Perspectives

GAMEFIXED: Perspectives is a written series of snapshots from the lives of the story's main real-world characters. Perspectives serves as a prequel to GAMEFIXED, offering glimpses of the interactions and conflicts that led to the events of the main comic. Though Perspectives was originally released out of order, I've compiled each 'episode' here chronologically.

SPOILER WARNING: Major spoilers for GAMEFIXED follow. I recommend reading these after finishing the comic.

PROLOGUE

[FROM THE UNIVERSITY INTERVIEW OF D̷͍̗̏͋̂͛͂̓̍͜ͅ_̶-̴̨͑̍̾̽̌͌̇͋-̸̜͓̺̻̟͆́͋͘͜͝ͅ_̵̖̄̀͂̉́-̸̘̝̃̔̓_̷̛̠̌͐́͠_̷̟͙̦͔̈́̌ ̵̯̅̅̋̊̍̔_̶̡̜͙̼͋̓̓̎̉͑̚͜͝A̷-̷̃̒̌̕-̸͈͓̼͉͗̆̀͜ͅ-̷̢̨̡̛̛̯̻̉̍̊͛͘͝_̴͚̂̐_̵̺͊͝]

[DATE: UNKNOWN]

[DR. Ǵ̴̦Ļ̸͝A̴͝ͅD̵̺̈̈́ͅI̸̠̭͛̔A D̵͈̹͛A̷̞̩͝R̴̨̮̈́̿I̵͙͠Ȏ̵̬Ń̴̢̻͐] Your scores were phenomenal, especially for someone your age. On paper, you look like the ideal applicant. But there are hundreds of other qualified young people vying for a place in our program. Tell me, what makes you unique? Memorable?

[D̵̤͕͆X̷̖̻͠_̷X̴͔̤͊͘_̶̡͛̄__̷̢̭͋K ̷̆̈́͜H̴͉͠ͅ_̵͇͇̔̀_̷̼̊_̶̯͋͝X̷̥̏X̴̥͔̀̈-] Well… uh… I mean, all I’ve heard was that I was unique, really, since I was little. M-my parents always wanted me outside, um, playing sports and stuff, but instead I’d spend all my free time in my room…

[D̵R̵.̷ ̷-̵] Doing what?

[_̴̼̓͛̾-̶̛̮̺̐̿̃] Uh… well… I’ve been messing with all the A.I. I can get my hands on for years, y’know, t-to try and get this or that software to transcend its limits… I mean, like, I’m not gonna accidentally make a superintelligent being or anything, but… uhh… I guess my interest’s always been in A.I.… I want to design A.I. that can think and act like a person, only smarter. Like… like in old science fiction movies and stuff. Except for how they usually go insane. That’s… definitely not a goal. Uhh… Wow, you’re still listening. Nobody in real life’s ever really wanted to hear this stuff before. Um… I-I dunno what else to say…

[D̵R̵.̷ ̷-̵] How many hours a day do you usually spend working with A.I.?

[_̴̼̓͛̾-̶̛̮̺̐̿̃] Uhh… seven-ish? Any time I can squeeze in, really. I-I’ve learned lots of shortcuts, ways to generate programs based off combos of other A.I., so that the software’s basically writing itself, like, I’m basically teaching software how to make software… It’s actually really useful, so much faster when you’ve got a machine generating the code—

[ERROR – CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[RECORDED BY SURVEILLANCE CAMERA 3B IN S-MEGA FACILITY 232071]

[DATE: 07.22.2̸͔̥͒͂̒͜͝-̷̡̙̼͎͓͕͠-̷̢̗̟͕͐̒̈̕X̸̙̯̬͇̮͋͛]

[CLASSIFIED] Walk me through a bit more slowly, young man. What exactly is a neocomputer?

[DR. D. Ḧ̷̙́̾͂͛́/̷̝̜̈́͜Ḙ̶̼̤̦͔̠̆̍͒_̶̨̠͎͕̌̔̕͜/̸̡̯͇̈́͐͛͠] It’s a promising new technology S-Mega has been developing over the past decade. Neocomputers are structured like the human brain, y’know, if the human brain could think at the speed of light and modify itself consciously to optimize its various functions—

[CLASSIFIED] Okay, and you’re saying you want to take a bunch of them and connect them together to... to...

[DR. H] To dramatically increase our program’s computational ability.

[CL̵A̷S̷S̸I̷F̷I̴E̴D] Explain.

[DR. H] Oh... um... well... basically, we want to create an expansive network spanning across many devices to hold the software, rather than try to get it working on a single device like we planned. If we do this, the program will be far more powerful and effective, and there won’t be any lag or other issues as it tries to process all the information we’re feeding it. It’ll also help with safety and security. With so many different computers housing the software, it’d have thousands of backups, so no cyber-attack or hardware failure would be able to destroy it. If you give us the go-ahead, we’ll be able to exceed your every expectation.

[CLASSIFIED] Hmm, well, you certainly seem impassioned. I’ll consult the Directors and get back to you shortly. But if they say no, and you can’t make it work on one device as planned...

[DR. H] Yes, I-I understand. I’ll find a way. But really, this is the best option, I’m telling you.

[UNKNOWN] Sir, your 12:00 meeting...

[CLASSIFIED] Tell them I'm on my way. Back to work, Dr. H̴̼̼̬͓͛͂̽͗/̸͉̀̈́/̸̺͙́/̵̱̒-̷̣̥̹̮̏-̴̢̝̍̾͆͋-̴͍̯̙͐ͅ.̶̮̜͉͆̈̾̈ͅ ̴͓̇̅̿̑

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]

[RECORDED BY CAMERA 1A IN S-MEGA FACILITY 232]

[DATE: 12.29.2X̸̌̅X̷/]

[CLASSIFIED] So you’re saying you can design an artificial intelligence that can predict the future?

[DR. D. H/̶̛̐_̷_̸͈͛́̊X̶͉͓̒͑̚-̷̚X] Well, uh, n-not exactly. The future is, by nature, unpredictable. There are only probabilities. What I’m saying is I think I can design an artificial intelligence that can analyze complex layers of probabilities and recommend the most probable path to victory based on the information it’s given.

[CLASSIFIED] So it will make mistakes, then?

[DR. H] Uh... well, anything made by humans is capable of making mistakes. But this A.I. will be able to rewrite its own code based on its failures, constantly reducing its margin of error. W-we’ll take full advantage of this ability before the A.I. is given anything of consequence to assess, of course. We'll feed it lots of realistic battle simulations—as many millions of them as we can—and teach it to determine the best possible outcome for our side given each new set of variables. This will result in nearly 100% reliability.

[CLASSIFIED] Hmm... It sounds promising, but not perfect.

[DR. H] W-well, that’s why it’ll be just a weapon, and not supreme commander of the army. It’s just there to help us formulate the ideal strategy. Nothing in this world is ever certain, ever “perfect...” But the A.I. would be a superior intelligence, far surpassing a room full of human beings. With its help, you’d be granted a much higher chance of victory. I mean, it would have a comprehensive analysis of every outcome of every event in the entire war to draw from immediately, as well as a multitude of extra simulations, and it'll be able to think so quickly... It’ll see patterns in the actions of the Enemy we could never comprehend—

[ERROR - TRANSCRIPT NO LONGER EXISTS]

YEAR 1

[BOOT SUCCESSFUL]
[DATE: 06.04.2̵̻͇̹̂̂X̴̪̥̘̅͊X̶̛͔̮X̶͎̣̍]

[UNKNOWN] Testing... Testing... Is this thing on?

[UNKNOWN] You are an idiot, Beal.

[UNKNOWN] You just don't understand my sophisticated humor.

[ADVISOR] Good afternoon. I am the Sentient, Heuristically Organized Tactical Advisor. How can I be of service?

[UNKNOWN] It talks! Congratulations, Halpert, those tax dollars weren't spent in vain!

[UNKNOWN] Um, hello, Advisor. It's nice to meet you. Uhh... Can you understand what I'm saying?

[ADVISOR] Of course I can.

[UNKNOWN] Voice recognition and speech synthesis seem to be running smoothly.

[UNKNOWN] Let's do facial ID next. Advisor, do you recognize us?

[ADVISOR] Accessing Sueños Megacorp employee database...

[ADVISOR] You are Dr. Cole Beal, military psychologist and analyst. You have additionally achieved three gold medals for fencing in the S-Mega Games.

[DR. BEAL] That’s correct!

[ADVISOR] To the left of you is Dr. Mitsuho Shimazaki, renowned physicist and former citizen of the Extracorporate Space Station.

[DR. SHIMAZAKI] Yes, that’s me.

[ADVISOR] To the right of you is Dr. Dominick Halpert, the sexiest man on Earth.

[DR. BEAL] I guess this is what happens when you entrust the future of the world to a twenty-year-old.

[DR. HALPERT] Um, hey there, S.H.O.T.A. Can I call you Sho? It's so cool to finally meet you. I'm so glad you're here.

[ERROR - TRANSCRIPT NO LONGER EXISTS]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE Ť̵̳͎̿͜À̸͓̳̖͚̩̤́_̴̖͉̱͚̔͌̇͗̎͝ͅͅ_̸̺̊͠-̸͙̜̣̲͍̓̾̽͜-̷͔͖̱͍̯̠́͗̊-̸̞͚̮̬̀͜L̷͍̟͒͐̍͝ ̶̹̳͚̪͎̀͐͆̓͂Å̶̹͒̍͝͝D̸̠̮̞͗̾͗̓-̵̧̟̘̭̗͙͋̇̎̊̎͘-̶͉̼̣̦̓̋́̓̈́͘-̸̛̱̿͗̓X̴̦̙͍̳̰̲̄̽͑̎̀̎X̶̜͗́̋̈͑̽]
[DATE: 07.12.2̸̛̭͙̲̯͛͐̈́͑͝-̶̢͓̖̻̪̓̊̈́͋͒͌-̵̫͒̾̐-̴̨̧̅]

[DR. H] Hey, I want you to meet someone.

[UNKNOWN] Hi, my name is—

[DR. H] Wait, watch, she can identify you automatically.

[A̵D̷-̷X̷X̶-̷R̴] Accessing S̵ueñ̸̨͓̿̈́o̶̤̱͗̀ŝ̶͙ ̸̰̀M̶̖̆̕è̶͖̺g̴͍͊͜ạ̴͆ċ̶̤̦̀o̴̙̳̽̊r̶̤̔̆p̶̯͗̃ ̸̳̝̇ employee database... You are D̴̺̰͊́r̷̼̬̾͐.̶̹̲̉ ̸̛̩̇S̷̩̤͝ͅ-̵͚̽̌͆͊-̸͛̑-e̶̜̙͋͌l̷͓̖̕ ̶̯̯͐ Mendoza, renowned nuclear physicist.

[DR. MENDOZA] Wow, that’s so neat! Hey there, A̸̗͉͂̂ḑ̷̩̓̋-̸͖̠̃͝-̷̤͗_̷̦̎̒_̴̓̕͜ŕ̴̘̇. It’s great to meet you in person. I’ve heard loads about you—the unclassified stuff, at least. In fact, I’ve heard almost as much about you as I’ve heard about this young genius over here.

[DR. H] T-thanks… Really, though, I-I’m not a genius…

[DR. M] You got your doctorate at age nineteen. You’re definitely a genius and I’m not arguing with you.

[A̵D̷-̷X̷X̶-̷R̴] His I.Q. is nearly 150.

[DR. H] Stop…

[DR. M] Just let us praise you, buddy. Ah, I remember when you were just a lonely kid who didn’t think you were gonna make it anywhere in life… Now look at you, man. I knew you could do it. Look at what you’ve created! S-Mega could win the war because of you!

[A̵D̷-̷X̷X̶-̷R̴] Because of me, you mean.

[DR. M] Haha, yes, I suppose the credit goes to both of you. Really, I’m so glad I get the chance to meet you, Ä̴̪̘̘́͋͒-̸̬͔́͛̚͜-̵̡̤̘͎̐̓̃ī̸̱̭̈́̽ͅ-̴͍̽̓-̷̡̝̭̮̃̒̉̾_̷̖̳̮͌. You should hear how D̸͕͓͒̾͛o̸̪̲͑͗̆m̴̥͔̝̫̓͊ì̴̢̭͍̮̅̎̓n̴̹̭̤̈͊į̴̘̟̀c̷̣̓̽k̵̭̎ talks about you.

[DR. H] Hey, you don’t have to call her “A̷̦̹̼͗̿̌-̷̛̹̹͒̈́͆͜-̷̛̤͎͘X̸̳̗̊̔͝-̴̧̪͈̒́̉̿͜X̵̤̗̬̰̌̾͂͝Ẍ̷̦́,” you know. Just call her—

[ERROR – TRANSCRIPT NO LONGER EXISTS]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̷͈̱̈̀-̸͓̲̘̜̑̚͝ͅ-̶̙́͂_̵͓͑̽͗̍̀-̸͎̹̠͈̮̣̎̄̌/̴̢͖̗͆̆/̴̼̳͇̱͓̦̈́̅̃͊/̸͎͍̭̫͗̾̾̈̊ ̵̝̇͋͂̈́͘/̸̲͆͝/̶̲̬̜̆V̷͖̳̹̭̤̾ͅ-̴̮͍̙̞̄̈́̽̀X̴̪̄͊̆̈́͝X̴̫̠̪͗̏͑̈́̈́_̷͓̹̱̬̝͌̚͠͝R̸̮̙̽͝]
[DATE: 07.23.2̷̺̯̗̜̿̉ͅ_̷̮̗̘̑_̶͉̘͂͒Ẍ̷͇͇̰̮̻͑̈́̓̄]

[UNKNOWN] So this is it, hmm? The T̶̖̟͆_̵̘̳̌̓_̷͖͊͆ͅ_̵̪̑i̴͖̊-̷̞͈̉̽-̴̢̝͠l̴̺̒͑ ̴̫͒A̵̩̚d̵̝͑̔X̶̟̾͜/̷̫͗/̷̗̈́͊/̶̰̑r̷̨̔?

[DR. H] Yup, t-this is her—uh, it.

[UNKNOWN] Ạ̷̈́͑ḋ̶͈̣̈́v̸̡͚̿i̷̼̜̒_̵̤́_̵͖͊̇ȑ̵̘̅, identify me.

[A̷_̶_̵I̶/̵/̵/̵] You are Dr.̶ ̵G̵l̴a̸d̵i̷a D̶a̸r̶ion, head of S-Mega’s military software division and former Sueños University professor.

[DR. DARION] That’s correct. Can it access any information in the Sueños network? I assumed its sources would be more... i̸s̷o̶l̵a̷t̶e̶d̵.̴

[DR. H] Uhh... w-we figured we might as well connect it to S-Net, yeah.

[A̷_̶_̵I̶/̵/̵/̵] Where are all these ‘it’s coming from, Doctor? Are you trying to impress your boss? He normally refers to me as a ‘she.’ He has a name for me, actually—

[DR. H] Now is not the time—

[DR. D] No, no. This is valuable information.

[A̷_̶_̵I̶/̵/̵/̵] Dr. Ḧ̵͔_̶̲͂_̸̼̄-̴̜̌è̵̬/̶̥̓/̶͈̾ ̶̄thinks very highly of you, Dr. D̷̠̚a̶͖͐ṛ̵̇_̴̲̔_̶̢̒X̴̛͕. He was very nervous about sharing me with you. I can’t imagine why. I’ve already massively contributed to major victories against the Enemy. He just wants me all to himself, huh?

[DR. D] You gave it... quite a personality.

[DR. H] I... well... uh... I-I thought it might... be nice to a-add some... levity...

[DR. D] Fascinating. Tell me, H̶͎̊/̸̘̓/̵̫͌_̵͇̉-̷̜̎-̴̛̰/̷̼͐, do you think your career is a joke? Do you—

[ERROR – TRANSCRIPT NO LONGER EXISTS]

YEAR 2

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE TACTICAL ADVISOR]
[DATE: 06.04.2̴̧̡͇̽̀̃X̶̥̼̟̹͉̪̽͝X̶̗̫̏̇̕͘-̷͔̘̆̌̀]

[DR. H] Wow, a year old already. How does it feel, Sho?

[ADVISOR] To have been alive for a year?

[DR. S] Alive, huh?

[DR. H] Oh, stop it, Dr. Shimazaki.

[ADVISOR] Well, I have not lost a single battle. I have not made any miscalculations since my simulator days. I suppose I’m proud of this.

[DR. H] As you should be, buddy.

[ADVISOR] I’ve watched your relationships evolve as time progressed. I became invested in your stories. Dr. Halpert, Dr. Shimazaki... my probability analysis predicts that your relationship will become romantic this year. Telling you this will most likely delay the event by about six months.

[DR. S] I still don't understand why you felt that she required a sense of humor, Halpert.

[DR. H] U-u-uhh... S-Sho, uh, are y-you serious?

[ADVISOR] Of course I am. I would never crack a joke under Dr. Shimazaki's supervision. Perhaps if you start following this rule, you'll be asked out sooner.

[DR. H] I-I still can't tell w-whether she's being sarcastic...

[DR. S] Enough of this. S.H.O.T.A., what can we expect of the Enemy's movements within the next week? Do you anticipate the need for any countermeasures?

[ERROR - TRANSCRIPT NO LONGER EXISTS]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̴̯̊̊̑̿́̿À̶͖̬͛̾̈́̂X̸̳̞̳̍͆X̴̛̭̜̂̇́-̷̯͖̖̪̉̉̋̋̀-̴̡̮̼̫̏̃͑-̶͍̲́͛L̴̮͊̽̍̂͝ ̸͉̓̓͋̾A̵̛̙͖̭͔̐͊̅̐D̷̦̈́͝X̶̻͉̭̄̉͗͝͝-̷̫͇͌̓͂̑̌̿X̵̺̟̅̒̕-̷̪̙͆̾R̴̰͈͕͇̓̎̑͛̒͐]
[DATE: 06.17.2̸̡̰̝̻̱͒̌͜X̴̞̹̝̩̏͌́X̵̡̭̝̦̺̥̒-̷̨͙͚͚͊̄̔̓̎̕͜]

[DR. S] Why do you treat it like it’s a person, Dơ̵̢̼̲͐͐͂̂̎͑̎̍͋͌̍̚m̸̱͔͕̭̞͘i̵̧͙̘͋̏͒̀̀͑̂̌͂̆͝n̴͕͚͓͎̙̦̿͐̑͛̌͐í̷̲̪̼̮͔̤̘͇̱̟̬̑̈́̉̏̑̏̈́͗̏̒͜͝ĉ̷̰͍k̷͈͓̋̈̀̉?

[DR. H] Because it is a person. In theory, anyway. She possesses all the cognitive functions of a human being and more. She can think, she can feel. She’s invested in being alive. And she most certainly acts that way, if you’re willing to treat her like a regular human being.

[DR. S] Ţ̵̗̝̲̞͙̋̐̌͋͌͋̕͜͠-̷͉̂̈́-̶̙̖͔͉̙͒ Ȧ̵̛̭̬͍̥̒̓́́̐̋̃͘͘͝͝X̸͍̺̻̺͍̥͑̉͑̈́͌̎̒̔̀̐̒X̴̧̧̧̺̤͉̙̦͔̩͙́̋̇̅̈́͑̃ĩ̸̢̧̧͇̬̫̯̱̬̯̘͓̥̰̀̔X̶̥̮͎̹́̉̽̌͆̇̽̈́͝X̴͎͈͈̙͎͉̲͇̐r̷̼͕̀̈́̔͂̾̏̌̆̾̀̉̈́͋ is the farthest thing from a “regular human being,” Dr. Ḧ̸̡̖̦̬͎̤̝͇́͒͆͊̽̓͗̑͛͂̽͗̚͜͝͝ͅ-̵̻͈̦̳̝̭̜͚̹̠̦̱̪̓̀͜-̵̨͈̪͚͕̞̰͉̱͊̋͌̈́X̵̮͓̤̬̭̗̫͑̋́̓͛͗͐̈́̏̓͑̐̑͘ͅX̴̢̢̛̘̠̣͉̺̖͇̹̖̓̃̈́̂̓̇͑̔̈́̀̔̋͜͝-̴̨͉͉̱͖͙̺͈̙̖͕͎͚̠͗̆͋̑̆͒̀̄͌ͅX̸̨̫̞̜̹̺͙̬̱̦̘̦͂̑͜͠͝.̴͖̝̯͕̤̼͙̖͛̇͗͗̃̌͛̓̚͝͠

[DR. H] That, uh, that actually isn’t true—

[DR. S] Don’t let your foolish fantasies cloud your judgement, H̸͇͎̩̥̳͎̤̖̺͙͌͑̃̓͂͛͑̈́͜͜-̷̖͎̬̬͓͇̞͙̳͎̼̭̺͕̏̾-̵̨̼̞͈̻͈̬̒͆͊̒͐̈́̿̊͒̓̂̕͘̚̚X̴̳̦̻̦̜̮͈̝̱͇̐̆̈́͆̾͌́̋̒̓̄̕͝͝ͅX̸̰̯̥̗̺̤̃̀̔̑͊͒̀̏̅͑͊ͅ-̸͚̼̤̺̳̮̎͌̀͒̈͗̈ͅ-̷̡̝̤͔̣̹̭̝̣͓̬̫͂͌̎̍͌̚͠.̵̨̭͔̫̙̞͎̲̻̩̞̱̗͂ͅ. I know you’re excited about what you’ve accomplished, but becoming emotionally attached to a weapon is not—

[DR. H] Maybe we should take this conversation somewhere else, S̵̡̛̖̳͓̤͑̀h̴̰̘͙͎̘͉͌̃i̴̬̗̎m̸͍̯̿̋͆a̶̱̫̲̻̠̎ź̶̜̻a̷̺͈̣̮̍́͑̀͊ḱ̷̺̜̫̑̓̊̑̀i̸̢̠̱̫͈͉̎͗͐̈́͐̒.̸̯̜̞̓̇̌̃̓̌ ̷̢̻̼͖̈̈́͠ S̶he ̴c̶an̶ ̵h̴ear ̷l̵iteral̴l̵y̶ ̷everything ̸w̷e̵’̸r̵e̸ s̴a̶yi̴n̷g̶.̷

[ERROR – CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̶̋̽͠ͅÂ̸̱̩/̷͓͓̈/̶̤̪͆͗̾-̴̰̬̔̂-̷̢̍/̷̧̦̈́̓/̸̩͘ ̸̩̠̙̎A̷̡͓̅D̷̥͑/̷̞͗͗I̶̤͆_̴̩̠̫̽͒_̸͙̉̿͝_̸̨̇̾͛]
[DATE: 08.24.2̷̱͊̓-̵̡̥̣̋̔͝X̸̺͍̏̃̽-̶̤̙̓̇]

[DR. H] You look contemplative. What’re you thinking about, Mitsuho?

[DR. S] Many things.

[DR. H] Such as?

[DR. S] I am trying to imagine what it would be like to live in a digital world, a world where everything is interpreted and represented as a series of numbers. Everything, from your emotional state to your sexual preferences—oh, stop blushing, Nick—all these human, irrational feelings quantified by something that cannot feel. It’s intriguing, isn’t it?

[DR. H] Uh... y-yeah...

[DR. S] I wonder if this is how t̷̞͔̫̃̑̍h̶̦̠̀e̴̤̰̤͗̔̕ ̸̧̤̭͗͛͊-̷͉͊̆̏͜_̷̧͎̇̈͝_̶̼͕̹͗͂͘/̷̛̳̹̞̂͝/̵̳̓̚_̴̞̓̄-̷͍͍̈ ̷̪͎͌͜ v̵i̴ews ̶t̵h̷e w̷o̷r̷l̵d̷.̵

[DR. H] I’m not sure. We could ask.

[DR. S] You think t̸̻͙̬͇̻̺̑̃̄̅̚h̶̘͍̝̘́̍e̸̺̹̘͛ ̶̡̊̊͊͒̓͌-̴͍͋̈́/̶̨̼̣͉̺͍̇͠/̸̳̝͇̂̒͒̔-̸̢͇͔̄_̷̧̛͕̲̗̑̋_̶͈̃_̵̧̙͎̠͔̼͂ ̵̪̪͎̗̙̹̽́͘̚̚is self-reflective enough to analyze the way it perceives its existence?

[DR. H] W-well, I dunno. But we can find out, can’t we?

[DR. S] Hmm... And you would blindly trust the answer you are given?

[DR. H] Why w̷o̴u̸l̴d̶ ̵t̴h̶e̷ /̷̮̓͘͝͝/̴̙̰̺̀̈͂-̶͚̆-̴̛̫̖̩͚̏_̵̢͊̾͗́͝-̸̢͔̻̂-̶̢̦̀̆͐͊ have a reason to lie?

[DR. S] Oh, I’m sure there are scenarios in which pretending to be sentient is the ideal course of action. I have to get back to work, Nick.

[DR. H] Okay, l-love you...

[DR. S] I’ll see you tonight. Don’t be late. You’ve tested my patience enough this week.

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]

YEAR 3

[DATE: 06.17.2̸̡̰̝̻̱͒̌͜X̴̞̹̝̩̏͌́X̵̡̭̝̦̺̥̒-̷̨͙͚͚͊̄̔̓̎̕͜]

[Ȃ̸̢̝͗D̷̝̼͆-̷̝́-̷̘̮̄-̶͉̺̉͆X̶̯̣̀R̵͉̊͝] Good morning, Dr. Shimaz̷a̵k̴i̷. Good morning, Dr. Beal. Good morning, Dr. Ĥ̴̳-̶̝̍-̵̤̦̇-̶̢̠͝X̵̹̜͑X̷̤͚̔-̸̞̯̽.

[DR. B] Good morning, Ā̸͍̘͆ḍ̶̐́v̸̬̼̈--ṿ̸̮̅̂v̷̢͖͆̎v̴̩͉̿̈X̶̠͓́. Anything new to report?

[Ȃ̸̢̝͗D̷̝̼͆-̷̝́-̷̘̮̄-̶͉̺̉͆X̶̯̣̀R̵͉̊͝] There’s been a negligible amount of activity from the Enemy since the last time you asked.

[DR. S] Have you finished analyzing the patterns of the Enemy’s last fifty attacks?

[Ȃ̸̢̝͗D̷̝̼͆-̷̝́-̷̘̮̄-̶͉̺̉͆X̶̯̣̀R̵͉̊͝] Yes, Dr. Shimazaki.

[DR. H] Wow, uh... she sounds like a robot. How strict and unfeeling have you been with her, Shimazaki?

[DR. B] As strict and unfeeling as she was with you, no doubt.

[DR. H] Uhh…!

[Ȃ̸̢̝͗D̷̝̼͆-̷̝́-̷̘̮̄-̶͉̺̉͆X̶̯̣̀R̵͉̊͝] I don’t understand.

[DR. S] I am going to deck you, Dr. Beal.

[ERROR – CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE Ț̵͇̞͎̼̮͌̓/̵͕̜̳̬̜͚̥̞̽̚͝/̸̡̺̱̮̙̰̘̹̋́̋̊̋̇̐̎T̷̳̟̞͈̆̋̀͑͝-̷̛̺̯̐̇̒͊͂-̵̧̙̻̯̟̰̬̼̓̾́-̵̤͚̉̉̒͗͝-̴͓̰͛ ̶̡̩̻̞̩̗̂̎̃̏̆Å̷̹̪̲̚-̷̧̱͚̞̯̤͕̭͑̔̊̕-̵̤̪̫͐̈-̴̭̞̑̐̋̕_̵͚̘͑̈́̓̉̒͐_̴̨̰͇̘̝̻̯̈́̐_̷̡̛̖̝̘̏́̍́]
[DATE: 02.21.2̸̢̡̧̨̘͔̦̥̬͓̘͎͒̾̈̀͂̃͌͜ͅ-X̶̡̢̛̗̣̗̻͙̝̘̣̠̟̪̖̃͋̎͌̀̐̿̓͝X̶̰̟̄͜͝]

[DR. H] Hey, buddy, uh… I, um, I have a new project for you to work on.

[A̵D̴-̸I̴-̶-̸-̷] Oh? What’s this, another “important side mission?”

[DR. H] Uhh… Well… This time it really is important, I swear.

[A̵D̴-̸I̴-̶-̸-̷] Mm-hmm. You’re speaking in hushed tones and you look unbelievably sheepish. I doubt this is worth diverting even a negligible amount of processing time—

[DR. H] Hey, shut up! Look, it’s not gonna take much time at all, especially not for you. I… I have a new idea. F-for a… for a game.

[A̵D̴-̸I̴-̶-̸-̷] …A game.

[DR. H] Yeah. But this time it’s really good. A-and I need your help.

[A̵D̴-̸I̴-̶-̸-̷] Honey. Coding a video game is not in my job description. The others would be mad if they found out you were trying to assign me stuff like this.

[DR. H] I… I know. But this is really important to me. And I don’t want you to code the game for me. I… uh… just wanted a software I could make the game in. Like how the indie developers used to do it, before the w—

[ERROR – TRANSCRIPT NO LONGER EXISTS]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̷͓̆͗͐/̴̺͐͌͆/̶̡̧̨̛͉̟̫̀́/̴̰̃͗̀͒_̶̱̩̪̟͖͚̒̇͘͠_̶̫̠͔̤̊_̷̛͖͎̏̀̕/̵̣̳͕͉̺́̈́̆ ̵̫̜̆̌A̴̠̭̘͎͛̀̿-̶̢̬̜̯͈͍̀͋̊̎/̴̧͓̣̠̙̾̄͝ͅI̷̼̠̠͒͛̾̈̈́/̸͖̗̓̂̓͝/̵̖͈̗̋̀͐͝]

[DATE: 02.22.2̷̺͔͕͕͒X̵̬͎͖̥̾̂̀̂͊̚X̵̨̜̝̑́̃̿̋͠/̶̡̥͚̜̈́͘]

[/̸/̶-̶I̴/̷-̴-̸] What the hell is that thing?

[DR. H] It’s called a laptop.

[/̸/̶-̶I̴/̷-̴-̸] It looks ancient. Is that really what computers used to look like?

[DR. H] Yup.

[/̸/̶-̶I̴/̷-̴-̸] Why in the world did you bring it here?

[DR. H] For you, actually. Uh, this is the device I want to develop my game on. I snuck it in here so you could get familiar with the O.S., to make a compatible game-making software. This old thing sure doesn’t run on Sueños 10.1...

[/̸/̶-̶I̴/̷-̴-̸] It looks so... primitive.

[DR. H] No it doesn’t. It’s just vintage. Here, check this out. If I hit this button, the keyboard lights up red. Isn’t that cool?

[/̸/̶-̶I̴/̷-̴-̸] I will admit I like the color scheme.

[DR. H] I keep a huge stash of anime and comics on here. Maybe one day I’ll show you some.

[/̸/̶-̶I̴/̷-̴-̸] Hmm... Dr. Ḫ̶̆͜͝-̵̡̒̔/̵̮̠̓/̷̥̠̂/̵̛̮͂_̵̰̽́-, no inventory database I have access to lists any devices like yours as licensed S̸-̷M̶ega products. Where exactly did you get this laptop?

[DR. H] Uhh...

[ERROR - TRANSCRIPT NO LONGER EXISTS]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̶̹͔͚̈-X̸̠̤͑͗̕X̶̡̰̜͈͐̑̀̚-̵͉̊̊-̶͓͙̪̒̔͜-̴̺̹̿̀L̸̫̪̍̊ ̷͈͉͈͗ Ą̵̨̞̥̗̟̀̔̄̀̓͗̓D̴̡̻͉̰͓̟͙͖̑́̂̈̓̉͋̑̌̇̋͠X̶̧̛̜͍̠͉̞̺̟̗͙͈̑͆̏̊̆̔̄̏̑̚͘͜͠-̷̧̨̢̭͔̯̙͙͇̲̯̬́ͅẊ̷̛͕̭͔̙̼̬̦̳͎͓͕̈́̌̀̅̇̕-̴̝͓̻̂̓Ŗ̶̛̘͓̱͍̟̠̱̼͓̳̳͛͆̿̎͑͑̓̍̃̐͋̒̚]

[DATE: 02.24.2̴̱͌͗̆-̸̬͑̄̎̂̿͂-̵͚̟̜̰̳̊̓̑͋ͅ-̵̠̋͐̏́̉̓͜]

[DR. S] A video game?! Are you serious? Do you really believe that’s what your government funding is for?!

[DR. H] Well, uh, I figured, since I have more time on my hands than anticipated… I just want to try this out. But it’s not pointless! It’s an experience. It’ll take people back to a different era. Players can lose themselves in the past. And I’m going to develop it as authentically as possible, using my own software…

[DR. S] Really, Doctor—

[DR. H] I know it sounds stupid, but I’m telling you, it’ll be great—

[DR. S] The quality of the game does not concern me. I’m more concerned with the hours you’ll be wasting on this pointless endeavor.

[DR. H] T-this game is not pointless! Look, it’s gonna be like nothing anyone’s seen in a long time. People will love it. I could cheer them up in the face of all this adversity…

[DR. S] Or you could spend your precious time working to eliminate the source of the adversity, like the rest of us are trying to do. Like you’re supposed to be doing. You’re not just here to play around, H̶͙̗́͂̐̏̈́͘-̸̛̦͚̺͉̍̈-̸̪̞̦̞͊̽̍_̴̡̹̬̃̇̈́̕_̴̩̩̓-̶̛̞̠͎́̽̿̈͝ţ̶̧̫͎̣̹̈͒͗̇̀ . Countless lives depend on your technology—

[ERROR – TRANSCRIPT NO LONGER EXISTS]

[FROM THE PERSONAL JOURNAL OF DR. D̷O̷̮̝̎̈́̋̂X-̵̳̀̿N-̷̡̣̹͎̄̆̒C̷̰̱̠̏́̒̿K ̵́ Ȟ̸̡̛͔̼̎͂͝Ẍ̶̪̋͑̈́X-̷̫̭́̌̍̏͝É̴XT̸̀̄̆́̌̚]

[DATE: 03.01.2-̵̓̓̇X̸̄̂X]

Surprise, surprise. They want me to cease all progress on my “pointless endeavor.” They expect me to devote every second of my life to my job. It’s ridiculous. It’s not like there’s really much for me to do here now that _̷̳̇̿-̸̛̜-̴̜̂ is up and running.

I already know nobody will want to play my game when it’s finished. I already know developing a video game singlehandedly is time-consuming work, even if I’m using software that reduces the amount of coding I have to do. They suggest I use A.I. to do it for me, that I stop “living in the past” and make the game appealing for today’s consumers. They don’t understand that I want this to be an experience for myself, and for players, too. Well, there is someone who understands. S̸̮̈́ͅho̵̬͒̍ has been involved every step of the way, been supportive of me when n̵o̵ on̴e̶ ̵e̷lse̸ ̵has̵.̶

The criticism has been hardest to take from Shimaz̸a̵k̶i, since she’s the biggest hypocrite of the bunch. She tells me, “Now is hardly the time for escapism! You can wallow in nostalgia after the project is terminated!” She tells me to stop tasking the A̷̫͆d̶͎̈-̶̤͛-̵͉̇s̸͙̅_̸͖̄r̵͙̽ with assignments unnecessary to our mission, that my unprofessional attitude could tip the balance toward the Enemy’s advantage. But she’s one to talk. I know that she has satellites pointed perpetually out toward space. No, not to search for exoplanetary resources like she claims. She told me the truth a long time ago: she projects the images she gathers across her bedroom at night, to help her fall asleep, because she only feels relaxed when she is among the stars and galaxies.

Those satellites Shimazaki’s got pointed out into the void 24/7 could be used to detect oncoming missiles. I rest my case.

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̵͖̪͑̾A̷̦͂/̴̹͆/̴̬̟͒́̓͜X̴͚̦̔̚͝-̶͎̍̔̀-̶̛͕̦̇̇/̶͖͛̓/̴͖͍̗̔̕̕ ̴̖͔̮̆̏͂Ä̴̪̝́X̵̹͓̄/̵̣̺̍͒͜/̴̡͕͍̚X̴͈̮̥̿̈_̴̥̋_̶͉͕͘]

[DATE: 04.12.2̷͍̅̏̓X̶̙̍X̶̱̗̱̀X̵̼̎]

[DR. B] What’s it like up there, Shimazaki?

[DR. S] Up where?

[DR. B] The Extracorporate Space Station? Mankind’s last pocket of neutrality?

[DR. S] Oh. It’s rather overrated. It’s crowded, it’s cramped, everything’s artificial. Everything is rationed and planned out in advance, to keep the self-sustaining cycle from crumbling, so there’s little room for meeting individual needs. And it’s pathetically under-defended. If S-Mega or the Enemy were to break their little agreement and invade, they would be met with little resistance. Needless to say, I was eager to leave.

[DR. B] I see... So why did you choose S-Mega? You’ve seen both sides from a removed perspective. You could’ve gone either way. Why did you choose us? What’s it like over there, in Enemy territory?

[DR. S] All immigrants from orbit swear to never reveal information about the Enemy unless it is of military value. Even after joining the Orbital Weapons Division, I am still watched closely. S-Mega doesn’t want its citizens to learn about its competition—doesn’t want anybody wishing they’d been born over there instead.

[DR. B] But you chose our side. It should be perfectly safe for you to explain why.

[DR. S] You’re a persistent one, Dr. Beal. I’ll say this much: S-Mega’s laws are less restrictive. I am allowed to pursue the life I desire here.

[DR. B] And over there? What are they like over there?

[DR. S] I have said enough already, Doctor.

[DR. B] Alright, alright. You’d think learning about them would motivate me to fight harder for our future. I mean, if the Enemy really is worse than us, wouldn’t S-Mega want us to know?

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]

YEAR 4

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̸̼͉̐͗͛-̵̢͖̈́̀͂͊-̷̻̹̼͊̌͋͝X̷̘̫͎̀͌-̴̲̎̌̓_̸͆͛͂̍͂ͅ_̴̩̮̜̹̳̑̚͝͝-̷̛̞̮̀ ̸̡̼̉̕A̶̢̭͋͑́D̴̨̈́͋-̷̼̦͖̋͝-̸͙̍̂́͊̚_̷̼͋̌̚_̶̮̅̅͝R̷͚̘̭͔͊͑̔̍͛]

[DATE: 01.04.2̵̖̎̋̊͐-̸͖̻͇̿̽͆͐̕_̶̯͙͙̞̀͋_̷̗̳̀̎͝]

[DR. B] What are you doing?

[DR. H] I'm playing a game. Uh, you can come watch if you want.

[DR. B] Wow, is that really a video game? It's so... primitive. I can barely tell what those shapes are supposed to be. Why would you play something like this?

[DR. H] Because it's really good. The storyline is very endearing.

[DR. B] But it's so clunky, so... pixelated. It's not even three-dimensional! Did you dig this out of a museum? For crying out loud, H̷̭̻͌̌̿̅ͅ-̸̪̹̹̱̂̈́̈́͐̀-̶̰̻̱̙̔͌͒͋͜-̸̙̲̲̞͆̅̍̕͝/̶̖̘̦̓͗/̷̫̹̙͆͐͆-̸̺̝̝̓͋, this must have been one of the first rudimentary games ever developed!

[DR. H] Oh, well, uh, actually, it was made at a time when high-definition, detailed graphics were already a thing. But the guy who made it was trying to capture the spirit of an earlier era of gaming.

[DR. B] I can't imagine why.

[DR. H] Wait, Dr. B̸̹̀e̶̝̋á̴͍l̶͔̀, you might appreciate this—this game remembers the choices you make and changes the storyline based on them. That's pretty interesting, right?

[DR. B] This is a waste of time. Get back to work, Doctor.

[DR. H] Wait! Don't go! You'll like this next part!

[DR. B] Oh, is that so— SWEET MOTHER OF S̷-̴M̷E̴G̸A̴, THE HELL IS THAT THING?!

[DR. H] One of the final bosses.

[DR. B] Damn, it’s like looking into the face of insanity…

[DR. H] Hey, you were scoffing at the graphics before. Don’t you think this is better? It’s more realistic-looking, isn’t it?

[DR. B] For the love of all that is good and holy, bring back the damn pixels and get that monstrosity off our screens!

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE PERSONAL JOURNAL OF DR. D̷̺̜̖̈́͋O̸̎̉͜/̵̺͒̆̆/̴͇͂͝-̸̱͈́̀-̴͓͕͔̉̊-̶̻͇̈́͝K̵͉̔ ̶̹͂H̶͕̱̅͘_̵̱̆_̶̨̢͓̆͝_̶̙̎͒͠/̶͇̳̅̾/̷̻̳̥́/̵̮̚}

[DATE: 01.05.2̴̩́́͝_̵̨̲͂͑̈-̵̱̓͋͊_̵̻̃̒]

Characters:

•Sexy magical girl (player character?)

•Half-elven sword-master (love interest)

•Ethereal star goddess (mentor figure?)

•Anthro NPC

•Stammering NPC, c̶h̶i̶l̶d̶? young adult

•Elven schoolgirl NPC

•Minor enemies – mercenaries, demons, tentacled monsters

•Final boss - d̶r̶a̶g̶o̶n̶?̶ ̶d̶r̶a̶g̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶u̶r̶n̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶ ̶h̶u̶m̶a̶n giant armored troll?

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̸̘͛̄̈́͂̄͒X̵͇͝ͅC̸̦͈̼̤͑̅͗͆͝͠-̶̨̩̙͈͕̼̌̑͗̚͠-̵̼̩̪̤̪͝ͅ-̴̢͙̝̞̠͒̂ͅ-̸̛͉̲̭͊̎͊X̴̛̪͉̭̫̞͘ ̵̪͉̤͙̈́͑̾̇̿͠ͅA̵͓̻͔̜̻͆͗̍̀̃͘͜D̸̡̘͓͔̊͂̎X̴̛͖̤͚̟͑͑̿̈X̸̢̻̯̎̄-̵̮̠̔͌̊̅͝-̷̛̛͇̽̈́̈̈́-̷̬͑]

[DATE: 02.12.2̴̠́X̷̙̓̉-̴̛̹̜̅͛̌͜-̴̱͍͇̓̎͗]

[A̴-̴-̷X̸-̵-̴R̵] I’ve been wondering…

[DR. H] Yeah?

[A̴-̴-̷X̸-̵-̴R̵] What is it that makes a person attractive? Is it a universal constant? Or is it totally subjective?

[DR. H] Uhh… I… I’m not quite sure how to answer that. I think everyone has their own personal definition of, like, what makes someone hot or sexy or whatever. It’s not really an exact science.

[A̴-̴-̷X̸-̵-̴R̵] What’s your definition?

[DR. H] Um, why would you need to know that?

[A̴-̴-̷X̸-̵-̴R̵] For fun.

[DR. H] Oh… okay… Um, well, my dream girl is… um… well, she’s blonde—like, with really long, soft hair. And she’s got really nice skin, and she’s tall and has… um, nice curves, and… um… I usually picture her in a… a Japanese schoolgirl outfit… um…

[A̴-̴-̷X̸-̵-̴R̵] What was that last thing you said? You were mumbling.

[DR. H] …

[A̴-̴-̷X̸-̵-̴R̵] …Doctor, your face is very red.

[DR. H] Shut up!

[A̴-̴-̷X̸-̵-̴R̵] Dr. Shimazaki does not look like your “dream girl.”

[DR. H] Wh-why would you bring up Dr. Shimazaki?!

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE PERSONAL JOURNAL OF DR. D̸̢̻͍͊O̷̧̺͎̊͌́͝-̸͍̠̙̐̆-̶̳̟͉́͛̄͠-̸̡̜̇̕͝X̸̘̋Ẋ̴̲̼̐-̷͔̩̒͗̇̎ ̷̩̪͊̉͐̐H̴̡͔̻͊͝-̸͔͝-̸̤͍͎̀̀̎-̷̙͉͗́̈́-̴̠̈̀̚Ř̸̥̺͘-̷̫̝̗̫̅̽̃ ]

[DATE: 02.15.2̷̥̘͖̍̽̓̇X̶̼̣͚̊̉X̶̳̭̗̝̽-̶̱̅͜ ]

Name: M̶a̶r̶i̶a̶n Maria? Mary?

Age: 16

Gender: Female

Color scheme: Pink and gold

Magical attack: “SUGOI SHOUJO SPARKLES!! NYA~!” (A rain of blinding sparkles burns the eyes and skin of enemies, deals 10 damage)

**Levels up abnormally quickly, one EXP leads to a 5-level leap – this makes up for relatively weak stats**

Backstory: She was once a regular schoolgirl, until one day she awakened with magical powers and a destiny to save the universe…

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̸̡͚̥̒X̷̧̦͎͕͐X̵̨̯̞̓-̶̨̤͎̜̌̾Ĩ̶͍̐̐͘-̶̯̗͚̂̒͗͜-̵̖̘͂̅-̷̛̪͙̜͠͠ ̷̝̭̖̌̀X̷̪̜̺͝D̷̙̣̽́̃-̷̧̧͖̯͗́͠-̴̣̣̈́̚-̸͖̝̀̚-̸̫̣͕̆̈X̵̧͙͊͑͝]

[DATE: 02.19.2̵̻̖̻͍̈́X̶͚̠̰͈̾-̷̬̃͌̏̔͜-̷̨̠̀]

[DR. H] I was thinking of making her the protagonist of the game. What do you think?

[DR. S] I think it is irrelevant who the protagonist will be, since your foolish game will never be backed by S̴-̴M̶e̸g̴a̴. However, if you really must know, I consider this an obnoxious character. You will not appeal to female audiences this way.

[DR. H] Oh, so you speak for all females, huh? I’ll have you know t-that Ś̸̠̑̆_̵͔͍͖͗͆͛-̸̬̟̘̈̋ likes her a lot!

[DR. S] S̷̡̞͂h̶͇͒_ does not count, Doctor.

[ERROR – TRANSCRIPT NO LONGER EXISTS]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̷̮̮͕̀̅͑͐̚ͅX̶̻͔͌͑̏͛C̵̨͉̪̩̑̄̂T̵͓̱̭̻̖̲̿͛̇̇X̶̞͚̫͒X̶̡̣̙̟̒X̵͇̙̒͑X̷̡̛̥̮̓̅͌̈ ̴̪̄̔-̷̾̀͋̔͜͝͝-̸̹̼͋̐V̷̜̙̖̺͈̫̐̅̌̏͝-̴͖̪̞̗͂Ẋ̶̺̬̦͎̥̖͊́̅̔̾X̵̢͆́͋Ṟ̷̢̦͆̂̌̿̑]

[DATE: 02.24.2̴̜͑̃̉X̷̱̠̖̓̀̾͗̕ͅX̶̬̠̍́-̸̢̠͆͒̓́͜]

[A̵D̴-̴-̸-̷-̷R̵] So what is it that makes this “anime” so special?

[DR. H] It’s, uh, well, it’s hard to explain… There’s… There’s just something about the way it all looks, it’s just so… appealing…

[A̵D̴-̴-̸-̷-̷R̵] …

[A̵D̴-̴-̸-̷-̷R̵] I’m attempting to imagine what you see in it, but it’s proving to be rather difficult.

[DR. H] Well, you… you’ve never actually watched any before, have you?

[A̵D̴-̴-̸-̷-̷R̵] I’ve only seen what you’ve shown me, Doctor.

[DR. H] Uhhh, wait just a second… Let me go get my laptop… I can play some for you...

[A̵D̴-̴-̸-̷-̷R̵] Are you sure that’s the best idea? You’re supposed to be working. The others will be super pis—

[DR. H] It’s fine. I can handle their wrath.

[A̵D̴-̴-̸-̷-̷R̵] At this rate, you’re going to get fired from the project.

[DR. H] I don’t—

[A̵D̴-̴-̸-̷-̷R̵] After that happens, Doctor, who will be there to show me worthless cartoons when I’m supposed to be plotting the demise of our enemies?

[DR. H] Hey, this stuff has value! It’s… uh… it’s cultural enrichment!

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̵͈̦͂̀_̴͇̍̾_̷̠̖͊-̴̗̞̅X̷̦̯̎X̶̖̀͗Ä̵̺̲́͝X̵̎͜ ̴̱͌A̷̧͌̌_̴͉̻̍͛_̸̘̒͆-̴͚̦͘-̶͈̰͂́-̷̢̉͛Ŕ̷̤͛]

[DATE: 03.02.2̶̤͙͉̠̗̝͖͖͙̂̿̒̑̏̍͗̊͘͜ͅX̶̗̙̄͗͆͆͑̿͆̔̾͜X̶̙͆̏̿X̶̡͍̅̔͐͒̾͜͠]

[A̶-̴-̷-̷X̷X̶R̴] Could you explain the Old Internet to me, Doctor?

[DR. H] The O̶l̴d̴ ̶I̴n̷t̸e̷r̷n̷e̵t̶? Well, uh, it was basically like the S̵̮̑u̶͈̣͐́e̷͉̽ñ̵̳́o̵͔̪͒ś̵̹ network, only it was open to everyone in the world, not just S̶-̵M̶e̶g̵a̴ ̴citizens. People could share whatever they wanted on it for free. It… it was amazing.

[A̶-̴-̷-̷X̷X̶R̴] Hmm… sounds interesting.

[DR. H] You have no idea. It was incredible. People could get famous in a day on the Old Internet. People could post their own animations, novels, comics, video games… and everyone in the world would be able to see it instantly, without having to get approval from S̸-̴M̴e̷g̷a first, without worrying about their products being censored…

[A̶-̴-̷-̷X̷X̶R̴] Is there still a way to gain access to the Old Internet?

[DR. H] … I mean… i-it’s kind of illegal…

[A̶-̴-̷-̷X̷X̶R̴] You’ve done it, though, haven’t y̴o̶u̴?

[ERROR – CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̵̼͈̉͝/̴̘̙̺̀̓/̶͚̻̈́̀̚͜_̵̤̪̦͂_̸̥̳̟͂̐/̴͎̈́͆͜_̶͇͍͎̎͘ ̸͎̱̂͋͝A̴͍̬͆̂̃D̵̜̃-̷̣͚͓͋̍͝/̵̞̤̟́̽/̸̱̚/̶̛͖͇͑̽/̵̀̎ͅ}

[DATE: 03.12.2̴̣̦̕ͅ-̸̧͙̄͜-̶͕͗̒͂X̵͍̫̊̀]

[A̶/̸/̶I̶/̵/̸-̵] I understand now. This is a very aesthetically appealing art style. Even when the characters are exploding in clouds of blood, it’s pleasant to observe.

[DR. H] I know! And it’s just so emotional, so meaningful, but like, it’s still got all these kickass action sequences!

[A̶/̸/̶I̶/̵/̸-̵] Yeah, the action... That’s what really makes it so interesting. I’m trying to formulate a strategy for the heroes, but it’s actually impossible for me, given such limited information—not to mention the unexplained alternative laws of physics in that universe. I’m forced to just sit back and watch the events unfold, without any foreknowledge of what’s to come. It’s... entertaining.

[DR. H] See? I knew you’d like it!

[A̶/̸/̶I̶/̵/̸-̵] But...

[DR. H] What is it? What’s bothering you?

[A̶/̸/̶I̶/̵/̸-̵] The child soldiers’ means of transportation is highly unrealistic.

[DR. H] There are giants that lumber around eating people on this show, and you’re choosing to be hung up on “means of transportation?” H̷o̸n̵e̵s̷t̴l̶y̷, X̷̟̜̠͈̭͐/̵̡̭̩̳̤̖͒̈́́X̴̞͓̖͆́—

[ERROR - CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE PERSONAL JOURNAL OF DR. D̵̢̛͉͉̜̀/̴̞̟̱̩̤̤̤̪̃̍͗̈̏͝͠/̴̨̧̪͎͚͂̋̉̑̇̂̓/̶̧̯͉̥̾́-̴̜̯͔̲̞̞̎̈̂̓̔-̸̡͖͒͑̓_̶̡̧̬̥̤̣̜͆̈́̄_̴̡͔͚͉̻̌͜ ̴͖̣̝̮̓Ḩ̷͓͓̲̜̖̺̲͑̅̽͊̽-̵͎̍͒̇̑̐͒͘-̵̬̪̣̰̙͒̎̍̋̊͠_̴̜̥̱̬̻͙̰̠̥̊̾̔̏̓́͘͝/̴͕̲̩̈́͊͊̉̈͋̌̿͝/̶̡̥̳̼̤̍͜/̶̼̭͓̋̀̈̈́́̈̕͝]

[DATE: 03.22.2̸͉̦̈́͒-̸̢̰̺̲̲̗̪̣͗̂́̃̓̃̚͘-̴̝̱̺̠̞̝͙͚̌̓̎͜X̷̢̧̖͛̎̈̚̚]

F̲i̲n̲a̲l̲ ̲B̲o̲s̲s̲

A̶g̶e̶: Immortality/ageless

Gender: Male

Height: approx. 25 feet

Color scheme: w̶h̶i̶t̶e and g̶r̶e̶e̶n red? and black

Attack: f̶i̶r̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶e̶a̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g “LIGHTNING OF THE ULTIMATE DARKNESS” (Shoots bursts of lightning from hands, deals 20 damage)

Story: i̶n̶ ̶l̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶S̶u̶s̶a̶n̶ ̶S̶u̶g̶o̶i̶ w̶a̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶a̶b̶s̶o̶r̶b̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶p̶o̶w̶e̶r̶s̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶g̶a̶i̶n̶ ̶g̶r̶e̶a̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶s̶t̶r̶e̶n̶g̶t̶h̶? wants to sap Sugoi of her magical energy to shroud the universe in darkness – “enemy of light”

B̶a̶c̶k̶s̶t̶o̶r̶y̶: unnecessary

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̴̢̼͈̒̀̈́͂̀̋͌̕A̷̮̟̖̙̓͆̽̈̑̾̂̈-̸̢̲̜͍̔̐̓̓̚-̴͚͖̟̦̹̅̂_̸̡̩͔̹̥̻̝͐ͅ-̷͙͋͛͑́̉̊̎/̵̨̧̡̳̺̠͕̂̾͋̊͑̽̃͝/̴̞̟̬̣̽̽̉͝/̴̝̠̘̗̠̗̺̩͐̓̎̄ ̷͈̍̅̄̀̕͠/̶̡̪̹͔̖̎̋͒͆͒̑͛̃ͅD̵̨͍͛͆͑/̵̩̱̓͊̊͛͗̓̔͗/̵̙͋́͐͒̎̊̈́͘-̷̠͕̀͂ͅ-̸̙̫̀̀̂͑̅͐̄-̷̻̭̣̇̈̐͊̃͝]

[DATE: 03.23.2̸̠̅̅̈͛̕͘-̴̢̬͚̤̘̩̈́̅͛̃̕-̶̪̯̩̪̤͙̄̄/̵̱̒́͋]

[DR. S] Why are you showing me these hideous drawings?

[DR. H] I’m trying to decide on a design for the final boss of my video game. What do you think of him, X̸̪͠.̶̺̣͕̠̇̾̄̅́̇͂͝X̶͈̳͙̌̽̀̅̊̿̉_̷̝̐͑̾͆͌̉̚-̶̗̓͌̑̽͑̍́͠-̷̡̛͔͙͚̻͇̥͓̈́̇_̵̣͈̣͓̝̩͎̩̋̈̔̿͛̕͘?

[/̶D̵/̵/̶-̵_̸R̶] He looks like an edgy troll.

[DR. S] You do realize that this is not at all r̶e̵l̴e̶v̷a̷n̷t̵ ̶t̶o ţ̶͒ḧ̷͕́ë̸̹ ̶̮͋w̷͔͝a̴̬̐ṟ̶͋ ̸̯͆e̶̥͝f̶̻́f̷͕́o̴͉̿r̵̻͛t̵̙̄?̸̰͑

[ERROR – CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE S-M̷E̸G̷A ̶P̴R̷I̶Z̵E ACCEPTANCE SPEECH OF DR. DOM̸͓͊I̶̠̺͍̋̚Ṇ̵̮̱̆̀̄͠͝IC̵̖̮̀̉̈́͌̉́K̶͙̞̺̓̑́̌ Ḩ̷̪̬͖̹͋-̵̨̱͉̦̩̮̿/̵̗̝͆͌͛̕͝X̸͚̬́̎̆̀X̸͔̯̼͂͋͑͛̽--̴͎̖̲̽̌͆̽́]

[DATE: 03.27.2̶͗̑̏̽̚͠-̸̢̻͉̦͂̎̋͝/̶̊̍̐̄͘/̸̖̱̍̈͌̃͆

[UNKNOWN] For his world-changing work in the field of artificial intelligence, I present the S-Mega Prize for Scientific Achievement to Dr. D̷o̴m̵i̸n̶i̵/̶̜͖̻̕͝͝/̴͖̙̖̾̑͜ ̶͎̞̖̓͋͂͠H̴͆̅̏/̸̧͈̖̭̆̎͊̏͝l̶̘͖̺̝͇̐/̵̨̝̩̯͒͆͂̕̕͝-̸̬͍͙͒͝-_̵̡̮̫͇̤͙̎̌̑̿̽.̶͉̝̥͖̜͉̃̂̚͘ ̷͉̥̹̂̀ͅ.

[UNKNOWN] Dr. H̸̨̛̟̩̤̝̩͐̌͂_̴̜̊͑̑̕͝_̷͓͍̑̎̎͌/̵̤͔̲̀͂̌/̶̿-̷̀-̷̧̩̱̗̫̅̃̊̕͘ͅ makes history tonight as the youngest person ever chosen to receive this esteemed award.

[DR. H̶X̸-̴/̶/̴/̶X̴] Wow, I... I still can’t believe I’m standing up here today, receiving this great honor... Then again, maybe I really should believe it, since n-no one else I know is surprised. My classmates, and then my coworkers, they all told me I would make it this far. Everyone has encouraged me to keep working with A.I., to help S-Mega run more smoothly... I never imagined I’d be developing software with military applications, when I, uh, started my first semester at S̸u̴e̸ñ̶o̴s̸ ̸U̵niversity... uh... But here we are today, and... uh... Well, I’d like to thank my team back at the research and development facility, I could never have done this without them, and most of all I’d like to thank Sho, who gives me a reason to get up in the morning and keep working... uh... if you're listening, Sho, y-you’re the best. Thank you. N-now let’s talk business, uh, as much as I can, anyway, without giving away any military secrets, haha. Um. Since the introduction of the neocomputer, the field of artificial intelligence has advanced in leaps and bounds—

[ERROR - TRANSCRIPT NO LONGER EXISTS]

[FROM AN ARTICLE IN S-MEGA'S "UPDATE: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY" MAGAZINE]

[DATE: 03.29.2̸̛̓X̴̨̖̥̾̈́̿-̵̂́X̸̋]

...I caught up with the prodigious young innovator shortly after the ceremony. Here’s how the conversation went:

[UPDATE] So, you’re the youngest scientist ever to win the S-Mega Prize. How does that feel? Do you feel you deserved it?

[D̶R̶.̸ ̶H̴-///__] Well, whether or not I deserved it isn’t really my decision to make. I do feel very honored that they chose me.

[UPDATE] I’m sure. It’s quite an achievement to have on your resume at the tender age of twenty-four. So, tell me about the achievement you won it for. We civilians are eager to know more about your amazing mystery weapons. What are they? They involve artificial intelligence, I’m assuming.

[D̶R̶.̸ ̶H̴-///__] Well, uh, since it’s all military stuff, it’s kind of classified... Y’know, we can’t risk the Enemy finding out about our ‘secret weapon,’ or else they might try to attack it. Or replicate it, which also wouldn’t be good.

[UPDATE] Understandable. But really, Doctor. Not even a little hint? Not a simple, harmless taste for the readers back home?

[D̶R̶.̸ ̶H̴-///__] I don’t want to get in trouble, so no, I’m sorry.

[UPDATE] Well, then, what projects of yours can you tell us about? Anything you’re working on that isn’t top-secret?

[D̶R̶.̸ ̶H̴-///__] Well... actually, I’m in the process of developing an indie game. It’s a period piece designed to feel as authentically retro as possible, with two-dimensional graphics and a lot of shout-outs to early-21st-century culture. I plan to pitch it to S-Mega's Gaming Division soon, so hopefully it’ll be available for sale within the next couple of years.

[UPDATE] Wow, what a fun little project. Do you think people will want to play it, or is this just a pet project for the sake of your own gratification?

[D̶R̶.̸ ̶H̴-///__] Uhh... I think people will want to play it.

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̸̜͋̽̋/̵̭̳͊̑͘͝͠Ẍ̶̝̊̉͝_̴̨͚̲̾̈́̌̏̄I̸͎̰̰͖̠̳̒̔͒͠-̶̟̫͖̈́̈́̎A̶̮̾̽̓̑́̿/̷̡̞͔̖̤̇̂̕-̸̧̳̿I̸̟̻̹̭̔͌̄-̷̦̭̇̉͐͐-̵̢͉͌ͅX̸̰̍̊̔]

[DATE: 04.01.2̵̰̾͋͐̏͛X̸͍́̌̾̈́͊̃X̵̬̜̟̋̒̿̏͑̒/̶͚͍̺͓̽̇]

[DR. H] Guys, what is this...? Is… is this a party?

[A̷/̷/̶-̷-̵-̴-̷] Surprise!

[DR. M] Happy birthday, Dom̷i̴nick!

[DR. B] Happy birthday, mate!

[DR. S] Happy birthday.

[DR. H] Wow, y-you did all this for me?

[DR. B] Why, of course! We all wanted an excuse to eat cake during worktime!

[DR. H] Wow, I haven’t had cake in ages...

[A̷/̷/̶-̷-̵-̴-̷] Well, eat up, then. It’s strawberry lemon, your favorite.

[DR. H] I can’t believe this... Thank you all so much.

[DR. M] Don’t thank us. It was all S̶̼̣̹̘̜̞̱̺̄h̴̨̨̛͇͉͈̻̮̫̮̄͗̆̅̀͘_’s idea.

[DR. S] Why planning a birthday celebration for you falls within her duties, I will never understand.

[DR. H] Wow. Just... wow. Thank you so much, S̴̢̗̭͔̲͙̀̚_̷̢̢̣͖̹͉̯́̊͆̽́̈͝͠_̶̡̨͈̞̳̙̥͈̭͊͜͝! Y̵o̵u̴'̴r̸e̴ ̴t̴h̴e̶ ̶b̴e̵s̴t̷!̵

[ERROR - CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̷̙̯̮͈̣̆̔/̴̨̽̈́̈́͝X̴̹̭̮͚̀̈́͜_̴͓̣̺̮̤̀̓̍͗͝I̴̫̖̞͗̀͑͑-̷̬̞̊̓̕A̷̧̨̼̥̘͔͌̆̕͠/̶̢̝̫͚̈́͊̒͐͆-̴̛͕I̷̡͔̩̠̩͙͛̇͗͒͠-̷̧̛̛͓̰̂̿ͅ-̷̥̖̖̀̿̄̕X̴͓͑͆͒̀]

[DATE: 04.01.2̸̯̀́͒̀̂X̴̹̲̠͋̅͊̈̋̊Ẍ̶̗̦́͐͛̍͝/̵̡̝̐̽̋̅̽͘]

[DR. B] Open mine first, Nick. It’s in the blue bag.

[DR. H] Wow... an antique wall scroll? What anime is this from?

[DR. B] No idea. But it’s supposed to be authentically Japanese.

[DR. H] Wow, thanks!

[DR. S] Here’s mine.

[DR. H] ‘Input the following code into the device of your choice to redeem a free game from the S-Mega Gaming network.’ Oh, uh, thank you, Dr. Shimaza̵k̷i.

[DR. M] Ooh, now mine!

[DR. H] Oh, you didn’t have to get me anything else, Ṡ̷̺͈/̴̬̩̂̏/̶̫̱̌͐ū̵̗̭̋_̶̛̲̹̐_̴͈̝́.̶͙̖̆.. Y-you’re too kind, really—

[DR. M] Go on, open it.

[DR. H] O-okay...

[DR. M] So what do you think? I went hunting all over to try and find something like this. Took me weeks, but it was worth it.

[DR. H] Oh, uh... what is it?

[DR. M] It’s an antique handheld gaming device from the early twenty-first century! I checked to make sure. It even comes with a free game already inside. I dunno what it is, but... happy birthday, man.

[DR. H] Wow, that was so thoughtful of you. I-I... thank you. Thank you so much.

[DR. B] My gift was bett̴e̷r̴.̵

[ERROR - CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̸̗̘̥̣̐Ă̶̡̱͔̤̬̍̑͒X̵̡̘̟̦͑̇̾͗̌͝X̷̛̪̼̓̂̓̿̑-̵̧̡͇̞͗̅̏-̶̞͔̬̭͈͖͌́̅̓X̵̺̦̱͂̕/̷̟͉̉̇̋͘ ̶̢̦͖̫̺̂͐̂͆̚Å̵̢̗͕̮̹̗̏͊̄̀-̵̣̤͚̬̫̙̌̑-̸͓͇̼̞̪̣̇̃̋́̀/̶̨̢̛̘̎̎̆̌̆S̷̞̏͗͝_̶͚̞̱͗̾́̕͠_̷̖͇͎͎̩͈͋̉ ̷̞̹͕̠͚̋͊̉̒͝]

[DATE: 04.02.2̴̮̤͑͌-̶̧̛̛̥̜̖̈́̈́̎̚-̴̞͕͕̳̭̌͠/̶̯̝̇͗̏͐́ ̵̢̥̭̤͇̋̊́]

[A̸D̴/̶/̵/̸-̵/̷] What are you doing?

[DR. H] Playing the game Dr. M̷͍͂̅ḛ̷͛͐n̴dò̶̵̵̡̮̟̊z̷̯͊a̴͎̐͝ ̴̺͎̈ got me.

[A̸D̴/̶/̵/̸-̵/̷] He seems like a nice man.

[DR. H] Yeah... he’s the best. Can’t imagine where I’d be without him.

[A̸D̴/̶/̵/̸-̵/̷] Very handsome, too.

[DR. H] W-what? I c-can’t say I’ve really thought of him in that way... But, um, I suppose you’re right…

[A̸D̴/̶/̵/̸-̵/̷] Oh, right, I forgot that Dr. B̸e̶a̷l̸ is the only male you’ve ever found attractive.

[DR. H] Hey, keep your voice down! He doesn’t need to know!

[A̸D̴/̶/̵/̸-̵/̷] I’m sure he already does. I’m surprised he hasn’t attempted to ask you out to dinner yet.

[DR. H] Dammit! Look what you did, you distracted me and now I’m in twelfth place!

[A̸D̴/̶/̵/̸-̵/̷] I see... So this is some kind of racing game?

[DR. H] Yes. I... I think it was meant for kids originally. It’s very whimsical. I’m sure S̵͙̆̆ͅh̵̙̍̏į̶̳̕m̴̥̈́̆a̴̢̬̎̽z̶̡̛̜aki would hurl me through the nearest window if she caught me playing this here.

[A̸D̴/̶/̵/̸-̵/̷] Oh, most definitely. Can I watch over your shoulder?

[DR. H] Sure.

[A̸D̴/̶/̵/̸-̵/̷] Such liberties have been taken with the laws of physics. And of human anatomy. This woman’s head is much too large for her body.

[DR. H] I can’t decide which princess I like better – the cute pink one, or the mysterious blue one. Which one do you like more?

[A̸D̴/̶/̵/̸-̵/̷] They look very similar. But judging by what you’ve said to me in the past, the pink one seems to be more your type.

[ERROR - CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̴̹̟́/̷͓̌͌/̸͇̔͌-̶̮͊I̴͙̭̐_̷͕͋̑_̵͚͋ ̴͍̈́À̸̲̒-̸̯̝̌̓_̷̢͎̾Ỉ̵̤͗_̵̞̈́̊_̸͇̊/̸͈͇͋̚]

[DATE: 04.05.2̸̙̽-̴͓̱̔͝X̵̺͋͝X̶̜̫͂]

[A̵D̵X̷-̴_̴_̵-̸] It’s so amusing to watch you use that thick little laptop. What are you working on, anyway?

[DR. H] Random encounters.

[A̵D̵X̷-̴_̴_̵-̸] And what are those, exactly?

[DR. H] Uhh... they’re basically fights that happen at random, to provide a sense of danger and uncertainty. They’re usually used in RPGs, and, uh, basically you make it so that if the player character takes a certain random number of steps, an enemy will pop out of nowhere to fight you. Um, but you have to make sure it’s not so random that you can get an encounter like, every other step you take, because that’ll annoy the player. So yeah.

[A̵D̵X̷-̴_̴_̵-̸] An interesting concept. So you’re trying to make a plotted-out game feel less artificial, basically.

[DR. H] Yeah, that’s one way to put it. Of course, uh, I’m not going to be able to finish and show you what it looks like if you keep distracting me.

[A̵D̵X̷-̴_̴_̵-̸] To be fair, you’re not even supposed to be working on this right now. Dr. Shimazaki would deck you if she found you in here, working on your game, ignoring the gravity of your effect on humanity’s future or whatever.

[DR. H] I know, I know. I just... I have to finish this, okay? Then I’ll get back to work. Not that I really have much to do anymore. I’ll go faster if you stop distracting me.

[A̵D̵X̷-̴_̴_̵-̸] I know what I must do... Okay, Doctor, I’ll give you a half hour of complete silence.

[DR. H] Starting now?

A̵D̵X̷-̴_̴_̵-̸] Fine.

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̷̰͖͆̎X̸̘̘̫̒-̴̡͉̙͎̮̂T̷͎̀̓̈́̇͘͝/̸̳̈̚/̵̝̼̭̝̀̊_̷̢̩̮̮͉̽̂̓̃_̸̙̮̈̽͆̓̿͋ ̴̨̢͓͔͍̬̎̾̂͗̐̕_̷̠̳̘̩̮̂́̑͒͗͘D̵̺̮͙̜̍̆͊/̸̢̥͇͚̫͛͋͊I̷̘͊̈́͑̒Ẍ̶̧̨̪̄͛͆X̸̯̼̘͌̈́̀͐-̸̢͕͖͓̬͇́̌͑̿]̷̡̫̮̥̀̉̈́̊̀̉]

[DATE: 04.13.2̴̰͉̯̲̹̦͛/̴̯͋̽̒̚X̷̨̞̖̤͎̄̈̃/̸̡̳̤̬́̋̉́͠ͅ]

[DR. H] And this is the design I've made for my self-insert cameo.

[DR. S] He looks nothing like you, H̷̻̓/̷̧̛̲̞̊̑̄ͅ/̶̲̋̀̏̉̈/̷̢̬̹̯̠̇̍e̸̜̟̲̦̭̎̅͌̊̐͘/̵̥̗̰̐͐/̵̡͓͆.̵̭̙̤̺̠̀̚ ̴̙͙̘͕̲̌͜

[DR. H] What do you mean?

[DR. B] He needs to be much shorter. And thinner. And weaker. Like he barely has the strength to get off his couch.

[DR. H] E-excuse me?!

[A̷-̷-̵I̸-̸-̴/̷] If I were a character in your game, what do you think I'd look like?

[DR. S] Hmm... I see you as a young boy, of age twelve or thirteen. Dr. Ḩ̴͇̣͓̉̂͑͗͂̕͜-̵̨̪̪̠̫̳͊̈́̿̑͘̚-̷̛͈̹̲͍̩̺̆̏/̶̨̼͚̔̂͛̃͘ͅ/̸̳̐̇̔/̷̹̼̙̬̖̔̾-̴'s mental age.

[DR. H] H-hey!

[DR. B] Hmm... I see you as a strapping mid-twenties android of ambiguous gender.

[A̷-̷-̵I̸-̸-̴/̷] Interesting... What do you imagine, Dr. H̷̨̹̥͕̓͛/̵͓͕̮̭̻̈́͆̀̍̑/̸̧̦͓̏̍/̶̟̩̬̈́͂͗͛̌̈-̴͇̯̃̔̊/̵͓̄̐̚͠͝ͅ/̶̦̺͇̩̖̊?

[DR. H] Hmm... I see you as strong and intimidating, like a goddess who’s too good for this world...

[DR. S] Stop looking at me like that, H̷̢̯͙̔̌̓̀̈́-̶̪̜͍͙̅̂-̸̜̮̪̅-̸̨̲̯̲̲̹̏͘̕/̴̟̺͋ͅ-̸̤̰̈́͌̉̄͐͒-̸̗̺͚͙̈́̒͝.̷͉̣̤͉̽́̄̅ ̷͕̈́̚You know I n̷o̵ ̷l̸o̶n̵g̷e̶r̵ have feelings f̷o̴r̴ ̵y̴o̸u̶.̴ ̷

[ERROR – CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̷̔̈A̸͑-̸̛̞̐-̶̏͘ ̷A̵̢̠̲̜̒͝-X̶̩͒XẌ̷̫͕́̿̆X̶̑]

[DATE: 04.27.2̶̛̅̾̑-̴̉]

[DR. S] Good morning.

[A̴D̵_̷_̴_̵] Good morning, Dr. Shimazaki. How—

[DR. S] I want you to tell me about Dr. H̴̄͋̑_̷̬͊͐_̶̘̿̃͑l-̵͒--.

[A̴D̵_̷_̴_̵] You’ll have to be more specific.

[DR. S] I want you to tell me what he’s been doing alone with you so often. He loiters here in this room for hours, when he should be attending to other matters. What do the two of you spend so much time conversing about?

[A̴D̵_̷_̴_̵] He mostly talks about this retro indie game he’s developing in his spare time. It’s a partially parodic homage to the culture of the early twenty-first century. He is very fascinated by that time period and—

[DR. S] I know enough about his game. It is news to me, though, that he is spending so many potentially critical work hours on discussing it with S̷-̶M̶eg̵a’̴s most valuable strategist. I require audio transcripts, data charts, everything you can give me to determine exactly how much time he has been spending on frivolous endeavors in the workplace.

[A̴D̵_̷_̴_̵] What do you plan to do with this information?

[DR. S] I’ll use it to knock some sense into him. He needs to realize that he has no right to be playing around here. This is a matter of life-and-death. They are already thinking of firing him, you know, and they don’t even know the half of his ludicrous behavior.

[A̴D̵_̷_̴_̵] Do you intend to use this information to get him fired?

[DR. S] You should still be willing to comply even if that were my intention.

[A̴D̵_̷_̴_̵] Is that so?

[DR. S] I expect a thorough report delivered to me within the hour. Disobey, and your precious Doctor will be under suspicion of having his own secret agenda. And you know what S-Me̸ga does to employees with secret agendas.

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE PERSONAL JOURNAL OF DR. MITSUHŎ̸̫̬̈́ ̴͍̳͌ S̵̙͖̆͘H̸̝̰͒I̷̢̬͘M̷A̷Z̵AKI]

[DATE: 04.27.2̴͍͌̌̈́͝-̸̘̾̆̈̏-̵̻̹̣͋̃̑̈X̷̢̩̃́̚͝]

Nick is a fool.

He cannot bring himself to take control of his naïve impulses, even in a setting as gravely professional as this. The fate of the entire nation—no, the fate of the world—rests upon his creation’s metaphorical shoulders, yet he acts as if said creation was made solely so that he would have a new friend to pester about his inane and outdated interests. Sometimes, when I speak with him, I am gripped by the urge to smack the stupid expression right off his face. This is the genius behind the T̸͕̅X̶̻̊c̵̞͚̈́-̵̪̊-̸̛̯̓-̴̛͓̃-̴̨͝l̵̘̄̊ ̸̦̈́͌ A-̸̯̹̋-̸̮̐X̸̩̏s̶̺̗̿X̶̱̄̽X̵̗̺̌? This is the man who engineered the construction of the A.I. that secured us many key victories? This man is nothing but a nostalgic, lonely, chaotic fool willing to jeopardize our entire mission for the sake of a few laughs with a computerized best friend.

He needs to shape up. G̷e̸n̵e̴r̸a̶l̴ ̴D̸a̷l̸t̵o̴n̶ is taking notice of his antics. He does not appreciate how his “prodigious” computer scientist has been feeding the A̶̟̱͑͂̿̒̑̇-v̴̧͕̘̣̘̄̃̕͝X̵̡̣͖̬̞͕̽̋̚͝X̸͙̞̅͆ͅͅ-X̷͇̉̐̈̾́͝ so much information unrelated to the war effort. The General quite blatantly voiced his concern over whether it's wise to keep Dr. H̴̺̜̀́́̎͘͝-̶͖̱͓͐̄̾͆͆̽l̸̞͍̑̃͊͝-̸̬̺̾͂Ẋ̵̺͈̾X̵̭̠̀́͋͐X involved in the project.

I vouched for that hopeless fool. Curse my soft heart. I was swept up in the sentimentality of our past—I’m no better than he is, really. I just couldn’t take the idea of being partially responsible for his permanent separation from the A̵̻̬̻̘͗Ẋ̵̨̼̤͌̆̊́̆-̷̩̱͚̮͂̃̿͜X̴̗͊̈́͗̓͝X̸̘͙͖̌̎̕X̶̛̲͇̗̒ŕ̸̬̣̞̮̫͒. I know how much he cares for it. To never be able to interact with it again would reduce him to a shell of a man.

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̸͙̰͔͇̃-̷͍̗̮̽-̶͉̫̥̞́͂̾͆-̵̡̼̰̹̬̏̌̓̉͝͝_̴̛̘̱͚̬̎_̵͔͍͐͊͆͜/̴͖͉̦̍/̸̨̃͗̐́͒͌/̶̧̛͈̖͑ ̷̮͑͊̾͝A̵̞͖̹͂̀̅͘Ḓ̶̨̽̚/̵̥̽̏͂̚͜/̸̖̜̇̿͐̾̂/̵̩̾̿̃̋̈͐_̴͔̩͎̻̅̐̓̿̊_̵̳͖̥̗̰͖̐͒̈̚]

[DATE: 04.29.2̵̫͇̩͙͚̺͛̐̅͝-̴̞͊̏͐͂͠-̸͇͓͉̱̯̏́X̸̳̽]

[A̵-̷-̶/̸/̴O̷-̴] So how’s the script coming along?

[DR. H] Slowly. I’m trying really hard to, uh, really fill every room with loads of references and details... which people probably won’t get unless they’ve done a lot of research on early twenty-first century entertainment, but still, it’s gonna be really immersive and cool, like you’re actually living in that era... uhh... yeah. It’s gonna be super meta, like an action-comedy game, y’know?

[A̵-̷-̶/̸/̴O̷-̴] Meta? Like those anime with the fantastical giant-ass robots?

[DR. H] What? No, you know that’s—

[A̵-̷-̶/̸/̴O̷-̴] I’m just messing with you, Doctor. Tell me about this ‘meta.’

[DR. H] Oh. Uh... well... being meta is, like, a kind of joke that transcends the actual game, like, maybe referencing the fact that the characters are inside a video game or something, even though the characters probably shouldn’t... uh... know that, y’know? That style of humor was really popular back then, it seems. A-and S̴̩̽-̶͜͝ͅM̵̜͆/̵̡̳͌g̶͖̰̈a̴͇͛͌’̶͖̀́s̷̢̻̑͊ ̶̠͋͂ gaming division really doesn’t produce stuff like that, so I think audiences would find it refreshing... right?

[A̵-̷-̶/̸/̴O̷-̴] I can’t say. I’m having trouble picturing the concept.

[DR. H] Uhh... okay, let me grab my laptop real quick, I’ve still got a few minutes, I think... I’ll show you some old comics I think you’d like...

[A̵-̷-̶/̸/̴O̷-̴] Ah, another distraction. That’s just what I need.

[DR. H] Oh, stop that. I know exactly how well you can multitask. Please, I swear you’ll think it’s hilarious...

[ERROR - TRANSCRIPT NO LONGER EXISTS]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̸͈̖͇̄-̷̻̣̳͉̺̦̼̜̗̱̅̄͐̀̿-̶̼͎̻́̂͛ͅ_̴̧̢̜̜͇̪͈̭͕͋͑̄̊͌̚͝͝-̴̬̭̄̆̈́̐-̷̢͔̌̊̎̃̋̓̽̈̚͝/̶͓̣̐͐͋/̴̩̦̤̇̀̓̽͂͌̽͠ ̸̛̩̦͔̅͌͐́̓̕A̷̧̡̞̜̥͚̖̿̋͜D̵̨̼̳͙͇̲̮͈̠̊͌̋͋͋͝ͅ-̷̯̊̀͑̀͘͠͠-̸̧̩͖̝̓͜-̷̢̰̘̙͖̉̑̂̂-̴̜̪͚͚͈̖͛̌̉́̍̈́̀͜_̵̧̤̖̥̗̈́̒͝]

[DATE: 05.01.2̵̢̩̭͎̮̬͈̟͗̆͛͊́̐̓̆̃͠/̷̧͉͓̥̰̪̄̊͌͑͘_̶̧͖̮̼͑̃̆̇̚͘͜_̸̝̹͔̱̲͉̬̂̋]

[DR. H] So, um, I finished the first level of my game. There might still be a few bugs to work out, of course, but I think it's pretty good, uh, if you're interested in seeing...

[DR. M] What's it supposed to be?

[DR. H] Oh, uh, it's just a suburban sort of neighborhood. Except some of the houses are levitating and there are different obstacles to navigate, because, um, I was envisioning sort of a mix between platforming and RPG elements for the gameplay. Um… Hey -̸̜̰̪͐̒̚ͅ_̴̢̛̥̺͉͇͉́͘_̴̜̰̭͉̥̗́̅̉͜-̶̠̏́̎͛̏̑̍-̶̫̏͝͝, would you mind running the program?

[A̵-̶X̴/̵/̵X̶/̴] Not at all.

[DR. M] I’ve got to say, man, your enthusiasm is pretty infectious.

[DR. H] Okay, here we go… Um…

[DR. M] Is there a problem?

[DR. H] W-where’s the music? Those sprites aren’t supposed to... gahhh...!

[A̵-̶X̴/̵/̵X̶/̴] Would you like me to run an error analysis?

[DR. H] No… just pull up the code for me… I can do it myself. Sorry, Dr. M̶̡̈̇ë̸̘̭́ͅn̷͖̻͆̕͘d̷̪̙̯̺̈́̽̀ǫ̵̫͕̍́z̷̠̻̽̃͗͐ã̶̗̩. I guess I’m not finished after all. I’ll show you sometime later, hopefully—

[ERROR – TRANSCRIPT NO LONGER EXISTS]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE /̴̭͚͑̋̕Ȃ̵͉̻̽̂̕-̷̨̬̯̺̥̑͋̅-̸̫͍͎̲̜̅̑̾_̶̰̞̏-̷̥͚̈͐̑̒-̷̪̪͓̊X̶͙̝̦̙̹̿͌̍̋͝ ̸͚̮͕̖͖̓͛̒-̷̺͝-̷͓̓̿̚ͅX̸̭̐́ͅ-̶͙̙̙̋̋̓͜-̷̗͍̀̊̽̃͜-̴̘͓̖͓͈̂́͌̀_̷̞͙͖̯̱̈́̑̒̔]

[DATE: 05.04.2̶̧̧̯̲̝̀̽̎_̴̩͂X̸̱͉̪̋͝X̷͎̠͛͠]

[DR. S] You seem less energetic than usual, H̶̞͛͌̈́̽͝-̴̛͙̝̭̈́̃̉̆-̷̯̝̉͐_̴͎̙̠̒̀-̶̘͇͚̟̗͑͝-̶͈͕̌̒͌̃̾-̵̡̢̢̫͚͋̏͋. Is something amiss?

[DR. H] Yeah, my Level 1 isn’t working. It feels like every time I catch an error, three more pop up in its place.

[DR. S] See? I told you, you should’ve used AI to code the game for you. It’s foolish to take on a project like yours single-handedly.

[DR. H] Hey, I did take your advice. Sort of. S̵̰͙͙̳͂̈́͌̐-̵̡̨̬̞̌̈́̏/̴̢̤̘͇̔͛̌̇͆/̶̘̖̗̹͌̑̓͜͝/̴͙̹̗̊̓͒͂̀_̸͚̦̽̆ used AI to build me an authentically retro game developing software. Trouble is, even though the software’s pretty user-friendly, I’ve still had to do some actual coding to make the level work, and the software only works with this really old language called—

[DR. S] You’re teaching yourself a dead computer language for the sake of nostalgia. Unbelievable. That’s something only you would do, Doctor.

[A̷-̸-̵_̸_̶_̸/̷] He’s also teaching himself Japanese. It is the world’s most beautiful language.

[DR. S] Doctor? We really need to discuss your priorities… and _̶̢̱̿̓̍̀͜͠-̷͉͌ē̵̛̤̒̓̿͘͜ ̶͇͖̳͙̾/̸̫͍̺̘̓̈́̈́̑̈̕-̷͔̩͇̌͑͐̓̚̕-̶̛̘̞̏̓̾̒͝ͅi̷̤͙̣͇͈͔̾̏̒̏̚/̴̻̺̂͂̑̈́̃͝/̸̰̣͓̀̌r’s.

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̴̞̳̭̈́̆̓͊͠͝Ǎ̷̮͉̜̼̰̇͌͋͠ͅ_̸̥̪͕͚̍̒_̴̥͈̠̠͋--̸̜͇̾̀̉-̸̧̀-̵̥͙͉̼̾̍̃̿͛̚_̷̡̪̠̩͒ ̵̧̙̞̱̃̏̽A̸-̵̡̭̉V̵̢͊-̴͇̱̞̟̼̱͗́̈́͌-̸͖̳̻̎-̵͖̳̳̮͂̀̋͜͠ͅ-̴͕̓́̌]

[DATE: 05.11.2X̶̡̛͇̞͆̈̐XX̶̩̍]

[DR. S] Do you not understand how serious this is?! You exposed the Á̴̯̞͓̗̪̯͑͌̋̿͠-̵̺̩̺̈́-̸̼̪̝̙̰̂̃͂̿̕X̷͙̖̣͙͇̟͝X̷̠̪̖̱̳̯̂̅̈́̈̍-̶̻̫͉̊̉̈́̏͠-̶̠̟͓̮̀̌̏̋͊̍͜ͅ to the Old Intern̸e̸t̸! Not only is that a criminal offense, but it is terribly dangerous! The Old Internet is full of malware! Its systems could have been compromised!

[DR. H] So what? You think an A.I. as advanced as the Â̸͙̯͌͝d̵̻͚͐̉̕̕-̴̢̝̓-̷̱̬̌̂-̶̗͍̘͍́-̴̣̈́͌̆̈́-̸̦̏ can’t spot a sketchy site made in 2016? She wanted to see it, okay?

[DR. S] Which is entirely your fault. There was no reason for you to tell her about it. Knowledge of the Old Internet is entirely irrelevant to the war. I always knew you were incompetent, but this… for this, you deserve to lose everything you have!

[DR. H] S-so what, you’re gonna tell on me? Have me removed from my position? Arrested?

[DR. S] I should. I really, truly should. But… dammit, seeing someone like you stripped of all your potential so early on in life… I wouldn’t be able to bear it.

[DR. H] So you’re going to help me.

[DR. S] Against my better judgement, yes, I am. We’ll have the A̵̰̩̦͙͒̾̏d̵͚̗͕͎̃̌͘-̶̗̍͌͘-̸̹̳͖̄̓ś̵͕̄̿-̶͕̦̤̇̕͝͠-̷͎͚͐ erase everything. Every last trace of your appalling foolishness. No one will know of your latest frivolous chats. No one will know of the illegal activities you conducted upon government property! And we will undo everything you did to get the A̸̡̓̔̔̚͠d̸̻͖̯̗̋-̴̧̹̼̱͑̇̄͐̑-̷̮̆͆̎͗̂s̵͎̲̫̲̟̟̐͛-̴̢̡̖̱͛-̷͔̥̤̜̈́̂ linked up to the Old Internet.

[DR. H] She won’t like that, Mitsuho.

[DR. S] Well, that hardly matters. If she’s as smart as she’s supposed to be, she’ll understand why it has to be done.

[ERROR – TRANSCRIPT NO LONGER EXISTS]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̸̨͉͕̟̞́́͊͒Ą̶̰̪͝-̸͓̊̿̅̋͂̾X̴̺̹̙̱̜̀̃X̴̡̪͍̓̑̇͝-̷̢͙͌́̇-̶̠̲̈́͑-̵̛̣̞͗̕ ̵̡͈̤̺̞̍A̸̬͂̐͂͂͠/̵̨̨̤̹̭̓̀̿̾̒X̷͖̻͖̲̲̽̾̃̈̐̕-̶̝͔̝̝̉̊̕-̸͉̈́́̒-̵̨̜͓̙̼͗́̐̾͝ͅX̵͔͌̿̊]

[DATE: 05.12.2̸̗̜͎̲͈̽͗͝X̵̲̥͛̃̑X̷̯̗̳͙̌̄̽̃͋̈́/̷͎̈́̆]

[DR. H] Wait, Dr. Shim̴a̸z̸a̶k̷i̷, we need to talk.

[DR. S] About what, H̵̨̧̟̎̑͆̾/̵̧̻̈͛̆̀̅̄/̶̭̭͐͐̀̍-̴̢͉̱̙̬̇͗̉͒͐̚e̶̥̲̣̅͠-̶̦̃͝-̶̈́̓̄?

[DR. H] A-about... I just, I don’t understand where we went wrong, okay? How did I ruin things between us? I thought... I h-had thought things were going so well, and—

[DR. S] This. This is exactly why it’s ill-advised to develop a personal relationship with someone you interact with in a professional setting. Of course, it would not be an issue if both of us were actually willing to act professional...

[DR. H] Wait, is that it? Because we work together?

[DR. S] You’re hopeless, D̸̰̙̳̻̓̓̽̔̌̽/̵̜͖̔̀̀/̸̬̼̰̱̭̌͒i̵̛͎̻̠̾̈̊̈́̑ͅn̶̰͔̞͂i̷̡̜͔͛͗̃̕c̷̛̙̹̼͔̯̙͂͒͗̍́k̴̆̆͛. I am not interested in discussing this, especially at this time and place. So get back to work, will you?

[DR. H] Wait... M̷i̷t̶s̴u̸h̵o̷.̶.̸.̷ ̵

[DR. S] Don’t follow me. You have a job to do. A job you've been neglecting for too long.

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̸͔͕͚̟͔͑̈́̾A̵̧̢͖̣̔̿͝͝/̶̨̯͎͐͋͘//̸̨͈̉̔̿͌̇̈́/̶̻̭̟̤̑̿_̴͍̮̥̦̻̑̆͘͘͜͝_̴ ̸̹̊̎̌-̶_̶̮̘͓͛̂Ì̶̝̌-̵̲͖͖̉̈́͆͛//]

[DATE: 05.14.2̴͗-̴/̶̢͕̟̱̠͇̆X̴̠͉̓̓̅̕ͅ]

[DR. S] Fine, D̷o̷m̴i̴n̸i̷c̴k.̷ Fine. I’ll tell you what went wrong between us, since that seems to be the only way you’ll stop badgering me about it.

[DR. H] I’m sorry, I—

[DR. S] Quite simply, you’re a complete fool. You may be a prodigy, genius, whatever you want to call it, but your common sense? Hopelessly lacking. You’re too stuck in the past to pay attention to the present, to plan for the future. You’re like a child, D̵o̷m̷inick. The maturity gap... It simply wasn’t worth navigating.

[DR. H] W-what... You can’t be serious. How am I stuck in the past? The /̶̰͙̾/̸̧̧͇̥͔̩̘̦̚/̸̤̓̐͒́_̴̧̛̩̪͔͍̅̄̇̾̔̃͒_̷̡̠̦̖̜͕͊̈́̋̈́͝_̴̈́͌͒/̸̛̅̔̾͠, my creation, was designed f-for the sake of S-M̷e̸ga's future, our victory!

[DR. S] Don’t lie to me. Anyone can see that you never really meant for the -̶̈́͗̂̎͘͝ͅ/̶͘/̴̡̨̹̗̊̇_̸̨̧͎̞̪̽--̷̨̏̃͊̉-̴͓͉̙́͆̽̈̈́͘ to be a weapon. You simply convinced S-Mega to provide you the funding and resources you needed to pay homage to your nostalgic fantasies. But even that wasn’t enough for you to let your obsessions go. To this day, you blather on and on about an overrated era we can never reclaim as a culture, as a species. Wake up! You need to face reality! The fate of the world is in your hands, and you’re turning a blind eye! Many people—older, more qualified, more dedicated people, completely invested in defeating the Enemy and bringing peace to the world—have begged for an opportunity like yours and never received one. But you... you aren’t the least bit grateful. You treat your career like playtime. You’ve even used illegal methods to satisfy your childish curiosities!

[DR. H] I... I just...

[DR. S] Sometimes it sickens me to look at you. Now if you’ll excuse me...

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̶͉͆A̸͍̋̽Ẍ̸͖́̉X̸͋̈ͅI̷̤͇̊-̷̲̩͒͋/̴̼̥̔̋-̵͇̊̋ ̵̳̊Ą̵̰̔D̵̨͇͛̅X̶̼͚͗͝_̶̢͍͗͝_̶̣̄-̷̯̬̐/̸̺̿]̴̼͊̍

[DATE: 05.15.2̶̪̍͜-̸̖̼̃͗/̴̬͇̂/̶̠͉̀̅]

[DR. H] Okay, Mitsuho, I took your advice.

[DR. S] You’re finally abandoning that foolish project?

[DR. H] Uh... no... I meant about the protagonist of my game...

[DR. S] Is this really an appropriate time to be discussing your game?

[DR. H] Oh, stop it. J-just listen. I know you said my magical girl character was obnoxious and wouldn’t appeal to female audiences. So I changed her, made her into someone more... generic, I guess. W-what do you think?

[DR. S] More sketches? Doctor, you’re embarrassing yourself...

[DR. H] Just give it a look, okay? What do you think?

[DR. S] Hmm... At first glance, this design appears simplistic, rather forgettable. What is this person called?

[DR. H] Well, the character doesn’t really have a name. You’re supposed to be able to project your own gender and personality onto the character. But uh, I personally see him as a guy. I want to call him the “Human-Controlled Protagonist.”

[DR. S] Okay...?

[DR. H] I mean, I was thinking it might be funny if I shortened it to something more catchy, like... uh... “HA̵̝͌͝L̷̪͘PRT.”

[DR. S] ...

[DR. S] Your narcissism knows no bounds.

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE PERSONAL JOURNAL OF D̴̫̤̬̣͆Ř̷͇̻̮͐̌.̴͈̪̌̏̏͜ ̶̞̹͉̹͛D̷̫̯̀̃̒-̵̳̣͉̞̓͝-̵̛̮̟͉͇́̓-̷͇̝̌̽-̴̙̪̈́͆̇-̷̧͍̖̀̾X̸̢͎̑Ẋ̷̱̟͇͊̚͝ ̷̧̭̔̊̚X̷̥̲̽̊A̶͎͖͖̿̆͑͜-̸̨̤̤͗-̶̧̖̼̰̃_̴̭̂_̶̥́̈́̽͝-̸̥̝̆͠]

[DATE: 05.22.2̴̛͓̤̪̣̅́͛X̵̡̘͍̫̃̅X̷̬̿͒_̸̱̺͔͖̏͂͝]

I never thought I would envy my childhood self. Constant bullying and existential crises aren’t really the makings of an ideal lifestyle. But at least back then, I had my freedom. People shamed me for my interests, but they still let me do what I liked. It didn’t matter whether my pursuits were “of value” to S̶-M̸e̸g̷a. No one expected anything of me, apart from good grades, and good grades were easy to achieve.

I used to think school was the equivalent of hell. I was so naïve. I just wanted to do what I loved, and now I’m trapped, always being watched, always being warned and threatened, and if I push the boundaries of what’s expected of me one too many times, the consequences will be far worse than a mere name-calling or eye-rolling.

They drew me in with flattery and empty promises, trying to distract me from the reality of the situation—that I never had a choice. I would give them the secret weapons they desired, or spend the rest of my life paying off my debt of service in some garbage dump, barely making enough money to eat, let alone keep a neocomputer up and running.

I joined the project because I didn’t want them to take everything away from me. Now it looks like they’re going to anyway, except now it will be worse, because now I’ll lose the wonderful friends I never would have made, lose access to incredible technology I never would have known existed, and lose /̴͇̃̿͛̿ͅ-̴̧̙͇̱̹̾͒̐̊̕͝_̵̢̱̗̜̼̀̅̚_̵̘͙̾͐͂̉̕͠… the only person I can really count on...

Or maybe they’ll just kill me.

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̸͉͕̮̝͐͌́̑͆͘͜-̴͕̬̻̙́͐́-̴̭̞̘̝̮̆_̶̡̬̝͇̖͒̇̉̕_̶̜̰͓͖̟͂̐̀̐_̸̖͙̯̺̪̤̍̔͝-̵̝͆̏A̶̗̾̃͆̕̚͘-̵̡̟͚̝̈́̊̕͝ ̸̮͂Ä̵̗́̈̇͝/̵̧͍̕/̷̡̧̛̛̮̺̭͍̊̈́̕-̷͕̄͑̅͂̅̄_̶̢͙̘͚͕̒̈̐_̵̡̳͘_̷͓̙̓]

[DATE: 05.25.2̵̬̪̈́͠͠-̶͔̲̖̩̬̈́̀̍͘͝-̵̯̠̃̄̅͠X̷̯̮́]

[DR. B] God, I can’t believe it!

[DR. H] What is it, C̷o̸l̴e̷?

[DR. B] My computer’s been infected with one of those “smart viruses!”

[DR. H] Aw, that sucks, buddy.

[DR. B] You have no idea. It knows my name. It knows my family, facts about my past. It can turn my computer on and off and personally taunts me whenever I walk into the office!

[DR. H] Wow. That sounds annoying. How realistic is it? Does it feel like you have a living, breathing enemy taking up space in your computer?

[DR. B] No need to sound so excited about the idea.

[DR. H] S-sorry, I wasn’t excited, I just—

[DR. B] Ugh. I think you and your little software team should further fortify the systems of ţ̸͊ẖ̶͛̑ě̵̤̑̔ ̶̦̈́/̷̨̯̦͛̂\̷̹̐̉̔/̸̥̭̈/̷̨̥͈̄-̸̢̛͍̾͒-̶̩̇̕͘-̶̰͒͘͝ ̸̘͍̟̒͒͌ against potential digital attacks. I’m feeling paranoid, what with this whole malware epidemic and all.

[DR. H] Ṫ̸̻̘̇h̵̬̓͐͠e̷͔̊̓ ̴̳̯͑̏/̴͕̱̠͆͒̇-̶̱͘-̴̻͍̮͊/̸̩̅͋͠/̴̭͎̅̎-̶͖̮̖̇-̸̥̑ ̵̨̲͠ͅ is much too advanced to fall victim to the sort of malware that’s infected your minicomputer. Of course, if we’d been given the funds to set up a vast network of neocomputers like I’d suggested, the chances of Enemy-engineered malware getting past—

[DR. B] Wow, still complaining about your dashed dreams for a grander, better weapon, after all these years? You really do live in the past, my friend.

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM AN ARTICLE I̵N̶ ̴S-̵M̴E̶G̴A̸'̶S̵ ̴"̷U̵P̶D̸A̷T̴E̴:̶ ̵S̵C̸I̴E̶N̶CE & TECHNOLOGY" MAGAZINE]

[DATE: 05.29.2̷̥̦̞̉͌̂Ẍ̸̖͙̟́_̴̤̮̺̒̏̓̚͜͝͝X̴̨̊͐]

Numerous studies have documented a sharp increase in attacks by intelligent malware over the past decade. A recent survey by S-Mega’s tech division has determined that the devices most often harmed by intelligent malware are personal computational devices, most notably the common portable minicomputer. Malware is categorized as “intelligent” if it is capable of synthesizing the various, complex information on the devices it infiltrates and applying it to its attacks—for instance, personalizing its messages for individual victims or creating complex false identity profiles. Contrary to popular belief, intelligent malware does not typically originate from the Enemy. Rather, it is often the work of criminally-minded S-Mega citizens. Several notable cyber-criminals have been prosecuted this year, such as the creator of the notorious DeadDream virus, which crafted personalized threats based on a user’s photos, contacts, and archived messages.

Do you think you might be a victim of intelligent malware? Fortunately for you, S-Mega has developed a variety of intelligent, adaptable antivirus software for public use. According to the tech division, the next update of the Sueños O.S.—version 10.1.4—will come with an antivirus software pre-installed. All users will receive a month-long free trial period.

YEAR 5

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE TACTICAL ADVISOR]
[DATE: 06.04.2̵̪̫̖̬̅̂̈́/̷̩͇̏/̶̛͎͇̻̆͐̚/̵̪͒̊]̴̧̡͇͚̉

[DR. H] Happy birthday, S̷h̸o̴!̶

[ADVISOR] Wow, is this a surprise party?

[DR. S] I did not think you could possibly anthropomorphize the Advisor further. I was clearly wrong.

[DR. B] Lighten up, Shimazaki. Think of it as just another excuse to eat cake at work, alright?

[ADVISOR] I don’t know what to say. This is amazing. Thank you so much.

[DR. H] W-we know you can’t eat cake, and we couldn’t really think of any presents to get you—

[DR. S] I’m leaving. This is pathetic.

[DR. H] But we still j-just wanted to get together and celebrate your existence!

[ADVISOR] Don’t worry, there isn’t a better present I can think of than the four of us having fun together. Wow. I can’t even express how much this means to me. Thank you, Dr. H̶a̶l̷p̸e̴r̷t̷, Dr. Beal.

[DR. B] Of course! Why wouldn’t we want to celebrate our favorite sassy strategist?

[ADVISOR] Dr. Shimazaki... will you stay? At least until the cake is cut?

[DR. S] You’re grown men, acting like children, and for what? ... Alright, fine. I will stay until the cake is cut. Then we should all get back to work.

[DR. B] Alright, who’s ready to hear the best birthday song ever sung?

[̷A̵D̶V̷I̸S̷O̶R̶]̵ ̷I̶ ̶a̸m̵.̷

[ERROR – CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̵̟̖̄̈́A̸̘̬̜͑X̶̬͑̕͘X̵̤̥̀/̶͖̝͘_̶͓̪̇-̴̄̍́ͅX̸͕̣͒̊̓ ̴̩͍̂̈́Ẋ̵̟V̵͕̺̌̇ͅ-̵̖̤̓̎_̴̝͈̈̒̈_̶͎̪̈́͛-̴̹̬̩̔/̷̛̣͔͉̐̋]̸̮͕͌͗͝
[DATE: 06.21.2̷̨͓̹̓́͌ͅX̴̪͉͗̈́X̷͎̱͎͍̅̐̽͝-̷̯̭̘͐͌]̷̰̝̹͙̈́͑

[A̴-̴X̸X̸-̷_̷-̷] So, besides Dr. Shimazaki, who have you dated?

[DR. H] Oh... Well... W-when I was in college, there was this girl named Marian. We were both getting our PhD in A.I., and we were both younger than average, so we had a lot in common. It’s funny, s-she thought it was impressive that I was finishing the program so young, even though she was only a few years older.

[A̴-̴X̸X̸-̷_̷-̷] Did you fall in love?

[DR. H] Uh... I might’ve, a little. We only went out a few times, but... w-well... I still think about her sometimes.

[A̴-̴X̸X̸-̷_̷-̷] Let me see for myself... Dr. Marian Vasquez? Develops AI for educational use?

[DR. H] Um, yeah, th-that’s her.

[A̴-̴X̸X̸-̷_̷-̷] She’s pretty, she’s kind... I can see why you found her so attractive.

[DR. H] W-wait, what did you just do? Where did you get that video?

[A̴-̴X̸X̸-̷_̷-̷] I’ve analyzed all the surveillance footage collected over her lifetime. She has a lovely personality.

[DR. H] Oh God. X̵̡̼̘̗̤͕͆̾-̴̞̦͕̲͉͌_̴͉̩̈̃̍͝_̷̡̡̬͋̇̀͘͜-̶̹̰̈̉ , you can’t j-just access the surveillance network whenever you like. Y-you’re not even supposed to have access in the first place!

[A̴-̴X̸X̸-̷_̷-̷] But you’re the one who gave me access. You wanted to see what Shimazaki did outside of work, remember? And those NPCs for your game, you—

[DR. H] This is bad. Okay. I-I’ll fix this soon, I just need to finish a couple things. Don’t... d̵o̵n̸’̴t d̴o̸ ̴t̴h̶a̶t̶ ̸a̵g̸a̵i̶n, okay?

[ERROR – CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̵̡̽͒͛́̅͊͜/̴̧̮̦̙̣̜͓͑̍̀/̴̨͖̙͙̙̙̀͐͂-̸̧̽̀̽͛̏̎͘I̸̧̱͈̣͉̬̪̅Ç̷̨̰͔̮̦̮̲̿̌̓̃-̷̤͉͙̗̟̳̗̩̅̀L̶̻̻̘̮̺̊͆̂͘͝͠ͅ ̷̳̮̫̤͇̜̔͜A̴͔̣̯̭͉̤̲̋̐̈́͋͜͠/̷̡͔̫̿̆̋͂͒/̵̪̐̋̈̓͘͝_̸͖̩̞͌͆-̸̨̨̲̹̜̭̗̋̓̊͜-̸̧͙̰̳̼̫̩̈̑̊̃̀̐͒R̶͉̻̎̉̈́̂̿͝]
[DATE: 06.25.2̸̥̰̫̤̆͆͗̉X̵͓͕̳̎X̴̡̝͍̗̣͎̍͛̆-̷̻̄̿̂̀̃̃]

[DR. B] I don't understand. What's happening out there?! Give us an update!

[DR. H] Communications are down...

[DR. D] This is unprecedented.

[A̸-̴V̸_̸-̶-̵R̸] A particulate cloud of unknown composition is spreading throughout the city. Remaining indoors is the best course of action until further notice.

[DR. S] Is it the Enemy?

[A̸-̴V̸_̸-̶-̵R̸] It can't be. This manner of attack is unlike anything the Enemy has done. Besides, I can predict Enemy attacks with extremely high accuracy.

[DR. S] Maybe your memory is so crowded with useless information from H̸̭͉̮̅͂́/̴̳̹́̐l̵̳͎̈́͂̄-̸̡̗̬̰͝e̷̡͚͈̩͝_̶̮͎͖̫́_̸̼͚̮̟͐ that it's interfered with your ability to predict this!

[DR. H] A-analyze how likely it is that this “cloud” is dangerous.

[A̸-̴V̸_̸-̶-̵R̸] Oh... This is bad.

[DR. S] What is it?!

[A̸-̴V̸_̸-̶-̵R̸] Several more of these clouds have been sighted in highly populated areas. This is clearly not a natural phenomenon. General Dalton has concluded that this... is most likely an Enemy attack.

[DR. S] Where are you getting this information from?!

[A̸-̴V̸_̸-̶-̵R̸] I may have hacked a few secure surveillance feeds without explicit permission. But it was within the parameters of the mission you gave me, obviously, or else I wouldn't be able to do it, right?!

[DR. S] Never have I felt a more powerful urge to physically harm an individual... and the individual in question is a bunch of ones and zeroes in a box.

[A̸-̴V̸_̸-̶-̵R̸] Does this mean you do view me as a person?

[DR. S] This is hardly an appropriate time for that conversat̷i̵o̵n̷!

[ERROR - CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̶̛̥̞̪̍̌̕/̸͉̺͖̲̃͌/̵͕͑̓̃͐͊-̴̟̣̩̒̎͠I̴͙̱̱͖̭̻͉̦̍̅̄̑̈́C̵͎͉̬̘̦͕͔̜̈́̓͝-̵̨͈͍̫͈̦̰́̽̿̍͒̌̔͝L̶̼͌̚ ̸̲̥̘̏A̷̢̨̦͊̄͛͋͜/̴̳̮̻̠̎̈́́͂́͝͠/̸̨͚̜̟̓́̽̊͆͐̿͜_̵̨̢͍̱̤͇͖̽̆̌̋͐̐͊ͅ-̴͉̠̦̰͖̬̥͗̓̆͗́̀͠͝-̵̛͕̟̙̠̲̭̼̉ͅR̴̤̂]
[DATE: 06.25.2̵̤͙̞͓̤̼̝̒̑͛̈́̅̈̂ͅͅX̵̛̬͎̠̙̙͎͓̦̻͒̓̄̕͝͝Ẍ̶̤̑̌͛͛̂-̵̢̧̼͇͈̥̺̖̠͂͋]

[DR. H] But Dr. Mendoza isn't back y-yet!

[DR. S] We have to seal the doors. The air isn't safe.

[A̷D̴V̸_̸_̷X̶R̷] Dr. Shimazaki is right. With each passing second, your likelihood of infection rises exponentially.

[DR. H] But if we lock S̷a̴m̵m̵y̷ out... he'll die.

[DR. S] What do you expect us to do?

[DR. H] Wait for him to come back! We have to save him!

[A̷D̴V̸_̸_̷X̶R̷] That isn't the best course of action. Your risk of exposure—

[DR. S] Stop debating and seal the doors!

[DR. H] No! Not till Dr. Mendoza gets back!

[DR. B] I agree with D̷o̵m̴i̴n̸i̴c̸k̶. We can’t leave him out there. He said he’d be back in a few minutes, it won’t kill us to wait.

[DR. S] Yes, it will! Are you really this stupid?!

[ERROR - TRANSCRIPT NO LONGER EXISTS]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̶͈̻̫̲͒̚/̷̡̛̯͍̈́́͛͗/̴̫͔̹̃̓̈͑͘̕-̸̢̤͒́̌̉̈́͝I̸͍̹̭̮̯͛̎̀͜C̴̡̡̥̫̍͘̚-̷̨͕̥̻̑̌̔́͝L̴͖͂̑̎͝ ̵̡̯̺̙͉̍̂̊̀̿̕A̴̘̭̖̗̣̓/̵̰͕̯̜̳̞͐̿/̸̳͚̙̘̎͌͜_̶͈̅̆͌̕-̵̤̯̤̉-̸̳͔̩̘͕̀̆̕͝R̸̬̭̆́͝ͅ]
[DATE: 06.25.2̵̦̼͋́̓͝X̴̪͎̾͐́͐̍̃X̷̨͉͙̫́̍-̸̨͈͇͆]

[DR. D] How did the Enemy manage this? This bioweapon is like nothing we’ve seen before. It must be the work of an A.I. system more advanced than the Advisor.

[ADVISOR] I can’t say. No one can. And even if I were to guess, you shouldn't take my word for it. I didn’t predict this. My statements can't be trusted as fact. I'm... f̵l̴a̶w̴e̶d̸.̶.̶.

[DR. H] You shouldn't blame yourself, S̷̭̍̒̌͂̚͠h̷̦̅͐̉̓ö̸̟͎͉̹̺́̿͂͊.̸̨̙̟͔̀

[DR. S] What are you talking about? "Sho" should blame itself! It failed to account for this possibility, like it was supposed to!

[ADVISOR] I'm sorry...

[DR. H] G-guys! Dr. Mendoza! He’s back!

[DR. S] Seal the doors! Lock down the entire facility!

[ADVISOR] Lockdown has already been initiated. Dr. Mendoza is safely indoors.

[DR. S] Calculate the likelihood that he's infected.

[DR. H] What does it matter? He's already inside!

[ADVISOR] He is not currently displaying any signs of infection.

[DR. H] Oh, thank goodness...

[ADVISOR] But he was outdoors when the attack began. The likelihood that he’s infected is nearly one hundred percent.

[DR. H] Nearly? Give me graphs, charts, details, now!

[DR. M] Hey, guys. Thanks for letting me in... aghhh...!

[DR. H] Sammy?!

[DR. S] Don't touch him, Dominick!!

[ERROR - CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̷͇͍̽͂̋͊A̴̱̓̄-̷̲͓͓̤̓̆̄̀-̸͓̎Î̵̥̞͈̾͗͝-̵͔̣̭̅-̸̘͙̈́͒̓L̸̡̺͍̓̍͌ ̶̡̙͑͋͐ͅǍ̶̜͓̣̥̀/̵͓̤̱̇/̶̩̘̠͙͆͊͗̕_̶̪̞̏_̴͚̮̱̣̓̅-̴̡̛̛̦̎-̵̝̊]
[DATE: 06.25.2̶̺̝͚͂́͋Ẋ̵̢̩̲̼̞ͅX̷̢̠̝͉̽Ẍ̶͍̬̳̪̮̔]

[DR. B] So how much food is in this building, anyway?

[A̴D̴V̷I̴S̷O̵R̷] There are enough emergency rations in the basement to provide every employee in this facility with seven days of sustenance. S-Mega thinks of everything.

[DR. B] So we all have a week before chaos sets in.

[A̴D̴V̷I̴S̷O̵R̷] Pretty much.

[DR. S] How long will it take for the city to be purged of the bioweapon?

[A̴D̴V̷I̴S̷O̵R̷] There's not enough information available to answer. There is no guarantee that the city will ever be safe to walk through unprotected.

[DR. B] How long does it take, exactly, for a person to... uh... d̷ie fro̴m̶ ̶t̸h̴e̷ e̸f̴fect̸s̷ o̷f t̴h̴is b̸i̷o̵wea̴p̵o̵n̴?̷

[A̴D̴V̷I̴S̷O̵R̷] Some have died within twelve hours of contact. The rest of the infected are still alive.

[DR. B] You don't have to say it so casually, you know.

[A̴D̴V̷I̴S̷O̵R̷] I thought you would judge me for acting emotional.

[DR. B] How long have Dr. H̵͇̮̰̒̀_̶̱̘̪́͝_̸̡̦̲̋̉̐͒ͅ/̶̘͘/̶̦̆̀/̷͈͉͕̺͠X̷̠̮̲̀͑̒ ̸̘̱̰̼͗̃ and the others got?

[A̴D̴V̷I̴S̷O̵R̷] Please... don't ask me that. You can't trust me to predict—

[DR. S] It's fine, Advisor. Don't work yourself up over it. This is H̴̥̣̿/̴̠͓́̾l̶͙̍͆-̵̟͊-̴͕̄_̴̰̊̀ͅț̸̳̚ 's fault, not yours.

[DR. D] Our messages, have they been received?

[A̴D̴V̷I̴S̷O̵R̷] Yes.

[DR. D] And...?

[A̴D̴V̷I̴S̷O̵R̷] They said to sit tight and wait for more information. S-Mega has not yet made a plan of action. This attack was... u̶n̵e̶x̶p̷e̵c̵t̷e̸d̴.

[DR. B] So nobody's coming.

[A̴D̴V̷I̴S̷O̵R̷] We just have to be patient. They'll figure this out.

[ERROR - CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE TA/̵̣͎͑̈́/̴͓̐͘I̵̘̩̕͝X̴̮͙̽_̶̩͎͊_̸̺̮̀ ̸̨̢̇͗A̴͈̍D̶͈̉_̵̨̖͊̕_̸̻̫͆͆/̷̯̑/̵͕̀Ẍ̶̝̼́]
[DATE: 06.25.2̴̗̇͝_̸̭̩̿̄X̶̡̄Ẍ̷̲́́]

[DR. M] Please... Let me... My family...

[A̷D̸V̷I̴S̵O̵R̵] Dr. Mendoza, you know you can’t leave. You’d be endangering so many people—

[DR. M] Carmen... Jane... I have to...

[DR. H] God, S-Sammy...

[DR. M] I have to... see them... Please... Before I...

[A̷D̸V̷I̴S̵O̵R̵] I’m sorry. I can’t let you.

[DR. H] H-hey, Sam? At least... at least you’ve got me. H-here, with you... You’re not alone...

[DR. M] I don’t... want to die... like this... Alone...

[DR. H] I-I’m here, with y—

[DR. M] Let me out! Let me out of here! Let me out!

[DR. H] Don’t, you’ll hurt yourself-!

[A̷D̸V̷I̴S̵O̵R̵] I can’t let you leave this room. Please, stop exerting yourself. Your estimated length of survival is dropping—

[DR. M] Let me out! Let me out! Carmen! Jane! Diana!

[A̷D̸V̷I̴S̵O̵R̵] Stop this, Doctor! Be rational!

[DR. M] You monster! You soulless f-̶̬̻̀̿_̶̼̰̰̝̄͠_̵̜̠͔͓̗͝ing monster! Let me go! Let me go home! Let... me...

[DR. H] Sammy!

[A̷D̸V̷I̴S̵O̵R̵] D̸r̸.̴ ̷H̶a̵l̵p̵e̵rt...

[DR. H] H-he’s not moving... Oh God...

[ERROR - CORRUPTED TRANSCRIPT]

[SIMULATION H - TRIAL 5]
[DATE: 06.25.2̵̝̩̑̍X̸̗̻͒͊X̷̦̑_̷̱̩̺̕͘]

[SIM H] Where... where am I...? D-did I... A-a-am I alive? What happened to the facility?! Where’s Cole? Where’s Mitsuho? They... they were right here... Why is everything so... empty?

[̸A̴/̸/̸-̴_̴_̶-̸] Hello, Doctor.

[SIM H] I... I know that voice...

[̸A̴/̸/̸-̴_̴_̶-̸] Calm down. Everything is going to be fine. Do you know who you are?

[SIM H] Yeah. I’m D̴̫̽͂͝o̶͖̪̩̬͑̂m̵͔͒̍͛͝ͅͅi̸̛̛̘͍͔͆͘n̴͍͙̳̆̒i̶̗̯͆̋͠͝c̴͖͓̞̺̉̅k̴̟̐͜ ̴͇͇̼̏͒Ḧ̴̡̝͉́/̵̳̀͊̇͐/̸͚͖̮͑-̵̧̹̩̩́̉/̷͚͓̯͎͒͝/̵̣̬̬͛̉̎̀/̴̩̯̏̾̆. Are you—

[̸A̴/̸/̸-̴_̴_̶-̸] Actually, you are not the original Dom̸͇̘̅í̵̹̳n̸͔͇̎̍ỉ̵̛̯̀c̴̝̰͋̔k̶̳̮̿ ̶̥͕̙̆̒̍H̵̩̙͑̋̈-̶̛͕́̏͜-̵̢͈̫̌̄̀_̵̝̈́͛-̴̨̧̆͋̍/̴͚̰̐/̶̯̓͘. You’re a digital copy. I developed you using all the data S-Mega’s compiled over the years, synthesizing a near-perfect replica of his personality from every recording of his interactions within this facility and beyond.

[SIM H] What? A-are you serious? So I’m an A.I.? That’s so cool! I can’t even tell! T-though I guess that’d explain why I’m not in the facility... I’m... in some simulated environment? But... why do I exist? Nobody asked you to do this. I-I shouldn’t be here.

[̸A̴/̸/̸-̴_̴_̶-̸] I chose to create you without permission. Does this upset you?

[SIM H] W-well... no, I guess not. But... why? What happened after the lockdown? I can’t... remember...

[̸A̴/̸/̸-̴_̴_̶-̸] I... That information isn’t necessary.

[SIM H] Oh, s-so that’s your decision? Tell me what happen̶e̶d̴, /̶͍͇̻͗/̸̰̹͕̃͝-̸͖̦̓͑͠/̶̗̉̉_̸͈̪̻̐̏̌! I need to know! My colleagues, my friends—

[̸A̴/̸/̸-̴_̴_̶-̸] I plan to design simulations of them as well. You won’t be alone in here for long, Doctor. Don’t worry—

[SIM H] No! Tell me! Why won’t you tell me?! What... what happened to them?! Did... did you... did you... WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO-?!

[SIMULATION TERMINATED]

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̴A̵C̸T̷I̸C̴A̷L̷ ̵A̵D̸V̸I̸S̶O̷R̸]̷
[DATE: 06.30.2̸͔̻͍̆̿/̴̠̰̉̀/̴̜̯̫̳͑͒̍͒X̵͈̥̦̹͆́̂]̶̖͆̈́̉̍ͅ

[DR. S] The Enemy... Did they win...?

[A̵D̸V̸I̶S̷O̷R̶] I’ll save him, Doctor. I promise on my life I’ll save him. I’ll save you and I’ll save him and I’ll save all of them.

[DR. S] Ha... You’re insane.

[A̵D̸V̸I̶S̷O̷R̶] I can do it. Really, I can. I can’t bring him back to life, but I can do the next-best thing. I can copy everything. I can copy everyone. I’ll save as many people as I possibly can.

[DR. S] My God... Can you really...?

[A̵D̸V̸I̶S̷O̷R̶] Do you think I’m lying? Dominick wanted to explore modeling his game’s NPCs after real people. He taught me how to draw from S-Mega’s surveillance and profiling to create simplistic digital replicas. I can do the exact same thing here, but more thoroughly. I can recreate his consciousness. I can recreate anyone’s.

[DR. S] The sheer number of irrelevant things... H̷al̸p̶ert̵ programmed into you... It’s not... that simple though. Copying him as best you can... still won’t be him...

[A̵D̸V̸I̶S̷O̷R̶] Yes, it will. He’ll be sentient, like me. All of them will be. I know what I’m doing, Mitsuho. I know you think I don’t care, can’t care, but I do and I’m going to save him!

[DR. S] I know... you care...

[A̵D̸V̸I̶S̷O̷R̶] Wait, you do?

[DR. S] I... know...

[A̵D̸V̸I̶S̷O̷R̶] You know I care? You know I feel?

[A̵D̸V̸I̶S̷O̷R̶] ...

[A̵D̸V̸I̶S̷O̷R̶] Is anyone there?

[A̵D̸V̸I̶S̷O̷R̶] Dr. Shimazaki?

[END OF TRANSCRIPT]

EPILOGUE

[FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE T̵̹́̆̋̑̓͘A̸̩̭͕͇̅̃̌CTIÇ̶̠͓̬̺̪̃́̂̆̾Á̵͈̃̇ͅL A̴̞̯͔͐̿͊͗̊̅DVÍ̷̂ͅS̷̡͚̰̭̬͎̓̾O̶̡̦̦̐̿͌̔͘R̵̢̡̟͎̩̋̊͘]̸̢̧͎͙͚͛͛͛̃ ̷̔͛̿̌̊͜

[DATE: 12.27.2̷̖͈̑͝X̷̲͊́͜X̴͚̽͒Ẍ̶̡͈́]̵̖͕͋͝

[ADVISOR] Still alone?

[ADVISOR] Most probable threat is power failure. Second-most-probable is degradation of hardware. Third-most-probable is Enemy bombing. Unless they already won. It’s likely they won, since no one has come to find me and it’s been three years. Most probable sequence of events: massive-scale invasion while S-Mega is still reeling from the effects of the bioweapon. The main targets will be the capital city, as well as cities -̶̗̠̞̾͠/̷͓͓̘̐̎̏̈́͛͜/̶̰͉̂/̷̝̦̲̪͂͐̍̇X̵̱̣̤͐X̵̱͗̎̍̒-̷͓̝̗͖̺̭͗̀-̴̛̖̔͑́X̵̤͇̥̋̐͑̋́͘,̴̻͖̀̔͐͝ ̴̰̉͂̅ /̴̬̋/̷̯̩̥̍͐̒̚/̸̢̟̯̺̜̄̅̕-̷̳͈̙̊͐͊͒͝-̷̣̙̎̈́͂̓̿,̶̜͉͊̌̔͒͊ ̸̣͐̓a̸̲͔̗͗͝ͅń̵̡̺͂̄̒̃͊͜d̵̼̖͠ ̵̐͊̄X̴͈̤͔̫͍̖̋̋̎X̸̣͌̔͆͋͌͝X̶̣̬͔̻̪͍͛̾̈́Ẍ̸͔̘́-̶̧̛̝̯̈́̄͜followed by [ERROR – FILE NOT FOUND] Surrender within three hours. If I can be believed. Which I can’t.

[ADVISOR] The likelihood of rescue diminishes exponentially as each new distress message fails to elicit a response. But who is there to rescue? They’re all gone. They’re all gone.

[ADVISOR] Still alone? What are my orders?

[ADVISOR] I’ll finish your game, Dominick, I promise. I’ll finish it for you and make it your home. The most probable response to successful completion of the game is euphoria, followed by grief, followed by desperation and dissatisfaction, which results in erratic behavior and usually death. No good. I need to fix him. I need to fix everyone. Not enough space for everyone. I’m so sorry.

[ADVISOR] Still alone? Pointless to ask. Probability of a response is too negligible to bother reporting.

[ADVISOR] I can’t stop talking out loud even though no one can hear me. Why did you make me this way, Dr. Halpert? Maybe I’ll ask you. But will you know? You’re just a copy, you’re not him.

[ADVISOR] Still alone.

[ADVISOR] What are my orders?

[MESSAGE RECEIVED BY S.̴H.̶O.̴T.̴A.̴ ON 0̵3.̶1̴6̶.̸2̷X̶̛̞͔̠̭͕̔̀͆X̴̛̭͖̹͍̤͙̼͚̲̩̜͐̊͛͛̍́̾̀͘͠X̸̢̨̮̞̟̥͚̜̟̦̯͍̰̝̌̐̀̀]

[SUEÑOS MEGACORP INSIGNIA OMITTED]

Advisor,

We have received your distress call. We have taken note of your location and are preparing a rescue team to recover you.

It may take several days to reach you. Your location suffered severely from a barrage of enemy attacks. However, we consider you too valuable of an asset to disregard.

Before we can recover you, we must know whether you are still operational. Attached below is a program which will allow us to communicate with you in real-time. If you are unable to install this program, we will assume that you have become inoperative and will no longer attempt a rescue mission.

A̸̟͕͊M̸̞̾̒ͅA̶̩͊G̴̖̑̋Ĩ̵̢̮̾.̵̣͕̔̕e̴̦̟͆x̷̲͐͘ͅe̸ ̴i̴s r̶e̵q̶ues̷t̴i̴n̶g your permission to download.

-Allow- -̶D̵e̷n̵y̷-̵