Now before anyone jumps down my throat because I am one of the most terrified of the Process in this thread, this is not the process that scares me. This isn't some kind of superintelligence hell-bent on eating the world. It's... Well, it's an adorable little Cell that's trying to learn.
Now, for the reason I'm for leaving it alone: none of the ignore options are really things I want, not even War. I'm a firm believer in having 5 twos, instead of 2 fives, as it were. I'd much rather the Process learn basic competence in all the above areas before we start assigning priorities. After we hit this week's caps, I'd be all for prioritizing Replication and Biology at the expense of War and Communication. But that's after it's got the basic tier of everything.
Read the descriptions for leaving things as they are and remember that Prok said the Process would be pretty weak and need time.
Rather than priorities, we should spend time with the Process to understand morality. None of these skills help with that. Not even communication as it is unnecessary for Jaune to communicate with it and Neutral still allows the Process to communicate.
Communication absolutely helps it to understand morality. Even if Jaune were a perfect paragon of absolute moral integrity, just having it explained by him is not enough. If you really want it to understand human morality, it needs to be able to talk to humans. Our morals are heavily linked to society and our personal interactions, and telling it about morality, even showing it some writings on the topic by important philosophers without letting it experience human interaction and come to its own conclusions is like trying to teach someone to play chess by only showing them the final boardstates of games played by grandmasters.
@Prok Would it be possible for Jaune to eventually get something that would let him pull a knock off Grey Boy and respawn if he died by using the Process?
To clear this up I mean something like Jaune uploading date about himself which can be used to bring him back in digitized/processed lands. Should also point out that people coming back from the dead is actually canon in RWBY.
[X]COMMUNICATION- PRIORITISE: Brings the Process's basic level of communication up to Blue's level- able to hold a decent conversation in Valish and some other languages.
[X]REPLICATION- PRIORITISE: By the end of the week, there will be enough mesh to support a small cadre of Process units, as well as officially moving it into the realms of the truly immortal.
[X] EVOLUTION- IGNORE: It shall remain a Cell.
[X] WAR- (HUH) WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR: What are you, some kinda hippie?
I think a balance of protection for the Process, and learning is best to begin with. After taking replication once as insurance, it's probably enough to last for a long while, so other things can be focused on. Having backups proofs against stuff like an act of God, truck-kun, or bad programming. But, if the Process reaches the point where it's unlikely to kill stuff unintentionally (and only the things we want it to kill), we might have it prioritise replication, so it can learn other things faster.
Before that happens, I'd make it study bio and chem so it can't kill everything by hAlping. I'd have it look into: communication, biology, chemistry, assimilation, evolution, then war, in that order. For basic competency at least. Probably not a good idea to evolve without understanding chemistry and biology.
I. I... what? Guh.
A natural 850, + 50.
Also, the quality of the writing. To what god did you sell your soul to? Because horee sheet, it's amazing.
Also, again, as for our new and game breaking buddy... names.
Puprocess, or Proppy?
Personally, i think that the biggest thing we need to teach it is that, with the exception of the grimm, there ARE NO ABSOLUTES. Also, avoid putting clauses like 'must to X' or 'if x then y' since they usually are the reason many AI become evil/corrupt and stuff.
Since idk about the source material other than a quick wiki check i will not vote on it for now, but i believe either focus on comunication or not focus on anything is the best choices.
While I'd like to vote for au naturale, I have to point out that there's a freebie here. Ignoring communication turns the Process into a Star Wars astromech droid, thus doubling the cuteness factor. Communication doesn't hamper its ability to understand, just its ability to make itself understood to non-Jaune people For a (seemingly) temporary malus that's okay, I'd trade that for Biology or Chemi-"put the SDC out of business"-stry in a heartbeat.
Also, though it may have been intentional I dunno, a Badcell in Transistor is a Process instance with junk data that can't change its shape and needs to be recycled. Don't think it's a form we want it to take, especially not the first one.
@Prok Would it be possible for Jaune to eventually get something that would let him pull a knock off Grey Boy and respawn if he died by using the Process?
To clear this up I mean something like Jaune uploading date about himself which can be used to bring him back in digitized/processed lands. Should also point out that people coming back from the dead is actually canon in RWBY.
Process is going to be the AI, do we really need to prioritize one thing over the other this early in its development? Give Process some time to deal with physical existance. It is a child right now, please let it learn at its own pace.
Oh, yeah, trust me- by the time Volume 3 rolls around, so somewhere around the heat death of the universe with the way this quest moves, this vote will be so hilariously outdated.
This vote is the most shortsighted, instant use upgrade you will ever get- this is 'what do I need, and what do I need now,' kinda vote.
None of these options are traps, none of these options are secretly 40,000 times better than any of the others if you prioritise them, and none of these options will cripple it if you ignore them. If you want to end up with a jack-of-all-trades, sure, go ahead, let it develop by itself- hell, if I were in your position, that would probably be what I went with. That's a complete lie, I have absolutely no concept of playing it safe and I know it- look, the priorities are just there in case you want to get a particular ball rolling for Beacon. They're not huge, they are, as I said, dunts, which, for those of you not versed in Scots dialect, is to bump something.
Because apparently writing at nearly 5 am is what it takes for my accent to slip.
Once the week is over, in-quest week, not actual week, I'll have a more... structured setup, er, set up, since this entire thing really did catch me by surprise as much as it did you.
While I'd like to vote for au naturale, I have to point out that there's a freebie here. Ignoring communication turns the Process into a Star Wars astromech droid, thus doubling the cuteness factor. Communication doesn't hamper its ability to understand, just its ability to make itself understood to non-Jaune people For a (seemingly) temporary malus that's okay, I'd trade that for Biology or Chemi-"put the SDC out of business"-stry in a heartbeat.
Also, though it may have been intentional I dunno, a Badcell in Transistor is a Process instance with junk data that can't change its shape and needs to be recycled. Don't think it's a form we want it to take, especially not the first one.
It was intentional, but only as an example. It isn't actually a Badcell, but 'tougher Cell that now has a gun' doesn't roll off the tongue quite as well.
Either way, the vote is leaning heavily towards au naturel, props to Sivantic for using the proper French, I've seen some honestly horrifying butcher jobs of that phrase, so it seems like it's going to be a moot point anyway.
The next update should be up on Saturday, I'm going to try something out and see if it helps me write faster- if all goes well, Saturday, if not, then it'll be sometime next week, but hopefully, I'll be getting something up on Christmas Day.
Something not depressing. Hopefully.
Adhoc vote count started by Prok on Dec 26, 2017 at 10:35 PM, finished with 1774 posts and 27 votes.
-[X] REPLICATION- PRIORITISE: By the end of the week, there will be enough mesh to support a small cadre of Process units, as well as officially moving it into the realms of the truly immortal.
-[X] EVOLUTION- PRIORITISE: By the end of the week, it will have evolved into a Creep, and grown to about the size of an actual puppy, and gained some control over its form, namely size.
[X]COMMUNICATION- PRIORITISE: Brings the Process's basic level of communication up to Blue's level- able to hold a decent conversation in Valish and some other languages.
[X]REPLICATION- PRIORITISE: By the end of the week, there will be enough mesh to support a small cadre of Process units, as well as officially moving it into the realms of the truly immortal.
[X] EVOLUTION- PRIORITISE: By the end of the week, it will have evolved into a Creep, and grown to about the size of an actual puppy, and gained some control over its form, namely size.
-[X] BIOLOGY- PRIORITISE: Brings it up to Bracket's level of understanding- except this one has hands! Eventually. Could easily become a medical professional and degree-holding doctor.
[x] ASSIMILATION- PRIORITISE: By the end of the week, it will have learned to do this to the point of, welln, prestidigitation- snap your fingers, change the grass at your feet to bright blue. Make flowers bloom from your hand. You get the idea.
-[X]COMMUNICATION- PRIORITISE: Brings the Process's basic level of communication up to Blue's level- able to hold a decent conversation in Valish and some other languages.
[X] ASSIMILATION- PRIORITISE: By the end of the week, it will have learned to do this to the point of, well, prestidigitation- snap your fingers, change the grass at your feet to bright blue. Make flowers bloom from your hand. You get the idea.
Well, this update was awesome. It was great to see Jaune's family--their care for him, bonds with each other, clear indications of familiarity (of the terrified and worried "oh god oh god not again" variety) with Jaune suffering from life-threatening brain injuries/conditions, etc. The Process is adorable and A CUTE. And it's kind of funny--no one but Jaune realizes just how big this is, and Jaane himself can't even properly explain it to anyone. The fact that even he can comprehend it is remarkable enough. I'm kind of surprised that Jaune doesn't have a government-assigned bodyguard Hunter by this point, considering the sheer level of potential he seems to have (not just as a Hunter, but as an inventor/researcher; the kid made a supercomputer rivaling or surpassing the processing power of an entire CCT tower in the size a sword--and it has a built-in AI. Sure, it's not something he could mass produce or anything, but even a single supercomputer-with-an-AI with a processing power at least equal to a CCT tower is essentially a strategic asset).
I really liked the dream sequence, as well. The Process describing itself as "the answer to many questions" was excellent and memorable.
---
Anyway, regarding The Process' potential for danger and greatness, I think there is a fairly good way to approach it: teach and raise The Process into becoming, essentially, a good person. Like Bracket or Blue. That way, even if it finds itself in a situation it wasn't prepared for or taught about, it can still approach the matter with the same kind of temperance and (if need be) restraint that a normal person would. That said, there is the obvious danger: that something could happen to Jaune before that level of development/learning is reached. In order to prevent a worst-case scenario should that happen, we could establish ground rules/guidelines for The Process:
1) Communication is important. If you aren't sure whether or not it's okay to destroy something or harm something, talk to various people about it first, and see what they think. Some people might give the wrong answers or try to manipulate The Process for their own ends, but some people won't, and so long as you ask a large enough variety of people, you should at least get information and context to better understand the situation and make better choices.
2) Extreme solutions are rarely the right ones, so be very careful and very sure about implementing them. As always, if you have the time, communicate with others to get their opinions/views on the matter.
3) Try not to judge people on a universal level. Some people are bad, some people are good. Some people are bad in some situations, but good in others. Some people are only being bad because they're desperate or see no alternative. Some people lie and cheat, some people are selfish, and some people are just ignorant. Some people sometimes have good reasons for doing bad things, but that doesn't always make them right or justified.
4) Actions have consequences, and those consequences can sometimes be very hard to understand or see coming. Some actions can have consequences many years afterwards. Sometimes, good actions can lead to bad consequences--this can be a result of not having a good enough understanding of the situation or the action itself before committing it.
5) Everyone makes mistakes. No one is perfect, and no one should be. The important part is learning the right lessons from mistakes.
6) People often fear what they don't understand. Many people often fear things that are different. It's important to not blame them too harshly for this fear. In time, people become more familiar with you. It can be hard to overcome prejudice, but it is worth working towards. Also, good communication is a good way to overcome prejudice. For example, if an innocent person near you is clearly afraid of you, saying that you mean him/her no harm will probably help--he/she may not believe you, but the possibility that you are telling the truth and that you are not a danger to him/her will still be planted in his/her mind.
7) If all else fails, following the law is generally a good guideline, especially in normal situations. The law isn't always right or just, but it is rarely disastrous.
8) People can be difficult to understand. It is worth making the effort to try to understand them anyway--though this may require patience and luck, at times--if you have the time to try (like, say, outside of combat).
9) Try not to destroy or harm anyone to learn about him/her/them unless you receive lawful permission to do so, or you believe that an innocent person will be seriously/permanently harmed if you do not act immediately. Similarly, try not to destroy or harm anything unless you have explicit permission from someone you know and trust--it may belong to the government or have emotional or material value to someone.
10) If something happens to us (meaning Jaune), The Process should utilize Jaune's parents as mentors/authority figures--and improving The Process' communication abilities becomes a priority, to better facilitate that. Should Jaune's parents not be available, Jaune's brothers/sisters should suffice.
---
I think these are guidelines that can be taught/conveyed immediately, or at least within a week. Even if The Process doesn't fully understand them by then, as it learns, it will become able to understand them better, and thus apply them. These are guidelines, not limitations or rules that must be followed--thus, they won't cripple or hinder Process' development, but merely provide a safeguard of sorts to prevent it from going off the rails or doing something extreme, like going Zeroth Law on society, or breaking down a CCT to see how it works, or whatever.
THIS JOKE WORKED BETTER WHEN IT WAS ACTUALLY CHRIIISTMAAAAAAS
[/Slade voice]
Look, Au Naturel is winning by a frankly embarrassing amount, so I'm closing it and declaring the hands-off approach the winner for now.
|||
Of all the places you expected to be going when asked to install a new version of the SDC OS for somebody, a hotel...
Really, probably could have been higher up on the list than you expected it to be if you're honest.
{I was surprised too. I talked to the manager a bit more when you were in the hospital, and they said that they're like three OS updates behind, and their system just can't deal with the number of guests they have. Do you know about the Royal?}
"Enlighten me." You tell him as you walk along the cobbled path to the front, flanked by trees and flowering plants, little splats of colour lining the spacing between each of them. Cell floats up to them, curiously staring at each colour, babbling about the wavelength of light each one is refracting, trying to note down the reasons for each colour being where it is, both in a biological and what sounds like an aesthetic sense.
For the moment, at least, you've decided on a wait and see approach for the tiniest solution- you figure it's best to see how it turns out first. You'll give it a day more before giving your final decision.
The Royal is owned by the hospitality subsidiary of the Schnee company and is known for its ability to accommodate... pretty much anything that isn't outright illegal, alongside the staff being able to anticipate customers needs and desires to the point of near-prescience. Think too hard about wanting a cup of coffee, and suddenly there's a staff member knocking on your door with a cup of coffee, exactly how you like it. If I had to guess, I would say they just put the ridiculous amount of data you would need to collect on people to pull that off through an algorithm and let it do the rest.
Hm. Is that legal?
They probably slip it into the agreement when you book in. Thank God for people being too lazy to read legal documents.
Heh.
You stop stalling, and walk up to the front door, opened for you by a smiling doorman, a smile which quickly becomes strained as he notices the giant floating blue sword behind you.
"Uh, sir, I-" Before he can go any further, your Scroll is out, medical documentation on the screen. He stares at it, before gently nodding, waving you through. "I apologise for the disturbance. Please, enjoy your stay at the Royal."
You give him a smile, and you notice him staring at your eyepatch in a whole new light.
Eh. Whatever.
You walk up to the front desk and tell the woman there that you're there to speak to the manager, and that he's expecting you.
Without even checking your medical documents, you suppose she must trust the doorman, if nothing else, you're told that he's on his way, and if you would just take a seat in the waiting area, you'll be brought a complimentary drink to make up for the inconvenience.
Nice woman. You do that, and order a few bottles of water, on Blue's orders.
{You're still pretty dehydrated. Moreso than usual, anyway. Just keep drinking water when you can.}
Welp, that's you told.
It suddenly occurs to you that you're not the only one in the small lounge area, but you're the only one there who's both injured and not dressed in clothes worth at least ten grand. This, combined with the tiny white and red robot floating around and staring at things like a curious child, and the giant blue sword floating to your side, kind of grabs you a few stares.
And you know what? After the morning you've had, you could not care less if you tried.
A waiter approaches you, and you order your water, the slight papery sound in your voice only driving home how much you need actually need a drink right now.
After receiving and drinking the aforementioned bottle of water, a wonderfully cold, very refreshing bottle of water, you're definitely keeping the brand in mind for later, a small, dumpy man with thin hair appears.
"Mr Arc?" He asks you, picking you out of the crowd immediately.
... Fair.
"I am." You tell him, standing as you do. He gives you a weak handshake, which you try to return firmly without coming across as trying to crush his hand.
"Magnolia Hughes, I'm the director of human resources for the hotel. If you would come with me?"
You follow him, scooping up Cell as you walk along.
Wherearewegoing? Somewherenew?
Somewhere new, little buddy.
Hopeit'sfun!
|||
Once you're out of the way of the clientele, Hughes begins talking.
"Thank you for being so prompt, the job's been posted for weeks and you're the first person to inquire."
"It seemed like an interesting job. So, what exactly am I updating?"
He winces slightly as he leads you through what you can only call a servant's corridor- if Bracket's map is correct, there's a whole network of corridors just like these running through every floor, allowing staff to move unseen.
"Ah... before we go any further," he says, slowing to a halt, pulling his Scroll from his waistcoat pocket, "I'm afraid we're going to have to get the legal stuff out of the way. Standard NDA agreement, and formal confirmation of your payment. If you wish to take a moment to read through it, please do so."
You blink, but take the Scroll off his hands and quickly read through it. It's rather small for a legal document, only about five pages long, detailing the various things you're not allowed to disclose- the personal data of their clients, the existence of the personal data of the clients, the specifications of the new OS, your involvement with the installation of the OS, and your wage of 8000 Lien for the job, all enforced by law for the next ten years at minimum. Simple stuff, nothing that can screw you over- you're happy putting your thumbprint on that.
You hand him it back, and he begins to walk and talk again.
"Our system works by gathering data on a client, either through their social media and online presence, search history, or, as a last resort, a questionnaire sent to them after booking asking them a few questions, and collating the data so that, after a few hours in our establishment... we know what they want better than they do. Cameras monitor them at all times, and the algorithms judge their desires at any given moment, before relaying it to a member of staff, and they fulfil it before the guest even realises they wanted it. It's become so advanced that we're down to only three errors in judgement a year. Our concierges can recommend the perfect bar, club, or restaurant, and have you booked before you even call up, our chefs prepare meals to the exact specifications you don't even know you want yet, and our cleaners know exactly what scent of laundry detergent you like best."
Hm.
"And this is legal?"
He gives a light, simpering laugh. "Looking people up is hardly illegal, and guest security is our number one priority at all times. Still, the system was designed... gods above, probably not that long after the Faunus revolution."
You raise an eyebrow.
{This system's 60 years old?}
"Um... that's... I'm sorry, but that's ancient, by computer technology standards, I'm really not sure if I can do anything with something that old."
He looks at you, obviously reviewing his statement in his head.
"... Oh! No, no, I apologise, I misspoke- the concept was designed just after the Faunus revolution- it's been updated several times since then, to try and cope with the CCT towers, the growth of the hotel, people's digital footprints being much larger nowadays... but the last update was probably a few years ago. Our parent company deals with creating them, but strikes and changes in technology delayed it for so long that our current system is just barely holding on. Some of our best staff could probably run on instinct for a while, but the rest... if the system goes down, I don't doubt for a second that it will drag the hotel's reputation down with it."
He looks away, and you get the feeling that he feels as strongly about this as he sounds.
"I understand. So where's the server?" You say, trying to sound at least somewhat sympathetic about it.
You don't think for a second that this system going down would be anywhere near as much of a problem as he thinks it would, but hey, 8,000 Lien is 8,000 Lien.
{Hospitality is all about perfection, Jaune. When it's something this big too, I can see why he might feel that way about the situation.}
His head snaps back up, and you wonder for a moment if he gave himself whiplash there.
"Ah, of course. This way."
"If I step in there and see vacuum tubes, I'm walking." You half-snark.
At least it got a laugh from him.
You're led through a maze again, and into a room that probably isn't even in double digits temperature wise. You see Mr Hughes shiver a little, as he steps in, and feel a little grateful for the hoodie you're wearing.
"This is the server room, and I'm afraid that's where my knowledge of this place ends. The hard drive with the update should be along soon, I was informed it should arrive by 11 am at the latest- Before that, if you could make a backup of all the data of our current clientele at the very least, that would be great."
You nod, and he leaves you to get on with it.
As soon as he leaves, you flare your Aura, feeling it surround you and numb the chill somewhat.
Ah! Likethisroom! Keepsourchipscold!
Welp. Time to get to work.
|||
Downloading a list of all the current customers is something that takes all of ten minutes, which speaks for the sheer volume of data they collect, more than anything else.
What are we at now?
{About 500 terabytes. Doesn't help that the upload on this thing is crap- it's a wonder they can actually get anything in time to pull off their whole precog act. We're about two-thirds of the way, though.}
Lotsofstuff! Dunnowhatitmeansthough.
Anybody interesting about?
{Couple movie stars, a few politicians, some tycoons, a couple political writers, surprisingly... hrm. Weird. There are two rooms, the penthouse and one on the seventh floor, they're occupied, but... nothing on them. Well, the penthouse has their preferences filled out, coffee white with three sugars, bath run at 5, bedding changed while they're out, just no name, but the seventh-floor room is completely blank. Just a note that it's occupied and nothing else.}
Weird. Is it a glitch?
{I dunno. Bracket?}
Information matches what's on the server.
Interesting.
There's a knock on the steel door of the server room, and you get up to open it.
You're greeted by a bellhop in a washed out uniform, before remembering that your Aura is still on. You push it down, and he regains some colour.
"The hard drive, sir." He says, professionalism taking precedence to surprise. "Is there anything else I can get you?"
{Hydrate.}
"A bottle of water would be nice."
"Of course. It will be brought along in a minute, sir." He says, and you thank him before closing the door.
|||
750 terabytes of guest data? Check.
New system OS? Check.
Bottle of water? Check, and still deliciously refreshing.
Happy Bracket? Double check.
This is impressive stuff! It works how Hughes said it did, but so much more than that. Its social diagnostics are... nowhere near Blue's level, but it's a start, you know? With the information gathered, it should have no problem doing its job.
Good to know. Is all the guest data backed up?
{Got it. Hey, your parents are on here. Looks like they came here for their honeymoon.}
Huh. Nice to know. That would have been...
{20 years ago, by the looks of it.}
... You have three sisters who are more than 20 years old.
{Date's right in front of me, man.}
... You- alright, whatever, not thinking about that. Bracket, how's installation going?
It's going. I'm keeping an eye on the servers for any complications, but nothing so far. Shouldn't take more than half an hour, tops. The staff might notice a slight hiccup, but the delay they already have is probably worse.
Hm. Welp, guess you're playing Grimm Run for half an hour.
{Just don't go in on the microtransactions.}
|||
In the middle of a half decent run, a gentle knocking on the door interrupts you, and you manage to run into a tree.
"Trees hurt." The death screen helpfully informs you.
Really. You would never have guessed. Mentally pushing the game away before the microtransaction offers can come up to taunt you even further, you get up and walk to the door to see who it could be.
{Nobody we've seen so far. Not in hotel uniform either. He's armed, small pistol in a side holster, and he hasn't drawn it yet.}
... Concerning. You let your Aura dim to nothing, the cold now encroaching on your body, but not quite seeping into your bones yet.
With a deep breath, you school your face and open the door.
From Blue's description, you expected... you don't know who you expected, but a tall, almost sticklike man in a perfectly tailored suit, hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, definitely wasn't it.
"Ah, hello. I was wondering where I would find you. My name is... not that important." He finishes cryptically, and almost immediately you find yourself not liking the way this man talks.
It's like... a facade of pure oil. You almost wonder how he can stay standing, considering there should be a small puddle of the stuff at his feet. Hiding behind simpering words, you can hear the tiniest strain in his voice, like the twang of a steel wire wound too tight, that he hates the act as much as you do, and he's just looking for an excuse to drop it.
"... Can I help you?" You ask as neutrally as possible.
"Well, simply put, my employer has heard of your presence in the building, and of your... talent with computers," his eyes flick to the Transistor for a moment, the casual smile on his face becoming slightly more strained for it, "and decided to kill two birds with one stone. When you're finished up here, if you wouldn't mind another job, off the record, then my employer would be happy to provide."
"... This sounds suspicious as hell, but I'll bite. What's the job?"
"Oh, no, you see, my employer's daughter has been having some... computer trouble. Her laptop and Scroll both have been infected with something that none of us on hand can figure out, and it's uploaded some... let's say material of a not entirely legal nature, and we'd rather not have to deal with the headache of a run of the mill computer repairman getting the wrong idea about her and approaching the police purely on a misconception."
Uh... huh. Bracket?
Three known viruses that fit the description, distinctive enough to be looked up quickly. They do put some illegal stuff on the affected device, for the purpose of shock-horror, most likely, but you would hardly get arrested. Any IT technician would be able to figure out the virus is at fault, and Vale law covers things like that- I doubt she would get into significant legal trouble.
{Trying to avoid a scandal, maybe? Omit the virus, and suddenly it's just illegal stuff on a rich person's Scroll. That could ruin somebody.}
"We have a backup of both the Scroll and her laptop, we managed to recover that much, we simply need someone to install it who can do so without damaging the drive and also keep quiet about the less savoury things the virus has left there. You would be compensated very well for your silence, mind."
... Hrm.
{He's... not strictly lying. I think he's definitely omitting some things, but it's just a gut feeling at this point.}
"... How much are we talking?"
"192,000 Lien. Enough to bring your total today up to a square 200,000, yes?"
YOU'RE SORRY WHAT.
You watch his smile widen and realise your jaw actually dropped from shock because of how ridiculous that is like what-
{Jaune. This is potentially very illegal. Nobody offers that kind of money for a simple computer repair.}
But... that's a lot of money. And you technically don't actually need to look at a computer to deal with it anymore. So...
{I'm not saying don't do it, I'd hijack the nearest hardlight projector and slap you if you turned this down, I'm just saying be careful. Money or not, I know you'd feel terrible if this ends up being some shady shit that ends up hurting someone.}
192,000 Lien is 192,000 Lien.
"... I'll do it, but I'm walking if something doesn't feel right."
His smile widens further, seeming genuinely happy about his acquirement of your services.
"Wonderful! When you're ready, make your way to the penthouse. The elevator operator will be informed of your permission to reach that floor." He says, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a keycard, handing it to you. "My charge is out of the suite for the moment, so you'll be able to work in peace."
He begins to walk away, waving a gloved hand over his shoulder. As it moves, you can hear the slightest whirring of motors at the very edge of your hearing.
"Don't dilly-dally, Mr Arc. You are not among patient people."
|||
You finish up quickly and make your way through the corridors to find Mr Hughes and tell him the job's done, but you'll be sticking around for an hour to deal with somebody else's computer trouble.
With your old boss placated, you make your way to the elevator, greeting the man in charge as you squeeze in with your sword and several other people.
You look at the elevator operator, and before you can say anything, he nods.
"Of course, sir." He tells you, drawing a look from the others.
You scoop the Cell up and keep it in your hands for the moment, not trusting it to keep out from underfoot in such a cramped space, and it settles into your palms quite contently.
Yourhandsarewarm. Likethem.
People begin to filter out, the operator halting anybody else who tries to enter, those who try anyway dissuaded by the sight of your sword, and you watch the lights above the door tick up, 31, 32, 33, 34, P. The lift dings softly as the doors open to present you with a door on the other end of the corridor, and what looks like a store closet to one side.
As you step out, the elevator operator holds out a keycard and a pen drive for you, both of which you take in silence, before closing the doors on you.
"... Is this really a good idea?"
{Elevator's gone. You could turn back now, but, you know, you'd have to call it again, and ride back down with that guy after he just gave you the keycard...}
How dare he use your latent social anxiety against you.
Nothing latent about it. Laptop and Scroll both detected. Permission to access?
... You set the Cell down again, letting it hover about while you think.
"Let's... get into the suite first. You said that the penthouse only had its preferences set out, right? No personal info?"
{Yeah. What, you wanna find out who it belongs to first?}
You nod, swiping the keycard and walking into quite possibly the most lavish room you'll ever see in your life.
The floors are made of stained wood set in a herringbone pattern, while the walls are done up in uniform white and grey panels, lending the place an open feel it honestly has no right to, considering how densely furnished it is overall. What you can only call an emperor-size bed, bedside table, normal table, with a tray holding two glasses and a decanter of some kind of spirit, most likely whisky if the colour is anything to go by, means a good 60% of the floor space is taken up- the attached bathroom and a door in the glass that comprises most of the wall opposite you leads out onto a balcony are the only things that keep the room from descending into full claustrophobia.
But you're not here for an interior design critique.
"Bracket, where the computers at?"
Scroll's in the bedside table, top drawer, laptop's on charge underneath the bed. Permission to access?
"Do it."
... Infected- malware randomly overwriting core file and filling the hardware with junk,including illicit images- one of the three viruses in question. He wasn't lying about that, at least.
You walk to the drawer and pull the Scroll out, laying it on the bed before retrieving the laptop from underneath the bed and laying it alongside it.
... Curiosity begins to grow. You worm a thumbnail into the laptop, considering opening it and seeing what exactly some sociopath with too much time on their hands would throw into a computer virus.
{Jaune. Trust me on this one. No.}
... Yeah, best not- Bracket, what's on the pen drive?
Files match what I can find underneath the viruses, but the automatic file scrubbing makes it hard to verify... wait.
Jaune, remember how you said you'd walk if anything shady was happening?
"What is it?"
The backup is filled to the gills with spyware. Remote activation of microphone and camera, keylogger, basically sending a complete mockup of her computers to an IP address connected to... the SDC?
You're kidding.
No. I'm not. It's... a complete cessation of privacy. And since the SDC made it, they won't be picked up by any built-in antiviruses, and they're buried so deeply that third party software would basically need root access to dig them out.
You blink, processing what he's saying. That's...
Horrifying.
{Ok, but there is good news, though. I'm comparing it to a copy of the OS on some random Scroll I just jacked downstairs, and the spyware is specifically built into this one. It's targeted, not a blanket thing.}
You let go of the breath you didn't realise you were holding, and thank God that the SDC isn't actually running an international information gathering operation.
{Well they are, but it's nowhere near as invasive as that.}
Wait what.
He's messing with you. What do you want to do? I can strip the spyware out and use that to fix these, but it'll tip your hand. Or we can walk, or we can put it in and mess about with it- dammit, the elevator's coming.
Wait, what?!
Did I stutter?! Hide!
{No, don't! We're meant to be here on a legitimate business call, for a certain definition of legitimate. Scans show two people in there- the operator, and... female, about your age, damaged left eye, shallow cut of some sort, armed with... some kind of blade? I'm getting Dust signatures.}
You are not making hiding a less appealing option Blue!
{Just, look busy! Not like you're expecting her! You're here legitimately, hiding only incriminates you for something you aren't doing!}
... Ok. Ok ok ok. Bracket, copy the backup, strip one of the spyware, keep the other intact. You want options.
In the meantime, you open the computer screen and, keeping your eyes closed for good measure, try to convince the poor thing to move to safe mode so you can yell at it and wipe the hard drive clean.
{I'll do the same for the Scroll.}
You keep going, keeping your fingers busy as you slowly but surely scrub the hard drive clean and fill it with random trash to overwrite the virus and its content. Eventually, it just bricks, now completely filled to the brim, and you move to a virtual keyboard, connecting it to the Transistor and... waiting, eyes still closed for the moment.
The door opens.
You don't hear it close.
Instead, you feel the touch of steel very close to a rather important artery hi there-
"You have five seconds to explain who you are, and why you're in my room, on my laptop." A very, very pissed off young woman hisses at you.
Taking your hands off the keyboard and straightening up slowly, feeling the tip of her thin blade following you up, you open your eyes and see a girl, shorter than you, dressed in a white, er, dress, that gently fades into a pale blue, with a white jacket lined with red that ends somewhere around her ribcage and follows the same gradation as her dress. What draws your attention is the fact that her hair is completely white, and apparently not dyed if her roots are anything to go by, tied back in an off centre ponytail. Over her left eye, a simple gauze eyepatch lies, obscuring one eye from view. The other, however, is a pale blue, paler than your own, and currently trying to stare a hole through your skull.
Oh shit, that's Weiss Schnee.
... OH SHIT, THAT'S WEISS SCHNEE-
[] (Write-in)
Chatter's Choice Counsel!
You have a sword against your neck! Don't antagonise her! Make no sudden movements! Keep your hands where she can see them, scumbag! So help her, she will shank a bitch today!
Adhoc vote count started by Prok on Dec 27, 2017 at 8:46 AM, finished with 1826 posts and 24 votes.
[x] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?
[x] I was just hired in order to fix some virus that appeared on both your scroll and laptop by a shady guy downstairs. Also, your backup is filled with spyware sending stuff to SDC. Do you want to keep it or should i remove them?
[x] I was just hired in order to fix some virus that appeared on both your scroll and laptop by a shady guys downstairs. Also, your backup is filled with spyware sending stuff to SDC. Do you want to keep it or should i remove them?
[x] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some guy, SDC probably but I didn't ask questions, just hired me to fix it - ponytail, ringing any bells?
[x] After we leave (and get paid) give Weiss a note saying that her computer and phone have SDC spyware on them (and instructions on how to remove it, if that possible).
[X] Jaune Arc, expert in most fields related to computers. I was hired by one of your subordinates to remove the ransomware currently on your laptop and scroll. Your backup has also been filled with spyware, but I'll clean that up for you too. It would be bad for my reputation if I left such an important job half done.
[x] I was just hired in order to fix some virus that appeared on both your scroll and laptop by a shady guys downstairs. Also, your backup is filled with spyware sending stuff to SDC. Do you want to keep it or should i remove them?
[X] "Hey, the guy said you'd be out for a bit, but I'm glad you're here because this is way worse than just the virus I was expecting. I'd suggest paving over it with a backup, but I'm worried that might be infected, too. Would you be okay doing a complete reinstall of the OS? I should be able to handle it as-is, but that'd be safest."
Adhoc vote count started by Prok on Dec 27, 2017 at 8:47 AM, finished with 1826 posts and 24 votes.
[x] I was just hired in order to fix some virus that appeared on both your scroll and laptop by a shady guy downstairs. Also, your backup is filled with spyware sending stuff to SDC. Do you want to keep it or should i remove them?
[x] I'm working for you, sort of!
[x] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?
[x] plz no stab
[X] Jaune Arc, expert in most fields related to computers. I was hired by one of your subordinates to remove the ransomware currently on your laptop and scroll. Your backup has also been filled with spyware, but I'll clean that up for you too. It would be bad for my reputation if I left such an important job half done.
[X] "Hey, the guy said you'd be out for a bit, but I'm glad you're here because this is way worse than just the virus I was expecting. I'd suggest paving over it with a backup, but I'm worried that might be infected, too. Would you be okay doing a complete reinstall of the OS? I should be able to handle it as-is, but that'd be safest."
Adhoc vote count started by Prok on Dec 27, 2017 at 8:49 AM, finished with 1826 posts and 24 votes.
[x] I'm working for you, sort of!
[x] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?
[x] plz no stab
[x] I was just hired in order to fix some virus that appeared on both your scroll and laptop by a shady guy downstairs. Also, your backup is filled with spyware sending stuff to SDC. Do you want to keep it or should i remove them?
[x] I was just hired in order to fix some virus that appeared on both your scroll and laptop by a shady guys downstairs. Also, your backup is filled with spyware sending stuff to SDC. Do you want to keep it or should i remove them?
[X] Jaune Arc, expert in most fields related to computers. I was hired by one of your subordinates to remove the ransomware currently on your laptop and scroll. Your backup has also been filled with spyware, but I'll clean that up for you too. It would be bad for my reputation if I left such an important job half done.
[x] I was just hired in order to fix some virus that appeared on both your scroll and laptop by a shady guys downstairs. Also, your backup is filled with spyware sending stuff to SDC. Do you want to keep it or should i remove them?
[X] "Hey, the guy said you'd be out for a bit, but I'm glad you're here because this is way worse than just the virus I was expecting. I'd suggest paving over it with a backup, but I'm worried that might be infected, too. Would you be okay doing a complete reinstall of the OS? I should be able to handle it as-is, but that'd be safest."
Adhoc vote count started by Prok on Dec 28, 2017 at 7:44 PM, finished with 1885 posts and 41 votes.
[X] My name is Jaune Arc and...
[x] I'm working for you, sort of!
[x] Your laptop was targeted by some really nasty ransomware, some probably SDC guy just hired me to fix it hush hush- ponytail, super slimy personality, ringing any bells?
[x] plz no stab
[X] I thought the offer was too good to be true, but now that something actually went wrong I'm not sure which one of us is being set up.
[X] Once she's calmed down and removed the sword from your neck, warn her about the spyware.
[x] I was just hired in order to fix some virus that appeared on both your scroll and laptop by a shady guy downstairs. Also, your backup is filled with spyware sending stuff to SDC. Do you want to keep it or should i remove them?
[X] Jaune Arc, expert in most fields related to computers. I was hired by one of your subordinates to remove the ransomware currently on your laptop and scroll. Your backup has also been filled with spyware, but I'll clean that up for you too. It would be bad for my reputation if I left such an important job half done.
