ONE ⚠ video

[sonofabyte]

[ The video feed opens in a rather mundane fashion: an expressionless man sitting within the library in the Initiative Hold, his tablet on a desk in front of him as he pages through a book--a somewhat battered old volume of history. ]

I have two questions. I would appreciate some answers, if you could.

[ His voice is deep and serious, but also remarkably flat and toneless. ]

I understand that the other "Transports" here represent a wide variety of worlds. How many come from one with similar components to this one? A ruined Earth, or one near ruin, and a repressive absolute government guiding humanity in the wake of that disaster.

[ He closes the book and sets it down on the desk just out of the screen's frame. ]

The second question is simple. Can anyone recommend somewhere I can find decent coffee?

Comments

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[firstroar]

[aaaaa.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.


uh i mean:] ...Keith Anyan. [he's allowing himself to look surprised here, because come on.]

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[sonofabyte]

[Allowing yourself to look surprised is for people who aren't the ideal human created from scratch by a world-dominating supercomputer. In other words, Keith shows no surprise himself.]

Soldier Blue.

[firstroar]

[staring contest GO.

he's...wow, Blue isn't even sure. he doesn't know where true time falls: the hostage situation? later? and what of...his eyes narrow, trying to recall. wasn't there more?

the outfit. the countenance (not that it helps figure out anything mister oh I can't emote externally). any sign or clue of place and time...]

They aren't all ruined. The circumstances are all different.

[sonofabyte]

[Yeah, Keith sure isn't giving away any information here. The outfit is a proper Members Elite uniform, not the black he was wearing at Nazca, but that doesn't say much.]

Then some are before the ruin.

Are you here unmolested? The Mother System's influence must truly be nonexistent here.

video;

[mgann]

Is that what yours is like, too?

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[sonofabyte]

It's similar, but the situation is better than here.

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[mgann]

That seems the case for many places.

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[sonofabyte]

It's not difficult. If the Initiative's information is true, the United Earth is both oppressive and incompetent. It's a poor combination.

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[nothing]

[ You're not the only one, Mr. Monotone. ]

I have observed common traits.

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[sonofabyte]

Explain.

[ Someone should bottle their conversation and sell it as a sleep aid. ]

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[nothing]

An Earth facing the destruction it has experienced before.

[ RECEIVE A FREE STARING SLEEP MASK FOR THE NEXT 15 MINUTES, CALL NOW ]

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[sonofabyte]

And your chances of surviving it this time?

text;

[salvagedsoul]

[that conversation with Blue.

there are private locks now, but what he can see says enough.]

May I ask who you are, and why you're curious about such a thing?

text;

[sonofabyte]

[He's displeased with how much he gives away in it himself. But he wasn't expecting Soldier Blue to be here, and the Mu have always had a way of bringing out the worst in him. Strange, that.]

My name is Keith Anyan. I'm accustomed to good coffee, so I want to know where I can procure it here.

[So maybe that's not the answer being sought here, but Keith isn't feeling very cooperative after that conversation with Blue.]

text;

[salvagedsoul]

The first question.

[onemoredeath]

They do not have coffee here. The plant did not survive the nuclear winter so you have to deal with the substitute.

[voice]

[oldsoldiersneverdie]

Seriously? No coffee?

[please be trolling, please be trolling]

[voice]

[onemoredeath]

The Americas no longer exist and the same for the coffee plant that we knew on old Earth.

[sonofabyte]

How unfortunate. If my subordinate arrives, I'll need to have him look into that.

[onemoredeath]

How? Can he reverse what was done?

[text]

[oldsoldiersneverdie]

Would depend on the time frame in question. Though one involved no single major disaster - just the abuses of technology and human intellect over the centuries.

I hear you on the coffee.

[text]

[sonofabyte]

I would expect it to happen that way in most cases. Even if a single disaster did occur...it would also be the result of long years of human grasping.

[text]

[oldsoldiersneverdie]

True. Too smart for our own good, I suppose.

I've seen two totalitarian futures that were the result of a single nexus point that wasn't disaster-related, though both timelines were extinguished. To my knowledge, the world wasn't ruined in either, though I didn't have time to see.

One totalitarian future based on a single dictatorship, with the environment wrecked by uncontrolled technological manipulation. To my knowledge, that timeline is now orphaned.

One lifeless future with probably close to 90% of the surface rendered uninhabitable intentionally by one raving lunatic. Bright Lady knows I hope that timeline is orphaned, too.

[Video]

[trustycrowbar]

...You can say mine qualifies.

As for coffee, there are at least two places near the Hold that cater to the lunch crowd. Honestly I'm not sure where the hell they get the coffee in the first place, but it's the genuine article.

[Video]

[sonofabyte]

How closely does the situation there match the one here? Are there notable differences as well?

As for the coffee, noted. Thank you.