Avior

String Us Together – Excerpt 4

[SPOILERS]

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Eight Personality has been a topic of intense study for a very long time, and we still can't really claim to understand it.

Eight The best we've been able to say is that it's about 50/50 between genetics and environmental factors.

Eight Our family, our culture, our individual experiences, the place we grew up, even just time... all these things can influence us. There's an infinite number of ways each individual person can turn out.

Six This technology is really just designed to throw a wrench in the mix.

Six Even if there's an infinite number of ways we can turn out, there's probably a relatively narrow number of ways we're likely to turn out.

Six But with these... anything becomes possible. I guess the real question is, can it alter our genetics, or just the more subjective parts?

Eight That'll be the key to unraveling this whole mess. If they can alter our genetics, or even the physical pathways of our brains... I don't think there's much we can do to fight in this game, other than to play defensively.

Eight But if they can't, then we may have the ability to mitigate the changes a little bit more.

Six “Fake it til you make it,” right? Well, if you can even remember what you're trying to fake.

Eight More or less.

Eight Still, you can say it all you want, but even just faking it is hard.

Eight Even if you desperately want to change, it won't happen just because you want it. The brain is like an entity of its own that you have to overcome.

Eight That's the real power of this game, and the real power of this technology; if it really works the way they say it works, the implications for abuse are frankly terrifying.

Eight There may be a far worse game waiting for us when this is all over, assuming we live to see it.

String Us Together – Excerpt 3

[SPOILERS]

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Six “I need a favor.”

One “A favor? What kind of favor...?”

Six “I want you to pull one of my strings.”

One “W-what? Isn't that what we're trying to avoid?”

Six “Generally, yes. But as far as I can tell, I haven't been infected yet, and that's just so damn boring I can't let it stand.”

One “S-so you want me to pull one of your strings... just so it'll be less boring?”

Six “Exactly. I know you have one of my codes.”

One “......”

One “Oh, I get it, you want me to pull one so you can ask to pull one of mine in return. It's a trick.”

Six “Please, like I care enough to try and pull a dirty trick like that. Nope. I just want you to pull a string, and tell me about it in a few minutes, after my memories kick back on.”

One “I...”

Six “Look, it's no loss to you, right? You get a free advantage, and I get my curiosity sated. It's a win-win. You have no reason to refuse.”

One “But— it's just so...”

Six “What? Against the spirit of the game? Morally wrong? This is the most conscience-friendly opportunity to get ahead that you're going to get. Are you going to take it or not?”

String Us Together – Excerpt 2

Six leads the way down the left corridor, the other three trailing behind.

Two Do you think we'll all meet again inside of the maze?

Seven There would be no point to these strings if we did not, so we can assume that we will.

Six It's not likely we'll meet as a whole group again, but Seven's right—we'd have to meet at some point.

Six It's kind of impossible to know the specifics until we get in there.

Two I'm kind of unimpressed with this experiment.

Seven I don't think that it was made to impress you. However, I think I understand your meaning.

Two nods.

Two Many experiments require keeping the subjects in the dark, but it doesn't really make sense to keep this much from us.

Two They want us to take a strategic approach, and use these strings to defeat the other participants. But how can we do that if we don't have any information about the future?

Six You've got a point there, but something tells me there's more to it than that.

Seven We cannot know what the test givers' true intentions are. We have no choice but to go along with their instructions.

Five It's true... There's nothing we can do.

Two sighs loudly.

Two You're right, all we can do is play.

Two I hate this shitty game already.

Six laughs.

Six What reason would you have to like it?

Six But as long as we can't remember why we're here or where we came from, we just have to deal with it.

Two Hm.

Six Anyway, like it or not, this door is yours.

They reach the corner where the “2” door is.

Two So it would seem.

Six I trust you can handle yourself here?

Two Nothing's going to happen until everyone gets to their doors. I think I can manage.

She steps up to her door and looks at it as though there's information to be gleaned.

Six We'll move on then.

Two only nods in response.

Seven We should go. I do not know how much time remains.

Six I doubt we have to worry. Even if they said ten minutes, I don't think they'll start it until we're all in place.

Five I don't really want to test it...

Seven He is right, we do not know if there is a punishment for tardiness.

Six Fair enough.

Five L-let's go.

They continue on past Two's door.

String Us Together – Excerpt 1

Eight ...I've been thinking this since I woke up, but this doesn't really make sense, does it?

Six Obviously it doesn't, but what are you talking about specifically?

Eight “A game hosted for the sake of an experiment”... is already a flimsy premise.

Eight Doing research requires eliminating as many variables as possible, to ensure the result is untainted.

Six And no matter how you look at it, this is only adding variables.

Six concludes the thought.

Eight Exactly. There's no way the results of this experiment would be anything worthy of consideration. So why, exactly, are we here?

Six shrugs.

Six It reeks of a power play, doesn't it?

Eight A power play?

Six It seems like we're all around the same age, and we're all clearly desperate if we ended up here. Someone probably set this game up as entertainment under the guise of research.

Eight crosses his arms.

Eight Calling it purely entertainment might be a bit excessive... but you could be right. It's a rather eccentric way to test a technology.

Eight Still, we won't know until this game is over. And that information is the exclusive right of the victor.

Six Good thing I have no intention of losing, then.

Eight's eyebrow hitches up.

Eight You're pretty confident, hm?

Eight Don't forget that this technology has the power to destroy you and that confidence, likely without you even realizing it.

He taps the strings in his own chest lightly as he says it.

Eight It can destroy us all if we make the wrong moves.

Six feels himself smile.

Six But isn't that what makes it an interesting challenge?

Eight You may think that way, but I doubt the others will. I suggest for your own sake you at least pretend to be scared.

Six Oh? And what about you, Mr. Eight? Are you scared?

The frown on his face seems to crease a little sharper.

Eight I would call it something more like apprehension.

Eight Something tells me we don't have much to go back to...

Six opens his mouth to reply, but Eight cuts him off.

Eight We should continue our investigation. I doubt there's much more to see, but the game could begin at any time, and I'd like to meet the rest before then.

He sets off walking again without another word, and Six follows behind.