IC Contact: thisavrou

[notglitching]

ACE Messages:

There's no greeting voice when your call goes to message—only a short period of static. Or is it whirring? Either way, it might not be the device causing the sound.


[[Open for ACE calls, IC mail, or other spammy things!]]

Comments

[alan_1]

[Relevance? Is Rinzler really still trying to be evasive now of all times?]

It’s relevant because if you were, it would mean you knew he was here and that you were actively trying to avoid him. Are either of those things true?

I’m not angry with you, Rinzler. But I need you to give me honest answers.

[notglitching]

[Now more than any time. Sorry, user. Rinzler's pretty sure he knows your opinion on the matter. Much better than he can quantify his own.]

Knew he was there.

[alan_1]

[Okay. That’s something. He wishes Rinzler had told him earlier, but, well… all he had told the program at the time was that he should tell someone. And he had explicitly stated that it didn’t have to be him.]

Have you had any contact with him since he arrived?

[notglitching]

[....]

No.

[alan_1]

[So Sam had been wrong about that much. Rinzler hadn’t sought out Clu of his own accord, not yet. Alan breathes a sigh of relief.]

Okay, good. If he calls on you, do you have a way to keep your disks safe?

[Alan doesn’t bother asking if Rinzler could simply resist the call. He’s seen Rinzler’s code and he knows the answer.]

[notglitching]

[Rinzler stares down uncertainly at the text display, lagging somewhere between suspicion and shame. Does Alan-one know? And if not...]

Unknown.

[alan_1]

Unknown as in you don’t know of any way, or unknown as in you know a way but don’t know if it will work?

[notglitching]

[Rinzler stares at the display a long moment, noise rising audibly. He shouldn't be consorting against Clu. He shouldn't be endangering Alan-one. He shouldn't lie to his user, but allowing him to be involved is unacceptable in every way.]

Unknown.

[alan_1]

[Alan sighs and leans back from his laptop. Getting frustrated isn’t going to help anything, so he takes a moment to refocus. There are two reasons Rinzler could be answering this way: one, he honestly doesn’t know what to do. Two, he’s hiding something. Alan would have trouble telling on a good day, but it’s even more difficult over text.]

Can we speak in-person?

[notglitching]

[In-person. It takes very little calculation to guess the likely outcome of that. Alan-one is already asking after his disk, and whether or not he means to take it, the absence would be impossible to miss.

...]

No.

[alan_1]

[Rinzler’s answer comes as more of a shock than Alan would like to admit. A clear, unequivocal refusal at the first prompt given. If the circumstances were different, Alan might have been proud of the program.]

Is there a reason why not?

[notglitching]

[....there's no good answer. Least of all the truth.]

Function: serve Clu.

Shouldn't interfere.

[alan_1]

Rinzler, I just want to know that you have a way to keep yourself safe around him. I don’t want to see you reset.

You don’t want that either, do you? [Alan thinks he knows the answer. He wishes he could be sure of it.]

[notglitching]

No.

[He doesn't. Not by either of them.]

[alan_1]

Then what are you going to do to keep that from happening?

I can help if you need me to.

[notglitching]

Can't.

Need to stay away.

[alan_1]

So you’re just going to let it happen?

[Alan stops himself there. He can feel himself getting angry with the program and he knows it’s not fair. Rinzler had said it himself: it’s his function to serve Clu. And Alan’s asking him to go against that. It's not an easy request -- it may not even be possible. He tries again.]

Are you able to resist him recoding you at all?

[notglitching]

[Oh, Rinzler is glad he can't afford to have this conversation to his user's face. The disappointment is sharp enough in text. He types out half a reply, then stares at the queries and deletes it.

...]

User.

Not your fight.

[Stop asking.]

[alan_1]

[No. Whether or not Alan was involved before, he isn't just going to stand by and let Rinzler be recoded.]

If you aren’t going to do anything to stop him, then someone has to.

[notglitching]

Not you.

[alan_1]

Do you have someone else in mind? [He’s asking in earnest. If Rinzler knows of any other crewmembers who could potentially help him, then Alan’s not about to turn away suggestions.]

[notglitching]

[Text won't show it, but Rinzler's noise rises, halfway between a glitch and sheer frustration. He's not giving away Nihlus.]

Not you.

Communication: ending.

[In which Rinzler tries to hang up on his user... over text.]

1/5?

[alan_1]

Rinzler. You can’t just ignore this until it’s too late. He will call on you and you need a way to protect your code when that happens.

2/5; a few minutes later

[alan_1]

If you want me to stay away, fine. Just let me know that you have some way to keep yourself safe.

3/5; even more minutes later

[alan_1]

There are people on the ship who have risked their lives for you before. Have you spoken with any of them about Clu yet? They can help you.