@tony.stark & @rey.solo

[voicelog]

@tony.stark
hey, tony here.

rey and i just left the meeting with riverstone. long story short: they want test subjects if we want answers to who they suspect is bringing all of us here. they aren't willing to budge on this. what a shocker.

why are they so interested in us? apparently, they want to know how we were able to disrupt the simulation back in may. given judas is still a credible threat, they're claiming to utilize what information they gain from the tests to potentially create a preventative measure against similar attacks in the future as well as help us learn more about our biology.

@rey.solo
they also have their own reasons to be interested in the people who brought us here. riverstone suspects that the people who have been dropping us off and the person who prevented my arrested when i changed my name are one in the same.

according to them, this person — not a group, a person — may have been involved in the marianas trench incident that riverstone believes we’re also connected to. apparently, good riverstone scientists were killed during that experiment. I know some of the displaced have already speculated that the marianas trench may be connected to us. riverstone agrees.

this person was never punished for their role in the experiment, and they’ve been operating extrajudicially. they seem to want to punish this person for the people they got killed. in other words, i think they’re on our side. really.

@tony.stark
if you think that sounds too good to be true, there's more.

they've agreed to a NDA which will be included in the consent forms for volunteers. i've looked it over. it's airtight, but i just want to take a moment to point out that this is one of the largest corporate entities in this world. they have both the power and the means to do whatever the fuck they want with the data they collect without us ever knowing. so with that said, they're going to be conducting interviews to see what kind of tests we feel are appropriate. i strongly advise against any that will require a sample of our DNA or any that will be performed under general anesthesia.

full access to the data gathered will be given to the participants and relevant riverstone personnel. they've also agreed to let us have representatives present for the procedures.

@rey.solo
and they’ve shown no interest in sharing the data they gather with other parties. it seems to me like they’ve got their own fathier in this race.

we should think about what these tests might turn up about some of our collective powers. i know a number of us have been trying and failing to learn more about our dreams, about the empathy bond, and about the objects in our chests. it might be tempting to use the resources that riverstone is offering to get some of the answers we’ve been looking for.

if anyone is considering consenting to tests about these, i do think we should talk about it because these are powers that all of us share.

@tony.stark

i don’t trust them and i won’t be participating in any of the tests, but i realize that there are differing opinions among us. for whatever it’s worth, i’m going to stay here to make sure that they won’t try and pull anything funny during the procedures.

for the ones who are interested in volunteering and want extra legal security, i hear @ian.fowler is cooking something up.

Comments

private.

[rehandle]

Gossiping over the network isn't going to change Rey's mind and it's not going to earn you any of the respect that might have helped.

I don't like what she's doing but she's doing it. Stop wasting your time causing more damage. And while you're busy faulting Rey for believing we should all be on the same page, take a moment to reflect on public hypocrisy. I've heard it's a particularly great look on a community leader.

private.

[strove]

Reflect.

What Rey's done and what we're doing aren't one and the same. You see that, don't you? Otherwise, you're suggesting that we're putting everyone at risk by taking control of what is known about us.

Rey could be compromising anything we attempt.

private.

[rehandle]

The key word was public, Clarke. In this specific instance, you're not "doing" anything that I can see beyond engaging in discourse amongst yourselves. What I'm suggesting is that your behaviour here today serves no purpose publicly that it couldn't have privately, and that you acted thoughtlessly in a way that's potentially damaging both to your reputation and, by extension, ours. We need that intact if we're to be of any use to anybody going forward.

If you're trying to manoeuvre your people into action, fine. If you want help beyond that, reach out for it. But if you're not going to share that action with the rest of us, if it's members only, keep your discussions elsewhere. You're throwing fuel on a fire that doesn't need the help.

private.

[strove]

This network isn't public, not the way that matters. Not when it comes to our reputation.

Besides, I'm used to dealing with this. I'll be fine. But thanks for the concern.

[She ignores all the implications of tribalism because they're inconvenient.]

private.

[rehandle]

Don't be reductive. It's public enough to have impacted my estimations of you so it's public enough to do the same for any other Displaced. And if you don't think where we stand with them will have any bearing on where we stand with the general public, you're not as ready for this as I thought you were.

I'm not concerned, I'm frustrated. I needed better than this from you.

private.

[strove]

I've already been weighed and found wanting by you before, Stephen. We're not doing that again. Ever again, for that matter.

This conversation is over.

private.

[rehandle]

[ There's more to be said but not now and certainly not here.

She and Rey both will do whatever they're going to do. He and Clarke can pick up any pieces they've chiseled off here and make the best of it afterwards. In person.

As requested, the conversation is over. ]