Video - Four days after Malicant's message

[highprofilerichkid]

[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.))

Comments

[highprofilerichkid]

Thanks. I'll see if I can get in touch with either of them.

[He sees Anton looking around the room. Secretly, he appreciates the attention. Given the extremely limited supplies and preexisting technology he'd had to work with, he thinks he's put together quite a nice little lab here in Keeliai.] Was there anything else you needed? Any other malfunctioning tech you want me to take a look at?

[gistful]

Nothing malfunctioning, no.

[However ... Anton's gaze passes thoughtfully over the shieldpacks.]

Have you worked in combining engineering with magic?

[highprofilerichkid]

[Tony makes a face.] No. I don't know anything about magic. And it seems like nobody who uses it knows how to explain how it works. I think if I tried combining magic and tech it would either not work at all, or it would just blow up.

[On the one hand, Tony's fascinated by magic: it's basically an entirely new branch of physics, after all. On the other hand, it's incredibly frustrating how all the magical theory he can pry out of anyone boils down to "because magic."]

[gistful]

Perhaps you haven't found the right kind of magic. There are magical physicists in my world who have been combining the two for decades. If I may?

[He indicates a clear patch of bench and waits long enough for permission before using a piece of chalk to draw two light-sigils. The first is largest and casts a broad glow; the second is small and casts a narrow, intense beam, though they are visually identical save in size.]

I have limited knowledge of the theory behind such combinations, but sigils have been used as a stand-in for technology for some time. Perhaps you can utilise them to your benefit.

[highprofilerichkid]

[Tony nods, and watches dubiously as Anton draws the sigils. When they light up, he blinks and frowns, looking a bit taken aback.]

How long does something like this last? Do you know where the energy comes from to produce the light?

[gistful]

It lasts until the sigil is interrupted, unless installed with a timer.

[With a finger he smudges the chalk on one of the sigils, and its light dies.]

Chalk, for obvious reasons, isn't practical for long-term sigils. As for the theory, I once heard Professor Grouse hypothesise that the language of magic captures the magical energy of the dimension directly ... I believe he used the phrase 'quantum harmonic oscillator'?

[His brow furrows.]

That was some time ago, however. I don't know whether he's confirmed that hypothesis or not. Regardless, the shape, depth and size of a sigil defines how that energy is used.

[highprofilerichkid]

['Quantum harmonic oscillator'? Ooh, yeah, Anton, talk dirty to him.

Tony nods again, still skeptical, but definitely intrigued.]

So theoretically, a sigil could last indefinitely, constantly drawing energy? Doesn't seem too smart when you don't know where the energy's coming from. [His tone isn't critical, just thoughtful.]

Can anyone make one of these sigils?

[gistful]

They can, given the proper knowledge of technique and vocabulary. From my understanding that's the difference between magic and science in my world. Most people assume they're oppositional forces, when in fact they're complementary. Science refers to forces whose origins can be measured, while magic refers to forces whose origins cannot.

[He pauses for a moment to consider.]

The theory of names is a good example--we know the use of a given name controls others and that a taken name protects one from being controlled, but the actual quantifiable power in a name can't be measured aside from the effects it leaves on forces around it. Sigils are much the same. We know they're powered, but we can't measure the source, because the source itself defies measurement.

[highprofilerichkid]

[Anton. You are hurting him in his science soul.]

Okay, I don't know what any of that stuff with names is about, but that's not a very useful definition of science versus magic. There's plenty of things that we don't know how to measure directly, but that doesn't mean they're... immune to the scientific method, or inherently unmeasurable. That's not even— [Tony sighs, and throws up his hands.] Whatever. It doesn't matter. [He'd promised himself he wouldn't get into these science/magic discussions with magic users. All it does is frustrate him.]

Anyway. These sigils, they follow rules, right? Specific input results in specific output? That's all I need. I can work with that. [That's just pure experimental science. When you don't know anything about why something works, you just tweak variables and see what happens until you figure out how it works. The "why" is interesting, but not generally necessary for practical applications.]

[gistful]

Yes. But not knowing how to measure them and not being able to measure them are two different things. Sigils are a language. Even if we know where they gain their power, measuring that source is another matter.

[It's a pity Professor Grouse wasn't here, or at least that Anton hadn't spoken to him more deeply. But Anton hadn't needed to hear much theory about how sigils worked--as long as they worked, and he knew how to use them.]

They do. The nuance of their input can occasionally be difficult, but if you require a practical example the Midnight Hotel is built of them.

[highprofilerichkid]

[Yeah, arguing magical theory with Anton isn't going anywhere. Maybe magic uses vacuum energy or something. Tony lets the subject drop.

So, away from theory, and back to practice:] Sure. If I see what you're using them for in the hotel, maybe I'll find some that could be useful. Are there any that generate electrical current?

[It sounds like these sigils could act as an easy source of effectively unlimited free energy. Yeah, at the end of the day, the energy has to come from somewhere, but still. Even if Tony's not particularly fond of magic, that is a really tempting shortcut.]

[gistful]

There are, but they're not very ... useful. Sigils encapsulate concepts--there's no point in generating an electrical current you can't control when you can use sigils to generate light or energy directly.

[Anton glances down at the table and gently puts some things aside to give himself a little more space, and brushes away the light-sigils. When he draws the next sigil he adds a time-delay so he can pull his hand away without being hurt; the sigil activates and it's like watching a little spring of lightning crackle on the table, scorching its surface and trying--and failing--to arc toward some of the metallic objects nearby.]

[highprofilerichkid]

[That's interesting. Tony might be able to find a way to work with that.

But he still feels like he and Anton aren't quite on the same wavelength. Talking science in layman's terms is hard okay?] Um... are there sigils that can act as batteries? Can you put a sigil on a piece of technology and power it?

[gistful]

[That makes Anton pause.]

I'm not entirely sure. Many sigils which replace technology were developed before the technology came into being. I don't have a fridge, I have a coldroom whose temperature is regulated by magic. My intercom isn't a speaker system, it's a series of sigils which project my voice. Sigils are more analogous to the wiring inside a piece of eletrical technology than the batteries that power it.

It may be possible to develop something similar to what you're asking, but it would depend on what you're writing it into.

[highprofilerichkid]

The radios. I don't want to mess with this on anything more complex [- Combining arc reactor technology and mysterious magic? Ha ha, NO. There is WAY too much chance of things going wrong, catastrophically -] but if we could have radios that didn't ever have to be recharged, it would make things a lot easier on people. Nobody would have to worry about missing emergency broadcasts because their handset ran out of battery.

[gistful]

[He looks thoughtful for quite a while.]

There's no sigil to prevent an object from losing power. There is a set that enables an object to be powered by the user, however--by their magic, or the heat of their body, or other such characteristics. It means the handsets would work as long as they were in contact with the person for a set amount of time every day. Would those suffice?

[highprofilerichkid]

[Well, duh, Anton. That would totally break the laws of physics. ....Er, more.

But Tony looks excited about the possibilities of those sigils.]

Could they be set up to power a back-up battery as well, to hold excess charge?

[gistful]

I haven't attempted so, but I don't see why they couldn't. The battery would have the same rules, however--they would need physical contact with a person in order to be charged.

[highprofilerichkid]

[Tony reaches over to grab the test walkie-talkie - which has seen a fair amount of abuse at this point, having been used as a demonstration for a number of other people as well - and pops open the back to reveal the circuitry and battery inside.]

Okay. Show me how you'd do that.

[gistful]

[Anton takes a moment to examine the battery and then puts it aside in favour of looking at the handset and the square of plastic which ordinarily hides the circuitry.]

Have you a scalpel?

[highprofilerichkid]

[Tony fishes around in a nearby toolbox and pulls out a small tool that should be close enough for Anton's purposes.]

Here you go. Just be careful of the battery casing; don't score it too deeply.

[gistful]

Fortunately these sorts of sigils don't have a scaling system for levels of power; I shan't need to write them to depth.

[Anton takes both battery and plastic and writes a series of scrolling text on both. The battery, in the centre of both sides; the plastic, around the edge, like a border. It's tiny and precise, and he uses a magnifying stand nearby to give him a hand. The battery goes back into the handset. The plastic gets an extra few sigils on the outside before being returned, and once it has been the sigil on the back shines like something glow-in-the-dark.

[Anton gives it to Tony.]

That will keep the battery and handset charged if kept within close contact of an individual.

[highprofilerichkid]

[Tony watches Anton write the sigils with intense focus, surprisingly patient throughout the slow process. When Anton's done, he takes the radio back and peers at it. He takes it apart again, examines the sigils up close, and then puts it back together.]

And anyone can do this? Can I try?

[gistful]

Theoretically, yes. But it's also a language, and a foreign one at that, and this is a complicated set of sigils.

[Anton considers for a moment.]

Such as writing a software program. Technically, anyone can copy the program if given something from which to transcribe, but those without experience will be more likely to make mistakes.

[highprofilerichkid]

[Tony pulls over another one of the early radio prototypes and picks up the knife.]

So as long as I copy it correctly, it'll work?