10819/The Face of the Machine

The Face of the Machine
Date of Scene:	21 January 2020
Location:	Danger Room - X-Men Base
Synopsis:	Mutant vs. Machine
Cast of Characters:	Cypher, Cyclops

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Cypher has posed:
After Doug's little space adventure and his return, he took full responsibility for a student getting brought along - fortunately she was none the worse for wear. These things used to happen to them all the time... but then again, there were consequences back then, too.

After that, he quietly went about his business -- except now, at about two in the morning, he's down in the Danger Room control room, working at a console, fingers moving along the keys, as he patiently builds a hologram of -- something. It's an enormous metal planetoid, filling a large amount of the Danger Room - with slate-gray and golden metal plating, and an enormous aperture reminiscient of a great fanged mouth. As he builds the hologram, an array is slowly taking shape around the planetoid.

Cyclops has posed:
Cyclops steps into the control room through a side door. He wears a black turtleneck, corduroys and loafers. His eyes are, of course, hidden behind dark-tinted ruby quartz glasses. He has a large white mug with the words #1 MOM printed across it. He may have gotten it at a discount store in a rush.

"Doesn't look like anything I assigned. Personal roject?" he asks.

Cypher has posed:
Doug sighs, his techno-organic hand resting on the console, as he picks up a can of red bull and takes a sip of it. He's been at this all night, and is plainly tired. "Sort of." He says. "When I was in space, I interfaced with an alien supercomputer. The cybertronian name for it translates best to 'Vector Sigma' - it's interesting how many Cybertronian terms translate best to Latin - but I was able to access the memory of... what was, in essence, an alien machine-god. An extremely depressed alien machine-god." He continues working, patiently building up that ring array around the planetoid.

Cyclops has posed:
Cyclops frowns, "I would think one of the benefits of being a machine entity would be immunity to emotional sickness. So much for being more advanced."

He comes to look over Doug's shoulder, perhaps looming a bit, placing a hand on the back of the chair as he gets a closer look at the schematics, "So, what, you're recreating it in simulation form? To what degree? I don't need some holograph generated AI trying to take over the mansion."

Cypher has posed:
"That's complicated, and has to do with its creations fighting a civil war with one another that's been going on for about four *million* years by Solar reckoning." Then Doug shakes his head. "No, this isn't Cybertron-Primus." He sighs. "Primus was created to be a gigantic factory. It builds... creates. Imagine the sort of planet-engine with the capability to construct things like dyson spheres."

"It had a counterpart, though... a machine built to break down galactic bodies into component materials for use. The One who Measures. It and Primus had a disagreement when they discovered... life."

'One who Measures' might have a more evocative translation into Latin...

Cyclops has posed:
Cyclops strokes his chin. "Basically a massive superweapon. A sort of Death Star, only able to think for itself. And probably not beatable by a stray missile in a vent port," he says. Was that a joke? Well. Almost.

"I hope this is simply a matter of intellectual curiosity and not something you think we'll actually have to deal with, Mr. Ramsey?"

Cypher has posed:
"That's the problem." Doug says, "I'm sure you've noticed a pattern." He rests his chin in his hand. "You've noticed that the people who're dedicated to wiping Mutants off the face of the earth become, to continue the Star Wars analogy, more machine than man, twisted and evil?"

He leans his shoulders back into the chair. "I think there's a connection, however distant."

Cyclops has posed:
Cyclops nods, "They turn to artificial solutions. Machines. You think it has something to do with these Cybertronian aliens? An interesting claim. One I assume you have data to back up. Or is this one of your hunches that you can't quite articulate? Some pattern in the data the rest of us can't see?" he says.

While it might sound like skepticisim on the surface, it's merely Scott probing to make sure Doug has his ducks in a row. He has confidence in the young man, more than he has than most. Still. Nothing wrong with applying a little rigor.

Cypher has posed:
"That's just it. I can see the pattern but I need more data..."

Doug's fingers race across the keys, and the Earth appears in front of Unicron's maw. He begins adjusting it for scale. Roughly... two bites. Maybe three.

"Primus was delighted by life, and its striving. Unicron was, to put it mildly, *revolted*. It wants... to eradicate all life, sentient or non-sentient, everywhere." he strokes his chin, and says, "A computer virus and a physical virus work the same way, more or less... parasites work the same way on a more macro-scale. They corrupt existing systems to serve their own purposes."

"So... if you were looking to destroy life--" Doug studies the enormous planetoid, "Or keep it from evolving to a state where it can stop YOU from destroying it-- why not pervert the system from within with bad data?"

Cyclops has posed:
Cyclops purses his lips, "Do you think it's doing that? Creating some sort of virus - maybe even a biological one - to affects its agenda? And just to be clear, how clear and present a threat do you think this...thing presents to Earth right now? How close are to having to deal with this machine directly?" he asks.

"And if you need data, how can you find it? Through the simulation? Or do you need data from the real world?"

Cypher has posed:
"I don't know." Doug says, "Primus believed Unicron's return was imminent... but it doesn't measure time the same way we do. 'Soon' could mean a lot of things. But I think if it appears it'll start consuming life-sustaining worlds at a rate that'd *shame* Galactus. It's not a cosmic balancer. It's out for blood."

Then Doug says, "A better question... if it seeded Earth with that urge toward the Machine in response to the Mutant -- why?"

Cyclops has posed:
Cyclops drums his fingers, "I don't like the implications. The idea that it's all part of some design, that countervailing forces have been set against one another in our DNA. I'm a free will believer," he says.

"But what I want to believe isn't necessarily what is. It could be simply that machine is what it knows best - most species tend to naturally assume their own supremacy."

Cypher has posed:
"But that's the kicker--" Doug says, "What I got out of Primus's memories of Unicron wasn't supremacy... it was hate. Cybertronian life is derived from mutable, evolving adaptive mechanoid structures, and Unicron hates them too."

"If it's hijacked living things toward its own designs, its outcome is a final, definitive destruction of life. In essence, the only 'living' thing in the universe would be Unicron itself."

He taps a button, and that great fanged mouth opens. The Earth's atmosphere is sucked away in one enormous rush, and then the planet itself is broken down into constituent parts and sucked into that gigantic maw. The process takes approximately 10 minutes.

"Our enemy is the Machine." Doug says, "...And the Machine leads back to Unicron."

Cyclops has posed:
Cyclops looks resolutely at the demonstration Doug presents. His back is ramrod now, staring at it the way most any general stares at a new challenge. Respectfully but without fear.

"If it is the enemy, then we shall deal with it," he says. "As you said, we can't be sure when or where this might be relevant. All the same - see about formulating some countermeasures. If it can create viruses, so can we. Maybe this thing picked a fight with us, but that doesn't mean it's going to win. Far from it. Betting against the X-men is always bad odds," he says.

He reaches down and pats Doug on the shoulder, "Good work, son."

Cypher has posed:
"...We've always had a connection to greater galactic events, whether we wanted one or not." Doug says, before he sits back.

"...I feel like this is outside of my pay grade. I'm just some kid looking at planets. But I *saw* this thing... and it frightens me." Then Doug studies his techno-organic hand, and frowns, before he pushes himself up. "I should go to bed, Scott. Danger Room's yours, if you want it."

Cyclops has posed:
Cyclops shakes his head, "You're getting old enough that you should start to realize there are no pay grades. We all have a responsibility. All hands on deck. That said, if you wanted to bring in others to brainstorm on this - not exactly a task force but more like a thinktank - I think that would probably be wise. If you have anybody you want to contact, let me know. I'll see what I can do."

Cypher has posed:
Doug studies puts his hands on the console and leans forward, before he nods, once. "I think that'd be a good idea. I know one guy I want to talk to about it. But he's hard to get hold of."

Cyclops has posed:
Cyclops raises an eyebrow, "Hard's never stopped me before," he says, taking his own spot at the console, "I'm going to work up a scenario for dealing with more machine-based entities. Just to keep the wits sharp," he says. "Just who were you thinking about?"

Cypher has posed:
"A guy who spends his night prowling his city to terrify burglars but who also has a hidden base on the moon." Doug says. "Just the sort of lunatic who'd regard a planet-eating alien machine-god as a challenge to be overcome. The man who always wins."

Cyclops has posed:
Cyclops nods, "Ah, that one. Well, finding him should be right up your alley, Doug. I hear you're good with signals."

Cypher has posed:
"Mmmm." Doug says, "Well, maybe. He's prickly. Who else do you think I should terrify with this?" He raises his eyebrows, as he displays Unicron eating the Earth like a cookie, one more time.

Cyclops has posed:
Cyclops considers, "Reed Richards would be the usual go to. Tony Stark. Lex Luthor. The big brains. Hank, for that matter, might not be a bad idea. It's a little out of his usual specialties, but he's plenty brilliant in his own right and isn't nearly as big an asshole as any of the others I mentioned."

Cypher has posed:
"...Let's start with Hank. I'll see if I can get an audience with the Batman." Doug sighs, and then steps away from the console. "Speaking of lunatics, I sound like one too. Maybe I'll be saner after a few hours of sleep. Running late night bank-shot drills again?"

Cyclops has posed:
Cyclops nods, "Get some rest. Just reviewing performance data from the last few scenarios. A little number crunching before I hit the sack myself."

Cypher has posed:
"Mmm. Well, if you need data analysis, just send it my way and I'll do it on my lunch break." Doug says, before he turns around and leaves the control room, leaving Scott alone with the hologram of the giant planet-eating alien... that's also a planet.

...Though now that the construction's complete, the Danger Room has analyzed the superstructure and is indicating a 'probable alternate mode'.