Rebel Girl

[animusnpcs]

Characters: Aria (R-037), open
Setting: infirmary all week
Format: action preferred
Summary: Aria is open to speak to the residents of the Tower, if they would like to.
Warnings: potential horror event warnings; for now nothing though
Note: Please specify the date you are visiting Aria in your subject header.

[The infirmary swarms with retrieval units and worker units, all of whom have chipped collars. Most of them seem busy with one task or another, but a few are free enough to direct anyone who asks to speak to Aria to the woman in question. She's converted one of the examination rooms into something of an office, albeit a sparse one. She looks nervous and a little tired, but excited all the same. Her office is guarded by four retrieval units--attacking her here would be a bad idea, even setting aside the fact that Aria is a retrieval unit herself.

She seems happy to see anyone who walks in, though.]

Comments

[animusnpcs]

We're modified versions of regular retrieval units. We're created on a production line and given an artificial soul like a computer that can be programmed. We can learn based on our experiences. With our collars cut up like this, we can't be modified from the outside, so we keep learning and aren't ever reset.

[fionnuisce]

So you're something like homunculi, in a sen--artificial soul?

[The record screeching was practically audible.]

They can make artificial fucking souls? [Though he quickly attempted to compose himself, Waver looked honestly shocked.] But if that's true, how the hell do we know we're... [Faltering slightly, he trailed off before shaking his head. Don't panic. Panic was the natural enemy of logical thought.]

...Our souls, for whatever specific definition used, are real, aren't they?

[animusnpcs]

Your souls are real. I can guarantee it. Artificial souls are like computer programs. Yours can't be modified and controlled like ours can--if they could be, you could guarantee Jason would use it against you.

[fionnuisce]

[As he processed this, Waver didn't answer at first; she had given him no reason to distrust her. Waver seriously doubted this was an elaborate act to stab them in the back. It was wrong to say that he was completely certain of things, but hearing that did take the edge of the creeping horror the concept had inspired.]

How in the hell is that possible? Sorry if I'm sounding a bit dense on the subject, but just throwing together a soul is kind of impossible where I'm from.

[animusnpcs]

It's not something my group knows how to do, but I suspect it's connected to this Tower. My understanding is it was built to study the soul and its abilities.

[fionnuisce]

[Deadpan:] That seems to have worked out spectacularly.

So you don't know very much more about what this place used to be than we do, am I correct?

[animusnpcs]

Right. It seems like a lot of information from that far back was destroyed at some point.

[fionnuisce]

That's convenient. I'd chalk that one up to Ruana or Jason as well, most likely.

[animusnpcs]

Probably Ruana, if it was any of them. A lot of what we've found has been in ruins for centuries, at least.

[fionnuisce]

So Ruana's probably some ancient unholy evil beyond any human comprehension.

I truly wish I could say that concept was new to me.