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Daycycle 116 [ November 13 - November 26 ]

daycycle 116

[Nov 13 - Nov 26]

[OOC Plotting for this Daycycle can be found here.]
[The Charity Ball Entertainment post is here.]
[This DC has been extended through 11/26.]

Early Morning [0800 - 0900] — All Troubleshooters Report for Duty

No Special Troubleshooters have been selected for a mission this morning.

Morning & Afternoon [0900 - 1600] — Service Firm Positions
All Troubleshooters not assigned a mission should report to their Service Firm for their daily duties, unless specifically assigned a different shift.

Matt Murdock's office will be assigned to defend the most recent Specials accused of treason. He will not be allowed to contact the traitors directly, but he will be given the task of preparing his cases. He has 48 hours to prepare.

Jack Harkness has been selected to plan the entertainment for tonight's Charity Ball, thanks to the popularity of his performances during the Alpha Talent Show a few days ago. When he asks The Computer for help, several specials are assigned to him. Izzy Lightwood will be his event planning assistant and "Stiles" Stilinski will assist in MCing the night's event. Due to their popularity, all Specials will be approached about being auctioned off for dances in order to help raise money by Jack, Izzy and Stiles. They will also be asked if they're willing to take part in specially planned choreographed dances. Dance lessons will be provided for those that require them during the afternoon hours.

Evening [1600 - 2200] — Citizen Improvement
All Alpha citizens are encouraged to better themselves through Alpha’s wide variety of educational, entertainment and cultural opportunities offered each evening. Attending these sanctioned events are not mandatory, but is highly encouraged by The Computer. Citizens choosing not to take advantage of these opportunities, have a growing number of other options available to them in how to spend their hard earned credits and free time.

Tonight’s event will begin at 1800 at the Alpha Museum of Fine Art and will be hosted by The ~~Humanists~~ Alpha Society for the Arts. Tickets to the event are 1000cr and can be bought up until an hour before the event begins. Attendees have been given special permission to wear Old Reckoning clothing for this event only, as long as it is the same color as their clearance level. Specials may notice that many of the Alpha Citizen's outfits have gotten key parts of Old Reckoning clothing wrong, with buttons instead of sequins, for example, or men wearing ties that are much too long and go to their knees. Alpha's Very Special Forces will be present to ensure the safety of those attending.

An entire wing of the museum has been cleared as a makeshift dance floor. In an attached room there are several tables covered in white tablecloths and set with the crystal and china that usually only graces Violet citizen tables. Along the wall is a massive buffet made with real food and including an elaborate ice sculpture. There is a bar in the corner where Alpha's finest spirits are being disbursed freely. For the first hour, the focus is on the food and mingling. The music playing is calming and instrumental. There are some that steal the dancefloor for a slow spin, but the majority of the attendees seem reluctant to move away from the buffet.

And then at approximately 1900, Jack Harkness will take the stage and begin the evening's real entertainment.

Alpha Curfew Restrictions
All Alpha citizens should be in their quarters within the Wagon Wheel by 2200, unless they’ve been given permission from a GREEN or higher clearance level citizen. Sleeping Aid gas is dispelled each night in the Wagon Wheel at 2200 to assist citizens in getting a productive sleeping period.

Confession Booths
There are hundreds of confession booths available around Alpha Complex if a citizen would like to communicate directly with the computer. Please use these confession booths to report mission statuses, report treason or terrorist acts, unregistered mutants, confess your trespasses against Alpha Complex, request propaganda or speak with Your Friend, The Computer, at any time.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Morning

Matt is very aware of the ball tonight, but he's got a big workload. Lots of people have been arrested for treason and yesterday had been a wash since he'd had the vision implants removed yesterday. He spends his morning working with his alpha assistant, dictating notes for her and having her read things out loud to him. He is experiencing a little bit of a loss because while he never adjusted to the vision implants, there were things about them that he appreciated (like being able to see Lydia). Despite the adjustment, it's a productive morning for him.

Lunch & Afternoon & Early Evening

In the commissary during lunch, Matt has his sunglasses and his walking cane again. He eats a bit, but he's still thinking about work and even the ball tonight. He eats quickly and heads back to work to get some more done before he heads to his room to take a bit of a nap before the ball. He's lucky, unlike the girls, all he needs to get ready is to shower and to shave. When he's finished, he still has that stubble that he always has. He's been dressing himself blind (and tying a tie) for years so that doesn't take long.

Charity Ball

Matt is dressed for the ball. He's got his sunglasses on and his walking cane. He's in a good mood. It's been an exhausting day, but a good one. He knows by the noise in the room that there are a crowd of people here, and he's glad to see that people turned out for this. He suspects the draw of something actually, potentially, fun has a lot to do with it, but it supports a good cause regardless. Much of his time is spent with Lydia, but when he's not with her, he'll spend his time on the outer edges of the room. He's not up for auction, but he'll be happy to dance with anyone who asks politely.

Adam remembers Matt from before. They'd gone on a mission together and while the color of Matt's suit is a reminder of his status here in Alpha, he still remembers Matt was a decent guy who had been just as curious about what they found on that mission as Adam has been. Maybe there's also something to be said for the fact that Adam doesn't think Matt will be able to see his messed up face.

They're both here at the ball thing, Adam mostly because groups of people are safe and Ronan wanted to come. Adam has a question for Matt in spite of it maybe not being the best setting for it, so while Ronan is getting a drink, when Matt is close by, Adam steps closer to him.

"Hey." He says. "I don't know if you remember me. We went on that errand together awhile back. With the car. Adam... I'm Adam."

Matt definitely remembers Adam. He'd liked him and he'd been good on the mission. Without his super senses, he's got no idea who's approaching him until the man speaks. He smiles a bit at Adam and nods. "Of course, I remember you. You were good on the mission. It's nice to see you again, Adam."

He isn't really sure that he was necessarily good on the mission given his consistently questionable motivations in everything he does her in Alpha. In fact, good isn't something most people would use to describe Adam. But Adam's pleased that Matt thinks of him that way, nonetheless. Matt is a higher level Special. Adam thinks that could come in handy someday. Plus, he'd kind of liked Matt, so he'll take that kind of positive judgement from him.

"Yeah. You too. I don't usually... I mean I guess I'm trying something new. Being social." Only he's not at all social. Just using big gatherings of people to keep himself safe. Again, not necessarily noble of him. That he's here with Ronan is just a positive cherry on top of being safe in mass numbers.

"I had kind of a..." He lowers his voice and looks left and right and behind him. There's nobody close by. "...sensitive question."

Matt had thought it had worked out all right. He'd had some of the same questions as well. He's not sure they'd gotten any answers, but it had satisfied some curiosities. If Matt's clearance level can come in handy to any of the specials, he'll be happy to help out. He likes Adam as well, at least what he knows of him.

Matt nods at that. "It's not always a bad thing." He hasn't heard about Adam's attack so he's got no idea that it's not about being social.

Matt steps closer, bowing his head a little. "Alright," he nods. "I'll try to answer it if I can."

"Yeah." Maybe it isn't always a bad thing. The problem is that Adam isn't very good at it. He isn't very good at people-ing unless he absolutely has to. And even then, he's always second-guessing, over-analyzing, trying look deeper into what the other person says or thinks, specifically about him. The boy who's spent most of his life being judged and looked down upon is sadly almost too used to it.

Back home, he'd started to move beyond it. This place has ripped a lot of that forward progress away from him. He should have expected it, but he didn't.

And in line with his not being very good at parties, maybe he shouldn't be talking about or asking about what he wants to in this place. But again, he isn't here to party. He's here to hide amongst the masses because he's too much of a chicken to be by himself where he could easily be attacked again. Only Ronan could coax him to do party like things. And that remains to be seen.

His voice is still low when he speaks. "Have you ever heard of Freek Enterprise? And if so, what do you know about them?"

"It gets easier the more people you get to know." At least that's been his experience. It's less daunting. Of course, that hadn't been true when he'd had the vision implants. More people had just been more overwhelming. Maybe it's the same way for Adam.

This place has a way of setting a person off kilter. It had certain done that to Matt with the vision implants. Having them removed had been his way of taking back his control.

Technically, he probably shouldn't, but with this many people there's much less of a chance of the computer picking up on anything said or done. There's just too much to look at, to listen to. As long as the keep it quiet, Matt thinks they'll be okay.

"Only that they're a secret society. They've got a lot to do with the INFRARED market. Possibly they're entirely responsible for it. Why?" The expression on his face is one of curiosity. He's heard about the multiple secret societies. He assumes everyone has, but he doesn't know much more than surface details for any of them.

Adam isn't so good at getting to know people, or letting people get to know him. He isn't Gansey. He isn't even Ronan. He's the fly on the wall that people only sometimes notice. And in part, that's by design. Matt seems like he's good at getting to know people. That's probably one of the ways he became so high clearance.

He's glad that Matt doesn't immediately shut the conversation down as he'd been worried he would. Matt is a lawyer. Adam might need him. Ronan might need him. Especially since Ronan has confessed to the Computer.

"Because they aren't good people." Adam continues quietly. "They've been running underground fighting rings. They got my b-..." Boyfriend. He'd almost said boyfriend. "...my friend into it. And when they wanted him to throw a fight so they could make some extra credits, Ronan said no. And they didn't like that." He explains. "So to punish him, they... they found me alone at work and beat me up. I'm still healing."

He pauses, making sure they're still alone. "Ronan confessed, to get them back. If we need help, I need to know you can help us. Please help us." He hadn't meant to add that last, desperate plea, but he did anyway. "I can pay you."

Matt is generally pretty good at getting to know people. He's bad at having good friends though. He's got lots of acquaintances.

Not at all. First and foremost, Matt wants to be able to help people. He can't shut down conversations like this if that's his goal.

He nods a little as he leans, head tilted, really listening. Matt catches that stumble and while he can't be certain what Adam almost said, he can guess. In all honest, it doesn't matter to Matt whether they're talking about Adam's boyfriend, his friend or just someone he knows. The expression on his face is one of genuine sympathy when Adam says he'd been assaulted. "I'm sorry you went through that. Are you interested in filing assault charges?" He'd have to deal with security for that, but Matt could help him if it were to go to a trial. He's not entirely sure what the rules are for assault here. He knows that Lydia had been assaulted as well, but it wasn't by the Free Enterprise society.

"I"ll be happy to take the case if it comes to that." He puts his hand on Adam's shoulder, squeezing it lightly in a show of comfort and support. "You don't have to pay me anything. I get paid by the computer for providing legal aid."

"No. No." Adam says quickly when Matt asks if he's interested in filing charges. Adam doesn't want that kind of trouble. He wants it to go away so he can get back to flying under the radar and work toward his own goals in a smart way, rather than this feeling of being exposed he has now, since the attack.

Maybe he should want to file charges. But Adam has been beaten up plenty of times. You just don't talk about it or do anything about it where he's from. Sure, he was forced into it back home, into a trial so he could be his own person outside of his parent's house, but here... it's different.

"It isn't about me. This is about Ronan. If the Computer decides to push things with him, because of the Free Enterprise fights, I need you to take care of him." He says. "He's all I have."

A lot of victims feel that way so Adam's quick response doesn't come as a surprise, and if they were back in his world, Matt would encourage him to press charges. Things don't work quite the same way here and he doesn't want Adam to get in any more trouble.

He probably should, but again, things don't always work the same way here. It is different, regardless of how much he wants them to be a certain way.

"Okay. I'll keep an eye out for him and for any reports. What's his last name?" Matt will keep his promise too. If it can bring any sort of measure of comfort to Adam, he will make certain he does his best to help Ronan.

Adam feels relieved that Matt doesn't push it too much. Yes, things work differently here. But at the same time, Adam is Adam and he wouldn't want to press charges no matter where they were. It actually took Ronan almost getting arrested back home for Adam to finally do something about his dad. In the vein of Adam standing up for himself, it's always been about Ronan, whether that's a positive thing or not.

This is no different. And Matt's words sooth some of those worries. He's felt very alone lately, raw and as if everyone can see him when he's so accustomed to being invisible. If Matt means what he says, which time will tell, then Adam isn't so alone. Neither is Ronan.

"Lynch. It's Ronan Lynch." Matt probably has no idea how much Adam is putting himself out there by giving out Ronan's name to anyone. But Ronan took care of Adam by confessing. Adam is taking care of Ronan by doing this. "And... thanks for this."

Regardless of the reason he's standing up for himself, Matt is glad he's doing it. It's an important thing for a person to do.

Matt nods a little, committing the name to memory. He'll add it to his PDC after the party. "Of course," Matt nods. "If you need anything else, or just someone to talk to about this, let me know. Attorney client privilege exists even in this place." At least as far as Matt is concerned.

Adam has no idea if that's actually true or not, whether attorney client privilege is a thing here. Somehow, he feels that it might just be something Matt thinks is true but isn't. The Computer doesn't seem the type to accept secrets of any kind. And as a Computer, it probably wouldn't understand that the privilege isn't really a secret being kept.

But he nods anyway. Because he feels like he's done something here to help Ronan if things go South. And Matt is so nice to him even though he barely knows him and doesn't have to be nice at all.

"Thanks. I'll uhm... let you get back to the party." Because yes, even though Adam isn't here to party, that doesn't mean Matt isn't. He mutters another 'thanks' and goes to find Ronan again.

Steve has been meaning to find and introduce himself to Matt for a few months now, and yeah, it eats at him a little that it takes Peggy getting arrested for him to prioritize it. But as soon as he heard that unlike the previous arrests, Peggy and the other Specials would get a legal defense … well. Steve didn’t exact believe it at first. Why this time? Was there something different about these arrests? Was this all some kind of play by IntSec?

But Steve still isn't sure what he can get away with in this place. There were just too many damn cameras, and explicitly asking the Computer or IntSec, while tempting, didn’t feel like a real strategy. You can bet that Steve already has a plan brewing for if the legal avenue falls through, but right now? Right now he just wants to offer what little he knows to Matt.

It takes Steve a little time to find him after he walks through the main doors of the Charity Ball, but his relentless searching finally bears fruit, and Steve approaches.

"Mr. Murdoch? Steve Rogers."

Matt knows who Steve is both here and back home. In his world, Steve Rogers is better known as Captain America. Matt had been surprised to find that these Specials got legal defense as well. He hasn't been able to do much to help anyone since he got here and he's excited to get the chance. He's not sure why these arrests are different, but he wants to make the most of this chance and he hopes he can do something to help these Specials.

Matt will take any and all information that Steve (or anyone else) can give him. He's under no delusion that this will be an easy case.

"Oh, I know who you are," Matt says with a smile as he holds out his hand to shake Steve's. "Captain, call me Matt. Please."

When they shake hands and Matt says he knows who he is, Steve’s not surprised yet. After that surprise Most Eligible Bachelor series came out, it seems like most people know of him.

But then Matt calls him Captain, and Steve’s head turns ever so slightly as he gives the man a curious look. “All right, Matt,” he says, smiling in return. “But you’ll need to call me Steve. And I’m only a lieutenant here.” But that curious look in his eyes isn’t gone, and he can’t help but wonder if Matt knows exactly who he is.

There’s just a second of silence before Steve gets straight to business.

“I heard this morning that you’ve been assigned to defend the Specials accused of treason yesterday. I’ve met all four of them before, and I know some of them much better than the others, but …” Steve shakes his head as he exhales. Every time this happens, it’s so much more than just frustrating. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Yeah, Matt has heard about those too, but it's now how Matt knows him.

"Steve it is," Matt responds. Without his implants, without his senses, he's got no idea what sort of look Steve is giving him. He's only got his verbal cues to go on and he doesn't know Steve well enough to 'read' any of his body language.

Matt waits the silence out, aware that it means Steve is going to talk to him about something important.

"Yes. I really only heard this morning as well. I spent the day working on the case." Matt considers Steve's words a moment. "Actually, it would be very helpful if you could tell me a little about them. I'm not allowed to talk to my clients."

Steve certainly notices the glasses, and the cane, but he hasn’t put the clues together yet, not entirely.

“Of course.” Steve looks around, they’re actually already on the outer edges of the room, which was one of the reason why it’d taken him a bit of time to find Matt to begin with. So there’s no need to move to somewhere more remote. It’s not like he could actually leave this room for the next few hours.

He wants to start with Peggy, but he can’t quite bring himself to say her name.

“Oliver Queen. I welcomed him when he first arrived. He seemed … curious and very capable. He’d wanted to see the gym, actually, on the tour I gave him. Jillian Holtzmann, she seemed quick on her feet, and she recognized me from her memories. As for Parker …”

Steve actually smiles, and it shows in his tone of voice as he gives a breathy laugh.

“Parker hates me and I think she goes through my mail everyday, just to check that I’m not secretly working for the Computer. You might … have a little trouble with her defense. And I don’t know if Parker is her first or last name.”

And then, right. Peggy.

“Peggy Carter. She was assigned to weapons assessment. She … didn’t recognize me when she first arrived here, but her memory cleared up a few days later. I’ve known her for a long time … just tell me what type of information you need, and I can tell you what I know.”

Honestly, Matt is happier if people don't put the clues together.

"Do you mind if I record this? I don't want to rely on my memory alone, but it's strictly for me. It won't show up in the trial." He gestures with his PDC. Ray had made it entirely voice capable for Matt before he'd been arrested.

He listens to what Steve says, head tilted. He's paying attention to those cues, that laugh, the tone of Steve's voice, all the inflections and emotions carried in his words. "Which memories did Ms Holtzmann remember you from? Some previous encounter?"

"I've met Parker, but I can't say I know any of the others," he finally says.

“No, not at all.” Steve even gestures forward with one hand, indicating please.

“Doctor Holtzmann,” if he’s remembering correctly, “said that … she’d seen several movies about me. I was … well, surprised, but honestly, maybe I shouldn’t have been. I’d wanted to know what they were about. But we didn’t have the time.”

As for the others, “What kind of information would be helpful in a trial here?” Steve had some sense of what he could offer at home, like testifying to someone’s character, but he has a strong suspicion that the Computer might not care about character.

Matt speaks softly into the PDC, activating it's record function then slips it in his pocket to avoid drawing attention to the conversation he and Steve are having.

That's...odd and it shows in Matt's expression and the tilt of his head. "Movies?" Of course, movies aren't something Matt knows much about. Yes, sometimes he listens to them, but they aren't his normal way of passing the time. "In my world, you're part of the Avengers. It's real. I was in Hell's Kitchen when the aliens hit New York City." If there was any doubt how Matt knows Steve, there isn't now.

"Proof of loyalty to the computer. Things that they did to help people here, to make this place better. Your opinion on their job performance. Normally, I'd say character references, but I'm not sure that would be any use here." He and Steve are on the same wave length there.

It’s a good move, slipping the PDC back into his pocket.

“Really. Hell’s Kitchen?” Steve pauses, just slightly as he remembers that day. And the days leading up to it. “Sorry about the damage.” Colossal damage, and maybe it could have been helped, but honestly Steve and the rest of the Avengers did the best they could. Tony had nearly died. All of them, really, had been so exhausted by the end it was a miracle they all lived. Steve is still thankful for that every single day.

As for the comment about it being real, Steve doesn’t quite process what Matt means. Holtzmann hadn’t told him what the movies were about, and Steve had just assumed she’d meant some type of old war bond propaganda films, or anything else Howard Stark made back in the day.

“All right. Let’s start with Peggy, and her first day here.”

And then Steve tries to remember, as much as he can about all of them. He tells Matt about how on the day Peggy arrived, she’d fought off Corpore Metal robots that were trying to kidnap citizens and force them to join their ranks. How she works at Weapons Assessors, and from what he knows, she’s been doing a commendable job. Regretfully, when it comes to the other three, he doesn’t know much more. He knows little details, like where they worked, because he pays attention to assignments for new trouble shooters, but none of them worked for him, so he hasn’t had a chance to spend too much time with them. Especially Parker. He barely knows anything about Parker.

Matt nods. "Really," he responds. "I've got an apartment and a law firm there." He hesitates a bit. He had been angry about all the damage, about how the Avengers had come in and taken care of the aliens, but they'd not dealt with any of the aftermath. After a few years of doing the Daredevil thing, he understands that sometimes collateral damage can't be avoided. "We've been working on cleaning it up."

And Matt had just assumed that Holtzmann had meant actual movies. He knows from Lydia and a few other people that they're fictional in their worlds.

Matt listens to Steve, occasionally dipping his head toward the pocket his phone is in and speaking a sort of shorthand 'note' to the recording. It's very clear that he's paying attention to Steve though and that he's finding value in what Steve is saying.

Any information is valuable, even the very little that he knows about Parker. When Steve is done, Matt nods a little and reaches into his pocket to turn the recording function off. "Thank you. I'll start working on this as soon as possible." Probably tonight when everyone else is asleep. He doesn't have much time to prepare. "I'll shoot you a text message if I've got any questions. I really appreciate your help. I'm having to learn how this legal system works as I go."

Steve’s lips curl into a warm smile. “If we ever get home again-“ He’ll come help, or all the Avengers will, or he’ll convince Tony use his resources. All are things Steve would have liked to have said. But he can’t make that promise. Because apparently, the last thing he now remembers from home is leaving New York for Wakanda. If he showed up in Hell’s Kitchen, he’d be arrested on sight.

He shakes his head and lets out a quiet laugh. “When I’m not a wanted man back home, I’ll come help. Scout’s honor.”

By the time they’re done, Steve’s probably recited every fact he knows about the four Specials and their time here. “Anytime,” he says. “Thank you Matt. Really. If there’s anything else I can do, please let me know.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Daycycle 116 [ November 13 - November 26 ]

daycycle 116

[Nov 13 - Nov 26]

Open | Throughout the day

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Charity Ball

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the end! (I think yeah?)