[Video]

[checksum]

[Osprey sits in front of the camera, the shot zoomed in to only show his head and shoulders.]

This is an open inquiry to the Initiative, and to any transports who may have relevant information. I, and at least one other transport, have begun manifesting symptoms that are... problematic. We seem to be losing visibility in the extremities.

[He holds up a hand in front of the camera, and the fading is obvious - his fingers are almost impossible to see.]

I'd hoped to avoid having to cause issues again, but if there is no response from the Initiative within a fairly short timeframe, I will take action again. I won't be shooting anybody, but let me be clear - I'm a better digital counter-security expert than I am a physical one, and we both remember how your physical security handled me.

[He pauses for a moment.]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean that to sound threatening. But I am not in a comfortable state of mind here. A prompt response would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

voice;

[invocation]

[She laughs.] Man...you're pretty stupid, to keep making threats. I bet they're getting rid of you.

Voice

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Wonderful! Then I can get restored from backup back home, and go about my life happily ignorant of the existence of this damn nuthouse.

voice;

[invocation]

Do you know what kinda place this is? If you think they'll let you go home, you're an idiot.

[Some shuffling, and familiar crunching starts up. Her tone of voice is lazy, almost bored.] I don't know too much about military stuff, but you're a hostage, same as us, and you already killed one of their men. I don't blame you for killing the bastard, but you're lucky not to be dead already. If you don't shut the hell up and lay low, the rest of us are gonna have to deal with it. So shut up.

Voice

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Who said anything about them 'letting' me go home? They kill me here, I get marked down as a Pandora Gate accident, my insurance pays out, and I lose about an hour's worth of memories of getting ready for the mission they pulled me from and several months of frustration and paranoia here when they restore me from my most recent backup.

Also, you may have noticed that they've responded quickly and clearly to the request. I'm not saying to fully trust them yet, but so far it looks like they're being helpful and forthcoming here.

voice;

[invocation]

Oi. I got no idea what you're talking about. Are you another computer like that kid?

[And she scoffs.] Yeah, they'll help you for about as long as it takes to get rid of you. You talk too much.

Voice

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I'm a natively digital intelligence, yes. But that's not strictly necessary to get yourself backed up where I come from. Pretty much everyone with the money for the premiums gets themselves backed up regularly so if something happens and their stack gets destroyed, there's still something to restore them from.

Also? If I suddenly disappear right now, it blows up in the Initiative's face - it would undermine their whole 'we're sorry, we're going to do better' thing if I were to be vanished. Being loud and present is my best defense.

voice;

[invocation]

Whatever. If there's backups of you back there, who's to say the Initiative people can't just take one of those and replace you with an earlier one? They got you here in the first place. The people I know from home...one of them came back from the dead. Some of 'em remember stuff I don't. A girl told me when I first got here that they sent people back in time for something.

You're bettin' a lot on if they're gonna keep promises. They already drugged all of us -- why do you think you're so important they won't just go back on what they said and make it look like they didn't? Or that people'll even care if you bite it? It's a dumb risk to accuse 'em of something and threaten them, when you don't know what you're up against.