(Network) A little bit of hacking never hurt anyone

[failedpromise]

Who:"Manji" (Actually Cortana posting with his account)
Username: Username
Warnings: None, other than Cortana being a little shit.

A little Public Service Announcement: don't make your account password a variation of password.

Unless, of course, you want to end up like this guy.

Comments

[abrightboy]

Fair questions. Wanna get a coffee and find out?

[brunonono]

Yeah, I like coffee. And I can find out whether you're real, to

[abrightboy]

Perfect! Meet in the cafeteria in twenty minutes?

[brunonono]

Sure! Look for the guy in the green ruana.

[He works in the cafeteria, so maybe he could have suggested somewhere else...but that honestly didn't even occur to Bruno. Even though he's off shift, he's let himself behind the counter to brew a fresh pot by the time Malcolm gets there.]

[abrightboy]

Green ruana. Got it. My name is Malcolm, by the way. Malcolm Bright.

[He makes his way to the cafeteria and glances around, but the only green ruana is… working behind the counter.

Okay, maybe it’s not him, but it’s worth asking, right?

He heads over.]

Hi, I’m Malcolm. Were we just talking on the network?

[brunonono]

Oh! Ah, yes! Bruno, that's me, just--the coffee was really stale, you know, they don't make it the right way here to begin with and then it just sits all day--

[He offers a crooked smile.]

Looks like you're a real person!

[abrightboy]

[Malcolm smiles.] So are you. Nice to meet you, Bruno. Um. I’ll have a coffee, since you’ve… gone to the trouble. [He glances at the workers, but they don’t seem concerned.]

[brunonono]

One coffee, coming up!

[Which consists of lugging the fresh carafe to the counter and grabbing a mug to fill for Malcolm before handing it over and getting started making his own. It does not occur to him to clarify that he has behind-the-counter privileges on account of working in the canteen.]

Anyway, I still don't get what was going on with that Username guy, but it's nice to meet people.

[abrightboy]

I guess whoever that was hacked his account. Or claimed to. I don't know, either, really. But, I agree: it's nice to meet people. Have you been here at ADI for long?

[brunonono]

Yeah, I don't--I don't know what that means.

[There's a flash of brown at his wrist as he's fussing with the sugar packets; Bruno shoos something back up his sleeve with a practiced motion.]

I guess it's been nearly a month now. What about you?

[abrightboy]

About eight months now. God, that's most of a year, isn't it?

[brunonono]

Well, technically it's two thirds of a year. But that's...yeah, that's a long time.

[Bruno finishes up and steps out from behind the counter, gesturing at a nearby table.]

So what kind of work have they got you doing here? Because I've got to say, cooking isn't really my thing.

[abrightboy]

Investigations, but that’s pretty much what I did at home. What would you rather do? I’m sure you could train into any department you want.

[brunonono]

Well...I don't know, really. I don't--I guess I don't really have what you'd call "marketable skills."

[There are air quotes and everything.]

I used to - I mean, we would all help keep Casita repaired and everything, help the villagers build their houses. But they didn't want me doing that stuff here, they said...well, they didn't want me doing that.

[abrightboy]

They don't need a handyman? [Malcolm frowns faintly.] Did they say why?

[brunonono]

Oh--oh, no, they didn't want me to be a handyman. Something about workplace safety, I don't know, they didn't like it when I told them I couldn't help them and it'd have to be Jorge and Hernando.

[abrightboy]

I feel like there's more to this story. [He gestures for Bruno to continue.]

[brunonono]

Oh, well - see, I'm not...I get scared kind of easy and my last home was falling apart, I mean literally falling apart and I guess also figuratively in hindsight, and I'm kind of scared of all that stuff, so--

[He pulls up his hood and puts on a deeper voice.]

I am Hernando and I am scared of nothing!

[And then he pulls the hood back down.]

He's not real, you see, it's just me, I always wanted to be an actor--but they didn't like that, and they definitely didn't like Jorge because I need a bucket to do Jorge....

[abrightboy]

It's not uncommon, actually, to find ways to cope with trauma. Like creating another identity. Do you remember what originally made you afraid of all that stuff?

[brunonono]

Wait, really?

[Sir, he's pretty sure he's weird. Bruno sits with that comment for a moment, mulling it and the question over.]

I can see the future.

[That's normal enough to him that he doesn't think much of just saying it; here in this place it's probably normal enough to be believed.]

And the future is...well, it's the future. But if you know something bad's going to happen to you, to your family, then you're just waiting for it to happen. And our Casita --

[He sighs.]

It's a really long story.

[abrightboy]

When you find out something scary about the future, can you change it? Do people believe you when you tell them about it?

[brunonono]

[Bruno puffs out his cheeks before blowing out a long breath.]

I mean, sort of? It's--it's not always clear, there's not always just one answer. But people always believed me. That's exactly the problem.

[abrightboy]

[So it's not a Cassandra complex.]

How is it the problem?

[brunonono]

Nobody wants to hear about their future. They think they want to know, so they ask and I see something they don't like, and then it's my fault when it happens.

[abrightboy]

I can see how people would be like that. I can see how that would make you... reluctant to engage with that power. ...Does it still work here?