Quoted By:
"So, what's the difference between anomalies and artifacts then?" You tap at the part of your arm where you installed the INSIGHT module. "I got this implant that's supposed to help me get them."
Rudolf's eyes glimmer when you mention the INSIGHT module. "Ah ha! Did you know 50% of researchers didn't bother to get that on their first day?"
"...No but that's a pretty neat statistic."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just been a while since I've had anyone ask me these types of questions."
"It's alright, sir. I'm not going to tell you to stop." That's your polite way of saying you couldn't tell him to shut up even if you wanted to.
"So, the difference is that artifacts do not have a will or a reason to exist. They are objects imbued with anomalous properties but they are not anomalies."
"They never change, they never respond to stimuli, they never improve or degrade. They do their one or two intended functions and nothing else." He almost sounds disappointed or bored when talking about artifacts. It's clear where his interest lies in when it comes to the anomalies.
"A flashlight artifact may produce negative photons to generate darkness itself. A teapot artifact may produce a clear liquid that heals minor wounds. They can be useful but they are less interesting, scientifically, than anomalies."
That makes some sort of sense. You politely nod as he finishes explaining. "So while an anomaly can have a LOT of properties and they can change depending on what we do to them, artifacts are just weird objects with one or two properties."
"In a nutshell, yes. Consider them fragments of an anomaly."
Duly noted. You nod again to show you're listening. "Would ARC pay me well if I got one from an anomaly?"
"Absolutely! Just because they're less scientifically interesting doesn't mean they are useless. <span class="mu-g">The lowest I ever saw an artifact be sold for was $3000.</span>"
Hot damn. Guess that'll be another way to deal with your impending quota. Guess that leaves only one thing to ask of him. You begin to explain what little you know about IN LIMBO to him. Its pollen, the weird memories it forced into your head, its flowers and the fact it drains electricity.
He digs into his pocket to pull out a small notepad. He carefully notes down everything you say with the same precision as a police officer writing down a testimony. Once you're finished, he mulls over the notes you've gotten so far.
"Got any ideas how I should deal with it?"
"Hmmm." He taps his notepad with his pencil. "Memories seem important to it. Perhaps you should share your own memories, your own experiences, with it? Even if they seem boring to you, it may take interest in it."
"I'd also recommend you try to investigate into its place of origin more. <span class="mu-b">Perhaps the movie theater has some significance to the anomaly in question</span> Maybe it'd respond better to stimuli associated with its place of origin."
It's not a lot but it's better than nothing. You only have one thing left to ask.
