phaseshifter | IC Contact

Iunno. Have you asked Rhys?

[ Because she suspects not. ]

No. I don't know enough to know if his answer will be affected by the AI. If it is...

You know why I'm being cautious.

[You know, the whole SOLDIER thing, and trying not to draw Jack's attention.]

So I'm approaching you first. Knowing what you know, I trust you to tell me if there is something I need to worry about here.

[She did warn him about Jack before, after all.]

Depends what'd be worrisome to you. He can see or hear everything Rhys does, but he's harmless. The AI isn't going to hop out of Rhys' head and into yours. I've also ensured that there's a rift between him and the original Jack, so there's no chance of them working together against anyone.

They hate each other. I'm very good at what I do.

No offense, but being able to take over Rhys's body doesn't seem entirely harmless to me.

[He is reading all the conversations happening in House's post, Angel. Including the parts about Steph, as well as House's conversation with AI Jack.]

He can control one arm. Terrifying, I know. How can any of us sleep at night with the knowledge that somewhere, an AI copy of my father could be flipping us off?

I don't appreciate the flippancy, Angel. I came to you because I know better than to take everything Dr. House says at face value, but I'm still taking this very seriously here. I am not freaking out. I am not looking to villainize Rhys. I am not going to take this to the network and tell everyone that they need to beware, Rhys might strangle them!

But don't downplay this. Don't treat me like an idiot. The fact that this AI has even some control over Rhys's cybernetic arm means he IS worrying. Maybe not to the same extent as if he could control all of Rhys, but apparently that arm is strong. What would happen if someone unaware was within that arm's reach at a point in time when the AI felt he had a reason to harm them?

Edited 2016-03-01 23:44 (UTC)

I don't like talking behind Rhys' back!!
The AI isn't as bad as the original. He's capable of change. That's the nature of an AI - they're specifically programmed to adapt. The only time he's snapped - the time with Steph - was after she pushed several of his buttons at once. She physically attacked Rhys, unprovoked. She said

things, personal things
My point is that he isn't going to hurt anyone. The person in most danger is Rhys, and not the way you might think.
The cold here isn't good for electronics. When the AI is distressed or angry, it can result in his port overheating. In extreme circumstances, he could die.

[All at once, something clicks.

'Do NOT take the secrecy of anything you say to me for granted.'

She'd warned him of that only a few days ago, though at the time he'd assumed she was just worried about the simple filter he'd used on the network. But her insistence on using text then, and the protest that had come only after he'd switched to voice...

'He can see or hear everything Rhys does.'

She'd been warning him. Warning him that AI Jack could hear him.

And warnings don't come without danger.

Kunsel's mouth thins into a grim line on his face. Can he trust her, even now, to be able to be honest? How much is she having to filter to avoid whatever threat the AI presents?]

And how many buttons of his have I pressed?

[It's a very serious question, and one that he's pretty sure he already knows a good part of the answer to.]

How many buttons of his could I have pressed if we'd met in person?

[Again, he has a pretty good idea.]

Look, I'm not here to pick a fight. I'm not scared of Jack, I'm not scared of Rhys, even if I'm cautious. I just want honest facts so that I don't have to make assumptions and blow this out of proportion, or underestimate whatever problem there is. I'm only asking because I feel like I have a legitimate and personal concern.

[He isn't just someone jumping on a bandwagon here.]

And I'm sorry. For making you talk behind Rhys's back. But I don't have your faith in the AI copy of that man. Not to trust my life and the lives of my friends to his ability to adapt. I hope you understand.

[ Yeah.

She understands. ]

Sorry, I don't mean to be such a bi witch. I'm just so so tired.
Let's see. As far as I know, you aren't on his radar.
He didn't hear the things you said the other day, or Rhys would have reacted - bleeding, at the very least. I'm sure he's not reading this now, either.

Staying off his radar is simple. Don't do or say any of the things I warned you about, don't talk about my mom, and don't talk about my death.
He has other things that make him angry, sure!! But those are the issues that make him lose control.
Fortunately, they aren't things that come up in casual conversation. Which is why I genuinely don't think you have much to worry about. Anything objectionable you've said has been filtered to me, and he can't see that unless he's peering over my shoulder as I read it.
You're fine. ouo

Bleeding? It's that bad for Rhys?

Also, is he anywhere near your tablet right now?

Bleeding from his port and/or his nose, passing out, terrible headaches.
Jack doesn't MEAN it, but yes. It's that bad when he's in extreme distress or incredibly angry.

Also I just ducked into a bathroom so nah, I'm good.

That's a bad situation.

[And one it doesn't sound like they can do anything about, unless...]

I know how you feel about the dangers of asking the Admin for medical help, but maybe Rhys could consider it, if the situation gets out of hand. Long term consequences, yes, but if the alternative is more immediate death, he'd be getting MN poisoning either way.

Just a suggestion.

Either way, I'll do what I can not to aggravate the situation.

[And now here's hoping she's not lying about being alone...]

On that note, though, is expressing an attraction to you one of the things that will set the AI off? I'm not asking for my sake now, but because I meant what I said before. You're an attractive person, and I'd be surprised if I'm the last to express an interest.

To remove Jack, Rhys would have to lose his arm, eye and port. Assuming that he couldn't be tricked into willingly reuploading himself somewhere else, anyway.
It's not really much of an option. But honestly, it really is fine. At least for the moment. The AI and Rhys get on fairly well - Jack is still Jack, but they're learning to coexist? They're friends, in as much as a jerk like my dad can have them.
Which doesn't mean Rhys doesn't *know* that the AI is a jerk, or that I'm not keeping an eye on them both. Obviously.

And yes. To an extent. It's fine, because he knows I won't reciprocate, but that doesn't mean there won't be some pretty strangley urges and discomfort for Rhys.
It isn't something I couldn't talk him down from, I think. If anyone expresses interest I can rebuff them and demonstrate pretty clearly that it won't be a thing Dad has to worry about. Assuming they're not overly persistent or gross about it, anyway.
Plus I doubt that will be as much of a problem after today! Being public enemy number two tends to put a dampener on any advances. \(Ou~)c

Have you considered that the Admin might have methods of removing the AI without having to remove the ports or the arm? Not trying to convince you one way or the other, just seeing if there's an angle you haven't looked at this from yet.

And I'm only suggesting it as a worst case scenario.

[Because, in his mind, it's entirely possible that Angel's assessment of the AI is biased (she does have a history of putting faith in someone who doesn't deserve it), or maybe the AI itself is pulling one over on her. Either way, it's good to have a backup plan in case the whole thing goes south.

Somehow, though, he has a feeling that Angel wouldn't appreciate it if he laid his thoughts out like that.

Of course, then he has to pause. 'Assuming they're not overly persistent or gross about it...' Maybe she can hear the amusement in his following text.]

Persistent or gross? Angel, have you talked to some of the people on this network?

[Go on, Angel. Just imagine meeting Nathan in person.]

You're not public enemy number two.

Mmm. From what I've seen, the administrator isn't exactly one for murder. Which is what removing Jack in such a way would be! Geez!
I suppose there isn't much point in discussing this anyway, since I'm not Rhys and I'm still really uncomfortable talking about this without his input. Particularly when Dad has been behaving for the most part. ( ⚆ _ ⚆ )
And gosh, don't fuss!! Nobody except Greg has been gross to me so far, and usually if I ignore or rebuff any flirting it stops very quickly. You should have more faith in people!!

[ Hey. Hey. Guess who hasn't had the brunt of any of Nathan's specialness so far?

THIS GIRL. ]

And I wasn't asking for buttpats! I'm just saying. People know how unpleasant I can be and should react accordingly now. ^u^

Alright. We don't have to talk about it.

[Which... honestly may be just as well, because he's not certain how to respond to Angel calling the AI her Dad. He's not sure he likes that at all.]

I have exactly as much faith as I feel is deserved. Sorry, I've just read through a lot of conversations people have had on the network, and I've seen a few particularly special ones. Talk to Tifa sometime.

[And he'll just leave that at that. He's sure that if Angel asks, Tifa will give her plenty to think about.]

No butt pats, just a fact. People might be having kneejerk reactions right now, but that'll fade as things settle back down and people remember what their real problems are.

I've actually spoken with Tifa about it before! We both noticed a lot of guys here seem to
er
try their luck a lot? (Not you, though! This was ages ago. And I won't tell anyone!!)
But I suppose people might be more persistent with her because she's so pretty? ♥ The prettiest girl here for sure
Although Ginger is really beautiful too! But since she's with Dr. Epps I expect people back off? Even though her being so happy makes her even prettier because she gets all smiley annnnnd I'm rambling again.
My bad. O_O;;

And Iunno. Maybe you're right? It doesn't matter if they don't. This helped me see who my real friends are, so the others can say whatever they like.

[Okay, now he really is amused.]

How am I not included in the group of guys who've tried their luck? I've flirted with girls here, too!

I wouldn't necessarily say Tifa is the prettiest. She's beautiful, yes, but saying she's the prettiest really depends on the preferences of the person who's looking. Maybe I think you're the prettiest one.

(I'm teasing there. You'd be able to tell if we weren't texting right now.)

I don't mind listening to you ramble. Maybe you don't know this about me, but listening to people talk is one of the things I like to do. Ask Zack if you don't believe me.

And... maybe wait to see how things go after this has all settled down. I'd hate to see you lose friendships just because of things said in the heat of the moment.

Dude!! I haven't seen you flirting. Who have you flirted with? I'm supposed to stay on top of these developments, geez! I have a spreadsheet to keep updated! (●o≧д≦)o
Have you been all stealthy with it or am I just really bad at picking up on that stuff? It's the latter, isn't it. Guh. I mean, I wouldn't have got it if you hadn't clarified that you were teasing just then! I'd have been very worried about how you were apparently going blind. (￣ω￣)

And um, noted about the rambling. It just makes me a little self-conscious? Since I only really go on and on about things other people don't care about very much.
Like other people's romantic lives, or robots, or projected sales figures for Hyperion brand weaponry. Or analysis of the shifting trends in what kinds of guns sell. For example! A couple of years ago I conclusively linked the decline in cryo weaponry to an overuse of ice-related puns in the field making them seem less... cool.

See what I mean??

I prefer to flirt in person, so it's understandable that you haven't seen much from me.

I'm not sure I should give you any names, though, other than yours. Just because I've flirted, or even thought about flirting, doesn't mean anything's going to come of it. Romance isn't really a high priority right now, and

Well. There are complications.

But Angel, I'm laughing here. I joined fan clubs back home just so I could keep up with the latest gossip going around. I think you're fine! Puns are infinitely better than poetry analysis, shampoo usage, or Zack's swim trunks, just to give you an idea what I put up with.

Edited 2016-03-07 01:28 (UTC)

Dude. D u d e. You can't hold out on me after I've told YOU so much! You'd never be that cruel. Or unfair. Or downright mean. And god knows I could do with a distraction! Possibly in the form of updating my spreadsheets. (Òw~)♥

And just so you know, the fanclubs thing is *incredibly* dorky. In a good way! In that I feel way less dorky myself after hearing it. :P I bet you'd have gone nuts for my setup back home! All the information with none of the deets about people's swimwear.

(unless that's what you're into, I'm not judging)

Have you considered that I'm trying to be the opposite of cruel? Because...

I guess there's no good way to say it. Two of the girls I might have been interested in are taken/off limits, and the other two are dead.

That's not exactly much to update your spreadsheet with.

By all means, though, tell me all about your setup. Let me drool over my one true love. ♥

(Not that I'd complain about cute girls in swimsuits.)

Edited 2016-03-13 03:32 (UTC)

Oh. Geez. Now I feel like an *sshole. (・_・ヾ Sorry.
You know you can tell me to get lost if I accidentally act lke a jerk, right? Oof.

But okay!! It's a little hard to explain the scope of it since it was designed to work with my powers, but I'll try. You don't have ECHOnet, right? But you have tablets or cellphones?
Okay, so imagine you could access anyone's tablet at any time you wanted, just by thinking it. Any data, protected or not, is yours to peer through.
But that isn't all! You can also speak to anyone through their tablet any time you want - no leaving a message or waiting for them to answer - and with a combination of the tablet cameras and your very own satellite network, you can *see* pretty much everything, too! And control things, sometimes.
I had the majority of Pandora covered. It was awesome!!
I'm sure it's obvious why I feel like my wings have been clipped (literally!! >:Vc).

It's alright. You didn't know.

[But he'll still take the excuse to get off that topic. He's not trying to be a downer here.]

Oooh, that sounds amazing and so tempting to abuse. I would get into so much trouble if I had access to a setup like that.

It also sounds like a recipe for information overload. How did you juggle it all? How did you keep from seeing things you didn't want to see?

[Because let's be real, there's a lot of stuff on people's computers and in their homes that you never, ever want to see.]

Iunno. Information overload was just never a thing. Partially thanks to my own nature and partly because I was hooked into the network physically and mentally, I guess!
It wasn't like all the information was constantly in my head. It was more like I was cocooned in it? I had to consciously seek out files or directories or lines of communication for them to enter my brain, so it was never like a bombardment.
And that was comforting more than anything! Because it was something I had complete control over for once. I was caged, but it didn't feel like I was!
Uh, as much as it should, I mean.

And yeah none of that stopped me stumbling across some pretty gross things. A surprising number of corporate executives save their more *illicit* files in work folders under unassuming names.
As the expression goes, I have seen some s...tuff. >_<

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