from: Dr. Robert Coney
to: Eric Oeming
date: Fri, Oct. 12, 2036 at 5:53 PM
subject: Update and relocation of 6th Generation R2137 “Brisby” Line
A little over 9-years-ago we successfully sent subject R2137, (aka: Brisby), through the gateway and discovered that the process had made some profound changes in the animal. At that time I theorized that some of the amazing abilities exhibited by the rat would be passed on to her young. As we now know that theory was correct. We have carefully bred the “R” line with limited numbers into the 6th generation and I will continue to keep you apprised of any new developments and issues as they arise. That brings us to the recent incident in the Seattle facility.
4 subjects in the Brisby line were taken by Gaia Guard radicals when they attacked the lab. We followed protocol by removing all sensitive information from properties nearby and alerting our government contacts. They have been taking point with local law enforcement and have had control of the public messaging. Unfortunately the animals have not turned up so far and no arrests have been made.
To be honest Eric, we haven’t heard anything in over a year so I think nature has solved the problem for us. As we learned firsthand, the Brisby line is very hard to keep in enclosures. I find it highly unlikely that anyone ignorant of their abilities would be able to keep them contained. Since we haven’t had any reports of animals grouping together in large numbers, or acting oddly in any other way, I think we might be safe. Knowing how much the rats love to tinker with machinery and control any other animals they come in contact with, I find it doubtful that they would have survived without acting out. We will keep working until we have a definitive answer of course, but I think we can breath a little easier.
It has been a few months now since we’ve relocated the rest of the line to the Lahaina facility and they are assimilating nicely. Not only has the move proved beneficial from a security standpoint, but the rats seem to be thriving in their new environment. The 6th generation retain many of the abilities and characteristics of their predecessors.
The rats seem to be able to share information amongst themselves. Teach one a task or trick, and the others become immediately capable of performing the activity. This communal knowledge seems to be passed on at birth automatically without any outward teaching. The generation 6 line has retained knowledge taught only to previous generations in this way. The animals are capable of typing out words in order to communicate wants or needs, and are capable of impacting the behavior of other animals. This ability seems less powerful in the 6th generation than others, with the rats being able to change the mood of other animals (passivity being most common) rather than the total control demonstrated in past lines. This still makes them too dangerous around other animals however, as a lab assistant learned in Seattle when confronted by a dozen raging rabbits.
Their love of building blocks borders on obsessive, and their urge to examine and fix anything mechanical (within their physical capabilities) is almost as strong. In addition, they remain big fans of instructional videos especially anything involved with food production. The newly installed vending machine has been a big hit and has led to some interesting new behaviors. We just got the latest model from Reality Machine which includes a recycler and the rats have gone nuts over it.
Because of the cost, we tried in vain to keep them away from it at first, but eventually let them examine it under close supervision. It’s ability to breakdown items, especially food, led to some excited chattering around here. I’m not sure some of the flavor combinations are going to take the culinary world by storm but they seem to like them. Past favorites include vanilla-broccoli-bread and peanut butter and herring bites, with cheesy-raspberry-chips being the snack of choice for over a week. Additionally, their need to have these creations photographed have allowed a bit of much needed levity to creep in around here. I’ve attached some of the pictures and there are many more hanging around the lab. We can take solace in the fact that they don’t seem interested in taking selfies yet but a few do insist on being next to their food when pictures are taken. I’ll keep you updated on any further events as usual.
