text

[deem]

Hey guys, 9S here.

Recent events got me thinking we should have some provisions in place, in case of future attempts to abduct or imprison anybody. Units like 2B, A2, and me have black box signals we could detect, but as for you guys... I've come up with some tracking modules that you can activate in case you get in a tough spot. They just look like little round pins with stars on them, figure nobody'll give them a second look.

They're easy to activate and deactivate. All you do is press on the raised star shape for five seconds. Simple, right? They'll derive energy from your body heat, and don't need direct contact, so I think it'll work. I'd like to enable at least a few people to detect those signals, but you'll need equipment like my goggles or Dirk's uh, shades. So let me know if you're interested.

Also while we've got access to materials, if anybody has equipment or repair needs, just give me the details.

Private: Dirk
Hey, can I ask your help with something? It's...not really a small favor, but I think you're the most capable.

Private: Julius
There's something I'd like to ask you about, when you've got the time.

Private: 2B + A2
After recent events, I think we should make plans in case we sustain heavy or lethal damage. Can we talk about that?

Comments

[deem]

I've got enough for everybody, although it's up to them if they'll decide to use them. Does save time if somebody needs to be retrieved, but my unit type's made for scouting anyhow.

Let me know where to meet you and I can come by now. I'll be delivering these anyway, so it's not like it's out of my way.

[allconsumed]

[She's too impatient to keep using text. Yep. Did that on purpose.]

How thoughtful of you.

Might as well meet me at my room. It's 6-1, so just knock.

[deem]

[And here he maintains text simply because it's easier to control his thoughts. Usually.

His mind wanders so easily, but that's a Scanner unit for you]

Okay, won't take me long.

[Somehow even in text there's a cheeriness that carries with those words. Thanks, telepathy.

True to his word, there's a knock on her door within minutes]

[allconsumed]

[He's allowed to project cheeriness, no worries. It won't make her any less (or more) suspicious of him. Velvet opens the door but offers no greeting, she just leads him into the living room.]

Alright, so show me how it works.

[She's not the biggest fan of small talk.]

[deem]

[At least he's accustomed to somebody being all business and right to the point. And so 9S smiles and offers her one of the tracking devices]

I'll need you to hold this for a minute.

[For the purpose of demonstration, of course]

[allconsumed]

[Velvet accepts the device, but she holds it away from her body rather awkwardly, like it's a small animal that could start peeing on her.]

Holding it.

[deem]

Okay, then you just press down on the star in the middle there.

[Actually, the top itself is the button, but it's more straightforward to tell her to apply pressure to the shape on it.

Without waiting for her to follow that instruction, he taps the air and a holographic screen appears between them, a map of the city displayed on it. However, this display looks a little odd. Even androids admit their mapping is hard to read]

You'll see an indicator appear on the map here.

[He circles a finger around a rectangular, dark space — the hotel]

[allconsumed]

That's a map?

[She can, uh, sort of see it? Velvet has never witnessed 2B pull a map out of thin air, but the idea that each android could have different functions programmed in them isn't intuitive to her.

Still, she shrugs, then presses down on the star with the forefinger on her other hand.]

[deem]

It...takes a little getting used to.

[A handful of second pass, and sure enough, a little red dot appears inside the grey box that signifies the hotel]

And there you are, see? If you press it again, that'll turn it off, and I won't get a signal from it anymore.

[allconsumed]

[She looks over the map for a few more seconds, then pushes the button again.]

So will the location only show up on this map?

[deem]

[Just like that, the red dot vanishes from the map]

Yeah, I set it up so the signal's encrypted. It won't make sense without this kind of map data, on devices I make that can interpret that information.

[So it should be quite secure, or that's what he's aiming for]

[allconsumed]

[She nods – like she knows what "encrypted" means. Based on what he's saying, though, she does get the gist.]

Could be a lot of burden to put on yourself. Are you planning on letting others receive the locations, too, on different maps?

[Just kind of assuming that that's possible.]

[deem]

I don't see it as a burden. It'd be a lot more convenient than hunting for people if they ever get taken again.

[Although he'd like to prevent that altogether, ideally]

But I'm hoping there'll be a few others. Jay suggested a group that could retrieve someone if they needed it, which seems like a good idea.

[allconsumed]

[She can't exactly poke holes in any of that.]

Sounds like a good plan.

[She hands him the device back.]

I'll be fine without one. You've helped the coven a lot already, so there's not much reason to distrust you. Keep it up, I suppose.

[deem]

[He pockets the device and salutes]

I'll do my best.

[And he certainly...sounds sincere.

Even a little zealous but look, a human (?) told him he's doing good work!]