alphalogs | DAYCYCLE 22 [ Feb 21

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DAYCYCLE 22 [ Feb 21 - 28 ]

DAYCYCLE 22
[ FEB 21 - FEB 28]

MORNING

This morning’s briefing will begin with the introduction of a special Special. Due to an error in cloning, Matt Murdock has been introduced to Alpha without his sight. The Computer has deemed in it’s great wisdom not to start the cloning process over until necessary due to the expense scrapping an otherwise flawless model citizen. Ray Palmer has been selected as the Troubleshooter to assist Murdock in his first days as a citizen of Alpha.

Hardison will be reinstating the network for the Specials this morning at 0800.

Troubleshooter Team: L. Martin and S. Rogers
Old issue PDCs are being replaced with a new DO-44 model, which is rolling out next week. You are to take these new models and demonstrate how to use them correctly at a booth in the Commissary. Rogers is to oversee the operation and ensure that citizens are properly trained. Martin will document the name and rank of every citizen educated. Make sure that you focus on it’s more than 40 new features, which include a lie detector, heartbeat monitor, pedometer tracker and a self-destruct sequence.

All other Troubleshooters: You are to report to your Service Firm positions for the day, until called on for Troubleshooter duty.

Intel: Troubleshooters who are interested in double hazard pay for going as part of an expedition to the surface should report to their briefing officer immediately to begin psychological and physical testing.

AFTERNOON

Those Troubleshooters who volunteer for the surface expedition will be subjected to a physically and mentally gruelling day of testing. The test themselves will not help anyone determine what exactly it is that is so dangerous on the surface, but everything will be hinted from nuclear radiation poisoning to unbearable heat. Psychological testing will include inkblot tests, word association and a lie detector test. Medical tests will also be performed to ensure that applicants are in perfect health. Those who are subjected to testing will be excused from their normal duties.

EVENING

The Sector Appreciation Society will be meeting in each sector this evening at 1830 to do their quarterly scrubbing of walls and floors. They will try to recruit anyone and everyone to join in their work. Sleeping gas will be dispelled at 2100.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You are welcome to play out missions from any point (beginning, middle, end) but are not required to. You will, however, need to provide information on the debriefing post below once you've determined with the other players involved how the mission played out. You can indicate if the mission is complete (finished), pending investigation (still being discussed occly), or in progress (currently being threaded out.) You are encouraged to approach other characters for assistance with missions whenever possible, as almost every sector has a playable character. They may be able to provide you with valuable information from their roles within Alpha Complex or assistance in tracking down a traitor. You'll soon find out that the more avenues you have through the bureaucratic nightmare that Alpha Complex is, the better.

Reward and punishment will be determined by the outcome of your missions, though they may depend entirely on the current processing power of The Computer at the time and classified information not available to you. In other words, everything is never as it seems, so be prepared for anything.

Please debrief The Computer and your Briefing Officer on your mission using the form below.

Mission Status: In Progress
Troubleshooters Lydia Martin and Steve Rogers executed the mission. Ray Palmer and Tony Stark were consulted in private.
Mission outcome: Successful training of troubleshooters. No thefts. Excellent record keeping.
Alpha Complex Damage: None
Traitorous Casualties: None
Citizen Casualties: None
Intel gained: Lydia will recognize the voice of the woman who kidnapped her. Both Lydia and Steve will gain knowledge of her identification and rank. Steve and Lydia will be making copies of the training manual, as well as the records of each Troubleshooter's name, rank, and new PDC serial number.

He's blind. That's Matt's first though and yes, he is blind, but right now he also feels deaf, numb and nose-less. There are several moments of actual, trufax panic in which, on the outside, Matt appears calm enough but he really, really, really is not. It's not until several minutes later that he calms down enough to realize that he's not deaf or noseless or numb. He is still blind. He can hear and smell and feel, but every one of his senses feel as if they've been wrapped in layers and layers of soundproof cotton.

Calm down, Matt. Breathe, Breathe. You can figure this out. Breathe

After several more minutes of self-talk he calms down enough to function. So, so, sorry, Ray, but you're going to barraged with questions because Matt isn't used to having to ask questions about his surroundings or about the people around him. He's accustomed to being able to tell what someone ate for dinner the night before along with a whole host of other invasive things.

Once Ray has answered all of Matt's question, he's going to request a tour and he will make Ray be thorough so feel free to catch Matt absolutely anywhere. He'll be the guy wearing a jumpsuit, using a white cane and wearing a round pair of sunglasses. At first it's possible he won't get far from his human golden retriever, but once he gets a little more confident, he'll wander a bit further from Ray (but not far). Even with Ray close, he's anxious to talk to people, to branch out and find out what's really going on in this place. Even with all of his hyper-senses back home, talking to people tends to be the best way to gather information.

At the end of the evening, he'll have Ray drop him off at room 1104. Lydia, Dick, you've got a new room mate!

Edited (added a bit) 2016-02-22 04:46 (UTC)

The only way he can make sense of this is that it's some kind of set up to do with his missing memories.

Ray moves when his name is barked, trying to be present and not freak out over why it's him being picked. He's always helpful, and they noticed. That's all. Maybe not even-- it was probably a random draw, right? Totally random.

"Hi, I'm Ray." And you just put your hand out in front of a blind guy dude. He moves again, mentally measuring out an arm's length distance between them, as if somehow maybe Matt will feel the proximity. "Oh, whoops. What's the, uh-- what's the best way to do this?"

It's a good thing only everyone in the entire stupid commissary can see Ray shifting from foot to foot in an awkward dance of hello I'm completely clueless aren't you glad I'm your guide? Super glad he's spared the embarrassment of the exact person he's trying to help, here.

"Oh uh, and don't mind the laughter. I get that a lot."

Edited 2016-02-22 05:04 (UTC)

See, now if Matt had all his senses, he'd realize that Ray had stuck his hand out in front of him and he'd shake it without it seeming too awkward. However, we've belabored the deaf, numb, blah blah point.

Actually the awkwardness makes Matt feel a little better. At least everyone isn't staring at him (and yes, he's aware enough to realize that he's in a room with several other people). The awkwardness gives him something to focus on. "M-Matt," he stammers out a bit breathlessly (but yay! he's not hyperventilating so that's good). "Murdock. I-" He swallows and takes a breath, desperately trying to tell anything about the area they're in. All he can smell are people, nothing distinct, at least not right now. To save Ray (kind of) he puts his hand out to let Ray shake it. "I can just take your arm. You just need to let me know about any obstacles or stairs ahead of me."

And for once, he actually needs someone to lead him; it's not an act for the general public. He's never had to be truly blind. He just had to learn how to use all of his new found hyper-senses to 'see'. He'll adapt quickly enough though, but that doesn't mean he'll like it.

Ray keeps the press of his palm into Matt's a brief one, and moves quickly to the newcomer's side. Despite his large frame, he bends well enough to make it easy for Matt to get a hold of his arm. He's had plenty of practice being Felicity Smoak's date-- a guy Matt's size is hardly an issue.

"OK, so we're in the Commissary, which you probably knew. It's mostly laid out symmetrically with rows of tables on the opposite side of us, and along the walls here are where we pick up food and make other transactions. If you're hungry, we can start there but I have to warn you that the food is ... well, it's miserable."

Dutifully, Ray holds their place until Matt gives him some heading. Fortunately being on the larger side, he's used to watching where he goes. (Though-- don't tell Lydia he thought that, given how they first met.)

Matt lightly takes Ray's arm, listening to the description of the room that Ray gives and trying to picture it in his head. It's far from a complete picture, but he can smell food (not terribly appetizing) and a crowd of people. He shakes his head a little at the idea of food. "No. I'm fine." He's not even sure that he could eat right now without getting sick.

He pauses a moment, trying to figure out how to word his next question without giving too much away.

"How--what did they do to me? My hearing, my sense of touch, my sense of smell, they're all....muted. A lot."

And yet, his senses are still quite a bit better than most people. He's just too busy panicking to really realize that because they are so diminished from what he's accustomed to.

"Oh, uh, well--" Ray sighs, trying to figure out just where to start on that can of worms. "We're still working on understanding a lot about this place. Here, let's get out into a corridor and head back to the quarters. Talking about this in the open is tough."

Ray guides him, trying to do his best to explain the general layout including patterns. Matt sets the pace, though Ray will make sure to slow him down as they approach steps or have to squeeze through a doorway one by one.

"One of the main things we've learned recently, and now confirmed by you is that despite the advanced technology, it's not always reliable." Once they reach Matt's RED quarters, Ray starts to speak a little more freely. The Specials do their best to make sure cameras in their vicinity are disabled-- fortunately Dick is a most capable teenager in that respect.

"Take me, for instance. I didn't even realize I was a Special after I was recloned a few days ago. Either there was a glitch or someone neglected to give me my personal memories."

He's got no idea it's a can of worms. He just knows that something has been done to him and it's seriously affecting his ability to fend for himself. He doesn't like that. He hasn't actually needed a guide since he was first blinded.

Ray is doing a good job of laying the room out for him. His cane tap-tap-taps in front of him. Occasionally he asks a question about the surroundings. He's slowly calming a little as he learns a bit about his physical surroundings at least.

"What do you mean? It's not always reliable? What isn't reliable?" Matt will invite Ray into the room and shut the door behind them.

"Someone with special abilities?" He's assuming that's what Ray means. "I'm sorry. This is all completely new to me."

"Right, sorry-- uhh, so there's a pretty rigid caste system in place in the society here. I'll explain promotions later-- we skip the lowest caste, INFRARED. It's a point of contingency among the RED citizens who had to work up from the bottom. They call us Specials. And it's not a compliment."

Ray takes a breather, but keeps pacing as he talks, sticking close to Matt out of a desire to just build a habit of being available. His steps echo, quiet but hurried as he goes. He doesn't carry much of a scent, given the hygiene standards don't really offer any Old Spice options.

"This entire culture is a product of generations of poorly-replicated information and corruption taking root in the system, unfortunately. Let's say, uh, for instance-- what did you do back home? You know, for a living?"

"Ah," Matt makes the 'I understand' noise more for the sake of making it. He doesn't really understand. There are about a thousand other questions he could ask, but he doesn't want to scare Ray off. For the moment, he still needs him to help out. He'll get more independent once he gets his bearings.

Matt listens to Ray's footsteps, listens to that intake of breath and concentrates on his senses, slowly realizing that his senses aren't gone but incredibly muted. He's going to have to push them and see just how muted. He tries to listen for Ray's heartbeat, but his senses don't stretch that far.

"I'm a defense attorney," he answers. He wants to ask how this culture differs from his culture because many would say the same about 21st century America. However, he suspects that Ray is about to tell him so he holds his question for the moment.

"Oh. You're going to hate a lot about this place, then. As far as I can tell, the laws boil down to: Don't do anything that might be seen as treasonous and also you're not allowed to know what falls under treasonous because that is treason."

Whether that's the truth of the matter remains to be seen. What is obvious, in the tremor of his voice and the heat with which he speaks, is that Ray feels very passionately about it. He's seen far too many people carted off without reason other than that they were deemed traitors to the Computer. How do you keep from being pissed off about that?

"So when I mention unreliability, I mean everything. The technology, the society, the reactions of the Computer? It's all extremely tenuous. And I don't know any Specials who've been here longer than twenty-two days, so..." This stage of working on it is the one they'll be in for awhile.

That's not exactly what he wanted to hear, but it's sort of what he'd expected. He doesn't expect to like this place. He doesn't like this place any as it is and he's only been here a short while. "That's illogical. How are we supposed to fall in line if we don't know where the line is?" Of course, he assumes that Ray realizes that makes no sense.

There is no mistaking the passion in Ray's voice and Matt appreciates that. He can work with Ray, he can be friends with him, respect him, talk to him, help him or be helped by a man who demonstrates this much passion. He likes to think one can fix things with enough passion, but then maybe that's the idealist in him.

Matt takes a deep breath. "Can the computer be hacked? Or can someone instill more reliability? Maybe a take over of some sort?" Even more than being kidnapped here he hates the idea of a society and a system that isn't fair or just, that isn't reliable.

"Without getting too technical: the systems are extremely difficult to break into. We've-- err, they, sorry. I'm still a little jumbled up here." At that, Ray has to take a moment to huff out a few breaths. To remind himself that he is in fact a Special. Barry filled in a lot of the blanks, and he can work with that. Just because he doesn't possess those memories now doesn't mean he's not himself.

Sure.

"Before I got here, I was pretty good at breaking into systems. Not the best, but I can recognize when something is too complicated for someone better than I am." Another breath. "Then there's the matter of secret societies fighting for control of the Computer as well."

It's a giant clusterfuck, Matt. Ray's just too polite to say it that way.

Matt's brows crinkle at Ray's confusion. One might argue that one's memories make a person. However, Matt won't say that because it's discouraging, or he wouldn't if he knew and understood. He simply assumes Ray's confusion is from this place in general.

"Secret societies? Tell me more about those."

What he really wants to ask is what this place did to him, how they've taken out his senses, but he's not sure he can just come out and tell Ray about his abilities. So few people know about him back home and it hadn't gone over terribly well with those people.

And yes, Matt is getting the clusterfuck aspect of this place. He doesn't like it much.

"I only know of a few. Free Enterprise, are pretty much profiteers running a black market. Mystics, who are possibly just escapist drug addicts? Maybe they started out as something else, but I didn't get much info out of the guy I talked to." Talked to, as if they'd met for tea and had cucumber sandwiches between conversations instead of Ray offering himself as a replacement hostage while the Mystic threatened the pharmacy with a bomb.

"There's also one called Pro-Tech who are mostly just in it to play with the tech. I've heard there are more, but since I'm not Internal Security I don't have a lot of details, sorry. I do know that they recruit you, though. If they notice you, they invite you in." Which he knows because he's experienced it. Naughty Raymond!

Matt furrows his brow because honestly it doesn't sound like anything he'd want a part of. He was hoping more for rebellion slash revolution sorts of things. "Hmmm. Not what I was envisioning. I guess I've read and listened to too many books."

He nods a little at that. "Tech isn't really my thing either," he says scratching at his cheek as he considers everything that Ray has said. It definitely sounds as if Ray has some experience with this thing. "How long have you been here, if you don't mind me asking."

"I was--" Nope. You weren't born here. "Just over three weeks, I mean."

That it means he's one of the five remaining original Specials escapes Ray's thought process. Saying the time aloud makes it a little easier to remember that the progress they'd made has actually been rather astounding.

"Oh but before I get sidetracked: when it comes to the technology here, there's nothing assistive or adaptive. I could probably throw something together for you. It shouldn't take me too long, considering everything's already digital. Would you be able to wait for the morning for me to make modifications to your PDC?" Adding TTS and a voice-response system keyed to Matt shouldn't be too hard. The technology had to be built-in somewhere.

Matt notices that pause but he doesn't have enough information to read anything into it at all so instead he nods a little. "That doesn't seem like very long. Is the settlement new?" It doesn't seem new to him, but what does he know? He is still trying not to panic over being blind, deaf and numb.

That would be useful information to know! He doesn't know useful for what, but useful for something surely.

There's a moment of frustration on Matt's face when Ray says that there's nothing assistive or adaptive. That fades away when he says he can tweak it. "That would be really helpful and yes, I'm sure I can wait until morning. Thank you."

That alone will earn Ray Matt's loyalty and friendship. He likes being able to be as independent as possible and this will help a great deal.

"If you trust the information, it's about 200 years old, apparently." There's definitely a lot of assuming being done here, if the sarcasm in Ray's voice is any indication. The how's and the why's of Alpha Complex seem to work off of quite a bit of nebulous assumption, in fact.

"Overall, it's not horrible here. Just be careful how many questions you ask non-specials. That's the easiest way to get yourself in trouble, because everyone is looking for someone to step on so they can move up."

The look of skepticism on Matt's face says he's not entirely sure he trusts the information. The sarcasm isn't something Matt misses either. He doesn't need his supernatural senses to catch that. "That's...surprising to say the least. I would have assumed a place two hundred years old would have better food." He jokes because he's not sure how to process this, any of this really.

He nods a little. "That makes sense. It certainly encourages backstabbing and betrayal of each other at least."

When evening rolls around, Dick is to be found sitting on his bed, back carefully positioned to block the view of the camera while he does some more work on his own personal wrist computer, it's slow going to get all the parts he needs but he's making it work, bit by bit. The motherboard he managed to score on the free enterprise market is definitely a big help, but it's the rest of the circuitry he's still having trouble with.

At the sound of somebody entering, however, the half-finished computer is deftly disposed of beneath his pillow and he turns around, nice and casual, to see who it is - though he expects it to be Lydia, he can't be too careful.

When he sees who it is he's surprised, and realises almost immediately that he hadn't exactly needed to hide the evidence of his wrongdoing, not when said evidence is visual.

"...uh, hi," he says, wanting to let the guy know there was somebody else in here "...are you a new roommate?"

Edited (double fail. tenses are the worst) 2016-02-25 17:34 (UTC)

Ray drops Matt off at his room and says goodbye. It takes just a few seconds before Matt turns the handle to the door and steps inside. He's got his cane with him and his sunglasses. He hesitates just inside the room, aware that someone is there (one of his room mates he assumes).

"Hello," he greets and nods. "Yes. Matt Murdock." He steps forward, sticking his hand out for Dick to shake. "I am in the right place, aren't I?"

Dick rolls off the bed, crossing the room in a couple of strides and grabbing hold of the offered hand to shake it.

"Dick Grayson," he introduces himself "And..I assume so? They didn't tell us we were getting a new roommate, but there's definitely space, so you're welcome here. I can take you to one of the free beds, if you want?" he didn't want to be rude, but he wasn't sure how much help Matt would need.

He shakes his head a little at Dick's offer. In the time that Ray has guided him around and told him a bit about this place, he's stopped panicking and has realized that his senses are still good (very good for a human); they're just not supernatural right now. "Nice to meet you, Dick and thank you." It is nice to have a space that he can call his where he's welcome.

"Actually, if you'd just give me the layout of the room, I'd appreciate it. I can probably figure it out on my own. I would appreciate a heads up though if I start trying to make my bed in the closet or if I'm going to trip over something in the floor," he smiles slightly at he says it.

"No problem," Dick can't help but chuckle slightly. He takes a moment to get his bearings and decide where to start, before giving Matt a rundown of the room. He starts his explanation from where Matt is, radiating out from there. It's an incredibly detailed retelling of where everything is, judging the distances between everything in paces so that it's easier for Matt. He does it from where he's standing, barely looking around, he's already mapped out every inch of the room pretty much since he first arrived, it was the kind of thing Batman drilled into him, to know his surroundings so thoroughly.

Dick's description of the room is a good one. It's thorough and it goes further to orient Matt than leading him to a free bed would. He listens, nodding a little and trying to commit it to memory; he tries to form a picture of the room in his mind before he takes a step, moving to stand a foot or so away from the end of one of the empty bunks.

"Am I at least warm?" he asks with a raised brow.

It's something Matt does as well in a different way, but without all of those senses he's a little blind (haha).

"Pretty warm," Dick tells him "you're about a foot away from the bed." He's glad that his explanation helped Matt enough to get him that far, it can't be easy navigating this place without sight, it didn't seem like there were any efforts made to make things more accessible.

"So, Matt, what is it you did before?" he asks, they might call it a glitch or a fault, but Dick didn't buy that for a second. He didn't know exactly what was going on here, but he was still determined to find out.

"Thanks." His lips are curved ever so slightly into a smile. He reaches out, touches the bed, pushes on the mattress a little then sits down. He puts his cane to one side and takes his glasses off. His eyes are dark brown and unfocused. He's got a five o' clock shadow. He scrubs his hands over his face.

"Defense attorney," he answers. Of course, that's not all he did, but he's not ready to share his vigilantism with people that he doesn't know yet. If he understood what Dick was trying to figure out, he might be more forthcoming. "What did you do?"

Vigilante crime fighter...maybe not. He might be a little less guarded here ever since he'd stumbled across Hardison and Parker, since they'd known his secret identity already, and it had helped him make contact with a few other people who had similar...hobbies, but that didn't mean he was just going to come right out with it, not the first time he met someone.

"Uh.. high school student," he laughed slightly "What job've they got you doing here?"

In that case, they're both on the same page. Matt won't blame him for not coming out with it right away (if he ever does) and vice versa.

"Really?" That surprised him. He wasn't aware that this place had anyone that young. "Personal Legal Defense Practices, but so far I haven't done anything. They don't have books in braille here and I've got no idea if the law here is anything like the law I'm studying. From what little I do know, I'm guessing no."

He needs to remember to ask Ray about coming up with some sort of scanner that will read print materials to him.

"That sucks," he commented about the braille thing, he would have thought if they were going to bring Matt here the least they could do was provide for him, how was he supposed to do whatever it was they needed him to do without the proper tools? "Yea something tells me the laws here are..." messed up? Totalitarian? Stupid? "...not what we're all used to back at our respective homes."

Matt is reasonably sure they don't intend for him to do any job. They just want the appearance of having legal representation, but he's suspicious, new and completely confused about everything that's going on around here. He's also paranoid because he's lost all of his super senses and he feels like he's about to be blindsided at any moment.

"That's what I've gathered from the little I've been able to talk to everyone."

"Yea," Dick nodded slightly "It's all a little... big brother is watching, you know?" he watched Matt's face carefully for a reaction, trying to judge how the older man felt about the situation. He was getting the impression that Matt was uncertain of the place, so it could well be that all he had to do was nudge a little and he could be sure they were on the same side.

"It takes a lot of getting used to," he added.

Despite being a good lawyer, Matt isn't the best liar. It's pretty clear in the expression on his face that the whole 'big brother' thing doesn't set well with him. "So privacy is an illusion," he sighs. "Do they listen to all our conversations? Or are they simply watching?" It's not so much that he's uncertain of the place as he doesn't know enough about it, but he's learning and he doesn't like what he's learning.

"There are some things we shouldn't have to get used to."

"I think they listen to some things, or most things, or all things, I'm not really sure. They're definitely watching... most places," he grins a little impishly "Where the cameras work." he added in a low voice. He tried to keep up to date on what cameras were broken, and he had personally sabotaged at least a couple of them when he got a chance, but he also knew they occasionally got fixed, and it still paid to be careful. He was at least glad to see Matt was as displeased with the whole thing as he was.

"I agree with you there, but it also pays to stay safe." he wasn't going to put his safety before, say, protecting innocents, but he also knew he could do more good by rebelling in more subtle ways

"Then we should be careful what we're saying?" His tone of voice made it a question. Dick knew more than he (almost everyone did) and he'd trust his judgement. He couldn't see the grin, but the way he dropped his voice suggested that someone routinely took down the cameras. "Is there some sort of maintenance schedule for them?" he asked in an equally low voice. What he really wanted to know was how to find out when the cameras were down, but he didn't want to come right out and ask that after learning that they were being listened to possibly.

"And work from within the system so to speak." Well, as a lawyer, that was what Matt tried to do so it wasn't a totally foreign idea to him.

"In a lot of places," Dick confirmed "But there's ways around it, if you need to talk about... things." he added, deliberately vague. There'd probably be a way for Matt to use the specials network to communicate, and though he couldn't fall back on the 'old fashioned' method of pen and paper, there would probably be some other coded way of communicating that they could utilise.

"Not exactly, repairs seem to happen out of opportunity more than schedule I think. Keeping track of what's happening when is... more of an art than a science." the information was always changing, keeping up with it took effort.

"Exactly," he agreed cheerfully.

Matt nods a little at that. Dick doesn't know it, but Ray has rigged up a voice command system for him. Of course, that means he still has to talk, but he can definitely use a coded communication. His brow furrows a little. "Lydia told me about the underground railroad of communication." He's hoping that if there is a camera listening to them it won't have the information necessary to figure out that comment. He's been to the library. He knows how screwed up this place's version of history is. He's counting on Dick having had a bit more thorough and correct education in history.

"Well, they wouldn't want to make it easy on us," he chuckles a bit. "I'm sure there are some very talented artists out there."

"At least that's something I'm used to," Matt responds.

New equipment. Of all the people they could have chosen to train other Alphas on new PDCs, why they chose Lydia and Steve made no sense to Lydia and still doesn't as she's sitting there beside him, pointing out the process to access a new functionality. Ray would've been good at this. Or Tony. Or Dick. ...not her. She's doing all right, because it's really just spouting off information Steve's already been given and writing down information about the citizens who approach the booth to learn, but she still doesn't see how she or Steve are the best choices for this particular task.

Between Alphas, Lydia's looking at the PDC manual, reading and re-reading the sections on some of the new functionality. "I'm keeping this booklet," she leans over and whispers to Steve. "When we're done. I'm taking it to Ray. If they've made these kinds of upgrades, maybe he can figure out how to disable some of them by the time they give them to us."

Steve's mind was going through the exact same thought process. When he saw Lydia studiously consuming the PDC manual, he wondered if she at least grew up with more advanced electronics.

But then maybe that was it. The two of them, least equipped to understand these devices, were the most unlikely candidates to be able to hack into them. Maybe that's why they were picked.

He nods when she whispers her plans. Leaning over casually, voice hushed, he says in return: "Make sure to record the serial number of the devices as we hand them out." A beat. "And I'd like to meet Ray sometime. In-person."

Ever since the explosion, Steve's heard Ray's voice, even seen him from across the room at the morning meetings. But he's never had a proper conversation with what seems like Lydia's best friend here.

Lydia's eyes shift slightly to give Steve a sideways glance and she nods. Tracking the devices to their new owners is a good idea, one that hadn't even occurred to her. "Definitely," she agrees, "I got it."

She gives the woman whose walked up to the booth a tired smile. "I need your ID, please," she says. And then adds to Steve, "you should. You'd like him."

Lydia takes the identification and records the information she needs on her tracking sheet.

"Thank you," she says, handing the ID back.

"Of course," the woman replies and Lydia stiffens a little. Something about her is really digging at Lydia and she can't quite put her finger on it. Steve still has to train the woman on the device, though, so maybe that'll but Lydia some time to think. In the meantime, she tilts her clipboard casually back so that only she and Steve can see it and she draws a little asterisk next to the woman's information.

"Ma'am if you'd like to step over here, I can demonstrate the forty new features you'll find on your new PDC."

Lydia's probably heard Steve say that sentence a few dozen times now. Since training takes a little longer, Steve has been doing them in groups of five to ten, depending on how many people are at their booth. This last woman just makes five.

"Any questions so far?" he asks, halfway through. After Steve answers one or two, the woman speaks: "Does the lie detector only work on us? Or can we use it on other people?"

[ ooc: brb getting the answer to my own question from Sam ]

Lydia has the information she needs on the clipboard, having taken it all down with each new person that joined them at the booth, and now she's half-listening to Steve's training for the umpteenth time, but only half-heartedly so. Mostly, she's listening to the other voices and giving furtive glances upward at the people in the group, especially that last woman.

Her eyes close unintentionally as the woman asks Steve a question, like she's trying to focus on the voice and she realizes belatedly that that's exactly what she's doing. It only takes another couple of seconds before it really registers why.

Lydia opens her eyes again and looks over at Steve, intentionally not looking at the woman for a moment, needing to collect herself, because it's finally hit her.

Boys, she wants us to stop.

She knows that voice. That voice was in the storage closet with her. That voice was beside the person behind the camera. Lydia's shaking, but she keeps her expression neutral and waits until Steve finishes his training; waits until they've all gone and her face is drawn and drained of color.

"She's one of them," she whispers to Steve when she's sure that no one is within earshot. Using her pen, she points to the name with the asterisk. "The hate group, I recognized the voice. I never saw their faces, but some of them talked — she talked."

"Great question miss. The lie detectors may be used on anyone, though you'll need to open up the program on your PDC and use it to scan the other person heart rate. Any sudden movements or interruptions will require you to start over. Fair warning, according to the training manual, the lie detection program will not be accurate 100% of the time. For more details, look through the program titled My PDC and Me on your devices."

It isn't hard to know that at one point, Steve has done something like this before. In fact, he did more than train people, he got into a costume and sang and danced and punched Adolf Hilter in the face. All for a good cause.

As he spoke about the lie detectors though, Steve wondered if this was for a good cause.

It isn't long before the training is over and the group disburses. He'd caught Lydia glancing his way a few times and was just about to ask her when she started whispering.

She's one of them. The hate group, I recognized the voice. His brows narrow. I never saw their faces, but some of them talked — she talked. Nodding to Lydia, Steve looks down onto the clipboard at the name with an asterisk.

The Cap takes his own look around to make sure no one can hear them, then whispers in under his breath. "It was strong of you to tell me. If we have her name, we're already closer to finding out the names of everyone who was responsible." A beat. "Good job, Lydia."

Edited (html lol) 2016-03-02 04:16 (UTC)

While she doesn't need the praise, it's still nice to hear. Lydia shifts a little in her seat. Knowing who one person in a group is doesn't necessarily mean they can learn the rest of the people in the group, but the thought of that does make Lydia feel a little better.

"I just want them stopped. I don't want them to hurt anybody else," she whispers back. She makes a mental note to mention it to Barry when she gets to work later. Maybe they can turn her in for treason. The A.S.S. is, after all, technically a secret society, isn't it?

"How many more?" she asks, snapping herself out of her train of thought. It's too soon for that. Turning one of them in just means the rest will retaliate. "I'm so over this," she adds, a little smile sliding over her lips even though it falls a little short of her eyes.

He places a hand on her shoulder and gives Lydia a gentle squeeze. "We'll find them, Lydia. If for no other reason than to make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else."

Their time to speak in whispers in limited however, as the next batch of citizens begin to approach, each getting in line to receive their new PDCs.

Steve gives her a final nod of encouragement, before he goes back to managing the line.

[ ooc: we could wrap here or on your next tag? ]

[ooc: that feels like a good place to stop! :) ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

DAYCYCLE 22 [ Feb 21 - 28 ]

DAYCYCLE 22

[ FEB 21 - FEB 28]

Daycycle 22: Debriefing

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Matt Murdock | OTA

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Fail self, let's try that again

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Lydia Martin & Steve Rogers - Mission

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