route666radio | [Audio]

Test, test. Test, test. One, two. One, two.

[For those who come from worlds with television, the voice is distinct: It bears the cadence of someone who has addressed cameras on news and maybe even the weather, crisp and professional.]

Right. Straight to the point: I go by Vox, and I'm doing a little outreach. I'm curious about the salvaging situation, namely in scrap metals or any other fine parts, and looking to keep my hands busy.

Let's just say I'm technologically savvy.

[One can hear the grin in the voice, maybe even the little eyebrow wiggle. What CAN be heard is something akin to metal tapping a rhythm upon a nearby surface.]

That aside: What eludes to a degree that vexes me is a bit of stitching. Got an associate back home- a real witch with a sewing needle- who would kick my ass for trying, so anyone who can keep something from falling apart is invited to get in touch for something else I'm working on.

[Tap tap tap.]

...So is that dinosaur moose thing a regular feature around here, or did I have a really unlucky smoke break?

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[To be fair a lot of it was cannibalized from a Warden's dashboard computer among other...parts. It was easier when you didn't think about where they came from. But Donnie's been putting together things from salvage for a loooong time now...]

So long as we don't try connecting to any of the cursed wireless networks that pop up, just pulling things up from the Convoy's network is fine.

[He taps at a few things, giving the side of the janky screen a tap before it comes on, lines of static buzzing across it. The input methods are very limited but he navigates it with practiced patience until he gets the internal database up.]

Fox? I know we have at least one other one sometimes. [He gestures before stepping aside to let Vox peruse after explaining buttons. But otherwise he'd hope someone with a screen for a head knows his general way around things and he won't have to walk him through.]

[He hadn't thought to send a searching signal since his arrival out of an abundance of caution. Seems his gut feeling was right. Because of course it was. But now he was curious as to these 'cursed networks'.]

Are we talking literally cursed, or...?

[He moved for the station, took a look at the buttons again, and seemed to be a natural in tapping his way through to what he needed. 'Fox monsters'... 'Yokai'? Okay, a Japanese word. Yeah, that makes sense, they had all kinds of animal trickster spirits and whatnot...]

Uuuuuh...possibly. Not the sort of thing you want stuck on your screen. It's weird stuff that's a mix of Warden propaganda and creepy symbols, flickers all over the thing like your typical horror game until you can't do anything. Thankfully it's only a temporary brick, but you have to do a hard reset to clear it.

I've got firewalls on firewalls in my internal systems, but I'm not interested in bricking myself in a test run without my usual crew of technicians who know my OS.

[Ooh. What a nice chunk of... info here- oh THAT'S what the liver thing was about, huh? 'Source of life force'. Shapeshifting! Interesting. ...And what's this about marbles and kissing? Okay, this is weird...]

That is exactly why I didn't want to try connecting to anything with my actual computer. [Donnie taps at the wraps around his left arm, identical to the wraps on his right, although when he does so, a projected screen appears above his forearm.]

So wait, is your brain actually a computer or something? Are you an AI?

Oh no, nothing like that- I was cursed with this bio-mechanical form and rather than let it bog me down, I embraced it and made improvements over the decades. Used to be that I had one of those boxy old CRT monitors for a head, y'know... the migraines and shoulder aches sure were a bitch. Don't miss those.

[He paused and made a mental recording of the information on the screen. Okay, so a lot of this explained a great deal of the symptoms. Knowing the lore would help him understand this new part of him. ...In theory.]

So like, more of a cyborg then. Although weirdly? You look way better than the creeps we've been running into. And you have way more personality. The Wardens seem to be severely lacking in that department.

Oh but I can imagine? Those were no fun to drag back from the junkyard. [That's when it helped to have an older, bigger brother.]

[That's a bark of laughter, but it's mingled a bit with a rather fox-like sound.]

Better than those Wardens! I'll take that to the bank!

This current design is of my own making, the perfected model after a number of prototypes over the decades as technology improved. The flat screen is a little odd in profile, sure, but at least I can sleep on my stomach and my back again, and photographers tend to prefer 3/4 shots anyway! With the 75 to 78% reduction in weight upon my neck and shoulders, I can't remember the last time I even had an ache or migraine.

...Well, aside from the headache of talking to investors, anyway. The 'joy' of running your own tech company...

[Hmm, let's tap through and see what info people have about these weird factions he'd been hearing about since he woke up in that grimy garage.]

I mean, I've never factored in the need to wear a screen for a head as part of the design specs but that makes sense. It really is amazing though, how we've gone from a box to something that's basically a picture frame. Takes up so much less space and I can have so many and in different sizes!

Oh, you have your own company?

[Guess that explains the whole needing things to tinker with.]

You're looking at the CEO of VoxTek Enterprises! The cutting edge of technology, entertainment and countless other innovations! ...Normally I'd be overseeing schematics for prototypes, picking apart a drone, or attending test viewings for upcoming blockbusters with my team, but instead my hands just... itch.

...But I remember the progress we went through, turning a computer that would take up an entire room into something anybody can hold in their hand! Hell- I remember the wonder everyone had when we flipped that switch and suddenly all their favorite shows popped into color! How those new TVs just FLEW off the shelves when neighbors told neighbors told neighbors...!

[He sighed fondly.]

Huh..! ...never heard of it.

[He breezes over that detail, not really thinking about it too hard because he figures it must be a whole 'brought from other worlds' issue.]

It's better to be doing things though, right? That's how I am, anyway. If there's something to be done then I'd rather be working on it or figuring out something than watch other people do it for me.

[Blink.]

Wow, you must be super old.

Eh, I've... been around. The perks of immortality.

But I keep up to date on trends and memes as best as I can, even if they're all ridiculous and it changes every decade or so. Which reminds me- what the hell do I need to keep in mind, so one of the kids around here don't try and kneecap me with some nonsense phrase?

...really. You're worried about that here? I'm sure you can communicate with us well enough. Also our dad's old too and he hasn't complained too much about whatever slang we tend to pick up so you should be fine.

HAH! Fair enough...! My strategy is the old 'fire with fire'- someone starts dropping some whatever on me, and I can start pelting in retaliation with some real brain rot phrases.

At any rate... you know what? I appreciate all of this a whole lot, Donnie. Hey- If I ever get my hands on the means toward a fresh pie, you'll be the first to call.

[HE CAN'T COOK. ...But he can ask someone around here, surely!]

Haha, I mean, I don't think that strategy's ever gotten old.

But yeah, happy to help! And if you need anymore stuff to tinker with, my scrap bins are open to you. -that would be marvelous.

[Hopefully by then he'll still have a taste for that over something freshly dead.]

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