10th Aniversary Mind Control!

[[NPC] Jim]

Jim immediately finds the android trying to kidnap Priscilla. He could use a lightning spell to short out the android, but that could also harm the hostage. Instead he attempts to cast Stop to give the hostage time to escape on their own.

The android begins to slow down, but it has a death grip on Priscilla and won't let go.

Michi is trying to go after the android, but after taking a direct hit from the most powerful weapon the party has on them she'll most likely die from her injuries if she forces herself.

[[NPC] Goldie]

Not a moment later, Goldie comes charging out of Jim's coat in full werewolf form.

Rather than charge straight into the android, she muscles the hostage Priscilla away from it, tearing off both arms in the process.

ATTAGIRL, GOLDIE!

I'm casting a healing spell on the boss!

NOOOO!

Wh-what?!

Forget about me! Team attack the android! Obliterate it! Leave nothing left!

...

You got it boss!

The enemy's down! Let's hit it with everything we got!

[[NPC] North Korea]

Priscilla is too shaken up to perform a team attack. She's also really worried about Michi, who is still injured. The team attack fails.

Drossel tries to drop her Homewrecker Axe on the android, but her Loadbearer Passive still isn't working, and it's the only thing that allows her, and other adventurers like her, to use ridiculously large weapons effectively. Straining from the size and weight of the ax, all she can do is steer the weight of it towards a target as she throws it overhead with one mighty swing. Unfortunately, due to her passive not working her aim is greatly affected. She barely misses the android, managing to only slice off a foot.

Thankfully there's still plan B.

Milan, who was riding on Drossel's axe as it came swinging down, leaps off mid swing. As the android backs away after getting hit, Milan uses Meteor Fist on the psycho robot, taking off half of its face. The android is still going.

SUBJECT RESISTING CONVERSION. REQUESTING BACKUP. REQUESTING BACKUP.

****ing hell, this thing won't die!

ALL OR NOTHING!

Michi uses her All or Nothing passive ability. The next action taken must be decided on a coin toss.

[[NPC] Naru]

Future!Naru casts Aetherial Blades.

The android has been defeated.

......

We need to leave. Now.
There's a crowd forming.

A crowd?!

What did you expect? Everybody heard someone scream, so they wanna know if something happened. Zarath and I sectioned off this part of the park. We're trying to keep people away from the zoo, but it's getting worse.

****! DAMNIT! WHY?!
......

Cilla, get inside Fadbury's coat.

Huh?!

Fadbury, I need your help. Take Cilla inside your wardrobe or whatever the hell you call it before a crowd forms. Please I'm begging you just do this for me!

Milan, you go in with her!

Alright you two, in you go.

WELL?! YOU HEARD THEM! GET YOUR ASS INSIDE!

Jim holds out his coat. Milan and Priscilla climb inside.

JIM WE HEARD SCREAMING!

Is everyone okay?!

Amy, we need a healing spell. Someone's been injured.

I'M FINE!

You are not fine!

[[NPC] North Korea]

North casts Regen on Michi, but it's ineffective...

...because Michi has already been healed. There's still a hole in the side of her outfit where the beam hit her, but she doesn't look injured at all despite blood soaking into her coat and blouse.

Geez, didn't I tell you I'm fine?
Now you're just wasting mana...

Wh- But- But you were-
And he didn't- So how did-

Naru, we need to leave.

You don't have to tell me twice. Everyone grab on. Zarath and I can spirit us out of here.

Don't bother. Cilla is safe.
We can just walk back to the mansion. Besides, if the other guests see that we're fine they'll be more at ease. One of you think of an excuse for where the scream came from.

AAAAHHHHH!!!

What's wrong?!

MY CONTACT! I LOST ONE OF MY CONTACTS!

That'll work. She lost a contact and we've all been looking for it. The zoo was closed off so no one would accidentally step on it.

There's no way they'll buy that story.

I don't care.

North, Drossel, we're going back to the mansion. Anetic is a dead man.

Yeah. I need to have a word with Mr. Anetic as well.

Naru, can we postpone the fire show for later?

Absolutely.

You lot go on ahead. Amy needs help looking for her missing contact. I'll explain everything once we get back.

We'll all meet in the private lounge on the first floor. I'll be sure to bring Mr. Anetic with me, and he can tell us what just happened.

If he won't then I'll be happy to.

It is now the second day of the Central Park Bubble incident, a supernatural phenomenon that seemingly occurred overnight on the 9th of August, where several park guests were sealed inside Central Park with no means of escape. The park was scheduled to hold a major event the day after the barrier first appeared. Police outside the park are unable to breach the barrier and help the civilians inside. Bugsy Lapin, Community Manager and organizer of the Justice Core hero division, has this to say:

This disaster is of the utmost importance and we are doing everything in our power to secure the safety of the citizens trapped inside the park. The Justice Core have been called in to assist, and are on their way as we speak.

The people trapped inside are estimated to last a week or more, but we can only assume that food and rations are growing scarcer as time goes on. Our hearts go out to the prisoners of Central Park who are, without a doubt, staying strong in such unbearable circumstances.

WHAT WILL WE DO WITH A DRUNKEN SAILOR
WHAT WILL WE DO WITH A DRUNKEN SAILOR
WHAT WILL WE DO WITH A DRUNKEN SAILOR
EARLY IN THE MORNING

SHave his belly with a rusty razor
shave his belly with a rusty razor
shave his belly with a rusty razor
earli in the morning

WAY HAY AND UP SHE RISES
WAY HAY AND UP SHE RISES
WAY HAY AND UP SHE RISES
EARLY IN THE MORNING

[[NPC] Michi]

By the time the party returns to the mansion the sun has already set, and the dining hall is full of event guests. Every last one of them is drunk off their ass. Michi is not amused.

What the hell do you think you're doing?!

heeeeeeeey! you look kinda familiar

have we met??

wait, hold on i knwo. your not chihiro mizuki from the at super favous guild ar eyou?

Holy shit I can't believe this is me. You are an absolute disgrace. Priscilla was almost kidnapped today.

hofly shir, pcilla?

I havn... gob by taht... in YAERS!!!.

If this little drunken bender of yours causes you to accidentally break our oath with Priscilla I'll disembowel myself on the spot and take you to hell with me.

relax i cursed myself so i dont accidementally talk about taht whim im hella intxoicated

omg i neve rrealize dhow silky smooth my hair his. holy

shit hold hodl on

hey waytt cmoe feel this this is like some body n mdn shit here do you feel htis?

Aaaaaand you're hanging out with Wyatt too. Great. I've got a hundred people on my shit list but I never thought I'd actually add myself to it. What time period are you from? I need to know what the earliest time I need to kill myself will be.

twenty-fig teen!!!!!Dyou know e got feggin DRONES nwo?!

We've had drones for the last ten years.

heeeeey mizumiki hows it

whoa hold the phone here

i ned to stop drinking so much im seeing double now hahahaha
hey hey hey chihiro do me a favor and unlock this briefcase for me you locked it like fifteen years ago whe y ou left teh fredomf ighters and we cant get it open its bugging the crap outta me

Chihiro. Hanasaku is showing us the lounge we'll be using. Coming with?

In a minute.

Suit yourself.
Come on now. Come this way. Single File. It's crowded in here and we don't want anyone bumping into anybody else. North, Zarath, Naru, Drossel, Marvin, Goldie, Amy-

Amy?... You here?

Heeeeeeeey Jim! im *hic* over heeeeeerre!! !

Amy are you drunk as well?!

IT'S NOT ME! It's me from the future! I don't know why I'm drunk with everyone else!

WHAAAAAT Im legal i cand rink all i want your not my MOM

We don't have a mom. We were an orphan.

Jim. Amy. You coming?

Y-Yeah! In a bit!

Amy I think we should leave future you to her own devices. She's an adult and allowed to make her own decisions.

So am I.

I wasn't implying-

Oh never mind.

Private Lounge. 8:00 PM

Everyone has found a comfy spot to discuss the incident with the android. Jim has collected the android fragments and laid them on a nearby table. Drossel spent the last 30 minutes knolling them. A small, rainbow colored gemstone sits in the center, but Jim tells everyone to worry about that later.

Ms. Tequila is also there. She claims the androids didn't attack her, but one of them set off an alarm at around the same time as the attack two hours ago, interrupting her beauty sleep. She's making tea and coffee for everybody.

Ai returns to the room, dragging a confused and upset Perseus with her.

Found him.

You didn't have to drag me! You ruined my labcoat!

Ai points to the broken android pieces on the table. At first he thinks they're just a bunch of broken dishes before recognizing the pieces, specifically the gemstone, and panics.

WH-WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO MAKE ONE OF THESE ANDROID SHELLS?!

IT TRIED TO ATTACK US!

It did not quit lying!

That robot straight up fired a rocket fist and tried to kidnap one of the guests!

REALLY?! IT WORKED?! Did the retrieval mechanism work too?! We're still testing that, but if it finally works that means-

......

......

Er...

My sensors are detecting multiple "angry glares" inbound.

[[NPC] Michi]

Michi rolls high enough to not miss.

She casts a fireball at Perseus that ignites his tie. He flips out trying to extinguish the flame.

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU YOU SCIENCE-DAMN PSYCHOPATH?!

Anetic. What the **** did I say about Rules 1 and 2?

What are you talking about?!

So you do remember. You're wiser than I suspected.

No, seriously, I have no idea what you're talking about. I forgot.

Wait! Wait! You mean about-

LET ME REMIND YOU that if you don't want to wind up like your android you won't tempt fate and break Rules 1 and 2 yourself.

Enough you two! Mizuki-san, I can understand you're upset, but if you don't stop trying to kill my guests I'm going to throw you out of my event. Understand?

......Fine, have it your way.

I want you to promise me. Promise you won't try and kill any of my guests.

Okay, I promise. Happy?

Very.

As for you, Mr. Anetic, I expect you to take full responsibility for what happened today. This android, before it was... disassembled, attacked a guest unprovoked. And don't try to convince me they didn't. Almost everyone in this room was a witness.

Are we... just going to ignore that we most likely, probably murdered that robot?

That wasn't murder, Zarath. That was capital punishment.

Yeah, but, he was still alive, in a way. He had interests and dreams probably, and now he's dead.

His name was Vaporeon.

...huh?

There were 151 androids, so I named them all after Pokemon. That one's ID was 00134, so his name was Vaporeon.

I'm sure Anetic can rebuild Vaporeon.

Yeah, well, guess what? All the virtual data that made up that android's digital brain is most definitely gone. Or did you not know? Android's don't have spirits. Everything that they are is physical. If they die, that's it. So yes, you did kill him! Vaporeon is dead and he's never coming back.

[[NPC] Jim]

Mister Anetic, I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't blatantly lie to us like that.

I-I-

I don't know what you're talking about. You're all crazy and need serious help!

Are we? Or is there something you're not telling us about these androids of yours? Go on, I can wait.

I uh...

On second thought, I changed my mind. The thing about these androids is-

OKAY OKAY OKAY! YOU WIN! I'LL COME CLEAN!

These androids... technically have a soul. It's that little gem thing in the center there. It's sort of like a black box for the robot. As long as that survived, then it can be transplanted into a new android shell, and he'll live. All the memory files are stored in that gem.

......

Really? We're doing this now?

Doing what?

Passing off things that don't belong to you as if you invented them?

I know, Mr. Anetic. I know your dark secret, and if you don't tell everyone in this room exactly what that gem is, then I will.

......

What are you, some corporate spy? Someone from the press? Did you hack our servers? That's a crime, you know?

Oh and what you're doing isn't a crime?

IT'S REHABILITATION! IF IT WEREN'T FOR ME THEY'D LOSE THEIR DAMN MINDS!

Fadbury what the heck are you talking about?!

ALRIGHT CLASS! HISTORY LESSON! WHO HERE CAN TELL ME ABOUT THE MAGE WARS?

Wait...

Wait wait wait wait!!!

Michi gets a closer look at the gem on the table.

...you've gotta be kidding me...! You-

YOU'RE BRAINWASHING THEM!?!?

IT'S NOT BRAINWASHING IT'S THERAPY! If anything it's no different than the pills they feed the elderly in retirement homes!

These guys have been through war. Do you honestly expect someone like that to fully adjust back into society? That's what the emotional inhibitors are for. They suppress their chaotic outbursts! They'd go crazy without them!

Can one of you explain to me what the hell you're talking about?!

Ms. Hanasaku, your androids aren't androids at all.


They're ghosts.