Scene #5045: Who Wants To Be A Millionaire

Owner	Pose
Wo	Nu Detroit is a sprawling metropolis, unified along with its suburbs. Unlike the veritable wasteland it became in real life, after the outflowing of well-paying industrial and factory jobs, this world's version apparently managed to transform itself along with the times. In fact, though roughly present day, it matches closely the 'near future' as envisioned in the fiction of the 80s and 90s: The automobiles on the streets resemble the stylized designs once envisioned in concept cars, holographic displays -- more the flickery, Max Headroom-era sort -- are the norm, and every menial task of labor has seemingly been taken over by a robot. Yet, as night slowly falls over the city, the futurist idealism begins to fade, revealing a darker side. The sleek, aerodynamic shapes of the concept cars are now black, white and blue, with slender red and blue light bars flickering to life atop them as the cops begin their patrols. Seemingly every available public lamp post or utility pole projects the same warning into space in a baleful flourescent orange: 'Curfew In Effect', as well as a digital clock counting down from an original thirty minute grace period. The everyday people on the streets, wearing clothes resembling the future, as envisioned by those living in the late 80s, obediently begin to file back into their apartment buildings and office spaces. Respectable businesses either draw curtains of titanium bars, or activate an iris shutter of steel plates over their storefronts. Those that remain on the streets tend to be younger and dressed more vibrantly. There's a definite tension in the atmosphere here. The Watch has a presence here, though it is extremely tenuous, and until recently had mostly been observing this slow motion collapse. A city where the megacorporations strangle more and more of the lifeblood from the populace, and it's left to the police force to try and maintain an uneasy peace, is significantly in their interests. There is an organized defiance, not really associated with them, and significantly splintered, though it is enough that a few agents on the ground have gotten wind of something big. A group of hackers and digital activists, Extinct Panda, have their unofficial headquarters here, located in the basement of a party club for teens to come in off the streets. Just try to avoid the fashion disaster that is the youth of this metropolis, where what is 'cool' seemingly froze just before 1990. On the other hand, if trust is to be won and suspicion avoided while investigating, it may be helpful to dress as a local. In which case, there are many clothing kiosks and stores available.
August Kohler	A redhead in a very colorful, very tacky local shirt (it has fish on it) and a pair of blue jeans walks into the club. He's wearing a pendant necklace, the type that opens up and reveals something inside. This redhead, however, is not a local. He is a German, specifically August Kohler. He has also never been in a club like this in his life, and is noticeably having trouble adjusting to the music. August is going to look for two things: people who either stand out as possible Extinct Panda, or people who stand out as known Watch members. Possibly while hunting for earplugs.
Alopex	Someone else walks in shortly after Kohler. While their hoodie isn't quite as bright as the others, the black garment has a single bright splash of road-cone orage coloring stretching from their shoulder to their opposite hip. Close enough? Maybe. For this one, it is very obvious they are not a native since a close look would reveal something not human and more akin to a fox. One whom's ears have dropped due to the pounding bass within the room, an arm lifting to shield their eyes as a moment is taken to adjust. Time to see what these 'Extinct Pandas' are all about. If Alopex, or one of her allies, can find them.
Deelel	Deelel did not get the full understanding of /money/, energy was used for exhanges of things sure. It was food too so it wasn't like it was usless. Money? Maybe had use as art as far as Deelel could tell and maybe melting it down if it was into coins for metal. Digital was just like points, she didn't get it really it entirely she had got it better than she should however. Deelel had worn a long jacket on over what she wore normally. It was enough to block out the glow and she looked like a older teen or young early 20 something who liked the treacnh coats. Nothing worng here and she would end up walking in a bit after Alopex and August as she does so. Now it was time to find the hackers wasn't it? At least this was a chance to interact with Users who knew what they doing with computers...
Annie Sandberg	This time, Annie has gone with something a little different in an attempt to fit in; not trying to fit in. Whatever human appearance she took, a little girl didn't belong in a place like this- but perhaps a machine would. She might have tried going in without her flowmetal skin on, but she figured her metal endoskeleton was a bit too clean-looking for this crowd. So instead, she hardened her shell, making herself look almost like a kitbashed version of her old Fundroid self, with a few mismatched parts, exposed joints, and so on. it was kind of creepy-looking, but she couldn't be mistaken for anything but what she was as she joined the others in the club.
Wo	The music pounding through the speakers is...well, it's a weird blend of Eurobeat, Hip Hop and New Wave. This is the future, after all, but as imagined by a certain time period. The DJ is a thirty-something man wearing fluorescent 'basically everything', from the tacky costume jewelry to the completely unnecessary sunglasses, which stands out even more thanks to the blacklight above him. He seems to turn his head to some of the new arrivals, for a moment, but it may have been purely coincidence, and it didn't last long. Regardless, August's ears stop being assaulted for only a moment, before the next turntable gets spinning. The club is almost wall to wall occupied, though there are still thin avenues to walk around the actual dance floor, so thankfully there's no having to wade through a bunch of gyrating bodies. Everyone seems to be too distracted getting their own groove on to pay much mind to strangers entering their scene, even ones with fox features. Not that they aren't unfamiliar with non-humans, since their city has been unified for quite some time, they just don't usually stop by. Deelel also doesn't look out of place enough for them to seemingly bother, and August, he's easily accepted as one of their own. Annie is, well, they've definitely seen robots before, though there are some distrustful glances given, as well as a wide berth. They have their reasons! Around this time, a young woman in her late teens, wearing her jacket around her waist for some reason, and entirely too many bracelets and earrings, moves to 'bump' into Alopex, 'accidentally'. "Oops, sorry," she immediately apologizes, smacking some bubblegum loudly in between words! "Hey, I think I heard a guy in back wanted to talk to you." A meaningful glance is exchanged with the DJ, whom just grins, and begins waving like he just don't care, ya'll. Then her eyes pivot toward what looks to be some double doors into the storage area, before she gives a smile and wanders back off into the crowd, melding flawlessly back into the mass of dancing bodies. Ever so slightly, the double doors crack open, an orange-amber glow almost like a street lamp backlighting someone that peers out.
Alopex	When bumped into, Alopex stumbles for a moment, but doesn't seem irritated by the teenager. She's given a long look head to toe in the reverse, and an understanding nod is given both to her, and then to the DJ once her gaze goes off in that direction. "Thank you!" is called out as the new song begins to set the club dancing again. A few muttered words are transmitted to her allies in the Watch before she begins to wade through the crowds with an uncanny ease, headed for the double doors. That bright orange stripe is across the back of her hoodie as well. It should make her easy enough to follow.
Annie Sandberg	Annie frowns a bit at the cold reception she receives from the clubgoers. Maybe she should have just shown up looking like a kid after all, she thought. She was used to AIs being distrusted in her own world, but she thought that people in this world, especially computer people, would be more open-minded. Still, it was too late to back out now. She'd just have to be more careful next time, she thought. If she pretended to be human she could always reveal her real self if necessary- but if she made herself look obviously artificial, it wasn't very plausible to claim to really be human. She followed the others to the back of the club, hoping she didn't end up ruining the whole thing.
August Kohler	Everything here is awful. The outfits are awful. August can only think of one person who would fit in here, seeing his love of potoo ties. But instead of thinking about his school therapist, August instead listens to the radio, hearing that it's time to move. Slowly wading through the crowds, keeping one hand on his pendant so it doesn't fall off, he heads towards the double doors, following Alopex when he spots her. He's going to try and get up close to her so that it's clear they came in together.
Deelel	Deelel Seemed to fit on for the most part and watchs as everyone seems to be too distracted with things and tha't smore than enough for her she does notice the Dj for a moment and she gets some idea he's a User with a function much like her own, she grined a little bit at them and pauses s the young owmand shows up at them hear tht someone in the back wanted to talk to them? Fine she take amoment and starts making that way with a nod.
Wo	Behind the double doors, a nervous-looking young man, with his bleached blonde hair gelled up into spikes, and wearing a denim jacket and jeans, quickly motions the four inside. "Quick, before anyone notices," he says, in that spoken whisper kind of tone, an urgency to it. Should everyone file in, he quickly closes the door behind and slides an improvised brace, in the form of a copper pipe, into place. This also allows one a good look at the back of his jacket, upon which a black and white, cartoonish panda with crosses for eyes can be seen. What sort of hacker group actually wears identifying markings like that? One as imagined by the late 80s, of course. "You're people from the outside, right," he wonders, without turning around immediately? "You're pretty good, but we know the local faces." He then turns, looking to Annie, in specific, a new sense of panic flooding his face now that he has time to process things. "Your bot, is it de-chipped?" Before anyone even has time to answer the weird question, he explains, "The corps that build them bots and computers put these chips in them now, so they can watch us. ...but you're from the outside, so I guess it's safe." He finally seems to relax a little, letting his shoulders slump slightly, "Look, sorry about all of this, but if we're caught with what we've got, it's going to be hard time. If you came here looking for Extinct Panda, and I can't really think of any other reason, you've found us." 'Us'? If left undisturbed, he labors his lean frame to shove aside a few seemingly innocuous crates, though closer inspection would reveal that they don't have any dust settled on them like most of the rest of the room. A crudely broken out tunnel follows into some long forgotten utility tunnel. NOW we're getting somewhere. "Don't blab about any of this, okay? Or Gig Mama will skin my ass alive."
Alopex	Once the door opens and the nervous nelly starts waiving everyone in, the fox turns to give a subtle 'over here' motion to her allies, and then she steps inside, pulling down her hood. "Yes, 'outside' is a good way to put it," she informs the man. As he continues to ramble, she quirks a brow about the 'chipping' only for him to explain away his concern. When the crates are moved, a curious peer is given the tunnel before she simply steps forward, crouches down, and then glances back, "I won't be telling anyone. I doubt any of us will," she notes. "I'll have a look first.." she tags on before disapearing into the tunnel. She'll use her radio to communicate back what she finds on the other side.
Annie Sandberg	Annie herself is a bit confused by the Panda member's reference to being "de-chipped". But he seemed to deduce that, being from off-world, she wouldn't be a danger. "If I had anything like that, I think we'd know," Annie says. "Do you think it'd make your friends feel more comfortable if I looked different? I can change skins if you want." she suggests. "I thought this look would be good, but... I guess I misjudged. And I promise I'll keep things secret."
Deelel	Deelel slips in with ease and grace and soon is within wuith the otehrs. "I see, a collective operating under one name? It's not uncommon I have found." She smirks for a moment thinking of one somewhat infamous group sheheard about on several earths. She moves along keeping with them. "We don't intend to, betray you. I only pass as human I'm a Program." She waits to see the reaction to that and maybe draw some heat off the others.
August Kohler	Man, this is way too easy. All it would take is for a spy to dress themselves up and blend in to meet these people and screw them over. Luckily, that's not why August and the others are here. "August Kohler. She's fine, don't worry about it." The redhead is calm, willingly giving out his name like it means nothing to him. "Don't worry. From just what I've heard, you guys are pretty much in the right here. We're here to help, as long as it's not too crazy of a plan." The limits on 'too crazy' are currently not explained. When Alopex heads into the tunnel, August decides to enter in a minute later, catching up to her. "Better to stick in pairs, at the least."
Wo	"Ch-change skins," the young man wonders? "No, it's...I'm sure it'll be fine." If anything, it will only let Annie blend in better with what's ahead. Speaking of which, he gives a curious look to Alopex wanting to look there first, but he understands being cautious. "Uh, if you want. I guess. Help yourself!" Another strange look is given to Deelel, this time, "A humanoid program? But that doesn't...ah, right. Gig Mama says to not try to think too hard about it." To Deelel's wondering about their shared identity, he gives a light scratch to the back of his head, near where the spikes start, and sheepishly admits, "I'm not much of a coder or anything like that, like the others. But I've got a gift, for breaking code...brain's wired different, they say. A...anyway." It looks like he's having a hard time grasping how to have a casual conversation, and simply gives a nod to August as he follows behind Alopex. The two in the tunnel would find it's the usual, mostly abandoned brick lined affair, with various utility lines and pipes running along it. Every so often there is a light bulb that somehow hasn't gone out, though some have been visibly replaced more recently than the ones that have burned out. All incandescent, of course. It all comes to what looks like the basement of an adjacent building, though it has been completely overhauled. There are masses of cables strung haphazardly around absolute piles of what, to most outsider eyes, would look like vintage computer hardware. They don't even have the colorful vector drawings of the holograms outside, insert preferring old CRT displays and metal and plastic cabinets. There are around a half dozen people milling around the place, somehow not tribbing over wires and power strips in the process, though they all stop what they're doing to turn to look up the catwalks, at footsteps approaching. By then, the young man from before has left the company of Annie and Deelel, and calls out, "It's okay, they're from the outside!" There's a release of tension that is almost felt, and one guy actually, visibly sprawls backward in his office chair. "This is it," he explains, "Our nerve center." All of the people inside have jackets on like his, over their various period clothing. A slightly older woman, heavyset, emerges to step to the forefront, beginning to climb the corrugated metal steps. "Squeaky, thanks for showing them in. I'm Gig Mama. Guess word's spread further than I expected, which means we don't have much time." Much time for what?
Alopex	Once through the passage, the fox stands, stretches out a little, and takes in the entire room. The tension she feels is something she's used to, she gets it where she comes from anytime someone realizes she's clearly not a human. When 'Squeaky' releases the tension her gaze shifts from the room toward the older lady coming toward her. As introductions are given, "I'm Alopex. Me and my friends are all here to assist in whatever way we can." Once said, she'd allow August to do the rest of the talking. She was more interested in the rest of the room. Just on guard, and looking for egress routes because Ninja.
August Kohler	As an engineering student, August finds this absolutely fascinating, and also bizarre. He also understands Squeaky's issues with social interaction, in a way, not having done much of it himself. Leaving the rest of the room to Alopex, August approaches Gig Mama. "August Kohler. We're here to help, seeing as this is what we do. What are you planning on doing, and why don't you have much time? Think there's going to be an info leak to the police?"
Annie Sandberg	Annie nods a greeting to the apparent leader, Gig Mama. "I'm Annie Sandberg," she says. "I'm happy to meet you, and I'll do what I can to help. ...It actually sounds kind of fun, to be honest," she adds with a grin.
Deelel	Deelel says "I'm from the cyber core and it's a long story. If your wonding I'm a audio and visual art program." She grins for a moment longer and she doesn't try to push it but she does add. "I felt the same way thinking about how Users like you are made of physical matter." She stop at this point though and she nods ot the aqnswer "I see, quite the talent you have there. Geetings Gig Mama, I must ask what do you intend to do with what you have? Also my name is Deelel."
Wo	Alopex's glance over would notice what was presumably the old entrance, from whatever building is above here, has been effectively sealed and bricked off. It would take some major demolition to break out, or in, that way. Extinct Panda isn't foolish enough to not have multiple ways in and out, though: Two more utility tunnels can be seen forking out, presumably connecting to either yet more adjacent buildings, or, from the smell of one of them, which an industrial strength fan is desperately trying to keep out of the chamber, the city's sewer system. That's what can be immediately detected, anyway. The lighting in here isn't the best, and mostly provided by computer monitors and a few desk lamps. The unfinished basement is also warmer than one might expect, despite no obvious heating system. The glow of the countless cathode ray tubes and the warmth of the circuit boards seems to keep it this balmy. There's a constant hum that drones over the now-distance muddled club music, from unknowable quantities of small fans exhausting that waste heat. It's kind of cozy, in a way, at least if you're a nerd. Squeaky, himself, smiles awkwardly in response to Deelel, before excusing himself to climb back down those steps and return to his desk. His is the only one without a computer, instead he's starting to look over what's probably hundreds of pages of dot matrix printouts. Gig Mama's eyes follow him, then turn back to the Watch members, giving a once over to each in turn, at least as the light allows. Unlike the young man now known as Squeaky, she doesn't seem the least bit worried about Annie's appearance. "Pleased that you all made it. I guess you're as trustworthy as anyone else at this point. Come on inside, and I'll give the situation." She steps down to her own corner of the large basement, stopping at a coffee machine to top up a mug for herself, and seemingly invites anyone else that wants to do the same. The machine is actually really fancy, and seems to brew both coffee and cocoa in two separate pots, depending on demand. There are also some slightly beat up, but still comfortable enough, office chairs, which she takes a seat in one. "I'm sure you noticed that our city's got problems. The big corporations control everything from the top down. It all started about twenty years ago, when they started gathering data on us for 'business means'. Then City Hall decided it wanted a piece of the action. And here we are, a literal police state where everything's watched." She gives a glance over to the old mainframes and microcomputers, "Groups like us cobble this pre-chipping hardware together. It's an uphill battle, the corps have the newest and best. But every now and then, we find a crack of daylight. Some bit of code that hasn't been updated, a thread left hanging." By way of response to Deelel, and August, even looking at the latter on this point, she notes, "And, we've found a crack wide enough to drive a tractor trailer through. They don't seem to have noticed what we'ere up to, yet. We could disrupt the entire financial network with what we've got, and finally hold the greedy sons-of-bitches that got us here accoutable in the only way that matters to them, their bottom line." There's a hanging 'but' here, though, that plays out across her face. "Well, see those empty seats? We've had some disagreements over what we should do with this. Select-Ron had this stupid, crazy notion to just wire everybody, in one moment, one million credits right out of the corps' bank accounts. He and some of the others didn't take well to us laughing at it, either. That's absolutely bonkers. What I propose is something more subtle and long term. A slight 'market correction'. But the clock is ticking on implementing either, and those morons ran off before we came to an agreement."
Alopex	Content with spotting a few other exits, Alopex returns to the group, accepts a warm drink, and shows herself to one of the chairs that isn't far from Gig Mama. As she sips on the hot chocolate, she takes in everything she's hearing. Not just Mama's words, but anything that may be coming in around the room. Being aware of her surroundings was a rather large part of her job. When the Extinct Panda's leader finishes, the fox sets down the mug she has. "To my allies here, my bias for your plan is likely obvious. I would suggest the long term plan. If you do something subtle, and prevent detection for a while, you may end up doing even more damage to their bottom line than what just a quick grab. Think of it like harvesting wood from a forest. If you just take a few trees once in a while, your forest will last longer than simply clear cutting the whole thing. Not to mention, while you have access, you may find even more things to exploit. Small bonuses from keeping your 'forest' intact. Flora and fauna you can make use of that you find while tending your forest."
Deelel	Deelel Says "Yes, I have noticed such, they have grown out of control from the looks of it and no one has the will and means to do anything about it. She hears about what they have discoverdf nd she pauses "I don't undersand ecomics much but if everyone got a milliion credits wouldn't ... the price of everything just spike and it be zero sum? Tell me what is your plan for the market rather than do that? IF they ran off they are moving to do it in all likelyhood. Also such a thing could bring the Paladins down on your heads. If your more crafty like you seem to be planning? You intend to do something to eat at their power for the long term?"
Annie Sandberg	Annie dispenses herself some hot chocolate, taking a seat for herself and looking around as the others discuss things. How secure was this place, really, in the face of powerful forces like that? Especially since they let everyone in just because they knew about the Pandas already... "I agree with the others," she says. "My thinking is... doing one big thing now wouldn't be enough. Something that runs for a long time, and can't be stopped, would send more of a message, I think."
August Kohler	August listens carefully, grabbing a cup of coffee before turning to Gig Mama. "So, what is this market correction you're planning? I agree that it sounds to be the best. As much of a 'fuck you' one mil would be, it'd only make things worse in the long run." He takes a sip of the coffee, pondering. "Do you want us to track down Select-Ron and talk sense into him? Or do you have different plans?"
Wo	"Precisely," Gig Mama responds, seemingly pleased that the outsiders are reasonable, at least in her view. "The least thing we want is the cops getting involved, people could get hurt. I do understand Select-Ron's wanting to take a drastic and showy action, but...this is practically unprecedented, and it's likely to do more harm than good, no matter his intentions. We may never have a shot like this again, either." She takes a long drink of her coffee, seemingly not much of a sipper despite the strength of the brew. "Our plan, that we're calling the market correction, wasn't to go after their money, directly, it was to sink in enough hooks that we can monitor their transactions long term. We'd build up enough evidence that we can force them to change gradually, or we go public if our reasonably escalating demands aren't met. Either way, we win." She's basically talking blackmail, but if the people having this held over their heads are really as they've been described, would anyone seriously lose any sleep over it? And, compared to the other way... "Of course, I'd rather avoid that second scenario. The city's already close to a boiling point. But, that just makes what we could have more effective." There's still more of those unspoken 'buts', though. A distasteful look comes across her, though it's hard to tell if it's from the bitterness of the coffee or the thought that crossed her mind. "This is one or the other, though. We'd been working on our own forks of the injection code independently, and when Ron and his crew took off, they locked their source down tight." Practically unbreakable 64-bit encryption! ...okay, it's probably a lot stronger than that, and is missing large pieces by design, plus they have c. late 90s hardware level, at best. She gives a nod toward August, as he guesses ahead of her, "Until we know for certain that they won't deploy theirs, we can't deploy ours. If we both do it, it's practically guaranteed neither will work." A hard realist, she leans forward in her seat, with a grave look on her face, "I can't make guarantees, but we have probably four days until we're noticed. In three days, I'm going to give our people here the go ahead, with or without Ron. If you want us to absolutely succeed, I need you to find Ron, and either convince him that he's a damn fool, or take out his equipment." That wave of tension fills the room again, as the clattering of keys under typing fingers slows, ever slightly. Nobody likes deadlines, not even hackers. Otherwise, nothing seems too amiss, even to ninja senses, despite the smell of ozone being strong from all the electronics. "He might not be easy to find, but...knowing him, he probably hasn't gone far. You could try asking around his old stomping grounds at DataTek, from when he was still legit. Tell them that Mama wants to know." She also opens up a drawer of an absolutely ludicrous amount of what looks like RFID and encrypted QR code badges, and finding the right set, hands out a set of key cards. "These should still be good, if you need to do any sneaking around the place."
Alopex	"A sound plan, I must say. This 'Select-Ron' and his friends are simply being short-sighted. Maybe they are just young or inexperienced and don't realize that things such as this must be handled carefully. Rushing into this will simply draw unwanted attention and do more harm than good. I think we can all agree he needs to be found.." Alopex seems to agree with Mama and will be doing what she can to help. When the ninja hears some sneaking may need to be done, a small smile finds its way across her features. "My specialty," she hints as she accepts one of the cards, and will happily pass along others if needed. "A little looking around wouldn't hurt," she says, looking to the others, "Maybe some of you can do a bit of questioning while I take a look around. I'm willing to handle this in whatever way we can agree on."
August Kohler	"I agree. It doesn't sound like they're bad people, so avoiding a fight is also probably in our best interests." August grabs a card from Alopex when she passes them around. "What is this DataTek? Knowing that in advance would be helpful for how to dress and behave." He takes another sip of his coffee, but begins moving back a bit. "Either way, don't worry. One way or another, government's gonna get its comeuppance. You can count on us."
Deelel	Deelel takes a moment to think about things. "I see, a showy action will jut not do much I'm afraid I understand the feeling. My home is under the rule of a Tyrant." She says and she now. As she hinks things over for a moment she tilts her hed for a moment. "Oh I think wait ... 64 bit? I'm a 32 bit!" Deelel sputters a little buit she's in over her head for a moment. She however tget the context of what is up here. "It does seem to be a soid plan here. I am willing to help, if you need it."