voice;

[afterlifer]

Found iiiiiit~!

Heh, this glitch has been a lot of trouble, hasn't it? I lost my phone for a while and was unable to contact any of you before now, but I've been looking for the source area of the glitches. It probably won't help me get there, but if aaaanyone's seen one area more than any others that seems to be affected, please let me know! It's likely there will be a number of shadows there.

I've discovered a hint for those looking for something to drink. If you boil any liquid, it seems to become ice cold water. Getting the fire to work properly can be tricky, but it's important to keep hydrated, buddies!

I tried to clear a few areas individually, but it seems like the glitch redevelops itself unless I can find the source. Also, there are no unaffected areas, which means that the Programmer and Fantoche should be locatable as well. I would appreciate it if anyone who finds them aims to capture. I can fix Fantoche-san and return him to his intended self if we can find him, and I'm sure that there are many questions you all have for the Programmer.

[ He is her creator after all, she doesn't necessarily want him destroyed if she can return him to how he's meant to be. ]

Stay safe and good luck, everyone!

Comments

[onewayroad]

[It's not the most sturdy grip but whatever. He kicks off the ground and practically catapults upward, Ai in tow. Everything manages to work as he wants it until just as they've dropped onto the roof—instead of a simple landing where he absorbs as much of the impact as he can, it's more like landing on a waterbed. The stupid surface of the roof rolls under them and it takes him a lot of difficulty steadying his footing so he doesn't fall onto his ass or lose his balance. He sucks in his breath and scowls in annoyance, keeping a firm grip on her arm while he waits for the damn thing to settle.]

[afterlifer]

[ Whoops. Because of that, Ai ends up actually tripping and nearly falling on her ass. It's Accelerator's arm that keeps her up, practically clinging onto it for a few seconds before she can get her feet steady.

..NPC or not, she still has to deal with the way this world works. Once she's up properly, she chuckles. ]

At least it's somewhat entertaining up here!

[ Might as well keep the mood light, right? ]

[onewayroad]

[The look on his face says he disagrees. He lets out a laborious exhale and once they've both steadied enough on their feet he unlinks his arm from hers.]

Maybe in your opinion it is.

Now, you're going to answer some questions.

[afterlifer]

I'm only stating what I've observed. "Bouncing" is fun to many people. It's odd, but harmless.

[ She faces him, however, and nods. ]

What questions?

[onewayroad]

Questions about the programmer and this world.

What can you tell me about the surveillance systems in place that the Programmer would have access to?

[One question at a time. Based on what she has observed and what she's willing to tell him, these could be infodumps.]

[afterlifer]

There are security cameras just like there are at any school. They extend only to populated areas. They're the same ones that can be accessed from the security office.

[onewayroad]

So the roof here ought to be a blind spot... What about hidden cameras? What about microphones? And what about the town area?

[Thinking look. He's used to the heavy surveillance in Academy City, but rarely ever had a reason to pay attention to cameras there. The Programmer is the only reason he's never needed to be concerned about that kind of shit here, either.]

[afterlifer]

I haven't kept track of that information, but after I finish the glitch I can create a Guard Skill to detect electronic devices and get back to you.

[onewayroad]

Do that.

On a similar topic... can a person only access Angel Player from the computers it's installed on?

[afterlifer]

Yes, it has to be installed on your device and linked to the user. However, any new abilities added are visible to all users.

[onewayroad]

The Programmer was using a computer or other device with a keyboard when he made his announcement. You could hear the keys at the beginning before he started talking.

He might have moved the computer since then, but is it possible to pinpoint which room he was in at the time based on the sound waves found in that recording?

[It'd take some work if one didn't already have a database of unique sound waves. It's also debatable whether any sound waves in the recording are unique enough to only occur in certain parts of the campus. On the other hand, the Programmer may not have considered the possibility of having his location tracked that way. It's worth planting the idea in Ai's head.]

[afterlifer]

I don't have the experience or programming to differentiate soundwaves yet, but if I had access to something to learn it from I could do it fairly quickly. That wasn't a necessary basic when I was being written.

[ She's looking like she's considering the option as viable if she could acquire the knowledge base to do it though. ]

[onewayroad]

[pulls out his cell phone and brings it to the app screen, then holds up the screen for her to see]

My phone came pre-installed with an audio analyzer app. I've experimented with it a few times, so I know it works, but it's very basic compared to the tech levels I'm used to.

[afterlifer]

May I borrow your phone?

[ She holds out her hand for the phone. ]

Heh, the apps on the phone were generated randomly based on information records available in the afterlife, so I don't have the codes for them stored, but I can extract it!

[onewayroad]

[hands it over]

Go ahead.

When you start your research, 'physics of sound' is a good starting point.

[afterlifer]

[ Ai seems to mutter something along the line of "Recode" which pulls up a holographic screen. Normally, she only does this with glitched items or areas, so it looks very neat and organized when she does pull it up. She moves a few things around with her fingers, her eyes seeming to glaze over for a few moments once she does. Twice while she's doing it, some of the boxes seem to glitch out and she fixes them immediately. The active glitch seems to have no problem infecting data that pops up. She blinks a couple of times once she's done, as though she was just woken from a sleep. ]

I've got the data. I'll make sure to find data about sound physics later and see if I can't perfect it. It won't be of any use until I find the source of this glitch.

[onewayroad]

[He watches this with narrowed eyes, taking in the details as he observes. Once she's done and spoken up:]

That's fine, I expected the current glitch to take priority anyway.

[holds out his hand again for his phone]

Now, you mentioned something about abilities added being visible to all users... is that from any device with Angel Player? Does that mean you know which skills the Programmer has?

[afterlifer]

[ She returns it to him. ]

Yes. He only has a couple more than I do, though they are not skills that I was originally designed to use.

[onewayroad]

[puts his phone away]

Tell me what his skills are and what they do.

[Setting aside what he's seen Ai use, he's only heard a little about guard skills on the network.]

[afterlifer]

Skills originally developed by user Kanade Tachibana are Hand Sonic, Delay, Harmonics and the adjustment made by Yuri Nakamura under Kanade Tachibana's account called "Absorb/Time Wait," Howling created by Kanade Tachibana's Harmonics clone, and Recode and Freeze Lattice created by me are the ones I have saved. Heh, they're my personal favorites~

[ Ai smiles, then continues, raising a finger each time she lists one as though she's making certain that she's got them all. ]

Hand Sonic is a physical-type weapon that protrudes from the arm made for defensive measures. There are 4 known versions. Delay refers to a visual delay, forcing the opponent to view an after image during a fight for evasive maneuvers. Harmonics creates duplicates of the user based on the intent at the moment of use. The Absorb/Time Wait adjustment returns all clones automatically to the original user within a set amount of time. Howling is a high-frequency, high-amplitude sound with eardrum shattering capabilities if the attack were to continue after the opponent has lost consciousness. Recode is a skill used to show the base code within a specified area that makes it easy to find and repair corrupt data. You just saw me using it with your cell phone. Freeze Lattice you have also seen me use. It stops the motion of anything within the lattice field.

[ She pauses as though she's checking to make sure he's still following along, but only a second later continues. ]

The skills that he has are an additional version of Hand Sonic, Seismicphoresis-- which uses electricity to create localized earthquakes and sharp stalagmite-like protrusions from the ground within the area, and Ricochet Roulette. Ricochet Roulette creates multiple moveable panels. If a bullet hits the panel, it can reappear out of any of them and disappear into another repeatedly until it hits something other than a panel. There is no maximum number of panels, however, controlling more than 6 at any one time would be extremely difficult to control.

Is that sufficient information?

[onewayroad]

[makes a visible sign of recognition at the mention of Harmonics clones and Yuri, recalling what she'd told him on their way to Guild once. The Absorb/Time Wait skill must have been the one that had put Yuri's acquaintance, the aforementioned Tachibana, into some sort of coma. His eyes narrow, but he waits patiently for Ai to finish her explanations.]

Almost nearly sufficient. He sure sounds like he'd be a pain in the ass to face while armed only with guns.

About Freeze Lattice... I've seen you use it, but what's the maximum range for the points you can set up? And let's say someone you're trying to freeze is capable of using his Personal Reality to freely control vectors like motion that are in close proximity to his body. Will Freeze Lattice trump that, or will his ability? Just your best guess.

[Since Ai has probably never had to consider the possibility.]

[afterlifer]

It's intended for bullets, but it would work for any projectile that fits within the panels. It would make it effective against any physical weapon, which is what most of the people here utilize.

Maximum capable size is a 15 meter diameter, thoooough it would be difficult to set it up at those specs, heh... For Freeze Lattice, I'll need more information about the ability. Freeze Lattice's skill range should be capable of freezing anything that comes in contact with the Lattice. If you were to be caught into it, you would be rendered incapable for a period of up to 5 minutes. It was designed to be a means of escape.

[onewayroad]

[long pause, mentally considering possible wording]

...The ability is the manipulation of the vector magnitudes and directions for any vectors coming in contact with my body or clothes, and I do mean any. Under normal circumstances, anyway. This fucking glitch keeps causing interference.

[Surely she can infer that as the explanation for his haphazard speed on their way from the tennis courts.]

All I care about is whether I can escape by jumping over the Lattice without touching it, or if I'm fucked the moment I'm surrounded by all the points. You know, just in case I happen to strike it rich and come across that irritating bastard.

[afterlifer]

Oh! Yes, provided that you don't physically come into contact with the Lattice, it's possible to move over it. It's the same as how if I use the Lattice against the Shadows, it's possible to use a long-range weapon to destroy them. Hmm.. I think I only demonstrated that with Suzumiya-san.

[onewayroad]

Good.

[With his ability being so unreliable right now, the last thing he wants is to make dumb mistakes he could have prepared for. Of course, this is all in the hypothetical scenario that he does locate the guy, but he's hoping that his public contact attempt on the network will make the Programmer more likely to pay attention to him, someone potentially working in tandem with the very NPC he seeks. Accelerator fully intends to stay away from her after this for the time being, once he has the information he came for - but that guy doesn't know that.]

One last question about the Guard Skills: are there any restrictions on how many can be used at a time, or related to frequency or time delays?