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Azi Demonica

Azi Demonica

Posts: 5,600 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Aisa’s holographic screen deactivated and she went to action. Two males officers made their way down the hall and met her. Their own holographic screens showed the same suspect as Aisa's.

“Already back to work, hmm? Yay…” one of the officers said as he turned off his holograph. He had dark circles and eye bags, face empty and blank.

“I swear, they should have at least given you a few days off,” the other complained as he examined his screen. “They don’t even inform us of everything. Just, ‘oh, look, go there!’ Dispatch didn’t even reply to my request for additional information!” This one looked alert, he had a fierce pair of eyes. Hands a bit twitchy, he deactivated the hologram.

Aisa then…

16-Jan-2020 00:05:19 - Last edited on 16-Jan-2020 16:16:47 by Azi Demonica

Quick5ilvr

Quick5ilvr

Posts: 1,265 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Jonathan stood overlooking the city from the apex of Phoenix Tower, his eyes scanning the streets below. Calculations raced through his head, quick conversions and estimates predicting the amount of energy he could squeeze out of the dumpsters in between the alleys and buildings. Then the energy converted into profits and pays, and a frown crossed his face as he considered his recent successes. Surely there was more to life than this.

He crossed his office, opening a drawer filled with archaic paper writings. Despite the AT-390's best attempt at filing the mail effectively and cleanly, some of the letters were marred with crinkles and odd creases. Despite Jonathan having had each saved as files in his memory bank, there was something unique about holding the paper in hand. A quiet rustle as with a smooth motion he removed a single page from the drawer.

He held it behind his back as he walked towards the window once more. Bringing it to bear, his eyes scanned the document to reabsorb the gratitude of the author.

Jonathan,

We appreciate everything Phoenix Power has done for our family! Clean streets, affordable pricing on electricity, the donations you've made to charities city wide! I know you're an android, but you are probably more human than many of those who would rather see the world burn!

Keep up the good work. You're in our prayers!

Jonathan's eyes gazed skyward before closing. Something about this just felt...better. He couldn't quite place it. Before his thoughts could wander farther, a small alert followed by a familiar voice.

~Thank you, Harrison. Please have them meet me in the Executive Conference Room. Run a full tech diagnostic on our systems before they get here, just to be safe.~

Jonathan's eyes opened before he quickly walked back to his desk to refile the letter. Another brief smile crossed his face before he closed the drawer. The smile didn't last long.
Cower, worship, or beg. All are valid choices.

16-Jan-2020 01:52:12

Quick5ilvr

Quick5ilvr

Posts: 1,265 Mithril Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
He began to evaluate the most recent case to cross his desk. None of the other personnel who examined the site could determine the circumstances surrounding the curious situation. So much death, and all of it without an explanation. What happened to those poor men and women? What fate decided that their end should be so cruel and sudden?

Jonathan shook his head. The equipment Phoenix Power was employing to treat the area was still experimental, far from the grounded science in extracellular electron transfer or harnessing the methane trapped in landfills for synthetic hydrocarbon fuel. Too much mystery around this one problem, and he hated that there was no simple solution in sight.

Perhaps some questions just couldn't be answered.

Or perhaps Jonathan wasn't simply trying hard enough.

Either way, he found himself maneuvering through the building, quickly making his way to the conference room. Adjusting his tie quickly, he stepped through the doors and found his seat to await his guests.
Cower, worship, or beg. All are valid choices.

16-Jan-2020 01:52:20 - Last edited on 16-Jan-2020 02:00:01 by Quick5ilvr

Riniya

Riniya

Posts: 662 Steel Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Willow tore her gaze from the lake water. She looked down at the little boy and did not smile. Instead she shook her head as she crouched down to be at his level. He might be a child but he is still human and he deserved her respect. She gently pushed his hands holding the cupcake back at him. "I do not need this. I see how your family struggles to get food in. I do not have this struggle as I am just one person. Please, while I accept your gratitude, keep the cupcake for yourself and your sister. Its not the healthiest thing you could eat but it tastes good." She smiled and stood to walk away, not giving him the chance to respond. She knew that her refusal of the cupcake would result in him and his sister eating for the first time this week.

Willow walked along the shore, leaving the boy behind, for a few minutes before she turned to the right to head back into the slums. Something nagged her briefly, an image of luxury. She shrugged it off as she has looked many times into the windows of the houses deeper in the city and figured it was a memory of one of those times. These images didn't come often, and they were always relating to something she had recently done so she never looked into them. She looked at the slime and grime that covered the walls as she headed home. Boxes scattered the streets, some of them nothing but trash, but some of them were lovingly called home by those who lost something important along the way in their life and ended up down here.

A dilapidated android stood against a wall and raised its hand in greeting as Willow approached. This was one of the few who had broken free of its programming and had its own emotions and thoughts. Willow had found him cast aside a year ago and fixed what she could. He decided to become attached to her, out of his own free will. No matter what Willow did she couldn't shake him free, so she just accepted him as an aid in her work.

"Greetings Ms. Willow. Did you have a nice walk?" The android
There isn't one.

16-Jan-2020 13:38:26 - Last edited on 16-Jan-2020 14:12:01 by Riniya

Riniya

Riniya

Posts: 662 Steel Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
never chose a name for himself. He stated that it was a human thing to do and since he is not human he did not feel right naming himself. Willow found that humorous and instead, calls him a different name every time she comes in contact with him. She hoped that he would find one he liked and accept it, so far, he has not. They were up to "J" names.

"Yes Jason, I did. What have you been up to? Its been a few months since I last saw you." The android held out his arm and Willow sighed. "Do we have to do this Jackson? You could just tell me you know." The android did not replay and instead stood with him arm still held out. Willow wrapped her hand around his elbow and he did the same around hers. She closed her eyes and let all the information he had stored over the last few months wash into her. Her eyes danced behind her closed eyelids and at the end she dropped her arm from his, opening her eyes. The entire process took about 2 seconds.

"Who is she?" Willow reached for the door handle that had been behind the android this entire time. She opened the door and he walked inside. Willow followed and turned on the light then she closed the door and locked it.

"She is the only survivor. Something happened in that building but she has no memories. It is a mystery to all involved." The android stood off to the side of the room. Willow's home wasn't much to brag about. It was a two room building with one of those rooms being a bathroom. Everything else was spread around the main room, consisting of a kitchen with a table and one chair, a couch in front of a T.V; a rarity in these parts. A giant computer system that took up most of the room, It had various monitors each on a different website running different programs.

Willow looked at the android. "Well James, Lets solve this mystery." She sat down at the computer station and set her hands on the keyboard. Images flashed across the screen at a rapid pace, one of those being Jonathan. What would she find?
There isn't one.

16-Jan-2020 13:38:33 - Last edited on 16-Jan-2020 13:47:29 by Riniya

Inferi

Inferi

Posts: 35,939 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
The whispers weren’t so bad this morning, little more than a fluttering past her ear that might have been caused by a light breeze. They were usually thus; hardly noticeable, yet always there. It had come to the point where she was beginning to be used to them, a prospect that might have been terrifying before it had come to pass. To hear things that didn’t exist...many bad stories had begun in such a way.

Still, there was little to be done. She was sound of body and mind: this had been assured to her by everyone she had gone to see. A few had given questioning looks when she described the symptoms, but every check that could be run left them with the same answer. There was nothing wrong with her, and there was no reason to keep her from her duty. It was likely just shock from the event, the only bit of the repressed memories that she could still access, and it would certainly fade in time. Of course, if it did not, they wanted her to come back, but that was of little help in the present.

That was one of the reasons why the bottles provided to her were untouched. Aisa saw no reason to take any kind of medication that she did not need, and indeed was sure it would be far worse for her if she tried to take them without reason. Was she bothered by the incident? Certainly, but it was a sad reality that she knew some people had to face. They all hoped that it would not be them, but when the card was pulled and it showed the greatest of sacrifices, there was little that could be done to change it.

Even so, if whispers were the only scars from the incident - save for a few across her face and arms that would heal in time - then her prayers to God were not in vain, for He had blessed her with a continuation of her life when all others had lost theirs. Many did not believe, but Aisa was not one of those. While not entirely devout, she believed in the Lord far more than most would at this juncture.
Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

17-Jan-2020 21:25:53

Inferi

Inferi

Posts: 35,939 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Many believed that He had forsaken the world, but it was her steadfast belief that this was by no means the case.

The press was the worst part of it, though. Everyone wanted to talk to her, but she didn’t want to talk to any of them. All they would ask were inane questions, things that they knew she couldn’t answer or didn’t want to answer. They all wanted the story, but nobody knew less about it than she did, and the parts she did know she was certainly not going to share with the public. There was a line that shouldn’t be crossed when it came to giving out information, and she knew that what she remembered in that basement crossed that line by a mile.

Her incoming orders were accompanied by a very short increase in the whispers that subsided almost immediately, causing her to shake her head and sigh before looking up at the screen. It was strange; the whispers seemed to change in magnitude depending on location, but not all the time. Home was probably the middle ground: not bad unless there was nothing she was doing. The HQ wasn’t bad either; they seemed to be quieter most of the time. The city itself was variable, but it felt like, as a whole, they were louder outside than in most buildings. Strangely enough, it was when she was at church that they were the loudest, and it was only there that she had almost thought a word had been audible.

The orders coming in were nothing new, which was really a good thing for her first day back. She’d made sure to assure her boss that she was fine: everything had checked out just fine, and she was completely ready for work. Still, that didn’t mean she wanted something complicated if she didn’t need to get it. Complicated got messy a lot, and a mess was the last thing she - or really anyone there - wanted to have happen.
Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

17-Jan-2020 21:26:03

Inferi

Inferi

Posts: 35,939 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Gathering her gear was relatively simple. This wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, so it wouldn’t necessitate anything heavy. They were trying to maintain public order as well, after all, and that was easier to do if the general public didn’t see officers walking around in full riot gear like they were expecting something nasty.

Nah, I’d rather just have something to do.
” she told the second officer. “
At least we’ve got an image to work with. Better than just a description, so let’s just grab this guy and bring him in.


There was definitely more enthusiasm in her voice than in either of theirs, but certainly less than there had been before the incident. She hadn’t lost her passion, but it was clear that something had been dulled, even if it was to be expected from something like that.
Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

17-Jan-2020 21:26:12

Azi Demonica

Azi Demonica

Posts: 5,600 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Jonathan

Always processing efficiency, even the android occasionally stopped to think about the gratitude of those totally outside his life. If life has a meaning, is it the value of life itself? Success from life gives meaning to life, too, though. Even something as archaic as a handwritten letter has meaning--the emotions behind its creation.

Tech diagnostic complete, all systems functional. The visitors will meet you in the executive conference room.

Amidst pondering of what happened to those police officers, Jonathan went to the conference room and waited.

After a while, an image popped up in Jonathan’s systems:
What did that mean?

Eventually, several middle aged white men with suits entered the conference room. They each carried a laptop integrated as a suitcase.

“Hello, Jonathan, sir, how are you tonight?”

* * *

The meeting went somewhat casually.

The COO of AT&T had a deal for Phoenix Power to expand into communication technology. He perhaps babbled too much about ads, probably to take advantage of Phoenix Power’s reputation for ad revenue. He was in a good mood but appeared to fantasize a bit too often.

The executive vice president of The Blackstone Group Inc. offered a hedge fund. He was straight to the point. He had quite a lot of papers in his suit. He was cold about his private equity plans. He was unclear about his goals, seemed to want Phoenix Power to enter a partnership with his company.

The chief financial officer of Huron Consulting Group was rather quiet. At times he appeared daydreaming, but in the end, wished to invest in Phoenix Power’s assets and research into waste management and energy extraction.

The other businessmen did not do much and just took occasional notes, or answered a question about this or that when asked.

Which company or companies did Jonathan choose to discuss?

19-Jan-2020 01:03:16

Azi Demonica

Azi Demonica

Posts: 5,600 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Willow

Deep down, the boy wanted the cupcake for himself. As Willow took her leave, the boy went to his sister along the beach. She asked him what happened, he answered, and they shared the cupcake overlooking the shoreline.

“It tastes better when you’re really hungry!” the girl squeaked. The siblings finished their cupcake and played on the shore.

* * *

Memories of luxury briefly came, a contrast to the poverty and trash everywhere. Indeed, though, sometimes even a box is a home. It would be some time before Phoenix Power cleaners came, though they should have already been here.

Information transferred, while in the safety of locked doors, Willow got to work to finding clues. The giant computer whirred to life…
Sole survivor’s name… Aisa Mello, officer of the Chicago Police Department. 5’9’’, strong female. Currently en route to The Loop in armoured can.

Amidst her investigation, some details of the owner of Phoenix Power appeared.
Name: Jonathan
Model: AT-390
Memory bank of Jonathan’s experiences transferred into multiple models
Phoenix Power technologies: extracellular electron transfer, methane extraction from landfills for synthetic hydrocarbon fuel, experimental detection for recent notable incident failed
Phoenix Power’s tech diagnostic underway
No additional information found for recent notable incident. Searching for victims’ records…


Her internet exploring came to an abrupt halt. Her computer froze with the following image popped up:

What did that mean?

* * *

Amidst her investigation, Willow heard a growing humming noise. JJ-android would probably notice it, too. Outside flew three patrol robots, just like the ones that can be seen in the image:

They slowly flew towards her home, but there was still quite a distance away. Was her luck finally running out? She certainly had a means to counter those bots should she conclude not enough time to finish her investigation.

19-Jan-2020 01:03:30 - Last edited on 19-Jan-2020 01:07:12 by Azi Demonica

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