Force and Action

[trustycrowbar]

[He'd seen the news broadcast, and absolutely no part of it boded well. Smash Academy was officially a target to anyone with strong pro-human sentiments. He wasn't as quick to put on his military cap as Cyrus, but he could read the writing on the wall.]

[Text, Public]

A notice to students; over the next few days, if anyone from Final Destination City tries to talk to you about the incident or makes any sort of threat towards you or your friends, get in touch with a member of the faculty as soon as you can. It doesn't matter who; if nothing else you can reply to this message, or visit someone's office hours. Do not try to solve any problems by yourself. Remember that we're here to help you and keep your safe.

[video, private to Ishimaru]

I know I'm part of a long line of people you're explaining to today, but... what the hell actually happened out there?

[To Shadow and Ron]

Do you guys need an extra man on security for a while? [The way he says that implies a YET at the end.]

[Text, to Chell]

I heard on the news that they're associating Aperture with the incident. Are you all right?

Comments

[trustycrowbar]

[What... just... how... okay, just roll with it. It's not out of character for him, that's for damn sure. Maybe he has a hover unit in that sphere. He's now a violent attack adventure hoversphere. Yeah. He'll go with that for now.]

What about you? And... Vivian? Are you both all right?

[forgetbeam]

[That's pretty accurate anyway.]

We weren't badly injured.

[Nothing but the basest of responses over here. He really doesn't want to talk about this until he's actually had time to sort things out.]

...I'm sorry. I wasn't able to help her overcome her programming after all.

[trustycrowbar]

[Yeah, about that... He'd promised GLaDOS a long time ago that he'd take Vivian apart if she shot anyone, but:]

She shot in self-defense, right?

[forgetbeam]

She was in a position where she may have been able to escape, but... if she hadn't shot, Rick would be the one dead. I may have been as well.

[Kill or be killed. A recurring theme in his life, it seems.]

[trustycrowbar]

[His eyebrows raise.] She was... protecting you two?!

[forgetbeam]

Yes, that's right. So it was still for the sake of some sort of defense...

[trustycrowbar]

[He still looks like Ishimaru just proved to him empirically that the sky is purple and always has been.]

More than that. She may be a defense turret, but those things usually protect spaces, not people, and they're only as loyal as you can throw them. [IT'S NOT A MIXED METAPHOR he's sent a few flying in his day.]

I... don't think you failed, kid. I mean, well, she's still lethal, but hell if I wouldn't have done the same thing in her position...

[forgetbeam]

[He stares at the screen for a few moments, letting the implications sink in. If Vivian, who was not programmed to protect people, had done that... Was there a flaw in her programming to begin with, or did that mean she was capable of human attachment after all?

It was promising, but at the same time, she still saw nothing at all wrong in how she'd protected them. How likely was it that she'd use the same methods in the future?]

You do believe that is what she did, then? ...The police were doubtful, but I am telling the truth about what I saw!

[trustycrowbar]

I get the feeling that, until she learns some self-control, we're going to have to make her less lethal. Have you considered rubber bullets for her? Paintballs? Maybe she can be, uh... retrofitted.

[\Christ, now that the option comes to him he's sorry he didn't think of it sooner--]

[forgetbeam]

Her weapons have already been taken away from her and...

[Shadow already swore to reprogram her.]

...I will make sure that this will not happen again. Everything else is up to the authorities.