audio; a warning

[alan_1]

[The audio message is posted to the network at midday. Alan’s voice is measured and serious, though some may catch a certain strained quality undercutting his words.]

This is Alan Bradley speaking. I’m posting this as a warning about one of the ship’s new arrivals -- a program named Clu. [There’s a link to Clu’s page on the MID directory here, which includes an image of the program in question. Those who were present the previous month may also recognize the name from the emergency post Alan had made some weeks earlier. For those who weren’t:] He was created as the admin of a server called the Grid. A few of you may have seen the Grid firsthand through the Ingress on Amissis-Re, in which case you know what he’s capable of. He rewrote programs against their will en masse and kept his own User trapped on the Grid for years. [Some of the anger Alan’s trying to keep in check slips through here and still lingers as he continues.] He’s a danger to everyone on the ship -- especially to any inorganics with accessible code. His only interest in rewriting programs on the Grid was to make them completely obedient and loyal to him and there’s no reason to believe he won’t do the same to any AI he can manipulate here.

Don’t let your guard down around him and don’t leave him alone with any of the AI onboard if you can help it. Death may not always be permanent here, but what Clu could do might be.

[There’s a pause that might be a sigh and then:] I think we can all agree that it’s a theory better left untested.

[And on that note, the audio message ends. He won't address Clu directly here; the program has an MID like everyone else. If he wants to respond directly, he can.]

Comments

text; encrypted

[whoami]

Seriously? There's already enough problems with misunderstandings, and anarchy. Stirring up drama isn't going to help.

[ Well maybe if you talked that wouldn't happen. ]

text

[chain_dash]

Can non-AI technology be affected by him?

[ His Companion Sprite isn't quite a program, in fact he's not sure what it is, just that it's mechanical and almost a person of it's own. But it's his oldest friend, and he's concerned. ]

Audio;

[devilofohara]

[Robin listens to this message with squinted eyes. She still isn't entirely sure what an AI is, and she's only had the very basics of "rewriting" one explained to her - and then there's concepts like "admin" and "the grid" that are completely foreign to her.

So she just kind of squints suspiciously for a good couple of minutes before she responds.]

...you aren't going to attack him, are you?

[That much is worth saying. Not because she gives a crap about this Clu guy, but like with Loki: She really doesn't want to set a precedent for people getting attacked for past crimes here.]

private text.

[prayed]

[dear god she's seen you on the network like ten times and always with the same thing?? and now everyone else is doing it??

Normally she doesn't comment on these things, or even look at the network, but this is starting to get really annoying.]

Do you people ever think before you post to this thing? Even a little bit?

I get hit. He pissed on in your cereal, killed your mentor, and stomped all over your playground. That doesn't mean anything here though, get it? 'Cause like, that playground he came from? It's gone. Along with whatever super special status he had.

The only one he's a threat to is any AI that's idiotic enough to show him how their coding works and let him fumble around with it til he's got the language down. For everybody else, he's about as threatening as a drenched kitten. If he pisses you off, just stick a magnet on him, or turn the microwave on, or whatever.

But sure, if he gets annoying, I'll make sure to completely destroy him just like I would anyone else. Seems fine enough for now, though. Just sorta up his own ass, but who isn't around here?

So, now that we've gotten all that out of the way, say it with me: The network is not for your personal drama. That's what Spacebook or whatever they're calling it here is for.

text

[a_shadow]

Sounds like he doesn't have the sense of conscience you have.

[harderfasterwrecker]

We had a guy who did weird scrap like that loose once.

From what I heard, our therapist shot him, then panic button dropped a ship on him.

[A completely useless sigh, because it's not like he needs to. In fact he has to try to make the sound.]

Good times. Good times.

[bosswald]

[Another one of these? Honestly.]

Does anyone here actually stop and think before they post public messages?

text

[overrecognized]

[Anon is glad that someone has sent out an alert about the threat. Pleasantly surprised that in this System, Clu is known as a threat.

However, its description of Clu's capabilities is worryingly incomplete.]
Rewrites also used to create viral corruption. Corrupted programs capable of infecting others, disk access not required. Corruption may spread to system environment.

Additional goal: deletion of ISO programs
[In Anon's experience, that had been the main goal. But he supposes that it wouldn't be a priority since Clu had mostly succeeded.]

video; public, unencrypted (1/2)

[a_perfect_end]

[...!]
[!!!...]
[...!!!!!!]

video; public, unencrypted (2/2)

[a_perfect_end]

[The words are smooth and small and mean under a heavy, bright sheen of teeth.]

You look just. like. This guy I know. It's uncanny.

audio, private;

[hatesimprovising]

[ Wash doesn't believe what he's hearing at first. Some kind of awful joke, right? Because he knows enough about this Clu from everything that happened last month to know that him showing up here would be so far from good.

Except, it's clear that Alan's not making some horrible joke post, no matter what he'd prefer to believe. He's bristling by the time the message is over. Why does this shit keep happening? Sometimes it seems like the Ingress pulls in people specifically to fuck with certain others on the ship. ]

You've got to be fucking kidding me. He's here now?!

[ Repetitive, considering Alan just explained the whole thing, but Wash's anger doesn't care. ]

What can we do? Is there any way to prevent him from pulling any of this? Or is it just another thing we have to deal with around here now, not being able to leave inorganics out of our sights?

☄ PRIVATE

[warandpeace]

What are you planning to do about him? If he gets his hands on Rinzler again...

audio;

[alan_1]

No. I’m not encouraging any kind of violence. Just vigilance.

text; encrypted

[alan_1]

It’s not stirring up drama, it’s warning people on the ship of a legitimate threat. People should know the kind of danger he poses.

text;

[alan_1]

What kind of technology do you have in mind? ["Non-AI" is a pretty broad category after all.]

[alan_1]

[...]

Well, I’m not advocating that we drop a ship on him. Or that anyone shoot him, for that matter.

text;

[alan_1]

[This new information comes as a surprise and not a pleasant one. So Clu could write contagious damage into program code? The thought is alarming to say the very least.]

What effects does this corruption have on infected programs?

[The term “ISO” is familiar, if undefined. Alan can remember it in Flynn’s voice, amidst his feverish, indecipherable descriptions of a discovery to change the world forever.]

And why did Clu want to delete these ISO programs?

text

[chaostic]

Do his skills only apply to rewriting AIs, or can he mess with other technical functions on the ship?

[ He just needs to know. For. Reasons. ]

text; encrypted

[whoami]

But it's coming from you, so it looks pretty much like stirring up drama. All you've achieved with this post is putting a target on your back.

video;

[alan_1]

[Alan had been bracing himself for this moment ever since he found out Clu was onboard. Seeing that achingly familiar face on the program’s directory page had been difficult on its own. Actually hearing him talk in Flynn’s voice is enough to feel like a physical blow. Except it’s not Flynn’s voice, not quite. Or at least not one that Alan has ever heard, all sharp-edged and cold.

It makes it easier, marginally.]

Knew. [A single terse syllable. This isn’t the Grid and Clu doesn’t have any right to Tron and Rinzler here.]

video

[chain_dash]

[ The text switches to a image of his Companion Sprite with Drifter in the blurry background, and instead of continuing to type, the Sprite projects his words. ]

「 I'm not sure what kind of technology my Companion Sprite is, just that he is. Does it matter? 」

private; text

[arcreact]

you seem to know a lot about this

[ It's a question, sort of; he's testing the waters. ]

[Not Here]

[ersatzeverything]

[Deacon doesn't reply, but if Clu is a potential threat to all the AI on board, then Deacon has decided to make him his intel target. Stick close, tell lots of lies, assess, and hopefully put himself in a position to know early on if danger is going to manifest.]

video;

[a_perfect_end]

[Clu learned very early in his runtime to avoid showing weakness; he doesn't even blink for the reality of Rinzler's features--Tron's face--on this tired and resolute mortal shell.

That voice, though, is all Tron.

Game on, old friend.]

Ooh. You have the same killer conversational skills, too! [Batting his eyes obnoxiously] Must be a family trait?

AUDIO [PRIVATE]

[squadgoals]

[Good lord. What was it with all the call-outs? It was practically an incitement to riot. The ability to escape the ship for extended periods might be the only thing stopping it. At this rate, they'd need a vacation from the damn vacation.

There was no point in lecturing him about it now, though — what was done was done, and there was a few questions.]

First — please inform the captains. They're not omniscient, and they don't always have time to read every post on the network that goes through.

Second, Rinzler told me CLU was his administrator. Are you saying he re-coded Rinzler to switch administration from yourself to him? You're worried about Rinzler, but you've also tried to re-code Rinzler yourself — people may not be so eager to take you at your word.