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Post by Gaia on Sept 20, 2021 19:31:10 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/858178610224562196/886733241808191538/381~png
Heartless' smile softens at Psyche's genuine attempt at an apology, and nodded as she passed him, accepting his invitation into his abode. Looking around, she took to the chair she was offered, glancing around the lab, and looked to Psyche with a gleam in her eyes.
"I do understand, rest assured. My entire life had to be uprooted to escape the carnage, as well. The Net was not the only world affected. I know a thing or two about unscrupulous humans, as well, king doctor; and I must also admit to being accustomed to dealing with unfocused outbursts of grumpy old men." The first bits of her response seemed to be her trying to empathize with Psyche, whereas her tone with the last comment was almost raised just enough to be an attempted joke. Was she trying to be funny with him? It was hard to tell, given her smile as she looked at him.
"As for my information . . ." she paused, as a new figure appeared in Psyche's doorway, one that she almost immediately recognized. He was infamous, of course.
Genesis' natural abilities would make it near impossible for her to not be immediately recognizable as a mere data overlay. She knew instantly that he would know what she was, given his reputation, but she doubted he would know exactly what means she was using to overlay her image, here. Her grin widened as she looked up to Psyche, deciding to take his stance on the matter. "I find your new company quite interesting, Dr. Psyche. I would much appreciate - oh, very well. She seemed quite nonplussed at not even being permitted to finish her request before being removed, but did not press the matter any further as she simply phased out of the Network, her connection lost.
[Heartless Disconnected]
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Post by Genesis on Sept 20, 2021 19:32:20 GMT -8
*It made sense that he was upset, as Genesis showing up unannounced was still its own problem. And exactly why he did so alone to not make it worse than it already was. He would hold his hand out to present just one of the discs that he was about to bring into question, but only after he presented his case. He wouldn't force the issue any further than that.*
"I had considered that before coming here, but they've kept their word so far to Embera given the Heap is around after global destruction. I won't try to persuade you further than that if you still want me to go and will leave, but I'll be brief if you do let me stay. I just need to have these discs checked for information."
*He also wouldn't press the matter with Psyche on who his other guest was, that Ms. Heartless. That was for another time and only if he was willing to share once again. He knew he had to keep as little contact with the Doctor as is in the event that they decided that he was in contact too often and forced a decision otherwise. That was why he planned to be brief even with this rather than sit down and talk at length.*
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Post by Raven8 on Sept 20, 2021 20:55:28 GMT -8
Psyche rubs his temples even harder at Genesis' statements, practically growling at this point.
Psyche: Genesis, it's not that. I literally don't care about my own safety.
Psyche rears his head back and yells out, shaking his fist as he does so.
Psyche: AS I TOLD ROSSO TO HIS FACE WHEN HE WAS HERE TO KILL ME
Psyche grumbles before he continues.
Psyche: But I'd rather not put you in jeopardy at this point. But, if that doesn't concern you, then please; come in.
Psyche gives a defiant nod to the sky, at this point looking extremely senile, before stepping aside for Genesis to enter his lab.
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Post by Warrior on Sept 20, 2021 21:32:03 GMT -8
#s://i~imgur~com/stQVi94~png Having been told by Genesis to wait outside, Faith figured she'd make the most of her time by looking into the fragments they had acquired from Rosso, Nero, and Blu after their encounters in Sharo.
While the radiation in Kotobuki would no doubt have an impact on her well-being if exposed to it long enough, she was given an amulet of Magno Metal during the Juno Incident that would provide some protection. Coincidentally, it was intended to grant her access to Kotobuki even back then, but in the Real World rather than in the Cyber World. That said, the amulet didn't necessarily protect her digital body from any glitches it'd suffer while she was here, but rather anything transmitted to her physical body in the real world or any signals sent to her mind while she was Pulsed In.
If nothing else, the fragments' interaction with the radiation would be an interesting enough observation to learn more about them, and if she was lucky, perhaps even be used to manipulate them in the same way they had previously utilized the Reaver Minerals.
((Zane -- Faith takes a crack at unlocking the Ashen + Apex Fragments. Intel Type + Kotobuki Radiation purely figurative bonus points applied.))
EDIT -- Also she retroactively sends Genesis the extra discs he requests soon.
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Post by Genesis on Sept 20, 2021 21:32:37 GMT -8
*He would blink a few times at first, but ultimately at the end of the shouting he couldn't help but let loose an all too rare smile that he hadn't shown in quite some time now. Truly this was why they were able to go through so many things together. In this regard, they both even had a relatively similar view on the matter, Psyche with himself and Genesis with himself.*
"Oh, that was it? Well in that case don't mind if I do then."
*So he would come inside as he was able to now, sending Faith a message for her to send him over the remaining information. So she would be in a bit of a bind for a while, but she would be fine given her disposition. And as he would get to work on the discs, he would still strike up the casual conversation at the same time.*
"Did everything go well on your side of Sharo? I don't need the exact details, but I can say that mine went very far south."
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Post by Zane on Sept 20, 2021 21:54:02 GMT -8
As Faith would begin to investigate, she would feel her mind drift away in its entirely. Entirely separated from everything that she knew and even as far as to say it had disconnected from her physical body. And yet she was still drifting, being lulled into something else. The first thing she would see was fire. The first thing she would hear was anguish. A cacophony of noise that could only be described as otherworldly, it numbered so vastly that it made the meaning of numerical values seem pointless. It was vast and endless, as if transcribing back to her and attempting to drag her into those very same numbers that were condemned to this inferno that burned away everything. But something would pull at her as it continued, directing her instead.
"You aren't ready for this. That way isn't for you."
And the scene would fade to black, as once again she was drifting. This time falling into what felt like an infinite void. What was an infinite void. A mass that knew no end, she fell until she reached what could only be described as the event horizon. And before the sight could unveil itself to her...
She found her consciousness had drifted back to her, as if the reaction she caused from prying had reached its end for the time being. And something she would be all too aware of soon wasn't over yet.
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Post by Raven8 on Sept 21, 2021 12:20:38 GMT -8
Psyche closes the door behind Genesis and moves it to who-knows-where in Kotobuki, mumbling under his breath about locusts as he does. He walks past Genesis and makes his way deeper into his lab, pulling up a chair for Genesis and sitting down himself, obviously annoyed at the whole situation.
Psyche: Well, my overt lessons were somewhat sparse, but I am of the opinion that there's more going on with Zane and his personal group than we realize. The initial offer extended to me was to join them, agree to lock myself away and not play a part in our current proceedings, or be deleted. And, after quite a while of their willingness to simply allow me to coast by on "I need time to think", here we are. I have a strange feeling that there's more to them than we know, and not necessarily in a way that would be disadvantageous to us in the long run. They're still quite threatening, and I'd still be very willing to delete them should they make a move that I feel dangerous to us, but I believe that they may be playing both sides of the field nonetheless.
Psyche knew all too well that his statement of "deleting them" was a bit grandiose, but he didn't care. He'd had a hard week.
Psyche: As for your vacation to the mountains: you managed to survive, so that is a victory in-and-of itself. But for the time being, I believe that you have data that you wanted analyzed.
Psyche takes the data and begins to analyze it, attempting to open it to see what it may contain.
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Post by Zane on Sept 21, 2021 12:29:26 GMT -8
There was a message at the start to let them know that a number of the discs in question would be a personal account, something Psyche at least was familiar with before from his encounters in Sharo. And while the perspective and things were different, it let them see the person whose perspective it was from too. This one would be someone Genesis recognized with Var in a strange surrounding. It wasn't anything that either would recognize from a location on the Net. But it appeared to be some sort of... weird maze? An elaborate stairway of some sort? There was some fashion of stairs behind Var at least, so this was at least the second floor of such a place. He had his fist clenched, as some sort of noise was being made from a silver haired boy on the floor while a static figure was towering over the boy in question. Var would speak first.
"Why are doing this?"
"...What? Are you feeling remorse or something? I still don't get that. It's just one boy with some lame heritage crying for so called 'dear life'. He's hardly the first to be torn apart and put back together here. Just get over it already."
Even in the tone of the voice it was clear that any form of sympathy was entirely gone from this case. The static figure would reach down for the silver haired boy and Var would move then, but the point of view became rather rocky then. Why would be clear as it was very clear now that Var's point of view was from the ground now, the rest of his body still standing and now motionless. His head had been removed, but he was still functioning so that he could watch. The motion downward continued and the silver haired boy was silenced with something that sounded like a squelch. In the distance was what looked like any number of other people in pods before at last the scene would fade to black. And then it would pick back with Var on his back facing upward, this time two static figures being there. And the first one to speak up was a new one, once again it being hard to make any general distinction between them. The only difference between them would be what felt like the tone of the voice itself.
"You were keeping count of how many you had to use on your end before you got the optimal results, correct?"
"Hardly. They're a dime a dozen. No one even noticed the ones missing because we can just fabricate it on any number of excuses."
The second still carried the lack of empathy, while the first sounded neutral at the time. But when it next spoke there was clear signs of disapproval in its voice to follow next.
"52,307. It's a joke that you took that many attempts before succeeding. I understand that you have no reason to be careful with lives given your usual line of work, but you should be better than this. There wasn't even a single casualty on my end."
"Hey. Drop the superiority, Oro."
There would be a distinct pause in the conversation, not because it faded but because it was just dead air between them. After so long eventually one would speak up again, the one from before rather than the other one.
"Sorry."
"That's fine. Just take over on this front and let me go do something I'm more keen on."
"Got it. In that case can you go and take care of those other machines? They haven't been toned down enough to be usable here."
Var would again try to make a move against them, but a white light would engulf him this time as he would be completely erased before it would fade to black again. It was clear that they could continue to access them to gather more information, in this case not all of them being feeds like this one and instead having information on them. They would just have to sort through them in order to determine whether they would go through those sorts of live feeds first or if they would go through the information ones first instead.
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Post by Genesis on Sept 21, 2021 16:15:26 GMT -8
*He would take a seat himself, thinking over the proceedings here as well. Psyche's situation as a whole was a curious one in this picture. Now that he was aware of Silver Horn working with them meant that Navis were recruited to do so here and there. But this was a particular case in that while Psyche was clearly being observed, him being able to buy time by asking for time to think about his standing was good, but still curious. Ultimately the goal was being able to delete them as required, a grandiose goal to work toward given the fact that it had gone very well for them thus far. In regards to Zane he had a different take from their encounter, seeing as the fire between them seemed to burn much more intensely than it did with Psyche or Embera. Honestly that was good since it meant that it was something that he personally caused more than something they caused as a group.*
"Minus his not very veiled aggression toward me, he isn't exactly hostile with me either so I have to agree with you. And it's clear now that they don't all agree on the same things. That always creates a disadvantage for any group if they don't sort out and compromise on those things."
*As Psyche would begin his analysis he would start to think about the victory that was his continued survival. Being alive still meant he could strike back or even have this moment sitting down with the Doctor now. There was a lot of things to be valued by being able to survive. But his survival right now still had one price being paid that he needed to rectify, that he had to fix. Two things really, but the second one was a foregone conclusion with PlagueMan so he was already willing to accept that one as a loss.*
"But you are right. Survival is a victory all its own. But--"
*That was when the video started. He knew that was Var and the static figure wasn't able to be discerned, nor was he familiar with the silver haired boy. That one symbol was prevalent all over, so he assumed the lame heritage that would come up was related to that. This must have been one of Var's countless deaths seeing as he was quickly beheaded before the boy very likely suffered a similar fate if the noise was any sort of indicator. Looked like Var was going through it enough times where he was suffering other problems during his recreation processes. Honestly speaking he was starting to see that he may have underestimated exactly how much that Reaver King had gone through during that battle. And just how much resolve it took to resist even after all of that had been endured to try and offer someone else a chance still. While Deav looked as though he lost that hope, Var had continued to endure even until their battle. They at least got a name this time as well: Oro. And a number, and from what he could tell of the boy for all intents and purposes that was a human that was silenced then. Then the rest must have been the same. And they were having a disagreement on how they should progress about their experiments here it sounded like, one valuing their likes while the other only wanting to get it done over time. Var would be erased for raising his hands against them again, valiant as it was given how quickly he failed the last time he tried.*
"...But it would appear they are playing on more than the usual both sides of the playing field here."
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Post by Raven8 on Sept 22, 2021 17:40:20 GMT -8
...given time, Psyche looks away from the scenes, standing stoically with closed eyes as he does so.
Psyche: ...grotesque.
Psyche shakes his head, and then turns his attention back to Genesis... before realizing that someone was missing.
Psyche: Wait a moment, Genesis: didn't you say that you had a friend with you? ...oh dear.
Psyche moves to his console and scans the area where his door had been, finding the heap that is now Faith lying unconscious.
Psyche: We... had better help the poor girl out.
The door returns to its position, allowing Psyche the chance to walk out, scoop Faith up in his arms, and carry her inside. He lays her onto his work table and begins to check her vitals, quickly realizing that she's actually human.
Psyche: Well, this is a technology that I haven't seen in some time...
...it was obvious that Psyche was in the process of piecing together what he'd just seen, and was using Faith as an excuse to keep busy while he did so.
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Post by Genesis on Sept 22, 2021 18:10:54 GMT -8
*She was unconscious outside? He knew that she would keep busy, but seeing her unconscious outside set off a different flag for him too. But with Psyche they would at least be able to care for her much better than he could have on his own. And while it was him taking the time to keep busy to deal with what he had just witnessed, he couldn't help but remember the words of someone else from a long time ago when he asked them to do something for him, looking back to the screen as his eyes narrowed ever so slightly in reminscence.*
"I told you, I don't intend to use that function again. Drop it."
*He supposed in all his time he had never seen what it was like on the other end for how it was done. And one of them had no regard for what that was at the end of the day. And the Armored Destroyer was another who had been thoroughly upset by the implications of the global disaster that had taken place. Var's words then were making a lot more sense seeing what he had been forced to witness and bear all this time as well. ...So all of those lives taken simply because they were too apathetic to be more efficient with their work? They may have switched who would be handling the work on that front now to further avoid that problem, but that statistic wouldn't be erased even if they could just 'make more of them'. That didn't change what was done. So the first thing he said after a bit more silence was related to Faith now as well.*
"She's going out of her way to help us out. I know this is as much her problem now as it is ours, but even before we knew that she was willing to stick through this with us. She... isn't so bad."
*Psyche would be no stranger to Genesis' feelings on the particular matter of that technology. Of those that used them. But he was able to at least show that he understood that she made efforts to be different than his predetermined standards for them all. He had looked to the work table and the Doctor as he spoke, but would turn back to the scene next. Because he knew he would have to take the sights in. To remember them just as much as 'the other tool' that he was compared to.*
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Post by Zane on Sept 22, 2021 19:47:04 GMT -8
The scene would pick up again later. The static figure was still at work, this time on the various pods that were kept secure and well taken care of. Foot steps could be heard as Var would lock up, a figure walking through. This one wasn't a static figure here, but was fully shown. He had something akin to a helmet on that was red and orange, a red gem at its center and stern crimson eyes. He was adorned in similar looking armor that was rather intimidating in its appearance with spikes here and there, but still adorned with similar gems here and there. He had something akin to an overcoat that was also black with the armor, his left arm covered in something brown that was wrapped all around it.
"Oh. Long time no see, Trigger. We haven't been in the same place in so long. Why the visit? ...Observation? That makes sense. It's easier to do it from here since no one will find you anyway."
It wasn't as though he had spoken back, but it was clear that she had paused long enough to hear something from him. There was a pause again, this time as the one addressed as Trigger would look directly at the still frozen Var. Oro would chime in again even if there was still no words spoken on his part.
"Stop intimidating him like that. He already can't speak thanks to how often you all keep destroying him and then putting him back together again without caring for his functions outside of his battle potential. ...Oh, you wondered why he was quiet was all? That makes sense. ...No, he still attacks me from time to time if he thinks I have an opening. It only makes sense. Why should he have anything less than the utmost hostility towards us? You reap what you sow. ...Hey, that isn't fair. You were the one who decimated Phantom Black, not me. I was doing negotiation at the time and then you decided to get upset when he tried to pry into your details. You know full well he would have destroyed himself doing that without your intervention."
They were clearly continuing their conversation, but Var couldn't pick up on whatever the other one was saying. Or maybe he wasn't speaking at all and she just had some way to see his thoughts? It was a much more amicable chat about more than just business between them as the tension was completely lost. But eventually the scene would again fade to play, this time picking up again with the static figure of Oro working on the pods and capsules. They clearly could be seen to have people inside of them this time, and even had some that were walking around and interacting with each other now throughout the area. A stark contrast to the pile of bodies that could be found strewn about here and there last time they saw the entire area.
"I mended your speech impediments caused by their haphazard recreation of you now that you stopped taking every opportunity I attempted to in order to lash out at me. I know they only needed your other features, but you were able to talk just fine in the beginning. There's no reason to just break it and not fix it. Honestly, those two... they really only see one thing."
"And just why are showing such hospitality in spite of the brutality the others display?"
It was clear that he was still upset with the entire situation as the figure was working still. It would stop and direct their attention away from the capsules at work and turn to look at him directly it seemed. It was hard to tell whether this was the front or back, but it was very clear before that part of it was acting forward, so turning would have to mean that it was now facing Var.
"Well, you've met with five of us now, correct? Blu and Verde did what they always do, Immortalis is the one who started all this, and that would leave Trigger and I. We both have only acted in self-defense whenever someone continuously attacks us. If they refuse to stop no matter what, it only makes sense that we force them to quickly and abruptly, correct? And just because half of us hate hospitality doesn't mean we all have to. I believe it's called 'inhumane', correct? Many would say it wouldn't apply to you since you aren't human, but living things are living things at the end of the day. They just live differently, that's all."
Var had been silent for a time after the figure spoke, but it was clear that it kept its attention on him still. And over time, he would speak up again.
"...And just what is all of this being prepared for?"
There was trepidation in his voice, like he was aware he couldn't cross certain lines anymore. But before the answer could be given, the scene would fade to black again. It would start to prepare the next scene, but whether or not it would pick up exactly where it left off there would take a few more moments to be seen.
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Post by Genesis on Sept 25, 2021 10:38:47 GMT -8
*That one had a full figure this time, this Trigger. What set him apart from the others? Even then, now that he thought about it, why was it that Var also couldn't make out Oro? It was one thing for them to not be able to, as if they were approaching this from the right angle then it meant that the incompatibility between a few mediums and other things were why perceiving them was difficult or impossible. As a result even analysis had been falling short because of the very same reasons. If they followed the same logic, did it mean that Var still shared the same problem that they did? And their conversation... how was Oro conversing with Trigger exactly? Where they were, their discussion, and what could go wrong with prying into their details... there was a lot going on here.*
"...Huh, fancy that."
*So he had gone from not caring about the details to becoming this invested now, had he? Oro, Blu, Verde, Immortalis, and Trigger. Immortalis started it from what was said and the other four were all a part of it in one regard or another. It was quite the place to end the scene on, a pivotal question at that. What were they preparing all of it for? Honestly speaking he was expecting to not obtain an answer from these, leaning forward a bit in his seat as he considered the many possibilities. And the fact that as far as they knew, given that there was five, it was feasible to assume that all five had related tasks. If the one had caused all of that death as Oro stated simply because, it was easy to assume that if they each worked a related field given Oro mentioned doing similar work that they only knew the tip of the iceberg for just how many were sacrificed for this. And that was excluding how many were being killed in the present day. They were willing to expend a great number of lives in order to succeed, and their results did speak for themselves. But now he had to see if they were going to pick up where it left off or would go further into these dealings that Var was able to have with the more reasonable Oro.*
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Post by Zane on Sept 25, 2021 11:06:37 GMT -8
"All of this is for the plan they have for the future. It won't happen in this century and perhaps not even the next century. It depends on how thorough he wants to be this time. The direction this world is taking means that they won't ever be aware of you until the others want to have you do battle. And..."
It was clear at least that they were picking up where it had left off, but perhaps the most jarring part of all would happen right then and there. The static figure would take their attention away from Var and look to the side... as if they were staring directly at the ones who were now watching the very scene unfold. It could have been a coincidence. Perhaps they were looking at someone else who happened to be there right now. It tilted its head before it spoke again, confirming all of it rather than deny what was happening now.
"So you're seeing this now? Is it that time already? In that case, make certain you cut down the "Trees". If you don't do that after they appear in a bit, your chances of success will have completely run out. Your Wise Ones won't be able to delay them forever and your Mighty One can't halt them as well."
"Huh? What are you--?!"
His body would violently jerk as he would let out a scream of excruciating agony. It was clear that his body would begin to contort unreasonably, as if something had gone horribly wrong from the core of his being. The static figure would move and go next to Var now as his body continued to fold itself against his will. It would reach out and the symptoms would at least begin to slow down, not halting entirely just yet as it was clear that soon his head was about to twist in ways it was never meant to.
"Oh, that was my fault, Var. I shouldn't do that while you're here. Hold on, I'll help you now before it gets worse."
Then it would again fade to black. Rather than go back to more visual feeds, it would pick up with analytics instead. Logistics for coordinates to a location, a translation for a language of some kind to a code that they could use instead, and what could be recognized thanks to his experience with them as potential combat data on records recorded as Famine, Death, and War. It would go a step further and provide information that Psyche would quickly be able to recognize required a Selenographic Coordinate System for two locations now. And lastly, a number of files that were named after the zodiac stars among others.
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Post by Warrior on Sept 26, 2021 18:26:57 GMT -8
#s://i~imgur~com/stQVi94~png Still dazed by her interaction with the fragments, Faith was slowly starting to come to now that a little bit of time had passed and she wasn't directly subjected to the radiation anymore. She woke up halfway through the last visual feed, but she wasn't really processing much of what was going on as her concentration slowly returned to her while she held a hand to her temples as if to alleviate a throbbing headache.
" Aren't those... moon coordinates? "
Her perception had mostly returned now, just in time to see that portion of the analytics and the zodiac files, but her mind still needed to recover a bit more from that trippy episode. Not wanting to repeat it by accident, she put the fragments that she was still sub-consciously gripping onto her lap and dared not look down at them in any curious fashion lest they put her brain into a blender again in front of the doctor and the overlord.
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