"Divided" - Reboot.Exe - S2 Chapter 8

## Divided

Jenn

"Divided" is the eighth episode of the second season in Reboot.exe. It was released on 19 August 2022 and is narrated by Dave.

## Episode Synopsis

After a long and arduous night, they crew returns to Ugly's and carries Seb and his massive wheelchair down the stairs without a grand issue. Upon walking in, Xiang ushers them to the back where she reveals that she found an older model electric wheelchair that appears to have been fixed up.

Pr0 quickly leaves them to go in his private space to be alone. Or so he wishes. The urge to use while a figure in his mind stands in the corner is eventually pushed back by the willpower to just go to sleep. These attempts aren't completely successful. Pr0 hears a voice, prompting him that "It doesn't have to be hard, Pr0. You can have it easy. You can." Pr0 questions what he means by this and the voice simply responds with "The circle. You've got skills." Pr0 gives a half response before silencing the voice and drifting into a fitful sleep, growing more and more unsure of the legitimacy of what he has been hearing.

Two days pass while Pr0 heals from his injuries and Seb acclimates himself to the new wheelchair. Eve reaches out to Belle, asking if she has any idea on who the "necromancer" they encountered could possibly be. Belle confirms that she has heard and experienced this before. She states that they really are just a corpse being kept as "alive" as they possibly can, just to be a puppet for the master's controlling. These puppets have no idea that they're alive or dead. Belle then states that the best way to disarm and dismember these things is to go for what you would assume their main connections to be. Head, spinal cord or anything else within the central nervous system. If they're not connected wirelessly, the batteries would be another access point.

Pr0 decides to take some drugs as the feeling of encroaching action guides him. He takes it without any ill effect or positive gain. Eve approaches Incongruent and asks if it's possible that she gain the ability "Disarming Voice," which, just like the Pokémon move, is the ability to project her voice very loudly, in a tone that would disarm her opponents. The two share a nerdy talk about Pokémon and that move specifically. Incongruent states that he can indeed do this for her, but asks why she has had the sudden change to wanting augmentations. She simply states that she is going to need some sort of advantage in combat. He agrees. The day passes and Incongruent preforms the "operation" the next morning. Eve comes out looking almost unaltered, but there are a few visible mismatched cables and bits that weren't originally in there.

After getting confirmation that the shipment of Eves is still a week off, Pr0 confirms that there is still time to find Joseph. Incongruent gives some information on Chessex, saying that he's interesting, but very odd and interested in teaching children. He suggests that Pr0 goes to talk to Chessex himself, as he's had more important matters to attend to. Pr0 stops by Ugly before heading out and asking about Chessex. Ugly doesn't have any news he hasn't already heard before to share, so Pr0 sets off toward the soup kitchen.

Outside the newly refurbished kitchen, Pr0 spots Chessex with a bunch of slum children teaching them a lesson in navigation and how to avoid getting hurt in conflict. Pr0 walks up and waits to be noticed. He begins asking for a favor, which is information on how to get into the northern slums safely. Chessex agrees to help, so long as he helps his little protégé that he left behind when Chessex left the gang territory. Chessex informs Pr0 that the gang they're looking for will be called "The Hipsters" and the guy they're after is called "Possum." He guides Pr0 to look for a bar called "The Duchess," and to say that "Shadow sent you." Chessex explains that there are two main ways into the northern slums. One being a trafficking passage under the freeway and the other through "the reclaimed." A subsection of the northern suburbs that has been transformed into a religious cult filled with people who denounce technology and live in houses they have build on the trees they've planted. He states that the trafficking path is much more dangerous while The Reclaimed path is much more complicated.

Pr0 returns to the gang and tells Eve and Seb about the two paths that are available. Seb and Eve agree to take the reclaimed path while Pr0 scopes out the trafficker tunnel. They quickly return to Chessex asking for a possible in to The Reclaimed lands. He reaches into this coat pocket and pulls out a long, six inch quartz crystal, hands it to them and tells them to hold it up when they reach the entrance and say "Moon prism, moon prism, moon prism" and to be sure it's nighttime when doing so. Seb is incredibly suspicious of this, but agrees to do so. While Seb and Eve are waiting for nighttime, Pr0 sets off east from the soup kitchen.

Once Pr0 reaches the river, he doesn't see an easy way across, but does spot a swathe of flying security drones and successfully hacks one. He uses it to try and scope out the area and see what there is that could be helpful. He eventually spots suspicious behavior from what he can only assume to be smugglers working their business. He attempts to find a path that is in the least conflict with both the security drones and the gangers. After a minuet or so, the vision goes dark and static. As Pr0's real world vision returns, the sparking flaming drone starts falling out of the sky as another drone has shot it down for being inactive. Pr0 still hasn't found a way safely across the river. Returning to the streets, Pr0 finds a wooden plank, a few bottles and a bin that he makeshifts together into a crummy raft. He undresses and begins kicking off into the water. He makes the swim in reasonable time by basically doggy paddling to the other side. After realizing that he has found massive successes after his previous failures, his endurance grows. He shoves his clothes back on, and walks forward. He gets in and travels pretty successfully without being spotted. Pr0 walks up on a little glass shed that is housing what he can only assume to be a lookout. Pr0 attempts to deceive this man by saying he's been a part of this operation and that's why he's travelled here unsuspected. Pr0 steps aside and calls Eve and Seb, saying that he's found a way in, but that they're going to need swimwear. Once they both state the obvious fact that neither of them can swim, Pr0 suggests they go the reclaimed route and just meet at a point of contact on the other side. They exchange their goodbyes, and Pr0 continues into the slums into a building that has been tunneled under.

Eve and Seb successfully waited for nightfall and travelled to the edge of the reclaimed land. After SEVERAL lackluster attempts, Eve and Seb pull it together and manage to say "Moon prism" in a convincing enough way to be let in. As they are granted access, they are met with several dirty inhabitants of this place all with filthy feet, stained with healthy soil. A man with a long grey beard walks up to the two of them, and wipes neon zinc on their noses. The man introduces himself as Ambergris. Seb and Eve explain that they're seeking passage. Ambergris is familiar and explains that his father once made the trek. He also explains that this cult has made peace with nature and if anyone defies them or their logic, they simply kill them and eat them, staking their claim in the circle of life.

As Ambergris ushers them further into the land, they spot a few children who are clearly affected by the process of inbreeding. They also spot a glowing statuesque robot that appears be sitting there for advertising purposes. Seb spots the name "Miska" on the bottom. It greets them, and begins offering 50% off of all enlightenments.

-YHTris

## TL;DR

* Upon walking in to Ugly’s bar, Xiang ushers them to the back where she reveals that she found an older model electric wheelchair that appears to have been fixed up.
* Pr0 quickly leaves them to go in his private space to be alone. Pr0 hears a voice, prompting him that "It doesn't have to be hard, Pr0. You can have it easy. You can." Pr0 questions what he means by this and the voice simply responds with "The circle. You've got skills." Pr0 gives a half response before silencing the voice and drifting into a fitful sleep.
* Two days pass while Pr0 heals from his injuries and Seb acclimates himself to the new wheelchair. Eve reaches out to Belle, asking if she has any idea on who the "necromancer" they encountered could possibly be. Belle confirms that she has heard and experienced this before. Belle then states that the best way to disarm and dismember these things is to go for what you would assume their main connections to be.
* Eve approaches Incongruent and asks if it's possible that she gain the ability "Disarming Voice," which, just like the Pokémon move, is the ability to project her voice very loudly, in a tone that would disarm her opponents.
* Incongruent states that he can indeed do this for her, but asks why she has had the sudden change to wanting augmentations. She simply states that she is going to need some sort of advantage in combat. He agrees.
* Incongruent suggests that Pr0 goes to talk to Chessex himself, as he's had more important matters to attend to, so Pr0 sets off toward the soup kitchen.
* Pr0 walks up and waits to be noticed. He begins asking for a favor, which is information on how to get into the northern slums safely. Chessex agrees to help, so long as he helps his little protégé that he left behind.
* Chessex explains that there are two main ways into the northern slums. One being a trafficking passage under the freeway and the other through "the reclaimed."
* Pr0 returns to the gang and tells Eve and Seb about the two paths that are available. Seb and Eve agree to take the reclaimed path while Pr0 scopes out the trafficker tunnel. While Seb and Eve are waiting for nighttime, Pr0 sets off east from the soup kitchen.
* Once Pr0 reaches the river, he doesn't see an easy way across, but does spot a swathe of flying security drones and successfully hacks one.After a minuet or so, the vision goes dark and static. As Pr0's real world vision returns, the sparking flaming drone starts falling out of the sky as another drone has shot it down.
* Returning to the streets, Pr0 finds a wooden plank, a few bottles and a bin that he makeshifts together into a crummy raft. He makes the swim in reasonable time. After realizing that he has found massive successes after his previous failures, his endurance grows.
* Pr0 walks up on a little glass shed that is housing what he can only assume to be a lookout. Pr0 attempts to deceive this man by saying he's been a part of this operation and that's why he's travelled here unsuspected.
* Pr0 steps aside and calls Eve and Seb, saying that he's found a way in, but that they're going to need swimwear. Once they both state the obvious fact that neither of them can swim, Pr0 suggests they go the reclaimed route and just meet at a point of contact on the other side. They exchange their goodbyes, and Pr0 continues into the slums into a building that has been tunneled under.
* After SEVERAL lackluster attempts, Eve and Seb pull it together and manage to say "Moon prism" in a convincing enough way to be let in. As they are granted access, they are met with several dirty inhabitants of this place all with filthy feet, stained with healthy soil.
* A man with a long grey beard walks up to the two of them, and wipes neon zinc on their noses. The man introduces himself as Ambergris.
* As Ambergris ushers them further into the land, they spot a few children who are clearly affected by the process of inbreeding. They also spot a glowing statuesque robot that appears be sitting there for advertising purposes. Seb spots the name "Miska" on the bottom. It greets them, and begins offering 50% off of all enlightenments.

-YHT