Apollo 2015/11/17(Tue)02:57 No. 684560 ID: defceb
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“...“

Apollo 2015/11/17(Tue)02:57 No. 684561 ID: defceb
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“...”

“Huh? Oh, uh, it’s just...”

Apollo 2015/11/17(Tue)02:57 No. 684562 ID: defceb
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“...my hair. It’s shorter than I remembered. I look half my age.” Or a tenth.

“...”

We're from the future. Listen to us if you want to live.

Haley's going to start bleeding from her eyes. If you put her into a robot, she'll go crazy and start killing people, including you.

Do you remember any of it? We can do our best to fill you in, if not.

Hey Marie, do you believe in second chances?

Okay let's just try going directly to Haley this time and preventing her death, instead of trying to put her into a broken robot.

Also, Marie, if you want some replacement parts we can go to Hot Storage via Haley's ID Card, later. There's a whole robot body in there. The brain design's fucked but the rest of it should be fine.

...oh. wait. Something's different.



More of Marie's face is missing. I don't think we really went back in time at all.

Fuck. Marie, look around. Is anyone here?

So is this another flashback in your broken body, or do you actually have a chance to try and save her without killing anyone?

I don't see how you can stop an aneurysm from happening, but we could get other Pat working on the uplift machine now and retrieve her body immediately so we'll have time to disable the wireless. And detach the arms and legs. Let's see a strapped down torso murder anyone.

Okay, looks like you take permanent damage in exchange for save scumming. That's still in our favor, one wrong action can cause more damage than a million cuts.

Here's my two cents:
From our perspective, this is the second iteration of Haley's Murder Comet. The first time around, you found a stalking robot and broke it into tiny little pieces. It was invisible to us advisors, but the coolant stains most definitely were not. Damn, you're scary when you paint the walls blue. You decided to take this clunky looking robot out of storage. Long story short, it was a combat robot with another annoying AI installed or something, because Haley went insane with "hunger". You can probably guess what happened next.

So this time, either (A) use the stalking robot instead, (B) store Haley in your brain, or (C) tear the limbs off the robot, you only need the brain. Seriously, what were you guys thinking?

Hm. It's possible that (story-wise) another group of advisors also screwed up in thread 4 or 5, which is the reason why we skipped from thread 4 to thread 6. Or maybe I'm getting to meta. What do you think, Marie? For reference, we sometimes reframe our data logs so they don't get too cluttered, but the recent titles for our data logs are WEIRD.

Just er, to verify. You're missing a couple of large chunks of your head's plating right? Some has been covered and some has not.

We've had some desynch issues in the past regarding the live feed passed on to us in the past.

Apollo 2015/11/17(Tue)16:23 No. 684631 ID: defceb
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>We're from the future. Listen to us if you want to live.
>Hey Marie, do you believe in second chances?
>So is this another flashback in your broken body, or do you actually have a chance to try and save her without killing anyone?
>Okay, looks like you take permanent damage in exchange for save scumming.
...what?

>Just er, to verify. You're missing a couple of large chunks of your head's plating right? Some has been covered and some has not.
I poke my cheeks. Confirmed. When did that happen?

>Haley's going to start bleeding from her eyes. Etc.
>Here's my two cents: Lots of words
That doesn’t sound good. But I can’t just let Haley die I need to do something!

>...oh. wait. Something's different.
>Fuck. Marie, look around. Is anyone here?
I look around. This isn’t the room I thought I was in. The place is hot, and humid. I can hear machinery running off in the distance. Something that roars like an engine. I try to focus on the noise and hear… rain? And thunder. I don’t know why I’d hear a storm underground though. I’m alone. Wasn’t I just talking to someone?

A neatly wrapped present is sitting across from me on a pipe with a note taped to it. I go ahead and read the tone.

“Dearest Marie,

I know it’s still 9 days away from Thanksgiving by their calendar, but I went ahead and got you a Christmas present anyway. Don’t bother waiting to open it, I’m sure Santa can overlook an early gift in this situation.”

The signature is illegible.

>>684631
Christ, your abdomen is damaged from the fight too.

Well, uh. Open the package? Any way to tell what's in it beforehand? To make sure it's not a bomb or something? With the way things have been going...

Apollo 2015/11/17(Tue)16:54 No. 684638 ID: defceb
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>Well, uh. Open the package?
I tear open the gift wrapping and flip open the box. Inside I find all the previous posters I’ve collected, the keys I’ve found, my Swiss army knife, and Haley’s ID card.

At the bottom I find a new poster with a post-it note attached. “You can thank ab7529 for finding it. Merry Christmas!”

Into the inventory it all goes.

>Christ, your abdomen is damaged from the fight too.
I poke my belly. That’s exposed muscle. Looks like it’s been stitched together with needle and thread, too. I… should probably cover that.

>>684638
Does this mean we have all the numbers for the security office?
Anyway, it's time to move on. If you think you can make a covering for your stomach by cutting scraps of cloth I suppose that's worth a shot.

Hey, what tools does your swiss army knife have?

>Wasn’t I just talking to someone?
Yes. You were. You had a nice little chat with Pat, and other Pat, and Morgan, and Liz. And then you went to see Haley and it all went wrong. We tried to uplift her from her dying body, and it worked for a minute, and then she turned into one of those shadow things and killed everyone.

You used Haley's ID to get into where they stored her android body. Not sure where the rest of your inventory came from, you didn't have it before.

Not really sure how you're okay, now. But I really hope that means the other can be too.

>I can’t just let Haley die I need to do something!
Uh, good news. She might not be dead. Just insane.

>“You can thank ab7529 for finding it. Merry Christmas!”
Oh, cool. You're welcome. Did I ever mention our numbers change, sometimes? Dynamic IP and all.

>I… should probably cover that.
...wrapping paper? We don't have much else.

>what do
We're in a hall. We have two directions to go. What do you hear / see / smell in each direction?

(And if we want to be extra paranoid, you could check behind the mirror. Just don't punch it, you've broken your hands enough).

>Inside I find all the previous posters I’ve collected
Wait wait wait, show us poster 2! You got shot for that one, and we never even got a good look at it.

>“You can thank ab7529 for finding it. Merry Christmas!”

Huh. Was someone else controlling you, up until now? Strange. Maybe it was us moving your body around while you were unconscious, or something. If that's the case, though, then it's funny how we don't actually remember it.

Try to investigate the area. See if you can find any indication of where you are or how you got here.

Okay, so the thing we need to figure out right now is, is this time travel or memory loss? I mean both have happened already, so...

mmwell I don't think we're gonna find out in here, so best we get a move on then. Maybe we can save Haley before she dies and/or kills everyone. Or... Whatever let's do a thing.

Go to the clean room, the under-construction robot body. Install a backdoor that can be used to remotely disable voluntary muscle control. Something spring-loaded, so a connector has to be physically pressed back into place to reset it.

Apollo 2015/11/18(Wed)02:35 No. 684679 ID: defceb
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>Wait wait wait, show us poster 2!
Here it is.

>Hey, what tools does your swiss army knife have?
A knife, bigger knife, corkscrew, scissors, nail filer, pliers, bottle opener, wire scraper, magnifying lens, pen, tweezer, screwdriver, selection of smaller screwdrivers, wire scraper, tiny buzzsaw, needle and thread, whistle, multipurpose hook, and a survival knife. At least that’s all the tools that I can see on it. Oh, and a toothpick.

>Uh, good news. She might not be dead. Just insane.
Um.

>Oh, cool. You're welcome. Did I ever mention our numbers change, sometimes? Dynamic IP and all.
Thanks? I don’t understand what that means in this case.

>We're in a hall. We have two directions to go. What do you hear / see / smell in each direction?
I can’t see very far around here. But I think the source of the storm noises is to my left. To my right I can hear some kind of metal scratching noise. I don’t like either sound but I don’t think I can just stay here either.

I'd say check the storm. Metal scratching implies some sort of hostile robot. You just got repaired, again, let's not get you wrecked, again.

How many keys do we have?

>magnifying lens
Do you even need one? I'd think you'd have some magnification capability already.

>where go
Scratching. I hope / suspect that means there's a person that way.

Check out the storm noises; those generally can't chase you.

Apollo 2015/11/18(Wed)22:11 No. 684790 ID: defceb
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>How many keys do we have?
Two.

>Do you even need one? I'd think you'd have some magnification capability already.
Can’t be too prepared, I guess?

>Storm
I walk towards the storm. Storms can’t chase people. I hope. As I walk the hallways become flooded with steam. It should be hot but I feel like the place is just getting colder as I go. I feel something wet land on my head. Must be condensation from all this steam. As I walk down the path I get hit with more drops of water, their pace increasing as the temperature continues to plummet.

Apollo 2015/11/18(Wed)22:11 No. 684791 ID: defceb
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Now it’s just rain. Frigid, wet, rain landing on me in fat drops. I can feel it leaking into my injuries. I want to protest weather patterns appearing underground but frankly I’m too damn tired of this random bullshit to do it. I keep walking.

A hand pierces through the fog and pushes something up against me. I leap back in surprise, but the hand just pushes up against me again. An umbrella? I can’t complain about getting out of this rain but I can’t see who the hand is attached to through all this fog.

>>684791
Looks like the other one with the mask. The one that's been neutral in this conflict. May as well accept the umbrella, but be wary.

Marie, use Tackle!

>>684791
They're being civil. Thank them, ask if they want some company (because we certainly could).

Apollo 2015/11/19(Thu)01:45 No. 684819 ID: defceb
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>Marie, use Tackle!
Do I look like a pokemon to you?

I take the umbrella. “Thanks. Do you… need company?”

A sudden gust of wind grants me vision. Distant rolls of thunder echo over us, followed by beating winds of a storm. I can hear the crash of waves and rumbles of broken earth. Their voice rings clearly over the din, piercing yet serene. “You killed my better half. I have no need for company now”

Awkward. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t blame you. This place brings no clarity. It’s infection is a cruel virus. It- he diverted my better half. Now our purpose is lost.”

“Your purpose?”

“The one your whole gave us. If only I were whole to remember it.”

What IS this place?

...I can certainly relate to not being whole enough to remember everything you want to.

I don't know what my own purpose is. I'm afraid that everyone I tried to help is dead, or worse, too.

Who is the virus?

>>684819
>Do I look like a pokemon to you?
... Yes?

>>684866
Well she has evolved at least once.

Typing would probably be steel / water, considering how thematically important coolant has been.

Are those pipes just sheared off where the hallway opens up? Look back down them, check if there's anything interesting inside.

Apollo 2015/11/19(Thu)19:26 No. 684950 ID: defceb
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>Do I look like a pokemon to you?
>... Yes?
>Well she has evolved at least once.
>Typing would probably be steel / water, considering how thematically important coolant has been.
I don’t believe this.

“I consider the steel/water to be appropriate considering you are currently water-logged.”

THAT’S NOT HOW IT WORKS.

Apollo 2015/11/19(Thu)19:26 No. 684951 ID: defceb
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>Are those pipes just sheared off where the hallway opens up? Look back down them, check if there's anything interesting inside.
It just cuts off abruptly at the hallways end. The cut is perfectly smooth as far as I can tell. There’s nothing inside the pipes, though I’m fairly certain I had heard something flowing through them before.

“Geothermal power.” The person chimes in. “Fancy way of saying it’s a steam engine plugged into dirt.”

Apollo 2015/11/19(Thu)19:27 No. 684952 ID: defceb
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>What IS this place?
I relay the question to them. “Here? It was a power plant, once. The whole facility above relies on it. Now? I’m not so sure. It’s become warped, like the one who infects it. I know that rain cannot happen in these underground halls, yet here I am getting soaked. It’s strange.”

>Who is the virus?
I ask them this, too. “Beast. Cannibal. Half-forged man who laid their spine in the servers and planted their roots down here. You’ve seen them several times before, though never clearly.”

“I meant what’s their name?”

They shift awkwardly in place. Embarrassed? “I uh… don’t actually know their name and kind of hoped you wouldn’t ask after all that flowery talk.”

>>684952
In the servers... so this is either virtual reality, or some sort of reality-altering technology?

Where are the servers? Let's root out the virus.

>“I consider the steel/water to be appropriate considering you are currently water-logged.”
Hey! Marie, he heard us!

>Doesn't know their name
Does he know how he managed to take root in the systems? That obviously wasn't supposed to happen, and you wouldn't think they'd allow just anyone unsupervised access. And you probably can't uplift yourself, in whatever fashion, unassisted.

>>684953
>vr
Not if it's the in universe servers. So he's in the base's computers, using the wireless grid to hack the robots and cyborgs and such.

Well he's gotta have a name. I vote we call him Bonzi.

Well, what's your name then?

>>684955
I'm saying he'd also be hacking reality to make something like raining indoors a thing that is possible. The servers are most likely used to control whatever makes this facility do impossible things.

Apollo 2015/11/20(Fri)02:18 No. 684989 ID: defceb
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“How did he take root in the systems?”

They start to reply in some more vague, flowery talk. Fuck that I have viruses to stomp out and robot ladies to save. I grab them by the collar and give them a good shake.

“Hey! Speak plainly for once.”
“I, uh, er, I thought it would fit the mysterious horror atmosphere if I talked in vague prose.”
“Virus. Roots. System. Talk.”
“As far as I can tell they were supposed to be uplifted but something happened and they got dumped into the servers instead _{please don’t hurt me}.”

Fucking Victor.

“Where’s the server room?”
“It’s hidden between the fourth and fifth floors. The safety door has been locked down and you can’t get through it without solving a mysterious- aahh!”
I give them another shake.
“-I mean if you shut off the power plant it’ll force the system to switch to emergency generators and flip open the door. It’ll also force the grid to shut down as well, taking care of the now armed and armored drones as well.”

>>684989
Armed and armored? Jesus christ as if we didn't have enough trouble with drones already.
Marie, this time, we need to prepare very carefully. Stay off the grid as much as possible and collect some equipment and tools. Now that the serial killer is dead and Victor's wireless connection is disabled, we don't have to worry about off-grid threats. Actually, let's confirm that Victor was using you as a relay. Ask if Victor has messed with her head recently.

How well armored are we talking about here, anyway? I'm guessing "armed" means they have guns now, which means uhhh... well actually I'm not sure we can survive a confrontation even with equipment, unless we can find some sort of bullet-proof shield. We'll need some sort of strategy that will let us avoid getting shot at until we can shut down the grid. Where's the power plant, anyway? She should know the layout of the facility in general. The specifics are probably not reliable considering it's getting twisted up and impossible shit is happening, but the general layout is probably fine?

Oh. For curiosity's sake, ask what would have happened if you had put on that weird black mask.

>fucking Victor
If Victor is the narrator / virus, who was that trapped on the brain-box in Victor's room? They didn't seem crazy, they seemed trapped and lost.

>robot ladies to save
And hopefully non-robot ladies and dudes who weren't killed by said robot ladies.

>shut down the power to stop the baddies
Oh hey, that should be close, right?

That won't, say, shut down the air and suffocate any humans still alive down here, right?

>please don't hurt me
Okay!

Apollo 2015/11/20(Fri)23:34 No. 685088 ID: defceb
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“Armed and armored?”

“Vests, guns, smoke canisters, chemicals. The security was fit to quell prisoner riots.”

“The way to shut down power is close, right?”

“Were things normal, it would be right here. You’ll want to find an office with a computer terminal. Lots of fancy levers and buttons and blinky lights.”

“Is that the scientific term?”

“Flip the power converter and activate the quark positron piledriver dropkick suplex attitude adjustment.” They wave their hands around mockingly. “There’s an office with all the engine controls. It used to be here, now it isn’t. I’m sure it’s still somewhere down here, though.”

I hear the distant roar of an earthquake, followed by feeling its vibrations run through the ground. They turn to stare off into the distance. “I think he heard us. You should go.”

>>685088
Jeez really? Okay. Let's head back the other way then, since we don't know of any other exits wherever this is.

>>685088
thanks for not being all evil this time. it's appreciated.

Prisoner riots? What was this facility originally set up for, again?

Okay. Um, thank you.

Walk to the edge of the rain, and then turn back. *offer umbrella* You want this back?

>>685127
Experiments on prisoners.

Apollo 2015/11/22(Sun)21:34 No. 685303 ID: defceb
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“Thanks for not being evil this time. Do you need this back?” I offer them the umbrella.

“I’ll be alright. This helmet is waterproof. I think. Or if it isn’t I won’t need it any longer.” They shrug, then suddenly perk up and rummage through their pockets. They stuff a small photograph into my hands.. “Oh! If you happen to find my whole out there, give them this. I think it’s important.”

>Let's head back the other way then, since we don't know of any other exits wherever this is.
I could head back. Alternatively, there’s a makeshift bridge formed from a pipe sticking out of the wall. I can’t tell what is waiting for me that way.

So, back to the scratching noise or across the bridge of mystery?

First things first: look at the photograph.

Then let's backtrack.

That direction does look pretty important. Let's head across the bridge.
...wait what the fuck am I saying? Every time we've headed towards something important, we've gotten wrecked by something. Go back, find out what the other noise was.

Apollo 2015/11/23(Mon)23:41 No. 685453 ID: defceb
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>Every time we've headed towards something important, we've gotten wrecked by something.
Yeah, fuck you important-looking thing. Probably full of dangerous stuff. I don’t like dangerous stuff.

I look at the picture while I backtrack. It’s an old picture, tearing along the folds and stained with age. Something about it seems familiar.

Apollo 2015/11/23(Mon)23:42 No. 685454 ID: defceb
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I walk down the hallway. The place warms back up quickly, and I can hear something going through the pipes again. There’s not much to do here but walk. The path breaks off into a variety of winding paths and turns, each one as nondescript as the next. The whole way I swear I can hear that scratching noise, sometimes as if it were coming from right behind me. But when I turn around to look, there’s nothing there.

This place sucks. I’m getting nowhere just walking around blindly.

>>685454
Great. So there's nothing this way. I guess we have to go check out the important thing.

Are you telling me you don't remember the bird aliens? Or just that particular scene?

Did the birds have any particular beliefs about the necessity of accepting augmentations to survive?

Better get back to the bridge.

>Something about it seems familiar
You've seen it before. When you met the bird aliens on your exosolar voyage. That photo was in the suitcase they offered you at your first meeting. It was part of their Voyageer / Pioneer kit.

It shows what a baseline one of them looks like. Before the modifications adapted to life in space. (Before uplift, such as theirs is).

There's no spooky edits I can find besides the aging, which is a little surprising.

>This place sucks. I’m getting nowhere just walking around blindly.
Enhance hearing?

Maybe try using the looping nature of these halls to get behind what's following you?

Or you could just try talking to whoever's there. Ask them to come out.

Apollo 2015/11/27(Fri)01:37 No. 685935 ID: defceb
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>Are you telling me you don't remember the bird aliens? Or just that particular scene?
>You've seen it before. When you met the bird aliens on your exosolar voyage.
The SAME picture? I have a hard time believing that. Why would they even have this? I guess I’ll just have to ask when I see them again.

>Great. So there's nothing this way
>Better get back to the bridge.
I turn around and trace my steps back. It was this way… I think. All these winding hallways just bleed together in my memory. I take a left here, right at that corner, go straight and…

Apollo 2015/11/27(Fri)01:37 No. 685936 ID: defceb
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...this isn’t the bridge.

You need to figure out why you're lost. We'll try to help.

Try to intentionally go around in a circle. Please explain each step, every detail. Then, repeat your actions to the best of your ability, intentionally attempting to repeat your actions. We'll try to spot any changes in your actions and the environment. At the end, we'll try to formulate a course of action. If it turns out that this place shifts or you've been forcefully disoriented, then we'll need to get creative.

>The SAME picture? I have a hard time believing that.
Yes it is kind of hard to believe stuff from the future being where it's not supposed to be.

At the very least, it's the same image. Testing if it's actually the same print you received / will receive isn't something we can test by visual inspection.

>>685935
Um. I think we're seeing through walls. Two people in an elevator just went past you. They're just silhouettes, but one might be Haley, from the hair.

>>685936
Right. Um. So what is it? Check out that light source.

Apollo 2015/11/27(Fri)15:56 No. 685994 ID: defceb
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>Yes it is kind of hard to believe stuff from the future being where it's not supposed to be.
Yeah, how did it- oh. Sassy.

I march ahead to find out the source of that light. I don’t get far before I find a familiar face fighting an unfamiliar one. Is that Haley? She barely even looks human. I did that to her?

Get to high ground, time your ambush so that you can incapacitate both of them. Please tear off their limbs, it's your best way to keep them alive without killing you.

Also, you don't have internet so hacking is probably not going to happen, but you may have internal viruses that could activate if they say the right key phrases. So shut them up.

>I did that to her?
No. He did. All you tried to do was save her, the same as she tried to do with this tech the first time round. It's not your fault, or hers, that it's been perverted.

>>685994
...are they fighting? That looks like a fight.

I don't think you should get anywhere near that fight. The victor will eat the loser, and I doubt you are currently in a state to take down even a battered winner. You might be able to hide long enough that the winner leaves, so you can scavenge what's left?

Apollo 2015/12/07(Mon)23:21 No. 687663 ID: defceb
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>I don't think you should get anywhere near that fight.
Right. I stay back and watch.

Their fight is quick. Haley seizes the advantage and forces Jeannine to retreat, leading them back until their heel is dangling over the edge. She strikes for the jugular.

Apollo 2015/12/07(Mon)23:22 No. 687665 ID: defceb
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The blow pierces through flesh and metal with ease, claws finding purchase inside her neck. I hear a sound like thunder, and an unnatural scream rises up from Jeannine.

Haley’s tugging at something, and I can hear something like metal cords snapping with every pull. Jeannine is howling in agony, her hands reaching out and grasping at thin air blindly.

Intervene. Haley is trying to eat Jeannine's uh... soul? We can see it, you can't. Anyway, stop Haley. Even something like a shout might work. Like, "stop or I'll shoot!" If Haley can't see you, she might stand down out of caution, because she can't tell it's a bluff.

Climb one of the pillars and jump on top of Haley. Rip her head out and stuff her newest 'prize' in the neck cavity. Take the other head as well.

So how did you know that was Jeannine?

Help her. You can't allow this to happen to someone, nor can you allow someone you care about to become... this.

>>687665
now's your chance, strike from behind!

also i didn't know it was jeannine or I'd have told you to join forces with het

Wait, it looks like she's pulling out a red section. Which, isn't that a good thing?

I mean she's doing it violently and probably snapping both red and white bonds but uhh

>>687894
...you... could be right? Haley's leaving behind what looks like a functional white structure. Maybe if Haley takes in the red structure, she'll become stable? I mean, Haley's structure looks pretty fragmented and fucked up.

Maybe we shouldn't stop this.

>>687895
Or she could be consuming it, which could drive her more insane with hunger.

We're talking androids here, so you need to take them apart and bring them with you until you can find a way to fix their brains.

Apollo 2015/12/09(Wed)19:44 No. 687960 ID: defceb
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>Help her
Okay!

>Wait, it looks like she's pulling out a red section. Which, isn't that a good thing?
I don’t know!

>Maybe we shouldn't stop this.
>Now's your chance, strike from behind!
>Or she could be consuming it, which could drive her more insane with hunger.
I’m confused!

I hear a horrid snapping noise. Fuck it, I can’t wait any longer. I charge!

Haley knocks Jeannine off the cliff, and then dodges away from my attack. She uses my own momentum against me, sending me tumbling down after.

Apollo 2015/12/09(Wed)19:44 No. 687961 ID: defceb
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When I get out of this hellhole I want to learn robot karate.

I’m tired of getting my ass kicked.

Apollo 2015/12/09(Wed)19:45 No. 687962 ID: defceb
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Ow.

Rip Jeannine's legs off, then use her as your karate shield to take down Haley.

Apollo 2015/12/09(Wed)19:50 No. 687966 ID: defceb
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I splash into some sort of underground river. Immediately something in my back gives a series of electric pops, and when I crawl back to the surface I’m leaking water from several holes in my torso.

Great.

Jeannine is right beside me, dry heaving.

"you okay?"

>>687966
Remove water from body.

try to turn soul vision back on.

Apollo 2015/12/10(Thu)14:05 No. 688037 ID: defceb
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“You okay?”

She scrambles up to her feet. Her voice sounds softer all of a sudden, laced with fear and uncertainty. “Whhw-what did you say?”

“I said-”

“FUCK!” She grabs fistfuls of her own hair and rocks back and forth. Her breathing comes in fast, short gasps of air. All of a sudden she screams out into the air, collapsing back down to her knees and curling up into a ball. She pounds her fists against the metal pipe, sending dull reverberations across it’s length. A distant roar of thunder coincides with each blow.After a moment she rises back up, silently this time. “Can you hear that?”

I tilt my head back and forth. “...no?”

“It’s quiet.” She presses a finger up against her temple. “In here. I can’t hear them anymore.”

>>688037
Heyyyyy, that sounds like she's free of the Narrator too.

Um, ask her if she's okay with that. Was her relationship with him as adversarial as yours?

sounds like she's free.

Ask her if she needs a hug.

>In here. I can’t hear them anymore.
Can you hear us, out here? You could before.

Well, considering that her ASSistant was goading her into fighting random cyborgs and survivors with lethal force, she'll have to get used to it.

Ask her what it was like to hear the voices.

Apollo 2015/12/18(Fri)21:16 No. 689532 ID: defceb
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>Can you hear us, out here? You could before.
She stiffens up like she just saw a ghost. “You again.”

>Ask her if she needs a hug.
I open my mouth to speak but she answers first. “Just… just stay back.”

>Um, ask her if she's okay with that. Was her relationship with him as adversarial as yours?
“They helped me. Told me where to go, when to hide, how to fight. They said that they could help me find answers but now…” They gesture out into the open air. “...I don’t know what to do without them.”

>>689532
Well if it makes you feel any better, that messed up Haley cyborg probably has them now.

Did you find any answers?

Tell her that you've also got voices, but they're from a different community. From this point on, you're the leader. You have a plan, and you will need help.

Personally, I'm not sure if she was talking to another group of advisors or a sponsor, but it's not us.

>>689532
They? So it was another group, not the narrator?

If you want, we'll try and help you till you get your guys back. Pick up the slack for them, for a little while.

Oh, I have an idea. You two could spar a little. Marie's not had great luck with combat even with our advice and you need to get used to lacking immediate guidance. Uh, wait. Marie is your body even in good enough condition for a fake fight?

>>687961
>When I get out of this hellhole I want to learn robot karate.

What happened to the "tatsumaki" you used on that first drone back in the medical wing?

Apollo 2015/12/20(Sun)19:01 No. 689730 ID: defceb
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>What happened to the "tatsumaki" you used on that first drone back in the medical wing?
Beats me. I don’t know how I could do that in the first place.

>Oh, I have an idea. You two could spar a little. Marie's not had great luck with combat even with our advice and you need to get used to lacking immediate guidance. Uh, wait. Marie is your body even in good enough condition for a fake fight?
I move my left arm a little. Something sputters in protest and I hear another pop out of my torso. I’ll take that as a no.

>Did you find any answers?
“...no, I’m just as much in the dark now as I was then.” She gives a heavy sigh and turns to look at me. Something about her face seems familiar. “You’ve seen better days.”

>Tell her that you've also got voices, but they're from a different community. From this point on, you're the leader. You have a plan, and you will need help.
She shoots me a confused look."W-what are you saying?"

"They're saying we're going to team up now and save the day together."

"...Don't I get a say in this?"

>>689730
Are you going to say no?

>"...Don't I get a say in this?"
Well, yeah. We can't exactly make you do anything. Especially good stuff.

Would you like to team up? Being alone sucks, and I don't know about you, but I'm sick of getting beat up.

If we aren't going to team up, could you at least point us toward some sort of machine shop? Ideally something anachronistically advanced, off-grid, with limited automation. The advantages of a synthetic body over organics start to look pretty meager when the maintenance and repair supply chain crumbles.

Yes you get a say. But we totally outnumber you and your universe's time stops for us periodically so you'll have to think fast and speak with a platinum tongue.

... Wait, is your tongue literally made out of platinum?

Okay, focus. How long until Haley charges into the waterfall mouth-first?

>>689730
oh shit! behund her!

>>689793
Fuck, I see it too. I think we'd better run.

Is it pointing a gun at you? Duck!

Apollo 2015/12/29(Tue)15:07 No. 690828 ID: defceb
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>Are you going to say no?
“...um.”

I take her hand and start walking.

>oh shit! behund her!
>Fuck, I see it too. I think we'd better run.
I don’t see anything, but I’m not about to question you guys on this. We pick up the pace.

>If we aren't going to team up, could you at least point us toward some sort of machine shop? Ideally something anachronistically advanced, off-grid, with limited automation. The advantages of a synthetic body over organics start to look pretty meager when the maintenance and repair supply chain crumbles.
“There’s a scrap pile near here. I saw a lot of prototype bodies like yours when I walked through it, would that work?”

Apollo 2015/12/29(Tue)15:07 No. 690829 ID: defceb
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“...what did you just call me?”

“Prototype? I just assumed since my body is more advanced and there were a bunch of scrapped models like yours that… are you not? Was that an insult?”

>>690829
I think there are a bunch of scrapped bodies like Marie's because there are a lot of her around. Some kind of weird alternate timeline shit.
It's not a prototype body though. That I think we can be sure of. I mean, we talked to a scientist in charge of the uplift project and she said Marie's body was more advanced than what they had, didn't she?

>>690829
No, not an insult. Unexpected.

Technically, if you were the first uplift, your body would have been a prototype, although you mentioned early you'd had upgrades since then.

Could you compare frames, actually? See if she is more advanced than you? Serials, time-stamps, capabilities, boring machine code stuff? Would be a real way to test if you're actually from the future. If you were upgraded decades / centuries in the future, you should be more advanced, not vice-versa.

But alternate yous, be they production prototypes or time clones would be a good first location for repairs or answers.

Actually wait, how she doing? She doesn't look hurt as badly as you, but is she okay aside from her voices going silent?

>>690834
>compare frames
lewd.

>>690828
>would that work?
It's a start. First priority is compatible, uncontaminated replacement parts, followed by tools with which to do the installation. Some armor and/or ranged weapons would also be nice, even if it's just a paintball gun and an aramid fiber suicide-watch smock. Paint can disable cameras, or spoil active camo, and we've been taking way too much crap from mooks with knives.

Apollo 2016/01/02(Sat)01:05 No. 691214 ID: defceb
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“I need the repairs, let’s go.”
“That’s putting it lightly. There’s going to be stairs on the right, up ahead.”

>Actually wait, how she doing? She doesn't look hurt as badly as you, but is she okay aside from her voices going silent?
“Not well, thanks.” Her voice wavers with uncertainty and her actions are punctuated with an anxious sort of twitching. She’s trying to look calm, but she’s not doing a very good job of it. “You uh… wouldn’t happen to have found much information about me, would you? From before all this?”

>compare frames
We talk boring machine shit. Her body is stronger, faster, tougher, not torn up-
“My chest is also bigger.”
“How is that relevant?”
“It’s true, see?”
“H-hey let go of me!”
“Oh shush, their view is panned all the way out we just look like black blobs from there.”
“Your hands are IN MY SHIRT!”
“One this is hardly a shirt anymore, two I’m proving a point.”
“Stop that!”

curses, couldn't have waited for a close up, huh?

i kid i kid. but yeah, sounds like you are in your prototype body and not your post upgrade body, unless you only upgraded bits and bobs.

think of it like a car. adding a newer better air filter is marginal at making the car work better overall.

>>691214
You can tell where our view is pointed? Or can you control it? You don't really look like blobs, more like stick figures. We can't really see the groping anyway, our view is from before that happened.

Oh hey it's another dangly key. Feel up to collecting this one too? I uh, think this one might be more dangerous than all the others. You're gonna want a lasso or something.

>>691214
> Her body is stronger, faster, tougher, not torn up-
>“My chest is also bigger.”
Well we can;t be having this!
>Expand Knockers

Ah but does her model come with a boob slider? That's the important question everyone wants to know.

Or more pertinently, are those specs good for the 23rd century, or the 23rd millennium? How much RAM can you download, what's your skin sensor density and sensitivity, is anything made out of space age future metal or is there anything you can use to date things?

>her stats are better
So you didn't get them future-upgrades after all. Not looking good for your perception of reality. Unless the difference is that you were a civy model, and she was made with secret underground military funding?

>My chest is also bigger.
Hey, we'll see how big your chest is after taking a laser through it.

>You uh… wouldn’t happen to have found much information about me, would you? From before all this?
If you're who we think you were, a few things.

Your adoptive parents were french doctors. You were in South America during the war, best guess to your nationality is Brazilian. Something bad happened to you in Brazil, enough so that you had to lie about the cause of your injuries. That's probably what eventually got you here. You went by Jeannine Lyotard, although it's likely that wasn't your birth name. You didn't like having to lie, and worried about losing your past, even then. At least one of the people observing didn't think upload changed your personality, who you are. (Sources: >>/questarch/635437 >>/questarch/636163 >>/questarch/651315 >>/questarch/677423 ).

I'm sorry if that's not much, but it's more than I can remember or have found about who I was, before everything.

Grab the key dangling off the end of that pipe spike thing up ahead. Can't have too many keys.

Apollo 2016/01/03(Sun)02:08 No. 691465 ID: defceb
File 145181571997.png - (31.55KB , 840x600 , 8034.png )

>Key
On it.

>You can tell where our view is pointed? Or can you control it? You don't really look like blobs, more like stick figures.
“What, you can’t?”
“I’m trying to focus on not falling here.”

>Expand Knockers
That’s broken. If it’ll make you feel better we can do that first thing once we loot those other bodies for repairs.

>If you're who we think you were, a few things.
>words words words
>Something bad happened to you in Brazil,
“...is that why I have the nightmares?”

>I'm sorry if that's not much, but it's more than I can remember or have found about whoI was, before everything.
I’m sure we’ll figure that out. Maybe. Hopefully.

>>691465
Might want to go prone near the end there, to spread out your weight so it doesn't collapse. The last bit looks thin.

can try grabbing the last part and bending it up and towards you.

Wow, it would really suck if you fell off an edge again.

>“What, you can’t?”
Well, to be fair, I think Marie hasn't been directly aware of our presence as long. Narrator guy clouded things for a while.

>“...is that why I have the nightmares?”
Maybe? Is it always the same one? Um, do you mind telling us about it? You don't have to.

Apollo 2016/01/03(Sun)22:02 No. 691612 ID: defceb
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>Wow, it would really suck if you fell off an edge again.
I would probably cry. I don’t want to embarrass myself infront of you guys again.

>Is it always the same one? Um, do you mind telling us about it? You don't have to.
“It’s the same one every time. There’s a church, and a woman. She’s praying to Virgin Mary, shouting out loud. Birds fly by and…” She struggles with the next words, gesturing aimlessly into the air and chewing on her thoughts.

Apollo 2016/01/03(Sun)22:02 No. 691613 ID: defceb
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“There’s a gas that fills the air. Green, sickly. Something lands in the church and then the gas pours out. I see the woman melt into the ground and I run. There’s chaos in the streets, someone’s blaring a siren in the distance, I don’t know where I’m going untill… I don’t know. The rest goes to static. I’ve tried to find a way out of that nightmare every time it happens. Pleading with the woman, running in different directions, staying, hiding, it always bleeds into that static noise and, and then I wake up.”

She sighs and lays on her back, covering her face with her hands. I think she’s crying?

>Might want to go prone near the end there, to spread out your weight so it doesn't collapse. The last bit looks thin.
Almost got it.

Oh god... she's CHEWING THROUGH THE PIPE. Get out of there, now!

be ready to shuffle back like a mofo.

>I think she’s crying?
Wow. Um, it really sucks that you're too far away to hug her or meaningfully comfort her.

>>Wow, it would really suck if you fell off an edge again.
>I would probably cry. I don’t want to embarrass myself infront of you guys again.
And it would really suck if we fall off the edge while she's crying so you can never comfort her and just give her more to cry about.

Apollo 2016/01/04(Mon)00:13 No. 691633 ID: defceb
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Got it!

>Oh god... she's CHEWING THROUGH THE PIPE. Get out of there, now!
WHAT!? I bounce out asap.

Apollo 2016/01/04(Mon)00:13 No. 691634 ID: defceb
File 145189523897.png - (31.84KB , 840x600 , 8038.png )

>Wow. Um, it really sucks that you're too far away to hug her or meaningfully comfort her.
I run back and land on top of her. Problem solved.

>>691633
Grab Jeannine and get to safety. Look around for power wires and reinforced structures.

>>691634
Are you two going to make out now or...

SQUEEZE

Use the key to unlock... her heart.

>>691634
Comfort her over the terrible ptsd dream.

Apollo 2016/01/07(Thu)20:10 No. 692112 ID: defceb
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>Are you two going to make out now or…
“Well, you heard them.”

What? No.

>Use the key to unlock... her heart.
Not happening. I don’t think she’s anything close to emotionally stable, I’d be taking advantage of her.

Uhg now she’s making kissy faces at me make it stop.

Apollo 2016/01/07(Thu)20:10 No. 692113 ID: defceb
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>Grab Jeannine and get to safety.
We get going. She leads me down the stairs towards the scrap yard she was talking about. This stairwell feels like it’s going on forever…

“There it is!” She points off to the side. I peer over the edge and see what looks like a dark blob stretching as far as I can see.

“That is the scrap yard?”

“Yeap! Looks pretty big from up here but I don’t recall it taking long to walk through.”

“And the red dots?”

“The red-? shit.” She peers over the edge as well. “Drones? I think. They weren’t there before, honest.”

Stealth-kill them all?

They're robots, you can rip out their brains and stuff them in less lethal robot bodies later.

>>692113
Honestly, even one of those guys has given you trouble before. Even with backup, being outnumbered by them is not a good situation.

Uh. Maybe we can get them to leave? Distract them somehow?

>>692113
Great. Well, we've snuck past them before, let's just do that again. I think the risk is worth it in this case. Plus, with all the debris down there there's likely going to be enough things you can use as improvisational weapons that you can put up a decent fight. I mean, you have one good arm, right? That's all you need to throw shit.

leap all the way down the stairs

Locate and quietly disarm an armed and armored drone. Use the stolen weapon to fully disable it, and if time permits, salvage remaining armor for personal use.

Apollo 2016/01/09(Sat)22:23 No. 692630 ID: defceb
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>Stealth-kill them all?
>Sneak
>Locate and quietly disarm

We walk the rest of the way down quietly. The scrap yard doesn’t look much more appealing up close, just junk metal as far as I can see. The place is flooded with water as well, making walking around it a pain. We manage to sneak up behind one of them alone.

It’s just standing there.

>>692630
avoid confrontation if possible. We do not have a great track record trying to fight these things even at our BEST.

If they're all stationary stealth is going to be easier than we thought. However, it also looks like it has a gun, so if they get alerted we're probably dead. I say try to find some parts without them seeing you.

Do you see those shiny things on the... uh... outcroppings?

...wait what's that hanging off of what looks like a crane arm? Is that a gun?

>>692630
Huck a chunk of scrap so it lands behind it. If the drone flips out and attacks the noise, then SNEAKING MISSION your way through the scrapyard. If it doesn't, you can pay more attention to looking for useful scrap.

It looks... kind of see through to me. And there's a lot of static around it.

Is it possible those shiny things are lenses, and the drones are projections? It would be pretty sneaky to try and keep you away from stuff with illusionary baddies.

>>692680
Good idea, but let's test two hypotheses at once. Aim a scrap-metal shuriken at the drone's knee, see if you can knock it down. Bigger distraction that way if successful, or we find out it's a hologram without walking all the way into the killbox.

>>692950
That would alert them and if they have guns, lead to our death.

I don't think we should try to "distract" it in any way, since there's no non-suspicious way to do that. I mean it's not like the rubble moves on its own.

Apollo 2016/01/15(Fri)16:59 No. 694186 ID: defceb
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>Inspect things
I sneak around for a better vantage of those outcroppings. They almost look like-

A sharp crunching sound fills the air, followed by a series of metallic shrieks.

Apollo 2016/01/15(Fri)16:59 No. 694187 ID: defceb
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“Marie! I got one!”

“What are you doing!?”

“Well I couldn’t find a shuriken but I found this hunk of junk so I went up, tapped the thing on the knee and turns out they’re real! So I just, ya know, bashed it. A little.” She shifts awkwardly from one foot to the other. “...did I do something wrong?”

>>694187
:(

Bust open one of the capsules, pull out the perfectly intact robot body, carry it away from all the hostiles. Be warned, Marie, it probably looks exactly like you.

Jeannine, you might want to run interference. You've got a weapon, and a mostly undamaged body, by the looks of it. First priority is slowing them down so we can escape with the goods.

it was loud.

>>694186
...is that your capsule. Is that another you in there?

Get help in getting the capsule open. Then we need to grab a spare and run.

Probably should check for brain function before you start chopping her up for spare parts, when we get clear.

>>694187
>I got one!
>without getting hurt!
...I don't understand.

>“...did I do something wrong?”
No not really, but we've lost stealth. We're gonna need to grab what we need and go before the hordes descend on us.

>>694187
Nicely done, but you forgot to hack their voice-box. Also that execution was loud. You've been spotted, time to run!

You seem to have disabled it without being impaled or otherwise maimed, so I'm in no position to criticize your skills. If it had a weapon, or any other milspec-looking gear, go back and retrieve that stuff. Otherwise, help me pry this escape pod open.

Apollo 2016/02/03(Wed)13:29 No. 698739 ID: defceb
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>Jeannine, you might want to run interference. You've got a weapon, and a mostly undamaged body, by the looks of it. First priority is slowing them down so we can escape with the goods.
“Okay!” She shouts enthusiastically before leaping over the rubble, weapon in hand. Her exit is followed by the sound of screeching metal and gunfire. I think she’s enjoying the violence.

>...is that your capsule. Is that another you in there?
>Bust open one of the capsules, pull out the perfectly intact robot body, carry it away from all the hostiles. Be warned, Marie, it probably looks exactly like you.
I run over and bust open the capsule. Inside I find, well, like you said it looks like another me. The clothes are different, and the body isn’t busted but besides that it’s the spitting image.

>Probably should check for brain function before you start chopping her up for spare parts, when we get clear.
I link up and check. There’s scraps of data lingering around but for the most part this body is clean.

>>698739
Marie: Scraps of data? I wonder if you should collect it.

It's tempting to suggest you directly transfer into the new body via data connection, but the wireless is probably active in this one, so you'd get compromised. You'd have to deactivate the wireless before uploading yourself into it. If you can even do that. I mean, true transfer of consciousness isn't just copy-paste, is it?

You're probably going to have to drag it off to a clean room so you can open it up, disable the wireless, and do a brainbox transplant with Jeannine's help. There are too many structural problems with your current body to just patch it up, I expect, and I don't think you have the tools on you to do a quick disassembly.

Anyway, make it quick. Get that body out of there and move it to safety. If possible, link yourself up to it in a way that lets you control it, so that you don't have to drag it with your damaged body.

Jeez I hope Jeannine isn't getting shot, and is doing the shooting.

>>698739
Right. So... your options are are to carry this body away to strip for parts, or to just jump ship from one to the other, hermit crab style.

Archive the "scraps," swap clothes, then warm up the new bod as an extremely short-range telepresence rig. Give your current shell a piggyback ride.

Apollo 2016/02/05(Fri)17:46 No. 699359 ID: defceb
File 145472317774.png - (22.52KB , 840x600 , 8045.png )

>Marie: Scraps of data? I wonder if you should collect it.
>Archive the "scraps,"
Archived.

>It's tempting to suggest you directly transfer into the new body via data connection, but the wireless is probably active in this one, so you'd get compromised. You'd have to deactivate the wireless before uploading yourself into it. If you can even do that.
I’m not finding any of that corruption I have before in this body. Maybe I could disable the wireless digitally?

>true transfer of consciousness isn't just copy-paste, is it?
...maybe I could? I wish Haley were here. She’d know how this works properly.

>Anyway, make it quick. Get that body out of there and move it to safety. If possible, link yourself up to it in a way that lets you control it, so that you don't have to drag it with your damaged body.
>warm up the new bod as an extremely short-range telepresence rig. Give your current shell a piggyback ride.
I link to the body and try to control it. The sensation is something like having ice water water poured down my spine, but I get to feel it from both the perspective of the spine and the water at the same time. I’m seeing out of both sets of eyes, feeling both of them move. The new body is heavier than I’m used to as well.

I think I’m giving myself a headache trying to pilot these two bodies at once. This is nauseating. I try to close my eyes but I’m still seeing out the other and now my vision is swimming and-

Apollo 2016/02/05(Fri)17:46 No. 699361 ID: defceb
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Something wet lands on my head. On one of my heads. Rain?

“Marie we have a problem!”

“Are you dead?” I speak with two different voices.

“Well, technically speaking I think in legal terms-”

“Is it the drones?”

“No, I got those! ...technically.”

>>699361
Quick, while there's still time! Mutally masturbate with your second body!
wait no, there's a problem here we should fix before going in for that isnt there

Technically what do you mean technically
Look up to see what the wet thing was.

Marie, you were able to disconnect parts of your senses before, like with your suspicious eye. Do that again so you don't get your senses all weirded out. Maybe you can outright disconnect all of your old body's senses, and pilot only the new body. It's heavier, and likely stronger, so you can carry your old body with it. Which you likely want to do because we're going to run away shortly I think.

>She’d know how this works properly.
If she'd stop moaning about brains and eating them, probably.

>I think I’m giving myself a headache trying to pilot these two bodies at once.
Jump to new boy, leave code in the old body so it's programmed walk and to follow you around and respond to a few basic voice commands. Come, stay, fetch, etc.

Rollover Quest. You're your own pet dog, now.

Transfer inventory to new body, turn off wireless in new body via digital controls.

Then turn / go to see what the problem is.

Leave a few contingency protocols in the new robot, order it to follow you. Keep your old body, there may be another annoying AI in the new one.

>>699375
We already checked, it's clean.

Apollo 2016/02/06(Sat)00:14 No. 699440 ID: defceb
File 145474647880.png - (11.01KB , 840x600 , 8047.png )

>Technically what do you mean technically
“Well I tore them apart but they’re kind of maybe getting back up?”

>Marie, you were able to disconnect parts of your senses before, like with your suspicious eye. Do that again so you don't get your senses all weirded out. Maybe you can outright disconnect all of your old body's senses, and pilot only the new body. It's heavier, and likely stronger, so you can carry your old body with it. Which you likely want to do because we're going to run away shortly I think.
>Jump to new boy, leave code in the old body so it's programmed walk and to follow you around and respond to a few basic voice commands. Come, stay, fetch, etc.
I sever the senses in my old body, but keep a hand on it so I can lead it around. I think I can keep this up. Moving the old one is strange, but I can handle just looking through this new body.

>Rollover Quest. You're your own pet dog, now.
I feel like the butt of a cosmic joke.

>Transfer inventory to new body, turn off wireless in new body via digital controls.
Done and done.

>Then turn / go to see what the problem is.
I turn around and look up. The rain starts to pour down harder now, and the fog is rolling in. I think I can hear a storm in the distance once more. “What am I looking for?”

“Can't you see him?”

>Can't you see him?
... I'm wishing I hadn't
...
we should start running shouldn't we?

If the drones are crawling around like mutilated mooks in Ninja Gaiden, just keep smashing until they stay down. If they're actually reassembling themselves, remember that the poor man's answer to hostile nanotech is fire.

If you don't have access to dedicated incendiary weapons, try to find some volatile hydrocarbons (often used as lubricants), or really just about anything with a 'flammable' hazmat sticker, and apply heat using shorted-out power cells or slugthrower propellant charges.

Well that is a very fucking large robot.

I think we should leave.

>>699440
Dumb question, but if something cuts the umbilical between the two bodies, which one will you be left in? Did you actually migrate over?

>... I'm wishing I hadn't
So much this. Giant robot with an axe and/or scythe.

Uh, where's the nearest exit? Can we just leave while the drones are putting themselves together, hopefully before the boss does anything?

Apollo 2016/02/13(Sat)00:33 No. 701483 ID: defceb
File 145535240568.png - (18.61KB , 840x600 , 8050.png )

>I'm wishing I hadn't
Agreed.

>We should start running shouldn't we?
Also agreed. Running! The rain is starting to pour down harder now, making the ground slick and difficult to cross. Small rivers are pouring across the piles of scrap, and the wind is blowing harder by the second. The distant sound of thunder marks the thing’s footsteps.

>If the drones are crawling around like mutilated mooks in Ninja Gaiden
Jeannine speaks up. “Not quite!”

>If they're actually reassembling themselves,
“Ssssort of?”

“Well what ARE they doing!?”

“It’s more like… trees? I think?”

“What!?”

Apollo 2016/02/13(Sat)00:33 No. 701484 ID: defceb
File 145535241515.png - (21.30KB , 840x600 , 8051.png )

“It’s like that!” She points ahead where a drone hops on top of a pile of scrap ahead of us. I’m getting a discomforting sense of deja vu looking at it.

I'm pretty sure that's not physically possible. About time this place stopped imitating reality.

Disable them again. Focus on their legs. Or just the knees. You have to get away, we absolutely cannot face that giant fucking robot.

Looks like they've evolved over the centuries. You need to get creative, move in patterns that they don't see often. Look around for items, maybe they ignored a tool.

>>701484
Well that's just creepy.

I see an exit behind it. That low waterway is someplace the bi thing can't follow. Probably. If spacial laws still hold here.

You're still waterproof, right?

It looks like the drones are having an uplifting experience right now... get it? Haha. You should totally Mechanically Enhance Reactive Knockers Intellectually Today... or M.E.R.K. I.T. heh... Live a li_e where you can be ____ of terror... I do say though what is that high pit-

Don't listen to that errant knave. Gather some weapons and cut down your enemies as you go forth. I believe you are not even competent enough to make a dent on that Red Giant back there. Kill. Consume. Adapt. Return and slaughter the giant, and make its power yours. Become fearless and survive this terrible predicament. KILL. CONSUME. A-

...Ahem. I have a few ghosts in the machine of my own... in a scenario like this... I would suggest you do grab weapons to defend yourself, at the very least. Regenerating enemies, friends going insane due to something, seems like a familiar predicament. Can't quite put my mind on it but... hey. Don't l_s_ yo_rs__f as I h_ve my___
...

Apollo 2016/02/24(Wed)23:44 No. 705313 ID: defceb
File 145638626735.png - (20.90KB , 840x600 , 8052.png )

<<Audio squelched; above 140dB>>

Apollo 2016/02/24(Wed)23:52 No. 705314 ID: defceb
File 145638672487.png - (15.95KB , 840x600 , 8053.png )

I leap forward at the thing. My fingers tear through it's metal shell like cheap paper, and the red gunk scatters like water in the wind from my blow.

The ground ends abruptly behind the drone, leaving us mid-air off the impromptu cliff face. What little ground is beneath is slick from the rain and crumbling into a flood below.

>I see an exit behind it. That low waterway is someplace the big thing can't follow. Probably. If spacial laws still hold here.
If I don't find something to catch myself this drop is going to send me straight into the waterway's path.

>You're still waterproof, right?
My old body was already falling apart as is. This one should be fine though.

I think.

Jeez, where were you hiding that gun, Jeannine?

Well we don't have much choice but to use the waterway... maybe you can pull out some piece of debris to use as an impromptu boat... if not, then you should at least keep your old body above water, Marie. Your new body will have to carry it.

Apollo 2016/02/25(Thu)01:13 No. 705317 ID: defceb
File 145639162551.png - (11.24KB , 840x600 , 8055.png )

>Jeez, where were you hiding that gun, Jeannine?
I think she's winking at me? I don't get a clear look before I crash into the water.

It's shallower than it looks, and we're running as soon as we can. I carry old-me over my shoulders like a limp doll.

Apollo 2016/02/25(Thu)01:15 No. 705318 ID: defceb
File 145639173828.png - (15.65KB , 840x600 , 8056.png )

I can hear another cascade of falling drones behind us, followed by the splashing footsteps as they chase us. The noise crescendos as we run, with the red lights of their... things becoming brighter as they get closer.

Apollo 2016/02/25(Thu)01:17 No. 705319 ID: defceb
File 145639186992.png - (8.79KB , 840x600 , 8057.png )

"Marie?" A distorted voice up ahead calls out. "Is that you? I ssss-till h

urt, Marie."

>>705319
Oh god what? It's that psycho with the gun arm that shot you. What IS this place?

Well, kill him again.

>>705320
It wasn't a gun arm. It was a gun. And he's dead. Dead-dead, unlike some of the people here.

>>705319
I'm suddenly wary of killing or punching your way out through that thing. It would be just like him to put an obstacle in your escape path, only for it to be one of the people you were trying to help.

Yell at him to immediately lie down on the ground so that you can treat his injuries

and then have Jeannine shoot his arms while you rip his head off. Easy.

uhhhhhhhhhhh...yes?

Apollo 2016/02/26(Fri)15:02 No. 705708 ID: defceb
File 145652773680.png - (9.00KB , 840x600 , 8058.png )

“Iit’s still mme, Marie. C-c _can’t you hear me?”

>Yell at him to immediately lie down on the ground so that you can treat his injuries and then have Jeannine shoot his arms while you rip his head off. Easy.
>Jeannine shoot

Apollo 2016/02/26(Fri)15:02 No. 705709 ID: defceb
File 145652774760.png - (11.00KB , 840x600 , 8059.png )

<<Audio squelched; above 140dB>>

>>705709
Great, I wonder who we just killed.

>>705709
Too much overkill. Now we can't loot most of the good stuff.

I think he's dead. Scavenge his body for parts.

>>705709
We have to keep running, at least until we're out of this water.

Apollo 2016/03/23(Wed)12:40 No. 711018 ID: defceb
File 145876205554.png - (22.95KB , 840x600 , 8060.png )

>I think he's dead.
"Th at really hurt, Marie."

I don't think he's dead enough.

>We have to keep running, at least until we're out of this water.
We keep running forward, out of tunnel and hopefully away from danger.

Apollo 2016/03/23(Wed)12:41 No. 711019 ID: defceb
File 145876209582.png - (11.74KB , 840x600 , 8061.png )

"...Jeannine."

"Yes?"

"Where are we?"

"Oh! We're... uh... hm. That is a good question."

Hunt for Grues.

I think you've reached the end of the world. Turn back.

>>711020
Everyone turn on your nightvision, infrared, sonar, radar, and/or lidar and use it to look around you. You're a robot, you don't have to be in the dark.

>>711050
It's not a matter of darkness, it's a matter of not having the memory to process what Marie sees.

She needs to reboot, stat, and disable her double in case there's a memory leak in the communication.

>>711055
Only Marie would be affected in that case. It sounds like Jeannine can't see anything either.

Though, maybe you're onto something about the linked bodies. Maybe disconnecting will clear things up? Jeannine might have to drag the new body around then, though.

use headlamps.

spooky

Apollo 2016/03/29(Tue)01:27 No. 712043 ID: defceb
File 145924006455.png - (7.39KB , 840x600 , 8063.png )

>She needs to reboot, stat, and disable her double in case there's a memory leak in the communication.
>Though, maybe you're onto something about the linked bodies. Maybe disconnecting will clear things up? Jeannine might have to drag the new body around then, though.

Well... worth a shot.

"Jeannine, I need you to carry us for a bit!"

"Wh-"

Apollo 2016/03/29(Tue)01:28 No. 712045 ID: defceb
File 145924008652.png - (22.52KB , 840x600 , 8065.png )

"-ARIE ARE YOU AWAKE YET!?"

>>712045
YES

What's that button there? The one with the arrows pointing to it. Don't push it unless you know what it does! I think what we'd be looking for is a security door swi-wait is that the security door she's pressed up against? Ummmmmmmmm security turret maybe? Just gotta hope it doesn't shoot you.

ooor if there's another exit we could just go that way?

Also what are those red spots up and to the left of the button?

What did you miss?

Sit on that button, It's time to blow up everything.

yes this was the best idea.

Apollo 2016/03/29(Tue)02:11 No. 712051 ID: defceb
File 145924270546.png - (24.64KB , 840x600 , 8066.png )

>YES
"I'm up!"

>What's that button there?
It has a label saying 'Emergency Shutdown' and it's locked under a thin plastic case.

>Also what are those red spots up and to the left of the button?
I can't see it clearly through the fog.

>>712051
OH THOSE ARE WINDOWS PUSH THE BUTTON

1/2 Apollo 2016/03/29(Tue)02:36 No. 712053 ID: defceb
File 145924421543.png - (26.56KB , 840x600 , 8067.png )

>OH THOSE ARE WINDOWS PUSH THE BUTTON
I rush forward and slam my fist down on the button, shattering the cheap plastic cover and denting the desk it's built into.

Unless there's an exit or a really nice gun behind you, better push that button.

2/2 Apollo 2016/03/29(Tue)02:41 No. 712055 ID: defceb
File 145924448297.png - (2.87KB , 840x600 , 8068.png )

All at once the background noise comes to a halt. I can hear the building shutting down in swift order, one heavy thud after another as systems grind to a sudden halt and power cut off. Then only silence hangs in the air.













Somebody is knocking on the door.

End of Thread 8