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THE DATA HASN’T SHOWN ANYTHING NEW FOR A WHILE.
WE’RE STAGNATING.
I ASSURE YOU.
THAT HAS BEEN A RESULT OF THE CANARY.
NOT THE PROJECT.
DR DEE?
HE IS STUBBORN.
LIKELY UNHAPPY WITH THE SITUATION WE PUT HIM IN.
THE WORK SENT HAS BEEN THE BARE MINIMUM.
SERVERS HAVE BEEN NEGLECTED.
KERFUR HAS BEEN DEACTIVATED, YET STILL TRYING TO COMMUNICATE WITH US
THIS IS SURPRISING?
WE SENT HIM TO AN ISOLATED FOREST WITH MANY DANGERS.
OF COURSE HE’S UPSET.
I THINK IT'S TIME TO SEND HIM HOME.
SEND AN EXTRACTION TEAM.
THERE’S A PROBLEM WITH THAT.
I CONTACTED YOU TO TELL YOU THERE HAS BEEN NO ACTIVITY FROM DEE FOR OVER A WEEK.
YOU DIDN’T TELL ME THIS.
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?
THIS ISN’T THE FIRST TIME HE WENT SILENT FOR A LONG TIME.
LIKE YOU SAID, HE’S UPSET.
HAVE YOU SENT A DRONE FOR RECON AND PREPPED A RESCUE TEAM?
WE TRIED THE DRONE.
NO BODY.
PLACE WAS A FUCKING MESS TOUGH.
YOUR NEGLIGENCE MAY HAVE COST DEE HIS LIFE.
HE’S A CANARY.
IT’S WHAT THEY DO.
BESIDES, WE HAVE MORE PRESSING MATTERS.
WE ARE APPROACHING THE BUFFER.
I KNOW THE RISK.
DON’T THINK THIS CONVERSATION IS OVER.
LUCKILY, I’VE HAD SOMEONE IN MIND FOR THE NEXT CANARY.
ISAAC O’NEILL
PULLING UP HIS FILE NOW.
GIVE ME A MOMENT.
…
ARE YOU SERIOUS?
VERY.
HE IS THE WORST OPTION.
HE'S JUST A YOUNGSTER.
INEXPERIENCED.
THE LEAST EDUCATED.
HE IS PSYCHOLOGICALLY UNSTABLE.
I DON’T WANT A CANARY TAKING ITSELF OUT BEFORE AN ANOMALY CAN.
HIM, DOCTOR, NOT IT.
HIS THERAPIST IS CONVINCED THAT WON’T BE A PROBLEM ANYMORE.
HE HAS PLENTY OF EDUCATION.
THREE YEARS OF NURSING SCHOOL BEFORE THE INCIDENT.
VOLUNTEERED AS AN EMT BEFORE THAT.
WE DON’T NEED A MEDIC.
WE NEED AN ASTRONOMER.
HE PASSED THE TESTS.
HE UNDERSTANDS ASTRONOMY ENOUGH FOR OUR NEEDS.
AND HE IS SKILLED WITH TECHNOLOGY AND REPAIRS.
BUT THAT’S NOT WHY I WANT HIM FOR THIS PROJECT.
HE DIDN’T EVEN FINISH HIS NURSING EDUCATION.
WHY COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT HIM?
YOU READ HIS FILE.
YOU SAW THE ABDUCTION.
SO?
BEING KIDNAPPED DOESN’T MAKE HIM SPECIAL.
THE FILE IS FALSIFIED.
THE REAL ONE IS CLASSIFIED.
I DIDN’T READ THE FALSE ONE.
I USED MY CREDENTIALS.
I’M NOT A FOOL.
THAT FILE IS FALSIFIED.
YOU ARE NOT CLEARED FOR THE TRUTH.
WHAT?
ALL INFORMATION ON CANARIES SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO ME.
WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO LOCK ME OUT?
ME.
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?
I AM THE HEAD OF THE CANARY PROJECT.
NOT ANYMORE.
EXCUSE ME?
I WILL NOT REPEAT MYSELF.
I AM TAKING CONTROL.
YOU WILL MAINTAIN YOUR POSITION.
BUT YOU NOW REPORT DIRECTLY TO ME.
AM I UNDERSTOOD?
THIS IS ABSURD.
I’VE MANAGED THIS PROJECT ON MY OWN FOR YEARS.
I DON’T NEED YOU INTERFERING.
AM I UNDERSTOOD?
…
YES.
GOOD.
THEN YOU WILL CONTACT O’NEILL AND OFFER HIM THE JOB.
FINE.
BUT I STILL THINK HE ISN’T THE RIGHT PICK.
WE NEED TO KNOW MORE.
THAT’S YOUR PROBLEM, DOCTOR.
YOU ONLY CARE ABOUT KNOWLEDGE.
NOT THE CANARY.
CANARIES ARE MEANT TO DIE.
ETHICS, DOCTOR.
WE FIGHT MONSTERS.
WE DON’T BECOME THEM.
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED THAT PEOPLE NEED TO BE ALIVE TO SEND INFORMATION?
IT SEEMS YOU MAY HAVE BEEN MORE NEGLECTFUL OF THE CANARIES THAN I THOUGHT.
WE SEND THEM OUT KNOWING THEY MIGHT DIE, BUT DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PREVENT IT.
WHETHER THEY REALIZE IT OR NOT, THEY ARE KEEPING HUMANITY SAFE.
THE LEAST WE CAN DO IS HELP THEM.
IF I AM GOING TO DO MY JOB, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT MAKES ISAAC SPECIAL.
I PICKED ISAAC BECAUSE HE IS A SURVIVOR.
HE HAS ALREADY ENCOUNTERED AND SURVIVED A HOSTILE ANOMALY
IMPOSSIBLE.
I WOULD HAVE BEEN INFORMED.
YOU OVERESTIMATE YOUR IMPORTANCE, DOCTOR.
ISAAC IS THE MOST LIKELY TO SURVIVE THE ANOMALIES.
AND FROM WHAT LITTLE WE KNOW, ONE OF THEM SEEMS TO BE SIMILAR TO WHAT HE SURVIVED ALREADY.
I’LL GET STARTED ON THE PAPERWORK NOW.
EVERYTHING WILL BE IN ORDER BEFORE THE BUFFER EXPIRES.
GOOD.
WE NEED TO KEEP THEM CONTAINED.