InsaneJournal

Today was supposed to be a good day for science, what was that? That wasn't science.
Who: Alma and Caroline
What: SCIENCE
Where: ATC labs
When: Yesterday
Status: Complete
Rating: PG-13 for fire.



Today was a good day, for science. The pesticides had taken care of the bothersome pidgeon epidemic nest and the cats had dealt with the sparrows, so it was blissfully quiet. The sun was out, not that she could see it. She believed in perfect, symmetrical sunless test chambers. No outside sounds or light or influence to impede her testing.

She picked up her board and looked through the checklist. Everything was just so. She'd even brought cake, confident in a successful test. Leaning forward, she tapped the intercom, "Ms. Wade, is everything in place? Or will I have to prepare the fire insurance claims again?"

Alma scowled, stepping away from a series of cages. Inside each was something making clicking sounds, "Everything is in place, ma'am." No one knew Caroline's last name. It was eitehr 'ma'am' or...'ma'am."

"Very good, please exit the test chamber before you influence the results with your clumsy, human feet. I have cake?"

Caroline waited precisely six seconds, before she pressed a big red button. Adjusting her glasses she leaned forward, glee etched on her face as little robotic cockaroaches scurried out of their cages and began to explore the room.

A series of tubes descended, and several deadly traps were sprung as the robotic explorers struggled to find ways around the traps and various well placed rubble piles. Caroline marked off on her checkboard as Alma entered the control room and sat down at a console.

She didn't acknowledge the teenager, instead muttering to herself, "Clearly the rats were more successful in navigating obstacles. More intelligent and not completely robot. I will have to ask for another batch. We just need to get the cameras small enough to not be a burden." Gleefully, she pressed another button, and several of the little robots were engulfed in flame.

Alma watched her, and scratched at an old scar on her arm. She agreed with the assessment that enhanced rodents were better for search and rescue. She agreed less with the extreme measures Caroline employed to test them.

The experiment ran its course, and Caroline clucked her tongue, setting down her checkboard, "That was disappointing. Today was supposed to be a good day for science, what was that? That wasn't science. Complete failure! Have the entire line melted down for scrap and request another batch of rats." Where was her Huge Success! It was missing, nowhere to be found, not here! Obseeeeesssed.

Alma started tapping out the appropriate codes and filling out the correct form, in triplicate. She knew it had to be triplicate, "Do we still get cake?"

"No."

"You said there was cake."

"I lied.