The Found Arcana - Chapter 7 [IC] Options

[Jack_Spade]

"Yeah, but don't go out fighting bears just because you have opposable thumbs. Bears like to snack on those." Bobby interjected, suppressing a burb.
"Alright, let's get this show on the road. Tracks are getting colder by the minute."

[Beta]

Peshtigo affirms <<Of course I know how to trace something, you get a grip on its data trails and pull yourself along those until you get there! And Brent said to do what Nice Ikon-329E57 person said to do, and they said to do what you said to do, so I'll take your mark>> While she does that it chattily adds <<I've been in existence for 24792811 seconds. Brent takes GREAT care of me! Brent says I'm his best sprite. Oh you put dead data on me, that is kind of ugly, but it is what I was supposed to allow. Let's go now, I won't go too quickly because I know non-resonance beings can't see their way through the matrix very well.>>

Meanwhile in meatspace, Chet was headed back to the back room, but commented back to Mato "My family went horse riding up in the mountains one time, they said we had to be careful of bears. But I've never heard of one in the city. Well, not in Bellevue anyway. Did you make a rug out of its skin? Brent finds all sorts of cool simsense stuff and he said in this one the POV character made love on a bearskin rug and you could feel each hair. I don't know if it was true or he was exaggerating to make it seem even cooler. Brent's a good guy but he wants to make an impression and that is hard when you have barely left the house this years except for school. And coming here too, I guess."

Back in the matrix, Peshtigo moved painfully slowly until Gilge assured it that it could go faster that that. Soon they achieved a solid sort of speed, bouncing through the urban matrix mesh until they reached a major matrix node at the University of Seattle. From there Peshtigo moved along a busy but comparatively noisy path that took them to a SATMAX satellite. From there the path went to a Tornado spewing out data. AM Peshtigo flew through it without difficulty, but AM immediately discovered that she couldn't track her mark anymore. Worse, when she tried passing through it it first started chewing up the integrity of her PAN, and then she just seemed to get stuck, her coherent PAN feeling like it was just too big and solid to fit through a narrow passage, or something like that.

[Gilga]

AM listens to Peshtigo and is a bit astonished that the sprite is in existence for nearly a year. It implies that he'll still be in existence in the coming hours or days or so she hopes. She has no idea how technomancy works, and what are the rules and limitations. These are very rare to encounter. She follows the mysterious entity to the best of her ability, feeling a bit sluggish because she is in AR, but she'll move to VR once the kids finish debating and they can settle on the price.

"Of course, it would not be easy" she shrugs, and then she watches the signals going in and out of the strange device very carefully and tries to find some weakness that can be exploited.

[ Spoiler ]

Rolls are in OOC

[Tecumseh]

"The bear was in Redmond," Mato says. "Gangers like exotic animals. They're status symbols. Hell hounds are popular.

"I did not make a rug out of its skin." Mato pauses, wondering if this is a great idea or something bizarre that rich people do. "You respect your adversary. Let your scars be your trophies."

Mato isn't sure if he believes this or not. He is, for example, somewhat kicking himself that he didn't pinch Katya's ruthenium polymer cloak. But, in fairness, the thought never crossed his mind. So does he believe what he just said? Maybe, maybe not, but it sounds like the kind of thing you'd expect a badass to say. He chalks it up as more marketing.

"Who is Penumbra?" he asks.

[Jack_Spade]

"I can't recommend fragging around on a bear's back. Bear fur is actually pretty coarse. You'd have to want it pretty rough."
Bobby grinned at Mato: "But Mato knows best - after all he really has intimate knowledge about how getting hands on with a bear feels."

[Beta]

As he splits off to his seat, Chet points out one of the other teenagers -- a tall boy still in the gawky teen phase -- and mutters "that's 'Penumbra'. Things he's so edgy. But his parents own a big chunk or Auburn or something, so he thinks there money should make him in charge here."

Once everyone is sitting back down, Seraphina says "I think we are close. Your payment plan is acceptable, but for a hundred thousand we want a bit more. Three things more, actually. One: some answers. You find out if the people holding him are doing it on their own or for someone else, and then either why or who is calling the shots. At least as much as is feasible. Two, when you bring Brent back you provide up to 24 hours of security, until he can arrange any additional security that he should get. And three you give us -- Brent and us here -- two hours of training on what you think we should know about keeping ourselves safe. We all thought we'd been taught that, but obviously we aren't perfect, and once people see that one of the students at our school was vulnerable they might target others. No cheap 'shoot-em, loot-'em, drop Brent off at the bus station' job for that sort of money." On that last sentence she is clearly quoting someone else, with a different speech cadence and manner.

[ Spoiler ]

Chance for a response here, but putting the next bit in here to keep things moving a tiny bit faster

Peshtigo pops back <<I'm back, miss me? Brent sent this info>> he sends some detailed information about Brent's side of the connections <<Brent says we are getting close to how long the opening was last time, he doesn't know if the window is constant. Also he fell asleep for a bit between these two openings so he might have missed another window, he isn't sure. But if you need to get any information to or from him to do it soon.>>


Meanwhile AM has been reviewing the data that she had gathered. The anonymizer might be hackable (rating 7 device), and it appears to be supporting 4 agents, all spoofing the data going through, along with some custom hardware to limit just what goes through. But with the depth of data that AM pulled from the device she gets a good look at the iconagraphy, which is quite distinctive. No dull, standardized, corporate work, but rather full of color, chrome, and a style that could maybe be called graffiti-punk. Further she's similar styles used a couple of places in Seattle that she knows have systems built by the Reality Hackers gang.

[Jack_Spade]

"Don't worry, we aren't in the habit of doing things half-assed. Protective custody is a given. Also we have just the connection for that training.
The only thing we can't promise you are the answers. If we have to decide between getting Brent out save and snooping around, we'll get Brent out first and don't look back until we have him somewhere save."

Bobby replied.

[Gilga]

AM agrees with Bobby with non verbal cues but adds "We would make an effort to figuring out who they are, can we agree that Bernt is enough to satisfy the job, but we will do our best to uncover what we can about the kidnappers and share with you what we learned?"


She texts the team notifying them about the annonimizer, which is difficult but not impossible to hack, and about Reality hackers asking what they know about them..

[Tecumseh]

Mato doesn't say much at this point, instead lost in his thoughts about the potential Reality Hackers connection.

He still thinks this is a sloppy job and half-expects to find a pack of ambitious teenager bullies holding Brent. These kids here were hackers, right? (Well, more of a hacker than Mato is.) It doesn't seem that outlandish that there could be a teen with a dash of magical ability who could sterilize the hair sample. It's also unclear if the hair is even Brent's.

And what of the Reality Hackers' involvement? The fact that Peshtigo is here suggests that Brent's captors don't know that he's a technomancer. Would the Reality Hackers even participate if they knew Brent was a techno? Mato doubts it.

<<I think the Reality Hackers are just contract workers in this scenario>> Mato comms, providing his reasoning. <<I can imagine them arranging for the anonymizer on a freelance basis. This fits with their business model, as I understand it.>>

<<Depending on the results of the trace, it could be worth "talking" to them.>>

Mato doesn't really want to brawl. The Reality Hackers are cyber-enthusiasts and he can appreciate that. But they enjoy a good scrap (which Mato can also appreciate) and might like to test themselves, cybermano-a-cybermano. If so... so be it.

[Jack_Spade]

Bobby replied via the telepathic connection:
'I had some brushes with the Reality Hackers and I agree: Those guys are more likely to hire the kid then to go into abduction and ransoming - especially since those guys would have first checked to see where the parents are.
Well, at least we can be sure that the Yakuza isn't involved. The RH have a major hate boner for the Yaks. But they do collaborate sometimes with the Seolpa. Those fellows might have some dim talent that could try such an operation.
The RH are hanging out usually at a warehouse at the Puyallup River. Combination of headquarters and nightclub.
They serve a rather nice Kimchi.'

[Tecumseh]

<<Oo, kimchi!>>

A slurp of milkshake.

<<Seoulpa Rings means two options: Komun'go Ring or Chosun Ring.>>

<<Komun'go would be my preference, since they're half Amerind. Lots of Haida; would be a shame to not have Jawsey along for that. Komun'go are unlikely though, as they're more about pleasures of the flesh.>>

<<Chosun Ring would make more sense, since they're big into hacking, cybercrime, etc. A more natural affinity for the Reality Hackers, anyway.>>

<<But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's wrap up here, figure out what AM can trace, and then move on from there.>>

More milkshake. Getting down now, to the point where the whipped cream is coming up through the straw. Delicious, not nutritious.

[Beta]

One of the boys -- the one Mato had pointed out as 'Penumbra' -- interjects "Fine, we'll take your lovely deal. We're apparently 'not the sort who will abandon a friend just because it is difficult', and we don't have time to frag around. Congratulations, you've managed to out negotiate a bunch of high school students, I'm sure you are all proud of yourselves. " This results in some stares between him and Seraphina, but after a few moments she snaps "Yes, we agree to the deal, enough to get Brent's agreement." A couple of others look pale at the size of commitment they've just agreed to, but nobody objects.

Seraphina apparently gives a message to Peshtigo, because the sprite vanishes from the matrix again. A minute later he's back and confirms <<Brent says 'Ouch, but OK.' Any more messages before I go back to him again?>>

[Jack_Spade]

"Did you expect to get kisses on your butt? Welcome to the adult world, where good sevice costs you and the essentials are more expensive than the luxuries."
Bobby replied to the snotty kid.

<<Tell him to try and find cover if he hears any signs of an altercation. It might be us.>>

[Tecumseh]

Bobby gives the answer that Mato was thinking. Bobby just delivers it in a Bobbified way, in Bobby-speak.

"You're in the big leagues now," Mato agrees, rather more soberly than Bobby.

"If you don't want to deal with authorities then you deal with the private sector. If you want cheap then hire gangers, but you might as well throw your credsticks in the lake. If you want results, you pay for professionals. Professionals who won't blackmail you or backstab you or flip the table on you. That's us."

More marketing, but it's true. The kid doesn't have to like it. He can play his "helpless teen" card and SIS can ignore it. Rich kids from Bellevue are not to be pitied. Mato doesn't intend to exploit them, but nor is he giving any free samples.

<<Peshtigo, does Brent know anything about his surroundings? Indoors or outdoors? Small room or large? How often do they check on him? What are they giving him for food and water? Is he relieving himself outside or in a bathroom? Sleeping on a bed or a cot or the floor? Any details that might indicate what sort of situation he is in could help us find him when we get close.>>

[Gilga]

AM grins when the club accepts the commitment, and when Penumbra objects she only takes a serious look at his face. Once the men finish with their egos and macho - she declares.

"Here is a bonus for you, hacker club, I am going to try and trace Bernt right here, right now. You'll be able to watch me in action, perhaps learn a few tricks or even help me. The problem is a bleeding-edge anonymizer, R7 custom-made piece of hardware with additional agents, needless to say, my equipment is a lot more modest but I'll be super quiet and sneaky and hopefully, this monstrosity would not find me. I will go in a hot simulation to maximize my speed, and chance of survival. Sadly, there is also a risk of physical injury or brain damage, but I knew it was not going to be easy when we signed up for this job.

Now, you know the basics, while this anonymizer is top-notch its security has a limited capacity. Three agents to be exact, and basically, if the agents are busy with you then they aren't searching for me. You come in AR, you disengage if anything hostile comes your way, and if your link is damaged I will fix it once we finish the job. If you want a hardware lesson, I'll let you help me fix it. This is your moment to show some skills for Bernt, and experience a real matrix job


....
Before entering, AM takes a brief second to pray to Iktomi, and with Trouble's help augment her mental facilities to the maximum possible. She augments her logic and intuition and asks Trouble to sustain the improved intuition for her for a little while. Unpleasant for him, but she is risking her neck and would need any help she can use. Satisfied with the results, she configures her deck for maximum sleaze and go into hot simulation leading a bunch of script kiddies and following a sprite - who would have thought. She can feel the excitement going in her veins and is vaguely aware that what she is trying is dangerous. It makes her feel alive, and most importantly she hopes it will shut Penumbra up... she is risking her life for their money the least they could do is appreciate it regardless of the exact cost.

...
Once everyone is in position, AM attempts to get past the anonymizer, her overclocked decked is pushed to the limits by stealth programs. "Here goes nothing" she thinks and then Trouble, just in case I do not make it out, know that I love you. AM approaches the anonymizer and waits for an opportunity to sneak past it. Opportunity quickly shows itself, an internal glitch for a brief second - but it only takes a brief second for her to mark the anonymizer and disappear. (hack and go silent running). Surprised that she actually got the mark, the brave decker begins with the tracing effort hoping to finish before she is discovered.

>>Got a mark, now I need to remain hidden long enough to make the trace.

[ Spoiler ]

Improve logic: 15d6t5 4
drain: 13d6t5 6
Logic +4, no drain.

Dropping improved Charisma and kicking up intuition as well.
Improve intuition: 15d6t5 6
Improve intuition drain: 15d6t5 2

AM would ask Trouble to sustain the intuition spell for a little while for her, and then she is ready to ramble.

Hacking: 17d6t5 10 - wow!
R7 is 14 dice? (or more?) I rolled.
Hacking defense: 14d6t5 5
I'd assume she'll get in. Then she'll imidiently go silent to disguise herself from the agents, she'll have a sleaze of 12 and intuition/logic of 9.

[Beta]

The agents don't immediately react to AM placing a mark, in fact they don't even react to a few hacker club icons taunting them -- they seem to be busy anonymizing data flowing through the device. Which isn't to say that one of them might not check for marks or implement a defensive protocal any millisecond now ...

AM has a mark, now what does she do?

[Gilga]

Having a mark on the anonymizer, means that the device acknoledges her as a legitimate user. AM looks for a way to move herself to some sort of an exclusion list which would allow her to trace Bernt without having her signals being anonymized.

[ Spoiler ]

Matrix Perception: 15d6t5 8

[Beta]

Normal matrix operation is that all devices pass along data to neighboring devices, while being totally agnostic as to what that matrix data is. The anonymizer isn't passing along any data in the usual way, but seems to still accept data, letting data come to it so that the agents can spoof it, and pass it along without any traceability to the data's original source. Assuming that it was not built from absolute scratch, the anonymizer must have instructions somewhere that let it override usual matrix device behavior.

[ Spoiler ]

resist being spotted: 14d6t5 5

Once she has some idea of what she is looking for, AM finds it quickly. She can tell that it is encrypted.


While AM was settling in to her hack, Peshtigo responds to Mato with <<I'll go ask!>> Before anyone can say anything the sprite disappears again, but fortunately re-appears about a dozen seconds later. It provides <<Brent had the information ready! He's in a room maybe 5 steps by 6, it doesn't have any windows so is dark and he can't see much. The walls and floor are wood, and he hears rain on the roof quite loudl. He says it is pretty cold, he doesn't think it is meant to be used in the Winter. He says they gave him enough blankets to stay warm enough. He says the floor makes noise when you walk on it, 'kind of boomy or echoing sometimes', and he thinks he's heard three different people by the noise they make walking. They seem to know where he is even with the door shut, and they tell him to go stand against the far wall with his hands against the wall when they bring food in, and don't let him move until the door is shut again. Same with a chemical toilet that they drag in occasionally. He says he falls asleep a lot, he isn't quite sure why. He hears nature sounds he thinks, wind in trees, running water.>>

[Tecumseh]

Mato scowls slightly. He makes sure the others have Peshtigo's response.

<<Is Brent being held in a tree house?>> he wonders to the rest of the team. This is half in jest.

Mato thinks about what he knows about architecture. He studied it a bit, specifically residential architecture, after his time at Pike Hall.

<<Could be a log cabin in the woods>> he muses. <<They're often elevated off the ground, which could produce the echoing footsteps. You just have a foundation around the perimeter - under the load-bearing logs - or up on periodically-spaced posts, like a pier. Something about ground movement, frost lines? I don't know. Easier than pouring a full foundation out in the middle of the woods, that's for sure.>>

<<Sounds like the could be sedating him. Could be something over-the-counter, mixed in with his food. We might have to carry him out.>>

[Gilga]

"Aha... the control file. All I need to slightly modify its configuration." AM thinks at the team and for herself. (I think she is mentally linked to Bobby). Very carefully she forces herself to observe the file carefully looking for all possible protections, there shouldn't be a data bomb on such a file - but whom to say that Reality hackers follow regular security protocols so she carefully looks and assumes nothing. She can feel the massive adrenaline surges in her veins and she feels alive perhaps because deep down she really enjoys it or perhaps because Iktomi is augmenting her mental capacities.


AM begins working the file once she is certain what defenses there are, she will disable a databomb if she finds it - and then go to remove the file's protection, and then edit the file to facilitate the trace.

[Jack_Spade]

'Cabin could be, but I think more shed - a farm in rural environment - with a tin roof. Something like a wood storage with a wiremesh around for a Farraday cage. Would explain the sparse matrix environment.
Yeah, sounds like he is drugged regularly. We should ask what he gets to eat and drink. If it's water, the drugs are likely in the food. Can't hide the taste otherwise. If it's soda, they are pretty certainly dissolved there. In either case, the boy should look if he can stop eating and drinking.'
Bobby thought to Mato, so he wouldn't distract AM.

[Beta]

The code was complex, but AM sliced through it skillfully, peeling out the parts that overrode the usual matrix protocols. She had a suspicion that the device was entirely illegal and that GOD would frown at it, if it was brought to their attention -- but that in hacking it she had returned it to legal operating condition.

Once that was done she was able to pass through the device. Just then Peshtigo zoomed into the locality and enthused <<I felt something ... oh you made this so much better! Come, I'll take you to Brent now!>> The sprite led her down a very tenuous data trail that felt a bit like hopping from ledge to ledge along the side of a cliff, only in this case from node to node on the side of a fearsome host. Fortunately after just a few hops she saw the persona that must be Brent. Perhaps as importantly, with her mark on Peshtigo she is able to get Brent's location picked out.

[Gilga]

"Praise Iktomi" AM thinks when the code suddenly clicks and she can again move freely past the anonymizer - as if two parts of the matrix are now connected again. She is happy that Peshtigo did not keep too far away and happily follows it to the best of her ability - being much faster in hot simulation. She feels like a superheroine jumping from one building to the next, like her friend can do in the physical world. Iktomi's web is majestic, and she feels free, and alive, and invisible, and happy. "I got a location! Write it down... pink, and briefly after when Bobby is ready 47.6924° N, 121.9147° W.... I'll let Bernt know that we are coming, anything I should tell him? she thinks to Bobby.

[Jack_Spade]

"Tell him to stop eating and drinking what they give him. Also he might get visited by some kind of animal. If he feels strange magic working on him he should not resist but give in to the transformation. We can get him out as a mouse or a roach."
Bobby transmitted back through the mindlink.

[Gilga]

When she reaches Bernt, she wipes some metaphorical sweat off her forehead and briefly says "We are coming to free you, hang in there! She pauses a little bit and says You may be visited by some animal, and your rescue may involve magic. So if you feel a spell beginning to change you into a small animal try not to fight it. Also, it would be best if you avoid eating and drinking what they give you, keep you alert and responsive when we come for you.