i am a cage in search of a bird

[crocodiline]

[ The figure inside the frosted glass snaps her fingers, and the glass falls away, sliding into grooves in the ground below. Inside, behind additional bulletproof glass, sits a woman, legs up on a transparent glass desk, absentmindedly petting a... whatever this thing is.

Say hello to your mastermind, everyone! ]

Hey there, everyone. Nice to talk to you in person - my name is Cipher, welcome to my city. Sorry I took so long to show up in person. No need to get up on my account - how about we talk business?

[ Let's drive. ]

Comments

[crocodiline]

Your friends already turned my computer against me. I'm no longer hooked to the Vita-Chamber network, and there's a group of annoying do-gooders who've found this dimension and are on their way to try to rescue you. And I believe in planning for the long-term, so I figured it wasn't beneficial for any of us to just hunker down while they try to break through New Rapture's defenses. If there's no killing and resetting you, we can at least talk things out like adults.

[onemillion]

So things were going to come to an end anyway, and you'd prefer to end it on your own terms.

[...Well, he supposes he can understand that.]

Very well. I appreciate the answers, at least.

[crocodiline]

And hey, don't undercut yourself, you guys can pick what you want to do with the legacy I'm leaving you. Whatever happens now is your choice. I said to myself "If they can figure it all out, I'll leave them in charge." And you all did.

[visiblepattern]

...Why would you think we'd want a legacy like this?

[crocodiline]

Oh, you can blow it up if you want. I can tell you how.

[visiblepattern]

Yes, but...

[...]

...Let us get the animals first. Before we do that.

[... ... ...]

Was it worth it? Any of it.

[crocodiline]

[ She looks out towards the statues, towards the ones still covered by cloth. ]

... Here on the other end, I'm not sure. I think digging all those graves might have been a waste of time.

[visiblepattern]

[...He has to ask.]

...Did you really have a way to follow through on all of the incentives? Because if so, I would like you to show me how to do that as well. Before everything ends one way or another.

[crocodiline]

Sure. You want a plan to win the war, too? Learned a lot doing research of your world. There's some wild things going on there.

[onemillion]

What do you mean by that, exactly? Are you talking about what we do with this place or what we do with you?

[crocodiline]

Both.

[onemillion]

...Then I suppose we should discuss that, though...

[He hesitates for a moment, uncertain. Then he presses ahead anyway, just like he has so many trials before.]

Will you tell me what happened here? Your own experiences, not just the things we've pieced together.

[crocodiline]

... Where do you want me to start?

[onemillion]

From the start of the game. You must have realized it was the one you built immediately, correct?

[crocodiline]

Sure. Fontaine counted down to New Years, then locked us all in here. Couldn't even think up his evil trust exercise on his own. You've been around, you probably know the broad strokes of how things went after that. Eventually things just sort of devolved into mass murder. Turns out there's a lot less caution when you do this to coworkers.

Jack, Gunnar, and I ended up beating it and killing Fontaine. We set everyone up to a Vita-Chamber in this old cruise ship Fontaine kept in a warehouse for some reason - then Gunnar and Jack sent Alex back home first before tackling anyone else, so I killed them and sent them away with Lutece Machine blueprints. I didn't even send Jack back to his time, just to fuck with him.

They ran games, I watched those games. And they both lost. You're likely to meet the survivors of those games before long here. Really, I should have seen this coming. Then I grabbed you, and decided to put you through one to see what you all were capable of before we talked shop about building this city up again.

[howveryglib]

The legacy of… what, exactly? A city of the dead malms beneath the ocean? That is far too florid a title for such a thing.

[crocodiline]

Oh, yes, because the empire Emet- I mean Solus is in charge of is such a different legacy.

[howveryglib]

[HACKLES RAISE… KEEP HIS EMPEROR’S NAME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH???]

…what are you even talking about?

[crocodiline]

Nothing. Just forgot the name your emperor prefers to go by for a second there.

[howveryglib]

…

Just speak plainly instead of dancing around whatever it is you mean to say.

[I DON’T KNOW MAYBE HE SHOULD LET IT GO BUT WHAT THE FUCK???]

ffxiv spoilers im p sure

[crocodiline]

I just think that no matter what happens to me here, you should know that you work for an Ascian, because I know I'd be pissed.

[inaclearing]

...so you were going to reset our memories, like the others? What then? Return us to our own worlds as well?

[crocodiline]

If you wanted. Or you could stay and help me build.

[sastruga]

...That's pretty delusional.

[inaclearing]

[A crack in the calm interviewer façade he's been using:]

Seriously?