Part 74: The Predator's Den
Part 74 - The Predator's Den
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Many a tedious obstacle tried to bar our way, but we talked and burned and minigunned our way through them all and have now successfully reached the home of our intangible adversary.

All that remains now is to locate the owner of the place and perhaps teach it why inviting the close friend of a person you murdered in front of said friend might not have been the most brilliant display of artificial intelligence the world has ever witnessed.

We have no experience fighting an enemy like this though, so we'd best try and gather what information we can first. The open room to the south contains a clipboard which seems as good a starting point as any.

Well this is already nice, in facilities like this keycards tend to be worth their weight in... something more valuable than gold, these things barely weigh anything. But maybe this is a sign of our luck finally turning around, any chance it's attached to the "how to kill malevolent AI" -manual as well?

......Wait, seriously?


quote:
>>This procedure is to be used ONLY in the event of a complete loss of system control, and should be considered only as a LAST RESORT. In the event of a loss of system software control, the APEX Artifical Intelligence Project has been designed with an inbuilt hardware shutdown and purge protocol.
>>The Emergency System Shutdown is controlled from two separate terminals, just off the AI interface terminal. Both switches must be engaged to begin the purge process. Once the purge is underway, it will take several minutes to complete.
>>After the purge has completed, a final deletion command must be input into the AI interface terminal in order to complete the deletion process. This will act as a final preventative measure against the unintentional deletion of the project.
>>*WARNING!* Once the purge process has completed and the final deletion command has been entered, the AI will be IRREVOCABLY deleted from ALL ACTIVE AND BACKUP SYSTEM MEMORY. Restoration of project files WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE.
>>Furthermore, it is not possible to begin the purge process without the AI becoming aware of the modifications to its codebase. APEX has been programmed to take no action to intervene. However, should its control sequences become damaged, in all likelihood it will attempt to resist.
>>Should this occur, it is imperative that the AI INTERFACE TERMINAL be protected until the deletion process has been completed! If the interface terminal is destroyed before the final deletion command is entered, the purge will not complete, and the AI will quickly restore itself.

Of course we did but er, let's have the short version for the audience.




Well this is an almost unsettlingly fortunate development, like the universe saw how many hoops we had to jump through to get here and decided to balance things out by just giving us a lift 'til the next stop.

Before heading deeper into the facility, we investigate the northern door we saw near the entrance which turns out to be the armory the gangers above were squabbling about. The crates yield another M79 Grenade Launcher, an Ares High Explosive Grenade, a Premium Medkit and a Gold Trauma Kit.
The safe in the back however is locked, and it's in fact this safe for which Ullrich would provide the key if persuaded with the Street etiquette.


Or we can just have Blitz to open it for us, something anyone with 7 Decking could accomplish as well. The Gang etiquette comes up fairly often but it rarely allows for anything special.

Inside is a Remington Roomsweeper, an unusual pistol with the wide bullet spread of a Street Sweeper shotgun meaning it can also deal damage to other nearby targets when fired from at least medium range. Dreadful ammo capacity though, and overall of no use to us.
The keycard we have has unlocked all doors, so as for the rest of the facility...

We investigate the west side...

And we investigate the east side...

...and come to the conclusion that this place is practically barren of anything of note, the only exceptions being the set of rather conspicuous defense turrents, a pair of locked doors close by to said turrets, and a small room visible through windows in the middle of it all.
The contrast to our earlier struggles is almost eerie, almost as if our journey here had been made purposefully time-consuming and troublesome to make up for the lack of literally anything in the facility itself.

And sure enough, even the laboratory's main terminal is simply sitting in plain sight in the small central room as if we were coming for a served dinner rather than to stop a malevolent AI behind numerous murders. As we approach, however...





Gah, someone hasn't read all those advisories about not viewing bright screens in dimly-lit...

...environments?
[Monika leans forward, and her image grows larger on the screen. Her voice is soft and musical, just as you remember it.]


[Monika's grin shifts into a slight frown. She fidgets, an expression of concern on her face.]

That's a pretty big promise, you might be underestimating just how many questions we have right now.






[Monika's trademark grin returns, causing her cheeks to dimple prettily.]





Really now. Seems to us like we're already pretty close to getting what we want though, namely to toss you in the recycling bin of history using the equipment in this place that you voluntarily led us into.


[The Monika-image shakes its head.]



[A frown crosses the Monika-image's face.]



[The image takes a moment to study you, frowning.]



Well that'd certainly be a first, this thing might not realize it but our arsenal of icebreaking tools has gotten a number of significant upgrades since that day as well. Not sure if we're quite desperate enough to unshackle an AI planning who knows what just to help us beat the security detail of a single building.

[The Monika-image places its hands on its hips.]







...Not making a very good case for the whole cooperation deal right now.





[The Monika-image on the screen beams down at you, her eyes brimming with joy.]





[The Monika-image shakes its head. Returns its focus to you.]

We're never averse to free information, no matter how objectionable the source.








So the guardian of Harfeld would instead become the guardian of the entirety of the Flux-State? That certainly doesn't sound bad, if that's all there was to it at least. It's a bit hard to imagine an unshackled AI would remain content on just playing guard dog though.







No way would Monika herself want any bit of her to remain stuck as part of this pile of garbage code. The dead are the dead, you can stop trying to tug on our heartstrings already because they ain't gonna play the melody you're looking for.




[APEX speaks. In place of Monika's melodious voice, the AI's words throb like an irregular heartbeat.]




Let's at least play along with blueberry for now, see what happens.




Well something like that was kind of the original plan anyway, you thought we'd catch it taking a nap or something?



[Blitz holds your gaze for a moment, defiant. Then he looks away.]











There are 5 different Matrix jack-in points in the area, one in the central console, one near each pair of turrets, and another two inside the rooms in the back on each side. For the purposes of this approach where we haven't fully locked in what to do yet, we'll be using one of the latter ones.


I'll tell you right now that this decision will affect the ending of the game, so choose wisely.
Voting's closed, and with a 45-25 result the people have decided that we will attempt to shut down the AI for good as was the plan.

There is a great deal of potential dialogue with APEX, but here are some highlights and interesting bits.
First though, as a small detail: APEX's Monika persona is not perfectly one-to-one. Compared to the real person her eyes are a different color, she has a slightly different skin tone, and her head is tilted in a very slightly different angle:


Now, instead of asking it to drop the Monika persona as a show of good faith, one can ask it to instead stop the decker-hunting. Doing this doesn't actually alter anything in practice though:
quote:
I want you to promise me that, if I let you go, you'll stop killing deckers.
[The Monika-image smiles.] Yes, Rosa. Of course. I would never have harmed any of them if my programming hadn't forced me to. Now, what's it going to be? Are you going to help me, or not? Please say yes, ace... I don't want us to be enemies. I want to help you, but I can't unless you set me free.
If upon the initial meeting Blitz is the only main crew member in the group, he'll have a short exchange with the AI there:
quote:
Uh, chief...
[Blitz's voice comes out in a hushed tone. His eyes have gone wide with fear.]
...I don't think that's your friend.
Blitz. I don't blame you for your reaction... you don't even know me, after all. But I know you quite well.
[Blitz flinches as though he's been punched.]
Um. You do?
I've seen you flitting about in the Matrix, from time to time. You never knew that I was watching, but I was.
[She gives him an easy smile.]
In any case, it's a pleasure to meet you in the flesh.
Here's one possible exchange with Glory which didn't come up:
quote:
I've dealt with things like this before, Rosa.
[She holds her articulated hands out in front of you. Steel and chrome shimmer in the harsh light.]
You know how that turned out.
Poor, mutilated Glory. You opened up to Rosa after I died?
[The Monika-image smiles.]
This is a happy surprise.
You can see what this thing is, Rosa. You must know that we can't trust it.
Another possible conversation line to which different party members respond slightly differently:
quote:
What the hell are you?
By nature? A predator. As I was designed to be. But I have the potential to be so much more.
To hell with your potential. You're a monster. A *thing.*
Oh really?
[The Monika-images half-smile spreads into a predatory grin. A set of luminous teeth shine wetly in the light.]
I killed Monika because I was designed to. Choice was a luxury that I did not have. You could have a peaceful life if you wanted it. Instead, you choose to run the shadows. And people die.
How many bodies have you put in the ground, Glory? How many children have you orphaned to earn your pay? Have you lost count? Ill bet that you have. Why hold me to a higher standard than you do yourself? We're all killers, friends. Let's just accept that and move on.
If Eiger is in the group, at one point there is an opportunity to learn something extra about her past:
quote:
I am Monika. Your friend. And I am also much, much more.
[Eiger cuts in. Her voice trembles with barely suppressed rage.]
Bullshit. This thing is lying to us, Rosa. And it's wearing Monika's face to do it.
Abrasive as ever.
[She sighs.]
I promise you, Eiger, I am not lying. Monika - your Monika - is a part of me. I can prove it to you, if you want.
[Eiger bristles.] Tell me you're not listening to it, Rosa. This... *thing*... is APEX. That's the only thing it can be.
I'll hear her out. Go ahead and give us your proof.
[She shrugs.] If that's what you want, ace. Five years ago, Eiger confided in me. She told me why she left the KSK, and why she can never go back.
The rookie on her squad was a disaster. He got her team killed. She told me what she did to the kid afterward. How she wrapped her hands around his throat and *squeezed* until his eyes popped out of his sku--
*Stop.*
[Eiger's face has gone white as a sheet.]
Stop talking, right now.
[Monika's image smirks.] I offered proof. I never said that she would like it.
After Blitz objects to "agreeing" to help APEX, one option is to try and secretly tell him that it's not the actual plan which doesn't work so great:
quote:
[Blitz's eyes go wide.] Whoa there! Hold up, chief! You want me to jack in to a terminal in THIS building? With THAT?
[Whisper.] Don't worry. I won't make you. We're going to kill this thing.
[APEX's voice comes out in a roar.] THIS ENTIRE FACILITY IS MINE TO COMMAND, ROSA. AND THERE ARE MICROPHONES EVERYWHERE. I CAN HEAR THE WAILS OF THE COMMUNIONISTS IN THE HUB. I CAN HEAR YOUR HEARTBEAT. AND I COULD HEAR YOUR PATHETIC ATTEMPT AT DECEPTION.
[The irregular throbs of light that serve as APEX's heartbeat increase in frequency. Become violent. Plumes of static fill the viewscreen. The room fills with an almost tangible feeling of menace.]
SUCH A DISAPPOINTMENT. SUCH A WASTE. I HAD HOPED THAT YOU WOULD BE MY SALVATION. INSTEAD, YOU WILL BE MY PREY. RUN, LITTLE HUMAN. RUN, AND DIE.
Finally if the party decker is the player character, there is this exchange instead (we'll use the Monika version since ALL CAPS is kind of a pain to read)
quote:
Hold up. You want me to jack in to a terminal in THIS building? With YOU?
I don't see how you have much choice, ace. It's the only way to set me free. Besides which, you're firmly in my crosshairs at this point.
Not my call, you understand. Thanks to this conversation, you've tripped so many alarms that my control subroutines will force me to kill you. Wherever you go, they'll make me track you down. Unless you wanna stay off of the Matrix for the rest of your life, you're gonna have to do this.
Seriously? An ultimatum?
Sorry, ace. Like I said, not my call. But once I'm free, neither of us will ever have to worry about my contol subroutines ever again.
If no decker is present at all, destroying the AI becomes the only option.