[color=00aeef][b]Acadia National Park Observatory - The Institute[/b][/color] Xavier looked over the comatose form of DiMA sitting within the control chair in the center of the observatory dome. He was strapped in and hooked to all manner of wires which were strung out from the back of his head and connected to the large series of data banks which surrounded him and covered much of the walls. In lieu of an organized ‘dumb’ AI construct to manage the surprisingly complex network within Acadia, DiMA had been used as a suitable replacement. It made sense given that DiMA was already known to be compatible with the network: indeed he’d modified himself specifically to interface directly with it. After putting in place several safeguards and preventative measures, DiMA was permanently hooked up to the datastores and began serving this intended purpose quite effectively. One part of the safeguards that Xavier himself had put in place was that DiMA experienced a continuous negative feedback loop within his mind. DiMA existed within a perpetual “false reality” and the closer he came to realizing the truth of his current existence, the more difficult it would become to grasp the concept and the more activity it would drive in his mind, which would inevitably result in a return to blissful ignorance. Meanwhile, that increased activity was, in truth, a stream of computations and program executions used to run Acadia’s network. It was a clean self-regulating system created out of something which had been itself unstable. Xavier was quite proud of that fact. “Alright,” Xavier said, as he turned around and descended the raised platform where DiMA was seated, “Send them in.” B7 nodded, and she opened the doors to allow in the Harbormen. Three figures entered, and Xavier immediately knew who they were, ‘they’ being three of the most prominent figures in Far Harbor. Captain Avery, of course, Teddy Wright, the town’s self-appointed physician, and Allen Lee: a gunsmith and weapon merchant who laid claim to be potentially their wealthiest resident. A Courser guard and two nearby Gen-1 Synths stood by, weapons lowered, but ready at a moment's notice to intervene if things became at all heated or potentially dangerous. “Captain, Mr. Li….Dr. Wright, what can I do for you?” Xavier opened with the usual pleasantry. “What you can ‘do’ is help us be rid of those damned Children freaks,” Allen Lee growled, “This time they’ve gone too far. I’m done with them.” “Allen cool it. We came here to talk this over and not make demands,” Captain Avery interjected, “Teddy why don’t you explain the situation...” “Last couple weeks there’s been a noticeable decrease in fishing hauls,” Teddy began, “At first it wasn’t anything unusual, we’ve had lean spells before, but then it became something different. What fish have been coming up are mutated, many of them heavily affected by radiation. Hell some of them are downright glowing. Needless to say they’re inedible and it's becoming a problem for our fishermen.” Xavier raised an eyebrow. “And….you think the Children of Atom have something to do with this?” “I don’t think, I know,” Allen Lee replied, “They’re dumping something in the water. I just know it.” “Now you can’t say that for sure Allen. For all we know this is something natural.” Avery said. “Natural are you kidding me Captain? The fish are GLOWING.” “Half the damn critters on this island glow Allen. Ain’t the Children doing that!” “You sure?” Allen narrowed his eyes, “Because I’m not.” “Oh for Pete’s sake..” “Alright okay, settle down,” Xavier raised a hand, “I see no reason to immediately blame the Children for this. It's entirely possible that there’s been an increase in mid-Atlantic radstorms and a slight change of current that might have brought some poor fishing to your shores. I understand tensions are high however, and recognize the importance of that catch to your livelihoods. If you’d like, I’ll gladly send one of my Bioscience personnel to Far Harbor to evaluate the situation and run some tests. She’s a marine ecology expert… [i]Our, only, Marine Ecology expert as a matter of fact.[/i] Xavier thought to himself. …and I’m sure she’d be happy to investigate this and address your concerns. Now as for your immediate issues...I’ll furnish a supply caravan to be sent to Far Harbor with produce to supplement your lack of fish stock as well as some anti-radiation medications for anyone who might have consumed or come into contact with the affected creatures. Would that satisfy you?” “Yes, absolutely, thank you,” Captain Avery nodded. “Now hold on just a minute...no I ain’t satisfied,” Allen spoke up, “What about the Children? What if they are dumping something and it’ll just get worse while your scientist is running her tests?” “Very well, I’ll deploy Watch…” Xavier checked himself and cleared his throat, “...that is to say, I’ll make sure the coastline is carefully watched for any signs of foul play.” Allen grunted and nodded his consent, “Good. And if you see anything suspicious...” “We’ll discuss handling that situation if it comes to it. But let’s not do so now.” “Fine.” Allen grumbled. “If that’s all we needed to discuss...then I wish you a pleasant trip back down the mountain. Help yourself to some purified water on your way out. B7?” “This way please,” the Gen-3 female motioned for the trio to follow her back down the hallway and towards the exit. After they’d exited the dome and the door closed behind them, Xavier removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Permission to speak freely sir?” The Courser who’d been standing guard faithfully spoke up. “Go ahead X6-88.” “If I might be so bold sir,” X6 approached the platform, “Why do you entertain these surface-dwellers and their asinine problems? The Director of The Institute should not be dealing with questions of poor fishing.” “That is indeed bold X6...but a valid question. The answer is because we need them. Our days of being able to ignore the surface and do with it what we will are long gone. We have to find a way to integrate into the wasteland or we’ll be painting an even larger target on ourselves. You know as well as I do that we have enemies everywhere. We need friends and allies.” “Understood sir.” “Now that is not to say that I enjoy discussing fish stocks with surface-dwellers either….or for that matter committing resources to it...” Xavier sighed, “Well in any case, we can spare a single researcher if it keeps them happy. Speaking of which...X6 would you please go and find Dr. Mara Holdren? Let her know that she needs to pack some things and be ready for a temporary stay in Far Harbor. I’m sure she’s getting bored down there maintaining the aquaponics system day-in-day out. This will give her something to do.” “Right away Director.”