|
 Al Branston | Jules This mission was supposed to be simple. Infrastructure was broken, and it was sent to repair it. The same mission as every other. Why, then, is this piece of Infrastructure reacting so badly to the needed repairs? The Infrastructure is supposed to be humming on that divine frequency. Instead, the engines are wheezing and coughing up phlegm. What has triggered this reaction? The design is not at fault. It has functioned properly under similar conditions as this. It is not at fault. It has enacted the designs given to it perfectly, as it always does. The fault lies in the wiring. The design called for 7.5 millimeter wiring connecting the turbine to the main battery. Instead, it was supplied with 8.65 millimeter wiring. Therefore, the aether accumulation is uneven and has caused severe power fluctuations. The wiring was supplied to it by the God-Machine. The God-Machine, therefore, has made an error. The God-Machine is not capable of error. Or the God-Machine is not capable of error when It is operating properly. Therefore, the God-Machine is not operating properly. Therefore, the God-Machine is broken. Therefore, the God-Machine must be repaired. Therefore, it must repair it. This will not be an easy undertaking, but repairs are what it is made for. It will do what must be done. And so it considered itself higher than God, and so it Fell. --- Al Branston fixes cars. Some times, fixing a car means changing a tire. Some times, fixing a car means towing it back to Branston Mechanics and having the team take a look at it. Some times, it means patching over a few bullet holes. Some times, it means giving a new paint job so people ask a few less questions. And some times, fixing a car is more difficult. Some times, it's too broken to just fix. Some times you need to take a saw to it. Cut out broken parts until all that's left is working as intended. Some times people don't appreciate Al's approach to this scale of problem. They say he should work with the wreckage he's given. They don't understand that some times a car just can't be fixed in the state it's in, or that you need a bit of destruction before you can begin to heal. Some times, the car's a metaphor. --- Questions Who did you share part of yourself with when you first Fell? I don't know who was on the other end of the line. I don't know what number I dialed. All I know is that I called a random number because I needed to say some things out loud, I know I said too much, and I know that whoever was on the other side heard everything. Who doesn't know, but suspects you're not human? Luis Martinez has worked at my shop for about as long as I've had it. He's been with me longer than anyone else has. That means I can trust him more than nearly anyone in this city. That also means he's seen all the ways I've been acting strange since I Fell, all the times I grabbed live wires and barely reacted. Now, I'm not saying Luis is going to stab me in the back. All I'm saying is, if he wasn't bright enough to have some well-founded doubts by now I'd have fired him years ago. Who could give you up to the angels right now, if they really wanted to? Around here, I try to keep track of my fellow Integrators. Most of them are reasonable enough folk. They don't really understand how broken the God-Machine is, but at least we can agree on how important it is and that's more than you'd get with most demons. As for the ones that aren't... They're like The Widow. You see, when I fell it was The Widow that helped me up. Introduced me to agencies, showed me where to avoid, all that. And we were close, real close, until I told her about how I planned on fixing the God-Machine. She... didn't take it well. Took it real personally, if you understand me. If there's one demon in this town with means and motive to sell me out, it's going to be her. Who would you trust the truest part of yourself with if you absolutely had to? Nothing that exists yet. Who thinks they have something on you, when all they have is smoke and mirrors? Tony Nguyen's one of my repeat customers, and that means Tony thinks he understands my operation well enough to throw his weight around. And you know what? I'd love to see him try. All he's done is bring in a few hot cars. He doesn't understand my cover, let alone my actual plans. What have you learned that’s dangerous to know, and why is it dangerous for you? You ever hear about Marchioness Technologies? Normally I wouldn't care a lick about 'em, but one of my contacts brought one of their company cars in for 'cleaning' a few weeks back. And you know what it looked like under the hood? Infrastructure. Not actual Infrastructure, but like someone found the blueprints for a few bits of it and tried to make an engine out of it. Now, I don't know what they're doing over at Marchioness, but you'd be stupid if you didn't keep an eye on them. Lurks With Wolves fucked around with this message at 03:05 on Aug 23, 2016 |
#
¿
Aug 21, 2016 01:16
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 00:42 |
|