[Day 1 - Early Afternoon] Next Order of Business (Elizabeth's)

[Boogiepop]

Elizabeth Mills
Weyland Consortium • Natural • Construction Executive

At a remote meeting, Elizabeth conversed with one of her project leaders. The conversation was pleasant enough, merely exchanging niceties before delving into the particular project itself when it comes to one of the newest development around the city. While she would like to have a full grasp over her projects, she ultimately would pass on all of the micromanaging to a few trusted people to meet her timelines. Despite being very efficient and good at her job, she was only human at the end of the day.

"...yes, that's right. Don't forget. Thank you." She chuckled in good humour before ending the communication with a button press on her desk.

She turned her attention to Nadia in the room. "With that out of the way, next order of business. Sit, Nadia."

[Nadia Avaline]

Same casually dressed suit, different colors, Nadia waited patiently near one wall of the room. Almost appearing like a statue at times as she waited to be useful. No sense of a better use of time she was easily patient. Concepts like boredom thankfully didn't quite plague her as strongly as it might another. Attention snapping back as Elizabeth's turned back to her she answered the direction directly, moving from the position to the seat and sitting as instructed. Taking only the extra steps to maintain her appearance after sitting, a few quick brushes and checks, as she'd been well instructed to do.

As she sat Nadia looked to Elizabeth with the full focus of her attention, hands resting in her lap.

[Boogiepop]

Elizabeth Mills

She gave a nod once Nadia was in her seat and crossed her legs, leaning back in her chair. "So, about that meeting plan yesterday. It looks like we'll have to drop that from our plans after all. I don't know if you've had a chance to catch the news feed but it seems that Ricardo Perez won't really be needing to join us at his great project reveal after all. Funny enough, he found himself in an accident on the east side of Rutherford. That's at least one order of business we can put on the back burner, scratch that from my schedule, Nadia."

[Nadia Avaline]

Both eyes emitting a soft silver glow as she accessed and cleared the notations from the calendar. As she did so her gaze wasn't on Elizabeth but looking out to the side and down toward the floor. Considering she wasn't actually looking at the space around her at the moment she didn't wanna be seen to stare.

There was a sadness she felt, but not one she showed. Emotion wasn't exactly in the list of things she was taught when she was trained and schooled to perform as she was needed to. Leaving all that learning to mostly be done by those she interacted with, learning from their examples. Learning most from Elizabeth's example she'd heard news like this before and the woman appeared un-phased, and so Nadia appeared un-phased.


"I heard it on the broadcast when I was picking up your order," she comments, the split focus showing in her tone. Though that fades as her eyes revert and she looks back. Off ring a solid and crisply said, "Done."

[Boogiepop]

Elizabeth Mills

"Good," she said simply enough regarding having that bit done for her. "Well, what the broadcast wouldn't tell you is that he died on the scene. Obviously, hard to survive riding a flaming fireball crashing right into the ground. Supposed MediEvac Plus took his burnt body on site and his family are currently arguing insurance cashouts particulars."

She gave her a dismissive shake of her head, more than happy to move past this. "Anyway, with him gone...I'm honestly a bit more intrigued by his sales pitch, even if I'm not going to be rushing out to go see it anytime soon. I suppose they'll be trying to find what to do or who to promote with him gone. I'm thinking of just taking the initiative and just folding it in with whatever heap I have. Maybe I can transfer the staff, reroute the funds, and sell the rest. Hm?"

[Nadia Avaline]

Nadia listened dutifully. Leaving the moment following to linger in thought for half a minute. Her brow furrowing as she considered a thought.

"Did you want me to pull up what information I can about it?"

[Boogiepop]

Elizabeth Mills

"Yes, let's go with that," she said with a small smile. Nowadays, everyone was a little technically savvy enough to manage their own PAD. However, having someone handling all of the technical aspects...and headaches certainly left a lot of freedom to care about other things. Nadia had been a good source of stress management indirectly. "Let's get into Perez's files on his project and getting into the directory, personnel records...everything, using my clearance, of course. I'm sure that will override everything. I mean, I am on the Board, after all."

She gave Nadia a nod to make it so.

[Nadia Avaline]

With not even a nod, Nadia was right into it. Eyes gaining that glowing quality once more as she connected through her pad across the net and worked toward accessing immediately what she could from her current seat. Excitement toward it, perhaps, she didn't think to look away from Elizabeth before she did. Concentration mostly focused on the netspace she was still attentively listening for any other direction, of course, but her visual field was concerned with other matters, the rest blurring away.

[Boogiepop]

It didn't take look for Elizabeth and the room that was her office to blur away and replaced itself with the Network. It wasn't so much that Nadia found herself disembodied here but most certainly her form didn't have the same meaning when navigating here. Most people have come to take it as an extension of the interface experience when going deeply, merely paying attention to what was in front of them. However, it is said that a few have managed to manifest as avatars, making the Netspace another reality itself and sometimes taking forms beyond reality. That said, the meatspace will always exist as an anchor regardless of how convincing this experience might become.

Having navigated through Elizabeth's portal and the many servers of the Weyland Consortium, Perez's wasn't anything extraordinary. It did fit full-well under the same found with all execs of the company with some overruling others when it comes to position or mere politics. Elizabeth often had the upper hand over many of the executives, save for some of the old guard who occupied the board. However, it seemed that Perez was more than careful and had installed some extra protection to supersede company access.

This was going to need to be hacked.

[Nadia Avaline]

In meatspace Nadia sat near still as a cutout version of herself. That was until she arrived at the blocking point of the personal protections placed on his data. As she wasn't totally disconnected, she had enough sense left in meatspace to report off with a professional tone, "Perez has extra security. Company access isn't enough."

"Need confirmation," she states, and leaves exactly what she needs confirmation for unspoken. After all, she'd worked for Elizabeth long enough to have some things not needing to be openly said.

[Boogiepop]

Elizabeth Mills

Elizabeth sighed softly that that news. "That's a pain but admittedly, I'd be a bit insulted if he didn't have anything."

Admittedly, extra security was pretty common place among executives and Elizabeth was clearly not an exception with Nadia. She gave a wave of her hand for effect, even if Nadia couldn't see it herself. "Go ahead, do whatever it takes to get us through."

This will take a Daunting Difficult ((◆◆◆◆) to access with Computer (Hacking) (Intelligence) but Elizabeth's clearance will reduce that to Hard ((◆◆◆) instead.

[Nadia Avaline]

Nadia nods. Eyes having that blank state to them as their glowing focus was in the Net. Simple enough as things were she didn't commit to a full dive. Due to the nature of not going into the full dive her head turned at times, different necessities for inputs and such as she focused on the net and not her physical form. With Elizabeth's access, she manages to gain access through the rather simplistic defense easily enough.

Day 1, EA | Computer (Hacking), Elizabeth's Clearance, vs Hard: 2eP+2eA+3eD 3 successes, 2 threat

[Boogiepop]

This is now considered to be a Network Encounter!

Nadia entered the preliminary systems on the surface but there was far more waiting for her on the other side. As she made her way through, she was caught with some feedback that results in some choppy connections as she entered the system (using threat to give one Setback die on the next roll).



Waiting on her on the otherwise was an Ice Wall, which was standard ICE. It was enough to stop most people from getting any further as passive access easily bounce off its frigid exterior.

Program Strength: 5, Barrier

It will take a Difficulty of Average (◆◆) with Computer (Hacking) (Intelligence) to break this, needing 5 success and adding any Icebreakers if it is equipped.

[Nadia Avaline]

As she looms in on the icewall Nadia goes deep, cutting off her connection to the outside world completely. Focusing on the wall in front of herself she loads up a Battering Ram, an impossibly effective and basic tool against barriers like this. Which was the entire reason it was loaded onto her PAD. However, even Nadia comes up stumped sometimes and the ram doesn't manage to break through the ice like she was originally expecting.

Maneuver: Go Deep
Maneuver: Activate Icebreaker Battering Ram
Action: Break Ice

Day 1, EA | Computer (Hacking) Break Ice, Battering Ram (6) vs Average, Ice Wall (5): 2eP+2eA+2eD 1 failure, 4 advantage


Day 1, EA | Forgotten Setback: 1eS 1 failure


Total: 2 Failure, 4 Advantage.
[OOC: I'm not quite sure what makes sense for the advantage here!]

[Boogiepop]

[OOC: Perhaps go for a Boost and potentially a Permanent Backdoor in case Nadia needs to reaccess again?]

Nadia bounced off the Ice Wall at her attempt. Barriers such as Ice Wall were typically simple in design but sturdy in their purpose to keep intruders out. This was typically enough to dissuade people to stop pushing their luck or buy some time for the sysop to prevent the running from staying on the Network. However, Nadia seems to face no repercussions other than wasted time.

Round 2, go!

[Nadia Avaline]

With the owners demise, the lacking immediacy certainly had given her opportunity to play around a little. While waiting for the battering ram to work on the icewall Nadia's consciousness takes some relaxing time turning her attention elsewhere. Using this leisurely time in creating herself a backdoor and clearing up the the choppy connection. With a strengthened connection she manages to even make it a little more efficient for her purposes. Just in time for the icewall to shatter from the repeated beatings of the battering ram. It was a brute-force tactic, but it was tried and true. Doing the extra mental work to even clean up a bit of her own presence in the moment before she'd further access the sub-system.

Day 1, EA | Computer (Hacking) Break Ice, Battering Ram (6), Opportunity, vs Average, Ice Wall (5): 2eP+2eA+1eB+2eD 2 successes, 2 advantage


Action: Break Ice (Success with 2, 2 Strength + 6 Battering Ram: 8 vs 5 Barrier Strength)
Maneuver: "Enact Command" probably!

Previous Advantage: Opportunity Identified (1), and Permanent Back Door (3)
Current Round Advantage: Cover Tracks (2) [Normally to counter Trace attempts with Setback, but figure it's fluffy for what's being done here]

[Boogiepop]

As the Ice Wall shattered into digital fragments, Nadia could see the lingering fragments begin to rebuild the ICE once more. Finding an opening didn't entirely delete the ICE but often that shouldn't prove to be a problem, only depending on how reinforced the server was.

Nadia was not done, yet.



Making her way past the Ice Wall, she was greeted by another ICE...something sentient? Haas-Bioroid often applied their mastery of artificial intelligence in making certain types of Bioroid ICE, complete with a semi-independent thought process and logical function. They would only remain in their ICE domain, however.

"My name is Viktor. Nice to meet you. Would you like to play a game?"

Viktor extended his hands forward and extended cable-like webs from his fingertips, creating an intricate pattern that is both beautiful and confounding, making escape uncertain. Finding a way through is going to take some deduction to breakthrough.

Program Strength: 4, Code Gate

Round 3, go!

[Nadia Avaline]

Getting as far as the battering ram will take her for a moment, Nadia sizes up the Viktor program. Knowing full well that she wasn't equipped to deal with this she wasn't about to not try. Needed something to show for the effort if she was going to get blocked out. Though this thought was admittedly far more of a cautious thought that covered over the reality, she wanted to see if she could do it.

Let's play.

Nadia's gathered strength, however, wouldn't wind up being enough to break the program.

Action: Break Ice
(No effective ice, 2 vs 4: Doesn't succeed.)

Day 1, EA | Computer (Hacking) Break Ice, vs Average, Viktor (4): 2eP+2eA+2eD 2 successes, 1 threat

[Boogiepop]

Viktor would continue to spin his web, ultimately creating something that was large enough to bounce Nadia out of the system. He flung his hand in her direction and the cables felt real enough when they struck her that it actually hurt (using Thread to do one 1 Wound, not soakable).

Nadia was now outside of the system, although not entirely locked out of access from this point. There was also the backdoor to consider too.


Elizabeth Mills

There was a slight creak in Elizabeth's chair as she waited. Certainly, something like this would take time but she imagined that they were advanced enough that anything could be done right now.

[Nadia Avaline]

As the web struck in netspace, the physical Nadia winced in meatspace. Finding herself thrust out of the system by Viktor her consciousness growled a bit, or at least expressed the emotion, but as she was still deep this didn't transfer out. Instead of going right back in she knew well enough she'd actually need some of her gear for this one and came back to the shallow end before her eyes glow dimmed to a natural look again. Blinking she looks around the room just as a bead of sweat falls across her forehead, eyes closing a moment to fight through the realization for the slight headache.

Eyes remaining shut as she nursed the headache for the moment, both hands rested on either arm of the chair, as she said, "I will need my gear for this," she spoke, her tone remained deferential. Not simply stating but by the nature of the tone requesting permission to go do that.