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

[melnik]

Thank you.

I suppose it was overly optimistic of me to think I could sit back and watch. The madness is not going to stop. There will be no unification unless someone steps in and wills it to happen.

[ He really didn't want it to have to be him that took up that mantle... but right now it doesn't really feel like he has a choice. ]

If it means we get to survive another day, I'll do what I must.

[conflictresolution]

Proving yourself the hero in front of everyone. I wonder what you'll do when they look to you for the next crisis and the one after that.

[Silco had finally realized it. Miller had similar charisma and level-headedness that Vander did before their falling out. People wanted to follow him. No wonder it was easy to slide into this one's shadow when needed.]

Good. We will see how this turns out.

[melnik]

[ Fuck's sake. He's really getting tired of that. He spent his whole life hell bent on the notion that he would protect his country, and then the people down in the Metro, make sure that Russia would not be conquered by the west no matter the cost... Until his life's purpose came tumbling down. All of them would die like rats underground before they ever saw any occupying forces, played like puppets by the powerful and wealthy.

It really makes a person jaded at the notion of heroism. He doesn't like it.

But now's not the time. ]

So we shall.

I suppose I will worry about that when the time comes.

[conflictresolution]

Indeed. As long as this place persists, that is all that matters to me.