PULL_THE_RUG (m80's) "Muted"

There was a time where they had to constantly flick the switch. And not just because there was yet another, countless, attempt to murder a scientist or individual's life. It was because it used to scream. It started with the horrified crackles of worn speakers shouting a negative response to some vague unseen danger. Nobody seemed to understand why- and each time, they'd take too long- and then the yelling would start. Piercing the ears and rattling the mind, all they'd be able to comprehend was how loud this shout of anguish. Nobody understood. Nobody but him, anyway.

"That's the seventh time we've had to hit the switch this week! Why the Hell does it keep screaming?" A rather tall man with bulky glasses stated, his clipboard hugged tight to his chest.

"Calm down, Kyler. It's just another bug we can fix. This won't fix itself with a few clacks of the keyboard." Said a thin woman in an exasperated tone.

"I never said it was. Quit making assumptions and take your head out of y-" Kyler was cut off by an annoyed yell from above on the glass catwalk next to the barely swaying chassis.

"Will you two just shutup for more than a minute? In fact- all of you, get. Take a damn break and cool your nerves before you get us all fired." A balding man muttered as he typed away on a screen connected to the chassis. He wore a straightened white coat with a light blue undershirt, coupled with a black tie. The same apparel they all wore- company rules.

The six scientists grumbled and glared at one another before ultimately obeying- beginning to pour out of the room. Henry gave a deep sigh, shaking his head as he watched them go. Children. All of them. Except maybe for.. The scientists barely noticed the thin man trying to slide his way past the door- two of them scoffing and giving him a dirty look before fully exiting. Harvey smiled just as the man approached.

"Doug! It's been a Hell of a morning. You missed all the fun," He chuckled faintly. "We had to hit the kill switch again."

The programmer began to climb the metal steps up towards the glass catwalk. Henry could make out Doug's clothes to be a bit wrinkled, as if he'd only left them in the dryer for not more than a few minutes. His deep brown hair was disheveled (per usual, but in this instance, moreso) and he looked rather tired. A grimace worked its way across Doug's face as he passed the Central AI's 'head'. The dull yellow opted stared back at him- tinted black to ensure that no power ran to it.

"Henry, you have a strange idea of fun.." The programmer shook his head and stepped up beside his coworker and crossed his arms. Henry glanced up at the chassis as if waiting for a reaction.

"Hey, we're lucky to be working on this." Henry said in joking offended voice. Doug glanced at him faintly, arching both of his brows.

"You've got a strange idea of luck, too."

"Think about it," Henry looked back down to the monitor, typing a string of data that Doug vaguely recognized. "Every generation gets some new frontier to tackle. Einstein got relativity. The NASA cowboys got the moon. All the easy stuff is taken. I mean- take a look around you, we're on the bleeding edge here. Artificial consciousness is the next frontier." The scientist stated in an inspirational, matter-of-fact tone. Doug squinted his eyes faintly, forming his mouth into an uncertain pose, seeming a bit worried.

"But every time we turn it on, it takes a sixteenth of a picosecond before it tries to kill us." He stated in a rather deadpan tone.

Henry tilted his head to the side slightly, arching a brow and smiling in a weak manner,"Last time was a tenth of a picosecond. See, we're making progress. I'm telling you, this is our generation's moon shot."

A crackle could be heard as a loud and quite pompous voice boomed over the intercom. "Cave Johnson here; you lab boys quit your yappin' and get back to work." A tinier addition was placed at the end of the reminder. "This has been a pre-recorded message."

Doug glanced down and stared off into someplace else- Harvey giving him a quizzical expression as the programmer spoke.

"I'd rather have gone to the moon."

Harvey turned his attention back to the monitor- typing in a final command to mute the Central AI's audio the next time they powered it on. Just so they could find the problem as it ran itself for a few moments. Doug pat Henry on the shoulder before he left- stepping down the catwalk once more to leave the room for his lab.

They may have 'fixed' the problem, later on and were able to activate the AI without having their ears implode. But for Doug, he'd always dream about how much pain they put Her through.