Romancing the Stone

[Faultline]

"Can't make an omelet without breaking a couple eggs. And the first few times you're gonna end up with something that's still kinda slimy in the middle or burnt on the edges."

[Samantha McManus]

"The ability to get this to do anything useful isn't easily learned, and with as much as you degrade them, I'd imagine they won't have enough of a sense of identity to keep a hold of everything."

"And by all rights, I should put that one out of his misery right now..."

[Faultline]

"Oh you think them serving me is a sign of weakness." she chuckles. "And I still need those. They're the closest thing to a telepathic beacon I have right now to stabilize the next generation. Unless you want to volunteer guiding their development..."

[Samantha McManus]

She gritted her teeth, the temptation to do something rash fairly clear.

"To maintain control of these powers, you need an ironclad sense of self. Otherwise, the influx of thoughts from the telepathy will lead to a form which fluctuates wildly."

[Faultline]

"Ironclad, hmm? So a sufficiently strong mind... Thanks, I think I just solved this!" she grins.

[Samantha McManus]

"Aye, you'll have to let him be a real boy, now..."

[Faultline]

"Maybe you should snoop around a little more before you pretend you know what you're talking about. Aye?"

[Samantha McManus]

"Perhaps I just liked him better whole," she said as she shook her head.

[Faultline]

"Follow me." she smirks and heads further into the house until they come to an elevator. Well, it's kind of an elevator except it's made from solid stone and appears to be fused to the wall. When they step inside the cabin begins to smoothly slide down into the foundation of the house.

[Samantha McManus]

Samantha quirked a brow as they descended.

[Faultline]

Eventually the elevator comes to a halt and the wall melts away to show the lab complex. Faultline continues to lead Sam through a couple corridors until they come to a massive wall. Though at a closer look it's not actually a wall and just instruments, indicators, tubes and machinery that actually extends quite a bit. And in the middle of it stands a towering tank clad in metal with more tubes zig-zagging in and out of it, only a thin stripe of clear plexiglas that runs down the front of the tank showing the grey mass inside.

[Samantha McManus]

"Where the others come from, I take it?"

[Faultline]

"You said you liked him better whole. Well there you go. Safe and sound forever." she says, a slightly disturbing smile dancing over her lips as she runs her hand down part of the plexiglas section.

[Samantha McManus]

"I don't think the perspective you're offering has changed my opinion much."

[Faultline]

"Your opinion? Oh, no no, I am just bragging. Wouldn't expect you to understand this afterall."

"But I actually am worried about their degradation. That's one of the things your x-gene is going to fix!"

[Samantha McManus]

"Lovely."

"I suppose all that's left is making sure you're up to the task of keeping Hellsmith busy, then..."

[Faultline]

"Oh don't worry. I've been itching to show that pompous bitch who's the boss for a while and since she refuses to come out to play..." she smirks.

[Samantha McManus]

"Then it seems we have a deal."