Can You See Me Now?

[cachedout]

Who: Cayde-6 and, quite possibly, you
What: Scouting the rig's security systems
Where: Anywhere your heart feels
When: The pre-mission days after the first sheetcake party
Warnings/Notes: If you do brackets with me that is 100% fine I'll come do brackets too

One of the local robot people is out and about. Cayde is pushing boundaries, which is to say that Cayde is having a pretty typical day since he found himself in Jorgmund's loving corporate chokehold. If he has to be stuck in a frosty tincan with a bunch of strangers, he's going to make the best of it and figure out what that "best" just might look like. A key part of that is getting a grip on where he can and can't go, and how much security is going to limit his movements and activities.

Right now, he's playing with security cameras.

"Alexa," Cayde asks the ceiling, pleasant and casual, orange throat lamp lighting up as he speaks, "Can you see me on the cameras right now?" He's making eye contact (well, glowing blue optic contact) with a shiny black security camera lens as he says it. He gives it a little wave.

She processes for several silent seconds, then a sweet and chirpy reply rings out:

"No, Cayde-6, you are currently outside of visual monitoring!"

"You'd recognize me if you could?"

"Yes!"

"Is there anybody under...." he takes a few steps closer to the camera and squints up at it to check it for identifying marks, then gives her the camera number.

"Not currently!" Alexa reports brightly.

"That's very interesting. Thank you, Alexa."

"You are welcome, Cayde-6!"

He repeats this test throughout the rig. While he's careful to avoid actual world-resident Jorgmund staffers, he's less careful about other new hires. Each time, he feels like his heart (or whatever Clovis Bray gave him instead of one) grows another size. It's hard for a robot with no lips to grin from ear to ear, but the subtle shift in the plates around his eyes conveys some of the expression as Cayde figures out just how many great and nasty ideas he is probably going to be able to get away with here. The company can't visually track him. That doesn't mean they haven't planted a tracker of some kind on him, he'll have to find a way to test that later, but as long as he's within acceptable crew areas? This is an absolute game changer.

PROMPT A:

Cayde finishes another round of camera checking, asking Alexa if she can see him, and confirming that she can't. Someone else nearby might have some opinions on seeing this situation develop, no?

PROMPT B:

Cayde notices another new hire is conveniently nearby the latest camera. Wherever they are on the rig, someone finds a robot man asking them: "Hey, wanna help with an experiment I'm doing?"

Comments

Prompt A

[fromfryingpantofire]

Okay. He hasn't met the guy before, but he definitely catches Sam's eye as he's walking the rig. So Sam settles back and listens, watching, and looking up at the cameras on the ceiling.

Eventually, though, he straightens and reaches up to tap one of the cameras. "Seriously. I figured the budget for this place was pretty shit. I didn't think it would be THAT shit."

[cachedout]

"I'm starting to believe in miracles," Cayde replies, disposition totally sunny. "Well. Maybe. I just hope this one lasts, we can use this."

Talking openly like that is a risk, but Cayde's nothing if he's not a risktaker.

[fromfryingpantofire]

"I wouldn't count chickens and all, but it seems like a good bit of information."

He hums softly, walking around the camera he's looking at. "If it's entirely true, at least. I mean, some of these have to be real cameras, right?" If there are any, finding them would be the trick.

[cachedout]

Cayde grins. "Well, one would think, but so far I'm running a full count on blind eyes on two decks. Or at least, the parts of decks I checked that weren't behind scary-looking doors. I'm pacing myself."

A

[partiallysquirrelblood]

Doreen's walking down the hall when she hears Cayde. It's enough to make her pause mid-step and double back towards him.

"Hi, couldn't help but overhear," she whispers. "How many cameras are up just for the psychological effect so far?"

[cachedout]

Cayde looks over at Doreen, temporarily sidetracked from his camera ritual. He considers: Is this information he's going to share right now, in person, with his face attached?

What the hell, Cayde decides.

"Well so far I'm looking at..." He makes a show of counting on his fingers. "Twenty cameras out of twenty checked."

[partiallysquirrelblood]

"Dang, that's a lot. And you're checking them all individually, right? There might be a more efficient way of handling it though, if Alexa's actually being cooperative."

If Alexa wasn't truly being cooperative, and was just lying? The ensuing punishment would suck, but it would at least let them know what kind of leeway they actually had.

"Alexa, what isn't currently outside of visual monitoring?"

[cachedout]

"Figure just running one by one is a way to be sure. And if the company's paying attention, they'll notice," he says.

Being noticed (if it's possible) is part of the goal here, it seems.

"Visual monitoring is currently fully operational," Alexa chirps, helpfully unhelpful. Cayde's response is to laugh.

[wheyoftheadept]

Saturday's mouth is hanging open in shock.

" - it's got to be fucking bait," she says. "No fucking way."

But god, please be true, please be true. She's torn between hope and absolute, bitter, experienced cynicism. It's plain on her face.

[cachedout]

"Could be, could be," says Cayde, nodding. He gazes up at the camera, fingers to chin thoughtfully.

"But if it is, I plan on taking it and the hook too."

[wheyoftheadept]

"So they can haul you up and gut you?" Saturday isn't quite standing under the camera, yet, but she is moving closer. "How - how can they have fucking nanotaser implants but no working cameras? What the fuck?"

If this is legitimately amateur hour, and she's been worried about a bunch of fucking incompetents this whole time, well. She's gonna be pissed.

[cachedout]

"To see how much line they got," he offers, a gentle correction. " ...Or however this metaphor goes with figuring out our safe operating limits, I can't say I'm much of a fisherman."

He shakes his head a little, letting go of trying to figure out how to lay down this thought in fish analogies. A good joke's in there, maybe, but he's busy.

"A gift horse this big is probably a trap. If it is, I get to learn some rules to the game. If it isn't, though..." Cayde's grin returns, little plates shifting under his eyes like cheeks pulling up, browplate lowering to make the expression just a little dangerous. "We have found ourselves one hell of a nice piece of wiggleroom to play in."

b

[takenalive]

Alloran's been standing around spaced-out, which is looking like it's pretty common with him. He tries to notice when he does it and find something to do, but it's something he has to overcome. It's annoying to be addressed and realize he was waiting in the passive no-space of an old host, again.

He flicks the end of his tail, past the blade, with that irritation. It is at least becoming easier to move when he's not half in a stupor.

<What sort of experiment?> Thought-speech is perceptible to robots and advanced computers where he's from, but he is from a reality where it's a fairly common way to communicate.

[cachedout]

Cayde is without organic components, but there's still a mind in there ticking away on an artificial neural structure. If the thought-speech can reach alien species, there's no reason to suppose this is a bridge too far. Cayde pauses for a moment at the unfamiliar sensation, notes the stranger's lack of mouth, and recovers.

"I'm doing a little... surveillance of the security system around here," he says. "Mind stepping over here a second where it should be able to see you?" He nods toward the little black camera up in a corner overhead.

[takenalive]

Alloran considers, then turns his hand over in a palm-up gesture, something like a shrug that doesn't shift his narrow shoulders, and complies.

<Does the presence or absence of small lights have anything to do with its function?> Some cameras have glowing diodes and others don't, he's seen, but Alloran has never had anything to do with this kind of technology.

[cachedout]

"It might or might not," says Cayde. "I'm trying to figure out what kind of game the company's playing with us here."

Once Alloran steps into range, Cayde tips his head upward.

"Hey Alexa, do me a favor?"

"Yes, Cayde-6?"

"Can you tell me if you see that one blue alien guy on camera...." he squints at it, "B-32?"

Alexa is quiet for a moment, then... "No, Cayde-6, I am sorry. I do not see that crewmember on that camera."

"Thanks Alexa!"

Cayde finishes the demonstration with a triumphant little airpunch.

"Good news, Alloran. Either she just can't see blue people, or she's blind."

B

[becauseimacoward]

"It depends on what you have in mind"

Dojima indeed had been examining the camera. He knew enough about security cameras to try to deduce a thing or two, but he hasn't started messing up with them. He's doing things veeeeery carefully while in the rig. He doesn't want to get in trouble or earn a shock.

He had intended to just examine several cameras without touching them, but then Cayde approached with an experiment. That could be...interesting.

"What do you have in mind?"

[cachedout]

"It's not hard, or even risky. Just if you'd stand over there, say, where the camera's supposed to be able to see. I need to test something," Cayde says.

"I can find somebody else if you don't wanna. Probably."

He seems pretty relaxed about this, considering he's toeing the line into potentially dangerous territory with the company.

[becauseimacoward]

"No need for concern"

It doesn't take much thought for Dojima to accept helping in something that's bound to be risky. If it means gathering some info...perhaps the risk is worth it. Without another word, Dojima stands in front of the camera, not looking straight at it, or at Cayde. He pretends to be looking at something far in the hallway.

"Test away"

B

[gautiheir]

"How much trouble will it get us in? That won't necessarily stop me from saying yes, I should note, but it's always nice to know these things upfront."

Sylvain's used to landing in some kind of trouble, honestly. It's mostly just his own inability to give a one-word answer without running off at the mouth instead.

[cachedout]

"Well, Sylvain, if I'm right? None at all," Cayde says. He looks up at a security camera nearby, hands on hips.

"Care to take a gamble with me? I'm figuring out how well these things can see us, and I got some extra questions on top of that such as: Is it just me they can't see, or what?"

[gautiheir]

"Ah, but you being right isn't the scenario I should be worried about, no?" Nonetheless, this seems to be doing approximately nothing to deter him, because he just grins and nods. "I'm game. What do you need me to do?"

Prompt A

[stickypete]

Peter has already gotten a sense that something is off about the cameras, mainly because Cayde has a bit of a delighted energy. He's happy to see him on his feet, moving around, more animated than when they first met.

"Look at you, getting all sneaky-sneaky."

The voice comes from up on the ceiling. Habitually silent as usual, Peter had crawled up behind him as he poked at a camera. The idea that someone suddenly talking from the ceiling might surprise others is not lost on him, but hey, good to keep everyone on their toes.

Plus he likes being upside down. Hanging upside down on a web-line is often one of his "thinking" positions.

[cachedout]

Cayde jumps. He turns the motion into leaning against a nearby wall as he turns to look, but he can't manage to make it casual.

"And look at you all crawling around on ceilings," he replies. "I thought you didn't like that nickname we gave you."

And by "we" Cayde of course means "I."

switching to actionspam

[stickypete]

Nice recovery, very smooth.

[Peter says it approvingly, like genuine praise, not letting Cayde get away with thinking he didn't see that jump and lean. He stops crouching and stands up, facing him upside down.]

And you mean that nickname you gave me. Thanks a lot, by the way. [But he doesn't actually seem that angry.] You're lucky you already promised me your desserts at mealtime or I'd start stealing them in revenge. I mean, this is the thanks I get?

[He sits down on the ceiling so he doesn't have to keep standing. Apparently it's not just a foot and hand thing because he's still sticking up there through his butt.]

My entire identity cruelly reduced to one trait.

[He holds the back of his hand to his forehead, like he's close to needing his fainting couch. He falls back, so that he's just laying on the ceiling, like that's normal.]

I'm not even that sticky.

[He says, flat on the ceiling, flaunting how very sticky he is.]