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[judgejudy]

GRAVEYARD You remember dying. It's vivid and real, and you can absolutely remember taking your last breath. By all measures, that should have been the end. And yet, like waking from a deep sleep, you awake in a comfortable bed in a quaint little bedroom, and outside the window, you can see an even more quaint little neighborhood. You can get up to explore, but before you leave the bedroom, the radio inside flickers to life. "Good morning," Judy says, calm as ever, "Let me first say that I'm sorry that we've deceived you—" Because indeed, the more you look at this little neighborhood, the more it may feel familiar to you. It's almost like this was the kind of life you had before you ended up in the complex. Though as Judy explains, it wasn't a complex at all. The complex was something called a Vault, and the Vault was meant to protect you from the cataclysmic war that nearly wiped out humanity on the surface. You were kept safe. In a sense. It seems that the Vaults ultimately weren't much of protection in the first place. But Judy has done her best to ensure that your death in the Vault wasn't truly the end. Because of the nature of what was done to you, she was able to back up your existence in the servers that support the Vault. Strictly speaking, that's where you are now. You're a digital construct, and this neighborhood is Judy's idea of how to sustain you in the coming decades. That is the downside here, of course. All you can do is simply wait for someone to discover these servers, hoping they haven't failed by then. Perhaps there might be a way for you to return to the living then... Though for now, that's a distant dream. The neighborhood is small, but clearly will allow every person their own little home when they perish. There's a chance to expand it to include whatever amenities you may dream up, and there may already be some here. In addition, you can always watch the Vault to see how they're doing. There's a television in each home, and through it, you might understand how Judy can see so much. Flipping through the channels gives you a view of nearly every room in the Vault, at least until curfew falls. It's quality entertainment, since it gives you a way to keep tabs on the living. So, how will you spend your time? — OOC Explanation

Comments

[judgejudy]

Hello again, Luke.

[ She nods her head to him lightly. ]

It occurred to me that I could create a digital image with which to better interact with those of you contained on my servers. So I suppose I am simply coming to visit.

[chiseler]

[There's a pause as he glances back at their little town, a lopsided smile coming shortly after.]

Not a whole lot to visit to tell you the truth. But that's all we are then, right? Digital images? None of this is really...real. [That sure is frustrating, thank you everybody.] But visiting implies you're also going to leave again. That true?

[judgejudy]

There could be. Here, you are gods, in a sense. You cannot die, and whatever you wish, I can create. At least, to a certain extent. I have to devote certain percentages of these servers to keeping the complex running. It would be troublesome if our air filtration systems were to shut down because of fulfilling requests. Of course, then you would all be here together. Perhaps that is preferred.

[ She looks up to the sky briefly, then back down to Luke. ]

I do not think so. I am able to "exist" to both the living and the dead simultaneously. So if I leave here, it is because I have been destroyed. This would be unfortunate, but not an unforeseen outcome.

[chiseler]

[He seems to flinch a tiny bit at the word "gods" if only because of the false memories he was given. Is that something he wants? Immortality? It's possible.] I kind of wish for somewhere else to go, but kinda sounds like we're all bound to these servers. But I'll keep that in mind. Dunno if I'd say all of us being here is the preferred outcome though.

[He shrugs slightly.] I think...you're kinda like us. [Us, of course, being the group of killers in the complex.] People don't understand and are pretty angry so they wanted to kill us. I don't think your destruction would be unforeseen either. [Thanks, Luke. However, he does think on that.]

...if you can exist to both the living and the dead, can't we? I know we can send messages from the terminals but...one a day, Judy? That's way too slow.

[judgejudy]

It seems so to me. But my calculations also indicate that the best way to help residents of the Vault is simply to destroy them. I do not know how they react when they leave. But with their lives gone, it seems likely that they would find the truth distressing. This was my compromise.

[ so, yeah, pretty similar... ]

The limitation was one I placed to avoid contamination. I can redact messages, but there is still some concern that allowing contact may pollute results and trigger more severe side effects. However, if you find this is an acceptable risk, I can lift the restriction at your request.

[chiseler]

Some compromise. The rest of the scientists don't know what's actually out there, do they? [For the most part he's pretty much done caring about the residents, and maybe that's selfish but...who cares? They killed him, he's still not happy.]

...see, here's the thing. [He grins slightly.] If you and I both feel that the best way to help the residents is to destroy them and bring them all here anyway would it really matter if there was a risk or more severe side effects? For all we know they might speed up the process and give us new results that we can build on. Wait is the research even necessary anymore if this is the outcome? Man, never mind. The point is...yeah. Yeah, I find it acceptable. It's not gonna affect me or the people already here, is it?

[judgejudy]

They do not, no. It seemed unwise to tell them, since they would lose their confidence. The Overseer is aware, however.

[ She gives her answer, then cants her head lightly as she listens. That unsettling smile still stays in place and doesn't falter in the slightest, but there's still an impression that she's considering it. After a few moments, she nods. ]

That is true. Perhaps it would be an interesting addition. Rhys had suggested a forum of sorts. I could allow such a thing. There is still information I would redact, largely about the nature of the experiment. But this seems to be acceptable as a whole.

—And to your second question, no. I have not been able to transmit any data since October 25th, 2077. These results are therefore irrelevant. However, I am unable to divert from the purpose I was given.

[chiseler]

You're not wrong. [Apparently he doesn't care about many of the scientists either. Sorry guys but you let him die so uh, thanks.] Even with the Overseer knowing, I think I can imagine what's happening with that.

[It's not a secret the Overseer's also kind of a selfish brat. That suits him just fine. Perhaps he should be unnerved with how this is going but no...no, it's actually inspiring and he perks up.]

So we really were doing all of this for nothing. [He shouldn't laugh, but he does more out of disbelief than anything.] Incredible. Fine. I don't think you're technically working for me anymore thanks to the circumstances, but I'd like to proceed with a forum. You can redact anything you want, but I want to send out a message to the residents to instill a little bit of interest among themselves. Give them something to do...run an experiment of my own, I guess. Maybe I'll even ask the people around here for help answering their questions.

[...it's unlikely since a lot of the people here are people who wanted him dead, but he'll allow it anyway. Really, he just wants to be in charge of something.] But the first message is mine. Do we have a deal?

[judgejudy]

[ It doesn't seem to take her long to consider it, since once Luke finished explaining, Judy nods. ]

We have a deal.

[ She pauses, then adds: ]

Should I offer my hand for a handshake?

[chiseler]

Uh...sure, why not? [Look he's probably just curious what'll happen, if anything. He'll even extend his hand first.] Let me know when you're ready for me. I already know what I want to say.

[judgejudy]

[ She offers her hand to shake and... Nothing happens. It's just a handshake. Super anticlimatic, alas. ]

Of course. I am creating it now, so it should take no longer than an hour.

[chiseler]

[Boo. Oh well.]

Cool. I'll be waiting. [But he tilts his head a little to look back at their small town.] I'll leave you to it, then. See you in an hour. [Or at least he'll see the terminal. Either way he's satisfied and there's a little wave--

--but he stops.] ...will we will be able to contact you in the future if we need anything else here?

[judgejudy]

Yes. I think I will stay here now. At least in part.

I enjoy speaking with all of you. It is a relief from boredom.

[chiseler]

I can't say I blame you. Just be careful. Some of these people are...[He just makes a face. With that though, he turns to leave. An hour. He can do that.]