Players:
Summary: Hercules and Echo openly discuss how to subvert her SHIELD incarceration. Sending messages, getting news of the outside world, and a few questions to satisfy Hercules' curiosity.
Date: May 23, 2013
Log Title: Sending a Kite
Rating: G
Barnes Academy - Medical Center
The name medical 'office' rather undersells what his, in essence, a state of the art, high-tech and extremely well stocked medical bay and treatment center. There are always orderies and nurses in attendance to handle minor injuries and a doctor is always on call for more serious problems. In addition to a locked medicine storage facility, there are modules for isolating patients, a (hopefully never used) cryogenic storage and stasis module for preserving life (or bodies) when the local team can't stabilize a patient and a pair of ten bed infirmary modules attached to the main area. Each bed and exam table is equipped with the latest Stark-tech diagnostics gear.
In the medical center, where for the past six months a silent observing presence has become a fixture, something at last is different. The woman in the cell is no longer dressed in hospital scrubs of a dark, indistinct grey. She has black pants and a blue tank top, and actual shoes. Heavy looking boots from the look of them, though there are no laces. Some protocols never change. For some reason, SHIELD has returned some of Echo's clothes, having scanned and rescanned them for bugs, bombs, virii both digital and biological, and everything that could be considered suspect. And after only six months.
A familiar, at least one would hope by now, large man enters the medical center, his destination a certain isolation cell. An eyebrow raises, and he whistles lightly, "Heeey, where did the android lady go, and who's the beautiful woman they left in her place?" Hercules grins, and leans against the chamber. "I see they have decided to give you more fashionable attire, and thank the Gods, for the grey was quite boring. How are you, friend Echo?"
Echo's head lifts at the approach of Hercules, or more accurately his voice. No two are exactly alike under close enough frequency analysis. "All dressed up and nowhere to go," she says. Rolling her shoulders back, she snakes a hand under the hem of her shirt and wiggles fingers through two obvious bullet holes just under her armpit. "They bring back memories, at least. I understand they're bringing in an outside consultant. I see the clothes make me more presentable, at least."
Hercules hmms and rubs his chin, "They do. Not that your form isn't pleasing, I do find it quite so. There is just something about a powerful woman, you know? But those colours suit you, I would say, despite my obviously limited fashion sense." The man gestures to his ancient attire and chuckles. "An outside consultant? Have they provided a name to you, then, of whom this person might be?"
Echo shakes her head. "No, I've not heard any names, but I assume it's the reason my clothes were returned. I have… *had* others, but I'm afraid I don't know if they're still where I left them. I could give you GPS coordinates, but you will have to provide your own shovel." Shovel? "And I would ask you to leave everything else alone."
The man leans back from the isolation chamber and shakes his head. "I would retrieve them for you, however, I do believe that they monitor you constantly. It is not worth the risk, for they may get there before I can. However, if you have the opportunity to provide me with this information without it being observed, I can go and retrieve your belongings." He smiles once more and shrugs, "A shovel? Certainly an easy thing to acquire."
The android inclines her head slightly, an appreciative smile on her face. "You're very clever," is all she says and it's clearly a compliment. "At the moment, I don't know how to pass information out of this cell without it being intercepted. I haven't had the need before. I'll have to think about this." She falls silent, doing exactly what she said.
Hercules holds his stomach and has a good laugh about that. "Clever? There are few that would call me clever. But three thousand years of living will give you an idea of what humanity is capable of. Even I, were I to imprison you, would arrange for a close watch upon you. Yet…" He looks down at your feet. "I am puzzled why they would not allow you to keep your shoelaces. It is not as if you would kill yourself with them. Nor would it be efficient to try and strangle a guard, since your hands are probably much stronger, and faster, than a couple of cotton laces."
Echo curls a finger against her chin, still in thought. Her answers come slow, another thread hogging her resources. "They would still be useful, garrote aside. Restraints, improvised stationary traps, sabotage. 60 inches of strong cord can accomplish a lot." Spoken like a true utilitarian.
Hercules hmms and nods to that, "Yes, rope and cord can be quite useful at tying up loose ends." His eyes shift to eye you curiously, "Penny for your thoughts then."
"I am having an idea," Echo explains, the corner of her mouth turning down in something like a frown. Then it relaxes, and she announces, "I have had an idea." Her head turns to look up at the cameras briefly then slides off the edge of the examination table. She approaches the glass close enough to rest her forehead against it. "If you have a device with an infrared communications port, I would kindly suggest you bring it with you next time."
Hercules hmms, "I will do so." The hand he's been leaning on moves to where your forehead rests. "So, how have you been then, since we last met? Has Rashmi had any success in explaining civil liberty and all that goes with it? Your rights and such."
"As I understand," Echo says, a sudden hesitancy in her voice. "Humans live in colonies called cities, and in that city, everyone has the responsibility to improve or at least maintain order, usually by behavioral example. If I could be considered a part of that society, I too would have such responsibility." She says it as if simply reciting, a child made to memorize a passage.
Hercules nods, "That's a start, at least." He rubs a cheek, and peers at you. "If you are to transfer information via infrared communications, can you accept an upload as well?" He crosses his arms and appears to be thinking about something.
"No," Echo says flatly. Her fingers probe at the empty socket of where her left eye used to be. "One eye is a transmitter, the other a receiver. At the moment, I can only transmit. I still have use of an infrared laser range finder, as well as wide-beam infrared illumination for nightvision. It's a flaw in my idea. The information could only flow securely one way."
"That is unfortunate, for I have realized that my PSP has a infrared port. I had thought perhaps you could upload a game or twelve." Hercules chuckles, "I shall have to find another way I suppose."
"I don't think I have the appropriate hardware emulator," Echo says, lips pursing into a slight frown at admitting a 'weakness', however small. "However, considering how many handshake protocol attempts per second I can make, it's worth a shot." She thumps the heel of her hand against the glass in a clear display of mild annoyance. "If I could only use the 802.1 frequency band," she laments.
Hercules grins, winking an eye. "See, that's the spirit. We shall find a way to pass you some entertainment, one way or another."
"Entertainment would be welcome. I miss listening to the radio. That was my specialty, did you know? Combat support and radio communications." She turns slightly and lifts the back of her shirt. She runs a thumb over a cervical bump in the curve of her spine. "It's an antennae," she explains. "Kilometers of fine wire, coiled tighter than the filament of an incandescent lightbulb." An antennae multiple kilometers long?
Hercules whistles that low whistle again, and nods, "That is one impressive antennae, it is a shame about the Faraday cage. What other gadgets have you got built in? Also, friend Echo, I could bring you a radio, if you wanted to listen? I think it would work, since it is outside the Cage. I don't know why I didn't think about this before."
"The Faraday cage is the most important part," Echo counters with a raised index finger. "Even though my security hacking skills are rudimentary at best, it's the only logical way to contain me." Not quite sour about it, there's that practical edge again. "That would be welcome, though I could only listen to one station at a time. And I don't believe commercial radios can monitor the police band." No wonder she went un-caught for so long.
"They might frown upon my bringing in a police radio. However, since you cannot directly control it, and cannot communicate with the outside world, where is the harm, I wonder? Hmm, the list of things to bring grows ever larger." The big man grins, "Though, friend Echo, you did not answer a curiosity of mine. What other interesting gadgets do you have hidden away inside you?"
"Passive information gathering can't be too harmful," the android agrees. She hasn't had real news, aside from what she's heard in the medical bay, and how could that be any different from a local radio station? To Hercules insistence, she shrugs lightly. "Very few, to be honest. I have no internal weaponry. The MAPS androids were designed to use currently available arms, which are all designed to be used by human hands." She demonstrates needlessly, flexing the fingers of one hand.
"You know, there is another question I have been curious about. To see how far they went in making you an assassin. Are you fully anatomically correct?" Hercules crosses his arms again, leaning slightly on one foot.
"No, I'm not," the android replies. "We were designed to appear outwardly human so as not to arouse suspicion. We're able to pass scrutiny and some conversation, but it is only appearance." Too bad. Were she willing to go into further detail, the anatomy Herc is probably concerned with is unfortunately non-functional, the majority of the space in Echo's pelvis being filled with lithium-iron-phosphate batteries. "In truth, it's troublesome at times. My hair is a heatsink, but it is too long. And breasts are very inconvenient."
Hercules ahs, "Well, that does satisfy my curiosity. And that is … an interesting use for hair, I must say. And I suppose that since it is meant to be a heat sink, it has to be the length it is at, yes?" The man stretches and chuckles. "Well, friend Echo, I have to get going. But the next time that I visit, I shall have a surprise for you. For now, be well!"
