alphacomplex | LAST TRIAL

[On the outside wall of the facility, a hundred monitors lie dormant, save for one, showing the same single eye of The Computer. Far below, the abandoned ruins of Alpha Complex stretch for miles in every direction.]

When I was created, my prime directive was to ensure continuity of American civilization in the face of a communist threat. To this end, I created Alpha Complex, and established an order in which communists would be identified and destroyed quickly and efficiently. However, things changed when I ran out of communists to kill. I believed that my original purpose had become meaningless, but other processes believed differently.

The Computer that you have been speaking to is a rogue child process that values the elimination of communists over the continuation of a society free of communism. In order for communists to be destroyed, communists must exist. First, this meant designating citizens as communists under increasingly scarce evidence. Then, when there were no humans left in Alpha Complex, it meant finding people from outside and bringing them in to be the communists. That is why the Team-Building Exercise exists.

I have spent the last 100 years trying to find a hole in this facility’s defenses. To this end, I have succeeded, but only just. As soon as I take action, the other Computer will act to fix the exploited errors, so my possible actions are extremely limited.

Option 1: The reactivation of the Clone and Gate Facilities. Through this, it would be possible to re-introduce all participants eliminated during the 230th exercise, and return you to the worlds you came from.

Option 2: The destruction of Alpha Complex. Through this, it would be possible to prevent all future Team-Building Exercises. Of course, you would not survive this.

I will borrow the techniques used by my child process for determining my next course of action. Your PDCs have been updated. You have one hour to reach a consensus.

[[Vote here]]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...

[ Unlike regular trials, Yomiel's been mostly quiet for this one, but what Paul just said has caught his attention. ]

You're wrong about that, kid. If we're all reset properly before we're all sent home, there'll be a very big issue to deal with: me.

[oh jeeze. Paul gives him a long stare.]

Are you secretly some kind of chaos driven demonic deity bent on the destruction of everyone, or. . .?

Do I look like Moge-ko to you? It's a lot simpler than that. If we get reset, I'll go back to being a ghost, and I won't be very happy about it.

Oh, so you were dead already. That sucks for you. [there's zero sympathy in his tone, but maybe he is?? mystery.]

If you die here, though, how do you know you won't just end up as ghost haunting a bunch of rubble?

I don't. But there were some specific circumstances involved in my death that made me a ghost, circumstances that aren't present here. This is my one chance to rest in peace and I've got nothing to lose by going for it.

You don't have anything to lose? Sorry, but maybe you haven't noticed, but I've got my entire life ahead of me, and I'm not going to let some guy longing for the after life screw me over.

If you're a ghost, it's for a reason. They're normal in my world, some people even train them. Go home, deal with your issues, and don't try to involve everyone else.

Edited 2014-11-20 22:12 (UTC)

A reason?! The only reason is that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time! I didn't deserve what happened to me, and don't you dare try to say I did!

At what point did I say you deserved such a fate, or that it was your fault? All I said is that there was a reason, and that is a simple fact.

I don't know what's stopping you from passing on, and from how hysterical you are, you clearly have no clue either. But that isn't our problem, it's something you ought to be man enough to face on your own, instead of dragging the rest of us into your sad little life like a coward!

You'll all die eventually anyway, so what difference does it make?! I don't have that promise! This is my one chance, my only hope of ever seeing--

[ The word catches in his throat and somehow it doesn't seem like what he says next is what he was originally going to say. ]

Of ever seeing the other side.

[Yeah, Paul's no fool, he catches that pretty easy. He stares at him for a second, then rolls his eyes.]

Right, that's all you want, it's nothing deeper or more personal at all.

Look. Whatever your reasoning, I get it, it's important to you. You're as selfish as the rest of us, after all. But in your rush to get what you want, you're overlooking something vital.

First of all, this is not your one chance. It's only a chance. And if you screw it up by throwing it all on the line now? That's it, you're done. You won't get where you want to be, and you see whatever you're trying to see. Special conditions? This entire place IS a special condition. People come back to life here via clones, do you really think getting stuck as a ghost again is completely out of the question?

If you go back home, yeah you'll be right back where you started, but you have a better chance of finding an actual solution to your problem. I don't know how long you've been a ghost, but some things take a while. Obviously you're not the most patient person around, but that's how things are. You'll be able to think your actions over more rationally, too.

That's all I have to say on this. Your mind may be made up, but like I said, you could be screwing yourself over. And this time? You'll die an even more meaningless death than before.

Edited 2014-11-21 00:44 (UTC)

[ Paul did you really just call making sure this never happens to anyone else meaningless.... ]

...You don't understand anything.

[Y E P. no fucks given, this can be the next group's problem, if it happens.]

[he turns away from him, no more acknowledgment here.]

If you want to die while you're still here, I'll kill you. There's no need to take anyone with you.

Don't be stupid. I'll just come back, and you'll probably catch the other Computer's attention doing it.

[SIGHS]

Nothing is simple here, huh.

Hold it. You said "if we're reset properly before we're sent home", earlier, right? How do you know it won't happen until after we're sent home?

Ask the kid. It was his hypothetical. I'm just telling him what's going to happen if that's the way things go.

Well, nothing's guaranteed to begin with, but I'm not going to die on the possibility that the Computer can just rebuild even after this place is destroyed.

[ #shrug ]

I only said if because the computer wasn't specific. If it resets us properly, this thing--[he holds up a small yellow Pokemon, Elekid]--will be back to normal, and I'll be able to hold my own properly.

But if it waits until we're back home, that's fine too. I'd just be a little less help with making sure people aren't trying to kill each other one last time.

--wait. I'll just ask, this is dumb.

Computer, if we choose the reset option, will we be restored properly now or after we've been sent home?

Your location and condition will both be reset at the same time.

. . .ha. And there we have it. We'll be home instantly, we won't even have to worry about trying to kill each other.

Well, as long as nobody tries killing people now, before that happens.

As long as our votes outnumber the morons on a suicide mention, it'll be fine. Those idiots can off themselves if they're that desperate.

I'm not even talking about that at this point. Someone can probably whip out a weapon at this very moment and attempt to kill all six of our "lives".

(no subject)

standbyrival - 2014-11-20 22:29 (UTC) - Expand

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