mark iii suit ❦ [ text + two encyptions ]

[starked]

we might have a problem.

[ normally tony wouldn't bring this up at all, but creepy red smile thing is really fucking creepy and this is some shit out of a horror film. ]

not a demon problem, because unless i'm wrong winchester and the angel thing have that dealt with. was going to mention this before that came up, but not all of us can split our attention between two things. actually most of you can't.

right, though, problem of the ship variety.

[ and then an attachment entitled i am a smile and i am creepy is sent to everyone's device. ]

i know what you're going to say, tony you made the creepy smiling thing mad. you're going to get us all killed. no, i'm not. what i did was discover something kind of important. the good ship tranquility is watching us. and as much as i'm cool with being watched, kind of want to know who the fuck is watching me on this huge ship. weirdly enough.


i know you two are watching everything. what do you say about this?

[ finally tony adjusts his device to video and if they pay attention, they see that he's in his suit. it's a bit of a way to intimidate them, but he's not going to come right out and say it. ]

Okay, whatever, you two are in charge along with Kirk. I don't care, if that's one of you two, I want to know. Everyone does, but I'm the one who asked the questions and got the answer so I get the first answer.

Comments

TEXT | those three people.

[wiretap]

its clearance exceeds network standards.
attempts to trace its communicator yielded no viable identification number.
the user isn't part of the network.

viable alternative:
the user is the network.

TEXT | those three people.

[starked]

another alternative: it's one of the non-viable identification numbers. you're the highest number in all the jumps. 200.

everyone else is below. and we had a 001 but no 000.

TEXT | those three people.

[wiretap]

possible, but less likely.

[ A pause, then. ]

do you really think it's a person?

[ The implication: that Aberdeen thinks it's not. ]

TEXT | the hackers three

[starked]

might be a reason for the limit. just saying.

[ ...oi, that is a very good question. ]

not necessarily. say it's not the network. or the ship itself. there was reason there's no one except ward and resnik. think about it

TEXT | the hackers three

[wiretap]

200.
total number of couches?
mass limit of inbound traffic?
the limitation could be the result of any number of factors,
wholly independent of the ship's data systems.

(note: query engineering and medical for recurrences of 200.
rule out any outlying possibilities.)

[ A pause. ]

the likelihood ward and resnik know about this?

TEXT | the hackers three

[starked]

a count of them now rules it out if we do it.
none of us have been able to get into the specific parts that would say the limit of the inbound traffic. though, ship is too big for just 200 people. original crew needs them like we do every month, you'd have a dead crew up to 200.
tell me i'm wrong.

(i'll hit up engineering, you and natasha medical?)

[ a lengthy pause. ]

asking them. don't tell everyone else. it was their ship first, though. so...

TEXT | the hackers three

[widowing]

that's fine. is there anywhere else we could look for recurrences?

'don't believe everything you hear'. they may not give you the whole truth.

TEXT | the hackers three

[starked]

aberdeen got most of the ones i'd think of. there's not a lot we can do on some of them.

i know, that's why i'm not holding my breath. figure might as well do it because what are they going to do, send the thing after me?

rhetorical, btw.

TEXT | the hackers three | never going to bed early again, sob

[widowing]

their response may not be so rhetorical.

be smart.

TEXT | iron man and black widow | sob we love you though?

[starked]

i know. you know how close i was to dying though. it's not a new thing for me to do this.

if you say things like that i'm going to think you like having me around. poor personality in your opinion or not.

TEXT | iron man and black widow | i love you too but man you don't STOP

[widowing]

i remember. you'd think someone who just cheated death wouldn't be so eager to toy with it again.

if i let you get yourself killed, i'll be in a world of trouble when we get back.

[ this is about as sentimental she'll get regarding you for a while, stark. enjoy it. ]

TEXT | the hackers three

[wiretap]

[ ....she's not about to tell you you're wrong, Tony. But she's not going to tell you you're right either. As per Aberdeen's way, silence means consent. ]

i'm not good with people.

[ As in: medical. As in: asking Ward and Resnik. Natasha, help a girl out? ]

TEXT | the hackers three

[widowing]

[ don't worry, aberdeen, natasha's got this. ]

i can handle medical, then.

where else could recurrences be possible?

TEXT | the hackers three

[wiretap]

given how little of the ship we have access to,
most attempts at speculation would have little to no basis.

holodecks, oxygen garden, passenger quarters.
no obvious recurrences there.

the shuttle bay, possibly.

the bridge, purely speculative.

TEXT | the hackers three

[starked]

number of plants, but we ruined that by planting things. passenger quarters fall with us unless there's more or less than 200 decks.

shuttle bay...i've been around but i might have missed something.

number of areas we can't get into. counting each place that's blocked off.

TEXT | the hackers three

[wiretap]

[ There is a lag in her response. ]

hotspur, joker, starbuck.
one or all could provide insight to the shuttle bay.

otherwise: the bridge.
think you can gain access?

TEXT | those three people.

[widowing]

that alternative makes more sense than it probably should.

if we're working with that theory, how much control do you think the network could have over us, if it's strictly the network?

TEXT | the hackers three

[wiretap]

difficult to tell without a working diagnostic of the ships' programming structure.
if the comms network functions as an extension of a greater, overarching OS,
then feasibly the user could control or work in tandem
with some, if not all, of the rest of ship's processes.

complete control isn't an impossibility.

TEXT | the hackers three

[widowing]

wonderful.

TEXT | the hackers three

[wiretap]

we could attempt a working diagnostic.

TEXT | the hackers three

[starked]

systems are still blocked on some sections. might be better than nothing. unless you two hacked into them and didn't tell me.

TEXT | the hackers three

[wiretap]

if i did, you would know.

[ Cause what are fake techno dads for, if not showing off what do. ]

we should ask spock.
for assistance.

TEXT | the hackers three

[starked]

...true. you'd show off and somehow lock me in a trojan horse afterward.

[ apparently being awesome. maybe drinking with. how do you shot being a techno-dad. ]

liability with kirk. they know each other. until there's something concrete, kind of not feeling like telling him.

TEXT | the hackers three

[wiretap]

i'd set your runtimes to a permanent flush cycle.

[ Don't sweat it, you're doing fine, T. ]

i could ask for discretion, barring kirk.
if he doesn't grant it, no disclosure.

it wouldn't be the first time i've asked.
he may mean the advantage we need.

TEXT | the hackers three

[starked]

fixed worse.

[ fine when in relation to this is really subjective, a. ]

even if he grants it, could lie. same issue we have with ward + resnik.

because?

[ which is to say, why might he be the advantage you think we need. ]