video; encrypted from ward & resnik 100%

[interns]

[ so, Gwen's been busy. really busy, in that working-on-one-thing-for-a-month way. since the discovery of the genetics labs, she's felt a new burst of enthusiasm ( rabid, scientific enthusiasm ) for the different things she'd been working on in the labs, mainly the research on the manticores. there wasn't much to go on at the start, samples from different specimens all generally looked the same, different strains of DNA that weren't quite human anymore, but nothing else solid to draw from. for all intents and purposes, she'd hit a dead end. how long could she keep staring at things under a microscope? but then they found the genetics lab, which was in shambles, sure, but it gave her a new place to look. new equipment, new evidence, new variables.

it took a while, and some serious convincing, but eventually she and Peter got down to the labs to pull apart some of the computers to bring back up to the safer labs, pulling broken file after broken file of the two in-tact hard drives they found. one was loaded with nothing but the virus, it nearly ruined her iPad ( because they weren't about to upload anything onto the Network device until they knew it was safe to, thank you very much ), but the second- that had a bit to work with. it was rough, it was strings of code and the virus and heavy, heavy encryptions. there were parts of the drive that looked cleared completely of any data, and others that were so dense with code it took them days to pick it all apart.

but now, she finally, finally had something that made sense.

it wasn't a perfectly clear answer to any one of her million questions, but it was a start. it was proof.

so when the video feed clicks on, she looks... okay, haggard is a strong word. but it's obvious she's worn herself out, her hair is a mess compared to the usual neat ponytail she wears in the labs, and she's surrounded by pieces of tech she's used to try and get a read on the hard drives. she props the camera up on something just ahead of her, so she has room to scroll through her iPad and use her free hand to show visuals ( oh yes, she has visuals ) on camera. ]

Hello, Tranquility. [ she waves ] I know it's still early yet, a month isn't a long time to search through labs that are as torn apart as the one we found a few weeks ago, but I was hoping to get in touch with anyone that's managed to pull some of the tech from those new labs. I remember someone - a man named Cambridge, yes? - made a request over the Network for people to find equipment he could look at in regards to the virus found on the computers down there - [ she might be flipping through her iPad until she finds her transcript for this transmission ( yes, she keeps transcripts of conversations she thinks might be important later, and here we are ) ] Yes! Right. I'm assuming some of you answered the request? So, I would love to discuss anything you might have found on those hard drives, especially if it looks anything like- [ she's reaching out to grab the text-book sized drive she found in the labs herself ] -this one. Um. [ okay all hard drives probably look the same if you're someone that hasn't been staring at a few for the past million days, oops ] I just mean, if you pulled them from any of the computers on the second floor of the genetics labs, specifically.

Because I've found something, but it's very obviously just a small piece of a much bigger file. [ much bigger discovery, but she doesn't want to seem like she's in over her head here. ] If you've found anything at all, any file that doesn't appear to be damaged or corrupted beyond saving, let me know. I definitely feel that we would benefit from aggregating our information, especially when it comes to something like this. It- It could open a lot of doors for us. When it comes to the original crew, of course. Maybe finding out what happened? This- This might make that possible, we just need to keep digging.

And if you've got the perseverance for finding more, let me know here as well. Peter and I can use all the help we can get trying to recover information from those labs, because I have no doubt we'll find our way back down there to look for more. So. Right!

-- Thank you!

[ here's a tired, ( but enthusiastic! ) Welcome-to-Oscorp! intern smile, then she's shutting off the feed. ]

[PRIVATE to TONY STARK ( OPR » 001 » 005 ), encrypted 100% ]

Are you busy? I need to show you this. Or- Look what I found. [ someone might be kind of exhausted and running on SCIENCE!!! adrenaline, so she's scrolling around her communicator so she can send him a file] It's safe, I promise, just a raw text file. I didn't want to show everyone else right away because - well, it doesn't look like much, does it? But look at it, there's- just look. [ oh my god please tell her to chill out ]

>>
>>FILE TRANSFER:
>>
>> PROJECT4241516PT1.EXE
>>

[PRIVATE to WHEATLEY ( SCI » 001 » 089 ) encrypted 100% ]

Hi. We've never actually spoken, but, I've noticed you spend a lot of time in the labs and I know this is possibly way too presumptuous of me, but I was hoping you might be able to assist me in further researching the tech down in the genetics lab. Or.. maybe just answering a few questions for me. Please. [ BIG SHEEPISH SMILE. ] If you have any interest in doing so, I mean. Of course. [ duh. way to go, Stacy. cool manners, bro. ]



[ ooc: SO. I was going to make a separate ooc post, but I realized it's pretty much all explained here, and shown here ( click on le file she sent to Tony to see what she found ). basically yeah, Gwen's got a tiny bit of metaplot of the info variety, but she has no idea what it means ( and neither do I ahhhhhh ), so she's basically just hoping someone else found something similar to it. yep! any questions, feel free to ping me about it, but the only info the mods actually sent me was that image, hahaha. and they let me know that it would take a shit-ton of work to get to that tiny piece of file, too. sneakysneaky ship trying to hide things!! -- if you're interested in having your character find another piece of the genetics experiment puzzle, contact the mods! :D ]

Comments

[interns]

Don't be modest - would you really just say you dabble, or is it something you're pretty skilled with? Because that's exactly the kind of skill set we need for this. [ oh, hacking. hacking sounds like such a dirty word, it has such a negative stigma to it. but really, it's just incredibly useful, when used for the right reasons. Peter's better at it than she is, mostly because he spends more time actually developing new tech than she does, is more familiar with programming. but anyway! she's all smiles on this end, even if he can't see her ]

We only had time to take two drives the first time, so we do have to go back. But it wasn't nearly as- [ scary ] -haphazard a task as it was when the labs were first found. Security and some very helpful volunteers watched out for rats while we pulled parts from the computers.

[testgasm]

I used to be better at it. Is what I mean. Ship sort of put a damper on the ability, if you know what I mean.

[There. Now he is completely excused if he can't do it.]

Okay, um, you probably don't know this, but I got roughed up pretty badly when I was down there, and I'm not exactly keen on going back again, security or no security. The rats are the least of our problems, to be honest.

[interns]

Oh. [ squint ] It can do that? [ she's not a super-kid ok she doesn't know. now she's a little worried about Peter.. ]

I'm sorry to hear that. You don't have to go down to the labs, of course not. My rough plan for the next time we go is to just grab as many hard drives as we can and bring them all back up to be tagged and sorted through. No stalling to look for anything else, just directly to that floor and back. They're heavy, but if three or four of us end up going we should be able to clear out at least one level of computers.

-- What makes you say the rats are the least of our problems?

[testgasm]

In a roundabout sort of way, yes. Slapped me with a, ah. Handicap, as it were.

[Humanity is a terrible handicap.]

Oh! I can help with things that are heavy. Got something just right for the job, so I guess...that means I'm coming after all.

Did you not...run into any of the dog-things, while you were there? Big, smart, nasty, all claws and teeth? That's what I mean. When I say that.

[interns]

[ well okay she knows he's an AI, or, that he used to be a robot, but she's not sure if that's what he means, or if it's something else, but she can't really ask can she? that seems insensitive. so. she just nods, hums a quick "OK YEAH I GET IT" even if she doesn't completely understand. ]

Oh, the manticores! Yeah. Yes, of course I've seen them. They were much less aggressive in the labs than I heard they were during previous encounters. This was the first time I've managed to see them ..in action, for a lack of a better phrase. But, they kept running away, like they were afraid of something. ..I'm guessing you weren't as lucky as I was. [ someone's also been poking at manticore corpses and their DNA and whatever else for waaaay too long so she's a little tiny bit jaded to how gross they are. SCIENCE, WHEATLEY!! well, okay, the dead ones she's not too phased by anymore. the living ones, though. yeah. she gets it. ] If you're not comfortable going back to those labs, I completely understand. How would you plan on helping with the weight problem, exactly? Maybe we can work something out.

[testgasm]

Not exactly, no.

[It hadn't been a very long run-in, and he'd managed to escape, but not necessarily unscathed.]

Anyway, I've got a piece of equipment that'll take care of the weight problem, but I, uh. Don't really want anyone using it. But me. You understand. Sensitive stuff, very advanced science.

[interns]

Of course, yeah.

[ very advanced science. she can barely resist just simply saying TELL ME MORE. ]

Sensitive.. how?

[ TOO CURIOUS ]

If you don't mind my asking.

[audio --> video]

[testgasm]

No, no, don't mind you asking at all. S'just that the device itself is sort of delicate.

[And here he is, setting up his communicator on a tabletop so he can heft a large white gun-like object onto the counter.

Thunk.]

And I don't want it falling into the wrong hands.

[audio --> video]

[interns]

[ :o!! just give her oooone moment to ( tiredly ) put the pieces together ]

You can use that gun to lift things?

[ yoU MUST BE FROM THE FUTURE COME HERE LET HER TOUCH YOUR TECHNOLOGY ]

[testgasm]

S'one of the functions, yeah. Here, look.

[With that, he stands, making sure he's still in view of the communicator before training the device on a chair. Wheatley pulls a trigger and the seat is lifted effortlessly in what appears to be electricity bouncing two and from the three prongs on the device.]

Ta-daaah.. Neat, yeah?

[interns]

Yes. [ she's leaning in closer to the communicator now, wishing the tiny picture was just a little bit bigger so she could get a better look at it, but she can make out the gist of it, sure. ] Wow. We would be able to load up a whole container of some kind and bring it back up to the labs using that. It's perfect.

-- I'm Gwen, by the way. I probably should have introduced myself from the start, duh.

[testgasm]

[He beams, clearly very proud of his magic science gun. Even if he had nothing to do with the creation of it, the ASHPD was still developed and built by Aperture, his company.]

Right, uh. Hullo, Gwen. Good to be on the, ah. Team. As it were.

[interns]

Now, you have to promise you really do think it's good to be part of the team. I don't think I like the idea of you agreeing to come along against your better judgment, just so we can use your ..gun. [ she sounds like she's half kidding, but really, it's true. she'll double check and triple check for these kinds of things - especially after hearing that his first experience with the new labs wasn't pleasant. ] It's completely up to you.

[testgasm]

I promise, I promise.

[Mostly he just wants to prove that he's useful, even if that means going back to the genetics laboratories. Wheatley certainly isn't going to trust anyone else with the gun.]

Just let me know when you'll, ah. Need my assistance.