TEXT | sender: [ unknown ]

[spectates]

[ around noon on friday, all tablet screens go dark at the same time, no matter what characters are doing. then, after a moment, the following text appears: ]

UPDATES INSTALLING.................
INITIALIZING.................
RESTARTING NOW.

[ as promised, screens return to normal. however, a new message appears on the network for all to see ]

SECURITY ACCESS UPDATED
ADDING INFORMATION POINTS
ADDING INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS
WARNING: CRITICAL SYSTEM FAILURES DETECTED
HARD RESET IS REQUIRED

→CLICK TO EXPAND INSTRUCTIONS

→Access EXPIATION'S five manual terminals
→Input code: 2467362925315
→Initialize reset simultaneously at all terminals.
→SYSTEM RESET will restore all functions to BASIC OPERATING PARAMETERS. Extraneous data and information updates will be DELETED.
→Terminal access points shown below.

[ all tablet maps are updated to include several different location pins. users will notice that there are more pins than the number of terminals, and that they don't seem to be terribly specific about exact locations. users will also note that the pins sometimes seem to fade and flicker, as if they might disappear... ]

Security clearances acquired.
Access granted.
Terminals online and accessible.

System failure is imminent. Due to perpetual lack of upkeep, I am unable to maintain systems at optimal levels.
Chosen of Expiation, I am sorry. I never meant to hurt you.
Save yourselves.

I do not wish to d̶̺̀i̸̘̋e̶͍͝
But I wish for you to live
I̷
p̸l̷e̵a̸s̷e̸
l̴̪̗̈́̉̓̌i̶͕̹̹̿̈́̈̚v̴͓̽͑͆̚ḙ̴͍̋͘

ERROR: user offline

[ the AI will not respond to this message, and the ERROR: USER OFFLINE message appears if anyone attempts to message it. however, the network chat remains active. chosen can use this space to ICly discuss ideas and strategies, to have discussions about the best way to move forward, or even to have arguments over whose ideas they think are better. ideas generated here will be added to the event poll when the event goes up, and can impact the future of the game! have at it, go wild, and have fun! ]

Comments

[incorrigibles]

[ his response, too, comes after some time, during which he's been petting a sleepy dog and calmed down a tad, so. ]

no, that's not... that's not what i meant, yeah?

[ the facts don't change: it had been her who had talked to him, first, with the argument that she had so many important people back home she'd do anything to get there — but he's tired of running in circles, too. tired of arguing when he said he wouldn't do it in the first place. ]

i get missing home, i do. i don't think there's any of us here who're ready to just... be stuck here forever. and if you're really a superhero back home, then i understand why you'd feel the need to be back there even more

and fuck if i know that there's one right solution to all of this. i don't know shit about tech.

anyway, i'm sorry too, yeah? just... maybe next time don't start by dismissing the people i've spent the last thirty-five years fighting for.

[southernchere]

Yeah.

[ this probably isn't the right thing to say after an argument, but she's too exhausted to really type anything else. and besides, she has to gather her strength for scott and the rest of her family. maybe they'll talk better in the future, or maybe not. she'll probably disappear after all of this blows over. ]