Ask him if he's in pain?
Does he need help?
Those look like a mix of tears of sadness and relief.

Nate, I know this seems like a tricky social situation, but it actually boils down to a relatively straightforward computer security problem. You're looking for a zero-knowledge proof: something you can say or do that means "I can see the bugs, too" to someone else who can, but doesn't mean anything to somebody who can't.

Mention the spider in the meditation garden as an unprecedented/extremely rare thing, and then refer to something technically-true-but-utterly-irrelevant that Doug has in common with Heather from the cafe.

i think this is the first genuine smile he's had. tell him you don't think the bugs are bad, they are simply manifestations of thought's and feelings. and you think you can kinda.. enter people's minds.

I am afraid.

... I think he's afraid too.

I think it's time to elaborate on the time period between passing out and waking up.

>"I like you, Nate. I think you might be real."
Wait, so he's not just seen bugs, but false people as well?
Is he okay? I think he's been dealing with his hallucinations all on his own, with nobody to help him through it. Maybe ask him if he would feel better if you told him what you discovered about the "condition."

This is getting way to odd....

I'm not sure what is going on

>>591890
Oh boy. I thought we were going to get his help, but I think we're gonna wind up helping him.

Tell him you are real, and you can explain what really happened after you touched Sharon, but you want him to calm down first.

Oh, shoot, right, he's opening up and showing emotions Nate. He uses the radio to try and act as a sort of gray-noise. Not white passive, but it drowns out outright harmful senses anyways. However, even so, you might start seeing a few invertebrae showing up.

>>591900
If his bugs show up, he's going to try to kill them. With how fast he killed that spider, I think that's why we can't see his bugs... he's killed them every time they show their faces.

I'd like to ask him to stop if that happens, and explain what the current theory is on what they are: psychic parasites that feed off of emotional baggage.

>>591896
More likely, he's never seen imaginary people, but he's never considered people as people before, either. Remember, our first assumption was that Doug was a sociopath, someone who sees people as objects. The hints of how he treats Kim and possibly manipulates their bugs/baggage contributes to that theory. This might still be true; it's just that Nathan being the first person he knows to actually see the bugs makes him the first person Doug's actually viewed as a thinking, feeling life like his own.

Either way, I most certainly do not find Doug any more trustworthy now. It seems less likely he'll manipulate and backstab us if he views us as a rare kindred soul, but we now TRULY see just how unstable (and, if we do something he dislikes, possibly volatile) he is under the mask. Less Moriarty from Sherlock, more Kenny from The Walking Dead.

A rational assumption to make here is that Doug practices this Stepford wife act because he's scared.

He thinks people are watching him, listening to him. He carefully considers everything he says and does. He always smiles, he never shows weakness. Conversely, he's always watching, always keeping an eye on other people, and seemingly trying to maintain total control over his surroundings. If this outburst is genuine and not an act, we should assume that Doug is paranoid.

This could make him dangerous. Nate will need to be very careful what he says and does from here on out so that Doug doesn't act on that paranoia. If it's all pretend, he may be trying to manipulate our hero here.

Ask him what he means. What does he mean by 'real'? Be supportive and get him to explain his side of things but don't take it as gospel. Not yet, anyway.

"Doug, have you been killing all your bugs? Because I think that's probably bad. So far what I've seen is that the bugs are designed to protect their hosts' minds."

If you grew up seeing things all the time you would eventually have to deal with it somehow.

Nate was fine as a child but in later life went the route of trying to repress and ignore them until recently. He then got some help and has made improvements in dealing with the situation.

I am guessing that Doug went the other way. Probably had a traumatic event happen involving his powers and internalized things in a bad way. Now he possibly kills his bugs and can't treat anyone who has them as real people in his head.

So go very slowly with Doug. For now just try to find out more about him. Keep your wasps out of site and figure out how he views the insects.

Toxoglossa 2014/08/31(Sun)15:52 No. 592025 ID: 557bac
File 140952553792.png - (119.02KB , 600x466 , 2-51.png )

>Does he need help?

Nate
"Um...thanks, I think. Are you- are you alright? Do you need help?"

Doug wipes his eyes.
>"What d'ya mean? Heh, I'm fiiiine. I'm cool, I'm ay-oh-KAY."

>Mention the spider in the meditation garden

As nice as it is to know someone else shares your affliction, you realize how sensitive this must be for him.
"Oh, okay then. So, the spider in the courtyard: that was Kim's, right? Is Kim 'real' then?"

He shrugs
>"I dunno, real enough, am I right? What's it really matter?"

>If his bugs show up, he's going to try to kill them. With how fast he killed that spider, I think that's why we can't see his bugs... he's killed them every time they show their faces.

Nate
"But then, why'd you kill it if you knew it was hers?"

Doug's sardonic grin crumples up into a car accident of a snarl.
>"Don't trust them, best kill them when they're small, before they can..."
He trails off. His stereo, having reached the end of the record, utters a bump of static every second or two in moment of quiet.
>"Nathan, don't ever forget: 'Cogito ergo sum. I think, therefore I am'. That is all you can be sure of. Ever."

>>592023
Well shit, we've gone from "Someone we can finally open up to besides Dr. Cooper" to "Weigh and measure our words carefully" with him, thanks to all that whole 'entrusting your psyche's home defense to the insects' ordeal.

What makes you question the nature of existence?

Well if the music stopped he is probably not going to want to talk openly without it.

I would not try to change his opinion of the bugs anytime soon. He has a lifetime of issues to deal with so lets not start trying to preach at him. Just make sure your wasps know its not safe to be seen around him.

Tell him that you would love to chat more about mutual interests sometime when things are safer. For now let him know about the invader and how he seemed to be interested in something Sharon had. Then motion to your head when you say the last part. Also mention that whoever it was might not have been from around here and point up.

>>592023
He thinks the bugs are evil... Probably shouldn't tell him about your Hive then- he'll think you're compromised or something. How about we wait for the stereo to kick back in and we have privacy again, then tell him about what went on in Sharon's inner world? Don't tell him about your wasps helping you, just tell him you made yourself a protective suit and tackled the robot, sending him into your Safe Place, at which point the Axle did that weird shit. If he asks how you first found out about the Axle, tell him you use the Safe Place to get away from your bugs, but they were also saying something about an "Axle" and the anomaly looks like one so that's the name you've been using for it. Don't say you saved one, or that you let them use part of you as a Hive. If you bring up Diego's mind, don't tell him the wasps helped you there, just say you dragged Diego into your safe place by barely dodging the beetle.

On the other hand, he's saying the only thing you can ever be sure of is that you exist. Maybe he's not even sure the bugs are bad. Ask him what the bugs do if they get big. ...come to think of it, all the invertebrates we've seen inside peoples' heads are super-sized. The wasps are not, only getting "big" as a swarm. Maybe we should endeavor to kill the bigger ones... the robot thing killed some of the big ones. I wonder if it's not a threat to the world at large, but instead trying to wipe out the bugs somehow? We know Sharon's mind is broken, but was that because of the robot, or due to something the crabs did to try to fight the robot?

We came to Doug for answers but all he's said so far just muddies the issue. Ask him if he has experience entering peoples' inner worlds- if he can tell you what he's learned, if he's done it.

ask him how long he's been seeing the bugs.

Toxoglossa 2014/09/02(Tue)18:29 No. 592270 ID: 557bac
File 140970774603.png - (217.24KB , 500x600 , 2-52.png )

>ask him how long he's been seeing the bugs.

Nate
"How long have you been able to see them?"

Doug looks tired.
>"Not sure; as far back as I can remember..."

>Ask him if he has experience entering peoples' inner worlds

Nate
"And... people's thoughts, can you see them too?"

Doug
>"Since my eighth birthday."

>What makes you question the nature of existence?

Nate
"What happened? Is it why you question reality?"

A movement draws attention: a tiny patch of red marching across the fine grained wood like a stray drop of blood. Doug's hand pounces, and the ant becomes a smear that blends almost perfectly into the rich mahogany.

Toxoglossa 2014/09/02(Tue)18:31 No. 592272 ID: 557bac
File 140970787631.png - (136.57KB , 600x600 , 2-53.png )

You look back up at Doug's face: the "mask" is back, perfect, helpful, smiling, Its worrying but at the same time, you understand; you have defense mechanisms of your own, and it sound's like he's never had the kind of help you did.

Nate
"Okay, this might sound odd, but have you ever heard of something called 'the Axle'?"

An eyebrow elevates.
>"I don't think so, what is it?"

Nate
"I'm not really sure myself. Its something that's been showing up in my head today, a pair of singularities, one circular the other linear. I think it has something to do with what's been going on, but I have no idea what it means. I was just hoping you might know something about it."

Once again, the only sound is the sound of A Night at the Opera skipping as it spins.
>"Who calls it 'the Axle'?"

Nate
"What?"

>You said its 'called the Axle'. Who called it that?"

You think fast, trying to keep your relationship with your wasps under wraps.
"Oh, eh, me I guess? It looks like one, you know? Like a wheel turning on an axle? So I called it an axle."

>"The Axle."

"Right. The Axle."
God, you hope that didn't seem too desperate.

Doug stands up and finally turns off the record player.
He's quiet for a second.
>"You know, with the clean room out of commission, there really isn't much more you can do today. If you want, you can clock out and head home."

>>592272
Welp, he doesn't trust Nate now.

Tell him Hiro had something to discuss with you first, there may still be something left you can do to help him. Also tell him he should probably talk to a therapist. Having one has really helped you. Wait... how old were you when you played with the real ant pile and developed your itchy trauma? Were you eight?

At some point we should ask the wasps what he was talking about- what happens when a bug gets big? Can the bugs take over someone's mind?

He's becoming suspicious.

Take him up on his offer, but ask if you can check up on Sharon's condition before you go. Make an excuse to poke around, see what the others are up to before you take off. See how he reacts to that, if he does.

>>592272
Well, I think you should tell him at least about the scorpion guy and the fact that the guy that invaded and knocked Sharon unconscious is likely like the two of us. He fucking wrecked her crab with a giant hole in it.
So, like, be on the lookout for infestations with scorpions or hints of them, Doug. Oh and maybe do a background check on the coffee guy that works with Fran. You think you might have caught a sliver of his octopus parasite's shadow in the clean room. You're not sure, but he's the guy with the weirdest parasite around so it might mean something.

I would but Hiro said he has a crazy backup plan for getting things running so going to check on that first.

Be careful Doug. I think the intruder is one of us. I found something inhuman trying to mess with Sharons memories.

So looks like his mask is back up. And he might be suspicious about us talking to our insects. Guessing he really has a bad relationship with whatever he has. Nothing we can do about that. Not going to undo a lifetime worth of damage in a day.

One good thing you can take from this conversation is that anyone without noticeable bugs might have the same sort of abilities. Doug kills his and others might hide them for other reasons.

>>592275

Alternatively, ask him if he's asking you to leave. Let him know he can be honest with you, and that it's okay if he does.

If he's not playing, he might be uncomfortable right now, so some reassurance wouldn't hurt.

Thank him. Tell him you are going to check in with Hiro first to make sure he doesn't need any help, then leave.
Also tell him something solidarity-like, for the love of god. It's nice to know that there's somebody else who can see them and you're not the only one; you should at least express that.

"I... I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid you'd get suspicious, but my bugs called it that before I killed the latest batch that appeared in my dream space."

Come on, Nate. Good lies are a blend of truth and fiction.

If you want to get sort of meta, point out that inconsistent terminology like that is, rationally speaking, evidence in favor of having made up the term yourself. The Axel was just so singular, in so many ways, it didn't occur to you until this very conversation that it might be part of a larger class of axel-like reality-shredding megastructures.

That's how good engineers work, right? First you have to figure out an adequate solution for the special case right in front of you, even if the problem is as simple as "what's this called," then clean it up and generalize it for presentation to the boss.

Be sure to say you're glad you had this talk.

>>592405
Yes, thank him for the talk, and let him know that Hiro had another idea. You'll let Doug know if something comes up--be it what you talked about with him, or what you will talk about with Hiro.

Don't lie to Doug anymore about the bugs. He'll find out eventually and he has enough trouble with telling reality from fiction. Nate knows how hard it is better than anyone. Just leave it alone, don't be an asshole.

>>592313

If Doug is actually who we encountered during the last hallucination (a no longer remote possibility now that we know these things about him) he could probably see Nate clearly in Sharon's mind. He'll immediately know we're lying about destroying the swarm in that case.

If not, and he's still able to enter Nate's head, he may discover the deception on his own and quite possibly by accident. (Just touch is required.) He'll know Nate cooperates with the bugs.

"Doug, are we allies now? I'm willing to take you seriously if you are willing to take me seriously. I'm tired of doing nothing to change this weird reality we live in."

"Is there someplace we can speak securely in private?"

>>592559
>>592561
Not now guys... We just were speaking in private, and Doug says the meeting is over now. Gotta head out and talk to Hiro.

>>592561
>>592562
Correction: Is there somewhere we can speak privately in the future?

Further 2014/09/05(Fri)19:22 No. 592797 ID: 557bac
File 140997016132.png - (135.54KB , 600x600 , 2-54.png )

>ask him if he's asking you to leave.

Nate
"Are you asking me to leave? I hope I didn't offend you."

Doug is oddly serene
>"Nooo, no of course not, Nathan. It was nice talking to you; I haven't met many people that I think are real."

Nate
"Er...thanks again. Hiro wanted to check in with me though, I'm going to see if I can help him before I leave."

Doug smiles and nods once.

>"I... I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid you'd get suspicious"

You hesitate before you leave.
"Doug, when I tried to touch Sharon I went inside her head. I didn't want to tell you at first: I assumed you'd think I was crazy...
.. someone else was there. Whoever it was, they broke everything up and killed her insect, well, her crab. I don't know exactly what it was up to, but I managed to pull it out of her. I just wanted to warn you that there might be someone else around here that do what we can, and it seems like they're responsible for the security breach. They looked, well, almost robotic actually."

Doug
>"Facinating. Someone else? Thank you for the warning."

Nate
"I'm glad there's finally someone else I can talk to about this kind of stuff, besides my therapist. I hope Sharon will be okay."

Doug
>"Don't worry about it, I'll make sure she's well taken care of. Oh, and hey-"

You stop with your hand on the doorknob and look back at him.

>"Not sure if you knew about this or not: If you touch someone while they aren't aware of it, you'll be drawn in. But as long as they know that you're there, thier mind will block you out. I still haven't figured out why, but its handy if you don't want to get wrapped up in everyone's baggage."

For a minute there you don't know what to say, blinking silently.
"T- Thanks! That's really good to know, Doug. For a while there I was worried I'd never be able to touch anyone safely again. I've got so much I want to ask you, but I know I should get going."

Doug
>"Like I said, stop by anytime: my door is always open. Except when its not. You know what I mean."

With that you say goodbye and step out into the hall, your head buzzing with new questions and concerns.

while walking to hiro see if you can call up a wasp and ask if it knows anything about the robotic figure.

>>592797
Ah, now we know how to do it on purpose, too. ...also, how to avoid the robot getting in Nate's head.

Head towards the coffee shop. I'd like to ask the wasps what could have happened to Doug to make him hate his ants so much, but there's no way to just summon them out here. It takes emotional discomfort to bring them out in the waking world. Oh! Another thing you could do is call your therapist again, after you get to a secure location of some sort... but I'm not sure there are any secure locations here at the moment. Last time you tried that you got partially overheard by Doug.

>>592799
what? everyone else seems to have them on all time, i think they only appear when nate stresses is because he has been actively trying to suppress them, but the higher emotions override the block.

>>592798
This. Ask your Wasps some questions.

I would caution against Nate walking around apparently talking to himself. He'll either look like a crazy person or a spy talking into an earbud or something.

There are now rampant possibilities of you two "touching eachother" to "learn more about eachother".

Don't be paranoid, be alert. There's a difference.

Try to stay calm, keep an eye on your surroundings, and try not to get in a hurry. This prevents bumping into people didn't notice, like going around corners. It also keeps you from getting snuck up on, like by scary robot man. I know not getting startled is kind of difficult for someone with a panic disorder but there's never been a better time to improve those coping skills.

You might consider getting some chewing gum, works wonders for nerves. They might not allow that shit in the cleanroom though.

Instead of wasping up right outside Doug's office, lets get back to Hiro. He's been holding this entire bitcoin debacle in check for like 24 hours straight, he needs to know whats going on.

Toxoglossa 2014/09/07(Sun)18:47 No. 593192 ID: 557bac
File 141014084969.png - (105.42KB , 600x386 , 2-55.png )

>Instead of wasping up right outside Doug's office, lets get back to Hiro. He's been holding this entire bitcoin debacle in check for like 24 hours straight, he needs to know whats going on.

>I would caution against Nate walking around apparently talking to himself. He'll either look like a crazy person or a spy talking into an earbud or something.

You head down to the coffee shop, but in the back of your mind you wonder what could have caused Doug to break so heavily from reality. You wonder if the wasps would have any kind of answer, but they aren't around at the moment and you aren't really eager to try and summon them. You kind of doubt they would know anyway without visiting Doug's psyche, hopefully you won't ever need to though.

You enter the shop and look around. Its mostly empty this time of day, but there are a few engineers sitting at tables still wearing clean room scrubs. They quietly gossip among themselves about the events in the clean room and grumble about work being interrupted.

You spot Hiro at a booth seat towards the back and join him. He doesn't look up from his laptop as you sit down.
>"Hey, how's King Creep doing?"

Nate
"You mean Doug?"
You think about the mental break you just witnessed.
"He's... okay, I suppose."

Hiro
>"So, whats all this shit about the clean-room?"

You lower your voice and lean over.
"We had some kind of break in. Sharon got attacked, I think. Not sure exactly what they did, but I had to call security in and they evacuated the whole floor."

Hiro
>"Annnnd, now the whole place has to be scrubbed down before any work can be done? Nice. Which one's Sharon again? She the one with the eyebrows?"

Nate
"Yeah."

Hiro
>"Sheeeeit. She going to be okay?"

Nate
"Not sure. She was unconscious, but seemed stable."

Hiro gives you another drawn out "Sheeeeeiiit".

>>593192
So... what's the plan? How are we gonna talk to the satellite while it's playing crazy eights?

Is the bugless cashier lady still here? After Nate talks with Hiro we can maybe go confront her about the bugs, now that we know they're real. It'd be easy. Just go up, and go "Hey, can you name 5 invertebrates? I'll go first." then start looking directly at people and stating out loud the name of their invertebrate. It doesn't have to be 5. Optimally it is half the number of people that are here with visible infestations. Then she can name those on the people you didn't point out, and that would confirm you can both see them. At that point you can exchange numbers, saying you must have something in common and you can be friends. Call her after work and ask her what her deal is.

Hiro, you think it's a coincidence that when we're doing all this bullshit we get a break-in? Cobalt being all weird, we try to find a way to fix it, and then a break in?

Maybe our project was delayed on purpose? For whatever cobalt's doing now? Can we do anything short-term by ourselves? They didn't seem to actually steal anything. They just broke into the place, knocked Sharon out, and essentially contaminated the place.

>>593193
Good god I love they way you phrased everything in your post. Not sure it's the right idea but it just sounds so cool. (especially the crazy eights thing)

We could rig up the transceiver at a regular workbench. It doesn't need to operate reliably for a long time, just long enough to either get Cobalt under control or for the clean room to be scrubbed for building a to-spec unit.

Ask Hiero what his crazy plan was to make this satellite rescue operation still work.

Toxoglossa 2014/09/09(Tue)19:04 No. 593490 ID: 557bac
File 141031468727.png - (111.31KB , 600x600 , 2-56.png )

>Hiro, you think it's a coincidence that when we're doing all this bullshit we get a break-in? Cobalt being all weird, we try to find a way to fix it, and then a break in?

Nate
"Do you think this is all coincidence? First COBALT goes down, then we have a break in that shuts down the clean room and Sharon gets attacked. Nothing looked like it was stolen so what was the point?"

Hiro
>"I'm not sure. There's no way its a coincidence, but I don't know what the goal could possibly be. If they wanted to steal something the most valuable thing I could think of would be a synched transponder: in theory I suppose you could make a "ghost" satellite like we're doing and use it to look at what COBALT is doing. But why break the damn thing in the first place? And why shut down the clean room?"

>"No, maybe they want it shut down? Maybe they want to force us to publicly admit what COBALT is: that would pretty much ruin the whole Midas/COBALT network for its current application."

Nate
"It would? Why's that?"

Hiro
>"You know why were doing piddly-shit math homework for a bunch of neck-beards with monopoly money? Because, basically, we can't get COBALT to do anything else yet. But its so powerful that once we do figure it out, it'll basically make all of that e-cash completely obsolete. As well as most cyber-security systems in existence."

Nate
"So as long as no one acknowledges what COBALT is, the money is still worth something? Then what's the point of investing in this satellite network?"

Hiro shrugs
>"Infrastructure. Not sure what all of the game plan is, but once its in place, the sky's the limit. We could even create our own cryptocurrency, one that would be more or less bulletproof."

>Ask Hiro what his crazy plan was to make this satellite rescue operation still work.

Nate
"Well, now that you've got me here, are you going to tell me about this plan you mentioned?"

Hiro smiles and shuts his laptop.
>"Okay, so the clean room is out of commission, right? But! There's another clean room, right? Kept separate from the main facility."

Nate
"The satellite assembly hangar, yeah. But we don't need a clean room to build the transponder: its not going into space."

Hiro
>"True, but what's in the hangar, Nate?"

Nate
"Right now, we're prepping Midas-- Oh you son of a bitch."

Hiro get's that look on his face: the one where he knows he's being a smug son of a bitch and doesn't care. Not that he seems to care much about what people think of him.
>"Yuuuuup."

Your voice drops to a hiss and you lean forward
"You want me to steal the transponder out of satellite #20, don't you?"

He leans back and puts rests his hands behind his head in feigned nonchalance.
>"Hey, without COBALT that thing is pretty much a half-billion dollar paperweight anyway."

Nate
"Yeah, but- Holy shit, half a billion?"

Hiro
>"Well, that's with launch costs and everything. You don't go to the big corporate events do you?"

You shake your head and quietly shudder at the thought of all of those people packed together under blaring music and flashing, mile-wide projection screens.
"I- I try to keep up."

Hiro
>"Mmm hmmm, clearly."

>>593490
This sounds like an unneeded and risky shortcut. If we don't need a clean room, just slap together the parts in the coffee shop or something.

An Urchin...This guy's solution seems prickly enough to match the appearance of that if nothing else. Hrrm.
Well that plan sounds needlessly complicated and maybe even a few too many notes of CRAZY, especially given the....Issues, we gotta manage.

Do not re-allocate mission-critical assets without appropriate authorization. If there is a chance that some horrible catastrophe could result from your action, get the authorization in writing and put a copy somewhere it can't be meddled with.

Consider going back to Doug and letting him know that, actually, there is some useful work you could do in a clean room today, if he's willing to officially order it.

Once the transponder is available, any sort of estimate on how long the software side of the problem will take? Is it possible to just give COBALT a hard reset, clear out any weirdness that way?

>>593620
This.

>>593620
Hmm. Tell Hiro that you'll ask Doug about it. He's been surprisingly open to new ideas from you, you aren't entirely sure why it is, but you guess maybe he sees himself in you?

When you call up Doug, let him know you have something to talk to him about--Involving "both subjects."

While its a good idea I would not move anything without permission right now.

I mean you just had a intruder break in one of your secure labs and did who knows what besides taking out Sharon. If Hiro can get you clearance I would say no problem.

>>593620
>Is it possible to just give COBALT a hard reset, clear out any weirdness that way?

Refer to the previous chapter to see these
facts:

>The Midas satellite on the other hand, was built to pump all of those absurdly complex calculations directly into Cobalt while at the same time remaining absolutely secure.

>Midas is only part of the problem; apparently it received a string of information from somewhere and sent it straight through to Cobalt. Now, Cobalt's stopped responding to our input and is working on whatever Midas sent it. I was up all night working on a framework just to get the damn thing to talk to me. "

>Cobalt generates the crypt-keys and we've lost control of Cobalt; that means we've also lost access to Midas as well.

>Midas has a transponder in it that we hooked up to Cobalt in order to synch them up. What we do is make a fake transponder, synch it with Cobalt, and then hook that up to a computer. We should be able to use it to trick Cobalt into thinking that we're another Midas satellite so that we can send it commands.

Nate 2014/09/12(Fri)19:39 No. 593863 ID: 557bac
File 141057596169.png - (1.27MB , 600x600 , 2-57.png )

>Do not re-allocate mission-critical assets without appropriate authorization.

Nate
"I don't know if we should be taking parts off of one project just to fill the short term needs of another, Hiro."

Hiro dismisses you with a hand wave.
>"Baaaah, you're no fun. Its not like we're stealing it."

Nate
"No, but I should at least get authorization to do something like that."

Hiro sulks
>"Fffff-fine, yeah. I was just going to tell them afterwards, once we save the day and everything."

Nate
"I should run it by Doug. He's the one that set me up with the transponder schematic, I bet he would be willing to help. I could still build it on my own if I had the parts, but those are still in the clean-room."

Hiro
>"Up to you, man. If you think you can get permission, go for it. Otherwise, we either have to get those parts or we just wait till the clean-room is opened up again."

> Any sort of estimate on how long the software side of the problem will take?

Nate
"What about on your end? How's the base-8 fix going?"

Hiro
>"Pretty well actually. I slapped together a quick program that picks up parts of the program and runs them through an octal translator. It's getting a lot of garbage, but I've been able to piece together bits and pieces of what its been doing. Still can't actually send any commands though. Still have a lot of work to do before we get anything I'd call functional. Tomorrow, I'll have something hopefully."

He flips the laptop open again and swivels it to face you.
>"Check this shit out though."
On the screen it looks like a rendering of several three axis graphs or maps, plotting out a tangle of forces. Some of them appear to show trajectories, while others appear to represent distortions in some kind of surface.
>"Weird, huh?"

>>593863
I think this has something to do with The Axle. Like, maybe Cobalt analyzed it, and came up with a plan of dealing with it?

Call Doug, ask if you can get permission to borrow the spare transponder, or lacking that, let you grab the parts from the clean room so you can put it together. Tell him it could be extremely important.

That looks like its plotting celestial mechanics and distortions in space time.

Which would point to our guess that this is somehow related to our big blue shifted friend upstairs.

Let him know what you think of the diagrams but avoid mentioning anything about the bugs or the axle. While they are probably related until we know more there is not much we can do about it.

Although Hiro is probably one of the few people here who would believe you if you had even a little evidence.

"Did this come from Cobalt?"

Nate 2014/09/15(Mon)17:08 No. 594259 ID: 557bac
File 141082608862.png - (164.63KB , 534x600 , 2-58.png )

>"Did this come from Cobalt?"

Nate
"Cobalt did this? Any idea what it means?"

Hiro shrugs
>"Hell if I know. As I said, this is just a piece of what its doing."

>That looks like its plotting celestial mechanics and distortions in space time.

Nate
"It looks almost... celestial? Like something from space, I mean."

Hiro
>"What? Like, what do you mean?

Nate
"Well, it looks to me like there's orbital mechanics, trajectories, gravitational forces..."

Hiro
>"It would look like that to you, space nerd. It could just as easily be quantum mechanics, dude. It would make sense to use Cobalt for that."

You can't help but look a little triumphant as you pounce on Hiro's statement.
"Ah-ha. So Cobalt is a quantum computer then?"

Hiro rolls his eyes. You've played this game many times before: trying to get Hiro to tell you about Cobalt itself, while he dismisses you with sarcasm. You can tell that he probably would like to talk more openly about it, but part of the agreement for working with Apex is that he keeps it secret. Now that you know more, you can understand why, though Hiro can be pretty cavalier about what constitutes a secret.
>"Pshhhhh, its a pain in the ass, is what it is. Just like you. Now are you going to get me a transponder or what?"

Nate
"Let me talk to Doug; see what he thinks."

Hiro
>"Bleh."
Its half hearted, indicating acceptance and that you're probably right.

>Is the bugless cashier lady still here?

On your way out you decide to stop over and see how Heather and he co-worker are doing. Since its getting pretty close to lunch, they look like they're cleaning up before the rush.

Heather looks up from restocking the bagel bins and greets you.
>"Hey, look who's here! What's with all the guys in scrubs?"

>>594259
...waaaaaait a minute. Wasn't that thing we almost saw in the clean room sortof tentacley? I am somewhat suspicious of that guy in the back, now.

Tell her there was an intruder in the clean room and so everyone is evacuated for now. Then go with the plan here: >>593193

Also get a bagel, you haven't eaten anything in a while.

These are not fellow employees you can spread the truth to. These guys probably have signed no confidentiality forms to get these jobs, which means you can't mention a break in. You can probably say something like some bugs also got into the room somehow. A wasp, I think. Or was it some sort of porcupine bug thing. Hell, I thought I saw even an octopus or squid in a shadow but it was probably just a trick of the eye.

Some sort of infestation. Terrible really. At least it's clean around here.

>>594262
Man, somebody wasn't following protocol, few bugs got in. Wasp here, spider there, now they gotta scrub the place down. Kind of stressful when the clean labs get shut down, too; looked kind of like there was a squid in the shadows.

The clean room got contaminated- security responded to a suspected break in. You know something was off, one of the vent covers was removed. So now I'll be jumping at bugs or the sound of the building settling like a dog in a storm for the rest of the day.

Nate needs another coffee. Nate never had a chance to drink the one he ordered earlier. Remember, a fly flew into it?

Nate 2014/09/16(Tue)19:17 No. 594416 ID: 557bac
File 141092022792.png - (145.55KB , 600x463 , 2-59.png )

>The clean room got contaminated- security responded to a suspected break in.

Nate
"Well, basically the clean-room got contaminated. Something got in that shouldn't have."

Heather
>"Awww, dang. Do you know what it was?"

Nate
"Not really, It happens from time to time. Sometimes its just like a bug. You know..."
You cast your eyes around.
"Um.. spiders, moths, flies, er... urchins?"

Heather
>"Urchins, really? Are you messing with me? You're messing with me, aren't you?"

Her co-worker smirks and suppresses a chuckle as he fills the bus tray.

Heather
>"I swear, you engineers...."

> After Nate talks with Hiro we can maybe go confront her about the bugs, now that we know they're real.

Nate
"No, no um... sorry, I wasn't trying to mess with you. My mind was just drawing a blank. I mean, you must get bugs down here sometimes. right?

Heather
>"Just the occasional roach, really. We had some bad fruit-flies a while back but we took care of that, they were breeding in the sink trap."

Nate
"Anything else: wasps, beetles, ants?

Heather's mouth twists up and she pokes her tongs at your chest.
>"What are you, the health inspector? You gonna order something or not?"

>Nate needs another coffee.
>Also get a bagel, you haven't eaten anything in a while.

You realize you're sweating and your skin is starting to itch. You also realize that you're getting hungry.
"Er... Could I just get a dark roast, please? And a Bagel?"

Apologize, just say you're super neurotic about bugs and stuff and when you think you saw one up there you're looking everywhere. It's a huge fear you have, very sorry. Just neurotic.

Wait, Nate, can you describe those orange things around her?
Was she trying to get in your head through that prong?
Super weird.
Could that mean she's being defensive?

Something to asks your bugs later. Might excuse yourself to the bathroom.

>>594416
Nope, she can't see them, and you made yourself nervous so the wasps are back. Try to endure their presence until you're alone, at which point you can ask them what the fuck is going on, and also tell them to stop manifesting out here.

Did the guy carrying the dishes react at all? I wonder why she has no bugs, if she isn't killing them... maybe they're just really small, like Doug's. Wait, what are those yellow lines her bugs, just moving fast? Don't touch them.

>>594421

touch her bugs you must figure, this all out

I think those might be motion lines for her turning around.

Though small bugs is a good point. Fruit flies, fleas, ticks, or such maybe. Just so small they go unnoticed.

>>594427
This isn't the time to be passing out. It'd look really suspicious.

Those yellow blurs are rather interesting, but we don't have the time to figure it out. We also shouldn't be saying that Nate's neurotic. Just stressed out over being unable to work at the moment. Big project and all that.

>>594447
>>594427
Doug said it only happens if the person doesn't know you're there or isn't paying attention. Like with Diego, who was focused on his work at the time. Or Sharon, who was unconscious.

>>594421
We still don't have actual confirmation if all bugless people are like Doug. Doug's statement of 'people he thinks are real' may indicate there are other bug-seers, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they cope with bugs the same way. Nate doesn't kill his bugs, but Doug exterminates them immediately. Maybe Heather's bugs are all chilling in her hair or something. Maybe they're more adventurous. Bugs seem to like to travel, as evidenced by Brandon's sudden acquisition of the red ticks or Doug picking up that spider. Or maybe Heather just has 17-year cicadas and they're in their dormant cycle and she's going to explode with insects all at once. I've seen it happen before, 17 year cicadas are the worst. I had the misfortune to visit Wisconsin while Brood XIII was in full force. Couldn't go a block without getting nearly deafened with the sound. They landed all over you too, they didn't give a fuck.

How far are bugs willing to travel from their hosts? I'm sure that's been asked before, but I think it's a question that bears repeating.

Toxoglossa 2014/09/18(Thu)20:59 No. 594687 ID: 557bac
File 141109918208.png - (102.57KB , 410x600 , 2-60.png )

>>594450
You still aren't sure how far the insects can travel from their hosts. You've never seen them move more than a few feet, but its worth it to consider experimenting.

>>594419

Nate
"I didn't mean to imply you had bugs here its just... sorry. I just have a... thing about bugs."

Something is there, and then it isn't. A streak of color swooping past your vision. She smiles in sympathy.
>"Don't worry about it. They work you guys too hard, you know that?"

Heather goes to pour you some coffee and, while her back is turned, you rub your eyes and check your glasses.

The heck were those? You aren't sure how to describe them besides fast. You've seen flashes of color and light before, but they're usually caused by sound. You think that might have been a bug; but if it was, it was very short lived.

Toxoglossa 2014/09/18(Thu)20:59 No. 594688 ID: 557bac
File 141109918862.png - (95.23KB , 369x600 , 2-61.png )

Heather hands your mug back to you full of piping hot coffee.

You take a sip while waiting for your bagel, the warmth spreading through your body helping you settle your nerves. She leans on the counter and looks at your hands.
>"This thing you mentioned about bugs: does it have something to do with those?"

(Avoid panic) "Those?" Let her specify. Its the safest option.

Hmm... fireflies, I'm thinking.

>>594688
Yeah. It helps avoid scratching. You know how your skin itches sometimes when thinking about mosquitoes or other biting insects?

"I have developed an awful non-voluntary habit over the years, and it probably has something to do with my thing with bugs. It's not nail biting. I just itch a lot, too much. I don't even feel an itch on the skin, my hands just do it like there was."

Fast, small, yellow? Could be a Southern Dart. Tiny, fast yellow butterflies.
As for being short lived, well, the insects seem to react to emotion. She's a very calm, yet energetic, happy lady. There's not a whole lot that upsets her, especially since people don't have any reason to insult her. However, she felt a little insulted when she thought you were implying there were bugs in her shop, which was a sudden surge of emotion, no longer in her comfort zone.

Think back to Doug. He calms himself and keeps himself in a comfortable state of being, and yet when his emotions start surging, his ants come out.
And you? When your wasps started to come out, it was because you were experiencing some emotional turmoil, although the fact that the wasps would show up left you panicking even worse. But when you retreated to your safe spot, where you felt the most comfortable at? The wasps typically disappeared. Comfort keeps the insects at bay. Most people around you don't seem to be in a state of comfort very often, so you see their bugs.

I think its possible Nathan and Doug used to be childhood friends. Nathan used to not be afraid of bugs until he decided it would be a good idea to play with an Anthill (See Thread one). If Doug’s “bug” is the ant we saw him crush on his desk (Thread 2) then maybe the reason Nathan thought ants were friendly was because he saw it on his friend Doug all the time.
Anyway I want to support Doug and act as his “reality anchor”. When you go to get permission from Doug try seeing if he will do something after work.

Toxoglossa 2014/09/20(Sat)19:59 No. 594999 ID: 557bac
File 141126838401.png - (106.87KB , 523x600 , 2-62.png )

>>594691
>>594692

You hold up your fingers
"These? Yeah... Its like; you know how that feeling you get when a bug is crawling on you? I feel that pretty much all the time, even when nothing is there. The tape helps when I can't stop from itching. Its wierd, I know."

Heather
>"Aww man that sucks. I know how it is: my mom has OCD, like serious 'count-every-doorknob, constantly-wash-your-hands' OCD. I had to help out around the house a lot growing up, 'cause it could be really exhausting for her. It was frustrating but I still love her, and I think it was pretty badass to raise a kid while dealing with that kind of condition."

There's a clunk as your bagel slides out of the bottom of the toaster.
>"I know its not the same, but still its one of those things. All this time I had thought you hurt your fingers or something. Sorry I snapped at you, I don't think you're weird. Or at least weirder than any of the other guys around here."

>Or at least weirder than any of the other guys around here.
"Yeah, a lot of people who work in, well, scientific fields have some quirk about them."

Nate, do you typically hide what the bandages are for, or do people just not ask? If they just don't ask, say "It's not that I'm keeping it a secret, even, just that nobody cares enough to ask. Nothing wrong about that, our work takes a lot of focus."
If you have lied, then leave that part out.
Either way, follow up with "I've been getting better about it, but it's not perfect. Did your mom manage to get over some of her OCD, so that she can take the day a bit more calmly?"

Toxoglossa 2014/09/22(Mon)19:11 No. 595330 ID: 557bac
File 141143829494.png - (137.74KB , 600x600 , 2-63.png )

>>595003
You used to be much more self conscious about your fingers and hid them in your pockets constantly. Unfortunately, the more you tried to hide them, the more obvious you felt about it. Lately you've tried to go about things as if things were normal and ignore most of the stares. You get surprisingly few questions about them though.

You share a chuckle and pay for your food.
"Yeah, we're a pretty odd bunch."
Snacking on your bagel, you leave the coffee shop feeling a bit better about yourself. You suppose things could be worse, just look at what Doug has been dealing with. You wonder if there's anything you can do to help: clearly he's looking for some kind of support.

You decide to head up to Doug's office.

Toxoglossa 2014/09/22(Mon)19:11 No. 595332 ID: 557bac
File 141143830668.png - (216.59KB , 600x600 , 2-64.png )

But somehow, you find yourself standing in the woods.

END OF CHAPTER 2

>>595332
wait that coffee up.....

>>595332
Man, that's a powerful bagel.

Seems legit. Prepare for trip in the next thread.

Conserve bagel and coffee for food.

I think your wasps--And therefore, you, subconsciously--were aware of something approaching. They were out before you left the coffee shop, and now are perched upon your shoulder. Likely, somebody was entering and not watching themselves, as you weren't watching yourself, and now you're in their mind.

>>595332
You should have some coffee.

No, really. Checking how much the coffee has cooled can tell you if you're missing time. Or, I mean, you could just your phone, if you happen to remember what time it was.

>>595332
hey.
hey hey.
hey.
you know what's in the woods?
there are so many bugs in the woods.
there are literally more bugs than trees in the woods.

>>595466
You know what ELSE is in the woods?
Pope and Bear shit.
Nate, next chapters be careful for wild bears and wild popes.

I'm going to guess that we touched someone (or someone's bug) on accident.

>>595480
if the pope shits in the woods does anyone hear it?