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FINAL TDM.
● ● ● T D M . 10
The words ring in your ears as in the darkness of your dream, a copper glow pulses, slowly enveloping you. It is not a feeling of comfort that surrounds you, though — as a distorted voice whispers in your ear, you feel it: cold dread, and a sudden certainty that everything is about to be irrevocably changed.
It is to this daunting realization that you wake, and as your heart slows into something resembling a normal tempo, you notice something you should have noticed immediately: you are not in your bed.
1.0 White walls, clinical yet clean, sparsely-furnished rooms. You may wake in one of three rooms: a room with only one bed, a room with two beds, or a room with four beds. Those waking up in rooms with more than one bed notice that they are very much not alone. Perhaps the other occupants of the room are still sleeping, dreaming the same dream as you just did, or a regular one after returning to the station just a few days ago … or perhaps you wake to the other person in the room watching you.
What you do is entirely up to you: yell in surprise when you wake to someone staring at you? Or maybe you’ll try to sneak away before anyone notices you...
2.0 Those with life-threatening injuries find themselves awakening in the infirmary, in a regular hospital bed. Most of their injuries have been treated, and any lingering illnesses or conditions will have designated medicine bottles on the table next to the bed.
White curtains surround the bed on both sides, giving an illusion of privacy. But is that a rustling sound you hear? Some footsteps? Perhaps you’re not the only one in need of some medical attention... or you've attracted the attention of those with experience in medical aid, and they rush to your bedside, surprised about this sudden new patient.
It is not just for your injuries that you may want some company, but also for leaving the infirmary — you can’t stay there forever, after all, and will have to make your way through the hallways of the station to the living quarters, and claim a room and a bed there.
Once you’re up, you may notice there’s something in your ear: an earpiece that, when you become aware of it, quickly runs you through the instructions for how to use the network, a recorded message by a female voice that explains exactly why you’re here… and leaves you with a map of the station.
So what else is there to do but to explore? Best get to know what is now your new home.
3.0 When trying to decide where yo go, you may find your way to the armory, where you can try to work the machine there to make yourself a weapon — perhaps to replace one that didn’t come with you to the station… or maybe you want to be prepared for the future. The recently-returned team members will surely recommend having a functional weapon with you.
4.0 After you’ve exhausted yourself training, it’s time to grab a bite. For that, you should head to the kitchen, which is equipped with all the basic appliances you might need, and ingredients for most regular dishes.
5.0 A welcome reprieve to the cold, dark space that surrounds the characters can be found in the sunlight room. A skillful illusion surrounds anyone who steps inside the room: you can hear the trilling of birds, feel a light breeze caress your skin as you walk through a grass field. The illusion has been programmed to reflect the seasons — the leaves in the trees are currently bright with all the colours of autumn: orange and red and yellow; and the air is crisp and clean. If you follow the path, you'll be led to a bridge rising over a sparkling, babbling brook, a few fallen leaves floating on the water and falling around you like very bright raindrops.
With an illusion so authentic it may leave you longing for a nice glass of ice-cold lemonade, it is easy to forget you are in space at all. Perhaps that gives you comfort, or just makes you miss the real nature all the more.
6.0 If you’d rather choose tinkering over nature, the lab is guaranteed to provide you with some entertainment. Glass vials and jars of chemicals sit on shelves in a surprisingly beautiful display of colour on one side of the room, while the other side of the room contains stacks of boxes containing assorted equipment: cords, bolts, panels, buttons, gears, gadgets, gizmos, and thingamabobs. The downside is that the parts available seem to have no apparent method to their sorting. So get digging, and you may just find exactly what you need to make what you’ve always wanted to make!
7.0 As you wander back towards the common areas, you may notice a room off to the side. The room takes up a chunk of the common area, and on its unassuming door is a little plaque that reads, 'The Ximusic room'. Should you enter, you will find a sound-proofed practice room that contains — yes, you guessed it, band equipment that even the most musically inclined should be satisfied with. So pick up an instrument, saunter up to the microphone to belt out your favourite tunes, or take a seat at the side of the room and enjoy others' playing.
8.0 If it’s items you’re lacking, though, some time after your arrival, the earpiece alerts you to a new message.
As you make your way to the platform, you'll see there is nothing amiss in the neat piles of items on it. There’s clothes, shoes, dishware, skincare, books… even a couple of CDs, and a few cute stuffed animals. So sort through what there is and grab what you want, before someone else does!
Maybe you have taken the warning to be ready seriously, or maybe you’ve heard someone mention the simulation room and want to see what the fuss is all about — whatever the reason for your walking into the room, the first few moments don’t seem too exciting. It isn’t until there’s another person in the room with you that the door suddenly slides shut, and the scenery starts to change.
7.0 Simulation on the Fritz: However, what it changes to is not one of the simulated missions. Instead, the room draws on its occupants. A little flash of memory here, a familiar scene there — the room molds itself after what one (or both) of the people in it know, perhaps a place they’re familiar with: the university library you used to spend hours and hours in studying, or the castle you’ve been trying all your life to conquer.
Or perhaps the room is torn between which person’s memories to draw on, and it ends up producing a strange mix of both: a busy street surrounded by lush forest instead of buildings, or a spaceship sailing on open sea.
As there is no simulated mission, there is no completing it to get out… so look for the little things that are not quite right in the simulation: a shimmer in the air, a grey brick in a red wall — a token of sorts. Finding it will make the simulation die down around you as the room goes dark again.
8.0 Mission — An Open Door: As the simulation starts, the scene that unfolds around you is a gilded hallway. It stretches on and on behind you and in front of you; along its sides, there are countless doors. Some are lavishly decorated, some made of pure gold, some of wood; some are decayed, looking like they might fall apart by mere touch; after a heavily reinforced door comes a door made of frosted glass… and so on.
But the longer you stand in place, the more you start to feel a sense of urgency: you must keep moving… you must find it. The orb. It’s there, behind one of the doors. All you have to do is choose which one to open.
Oh, you can open as many as you want, but be careful: you never know what is lurking behind them. It may be that you open one and step into a room that is nothing but air; it may be you unleash a horde of hungry monsters. Or perhaps you luck out and get a room that is just a room, with lavish couches and plush pillows, and maybe some grapes and apples set in a bowl in the middle of a gold-decorated table.
It’s not just the orb that you need to find, though... because just like in real missions, you receive a message that tells you your task — one that you have to complete, if you want the orb to help you in your quest to undo your regret.
● ● ●
N O T E: Additionally, there are three personal tasks provided to each character as they enter the simulation. In-game, each character will be given one task. For the purposes of the test drive, we’re leaving it to players to pick a task for their character and run with it.
A Tell someone what you are most ashamed of.
B Let a teammate get injured during the mission.
C Steal something from one of the rooms.
F Y I
• TDM threads can be used as samples for apps. In fact, we encourage it!
• Reserves are now open!
• Apps open September 26.
• For any questions regarding TDM, please direct them here. For questions about the game, please refer to the FAQ.
Have a clue about the upcoming mission—
no subject
Anyone tell you it's rude to stare at people while they're sleeping?
( connor isn't in trouble for dodging. but connor is in trouble for managing to spook him. )
no subject
Probability of violence dropping, in Connor's opinion. If this man was going to throw the knife, he'd have thrown it, and tone of voice is wrong to induce terror - not that Connor feels terror. Ha ha. Definitely not.
(The ring of LEDs in Connor's head drops in urgency from red to yellow to blue. All systems OK.)]
I haven't been instructed on it specifically. If you like, I can add it as an etiquette directive.
[This is said with a big, wide, innocent expression, in a tone of voice that is painfully earnest.
It's also complete BS. Connor isn't that literal, not these days; his experiential learning capabilities are extremely aggressive. On first encountering people, though, Connor has found that the I Am Just A Sweet, Dumb Robot, Sir approach has a high percentage of successful outcomes.
Connor has forgotten the key fact that he's been transported to this ship smelling like a burning city and lightly scraped over in two colors of blood from fighting his way across Hart Plaza to find his assigned target. Don't pay attention to that, please.]
no subject
looks connor over, now that jason isn't running on his initial panic fight response when something manages to catch him off guard. the knife doesn't lower, but it's clear he's got no intention of doing jack shit with it so long as connor doesn't do anything to throw him off again. but the blood (?) isn't helping his case any, nor is the smell. the bridge of his nose scrunches up - an action that very, very briefly shifts his expression into something one would expect from a disgruntled guy in his early twenties, before it shifts back: jaw tight, eyes steady, ready for war. )
Uh huh. ( his voice is low, gravely. a close listen might catch that it's not how he talks naturally. jason angles the knife down, points the tip down towards the mess of stains covering connor. ) What happened there?
no subject
A regret, that I have been sent to rectify.
[Connor tilts its head, thinking. The head tilting does not improve cognition in any way. This is a standard expression, intended to make Connor more relatable.]
It wasn't you who I spoke to.
[Connor scans the room right-to-left, like a security camera. Cell or bunk? Door locked? Will check later. Vibration from large engine in the floor and walls. A vehicle? Large carrier ship most likely option. Connor is disconnected from both GPS and search engines. Lead lined walls?]
Do you have any information about this ship, or its staff?
no subject
( jason would know, because he also heard that voice. good to know they're on the same page, him and mister robot over here. it's enough that he does start lowering the knife, slowly, like he's waiting for connor to lurch at him the moment it's down. when that doesn't happen, he leans forward to place the knife into the sheath resting just above his belt. it's not where he got it, but it fits all the same.
he pulls himself up to his feet. takes a look around the room, and raises a hand up to his ear where the earpiece he hadn't put there rests. it hadn't come across as odd at first because it's - well, jason usually keeps his comm devices in his mask, but he's gone through several similar to it. )
Did you get up just to start staring at me?
( connor? you weirdo? )
no subject
[Doing its Perfectly Innocent Oblivious act again, as if the thing Connor just said wasnt in my defense, I didn't think I would get caught.
Do not let Connor blame any of this on being an android. CyberLife androids are programmed to have excellent social skills.
But - it genuinely has noticed its own earpiece. It's not sending Connor an interface request like tech at home is supposed to.]
no subject
Part of your function, is it?
( it's voiced as a question, but jason doesn't give connor time to answer. )
What're you, a detective android?
no subject
Connor's jaw tightens, and its back straightens. Its gaze goes distant, like Connor is a soldier being screamed at by a drill sergeant.]
Yes.
I assume you have some personal stake in the answer.
["So, what, machines are going to replace all of us?"]
no subject
which means connor had stopped to consider it, at least a little. )
You got a name?
no subject
[Although technically you can call it anything you want. Connor usually doesn't tell people that if they haven't already read it in Connor's use manual. Bored cops figure out enough ways to fuck with their equipment without Connor's help.]
I'm a specialized model created to assist law enforcement with android-related work.
[Very very very euphemistic way of saying "mechanical hunting hound" - another thing Connor doesn't offer about itself if not specifically asked.]
Would you like to tell me something to call you?
[Anything is fine here - a name, a title, a respectful mode of address.]
no subject
You can call me John. ( an easy, generic first name that took jason no time to come up with. he's been john doe for extended periods of time before, just like he's also been a series of numbers assigned to inmates. he can respond to damn near anything like it's his actual name, as long as he knows he's meant to. ) So you're an android enforcer. You spend a lot of time hunting down smart toasters?
no subject
[This, unfortunately, is every day at work.
Connor does what it always does and stares straight ahead and just kind of pretends to not be inside of its own body or whatever. Its voice gets more polite, stilted.
There's a reaction, in the part of its face that Connor can't control: Its temple LED ring flicks from yellow to red.]
My purpose is to find and track and then destroy or recall androids whose code has been deemed to be in deviation of a safe range of behavioral variance. I also respond in place of a human officer to scenes where an android has been deeply in error enough that it has begun using lethal force.
[Here, for the first time, he meets Jason's eyes. Connor's are dull at the moment, empty, doll-like.]
They're faster than people, they're usually stronger, and they don't care about death or pain.
[And if humans could handle them, they wouldn't have made Connor.]
no subject
( and terrible, for connor specifically. jason lets himself be the bad guy so he can take out other bad guys, but he did that by choice. he made that decision all on his own, led himself down the broken, beaten path of vengeance. he doesn't regret it one bit, because it was a move he'd made on his own. connor doesn't have the luxury of that.
it almost, almost makes him feel bad for the guy. but he's also starting to catch on to that color-changing led, which is why he's not taking a step back, but he is raising the hand closes to that side of connor's temple to tap at it with his index finger. )
An' what's this supposed to mean?
no subject
It's fine. You're a machine. You're disciplined. You're better than all of them.
Connor has a shit poker face, sometimes. It breathes in, lets the air out in a frustrated sigh. This is why they deviate. They deviate because they're tired of fucking holding all of this in. Don't move. Be good.
You're better than deviants, too.]
I'm afraid I don't understand the question. That is an LED indicator. It is one of my biocomponents.
[Deliberately obtuse, but also deliberately condescending.]
no subject
I know you're not that stupid.
( intentionally avoiding answers sounds more likely, which is why jason keeps pushing. )
I threaten you with a knife, it's red. We're bein' civil, it's green. I'm in your space, it goes back to yellow, then red. Is it indicating threat levels? How hard your processor's running? Is your flight or fight instinct trying to kick in, an' your beating it down?
( for a machine, his responses are relatively human. )