001 - [Video]

[primordial]

[The video feed clicks on, and at first, you might mistake the person on screen to be a dirty mop, what with the long messy strands of brown hair hanging down from his head. But on second glance, no, there's a face underneath all that, and it doesn't look that happy.]

W-why am I here? Again?! I didn't ask anybody to be here, this is not what I wanted, this is really, really, not good at all!!!

[And he murmurs and shakes his head, looking down at the ground as it he is wishing it could open up and swallow him right then and there.]

...

Yeah. Um. So...my name's Sam. Sam Erstwhile. I was here before, and then I was back home...and I guess I'm back here again. I don't know. So, really, you don't need to tell me about the whole Persona thing, I know about it. I still don't understand why in the world they would choose me to be here again...I'm no one special. Really, I'm not.

[A sigh.]

Erm, so has anything changed recently that I need to know about? Same old, same old? No crazy other-world field trips or the like? I don't think I could deal with another other-world field trip, the last one was horrible...

RIKU → first dawn || video

[resipiscent]

[There's a long-haired boy on the video, glancing around as he walks. He's checking out the city streets, but his brightly-coloured eyes keep flicking up to the sky -- it's been a while since he's seen a real one.]

Uh, can someone tell me where this is?

[One hand comes up to rub at a black collar on a scarred throat -- the hand is made of some kind of silvery metal, and the scar on his throat is horizontal, like it was slit.]

Not F3 or something stupid like that?

006 [video/public]

[otakuro]

[Saturday night, the screen flickers on to display Atsuro wearing a fatigued expression. As he begins to speak, he pauses, then turns aside to yawn momentarily before facing back to the camera again.]

...Sorry about that.

But, uh. Guys? ...We've got a problem. Again.

[In lieu of giving any explanation, he simply readjusts the COMP so the camera is directed at his computer screen: playing in what seems to be fast forward is a video of a horde of smiling, overly cheerful yellow creatures in a strange black and green world, running rampant in every direction and chowing down on electrical wires and large floating images of the typical 'folder' icon. Occasionally, they freeze, shudder for a moment, and explode into ten new smiley faces.  After a few moments, Atsuro comes back into frame, though he leaves the video playing in the background.]

...That's not what's actually going on, before you ask.  It's a cutesy little representation, but... you guys get the gist of it. I thought it was just my PC at first, but it's looking like slow COMPs aren't going to be the worst of our troubles if this goes on. The network already looks to be pretty badly compromised.

If you've accessed the network in the last few days without a bunch of firewalls, you're probably infected. ...Actually, you might still be infected even with the firewalls. I don't know what's going on, but these aren't like any viruses I've ever dealt with. I haven't slept in like, 24 hours [he checks the clock at this point] ...30 hours, and it's like Hercules against the Lernean Hydra. Clear one and three more files are infected before I'm done - and the original file still isn't totally clean. ...I'd almost think they were learning if I didn't know any better.

[He pauses awkwardly at this point.]

The other thing is... I know this is a little bit private, but could you guys who aren't... totally organic check in? Since our COMPs are basically wired to our brains through the nanomachines, and your brains are... computers, I think, uh.  You see where I'm going with this.

[He leaves it hanging there.]

Someone should probably do something. ...Who's even responsible for keeping the network running, anyway?  Why hasn't the government said anything?