Well the days had been pretty much the same as always. Stalking back alleys, trying to do a hero's job and not get caught by the police. It's funny, the whole concept of getting in trouble for doing a good deed. It all seemed so strange. That's why Tenebre hadn't registered yet, well that and a past he'd rather not bring up. Why would you have all the super-folks in town register, it all seemed like some kind of large scale plot. It wouldn't be the first time Tenebre had been called paranoid.
It had been a few days since he had talked to Iceangel, he thought maybe he should give her a call, find out how things are going. No, he thinks to himself, she told me she would contact me. And really, computer stuff is outta my league.
So Tenebre continues his routine, beaten up bad guy on the corner, person thinking they were saved by a shadow.
Another day, another nameless hero.
Far below Mackie's feet during her visit...
"Glenn? Do you have a moment?" A raised voice echoed through the large concrete bay, carrying over the hissing sounds of a blowtorch.
"Eh?" A gentleman in a labcoat looked up, flipping the visor of his welding mask up to reveal a weathered face with bushy white eyebrows and a neatly trimmed beard, thick glasses perched on his nose. Most would describe Dr. Blackwell's face as "kindly", and the doctor was indeed rather good natured, traits that seemed incongruous with the piles of weaponry littering his workbench. He shut his torch off, smiling warmly at his colleague as she approached. "Oh, of course Valerie! What's on your mind?"
Dr. Tran rested her hands on the workbench, careful to avoid upsetting any of the loose rounds lined up like tin soldiers. Though she was short and slim of stature, the middle-aged woman had a rather no nonsense look about her, her dark hair pulled up into a conservative bun. "Well, I'm a little concerned about something. Amy's been connected to the mainframe since returning from her last field trial. I've been monitoring her AI, and she seems to be digesting her experiences all right..."
"That's good!" said Dr. Blackwell. He looked over at the metallic, humanoid form seated amidst a cluster of control banks and equipment with a fondness most would reserve for their grandchildren. The robot was easily eight feet tall, painted in crisp blue and white, red warning lights on its shoulders like a police squad car. Despite its size, there was a certain almost artful delicacy about its sleek form. Many of Freedom Corps personnel had commented that the Autonomous Interceptor Mechanoid - Elite Enforcement prototype had a distinctly female look it, something neither Glenn nor Valerie disputed. Someone shortened the acronym in print to "Amy", and the name had stuck. Now Amy sat dormant, dripping with wires while a nearby computer monitored 'her' thought patterns and recorded the conclusions 'she' came to.
"Yes, but she's hooked to D.A.T.A.'s network so she can crossreference and research her studies and experiences," continued Dr. Tran. "She's doing fine with that, but she's hasn't done this in a while, and she's got a long time to go before she's finished."
Dr. Blackwell shrugged, then caught his visor when it threatened to fall back down into his face. "That's nothing new. I noticed she's been spending more time on the network lately, but you're the AI expert, not me, so I assumed that was normal. The testing schedule has been moving at an awfully rapid pace."
This time it was Dr. Tran that glanced at the quiet form of the scientists' combined handiwork, a hint of concern on her normally impassive face. "It's not Amy's capabilities I'm worried about, or her time spent. I expect it'll be the same with the others when their field trials begin. However, I've been growing increasingly worried about network security of late. For a joint Paragon and federal research center, I've noticed the IT staff seems a bit..." Valerie paused, searching for a diplomatic word. As if on cue, a dark shape whisked past the windowed door of the bay, followed by a shout of from one of the guards about this being the last time he was going to tell somebody to not skateboard down the R&D halls no matter what your clearance is, and no you will not get your skateboard back. "...informal," Valerie concluded. "What if someone breaks in while Amy's still connected to the network?"
"Oh, come now, Val," said Dr. Blackwell, waving his torch dismissively. "We're all a little crazy down here. You have to be to spend this many months cooped up in a concrete vault a mile below the Freedom Corp. I mean, look at me." The elder gentleman puffed out his chest to display a tie with a picture of Albert Einstein sticking his tongue out. Dr. Tran rolled her eyes, but Glenn didn't seem to notice, and he continued, "The boys in IT may be a little odd and unconventional, but the administration screens everyone carefully, and selects only the best. I have every confidence in the security of our network. Besides, who'd be silly enough to attack D.A.T.A's network, out of all of the branches? You should worry less, Valerie. You'll start going grey."
Dr. Tran nodded reluctantly, not looking entirely convinced. "If you say so..." She stole another glance Amy, who continued to quietly sit and think.
OOC: Since I can't see the thread in the old forum anymore, I'm not -totally- sure what happened in the last story, so I hope I'm not stepping on any toes jumping in like this. 
[ QUOTE ]
OOC: Since I can't see the thread in the old forum anymore, I'm not -totally- sure what happened in the last story, so I hope I'm not stepping on any toes jumping in like this.
[/ QUOTE ]
OOC: No worries! I had a whole bunch of people jump onto the thread last time; I think your off-shoot should prove very inneresting.
"The proper office of a friend is to side with you when you are in the wrong. Nearly anybody will side with you when you are in the right."
- Mark Twain, Notebook, 1898
and
- Bart Allen, aka Impulse/Kid Flash/The Flash, Teen Titans v.3, #6
"Take me down to the Paragorn City, where the thugs are mean and the girls are pretty..." Mackie sang under her breath as she trudged down the street. So far she hadn't gotten anything in the way of a reply from the hackers. In her usual impatient manner, she had metaphorically tapped at the registration systems at F.C., just to see how it would react.
Ha. And she thought the Mississippi PD was scary! She had jacked out of the system as soon as she could. She would definitely need a shield. Nothing else to do regarding Tenebre's "case," she took to the streets to do her noble hero duty of patrolling.
She paused at a street corner, rooting in her pocket for a piece of bubble gum. A bright orange streak of light passed her, and she could only assume that it was yet another hero going off to fight the good fight. Where did all of these people get their costumes made up? Mackie had to make good with a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. Not that she wanted an obnoxious costume, but just something that marked her as a hero. A few times already, in the process of apprehending some Skulls, a hero would step in and sucker-punch the thugs. They usually apologized after Mackie snapped at them for taking her collar, but most of the time she was so stunned that the nameless hero would dash off. She really needed a costume!
She popped the gum into her mouth and looked up. Yards away, a few thugs were harassing a co-ed, trying to yank her purse away. This looks like a job for Iceangel! ... God, that was so lame! Mackie crumpled up the gum wrapper and stuffed it into her pocket as she hurried over to make with the rescuing. The thugs didn't seem too overpowering, so Mackie didn't bother covering herself with her icy armor. Besides, they might be runners for all she knew.
"Uh oh, looks like someone else wants to try and be a hero." One thug snidely commented, espying Mackie. Now closer, Mackie could make out the details of the thugs, and recognized the squinty pig eyes of one of them.
"HEY!" she bellowed. "You're the **** who tried to steal my laptop last week!"
Startled, the thug in question lost his grip on the purse, and the little blonde co-ed dropped to the pavement. Mackie then wasted no time in wading in, leading off with a vicious right hook.
The girl scrambled away and headed for cover as the other two thugs closed in on Mackie. They were cocky; she was just one short girl, and they had, between them, a pistol and a bat.
That all changed when an icy sword materialized in Mackie's hand. One of the thugs yelped and backpedaled away. She paid him little mind, focused more on the leader of the small group. The ice sword was swung, smashing into the leader's face, shards of ice splintering in every direction. He staggered, pulling his gun and squeezed off a shot. Mackie managed to avoid his shot, but the other thug drew and shot, the bullet catching Mackie's shoulder.
"Oww! You ***!" She slugged the leader in the face again and pivoted on her heel, ice sword leading the way. The second thug tried to scurry out of the way, but Mackie was a bit quicker. The icy thing cracked into the thug's side, shattering due to the force.
Unarmed, Mackie quickly coated her fists with ice and turned back to the leader, a quick jab to his face followed by a backhand. He staggered and shot again, which Mackie took with a hiss of pain. She put her frozen fists together and hammered them into the thug's chest. He did a little air-time before collapsing onto the pavement. She turned angry eyes onto the remaining thug.
He wisely started running.
Cursing under her breath, Mackie gave chase. She took him down a minute later, tackling the Skull into a group of rubbish bins, punching him into unconsciousness. The third, who had run away long before, was sneaking back to see what had happened. Mackie got the drop on him; a few well-placed blows had him seeing stars, too.
Grumbling, Mackie dragged the runners back to their leader, dropping them atop him. The blonde co-ed rushed forward to express her gratitude, but took off when the police drone sailed over to teleport the Skulls to the holding center.
Mackie patched herself up and took a seat on a nearby bench. Leaning back, she blew a large, pink strawberry flavored bubble and let it pop. "Stupid thugs..."
"The proper office of a friend is to side with you when you are in the wrong. Nearly anybody will side with you when you are in the right."
- Mark Twain, Notebook, 1898
and
- Bart Allen, aka Impulse/Kid Flash/The Flash, Teen Titans v.3, #6
[ QUOTE ]
FROM: she_dreams_in_digital@coldmail.com
TO: therebellion_group@csi.hedgewood.net
SUBJ: Anyone up for a striptease?
Hey fellas; I know, it's been awhile, but I need a favor. I have a car that needs a B&E job, but the fuzz have shields the size of Texas. I think I'll be needing a striptease for this one. Any takers? This won't be easy; newest model, P.C. Elite, top-notch alarm system. I need to get an envelope into the glovebox.
Serious takers only!
- *the_iceangel*
[/ QUOTE ]
From: cultureshock@yahoo.co.uk
To: she_dreams_in_digital@coldmail.com
Subj: Re: Anyone up for a striptease?
Iceangel -
Anything for a tease. Count me in. Is this a favor favor, or something you'll want a rate quote on? PC is bloody well dead on the scene lately, regardless, so no doubt you'll get offers, but...
Give us some details, yeah?
- Lore
--
After clicking send, Doug sat back, reaching blindly for what was now lukewarm tea. He glanced about the coffee house he'd spent the day loitering in -- God bless wi-fi! -- but, finding nothing more than fellow geeks and caffeine addicts, his attention soon wandered back to the notebook balanced atop his knees.
Since flying into Paragon City via Heathrow, the native Londoner had been at odds. He was safely settled in the country on a student visa, but was far more interested in heroing than school. Unfortunately, there was a lot of red tape that foreign heroes-to-be were required to wade through, and so Doug Corbett -- he'd yet to really settle on a codename, sad as that was to him -- had spent more of his time trolling the local hacker scene and wandering from cafes to occult shops and back than being a productive member of society.
The "return" of this Iceangel girl had stirred up quite a bit of noise amongst the natives, however. That and her request combined had piqued his interest, and while there was no guarantee of a response, Doug rather hoped she would. If nothing else, it would be a welcome change. There was only so much schoolwork a bloke could take before he started getting desperate, and it looked like he wouldn't be a registered hero anytime in the near future.
Figured, that. Come to America for an education in how things really worked, and get stuck with paperwork. Wasn't that the way of the world?
Mackie smothered a yawn with her hand as she trudged into her apartment. She dropped her keys onto the small table that housed her phone and answering machine, the latter being cheerfully devoid of any waiting messages. She flicked on a light and made a bee-line for the fridge.
She'd been on patrol - yet again - but she'd run into a wiry girl by name of Tigris. Gwen, the girl's "civvie" name, had been squaring off against a few thugs, but they were overpowering her. Mackie in all her generosity, leapt into the fray, and the two young women pummeled the Skulls into submission. Gwen would have beaten a hasty retreat, but Mackie didn't let her off so easily; the blue-haired mutant caught on quickly that Gwen was a shy thing. The cat-like girl was new to Paragon City, so Mackie learned, and was doing the college thing. No friends, no acquiantances; Mackie soon rectified that, bringing the girl to the coffee shop Mackie worked at. A few cappucinos and Rice Krispie treats later, Mackie had Gwen laughing and comfortable. Gwen even shared the website of where she had gotten her costume, and Mackie was excited to be able to get something that didn't come from a mall.
Mackie had escorted Gwen back to her dorm, then took the tram home. Now back in her apartment, she needed something to balance the sugar and caffeine in her system. The fridge yielded nothing, so she started pawing through the cupboards.
"Gee," she muttered aloud. "Ramen, ramen, or - surprise! - ramen." She shook her head, but started preparing the noodles. Waiting for her water to boil, she popped over to the nook of the living room that contained her PC and laptop. She plopped down and pulled up her email program and an internet browser, to find that website Gwen had mentioned.
"You have porn!" The program chirped. Mackie grinned; she'd changed the sound file the other day, for amusement value. A few clicks opened up the listing, and she grinned at spotting the reply to her hacker request. Finally!
[ QUOTE ]
From: cultureshock@yahoo.co.uk
To: she_dreams_in_digital@coldmail.com
Subj: Re: Anyone up for a striptease?
Iceangel -
Anything for a tease. Count me in. Is this a favor favor, or something you'll want a rate quote on? PC is bloody well dead on the scene lately, regardless, so no doubt you'll get offers, but...
Give us some details, yeah?
- Lore
[/ QUOTE ]
"Score," she crowed. Hastily, she opened up a reply and started typing.
From: she_dreams_in_digital@coldmail.com
To: cultureshock@yahoo.co.uk
Subj: Re: Anyone up for a striptease?
Thanks for getting back to me! Here's the sitch: I need to deposit some faux registration info into the PC hero database, but their systems are tight (create your own euphemism here). What I would need is someone to create a distraction for me, a decoy if you will. I can pop in and get the info in with little effort, but those security proggies they got are downright scary.
Still wanna play the game?
- *the_iceangel*
Off went the email, and with a spring in her step, off went Mackie to drop her ramen into boiling water. She hoped this Lore fellow was up to a challenge.
"The proper office of a friend is to side with you when you are in the wrong. Nearly anybody will side with you when you are in the right."
- Mark Twain, Notebook, 1898
and
- Bart Allen, aka Impulse/Kid Flash/The Flash, Teen Titans v.3, #6
He received nothing in response for a few hours, which was unusual in and of itself. In Doug's experience, the real hardcore hackers, crackers and phreaks were good about keeping in touch on a quick basis. No doubt, that meant this Iceangel girl had things happening outside. Another scene entirely, perhaps?
He'd had time to head home to his dorm and mull the thought over before his notebook told the lad that he had new mail. Seeing it was from Iceangel sent a thrill through him -- this would be his first jaunt like this in the States. And as he read, Doug realized it would be his first illegal jaunt, something which could throw him out of school.
[ QUOTE ]
From: she_dreams_in_digital@coldmail.com
To: cultureshock@yahoo.co.uk
Subj: Re: Anyone up for a striptease?
Thanks for getting back to me! Here's the sitch: I need to deposit some faux registration info into the PC hero database, but their systems are tight (create your own euphemism here). What I would need is someone to create a distraction for me, a decoy if you will. I can pop in and get the info in with little effort, but those security proggies they got are downright scary.
Still wanna play the game?
- *the_iceangel*
[/ QUOTE ]
Was he still willing? The risks were there for any person, but in Doug's case, they could result in not only his expulsion from school, but the country as well. He took his time in responding to the girl's e-mail as a result, and sat crosslegged on the cheap futon he'd bought from a thrift shop. Crystals threaded onto strings -- New Age-y shite, most people would say, but Doug would be all too happy to argue what could be done with them -- dangled from his hands, and he toyed absentmindedly with the things as he weighed circumstance.
Finally, he sat forward and threw a quick response to Iceangel.
From: cultureshock@yahoo.co.uk
To: she_dreams_in_digital@coldmail.com
Subj: Re: Anyone up for a striptease?
Sounds like a challenge. Ballsy, too. Count me in on the fun. This a pay job, or something we ought to be negotiating on?
- Lore
As the e-mail zipped its way off through cyberspace, Doug sat back once more. He was effectively sealing his fate if he went through with this. But when you're a poor uni student with no apparent way of getting your heroing license, and little income... Things like that made a man act a little strangely, didn't it? He figured that in the worst of all possible scenarios, he could always plead temporary insanity.
Slurping ramen noodles and browsing through Gina's Heroic Costume Emporium kept Mackie busy for a bit. The place had a lot of options, most of them very flashy, but only one design had caught her eye. It was cheap, considering, and it looked as functional as one could get without resorting to a pair of overalls and a flack jacket.
Mackie had been writing down the measurements she would need to send in with her order when her email chirped at her again. She suppressed excitement - it could be that Lore chap, but it could also be some jerk who wanted to send her free pharmies from Canada. Taking a deep breath, she opened her program. No Canadian pharmies here!
[ QUOTE ]
From: cultureshock@yahoo.co.uk
To: she_dreams_in_digital@coldmail.com
Subj: Re: Anyone up for a striptease?
Sounds like a challenge. Ballsy, too. Count me in on the fun. This a pay job, or something we ought to be negotiating on?
- Lore
[/ QUOTE ]
The Hallelujah Chorus rang through her head; she'd have her distraction! Bless the man.
From: she_dreams_in_digital@coldmail.com
To: cultureshock@yahoo.co.uk
Subj: Re: Anyone up for a striptease?
ATTACHMENT: ninja_tactics.doc
You are a saint, you know that? I got an $8G advance, and I'd be more than happy to split it with you once we get through this job.
I've attached the details and notes I got from my casual peeks at the system. Gimme your 4-11 on it, and we'll go from there.
- *the_iceangel*
Feeling very proud of herself, Mackie figured she'd let Tenebre know what was going on. Likely, in a few days, he'd be licensed and ready to fight crime with the best of them.
"The proper office of a friend is to side with you when you are in the wrong. Nearly anybody will side with you when you are in the right."
- Mark Twain, Notebook, 1898
and
- Bart Allen, aka Impulse/Kid Flash/The Flash, Teen Titans v.3, #6
Sequel to the thread from the original boards entitled "Don't Quit Your Day Job".
I don't love you *that* much...
undrgrndidol23: so r u gonna do the job?
2fargone2care: I said I was. He gave me 8 grand!! WTH am I supposed to do with that?
undrgrndidol23: lol, buy me new cds
2fargone2care: Schmuck.
undrgrndidol23: had 2 try neway. give place a try, u r SMRT, I think u can mange a simple job like that
2fargone2care: I suppose. I'd better go get started then. XOXO to mom and dad for me
undrgrndidol23: kk, ttyl sis. GL!!!!
Mackie clicked her instant messenger program off and rolled away from her computer desk. Frank was right; she had the skills to at least survey the place before trying to bust it open in a digital manner. Tenebre was depending on her, too, so she couldn't just flake off now.
With a sigh, she stood up and stalked over to the hero registration papers on her fridge, Harry Potter magnet mocking her the whole time. No better place to start than Freedom Corps.
---
In retrospect, wearing the 'Hi! I'm cute and harmless!' attire was giving her more problems than her usual attire would. Not that they suspected anything, it's just that both the registrar and that Prince fellow in charge of the mutant department looked at her like she was a fluffy kitten that wandered into the wrong room. The registrar guy had even tried suggesting alternatives to heroing! Social services my lily white butt. Sure, she was pretty crappy a hero for the moment, but she'd get better, right?
Waiting for processing, and waiting for the Prince to stop getting oogled by mutant women in clothing that was better suited to a Def Leppard video than crime-fighting, gave Mackie the opportunity to check out the hardware around Freedom Corps. The OSes looked easy enough, it was finding out the IPs and the firewalls that might be the problem. Nothing she couldn't crack, she was sure of. However, it might take her longer than she'd get; certainly, the Corps likely had a great security system. To get anywhere, she'd need some kind of distraction to act as a shield.
She was admiring her new hero ID; the picture was actually not too bad, for once; while she pondered her options. She could concoct a diversionary program, but that would take too long. She could drop a bomb or two on their mainframe, but that might do more than she needed. Shaking her head, she came to the conclusion that not only did she need a distraction, she'd need help.
---
FROM: she_dreams_in_digital@coldmail.com
TO: therebellion_group@csi.hedgewood.net
SUBJ: Anyone up for a striptease?
Hey fellas; I know, it's been awhile, but I need a favor. I have a car that needs a B&E job, but the fuzz have shields the size of Texas. I think I'll be needing a striptease for this one. Any takers? This won't be easy; newest model, P.C. Elite, top-notch alarm system. I need to get an envelope into the glovebox.
Serious takers only!
- *the_iceangel*
A click sent the email along. She wasn't sure if her former hacker buddies remembered her. It had been some time since she last struck the digital world with a metaphorical crow bar. They were, though, some of the few people she could trust on this thing. If there was anyone good enough to help her crack this nut, they'd be in that group.
"The proper office of a friend is to side with you when you are in the wrong. Nearly anybody will side with you when you are in the right."
- Mark Twain, Notebook, 1898
and
- Bart Allen, aka Impulse/Kid Flash/The Flash, Teen Titans v.3, #6