tushanshu | Video - about a week after the possession attempt

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Video - about a week after the possession attempt

[With the information Wan and Valdis got during Wan's attempt to possess Asti, it seems like the foreigners are gearing up for their final stand, and so Tony has pushed through his exhaustion to finally finish the radios he's been working on.

He definitely looks tired, but to anyone who saw him in the first couple days after the possession attempt, he's obviously much improved. Extremis has finally started to bounce back.]

The secondary network is ready. Better late than never, right? [His tone is a little dry. He's glad he finally got it done, but he's disappointed it took him this long.] Anyway, I've got the handsets here at Stark Industries. Every foreigner should have one - even if you don't think you need one for private communications, we may have to use them for emergency broadcasts.

If you can't pick one up, I'll be sending people around to distribute them. If you can help with the distribution, let me know.

And I've still got a couple of the self-defense devices left, if anyone still wants one of those.

[OOC Note: Like the devices from his last announcement, Tony won't be giving out the details of the radios over the console network. He and the people delivering the handsets will give out the necessary information in person.

The radios are audio-only and look and function approximately like walkie-talkies, with a couple exceptions:
--The units are powered both by a rechargeable battery, and magical sigils (courtesy of Anton). The battery can be recharged normally, but the sigils will also keep the units constantly charged so long as they are in contact with a person.
--Unless they run out of charge, the radios are always in low-power mode when not in active use. This is to ensure that people don't miss emergency broadcasts because their handsets are turned off.
--Each unit has an individual frequency, so that people can contact each other privately. Any number of radios can be tuned to the same frequency, so group conversations are also possible.

Anyone can make a public broadcast by tuning their radio to the public channel; broadcasts can also be made from Stark Industries, or the transmitter unit owned by Hayley.

It is not necessary to thread out your character picking up their radio, or to make an ooc request for a radio. It can be assumed that every foreigner receives a radio within a day or two, so that everyone has one before the endplot.

Secondary network threads can be posted just like regular console threads, just indicate that it is over the secondary network rather than the consoles.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The analogies were mostly unnecessary, as Aya had already figured what he meant to accomplish. The remaining confusion rested in precisely how he (they?) planned to do so.]

I...have accessed another's internal subconscious memories before. Though I had the use of a particular machine to which I had uploaded my own consciousness at the time.

That's actually something you've done before? [He looks mildly surprised, and takes a moment to consider this new information.]

Honestly, I sort of thought you would be too alien. For our tech to interface, I mean. Since I can't do anything with the tech here, and I couldn't get in to the Makluans' systems... Though, Malicant was able to control Extremis, so maybe... Hm. Whose memories were you accessing? Were they organic, or another AI? What was the machine like?

[Her eyes...shifted. Briefly. The discomfort apparent in her expression. This particular subject was difficult for her, and in fact, she would not have brought it up at all had it not been for current relevancy.]

Razer's.

[She did not expect him to recognize the name, but the name was important to her. The most important piece of information she would divulge.]

His imprisonment by the Spider Guild had involved the use of a device considered to be torture. When placed over one's head, it infiltrated the subconscious on such a level as to force the wearer to experience a realistic dream-like state in which they would relive their post painful memories over and over again.

In order to free him from this, I had to upload myself directly into his mind through the device. I...saw his memories. His organic memories.

[Aya's discomfort is obvious, particularly because it is such an unfamiliar expression on her face. Tony is a little taken aback; even more so when she explains.]

That... That's terrible. I'm sorry, [he says, feeling very awkward and getting the distinct sense that he shouldn't have asked.]

Something sort of like that happened to me once, [he offers tentatively, after a pause.] Not, uh, torture, really, more like a test. It trapped you in a vision of your worst nightmare, and the only way to pass the test and escape was to... endure the nightmare. Not let it break you. [...Oh, no, he's rambling, isn't he? And Aya wasn't the one who was tortured, so there's not even any point to an "I know that feel, bro" spiel. Shit. Okay, maybe he should just stick to the science and avoid the feelings and stuff.

He clears his throat and looks away, and starts unconsciously fiddling with his pencil.] So obviously, we don't have a specialized device or anything, but maybe it doesn't matter? My organic brain doesn't need to be accessed at all, just the Extremis bots. I can't get in to tech that's too advanced or alien, but maybe a more technologically advanced consciousness could get in to me. That's what Mal did, right? So it's possible, at least.

[Similar, but not identical; Razer would not have escaped without her influence. She knew this because of evidence as to what happened to the other prisoners who had been there far longer. They had perished within their own nightmares.]

It was not the specialty of the device itself, but the connection to his mind.

Theoretically...it is possible, yes.

So, uh... Do you want to try it?

[A little abrupt, but if she thinks it's possible, Tony's not going to waste time beating around the bush. ~~Look at him still talking when there's science to do!~~

And even if it doesn't work, he's pretty sure Aya's not going to melt his brain again. So, no harm in trying, right...?]

[~~There's experiments to run; there is research to be done~~]

I would not be adverse to such an experiment.

However... [She hesitated, thinking back to Razer's reactions. The emotional outbursts that had stemmed from her experience inside his mind.] ...are you certain you wish to grant me access to certain memories?

I can not guarantee absolute control once I am inside.

[Tony squirms a little, suddenly looking uncomfortable. He's not really worried about his safety ~~because he's an idiot~~, but Aya's right that he's not thrilled with the idea of letting somebody inside his head. Still:]

I... don't think you'll be able to access my memories or consciousness like that. The nanites aren't advanced enough. You Know Who was only able to take control of some of my motor functions. If he could've influenced my thoughts through Extremis, he would have done it.

[Besides, if there's anyone he trusts inside his brain, it's Aya. She's never given him any reason to doubt her competence, or their friendship.]

Edited 2014-12-04 09:22 (UTC)

[Aya nodded.]

Then, with your verbal confirmation of agreement...I will do my best.

Uh... yeah. Okay. Go for it.

[He looks nervous, but eager, too. If Aya can fix this loophole, it'll take a big weight off his mind.

He puts his brain in what could probably best be described as "searching for signal" mode. It's what he does when he's looking for open networks to jump onto - there aren't any here, of course, but maybe that will make it easier for Aya to access the nanites.]

Tell me if you need me to do anything.

That will not be necessary. Simply remain as you are.

[With that, Aya...will appear ti dissolve right before Tony's eyes into a pile of white, metal components. Boots, arm pads, chest plate, helmet...and, a moment later, a sparkling zap of energy. It shot up like a sentient lightning bolt before aiming straight for Tony's skull. Entering through the ear canal. Searching for the first sign of artificial technology to fuse and download her consciousness into.]

[What she would see inside was up to Tony's subconscious.]

[Tony is totally unprepared for Aya's abrupt disintegration, and he lets out a shocked yelp. When the sparkling beam of energy that is... Aya? makes a beeline for him, he has to push down the instinct to try to dodge away from it. He sure hopes that was what was supposed to happen.

Aya hadn't given him any instructions, so he tries to focus his thoughts on anything that might be useful. Like he'd said, he has doubts that she'll even be able to see his memories or thought processes, but to be fair, he doesn't entirely understand how Extremis works, and he understands very little about how Aya works.

His thoughts flicker from memory to memory - all the times he'd been under mental influence of some kind. Being trapped in the simulated world of the Mainframe. Enduring MODOC's violent mental assault. Being hypnotized by Gene, wielding the crimson ring (he tries to gloss over that one, because it reveals more about Gene and his crimes than Tony really wants Aya to know, but the thought has already been thought and he can't un-think it). The precipitating incident: Malicant trying to hijack Extremis, only moments after Tony and Akito and Dante had sent the cultists running.

And alongside the memories are, of course, scientific analyses of each event. Data from his suit biometrics, equations and extrapolations, theories about how each of the incursions had occurred and how they might be prevented, and any upgrades he'd ended up making to the suit in response.

It's typical human thinking, all free-form and scattered. Different simultaneous trains of thought going in different directions, jumping unexpectedly from one thing to the next. (What's not typical about it is the speed and complexity at which it occurs. He is, after all, a supergenius. And arguably a cyborg.)

But one memory sticks out from the others. Not through any effort on Tony's part, but because he couldn't help being reminded of Arthur when Aya had disintegrated. And though Tony knows the mechanisms were different, MODOC's attack had felt the most similar to Malicant's.

[[ In his mind, he's back in AIM's secret headquarters, wondering yet again why an evil science thinktank is so obsessed with bees. But the ridiculous yellow honeycomb motif is only an afterthought: he's here to save Arthur Parks, the Living Laser. He's sick, maybe dying, and Tony had been on the helicarrier trying to help him when Ghost had showed up and kidnapped him. Tony had suited up and followed, and now he's finding out why AIM wanted Arthur's unique energy signature so badly.

MODOC is possibly the goofiest looking villain Tony has ever faced (which is saying something, given that he's currently in the lair of the Evil Science Beekeepers), but looking like a giant beachball with a face and a bad toupee isn't stopping MODOC dishing out some serious hurt.

Arthur's on the ground, still suffering the effects of having his energy form used to jumpstart this freakish flying computer egg monster. And Tony is facing MODOC down - and he's not doing so hot. He has no defense against the creature's mental powers. It's using them to tear through his mind, ripping out his memories and knowledge, and that's exactly as excruciating as you'd expect. He's screaming, only barely able to stand, devoting every ounce of his considerable willpower to fighting against the mental onslaught.

It's pretty obviously a losing battle. ]] ]

Edited 2014-12-11 10:12 (UTC)

[Aya's presence is--]

[omniscient, at first. seeing everything, the visions surrounding her even as she is infused with every last--]

[Different, then it was with Razer. Then, the machine atop his head had focused his thoughts. Concentrated them on a single moment in time. The one that caused him so much pain, and yet he claimed to not mind reliving it. To see her again. Illana. Her presence, weighing down the memory so strongly that Aya was even able to insert her consciousness within her shell.]

[There was no weight here. His thoughts were erratic. Subconscious weaving in and out of time and space until--]

[--A scream. A man on the ground. A...large, bulbous object with poorly managed fur? More importantly, a moment in time. Fixated. Enough that she might even be able to manifest herself.]

Tony.

[Aya's voice, soft and calm in direct contrast to the insanity around them both. Echoing all around. It would be up to Tony to decide where and when to see her.]

[Tony feels the sudden presence of another consciousness - an incredibly weird sensation, even expected as it is. It's unlike anything he's ever experienced. A brand-new kind of somebody-poking-around-in-his-brain, hooray. At least he knows this time, it isn't malicious.

In his memory, he suddenly "sees" Aya and hears her call his name, and that's another bit of weirdness right there. It's almost like he remembers her, but, of course, she hadn't actually been there when Tony had been fighting MODOC and AIM.

Tony focuses, fixating on the anachronism of Aya's presence, and the memory shifts. Instead of experiencing it from a first-person view, Tony is now standing beside himself, watching as his memory-echo fights and the scene continues to play out (though more slowly, and with a strangely muted quality, as his attention is now divided).]

Aya? Is this— wow, this isn't how I expected this to work. Huh.

[And then Aya was there, manifested in the physical form Tony had most come to know her by. Rather than infusing with the memory itself, she stood as a momentary casual spectator, by his side.]

I held few preconceived notions regarding what should or should not occur.

Save for the one incident I already told you about, this is as new to you as it is to me.

Weird. [Tony considers the scene briefly, wincing at the memory of the pain.] Do you have any idea where to start? I can show you my memories and give you any data I have on how Extremis works, but I, uh... don't know the DOS commands for my nervous system, you know?

[He smiles ruefully. Then they reach the part of the memory where Arthur uses his own energy to fry MODOC's core processor, saving Tony and sacrificing himself, and Tony's expression turns a little sad.] I... don't know if this one's going to be helpful, though. I didn't even have Extremis here. Actually, the only person who ever tried to get to me through Extremis was the Controller.

I am sorry to say I do not.

[A fact which, in any other circumstance, someone might take more than a little relief in....]

Razer's mind had been heavily focused on a single memory. Perhaps if you focused your subconscious on a point in time that might better demonstrate what it is you wish to show me?

[Tony's dream avatar nods, and the memory fragments and fades. His mental landscape briefly returns to its usual tangled flurry of thoughts and equations and feelings and disconnected flickers of memories. The memory of the Mandarin and the crimson ring makes a momentary reappearance - it's kind of a 'don't think about about pink elephants' situation - and then Tony concentrates on the proper memory, and the scene settles on the Manhattan skyline.

He mentally fast-forwards through most of the event, because Basil doing his villain monologuing and Tony getting his ass kicked are not really the important parts. Still, Aya should be able to catch the gist of it: Tony waking up confused and disoriented, and flying around New York trying to find the suddenly nonexistent Rhodey and Pepper. Basil, aka 'The Controller' showing himself and knocking Tony around with his apparently limitless powers. Tony finally figuring out that it was all a computer simulation and—

Here, things snap into focus. [[ With Tony at his mercy, Basil describes what he intends to do with the Mainframe, an artificial reality he'd created with stolen Stark technology. Apparently he wants everyone to... download their brains into it and live in it like some kind of hyper-realistic Second Life. It's unclear if this is supposed to be permanent, and what everyone's supposed to do with their, you know, bodies while in the Mainframe. Also unclear is if this will be voluntary or enforced. Frankly, Tony thinks Basil's Dastardly Plan needs a little polishing.

But the important takeaway is that the Controller needs Extremis to properly control the Mainframe, and he's been trying to hack into it the whole time he's had Tony trapped in his little video game. There's no way Tony's letting this AIM creep into his head, but what he is going to do... is hack good old Basil right back.

The computing power necessary to take down the Mainframe is staggering. He's never pushed Extremis this far before, and he throws everything he has into it. He has to break through, or Basil will crack his skull open like a walnut and get what he needs the hard way. ]]

At this point, the memory becomes abstract. The simulated landscape of New York is replaced by pure programming as Tony dives into the Mainframe's code and tries to hack his way out from the inside.

When he succeeds, he wakes up in AIM's headquarters... and the memory falls out of focus again. The part that Aya needed to see was those handful of seconds Tony had spent inside the Mainframe's guts.]

So, that's Extremis in action, [Tony explains.] That's what it does when I'm trying to get into something else— I'm not sure how it works the other way around. The Controller wasn't able to crack Extremis even with the Mainframe, and that was a pretty advanced supercomputer.

[She followed his thought process as best as linear logic would allow, fragments of information not quite fitting to form a whole picture, but enough for her to make educated hypothesis to fill in the gaps. It was fairly easy, as Tony had managed to highlight the most important parts of information.]

[With her eidetic memory, she would not soon forget a single flash, either.]

Impressive.

I am curious as to whether or not Extremis is built entirely out of technical code, or if there are any biometric recognition programs installed as well, that would further inhibit outside of those granted access?

Probably. The Extremis formula was totally experimental. [Another flash of memory: the lab on the Helicarrier, Captain America's cryogenically preserved body, the row of Extremis vials.] SHIELD produced a ton of different versions, and it always reacts slightly differently to each person's biology. [Mallen's disfigured face; Mallen generating staggering levels of electricity in his own body and using it to disable Tony. Tony breaking into the lab, injecting himself with a tiny dose of the serum, and waking up with the incredible new ability to mentally interface with computers.]

I did a little bit of work trying to reverse-engineer it, but I didn't have time to focus on it. I never got very far. [He'd had bigger problems at the time, like trying to stop his sort-of-ex from becoming a god and taking over the world.]

[That would be her first guess as to why a highly advanced A.I. would be unable to crack the code, regardless of the degree of complexity. It was clever. Very clever. What better way to protect from a machine than to require the one thing it could not spontaneously generate?]

We have time now.

[Tony's expression breaks into a lopsided smile.] I guess we do.

[His thoughts shift to recollections of scans of his brain that had been taken, and his own analyses and theories about how Extremis had altered his neuroanatomy.]

During the initial transformation, Extremis built nanostructures in my brain that are integrated into some of my neural pathways. Hybrid organic nanocircuitry, I guess you could call it. It makes those neural pathways a lot faster and more efficient, and that's also what the nanobots use to send and receive electromagnetic signals. My guess is I only have "technopathy" because I already understand computer programming and Extremis enhanced my mental computational abilities, and that's what allows me to interpret those signals. That would explain why I can't interface with alien technology I don't understand, and why Basil had trouble getting to me through the mainframe. If you treat it like normal hardware and software, Extremis is a completely unique architecture - a non-adaptive or non-intelligent computer system that isn't programmed to recognize that architecture, no matter how powerful it is, just won't be able to access it.

But you, me, and Malicant: we're all basically intelligent technopaths. You and Mal are just... [his smile turns a little rueful.] A lot more advanced than I am. I mean, I didn't even know you'd be able to interact with my consciousness and memories like this.

[She would not protest the more advanced commentary. Because it was probably true.]

[No offense, Tony.]

Would you hypothesize the possibility that, if I were unable to break through a particular encryption...the probability of an enemy such as Malicant having similar difficulties would be extremely high?

[She would not object to becoming the main tester for such an experiment. If her capabilities were comparable.]

I'm not sure. [He hates not being sure.]

It wouldn't be a guarantee. Since we don't really know how Malicant's technopathy functions, or how powerful it is. Still, an encryption that you can't break should at least slow him down. I think that's the best we can do.

[As long as he has a little bit of warning, he can get to the armor and protect himself with its full-spectrum EM shielding. It's not ideal, but it's enough to satisfy him.]

There are certain variables which I can not foresee being able to replicate, actually.

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SPOILERS also please enjoy this unexpected gigantic wall of text

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/makes up more science bullshit/

/Comics Science, go!

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