COUNTDOWN: I SEE YOU

[cordibus]

Seven days remain.

The warning bells of the Nightly Curfew ring across the city. There's a faint hum from the phone this time before the icon appears. This time it displays a time: 1:00AM

The rest of the night is normal. Perhaps you've cuddled up with family, or you've gone to bed early to wait, but sure enough, time tick by right until 1 in the morning when....

You're back into that application again. A single question before you're even permitted to type anything else. And while it seems to be overwritten by something inside of you, it feels a lot more natural than before. Which is, truthfully...troubling.

But then something happens...

WƎ☹C!ERROR!OMƎ ▒ O ▒ HƎ FIN⟡☹ QUIZ!!ERROR!!ERROR!
⟡nƧwƎ!ERROR!r from ▒ hƎ hƎ⟡r▒ , ▒ hƎ p⟡r▒ of you ▒ !ERROR!h⟡▒ h⟡Ƨ bƎƎn dƎniƎd for f⟡r ▒ oo ☹ong.

Is your ☹ife here ⟡ ☹ie?
YƎƧ | DƎfini▒ Ǝ☹y | ƧurƎ | I'vƎ hd my !ERROR! doub▒ Ƨ bƎforƎ, bu▒ yƎƧ | HƎ☹☹ YƎƧ | ▒ hƎrƎ iƧ no o▒ hƎr conc☹uƧion | I wiƧh I cou☹d dƎny i▒ nd ☹ivƎ hƎrƎ pƎcƎfu☹☹y !ERROR!bu▒ i▒ 'Ƨ ▒ ruƎ.

▒ h⟡nk you...!ERROR!▒ h⟡▒ wi☹☹ bƎ ⟡☹☹. ☹Ǝ▒ uƧ ƧƎƎ wh⟡▒ your hƎ⟡r▒ b☹oo!ERROR!mƧ in▒ o...

I SEE YOU.

What had just happened? Before you can think about it for too much, and as your heart beats faster, the screen returns to normal, and another message flashes.

Well shit. Lets try this again. Answer from the heart, the part of you that has been denied for far too long. DO IT QUICKLY!

Is your life here a lie?
Yes.

Sorry lambs, this time we can't kid around...

Once you are done, you are tossed once more into the main chatroom. Is fear rising? Is your heart beating faster? There's a lot more at stake now it seems. Fortunately, your user names are the names that you wrote down in the last survey, but with all those questions it's....hard not to think of them as your own. Maybe you'll be cursing at this device, but it looks like you're already deep down the rabbit hole by now.

And now...something's might be looking right back.

[OOC: This is one of the final network post before Awakening. ALL Users will now be able to speak of who they are in their AU life without the information being blocked by the application.

Additionally, while speaking, Applenet might spazz out, like above. If this happens, a random painful memory will hit both Awakened and Unawakened (please warn if the visions are graphic for other players). They might find themselves writing down things afterwards regarding the memory (for example, getting shot, they might write down the pain they are felling, etc) and regretting it. This can happen up to 5 times per user.]

Comments

Guts ⚔ GLASYA-LABOLAS

[blackdogdown]

....

So who here wants to go off the grid forever now.

Nakigitsune ⚔ Camio

[foxhands]

is that possible

Guts ⚔ GLASYA-LABOLAS

[blackdogdown]

No clue but the city newsletter did suggest camping.

What if we went camping...and never came back...

Nakigitsune ⚔ Camio

[foxhands]

we'd be abandoning the fight

Guts ⚔ GLASYA-LABOLAS

[blackdogdown]

What fight? Them shadows? Hah.

Give me one good reason to lay my life down for the people behind this app. I'm no soldier. I ain't risking shit for people who I don't owe a thing.

Nakigitsune ⚔ Camio

[foxhands]

i don't know the people behind the app
but the shadows are an enemy
we can protect people

[blackdogdown]

You can't protect anyone.

You can fight, but protectings just a wistful dream.

Shadows just seem like monsters, and if they're like what I've seen before this whole citys doomed.

Ain't no shame in not fighting a battle you got no stakes in.

Yuuto Kidou ☸ Eligor

[kouteipenguin]

It'd be convenient if that was possible.

Guts ⚔ GLASYA-LABOLAS

[blackdogdown]

I've broken my phone over this app once. I'll break it again, kid.

Yuuto Kidou ☸ Eligor

[kouteipenguin]

I thought that didn't work.

Guts ⚔ GLASYA-LABOLAS

[blackdogdown]

Never said it was a good idea. But I think it might if we all lived in the woods. Luci and whatevers after them gets through electronics.

Yuuto Kidou ☸ Eligor

[kouteipenguin]

Through electronics ... if that's really it, then it's possible. Luci mentioned the card we all have as being a problem. But even that wouldn't apply in the woods.

[Though not for him, unless he manages to get to go on a camping trip somewhere.]

[blackdogdown]

See? The perfect plan. And we could barbecue.

Shirou Fubuki ⚔ Marchosias

[touketsu]

No. If we run away, this doesn't stop. It just becomes someone else's problem.

Guts ⚔ GLASYA-LABOLAS

[blackdogdown]

Sure does. That's the point.

Shirou Fubuki ⚔ Marchosias

[touketsu]

[Is he seriously reading that right? Mr. Wrecks-Shit would rather throw in the towel than throw down the gauntlet?]

You know what? Go ahead. At least then you won't be in the way.

[Kouyuki will abide by a lot, but cowardice and the selfish endangerment of other people aren't among those things.]

[blackdogdown]

You're all idiots. Can't you see- WƎ☹C!ERROR!OMƎ ▒ O ▒ HƎ FIN⟡ MEMORY_LOST!!ERROR!!ERROR! {w̵̶͇̖̗̗͇̰̬̻̝̠̕ ͖̰̠̫̖͎̣̩͖̮͠͞ḥ̶̡̟̼̣͔͘ͅ ̀͘҉̰̫͙͈̙̘͎͈̪̲̘̠̲͡a҉͠҉̢̝̠̹͙̞͈̲̻͖̱̟͍t҉̸͟҉̯͓̞͍̞̰̜͓ ̷̧̨̭̝͍̫͇͇̥͇̞̳͉̲͇̬́͝ͅą̼͍̗̠̭͢ ̴̸̷̢͕̼͓̳͓̘̦̙̜̞̬̟̙̹̖͕͘r҉̺͈̳͇̺̲̻̗̲̗͢͡ͅe̠̺̙͖̘̮͍͍̝̘̻͈͘͞ ̶̨͏̹̟̘̫̝̺͇̗̖̖̭̹͖̕y̸̩͖̯̲̰̞͍͍̼͎͉͉̫̰̱̮̞͠͞ờ̸̼̦̩̗̹̫͟ù̴̵̧̺̫̯͠ ̷̵̢̦͇͚̱͕͉͉̟̘̝͝͞f͢͏͏̴͚̝̞̘̣̺̻͖͎̦̤̟̼̮̼̟͉o̷̴̯͓͓͈̼͍̪̠r͏͏̝̺͎̠̣͓͓ͅǵ̼͙̲̝͖̞̥͍̪͈͖͘͟͡ ̶̩̲͓̣͕̳̪͉̳̪̼̙̥͉̹́͟͢͠ͅͅȩ̢̢̦̻̗̫̣̠̤̘̗͓͉͔̱ ̢̹͈̻̙̖͙̯͇̞͖̳͓̖̥͟͞t̞̖̜̠̼͈̳͎̞̤͇̞̩̀͞ͅ ̛̤̻̪̖͔̺̺̦̗̩̳̼̘͉̞̖̯̯͝t̛̹̝͉̩̝̥͉͇̯̬͘ͅͅ ̵̶̶̵̬̦̭͉͕i̛͔̤͔̗̝͚͇͖̻͡͠n҉͇̫͇͈̮̻̺͘̕ ͢҉̫̫̼̯̞̬̖̗̟̝̗̻̘̤̞̗̥͝͞ģ̸͏͉̣̳̺̺̯̺ͅ}


[His body aches, like he's been battered by a hundred stones, a thousand. Dragonslayer lies sweaty in his grip and peaking out of the corner of his eye shows the dizzying drop on either side. Before him stands what was once a man, now twisted into a great angel of stone. The crowd below roars. A fight on the bulwarks, how poetic.

The angel-man, Guts forgets his name, doesn't care for it, extends an arm towards the desperate crowd, penned and terrified by the oily mass of blood and rot that has consumed their city. They remind Guts of penned sheep, ready for the slaughter.

"Can you not hear them." The man booms, flaring great stone wings. The ugly demonic thing covering the city writhes in the holy light of the angel-man and his followers, held back by a tenuous thread of faith. "The voices of supplication. Every person congregated in this place...now desires as one heart, salvation. They are eagerly awaiting the time of gods victory."

The angel bows his head. "Do you mean you care not that tens of thousands of believers...shall lose their lives in exchange for one evil witch."

The ground roars, fists raised, eyes shinning with possessed hope.

Kill her!

Burn her!

Save us, dear lord. Save us! ]

Don't make me laugh. All these people do is pray.

Every last one of them, when things get to hard all they do is bow down and look to someone else to fix it.

Tens and thousands of people shouldn't cling to just a few kids!

[touketsu]

[That error...]

It happened to you too just now, didn't it?

[Those visions, whether they're borne of reality or some twisted imaginings, they feel real in the most unspeakable and unrelenting way. Kouyuki's had even even felt real enough this time around that, instead of making him want to hide or pretend none of this was happening, he'd found himself spurred into action.

He sighs on his end, staring at his phone before punching in another message as quickly as his fingers will allow. He might be angry at Guts for wanting to turn his back on this situation, but he doesn't wish him ill. On the contrary, even if his words before had been harsh, they'd come from a good place deep down. If someone didn't want to fight, they shouldn't. They'd only get hurt, or get others hurt. It was better if they stayed far away...

Although, Kouyuki doesn't think for a second they'll be allowed any such luxury. Escape isn't an option.]

Are you alright?

[blackdogdown]

Ugh...

[ He feels like someone rammed through his brain with a truck. ]

If bye it you mean my brain is leaking outta my ears kid, then you're right.

And I'm fine. Just a headache. I already _got_ all these memories back...so I don't get why its shaking up the nasty ones.

Heiji Hattori ☸ Vassago

[osakanpride]

Heiji Hattori ☸ Vassago: If this system is somehow attached to all of our devices at no effort on our part, how do you know it's not attached to your Eddan card too?

Guts ⚔ GLASYA-LABOLAS

[blackdogdown]

Oh I'm nearly positive its in our cards.

So why not snap that shit and get the hell out?

Heiji Hattori ☸ Vassago

[osakanpride]

Heiji Hattori ☸ Vassago: So you somehow evade the application by eliminating all connections to technology, and you break your citizen card. Then what?
Heiji Hattori ☸ Vassago: What if they already know who you are?
Heiji Hattori ☸ Vassago: What will stop them from hunting you down?

[ Harley doesn't mean to sound patronizing, but the tone of the chat suggests this is pretty serious. ]

Guts ⚔ GLASYA-LABOLAS

[blackdogdown]

I'm not worried about that.

I can fend for myself without electronics.

And if they come after me..well...

I'll handle it.

Heiji Hattori ☸ Vassago

[osakanpride]

[ Harley wasn't really one to abandon a situation no matter how sticky it got. The fact that he was studying forensics only enabled him to look deeper into the rabbit hole, if anything. Though the teen was aware others might think differently than such. ]

Heiji Hattori ☸ Vassago: Then what's keeping you? Just bail if that's what you feel is right.
Heiji Hattori ☸ Vassago: I already know some people involved and I can't abandon them.

[ So he's going to tough it out, even if it ends up being the wrong decision, at least it sat right with him. ]

[blackdogdown]

...I got family here you know.

Gotta get them out to.

Takes time to prepare for more then one guy. And theres a lotta kids on here to....