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[arithmethodical]

[ She debates for a bit whether or not to do this with voice or audio, but she feels too shaky for either, and eventually loses patience with herself and the debate. ]

I've been asked by some friends of his to share information that Vision found about the ritual and how it might go. Might have to go.

I'm pretty sure we're all familiar with the prophecy by now, but if not, you can look at it here.

Vision found three things. First is that this thing, the ritual, the 12th of November kept coming up as the most significant time to do it.

Second is that the more imPorts who are there, the better chance it has of working. So show up if you can.

The third is the bell. There are two in Jeopardy it could apply to. The first one is the most obvious choice, the bell in the cathedral of the spider cult church. The other one is the Justice Building, which is apparently pretty much decorative. He wasn't sure if we're supposed to ring the bell at 3am on the night of the full moon, or if we ring the bell to get things started.

I did some of my own research, too.

[ There's a pause here, while she puts together her thoughts. ]

The rock known as the Altar out in the National Park near Jeopardy has no apparent connection to anything. No important myths, no significant legends. There's whispers about it being a place where people used to be sacrificed to guarantee crop growth, but I couldn't find anything else tying it to the prophecy.

The other thing. The twins. I tried to find out what I could about them. Their names are Layla and Sally Clapp. They aren't mystical. They're just two ordinary little girls. They dress differently so people will tell them apart, even though their parents want them to dress the same. They like spiders. They read books about them. They play kid games and have kid imaginations.

So who knows if they actually saw something or not. Who knows if they have some mystical connection to what's happening. They're a convenient fit to the prophecy. That's all.

Comments

[hatejakku]

wait

whats supposed to happen to the kids?

i heard the prophecy thing, i get that, but is it true about the hosts? do they expect us to let them die?

[arithmethodical]

I don't know. That's part of why I don't want them involved. We have no idea if this whole thing ends with them possessed permanently or dead or... anything. We have no idea.

> private

[hatejakku]

[ Well, blasting their names on the network wasn't a good first step. He switches the channel to private. ]

They need to be in protective custody. Where are they now?

[arithmethodical]

[ Womp womp. That's what happen when she lets emotion take over. ]

Vernon Nevada. Not far from Jeopardy.

[hatejakku]

I can take their family to Aegis HQ in Maurtia Falls or Base One in Nonah. Might be best if they stayed away from Jeopardy for awhile.

Are you certain the prophecy means them?

And we're going to need back up plans

[arithmethodical]

Whichever one you think is more secure.

Even if it doesn't mean them, everyone is pretty well convinced they're our only option. If enough people believe it, does it matter if it's the truth? They'll use them either way.

There's one back-up plan in place. One that I know of. It's magic, I'm not sure how it works, but it's meant to synchronize imPorts with the twins. Make it so things happen to the imPorts instead of them.

[hatejakku]

That's still sacrificing people for a shot we don't even know will work. That has to be an option where no one's set up to die.

[arithmethodical]

The imPorts are volunteers. We

I don't think there's a way out of this that doesn't cost us someone.

[hatejakku]

[ Oh, banthashit. ]

We don't even know if this will work. For all we can guess, this whole thing is a distraction while OTO does whatever they've set out to do.

[arithmethodical]

No, we don't. We don't know. But isn't it better if people, if willing people, walk into it with open eyes?

You might be right, but I don't know what else to do.

text;

[photophobic]

You're right. You don't know what happens to them if you perform the ritual as specified.
But you do know what happens to them if you don't.

[hi.]

[hatejakku]

I wouldn't call those messages a reliable source of information.

[ hi. ]

[photophobic]

Pathetic. Try harder.

[hatejakku]

Sorry. I was under the assumption that we shouldn't hunt down children because encrypted messages said it might prevent a supposed god from destroying the planet.

[photophobic]

Outright denial. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised. You don't have to think about the hard choices if you can simply pretend they don't exist. All of that is someone else's problem. You're just thinking of the children.

> private

[hatejakku]

really

you're really ready to kill children because some guy told you so

i knew you could be cruel but i didn't think you were gullible

but what do i know

you worked for snoke for how long

[photophobic]

Do you think I would be this concerned if I was relying on nothing but a coded message from the OTO.

[hatejakku]

if you tell me that the force told you to kill some kids, then im giving up on this conversation

text;

[arithmethodical]

[ A long pause, because she feels sick over the fact that she's coming around to Kylo Ren's point. ]

I expect you to be there.

[photophobic]

Really. Is that what you want. Considering what happened the last time I touched Atropos.

Or have you not been paying attention.

[arithmethodical]

What happened last time?

[photophobic]

The kind of unforseen consequence that comes from believing you can negotiate with destiny.

private;

[arithmethodical]

How helpfully vague.

So, what, you're going to tell all of us how wrong we are and then not even witness what you're pushing for? That's convenient for you.

[photophobic]

I'm almost surprised you think I would blink an eye at the deaths of two children. I'd thought myself far more established a monster.

[arithmethodical]

I don't know why I thought you would. After all, what's two kids to the twenty-four billion people in the Hosnian system? Two more kids.