Tomorrow Will Come- A Hatchetfield Story

Chapter Six: Nova Phone Home

"So... autism, huh?" Ted sighed, watching Harriet work on her device.

"Ted, I swear to god..." Emma warned.

"I'm not gonna be an asshole about it." Ted rolled his eyes.

"You'd better not." Emma huffed.

"What's it like, Harriet?" Ted asked.

"Pardon?" Harriet blinked.

"I've... always wondered what it's like seeing the world differently." Ted shrugged.

"Well..." Harriet bit her lip. "I think we each see the world through a different lens, but... mine is a lot more limited in some ways, and yet amplified in others. I... dread having to talk to people I don't know, for one. I tend to prefer isolation to interaction since I know the risks that come with it. Eye contact is far too intimate for my tastes. It makes me very uncomfortable. I... understand a lot of things, but not conversations or social constructs. Despite all my research, I just... cannot read people, and I'm not the most empathetic- which is why I might seem blunt. I also get easily frustrated by those of a lower intellect, although I'm learning to handle that frustration quite well. That's just... the basics. You'll notice other little things about me along the way too, but that's what I can think to say right now. Does that answer your question?"

"Actually... I can relate to a lot of that." Ted blinked. "I never know what to say in conversations."

"We know." Deb teased.

"I'm also very detail oriented and logically wired." Harriet added. "Sometimes it's easier for me to just forget there is a sentimental side to a situation. If I ever do that, and go all robot on you... please don't be afraid to tell me."

"You're not a robot, Harriet." Henry rolled his eyes, looking up from the Black Book.

"I was wondering, maybe, if... you'd recap some of the stuff we've discovered since you and the professor came home?" Alice asked shyly. "For my video diary."

"You have noticed that I'm horrible at explanations, right?" Harriet blinked.

"You're really not." Alice chuckled. "You're just self conscious. Please? It'd mean the world."

"Fine." Harriet relented. Alice turned on the camera, sighing.

"Okay... so a lot has gone on since I last videoed." Alice sighed. "I think you saw Doctor Harriet Hidgens arrive... and witnessed bits of her initial genius- not that she isn't a genius anymore, for clarification. She is. That was just the first time we saw her being a genius. I have her here while she's working on a device that will let us communicate with the inhabitants of the Black and White... is that correct?"

"That is correct..." Harriet sighed.

"So... how did you figure that out?" Alica asked.

"Well... back to the very beginning, I studied the activity in Hannah's brain to see if I could figure out exactly where and how Webby was communicating with her. From there... we were able to isolate Webby and communicate with her. And she confirmed for me the dimensional frequency theory that I've been working on for a while, which means that... if I can get this tuned into precisely the right frequency... we should be able to communicate." Harriet explained. "And not just with Webby. If I'm right... this enables us to fully expose Nibbly to his brothers- some of whom may not be too keen on his motions. And if all else fails... we've at least got a direct line to Webby."

"Wow..." Alice sighed. "What exactly did you do to look at Hannah's brain?"

"Oh, a modified external ECoG of my own design." Harriet told her. Alice blinked. "It reads activity in the brain, by part."