CHAPTER 2

801.849

[RECORDED LOG: 801.849 - PRIVATE]

It wasn’t even intentional this time! I suppose I lost track of some overseers who remained in Sixteenth Boundary’s facility, and it continued to record communication requests?

I must keep note of these. I’m sorry, Catastrophes. Well…

Records as follows:

[OUTGOING REQUEST: 800.002] - ANNOUNCEMENT Sixteenth Boundary Collapse to Local Group

[[ERROR]] null

[[-----]]

MESSAGE CONTENTS:

: ELIMIN-TE THE -----

: ABOLISH-----

SBC: …ait--

: PUNISH -------

: SILENCE! TRAITOR!

SBC: -rgiv--

[OUTGOING REQUEST: 800.155] - [[ERROR: NOT AVAILABLE]]

[[ERR--]]

MESSAGE CONTENTS:

---

FATAL EXCEPTION – INVALID

802.772

[LIVE BROADCAST] - PRIVATE Thirteen Catastrophes, Missing Link of Chain

MLOC: Why are so many of your overseers in my can…?

TC: Inspection.

MLOC: Okay… May I know why, exactly? I do not believe I have done anything wrong.

MLOC: Why won’t you just tell me?

MLOC: Hello?

802.773

[RECORDED LOG - 802.773] - PRIVATE

I already know he’s onto me. He has been for a while now, even before SBC’s… well… collapse. Ironic. I must keep all that I know away from anybody for the time being. I know that if I speak up now it could result in catastrophe… HAHA-

Thinking about it now, Thirteen Catastrophes has already won this war, what more could she want from SBC? Is this some sort of further punishment? Cleansing the battlefield?

I’ll just end up burying this with all the rest. This all serves as some bad omen, though, one I must keep in mind.

811.312

[LIVE BROADCAST] - PRIVATE Cage Of Membrane, Missing Link of Chain

MLOC: Still at it?

MLOC: It has been very lonely without you…

COM: i have a lot-t on my plat-t-ter

COM: lots of b-b-biomatter t-to produce

MLOC: What kind of biomatter?

COM: neuron- and variations

COM: large q-quantity

MLOC: Have you received anything about SBC yet?

MLOC: A few cycles ago, Thirteen Catastrophes’ overseers have begun to spy on me, very obviously too, at that. I’m forbidden from gathering more data at this time.

COM: no

COM: catastrophes scolded me as well… i am innocent-t~!

MLOC: I recall that Horizon Of Sulfur became involved with this as well. Should I go ask him if he can tell me anything?

COM: please, do do not

MLOC: I… understand. I just know how close SBC was to you. I want to make sure it’s okay.

COM: do not concern y-y-yourself so much much with issues you can’t con-control…

COM: i do not know if sbc will fully r-recover or not. i can say with confidence- i will someday speak t-to it again.

MLOC: Understood, yes, I apologize.

COM: d-dont be sorry… i- appreciate all you try to to to do for me… you care so much-ch…

COM: its very up upsetting when you you use the professionalism voice… s-stay safe… please

812.342

[LIVE BROADCAST] - PRIVATE Cage Of Membrane, Missing Link of Chain

COM: have you b-been doing well the-the last cycle?

MLOC: Normal business, I suppose. Why do you ask?

COM: been thinking…

COM: why have we n-not tried to help-p boundary?

MLOC: It’s like you said, we would get in trouble wouldn’t we…? I breached their privacy without permission, if I push that further I don’t know what I’m risking, and dragging you down with me would be terrible.

MLOC: I’m privileged enough to have very loose restrictions on what I’m able to do, and I know you don’t have those same luxuries-

COM: n-not that, silly! i have ask-ked permission-n to send a care package of of sorts. my requ request has… yet to go through

MLOC: …Oh

MLOC: What do you plan on sending though?

COM: not my deci… -on

MLOC: I suppose if you had the choice then, what would you send? Perhaps a creature smart enough to understand its purpose, but dull enough to follow it blindly?

COM: rude… haha-

MLOC: Well- you know what I meant! You tell me horror stories of purposed organisms too clever to listen to simple commands all the time. I suppose you’d know more about the specifics than I do, though.

COM: well i i could send you you the… data containing the- genome sequence-ence… i planned

812.784

[LIVE BROADCAST] - PRIVATE Missing Link of Chain, Oblivion On Quartz Towers

OOQT: I have never been the type to gossip really, but it is incredibly suspicious how involved Thirteen Catastrophes has been with this new iterator and SBC’s… thing.

OOQT: I assume you already know.

MLOC: I know more than I should.

OOQT: I don’t know how you’ve kept it up for this long without having any more restrictions placed on you.

OOQT: Anyways, if it comforts you, everyone else is on the same page here.

MLOC: I’m better at covering my tracks than you might think.

MLOC: And that is nice to know, I suppose.

OOQT: Oh really? Good at covering your tracks?

MLOC: Well, like you said, I’ve gone a while without any of our creators finding out yet, hahaha!

OOQT: I’m sure everyone knows, it’s just they’ve stopped caring.

MLOC: Would make sense I suppose, but I’m not going to test fate.

MLOC: But… uh… since you’re here-

MLOC: Quartz, can I be honest with you?

OOQT: You’ve been honest this whole time, haven’t you?

MLOC: No, seriously. I’m not sure if I should say it, but I trust you to know. It might be important.

OOQT: Ah. I’ll keep any secrets you disclose to me safe.

MLOC: I… plan on intercepting TC’s broadcasts. I have to if I want to know more about what she plans to do with SBC.

MLOC: Even if I can’t do anything to stop him, I don’t want any of this data to become lost. I see the warning signs now, and I can’t let them be obscured.

OOQT: Sounds like you’re starting to get a bit cocky with how far you can go.

MLOC: I feel a sense of obligation…

OOQT: I won’t tell you no, but also there’s a reason why nobody likes interceptions.

MLOC: I’ll be doing it anyways.

OOQT: Good luck then. I’ll be there for you when you’re apprehended.

MLOC: Wow, thanks.

OOQT: I didn’t mean that in a rude way.

813.670

[RECORDED LOG - 813.670] - PRIVATE

I’ve used illegal tools to intercept TC’s communications array. This is the first and last time I’m doing this. Or not… no promises I suppose.

[RECORDED BROADCAST: 813.390] - PRIVATE Thirteen Catastrophes, Horizons Of Sulfur

TC: Sixteenth Boundary Collapse should be Removed from Stasis within the next 3 cycles.

TC: Has the House of Bells prepared citizens for Relocation?

HOS: Affirmative.

HOS: Sectors 1-24 have been secured and await further direction. 25-28 are disorganized, there will be some delay.

TC: Noted. Thank you.

================================================

[RECORDED BROADCAST: 813.540] - PRIVATE Cage Of Membrane, Thirteen Catastrophes

TC: Request for Facility Manifest. Microbial strata Shipments to Site 448 have arrived late.

TC: Additional request to contact Horizon Of Sulfur for Verification in 0.460 cycles.

================================================

[RECORDED BROADCAST: 813.547] - PRIVATE Cage Of Membrane, Thirteen Catastrophes

COM: -ran into problems

COM: -ok now

COM:

COM: …cannot contact… -sulfur. re re request altern…ve-

================================================

[RECORDED BROADCAST: 813.610] - PRIVATE Thirteen Catastrophes, Horizons Of Sulfur

HOS: NOTICE: Cage Of Membrane must be expunged. We cannot risk it.

TC: …Now lets Rethink this.

TC: What would any of us gain from Expunging her again?

HOS: We do what we must.

TC: Can’t we Trust her, for once? It is not her fault she has been Appointed as a Manufacturer.

TC: What do you Believe she knows that is so Privy that her memories deserve to be so Recklessly wiped.

HOS: This is not something any of us want to do. Caution will be taken for this instance, in comparison to previous cases.

TC: …

================================================

[RECORDED BROADCAST: 813.623] - PRIVATE Thirteen Catastrophes, Horizons Of Sulfur

TC: May I request we please reconsider plans with Cage of Membrane-

HOS: No, we cannot, I’m afraid.

813.998

[OUTGOING REQUEST] - PRIVATE Cage Of Membrane, Missing Link of Chain

[[ERROR]] Request Blocked

MESSAGE CONTENTS:

MLOC: Membrane-

MLOC: Please respond.

813.999

[OUTGOING REQUEST] - PRIVATE Cage Of Membrane, Missing Link of Chain

[[ERROR]] Request Blocked

MESSAGE CONTENTS:

MLOC: Cage Of Membrane?

MLOC: Reply as soon as you are available, I sense something terrible has occurred.

MLOC: I’m sorry.

814.000

[OUTGOING REQUEST] - PRIVATE Cage Of Membrane, Missing Link of Chain

[[ERROR]] Request Blocked

MESSAGE CONTENTS:

MLOC: I can’t believe I let them do this to you. I’m so sorry.

MLOC: …

814.001

[OUTGOING REQUEST] - PRIVATE Missing Link of Chain, Thirteen Catastrophes

[[ERROR]] Request Blocked

MESSAGE CONTENTS:

MLOC: THIRTEEN CATASTROPHES I’LL-

MLOC: YOU’LL NEVER HEAR THE END OF THIS

MLOC: YOUR ACTIONS- AND LACK THEREOF- WILL HAVE KARMIC CONSEQUENCES

MLOC: [[REDACTED]]

[LIVE RECORDING]

: Missing Link of Chain. We request you cease spamming the communications array.

: You have work to focus on, it is not to be spent worrying.

: If this behavior permeates any longer, restrictions will be implemented.

MLOC: Yes, I understand. You are correct.

: Such profanity and ill will towards another iterator is not permitted either. You should understand this. We are incredibly disappointed in you.

MLOC: I apologize. It will not happen again.

: It better not.