Δ [1st Cipher] SVOOL WZIPMVHH NB LOW UIRVMW

[improvident]

[Static crackles and pops over the feed.

It is a combination of a radio tuner whining listlessly between stations with decent service, the familiar whirring grumble of the dial-up tone ad infinitum, the hoarse screech of a car trying to start on a lonely highway in the middle of the night, where it has broken down for seemingly no reason at all.

Images flicker: an illustration of Lincoln's assassination, a room draped with red curtains, the Teletubbies, President Nixon, video footage of a piglet slowly decaying into loam. And then- A V O I C E.]

I GӨƬƬΛ ƧΛY. ƬΉΣƧΣ DIGƧ ΛЯΣП'Ƭ ΉΛᄂF-BΛD. I MΣΛП, IƬ'Ƨ ПӨ IПƬΣЯGΛᄂΛᄃƬIᄃ ƬIMΣ PΛLΛᄃΣ ΛПD IƬ'Ƨ ПӨƬ ƬЯЦMP ƬӨЩΣЯ, BЦƬ I GΣƬ ƬΉΣ ΛPPΣΛL.

[On occasion, between the odd frequencies scrambling the frame with black and white noise, a single eye will appear.]

VΛMPIЯΣƧ. ΛПGΣᄂƧ. ᄃΛППIBΛᄂƧ. GӨDƧ. ΛΉΛΉΛΉΛΉΛ ӨΉ BӨY, IƧ ƬΉIƧ GӨППΛ BΣ FЦП. I'ᄂᄂ BΣ ЩΛƬᄃΉIПG YӨЦ, ЩӨПDΣЯᄂΛПD.

I ' ᄂᄂ B Σ Щ Λ Ƭ ᄃ Ή I П G Y Ө Ц.

[The transmission cuts, leaving a fuzzy screen and a garbled message:]

Comments

VOICE

[improvident]

[The Player Pin.

That's what that piece of shit is. One of Bill's many eyes (in many places) hones in on the object in question, no doubt the most sinister-looking of the accoutrement stuck on Neku's hideous shirt. The thought gives him flickers of its capabilities and they aren't promising ones: a line of defense, but something that can similarly reach out. Feeling around the sharp edges of Neku's passing fancy Bill allows a shrug into his voice.

Even if he is internally screaming.]

ΉΣY, I'VΣ BΣΣП ЯЦППIПG ΣЯЯΛПDƧ FӨЯ ΉΣЯ MΛJΣƧƬY, I ᄃΛП'Ƭ BΣ ΣXPΣᄃƬΣD ƬӨ ƧΣΣ ΣVΣЯY ЩΉIПY PӨƧƬ YӨЦ KIDƧ MΛKΣ.

[TLW UFXPRMT WZNM RG GSRH ORGGOV KRHH-ZMG DRGS SRH NLGSVIUFXPRMT HKVXRZO KRM RH TLMMZ YV GSV XLMHRHGVMXB LU TZINLMYLARZ YB GSV GRNV YROO RH WLMV DRGS SRN]

I'ᄂᄂ ƧΣΣ IF I ᄃΛП'Ƭ PЦƬ IП Λ GӨӨD ЩӨЯD FӨЯ YΛ.

[ABORT ABORT ABORT]

VOICE

[holdthephones]

[TLLW UFXRMT OFXP YROO, MVPF SZH Z WVRGB-ORPV YVRMT LM SRH HRWV GLL. NZBYV YROO ZMW QLHS XZM SZEV ZM ZHHSLOV GVZ KZIGB ZMW QLHS XZM NZPV YROO'H NVZG KFKKVG VZG MVPF KFPK]

That'd be nice of you. Thanks, Private Eye. Tell the Queen you totally work for I'd love to have a chat. Oh, and that she should probably fine-tune your abilities a bit.

[Neku's tone is nothing but the casual sass between friends, even as he is internally laughing]

VOICE

[improvident]

[He'll get his grubby little dimension-hopping hands on that extra pin you've got sitting in your pocket, though, kid.

QFHG BLF UFXPRMT DZRG.]

ᄃΉΛПGΣ YӨЦЯ ƧΉIЯƬ BΣFӨЯΣΉΛПD, PЦЯPᄂΣ ЩΣПƬ ӨЦƬ ӨF ƧƬYᄂΣ ЩIƬΉ ΣMPΣЯӨЯ ПΣЯӨ.

[/ollies out]