ic inbox

[headjacked]

Heyyyyyyyy, kiddo, you've reached me. Me who is Rhys. Anyway, not sure why you're trying to get in contact with the king of the dweebs, but I'm sure you've got your reasons. Reasons you should probably re-examine. I'm just sayin'.

Last chance to back out.

No?

Don't say I didn't warn ya.

Comments

[phaseshifter]

Quiet, please.

[ No waking the smeepnoodle. Or shorting out again. Or both. ]

We have evidence that the whole multiple universes theory comes into play here. There've been multiples of several people, Rhys included. So imagine that in the next batch of people who get dumped here, there's another Angel and Rhys. Fresh ones. Ones who haven't been through all the crap we've been through here. Ones who haven't learned not to trust you.

You could start over and become an actual hero. Another me could grow up to be safe and happy and alive, Jack, and it would be thanks to you.

[headjacked]

[ She didn't hit so much as SMASH all of his buttons at once. Not the most graceful of executions. Blunt, actually. And more than a little obvious.

Still, he IS quiet. Until he just chuckles, low and unsettling. ]

'And then we all live happily ever after. Except, oh, Rhys probably having another me in his head. A-and then the next one, he'll probably have one too! And the next one, and the next one... maybe I'll just get my Jack army after all. Won't that be SWELL?'

[phaseshifter]

Please. An army would require a common goal and cohesive leadership. Get multiple Jacks in a room and you'd spend five minutes complimenting each others' abs before turning on each other. You couldn't work together, because none of you would share. All this assuming you would get a parade of Rhyses with their own Jacks. You might get one from before all that.

[ here it comes ]

You could even get an Angel from before everything went to heck in the control core. Or one who's still a child. She'd need her dad, don't you think? You've seen how many kids show up here. And what happens to them.

[ BABBY BOMB DEPLOYED ]

[headjacked]

[ Babby bombs are an excellent way of getting Jack to go from sneering to devastated-looking in seconds. Target: obliterated. He's gone again, for a few seconds, then a few minutes.

But he comes back. He's always back. ]

'Like I have any real choice.'

[phaseshifter]

Of course there's a choice. I wouldn't be asking you if there wasn't.

[ He gets that much credit, at least. Despite everything. And after a momentary pause, Angel offers her fist for bumping. ]

Thank you.

[ Intangible fistbumps aren't, like, hugs, but. BABBY STEPS. ]

@ASolomons; audio; day 138

[devoutish]

Checking in.

[Sup, Rhys. It's been a while.]

audio;

[headjacked]

[ give him a second to eeeEEEEEE a lil ]

Still breathing over here, how 'bout you?

audio;

[devoutish]

Nothing's different. But it's been some time, eh?

audio;

[headjacked]

Yeah. Doesn't feel like it sometimes, but -- yeah.

Sorry I've been kind of... deathly silent.

audio;

[devoutish]

Bad choice of words, don't you think?

audio;

[headjacked]

I do indeed think. Sometimes. Promise.

audio;

[devoutish]

Mm.

And how's Angel?

audio;

[headjacked]

She's... she says she's fine. She ALWAYS says that, though, and I-I know she's been planning for the worst.

audio;

[devoutish]

Planning for the worst for...? Long-term, us and the city, or something else?

audio;

[headjacked]

A... little of everything. Dumpy -- the things that affect us, they don't really affect him, so. Maybe he can pass things on.

audio;

[devoutish]

To the next session, after we're all dead. Yeah?

audio;

[headjacked]

Exactly. And - it's not a bad idea. In - in case.

audio;

[devoutish]

How much can you put in him?

audio;

[headjacked]

He's a drone, Alfie, he can't hold much, or communicate. [ Pause. Fidget. A sucked in breath. ] But his passenger is another story.

audio;

[devoutish]

He's a robot. They can store things, can't they? The SD cards and such.

[Better to rely on him than on Jack, Alfie thinks.]

audio;

[headjacked]

Look, I'll load as much as I can into him, but his AI...

It's depressing, but Jack might be - [ uuughyUCKy ] - our best bet. Legacy.... wise.

audio;

[devoutish]

And why would he help?

audio;

[headjacked]

...her logic is there might be another Angel in the next session, or m--

- I bet it got him to shut up and consider.

audio;

[devoutish]

And if there's not, will he bother?

audio;

[headjacked]

His options are bother or go ins-- more insane. He's a lot of things, but he's not completely stupid. And he'd wait session after session for another shot.

'Maybe' is better than us leaving nothing.