564 3

Date:

1994 August 5th - Friday - Earth Bet Time

Day 55 - Friday - Administrator Dimension Time

Building the extractor and generator was a fascinating process to watch. As soon as he gave the mental order, the systems in the relevant parts of the body started up. And used their ludicrously powerful matter control abilities to start simply extrude crystalline matter in the desired shape and function. With this, the already enormous size of the Shard body grew a few square kilometers bigger.

While the construction was underway, he checked on the data he set up to be collected around the tagged person's Corona. While it was expected, it was still reassuring that the collected information proved that it was indeed Danny Hebert. He decided, just to be sure, to collect genetic data from Danny and Annette. To make sure that when he connects to Taylor, he already had an understanding of her probable DNA. Taking a quick quantum level snapshot of Danny's and Annette's DNA, who, according to the sensors currently, was in very close proximity to Danny. He refused to follow that thread of thinking and sent the acquired DNA to the simulator to see what it would make of it.

He also wanted to know why the shards didn't build more energy and matter generators after deployed. After a quick perusal of the memory banks (thanks to his reorganization), the action was restricted. The Entities feared that due to the try everything attitude that almost all the Shards possessed, they would run out of space and dimensions faster. A sensible precaution, but he wasn't the original Shard, so it just made his life easier. Maybe he could bribe other Shards with energy?

He planned to grow enough extractors to have enough matter and energy to be able to build another processing organ. Doubling his processing speed, then building another Simulator and using that to begin improving his own body at an exponential rate. The end goal was a much more compact, faster, and efficient Shard body with maybe a few breakthroughs in energy and matter technologies.

Only then could he start on the Shard-to-Shard communication part. Because he needed the additional resources to protect himself from them if they become hostile, or if he wanted to go on the offensive. And to make sure nothing really happened, he resolved not to contact any other Shard until the ROB given anti-Thinker effects were in place. And to be doubly sure he wanted the Sting ready to ruin the day of anyone stupid enough to attack him.

Date:

1994 August 10th - Wednesday - Earth Bet Time

Day 60 - Wednesday - Administrator Dimension Time

The separate DNA simulations gave no interesting data about humans.

And wasn't it weird that he thought about them as an outsider? It seemed his transformation into a giant crystalline dimensional organism affected more than he thought. It was frightening how fast he adapted to his new existence. Maybe the ROB meddled with something, but if that was true he couldn't really do anything about it.

In the end, he decided to record his observations and delay dealing with them when he wasn't racing tight deadlines.

Procrastination for the win.

However, combining the acquired DNA resulted in a combination of DNA that some of the time in the Simulator resulted in a human that was close to the look he always imagined Taylor might look like. But that was secondary compared to the information gleaned about the resulting brain.

Using the system, he simulated the probable brain in every which way. With or without Corona Pollentia and Gamma. And how any kind of power he could currently give it would affect the brain. He knew it wasn't totally correct because he would need to redo the entire experiment when Taylor was born.

The computation power of the Shard was amazing, but they couldn't predict with a hundred percent chance what an individual brain would develop like. He suspected that if they could do that, there would be no point for the cycle. They would just create a few trillions of brains in a jar and have them go at it in a virtual world.

At least he would do that. But based on his knowledge and experience with his memory banks the Entities would deem it a waste of resources. Why build something when there are already ready to use sapients all over creation.

He also gave instructions to test the position, size, and shape of the Corona Pollentia and Gamma in the brain. He had an idea to use multiple connections. It would decrease the trauma and strain on the host's brain using the simple idea of parallel processing. Seeing no information about that kind of connection in his data banks, he was probably trying something new, so he wanted to be absolutely sure it wouldn't negatively affect Taylor.

Date:

1994 August 16th - Tuesday - Earth Bet Time

Day 66 - Tuesday - Administrator Dimension Time

While waiting for the construction to be finished - although it was alien technology, it was nowhere close to the Progenitor Commander bullshit speeds sadly. He decided to do a quick survey of the alternate Earth he found himself on.

The specifics of the planet's structure and composition were the same as Earth Bet, but the continents were still moving away from each other. And most of them were still part of a Pangea-sized supercontinent. The flora and fauna reminded him of all the recreations he saw about the fossils. Naturally, most of it was dead or dying around the Shard due to its explosive arrival in the middle of the supercontinent. Those that flourished were around the edges of the continent.

To make sure there was nothing out there that would endanger his body, no matter how laughable that seemed (he saw too many movies and video games with a super mutating and aggressive nature), and to see if there is anything useful he did a complete sweep of the planet, recording and storing all the information about anything and everything.

Sadly, this sweep was noticeable enough for even humans if he did it around Danny, not to mention other Shards or Zion. Though he set the Corona connection to collect the same information around Danny in a ten-meter globe-shaped zone. While making sure to set it to passive scanning with the appropriate codes that other Shards that Danny may come in contact with would think nothing of it. After all, they would only see a Shard trying to make sure that it is ready for a trigger.

On his side, he programmed the system to collect data on everything, then sort it into the appropriate folder. He even set aside an entire folder to collect three-dimensional recordings of Danny and Annette for Taylor; it was the least he could do.

Date:

1994 August 19th - Friday - Earth Bet Time

Day 69 - Friday - Administrator Dimension Time

While the simulations were chugging along smoothly, he chose to supervise the final moments of the construction of the first of the hopefully many expansions. The new crystalline structure was already finished, and the 'software' was loading up. After a quick perusal, he decided just to watch it finish. He would have enough time to improve their designs after his new processing core was online.

Running some calculations, he made sure that he had enough energy and matter to build another processor core. Because apparently after going through the plans for the Shard, which the backups contained for 'healing' purposes, he realized that the processor core took up about 60% of the body. So in essence, it would be like if he were creating a bud for deployment. But instead, the new core would be blank, still in the same dimension, and connected to him.

Getting a notification about the finished extractor, he ran a few diagnostics. And when everything came back green, he instructed the system to begin building a new processor core.

After a few seconds of preparation, the system gave an estimated build duration of six months using every resource available. Which would mean he would be stuck with observation and running simulations for that time.

After a few minutes of deliberation, he decided to bite the bullet and go for it. No matter what, he needed the extra processing power and it was better to do it now when his only task was to wait for Taylor to be born.

So with quiet determination, he metaphorically clicked on the big start button and watched the timer start to tick down.

Date:

1995 February 14th - Tuesday - Earth Bet Time

Day 248 - Tuesday - Administrator Dimension Time

Spending the last six months playing with the simulator, observer, and power interface was on one hand very rewarding, on the other hand extremely boring.

It was physically painful to have all those powers at his fingertips but not being able to use them due to all the necessary power rerouted to the construction of the new processor. Which luckily only had a few hours until it was finished. He was confident, if he still would have his human body, he would have been bouncing all over the place in excitement.

It wasn't all that bad. For example, because of copying everything on a fundamental level around Danny, he had access to a number of books, magazines, and other readable information. In addition, he could copy computer drives and access information on them, by recreating them and converting them to a crystal file format. That he began to call crys after one boring afternoon watching Danny do taxes.

Surprisingly, a very little percentage of it was porn.

But for some arcane reason, he could only copy the drives and access it after recreation. He couldn't get a real-time connection to the computer, which was a pity, because the internet would have made the waiting much more bearable. After a quick research, he realized that maintain a proper connection to a working computer would need a more stable connection. Which would require a fully realized Corona.

He still managed to amass a sizable collection of information, not just about the items around Danny, but about the state of Earth Bet. It seemed that the only difference that he could spot was that for some reason, something or somebody damaged the original Administrator Shard. It was even possible that Eden's death caused the damage and not some hostile force. Disappointingly, he didn't have access to any information that would answer this question.

Watching Danny and his wife go through the discovery of the pregnancy and progressing through all the stages was sickeningly cute. And he made doubly sure to save those recording to one of the most secure parts of his memory banks because Taylor deserved to see it. Or if she proved to be less amicable, it could be used as a bribe, though he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

He also organized and noted down all his memories before becoming a Shard. And made sure that everything was backed up in case something happened.

On the Shard side, he experimented with the Simulator. Making sure that his Corona design would work, which after it turned out to be a viable option, went through countless cycles of refinement. And was only waiting for Taylor to be born, granting him the information about the specifics of her brain, to finish the design. However, the initial connection to tag the person was already viable and ready to be added to Taylor.

It was much smaller than the usual Pollentia, due to it being intended just as a starting point for all the threads to grow out of, and not to perform all the functions of an unaltered Pollentia. He hoped with this modification he would increase the connection without putting Taylor in unnecessary danger. And the fact that Contessa couldn't lobotomize Taylor with a 9mm was just a nice bonus.

He also started to plan out what kind of power he would give her. Seeing that the current options were insect control (which to be honest proved its worth) and generic minor Tinker, he decided to put together something more impressive.

Because of the lack of information on how other powers worked, and not wanting to reinvent the wheel entirely, he decided to repurpose several Shard systems to make the power. He would of course provide the necessary Thinker powers, some low-level Brute powers, one Changer power he thought would be funny, and some actual Tinker blueprints for Taylor to amuse herself with. And he would use the Shard's power over matter and energy on a quantum level and over gravity to grant Taylor lightning-based powers.

The fact that he always liked those fictional characters who possessed lightning-based powers had nothing to do with this decision.

And he would fight anyone who said otherwise.

As an additional bonus, but not as an official power, he would use his abilities to open portals for her. And to provide a small space for her to keep stuff as a pseudo-pocket space power.

Sting - as soon as he figured out the dimensional folding part - would also be available. But only he would be able to turn it on to prevent 'Miss I Escalate For Breakfast' from going trigger-happy on everything and alerting Zion that something is not kosher.

While experimenting in the simulator, he tried to recreate some iconic lightning skills and their effects on a human body. He was somewhat successful and hoped he could put together a coherent and all-around stable power for Taylor by the time she Triggers.

Watching the time go by and the new core getting finished, he couldn't help but get excited. With this done, he could build two things at once, or build one and do other stuff while that was going on. Sadly, the speed of construction wouldn't increase. That would have been sweet, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

A quick diagnostic sweep of the entire system. Another look at Danny and some more organizing data wasted enough time for the new processor to come online.

The feeling of it was like having his nostril unblocked after a bad bout of cold, just amplified a few thousand times. He went over the new part of his body with a fine-toothed comb. Making sure everything was in place and nicely integrated before he started truly building things.

A quick virtual celebration, including an enthusiastic happy dance followed by a maniacal laugh, satisfied his inner mad scientist. And immediately set one of the cores to start building another energy and matter extractor.

Following a metaphorical stereotypical evil hand rubbing, he began delving into the inner workings of the crystalline shards.