CHAPTER 8: RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
A portal opened in the lab below the Fosse house, causing Luca and McGee to look around. Sarah and Jack walked through, followed by Theas.
"You both did great," Theas said to them with a smile. "I couldn't have done a better job myself."
Sarah and Jack both nodded, and they split off from Theas as they walked past Admiral McGee.
"Where are you two off to?" the admiral asked.
"Well, I have to figure out a way to tell my boss I'm not coming back," Jack answered.
The Admiral looked after them for a moment before looking back at Theas. "The pay really that good?" he asked incredulously.
Theas didn't answer him. "R and I, come over here," he called.
Luca strolled over sheepishly, hands in his pockets, as though he feared Theas might scold him. At the same time, Sloane walked out of the hallway that led to the housing quarters, looking inquiringly at Theas.
"I've given you all some time to acclimate yourselves to living here," Theas informed the group. "Now that you all have hopefully become accustomed to how your lives will be for the foreseeable future, I want to address what you'll actually be working on."
"The Anomaly, right?" Luca asked. "How we all wound up here in the first place. We're supposed to find what went wrong and fix it."
"That's part of it, yes," Theas confirmed. "However, I want this team to start focusing on some more short-term goals as well."
"Yeah, like what?" Admiral McGee asked.
"Well, for example, I want you to start developing new weapons," Theas explained. Sloane, McGee, and Luca all exchanged looks,
"How do you want us to do that?" Luca asked.
"Well, how much time have you spent on one of the computers?" Theas asked.
"None," Admiral McGee answered dryly.
"Well, once you go in, you'll find a database of all of the Universal Keepers' resources," Theas informed them. "Raw materials, existing technologies, atomic elements. You'll have open access to experiment, research, and develop new tools for both yourselves and for the Anomaly Response Team to use on their endeavors. There's a lot to go through, so I suggest you take it in small chunks at a time."
Luca looked around and stared at the computer as though he had never seen anything so captivating in his whole life. Sloane looked apprehensive but tried to maintain an even composure. Admiral McGee, meanwhile, gave Theas a shrewd look. "What do you mean? What kinds of things are in there?"
"Well, let me show you," Theas suggested.
He walked over to one of the computer terminals and started typing on it for a moment. He then tapped on the computer screen before pointing into the middle of the room. Something like a holographic projector lit up, showing a floating three-dimensional image of a ball of glowing purple energy.
"That looks like the stuff your weapons use," Sloane observed.
Theas nodded. "It's called Aolen," he explained. "It's a mixture of stellar energy and superheated metal. This database tells you every documented use for Aolen there has ever been, and you can use this to run tests and compare with other materials to develop new ways of utilizing it. Your work will be integral to making sure the Anomaly Response Team can perform its duties."
Sloane and Luca stared, meanwhile Admiral McGee seemed rather nonplussed, if not outright unimpressed.
"What can this stuff do that a good old fashioned bullet can't?" the Admiral asked.
"Well," Theas said, a touch of impatience in his voice, "it's used as a power source for the most advanced technology this universe has ever dreamed of."
Admiral McGee still did not give much of a reaction to this.
"Look, it sounds really interesting," Luca conceded. "But I'm still not sure exactly what it is you're expecting of us."
"And why would we do it to begin with?" Admiral McGee added.
"Well, as I've already explained, this is a paid position," Theas stated to the admiral, his exasperation evident. He then turned back to Luca and said, "Look, to be honest, it's not unheard of for the Keepers to employ Anomalies. It is abnormal for an Anomaly of this size to happen. We don't know what caused it or why, but we know that the more minds we have on this, the quicker it will get resolved.
"You have the entire history of the multiverse in front of you. Each technological breakthrough you make, rather it's towards the Anomaly or towards the ART, you'll get a solid payout. There's not a rulebook here, people. Set your own course and work it out."
Luca gave him a nervous look, but he didn't pursue the matter. Admiral McGee maintained his skepticism, meanwhile Sloane looked more purposeful.
"You have a direct line of contact to me if you have questions or need help," Theas informed them. "The rest is up to you."
He opened a wormhole and stepped through it, leaving the Research and Investigation Team to stare at each other.
"So, what happens now?" Admiral McGee asked.
Luca shrugged. "I guess start researching and investigating."
"I'm going to start putting together some profiles," Sloane announced. She turned to walk down the corridor leading out of the main office.
"Wh-Where are you going?" Luca asked.
"My office," Sloane said, giving him an incredulous look.
"You...you have an office?" Luca said.
"Uh, yeah," Sloane answered with a strained smile. "I can't do my work properly in a crowd."
She then turned and walked down the corridor, disappearing while Luca and McGee watched after her. The two then looked at each other awkwardly.
"You seem pretty geeky," the admiral said to Luca. "What's your take on everything?"
Luca was unsure of what to make of this comment. "I guess just start working," he suggested.
Admiral McGee stared around at the twenty or so computer terminals, and he said, "I'm a little old-fashioned. This seems a little advanced for me."
Luca looked around, and he spotted a large bookshelf along one wall that contained several hundred titles on it. Admiral McGee looked around and saw them as well, and he said, "Oh. I guess that will work."
The two of them started researching, although neither of them were quite sure what they were supposed to be looking for. Luca took to researching the properties of Aolen and its many applications. The further down he skimmed, the more overwhelmed he felt. The admiral, meanwhile, sat in a comfortable plush chair reading a book entitled, On the Subject of Anomalies. The two operated in silence for a long time.
Meanwhile, Sloane sat in a chair in an office which branched off from the hallway off the lab. She was at a computer with a wide, flat screen, and after the initial shock of encountering this machine's operating system, which Sloane had never heard of, she worked diligently at establishing her list of profiles. Displayed on the monitor was a photo of Jack Fosse. Sloane typed for a moment into his profile. After adding a few words, she sat back in her chair and examined her work. She let out a deep breath, and then she looked up as a knock came to her door.
"Come in," she said.
The door opened, and Luca walked in, looking apprehensive.
"Hi!" Sloane said, interlacing her fingers on her desk. "How are you?"
"Uh," Luca said, looking around the office. "I'm not really sure. You just...you asked me to come here, so I'm here."
"Yes, please," Sloane said, indicating the chair across the desk from her.
Luca glanced at the small couch on the side of the room before sitting down in the chair to look at Sloane. The two held eye contact for several seconds, neither one speaking. Sloane observed Luca, whose eyes darted back and forth, taking in all of the different features of her office. After a few minutes, Sloane asked, "So what have you been working on so far?"
Luca seemed a bit taken aback by this question. He stammered for a second before answering, "I've been reading up on the history of Aolen. How it was discovered and the first uses of it."
"Really?" Sloane said, sounding genuinely interested. "So, what have you found out?"
"Um, a lot, actually," Luca said. "It's like Theas said, it's made by taking energy siphoned from a star and infusing it into metal. The reaction turns it into some kind of cross between lava and plasma. This makes it the most powerful ammunition that I've ever seen, and that includes uranium."
This statement caused Sloane's eyes to narrow in confusion. "How so?" she asked.
"Well, think about the size of the Aolen that's used in our weapons," Luca said. "It's a tiny, infinitesimal amount, especially when you think about how much energy a star can put out. The metal that's used in one of our pistols is about half the size of a regular round." Sloane's eyes widened as he said this, her jaw hanging half open. "So, you increase the materials used. Put as much stellar energy in as you would uranium into a nuclear bomb. Think about that kind of a reaction. And then you modify the ratio of energy to metal used, and you get all kinds of different effects. It's...it's a lot to work with."
Sloane nodded, yet she continued to watch Luca's body language. "You know, it's interesting," she said to him. "You're a chef back home, right? Is it weird at all to be working in physical sciences?"
Luca thought about this for a moment. "You know, it's hard to answer that," he said. "I did a lot of labs in college. So, you know, I do have a pretty grounded understanding in that area, just not nearly as much as...uh...Abby." He had hesitated to say this last word, and he watched Sloane, waiting for her reaction.
Sloane, however, kept her expression even as she nodded. "How do you feel about being in potentially dangerous scenarios?" she asked him.
Luca gave her an incredulous look. "I think we've all seen that," he stated. "I don't do well in high-stress situations. I get a lot of really bad anxiety. No, I definitely don't belong on a battlefield. I'm not like you or Gibbs or Jack."
Sloane nodded, and she typed a bit into her computer. Luca watched her, and he raised an eyebrow. Sloane looked back to him, and she asked, "Who would you say has been the most help to you since you came here?"
Luca looked stumped again. He thought about it for a moment, and he said, "I mean, there have been a lot of people who have helped. You were there for me when we fought Algaltha. We're staying in Jack's home free of charge, so, you know, that's not something that can be understated. Sarah and Gibbs, they fought really hard against the Spatial Hunters to defend us all. I would say that label isn't anything I can afford to one person."
Sloane nodded again and resumed her typing for a moment. "What...What is that?" Luca asked. "What are you working on?"
"Psyche profiles," Sloane said with a wry smile.
"Really?" Luca said. "Abby told me about you, she said you were the team's Operational Psychologist. So, I mean, I know this is your thing and all, but, like, is it really necessary right now?"
"I'm glad you asked that," Sloane said sincerely. "There are a few reasons why I'm doing this. First and foremost, it helps me with my anxiety with the situation. It's a comfort mechanism, and I have no shame in admitting that. On top of it, just like at NCIS, we're in a really dangerous situation. It's important to have someone here who can maintain the emotional integrity of the group. It's integral."
Luca listened to her, and while he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about this, he didn't say anything further on it. "Listen," Sloane said to him. "I know this is hard. Trust me, it's hard on everyone."
"Well, it really doesn't seem like it," Luca countered. "Everyone else seems pretty calm to me."
"Well, I'm here to promise you, just by talking to everyone else, that isn't the case," Sloane assured him. "But you need to give yourself some credit. You're doing great. You're acclimating yourself really well to this, and you're the perfect choice for the leader of this team. Just keep doing what you're doing. The right thing will come to you naturally."
Luca studied her for a moment before he finally nodded. She gave him one last smile, and he got up and left the room. As he opened the door, he stood aside to let Admiral McGee walk in. The admiral nodded to Luca, and Sloane watched as they passed each other in the doorway. The door closed behind him, and he looked around Sloane's office. "This is a nice little setup you have here," he said in a soft voice.
Sloane smiled at him, and she waited for him to take his seat across from here. "So, Admiral, how are you feeling?" she asked him.
Admiral McGee shrugged. "Like my whole body's been transplanted," he told her. "I didn't think it would be possible."
Sloane was still smiling widely. "So," she said, "you're here, all healed up and on the road to a full recovery. What's the first thing you want to do?"
"I want to see my kids," he said immediately. "I want to have dinner with them. I want to spend every single moment I have with them."
"Really?" Sloane responded. "So, what does that mean for your naval career?"
McGee let out a deep breath, looking around him. "I haven't really thought that far ahead," he confessed. "Obviously I want to still do my duty to the nation, but I can't deny that my illness has given me a new perspective on things. Regardless of the cancer, I'm not young anymore, so my days are already numbered. I don't know. I guess we'll just have to see what happens when I do get back."
Sloane listened to him, but she didn't type in her computer. She fixed him with a heavy look for a moment before she asked, "What's your take on everything that's happening?"
"Actually," the admiral said, a small smile curling his lips, "there's a certain familiarity to this."
"Oh?" Sloane said.
"It's just another battle," McGee told her. "Just another bastard of an enemy we have to take out. I've done it a hundred times across three wars. This really isn't that different. Where did you serve, Miss Sloane?"
Sloane considered how to respond to this. "I was in Afghanistan," she answered. She didn't elaborate.
McGee gave her a shrewd expression, but he didn't ask her to continue.
At that moment, a knock at Sloane's office door made them both look around. Before she could respond, the door was flung open for Jack to come in. He looked quite frantic. "We need to go," he said to Sloane and McGee."
"What, did someone else cross over?" Sloane asked.
"Two of them," Jack answered. "Two people crossed over. Come on."