011✖; (video)

[circumitus]

[From the get-go, almost anyone who knows Rey might immediately sense that something's... off, about her. For one thing, she's activated the video feed, which she just about never does. Second, she carries herself oddly than usual these days. More rigid, her jaw tight. Third, there is a stone cold expression that might startle the faintest of hearts if they're so unfortunate to wake up to this face.]

"Greetings."

[When she speaks, it's even more obvious that she isn't right. Rey is not the 'greetings' type, and her tone is different as well. Her r's roll and her voice is lower. Not that she had a high-pitched voice before, it's just -- different. Those from Earth might even be able to recognize it as a distinctive Russian inflection.]

"I skip pretenses and keep this brief: It would seem our successor designated 'just Rey' has tampered with our memory core. Up here." [As 'Rey' says this, she taps the corner of her head as if to emphasize her point.] "Present designation is Operative Safronov. Is not my desire to be here. This area of operation is successor's purview. Not mine. She messed up brain. I fix it. Is what I do.

"Do not seek us. Not now. Have only vague estimate for damage. Safety could be compromised."

[She pauses, then adds:] "Looking for successor designated 'just Rey's contacts." [i.e. friends? What those are.] "Might help. Might not. I make no promise.

"Apologies for those inconvenienced by this asshole."

[On that rather blunt note, 'Rey' -- or, rather, Safronov, reaches for her device and the screen goes black. Now that she's made her point clear, she wants to minimize any chance of people seeing and discovering her current position.]

[ooc: A quick clarification -- Rey has recently jacked into her own brain to try and fudge some memories, and fudged up herself instead. This will not be a permanent thing. More info here.]

Comments

audio;

[circumitus]

Information. [Duh.] That tends to be first order of business when someone arrives, yes?

[Even though Safronov's version of "arriving" is a little different from most.]

[nowherewolf]

Well, yeah, but what do you want to know? You're in another dimension, the city's called Hadriel, there's emotion-eating creatures that call themselves gods and we're all fighting an involuntary war against and army of hivemind robots.

That about cover it?

[circumitus]

[Sigh.] Well. Yes. That is covered. What is on your intranet is available also to me.

Problem is my successor not keeping personal records. No data why she thought it wise to meddle with our brain. Those details are more pertinent.

[nowherewolf]

Oh. [Hmm. Well, he doesn't exactly know the solution to that conundrum. He's not that close to Rey.]

Well, we had this big fight with the robots a couple months back, and she vanished for a while around that time. But she'd come back, so I assumed she was chill, I guess. We lost a lot of people recently, maybe she was upset about one of them.

[Time for wild mass guessing.]

[circumitus]

[He's a little more on the mark than he'd realize.]

Others have confirmed so. May be easy fix if that is all. [Stupid people and their stupid emotions and her stupid successor.] This is good to know.

[nowherewolf]

[Alright so, message delivered, which is technically where this conversation should end, but now he's... actually interested?]

Wait, okay, so Rey screwed with her brain and like, reset to you? You called her "successor". So like, how many... predecessors are there? Are you guys just like, in there all the time?

[circumitus]

[She sighs. How tiring that she is the one to relay this info.]

Eight including myself. Nine if you count the prototype. [Though Safronov isn't sure how FREYJA would factor in. Those memories have always been a bit scrambled, even for her -- and for good reason.]

[nowherewolf]

[Nine people in there? Damn. He wonders if it's like being lowkey possessed all the time. Not that he actually knows what that's like, but he's seen it.]

So are you all... kind of the same person? Or are you all like, different personalities?

[circumitus]

[Fortunately it isn't like possession, where they're vying for control over the same body. That would be such a pain in the ass.]

Both. Sort of. The precursors were their own people. Most unaware of what they were. My successor and I are different.

[nowherewolf]

Different how?

[That's awfully vague of you.]

In that you guys know you're... part of a group? Can you talk to each other, or remember each other's stuff?

[circumitus]

Yes. We are self-aware. We do not communicate in way you probably think. It is more like having full access to their memories and experiences.

[Which can be pretty handy when you're in a pinch.]

[nowherewolf]

Huh. But it only works backward, not forward, so you can't access Rey's? Or is that just because she... did whatever she did?

[He will not pretend to know anything about computer brains.]

[circumitus]

Correct. Machines do not work any other way. As do most things. It is not possible to access data after Restore Point once system has been reset. So to speak.

[nowherewolf]

So then how are you gonna get her back? Is she gonna be like, an amnesiac?

[circumitus]

Not if I can help it. Although "Restore Point" may not have been best metaphor. Like I said. The memories cannot be erased. Only locked away.