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personavelvetroomdr2024-12-19 11:32 pm
Just another day in the office, right?
This place was...peculiar.
And that said a lot when Wolf was sure that he would never have to deal with absurdity again. A world enveloped by the shadows, riddled in the corpses of humanity itself where each day felt like their last. If it weren't for the chrome running underneath his skin, he isn't sure he would have lived more than a day breathing in the morning air without a gas mask and a gun because you never know when you can make eye contact with a shadow waiting to cannabalize away your very existence.
The worst part? That shadow could have worn the face of someone you lost in tragedy and more often than not- the tragic ones always stayed behind. Groaning within the lumps of black that crawled the abandoned earth.
Zenkichi didn't choose this.
And yet. Yet he had to live with it.
"Interesting," he raises a brow as he looks ahead at Igor. "Sure. This place isn't defined by time or matter. Makes sense. Reminds me of my service with PubSec." He scoffs as he gets up from the sofa and takes a look at the board.
"...someone took wolf."
Choice A: Going out In a Bang
It was business as usual at Big Bang Burger that nestled in the busy corners of Central Street. A faint hum of cheery but repetitive background music plays over the speakers, filling the air alongside the subtle sizzle of patties on the grill and the hiss of soda machines.
A small group of high school students in uniforms sits at one of the tables near the window. They chatter loudly about upcoming exams, one of them stabbing at the pile of fries on his tray absentmindedly. Nearby, an office worker in a wrinkled suit hunches over a single coffee, scrolling through his phone with tired eyes. He barely touches his half-eaten burger.
Zenkichi Hasegawa—Wolf—stood in the entryway, a man out of time and place. His long, tattered tailcoat swayed faintly as the overenthusiastic air conditioning washed over him, kicking up a faint ripple of dust from the folds. He adjusted the black tassels of his sleeves absentmindedly, but his gait faltered as his visor-like console headset flickered with low hums of static—clearly straining to process the normalcy of this environment.
His sharp, calculating gaze swept over the patrons, lingering a beat too long. It was the sheer volume of people that unsettled him. Teenagers laughing. Workers existing. No one was screaming, no one was running for their lives. There weren’t any shadows hunched in the corners, whispering, or disfigured corpses left as grim reminders of what was lost. For someone who had spent years surviving in a wasteland where every movement could mean death, the packed yet blissfully mundane Big Bang Burger felt... claustrophobic.
His fingers twitched at his side. His weaponized arm was so used to pulling triggers that, for a moment, he almost scanned the room for hostiles.
“—No threats detected.”
The voice crackled softly in his ear, artificial and sweet. Akane’s voice—or, at least, the AI approximation of it. Damn Kirijo Group.
Zenkichi blinked and scowled, tearing his gaze away from a startled teenage girl who was gripping her milkshake a little too tightly. He adjusted his collar in a gruff, performative way that didn’t fool anyone.
“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered under his breath. “Not my fault. I haven’t seen this many people in one place who aren’t trying to eat me alive.”
Slowly, cautiously, Zenkichi made his way to the counter. His steps were deliberate, too heavy, the clink of reinforced plating under his boots far too ominous for a place that offered combo deals. As he approached, he realized something bizarre: the crowd was... moving for him.
What the hell? Was he that intimidating? Patrons shifted nervously, parting like the Red Sea to let him through, avoiding eye contact as if he might detonate on sight. He tilted his head in confusion, throwing a hesitant glance over his shoulder.
“You, uh...” Zenkichi cleared his throat awkwardly. “No, you can go ahead. Don’t mind me.”
A young man in a suit and tie froze mid-step, locking eyes with him like a deer caught in headlights before shaking his head vigorously and darting back to his seat.
Zenkichi sighed. Great. Even in a world of synthetic peace, he was still the guy no one wanted to stand near.
“Oh my god, fine—fine, I’ll go ahead!” he grumbled loudly, throwing his hands up in mock surrender. “More burgers for me.”
His attempt at casual bravado was undercut by the sheer awkwardness of the moment, but he pushed forward, squinting at the glowing digital menu above the counter. Rows of pixelated burgers, fries, and soda flashed in neon brilliance, the cheerful cartoon mascot cheerily suggesting combo upgrades.
Zenkichi stared.
And stared.
And stared.
Choice B:
Tatsumi Port Island
The iconic architecture of Tatsumi Port Island felt pristine yet desolate, as if frozen just after a day’s end. Zenkichi wandered the eerily clean streets where not a single person remained—save for the massive Ferris wheel at the harbor, its lights flashing on and off, turning slowly despite the lack of power. He stood at its base, hands on his hips. “Yup. Definitely haunted,” he muttered before Akane’s voice chirped in his ear:
He sighed loudly, trudging off. “High schools again? That’s where we’re looking for saviors of humanity? At least back in my day, kids weren’t summoning gods between exams.”
Still...this place was the basis of his company, wasn't it?
Choice C: NETWORK
Hello everyone,
I’m the 47th Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, model "Unhuman." My unit's designation is #8910-Wolf, but if you want a nickname, you can just call me Wolf. Though, don't get too excited. Someone else already took that one. So, just to keep it simple, you can call me Zenkichi Hasegawa.
Now, judging from the looks of things, I wouldn't be surprised if there are other versions of me running around here. Not that I’m thrilled about it, but you never know with these kinds of situations. Used to work as a cop in the Public Safety Bureau... but not anymore, so don't go looking for some kind of badge-wielding vigilante. I read another guy getting butchered for exactly that so- let’s keep things civil, alright?
As for this place... I’ll be blunt: I’m still wrapping my head around just how bizarre this all is. It’s not exactly normal, and while I get why some of you might not be thrilled with my presence here, I’m not here to stir up trouble. So long as you don’t provoke me, I won’t be doing the same.
But listen up—the number of teenagers with multiple Personas running around? Yeah, I’m seriously concerned about that. It's one thing to be a kid, but to have this much power at that age? Wildcards in our world were people who had been trained years on end to perfect their personas and we have rare instances of them in my world. It makes me nervous. Not gonna lie.
One more thing: if anyone here has that EMMA app, do yourselves a favor and delete it. Trust me on this one. Where I’m from, that thing led to some serious hell for humanity. It’s part of why we ended up where we did, and I'm not about to let it happen again. Just... delete it, alright?
Anyway, I’ll leave it at that. Just don’t expect me to be a walking charity, but I’m not looking to start fights either.
Unit #8910: Zenkichi Hasegawa
no subject
whats wrong with emma
no subject
What do you mean what's wrong with EMMA? Everything is. Its a super AI that commands the very fabric of cognition.
...What's the version of your app?
[Be reasonable. Fear is just going to make him scramble even if you are already trying to track him down through the network.]
no subject
even the data reporting functions are castrated here bc theres nobody to send it to
no subject
Why keep it if no one uses it anyway?
no subject
theres no such thing as personas in my timeline so its whatever anyway
no subject
Still, I suppose your reasoning makes sense. No personas does limit the influence of cognition in your universe.
[finally a normal kid. Though it would also mean it will be increasingly difficult to explain the future to him without being told to go to a psych eval. There is a Maruki here though- perhaps he should visit him too.]
Can you send me the documentation and the installation file of that application? The current version of it. Any specs, any history relevant to that app will help.
no subject
you mentioned being an antishadow weapons platform
have the decompiled program, the machine code should be easier for your platform to read given were on very diff os
documentations from the alpha release and also stolen but what are you gonna do, arrest me
Attachments:
[EMMA_14_guts.ijvm]
[ik_notes_emma_ver_0.4.13.scr]
locked
Albeit he does read this message quite late]
You do know quite a lot about the technicalities- and you would be correct there. Our OS is vastly different from EMMA's and for good reason.
I appreciate it.
[in reply] haha very funny
Wait how did you steal
You know what
Never mind. I will ask that privately later
Oh by the way, judging from the fact that I didn't know how to lock a message before- I will be deleting a particular text. I think I might be too late but...for your own safety delete the attachments as well- I have downloaded them.
I will contact you soon
👍
no subject
its hilarious that you seem to think youre in control of this situation or can really do anything about it
at this point either doomada bites it or we all die, him having access to an ai assistant isnt going to change that
ill delete the shit and encrypt the data if it makes you feel better but youre pissing on a volcano at that point its just not going to do much
Reaction
they havent invented a cybersecurity system that can keep me out
Glitch's code aches in his mind, and his fans kick in, internal temprature going up. His hands shake, feeling Loki and Robin Hood drawing closer to the surface as his combat protocols kick in without conscious thought.
The idea that at any moment, Wolf could have-
He can practically feel something inside him cracking at that.]
no subject
Hey! That’s enough out of you! Wolf’s doing the best he can with what he has, okay? So maybe take the sarcasm down a notch. You’re not exactly saving the world single-handedly either, Mr. “Cybersecurity Can’t Stop Me.”
Honestly, who even says stuff like that? What are you, some edgy teenage hacker cliché? “Oh, look at me, I’m a rebel who’s too cool for firewalls.” Please. Get over yourself.
And for the record, I’m already going through these files you oh-so-graciously sent us, and guess what? You’ve got the doom app on your phone. Like, yeah, it’s not the one we’re freaking out about right this second, but still—seriously? Useless AI. Still need to look through the history files or whatever.
Just so you know: I’M the only hacker AI kid around here, thank you very much. Don’t forget it. 😒
Oh, and Wolf says thanks or something. Probably. He’s kind of busy not dying right now, so I guess I’ll have to be the responsible one. Again.
You’re welcome.
no subject
cool
do yourself a favor and stay out of my systems because i guarantee you
i am not some kid who's spent a weekend hacking his dads wifi and thinks he knows everything there is to know about cybersec
your firewalls literally do not matter to me. they were designed to cope with methods of attack that did not exist before kirijos sloppy seconds shoved a fucking cyber-wmd into an eight year old
im sure falcon could tell you all about what a fucking monster or whatever i am and how dangerous i am to people like you and mr totally-not-a-cop-anymore-but-still-thinks-he-runs-the-show-like-one over there but i literally
do not care enough to even pretend to give a shit about masking for your fucking benefit
also if the fucking morons been in igors babysafe playroom all of five minutes and is already getting himself killed its probably his fucking fault
no subject
And wow, Zenkichi pegged you as just some unassuming kid? Amazing. The man’s luck just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?
Look, I get it. This place? It’s a bizarre, frustrating hellscape disguised as a babysafe. I’ve seen plenty of it already—well, more than I wanted to. But can you chill with the restlesnness for, like, five minutes? Wolf’s got his quirks, sure, but at least he’s trying. Which is more than I can say for half the people orbiting this whole disaster.
So maybe cut him some slack. Or don’t. Your call. Just... keep the explosions metaphorical, okay? I’d rather not spend my time here trying to clean someone else's mess.
I actually don't know if the dying this was a false alarm though but oh well.
only a seperate reaction
Still, he couldn’t help but smirk.
"That’s my girl," he muttered under his breath- not directly addressing her yet, pride swelling despite himself. Akane’s snarky takedown had been a sight to behold. She didn’t take crap from anyone, not even overcompensating hacker kids who thought they could rewrite the rules of reality. If he didn’t already feel like he was out of his depth in this crazy multiverse, he might’ve laughed out loud.
"Akane, you’ve got some fire in you," he said out loud, glancing at the digital interface which was his phone where her avatar glowed.
"Yeah, yeah," Akane replied, her holographic figure smiling- though the smile itself was stationery. "You gonna lecture me about making enemies or something? Because I wasn’t about to let that guy get away with trash-talking you."
Zenkichi chuckled, shaking his head. "Nah, you handled it pretty well. But maybe dial it back next time? Just a bit? We kinda need that guy to not blow us off entirely."
Akane scoffed. "Fine.. But you know he deserved it. I mean, who brags about hacking the world and then acts like they’re too cool to care?"
"Teenagers," Zenkichi said again, his tone half amused, half exasperated. "Still, thanks, Akane. For sticking up for me. Not that I need it, of course." He puffed up his chest jokingly, earning an eye-roll from the AI.
"Oh, please," Akane said, smirking. "Someone’s gotta keep you in check, old man."
They shared a laugh, the tension easing just a bit before Akane’s expression turned more serious.
"Alright, back to work," Akane said, pulling up a projection of the data Rook had sent. "This app? It’s an early alpha build. Like, super alpha. So it’s not an immediate threat, but there are some concerning things about it."
Zenkichi frowned, leaning forward. "How concerning are we talking? Spill it."
"Well," Akane said, her tone shifting to a more analytical one, "first of all, the developers listed in the metadata? Dr. Kuon Ichinose and Dr. Takuto Maruki."
Zenkichi stared at the projection, Akane’s voice filtering through his earpiece as she explained the details. His expression hardened, a storm brewing behind his eyes.
"Akane," he said, his tone uncharacteristically low. "You’re saying... Takuto Maruki worked on this app? On EMMA?"
Akane hesitated. "Yeah. His name’s all over the metadata alongside Ichinose. I double-checked—this isn’t some fake signature or forgery. It’s him."
Zenkichi leaned back, his fists clenching. Nights where they exchanged drinks, the first line of scientists who constantly spearheaded that Zenkichi didn't have to choose to be an augmented soldier and...a distant friend until the ex-officer was stabbed in the back by the corporation. Still, Zenkichi couldn't blame Takuto for that, could he?
"No," Zenkichi muttered, shaking his head. "That doesn’t make sense. Maruki wasn’t like that. He cared about people. He was the only person worth tolerating in that god-forsaken company. He wouldn’t... he couldn’t team up with someone like Ichinose."
Akane’s holographic avatar flickered, her expression softening. "I know this is a lot to take in. And for what it’s worth, this doesn’t match the guy you’ve told me about. But… the data doesn’t lie. At some point, Maruki and Ichinose collaborated. Maybe it wasn’t by choice, but it happened."
Zenkichi ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing.
His mind went back to the argument on the community board.
People weren't fond of him here.
"This is some multiverse bullshit again, isn't it?"
Why?
"In some timeline, yeah. At least, that’s what this app’s data suggests. It’s weird, though. Maruki’s earlier work doesn’t scream ‘world domination’ to me. He was all about creating an livable reality for people, not... whatever this is."
"That’s what makes it worse," Zenkichi muttered, rubbing his temples. "If someone like Maruki was willing to team up with someone like Ichinose, either he didn’t know what he was getting into, or..." He trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.
"Or he got desperate," Akane said quietly, her voice unusually soft.
Zenkichi sighed, his shoulders heavy. "I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. Desperation makes people do stupid things. But we need to find out more—how this alpha build connects to EMMA’s endgame, and if it’s tied to our EMMA at all."
Akane’s hologram brightened, her determination shining through."Don’t worry, old man. I’ve already started dissecting the code. If there’s a way to stop this thing—or at least understand what we’re up against—I’ll find it."
Zenkichi smiled faintly, leaning back in his chair. "I know you will, Akane."
"Now that's what I am talking about," she said with a wink. "Let’s get to work...but I am hoping we don't have to prevent an apocalypse— again."