☞ 020. (memory theater)

[wouldnotkindly]

[The above plays out on the network in its entirety minus the thirty-second intro, health bars, weapon indicators and other in-game displays. Though he doesn't speak throughout it, those who know him might recognize the chain-link tattoos and familiar sweater cuffs as belonging to Jack...]

( ooc: for those who can't/would prefer not to watch the video, a basic summary: Jack encounters a man who tells him that not only was everything he thought he knew about himself a total lie, but also that he's been under mind control for pretty much his entire life, then forces Jack to murder him with a golf club; he is then further mind controlled into giving over control of Rapture to the man responsible for it all, who reveals his entire villainous plot and leaves Jack to be horribly killed by robots. but it's okay, because little girls show up to save him! ... Bioshock is a complicated game. )

Comments

[archivy]

[ She dislikes this curse, not only for what it does to those whose memories are on display but also because she can never again forget any of what she sees. ]

Did you make it out all right?

[wouldnotkindly]

[Unfortunately, Jack isn't yet aware that this memory has been put on display.]

I'm sorry, what?

[archivy]

[ Ivy considers not telling him for a moment, but then decides he should be made aware of it. ]

A memory of yours is on the network.

[wouldnotkindly]

What?

[Not having paid attention to this sort of thing in the past, he's genuinely confused.]

How can that... [But this is the City, so that's a moot question.] Wait, I don't... [His memories might be fake, but would that stop a curse? Unless it was a memory of Rapture—] Which one?

[archivy]

Of the time you were told that you had been controlled all along and killed Mr Ryan with a golf bat.

[ A beat. ] I hope that the command no longer works.

[wouldnotkindly]

[Oh.

Oh, no.]

How do I get it off? [The network, he means.]

[archivy]

You don't. There is nothing that you can do about it. [ A brief pause and then a little less monotonous: ] I'm sorry.

[wouldnotkindly]

How do you know that? [But that sounds a little petulant.] There has to be some way— I can't let people see that.

[archivy]

Everyone tries and no one has managed. [ She knows. ]

[wouldnotkindly]

But... [He doesn't know how to deal with this.] What the hell am I supposed to do, then?

[archivy]

Deal with it to the best of your abilities.

[wouldnotkindly]

To the best of my—

[None of his abilities can help him with something like this, can they? How does he even begin to deal with it?]

I... I'm sorry, I have to go. [He's too rattled to talk right now.]

1/2

[mortemscintilla]

[ Interesting. ]

[ Very interesting. ]

2/2

[mortemscintilla]

[ Nice Guy face is go! ]

...Wow.

[ Shock and horror feigned so convincingly in that tone. ]

That was - hard to watch.

[boutant]

[ ... welp. ]

Uh. Jack?

audio;

[wouldnotkindly]

[A reply doesn't come until much later, and when it does, Jack sounds — not that this guy would know otherwise — uncharacteristically bitter.]

I'm sure it was.

text;

[wouldnotkindly]

[Again, Jack's response is delayed, but this time he doesn't feel like actually speaking.]

YOU DIDNT SEE IT DID YOU

text;

[boutant]

[ And Ariadne switches to match. ]

Yeah, I saw it. It wasn't pretty.

text;

[wouldnotkindly]

I KNOW

[After a long pause:]

IM SORRY

text;

[boutant]

for what? it's not your fault

text;

[wouldnotkindly]

IM SORRY THAT YOU SAW IT

text;

[boutant]

like I said, it's not your fault

text;

[wouldnotkindly]

NO ONE SHOULD OF HAD TO SEE IT

NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT IT EITHER

text;

[boutant]

I know.

I'm sorry that the City showed everyone.

[archivy]

[ Good luck, Jack. ]