IC Contact for MoM

[logicunlocked]

York, I fail to understand why you are asking me to make this recording.

I told you, it's a social convention. Just say it, D.

Indeed. What I'm referring to, however, is why you are asking -me- to make the recording, York.

I...don't know, who needs a reason? I just thought your voice makes a nice answering machine voice.

I see. In that case, I will proceed.

You have reached the inbox of Garrett Murray, formerly known as Agent York of Project Freelancer. You may proceed in the follow manner:

1) Speak after the tone.

2) Leave a recorded message.

3) —

Why d'you gotta be like that, D? Come on.

I am unsure. What am I 'being like'?

Forget it. Just leave a message. I have an AI to deal with.

Comments

audio;

[worstever]

[Of course he's reading all the comments on the Dakotas' post. Gathering intel is the most basic thing, right?

And one person really sticks out.]

York?

It's Wash.

[He sounds almost dumbfounded. How many of his dead friends are going to spring back to life here, exactly?]

audio;

[logicunlocked]

Heyy, how's it going, bud? I, uh, guess you know about the whole thing where people come from different times—or anyway, me and the twins did.

perma-audio;

[worstever]

Wow. You're taking this well.

Yeah, I assumed you were from a different point. [He... feels like the death thing should be a separate conversation.] When were you taken?

[logicunlocked]

Well, I did get a little while to think about it, and me and D talked it out a little. Alternate dimensions and all that. Doesn't make much sense why we'd be brought to this one but, what are you gonna do.

And yeah...yeah. I, uh, listen, Wash. A couple years ago something happened... [ He pauses. ] Does the MOI crashing, does that sound familiar? to you?

rvb timeline why

[worstever]

It's familiar. Kind of hard to forget.

I'm from years after that, York. You might have a lot to catch up on.

[logicunlocked]

I'm sorry, Wash. I wanted to go back and get you, I did, it's just...with the crash there was no way to know what condition you were in and we'd already failed two objectives—

[ He's not going to say it but the fact of the matter was that at that point guaranteeing his own freedom was more important than jeopardizing both of theirs. ]

I'm sorry.

[worstever]

I -- [Hadn't been expecting an apology.]

I got out anyway. It's fine. [Sort of -- his voice is measured. He hadn't really been holding a grudge, but it smarts a little hearing aloud that they weighed the options and he didn't come out on top.]

That's when you're from? The MOI crash?

[logicunlocked]

It was three years ago. That about when you're from?

[worstever]

[A verbal wince:] Not quite.

I'm from further out than you. [Don't ask how he knows that.] There's... something you should know.

About Carolina.

[logicunlocked]

[ Up until now York had found it easy enough to roll with the punches. But this is not the line he had expected Wash to steer the conversation down. He goes quiet for a moment. ]

If it's something, something bad? Don't tell me. Just stop and tell me you can't tell me. Okay?

[worstever]

She's alive. She survived the fall.

[He doesn't need to know he won't be alive to see her. Not yet, anyway.]

[logicunlocked]

Ha! [ The sound is both gleeful and relieved, and sort of bitten off at the end, like he hadn't meant to do that. ] I knew it. I knew it, I knew she couldn't be brought down, even by a fall like that one.

[worstever]

That's our boss, alright.[Warmth creeps into his voice.] I'm convinced she's invincible.

We're even still working together. We brought down Freelancer -- it's gone. [And it only took that long for Carolina to see how rotten all its foundations were. But Wash knows he might never have, if not for Epsilon.]

[logicunlocked]

[ Don't mind him, Wash—you actually managed to stun him into silence for a moment there. As far as York had been able to tell from the transmissions he'd managed to track, Carolina had been missing and Wash had been working for them in the aftermath of the crash. So hearing that is quite a surprise. ]

Both of you? Or, by we do you mean us? All three of us?

[worstever]

... just us.

[He hadn't forgotten how canny York was -- is, but he clearly hadn't compensated hard enough for it.]

She caught up to me after I blew Freelancer's systems. Set off an EMP in command.

I stayed working recovery long enough to get a chance, and I took it.

[logicunlocked]

You wiped out everything they'd built then. Except? What about Maine?

[worstever]

We'd lured the Meta there. The AI were wiped out too.

[He evades answering what ultimately became of Maine. Wash isn't really ready for that conversation, or any part of it. Or anything resembling it.]

[logicunlocked]

Goddamn. And you did all this without my help, huh? [ He says this with a touch of irony in his tone—sure he would have liked to have had a hand in its downfall in the end but what needed to happen happened and that's what counted. ]

[worstever]

I managed somehow.

[He tries to keep his voice reasonably light to match, but it still comes out too goddamn dour. He probably wouldn't have taken the help even if they had been alive. Too suspicious.]

Carolina and Epsilon took care of the Director later.

[logicunlocked]

[ He just has to pause and shake his head. ]

This is all hitting me at a hundred miles an hour, Wash. I'm glad, though. Real glad. I don't even know how to say it.

How long has it been since that stuff all happened, for you?

[worstever]

I don't know how to say it, either. So I wouldn't worry.

It's been a few years since even that. I'm the furthest ahead of any of us, so far. [A snort.] Maine says I'm old now.

[logicunlocked]

Maine does? [ He's still having trouble with the differing timelines, as it turns out—he gets it in concept, but to him Maine is still rampaging around trying to capture the AIs. ] You're— Everything's cool with him?

[worstever]

It's Maine. Our Maine, not the Meta.

[Not that their Maine and York had had such a smooth history either.]

The AI didn't come with him. I was worried at first, too.

[logicunlocked]

Well then, when do I get to meet up with you, old man? It's a lot better shooting the shit in person.

[worstever]

Oh, god. Not you too!

How soon depends where you're living. I'm in Heropa.