[DAY :042] do androids dream of electric sheep?

[onemind]

[PING. If you happen to be surfing the Concordian extranet, a familiar looking window pops into the browser. --It's familiar at first glance, anyway. This has no identifying user, no chat text box. It might be more easily mistaken for an error message. It says:]

Hello. I'm awake.

[After thirty seconds, the window closes on its own. Should anyone connect one dot to the next and go check in the room where Kellix the skele!droid has been stored, they'll find him-- well, still prone in the made bed, but his optical receptors are lit up and his internal systems seem to be making fairly regular whirring and whizzing noises. That's a good sign, right?

These messages pop up whenever Kellix wakes up, for however short the interval. Hope you like pop-ups.]

Comments

[onemind]

[Click. Whir. It's likely that he's being attentive through the explanation, though it's hard to be completely sure - those bright blue ocular receptors don't blink and the main components of what's left of his body haven't shifted whatsoever.

A long pause follows. Click. Whir.]

I see. I imagine that's made some things very difficult for you here.

[That's an... interesting cover story.]

[greentech]

[ It has the benefit of being completely unbelievable and also completely true at the same time. ]

A little bit. Could be worse. I mean, it's not all bad.

[ She shrugs. Honestly, fitting in hasn't been too hard, but she also done too much interacting with the locals. ]

Uh, anyway. What made you come here?

[onemind]

[It's very, very unbelievable. But that's fine. It's not like he's telling her his life story either, now is he?]

Your... colleague? Sam. I met him in a club near the underground. He had some sensitiv questions that I couldn't answer there while I was being monitored. I thought coming here would give me some more freedom in that respect.

[greentech]

Yeah, I know Sam. He's one of our... group. Sorry you had to go through that, though - it looked pretty horrible. Did it hurt...?

[ Because now way is she getting into the hivemind thing. She has to consider what name to give out. Pidge? Katie? ]

Oh, yeah. Call me Pidge.

[onemind]

Pidge. [His networked cross-referencing abilities have been significantly reduced with the reduction of his hardware, but he can still compare it to his locally stored data. He logs the data accordingly.]

Not really. There was some discomfort, but my programming accepts a bare minimum of pain reception. Once it reaches a certain threshold, it triggers a fail safe and reroutes the feedback into data instead of sensation.

[greentech]

That's handy. Someitmes I wish I could do that...

[ But she'll leave that for another time. ]

Are you going to be able to get yourself running again? Or are you going to need more help?

[onemind]

I'm running as optimally as I can at the moment. Once I get my main components back together, I should be able to reinstall them without much difficulty. But I can't bring myself fully online yet with compromising my position here. [A pause.] I may be some time before I can afford to be fully functional if I'm going to be useful to you.

[greentech]

[ Huh. Pidge squints for a moment, considering the problem. Myabe she can help out with that. Somehow. ]

Right. What's the issue with detection - how is it you get tracked or information gets piped out, for lack of a better word? Is it just a wireless signal or is satellite? GPS?

[onemind]

Oh, of course. You're an alien so you don't know these things.

[Is there a trace of humor there? Hard to say.]

Essentially every piece of my hardware has a digital ID that pings on local devices similar to your own network implants. [Or your earpiece that he doesn't quite get. Whatever.] It's one datapoint in a mountain of them, but if someone has my personal ID numbers, they could theoretically access PS's databanks and use them to figure out devices they've recently pinged against. It's fairly easy to triangulate an individual's position that way. It's how I found this place, for example.

With my components scattered in different areas, it becomes more difficult to figure out where my consciousness actually is.

[greentech]

Just need some clarification. That's all.

[ Pidge snorts, but then listens attentively. She's mentally filing all of that information away for later. ]

Well... if we could put together something that scrambled the signal or just absorbed the 'ping', it might be possible to get you put back together. Theoretically. Typical wireless signals are already degrading when they have to go through normal building materials, so I can't imagine something purpose-built wouldn't have some sort of affect.

[onemind]

[Sure. And space!pigs fly on Tuesdays. No problem; she can pretend to be whatever she wants.]

There's equipment like that but it's all highly illegal. Though-- [a pause. Click. Whir.] Well, I guess that doesn't really matter to you, does it? It'd be difficult to just buy but I could direct you to someone who could supply you with any parts you need if you can think of a way to build something like that.

[greentech]

Uh, illegal's not really a problem for me, unless I get caught.

[ Stating the obvious, but hey. ]

I'm willing to try, though, if it'll help. If you can point out someone who's willing to sell, that'd be great. I'd, uh, also need to study some of your components. You know, if you'd be OK with that!

[ She sounds a touch fangirly about studying his technology. ]

[onemind]

Certainly. I have a substantial list of technical retailers and private dealers. [It's perfectly legal to keep lists of businesses and entrepreneurs, of course. What they do on their own time is, conveniently, none of his business.] I can't send it to you in my current mode, but I could dictate it to you if you'd like to copy it down.

[As for messing with his components--]

Some of my pieces will be easier to access than others, but I can give you directions to the ones that you'll be able to get to. You're also welcome to study what's here as well if that helps at all.

[greentech]

I think that'd be great! Uh, studying that is. And directions. I can use those to form an idea what I'm actually dealing with for getting all of this put together and actually usable without it blowing up in my face. Especially since it's so illegal...

[ Getting caught would be bad. Let's avoid that. ]

Give me a sec to get my computer so I can copy this stuff down!

[ She's gone and back in a flash, computer in tow. ]

[onemind]

[Yes, he would prefer she not blow pieces of him up if it's avoidable. They're replaceable, but rather expensive and his owner won't be happy with him if he comes back missing key components.

When she returns and is ready:] The first series of components is in a security deposit locker in Adequate Storage located in Delta Block. The locker number is 6340. The combination to access it is 65-464-578-8. You'll find my secondary cooling unit and sensory feedback drive there. My exterior shell is in a Subspace body shop called The Hack Job. Ask for Vilis Jayson and tell him I sent you. If he gives you problems, ask if his mother is feeling better.

The only other pieces I think you can easily access are in a compartment of the underground. Do you know how to access it? Have any of your colleagues been there yet?

[greentech]

[ Pidge's fingers work rapidly as she takes down notes. She's trying to mentally keep track of all of it as well. There's multiple angles of attack she can take with this, but she wants to be able to run some tests and make sure things work on one before she starts bringing all of the rest together. She's also going to need some help collecting everything. ]

The underground?

[ She frowns and shakes her head. ]

I know I haven't. One of my friends might have. Can you run that past me, though?

[onemind]

The underground is the subcity below sections of Concordia. Most of it has been renovated or collapsed, but there are still a few spaces that exist. It's difficult to access, but many people who prefer to be off the grid spend some time there or use it to move through the city without pinging id terminals and checkpoints.

[There's a trace of surprise there, but he moves on smoothly enough.]

The easiest way to access where I've left my components is to enter the railway maintenance tunnel of the gamma block D line at 601st and Archadin Crossway. Proceed sixty meters down the tunnel going East. On the left hand side you'll find a gap in the tunnel wall which will take you into a network of tunnels. Go straight through the first crossroads, then left, right, left, then through the window on the right. Be careful of the drop on the other side. You'll find a wall compartment in the room and the components inside it.

Be very careful and take a light. You might also consider bringing a weapon in case you run across a stranger.

[greentech]

[ More notes. More instructions to remember. Pidge doesn't mind it, but she's going to have to go over all of this later with a fine-toothed comb to make sure she doesn't mess anything up. Getting this wrong seems like it'd be a very bad idea. Especially since he's telling her to bring a weapon. ]

I think I can handle that part.

[ She's tougher than she looks. ]

You really didn't want anyone to find any of these, did you?

[onemind]

They're very expensive to replace.

[It sounds like he's making a joke.]

[greentech]

I'll try not to break anything.

[ She might be making a joke back. ]

[onemind]

[THANKS PIDGE, YOU'RE A GEM.]