Simulation Games

Simulation Games
Date of Scene:	30 January 2013
Location:	Datapoint Security - Barracks
Synopsis:	Testing takes place and things get a little out of hand.
Cast of Characters:	MCP, CHIEF

---

MCP has posed:
Every gigacycle the same dream.

Not, however, the same environment. Data channels begin to cycle through the remaining boot up processes. The air does not have that faintly electric crackling of tension or the stuffy quality of a shielded enclosure. The muffled sounds of activity come from just outside the door at such a volume and variety that this singular room is a square soap bubble.

A fragile remainder of something akin to familiarity whereas the noise outside is not alien by any means of the word-- merely disjointed by the fact that it did not belong in the same space as it was occupying. The rumble of vehicles. The clatter of boots on cobblestones. The jumbled rising and falling of conversation. The splash of water.

Very odd.

CHIEF has posed:

CHIEF does indeed have the same dream and he always does seem to find himself typically in another place. Though lately it has been the same four walls, in the same place, with once and awhile someone or several someones keeping him in line when his loop goes into full bore.

Though something about this time was.. different. Not something he could place his finger on. The sounds were off, the feeling in the air was different. Everything was strange. His gold eyes glanced around, trying to determine exactly what was going on around him. If this was indeed the same place, or some place else.

The hardest part was remember what was he doing before this. He was speaking with LANCER, then the MCP contacted him.. him regarding... what was it again? Progress?

CHIEF trying to remember it ran his hand through his hair. Frustration. Always frustration. He couldn't remember the exact conversation, just like trying to remember back to the old days was like trying to chip away a crag.

Though what caused him to pause was the sound of water. A splash of it. He knew of rain, rain in his original system was common sometimes. Weather simulators really. Rain, snow, fog, heck even hail if you were unlucky to get caught up in it. Wind was another, but sometimes the wind was nice. CHIEF gazed around once more, started to move toward where he thought he heard the splash. Splash meant someone; it meant something, right?

MCP has posed:
The sounds gradually faded, or were rather swallowed by a louder noise. Conversation near the doorway, "Give us some credit. We're not exactly voxels yet. Even you've has to admit that we've functioned pretty well in shutting down that guy's rogue process, HEIM."

A pause. "Yeah. Except that time. You have to admit. AESIP nearly did that at close range. If it wasn't so fragging scary I would have gotten popcorn. So what's the harm?"

A pause. "Okay. Yeah. That's the harm-- but where's he going to get /another/ tank?"

A pause. "Look. Spare me the logistics. You've quoted me the numbers. Twice. You want me to run them off for you backwards? This'll work."

There is a knock on the doorframe. There is a shimmering-- something of disquiet about the sound, which is a little off from expected.

CHIEF has posed:

CHIEF hears the conversation. A voice he doesn't recognize, maybe both. One of them was known as HEIM. He slowly moves toward the door, he hand moving to open it, but the shimmer causes him to pause.

This was so strange. So off feeling. None of this was processing right. What /did/ happen? Why did non e of this /feel/ right? His sensors for that moment froze up, like something ensnared him and was keeping him from moving as he tried to process it all in, trying to find maybe a 'trick' in all this. A target perhaps? Something that was dangerous?

CHIEF snaps himself too and then opens the door, not trying to throw it open, no. More like carefully open it to get a look outside, while keeping himself from the outside.

Though it didn't answer the question about the water. What was up with the water sound? ..and what was up with that shimmer? Something isn't adding up. But what would be the proper response to this? What was the proper response? Just.. continue to process information and look for data to answer inquiries.

MCP has posed:
Outside in the corridor is a single program leaning against the wall. Blonde hair tied back in a ponytail and wearing the red/orange lined bodysuit that distinguished the programs who resided here.

"You want to go get some air?" he frowns slightly and then smirks widely at CHIEF. "Null that. You, my friend, are being swiped. Ask anybody. I don't parse negatives very well." he gestures down the corridor towards the main hall. "--Come on. Going outside won't kill you. It might possibly kill /me/ but-- eh. I'll take my chances."

The anomalous sounds have faded entirely, leaving behind the slight creak and settling noises of the wood and brick enclosure. The chittering whisk of something scurrying some distance away, the faint noise of it's repeated tonal pipings at the edge of range.

CHIEF has posed:

Who was this? LANCER? Maybe? Why was it so hard to remember right now? Tank-- he used a tank when he showed up at the election. Did he-- get another tank? Was the conversation he heard even about him.

He stared with those gold eyes at the program before him. His eyes focusing and then off-focusing as he shook his head for a moment. It was-- so distorted here. But-- there was two.. he /know/ he heard two, but there is just this one.

"Who-- were you talking too?" CHIEF asked, "I heard two voices.." He then pauses. Narrowing his eyes for a moment. Was this all a dream? Did his processes somehow break from their normal tormented dream state?

"And why would it kill you to go outside with me?" CHIEF asks with a grunt. "Outside of the simple chance of myself going crazy, but which case.." He laughs softly. "No weapons." He places out his hands. "I am pretty much harmless." -ish.

MCP has posed:
"HEIMDALL. He's keeping an eye on things while you're being-- harmless. Ish." LANCER waves him on, leaning away from the wall to move down the corridor into the main hall. A grid bug scuttles along the ceiling whistling and beeping but LANCER just makes a waiving away gesture at the small construct before opening the door-- right out onto the street, in a busy portion of District 3. Was the town always so close at hand?

LANCER peers outside and then walks out, closing the door behind him. All the sounds cut off abruptly, even the sounds of the quiet complex, leaving not just an eerie silence but a void in their wake. An absence of sound.

CHIEF has posed:


CHIEF stares up at the Grid bugs and raises a brow to LANCER's explanation. He realized it was and this caused him to furrow his brows. Just--- what was going on here? So many things were not even making since, he didn't even know where to begin.

Then he realizes as LANCER opens the door that it was District 3. This caused him to tilt his head in an almost inhuman fashion in complete disbelief of what he was seeing, yet-- there it was. The data in his own mind stated it didn't add up. He knew the coordinates of where they were to District 3. He knew this was not the proper locations. You just don't simply /walk/ out to District 3.

Yet-- he was walking out to District 3 with LANCER closing the door, then suddenly with the door shut...

...there was no sound.

CHIEF stared at the door, he stared at the door for a /long time/. Then those gold eyes slowly looked over to LANCER. There was then a long stare as they started to flicker, he started to want to let off his control of his own targeting system that had been extremely itchy for a few days and already growing hard to keep in check. It be so /easy/ to just push it over right now.

Yes, perhaps LANCER was right. He could end up dead before this was over, be /he/ was a program. Another program. Not a user. He didn't want to harm another of his own. It was maybe the only thing that was keeping himself in check; or at least that is what he believes.

CHIEF went to open his mouth to speak, but due to the lack of sound, he realized that speaking would be futile to attempt. He wouldn't even /hear/ the reply most likely. So he just continues to stare at LANCER, before slowly crossing his arms over his chest, with a twinge of a smirk trying to form.

MCP has posed:
LANCER raises an eyebrow, his body language an infinitely annoying 'what?' that doesn't have to be voiced to be heard. He smiles at CHIEF, stretches and takes a look around, gesturing across the street as he starts to stroll along the cobblestoned avenue with some interest.

He turns a corner after a leisurely examination of a shop corner-- and is suddenly gone. He is completely absent, not a trace of him in the surroundings as the sound has come back-- at full force as if someone had toggled a switch.

The pitch and tones of the sounds waver all over the place, shuddering several times before stabilizing like the sound was ripples on a pool being assaulted by rocks.

CHIEF has posed:

CHIEF snorts softly in annoyance, before he just snarls and then shakes his head. He may derez this program yet if he wasn't careful.

So LANCER and CHIEF walked along, he glanced around the area, trying to note things. Things of complete interest and the lacking of really. Suddenly though LANCER was gone, which caused the military program to raise a brow in complete confusion. He started to actually jog that way before a forceful sound of everything around him was suddenly 'cranked' on.

CHIEF roared out in pain for a moment as he reached up for his ears and gritted his teeth. The ripples of the sound causing a great deal of distortion and the sudden sound jarring his nerves. There was a snarl before that smile. "SHUT UP!!" he roared out at no one. No one to attack. No one to find. No one to target. His gold eyes quickly moving around, searching. Searching. Soon he was starting to just try to lock onto things that people could perhaps hide in and moving directly for the store itself with all the crazy look to boot.

MCP has posed:
"--sink so low as to have your fun at his expense. It's supposed to take time. It's supposed to go SLOW, you can't just dump the cache in one shot. It's fragging /petty/ is what it is, LANCER. It doesn't have to be like this." ECHO /shoves/ LANCER hard in the chest, knocking him over a display counter that shatters as the program lands in a heap on the other side of the counter. "I didn't. I mean. He's--" "Get OUT of here LANCER before you say something you'll regret, and I do something I /wont/."

And no LANCER. Only ECHO, her arms wrapped loosely around her in a store populated by shadows. There is a sense of people moving around, examining any of a hundred or several hundreds items in the store. ECHO looks over at CHIEF as he approaches, a look of tight lipped but fierce determination on her face. "Frag it LANCER.. it didn't have to be like this."

CHIEF has posed:

CHIEF hears the voices, first they were muffled but becoming clear. He heard the clatter, but he didn't see how ECHO impacted, but he did see her. His targeting sensors were locking onto her. There was that want; that little need compelling him too.

He had no weapons, but this was a store. Objects could be used as weapons. His foot steps into the store, those gold eyes glowing bright as he stared at ECHO like a predator looking directly at his prey. Yet somewhere in all this insanity, as he stared at her face he just spun around and slammed his hand into the store counter. The impact hard, almost damaging to his hand as the very counter itself.

He snarled, almost laughing; yet trying to fight back the laugh. "Tell me~, Tell me know.. /what/ game is it we are playing? Before I /really/ lose my temper." He eyes snap over to ECHO. There was fear in those gold eyes; by his original user he did not /want/ to hurt her, but he didn't know now how much longer he could control this.

Though /why/ was she like some stop gap? Oh missing memory, how you taunt me so.

"Though maybe if you tell me where LANCER is, I may be able to just.. end this... now."

MCP has posed:
"LANCER and I... had a disagreement on how this should go. He said his way was painful, yeah-- but much shorter. I thought you should be brought in from step 1 but--" ECHO shakes her head as if disgusted with herself.

"that would be harder, and take much longer and maybe even not work at all." she makes a gesture at the shadows, then around at the store. "Boss has you shut in a simulation environment so that any changes he makes can be tested, so that he doesn't make mistakes like-- like what has already happened." she purses her lips even tighter as if preparing herself. "And I can't let you have LANCER. He's a nullwit, but he meant well."

she takes a steadying breath, lines glowing a little brighter as she says quietly. "..So I guess that just leaves me."

CHIEF has posed:

"Sim--ulator?" CHIEF states oddly calm. He remembered simulators. He /remembered/ them well. This actually caused a minor twitch in that right of his with the scars. It was actually glowing slightly brighter now, before it matches the color of the other. "Hehehehe.. And how /far/ will this test go until things are satisfied?"

CHIEF then narrows his eyes, his grin only going into a smile as he speaks in almost cold voice. "Until I derez someone?" He then shakes his head and then looks away, trying to force his targeting system on anyone but ECHO. "You should run...hehe.. You honestly should run... because I will hurt you.. I will.. and.." His gold eyes slowly looking back over to her. "..and I wont be able to stop.."

CHIEF then fully faces her. The fear starting to be lost, any sense of sanity slowly starting to fade. The targeting system starting to lock completely on her. Targeting sectors of her body, noting the weak points, strong points. Estimating her speed, strength, residence. How much it would take. It all cranking down in nanoclick or less.

"Do it... ruuun... ruun.. Or.. Stop /me/ now!" He roars out at her, before he starts to walk toward her.

"RUUN!" He says once more, before he then finds himself racing right at her, his fist reeled back. His lines glowing bright and that smile smeared on his face.

MCP has posed:
ECHO braces herself for the impact, mouthing "I'm sorry" as the punch connects. She goes flying backwards hard enough to strike the far wall, crumpling to the ground. There is a few moments of pause in which she does not move, then she pushes herself onto her hands and knees, into a defensive crouch, She opens her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out, her eyes flicking up towards the ceiling for an instant.

ECHO runs. CHIEF however, did not specify a direction. Programs can be hung up on specifics such as that. So she runs /towards/ the military program, faking left before kicking up off the frame of the broken display to end up behind him. Before he can spin around to face her-- or perhaps even during, she throws herself into a crushing hug, wrapping her hands around him and burying her face in his armor as she murmurs "Do it." just as the world begins to burn.

Something slams into CHIEF's sensor systems like a lightning bolt, and the targeting system starts to slide as vision persists but-- context and ID markers have been scripped and scrambled.

CHIEF has posed:

Inside CHIEF is probably screaming at himself as his punch impacts into her. Impossible to stop. No way to stop now. Like so many other times before. He just had to wait for the nightmare to end. For the loop to run out of targets or for the realization of 'loss'.

However somewhere in all this, ECHO proves her speed, a speed he calculated, but was unable to react according too, in aggression. Instead the female program comes around just as he spins to hit her. Her hug though causes him to actually freeze in place. Confusion. That is what is written on his face. Utter confusion.

Something clicks, like a grind of old gears trying to turn. Flickers of memories speed by in that moment, in that small fracture of a moment. Those gold eyes still glowing with insanity, but his face, his face frozen for a moment.

However before anything could be said, sudden jerk of pain takes him over as he sudden screams out in agony. His hands reach up holding onto his head. His vision going into static, targeting sensor flipping out, jumping around across his field. Flickering. Distorting.

He tries to focus on ECHO, the pain trying to bring him down to his knees. His eyes almost seeming to loose focus a few times as he continues to stare at her. "...echo.." he whispers out before he seems to close his eyes and almost just fall on to her as he legs seem to just given out under him.

MCP has posed:
ECHO crumples with him, guiding him down as the lights dim.. and the resolution of this 'space' fades and distorts. Wearily, almost with resignation, ECHO murmurs in a dead voice.

"You got what you wanted?" and Master Control's voice is the last sound in this simulated universe as everything goes dark. "Indeed, ECHO. You and LANCER have done well.. despite your discrepancies. You are dismissed." The blackguard curls one hand around CHIEF'S and the other almost, but not quite reaches out towards his face. She freezes there, hand slowly lowering to his shoulder as the world goes black.

Simulation end.

Paused systems recalibrating. Rebooting...

CHIEF has posed:

Blackness. Total. Black. No lights. No sounds. If a temperature could be determined, it may be even seen as cold. Then sound, the faint slow rising of sound, but murmured. Muffled.

Then memories. Flickering of feelings. Yes, he remembered this sensation. The sensation of coming out of a simulator. Coming back to normal status. It was always slow-- but.. this was far slower. As if some functions didn't want to boot up. Errors flickering at times in the darkness, sometimes then static.

His body ached, oh how CHIEF's body ached. He felt his body cough, he just wanted to roll over and shudder. No, this little run has become different then simulators that users used. This went down to his core; but his body wouldn't move.

At least not right now. How did he get into this again? Oh right-- what ECHO said.. right.. Right. He agreed to this. He agreed to this testing. How could he forget that while he was there? How did he forget that?

He tried to open his eyes, yet-- still static. All static. There was shades, but the shades impossible to make out. "...that.." he rumbled at last. "..could have.." he then closed his eyes. So much static. "..gone better.."

MCP has posed:
"Yeah, that could have. ECHO could have let you kill me." The sound isn't off but LANCER's voice is a calm monotone. "It's not like you give a frag about me and the data would have been the same. Boss even had to pull the trigger before you had to see ECHO kick your crazy icon across the block." he huffs with annoyance.

"She's alright. You know. Just stepped out into the corridor for a second."

Something is pressed into CHIEF's hands. "Here. I'm going to calibrate this to your systems, alright? Your sensors ID and pattern recognition system are semi-fried right now."

CHIEF has posed:

CHIEF picks up on LANCER's voice and hrms softly. Monotone wasn't always all that great. Typically used by someone who was upset, indifferent, or was hoping for a different outcome; wait does that still fit in with upset?

"I am glad I didn't." CHIEF says very calmly. "To neither of you. Simulator.... or not." he ignores the part about getting his data-processed can handed by ECHO. In a sim though, he could believe it. They were technically in control. He wasn't. He wasn't at all.

As the object is handed over, he carefully glides his hands around it, while holding it still.. Trying to determine just what it is he was given. He tries to look, to see, yet again, just static, errors, and actually hurt to even try. He just closes his eyes once more.

"Your not a bad program, LANCER..just I rather keep my distance from anyone because of what you saw there. To have comrades again.." CHIEF pauses in that thought, his mouth suspended open just for a few nanoclicks, before he continues. "To have comrades again, would only lead to their own deresolution." He bows his head. "Consider it my own way of protecting everyone."

Comrades. Caring for others. How long has it been? He silently wonders to himself. How long has it really been since he could sit back and shoot the breeze. Cut up. Joke. Laugh. Honestly laugh. He missed it. The more he was here, the more he realized how much he missed it. Programs were like users in that regard. They were not designed to be lone wolves, yet situations, sometimes made them lone wolves-- but even a lone wolf-- eventually wants to rejoin a pack.

MCP has posed:
LANCER just snorts again in annoyance, sitting and allowing the military program to go at his own pace this time instead of forcing it. He murmurs. "Maybe that worked before.. but uh.. I think that routines breaking down around the edges." The object he was handed was a helmet, most likely of the same or similar type to the one the blackguard used while on duty.

There are several footsteps and a thunk. LANCER oofs slightly and chuckles. "Okay. I deserved that. Anymore?" ECHO says flatly. "A few." but the tone lightens as the mechanics adds. "So...What's the name of that secret technique you pulled, ECHO? Python? It's quite the effective fighting style." and there is another thunk and similiar laughing 'oof' as ECHO sits down opposite the mechanic.

"It'll take a minute. This is sort of a rush job right now. We'll have time to do better calibration later." she sounds like she is chewing the words as she says them but keeps most of the temper out of her voice.

CHIEF has posed:

CHIEF hrmphs softly. "That is because determination is keeping me here. The chance to be.." He doesn't even finish what he is thinking. The processes halted. Freedom, he was slowly learning, could possible be an illusion. He broke 'free' of the users, only to be chained to his own insanity. That insanity chained him to LEXUS. Now his desire to be free from that insanity, was chaining him here.

How.. depressing way to look at things. CHIEF shook his own head, breaking his own mind of the thought process it was crunching down. He was just thinking this because of how things went. That is all. It didn't go well, but it wasn't the end. Thing will work out.

Be. Positive.

Be... ECHO?

CHIEF glances up as he heard the thump and her voice. He listens to the two for a bit, his facial expression staying rather neutral. Though he does break a minor smirk, before he goes back to studding the helm he held. "Rush Jobs." CHIEF says with a small flicker of a smile. "I think we had a few of those back in the day." Not that he could remember the details, but he remembered something about being nearly late and looking like a slow boot up... why were they late again?

Maybe it had something to do with a check-up.

CHIEF then slowly lifts up the helm and then puts it over his head. It felt a bit like his own helm. By the users, how he hadn't used /that/ thing in some time. He always hated helms. Even back on the Star Wars projects they were suppose to have those caps to wear, but he never wore his. Unless /he/ had too. "So.. how is this thing suppose to work and when can I open my eyes?" There was almost a minor chuckle. "I mean, I could try to walk with this thing on and not open my eyes, but I may look like some fumbling moron. Wait.." he paused, "I am already kinda a moron as it is." He then crosses his arms over his chest as he sits there.

MCP has posed:
"..No. Too easy." LANCER murmurs to himself with a chuckle. "I don't think I should try to fight an unarmed program in a battle of wits." he manipulates a data screen which buzzes at him as errors fill the screen.

The tech was just not built for this sort of cross system interface. "Come on you glitching piece of junkcode." He inputs another sequence and gets another mournful blatt of disapproval from the system. ECHO flinches and wishes VERY hard she could take her earlier words and then just stuff them straight into the trash bin. She raises a hand to her face, shaking it as another angry bleep sounds from the system and LANCER grumbles.

"Just a nano." He whacks CHIEF's helmet with one hand and there is a wave of.. something.. and then his visual processor starts to reboot again while LANCER turns his attention back to the datascreen, frowning hard at it as he looks it over. "I think LANCER figured it out." she sighs. "With his usual finesse. Try now."

CHIEF has posed:

CHIEF grunts as the helm is whacked. It seems LANCER even has his bad days. He opens his eyes once more. The static slowly starting to clear. It was-- very strange how something like this was effecting his visual information. How-- odd.

Though there was a few waves of static from time to time, the wave for a few moments was also confusing, but he couldn't make out what it is.

He slowly looks over at them both. The helm hiding all facial expression behind it. That may be good; he could be making silly expression at LANCER's backside; or not. No one knows! He then seems to look down at his hands, examining them idly, before flexing his fingers out, then moving the pop the joints.

"Maybe when things get further worked. You can try to do this stuff with my own personal helm. May save you some trouble." He muses with a bit of a chuckle. It was in good fun. He seems to look at ECHO then, staring at her for a moment. " Sorry you had to see that." He says softly. "Or maybe I should be more sorry you didn't get to kick my glitchin' can." This time it sounded more playful before he laughs a little.

"This is so weird." He remarks as he starts to look around.

MCP has posed:
LANCER gets up, closing the datapad and tucking it away. "Yeah. Gimme some time on that. This I know how to handle? Anything of yours?" he chuckles. "That's the weird stuff. Keep an eye on him, ECHO so he doesn't bump into any walls."

The mechanic then sloppily salutes to CHIEF and exits the room. ECHO just shakes her head, sighing. "I'm glad it wasn't neccessary. Who knows where that would have gone." she pushes his shoulder playfully, chuckling faintly.

"Come on. Let's get you up and walking. It'll calibrate easier if you give it more info."