queenofheartsrp | Urbanite Lost, day 1. [internal monologue & video communication]

[Together we will build. In this setting? Reeve hasn't ever really believed in any kind of afterlife, but she guesses this might come close for her. At least at first glance. Not that she believes she's really dead. There are miles of Midgar and scores of failsafes between her office and the Sector One reactor. Though the Shinra Times is almost eerily fast and thorough, there is no word yet on the extent of the damage to the residential blocks in closest to the reactor, or how many lives have been lost. Not that she knows of, anyhow. She sighs, thinking that if she were having some sort of hallucination, she might at least be able to enjoy it. Instead, she's standing with her bare feet in the grass of wherever she is mourning an unknown number of the people of her city. Terrorists, the Times had said. She doesn't understand the destruction. Isn't there a better way? There must be.

Not a hallucination then. Not the afterlife either. What, then? She checks the front pocket of her trousers and finds her mobile. Which is about as responsive as a brick. No signal. No recognizable power or communications structures. She looks down at her feet in the grass and wiggles her toes, which seems to gain the interest of one of the cats wandering close by. She smiles. She hasn't been anywhere like this since she was much younger. They'd lived in the country then. Just the three of them, mom and dad and Reeve makes three. The phone in her hand is useless, but her grip tightens on it anyhow. Even if she could call Ruvi now, what would she say? "Hello, Mom! It's me. I have no idea where I am. Except it's a sort of garden and I saw a real fox and there doesn't seem to be a way for me to get home. At least not yet." Maybe it's just as well she can't call.

Call. She was going to make some calls, reminding herself to keep calm. Cait had been somewhere in the building and she'd thought of calling him back to the office, for moral support, but she hadn't. Apparently, there hadn't been time.

Two things there seem to be plenty of here are time and cats. So for the moment, she resolves to carry on. It's easy for her to recall the written instructions regarding the use of the vine, and the technology does look interesting to say the least. If this is a hallucination, it's an extremely elaborate one. In preparation for her debut, she redoes her ponytail and finishes doing the buttons on her dress shirt, which she leaves untucked. She folds her necktie and slips it into her back pocket. What the hell, this is probably about as casual as Friday is ever likely to get. There.]

(video)
(A woman of something below middle-age appears in view. She has a olive complexion and wears a plain white dress shirt with the collar open. Her dark hair is held back in a simple, low ponytail. At first she sounds distracted, as though she's talking to herself, which she is.)

Haha, is this thing on? Well, even if it were, I wouldn't know how it came to be on. Looks about as likely as anything else, really-- and it's not as if I'm above taking instruction from a cat, after all. All right, here goes.
Ah, for anyone who might be listening, I'm Reeve Tuesti, of Shinra. I'm not sure what I'm doing here, or how I came to be here. Or why the communications set-up seems to be cat and plant based, but yes. Here I am, at least for the moment!

(She pauses, sounding a bit more serious.)

Is anyone there?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I see. That's certainly an-- outrageous amount of power to have. To be honest this is all very difficult to beleive, but my body and mind keep telling me it's real enough, so I suppose I'll trust them until I learn differently. Your experience seems in line with mine, Epsilon. Are we the only people here?

[Oh, it's nice to talk calmly with someone close to her age. Even if the subject of the conversation is abduction. She brightens at the mention of computers.]

But yes, I'm more familiar with computers myself! I've never seen an interface like this. I'll have to spend more time examining it. Are you a scientist, by any chance? In your world?

It is a great deal of power, and I'm concerned by the fact that it was used to bring people here against their will. There are many of us, but it's hard to say how many. The residents are scattered. Some are open and easy to communicate with, but others seem to prefer to keep to themselves. I would estimate that there are between eighty and one hundred of us, all women.

[She smiles a little at the woman's enthusiasm, in spite of the serious matter they're discussing.] I'm not exactly a scientist, but I was created by one. I'm a robot.

[The perfectly human-looking woman speaking to her from the viewscreen has been imparting valuable information in an open, friendly manner. She wishes she could recall a word of it. It'll probably come back to her later, but for now all she can think is--]

You're a robot. How-- incredible. I've never seen a more sophisticated artificial lifeform! You're beautiful! I mean, as a being! A whole being. There are so many things I'd like to ask you. I know this probably isn't the time, but please, how are you powered? Your level of artificial intelligence must be staggering. I--

[Realizing she's been going on, she stops herself. She runs a hand back through her hair, disarranging it a little, then smiles apologetically.]

I know how I must sound. It's just, I have a robot of my own. I made him. I miss him. It's such a pleasure to speak to you-- your creator must be a great scientist, Epsilon.

Thank you. That's kind of you to say, Reeve. You can ask me anything you like. [It's wonderful to be able to bring someone so much joy at a time like this, simply by being herself.]

I'm powered by something known as photon energy. It's a form of light-based energy that my father discovered. Basically, I'm fueled by sunlight. It's true, my father was a great scientist. [Her smile brightens at the thought of him, but at the same time, it saddens her to speak of him in the past tense now. She is a robot, and she must be accurate.] I was one of my world's most advanced robots. [And then she realizes that because of that same accuracy, she's speaking of herself in the past tense, too. She doesn't dwell on it, moving on.]

You've made a robot as well? [She's very interested by this. She hasn't met anyone else in the Gardens from a world with robots like her--let alone another scientist like her father.] What is he like?

Photon energy-- [She's unselfconsciously beaming.] really. We have nothing like that in my world, light as a power source, imagine! Well, not that you have to imagine of course. Your father, he must have been a phenomenal scientific mind-- is he no longer with you? In your own world?
They must miss you there, Epsilon. You're quite an inspiring achievement-- [She smiles warmly, still wide-eyed.] and a wonderful conversationalist as well. Cait is like that, too. He's my creation, my friend.
[She seems fond, but a little sad as well. She misses Cait already, they're always together.] He's my cat. The only bipedal, artificially intelligent cat in my world.

Solar power isn't unheard of back home, but I was the only light-powered robot, though there were other robots comparable to me, technologically speaking.

Yes, my father is gone. [She can easily avoid saying what happened if not asked directly.] It was a great loss. I do miss my home, and I'm sure my family misses me. I hope they're all right. You must be missed too, Reeve.

We have robotic animals. [She smiles at the thought.] Though not bipedal, speaking ones. They're usually made to act as much like animals as possible and serve as pets. Are there humanlike robots in your world, too? Robots and humans work and live together, where I come from.

You live and work together. Incredible. [She smiles.] Cait, my cat, is a wonder, but he's the only one of this kind. Robot kind. to my knowledge, anyway.

[She shakes her head in wonder. All the advancements harnessing the Lifestream has brought-- but power from the sun itself, incredible.]

It's incredible. All of it! I'd love to hear more about this solar power. But-- I am sorry to hear about your father. He sounds like a wonderful scientist, and a wonderful man. Since you're his creation.

[She sighs.] I don't know if my mother has had a chance to miss me yet, honestly. But I don't like to think about her missing me, not over something like this. You have a family?

You must be quite an innovator then, Reeve. I'd love to hear more about Cait.

I'd be happy to talk to you about my construction and my father's discoveries. I do miss him a great deal. He was always kind to me.

[She frowns.] I'm sorry. I'm not certain how this place works, but I hope your mother won't be too worried. I run an orphanage. My children, although they're human, are like a family to me.

[She smiles, pleased to be called and innovator by this fascinating artificial being. Who has children.]

You-- you really are incredible. You run an orphanage. [She smiles.] Ruvi-- my mother, would love that. She's great with kids. I hope she never has a chance to miss me, but since we talk so often, I doubt that. I'm hoping she'll chalk it up to something like an extended work emergency-- since there is one at the moment, that's not too far fetched.

I'd love to hear more about your life, and about your father. When I puzzle out how to orient myself here, I'll try to find you.
But, I do tend to go on a bit about Cait when prompted. Fair warning. She chuckles.

Urbanite Lost, day 1. [internal monologue & video communication]

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