Online Rant

July 08, 2015:

Rant goes looking online for someone to talk to … Oracle finds her

Cyberspace

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions:

Mood Music: None.


Fade In…

It was a quiet night at the Tin Roof, most of the people were out of the proverbial office or chasing down their prospectives; all the meanwhile the warzone held and kept upright as the Alley Catz kept their rotating perch outside. Melody kept her usual vigil in her room, on the bed with her laptop upon her stomach, reading random news articles that soon divulge into a word search, which soon divulges into Wikipedia, which soon turns into hours long searches of things that she just may find interesting.

Eventually, she grew bored, booting up a game here and there, fingers digging into the bowl of 50 fat free popcorn that was given to her by one of the girls to ease her broken spirit. But even that wasn't enough. She really didn't crave human contact, not anymore. She at least wanted someone or something to talk to without having to show her face.

With HYDRA being gone, she taps into those lines that she once connected to, where all the hackers did their bang up jobs, searching for at least a spark that would lead her to communicate with one of the hackers and data grabbers present. If there was a spark at all.


Oracle doesn't communicate on those lines often, she prefers to keep her presence quiet… unknown. The all seeing eye and all that. She does however, monitor the lines, seeing who's on and who's talking to who.

Melody's presence gets her attention… remembering the womans promise a month or so ago… gently, carefully, the wheelchair bound redhead reaches out, digitally, sending her Avatar spiralling along the channels… to be presented to the woman.


Oh.. so someone is online. Melody hadn't thought to make a presence, since she was mostly a voice or a random generated image within the ethers when she was there. She knew the signature, for sure, but names were splatted out and there was hardly time to trace a line to decide who was who or what was what. But either way, she wasn't alone. And there was a quiet feeling of gladness.

It takes her a moment to pick an avatar, creating a wispy, digital being.. but this being doesn't float or do any tricks, it just sits upon the ground like a lump on a log.

'You're actually there and not a figment of my imagination, right?' -The words from Melody, scrawled across the screen.


"I'm here… " Oracle responds, regarding the image that appears. Green eyes monitor the screens in her room, watching over… a lot more than she used to… "Why do you think I'd be a figment?" An interesting concept to consider.


There was a little bit of silence on Melody's end. She didn't know whether to respond with the truth or just brush off that question as something that's normally asked.

"I haven't had the best few weeks."

Confession it was. "You were there with us? When we.. did that thing?"


"The data grab, with Aspect?" Oracles Avatar tilts slightly, adding emotion to the question. "I was." a simple statement. "Why haven't you had the best few weeks?" Melody may be in Catwomans pay, but still, Oracle tries to care for those who have worked with her. Some of them don't make that easy of course.


"Yeah. I know I should check before I tap into a channel but.. I just don't give a damn anymore." The Ran-atar shrugs softly, its movements lazy and mechanical to stand upright. "My boyfriend died." It was all she could really say in that moment, she didn't know what else she could say to explain it. "And I'm lost."

In the real world, Melody wipes away at her face as she takes in a deep sniff, her eyes red as she bites upon her lower lip. She finally uses her fingers to continue to typing, her mind losing a little bit of focus to stay connected.

"Why do people do this? This.. hero stuff. Why do people want to save the world and other people they don't know? What's the point?"


As Melody shares her news, the redhead cants her and looks sad… loosing someone is never easy and to loose someone that close to you.

"I'm sorry to hear that. But… you know, it's ok to be lost when these things happen." a digital pause to add emphasis to the discussion "The important thing is to know that there's a back… eventually."

As to why? "Some of us found our way from being lost by helping others." The redhead considers her answer carefully "I can't speak for others, but I know that what I do gives me purpose, something to focus on… And if I can improve just one persons life, even a little, it's all worthwhile." another pause "Would you like to talk about your boyfriend?" She's no idea how close Melody was to Shift.


"Its…" She wanted to say it was okay, but it really wasn't okay. Her world was turned upside down when she heard the news and had it confirmed. Anything else, after that? Didn't matter.

But she does listen, fingers pressed upon the keyboard, her bottom lip poking out as she gives a shake of her head, her avatar was unmoving, that mental disconnect there. But at least it didn't disappear upon her to allow her to force herself even harder.

"I thought that I make a purpose for someone.. maybe I do and I just don't see it." The avatar, remaining still, quiets for a moment, then suddenly it shakes its head. "I just.. " She didn't know what to talk about. ".. I don't know if I do or not." Her teeth grit faintly. "I.. I heard he saved the world."


Aaaaahhhh. The clocktower bound redhead understands, she thinks… "He saved the world and you think he forgot about you?" It's not possible for the Avatar to modulate tone, to indicate care by dropping … but Oracle tries to convey this. "And now you're wondering if you matter?" Perhaps matter isn't the right word, but it's close enough.


"I don't know if he did or didn't." Melody admits. "I mean.. I guess it's okay if we're the forgotten few when it comes to the bigger picture.." Little did she know, Oracle was the bigger picture, or part of it. In many a faction. "One day, I'm getting phone calls and the next month or two. I'm not. And.. he saves the world and is dead because of us all."

There was a little lax, a slight struggle to keep up. "I'm wondering if it would matter if I try to follow him. Or his footsteps. Or to do something good for everyone. Or if we all deserve to die because he's gone."


Oracle may be part of the bigger picture but that doesn't mean she doesn't understand the loneliness, the effects of being forgotten … of having to forgo personal wants for the greater good.

"Sometimes it happens." The Avatar moves slightly, like a tilt of the head "I can't say if it's OK or not… but I can say that I know that it hurts. To be forgotten, the one left behind… " Straightening, the Avatar fixes Mel's with a direct look… in person, there may be piercing green eyes giving a hard look… "Follow him? Make his sacrifice worth less? Could you really do that? Ask yourself if that is what he would have wanted… and then ask yourself, what could you do, to make sure his name is remembered?"


"It happens a lot." Melody murmurs, her arms soon drawn around herself.. her avatar's arms following the same motion. It's head hung slightly low, and if it could frown? It would.

"I thought about it. I thought about everything from every logical angle and.." She shakes her head. "He wouldn't want this. He'd be disgusted, disappointed, and hurt." She looks up, that same blank face staring back into her own.

"But to follow him. To do good in my own way, I suppose. It may just fill that void that someone else can be really happy."


Well yes… it can happen a lot. There's not really much Oracle can say there. Letting Melody work her way through the issues, the redhead leans back in her chair, watching their Avatars interact on the screen.

Something in another window catches her attention and for a moment, she focusses… sends out one of her teams and then turns her attention back to the conversation.

"That's what I like to believe." The redhead begins to respond "That by honouring their sacrifices, we carry on their work. You most certainly will help someone be happy… and who knows? Eventually, one day you may find that you're happy yourself." It's something that might take a long to happen, but all things are possible… over time.


While there was that small lax in communication, Melody looks upright from the screen, a slight frown peeling across her face as she calls out, 'Door, closed.' The mechanical hinges, voice activated, slams shut as she looks on, waiting for at least a reply or a slight movement.

"Shift." She states slightly, finally passing his name to her with a frown peeled upon her. The avatar blips in and out from that alone, then settles again. "I don't think that day will come soon enough. I'm not even hopeful." She draws her hands up, planting them into her face, then lets out a sigh. "I wrote a program, something that would allow my emotions to be switched off. So I won't feel anything ever again. And I can think logically finally, I can do anything that I need to do to.. do what Shift did.."


Mels Avatar wavering gives Oracle an idea of what the woman is thinking and the redhead in the Clocktower lets out a low sigh. As the name is given, Oracle winces… she had observed what happened there

"Shift… was a good man. And I'm sorry for your loss." What do you say other than that? "But, I can assure you that he did save the world and that his actions were not in vain." Another pause "Turning your emotions off is not always the answer, but if it gets you through the day for now, use it. But please, try to allow your emotions to seep through eventually… don't become just a machine."

And now… the big question "So how do you want to help others?"


"You knew him too?" Melody asks, there wasn't a sound of happiness in her voice if her avatar conveyed it. It was a sound of sadness. "He.. did a lot more than I thought." And it weighed heavy on her. But it felt a little good to talk about it all, even what she wanted to do and what she needed was put out into the open for someone to hear. Anyone.

"Its the only way I think I can live for now.." She confesses, her Avatar's head hung low again, which she quickly rights by forcing it to stand. How could she help others? She wasn't like Batman or any of the others.. she was just.. her.

"I don't know. I'll figure it out. I.. have some money from some guy Black Adam.. I'm thinking of just fixing up Shift's old apartment in New York with it. And maybe moving there instead of staying at my old place." She was thinking now, so many possibilities. "But.. I don't know what I can do to help people after that."


"I knew of him. I never spoke with him, but I saw what he did… for Gotham and then for the world." Oracle clarifies for Mel. Dipping her own Avatar to try and raise Mels own, the redhead sighs again "If it helps you get through the day, then do it… but try, everyday to do without and see how long you can last." It is… to a degree how Babs got through what she did.

"One step at a time, fix up the apartment, move in… " The redhead pauses "and when you're ready, come talk to me again. Maybe I can help you find a way to make that difference you want."


"Y..you saw?" There was a slight quiver to her voice. She didn't want to hear descriptions on how he died. But she saw it. She confirmed it. "He.." She says nothing for a time, her avatar soon stood up with the assistance of the other, the head still hung as it seemed she was offline. But she wasn't, she was still there, and listening. Just quiet. Who knows what happened on the other end?

"I'll try." She was quiet there after, her Avatar nodding it's head as she finally speaks. "Okay.. I have to send an email to a friend. Or what used to be a friend. I need to mend fences and apologize. Same channel?"


"I watch a lot of things, yes." Oracle had meant more metaphorically, but she'll let it slip. "He was a good man." The redhead re-iterates "Go, send your email and you can contact me on this channel, again."

Leaning forward and putting her elbows on her console, Gothams Information Goddess blows out a breath. She'll leave her Avatar there a moment longer before letting it fade.

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