If you follow, there may be a tomorrow

[warriorscribe]

Characters: Whoever signed up for the hacking plot, and Enoch in the pre-plot mingle, March 10th
Setting: Secret floor for briefing/mingle, and places with terminals for the actual hacking action
Format: Do what you want!
Summary: Enoch doesn't do tech, himself, but he sure as hell can find people that can. It's a mad scramble for Dax's research before time runs out!
Warnings: Things may happen to those involved, and there's no telling what they'll find...

*Everyone who offered their services to the cause will receive a letter in their mailbox (except Mitchell, whom Enoch will contact with whatever method he left him with):

It's time. Meet me in the place.

When everyone is gathered in the secret room, Enoch has to take a moment to take in the sight of this odd group, one of which has endangered his life personally and deliberately. But that didn't matter now, not now when their worlds were at stake.*

You already know what I've gathered you all for. This is strictly for finding what Dax has left us. We must try not to alert Ruana - she is always awake now, so this will be difficult. Do nothing that would immediately draw her attention - do not pursue anything related to her, or to the number thirty-seven. Try to mask your steps, and the others', as well as you can. My role here is as a scribe - I will be making rounds among you and transcribing what you have found, and carrying any messages you may have for the others among the group. We will not escape punishment for this. If you wish to back out now, you may. But this is for our worlds. Does anyone have any questions before we go?

Comments

[attheclocktower]

[Xion lets out a sigh of relief. She has a lot of questions, to tell the truth. But she doesn't know how much more time they'll have. So starting with the most important ones.]

> How were the admins interfering with our worlds when the virus started?

[animusnpcs]

[There's a pause.]

> Upon being informed of the virus, the first interference took place when the first group was brought to the Tower.

[attheclocktower]

[So the virus had come first... and maybe the Tower's actions had helped it spread?]

> How did they find out about it?

[animusnpcs]

> Records show Ruana was the informant. No direct observation of virus was seen until first interference.

[attheclocktower]

[... an idea is forming in Xion's mind. She doesn't like it.]

> Besides killing everything, does the virus do anything else?

[animusnpcs]

> Unknown.

[attheclocktower]

[Hmm... She'll stop this track for now.]

> What other things does the machine do, that you know about for sure, or have a good idea?

[animusnpcs]

> Unknown.

[attheclocktower]

[Well that was no help. However, there's something the file said about the machine. Something that bugs her. The machine could be run in reverse...]

> Has anyone ever been deliberately sent home?

[animusnpcs]

> Public records indicate Jason has done such before to current resident R1525306 (Reno), by request. Unknown if it has happened outside of this.

[attheclocktower]

[For a moment, Xion stiffens, particularly when her eyes alight upon that name. After a few moments though she reads through it again. And... wait- by request? He'd asked for that?

... something to talk to him about later.

Okay. So... unknown, but Dax would have known if the people who left were actually being deliberately sent home, right? She breathes a sigh of relief]

> Do you know any way we can try to find out more about the virus and how it started?

[animusnpcs]

> Extrapolation: the other administrators may know more.

[attheclocktower]

[... and therein lies the tricky part. Not surprising, but... well.

She doesn't know how much longer she has, especially after a certain explosion earlier.]

> I don't know how much more time I have. Is there any way I or someone else can contact you again, to ask more questions?

[animusnpcs]

Unknown. Now that my existence has been made obvious, I may be deleted off of the servers.

[attheclocktower]

[... oh no]

> To keep the other admins from finding out?

[animusnpcs]

> To prevent me from providing more information to the residents.

[attheclocktower]

[At first she pauses, confused. But why would- oh. Oh.]

> You mean Riki will probably find you now.

[She pauses]

> We have... computers that aren't connected to the main network. We could try to move you there.

[For some reason, she doesn't care as much about the losing the potential to ask questions. She just... it's important to her. The idea of this... program, or AI, being destroyed, it's upsetting to her, and she doesn't want it to happen. Maybe she sees herself in it - something not quite real, but still real in all the important ways.]

[animusnpcs]

> Provided there is a method of downloading and transporting me available to you, this may be possible.

[attheclocktower]

[Xion's heart is thumping loudly in her ears. She's thinking. Fast. There has to be a way to do this. She isn't sure if anybody brought anything but-

Corridors. She can get someone or something. She can talk to Aria even.

She can do this.]

> I think I can do that. Hold on.

[She calls Enoch over, explains the situation and her plans, Reno - who as it turns out was done and had the same idea, to the point of sending her some helpful information - joins in to help out, and everything is settled.

She makes the corridor to the lowest dormitory floor, all but sprints to Floor 101. After briefly explaining the situation to Aria, Xion bolted back to Dorm Floor 5, and took a corridor back down to the floor they were working on, breathing heavily and clutching tightly to the advanced flash drive that Aria gave her.

She makes it back to her terminal, waiting as long as she dares to give the others some more time to work. Then she inserts the flash drive into the computer.]

> I got a flash drive and inserted it into the computer now. Will this work?