✦Event Drop #2 (Conclusion)【SxC'26】

With the combined efforts of the citizens of the Cradle, the EYE.RIS NETWORK's influence is put to a temporary halt.

What happens next, however, is a choice you will make.

Conclusion A (Contributors: Inoki, AO Natsumi)

TL;DR: EYE.RIS wins and all is corrupted. The last “survivors” are hunted down while EYE.RIS' reach extends to other sectors, its touch in every corner of the Cradle.

EYE.RIS NETWORK dominates the Cradle.

HIVE MIND

Seeing no end to the conflict, EYE.RIS comes up with an "ideal" solution to world peace: to be one and the same.

Everyone is put into eternal sleep, dreaming of another world, an idyllic life… the paradise (enlightenment) they were promised.

You don't know how you got there, or since when the dream began, but it doesn't matter. Because we are all one.

...What do you see in dreams?

Alternative: THE SLUMBERING CITY

It has been a few days now that 5KY Sector was almost totally plunged into darkness. Day and night, relentlessly, EYE.RIS’es agents were patrolling in the streets, surveilling and looking for any resistance left. The [DREAM] people fall into, their conspiration, turned their reality into a [NIGHTMARE]. 

The once bustling sector, full of laughter and life, looked more like a phantom city than anything else, animated only by the sound of steps, of screams, and the constant buzzing of the purple neon light. The clubs, the market, the people… all of this was replaced by silence, and fear.

Nothing was left of the energy, of the spirit of what was once the Ark’s most proud sector.

And thus, in the shadows, a voice laughed.

“Let’s see, where should I expand my playing ground to next ~ ?”

Conclusion B (Contributors: Inoki, AO Natsumi)

TL;DR: EYE.RIS was right. This is a simulation.

And so, you wake.

MESSIAH

EYE.RIS was right. This is a simulation and there's no such thing as "catalysts", outer space civilisation etc. You wake up on Earth, the sun shining on your face. Although things were so chaotic in the Cradle, life in reality is just another dystopian battle.

As it turns out, the narrative you knew was distorted. EYE.RIS, much like the flower, are symbols of hope, truth and a rebellion force loyal to reality; meanwhile the Ark is the corrupt government that forced everyone under the Cradle project.

Will you join EYE.RIS and their cause? Or are you still in denial?

Alternative: WAKING UP

The Ark facility turned into chaos in the snap of the finger. While the researchers were expecting some kind of movement, after introducing <EYE.RIS> to the subjects, they did not expect for them to manage to overheat the machinery so hard they would cause a shutdown…

All of the people that were “on the Ark” blinked and suddenly woke up in a totally different place. There was panic, screams, psychosis… Chaos, noise, bright lights everywhere… They had no way of stopping them, as most of them ran away, in a full fit of panic. EYE.RIS was right. They were in a simulation. Everything was a lie…

The subjects were, one by one, taken down by force. The addition of weapons contributed to amplify to chaos. Just a few managed to escape, but now what ?

For the ones who were <born> on the Ark, or grew up there… Was there even anything for them in the <Real world> ?

Conclusion C (Contributors: Elio Nagashi, Inoki, Eunice, Chec, AO Natsumi)

TL;DR: Everyone comes together to thwart EYE.RIS' ploy and peace is restored. Hackers and fighters unite and technically win; with possible personal costs, but EYE.RIS' words still affect the population for the years to come.

Peace is restored in 5KY SECTOR.

COALITION FORCES

The hackers fight back against the data corruption; but they realize that there are actual physical signal buffers that need to be destroyed and communicate that to groups they know have been fighting in the streets. Said signal buffers are protected, of course; but they are in fact: People. People that have accepted to serve as these buffers because EYE.RIS told them it would help bring back everyone's mind to reality; and are now linked to machines. So the fighters have two choices:

- Kill the person; the easiest form of termination... but what if you recognise the one inside?

- Drag them out of the machine with much difficulty

Once the buffers are down, the hackers manage to fight back the whole corruption aspect; and the position of every last one of EYE.RIS assets are revealed (leaders, members, etc.) so they can be captured/disposed of.

The thing is, even with EYE.RIS dissolved, reasonable doubt now exists in the mind of people. There is still a part of society that tries to "go back to reality" and society finds itself having to now fight against "Truthers", ready to die to go back to a world they never even knew. Some researchers even try and prove they're in a dream. Some people even start to believe that Catalysts know the truth, and there is discrimination.

EYE.RIS and the kidnapping of Catalysts has ended... 

Alternative: ANOTHER STORM

Peace may have been achieved but the ripples of the EYE.RIS NETWORK are still vividly felt.

Leaked information has revealed that Chemical X is not just a byproduct of the atmosphere, but was engineered by scientists. This revelation has citizens questioning the Ark and their true intentions—was the chemical's leakage an experiment gone wrong or was it done on purpose? Bioweapon or evolution?

And so brews another storm...

Alternative: LINGERING RESENTMENT

The EYE.RIS NETWORK was defeated but not fully. One surviving member that still wholly believes in EYE.RIS' cause remains. Broken and filled with much resentment, the sole survivor slowly rebuilds the cult…

Alternative: TO BE CONTINUED...

The EYE.RIS NETWORK was investigated and exposed, their true intentions becoming public knowledge and restoring some normalcy to 5KY SECTOR as a result. The quality of life for all citizens has particularly improved in preparation of any new dangers, which EYE.RIS vaguely seemed to want as part of their social upheaval.

With the immediate trouble settled, the Cradle endeavours to learn from this for the sake of longevity.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Alternative: A BRIGHT FUTURE

TL;DR: EYE.RIS down, everyone is happy and united at the Ark. Robots have rights and security, a school for catalysts open with the help of AC, SZ and neutrals. AC is a bit more united / strict with their processes, so no one ends up astray, SZ is more lenient so everyone has a place to grow beautifully. People who fell by the hand of EYE.RIS were slowly recovering.

With everyone's joined effort, EYE.RIS was taken down effectively, and some kind of peace return to the Ark. Thanks to the alliance between humans, robots and catalysts alike, whether they were Scarlet Zenith, Astral Ciel or Neutral, every sector started to change.

Scarlet Zenith became a bit more lenient, admitting that some dangerous siXth senses that would've been suppressed were pretty helpful. Astral Ciel got a bit more rigor and structure, to make sure their own faction would fall prey so easily for so long to any group, without anyone acting upon it. Together, with the help of the Neutrals, they created the very first Catalysts school, where children and adults alike could learn to control their siXth sense in a safe space.

However, the biggest change would be the creation of the Robots Rights Act. As EYE.RIS rose, the cybernetic population, who was first in the line of fire, and the one at most danger, was also one of the standing pillars of the fight. As such, a referendum was made, as to give robots the same rights and security as their human counterparts. The bill was voted “yes”, with a very crushing majority.

As of now, the 5KY Sector is still in the middle of recovering what was damaged by EYE.RIS' assault. Power got back up, places were rebuilt, corrupted people were slowly recovering their selves. It would take some time, and efforts, for the wounds left by EYE.RIS' actions to heal, but for now, the future looked bright.

As for what has become of the Puppeteer, no one is sure yet, but for now, it seems like this shadow will stay buried for a long time…

Alternative: UNDER THE NEON LIGHTS

Although EYE.RIS was taken down, thanks to the group effort of all sides, the tensions in the Ark never seemed as high. Because of the actions of the terrorist group, more and more people were against the Robot Rights Act : what if they ended up corrupted again ? Then, wouldn’t they be doing the bidding of someone else ? What if they, in the contrary, pretend to do so, and pin the blame of any of their crimes on an innocent human ? Because of this, all arguments about them having emotions and sentience got pushed aside.

However, the fighters for the Robot Rights Act, and the robots themselves still didn’t lose any of their will or sense of self. They wanted to be treated as equals, not as “the help” or “toys” they could control on a whim… Plus, on contrary to the “humans”, they were first in the line of fire when EYE.RIS attacked, so they deserved to have some security, and some credit for their central role in taking down the terrorist group.

For now, both sides are defending their ideologies more and more strongly. However, it seems that a single added incident, it could burst into a whole civil war…

Conclusion D (Contributors: Tech, Ram, AO Natsumi)

TL;DR: Mass destruction.

The Cradle suffers damage from the effects of the EYE.RIS NETWORK.

//FLY THE NEST

Viruses destroy most of the infrastructures, terrorism does real damage, and people end up having to flee the Cradle.

Perhaps in many years time, the people will live on colonised planets...

Alternative: RE:START?

The EYE.RIS NETWORK disrupts the paradigm of the many factions, blurring the lines a bit.

Infrastructure is compromised in the elimination of EYE.RIS, but there is hope where many things can be built up in place of it, making 5KY SECTOR a much better city in the long run. One where there's less tension between factions and a more communal ruling structure.

Alternative: SCORCHING SANDS

As the fights between EYE.RIS and the resistance got more and more intense, something unexpected happened. The purple organization decided to attack the Ark as a whole, and it ended up having an unforeseen consequence : the night sky started to… fall… ?

The battle suddenly stopped, as everyone got blinded by the light that shone so brightly and warmly… It was… the sun. It was impossible for them to stop looking at the very bright blue sky, as more and more “space” pieces started to fall… Was it… Earth ?

There was a lot of confusion from all sides, so much that they halted all of their conflicts, to investigate the “sky”. However, unfortunately for them, the answer of the “why” got to them pretty quickly, in the form of a sandstorm. The air got dry, the heat insurmountable… It took only a few days for most of organic life to be swept by the hostile environment.

They tried to to stop the opening, to go back to their protected Ark, away from the scorching sands of the desert, but it was too late. There was no way to stop the progress, and soon, only robots, digitised people and a few catalysts would be left. However, they knew it was just a matter of time before they would disappear themselves…

Choose how your story ends!

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