introduction log.

[falsitates]

JUNE 1, 2021

The first day of summer - it’s unbearably hot. Temperatures are high and relentless, and without a single cloud in the sky, the sun blazes down heavily on the unlucky few stuck outside.

Weather predictions warn of an intense heatwave that’ll last all week long. The young and elderly are advised to stay indoors and hydrated, and anyone with the symptoms of a heat stroke is urged to head straight to the city hospital. Schools are temporarily closed until new air conditioners can be installed, and businesses come to a slow grind as many call out sick from heat exhaustion.

The city warns that it’s going to be a long seven days.

  NEWCOMERS

You wake up.

You’re left to your own devices. You have a vague memory of the last few moments of your time back in your world, in familiar surroundings, but you’re now somewhere new. Whether you’ve awoken on an unknown rooftop, in a stranger’s bedroom, behind cell bars, or under six feet of water - you know that you’re no longer at home.

You’re on your own for the time being. You must escape whatever predicament that you’ve found yourself in and find answers to your own questions. What brings you here? How did you arrive? What happened to your friends and family? You have an hour to explore and speak with the people of this world before your time runs out.

Something then vibrates in your pocket.

  RESIDENTS & NEWCOMERS

Your phone vibrates.

It buzzes incessantly until you pick it up, but when you look at the screen, it’s blank. It will not turn on, no matter how hard you press the buttons. It’s possible that it overheated and shut down, but it’s unusually cold to the touch, almost as if you’re touching a brick of ice. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, white text appears on a black background.

Decryption confirmed.

Condition green.

Booting program.

The screen goes dark once more. Seconds later, new words are typed.

WELCOME TO [ AVA ]

→ MISSION 001
HEAD TO THE CITY CROSSWALK BY 1500. FIND THE [ OTHERS ]. YOUR REWARD WILL BE ANNOUNCED THEN. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.

  WELCOME TO [ AVA ]

You can't avoid the mission; you don't have any choice. Any attempt to ignore or avoid it is futile, as convenient coincidences occur all around you as a motivator to go.

Did you have work? For some inexplicable reason, your shift has been cancelled. Were you trying to get some rest? The fire alarm went off and you were evacuated from your home. Did you attempt to travel to another part of the city? The sidewalks and roads have been closed due to a sudden blackout.

No matter what you do, you are compelled to head to the city crosswalk.

For the middle of the afternoon, it's unusually quiet and empty. Despite the heat warning, there should still be more than just a handful of you and a few others, but you won't have the time to ponder about it. Your phone finally reboots and appears to be back to normal - or so it seems. You've got a new app.

[ AVA ]

It's an icon with a white eye. It stares at you, and the screen remains frozen until you press it. It then starts the initialization process.

WELCOME TO [ AVA ]

PEACEFUL DAYS ARE OVER

ALEA IACTA EST

The text vanishes, revealing the app's interface. It's an online social media network with public forums and private messaging, but it's completely devoid of content. It currently only contains the user profiles of those who have signed up for the app, and you are one of them. Your full name, date of birth, personal address, height, weight, and a mugshot that you don't recall taking are all listed on your profile.

You quickly discover that you have no way of deleting or even editing your information. You can't even get rid of the app. The option simply does not exist.

Minutes after opening [ AVA ], you receive a notification. There have been two new forum posts. MISSION 002 and MISSION 003 are the names of the new threads. You open them to read.

→ MISSION 002
NEWCOMERS, WELCOME TO VITAE. YOUR GOAL FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS IS TO SURVIVE. IF YOU ARE ALIVE TO SEE THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH, YOU WILL BE GREATLY REWARDED.

→ MISSION 003
RESIDENTS, BE AWARE OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THIS CITY. ONLY TRUST THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW. YOUR COMPENSATION WILL BE PROVIDED IN TWO WEEKS' TIME.

These threads allow you to leave comments. What do you do now?

Comments

[flowerclips]

[ Oh no, that is such a sweet response. ]

Ehehe, okay! Then you have to promise me that you'll try not to go out on your own too!

[silentends]

I promise I won't go out on my own. Thanks for looking out for me , Niko.

[ He gently pats her on the head. Patpat.]

Do you wanna go home?

[flowerclips]

Mmhm! We... don't need to stay here anymore, do we?

[ She sounds unsure since the ominous message just told them to either survive or be aware. ]

[silentends]

[ He puts his hand on her forehead to make sure she's not melting too much. ]

We'll walk home slowly. I can always carry you back too.

[flowerclips]

[ It's a little warmer than usual, but that might also be a result of the heat. ]

I can walk! Jeez, I can do at least that!

[silentends]

Make sure you don't trip.

[ Nier walks behind her so that he can match her pace. If he goes in front then he might walk too quickly. ]

It's not that long of a jog so we'll be home before you know it.

[flowerclips]

[ The puffed-out cheeks soon disappear and they go off walking! She was just embarrassed about the offer because she's not a little girl :( ]

It's okay, Nier, you don't have to always treat me like a kid. I'll be all right.

[silentends]

If you say so.

[ He frowns a little but Niko insists that she's not a child anymore. She's slowly growing up without him even realizing it. ]

Oh, Niko. I know you're doing your best so keep it up.

[flowerclips]

Eheheh, I have to catch up with everyone! There are so many things that I've missed out on.

[ She would normally get sad about her stay at the hospital and deep down, it still does, but she tries not to let it bother her anymore. She's better now and she's outside. She can finally enjoy life. ]

[silentends]

What sort of things did you want to do? Make a list of them when we get home.

[ He wants to see a hand written note of all the things Niko wants to do in life. Nier can only try to help her experience things she missed out on....!]

We can make the list look good with craft sets and glitter glue.

[flowerclips]

Ohhh, glitter glue!

[ She seems very excited about that. This is going to be a (glitter) disaster... ]

Umm, lots of things! Like doing fireworks and going to the beach! Travelling across the world and eating a ton of new things!

[silentends]

Those are all great things to do. It's summer now so we might be able to see a fireworks festival.

[ If they don't have an official event to attend then Nier will make fireworks from home, dammit. ]

Glitter glue makes anything shiny. Just don't get any of it on your clothes. [ That's all he asks for. ]

[flowerclips]

I won't! I'll be extra careful!

[ ... she'll try her best. ]

Oh, look, we're already home! That was fast.