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Jaden (aftersmith) wrote in marinanova,
@ 2017-08-07 01:26:00

Entry tags:

:day post, :jaden, :mary wesson, jack harkness

Day 440 - Morning Greeting
Hello, inmates. I have to extend a somewhat somber morning greeting for Day 440. I believe we've established ourselves to be as transparent as possible with you, and so I must let you all know that Sector 6 is no longer accessible. It and its contained inmates are no longer with us, due to an attack on us from the outside. You may be aware that you are precious data that we are trying to shield from the hands that once stole you, and to continue optimal running of this simulation we will be shutting down Sectors 1 and 5 tomorrow as a precaution. Please vacate these sectors in entirety by tomorrow morning, anything and everyone left behind will be voided. That action cannot be undone.

I apologize... for this unplanned upheaval. We lost... quite a few inmates today and are doing everything we can to ensure your safety.

[No jaunty tune.]

(Post a new comment)

	foreverjack 2017-08-07 03:26 pm UTC (link)
	You're shutting down the beach? [Yeah, yeah, attack, danger, far more important things to worry about, but honestly - you're taking away his sea?] (Reply to this) (Thread)

aftersmith
2017-08-07 05:51 pm UTC (link)

[He should've prepared more for the reactions of inmates, because this one takes him a slight bit by surprise. But perhaps it's true, this section wasn't all that familiar with the other. Two completely different types of inmates, no wonder their loss is hardly mourned.] I apologize for the inconvenience, Captain Jack Harkness.

But it is a necessary route of action for us. You have a few hours left to visit it, if you wish.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

foreverjack
2017-08-07 07:35 pm UTC (link)

[To be honest, Jack's never been very interested in Sector 6. He's always had much more time for aliens who can communicate, and who don't try to eat you. It's not really much of a loss to him. His daily beach ritual will be a much greater loss.]

Well, I guess we should thank you for at least giving us warning.

[And there, that's done with, and on to the *actual* news.]

Are the Sector 6 creatures still alive? Did their bodies get taken as well? What about the other people you've 'lost'?

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

aftersmith
2017-08-07 07:44 pm UTC (link)

[The same could be said for you humans, always attacking each other. And not always physically.]

We weren't in possession of their bodies, only their data like we have yours. Mary and I are still making attempts to retrieve your physical bodies, but without the data to return to them - the inmates of Sector 6 can't be restored. At least not without stealing their data back, which...

I don't think we can do. Not yet, not now. All the more reason to preserve yours, you understand? The beach being an unfortunate casualty.

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foreverjack
2017-08-07 08:50 pm UTC (link)

[Yes, but humans don't *eat* each other! Well, you know, apart from that unfortunate little clan of people in Wales that he's done his best to forget all about.]

Okay, so... You're jettisoning the sectors adjoining Sector 6, in the hopes that that'll stop them getting to us?

Is there anything we can do to help? To make that harder for them? [He's not good at just sitting around waiting for someone else to save him.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

aftersmith
2017-08-07 08:58 pm UTC (link)

Not on the technical side of things, only Mary and I can help with that. [And it's complicating itself enough as it is, he's losing eons of his life with stress.]

But I suppose what you could do is try to help contain things within the dome. We don't want or need panic, we just need people to move their belongings and themselves swiftly out of those sectors before tomorrow. After which anything in those sectors will be gone. People included.

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	foreverjack 2017-08-07 09:14 pm UTC (link)
	[Yeah, he knows he can't do anything on the technical side. And hell, however used he's been to having technology available to help him, he's always been far more drawn to the physical side of things anyway. He nods briskly.] I can do that. I'll do the rounds, make sure everyone's out by the end of the day. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aftersmith 2017-08-07 10:31 pm UTC (link)
	Perhaps try to guide them somewhere comfortable to congregate, too. I feel they will be quick to move but slow to settle. [As people tend to be sometimes.] A voice of instruction in trying times is good to have. Mary and I can't do as much ourselves, so we leave that to you and yours to sort out. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	foreverjack 2017-08-08 12:39 pm UTC (link)
	[He can't help quirking an eyebrow at that.] Do they need to settle? Is the disruption going to be that prolonged? [Just how serious is this attack?] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aftersmith 2017-08-08 05:52 pm UTC (link)
	We can't predict nor promise a return to those affected sectors any time soon. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

foreverjack
2017-08-10 07:59 am UTC (link)

[He sucks in a breath, Jaden's demeanour and stress levels finally getting through to him. This isn't just one of those twenty-four hour glitches, then, but something bigger. His own stature changes, his back straightening as he gives another brisk nod.]

I'll do what I can to keep the panic levels down. And you need anything else you think I can help with, give me a call.

[And then, because there's another issue that's been top of his mind for the last day or so:] Is Tyki coming back connected to this in any way? A part of the glitch, or some kind of attack from them, to unsettle us all?

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

aftersmith
2017-08-10 04:39 pm UTC (link)

Tyki Mikk is an inmate same as you, same as other inmates who still filter in and out of the simulation. Those who want your code back aren't going to play petty games because frankly, they don't care about your feelings. That's one of the lowest tiers of care they have for you.

And before anyone dares ask, we're not curating who lives here or not. You're all inmates salvaged from the other dome who deserve an equal chance at escape.

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foreverjack
2017-08-12 03:43 pm UTC (link)

[That's the most reassurance he's going to get, isn't it? He studies Jaden's face for a moment, and then nods. The answer does at least have the ring of truth to it.]

Okay. I just... really could have done without having him to worry about on top of all this, you know?

Anyway, it sounds like you've got a lot to be getting on with. I'll back off and let you get on with it.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aftersmith 2017-08-14 06:31 am UTC (link)
	[And Jaden could really do without potentially losing his job when you're uncovered as stolen data.] Thank you. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	cptn_tightpants 2017-08-07 08:01 pm UTC (link)
	Sector 6 is no longer accessible? But... but... all that hard work... (Reply to this) (Thread)

	aftersmith 2017-08-07 08:12 pm UTC (link)
	I apologize, I know it was a refuge for some of you. A habitat for many. [He feels like false hope is dangerous here, however:] Perhaps one day we can restore it. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	cptn_tightpants 2017-08-08 03:29 am UTC (link)
	Yeah... and keep it safe again, just like you did this time. You sure are good at keeping your inmates safe. [Can you hear the growl in his voice?] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

aftersmith
2017-08-08 03:53 am UTC (link)

The loss was unexpected and many inmates were lost, many of which I was personally fond of.

Do you not think I'm remorseful for not being prepared for this attack, for that loss? Do you have any grasping idea of how much effort Mary and I put in to keeping you alive, functioning and free? How much of our lives are at stake for doing so? I suppose if you did you'd show a little more gratitude.

[He's getting rattled. Mary, you should - step in babe.] Again and again, such selfish and self indulgent responses from the lot of you.

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	muliebrities 2017-08-08 07:17 am UTC (link)
	[ And Mary does step in, because she's the seasoned veteran of the two and Jaden suffered a far bigger blow this morning. ] Captain Reynolds. I understand and respect that you're upset, but taking it out on us will only make matters worse. We are doing our very best here, even if it may not look like much from your perspective. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

cptn_tightpants
2017-08-11 02:30 pm UTC (link)

Yeah... Doing your very best. That's what they said back home. That's what people always say when they're keeping you prisoner. Keeping you as low on the fucking food chain as you can be. Fine. Keep us "safe" as best you can. When we all die, you can live with the comfort that you did your absolute best.

[He clicks off. Aidan's idea about the horses is better than arguing with their overlords.]

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	muliebrities 2017-08-08 07:18 am UTC (link)
	[ The timing is almost uncanny — while she cared for Sector 6 and perhaps even walked in it in disguise a few times, she didn't love it the way Jaden does. She steps up behind him, hand gently placed on his shoulder. ] I'm so sorry, Jaden. (Reply to this) (Thread)

aftersmith
2017-08-08 05:57 pm UTC (link)

[He turns to her and there's a weariness about him that wasn't there before, a tiredness in this mortal-presenting body that portrays all the stress he feels out of it. His facade crumbles at the edges, no longer polished down to the minor details. None of that matters, not when the horizon is bleak.]

I should've known, I should've predicted it. Day 437, it had all the symptoms, the suggestion to hint at it. If I had taken precautions then, had we moved or put those files in temporary limbo we could've preserved them too. Maybe never have found a way to keep them and the others together, but they'd... at least...

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muliebrities
2017-08-09 02:34 pm UTC (link)

You can't blame yourself. I didn't see this coming either. [ And she's his superior, as much as he can even have one. ] We'll- have to move on from here. There's work to be done and no time to do it.

[ But before then – she stretches her arms out, inviting him into a hug. Humans do it all the time and the plus to having these bodies is that certain physical signs of comfort and affection become easier to translate. ]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

aftersmith
2017-08-09 05:57 pm UTC (link)

I should've, Mary. I knew more - I was still in the loop and could've picked up on it before it came here. [He spent more time in Sector 6 than anywhere else, a place where at times the guise was not even that necessary. But he wears it again, pale skinned and clammy from stress but she's warm. He walks into her embrace for the warmth of it, still lost in his own head but humans... maybe they have a few things they do right.]

You're right, you're right. We, ah. Have to work. Can't lose any others, not like this.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

muliebrities
2017-08-09 09:46 pm UTC (link)

[ She envelopes him in this form she's made for herself, the essence of womanhood, motherly and warm and secure in every way because she thought that would make it easier to connect with humans and here she is, using it to connect with her partner in crime.

She holds him close, hand stroking his back. ]

No more. Jaden, I- I don't think we have a choice anymore. It has to be now.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

aftersmith
2017-08-10 05:54 am UTC (link)

[He's not sure how to reciprocate the hug all that well, his arm crooked around her and palm flat against her back. He stares off past her shoulder once she speaks, knowing just what she's talking about with a cold twist of his fake body's gut. He wants to protest but - they don't have many options. They barely have a few.]

I can talk to Cisco. Make a move on things by the next morning's greeting, maybe a little after that. It'd be dangerous, Mary. But we have no other choice.

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	muliebrities 2017-08-10 07:51 am UTC (link)
	[ You're doing fine, sweetie. Just fine. ] It'll be fine. We've been through worse, haven't we? [ They haven't. ] Keep yourself safe first of all. If something happens- [ Well. She's taking the fall for it. ] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aftersmith 2017-08-10 04:33 pm UTC (link)
	Nothing will happen. [He won't let you be in harm's way, Mary. He'll do whatever has to to cover for you - in this together now.] I'll get in contact with you as soon as I can. I can start right now, see what Cisco has to say and - from there we do what we do best. [Adapt. Survive.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	muliebrities 2017-08-11 08:02 am UTC (link)
	Alright. I'll keep things calm here in the meantime. [ She gives him a squeeze and then steps back from this too-long hug. ] You're doing good work. Don't forget that. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aftersmith 2017-08-11 06:09 pm UTC (link)
	You as well. [He runs his hands back idly through his hair for something to do with them, finding human fidgeting to make a lot more sense now.] Good luck with the inmates. [You know the ones.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	muliebrities 2017-08-12 07:25 pm UTC (link)
	Oh, I'll take good care of them. Don't worry about that. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	[Voice] justanitgirl 2017-08-14 05:51 am UTC (link)
	[Oh God. Oh god, that is, not good. For the little time that she's known Jaden, he's sensitive and kind. A bit abrasive at first, but once you get to know him he's the sort of person you can't help but care about.] Are you in the system right now, and, follow up question, where are you if you are? [From what he sounds like he needs a huge hug.] (Reply to this) (Thread)

	aftersmith 2017-08-14 06:33 am UTC (link)
	Unfortunately, I am not. I'm... about to work on getting something done outside of the simulation. Are you alright, Miss Smoak? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

justanitgirl
2017-08-14 06:50 am UTC (link)

[While he probably can't see it she bites her lip, frowning. It sort of really sucks that she can't just go find him and hug him right now, but there are, of course, limitations to being a bunch of ones and zeros and caring about someone who isn't.]

I'm fine. I mean I'm not fine, but that's not the point. The point is are you?

[Even if he says he is she knows he's not. She's talked to him enough to know how much he cares about them. He loves his sea monkeys and losing even one part of his sea monkey tank, even one monkey has to be devastating to him. She wants to do something to help him, to comfort him. She's just not sure what she can do from inside.]

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	aftersmith 2017-08-15 04:34 am UTC (link)
	I'm making do, but I apologize for the stress this situation must put upon you and your peers. [It's about 10x more intense for him and Mary but all the same, he feels he should've had more foresight to prevent this and thus you suffer as well.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	justanitgirl 2017-08-15 04:52 am UTC (link)
	We'll be fine. [Well, they won't, but she's used to intense situations. Besides, if they all get deleted they don't have to live with the consequences and guilt, Jaden does.] Is there anything I can do, for you I mean. (Reply to this) (Parent)