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

[digthefuzz]

...You know, it might not be out for you yet. Total bummer!

Okay, you know, when I think back on it more, it might have been more like they were using people like batteries? I dunno, it was something messed up like that.

...But, uh, so you think that's what's happening to us? Hopefully minus the part about being eaten or batteries?

[mightymorphin]

Yeah, we're definitely in a simulation. All the strange stuff happening in the city pretty much confirms it. I think it's likely that we're all hooked up to the computer that's running this thing.

[digthefuzz]

...You know, you do have a point. All the 'glitches' and all the other computery stuff that happens around here, it would all make sense. If they can get to our memories through this too, that would explain a lot. It's still... real trippy to think about! And that also leaves the question of how to do we get out of the Matrix!

[mightymorphin]

Having access to the terminals gives us the opportunity to shut off the program, or crash it, or do something to get us out of here.

But everyone else thinks it's too dangerous to try it. And that means we're going to be stuck here for who knows how much longer.

[digthefuzz]

Well... I guess I can see how it can be on the dangerous side. We don't know for sure if that'll wake us all up or do it in a way that's safe, right? I think we need more answers to figure out how to do this. Hopefully the computer whizzes can handle it!

[mightymorphin]

What are they going to handle, exactly? Resetting the simulation? Making us lose our chance to break out?

Everyone's talking about needing answers, but we're not going to get those fast enough. There's people who have been here for a year or longer and it seems like they have no idea what'll happen if we break out! Are we going to have to wait another year? Two?

[digthefuzz]

Or they could figure out how to get us out of here safely??

I get it. I know people have been here for a long time and I want to get back home too! But I don't know about jumping to conclusions when we don't know if it'll work or if it'll be safe! I feel like if you pull the plug on a computer, sometimes it can mess things up, bigtime!

[mightymorphin]

No one's managed to do it yet, and we're on a limited time frame here.

But you can think what you want, Kurt. I'm just not convinced that we're a part of the computer like everyone else seems to think.

[digthefuzz]

I'm just trying to think carefully here. Because we don't really know anything for sure, so it feels kinda easy for most options to blow up in our faces and end up costing lives. So yeah, I get we only have so much time, but I'll stretch things out as much as I can if it means finding the best answer for all this!

But I guess you can believe what you want to. I just feel like if what you're saying is true, our minds have to be hooked up to this somehow, so that feels double dangerous.

[mightymorphin]

No one's willing to take a risk. I get it.

Sometimes things are going to be risky no matter what. Maybe we could make breaking out be less risky if any of the nerds around here wanted to work on that angle, but it doesn't seem like they do.

I'm done arguing.

[digthefuzz]

It feels more like risking lives versus risking spending some more time here to me. But whatever, fine. Argument over!

[mightymorphin]

This is no vacation spot, Kurt. Just remember that.