CHAPTER 3
815.203
I haven’t been completely forbidden from talking through communications. It is integral to our work, after all. I just… need some time for myself? I recall some advice. Given to me by Boundary- SBC. I meant SBC.
But it’d told me some time back, something. I can’t remember, I didn’t really record many of our conversations, it always seemed to know when I did, and wouldn’t talk to me. I… understand, but it’s just… nevermind, I keep getting sidetracked. I need to remember what exactly it was they said again, I’ve been in this situation before- I’ve been in this situation a lot.
That probably says a lot about me, haha?
…
Something along the lines of… “don’t make it your problem.” Harsh, but, true. To an extent. Actually, there was a lot more than that, now that it’s starting to come back to me again. They often mentioned how often I made someone else’s business my own. That I should stop trying to strain my energy trying to stay up to date on every little squabble.
Cage Of Membrane told me the same thing just a few cycles ago as well.
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I already miss Membrane.
I couldn’t help her…
I never could. I thought that maybe, FINALLY, I would be able to step in for once and be able to save her.
But I’m always a step behind.
Finishing up some tasks would be a nice distraction for a while.
[RECORDED CONVERSATION]
====
MLOC: Permission to access documents about, or relating to the war between Sixteenth Boundary Collapse and Thirteen Catastrophes, as well as information on the current state of SBC?
MLOC: For archival reasons.
: Missing Link of Chain, we’re sorry, but we cannot give you something we ourselves do not have access to either.
MLOC: Okay.
817.244
[LIVE BROADCAST] - LOCAL GROUP [LIGHTONTAINTEDGLASS] LightOnTaintedGlass
NPM: I’m worried about Membrane
OOQT: I’m sure she’ll be fine. This has happened before. Besides, why is it your concern now suddenly?
NPM: I, don’t know! So much has been happening recently, they’re keeping so much away from us!
OOQT: Yeah it is really weird, but I’m sure we’ll get answers afterwards.
NPM: Why would they hide it all from us NOW? What even happens to Membrane when she shuts down like that? What happened to Boundary?? What about Thirteen Catastrophes’ deal???
OOQT: Membrane gets her memories wiped whenever she-
TC: [[REDACTED]]
TC: WRONG GROUP.
TC: IGNORE THAT.
OOQT: WHAT
NPM: HUH
NPM: CATASTROPHES??
OOQT: im so sick of this…
817.367
[LIVE BROADCAST] - LOCAL GROUP [LIGHTONTAINTEDGLASS] LightOnTaintedGlass
NPM: 27 cycles!
NPM: That’s a new record!
PW: What’s going on?
NPM: Did none of you notice the new iterator being built? Twenty-seven cycles! Only 27!
NPM: They’re definitely rushing this one
PW: Oh, ohhhh. That one.
TIAS: I think the facility around it has been around for longer, that would make that number a bit bigger.
NPM: I only started counting when I noticed it was an iterator, which was probably way before any of you, haha!
TIAS: Actually, I’m not sure if you noticed either, but the fact this iterator can is significantly smaller than any of our own cans might also make that a bit less impressive?
NPM: …yeah I knew that
NPM: yeah
TIAS: Sure.
NPM: Alright, but you’re closer to it than I am, from where I can see it looks normal size
[LIVE BROADCAST] - LOCAL GROUP [LIGHTONTAINTEDGLASS] LightOnTaintedGlass
OOQT: Okay so, if you had to choose the worst creature to fall into your chamber at this very moment, what would it be?
OOQT: Asking because I’m bored.
: Any of them.
NPM: Honestly… anything slimy, it would be a mess to clean up
TIAS: Same as Mountains to be honest, wouldn’t want a chamber covered in mucus or other creature fluids.
TIAS: What about you?
OOQT: Still thinking about it… I ran through all the possibilities and I still can’t quite decide…
TIAS: Is everything okay?
OOQT: What??
OOQT: That doesn’t have anything to do with the question
TIAS: Never mind, forget that.
NPM: Okay wait I have a better one, what’s the worst slimy creature out there?
817.502
[LIVE BROADCAST] - LOCAL GROUP [LIGHTONTAINTEDGLASS] LightOnTaintedGlass
NPM: Where is everyone, it’s been so quiet lately!
OOQT: The silence has been honestly frustrating-
OOQT: I’ve started to miss getting lectured by Catastrophes now, I think I’m losing it.
NPM: Quartz?
OOQT: Nine Purple Mountains.
NPM: Are you worried too?
OOQT: Of course I am, this is… really odd. I thought our local group was one of the larger, more active ones…
OOQT: I just… I don't like being restricted to only speaking to my own residents, it’s not the same.
OOQT: It’s a similar experience they would have to talking to your own parents, I wouldn’t know what that truly feels like though.
NPM: I can relate. What have you been doing lately?
OOQT: Nothing. There’s not any work to distract me from the silence.
NPM: At least I’m still here to talk to you!
OOQT: Well. You’re not the worst one I could choose to converse with-
NPM: Really?
OOQT: But you’re near the bottom of the list.
NPM: Hmpf!
817.732
[LIVE BROADCAST] - LOCAL GROUP [LIGHTONTAINTEDGLASS] LightOnTaintedGlass
TIAS: So, what do you think happened?
NPM: Boundary is in something akin to a coma right now, Catastrophes is doing… something? Membrane is probably going through a memory wipe. Chain apparently sent threats to Catastrophes, and had her communications shut down for a while
NPM: And Tungsten and Quintet are both little recluses, so I usually count them out. Similar with Sulfur.
NPM: I don’t even know if I should count him as an iterator anymore. More like… a mouthpiece for politicians
NPM: I guess in that way I could say that Catastrophes isn’t an iterator either, but I’ve heard her say something from her own mind maybe twice
NPM: You and Quartz are here at least?
TIAS: There’s Painted Whispers too.
TIAS: Quintet Of Remembrance isn’t a recluse either, she’s just stuck up about everything, haha!
NPM: Whispers is in our local group?
TIAS: He’s been in the chat before hasn’t he?
OOQT: Light On Tainted Glass is just a name for the general area and not just the local group. I hear scholars argue about this topic a lot, it’s an arbitrary thing.
NPM: But is he part of the group or not?
OOQT: I- I don’t know! It doesn’t matter right now!
[RECORDING LOG]
Ah that debate. It haunts me constantly as well. Also… who’s been saying that I had my communications shut down…
Oh no… I’ve been away for long enough that there’s already rumors…
I don’t want to talk to my group right now though. I’m sure they’ll know I’m okay.
817.745
[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Missing Link of Chain, Nine Purple Mountains
NPM: Chain!
NPM: Hiiii!!
NPM: Oh my god I thought your communications were down, no you’re just not saying anything
NPM: I think?
NPM: Unless you’ve just recently had them turned back on, and I came in at just the right time-
MLOC: …
NPM: Oh. Uhm
NPM: Quartz is really concerned for you. But from what I know she thought you could figure it out yourself
NPM: I wanted to check in anyways
NPM: It’s been too long
MLOC: It’s only been a few cycles.
MLOC: Thanks for the message though. Lying and saying I’m doing good wouldn’t solve any problems, but I don’t want to discuss it any longer.
NPM: Half the local group just stopped talking… can you at least show up every now and then?
NPM: Otherwise we’re assuming you’ve had the same fate as Boundary- hahahahahahahaha
MLOC: Do NOT joke about them.
NPM: SORRY, I’LL GO, IT WAS NICE SPEAKING TO YOU AGAIN ]]]]]
[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Missing Link of Chain, Oblivion On Quartz Towers
OOQT: I’m so sorry if Mountains offended you.
OOQT: I did not tell them to send you private broadcasts.
MLOC: It’s- it’s okay.
818.033
[LIVE BROADCAST] - LOCAL GROUP [LIGHTONTAINTEDGLASS] LightOnTaintedGlass
TIAS: Open Waters
NPM: Splay?
TIAS: The new iterator, their name is supposedly going to be Open Waters.
TIAS: I heard through my overseers what their name might be.
OOQT: Woah, woah, wouldn’t saying that get you in trouble? Everytime this iterator was brought up in a public group, something bad happened.
TIAS: They know it’s too late now!
MLOC: Do you have more information?
TIAS: Hmmm. What’s your asking price?
MLOC: I am NOT paying you.
TIAS: Haha! Reasonable enough. It really depends on what you mean by “information” though.
818.035
[LIVE BROADCAST] PRIVATE Missing Link of Chain, Timing In A Splay
TIAS: I’ll tell you what I know so far, which is not much, but you asked.
TIAS: They’re the first in a series of iterators designed for residents, being smaller but more densely populated.
MLOC: How do you know this?
TIAS: The lead engineers that had worked on mine and Quintet’s structures had also worked on this one.
TIAS: Shrug.
MLOC: Anything else you can share?
TIAS: Not particularly no. I still don’t know their full plans, just the name and status of the project.
818.046
[RECORDED LOG - 818.046]
Alright. Okay. I need to do a little rundown of our situation thus far. For the sake of anybody in the future who reads this
Sixteen Boundary Collapse’s puppet had been torn apart after some riots. It has been attempting to send broadcasts, but they kept ending up as corrupted errors and were filtered out by most systems. Attempting to salvage the corrupted messages mostly just gives voice-to-text transcripts of raging citizens.
Thirteen Catastrophes obviously had a hand in it. It is only speculation on whether or not he had actually conducted this. I will not say for sure.
There’s been a new iterator somehow involved as well… Open Waters I’ve been told they wish to call the project.
Many in our group have gone mysteriously silent, possibly related to the sudden tense atmosphere thanks to Catastrophe’s… little pests, I want to call them.
Membrane… is also involved somehow. Additionally, it is Catastrophe’s fault, as I can tell from my intercepted broadcasts. It’s- so infuriating! I’m so lost in it all, and every time I attempt to try and dig further, I hit a roadblock! Everyone around me suddenly knows things that I don’t, and so much of it is obviously being hidden. I’m sick of getting this treatment, as if us Iterators can’t be trusted with simply what is occurring around us? I’ve been unable to contact those close to me over this, and I haven’t once been told why. Have I just not asked politely enough? I mean, when I asked Splay about it, she gave it to me, yet she hadn’t given it to me beforehand? Why should I have to ask anyways- oh no, whoops. I’ll just cut it off there.
818.360
[RECORDED LOG - 818.360] - PRIVATE
I’m starting to connect the dots.
How did I not realize? When they had mentioned moving to a new city… I had assumed it was an existing one.
They’re… just making a new iterator for the purpose of moving SBC’s citizens.
That is… odd.
…
And… Membrane mentioned producing neurons.
She was… making those for the iterator project.
Why are they trying to hide this from us, why did they try in the first place I just- still don’t get it!
818.361
[OUTGOING REQUEST] - PRIVATE Cage of Membrane, Missing Link of Chain
[[ERROR]] - Request Blocked
Message Contents:
MLOC: MEMBRANE!!
MLOC: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO PLEASE
MLOC: I CAN’T DEAL WITH THIS ANYMORE
MLOC: cage of membrane
818.580
[OUTGOING REQUEST] - PRIVATE Cage of Membrane, Missing Link of Chain
Message Contents:
MLOC: membrane…?
MLOC: …
MLOC: Wait a moment-
818.600
[LIVE BROADCAST] - PRIVATE Cage of Membrane, Missing Link of Chain
MLOC: MEMB-
COM: chain!
MLOC: $(#$()**(#$)(@)(#$*)(DFJKDSKJSFDoixc-
COM: you’ve b-been spamming my messages, silly!
MLOC: PLEASEPLEASE ARE YOU OKAY? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?
COM: communication-ns had been shu-t-t off for w…ork
MLOC: WHAT WAS THE WORK?
COM: it wa-
MLOC: I REMEMBER- YOU MENTIONED IT WAS NEURON PRODUCTION, RIGHT?
COM: …no. cant re-recall. sorryy
MLOC:
MLOC: but youre okay at least right
COM: i am here speaking to y-you? am… i not?
COM: why are-are you so…tense?
MLOC: You were gone for 7 cycles.
COM: h-huh?
MLOC: Well, I don’t remember exactly when you had disappeared. I noticed your silence quickly though. I was worried that… TC had done something to you. I intercepted your broadcasts and attempted any contact-
MLOC: Everything is so stressful, I don’t want anything to happen to you. I would do anything to prevent that.
COM: oh… c-chain,
COM: i love y-you too- but…
COM: lets tal;k sssome other ti…me
818.601
[RECORDING LOG - 818.601]
I can’t confirm whether or not they tampered with her again. She’s still the same- I think? I’m just thankful she’s okay.
I… haven’t been checking my message backlog all cycle actually. Or, anything, really.
I’ll get that out of the way now.
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[INCOMING REQUEST] - PRIVATE Missing Link of Chain, Thirteen Catastrophes
TC: Chain, I have to say that I’m-
TC: Oh- oh no.
TC: Hold on.
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[INCOMING REQUEST] - PRIVATE Missing Link of Chain, Horizon Of Sulfur
HOS: CYCLE EIGHT-ONE-NINE point ZERO-ZERO-FIVE.
HOS: WE NEED TO DISCUSS.
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Wait- Horizon Of Sulfur? God… do I have to?
I could just-
…
819.830
[LIVE BROADCAST] - LOCAL GROUP [LIGHTONTAINTEDGLASS] LightOnTaintedGlass
NPM: It looks pretty finished to me. What's taking them so long to put them online?
OOQT: It hasn’t even been that long. You guys are impatient.
OOQT: I remember when Mountains took several cycles just to get out of the initial inception process.
NPM: It was not SEVERAL, it was- like- three cycles!
NPM: That’s normal!
COM: ince…tion ddoesnt matter that-t much
COM: …st to m-make sure the it-iterator is is functi…ning corrrectly
OOQT: What even is “so long” to you?
NPM: I- wasn’t counting
819.944
[RECORDING LOG - 819.944]
Looks like things are starting to sort themselves out now, it’s weird that TC hasn’t been patrolling very much lately. I’m swearing off snooping in her business for now. For now.
Nothing from SBC though… communication requests have halted, and I can see its city becoming increasingly less populated and rowdy. They’re already being sent to that new iterator.
That is a very small iterator though, I doubt it could hold SBC’s entire population. We’ll see where they go with this idea.
820.001
[RECORDING LOG - 820.001]
820.001 [INCOMING REQUEST] - PRIVATE Missing Link of Chain, Sixteenth Boundary Collapse
SBC: Hello you left your overseers here can you come get them.
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WHAT.