video

[animusnpcs]

[At first what Dax is saying is completely incomprehensible--a good ear for languages may notice it's the same language the worker units are speaking. Dax has some sort of device in his hand, though, and after fiddling with it a little eventually his words become understandable to anyone listening:]

--Testing, testing--aha, there we are. Alright--well, to get this out of the way for our new residents, I'm Dax, and I'm an administrator of the Tower. Anyway, as you may have noticed, we're having a few minor malfunctions when it comes to our usual translation process which wasn't helped by having to divert all that power to quarantining and scrubbing radiation. I'm using a portable device to translate this to all of you and to translate any of your responses, but it's a bit fussy.

We should have everything fixed within a day or two, however! If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

[He sounds just a bit nervous about the prospect of Q&A, though. It's as if these situations often bring long discussions and arguments, or something.]

Comments

[animusnpcs]

Occasionally Riki will make floors we request--floor seventeen was requested by Jason, for example.

You're not all dead--this isn't some form of hell or purgatory. When you disappear you return to the destroyed world you were previously in, although I obviously can't force you to believe that. As for why you're granted those properties upon return to your world, I don't know.

[midgarhorizon]

You come down here and tell me that face to face so I can look you in the eye, Dax.

[animusnpcs]

You want me to go up and tell you you're not dead? [His tone is a bit disbelieving.]

[midgarhorizon]

Face to face. So I can tell if you're lying.

We want some answers. All we got on your motives, the collars, this place, whether our planets are really gone, is your word.

You five don't come and mingle with us. Some of you don't even treat us like intelligent beings. You don't get to know us. Ya keep us trapped here like animals in a cage being poked with sharp lances. Life's hell down here, and we don't even get the leisure of leaving.

So yeah.

[animusnpcs]

I'm sure you can guess why we might not want to regularly travel into your area of the Tower. As for most of what we have told you, there is little other way to explain it to you other than our word. I can say that if you were to leave the Tower currently you would die, but that isn't something I'm going to prove to you by killing one of you. I do believe someone did ask Jason to remove their collar, though, and paid the price for it.

[midgarhorizon]

Yeah yeah yeah, I know you guys have the ability to send people home and all those wonderful amazing things.

Must be a real drag being gods, huh?

[animusnpcs]

We're not gods, we're more compatible with this world.

[midgarhorizon]

Disagreeing with you there, buddy, you fit all the earmarks.

[animusnpcs]

If you'd like me to meet you in person, fine. If I'm attacked, however, I'll leave immediately.

[midgarhorizon]

[...wait.

Dax.

Dax, buddy, you just blew his mind. He definitely didn't expect that.]


...Wh- uh- I mean yes. Look, I can read body language pretty well and there's just too much shit going on that makes things look a certain way. It'd help a lot.

[Also he's linefacing.]

I got no quarrel with you personally. I'm not that stupid.

action

[animusnpcs]

Very well.

[And Dax will step out of the admin elevator on the floor Reno is on shortly.]

Re: action

[midgarhorizon]

[That'd be the dorm. Radiation issues in the lower Tower, after all.

Reno hid a touch of nerves at meeting one of the admins in person, and just waited. He wasn't the type to back out on his word.]

Thanks for coming.

[animusnpcs]

You're welcome. [Dax is a little stiff, in a formal sort of way, but not hostile or aggressive.] What do you wish to discuss?

[midgarhorizon]

[That was a huge question. There were a lot of things Reno wanted to ask, but... actually faced with the man, there was only one thing going through his head right then.]

Why are you saving us?

[animusnpcs]

Because it's better than letting everything in the infected universe be destroyed. [Dax shrugs.] Even if it's only one person, it's better than nothing.

[midgarhorizon]

[Reno is just a tad incredulous at that.] There's got to be infinite universes out there, that's a big job. What are you getting out of it?

[animusnpcs]

Me? Well, if I knew we had the ability to save people are were just letting them all die, I'd lose a lose quite a bit of sleep, so I suppose there's that. [He pauses.] It goes without saying someone like Jason would have far different opinions, of course.

[midgarhorizon]

Yeah, that guy doesn't have any friends here... guess there's no love lost.

[Clearing his throat, he went on.]

I should have asked this first. What about this infection? I've heard about the universes getting destroyed before but not what was causing it. ...that's the one the new people have trouble with.

[animusnpcs]

We aren't sure what it is that destroys the universes ourselves. We compare it to a virus, but there's no saying that's what it really is. There is footage of what happens during the destruction of a world on the network.

[midgarhorizon]

Yeah, I remember that... it reminded me of the light when Meteor hit. You guys detect it, though. What if it's natural?

[animusnpcs]

It could be, but that isn't necessarily a reason not to try and prevent it.

[midgarhorizon]

[Folding his arms, he sighs.]

There might be nothing you can do, y'know.

[animusnpcs]

Until I know for sure, I'd rather keep trying.

[midgarhorizon]

I'm not sure if I should feel better or just freaked out because I don't think you're lying.

[animusnpcs]

I believe it better to know the truth, even if it's something you dislike, rather than being fed more comfortable lies.