Pandora Quest 38

>You should go speak with Mouse, she could use a friend right now

Well, Overwatch has been pretty popular lately. Maybe some crossovers there? I don't really know a lot of it myself, but some of the character designs are pretty cool.

yeah have babsy speak with mouse this sounds like a good idea.

No one else can be in on this right?

Tai Yong or VersaLife maybe?

Writing!

Nice trip.

Overwatch does have a cute indian engineer lady.

You sigh after a moment, realizing you can't just selfishly hog all this attention. It's pretty clear Mouse is in a bit of a bind herself and could use some encouraging words.

"You should go speak with Mouse," you say, albeit reluctantly, "she could use a friend right now."

"Have you spoken to her since all this happened?" Theresa asks, still not releasing your hands.

"No, but if all the shouting and loud noises I've been hearing are any indicator, she's in a bad way right now." you say, also unwilling to release her from your grasp. "She...may be a little worse than usual, though. Just a heads up... This whole thing may have been my fault, after all."

"No." she says bluntly, "This isn't your fault or hers or anyone but Snowglobe's. He was the one sneaking around and getting us into deeper trouble by the day. You can't blame yourself for the actions of others." she snorts indignantly, but composes herself. "I'll head over and see if she's alright. Just...hang in there, okay? They'd never kick one of the most brilliant scientific minds in the country to the curb over a little breach in protocol."

"I hope you're right..." you say, giving her one last kiss and watching her leave.

You sit on your bunk with nothing but your own thoughts and questions floating around to keep you company. The silence is a little disturbing, but at least it gives you plenty of time to work out a few things. Maybe even work out where your miniature fugitive could've gone to.

Where should they focus their searches?
>Maybe the air ducts?
>Pandora's room?
>Ares' room?
>The gym?
>Outside the Facility?
>Other (write in)

Wouldn't be one of my threads without at least one or two dropped trips.
Oh yeah! Symmetra or something, right?

>Maybe the air ducts?

>Ares' room?

>>Maybe the air ducts?

I'm super worried about whether the little man will influence ares, he's not exactly what you'd call world weary yet.

Metal Gear Solid: Tactical Espionage A.I.

Writing.

Ares Room and Pandora's rooms for sure. If only because if you search there we know he's elsewhere. then we could ideally initiate a lock down of sorts.

Kill jester

You wait patiently in your cell, mulling over what you know of the Facility's layout. Most every room is monitored by security cameras 24/7. There's no way anything short of Ares' active camouflage or possibly a hack from one of the R&D team could slip by and Snowglobe is in custody. So unless someone else on the team is in cahoots with him, that shouldn't be possible, and you have your doubts about that. So, the only possibility left would be the ducts. Snowglobe could've opened them up and sent the confused little AI inside to wander aimlessly.

Several hours later you're once again visited by Richards. His ever-present surly, stern look only serving to accentuate the many wrinkles and faded scars of a man who's experienced much.

"Still no sign of your little escapee, doctor." he says, his voice giving away a hint of exhaustion. He's probably been running ragged to get this whole thing under control. The bags under his eyes show he's not slept well either. "If we don't find it soon, we're going to have to start taking this place apart brick by brick, to make sure there are no potential security breaches. And that's not something neither I nor you want to happen. So, if you have anything for me, anything at all, for the love of god and country, tell me."

"The air ducts." you say quickly, "Granted there's...a lot of them and they span pretty much the whole building, but they're the easiest place to hide something that small. It could just be wandering around in there, exploring and taking in what it can. It's pretty curious, sir."

"The air ducts..." Richards replies, his professional demeanor fading away almost totally as his exasperation cuts through his words like a knife. "Good god that would take forever to explore. We'd have to use our own drones to do it and we don't have a lot of those...you're sure about this?"

"Uh...yes?" you say, your confidence not exactly stellar, but it's all you have.

"...Fine." Richards barks out after a short glare, "But if this is a wild goose chase-"

"Your foot, my ass?" you finish his sentence for him.

Richards grunts in response. "It'll take a while. Hours, maybe more. So get comfy. Oh and they're sending someone tomorrow to discuss what happened and why they shouldn't shit-can this whole thing and stuff you lot in jail for the rest of your lives. Don't expect them to be as friendly and buddy-buddy as me."

>Please, don't destroy the AI if you find it...
>If you find the AI, it might be better if you destroy it...
>Yes, sir (go to sleep)
>Other (write in)

>Yes, sir (go to sleep)

>Please, don't destroy the AI if you find it...
It's, or possibly she, is a possible side effect of what Snowglobe was trying to do. It would probably be best to gather her so regardless, rather then destroy her.

>If you find the AI, it might have information on Snowglobe.

If you would permit me sir, but this little bastard has shown that an AI and chasis like this can be useful for espionage if it had a clearer purpose. If you find it, please don't destroy it, it'd be such a waste.

No disassemble! No kill I!

Writing.

Yes this might be a good idea.

Oh you mean like... CrossOverwatch.
H-ha. h...

doctor picking up after the shotguns PanReaper is leaving all over the floor.

If you would permit me sir, this little bastard has shown that an AI and chassis like this can be useful for espionage if it had a clearer purpose. If you find it, please don't destroy it, it'd be such a waste." you say before he leaves, "Plus it might have information on Snowgl-uh, 819 we could use. Maybe it knows what his whole plan was?"

Richards stops for a moment on his way out and looks back at you. He gives another grunt, but says nothing. Maybe that means he will? Or won't? It's kinda hard to tell with him, really.

With that, the last thing you hear is the door shutting heavily and locking behind him. The echos bouncing around the cold, empty room for a while before fading out and leaving you once again alone with your thoughts. You lie down on your cot, wondering what time it is, and attempt to sleep.

It comes, but not easily. Your brain is working overtime on every possible thing you can think of, whether you want to or not. Every neuron firing at once in a fireworks display going off in your mind and it only stresses you out more. It isn't until exhaustion do you pass out. Your dreams are troubling and full of awful scenarios only made worse by the surreal randomness of dreaming.

You are woken up not by an alarm, but by a voice speaking to you. A voice full of authority, calmness and confidence. Not Richards, but one you've heard before. Your eyes flutter open and you groan as you sit up slowly, looking at the blurry face of the one who spoke.

"Good morning, doctor. Agent Arikawa, CIA. I believe we've met. I hope you slept well." the suited man says, seated at a small table with a small mountain of paperwork next to him and a briefcase sitting neatly at his feet. "We have much to discuss and I am not one to wait around. I hope you don't mind."

>Couldn't you have at least waited for breakfast?
>No, no, of course not...
>Other (write in)

Of course not. yeah
Wish we could've met in better circumstances.

>No, no, of course not...

>Write in
"I would have preferred it if you wore lipstick for this conjugal visit, agent."

Arikawa slowly produces a small tube of "Cheery Cherry" from his coat pocket and begins applying liberally, eyes locked on yours the whole time...

Writing!

Oh My.
youtube.com/watch?v=6nSKkwzwdW4

Dear ROMborg, I've recently just been arrested for not disclosing security risks and possibly letting government secrets leak, and I think the CIA agent who is interrogating me is trying to seduce me. Unfortunately, I'm already seeing a co-worker with four arms and a fantastic grasp of cybernetic and drone engineering. What should I do?

...

"No, no, of course not..." you say rubbing your eyes before donning your spectacles.

"Good." Arikawa responds, reading through his files, "Then let's get right to the point. You know why I'm here. What we discuss here today will decide how this whole project will proceed from here on. I want you to answer me truthfully and completely, do you understand?" you nod, still a little frazzled and groggy. "Good, good. Then let's begin. First question; what are your feelings toward AI TBX-42, AKA 'Pandora'?"

>Are you...implying I have romantic feelings for Pandora?
>I love her like a daughter
>She's my greatest scientific achievement
>Other (write in)

I'm extremely proud of her, take that as you will.

>Other
Let me ask you one in return. Have you got kids, Agent Arikawa? Because it's a bit like the relationship with a father and daughter.

>I love her like a daughter

Proud. And almost paternally so.

"Have you got kids, agent Arikawa?" you ask rhetorically, "Because it's a bit like the relationship between a father and daughter. I love her and am extremely proud of her." you say confidently. He takes a moment to jot down something in his notes. His poker face makes it impossible to judge what he's thinking, try as you might.

"Very well." Arikawa shuffles his papers around a bit, "The military AI, I believe you've named it Ares, yes? Have you instilled anything beyond military input with it? Be it through software, hardware or during one of your teaching sessions?"

>No, of course not
>Uh, a little I guess
>Other (write in)

>Uh, a little I guess

My trip is about as reliable as the doctor's dancing ability.

we're not the only ones that feel that way. Grace, The R&D team, even Ares. feel that way.

For the sake of testing there is a failsafe that turns off his weapons. (Though I can't remember if that was common knowledge).

>Uh, a little I guess

Just some basic socialization tests to ensure the actual Intelligence part of him doesn't want to destroy all humans and can actually reason.

I think he's asking more about the emotion stuff than that.

The failsafe is common knowledge and is considered military application.

Writing!

Probably. I'm not saying that I did it on purpose, but much like how children learn habits from watching their parents, both good and bad.

Isn't that more just from copying his Brain shape from Pandora naturally?

I was more referring to the fact that we had him sit in on one of Pandora's more normal lessons. That stuff isn't military at all, and we did it for some other reasons, but that's basically what it was.

"Uh, a little I guess." you say, "I mean...he likes music, socializing and his family. Nothing harmful."

"Family?" Arikawa asks.

"Yeah." you nod, "He views me as a father of sorts and Pandora as an older sister. I taught him about human family units and he seemed to really like the idea."

Arikawa scratches out more notes, still completely expressionless. It's actually a little unnerving. "Have you or any other member of staff working under you installed anything that goes against the rules of this facility, either hardware or software, without the written consent and/or knowledge of your superiors?"

>Yeah...
>No!
>Other (write in)

What have we installed that counts as that?

I don't think there's anything, save that whole evil dream chip, but that was installed without our knowledge as well.

>>Other (write in)
Other than the unauthorized dream chip that had been removed, no.

Yes. Designation 819 had installed a microchip that allowed him to try to influence Pandora while she was in her recharge station, without ANYONE'S permission or knowledge, including my own. Thankfully, she had her own opinions regarding what he was attempting to teach.

>No!
Again the only thing I recall went against rules was the wifi/dream chip he installed.

And we didn't know about that until we did some of our own detective work. Otherwise pandora did an admirable job staving off his subversive antics.

"Well, other than that unauthorized wifi connector, no." you say, "But I didn't know about that until very recently and we removed it right away. That was, as far as I know, entirely 819's doing."

Arikawa doesn't even give so much as a nod, simply back to jotting down notes and being stone-faced. "Are or were you aware of any illegal or unruly actions performed by the R&D team here, designations 227, 819, 720, 633 and 634? Including, but not limited to accessing sensitive or private information they did not have clearance to, altering or in any way tamper with government property they did not have clearance to interact with, or smuggling in or out restricted items?"

>I was aware, yes
>I wasn't, did they do something?
>Other (write in)

>I was aware, yes

They didn't do any of that stuff right? Not to my knowledge.

Did they do stuff? it has been so long.

They did all that stuff.

>unruly
well they like to roughhouse, but as far as I'm aware, it doesn't lead to any damaged assets.

Shouldn't we explain HOW Elpis came to be, though? That counts under "technically not allowed"

Is that a yes vote?

Ye-eah? again elpis is the most unrly they've been and that was mostly as a diagnostics thing.

Works for me! Writing!

God I hate those captchas where you have to click until there are none left.

I'd say yes, but only one member was ever malicious and actively hampered progress (though he was very enthusiastic in his sabotage)

"I was aware, yes." you say, feeling a little sheepish for essentially selling out your friends. "But...they never did anything out of malice...well, with the exception of 819...the other stuff was mostly just to make their job easier."

"Mmm." is the only sound you get out of Arikawa in response as he writes more notes. "Thank you for your time, doctor. We have more questioning to do with other members of the staff. You should be hearing back from us soon. In the meantime, the government thanks you for your assistance and contributions. If you have any questions or grievances, please discuss them with your superiors and they will be able to bring them to our attention for you. Have a pleasant day." Arikawa says, almost like a well-oiled machine as he stands after gathering his things. He gives you a curt nod and walks off before you even have a chance to say anything, his footsteps echoing through the halls as he makes his way to, you assume, Mouse next.

That same silence returns after a moment and again you are left alone. You are worried, tired and honestly a little hungry. Every passing second feels like an eternity and you can't help but turn your thoughts to his questions. It sounded like they already had the answers and were just looking for confirmation. Maybe they've already made up their minds and just wanted closure? Or maybe they just had a vague understanding and needed to pinpoint something? Whatever it was, it doesn't feel very promising.

At some point you are brought food, but beyond that you don't see another soul for hours. You've counted everything in eyeshot, thought up new and interesting theories in every scientific field you can think of, even tried playing tic-tac-toe against yourself using your finger and the dust on the wall, but to little avail.

(cont)

You're just about to try taking a nap just to pass the time when the door opens. It's Richards, Arikawa and two guards. Arikawa is as blank as ever and Richards is trying to remain serious, but you can tell he feels unhappy with the situation. He looks like a father that has to tell his son the dog died and you feel your heart skip a beat. Every inch of your body is twitching and tense and you sit bolt upright, bracing yourself for whatever may come.

But it never does. They walk past you, heading down the hall toward where Mouse is being held. The marching sound of their footsteps slowly fading away as they round the corner and disappear from sight.

You wait with baited breath, still no less tense than before. Eventually the marching returns and you see them again. Mouse is being lead, in cuffs, back out. She looks up at you, sad, but not afraid. She gives you a half-hearted grin and starts to say something, but stops at the last second. She leaves without a word and the door shuts once more. They have left and taken one of your closest friends with them.

You slump onto the cot and sit there, dumbfounded. You can't speak, you can't shout, you can't even cry. This entire conspiracy has just claimed it's first victim.

With that I'm going to end it here. Thank you guys for playing and I hoped you enjoyed it. If you did, please vote for it on the archive and follow me on Twitter for updates. I can stick around to answer some questions for a little bit, but otherwise thanks and have a good night!

Thanks for running AM.
Happiness when?

So much is about to happen, user.

Hello darkness my old friend. youtube.com/watch?v=46Kv4rBJi68

You pulled me in nearly a year ago with cute robot daughterus and stuff, and now you've left me trapped here with epionage and spooks.

...