synopsychic | [jaunt] SURPRISE - during the second attacks

...So these Trojans really are like Titans, then.

[For once his guess about what's happening on a Jaunt seems to be right on the mark - too bad it's also the time that he most wanted to be wrong.]

How so? I only know a little of what your world's dealing with.

Titans are humans. Or at least they used to be. They were transformed against their will, and don't have any control over their actions. I was only a normal Titan for a few seconds before I- before my old man made me a Titan Shifter, so I don't really remember it. But Ymir said she was stuck wondering around outside the Walls for about 60 years before she became a Shifter. She said it was like living in a nightmare.

[...He's just... not gonna ask what draws a distinction between the two classes. He probably doesn't want to know.]

At least we've already got people working on undoing this.

I just hope whatever we come up with works. If there's even a chance we can change them back... I guess that'd make becoming a Trojan a little better than becoming a Titan after all.

[Although he doesn't sound half as confident as he usually would about being able to cure the Trojans. Not after realizing they can be compared to Titans. How can he be truly hopeful for this world, when a similar plague has caused him to lose nearly all hope for his own?]

We'll have to wait and see. I'm sure if it's something that'd benefit from an Assist, or either of our skill sets otherwise, they'll let us know. [Naoki's used to being able to take a more active role in healing. This is Not Fun.]

What was it that you used to cause that?

I pulled the energy out of some battery packs and rerouted it into them. All I wanted to do is see if it'd overload them enough to stop them attacking.

[Which it did, but... well. Unexpected side effect is unexpected.]

And overloading the active program, the virus, disabled it enough for the original to start to show.

[[It's said almost slowly as he mulls over a few things in his head.]]

Are you still in range?

For now. I don't know how long it's safe to stay put, given that I don't plan on letting these guys corner me.

If you can give me a minute to portal there, I think I might be able to further what you've started.

By all means.

[[It's less than a minute later when the portal opens up, Tachibana emerging swiftly, entire posture on tense, but focused.

He gives Naoki a small nod, approaching.]]

Where's the one you disabled?

There's a couple of them over here.

[Sure enough, not far away a couple of Programs are still on the ground - and still flickering between grey and orange.]

[[Another small nod before Tachibana turns, walking over to kneel down next to one of the fallen Programs. Slowly, he let out a deep breath, hovering hand over the flickering form and closing his eyes, his face a mask of concentration. Seconds later, light began to gather under his open palm, a warm beam of summer sunlight washing over the prone figure, Apollo's power reaching out to drive out the infection that the virus had caused.]]

The Trojan's lights steady out - as Signifier orange, not grey, which is a good sign - and, after a bit, the Program stirs, rubbing her head like it took some kind of blow. "What - who the glitch are you?"

"We're part of an exploratory probe sent to your system," Naoki says, figuring that's the easiest place to start.

"...That's ridiculous. Why would it need exploring?"

Tachibana blinked. "It's been in a state of abandonment and overrun by a virus," he pointed out, sounding a little unsure. Did she also have memory loss, like S3NT0 had...?

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"How can it be abandoned if we haven't gone anywhere?" she grumbles, but turns her attention to the question. "There's a rumor going around that the recharge efficiency initiative is getting out of hand - I'm a communications Program, I relay this stuff to the system - and I'd left the towers to investigate. There was a power outage. That was... well, it should have been no more than a millicycle ago, but I calculate you're about to tell me it's been longer." She sighs. "Where's - do you know where TAR0 is?"

"We haven't exactly been able to get anyone's designations," Naoki says. "You're right, though. The initiative did get our of hand, and it has been longer. You'll have to forgive us if we skip an Interface - that's how it spreads."

"...Acceptable parameters, given the circumstances. Designation YAMA-NO, Gemini Control Tower."

And that matched with what S3NT0 had told him...

"The outage must have triggered the secondary system, an artificially induced rest cycle," he reflected with a faint frown. "The efficiency initiative may have seen it as a risk, and not returned control to the primary system to avoid further possible loss of activity."

He nodded at the introduction. "Garren," he returned, not quite sure how to make it sound all cap like everyone else had managed yet.

Don't worry, Tachibana, Naoki hasn't figured that out yet either and he's been here before. "And I'm Naoki."

"Well, greetings, Programs," YAMA-NO says. "I'm not sure I want to know how long it's been, but I'm going to have to find out sooner or later."

"Unfortunately," Tachibana nodded, not without sympathy. "Is there anything else you can tell is about the efficiency initiative? Anything that might be helpful in releasing it's hold on the others."

YAMA-NO shakes her head. "I barely knew the initiative was happening at all - mostly because TAR0 processed some related files. When things started going wrong during the standard recharge cycle, it was an easy connection to make. How long has it been?"

"I haven't encountered anyone who knows for sure, but I think I know a way to narrow it down," Naoki says. "What's the last thing your system heard about the Grid?"

"It was overrun by viral code and taken offline. That was several cycles ago, but I don't recall how many."

Naoki nods. "That's still something to go on. The Grid was offline for two hundred cycles - I don't think it's been reconnected to the Network at large yet, but it's been active again for a few cycles as of this time."

YAMA-NO falls silent, but Naoki can't really blame her, after that bombshell.

Tachibana glances over at Naoki, giving YAMA-NO a moment to deal with her shock. "Is there anyone we can refer her to, to help monitor her condition and bring her back up to speed with how much time has passed?"

"The Defenders have a quarantine operation set up. Luckily, we're not far from their base." Also luckily, he trusts these Defenders to behave themselves a lot more than he would have trusted the ones on the Grid.

"True quarantine?" YAMA-NO sounds almost bitterly amused. "Well, I can't really blame them. If it'll help acquire the data to stop this problem, I'll gladly consent."

Edited 2018-06-07 00:23 (UTC)

"And if we can locate and restore your friend, we'll be sure to send him that way as well," Tachibana offered, giving a hopefully reassuring smile.

Oh! Oh man! I bet they're great at lightcycles and staff fighting. [Shiro what.]

Right now they're a bit by way of being unconscious, Shiro-san. That makes it difficult to ask.

Hm. That's true. Nice shot, bee tee double-yew. Gotta show me that sometime. But! But! We could, like... compare their code, right? Look at how it matches with our Trojan? See if it's similar enough to get a cure?

[Did... he actually did spell that out, didn't he.]

Maybe, if we can get one of them to agree. Or if any investigators join the orange faction - there's at least one around who isn't corrupted, I think, if SARA's war council was anything to go by.

[Yes, yes he did. At least there are no smilies or emojis yet. Speaking of temptation.]

Well, I mean. They were trying to kill you. Taking one prisoner to try and help them is a thing. Kinda always has been in war.

[Shiro no.]

But there was a war council? Aw man, a whole council? And I missed it. Izzere a casualty report? How many've we lost?

That's the thing. I'm not sure they were trying to kill anyone - they've taken prisoners, which is probably to spread the virus, but I don't know that there have been any fatal casualties that weren't Trojans.

[Well that pulls him up short.]

What? Srsly? [Difficult to say if he slurred that or used the internet meme.]

It came up at the council that the attacks are a diversion, but we don't know from what.

...Okay, wull, we have our priority mission, then. Figure out what the crow is goin' on that they want to divert our attention that bad. Anybody figure out where they're comin' from?

They could be coming from just about anywhere, which is the problem.

That would explain their age. When I did the Oracle of Age thing on them, it looked like they were very old but haven't aged, either. Which would fit with them being the missing programs, just... stuck. Dormant.

Also, that is a very interesting skill you have there.

So time is effectively not passing for them while they're in Trojan mode. Interesting.

Which one? [Stone could mean livestreaming, or he could mean the energy reroute. Better to ask.]

The blast thing that knocked them all out.

[He knows how livestream, thankfully.]

That's a local trick - it's possible to pull the energy out of something else and reroute it. I managed to do it completely by accident the first time we were here, but I never got around to trying to recreate it before now.

All I wanted to do was knock them out, and that part worked, but... well.

[jaunt] SURPRISE - during the second attacks

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aaaand switching to prose because that's easier for juggling two speakers

I'm very down with that~

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