Point of Order

[standalonehuman]

Hitori Togusa shared a photo. 5/11 near Recolle Police Station

So. A few things. First. Dave! I want my membership card! Talking robot spider tank with a grenade launcher. Apologies to Koutarou for stealing some of his modeling clay to make my toy up there. I still remembered nothing about myself, though, so the betting pool is still open. Anyone who wants in on the 'What Is Togusa Repressing' pool, let me know. I think the odds on 'samurai' just got a lot longer, though. The second thing is a little more important. A few of us made it into the subway, which is supposed to be shut down, the lines were damaged. The trains sure aren't running, but either it's shut down intentionally, or someone has taken advantage of it. Throughout the line connecting Enprise to Tisse, there are these QR codes all along the floor. They're those things you can scan with your phone to see a picture or other information. Scanning them didn't get any data, though. The other area I went through, I don't even know how to explain what I saw. Try going to the middle of town. Next time, I ought to bring a camera with me. I know that as soon as I post this up, Retrospec will probably try to lock it all down even tighter than they already have. But seeing as how I was assuming that's how they were getting things through the city without us noticing? If we can make them stop using it, I'll call that a victory.

Comments

[standalonehuman]

[Aw, hell.]

Not me. But you may want to talk to Dante Rantanen.

The robot up there is the only one I've experienced. Some other people have gotten a lot more.

Now might be a good time to point out that Retrospec has also been sending odd items to people without their permission. But, you're over 18, so you should be able to legally own a sword if they happen to send one to you. I've had to do a crash course in weapon laws thanks to Retrospec.

[cattack]

"Dante Rantanen"? Understood. I'll look for him.
I'll hope that sword doesn't show up, at least.
I'd rather not have to explain it to anyone.
What did you mean by 'triggering' the visions?

[standalonehuman]

Even the visions seem to react like normal memory. You see something or hear something or think about something, and it acts like a trigger for your recall. Happens to you all the time, every day.

Only, in these cases, what you're recalling is something that you've never recalled before. It's about the best I can explain it.

[cattack]

That explains a rather unfortunate amount.
Thank you for the help, sir.
Is there a way to reference what visions we've experienced against others?
Perhaps there is a pattern to be found in who receives which visions.

[standalonehuman]

Maybe. It would only work with people who are willing to share, but that sort of thing could certainly be organized. I think someone was trying to make a survey about that, but didn't get much luck. He wasn't too forthcoming about why he wanted the data, though.

It would be a great idea, so long as it's not intrusive. You might get a better response rate if you admit your concern for trying to help people, rather than just making it a study possibility, you know? Use it as a way to try to figure out who might need to talk to who.

[cattack]

That is true... Those who experience similar visions would, I imagine, be helped by talking to each other. As well as those who receive strange items from Retrospec and need advice on how to deal with it.
Do you know who was making that survey?

[standalonehuman]

Doctor...oh, which one was it...

Ah! Sycamore. I think he's with the University?

To be fair, that was actually why I posted about the robot, to see if anyone else knew something similar.

And maybe to make jokes at Dave, too.

[cattack]

[Dante and now Sycamore... She's just taking notes on all the people she needs to get in touch with now.]

I see... I'm sorry, but the vision I saw was about as far from robots as you can get.
Fighting a strange monster with a sword.
If I had not experienced it first-hand, I would have thought it was some kind of movie.
I don't believe I know any Dave.

[standalonehuman]

[There is a very long pause on Togusa's end, because he is trying to manage the anger that comes up when Cleo says that. This again. Why does Retrospec keep doing this to children?]

I'm very sorry.
I don't know why Retrospec is doing this, I don't know why they keep singling out people far too young to have to remember fighting and then bombard them with things like this. But you're definitely not alone. And it bothers me to say that.

Dave is...well, he's Dave. He's definitely another user, but I've never met him in real life. I think I prefer him being my imaginary Internet friend.

[cattack]

It is all right.
To be honest, the vision was rather vague.
I couldn't tell you much about the events that led up to it, nor the monster itself.
It had scales, is all I can recall.
And it is not as though I have never fought before, either.

[She has to take a moment to laugh at the last bit, though.]

I hadn't taken you for the type for imaginary friends.

[standalonehuman]

Well, Dave is the best imaginary friend.

I'll still object. There's a huge difference between fighting a person, and what Retrospec keeps showing people. Monsters and magic. It's the stuff of nightmares.

Either the memories are arbitrary, in which case Retrospec is seemingly targeting younger people, which is despicable. Or, these truly are visions of another life. In which case, there are a lot of people who have somehow robbed a bunch of kids of their childhoods by having them fight, instead. Either way, I can't abide it.

[cattack]

This may be poor timing to mention this, but my vision involved magic as well.
I didn't wish to say anything, for fear of sounding even crazier than the rest of this.
But you believe these visions might be real?

[standalonehuman]

It feels real. It feels like something I personally experienced. It's as real to me as any other moment in my police career.

But I can keep hoping that they're not real. The problem is that we will act on what we feel is true more so than what we know is true, emotion trumps facts. Not a bad thing most of the time. But when it's hard to tell what about yourself is true? That's where people might have difficulties.

And it's all Retrospec's fault, either way.

[cattack]

You're right.
I hadn't thought of less fantastic visions affecting someone that way.
But it seems that our investigation will be stalled until we can find out more of Retrospec's nature and intentions.

[standalonehuman]

It's easy for us to think that something might not be real when it's a robot or a monster.
But I met this kid, he had the memory of going to school with a bunch of friends in Japan. When, instead, he's been home schooled here in America. Just a simple wish that you could tell was something he really wanted to be true. It's harder to really say what Retrospec is doing is so harmful when you see something like that.

But there's enough harm in other places. And what they're doing is definitely illegal, so it's our job to stop it. No matter what we think about it.

[cattack]

I see... I would have thought the opposite. A monster or a robot is fantastic enough that I think it would be easier to filter out from one's real memories. But a simple daily life in another country would be much harder to tell apart.

Are Retrospec's actions truly illegal?
Not out of defense for what they're doing.
But rather, are there really laws in place that can cover an event like this?
I imagine there will be as soon as we find out more, at least, but it is still somewhat disheartening.

[standalonehuman]

A few of us have done a lot of homework, and we're pretty sure we can find some laws Retrospec has broken.

There are telecommunications regulations that they've broken by the forcible download and a lack of public terms of service to their users.

Overall, their distributing of items to people throughout the city isn't illegal, but among the things they've been giving out have been weaponry. So there is illegal weapons distribution going on. Their courier service seems irritatingly on the level, on its own, though.

And then the pictures and distribution of pictures. Stalking laws, illegal gathering of information. The only problem with that one is that the images have a tendency to disappear when you try to show them to other people. But we'll find a way.

So, we've got them on something. If we can find more people to come forwards and file reports? We'd be even better.

[cattack]

I will gladly testify, if that would help.
The pictures vanishing sounds like surveillance abilities.
Perhaps the app they've forced on our phones use the cameras to tell when we're trying to show it to someone?
And then it can automatically hide the file.
Or something like that?

[standalonehuman]

If you'd be able to, I'd be glad to take a statement. Or, maybe Detective Gabranth would. You don't have to wait to find me.

I'm starting to lean towards something really simple like that. They're probably just hijacking our tech like that.

[cattack]

Certainly. There are photos of me in my own home, which I'm certain is illegal.

Though that doesn't explain the shrinking.

[standalonehuman]

I've got my ideas on that, but zero proof to go with it.

Come on by, find me at my desk, if you'd like to drop off photos, that would help quite a bit.

[cattack]

Understood. I'll be there shortly.
I'd like to hear those ideas, too, if you don't mind.

[standalonehuman]

Togusa waits at his desk, because while he knows Cleo by reputation, he hasn't worked with her before. Good chance to meet face to face, which Togusa generally prefers.

He also needed some extra time to turn over this idea in his mind so that he can explain it to someone else without it sounding completely insane. Similar ideas have been posted on the network before, but merely chalking this all up to hallucination isn't quite what Togusa is getting at.

[cattack]

Cleo arrives surprisingly promptly- She wasn't kidding when she said 'shortly'. She arrives in her leather jacket, her helmet carried under her arm, with a rather messy case of helmet hair. She very clearly rushed to get there, in other words.

She's long-since memorized the layout of the police station, so even if she's never spoken to Togusa before, she knows exactly where to go, trying to smooth out her helmet hair as she enters.

"Good afternoon, sir." At least, she's fairly sure she doesn't have to introduce herself. She rarely does, after all, with how distinctive her appearance is, mismatched eyes and all. "What part did you want to cover first?"

[standalonehuman]

Togusa has to smile, and he briefly stands up when Cleo approaches, to offer a hand to shake. "Good afternoon." Her heterochromia does, indeed, stand out, but Togusa is polite enough not to stare.

They're in the middle of the bullpen, but nobody pays attention to what anyone else is up to, so it's good enough privacy. Togusa pulls out an ever-expanding black folder that is filled with papers. The side effect of preferring to work in hard copy.

"So far, we've experienced a few minor changes, but nothing so sweeping as- what happened last week." The shrinking. "Which makes me wonder if we were really physically changed, or if it was just a change in perspective. Like what was happening with the horses to birds, it's like they appeared, but we weren't able to see them before."