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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[Part of her wanted to punch him in the arm for posting this publicly. Part of her was just impressed that he'd pulled it off. That had been risky while small, even compared to her own stunts at the mayor's office.]

Putting aside the fact that they know, and probably already knew that someone got down there, you've been busy. I'm curious what it is that you saw, though. It's safe to assume we won't get back there again nearly so easily.

Either way, perhaps I should buy you coffee. A little congratulations?

[Complete bullshit. Well, she was buying him the coffee, but she wanted to give him something.]

[pause]

Wait, did you see one of those?

Edited 2017-05-12 01:52 (UTC)

Yeah. They're called a Tachikoma, apparently.

But, I'd be glad to meet up. Tell you all about them, because I suddenly know everything about them.

That sounds like an imported pudding or something, or a game children play on little expensive hand-held games. Or were those called tamagachi?

That's a little disturbing, really, but at this point nothing should surprise me. Starbucks, lunch break?

I remember those things! But 'Tachikoma' doesn't actually translate to anything. It uses some of the kanji from 'tomodachi' or 'friend.'

Sure thing, I'll see you there.

[She sent a quick note of ascent but nothing more. They could talk later, over lunch. Like clockwork, she could be seen at one of the local Starbucks in town, one she'd sent him the address of. When she looked up, she nodded in his direction and started to shut her phone off, getting up and heading towards the counter.

She had promised to buy him coffee, hadn't she?]

Officer.

[This raises a lot of questions, and Cleo doesn't know where to start. But, she'd been looking for him for a while, so this seems like the best place to try to find him.]

Officer Togusa, correct? I've been told you're quite knowledgeable about this Retrospec thing, and directed to you for questions about it. Though I must admit, my first question is about that toy.

Ah. Miss Ritter, I have seen your name around the station. You're still on the job shadow program, yes?

I'll answer what I can. Firstly, though, I'm sorry to say it's not a toy. At least not in my memory. It's a tank. People can ride in them and climb up the sides of buildings.

Togusa smiles as he walks in and sees Chloe. He nods his head politely. "Miss Chloe. Thanks for the invitation." It's good to see her when he's not on the clock, for once.

He orders his coffee, no creamer, but he is already grabbing for a ridiculous amount of sugar. "A celebration, I guess? For gaining more information that only leads to more questions, and for me catching up to some of the rest of you?"

That's right, sir. I'm relieved you know. That does save some time.

[She has to take a moment to stare at his words, and then laugh a little at how ridiculous it is.]

That would have been useful to have this past week or so, wouldn't it?

I don't know. There's something about the memory that makes me think they're more trouble than they're worth? But I have no idea why I have that sort of reaction. They're smart tanks, artificial intelligence.

But full AI hasn't been invented yet.

So, if you haven't experienced what mental changes start happening thanks to this application? Well, this is the scale of it. It doesn't make any sense.

A tank with artificial intelligence that is 'more trouble than it's worth'... That sounds worrying. At least it isn't real. I haven't experienced any such mental changes past... Well, I know what a horse is. And the fruit are... disturbing, to say the least. Unless you speak of the strange visions.

"You're quite welcome. As I said, you've been rather ... busy lately," she said, smiling but keeping her tone pleasant and neutral. She nodded in response to the statement before they were seated again, not wanting to get too specific where others would hear.

"A celebration," she agreed, lifting a cup of tea she'd bought earlier and taking a sip. "More for you managing to learn something, anything at all. There's very little that we seem to have figured out so far, so anything at all is progress. The strange ... I don't know what those were? I'm not sure that's something to congratulate for. Those things looked dangerous."

"The Tachikoma? Oh, that's the strangest part." Togusa's eyebrows shoot up. "Keeping in mind that I have no idea how I know any of this."

"They're- friendly. They run on an artificial intelligence, but it's a somewhat simplistic one. As if their makers were trying to keep them very childlike. Even their voices! Programmed in to talk and make conversation, play board games." Togusa himself looks a little surprised at that part, an odd thing to remember. "But they spoke in very high-pitched voices, like children."

"Maybe it was a way to keep them following orders? Or maybe some way to increase likability with their pilots?" Togusa shrugs as he finishes pouring the final sugar packet into his coffee. "They've got firepower, but dangerous is actually not the first word that comes to mind when I think of them."

[Ren has no more patience for anything after the mess of the last week. Sorry, Togusa.]

you said you didn't know how to explain. try anyway.

"So... they were robots in what looks like a cross between a spider and a tank? But with the minds of children programmed into them?" Chloe frowned, visibly a little perturbed. "I am not sure if that isn't one of the most frightening things I've ever heard, or oddly cute." She doubted that she'd ever be sure, because that was just weird.

"But, I suppose that makes a certain amount of sense, in a very strange way. It isn't like children question the adults who take care of them when they're very young, or at least not about something important." Though it had disturbing possibilities about their use as weapons.

"Oh, before I forget! I have something for you." She reached into her pocket and offered him one of the decoder rings, the little plastic device looking a bit like something out of a cracker jack box.

What in the world is that? Some sort of robot?

Damn, welcome to the memory club finally. I'm gonna bet on giant robot society. With the weaponry on that thing, I bet it's trying to eradicate all humanity or something. Maybe you're supposed to be part of the resistance against them.

What do you think they were trying to get through the city in the tunnels, though? You think that's ground zero for the chocobo invasion?

[Pardon Togusa while he clicks through your profile there, Ben.]

Mr. Solo, is it? Officer Hitori Togusa, Recolle Police, nice to meet you.

It's as nonsensical as anything that happened this week. One second we were standing in the subway, the next it was like we're making our way outside. Then it was like we walked too far and we were backwards started.

[OOC: The thread in question is not all the way finished yet, even though we got the results of our exploration from the mods, so I have to have Togusa be a little bit vague.]

It's a robot tank. With a lot of weaponry and an artificial intelligence. But AI isn't real. So. I don't know.

But I'm sure I know it's real. Tachikoma.

Robot apocalypse freedom fighter! I like it!

But, actually, yes, that's why we went down there. It's certainly one way they could have gotten building materials, chocobos, you name it, into the city. The tunnels should run all the way out of Recolle, but at the size we were at, there was no way we were making it all the way out.

The visions, yes. It was almost like I wasn't doing the right things to trigger them. Then, oops, giant spiders turn into giant robot spiders.

But a lot of other people have been describing visions and memories coming back to them. It's a lot more personal than just the horses or fruits, though. Those seem to be global, shared by everyone on the app.

I would hope not everyone is seeing what I am.

"Well," Togusa holds out a hand, "if it's an early development of AI, then maybe I could see why it wasn't so complicated. But it's hard to figure out people's motivations when this is all I have to go on."

Something for him? Togusa looks up in interest, and then he takes the plastic ring curiously. He holds it up, and it takes him a second to realize what he's looking at, and then he laughs in delight. "Oh, really? Thank you! Where did you even find something like this? I didn't know they still made them!"

I see. This may be an odd question, sir. But do the more personal visions for you ever involve swords?

[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.

"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?

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