Ojiro Sniper (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
deicider) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
meadowlarklogs2019-02-11 11:37 am
deicider) wrote in meadowlarklogs2019-02-11 11:37 am
Entry tags:
(no subject)
WHO: Sniper
WHERE: various locations
WHEN: through mid-late September
WHAT: a dinner date, driving lessons, some shop talk
NOTES OR WARNINGS: you can hit me up via PM or at![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
praecipitanter if you'd like a top level!
WHERE: various locations
WHEN: through mid-late September
WHAT: a dinner date, driving lessons, some shop talk
NOTES OR WARNINGS: you can hit me up via PM or at
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A couple of different things. One of them should hopefully be a small project. I was wondering if you could modify the appearance of some of that stuff we got recently.
[They lean forward, chin resting on their hands. One thumb gently taps the corner of their jaw: subtle, but hopefully Fitz will clue in that they mean the masks.]
If you can make more that's great too, but I want to be able to customize how it looks.
[They fully anticipated having need of the masks for the future, but they were Morningstar's tech. Morningstar's safety was reason enough to want to put distance between the two groups, but that wasn't the real reason Sniper was making this particular request: it wasn't like it would fool the UNA. No, Morningstar was a group whose name people were afraid to speak. They had baggage, heavier now after the raid. Not to mention their own agenda—an agenda Sniper respected, but it wasn't always compatible with their own goals.
Meanwhile, the displaced were having shrines erected to them. The public was being primed to see their group as something different, new.]
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He drags a hand over his jaw. ]
What are you hoping to achieve with a customisation job? [ asked neutrally. ] 'Cause my answer will change, depending. [ a rolling gesture. ] If it's that you want a stable, hm, [ he snaps his fingers, looking for the word. ] appearance — a specific look, I mean, that's slightly different tech. [ stable disguises, not shifting scramblers. ] Can try my hand at modifying it, of course. Add a visual layer on top of the scrambling mechanic. [ one corner of his mouth tugs to the side, amused. ] Pull a Guy Fawkes.
[ do other universes get that reference?? whatever, it's british culture, he has to make it. ]
But if it's that you want to avoid association with the designer, well. [ a pointed tip of his head. ] It might be best to disassemble one, and work toward building something entirely new. Same idea, different design. [ he leans forward, elbows on the table. ]
There's not much to rework on the surface, with the build aiming to scramble and obscure rather than take on a particular appearance. Customisation wouldn't remove the technological signature, which is the design in and itself, really. [ on something this high level and innovative, anyway. a new look will be like a cheap coat of paint: scratch the surface, and you'll find morningstar underneath. ] At least as I understand it.
[ As a defence tech who's had his work stolen before. ]
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[Like blue. It's not like the UNA was suddenly going to believe the blue glowing people weren't associated with Morningstar, even if Fitz managed to rework the tech. The masks themselves weren't public knowledge but another monster attack or something similar and they might be. They wanted something distinctive to catch the public eye, and something that would send a message to the powers in this world that they would be dealing with a different beast than Morningstar, regardless of association.
More practically: they weren't an engineer, but they suspected a re-design would take forever. At the rate things were happening they needed the ASAP solution.]
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If you drop one at my flat, I'll see what I can do.
[ in a space where he has tools and privacy, at least. ]
But I'd like to know why. [ a stillness to him, then, eyes alight with curiosity. ] What's the end goal of the fresh paint job?
[ he has an idea, building off his Guy Fawkes quip. even revolution needs distinct branding. ]
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Their beer's gone neglected, so they make a point to take a drink before moving on.]
For this other stuff—How good are you with engines?
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it helps that sniper's question startles a laugh out of him. ]
I deconstructed and rebuilt a car engine when I was 13. [ his mouth curves. ] And one of my PhD's is in engineering. [ dry, ] The other's in fussing, by the by.
[ Or maybe something something physics. Fitz lifts his beer, a sort of faux cheers. ]
Go on, then.
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You'll like this, then. I'm not an engineer, [This said with note of warning. What knowledge they have is through exposure.] but my bash' has been working in transit systems forever. [Their bash' had in fact invented their world's current transit system two centuries ago, but that was a lot to get into. 'Bash' will go untranslated by the implant. Fitz can figure it out or ask; Sniper's doesn't feel like equivocating on one of the most important concepts of their world—a bash' was not the same thing as a 'family', especially not that sad isolated units they had in this world.
At this point Fitz will receive a file with some very basic specs—a couple of designs, materials. They're not about to drop the whole proprietary engine design on Fitz. It's clear that these designs are components of a highly sophisticated engine. The vehicle the Saneer-Weeksbooth bash' had designed, the mukta, was a flying car that could get anywhere in the world in three hours on clean-burning energy. It had revolutionized the world.
Right now, Sniper needed it to make some fast cash.
They give Fitz a minute to take a look, and then continue:]
I want to patent these, and then find a buyer. I'll need you to knock these down to working about 50% as good. Maybe low as 25%; I'll leave that up to your judgement when you figure out how to get it compatible with what's out there now.
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I'm interested. [ his eyes flicker, shifting as he opens the plans and extracts 3-D models for immediate perusal on the implant interface. even without knowing the lingo, he gets the gist of the idea. a "bash" must be a familiar group (a team, maybe, which means family after his time at SHIELD). ]
But if I help, [ slowly. ] I'm working with you, not for you, [ it's mild, but there's a firmness to his steady gaze and even tone. fitz doesn't have an established relationship with sniper, and while their network encounters have been pleasant, he knows how easily his brain can be used for unjust ends (how it has been, time and again, by friends, mentors — even a lover). ] so I'll ask again: Why?
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Just plain money. We're doing okay scrapping by right now, but we're going to need a lot of it at some point, and I want it on hand when we do.
[The things they might need money for are too numerous to list, so Sniper doesn't bother. But there was another reason—for Sniper, one thing that was clear about their kidnappers is they had a lot of money. Money to hold a few dozen adults in a secure facility, drugged, for several months, nevermind the dimension-hopping stuff.]
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[ for displaced business only, is that it? the revolution needs funding, certainly, and he's happy to help earn it, but he wants the terms and checks clear from the start. ]
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I'm not going to be sharing out the account numbers. I can think of a few people off the top of my head I wouldn't trust to spend responsibly. And no offense, but I don't have confidence in anyone here but me to know how to manage that much money.
[Any money they got out of this would be perfectly legal, and since this was a long game it was going to have to look like it got spent legally, too. What Fitz had in front of him now was just step one, seed money for the bigger projects.]
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[ their lot's rather irresponsible on the whole, but he won't aid a venture without a second pair of eyes on the side, preferably his own. ]
But if you want my help, then I'll be having those numbers. [ tipping his head up. ] Just don't have the confidence in anyone here but me, as you say.
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[They appreciate due diligence. ]
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Then we have a deal. [ downing a sizable amount of his pint. ] I'll get you some schematics to consider within the fortnight. [ a beat. ] Everything stays in your name — can't have mine associated with competitive work.
[ as a Loyal Pulsar Employee™ ]
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timeskip??
as for the rest — ]
I'll see you then. [ standing, he offers a two-fingered wave, not quite a salute. ] Door'll open for your ID, if you can make it before your shift.
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And that next evening, Sniper does swing by before their shift. They'll text Fitz to let him know they're on their way, entering with a cheery:]
Hello!
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No need to move, after all. Fitz sits at the island that separates team SHIELD's open kitchen and sitting room, tinkering with another project. Hard to say what it is, in its infancy. Aside from the assorted tools, the flat is mundane. Definitely lived in, with enough personal touches to feel like a home. ]
[ casually, ] I appreciate the personal call.
[ that Sniper's willing to do the legwork and explain himself. ]
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They're in workout clothes, sweaty, carrying a bag that doesn't seem to have much more than the mask in it when they open it up to place it on the worktable.]
Sure. There was another thing I wanted to talk to you about anyway, I just couldn't figure out a good euphemism for "bullets."
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We tend to go with cryptonyms.
[ designated codenames over euphemisms. difficult to memorise short-term, but invaluable in the long run. ]
Shoot.
[ get it? with the bullets and all... just pitch the idea... ]
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You don't have one for the blue stuff in our chests, do you? I was telling Loki, we really need a snappier name for it.
[But that's not important right now. Sniper draws one more item out of the bag: a rifle round, which they set next to the mask. If Fitz pays a lot of attention to bullets he'll note it's not the same as what the UNA uses in their guns. Sniper's own rifle had appeared out of their chest, loaded with this single round.]
I'm out of them, and I can't get these on the market. Do you think anyone on your team could make more?
[So bullet smelting was a bit more low-tech than Fitz's other projects, but Sniper was really hoping someone on the
nerd squadR&D department had a power cheat.]no subject
[ so they'll workshop something better. ]
I nicked heavy artillery of theirs during the raids. [ offhand, with one corner of his mouth hooking upward. ] Armour-piercing. [ and he's already working on replicating them, so more rifle rounds is absolutely in his wheelhouse. He runs a hand over the round. ] Meaning yes, we can.
[ he doesn't have a team yet, exactly, but he will soon. got his eyes on key recruits already, after all. He motions for Sniper to help themselves to anything in the kitchen and take a seat. ]
So, tell me about the masks. [ openly curious, that. ]
[ In his mind, the displaced need a something as bold and brilliant as their powers (distracting), anonymity to act, but the look and feel of a greater cause. ]
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The good news is worth the patience. They still appreciate the practical applications, which is why they're intent on getting a lot of money to throw at this fledgling R&D division.]
Excellent. I need some for the UNA rifle, too. [The specs of which they will recite aloud for Fitz, down to the metallic composition.
With that taken care of, they do help themselves to whatever's convenient to drink before settling in to satisfy Fitz's curiosity.]
It's only a matter of time before we need to act publicly again. My money's on another monster. [Though the UNA would be looking at them, now. Waiting for them to show themselves.] And I think that when we do, we need to distinguish ourselves from Morningstar. People are recognizing us as our own phenomenon, and that's to both of our benefits.
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Mine, too. [ Fitz has his theories about the quakes and power outages that predated their arrival by almost a year. That's a pattern of escalation. ] And I agree. Recognition without exposing the whole of us is essential. [ There are noncombatants and individuals trying to live semi-normal lives among them. And for a spy, preserving one's identity is important for protecting your loved ones, as much as for doing your duty. Moving swiftly onward — ] That's freedom to choose. [ to act for a cause, not as an individual. ] And the mobility for us to act without compromising our intelligence gathering operations.
[ He leans forward on his elbows, brows arched. Fitz would prefer the vigilantes put on domino masks, so to speak, but he knows that's not his call to make. All he can do is ensure others have options. ]
I've a mind to see if Gaby would be willing to assist. With NA Morningstar cut off from the other branches, we may have more freedom to play with their cache of tech and weaponry.
[ and he's an agent of Morningstar, besides. Even if trust there is slow to bloom, he's well-positioned to make the ask. ]
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[Favors were never free, not even the fun ones. Sniper idly swipes at the condensation on their glass, and presses a cold hand to the back of their neck.]
It's only a matter of time before the UNA realizes that blue glowing people are only in New Amsterdam—if that's the case. If we're vulnerable disorganized when they decide to crack down, so is Morningstar. And I know Gaby doesn't want to cut and run.
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