NETWORK INTERRUPTION — HUMILITY WILL BE MADE

[initiatesnpc]

T͈̠͙̬̂̄̀̈́̚h̬͚̹̝̠͙̍͒̓ͫͩi̢͈̦̔ͩ̀̚s̥ ̆̿̅͛͛͝h̠̜̟̠̓̊͌̒a̸͔ͧ̃ͫ͗ͬs͙̺̘̝̠̱͌͢ ̤̋b̠̬̥̼͈̭̰͠e͖̹ͫ̒e͍͕͇̘͕̞̥n̖̤͒̚ ͎̯̖͙̄͆ͩyͪͥͨ̀ͫͣ̀҉̯̮̝̠̮o͙̗͍͇̠̜͖̍̀ͬ̊͢u̱͎͓r̷̗ͬ ̻̞̦͍̹͎͍͗̽̌w̧̰ͭͣa͉͔͎̩ͮ̈͛̾ͨͩͥͅͅr̫̹̳̺ͩͯͫ̏ͮ̽͛n̜̄ͭͥ̇̂̐i͔̫̟̖͊̋̚n̲̳̬̘̳̺̰͡g̨̥̲̭̫͗͌̒̽̃ͮ,̬̇̈͊͟ ̥̳͆̎͒ͪ͒͟s̗̠̮̩̳̺̣͂̆ͤͭ́h̡̽̏o̧̩̝ͣͧ̾͑ͪū̴̖̗̦̣̹̠͒̇̓ͅl͙̦̖̪̭̱̈́͗̿̔̆d̪̥̣͌̋ ̲̙̬̩̝̼a̵ͬ̽ ̡͇̱̗̥͔̭̘f̢̪̠̘̠̙ͮ͑ͮͩ̒ŗ͎͇̦̠a̫̗ͪc̻͈̾͒ͭ̿̇̂̎t̮̤ͦ͘i̤̰̿̈ͧ̀͗ͫo̩̽n̰̠̞͒̑́͂͒ͥͬ—͙̱̭͜ő̩̗̺̳̬̌ͥͭͮ̂̓̀r̠̪̥̩̔̂̿͑ͦ ͍̯ḽ̗̯ͭ̏ͬͧe͇̣͖̰͌̔ͯ̍̅͒͟s̯͇̲̳͋s̖̼̞̔̈́ͩͯ̀̍͂͘—͊ͦ͒̉͐ͤo̰͎̱̘̺̘̬̿̓ͩf̛̰͍͒̾̍̂ͨ̑̒ ͔̇ͨͤ̾̅̅͆͟ͅỳ͍͙o̰̘̊ͧ̉͢ǔ̫̜ͩ ̠͋͛͊̊ḣ̢̖ͩ̈a͑͂v̼͉̝̫̼̹̖eͨͯ̑ ̭ͥͬ͗ͮ͂s̨͚̯͋ͪu͌̔r̻̥̫̲ͪ̈́͆vͥͤ̄̔̓ĭ̛̏ͬͬͨͥ̓v̉ͩ͏̻͇e̝̔̒d͎̮͙͓͚̲̗̓̑͜.̧͎͖̠̜̀́

͉̾̈́̋̄ͪ̃This has been your warning, should a fraction—or less—of you have survived.

Your days have always been numbered. We have been exceedingly kind to you, and it is no obligation of ours to do so. You will take our kindness and you will be humble.


a̘̥̲̰̭̲͆͆͆̑̃͆͊ͬ͑͢ͅn̲͋̔͋ͥ̓̉͠d̈ͪ҉̸̣͓̠̖̜ ̱̖͓͕͍ͧ͗͛ͣ̈́̃͜ͅy̮̻̠̰̙̣̅̓̆ͫ̈́̀ͧ̎̃͢o̰̱͐̀̌͑ͮ̎u͍͔ͮͬ̽ͅ ̜̭͎̮̯̈ͤ͢͜w̡̙͎̹̍͆͌͌ͭ͛̃̅̚͡i̢̜̪͖͈̙̔ͥ͆ͅl̮͎͔͉̄̒̅̓̀͜ͅl̎̈́̏ͤ̉ͩ͏̰̲̣͚̳ͅ ͈͚͍̦̭̘̺ͧ͛̀͞b̢̲̩̝̖͆͐̌̊ͥ̿̚e̵̡͙͋̿͌̀̄͡ ̢͕̝̻̆͋̽ͫ̽̔ͪ̒h̛̥̟̫̲̯̄̃̆ͨͥ͌ͩ̓͘ư̸̮̝̥̟͕͈͓̪̿͊͛̀m̸̖̫̲͈̙̒ͥ͒ͦ̓ͥb̦͇̰̺̣͇̠̦ͧ̃͊͛̂͊́͜ļ̷̦͚̜͉̲̣̩̋̔́̇̾͠e̢̦̹̗̞͈͖ͭ̌̇̓̒̃͊ͪ́́.̧͊ͯ̓ͯͪ͏͎̦̤͍̟ B̺͚̜̤̤͇̟̠̳ͭͣͦ͊̂ͨE͓̝̯̒ͬͥ̉̄̆ͅ ̵̨̦̫̖̤͖̠̐͗͂ͨ̇H̷̭̙ͫÜ̳̟ͦͥ̓ͨ͘M̽ͩ̍̍҉̢͔̪͕̝̝̦͇B̡̥̠̥͗̿ͥͨL͇̘̝͉̟͖͖͗̏̽ͫͭ͜͟E̡̥̪̤̙̘͌ͧͮͯ́͠B̺͚̜̤̤͇̟̠̳ͭͣͦ͊̂ͨE͓̝̯̒ͬͥ̉̄̆ͅ ̵̨̦̐͗͂ͨ̇B̧̭̥̝͕͔ͧ͌́̔́̓̈́͝Ě̴̲̩̟͈͈͝ ͨ̓̓̌̈́͛͟͏̛͙̲̗͇̮͓̼̙Ḧ̖̮̽̌͊ͮ̈́ͪU̧̻͚͙ͮ̊M̨̛͈͉ͨ̐͞B̢͇̖͕̩͎̻̠̠̆̈̈L̸̶̶͈͇͖̜̮̠͕͚͎̽͆̄̾Ē̷̶͇̫̯͉̯͔̖͖̓̄́̈́ͯ͝

If you will not be humble, the United Earth shall humble you in your stead. You have made it come to this. You have wrought your own destruction upon your festering community. These bombs are the product of your own hand.

This has been your warning.

T̴̛̟͔͕̂͋h̵͚̩͓͗͛̂ͯ́͜ͅi̶͇̱͆̑̓̃ͬ͗̇ṣ̰̩̭̻̞̩̄̉̇͋ͭ̚͝ ̩͈̦̄ͥ͒̊̕ͅͅh̖̞̜̲͒͛̅͛ͭa̶̡̗͂ͣ̅͌̃͜s̥̦̪̼͙̺͖̠̎͘ ̰͉̿͘b̞̙̻̳̟͔͖̹̌ͭ͗̅́ͣ̕͜͠e͎̞͉̭̿̂̋͆ͧ̊͊̅̑͢e̼͓ͫ̽̒̊ͦͅn͕̭̙̯̯̔͑̅ͅͅ ͔̺̙̩ͦ͒̓ͭ̀̐̄̐͝͡y̅̒̽̽͞͏̖͓͙͉ͅo̡̧̞̣͓̫͍ͣ͒̀̽͐ͥ̆́u̡̥̪͒̽̊̄ͨ̃̆̆̾ͅŗ̨͔̦̱̬̦̇̉ͤ̊ͬ̚ͅͅ ͍͔͈͙̜̫̍̑̍̉̑̈͡w̸̫̋͆͗̀ä̶̸̞̮́͛r̈͛͊҉̹͎̪̖̼̝̻͝ṉ̷̸̣͖̰̞̱̩̳̆͑i̶̡̭̳̻̪̔͗̓̆͆͒ͣ͂́n̷̨̪̭͎̒ͬ̀͆͘ĝ͓̺͍̦̣̼̝̃ͥ͆͋̚.̀͋̈́ͬ͑͂ͫͧ͏̫̙͍̭̼͈͇͈͞


You will not have the luxury of many more.

     — THE UNITED EARTH

Comments

[andhishat]

You forgot his oversized rings and long curly mustache.

[trustycrowbar]

[He breaks into a tired chuckle.] Stuffy AND self-important. Reminds me of my old Admin, Magnusson... only instead of a curly mustache add twenty pounds and stuff it all into a suit.

[andhishat]

[She makes a face] By the sound of it, I'd rather stuff him in a burlap sack.

[trustycrowbar]

Oh goood, that means I'm describing him accurately.

[andhishat]

A little too accurately for comfort.

[trustycrowbar]

[A slightly-wobbly headshake and smile.]

I'll be kinder next time. Should I spare you the parable of the man holding a twenty-year grudge over a microwave casserole, then?

[andhishat]

No, see, you can't start a story like that and then leave a lady hanging. It's ungentlemanly.

[trustycrowbar]

Well then!

[He leans, elbow on the table.]

I don't think I need to explain what kind of pompous ass he was. Wh, hell, most of the science team were pretty damned self-important, but he was the worst example of it. I'd seen the man take a team research product and stamp his own name all over it. The man wasn't exactly popular.

And by now I'm moderately sure you know what a microwave is. 'S basically a faraday cage that uses the rapid oscillation of water molecules to... [A self-chastising snort.] It's a box that cooks food, in short. And Magnusson would actually nuke a breakfast casserole in the break room every single day. Those things are supposed to serve, like, four people, by the way, and take about fifteen minutes. Trust me when I say that the man was no stranger to large portions.

So, in the spirit of helpfulness I did what anyone would when worried about his boss' eating habits...

I imploded the microwave, casserole and all.