[ 9S perks up and lowers the automotive manual he was flipping through. Say one thing for 9S, say that he likes to learn -- and there's plenty to learn about the sweet new ride they've acquired. ]
I read you loud and clear. Hello, Mr. Hunter. Is everything alright?
[It's a little bit surprised, if only because he wasn't sure whether or not 9S would; it can be hard to tell who among them knows that this world isn't their own.]
So you know this is all, like, fake. Right?
[That isn't the only reason he called, but it's good to know regardless.]
[ Likewise, it's good to have confirmation that Hunter is also one of the unassimilated. His unwillingness to carry weaponry was the biggest flag, but 9S couldn't be completely sure. ]
As fake as these things get, sure. Though I have to say it feels real enough.
...Right. I don’t wanna say this isn’t serious or anything, just... It’s weird how half the time people don’t know what’s really happening. It’s, like, straight out of the Matrix. You know?
[That prompts a small sigh, but —]
That isn’t why I called, though. I wanted to thank you.
[ He doesn't sound particularly enthused about it, and in truth he'd more or less forgotten about that detail in light of Everything Else that happened. After a moment, he realizes that his tone might come across the wrong way, so he quickly adds: ]
I'm happy you're alive, of course. I just wish I could've saved Mr. Ning from his wound too.
But it is my fault! You might not think so, but it is. If only I hadn't been stupid enough to overlook checking him for weapons... That should've been the first step after he was unconscious.
[He wasn't expecting the outburst, so it takes him a moment to respond. There's a new tinge of worry in his voice when he does.]
Yeah, I know it can be tough to accept something like that. It's way easier to say it to someone else. [But!] Try to cut yourself some slack, though, okay? I think we were all a little preoccupied.
[ There are a couple things 9S could say to that. First, that he really can't cut himself any slack because he's failing his direct reason for existence by allowing the humans around him to be hurt -- but he can imagine how well Hunter would accept that argument, so he keeps it to himself. Second, that humans are allowed to be a little preoccupied because... that's just how they are. A little doofy and a little imperfect, but that's part of their charm. Most of them aren't equipped to process and analyze like a Scanner can, and so it was on 9S to take care of the little details.
Hearing the concern in Hunter's voice, there's a moment of silence as 9S waits for his pulse rate to lower. When he responds, his voice is level again. ]
I guess things could've gone worse. Our interrogation protocol definitely needs some fine-tuning, though. With luck, Mr. Chuuya will be able to get more out of him than we did.
[He can guess at the disagreement that pause signifies, but he doesn't quite know how to address it; unseen, there's a light frown as he continues on.]
If we hadn't taken you along, I'm pretty sure it would have been much worse. [And, well...] I hope so, too. Just... What do you think he'll do? The whole threatening violence thing wasn't really working so well for us.
Couldn't tell you. He was the most enthusiastic I've ever seen him, though, so I don't imagine it'll be anything pleasant for our kidnapper.
[ Which gave 9S a Concern, but he knew what they were doing when they decided to hand the guy over to Chuuya. Maybe it was cowardly of him, but 9S decided not to ask about the gory details. ]
To tell you the truth, I don't know much about data extraction when it comes to humans. In my time, if we couldn't hack into our enemies for information, we just destroyed them.
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no subject
I read you loud and clear. Hello, Mr. Hunter. Is everything alright?
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[It's a little bit surprised, if only because he wasn't sure whether or not 9S would; it can be hard to tell who among them knows that this world isn't their own.]
So you know this is all, like, fake. Right?
[That isn't the only reason he called, but it's good to know regardless.]
no subject
As fake as these things get, sure. Though I have to say it feels real enough.
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[That prompts a small sigh, but —]
That isn’t why I called, though. I wanted to thank you.
no subject
Thank me? For what?
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I mean - you know, for the vest. You do realize you pretty much saved my life, right?
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[ He doesn't sound particularly enthused about it, and in truth he'd more or less forgotten about that detail in light of Everything Else that happened. After a moment, he realizes that his tone might come across the wrong way, so he quickly adds: ]
I'm happy you're alive, of course. I just wish I could've saved Mr. Ning from his wound too.
no subject
[There’s a note of regret in his voice as well, but...]
I know this probably won’t help, but - it wasn’t your fault, seriously. I bet he wouldn’t say it was, either.
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But it is my fault! You might not think so, but it is. If only I hadn't been stupid enough to overlook checking him for weapons... That should've been the first step after he was unconscious.
no subject
Yeah, I know it can be tough to accept something like that. It's way easier to say it to someone else. [But!] Try to cut yourself some slack, though, okay? I think we were all a little preoccupied.
no subject
Hearing the concern in Hunter's voice, there's a moment of silence as 9S waits for his pulse rate to lower. When he responds, his voice is level again. ]
I guess things could've gone worse. Our interrogation protocol definitely needs some fine-tuning, though. With luck, Mr. Chuuya will be able to get more out of him than we did.
no subject
If we hadn't taken you along, I'm pretty sure it would have been much worse. [And, well...] I hope so, too. Just... What do you think he'll do? The whole threatening violence thing wasn't really working so well for us.
no subject
[ Which gave 9S a Concern, but he knew what they were doing when they decided to hand the guy over to Chuuya. Maybe it was cowardly of him, but 9S decided not to ask about the gory details. ]
To tell you the truth, I don't know much about data extraction when it comes to humans. In my time, if we couldn't hack into our enemies for information, we just destroyed them.