tushanshu | Video - Four days after Malicant's message

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Video - Four days after Malicant's message

[Malicant has made his move, and Tony has decided that it's time for the Foreigners to step up their game. Starting with their communication network. As Bakura demonstrated, the consoles are no longer safe from Malicant's prying eyes (if they ever have been).

After a marathon troubleshooting session with Akito, Tony has also concluded that if a truly secure secondary network is going to happen any time soon, there's going to need to be a lot more people working on it. His time and resources are stretched thin, and he needs help.]

The consoles are not secure. I don't know if anywhere is, but we can actually do something about the consoles, at least. I know there've been some attempts to encrypt the console traffic and a couple false starts at a secondary network. I think it's time to get down to business and get a fully independent secure mobile network up and running, as soon as possible.

Magic is too susceptible to influence, so this network is going to be strictly technological. Pure tech and heavy encryption give us the best chance of shutting out our nosy neighbor.

If you have any expertise with radio, electronics, or telecommunications - anything that might be helpful - get in touch. Engineering, physics, cryptography... Hell, if you worked a summer job in IT. I want you here at Stark Industries.

Also, if any foreigners from higher-tech worlds brought any stuff along with them that they don't mind giving up, I'd like to take a look at it. Electronic devices like cell phones would be the best. A lot of post-industrial-revolution consumer goods contain minerals and compounds that are hard to get a hold of here, and we'll need as much of those as we can get.

And one more thing: I've put together a dozen... self-defense devices. Nothing big, but enough to give you a few seconds if you're in a tight spot. Distributing them to the turtle parents is the top priority, but if there are any left over, it's first come first serve. If you want one, meet me at SI and I'll give you the rundown here.

[private to ALL TURTLE PARENTS]

The fewer people are bonded to each turtle, the more vulnerable they are. Protecting the turtles means protecting their parents, so you all get first dibs on the toys. Anyone who's interested, send me a message and I'll set one aside. And come to SI as soon as you can.

[private to AYA, RICHIE FOLEY, CLARK KENT, DONATELLO, and MIKE WESTON]

I'm contacting you all specifically because I know you have tech skills or because Aya told me that you've worked on the secondary network in the past. We need you in on this.

---

((ooc: For the sake of security, Tony will only be describing the self-defense gadgets in person. Anyone who comes to SI to claim one will be given the following information:

There are six aversive devices [remaining: 4]. They consist of a slightly concave hemisphere - sort of like a very thick-walled bowl - that fits in the hand. They work on a principle similar to the Active Denial System. When they are held with the concave side facing out, and a button on the side is pressed, they emit a ten-second burst of radiation that, while harmless, causes immediate and intense discomfort to any person standing in range. Anyone without extreme magic- or drug-enhanced pain insensitivity will be compelled to move out of range. The area of effect is a wide cone that extends out about thirty feet. Each device has enough power for two bursts before it must be recharged.
[claimed by: Enjolras, Annabeth]

There are six force field generators [remaining: 5]. These are devices are disk-shaped, with about the same dimensions as a restaurant pager. Press the large button on top, and they will generate a transparent force field bubble about six feet in diameter. The field lasts about six seconds under ideal conditions, but may collapse sooner than that if it is interacting with a lot of matter (e.g., if the person holding it is swimming, or in tall, dense grass). The field can be moved, and will remain centered on the device when in motion (in other words, you can run with it). Each device has enough power to generate one force field before it must be recharged.
[claimed by: Raine]

Both devices can be recharged at any console, or at Stark Industries.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, that's me. Tony Stark. Don't worry about it, I'm, uh... here a lot. [He would be sleeping in the lab if it weren't for that stupid soul lantern.

Tony looks thrilled when Sokka says he's an engineer.] You are? Great, we need more of us around here. There used to be two other versions of me on the turtle, but they both ditched before everything went to hell. Flakes. [He grins.]

[That's one heck of an introduction for Sokka; there's several things that hit him all at once: Tony's jumping from an introduction to a brief history... and a history that includes two other versions of himself. That's... something.]

Wait, two other versions of yourself... at the same time? Or as in separately? Either way, that's kinda nuts. Then again, this entire world is nuts.

I probably should warn that these console things are somewhat new to me, but... I do pick up things pretty quick, and I fancy myself a little bit of an inventor, so that can't hurt, right?

Yeah, I think the other two overlapped each other for a while, but I didn't get to meet either of them. Parallel universes, man. [Tony shakes his head.] It is nuts. Completely nuts.

So, another inventor, huh? Back home I've got the record for most approved patents of anyone my age, ever. [He grins. Not to toot his own horn or anything...] Consoles are new to you, okay. What's the tech level of your world, then?

[Hey, I'm just glad that I'm not the only one here who thinks so. Granted, probably most of the foreigners here think this place is nuts, but misery sure loves company.]

Parallel universes? No wait, I think I got it. I don't want to get it, but I think I got it.

ANYway... level of tech... is, well, from the sound of things probably... less than yours? The Fire Nation have been crazy in building new things: big factories, giant tanks, coal-powered ships, mechanized drills the size of a palace, hot-air blimps? Though they stole that last one from me. [Sokka looks a little put out by that.] Though they manage to steal my submarine idea.

[Coal and blimps, okay, wow. That's gotta be just at the beginning of his world's industrial revolution. That's, uh, slightly less helpful than Tony was hoping for. But hey, if this Sokka guy designed a functional blimp and submarine, he's got to be pretty bright. He'll probably be able to pick up on Tony's more advanced tech quickly.]

Any experience with radio?

Raaaadio... [The tone of Sokka's voice makes it very clear that... he really has no or barely any idea what in the world that even is. And eventually that does nothing but end in a rather sheepish grin.] I can't say that I do? [His voice raises at the end, almost as if he's asking a question. Maybe radio was something he was familiar with by a different name?

[However, feeling like he might already be failing at whatever interview this might be, and picking up the fact that he's probably in a little over his head, Sokka is quick to take a different tack.]

Look, I'm probably admit that you might be a bit more familiar with things, but... I pick things up pretty quick. The Southern Water Tribe, we really didn't even have any sort of formal school or anything, but I seem to have a knack for things. So... you wouldn't to happen to have blueprints or anything for one?

[Yikes. No luck on the radio. Tony's not sure he'll have the time to get Sokka caught up enough to be a whole lot of use. But he ought to at least try, since the guy showed up willing to help.]

I didn't have much formal schooling either. I still managed to figure stuff out. [He gives Sokka a friendly smile. ~~Yeah, okay, Tony, but you had private tutoring from your genius dad and free run of Stark Industries' labs, so....~~]

I've got some schematics back in the lab that you can take a look at. Come on. [He turns around and leads Sokka out of the lobby and towards his personal lab.]

[Well, it's at least worth a shot. At least Tony is being fairly nice to him and giving him a chance. Though Sokka can't help but feel like this is all not going as well as he hoped. Granted, he knew that the consoles were much more advanced than anything he could have imagined on his own, but just how complicated could things have been on other worlds. The answer: APPARENTLY A LOT.]

Thanks... I think? [While the smile had been friendly, he's certainly hope that Tony isn't just humoring him. But follow Sokka does, hoping that whatever might lay there would be at least somewhat understandable.]

[In the lab, Tony collects the schematics he and Akito had been using for the test walkie-talkie yesterday. He lays them all out on a table for Sokka.]

So... Radio. Um. [Holy crap, where does he even start?] A radio basically... converts sound into an electromagnetic signal that can be transmitted wirelessly over long distances, and then converted back into sound. These are schematics for a pretty basic two-way half-duplex radio— that means both units can send and receive, but they can't do both at the same time. So you talk into one, and the other person can hear you, but you have to stop talking before they can say anything back to you. I'm guessing whatever technical notations you use on your world are going to be different, so in these diagrams, this notation indicates....

[And thus follows a flurry of circuits, resistors, transistors, currents, frequencies, and other jargon and concepts that, to Tony, are as fundamental as basic arithmetic. To Sokka, however...]

[Sokka's eyes become a little blurry as he looks at the schematics. It would be one thing if the schematics were actually of any use to Sokka; that would be nice. However, for better or worse, it's all in the wrong language, so whatever documentation exists therein is practically as if it were written in Greek. Even the numbers are just weird shapes to him.

[Electricity is even a foreign concept, and just starting to broach the whole concept is going to take some doing, especially since the entire thing is just notation rather than anything that even resembles a real drawing. Let's be honest, this isn't going to be something that Sokka would be able to grok just on his own.

[But even if he doesn't understand Ohm's Law, Faraday equations, or even the finer points of the motion of electrons, Sokka does grasp things quick, and Tony explains enough of the pieces that help him find some intuitive grasp on things. There's at least a very basic level that he can understand, even if the whole of it is still a flat out mystery. Though Sokka's re-explanation of things will probably be half inaccurate and half an oversimplification.]

Okay, so I don't know about capacitors and ions or any of this stuff, but what you're describing is fancy lightning bending, right? In my world, people have control of the elements, and some can generate lightning from their fingertips. What you're saying is that there's something in here that generates that lightning, and bits in here redirect it and change its speed in pulses so that this thing over here, [he says as he points to the speaker,] changes the lightning into the sound we hear?

[Have pity on him, Tony.]

Edited 2014-10-22 07:12 (UTC)

Uh. [Tony is momentarily floored by the almost complete lack of common ground here. And he'd thought doing science projects with average high schoolers was hard...!

Still, for someone who doesn't even know what electricity is ~~or read English, you huge dummy~~, Sokka's not too far off.]

...Yeah, actually, that's basically it. [He raises his eyebrows and smiles.] So, do you think you can handle a crash course in electronics?

[It'll be hands-on, and he promises to try his very hardest to make at least some of what he's talking about comprehensible.]

[If the situation hadn't involved him, Sokka would have laughed at Tony's reaction. By itself, Sokka basically has figured out exactly how far off he was from the official explanation of things, but the fact that it's... close enough to not entirely fail out on this "interview" of sorts is at least somewhat reassuring.]

Like I said, I'm a quick learner. And an outside-the-box thinker. How hard could it be? More than anything, I just... want to find a way to help? [Famous last words, but Sokka definitely seems up to the task. Even if he's looking at the schematics for the radio was perhaps one of the more insane things he's seen.]

[How hard? Oh, Sokka...

But Tony appreciates Sokka's confidence. If he thinks he can keep up, Tony will give him the benefit of the doubt.

So he grabs some more paper and some extra pencils for sketching diagrams, and launches into what will no doubt be a long and very complicated summary of the science behind radios.

Fortunately, he sticks to the practical basics, and supplements the lecture with illustrations and demonstrations with his prototype radio. Unfortunately, Sokka will probably have to interrupt him fairly frequently to remind him that what's "common knowledge" for a rich supergenius from a technologically advanced world isn't necessarily common knowledge for everyone else.]

[And that's exactly what Sokka does, though it's perhaps less frequent than Tony might have believed otherwise. As Tony starts jumping through all the hoops, Sokka starts to make his own notes, and as they go through concept by concept, Sokka in some ways starts to actually transcribe pieces of the original design of the radio into his own notes, obviously in a different language should Tony happen to peek at them.

[And Sokka does ask a few rather obvious questions: "How can the capacitor actually store a charge?", "Why is it even necessary to have resistors in the first place?", and most obliviously, "How does the sound even get converted to and from lightning anyway?" However, despite some of the simple questions, Sokka doesn't struggle with, at the very least, the basic mathematics of it; they make sense, even though, really, the basic electromagnetic equations are much simpler than the entire picture.

[But as they get forward, Sokka's re-explanations become closer and closer to the actual truth.]

So, okay. The microphone detects my voice, and it invokes this circuit here, which causes the frequency of the lightning signal in the wires to modulate back and forth, effectively making my voice a code of some sort? And then we push it out the antenna so that it gets sent invisibly through the air so that someone else listening to things at that frequency can capture it an decode it. Getting closer?

You've got it. [Tony beams. If only everyone was as quick as Sokka. All those group science projects would have been a lot less painful.]

The radios we're going to be making are a lot more complicated than this one, but it's all the same basic principles. I think you should be able to follow along.

[Tony replaces the basic schematics with the designs for the fancier radios, which are definitely much more complex, and take up many more pages.

Then he pulls over a box of supplies, and a big tray with dozens of little compartments full of tiny components. He divvies them up between himself and the other boy, and without further ado, begins assembling things.

Sink or swim, Sokka!]

[Hard mode activate!

Sokka takes a moment to grin proudly at having picked it up. There definitely had been a few moments of insecurity and worry that he had tried to bite off more than he could chew; this was more advanced than anything he'd engineered before. But he had come through it, and all in one piece; Sokka swallows visibly, as if to swallow the tension that had welled up within him as he'd faced the challenge.]

Oh goodie, more complicated, [he says in reaction to the more complicated schematic, but he's not going to give up as easily as his mood. He still takes the parts rather eagerly and takes the schematic, finding a good starting point. It's complex, but he quickly sees that... really, the complexity is only in the sense of scale, not the actual depth of the pieces.]

Oooooh, I got it! [He works through one full section, completely assembling the entirety of one of the subsystems.] This piece is effectively just a miniature version of that one other. Well more or less; this one has a two-way transmitter, and there's more power to it, right?

[At least, that's what he thinks he's looking at. But Sokka takes the tools and continues assembling them, finally getting a good eye for how they piece together. He'll alternate between squinting at the schematic and then piecing things together, all the while having a rather ridiculous expression of his tongue sticking out his mouth as he works.]

So... just out of curiosity, how complicated is this stuff in comparison to the rest of the stuff from your world.

[Sokka dives right in, and though he doesn't work nearly as fast as Tony, he seems to have an adequate grasp of the mechanics.]

Right, [Tony agrees cheerfully with Sokka's summary. He takes the little array, looks it over, nods, and hands it back.

As to Sokka's question... Tony chuckles.] Compared to the most advanced tech on my world, a radio is about as complicated as a screwdriver.

[There's a little bit of a glowing expression when he gets confirmation about how well he's doing. He's gone from overconfident to feeling unprepared back to being confident that things will be a walk in the park again. Really how bad can this—]

This is the simple stuff?!

[Sokka facefaults, kind of horrified once again, before sighing.]

I'll admit, I really don't know what I was expecting to hear when I asked that question. At least I didn't completely fail at understanding this?

[Tony laughs again. He feels for the guy (this is approximately how he reacted to learning about magic) but his dramatic distress is still kind of funny.]

If it makes you feel better, even in my world, most people don't understand this. Technology's everywhere, and everyone knows how to use it, but not many people know how it actually works.

[He gives Sokka a cocky grin.] So it's up to people like me to keep everything running.

[Well, okay, it does make him feel a little better.]

Yeah, that's... more or less how it works on my world too. I was one of the few people who actually had a mind for this stuff. Just like you.

[He will sigh again, letting that out. Tony's grin may be cocky, but it's still good-natured, so Sokka can't be too upset at him. Or well he could, but it wouldn't get anything done. He's certainly treating Sokka slightly better than he's treated others.]

I suppose all I can do is learn all of them one bit at a time, huh? Well, provided that you think I've got something to contribute.

[Don't make him beg. He might just do that.]

Sure, [Tony assures him.] I don't have most of the equipment I use at home, so a lot of the work here takes a lot more hands-on labor than I normally have to do.

[Really, he prefers working alone, without other people getting underfoot. But after several months in Keeliai, he's finally had to accept that there's just some stuff he can't do on his own here.]

I've never had lab techs before. Maybe it'll be fun. [They can have science parties!]

[In most circumstances, Sokka would be vehemently against hands-on labor; however, when it really boils down to it, if it's a labor of love, he totally doesn't mind whatsoever. In fact, he might actually find it fun, especially if in the end it'll make a difference or he gets something out of it in the long haul. And this is one of those circumstances.]

Well then sign me up! [Really, he can't sign up fast enough.] Do I need to sign something? What are the hours like? Do I still get a little bit of free time?

[Sokka's enthusiasm makes Tony smile. It sort of reminds him of working at Stark Industries with his dad, before the plane crash - always being surrounded by other scientists, all brilliant and all excited by the work they were doing. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed that lively, cooperative atmosphere.]

The radios are only going to take a couple weeks to put together, but if you want to work here permanently, we'll talk to Aya and get you on the payroll. There aren't really regular hours - I just show up whenever I feel like. We can get you a lab space so you can do your own stuff if I'm not around or don't need help with anything.

[Well, that was certainly far more than he had expected given how little he knew. To not only be allowed to work at this awesome techy place but to be paid to do so? That was like a dream come true, even if he didn't know exactly where to start. Certainly he could figure things out.]

Really? You really mean it? Getting to work here on a permanent basis?

[His eyes sparkle with an uncanny flair, and his smile is beyond words.]

This isn't a joke right. You really mean it? Because if so, this is one of the best days of my life.

[Wow, Sokka, you could give Pepper a run for her money with those huge sparkly puppy eyes. Tony laughs.]

No joke, I promise. Lots of foreigners work here. We make pretty good money, since tech is so scarce.

[Best day of his life, huh? And all they've done so far is radios.] Man, you would love my lab back home.

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ALL the Science parties! \o/

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