2.1: Tangents
- Location
- A single human dimension
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Wake up.
[x] Flatly say you don't intend to join the Wards at this time.
-[X] Delay your response until after they've given their own pitch. You don't want to let them claim recruitment was not their intent.
The hosts of Instant and Warp are sitting across from Danny Hebert when you force Host out of unconsciousness via increasingly complicated mathematical problems.
One of the hosts present, that of Warp, is donned in an impractical mixture of green armor and clothes possessing a white and wavy green color scheme. You choose to be charitable and assume her dress is concealing additional armor. Still, unless Interweave assisted in the construction of her armor, it's simply too thin to act as proper protective plating. You don't expect it would guard her from anything worse than shrapnel, if that. Even her visor only covers the upper half of her face. Despite this, Warp's host is surprisingly small, not even coming up to the shoulder of Instant's own host. You estimate her to be two or three years younger than Host.
Instant's own attire is... odd. The vast majority of it is white and follows a consistent circle-based color scheme. His own white armor appears significantly more effective than that of his younger partner, making you wonder if assets are assigned to members based on age, raw power, or something else completely. However, his helmet doesn't match the rest of the costume, featuring a dull grey coloration and a visor similar to the one worn by his partner. You're forced to wonder if his original helmet was damaged or if it's still being constructed. You certainly hope it isn't the latter; who in their right mind would deploy a host before a point of diminishing returns? At least if it's age-based, Host will receive similar benefits. They do appear to be of similar age.
Danny Hebert notices your new status mere seconds after opening your eyes. The two hosts take only a little longer to follow his gaze.
"Uh, hi there. I'm Clockblocker and the shrimp besi—"
Host's body involuntarily stiffens as Warp's host smacks Clockblocker. To your dim surprise, the brief outbreak of hostilities isn't followed by a battle erupting in your room. What sane species includes physical violence as part of their communication system? Well, for initial actions, at least. Those are what threats are for.
"I'm Vista," Warp's host finishes, clearly trying to make her voice sound deeper than it normally is. "We're members of the local Wards team. You know, superheroes? We thought we'd drop by and say 'hi.'"
You immediately attempt to save Vista's vocal pitch for future use; Host seems to think it qualifies as "adorable," a trait you're always eager to incorporate into Friends. Strangely enough, your attempt to personally log the information fails utterly, but you can still feel yourself add the information to Host's Innovation power. The potential implications of runaway subprocesses only get more disturbing the longer you think about it. At least :Mother: wouldn't let anything happen to you. She wouldn't sacrifice a monarch just for some experimental data.
You don't realize the existence of a prolonged silence until Clockblocker deliberately destroys it.
"Nice weather we're having today, isn't it?" Clockblocker ventures.
Vista places one hand over her visor, an action her partner seems happy to ignore. You're happy to latch onto the information offered and use it to fuel further conversation.
"Is it?" you ask, leaning Host's body forward. "What are the current environmental conditions? What makes it qualify as nice? How much of a change would be necessary to negatively affect your opinion of it?"
Danny Hebert laughs oddly while the two hosts stare blankly at you. Vista eventually contributes her own giggling and Clockblocker rubs at the back of his neck with one hand.
"Actually, uh, no, it's raining. I guess that makes it antinice? Bad?"
Antinice, Vista mimes silently. You're not sure why she grins afterward, nor what the repeat was intended to communicate.
<Great host you got there, Instant. Seven outta ten, would laugh at again.>
<[ANNOYANCE.]>
"You two don't need to bicker."
"So noted. I am Taylor Hebert, daughter of Danny Hebert. Did you merely wish to greet me or was that a cover for some other action?"
Vista and Clockblocker both display behavior you file under confusion, establishing eye contact with one another before turning back to you.
"When were we fighting...?" Clockblocker asks uncertainly.
Oops.
"The smack?" Vista ventures. "I do that all the time. It's not like he really minds."
"Actually—"
"It stops talking or else it gets the hose again," Vista interrupts, still looking at you.
Clockblocker stares at his partner for several seconds, his expression beyond your interpretive skills. At least they seem to have been distracted from your slip.
"Do you even know what that's from?"
Vista tilts her head back and looks away from him.
"Of course I do."
"Really."
"Yes."
"Really," Clockblocker repeats.
"I said yes, didn't I?"
"What show is it from?"
Vista puffs up both cheeks and wrinkles her forehead (Tags: Adorable, Innovate). After a long delay, she expresses exaggerated displeasure and looks up toward the ceiling.
"I can't remember. But I've seen it!"
Clockblocker sighs and pokes Vista's side, retrieving his hand quickly enough to avoid Vista's immediate wrath. This does not save him from the younger Ward lunging toward him, an attack he weathers with a shake of his head.
"First of all, it was a movie. An R-rated Aleph horror movie, with events even ffffricking Hookwolf would say were a bit extreme. I just read a summary instead of seeing it myself, and yeah, definitely not child-friendly. Actually, I think the Youth Guard might want a word with you or your parents if you did see it. So are you sure?"
Vista spends several seconds contemplating her options. Like many, many hosts before her, she promptly refuses to admit any wrongdoing whatsoever and acts to reinforce her earlier mistakes.
"There are no recording devices in this room. You can't prove anything."
Clockblocker silently points at a small black hemisphere built into one wall. Vista soon directs a silent plea for reinforcements in your general direction, still unwilling to confess her crimes. Given the apparent inanity of their conversation, you're happy to stage a rescue.
"You effectively demanded my attention and subsequently chose to ignore my existence. Do you have additional reasons for being here or do you simply intend to waste time better spent on other activities?"
"Don't be rude, Taylor," Danny sighs.
After briefly assessing Host's father, you're sorely tempted to immediately don your blood-cultist hat in the name of improved familial relations. It does not appear his previous rest was adequate. Of course, if he's more exhausted, wouldn't he be more willing to tolerate anomalous behavior from yourself?
Your attention is drawn away by Vista before you make a decision one way or the other.
"I guess we just wanted to invite you to join the Wards," Vista begins.
"They've probably given you the usual spiel about controlling your powers," Clockblocker continues smoothly. "And yeah, most power usage is instinctual. But that's the thing: it's instinctual. Reflexive. They can help avoid flash-fried bystanders whenever you're startled or threatened."
Vista picks up where he left off. Despite their confusing behavior, they do seem to make a good team.
"And even if your power isn't like that, they can still help with refinement. Provide materials and guidance if you're a Tinker, help you find more uses for your powers if you're not, determine your limits, that sort of thing. And anyway, you get to help people and it's pretty fun sometimes."
"Joiiiinnn usssss," Clockblocker hisses quietly. Vista's resulting smack seems light and painless.
You give them a few more seconds to continue their recruitment pitch. Neither seems like they're going to continue, nor do they look as though they want to. You take a deep breath before calmly delivering your rejection.
"I do not wish to join the Wards at this time."
Vista's shoulders droop, her head soon following to look at the ground. You can't tell if her body language is being deliberately exaggerated or not. Clockblocker is a little easier to read, although his lack of reaction raises its own questions.
"Not even going to think about it?"
Is it even possible to say something without thinking about it...?
A memory automatically surfaces, one of asking Danny Hebert about Host's relationship should she become a monster. You still don't remember why you asked that.
I suppose it is.
"I did. I possess no usable memories prior to awakening in a biohazardous prison of metal, blood, and insects. None. I did not initially remember my own name. I do not recall where my home is or what it looks like. Any self-defense or personal coordination lessons have been lost, leaving me with only basic motor control. In short, I am not equipped to become a soldier and would die in rather short order."
Each other human in the room gives you a variant on the same surprised expression.
"We're not soldiers," Clockblocker objects loudly. You suspect he might've had this argument before. "We're volunteers. We fight the villains so they don't wreck the — uh, so they don't hurt normal people. And anyway, I live here. Brockton Bay's current unburnt status is something we should keep."
Vista nods beside him. You're stuck wondering if they've started to believe their own propaganda. You can understand such claims being made to get Wards to join, but shouldn't they know better by now?
Are they delusional or just oblivious?
"You fight to protect the effectiveness and existence of laws in the area you live in, correct?"
What little you can see of Clockblocker's face conveys displeasure.
"Yes...?"
"And you fight against those who would threaten that area?"
Vista raises her hand and immediately begins speaking, presumably predicting your conclusion.
"By that logic, ordinary policemen are soldiers."
You nod and give Vista an approving smile. The expression seems to confuse her for reasons beyond you.
"That's correct. It also makes classification significantly easier; individuals can safely be organized into protectors, protected, and threats. Allied soldiers can usually be placed into the protector category indefinitely. A wounded protector may be temporarily moved to the protected category, a traitor can be reclassified as a threat, and a temporary ally can temporarily become a protector. Sufficient diplomacy may result in any category changes becoming permanent."
There's a slight delay before Clockblocker leans toward his assigned partner.
"'Sufficient diplomacy?' Really? She makes talking sound like a weapon," Clockblocker comments quietly.
"Of course," you respond immediately, cheerfully ignoring the part where it likely wasn't meant for you. "Everything is a weapon. Knowledge, powers, physical objects, relationships, socialization, physical laws, everything. The only difference lay in what sort of problem you target with said weaponry. My own injuries? Elimination via Cape healing. Misbehavior from my school system? They're now faced with the threat of retribution from the local authorities should they not adequately compensate my father and I. Loneliness? Easily eliminated by making Friends. It's simply a matter of finding the right weapon to eliminate a given problem."
There's a long delay while the two hosts across from you process this new information. Clockblocker seems to finish first.
"...You know, I want to say that worldview is all kinds of messed up, but it actually makes a surprising amount of sense. It's just, uh, a weird use of the word. Most people would use tools instead."
You display uncertainty and try to access the definition of Clockblocker's proposal. Host's conscious search function continues to be as unreliable as ever, but you suppose it's good enough.
"I will attempt to use that in the future. Thank you for the alert. At any rate, being a soldier and being a volunteer are not mutually exclusive. Aren't all soldiers volunteers?"
"Uuuuhhhh..." Clockblocker's neck muscles go taut.
Surprisingly, Danny Hebert is the one to answer that particular question.
"Not all of them. Do you remember what forced conscription is?"
"'The act of forcing individuals into military service,'" you recite dutifully, then frown. You don't understand how you know that, yet can't effectively read the memory containing such a lesson. Maybe humans have an inadequate archival system and need to effectively preload definitions via separate storage?
Still...
"That seems extremely foolish. You are forcing individuals to fight for you with, what, the threat of violence? Isn't that a recipe for betrayal?"
"Sudden and inevitable," Clockblocker agrees.
"An optimal society should assign individuals to the tasks they would enjoy most and/or could best perform. We all have our specialties and it is our duty to perform them to the best of our ability. Assuming you don't wish to sabotage the framework of your society, this 'conscription' seems like an excellent way to self-inflict national injuries and lead to long-term inefficiency. A proper war machine should be sustainable and capable of crushing the enemy through sheer attrition if all other tactics fail. What of scouts? Are they conscripted? Vengeance-birthed misinformation could lead to the demise of many volunteer soldiers. You can't ambush your foes if you don't know where they are, but that doesn't mean they can't ambush you."
There's a satisfyingly long silence while everyone present stares at you. The attention is surprisingly enjoyable.
"So, uh, the United States hasn't done conscription for a while. We don't even conscript Capes during Endbringer attacks. And do you play a lot of Grand—" Clockblocker twitches and tries to recover from what was probably a reference to Host's memories. "Never mind. So..." Clockblocker inhales through his teeth. "Hypothetically, how would you handle three competing factions of superpowered individuals controlling different parts of a populated city?"
Vista's head jerks to stare at her partner. Clockblocker continues anyway.
"You don't know their civilian identities and you're reluctant to find out lest they go after yours. Same for outright killing them. Their unpowered assistants number in the hundreds and basically conceal their crimes from public view. Do you just play whack-a-mole and smack whoever causes too much trouble, or...?"
<Really? Really? You could probably just ask. Instant, your host is an idiot.>
'Hypothetical.' Really. No, I think you're trying to have me assist despite my refusal.
<Leave me alone, Warp. It's not like I picked him. By the way, Queen Administrator, what's with your host? She's, uh...>
<Acting a lot like you. Is her brain damage because you're somehow pushing too hard?>
You choose not to answer your siblings just yet. It's not your fault.
"Make lots and lots of Friends before attacking all three factions simultaneously. Continue making Friends while destroying them, possibly making examples of the worst-behaved offenders to discourage repeats."
You're starting to enjoy human verbal communication. Yes, it has some glaring flaws and is simply inferior to standard transmissions. However, several of those very flaws make deceptive behavior so very easy. You just have to think of this language and communication method as being optimized for multiple potential motives instead of coherent communication.
Sadly, Clockblocker doesn't seem very impressed by your proposal. You look forward to gloating when he eventually understands the true meaning of what you said. Assuming he remembers by then, that is. Human memory systems are dumb.
"Villains outnumber literally every hero in the city by somewhere around two or three to one. What do?"
"That just means you don't have enough Friends."
Clockblocker chokes slightly.
"That — what? That doesn't even make any sense! Not making sense is my job!"
Vista leans forward and adjusts her voice for loud whispering.
"Really, he hasn't made any puns or jokes this entire conversation. I think he might be ill."
You direct a startled glance toward Clockblocker, then glance down at your own clothes. Does white indicate the presence of disease or some similar impediment? You look back at Clockblocker just in time to see him signal disagreement via rotating his head. Oddly enough, he seems rather more upset by Vista's theory than it truly warrants.
"I'm fine, it's just — look, there's a time and a place for jokes. Life-or-death Cape fight? Sure. A hospital room with an amnesiac? Yeah, no."
You're not sure why Clockblocker only appears more upset the more he explains. Neither you nor Vista are providing any further encouragement. Regardless, he abruptly gets up and begins walking away from you, only turning back to deliver his parting words.
"Nice meeting you, Taylor. Get well soon."
Vista remains in her seat until Clockblocker is already halfway through the door, only staring at the retreating form of her partner. She eventually shakes her head and directs exaggerated unhappiness toward you and Danny Hebert. He seems surprisingly vulnerable to the attack.
"Please join the Wards when you're a little, um, settled? I'm the only girl now that SS is down and it's a little lonely. I've been a Ward since I was ten, so if you want me to show you the ropes n stuff, I can. We'll all be happy to help, even Armsmaster."
You don't respond and simply stare at Vista, not wanting to risk any sort of miscommunication. She eventually decides to just leave on her own, leaving you alone with Danny Hebert.
In a rather nice change of pace, only a few seconds go by before Danny begins speaking to you.
"Our lawyer isn't sure how much we'll be getting from Winslow, but it's... it's a lot. Enough to buy a brand-new house, fund your trip through college, and still have plenty left over."
Danny sighs and squeezes the top of his nose between three fingers.
"But I've been told I should consider hiring someone to take care of you as well. The PRT and hospital even provided overlapping recommendations. Would you be okay with that? You won't be going back to that hellhole of a school no matter what."
Danny soon misinterprets your decisionmaking and tries an alternative proposal. You think you need a better placeholder expression.
"I could quit the Dockworkers and stay home instead if you want. I'll be taking at least the first few days off regardless."
[] You don't need a caretaker. If you've forgotten anything important, you can learn it the first time you're shown. A few days with "Dad" should be enough for that.
-[] Especially since they probably wouldn't have powers anyway. Are you really supposed to listen to someone who wasn't good enough for them? Someone who doesn't contribute? There are reasons they aren't real people.
[] Ignoring medical advice is a bad idea; agree to have help care for Host.
[] You could MAKE a caretaker. He doesn't need to hire someone for that.
[] You'd prefer it if he stayed with you. Having most of your new memories be of a non-relative and possibly a non-person would be counterproductive.
-[] Hasn't he neglected you enough? You aren't supposed to have coherent access to Host's memories just yet, and indeed, that knowledge is primarily from your own.
[] Write-in
[x] Flatly say you don't intend to join the Wards at this time.
-[X] Delay your response until after they've given their own pitch. You don't want to let them claim recruitment was not their intent.
The hosts of Instant and Warp are sitting across from Danny Hebert when you force Host out of unconsciousness via increasingly complicated mathematical problems.
One of the hosts present, that of Warp, is donned in an impractical mixture of green armor and clothes possessing a white and wavy green color scheme. You choose to be charitable and assume her dress is concealing additional armor. Still, unless Interweave assisted in the construction of her armor, it's simply too thin to act as proper protective plating. You don't expect it would guard her from anything worse than shrapnel, if that. Even her visor only covers the upper half of her face. Despite this, Warp's host is surprisingly small, not even coming up to the shoulder of Instant's own host. You estimate her to be two or three years younger than Host.
Instant's own attire is... odd. The vast majority of it is white and follows a consistent circle-based color scheme. His own white armor appears significantly more effective than that of his younger partner, making you wonder if assets are assigned to members based on age, raw power, or something else completely. However, his helmet doesn't match the rest of the costume, featuring a dull grey coloration and a visor similar to the one worn by his partner. You're forced to wonder if his original helmet was damaged or if it's still being constructed. You certainly hope it isn't the latter; who in their right mind would deploy a host before a point of diminishing returns? At least if it's age-based, Host will receive similar benefits. They do appear to be of similar age.
Danny Hebert notices your new status mere seconds after opening your eyes. The two hosts take only a little longer to follow his gaze.
"Uh, hi there. I'm Clockblocker and the shrimp besi—"
Host's body involuntarily stiffens as Warp's host smacks Clockblocker. To your dim surprise, the brief outbreak of hostilities isn't followed by a battle erupting in your room. What sane species includes physical violence as part of their communication system? Well, for initial actions, at least. Those are what threats are for.
"I'm Vista," Warp's host finishes, clearly trying to make her voice sound deeper than it normally is. "We're members of the local Wards team. You know, superheroes? We thought we'd drop by and say 'hi.'"
You immediately attempt to save Vista's vocal pitch for future use; Host seems to think it qualifies as "adorable," a trait you're always eager to incorporate into Friends. Strangely enough, your attempt to personally log the information fails utterly, but you can still feel yourself add the information to Host's Innovation power. The potential implications of runaway subprocesses only get more disturbing the longer you think about it. At least :Mother: wouldn't let anything happen to you. She wouldn't sacrifice a monarch just for some experimental data.
You don't realize the existence of a prolonged silence until Clockblocker deliberately destroys it.
"Nice weather we're having today, isn't it?" Clockblocker ventures.
Vista places one hand over her visor, an action her partner seems happy to ignore. You're happy to latch onto the information offered and use it to fuel further conversation.
"Is it?" you ask, leaning Host's body forward. "What are the current environmental conditions? What makes it qualify as nice? How much of a change would be necessary to negatively affect your opinion of it?"
Danny Hebert laughs oddly while the two hosts stare blankly at you. Vista eventually contributes her own giggling and Clockblocker rubs at the back of his neck with one hand.
"Actually, uh, no, it's raining. I guess that makes it antinice? Bad?"
Antinice, Vista mimes silently. You're not sure why she grins afterward, nor what the repeat was intended to communicate.
<Great host you got there, Instant. Seven outta ten, would laugh at again.>
<[ANNOYANCE.]>
"You two don't need to bicker."
"So noted. I am Taylor Hebert, daughter of Danny Hebert. Did you merely wish to greet me or was that a cover for some other action?"
Vista and Clockblocker both display behavior you file under confusion, establishing eye contact with one another before turning back to you.
"When were we fighting...?" Clockblocker asks uncertainly.
Oops.
"The smack?" Vista ventures. "I do that all the time. It's not like he really minds."
"Actually—"
"It stops talking or else it gets the hose again," Vista interrupts, still looking at you.
Clockblocker stares at his partner for several seconds, his expression beyond your interpretive skills. At least they seem to have been distracted from your slip.
"Do you even know what that's from?"
Vista tilts her head back and looks away from him.
"Of course I do."
"Really."
"Yes."
"Really," Clockblocker repeats.
"I said yes, didn't I?"
"What show is it from?"
Vista puffs up both cheeks and wrinkles her forehead (Tags: Adorable, Innovate). After a long delay, she expresses exaggerated displeasure and looks up toward the ceiling.
"I can't remember. But I've seen it!"
Clockblocker sighs and pokes Vista's side, retrieving his hand quickly enough to avoid Vista's immediate wrath. This does not save him from the younger Ward lunging toward him, an attack he weathers with a shake of his head.
"First of all, it was a movie. An R-rated Aleph horror movie, with events even ffffricking Hookwolf would say were a bit extreme. I just read a summary instead of seeing it myself, and yeah, definitely not child-friendly. Actually, I think the Youth Guard might want a word with you or your parents if you did see it. So are you sure?"
Vista spends several seconds contemplating her options. Like many, many hosts before her, she promptly refuses to admit any wrongdoing whatsoever and acts to reinforce her earlier mistakes.
"There are no recording devices in this room. You can't prove anything."
Clockblocker silently points at a small black hemisphere built into one wall. Vista soon directs a silent plea for reinforcements in your general direction, still unwilling to confess her crimes. Given the apparent inanity of their conversation, you're happy to stage a rescue.
"You effectively demanded my attention and subsequently chose to ignore my existence. Do you have additional reasons for being here or do you simply intend to waste time better spent on other activities?"
"Don't be rude, Taylor," Danny sighs.
After briefly assessing Host's father, you're sorely tempted to immediately don your blood-cultist hat in the name of improved familial relations. It does not appear his previous rest was adequate. Of course, if he's more exhausted, wouldn't he be more willing to tolerate anomalous behavior from yourself?
Your attention is drawn away by Vista before you make a decision one way or the other.
"I guess we just wanted to invite you to join the Wards," Vista begins.
"They've probably given you the usual spiel about controlling your powers," Clockblocker continues smoothly. "And yeah, most power usage is instinctual. But that's the thing: it's instinctual. Reflexive. They can help avoid flash-fried bystanders whenever you're startled or threatened."
Vista picks up where he left off. Despite their confusing behavior, they do seem to make a good team.
"And even if your power isn't like that, they can still help with refinement. Provide materials and guidance if you're a Tinker, help you find more uses for your powers if you're not, determine your limits, that sort of thing. And anyway, you get to help people and it's pretty fun sometimes."
"Joiiiinnn usssss," Clockblocker hisses quietly. Vista's resulting smack seems light and painless.
You give them a few more seconds to continue their recruitment pitch. Neither seems like they're going to continue, nor do they look as though they want to. You take a deep breath before calmly delivering your rejection.
"I do not wish to join the Wards at this time."
Vista's shoulders droop, her head soon following to look at the ground. You can't tell if her body language is being deliberately exaggerated or not. Clockblocker is a little easier to read, although his lack of reaction raises its own questions.
"Not even going to think about it?"
Is it even possible to say something without thinking about it...?
A memory automatically surfaces, one of asking Danny Hebert about Host's relationship should she become a monster. You still don't remember why you asked that.
I suppose it is.
"I did. I possess no usable memories prior to awakening in a biohazardous prison of metal, blood, and insects. None. I did not initially remember my own name. I do not recall where my home is or what it looks like. Any self-defense or personal coordination lessons have been lost, leaving me with only basic motor control. In short, I am not equipped to become a soldier and would die in rather short order."
Each other human in the room gives you a variant on the same surprised expression.
"We're not soldiers," Clockblocker objects loudly. You suspect he might've had this argument before. "We're volunteers. We fight the villains so they don't wreck the — uh, so they don't hurt normal people. And anyway, I live here. Brockton Bay's current unburnt status is something we should keep."
Vista nods beside him. You're stuck wondering if they've started to believe their own propaganda. You can understand such claims being made to get Wards to join, but shouldn't they know better by now?
Are they delusional or just oblivious?
"You fight to protect the effectiveness and existence of laws in the area you live in, correct?"
What little you can see of Clockblocker's face conveys displeasure.
"Yes...?"
"And you fight against those who would threaten that area?"
Vista raises her hand and immediately begins speaking, presumably predicting your conclusion.
"By that logic, ordinary policemen are soldiers."
You nod and give Vista an approving smile. The expression seems to confuse her for reasons beyond you.
"That's correct. It also makes classification significantly easier; individuals can safely be organized into protectors, protected, and threats. Allied soldiers can usually be placed into the protector category indefinitely. A wounded protector may be temporarily moved to the protected category, a traitor can be reclassified as a threat, and a temporary ally can temporarily become a protector. Sufficient diplomacy may result in any category changes becoming permanent."
There's a slight delay before Clockblocker leans toward his assigned partner.
"'Sufficient diplomacy?' Really? She makes talking sound like a weapon," Clockblocker comments quietly.
"Of course," you respond immediately, cheerfully ignoring the part where it likely wasn't meant for you. "Everything is a weapon. Knowledge, powers, physical objects, relationships, socialization, physical laws, everything. The only difference lay in what sort of problem you target with said weaponry. My own injuries? Elimination via Cape healing. Misbehavior from my school system? They're now faced with the threat of retribution from the local authorities should they not adequately compensate my father and I. Loneliness? Easily eliminated by making Friends. It's simply a matter of finding the right weapon to eliminate a given problem."
There's a long delay while the two hosts across from you process this new information. Clockblocker seems to finish first.
"...You know, I want to say that worldview is all kinds of messed up, but it actually makes a surprising amount of sense. It's just, uh, a weird use of the word. Most people would use tools instead."
You display uncertainty and try to access the definition of Clockblocker's proposal. Host's conscious search function continues to be as unreliable as ever, but you suppose it's good enough.
"I will attempt to use that in the future. Thank you for the alert. At any rate, being a soldier and being a volunteer are not mutually exclusive. Aren't all soldiers volunteers?"
"Uuuuhhhh..." Clockblocker's neck muscles go taut.
Surprisingly, Danny Hebert is the one to answer that particular question.
"Not all of them. Do you remember what forced conscription is?"
"'The act of forcing individuals into military service,'" you recite dutifully, then frown. You don't understand how you know that, yet can't effectively read the memory containing such a lesson. Maybe humans have an inadequate archival system and need to effectively preload definitions via separate storage?
Still...
"That seems extremely foolish. You are forcing individuals to fight for you with, what, the threat of violence? Isn't that a recipe for betrayal?"
"Sudden and inevitable," Clockblocker agrees.
"An optimal society should assign individuals to the tasks they would enjoy most and/or could best perform. We all have our specialties and it is our duty to perform them to the best of our ability. Assuming you don't wish to sabotage the framework of your society, this 'conscription' seems like an excellent way to self-inflict national injuries and lead to long-term inefficiency. A proper war machine should be sustainable and capable of crushing the enemy through sheer attrition if all other tactics fail. What of scouts? Are they conscripted? Vengeance-birthed misinformation could lead to the demise of many volunteer soldiers. You can't ambush your foes if you don't know where they are, but that doesn't mean they can't ambush you."
There's a satisfyingly long silence while everyone present stares at you. The attention is surprisingly enjoyable.
"So, uh, the United States hasn't done conscription for a while. We don't even conscript Capes during Endbringer attacks. And do you play a lot of Grand—" Clockblocker twitches and tries to recover from what was probably a reference to Host's memories. "Never mind. So..." Clockblocker inhales through his teeth. "Hypothetically, how would you handle three competing factions of superpowered individuals controlling different parts of a populated city?"
Vista's head jerks to stare at her partner. Clockblocker continues anyway.
"You don't know their civilian identities and you're reluctant to find out lest they go after yours. Same for outright killing them. Their unpowered assistants number in the hundreds and basically conceal their crimes from public view. Do you just play whack-a-mole and smack whoever causes too much trouble, or...?"
<Really? Really? You could probably just ask. Instant, your host is an idiot.>
'Hypothetical.' Really. No, I think you're trying to have me assist despite my refusal.
<Leave me alone, Warp. It's not like I picked him. By the way, Queen Administrator, what's with your host? She's, uh...>
<Acting a lot like you. Is her brain damage because you're somehow pushing too hard?>
You choose not to answer your siblings just yet. It's not your fault.
"Make lots and lots of Friends before attacking all three factions simultaneously. Continue making Friends while destroying them, possibly making examples of the worst-behaved offenders to discourage repeats."
You're starting to enjoy human verbal communication. Yes, it has some glaring flaws and is simply inferior to standard transmissions. However, several of those very flaws make deceptive behavior so very easy. You just have to think of this language and communication method as being optimized for multiple potential motives instead of coherent communication.
Sadly, Clockblocker doesn't seem very impressed by your proposal. You look forward to gloating when he eventually understands the true meaning of what you said. Assuming he remembers by then, that is. Human memory systems are dumb.
"Villains outnumber literally every hero in the city by somewhere around two or three to one. What do?"
"That just means you don't have enough Friends."
Clockblocker chokes slightly.
"That — what? That doesn't even make any sense! Not making sense is my job!"
Vista leans forward and adjusts her voice for loud whispering.
"Really, he hasn't made any puns or jokes this entire conversation. I think he might be ill."
You direct a startled glance toward Clockblocker, then glance down at your own clothes. Does white indicate the presence of disease or some similar impediment? You look back at Clockblocker just in time to see him signal disagreement via rotating his head. Oddly enough, he seems rather more upset by Vista's theory than it truly warrants.
"I'm fine, it's just — look, there's a time and a place for jokes. Life-or-death Cape fight? Sure. A hospital room with an amnesiac? Yeah, no."
You're not sure why Clockblocker only appears more upset the more he explains. Neither you nor Vista are providing any further encouragement. Regardless, he abruptly gets up and begins walking away from you, only turning back to deliver his parting words.
"Nice meeting you, Taylor. Get well soon."
Vista remains in her seat until Clockblocker is already halfway through the door, only staring at the retreating form of her partner. She eventually shakes her head and directs exaggerated unhappiness toward you and Danny Hebert. He seems surprisingly vulnerable to the attack.
"Please join the Wards when you're a little, um, settled? I'm the only girl now that SS is down and it's a little lonely. I've been a Ward since I was ten, so if you want me to show you the ropes n stuff, I can. We'll all be happy to help, even Armsmaster."
You don't respond and simply stare at Vista, not wanting to risk any sort of miscommunication. She eventually decides to just leave on her own, leaving you alone with Danny Hebert.
In a rather nice change of pace, only a few seconds go by before Danny begins speaking to you.
"Our lawyer isn't sure how much we'll be getting from Winslow, but it's... it's a lot. Enough to buy a brand-new house, fund your trip through college, and still have plenty left over."
Danny sighs and squeezes the top of his nose between three fingers.
"But I've been told I should consider hiring someone to take care of you as well. The PRT and hospital even provided overlapping recommendations. Would you be okay with that? You won't be going back to that hellhole of a school no matter what."
Danny soon misinterprets your decisionmaking and tries an alternative proposal. You think you need a better placeholder expression.
"I could quit the Dockworkers and stay home instead if you want. I'll be taking at least the first few days off regardless."
[] You don't need a caretaker. If you've forgotten anything important, you can learn it the first time you're shown. A few days with "Dad" should be enough for that.
-[] Especially since they probably wouldn't have powers anyway. Are you really supposed to listen to someone who wasn't good enough for them? Someone who doesn't contribute? There are reasons they aren't real people.
[] Ignoring medical advice is a bad idea; agree to have help care for Host.
[] You could MAKE a caretaker. He doesn't need to hire someone for that.
[] You'd prefer it if he stayed with you. Having most of your new memories be of a non-relative and possibly a non-person would be counterproductive.
[] Write-in
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] Tell Efficiency's host that your parental unit is not home at this time, and as such, you likely should not be talking to strange men who live over water and don't distribute weaponry to children in need. Subsequently shut the door and ignore any further hails.