Self-indulgent crap 3
Mar. 16th, 2013 09:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moonshadowsApril 2, 2067. Jack Morrison nodded to Winston. The scientist flicked a switch, hit a few buttons, adjusted a dial, and a console lit up with a text interface they'd both seen once before.
"What do you say to someone who knows your secrets when you've only spoken once a year and a half ago?" murmured Jack as he tapped on the screen to open a chat box. Hello again, he typed to the woman in another timeline before hesitating. Should he add 'remember me?' or 'I'm still not a porn bot' or 'it's Jack' or some quote from the Onyxia Wipe Gabe made him watch?
Jack?
Yes, he typed in relief.
Hey, how's it going over there? How long has it been?
He didn't bother asking how long it'd been for her. Well, Ale's "official" 21st birthday was yesterday. She's still organic.
Oh good, you averted her going omnic on her 21st birthday. How's she doing?
"She would have celebrated her passage into adulthood by giving up her identity and body?" Winston asked, horrified.
"Apparently," Jack murmured back. Gabriel brought her into Overwatch shortly after our first conversation. She's been a huge help in reaching out to omnic groups and helping human-omnic relations. She won't tell anyone how she got her foot in that cultural door, but we're not really asking either. Especially since Gabe thinks her sponsor's an omnium that wasn't fully shut down.
He is correct. Don't bother the omnium. Progress on the god program?
"Don't bother the omnium, she says," Jack chuckled. "Let sleeping dogs lie, right?"
Winston gave him a puzzled look. "I guess?"
You didn't tell us she was a hacker. She can do things with technology that not even Athena can do. He'd hesitated before naming the AI, since public sentiment made her existence chancy at best if anyone found out, but whoever the woman in the other timeline was, she knew far worse secrets. Anyway, she's found evidence of Abram's trail and is working on a way to corner and kill him.
Good. Any fishy orders from Blackwatch?
"How- never mind." Yes, Jack typed, his mouth set in a grim line. Reyes and I are working closely behind the scenes on that, keeping tabs on the moles. Thanks for the warning.
Did I actually warn you about that, or just make cryptic comments?
Jack laughed. I think you just made cryptic comments, but you mentioned fishy orders. Amelie's fine too, by the way. Talon did abduct her but we were expecting it and traced her back to their base. Wiped it off the map and recovered her before they had a chance to do anything. Gerard was beside himself.
I bet, the mysterious woman replied.
Time to show a bit of his hand. We're still waiting for whatever shake-up in the Shimada Clan leads to Genji crossing our paths.
The cursor flashed for a good twenty seconds. Oops.
Well, that got him nothing. Ale and Jesse are getting pretty serious. They're making vague plans for a Halloween wedding.
dtygiskghsjtg of COURSE they are, omg, that's great! I bet Gabe's thrilled.
Winston frowned. "What's...d'tygisk gh'sitg?"
"That's not a word," Jack told him. "It's gibberish. People back in..." the words trailed off. A clue! "...back in the early twenty-first century expressed extremely tangled reactions by just pressing random keys, although usually..." he stared at the keyboard. "Usually, there were more a-s-f and j-k-l in the mix." Slowly, he mimed typing the string of random characters. It made no sense unless... "I think our friend is a one-handed typist, for some reason, and that she's either in, or lived through, that time period."
"Well, it's a start," Winston sighed.
Hello? Jack?
Sorry, distracted. So that's a surprise to you?
Kinda, yeah. Without intervention, Sombra would have wound up aro/ace. Glad they're happy.
Jack smiled. Ale's done Gabe a world of good. He's not allergic to admitting affection anymore. The smile sharpened. I imagine when his first grandchild is born, he'll lose a lot more of that toxic masculinity.
His WHAT??
Like you said, Jack continued, grinning broadly. He adopted Ale. Something about a child after his own heart and getting what she wants, no fucks given.
Yeah, no, I knew that part, but....
Jack and Winston exchanged a confused look. But what?
It's just....uh...does Alé even have the necessary parts?
Winston frowned and conferred quietly with Athena. "She does not," he said in surprise. "How..."
"That's between her and Jesse and maybe Angela," Jack said firmly. I don't know what she's plotting, since you are correct once again. Does SHE know she doesn't have...?
Oh yes. She knows her DNA sequence pretty thoroughly.
Then I'm not going to question it. So, how are you doing? Jack held his breath, waiting for a response.
Not too bad, you?
"Damn," he muttered. That was very smooth.
Thank you.
You're really not going to tell me anything about yourself? When you know so much about me?
The cursor flashed. What good would it do you if I did?
"She does have a point, Jack."
"I know. That doesn't mean I'm happy about it." What do you get out of helping us? he typed instead of answering.
Satisfaction.
What do you mean, satisfaction?
Oh, come on. Haven't you ever wanted to take a protagonist by the shoulders and shake them to keep them from making a huge, obvious-from-your-position mistake?
That was a clue he hadn't anticipated.
Winston frowned at the screen. "We're fictional to her?"
"At least we're the protagonists," Jack shrugged. Then his eyes went wide as certain implications hit him. Are you saying that if we hadn't gotten Amelie back...if Gabe had been...
Don't think about it too hard, advised the woman in the other timeline.
Good advice. So that's why you asked us questions to prove who we were.
I needed to know which timeline you were from. And, y'know, make sure you weren't someone pranking me.
They were fictional. But then that meant the details she'd asked for were ones that weren't canon, which still begged the question of how she knew them. "I'm going to regret this," he told Winston. I know you said to not think about it, but I have to know - what kind of media?
The cursor flashed for a few seconds. Team-shooter video game. Can you see this?
A file attachment. Winston fiddled for a second and then got it open to reveal some sort of game interface with "SOLDIER: 76" emblazoned across the top of a list of eight "skins". The one selected, 'Commander Morrison', was a fairly good 3D rendering of him in his prime.
I'm almost afraid to ask what the other ones look like, he told her.
Let's just say that no one really deals with the fall of Overwatch well, she typed back. Oh, hey - does Alé still have a full head of hair?
"That's unnerving," Winston said with forced calm.
Shaved it within her first month, except for a thick stripe. Something about not having to pretend anymore. She's got what's left trimmed to shoulder-length and dyed purple at the ends. Jack grinned. Jesse loves it. Leaves him all kinds of openings to kiss.
One of these days, I'm going to have to figure out that boy's birthday.
Something you don't actually know? Jack typed, grinning.
It wasn't relevant!
Jack decided not to ask what it wasn't relevant for. But that did make him curious... Do you know when my birthday is?
I know how badly Gabe trolled you, White boy.
Winston looked over in confusion as Jack groaned.
Well played, he complimented her. So, are you in the early 21st century, or did you just never get out of the habit of keysmashing?
The cursor blinked for several seconds. I guess that died out, huh?
Yeah, no one's done that in decades except some older folks.
Well, I don't know how you define "early 21st century" but we're still in the first fifth of the century and I'm...wait. Fuck. What year is it for you again?
Jack swallowed a smile. 2067.
Hold on, mathing...hah, I'm younger than you are.
"Well, that's kind of insulting," he murmured.
I'm just about half - no, wait, I did the math wrong. I'm closer to your age than I am Jesse's.
"Well, that gives us a range," Winston said. "Connection won't hold much longer."
Jack nodded. The connection's going to close. I know you type one-handed, he typed hastily. Will you tell me anything about that?
I'll tell you that there's a hint in The Princess Bride, she replied. If you can, drop me a line when Alé's baby is born?
Will do, he promised. Take care of yourself.
You, too, Jack. Thanks for keeping in touch. Tell Gabe he's the Big Dog.
Before Jack could ask what she meant by that, the connection closed.
"What do you say to someone who knows your secrets when you've only spoken once a year and a half ago?" murmured Jack as he tapped on the screen to open a chat box. Hello again, he typed to the woman in another timeline before hesitating. Should he add 'remember me?' or 'I'm still not a porn bot' or 'it's Jack' or some quote from the Onyxia Wipe Gabe made him watch?
Jack?
Yes, he typed in relief.
Hey, how's it going over there? How long has it been?
He didn't bother asking how long it'd been for her. Well, Ale's "official" 21st birthday was yesterday. She's still organic.
Oh good, you averted her going omnic on her 21st birthday. How's she doing?
"She would have celebrated her passage into adulthood by giving up her identity and body?" Winston asked, horrified.
"Apparently," Jack murmured back. Gabriel brought her into Overwatch shortly after our first conversation. She's been a huge help in reaching out to omnic groups and helping human-omnic relations. She won't tell anyone how she got her foot in that cultural door, but we're not really asking either. Especially since Gabe thinks her sponsor's an omnium that wasn't fully shut down.
He is correct. Don't bother the omnium. Progress on the god program?
"Don't bother the omnium, she says," Jack chuckled. "Let sleeping dogs lie, right?"
Winston gave him a puzzled look. "I guess?"
You didn't tell us she was a hacker. She can do things with technology that not even Athena can do. He'd hesitated before naming the AI, since public sentiment made her existence chancy at best if anyone found out, but whoever the woman in the other timeline was, she knew far worse secrets. Anyway, she's found evidence of Abram's trail and is working on a way to corner and kill him.
Good. Any fishy orders from Blackwatch?
"How- never mind." Yes, Jack typed, his mouth set in a grim line. Reyes and I are working closely behind the scenes on that, keeping tabs on the moles. Thanks for the warning.
Did I actually warn you about that, or just make cryptic comments?
Jack laughed. I think you just made cryptic comments, but you mentioned fishy orders. Amelie's fine too, by the way. Talon did abduct her but we were expecting it and traced her back to their base. Wiped it off the map and recovered her before they had a chance to do anything. Gerard was beside himself.
I bet, the mysterious woman replied.
Time to show a bit of his hand. We're still waiting for whatever shake-up in the Shimada Clan leads to Genji crossing our paths.
The cursor flashed for a good twenty seconds. Oops.
Well, that got him nothing. Ale and Jesse are getting pretty serious. They're making vague plans for a Halloween wedding.
dtygiskghsjtg of COURSE they are, omg, that's great! I bet Gabe's thrilled.
Winston frowned. "What's...d'tygisk gh'sitg?"
"That's not a word," Jack told him. "It's gibberish. People back in..." the words trailed off. A clue! "...back in the early twenty-first century expressed extremely tangled reactions by just pressing random keys, although usually..." he stared at the keyboard. "Usually, there were more a-s-f and j-k-l in the mix." Slowly, he mimed typing the string of random characters. It made no sense unless... "I think our friend is a one-handed typist, for some reason, and that she's either in, or lived through, that time period."
"Well, it's a start," Winston sighed.
Hello? Jack?
Sorry, distracted. So that's a surprise to you?
Kinda, yeah. Without intervention, Sombra would have wound up aro/ace. Glad they're happy.
Jack smiled. Ale's done Gabe a world of good. He's not allergic to admitting affection anymore. The smile sharpened. I imagine when his first grandchild is born, he'll lose a lot more of that toxic masculinity.
His WHAT??
Like you said, Jack continued, grinning broadly. He adopted Ale. Something about a child after his own heart and getting what she wants, no fucks given.
Yeah, no, I knew that part, but....
Jack and Winston exchanged a confused look. But what?
It's just....uh...does Alé even have the necessary parts?
Winston frowned and conferred quietly with Athena. "She does not," he said in surprise. "How..."
"That's between her and Jesse and maybe Angela," Jack said firmly. I don't know what she's plotting, since you are correct once again. Does SHE know she doesn't have...?
Oh yes. She knows her DNA sequence pretty thoroughly.
Then I'm not going to question it. So, how are you doing? Jack held his breath, waiting for a response.
Not too bad, you?
"Damn," he muttered. That was very smooth.
Thank you.
You're really not going to tell me anything about yourself? When you know so much about me?
The cursor flashed. What good would it do you if I did?
"She does have a point, Jack."
"I know. That doesn't mean I'm happy about it." What do you get out of helping us? he typed instead of answering.
Satisfaction.
What do you mean, satisfaction?
Oh, come on. Haven't you ever wanted to take a protagonist by the shoulders and shake them to keep them from making a huge, obvious-from-your-position mistake?
That was a clue he hadn't anticipated.
Winston frowned at the screen. "We're fictional to her?"
"At least we're the protagonists," Jack shrugged. Then his eyes went wide as certain implications hit him. Are you saying that if we hadn't gotten Amelie back...if Gabe had been...
Don't think about it too hard, advised the woman in the other timeline.
Good advice. So that's why you asked us questions to prove who we were.
I needed to know which timeline you were from. And, y'know, make sure you weren't someone pranking me.
They were fictional. But then that meant the details she'd asked for were ones that weren't canon, which still begged the question of how she knew them. "I'm going to regret this," he told Winston. I know you said to not think about it, but I have to know - what kind of media?
The cursor flashed for a few seconds. Team-shooter video game. Can you see this?
A file attachment. Winston fiddled for a second and then got it open to reveal some sort of game interface with "SOLDIER: 76" emblazoned across the top of a list of eight "skins". The one selected, 'Commander Morrison', was a fairly good 3D rendering of him in his prime.
I'm almost afraid to ask what the other ones look like, he told her.
Let's just say that no one really deals with the fall of Overwatch well, she typed back. Oh, hey - does Alé still have a full head of hair?
"That's unnerving," Winston said with forced calm.
Shaved it within her first month, except for a thick stripe. Something about not having to pretend anymore. She's got what's left trimmed to shoulder-length and dyed purple at the ends. Jack grinned. Jesse loves it. Leaves him all kinds of openings to kiss.
One of these days, I'm going to have to figure out that boy's birthday.
Something you don't actually know? Jack typed, grinning.
It wasn't relevant!
Jack decided not to ask what it wasn't relevant for. But that did make him curious... Do you know when my birthday is?
I know how badly Gabe trolled you, White boy.
Winston looked over in confusion as Jack groaned.
Well played, he complimented her. So, are you in the early 21st century, or did you just never get out of the habit of keysmashing?
The cursor blinked for several seconds. I guess that died out, huh?
Yeah, no one's done that in decades except some older folks.
Well, I don't know how you define "early 21st century" but we're still in the first fifth of the century and I'm...wait. Fuck. What year is it for you again?
Jack swallowed a smile. 2067.
Hold on, mathing...hah, I'm younger than you are.
"Well, that's kind of insulting," he murmured.
I'm just about half - no, wait, I did the math wrong. I'm closer to your age than I am Jesse's.
"Well, that gives us a range," Winston said. "Connection won't hold much longer."
Jack nodded. The connection's going to close. I know you type one-handed, he typed hastily. Will you tell me anything about that?
I'll tell you that there's a hint in The Princess Bride, she replied. If you can, drop me a line when Alé's baby is born?
Will do, he promised. Take care of yourself.
You, too, Jack. Thanks for keeping in touch. Tell Gabe he's the Big Dog.
Before Jack could ask what she meant by that, the connection closed.