VIDEO - [Viewable to those who signed up to recieve information.]

[raisednpcs]

[A video post comes online on the Network, but there's something strange about it. For one, it's only viewable to a select group of people, and secondly, all it shows is a silhouette on a screen. When the voice speaks, it sounds distant, almost as if someone were speaking from far away. What's more, there's a strange reverberation on some words.]

Hello. My name is [A garbled noise obscures the sound.]. I am... I am a scientist working for Thunder Corp. I am not a Numbered, but I am contacting you by a means I have created to access your Network. This line of communication only goes one-one-one way, so I am afraid I will not know if this message reached you, or if my full message will even get through at all.

But I have made a terrible-terrible-terrible mistake. Thunder Corp has created a device that allows-allows them to identify wherever Numbered are in the world. They-they... no... we wanted to find a way to find all of you. To make sure that you could never stand up to us again. If they knew where you all were, they could find you one by one. First-First they'd approach you, weed out the ones that were naive enough to listen to them. If that didn't work, they'd hunt you down-down.

But something went wrong. Something-something happened, and it caused those snakes-snakes to reappear. Like out of thin-air, this-this green slime formed and turned into them! Then those dinosaurs in Gateway appeared out of nowhere, and we detected another anomaly in New Zealand. I'm not sure, but my research hints that-that something else is going to happen soon. I don't know where. I don't know WHEN. But something else is going to happen.

We've broken something. You have to warn everyone. I used the device to find you all so I could pass the information on, but I wipe-wiped the records so they'll never know what I did. The others they've already found, their ability to track them is going to run out soon, so I think they've decided to make their move-move. I can show-show you where the device is held... maybe... maybe one of you can destroy it. Maybe you can get this information out to the media, or someone who CAN do something about this. I just don't know...!

...

They've talked about how they've become a different company, that the old corrupt Thunder Corp is gone, but the new leaders... They're the ones that have always been in control. The old leaders were just a front. The ones in charge are the real power now. They-they... they're not going to stop what the tried to do a year ago. I thought... I thought they'd changed. But I've done so many horrible things, I've-

[A loud bang can suddenly be heard, followed by the figure screaming in pain. He lurches forward, and after a moment, seems to press something on some kind of control panel. The image cuts out, and for 10 seconds, a map of Locke can be seen on screen, showing a warehouse in the Phoenix District of Locke City, followed by security footage of some kind of facility, where green slime begins to propagate and form into gigantic stone snakes.

Then it vanishes. The mysterious figure is back, and there's black drops of what appear to be blood.]

Forgive me... for what I've done...

[And the recording finally ends.]

Comments

[video]

[jasminebloominginshadow]

[Jasmine is clearly shaken, and for a while, she just sits there, frowning, hands clasped in front of her. A million thoughts are running through her mind, like how the hell she's going to tell this to the people important to her.

No... now she needs to talk to... whomever the hell else just saw this. She sighs and sits back.]

Is anyone else, besides me, not surprised at all?

[Text]

[switch_over]

[Alexandra has decided it might be best to communicate by text for this one. She feels numb over what she just witnessed but she also has a job to do, she doesn't want to other people seeing her making notes to take her to grandfather at the moment.]

Not at all... The obvious has been confirmed.

[Text]

[jasminebloominginshadow]

You're that new girl. Alexandra.

I'm sorry you had to see something like this so early.

[Text]

[switch_over]

[That catches her interest. She was for the most part overlooked before she became a numbered.]

You've heard of me?

It's not your fault. ...It's been my luck to get thrown into the deep end of the pool since I got here.

[Text]

[jasminebloominginshadow]

I saw your message. I was pretty busy and I didn't get a chance to answer. Sorry about that.

[Text]

[switch_over]

[Phew. Okay. She was almost worried that she'd developed a reputation. This was easier to deal with.]

That's fine. The question I had at the time was answered. There's nothing wrong with being busy.

[It gave her one less person to have to put up with at the time.]

This looks like one big mess just waiting to happen.

[Text]

[jasminebloominginshadow]

It's pretty much already happening. And now someone is probably dead.

What do you plan on doing with this, then? You're new, so you probably don't know that we try to handle these things together...

[Text]

[switch_over]

Oh no, I'm sure they rushed him to a hospital after something like that.

I don't know, I was probably going to leave this to someone who actually has the ability to do something about it. That seems like the smartest choice, anyways.

Re: [Text]

[jasminebloominginshadow]

... Yeah. You are pretty sarcastic after all.

... We need as many people on this as we can get. Do you really want to just walk away without knowing just all they're set to do to us?

[Text]

[switch_over]

It's how I cope, I don't really care if you don't like it.

I might. I'm certainly not about to sign up to risk my life for a bunch of people I barely know.

Re: [Text]

[jasminebloominginshadow]

I'm not asking you to do that.

I'm asking you to risk your life for your own sake, because these people? They don't care if you're going to be a team player or not. You're another Numbered to them.

Like it or not, they're your enemy now.

[Text]

[switch_over]

Right, you might have a really good point there.

But I'm going to have to pass anyways.

[Text]

[jasminebloominginshadow]

Can I ask why, at least?

private; video;

[purestambition]

[Saretha just stares at Jasmine for a moment or two.]

Not in the slightest. Sadly, I do not think it is surprise that is important here - the implications are... dire.

private; video;

[jasminebloominginshadow]

Hey, Saretha. They sure picked some of the right people to contact for this.

But you're right. Everything that's happened in the last few months... it goes back to this. The giant wads of snot that appeared one day, the dinosaurs, the fucking ghosts... everything... I mean, I can't think of anything else he'd be talking about that happened in New Zealand...

private; video;

[purestambition]

Tsukuy-- [Wait, no. There's too many of those, now.] Jasmine. This is... more than a little disturbing, "right" people or not.

It would certainly seem to be clear cut, but Thunder Corporation rarely is.

private; video;

[jasminebloominginshadow]

I'm not saying it isn't. I'm just glad we have someone like you on our side for this one.

And you're right, but... the connections are there, at least.

private; video;

[purestambition]

Well, it's not as if I ever haven't been, has it?

[Even when Saretha didn't trust a single one of you. At the very least she could take solace in that feeling probably being mutual.]

Connections, yes. But do not take everything at face value. I say that not even to play devil's advocate, but... something is amiss.

private; video;

[jasminebloominginshadow]

No, I'm not saying that. More like, it's really good that you're one of the people who saw this. I can think of a few people who'd handle this a lot worse than you would.

Yeah, definitely. We can never exactly tell what's what with these freaks.

private; video;

[purestambition]

Indeed. That much is appreciated. [Is everyone who saw this capable of handling it? That's a good question.]

For now, we have to take some sort of initiative, I think. Just... wisely.

private; video;

[jasminebloominginshadow]

Yeah... and it's probably true that they already know we know about some of this stuff. I mean, if they took that guy out in the middle of everything...

private; video;

[purestambition]

They are unafraid.

That means they are either very confident, or very stupid.

I do not think they are stupid, Jasmine.

private; video;

[jasminebloominginshadow]

No, I don't think they are either. The old me would have made some bad ass retort to that, but... the current me thinks we should live in reality.

The whole thing could have also been staged.

private; video;

[purestambition]

Well. Good to see you've been able to get a cooler head over time, Jasmine.

[She nods.] It could have been, but... We all need to be on the same page, all the same.

private; video;

[jasminebloominginshadow]

Not disagreeing with that. I'm just saying something that may be likely.

I don't know if I like the part of me that has a cooler head, sometimes, though. But it's something I have to live with.