maskormenace | action || later audio

ACTION: Maurtia Falls
[Bad enough he wake up surrounded by soldiers again. Bad enough he wake up in a body that isn't his own, missing memories. No one shot at him this time, but it's a small comfort. Very small. As the soldiers are quick to deposit him in a big city.]

[And... surround him with people. Too many people. Way, way too many people.]

[He's not completely comfortable with this strange body yet, so when the young man with mismatched eyes -- one red, one green -- goes sprinting away from the porter, he ends up stumbling a few times. Once he even falls flat on his face.]

[If anyone's around to offer assistance, he just stares wildly at them, startled, awkward.]

[If they don't persist, he takes off running again, somewhere, anywhere away from all these people. Maybe if he runs far enough, Shadowmaru will return and make this nightmare end. He'd been trying to do the right thing -- he'd made a promise, he intended to keep it. Why is he being punished like this?]

[He'll eventually, if un-accosted, seek shelter in a park. Probably under a tree.]

AUDIO;
[Later on, after settling somewhat into realizing this won't change any time soon -- that he really is stuck here, Kagerou sets about poking at his comm device. He doesn't activate the video feed -- no, he's not comfortable with that yet. He just wants to figure out what's happening here.]

[He's almost talking to himself as he speaks.]

I don't understand this...

[That's all there is for a few moments. As if he's trying to determine the right thing to say.]

Why me? I'm nothing like a... like a "Hero". I've never helped a human being. And why should I? None of you have ever done anything for me.

Why should I be a "hero"?

Why should I do anything for human beings?

Whoever decided this -- whoever brought me to this place. You shouldn't have.

[He ends the call abruptly, right there.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There is nothing here I want to become attached to.

So you say. But if you're here a month from now, I'm going to ask you that same question again. I believe you might change your mind.

Unless he's here by then, no. I won't.

Unless he's here? A friend of yours from home?

Yes.

The reason I exist at all.

Oh. Then a parent, you mean?

No.

I'm. His prototype. They wouldn't have made me if they didn't want to build him.

[ Ohhhh. ]

An AI, then. There are surprisingly quite a few individuals like you here. I'm not sure if you would find comfort in that or not, but at least you're not alone.

... are any of them Brave Police?

Not that I'm aware of? But I'll admit, I haven't spoken to a lot of them. That can be a question you put out on the network, though.

What are Brave Police? Is it an organization?

... No. If they're here, they don't need to know that I am.

Yes. They are. Police robots.

[ That's a curious and interesting turn of phrase. It implies this AI may be of the criminal sort. Raina's eyes light up to showcase her renewed interest. ]

Is it your intent to avoid them completely?

... Yes. It is. If I have to.

[Except for one, anyway.]

And what is it they would do if they found you?

... Arrest me.

Capture me. Allow me to be killed.

Why would they do that to you? What have you done wrong? Or what have you done that they would consider wrong?

I didn't do anything wrong! I just wanted to live! I wanted to stay myself -- to keep my memories of him!

[ She tilts her head curiously. ]

It seems a bit extreme for them to want to capture or allow you to be killed over something like that...

That's what they wanted to do. It was what they were told to do. So they did it -- regardless of extremity.

That's wrong. It doesn't sound very brave at all. It sounds terrible.

Who was it you wished to keep in your memories? Your creator?

It is. But the humans who ordered it didn't care.

No. The reason I exist -- Shadowmaru. Without him... I'm nothing.

You did it for love. You're capable of love.

[ What other emotion would be powerful enough to make him risk everything. ]

Why did the humans try to stop this?

I... what? What did you say?

[That is the first time anyone has suggested this to him. Suggested he had... that emotion... He'd never thought of it that way -- but maybe it was because he didn't have the experience to name what he felt...]

Because they wanted to erase and repurpose me.

[ It makes all the more sense now. So, he's not some criminal robot -- which would have been fascinating. But he's an AI motivated by burgeoning love. And that is even more fascinating. ]

Love. It's one of the most powerful of human emotions. And if that is what you felt toward Shadowmaru, then it's understandable that these humans wanted to erase that from you. Because love can make you erratic and uncooperative. Love gives you something outside of yourself to care for and protect. It's no longer about listening and obeying to your orders.

And I think, knowing this, if ever these people did come here and try to erase and repurpose you, they would have to get through a lot of the imPorts first. Your motivations are pure and we would protect you.

Love... I... you're saying that I... love him?

[This is literally new information. He had no idea he was even capable of it. But... maybe it's true. Even if it is, is he allowed to? Is he allowed to have such human feelings for Shadowmaru?]

[Would Shadowmaru even... accept it?]

I've. Always cared for him. He was the only one who ever cared for me.

... you humans. You would do that, just because I have feelings for him?

(no subject)

flowerette - 2016-03-03 22:59 (UTC) - Expand