retrospec | Point of Order

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Point of Order

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.

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Cleo took one glance at the post, and then immediately decided she didn't want to know.

"... I see. I'm sorry." Cleo focused on his words instead. But staying on that topic... Would likely only cause him pain, right? She shouldn't do that. She should move the topic on.

"I heard a voice calling for help, but not one I recognized. But when I ventured further, I found myself waking up on the concrete back outside of it. It was... unpleasant." She had a gift for understatement as always.

It's a nice gesture, and really it's all that Togusa needs. He closes his eyes and nods once, but follows her shift in topic. "Similar. It was like it was trying to draw us in, presented some kind of urgency."

He looks Cleo over with a little concern. "Are you all right now? No lasting effects from being in there?"

She shakes her head, rolling her neck as if to demonstrate she's perfectly healthy.

"I'm fine. I was temporarily disoriented afterwards, but it was the same kind as though suddenly waking up from sleep. It was nothing to worry about."

Togusa nods, so long as she's all right. "But it wasn't anything that you recognized. So why would Retrospec be so focused on telling you that?"

Togusa shakes his head. "It still doesn't make any sense. But like I said earlier, I assume that Retrospec was trying to draw our attention to the fact that this was happening. That might be more important than the specific things that we heard in there."

He runs a hand down his face. "But I don't know if we can interact with them now."

Cleo had to take a moment to think, tapping a hand to her temple.

"... I have an idea, but perhaps it is... a bit reckless." She admitted. It was an obvious idea, of course, but she felt it had to be voiced.

Cue Togusa's complete lack of surprise. "How reckless are we talking? And please remember that it's our job to risk ourselves so that you don't have to." His look is sympathetic, though. It's always the kids who keep on trying to take on so much.

"Even so, I don't wish to run away from it. If I let others risk themselves so I don't have to, then I fear I will never be able to when it comes time that I do have to." Her words sounded noble, but to herself, they were a strange admission- She was afraid of becoming a coward.

"Simply put, if you remember where the crack you saw was that caused this... Find that crack again, and smash it open until we can enter at our size and see if it remains." She shakes her head, thinking. "And should that fail, a small camera on a wire, like those used in the medical field. There must be something."

Togusa's eyes go wide and he almost chokes. "Can I please vote against any plan that widens a crack in reality? Sure, get one of the cameras we have, surveillance cameras that we use for bugging, see what happens. That's a good plan. But please nothing to make the problem worse?"

The look on his face relaxes. "I know. You're shadowing with us because you want to make a difference, right? That's usually the motivation of people who get involved. The police training is just a way to make sure that when you can help, you do it right. But this whole thing with Retrospec is a new level of danger," he shakes his head. "It's nothing like what we've been trained for, but we keep having to fall back on our training and our sense of justice to determine what action to take. Keep doing that, and you'll act when you need to."

"I am unsure they would be widening the cracks, rather than simply exposing more of a crack in reality that is already there." Cleo's reply is calm, unworried by his response.

But she closes her eyes, letting out a brief breath at his words. "... You are right." She acknowledges. "I want to help people. And Retrospec... It is certainly the biggest threat to the people here, it seems."

"Of all people," Togusa holds up a hand, "the one to ask about that possibility would be a professor at Recolle University. Most of the time, I just leave handling him to Detective Wolf, but Professor Jack Dawes is the only person I know who knows a thing about theoretical physics." But, Togusa, himself, might take a pass on looping him in.

Togusa brings his hands together and bridges his fingers. "On that point, I'm starting to be less certain. Is Retrospec the biggest threat to people? Or are all of us the biggest threat? They're sending guns in the mail, giving people strange powers, somebody got a pet tiger. Retrospec is still the key to this. But our top priority needs to be undoing what they've done."

"Do you dislike him?" Her question is blunt and straightforward, but honest. It's very like her, in other words.

But that last remark caused a worried expression to flit across her face. "How could we be the biggest threat? Retrospec is causing this, so it is the bigger threat, isn't it?"

Togusa shakes his head and holds out a hand and waves that back-and-forth as well. "No, not at all. Oh, that's what it's got to sound like, doesn't it?" Togusa looks upwards while he tries to figure out how best to organize his thoughts. "Professor Dawes was the first to get a weapon from Retrospec. Specifically these very futuristic looking laser guns that I'm still sure we'd be able to regulate as destructive devices. But, he's one of Detective Wolf's best friends. So, rather than doing anything about it myself I left it up to Wolf. Who did nothing to rein in his friend."

Togusa's expression suddenly turns more serious. "But then Retrospec just put us all in situations where anyone who had gotten a weapon needed to use it. He'd likely be seriously hurt at best if he had never gotten those guns. So now it's all just- weird." Togusa lets his hand drop back down to the desk. "I don't know what to do about him or anybody that now has these unregistered weapons running around."

Cleo nods. She has to take a moment to consider things, brows furrowing as she tries to come up with a solution to this problem... And then smiles.

"That being the case, why don't we register them?" She sounds rather pleased with her idea. "There are many here in the police station who have Retrospec, aren't there? And those who don't have Retrospec are incapable of knowing about it. While it's frustrating, we can use that to our advantage this time."

She leans forward, clearly proud of herself. "If you create a new legal registry for Retrospec-granted weapons, we would have at least some information on them. Furthermore, if we labeled it as being Retrospec-related, anyone who doesn't know of it would be unable to remember any of the registry, even if they saw it, so there are no consequences should any unrelated people see it."

Togusa tilts his head to the side, as if he's just heard something completely baffling. "Can we just- do that?" He holds his hands out. "We can't make our own laws, but if there's a way we can register what the Retrospec population has been getting, just to try to understand what's happening?"

"What if they don't agree to it? I believe Professor Dawes words were something to the effect of 'if anyone tries to take this, I'll shoot them with it first.' He won't be the only one resistant to the idea."

But there's a hope that this might work. He isn't dismissing the idea, but trying to see how it would help keep people safe. There has to be a way.

"Of course, it won't be official." She conceded. "But there's also no need to take the weapons away. Simply a registry of what kinds of weapons have been given out, who owns them, and what they may do. Of course, it isn't a perfect system, as it would rely on anyone who receives a weapon telling us willingly, but I imagine it would still be useful, especially if a weapon is given to someone who is... less than good."

"Registry laws are there to protect the public and the people using weapons. At least we can assure that people who have access to firearms have the safety training to use them properly." Togusa frowns. "Or we can try."

There's something nagging at his mind, and he knows where it comes from. James Barnes. It was the other way around with him. He picked up a gun, and suddenly he remembered that he knew how to use it. But Togusa can't just trust that Retrospec knows what they don't know, and that every weapon will find its way to responsible hands.

"I'd have to talk to a few people to see if this is even possible. Even just an agreement with the users would be better than nothing." He runs a hand over the top of his face, messing up his bangs. The entire problem is frustrating, but better than nothing might be as good as they can get for now.

A satisfied smile crept its way across Cleo's face regardless. Certainly, there were problems with her suggestion, but it was a start. It was, at the very least, better than had she not said anything, and she was quite pleased with herself for offering something useful.

"That's right. Should I get the sword from that vision, I will of course register it immediately, and look for a proper license to own it." She shakes her head. "And perhaps to carry it, should we have another event such as that shrinking. If I had had that sword, fighting a spider or the like would have been much easier."

Togusa leans back in his chair again, stretching himself out. "Welcome to America, the laws here are far less concerned about blades than firearms. It's the 'carry' part that's tricky, depending on what it is, you might not even be able to get a license for it. But you can own it easily." His tone belies how ridiculous he thinks it is, but the law is what he's here to carry out.

"It's the gun part that's complicated. Owning versus carrying versus carrying concealed. That's where you've got to read carefully."

She nods, listening carefully. "Furthermore, we should consider the possibility of weapons that do not fall under any known category." She added. "Such as the tanks from your vision."

Oh man. Togusa really doesn't like the thought that one of these could show up. He holds up a hand. "Let's not go down that slope, though. Because so far, the changes have been trying to disturb as little as possible to the rest of the world. If the Tachikoma showed up, they'd replace some other ridiculously top secret technology, and the common person would never get their hands on it. I'm pretty sure I'd never have to deal with one of them, myself."

"How often do you see a tank, anyway?"

"About as often as I see horses." That is, she's a city girl, so never. "But the possibility exists, and should be considered." It's blunt and logical, but she's never been good at beating around the bush.

Togusa has to hesitate, because now he is very seriously considering going and getting a toy tank to put next to his book of now altered woodblock paintings just in case he wakes up one day and it's a Tachikoma instead.

He had been considering earlier what was the line between being practical and being too paranoid? This is the line, right there, he decides, and shakes his head.

"I suppose I'll have to keep it in mind."

She nods, accepting that answer. "That aside, it would also be wise to consider how to register things such as lightsabers or laser guns. Things that do not exist, but may appear."

Cleo pauses for a moment, before adding: "Such things would be extremely useful to know about should giant spiders appear again." She allows herself one small shudder, hoping Togusa doesn't notice it.

"And there's the flip side, isn't it?" Togusa spreads out his hands. "A lot of people would have gotten hurt with Retrospec's latest stunt, if Retrospec hadn't been breaking the laws to arm everybody, first."

"Still, I hope they don't expect us to be grateful," Togusa snorts. "The audacity. Stop messing with people's lives in the first place."

"That's right." She sighs. "It is almost enough to make me wish we could simply break in and raid the building. It is not as though they could file claims against us, as no one else can remember them." It was wishful thinking, of course, a bit of petty revenge fantasies.

"Although, I must wonder how exactly they pay for all of this." It's an idle remark, but she's moving away from her little fantasy with a slight tinge of pink to her cheeks. "A building costs money, the deliveries cost money... Though I suppose if no one else can remember they're owed money, it doesn't much matter."

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standalonehuman - 2017-05-25 18:06 (UTC) - Expand

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