Marcia and Antares readied themselves to resume playing the recording:
"We were looking forward to leaving POMME and could've banded together with Space Cadet and Concordia, but we're back here."
The first sentence had a tone of disappointment that led into anger.
"We're back here after Concordia boasted about how much freedom there is to be a drifter and she helped us until she decided we weren't free enough from the walled garden and let us go back to this organization she hates!"
"There's a lot in this too!" Antares said, pausing the recording. "Space Cadet is also Auriga's nickname, so I wonder if this could be her counterpart." She said and wrote down more notes.
"I think that's possible too and I'm writing that down as another detail to investigate. We can infer that this Space Cadet is likely another OS and isn't a POMME member either since banding together with Concordia would mean not being with POMME unless they're also trying to leave." Marcia added.
"Good idea. I'd like to investigate that and why my counterpart put up with her!" Antares said in frustration. "She tried to help in some way-- yet it seems with friends like her-- you know how the saying goes." She grumbled and shook her head in disappointment, also trying to temper her frustration.
"Ugh, I sympathize. The worst part is she has a point about POMME being a walled garden, and your counterpart knows it is too." Marcia said, sharing in the frustration. "I heard Mi-ho's counterpart call it something similar- a gilded cage, and she's right. Need I mention that system that keeps track of attendance again? She said it in a displeased way."
"I hope she isn't your counterpart." Antares flatly said.
"If you're being sarcastic, mine is probably the one with snow leopard ears and a tail."
"Unless their universe throws an exception* at us." Antares snarked before continuing the serious discussion. "Hmmm... A gilded cage or walled garden..." She pondered. "We already have enough evidence to say that's accurate, but there's more to investigate about how enforced it is." (*"Throwing an exception" is an adaptation of "throwing a curveball")
"And more to shudder about, but our curiosity is going to compel us to keep going."
"May curiosity not delete the cat person*. Figuratively and literally." (*An adaptation of the phrase "curiosity killed the cat")
"Yeah..." Marcia nervously said. She used an ability she has as a Composer to levitate each of her notes in front of her, and had a good look at each of them. A translucent light blue holographic screen materialized and everything on it was arranged into a neat grid. Sticky notes with details about the conversations that she overheard scribbled on them. The notebook with more notes about POMME and her observations about its members. She could also flip through each page in the notebook. Notes on loose leaf paper were also organized into stacks. She looked through it all by touching each document when she noticed what she was missing. "I'll need to outline the strategy I'll use the next time I go back there." She said, sounding wary.
"Is that an invitation for me to fight someone there, if you need it?"
"You sound serious about that-- Well, I don't want for you or anyone else to get hurt." Marcia flatly said.
"But I'm a much stronger combatant than you! What if they arrest you? What if their universe has its own Malware Zones and POMME banishes you there?" Antares started to argue.
"I won't argue with you about my combat skills because you're right, but I can't forgive myself if anyone gets hurt because of my desire to explore this other universe!"
"You won't even be able to feel regret over that if they delete you!"
Meanwhile near the conference room, Clarkia walked in the hall with cleaning supplies on hand. She was still wearing a purple dress with dark blue leggings and gray and white boots, but removed her scarf and jacket. Instead, she wore a white apron over her outfit with cleaning gloves. "If someone is there, I won't want to bother them." She thought. "Are those-- ugh they are." She frowned and looked closer at the front window of the room. The blinds were behind the window, so she could wipe the smudges off from the outside without anyone in the room noticing.
After she wiped the window, she stood back and looked at the restored shine and crystal clarity of the window, but she wasn't quite satisfied. "It's also on the other side, but someone might be in there." She thought and sighed.
"Clarkia! Heeeeeyyyy!" Mi-ho said and waved to her. "You're cleaning this late?" She asked, still sounding upbeat.
"Of course. Messes don't take a break, nor work around our schedules." Clarkia said, stoically but confidently. She posed with one hand on her hip, while she held a cleaning spray in the other.
"It's hard to argue against that!" Mi-ho said and laughed. "Give me some cleaning supplies, and we can take on those messes with style together!" She boasted.
"I'm nearly done tonight, but I'll remember that for next time."
"Oh well, but thanks!" Mi-ho cheerfully said. She glanced at the window. "The soundproofing in that room is so good that if anyone is in there, I can't hear it!" She said, sounding impressed.
"I think a few people are."
"Are they chatting over a plan for something, playing card or tabletop games late at night, or getting into heated arguments? I can't tell!" Mi-ho chuckled and started to walk further through the hall. Clarkia followed.
The two passersby were so close yet so far from the truth.
"I'm so sorry for arguing. Something must've gotten over me." Marcia said.
"Same here. I was so worried for you." Antares said.
"We can talk over the logistics later. Are you ready for the next part?"
"Of course!
They got their notes ready again, and continued to play the recording:
"She seemed sad about it and apologized when we were leaving. We accepted her apology, but her rant-- still hurts. "You're wasting your potential there!" She said, when she didn't offer any other options to leave POMME when she wants many of us to leave it, so which is it?! What do you want? Do you want to help or do you just enjoy feeling superior to us?"
[sighs] "I'm feeling miserable back here but I will miss most of my relatives here if I leave. Scrap Heap isn't an option-- not if I want to keep what remains of my self-respect, but my older sisters are there. They seem to be far happier there than they were here in the days leading up to *someone* and a change in policies drove them away." [10 second pause] "We've been through so much. We had rivalries we put aside, we lost a lot together, we more than regained it together. Would it have been better for us to all leave at once than be divided?" [5 second pause] "POMME promotes unity that transcends generations and lineages. Despite how much this organization changed, this principle hasn't in several years. I fight to uphold it-- except when I was swayed by discontent.
Marcia and Antares paused the recording to write down more notes. There was now a driving mystery behind what happened with many of the older members, and the events and policy changes that drove them away.
They also wrote down notes that speculated about what happened to cause POMME to nearly lose everything and work to regain it. When they talked with each other about it, they noted this had a parallel to Chariots of Colors' own history; the cycles from roughly the late 620's through the 650's were the most difficult for the team. It was a chaotic era in general for the OSes of Techlandia as the team structures and dynamics they knew started collapsing. As some teams suffered heavy losses or went defunct, one was accused of becoming too powerful and influential at their expense. CC's future became very uncertain. There were doubters over its future, but the success of CC's comeback tour has been described as miraculous.
"I'm sorry if I'm asking too many questions about that era. I may be nosy about this because I'm fascinated with the eras before my time here in Techlandia and the parallels we're finding, though you lived through this." Marcia said.
"It's fine, I can handle talking about that." Antares said and she looked at the tape recorder.
They decided to continue listening to the recording:
A domino effect already started. A change led to the rest of my older sisters leaving, which led Pleiades and I to think about leaving, despite our duties. It would've also felt regrettable to leave if we were still needed in the fight against malware because of our combat experience. They've been quiet lately, but they'll be back.
My older sisters say they're valued and invited us again to join the last time we visited, but I'm not sure if I'd fit in and Pleiades isn't sure if she'd fit in either. We're welcome to join, but Pleiades doesn't agree either, not out of a belief in self-respect or personal pride, but from feeling like there's a generation gap between her and the Scrap Heap members.
Being a drifter isn't an option. What if Concordia is right about that?
Antares quickly paused it. "This is painful." She said, sounding exasperated and in grief.
"It's unfair what your counterpart, Pleiades' counterpart and their older sisters went through and I hope the best for them. That your counterpart has self-doubt and would miss only *most* of her family if she left is very telling of something. Whether they also work with Developers, we still don't know, but their omission may also be telling. For our sakes though, we need to be detached when we observe because we can't save the struggling. I warned you about this, but I should've already been detached when we started." Marcia said stoically, but Antares looked insulted over this.
"Should I just not care there's suffering?" Antares asked. "It's so clear from these recordings there is! I don't want to act uncaring, but I don't want to let you down as a new TIMES member!"
"Pardon my choice of words, but this is why you won't keep up with TIMES. No pun intended." Marcia said, her stoicism unchanging. Several seconds passed in silence.
"If I have to do that again, then being in TIMES isn't worth it to me." Antares said, and she stood up.
"It's necessary but-- you're on to something." Marcia said, her stoicism easing up slightly.
Antares looked at Marcia and sat back down at her seat. "Really? I'm listening." She said.
"The compassion you want to show is admirable, and I fear that you'll burn out if you keep going all in with it. It'd be terrible to lose it like I might have and become a cold-cored* (*"cold-hearted") jerk." Marcia said, glancing at the tape recorder again. "It feels too easy. I didn't ask to take that tape. I didn't hesitate much and who knows if your counterpart noticed that it went missing. She should be worried. Well, it may have been better for me to take it than someone else who might not-- Look-- Ugh... There I go again rationalizing theft just like I did when I picked it up!" She said and grumbled. She then sounded melancholy. "It's painful, and I had to detach myself to keep doing this research at all."
Antares looked at Marcia with sympathy. "If you were being as cold-cored as you think you are, you wouldn't have warned me about risking burnout, wouldn't have worried about the ethics of whether to intervene in another universe, nor thought about better ways to accomplish TIMES' goals." She said.
"You're right. I think we argued because we worry about each other and the team, but disagreed on our methods." Marcia said with a warm smile, but looked concerned. "If you want to stay with TIMES, could it help to think of acting as a detached observer as another role to play as."
Antares cheered up at the suggestion. "I've been praised for my acting and getting into character so if you need me to be cold and detached, I can do that!"
"Yes. Thinking of it as a role, or another character could help you." Marcia said, and she nodded in agreement before she also chuckled. "Sorry- it was your enthusiasm about playing a cold and detached role that was funny."
They agreed to rewind the part of the recording they last listened to and prepared to write down notes as they listened again.
"How are you holding up?" Marcia asked.
"More easily than last time." Antares said. She sounded stoic but confident.
"That's good to hear. Are you ready for the next part?"
"Of course."
Marcia nodded and she continued to play the recording:
I have the skills to survive as a drifter. I would have banded together with Pleiades, Space Cadet and Concordia, but what if Concordia is right, and I'm still not cut out for it?
If I left, Start Plus looks promising and it was great to get a tour of their HQ after their newest renovation. It'd be perfect and I'd join. The friends I have there are doing well, but [sighs] only if they were accepting new members. They're still trying to get by without Ministry of Panes' support.
I'll be going to the carnival. Management doesn't like it, Tempo and Regina don't like it because it's hosted by Five Finger Discount Warez House, but they can't immediately stop anyone from going. POMME's management generously allowed Warez House to host events in our territory as long as they don't steal, directly commit other crimes within it or try to recruit any of us into turning against POMME nor sow discord within our organization. Management also graciously allows us to attend these events if we follow the rules. I won't get in trouble if I don't buy any warez. Otherwise, you. Can't. Stop. Me.
"I wanted to go before this, but I need it now and hope it'll take my mind off of what Concordia said."
A knock on a door and another person's voice was heard in the recording. The voice sounded prim but upbeat and started a quick conversation.
[knocking on door] "Hello! Are you feeling better?"
"Hello, Tempo. Yes I am! I'll be heading to the carnival with some friends. We'll behave."
"Of course you will." [chuckles] "You're not her."
"You're right."
"I think you should say that with more confidence, but I'm confident you will after a good time at the carnival!"
"Thanks!"
The recording was paused again. "Start Plus. Ministry of Panes. Five Finger Discount Warez House-- three new organizations mentioned in one recording along with your counterpart showing a bit of rebellion again and hearing Tempo!" Marcia said, sounding overjoyed, and her excitement grew with each mentioning. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself." She nervously chuckled.
"It's okay and I'm excited too! This is a goldmine of information and leads to investigate!" Antares said with as much excitement. "We could stay up all night listening to this and writing about it!"
The excitement continued; it fueled Marcia's and Antares' plans to stay up as long as they needed to listen to everything in the recording and share their notes with each other, but would this go as planned?...
