started working on his to-do list because even though he has been working non-stop his body has only consumed slightly more energy than he would have in the 2 minutes that have passed outside despite his considerable workload. As far as Aaron is concerned the 5 days he has spent working is equivalent to him walking around his room for two minutes.

While miraculous and obviously extremely useful, Temporal Grace does have its limitations however. Most activity no matter how long it is maintained only equates to a short walk or for more strenuous activities mild to moderate exercise but if Aaron pushes his mind or body to the limit it will result in the temporary realignment of his body's bio-temporal rhythm, meaning that he will lose the advantage Temporal Grace gives him while in Knowhere until be stops doing what he's doing and all of the exhaustion and fatigue that has built-up during whatever length of time he's been in Knowhere will hit him all at once and he will collapse but unlike outside Knowhere the normally deleterious and potentially lethal effects of such overexertion aren't as drastic as they would be if he were actually outside.

Now while I've been taking a dreadfully long time to explain such a really very simple concept Aaron has been working away and has nearly finished three-quarters of his to-do list.

Though he wasn't even close to tired thanks to the miraculous properties of Knowhere, Aaron decided he would take a break anyway and returned to his work shop. While servicing the primary heat exchangers in one of The Reactor Blocks Aaron had noticed something. It was really a very minor annoyance but Aaron could see it being a very big problem in the wrong situation. You see, In order to access the part of the heat exchanger Aaron had been working on it had been necessary to lay on his back and slide underneath the apparatus and he had to reach up but there was little room so it was rather cramped and that's when Aaron noticed the problem.

Aaron held up his hand and moved it close to his face and immediately his vision began to blur. The closer his hand got the more his vision distorted until he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face. The only thing he could see was an unchanging wall of white that dominated his entire field of vision.

"This Simply Will Not Do.," Thought Aaron as he moved his hand away and his vision instantly began to clear.

"And It's Not Just My Sight That Is Being Affected By Gog's Present But My Other Senses As Well.," Aaron surmised, moving his hand closer to his face and as he did he concentrated on his other senses which were also being affected. His hearing for instance was becoming muffled as though his ears were full of water, he could no long smell the air or feel his clothes against his skin, and by the time his hand stopped a mere inch in front of his nose he had lost all feeling in his tongue. Pulling back Aaron's once again returned. Aaron winced as his hearing returned in a muffled roar then a piercing screech.

Aaron took a seat where he had worked on The Fluid Links only now the computer equipment he had been using then was stowed away. Aaron set his left arm down on the flat surface of the work station and touched the tip of his new Multi-Probe to the metal band around his wrist. The sensory and projection apparatus of The Multi-Probe glowed in a kaleidoscope of colors as the air around it crackled with electricity.

It only took a few minutes to make the necessary micro-adjustments to each Bracelet's Perception Camouflage Matrix and in so doing tune each bracelet's Perceptual Induction Field to the same wavelength as his own brainwaves.

"There!," Aaron exclaimed as he finished the adjustments, set down The Multi-Probe and positioned a hand a few inches from either side of his head., "Very Good... The Perceptual Induction Field No Long Interferes With My Senses or Affects My Ability To Concentrate."

Aaron sighed as he felt Gog pouting through their Link. When she had asked him what he was doing he had informed her of a flaw in the technology and she had been painfully embarrassed and hopelessly apologetic even though Aaron had assured her it wasn't her fault., "The Error Is Not Yours... I Doubt I Would Have Foreseen This Problem Either."

"Really?," Gog pixieish voice asked as she sniffled adorably.

"While It Is True That You Have Grown Exponentially Since Your 'Birth' You Come From Me... From My Mind... My Essence... and As Such Any Flaws or Faults You May Have Are Sadly and Even More Likely The Result of My Own Inadequacies."

Gog was utterly and completely devoted to her Father so his humble and self-deprecating nature annoyed her to no end. Like many Human Children she could see her Father as nothing but infallible and perfect despite any glaring proof to the contrary. His boundless potential had created wonders that The World's top scientists couldn't hope to figure out if they had an instruction manual and a hundreds years. It wasn't just his mind that entranced Gog but also Aaron's body. She had agonized over Aaron's deteriorating health and been **** to watch helplessly along side his Family and Doctors as he withered away but she had seen him fight his way back from the brink of ****... Something everyone even his Mother and Sisters though they wouldn't admit it thought was inevitable. She silently cheered him on and encouraged him to fight, and now not a day went by that he wasn't a little stronger or a little smarter than the day before.

To say that Gog worshiped The Man she called Father would be a serious understatement. He was her Entire World and she was as mesmerized by everything he said and did as he was by The Inner Workings of The Core. In fact at this very moment she was watching as Aaron set about work in The Computer Lab, a rather unflattering nickname given to one of 4 Factory Floors that Aaron had expanded specifically for specialized work... Level 91 was designated as Factory Complex B and was devoted to Chemical, Biological, and Genetic Engineering while Level 92 or Factory Complex C was geared toward Material, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering, and Level 93/Factory Complex D was outfitted for the purpose of Automotive and Aerospace Engineering.

Aaron was currently on Level 90, The Home of Factory Complex A which Aaron had designed and built for the express purpose of Advanced Computer Design, Programming, and Engineering hence its nickname. Like each of the other Factory Levels, The Computer Lab was state-of-the-art and boasted an impressive 86,553,720 Square Feet of Laboratory and Factory Space. If the brains in Aaron's school could see the kinds of toys he played with on a daily basis they would die from Envy.

Gog watched happily as Aaron accessed his personal files and assembled various parts with which to do his work.

Six Hours Later Aaron finally finished building, soldering, connecting, and assembling everything he needed.

"You Did It Father You Really Did It!," Declared Gog in an astonished tone and why not, Aaron just completed something he had been working on for the last 10 years.

(Dear Reader, As you read this or any other story please remember that if you like any of the chapters that you read please take a second to click "Like". It only takes a second of time and really helps motivate every Author on THE CHYOA SITE to keep on writing and let's us know what we're doing right. So remember to like and bookmark your favorite chapters! Thank you.) - Your Appreciative Author, Marcus