Okuu Quest Subsequently - A Z-Machine Adventure

[DracoOmega]

>Well, assuming we speak discretely:
>"Ok, as I see it, here's the problems in order: getting past the guards at the gate and into the building, getting past the guards inside, getting stuff past the metal detectors, being inconspicuous on security cameras, getting past the card locks, and then who-knows-what."
>"All of these are hard problems, but some have more obvious solutions than others."

[Hello Purvis]

>Well, assuming we speak discretely:
>"Ok, as I see it, here's the problems in order: getting past the guards at the gate and into the building, getting past the guards inside, getting stuff past the metal detectors, being inconspicuous on security cameras, getting past the card locks, and then who-knows-what."
>"All of these are hard problems, but some have more obvious solutions than others."

>She nods. "What're your thoughts on dealing with them?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, the card locks can be solved by getting a card. While getting it may be an issue, we do know more or less where to find one."
>"The metal detectors limit what we can take in... but we mightn't need a whole lot. The issue is more if Ace needs to bring in computer gear, I think. But she might be able to make do with stuff we can find inside. If need be, we can probably find some non-metallic tools to hide on us."
>"The real live people are the major problem, in my mind. An ID card isn't going to fool them, so we either need a way to evade the guards completely, disable them directly, or trick them into thinking we're allowed in there. The last of these would be the safest, if we could figure a way to get it to work. We don't want the whole facility on alert before we even get in the door."

[Blitzer]

>Naturally, think of ways to trick the guards into thinking we're allowed in there.
>And find ways of getting around the security cameras.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, the card locks can be solved by getting a card. While getting it may be an issue, we do know more or less where to find one."
>"The metal detectors limit what we can take in... but we mightn't need a whole lot. The issue is more if Ace needs to bring in computer gear, I think. But she might be able to make do with stuff we can find inside. If need be, we can probably find some non-metallic tools to hide on us."
>"The real live people are the major problem, in my mind. An ID card isn't going to fool them, so we either need a way to evade the guards completely, disable them directly, or trick them into thinking we're allowed in there. The last of these would be the safest, if we could figure a way to get it to work. We don't want the whole facility on alert before we even get in the door."

>Parsee nods.
>"I think, maybe, we can get around the metal detectors by making sure there's no one around to notice us skipping around them. Or no one conscious, at least. I expect the hacker can deal with the security cameras somehow. And, I dunno how we could trick them into thinking we're supposed to be there. Any ideas?"

>Naturally, think of ways to trick the guardsinto thinking we're allowed in there.
>And find ways of getting around the security cameras.

>You're gonna have your work cut out with that one, you think.
>Parsee had an idea that could work, but...it might hurt to to consider another one.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, one thing happened this morning that could be useful. Stargazer's getting better at moving things, and surprising even herself. She lifted a screwdriver at work while still invisible. There's a lot of things we could do with that. We might even be able to get her to swipe the ID right out from under Yumemi's nose. We might be able to create some sort of distraction via randomly moving and flying objects. Of course, that might involve her showing up on the cameras, too. But if we can wipe the footage afterwards..."

>"It's a long shot, but one possibility for getting a guard to wave us into the facility might be to claim that we were delivering a message or package on behalf of Yumemi. We could even show him the ID that she'd 'lent' us for temporary clearance for this purpose. Say it was something urgent and she had to be elsewhere. I don't know. It's a little far-fetched, and they might just confiscate the ID and the package and say they'd deliver it themselves. It's.... kind of a hard problem."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, one thing happened this morning that could be useful. Stargazer's getting better at moving things, and surprising even herself. She lifted a screwdriver at work while still invisible. There's a lot of things we could do with that. We might even be able to get her to swipe the ID right out from under Yumemi's nose. We might be able to create some sort of distraction via randomly moving and flying objects. Of course, that might involve her showing up on the cameras, too. But if we can wipe the footage afterwards..."

>"It's a long shot, but one possibility for getting a guard to wave us into the facility might be to claim that we were delivering a message or package on behalf of Yumemi. We could even show him the ID that she'd 'lent' us for temporary clearance for this purpose. Say it was something urgent and she had to be elsewhere. I don't know. It's a little far-fetched, and they might just confiscate the ID and the package and say they'd deliver it themselves. It's.... kind of a hard problem."

>"Well," Parsee says, "It's good that Stargazer's learning to pull her weight. All those things you described could be really useful. And...you know? That's not a bad idea. At worst, it'll give us a reason to get close enough to the gate to do some, and probably distract the guard a minute at least."
>She looks around. "Stargazer's not doing anything weird at the moment, is she?"
>Stargazer appears to be contemplating a leftover portion of a burger on a table that has yet to have been cleaned up.
>The waitress approaches! "Figured out what you guys want yet?"
>The menu is pretty simple, burgers and sides. Really, it's just a question of whether you try to moderate yourself, given in a little bit, or just toss aside all pretense of not pigging out.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Well, if we're hungry, we're hungry. We can have a few indulgences, given all the other crap we've had to put up with these past couple days. Just don't overdo it TOO much
>Stated more directly: order something sizable, without going over the top

[Hello Purvis]

>Well, if we're hungry, we're hungry. We can have a few indulgences, given all the other crap we've had to put up with these past couple days. Just don't overdo it TOO much
>Stated more directly: order something sizable, without going over the top

>You decide a double burger with extra fries ought to do it.
>"I've also been thinking," says Parsee, "Do you think your hacker would be amicable to cutting a deal? On the information we get, that is?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"As in, you get some of it, and she gets some of it? I suppose it's possible. You two might be interested in different things, after all. I don't really know what kind of information she deals in, or who she sells it to, but it's possible there's stuff she wouldn't care about. Or would at least be willing to part with. Like, say, you post information on the substantive nature of various 'dubious' projects, while she gets technical schematics that you probably wouldn't be able to do anything with, anyway. That kind of thing?"

>"I talked to Nitori about her time in the facility this morning, actually. Was kind of hoping she'd let something about what goes on it there slip, but she was pretty tight-lipped about it, too. Although she stopped working there ages ago, apparently some of the stuff she was involved with is still classified. But she did make it pretty clear that the military has a hand in a bunch of the more secret stuff, there. In fact, it was a military project that led to her quitting in the first place."

>"Now that I think of it, if they really ARE making weapons there, I'm not sure how I like the idea of helping weapon blueprints hit the open market... Maybe Ace doesn't deal in that kind of stuff. I hope to hell she doesn't."

[Hello Purvis]

>"As in, you get some of it, and she gets some of it? I suppose it's possible. You two might be interested in different things, after all. I don't really know what kind of information she deals in, or who she sells it to, but it's possible there's stuff she wouldn't care about. Or would at least be willing to part with. Like, say, you post information on the substantive nature of various 'dubious' projects, while she gets technical schematics that you probably wouldn't be able to do anything with, anyway. That kind of thing?"

>"I talked to Nitori about her time in the facility this morning, actually. Was kind of hoping she'd let something about what goes on it there slip, but she was pretty tight-lipped about it, too. Although she stopped working there ages ago, apparently some of the stuff she was involved with is still classified. But she did make it pretty clear that the military has a hand in a bunch of the more secret stuff, there. In fact, it was a military project that led to her quitting in the first place."

>"Now that I think of it, if they really ARE making weapons there, I'm not sure how I like the idea of helping weapon blueprints hit the open market... Maybe Ace doesn't deal in that kind of stuff. I hope to hell she doesn't."

>"I suppose we'll just be dividing up the plunder when we get it," says Parsee. "Well, I hope she will, anyways."
>You tell her about your talks with Nitori. "I wouldn't let her know anything, she's got old loyalties even if the military led her to quit. And, I knew those two were linked! I knew it!"
>"Well," says Parsee, "Realistically speaking, it wouldn't matter in the long run. I mean, there's no weapon that's to actually stop anyone determined enough to fight for whatever reason. I mean, America got attacked by guys with boxcutters despite having a giant army and stuff. That being said, if we actually did find weapon blueprints, I' not even sure if I would leak them... Their existence? Totally. But the schematics...eh."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Yeah, well, you know... despite what we're trying to do, I really don't want anyone to end up getting hurt because of us. And who knows what dangerous stuff they have in there that someone else might like to get their hands on? Hopefully I'm overreacting, but this is all really over my head. And yours, too, you know, whether you like it or not."

>"And I considered telling Nitori. It's possible that if she was convinced that there was a real serious issue at foot, her past connections might be useful. Her heart's in the right place. I'm sure of it. But, like you say, she may still have ties to could come back to bite me if I try it. I'm sure she wouldn't try to get me in trouble, but that doesn't mean she'd agree with what I think needs to be done."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, well, you know... despite what we're trying to do, I really don't want anyone to end up getting hurt because of us. And who knows what dangerous stuff they have in there that someone else might like to get their hands on? Hopefully I'm overreacting, but this is all really over my head. And yours, too, you know, whether you like it or not."

>"And I considered telling Nitori. It's possible that if she was convinced that there was a real serious issue at foot, her past connections might be useful. Her heart's in the right place. I'm sure of it. But, like you say, she may still have ties to could come back to bite me if I try it. I'm sure she wouldn't try to get me in trouble, but that doesn't mean she'd agree with what I think needs to be done."

>She nods. "Yeah. We'll deal with that when it comes up."
>"Well, if you trust her that much, I suppose you're right. Just, uh, don't mention me in the same breath if you do get into it with her."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Yeah, a lot of this is probably going to be improv. But I will mention the idea to Ace later, once we have more details of the plan worked out."
>"And, um... while I haven't decided whether I'll mention it to Nitori or not, and I'll try to keep you out of it if I do, but... well, uh, Nitori already knows of your existence, to an extent. She was rather inquisitive about who I was going out to lunch with yesterday, among other things. I'm not sure I gave her a name, or anything. But I, uh, also mentioned that I'd gone ghost hunting with Renko and Maribel the night before last. You see, I actually met those two when I went to fix their AC unit on business, the other day, which is how the story started in the first place. I can't remember if I said you were with us that night, but I might have. Now, when I told the story, I made it sound as if I was mostly humoring Maribel and Renko, and I'm sure Nitori bought it. I mean, who'd expect us to actually find a ghost. But if I let her know the ghost was actually legit, she might start piecing things together and figure you're involved in this, too."

[Hello Purvis]

>Parsee nods. "Well, I guess it's fine if you just mention we're doing things together, as long as she doesn't figure out I'm a part of this." She grins. "Kinda flattering, really."
>"So, let's move onto the next part of the plan. How're we going to get that ID?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, I considered just having Stargazer grab it from her pocket, or wherever she keeps it, now that she can do that. But she could probably still FEEL someone rifling through her stuff, if it was on her. But possibly not if she's properly distracted at the time. If she possibly keeps it in a desk drawer in her office or something, Stargazer might be able to just slip in and retrieve it, if I could describe what it looks like. And there's still the possibility of just slipping into her house at night and taking it."
>"It's worth mentioning that we'd probably have to steal it shortly before we plan to use it, so that she doesn't realize it's missing, and inform security. Or get the card remotely deactivated or something. Grabbing it from her house at night would probably be an advantage for this, if she was actually asleep and we manage to keep her that way."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, I considered just having Stargazer grab it from her pocket, or wherever she keeps it, now that she can do that. But she could probably still FEEL someone rifling through her stuff, if it was on her. But possibly not if she's properly distracted at the time. If she possibly keeps it in a desk drawer in her office or something, Stargazer might be able to just slip in and retrieve it, if I could describe what it looks like. And there's still the possibility of just slipping into her house at night and taking it."
>"It's worth mentioning that we'd probably have to steal it shortly before we plan to use it, so that she doesn't realize it's missing, and inform security. Or get the card remotely deactivated or something. Grabbing it from her house at night would probably be an advantage for this, if she was actually asleep and we manage to keep her that way."

>Parsee nods. "Those seem like good plans. I can show you where her office is, easily. Finding her house shouldn't be too hard. But, that's a good point on time. We'd have to hurry, I never even thought about the card being deactivated. But, if we're going with your delivery story, we'd have to time it so it'd be something she'd reasonably do."
>"Still? If we get Ace? I'm feeling confident."

>_

[Blitzer]

 >"Well, if we are going to go to her house to take the ID, we should try to find something that helps build us a cover story. But we should make up a reason beforehand...but of course, like I said, a lot of this is going to be improv."
>Avoid using too many "but"s in a sentence.

EDIT: (...Crap. This part may not work.)

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, if we are going to go to her house to take the ID, we should try to find something that helps build us a cover story. But we should make up a reason beforehand...but of course, like I said, a lot of this is going to be improv."
>Avoid using too many "but"s in a sentence.

EDIT: (...Crap. This part may not work.)

>"Well, yeah, obviously," says Parsee. "I suppose we could get an alibi out of those two ghost chasers."
>Yeah, cut that shit out.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"What sort of alibi? Did you have something in mind?"
>"And... to be honest, do we know that Renko and Maribel would even approve of us stealing things and breaking in?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"What sort of alibi? Did you have something in mind?"
>"And... to be honest, do we know that Renko and Maribel would even approve of us stealing things and breaking in?"

>"I dunno. Say we were there at their place doing stuff.
>She shrugs. "They're into paranormal things. I can't imagine they'd mind doing things to get around the cover-up."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Yeah, I suppose."
>"I wonder what the usual policy for 'guest access' to the facility is, like delivering that 'package', if there even is such a policy?"
>"Actually... do you think it would be possible to take Yumemi's ID and make a doctored version with a different name/photo, somehow? We could use hers for the actual locks, and the photo ID to get past the guards?"
>"Of course, what would be ideal is if we could copy the key signature on her card, and get it back to her before she knew it was missing. Now, that kind of tech is obviously out of my league. I wonder if Ace would know how to do it? Might work kind of like a card skimmer, depending on how the card itself works. None of this might be possible, of course."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, I suppose."
>"I wonder what the usual policy for 'guest access' to the facility is, like delivering that 'package', if there even is such a policy?"
>"Actually... do you think it would be possible to take Yumemi's ID and make a doctored version with a different name/photo, somehow? We could use hers for the actual locks, and the photo ID to get past the guards?"
>"Of course, what would be ideal is if we could copy the key signature on her card, and get it back to her before she knew it was missing. Now, that kind of tech is obviously out of my league. I wonder if Ace would know how to do it? Might work kind of like a card skimmer, depending on how the card itself works. None of this might be possible, of course."

>"It's possible, I suppose," says Parsee, "But you'd have to ask Ace. But if you could make an ID, and pass it off, it'd be amazing..."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I'll look into it later today. It seems like it would be the safest route, assuming it's possible at all. Everything else I can think of involves a lot of luck."
>Did we notice where Yumemi appeared to carry her ID on her the other night? Did we actually see her show it to the guard?

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'll look into it later today. It seems like it would be the safest route, assuming it's possible at all. Everything else I can think of involves a lot of luck."
>Did we notice where Yumemi appeared to carry her ID on her the other night? Did we actually see her show it to the guard?

>She nods. "I think we can do this, Okuu."
>You didn't notice where she took it from, but you did see her show it to the guard at the front station and the one inside.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, let's hope we can, because we're gonna try, anyhow."
>"I'll talk to Ace after work, today, about the mock ID and information sharing."
>"Now, this may be something Yumemi carries on her person at all times, but there's always the chance that she keeps it locked in a drawer in her office or something while she's teaching. Could you check her schedule and find out when she teaches, so we know when she will be on campus, but certain to be aware from her office? Me and Stargazer can poke around in there, then, and see if we find anything. Otherwise, we may have to resort to the home invasion plan."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, let's hope we can, because we're gonna try, anyhow."
>"I'll talk to Ace after work, today, about the mock ID and information sharing."
>"Now, this may be something Yumemi carries on her person at all times, but there's always the chance that she keeps it locked in a drawer in her office or something while she's teaching. Could you check her schedule and find out when she teaches, so we know when she will be on campus, but certain to be aware from her office? Me and Stargazer can poke around in there, then, and see if we find anything. Otherwise, we may have to resort to the home invasion plan."

>"I am pretty sure I saw her take it out of her purse," says Parsee. "I should be able to find out when she has classes no problem, though. I guess the trick-"
>She falls silent as the waitress approaches with your food. Oh man, it smells wonderful. "Enjoy!" she says, before heading over to another table.
>"I guess the trick would be to separate her from it," she finishes.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Yeah. Might be a few ways to do that. Would be great if she didn't bring that to class with her in the first place, but barring that, we may only need to distract her from it long enough for Stargazer to slip it out. I mean, Stargazer should be able to find it in the bag before she even needs to touch anything. She can look INSIDE it, after all."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah. Might be a few ways to do that. Would be great if she didn't bring that to class with her in the first place, but barring that, we may only need to distract her from it long enough for Stargazer to slip it out. I mean, Stargazer should be able to find it in the bag before she even needs to touch anything. She can look INSIDE it, after all."

>"She'd probably keep it with her, I imagine," says Parsee. "But if we could catch her during office hours, and lure her out a little bit..."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Yeah, that may be the best idea. I might be able to come up with some suitable pretext. Wait, does that mean we can't try until Monday? Won't be able to arrange anything about the card with Ace until later this evening, probably long after office hours are over. And I doubt she'd have any over the weekend..."