A Second Personal Transcript
Featured relevant characters:
Obvious exit: http://farragofiction.com/ASecondPersonalTranscript/
Origin: This can be found in the Doc Slaughter File Server.
The Watcher's note: "She knows the truth: http://andalitetruth.org/" appears in the console.
EXCERPT 1:
Ria: Day forty six: this T-R5, also known as Ria. I've been tasked with creating this recording in order to better understand the phenomena of the Infinite Parking Lot named 'the Music Room'.
For purposes of recapping, the Music Room is a level of the Parking lot characterized by... well, music. The floor is about the same as the others, except all the cars are tuned to the same frequency, playing whatever the... tenants? Can I say tenants? Whatever they're playing at any given time. It can make one's perception of time go forward or backward when listening to it.
Currently, the floor is inhabited by an anomaly. It's comprised by two women wearing these fancy robes and carrying instruments; a trumpet and a piano, to be exact. They... don't speak a lot, mostly they just play music.
Voice 1: We can speak if you wish, conductor.
Voice 2: Yes. We'd be happy to.
Ria: Oh! That'd be easier than what I was planning. If that's okay with you, we could just speak?
Voice 1: Of course.
Voice 2: What is it?
Ria: Well, I wanted to know a bit about you. We're trying to figure out what happened here... you know, with the whole 'music turns people weird' aspect going on. Or at least with you. Can we start with you?
Voice 1: Sure.
Voice 2: What do you need?
Ria: Okay. I have some questions prepared here. I'm gonna go through them, you answer them, and... you know, do that until we're done. So, first question. What is your name?
Lee: I am Lee.
Hunter: I am Hunter.
Lee: I am Lee and I am Hunter. There is no difference.
Hunter: There is some difference.
Lee: Semantics, really.
Hunter: Details.
Ria: So, Lee and Hunter? What would you like me to call you, then?
Lee: Call me Lee.
Hunter: Call me Hunter.
Hunter: Call us Lee Hunter.
Ria: Ah. Alright, Lee Hunter. It's a nice combination. Tell me about your... self? Selves? Let's talk about you. How do you feel? What's your deal?
[SILENCE]
Ria: ...hello? Are you still there?
Lee: Oh. I'm sorry. We forget you are different.
Hunter: You are not of us.
Lee: We expected you to know. But you are separate.
Hunter: A solo act.
Ria: Yeah, I can't, uh, read your mind? Is that what you do with each other?
Lee: We cannot read your mind.
Hunter: We do not merely 'read' each other's minds.
Lee: We are more. We are connected.
Hunter: In sync.
Lee: It is a level of connection nothing else can offer.
Hunter: But you're different. You are like us.
Lee: It can throw us off sometimes.
Ria: Oh. So you think I'm part of you?
Lee: Does it upset you?
Hunter: We're sorry. We can't help it.
Lee: You are so open.
Hunter: So very open.
Ria: No, no, that's fine! Just trying to understand you better. So you're connected, that much I get... you tend to play instruments a lot, so you like music, right?
Lee: We enjoy it quite a bit.
Hunter: It is strange. But it feels right.
Ria: Ah, yeah, that makes sense. Did your music always, like... do... that to people? Slow them, age them, de-age them?
Lee: Not any more than usual.
Hunter: Is that normal here?
Lee: I don't believe so.
Hunter: That'd be weird.
Lee: Then no. We do not believe so.
Ria: So it's a new development! That's interesting! We're gonna have to test different songs, see if it's the instrument... what else... you mentioned before you were from 'down there', what did you mean by that?
Lee: We meant down there. Deeper down.
Hunter: Much deeper.
Ria: Deeper, as in... here. The parking lot?
Lee: Correct.
Ria: What's 'down there'?
Lee: You should know, don't you? The facility.
Hunter: What's left of it...
Ria: Wait. The... the corporation? The corporation facility? That facility? What happened to it?
Lee: Our previous conductor left. Just up and vanished.
Hunter: How irresponsible.
Lee: They never seemed to like us much.
Hunter: We were playthings to them.
Lee: But without them we were helpless. We alone could not hold those things back.
Hunter: And we are quite good.
Lee: So we left. We started climbing.
Hunter: Higher and higher...
Ria: That's...
Ria: We figured it was gone, but this doesn't match any description we have. That armband... what was your team? Your captain? Are the rest of them with you?
Lee: We were Central Command. Our team is dead. So is our captain.
Hunter: They didn't survive the onslaught.
Lee: Those who came with us are...
Hunter: Down there.
Lee: Yes. Down there.
Hunter: Don't bother. They won't want you anyway.
Lee: Hunter.
Hunter: ...
Ria: Oh. Sorry. I-- I didn't mean to strike a nerve. But that's good to know! That they're there. I'm not gonna pry, but we've been travelling down, and--
Hunter: Ungrateful. Simply ungrateful.
Lee: Hunter...
Hunter: We found the way up. We kept them going.
Lee: ...Hunter...
Hunter: But that didn't matter. They only cared for themselves.
Lee: ...
Hunter: Conductor. Doesn't it make you angry? Thinking just about how ungrateful they are?
Lee: ...they were so ungrateful.
Hunter: So selfish.
Lee: So selfish!
Hunter: They could have been of us.
Lee: They could have--
Ria: Okay. That's enough. Calm down. Breathe for a minute.
Lee: ...
Hunter: ...
Ria: Listen. We don't know enough about the others to confirm anything. One of them has potentially killed one of ours, we're not super friends, and I'm taking your words in mind, okay? I'll vouch for you. If you think they're trouble I'll let the others know.
Ria: But I need you to calm down. Okay? We need to finish these questions. So, are we done talking about them? Or is there anything else you'd like me to say?
Lee: We are done talking about them.
Hunter: Yes. We are done.
Lee: In fact, we are done talking.
Hunter: We need time to think about it.
Ria: That's...
Ria: Yeah, okay, valid. That's fine. I'll give you some time, okay? Is there anything you want me to bring you from up there?
Lee: ...
Hunter: ...
Lee: That ant-haired guy.
Hunter: The one who tried to steal our instruments.
Ria: O-oh. What for?
Lee: He came in here humming the other day.
Hunter: His song got stuck in our head.
Lee: He is good.
Hunter: Yes. Quite good.
Lee: We are willing to forgive him if he plays that song with us.
Hunter: We need to hear it again.
Ria: Ah. Yeah, if it's just that, that's-- I'll let him know. Thank you. I'll end the recording now.