View it, code it, jam, unlock it (for everyone)

[not_theleader]

The upcoming tech convention has been in the news for weeks, and they've been planning for even longer than that. Marcus has already helped Sitara plaster the sides of the buildings with an eyeline to the convention grounds; Wrench has a crate full of things that Marcus can't even imagine the purpose of; and Josh has a dozen companies and fifty individual names he wants to investigate. Marcus himself has his most comfortable shoes, freshly charged headphones, and back-up batteries for the jumper and quadcopter.

He puts on his best Young Upstart clothing that morning when he heads out, grabbing a Brand Name coffee on the way to better blend in. He spends the first part of the day among the open displays set up outside the convention center. They're all open to the general public so people can see what each company has on their agenda for the coming year, and Marcus knows they'll have it all locked down as tightly as they possibly can to keep DedSec, Prime_Eight, and anyone else from getting an opening. It's the best place to start blending in, though, as well as giving them their first look at the names Josh has on his lists, and their channel is full of commentary on each display Marcus passes. He drops a few pings on networks and individual cell phones as he goes, too, starting their longer game of getting into the closed networks inside the building.

Marcus stops in front of Galilei's table to thumb through one of the display tablets, looking at the plans for some of their upcoming launches. It's all things they already know about, but his position puts Tidis's booth in scanning range, and Marcus knows they need to keep tabs on the robotics company after how they embarrassed them before.

He's just about to move on when he has Josh's voice in his ear. "Wait, Marcus, go back."

Marcus stops a little awkwardly and turns back around, smiling at the woman behind the card table as he reaches out to take a magnet. "See something?" he mutters.

"I thought..." Josh returns a moment later. "Nevermind. Keep going."

"Okay..." Marcus drawls a little but does move on, only slightly unsettled by their near brush with whatever it was.

The morning passes, and people start heading inside for the first of the panels. Marcus has no interest in the keynote, but it's one they could actually get a pass for, and he'll really take anything that will get them through the door. He falls in line behind a man a few inches taller than him, sliding into the seat next to him once they get into the auditorium.

"Snooze time," Wrench complains in his ear, and he can't help but chuckle.

"Huh?" his seatmate asks, and Marcus waves his phone a little.

"Uh, stupid meme, you know how it is."

The man chuckles, now, grinning as he nods. "Yeah, meme for every occasion, right?" He has a slight Southern accent that marks him as an out-of-towner, and Marcus adjusts a little.

"Always. You oughta see some of the ones I get in my group chats. Some of them shouldn't even see the light of day."

The other man nods again, his curly brown hair bouncing slightly with the motion. He's wearing a vest, tie, and dress shirt, but with jeans and Chuck Taylors, not that different from ninety-nine percent of the other people in attendance. "Yeah, no, I have to ban some from the servers every now and then. Sometimes you just need a break from someone taking an arrow to the knee."

Marcus laughs outright, now. "Absolutely, man. So, uh... sorry to ask, but you're not from the area, are you?"

"The accent gives it away, right?" he asks, waving a hand at Marcus when he pulls a face. "Originally from middle Tennessee, though I spend most of my time in New York these days. I have a computer repair service and teach computer science at one of the local colleges. I'm out here to scope out whatever Silicone Valley's got up its sleeve to take back to my kids, you know?"

"I do know," Marcus agrees. "I'm, uh... born and raised in the area, but I still keep an eye on what's going on."

"Good plan." His seatmate pauses, glancing toward the front of the room as the lights go down. "Well, let's settle in for whatever this is," he adds with the same amount of disdain Marcus and the rest of Dedsec have for the dog and pony show. A moment later, though, he leans over again. "David Laney, by the way. Good to meet you."

"Marcus Halloway," Marcus returns. "And likewise."

--

The keynote is absolutely the snooze fest Wrench declared it would be, but it does at least give them some new things to look into. He and David exchange a few more pleasantries on the way out of the auditorium before the other man excuses himself to "the little nerd's room".

"Alright, so what am I looking for?" he asks the party line as he drifts along with the crowd.

Ten minutes later, he's slipped "backstage" into the green rooms provided to those with presentations. He's just dodged past security when a door opens just in front of him. Marcus manages to backpedal to keep from running into the slim, half-crouched figure that ducks out of it. They have a hoodie up over their head, a half-mask not unlike his own pulled up over their nose and mouth. They register surprise when they see him - but in that same instant, they shove Marcus back and turn on their heel to sprint in the other direction.

"Shit," Marcus hisses, ignoring the chorus of concern in his ear as he struggles to keep his balance.

"That! It's the same signal I caught earlier!" Josh says over the rest of the ruckus, and Marcus fumbles for his phone, starting a trace - that cuts out a moment later, his signal blocked at the receiving end.

"Shit!" Marcus says again - but then there are boots behind him, and he turns and ducks into the open door, pulling it closed just as a herd of Umani goons go trooping past, as alarms start to sound around him. "There's someone else here!"

Comments

[0nes_4nd_zer0es]

"Sounds good," he agrees immediately, easily keeping pace with Aiden as they head for the cafe. He doesn't really know anything else to say right now, though, and mostly keeps silent as they walk.

[the_vigilante]

Aiden, too, lapses into silence, and -- well, as promised, it's not a far walk, really. Getting the door for him as they arrive, Aiden steps in after him and mutters a c'mmon before heading for the counter. He genuinely wants a coffee, and if David wants to change his mind, to cause a scene here, now that they're away from the convention center and out in public, at least there will be whoever falls in behind them to slow him down a little.

[0nes_4nd_zer0es]

David proceeds Aiden into the cafe, waiting a beat for him once he's inside, attention drawn the menu board over the counter. He absolutely does want coffee - and he doesn't plan on going anywhere before he meets the rest of Dedsec. "Any recommendations?"

[the_vigilante]

"Depends on what you like," Aiden answers, shrugging, "and how much caffeine you're looking for." There's an espresso that has orange peel in it that's good, though that's a lot of caffeine. Then there's a saner, dark roast that tastes like chocolate and toffee, all without adding anything to it. Then there's the abomination that Wrench drinks.

[0nes_4nd_zer0es]

"Well, y'know, never have too much of that." Technically, he can, and he'll actually go for something a little saner when he gets up to order, though he still goes for something with more sugar than is probably healthy.

[the_vigilante]

Aiden goes for the dark roast he didn't mention but definitely thought about, and detours around the condiments bar, preferring his coffee (or at least this coffee) black. Heading for a booth, instead, he gestures towards it as he slides into a seat.

"Siddown. They'll be here soon."

[0nes_4nd_zer0es]

David sets his coffee down and slides into the booth across from him before he takes a drink. "We're really not lacking in coffee shops back home, but this place is cool."

[the_vigilante]

"They also don't call the cops, when I walk in," Aiden answers, flashing him a wry smile. He's developed something of a reputation here, like he had in Chicago, and while a lot of people are willing to protect him, thanks to that reputation, there are still people, good people, who see him and dial 911. This place, thankfully, is more the former than the latter. "Big plus."

"Serious plus," Wrench puts in, a little breathless and having apparently appeared from no where. He nudges one of Aiden's feet with one of his. "Seriously, though, Pearce. Scoot over."

Grumbling, Aiden shift, and Wrench plops down next to him, the LEDs on the mask reading a solid (x_x) and for more than that being the default. "Whew," he breathes, that in mind, and as he catches his breath. "Anyway, hi, new guy."

[0nes_4nd_zer0es]

David snorts softly. "Yeah, that's a definite bonus." He looks up at Wrench as the other man appears. He offers him a nod, not looking surprised by the mask or anything else.

"Hey, man. Good to meet you. Techno, if you're ever in the east coast channels."

[in_theworks]

"East Coast DedSec," Wrench scoffs. No, he doesn't hang out in the east coast channels, if only because, "You guys are crazier than I am. No offense." Never mind the fact that he wouldn't mind burning down a few New Dawn Churches, himself, and so he amends, "Okay, maybe a little offense."

A beat.

"But yeah, Wrench, hi." And another. "I see you've met The Fox." There are quotey symbols on the mask, now.

[0nes_4nd_zer0es]

David snorts, amused but not offended, and waves that off. "New York's a big place." None taken, because that wasn't him or the people he runs with - and while he doesn't really blame them for the arson, either, he doesn't exactly approve, either.

He chuckles again. "We met," he agrees. "Scared the shit outta me, too."

He feels no shame in admitting that.

[in_theworks]

"Sorry," Aiden mutters into his coffee.

Wrench, meanwhile, shrugs on seemingly Aiden's behalf. "He does that. It's kinda in the job description." A beat. "At least he didn't actually kill you?" Because that was potentially on the table, all things considered.

[0nes_4nd_zer0es]

David chuckles, grinning crookedly. "Yeah, no, that's a bonus."

"You coulda said something sooner, man," Marcus says as he steps up beside the table. He doesn't really look mad, just a little perturbed, head tilted as he looks at David.

It's David's turn to cringe into his drink, now. "Sorry. Didn't know how to bring it up in a room full of muggles."

[joanof_fuckingarc]

"There're these neat things called text messages," Sitara starts, appearing behind Marcus. He may not be angry, but she is. She already has no great love for their east coast brethren, and the fact that he could have gotten Marcus killed isn't really doing anything to improve her opinion of them. "Or our Dedsec channel. Or ... "

Which a 'muggle' might have problems getting into, but he, as a fellow hacker, should have been able to do, no problem.

[0nes_4nd_zer0es]

David sits back a little to look up at her. "I was working on getting into the DedSec channel and something interrupted my connection. I'm guessing it was somebody trying to shut down Umeni from calling in back-up." He pauses a beat. "I am sorry I made things get louder than they needed to, and I'm glad y'all had his back."

He shifts a little. "I should probably get back to my hotel, let my partner know what I found."

He didn't mean to start any kind of interstate incident today, and he doesn't want to sour things between their coasts even more than they already are. It might be better if he just excuses himself, now.

[in_theworks]

"Yeah, sorry," Aiden mutters into his coffee, He really doesn't regret trying to keep David from getting in touch with anyone, and he would have done it again, given the situation, but -- well, okay, maybe he regrets it a little, if only because it made things more complicated. If he'd known David was on their side, he wouldn't have got so hard and fast.

"It's fine," Wrench tells everyone. He kicks a leg across the booth to keep David from leaving before someone sits down to stop him, specifically, though. "She's just butthurt because she's a control freak."

"Pot, kettle," Sitara shoots back, plopping down next to David. She touches a hand to her chest before she offers, "Sitara."

[0nes_4nd_zer0es]

David doesn't really acknowledge Aiden's apology - not because he's holding it against the man, but because he would have done the same thing if the situation had been reversed, and, as such, he doesn't really need it.

He does sit back a little as Wrench and Sitara go on, a faint smile pulling at his mouth as they bicker. He scoots over a little to give her more room and then offers her a real smile. "David. Nice to meet you." He pauses a beat. "And I think we've all got a little bit of that in us."

Being a control freak, he means.

[in_theworks]

"He's not wrong," Wrench decides, popping one shoulder in a shrug. A pause follows, and then, once he's looked around at the group assembled, this far, he asks, "Though, uh. Are we using real names?"

Sitara did, but David used his handle, when he introduced himself. Marcus hasn't introduced himself at all, and then there's Ray, if and when he shows up, which is what Wrench is actually fishing for. He doesn't want to out him, as Ray fucking Kenney, to an outsider, if he doesn't want to be outed, and never mind the fact that he introduced himself to them as Ray, at Swelter Skelter.

"Because if we are," he continues, regardless, touching a hand to his chest, "then I'm -- wait, no, actually, I'm still Wrench." (^_^), motherfuckers.

[0nes_4nd_zer0es]

David snorts softly at Wrench - and then shrugs. "Uh, I'll leave that up to y'all? We did real names back in the auditorium" - he nods to Marcus, who also nods a little - "but I'm good with whatever."

"I'm Retr0," Marcus offers, "just to get that out there."

David blinks at him. "Oh, awesome. Nice to meet you for, uh... for real."

"Yeah, same."

[in_theworks]

"D'arc," Sitara puts in, like Marcus, just to put that out there.

"And -- " Wrench starts, stops. "Actually, hold on a second." Another pause follows, him bringing his fingers up to the side of the mask, miming touching his ear, entirely for show, and then, he mutters, "Hey, Hawt Sauce, you joining us sometime today, or what?"

Josh's username might elicit a bigger response than possibly even Marcus or Aiden's.

[0nes_4nd_zer0es]

"We're on our way," Josh returns.

And yes, David's eyebrows shoot up again at the mention of Josh's name. He doesn't echo it, though, just looking startled for a minute before he shakes his head. "Man, if I'd known y'all were congregating out here I'd've made Andrew come out here with me."

He pauses a beat. "My partner, I mean." And he means that in multiple senses.

[joanof_fuckingarc]

"Start humming California Love, and I will hurt you," Sitara tells Wrench, offhandedly. He groans, disappointed, and leans back in his seat to pout. Sitara, meanwhile, returns her attentions to David. "Maybe next time? And with less ... "

Making the control freak in her itch. She's trying to be nice, nicer, now, though, so she doesn't finish that sentence, doesn't make it an accusation.

[0nes_4nd_zer0es]

David snorts in response to them both - and then nods, wincing again when she goes on. "Yeah, again, sorry about that. I'd say something about not cutting things so close with getting into town and all that the next time, but the next time, you'll already know me, so..."

That point is moot - but he will let them know before they go breaking in anywhere, next time.

[joanof_fuckingarc]

"So, it's kind of a moot point," Sitara supplies, nodding. A pause follows, then curiosity overcoming her upset, she asks, "What were you looking for, anyway?" Maybe Marcus grabbed whatever it was. Maybe, if David's a good boy, they can share.

[0nes_4nd_zer0es]

"Honestly, just information gathering. We've got our fingers in their servers back home and have piggy-backed some of that out here, but I wanted to see if I could grab a couple of other files while the firewalls were a little looser." He pauses a beat. "We've been hearing some hints of insider training. Which, I mean, that goes on all the time, but a new round of it."

"When one gets caught, someone else just picks it up," Ray says suddenly as he and Josh step up to the table.

Josh, for his part, looks at the group, and then at the table next to theirs. "We should take this one, too."