001 [ voice ]

[zenthing]

[There's no fumbling with the Forge before the audio kicks in. The newcomer's tone is equal parts serene and curious; he would have wanted the former, and been unable to avoid the latter. He sounds American and on the older side, with a diluted West coast accent more indicative of education than birthplace.]

Greetings. Namaste.

You would not believe

Comments

[zenthing]

Thanks, man. [Seems he's interpreting that as a compliment.]

I wasn't worried about where I'd end up. If anything, I think I might be better off. I'm guessing that's not the case for everyone here.

[zenthing]

That was the plan, yeah. It was really more of an escape attempt than a process. The exit, if you want to call it that, only opened from one side; I was on the other.

[He's calm about this, too.]

[zenthing]

[His tone takes a somber turn. He doesn't really need to guess, but it's a sympathetic gesture.]

Difficulties like a lot of people working through anger, worry, fear and longing?

[zenthing]

I'm sorry to hear it.

Enough time goes by, and all the things you needed to do - all the unresolved situations - have a way of resolving themselves. Even if time could stop everywhere else, it moves for you. And you have to find a way of making peace with it. Maybe that's not universally true, but it's been my experience.

The place I came from isn't where I started off.

[zenthing]

[He's aware of how this might sound, but honesty seems like the best policy.]

Digital space. An artificial construct, within a computer system. I called it the Grid.

[zenthing]

I converted myself into information to be processed and run like a computer program. From the inside, it was as physical and immediate as anywhere else.