Visit the Top Secret floors

You adjusted your white business jacket, having opted for sleek businesswear that only evokes memories of a labcoat for your new role, and stood up.

"Let's not waste any time. Show me everything."

You braced yourself as the elevator took you and Dr. Brooks down to floor 8. Once the elevator opened, you were led into a short hallway where a second keycard and passcode was needed to enter, to ensure that anyone who might accidentally stop at this floor wouldn't be able to pass beyond the other security measures.

When you stepped through the door, it was more like entering the bridge of a starship than stepping into a lab. The whole floor was a playground of advanced technology, of strange devices and test chambers, with about a dozen scientists working at consoles or checking results. Everyone looked up, the scientists puzzled to see your presence on the floor--usually they were left undisturbed. Dr. Brooks waved them off. "Just giving our new Assistant Director a tour, this isn't an inspection or audit. Dr. Avery, do you think you could assist us?"

A young man with curly hair approached, holding a tablet. You knew him twice over, but 'Juno' had to pretend otherwise. Dr. Brooks turned to you. "Dr. Ternion, this is Dr. Mike Avery, he's working on some of the environmental protocols for Tina. Do you think we can meet her?"

"Uh, she's been a little grumpy today, I don't--"

"Let me rephrase that: Dr. Ternion would like to meet her."

Dr. Avery gave you an unsure look, although he found it hard to look you in the face without starting to stare at you. "I... yeah, fine. Maybe a visitor will brighten her up."

As you walked toward the back under Dr. Avery's lead, you examined the test chambers. Moon, Mars, Venus, Titan. Behind the glass there was very little difference in the chambers, but the panels by each door were recognizable. Each room was somehow simulating the gravity, pressure, atmosphere, radiation levels, and other characteristics of different planets and moons in the solar system.

Dr. Avery, not enjoying the silence, began to give some backstory on Lina. Based on his input, she was the successor to Chloe, but not using organic compounds in her makeup. The name Lina came from the lithium-based molecules that were used in her construction, different from Chloe's biopolymers. She's been a work in progress for about five years, with about two or three more expected to really get the appropriate 'responsiveness' from her, whatever that meant.

You entered a room separated by a glass wall, standing still as Dr. Avery stepped to a console, picking up a microphone. "Lina, can you come meet a visitor in the interview booth?"

The word NO flashed on the screen in front of you on the glass, as well as the console in front of Dr. Avery. He laughed a bit nervously. "Like I was saying, she is a little grumpy today. Asking a lot of questions like a five-year-old might, and not liking all the answers we've given her." He focused on the microphone again. "Lina, that's not very nice, this guest is special and asked to meet you today."

All this felt very similar to you, your memories stretching far back into things Chloe and Zoe both went through. Chloe in particular had been quite stubborn at a midpoint between demonstrating some intelligence and being unable to converse like an adult yet. It took a lot of learning, to mature into a being that was able to prove her intelligence without a shadow of a doubt, instead of being a mere curiosity.

You were about to turn to Dr. Avery and Dr. Brooks to tell them you didn't want to put pressure on an intelligent being, but then you watched as a metallic puddle flowed into the room, growing rapidly into the shape of an adult woman, faster than Chloe could materialize from an inert state. The silvery woman had an interesting exterior, one which seemed to sparkle like swirling glitter, making it seem like her body never settled down, even as she stood still.

You smiled at the woman before you, recognizing immediately what you were dealing with, something from Emily's more recent academic studies.

Nanites. Lina was a cluster of nanites, which were designed to simulate Chloe's slime in at least her transformative capability.

Lina at first didn't seem interested to speak to anyone, but upon seeing you, her curiosity seemed to grow slightly. She stepped closer to the window between you and her, her eyes shifting until her pupils had a deep reddish color. She was building her nanites into novel technological structures in an instant, you guessed she had just created some sort of sensor to better study you as you studied her. You wondered what her limits were for creating machines and electronics from her nanite components, but were interrupted when her eyes opened wide, and new words appeared on your window.

YOU'RE LIKE ME

You guessed that she had somehow been able to scan you thoroughly, and possibly... detected Chloe in the mix. After all, the slimegirl was the stepping stone to lead to this innovation of nanites. Lina repeated the words on the window, able to communicate via text while in a soundproof room, her mouth never moving. The phrase appeared twice, three times... ten times... and then it filled up the window, obscuring your vision. When the words disappeared, she was standing at another window, looking Dr. Avery in the eye at his console.

I WANT TO MEET

Dr. Avery looked puzzled. "But, you are--" The words flooded his screen again, as Dr. Avery typed something into his console, some sort of override command that Lina was bound to which Chloe never had to suffer. You saw her face turn to sadness as she began to lose form, sinking back to the floor.

You frowned as well, placing your hand on the glass. "Don't worry, Lina. We'll talk again soon."

You turned to Dr. Avery. "Was that really necessary?"

Before he could respond, Dr. Brooks interrupted. "This team is really busy right now, Juno, there's a lot of things going on before the next big update to the military. Schedule some time with Dr. Avery later, and maybe you can have a longer session with her. She seemed to really take an interest to you."

Dr. Brooks escorted you back to the elevator, even though you'd much rather stay and learn everything about Lina, maybe even have a true face-to-face. As you entered, Dr. Avery still seemed puzzled by one thing, standing on the other side of the threshold.

"What did she mean, that you were like her?"

You simply smiled as the elevator doors closed.