Quoted By:
"that's not right. the wording's different."
"Yeah, you're right. Got any ideas what this might be?"
The <span class="mu-b">Man</span> has one guess but he needs to test one more thing. Try again just one more time. You click back to a previous screen and you try to search something up again. Same white screen but...
<span class="mu-s">ERROR 404</span>
<span class="mu-s">The page won't be found.</span>
<span class="mu-s">The page you are searching for has been removed, had its name removed, and is unavailable for the foreseeable future.</span>
Yep, the <span class="mu-b">Man</span> smirks, your anomaly is redacting information about itself. This isn't the website's fault; this is the anomaly messing with you. When an anomaly is actively redacting any information about itself, there's only so much either of you can do.
"So, that was a complete waste of time."
"well, we still learnt something about the anomaly, right?
It wasn't quite a waste of time, says the <span class="mu-b">Man.</span> He types a few more words and...
<span class="mu-s">ERROR 404</span>
<span class="mu-s">He won't be found.</span>
<span class="mu-s">The man you're looking for is no longer relevant, had its name forgotten, and is no longer available to speak to.</span>
The error message keeps changing. He's going to spend some time messing around with this while you and Ashton deal with the anomaly itself.
"I'll deal with this later. You ready to check on the anomaly?"
"i sure am." Ashton gives you a thumbs up. "i wouldn't want you to lose your head. i'd dread to see you dead."
"Pffft. Oh, c'mon." You gotta say, it's pretty swell knowing she's not above having stupid thoughts just like you.
"what can i say? it rhymes, even if it doesn't flow all that well."
The <span class="mu-b">Man</span> rolls his eyes. You two can go now. He has, you know, STUFF to do. Very important stuff. Stuff that's probably best done if you two were gone.
"Alright, alright, let's get going."
As the two of you head over to the cell, you decide it wouldn't hurt to talk to her for a moment. You mull over what you should ask her. Ehhh, if she is a 'harvester' who knows a lot about the human body, you suppose you could ask her for some anatomy tips and tricks.
"Random question. I'll probably have to fight people like that ROBUST MAN again. Do you have any, uh, tips for fighting them?"
Ashton's eyes sparkle with a mixture of amusement and, oddly enough, concern. "hm. honestly, running away might be the best option for you. not to say you're not strong! i mean..."
"You mean what?"
"ithoughtitwasreallycoolwheniheardwhathappened." Words spill out of her mouth without any real pattern. It's basically impossible to process what she just said.
"BUT!" She quickly regains her composure. "please, i already saw enough dead bodies for a lifetime here. it'd be nice to just...know someone who's going to stick around, you know?"
"I get that, I do, but I'll be fine. I have to learn how to fight anyways, right?"
"i-" Ashton was about to say something but the words die in the back of her throat. "yeah, yeah, you probably should."
