elena-arias​:

“Okay, no contact, no harm” Elena easily summarized, nodding. It didn’t sound too difficult, though by what she’d heard about these Geists, that was probably easier said than done. “And they’re invisible, right?” she asked, just to corroborate the information she’d been told about the dangerous programs. “If we can’t see them it might be a bit tricky to avoid being touched… unless we can somehow be able to track their movements even when we can’t see them”. A motion tracker or some sort of thermal or infrared gadget. Wesley’s avatar had X-Ray vision and Maya’s could create various gadgets so it wouldn’t be too bad of an idea to ask them back… but Elena wasn’t so sure they’d agree to come just because their skills could prove useful.

Sal knew there was only so much he and the others could do with their avatars to avoid being touched. The landscape fo the new sector was fairly barren and desolate, but he had an idea that might be worth testing out. “Do we know if they can sense us or is it by vision only?” he asked Sera and Elena both, unsure if Elena might’ve been told more about the Geists by someone else. “What if there was a way for me to mimic another surrounding? To give us space?”

“That is correct” Sera said, confirming the Geists were in fact invisible programs and that as long as there was no physical contact, the users should be safe. She glanced towards Sal and waved a hand in the air, a holographic screen appearing before her. Kishan and her had been collecting all the information they had regarding the Geists. A depiction of a shifting humanoid figure was seen there along with a list of characteristics. “No, they cannot sense you. They hunt by vision, but their spectrum of visible light is larger. They see infrared as well”. She warned them, so they would be aware of that.

elena-arias​:

“All of it?” Elena repeated in disbelief. It made sense, if she really thought about it. She always felt fully herself whenever she was inside The Grid so that had to mean all of her was really in here. But it was disquieting to think that all her mind -past traumas, fears and all- would be there for these Geist programs to access. It sounded like the perfect strategy to destroy her and her friends from within. “Well, what are their weaknesses? They must have some weaknesses” she mentioned as she looked at Sal and then at Sera. If blocking them out wasn’t an option then they’d have to learn how to best fight them back.

“And something was different with Kishan?” It was difficult to shake the thought that there clearly had to be something different about him and his connection to the Grid before his death. It was unnerving to think that computer programs could have full access to his mind and the mind’s of the others, and he didn’t want to even try to guess what that could lead to. For all he knew, his guessing could be held against him. “Yeah, nothing’s invincible.”

The program tilted her head to the side after Sal’s question, some of her pixels glitching subtly as they sometimes did. “What do you mean?”. Kishan the user and Kishan the program were two different entities, she was sure his friends might say, though for Sera he hardly was any different now. She hadn’t known him in all his human fullness, and the piece of him that she knew now became the new whole, became all that was left of him. Her attention went to Elena then and she nodded softly. “They are weaker when they are on their own. Geists usually move in packs and when one absorbs energy, it links itself to the others so they all absorb more energy as well. And if they never touch you then you’re not in harm’s way. If you can find a way not to be touched then you could potentially pass the level without trouble”.

codearvis-grid​:

Sera nodded slowly, a mild glitch in her appearance happening as her expression turned more serious. The Geists were complex adversaries as it was, but based on what June, Jack and Shadia had mentioned when they visited her last, Sera knew something in the Geists programming was different. “You know the programs you will face there, the Geists- they’re unlike those you have encountered before. I’ve told this to some of your friends already, their code unusual” she mentioned as she looked at the two users. “In what way exactly, I’m not sure. I don’t have access to the code that makes up G.A.I.A.’s programs. But based on what June said about her experience in level 41, it would seem the Geists have a way of accessing your digitized consciousness while you’re in The Grid and using parts of it against you”.

Sal still clearly remembered how bad June looked when he saw her after she took part in Level 41. “How much of our brains get digitized?” he asked. It was something he’d been wondering since the first time he saw Kishan. He wasn’t even sure what part of his mind could be used against him, but he had some ideas and he didn’t want to confront it. “Do you have any ideas on how to block them out?”

“All of it” Sera stated matter-of-factly. The users existed fully inside The Grid, which meant all of their consciousness became digital for as long as they were logged in. “It’s not saved in here, though. It only exists while you are inside The Grid”. Except for Kishan, of course, whose consciousness became a permanent copy after he uploaded it before his living self died out in their world. “I’ll have to think of something” she admitted, since she hadn’t come up with a solution just yet. She had managed to include certain helpful mechanisms in some levels -such as the Ouroboros’ gem and the power of the stone Idol- so she knew she had to find a way to incorporate something like that in level 41.

sal-rizzo​:

Before Sal could respond with an uncertain guess, Sera appeared to give them the proper answer. It definitely had been a while. After seeing the state of June following her attempt to handle level 41 on her own, he was hesitant to dive right in with Elena and without some guidance from Sera. “I heard the next level’s pretty intense,” he said. “Anything we should know? Or work on?”

As Sera appeared, Elena smiled a little. It was nice seeing the program. “Oh. Okay” she mentioned after being told she had to pass level 40. Most of them -at least the ones that were still entering The Grid these days- had already passed that level and gotten their new power. Perhaps she’d asked one of them to replay it with her because she’d never been too confident about going in on her own. She could probably go into level 41 with the three skills she already had, but from what she’d heard about the new level in the Delta sector, they really needed every little advantage they could get.

Sera nodded slowly, a mild glitch in her appearance happening as her expression turned more serious. The Geists were complex adversaries as it was, but based on what June, Jack and Shadia had mentioned when they visited her last, Sera knew something in the Geists programming was different. “You know the programs you will face there, the Geists- they’re unlike those you have encountered before. I’ve told this to some of your friends already, their code unusual” she mentioned as she looked at the two users. “In what way exactly, I’m not sure. I don’t have access to the code that makes up G.A.I.A.’s programs. But based on what June said about her experience in level 41, it would seem the Geists have a way of accessing your digitized consciousness while you’re in The Grid and using parts of it against you”.

sal-rizzo​:

It’d been a while since he saw Sera’s home form in Limbo. It was so strange to think that beyond this home was essentially endless digital space, but then even Sal wasn’t sure that was the case. He looked over at Elena, just as happy to see her in her Grid form as he’d been to see her in person at the airport. “So I got something new,” he said, moving over to place his hand on a table and will his figure to shift until his outward appearance showed an exact copy of the table he was touching. He removed his hand and his avatar shifted back into existence. “How’s it feel to be back?”

Sal had mentioned something about acquiring a fourth skill but it was still shocking to see it in action. Elena’s eyes widened as he was able to perfectly mimic the object he was touching. “That’s amazing” she said. Somehow what happened inside The Grid still managed to surprise her. “So you all got a new power? How do I get mine?” she asked, curious and excited to learn what else her avatar might be capable of.

“You must pass level 40, Elena” the program said as she walked into the room where the users had just materialized in. Those that didn’t initially go through that level with the first group had to replay the level in order to unlock their new skill. “It is good to see you both” Sera said with a small smile. “It has been a while”. Measuring time in the way they did in their world didn’t quite work in Limbo but having seen some of their friends come and go more than a few times in search of information made it evident the absence of the others.

The Grid creatures - Geist

Their name comes from the German word for “ghost”. These creatures are incorporeal shadowy beings that feed on users’ life-energy. They have a tendency to travel in packs, so players have reason to worry if they encounter one because more are surely close by. If enough Geists are close by, they can create thread-like links between one another to trap their prey and keep it contained. Geists are unseen for the most part and only manifest as black floating beings when they are ready to strike.

A simple touch is enough to for a Geist to begin weakening a user and if the contact is prolongued enough they can even steal a full life. If a Geist absorbs enough ife-energy it begins to double in size, shifting from a humanoid being to a larger creature that also becomes faster, and therefore more dangerous. With enough energy a Geist can reach a size that is nearly ten times that of a regular-sized user.

elcucuy-reyes‌:

june-maslow‌:

Sebastian had more experience with viruses than she did, but working together surely they could create something as specific and inflexible as they needed. This was why she’d recruited him in the first place. “It’s risky, but if it’s done correctly it can be a game changer” she assured Kishan before she glanced briefly at her fellow hacker “We can do it”. It surely was ambitious, but that had never stopped June. If anything it was what always drove her further, higher. The idea of a virus to turn programs inside The Grid to their cause was brilliant, but Sebastian’s other suggestion of having everyone in the group get a copy of their minds permanently virtualized wasn’t one June agreed with. “We’ll have to ask the others” she mentioned, though her tone already suggested what her vote would be. Copies of their consciousness could turn out to be their biggest allies or their worst enemies given the circumstances, and given G.A.I.A.’s unpredictable behavior within the virtual world, that was a gamble June didn’t want to play. Her eyes focused on Sebastian’s avatar again, frowning deeply at his suggestion of using bodies no one would be using. “What the fuck are you talking about, Reyes?” she asked, shaking her head. “That’s a no, so get it out of your head already”. The hacker took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair as she often did in the real world “Look, we need to discuss a concrete game plan, not just theorize, not just saying the first insane thing that comes to our minds” she mentioned with a side glance to Bas. “So Sebastian and I are going to work on a virus that can help you two start turning programs” she said as she looked at Kishan and Sera. 

“I’m so glad that the two of you think I mean snatching bodies from graves or stealing patients in comas, but no,” Bas said in an exasperated tone. He rolled his eyes and then looked at the two of them. “That’s not what I was referring to.” He tilted his head and let out a huff. “Have neither of you been to the robotics lab? The one where the bioengineering and genetics students work?” After no one gave him a response, he let out a laugh. “You two really need to do some more exploring on the campus instead of hiding out in the computer lab all the time.” He took a step towards Sera, Kishan, and June. “They’re working on a project about robots and synthetic bodies. Robots that are a hell of a lot more than just robots. I don’t know everything they’ve done, but it’s worth a shot to look into what they’re doing. Maybe if you find one of those students and bring them in, you might get somewhere with it. Maybe it’s just a theory, but it’s a lot more than either of you two have gotten.”

“You can ask the others, but hold off on actually doing it,” Kishan told her. “Let Sera and I do some work and try the virus once you make one before you start bringing in everyone else’s subconsciouses into play. As far as I know, you can’t reverse this unless you kill the program and if GAIA gets a hold of them, they could become stronger and harder to delete. If the virus ends up working, we might not even need anyone from the group to bring in their subconscious. Got it?” He raised his eyebrows at the two of them, making sure they understood how dangerous it was to do it, especially if GAIA got a hold of it. Bas’s idea about robots and synthetic bodies seemed like a promising start, but Kishan still wasn’t a fan. Even for Sebastian, it seemed extremely wild and risky. It involved bringing in yet another person and working with something that seemed wildly experimental. Even Bas’s idea of altering a program’s code or creating some kind of portal seemed to make more sense than the crazy sci-fi shit Bas was thinking of. Kishan didn’t even want to entertain Bas’s idea. “June, you should take Bas and get started on that virus. The sooner you get that done, the better.”

The program’s eyes widened subtly at the mention of having her mind placed in a synthetic body in the user’s world. The real world, the world of her maker. For a moment Sera found herself wanting it, but the safety of the users came first and if it involved a risk for them she was willing to set aside any desire to experience their world. “You will need this” the program stated as she stepped forward, raising a hand to display her own holographic menu before repeating the same motion to open June’s and Sebastian’s. She scrolled through the translucent screen in front of her opening tabs that contained her knowledge about G.A.I.A.’s System Monitors. With a graceful movement of her hand, she slid the images and the text into the user’s screens. Knowing what she knew about the System Monitors would aid them greatly in finding a way to corrupt their code and make them change alliance.

elcucuy-reyes‌:

kishan-ahuja‌:

“I don’t believe you,” Kishan told June. “You looked after Tara after I died. Maybe Pre-Grid June wouldn’t have looked after her, but you did. You’re good at observing others. You’ll do just fine watching after everyone for me. Even if they hate what you did, they’re our friends. You’ll stick together through thick and thin. Trust me.” He gave her a reassuring smile, hoping that she knew that what he said was the truth. “You have to do it. Promise me that,” he said. He turned his attention back to Sebastian, who certainly knew how to push his buttons. It was amazing that the two of them were friends to start with.

“How’d they turn them?” Kishan asked. Before everything that just went down, he never thought once about how to turn programs to get them on their side. It was before they understood how much of a threat that GAIA was. “I can try, but I’m not much of a leader.” He understood now how much danger they were all in. He was willing to do anything to help out. “Sera and I will do our best.” That was his purpose now: to help the users.

Sebastian waited until June and Kishan had their moment before chiming in. “You might not be much of a leader, but it seems like you’re the only option we have for when no one else is in the Grid,” he said. “So you better shape up. A lot of people are going to be depending on you. We’ll continue to work from the outside.” Sebastian crossed his arms over his chest as he watched the program move around and talk. He seemed so much like Kishan, but at the same time, there was something off about him. It was like the uncanny valley. How could this be a fragment of Kishan? How could he be dead, but some part of him still existed? “Sera,” Sebastian asked, having caught onto who and what Sera was, “what is Kishan’s life expectancy here in the Grid?” In his gut, Sebastian knew the answer to his question, but he wanted to hear it from the program herself. He wanted to hear it from the program that was originally created by the creator who resisted GAIA’s attempts at corruption.

June felt a knot in her throat at the mention of the night he’d died, at the mention of Tara. It was hard to forget how broken the girl had been after learning her brother was gone. Her lip quivered slightly before she gave a nod, doing everything to seem certain, to seem resolute. “I promise” she finally said. For Kishan.

Sera had been standing quietly a few steps behind them and June glanced at her for a moment before her attention returned to Kishan. “We know you will”. Sera had proven herself a helpful ally, and now that there were two programs on their side -one with both knowledge of The Grid and the outside world- the hacker had trust in their chances of standing against G.A.I.A. and its System Monitors.

“Jonas said something about each program having a source code” she told Kishan as he asked how the programs had been turned. “As Maya went through the level he was able to alter the codes of the programs she encountered and reprogrammed them”. Surely there was a way to rewrite more code to enable Kishan to do what Maya had done.  

Sera had witnessed the users and Kishan talk while standing in silence. She stepped forward, glitching, some of her pixels glowing, once the new user addressed her. “Kishan is code now, like me. Our lives aren’t measured in time” she explained with a gentle voice as she looked at Sebastian. “We have a single life, unlike the users. If we lose it, we are forever deleted. Or if The Grid is deleted, we die with it”.

kishan-ahuja‌:

Kishan couldn’t even quite describe the feelings that he felt. He wasn’t real…but he felt real. He felt like he was there. Everything felt real. But it also didn’t feel like he had anywhere to be. He didn’t have anywhere to go and that he was just floating. His mind was reeling, but he didn’t have time for that. He turned to Bailey. “You need to find Bas and get the research from him. I’m sure he’s read it by now…if what you say is true.” He glanced over at Sera. “It’s about AI and the subconscious. This program saves versions of our subconscious and I figured out how to activate it. I didn’t do it for anyone else’s. Just mine. And When I was doing it, I noticed that GAIA is really close to figuring out to materializing in the real world. This computer isn’t connected to any kind of wifi or any other kind of cables. It’s all self contained and the only cables are to power the computer up and the cables connecting all the parts together. If it gets to wifi…If I’m code, I can’t ever leave from here and I don’t have lives like before. If I die here, I die permanently.”

Her shoulders slumped forward and Bailey’s head hung low. The steady stream of tears still flowing down her cheeks. She didn’t make a sound instead she just nodded her head, she’d get to Bas and find the notes. What else was there to say, she faded into her grief head still spinning as Kishan spoke over her to Sera. They spoke of things she didn’t understand. Bailey had never known much of the program she was only the muscle. “Die permanently.” Her voice was laced with pain when she repeated those words. To her, he had died permanently. She planned his memorial, she had mourned, she’d got a tattoo in his memory. Lifting her gaze she spoke again. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

Sera’s expression shifted as Kishan spoke, processing what he was saying. She no longer looked as serene as before. “G.A.I.A. can’t be allowed to materialize in your world” she stated sternly as her eyes went from Kishan to Bailey and then back to him. “A system like that having any influence in a world that is not its own could be heavily disruptive. It will seek to alter, delete and rebuild as it sees fit” the program stated.

Her attention returned to the user, who was still deeply shocked by encountering an echo of her friend’s subconscious in this virtual world. “That’s right. That is the fate of programs” Sera confirmed after Kishan let the girl know of the single life he had here. If programs lost it, they were forever deleted. Still, Kishan being a program now was more than anyone could hope for after his demise in the real world. His friends could continued to see him here. He was part of The Grid now.

kishan-ahuja‌:

“I’m…I’m what?” Kishan furrowed his eyebrows again and looked at Bailey in confusion. He knew this wasn’t his true self, but the fact that his physical counterpart had died felt strange. “My sister? Is she okay? Bailey, tell me she’s okay,” he said. He was incredibly scared that his sister had gotten hurt and that maybe she was in this crash with him. “What about everyone else? Are they okay? Was anyone else in the crash? What…what happened?” Kishan knelt down and put his hands on Bailey’s shoulders. “Listen. Before the retreat, I ran an experiment to try and activate one of the saved versions of my subconsciousness,” he told her. “Apparently, it must have worked if I’m here…along with Sera’s help. But there’s something else that’s happened. Something with GAIA. It has to do with my research. I don’t have it here…but I…If I’m gone….someone else has it. Bas. Did you find Bas?”

“He’s code,” She repeated lifting her gaze to Kishan feeling Sera’s hand on her shoulder. When Kishan leaned before the tears continued down her cheek. She had been mourning him for weeks, how was she supposed to take this. Her whole life had shifted the day he died. “She’s safe back home, it was just you, we lost you,” Bailey reassured though her voice still broke at the last statement. He held her shoulders trying to get her attention and tell her what to do next but Bailey felt as if there was no air left in her chest. Her hands lifted to her head which was no spinning. “I-I can’t.” She said shaking her head. “I can’t do anything.” Her head and she sank further into the ground. “H-he was at your memorial,” Bailey answered her voice a bit more steady now. 

Loss and grief were unknown concepts for the program, she had never felt them. And yet there was something in her that felt for Bailey and how much Kishan’s death had affected her. It was... empathy. Sera took a step back, allowing the two friends a moment. She would have left them altogether had Kishan not mentioned G.A.I.A. Her attention went to him as soon as he spoke about it. “Kishan, what happened with G.A.I.A.?” she asked with a hint of concern laced in her voice.

kishan-ahuja:

baileyfuge:

The hood fell and Kishan stood there smiling. Her mouth opened as of to say something but her body took over. She shook her head tears that she’d been holding in for weeks now pouring from her eyes. Bailey had imagined seeing Kishan again ten thousand times since his death and now they stood face to face. Bailey was too overcome to move. Standing there her battle ready avatar shaking like a terrified child. “I-I didn’t-it wasn’t…” Her hand lifted to wipe away some the tears. Closing her eyes tightly she tried to ground herself. “I helped plan your funeral.” Her voice still shaking through sobs. 

Kishan didn’t know why she was crying. He didn’t know that his real life counterpart had died or that he even got accepted into graduate school. He just knew that before the retreat, he did something to the code that activated the download of his subconscious to be a functioning program without needing to be physically in there. That way, he could help Sera and the others, even when his physical counterpart wasn’t there. “Bailey, why are you crying?” He furrowed his eyebrows for a moment. He pulled her avatar into a tight hug. “My funeral? Bailey, what are you talking about?” Kishan pulled back and looked at her, wiping her tears away. “I’m right here. I’m okay.” This version of him didn’t quite understand it all yet. He was stuck, dormant for a time until Sera was able to save him from GAIA.

His arms felt real around her and she couldn’t contain a pained whimper from passing through her lips as he held her. “The car crash, no, you’re not okay.” She said through breathless as he pulled away and began wiping tears from her cheeks. Kishan’s smile felt like a knife to her heart so she closed her eyes. This wasn’t real, it must be a trick, GAIA was even crueler than Bailey had imagined. “You died, this isn’t real, please,” Her voice began to plead as her knees shook. How could this be happening? Giving in Bailey fell to her knee before Kishan. “Your sister came to collect your body.” Tilting her head up Bailey looked into his soft brown eyes. “If this is a trick, if you’re a program, y-you’ve won. I can’t fight him, so just kill me.”

“Bailey” the program said as she moved towards the girl, her figure glitching for a second before her pixels settled again. A comforting hand came to rest on Bailey’s shoulder and Sera offered a reassuring smile “This isn’t a trick. He is the coded subconscious of your friend” she turned to briefly look at Kishan. Hearing what Bailey had to say it suddenly made sense why she had found him the way she did and why he was no longer a user... just a program, like her. Bailey’s words had to be true. He had died out there in his world and this version of his subconscious was all that remained of him. “He is only code now. He is no longer a user”.

Being back in the Grid felt like deja vu…not from the last time he was there, but from the first time he stepped out into fresh air after juvie and prison. It was strange, but refreshing. A much needed boost before a summer that was looking like it might be a drag. “Uh, hey,” Sal greeted the program. Despite all he’d been taught by the pixelated woman so far, he was still wary of her. Without a word, Sal started to follow her slowly in the direction she led.

The rooms around them continued to build as they walked on, pixels falling into place as they shaped one of the few safe spaces withing The Grid. A minimalistic living room settled around them and Sera stopped walking in the center of it. For a moment she flickered as she turned to face Sal but her pixels returned to normal in the blink of an eye. “He waited for you to return. I told him you and your friends would find your way back eventually. I’m glad I wasn’t wrong” she said to the user before her eyes looked past his shoulder to see the figure standing behind Sal.

“Good to be here, I wasn’t sure I’d make it.” Looking at Sera Bailey felt a pain in her chest. She hadn’t made it back into The Grid since Kishan had died and it was still empty without him.  Her head tilted at the question. “Me?” Bailey couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice. “I’m sure you mean Wes or June.”

The program tilted her head a bit to the side, studying the user’s reaction. Bailey seemed surprised that meant her and not one of her fellow users. “He asked for you” she said with a light smile, guiding Bailey towards one of the rooms in her home.

Sal knew he shouldn’t waste too much time after getting to the Grid to actually reach out to Sera, and he did it as soon as he paced around a little and felt fully in control of his avatar’s body. It had been so long since he’d been in the Grid that even if this was his second time since Level Eighteen, it still felt a little strange. Almost like his first couple times all over again.

The empty space Sera brought him to was unsettling. He didn’t feel safe at all, but exposed and uncertain. “Uh, hey,” Sal said, looking all around to see if it was really, truly empty where they were. It was. Just infinite blankness. “Pretty…stark here.”

The whiteness of Limbo’s emptiness seemed unsettling for the user so she raised a hand to display the holographic screen with distinct setting options. “I can make it look the Beta sector, if that feels more familiar to you”. With a light touch on one of the options everything around them began to change. Pixels flickered, changing colors, creating a surrounding that was very similar to the place where the user came from. A vast desert. “You summoned me to help, correct?” the program asked, since he had pressed that ‘Help’ option in his own avatar menu. “So how can I help you?”.

The user was in the Beta sector, that she knew because she was summoned in the way she had taught him. The program appeared by his side, standing in the middle of the desert and then she transported them both to Limbo. The virtual world wasn’t a frenzy as it had been after the events of level 18. System Monitors had patrolled the sector for a while in search for the users, but after none entered their world again in days, in weeks, that state of high alert was no more. Not until the users returned, she figured. Now that one of them was here, even if he hadn’t yet been detected by G.A.I.A. itself or the programs under its control, it was best to be cautious, to stay under their radar.

“Welcome back” Sera finally said when both of them found themselves in the safety and the vastness of the Limbo. Without any settings, the space was empty and white and endless.

Sal watched as she showed how to call for her, following along with the fairly simple process easily. With his inventory open, he couldn’t help from his eyes being draw to the sandworm’s gem. It seemed silly not to hang onto it, but he wasn’t sure what he might need it for. A bargaining chip in the future with another program, perhaps? “Good to know…” he muttered before swiping his arm for the avatar menu to disappear. He wanted to ask more questions but he wasn’t quite sure what to zero in on or what to approach next, so he decided general was better. “Anything else you think we should know going forward?”

The user’s holographic menu vanished as he waved a hand in the air. His distrust was still aparent but at least now he knew how to reach her if he wished to. His question was vague, and there was a number of ways in which she could answer it. He and his fellow users had much to learn. But the program was more interested in discussing something more particular with his one. “You should know that the gem you took is very valuable. The creature you took it from, the Ouroboros, is now yours to command”.