[IC] Worlds of Fire

[Totem]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

Alec continues his visual and electronic scans as they move about in the archive.

Spoiler:  

[Michael: IQ 14: 2+3+6 = 11 (success by 3)]
[Alec: IQ 14: 2+1+6 = 9 (success by 5)]
[Alec: Battlesuit (Sensors) 14 (variable modifiers taken into account): 1+4+2 = 7 (success by 7)]
[Cordina: IQ 13: 3+4+4 = 11 (success by 2)]
[Leo: IQ 13: 4+5+1 = 10 (success by 3)]

As everyone is looking around you all gradually become aware of something interesting. Though Alec can't see anything odd through his suit's sensors, he eventually spots this as well. The people doing the filing don't appear to be keeping track of what the other three are doing; one is arranging things by date, another by project leader, another by customer, and the fourth is anyone's guess. And they all seem to be unaware of the whole process being so... Strange.

[ericthered]

OCC: As a note, I never got the answer about where electronically this data could be found.

Michael is torn between digging more into the erratic behavior of those filing the data, and the data itself. He settles to do that which only he can do.

In a whisper: "Does anyone what to see what the data is about? I'm going to observe what's going on in these folk's heads -- something is obviously up"

Michael slowly and methodically enters the minds of the filers and observes what's going on at length. He doesn't do much digging, he merely observes the surface activity.

Telerecieve for each of them,
Physcology for each of them

[Totem]

Originally Posted by ericthered

OCC: As a note, I never got the answer about where electronically this data could be found.

Michael is torn between digging more into the erratic behavior of those filing the data, and the data itself. He settles to do that which only he can do.

In a whisper: "Does anyone what to see what the data is about? I'm going to observe what's going on in these folk's heads -- something is obviously up"

Michael slowly and methodically enters the minds of the filers and observes what's going on at length. He doesn't do much digging, he merely observes the surface activity.

Telerecieve for each of them,
Physcology for each of them

Electronic storage on site is accessed in the server room or via workstations. They are backing up a lot of stuff electronically, but the majority of it still has to be done on paper sooner or later for signatures.

Spoiler:  

[Michael: Telereceive 17, -2 range = 15: 6+6+3 = 15 (success barely)]
[Michael: Psychology 14: 6+5+1 = 12 (success by 2)]
[Michael: Telereceive 17, -2 range = 15: 4+6+4 = 14 (success by 1)]
[Michael: Psychology 14: 2+1+5 = 8 (success by 6)]
[Michael: Telereceive 17, -2 range = 15: 2+5+2 = 9 (success by 6)]
[Michael: Psychology 14: 3+4+4 = 11 (success by 3)]
[Michael: Telereceive 17, -2 range = 15: 1+5+3 = 9 (success by 6)]
[Michael: Psychology 14: 1+6+1 = 8 (success by 6)]
[Michael: IQ 14: 5+5+3 = 13 (success by 1)]

Michael finds some interesting stuff inside these people's heads. Each of them seems alarmingly determined to sort out the filing to their own standard; Obsession/15 disadvantage level at least. But there's something else tied up in it, and it's a symbol that Michael has never come across before in any mentality or psychology. Whatever concept it is that is driving this Obsession is something unknown... Something like a Verb that was locked away so no one would ever be able to do this thing... That makes motive at least.

[Ransom]

Codina starts sorting files alphabetically by the first word of the actual report, just to see how the other workers/the universe responds.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Ransom

Codina starts sorting files alphabetically by the first word of the actual report, just to see how the other workers/the universe responds.

Michael switches to viewing Codina's thoughts, intending to monitor any changes that might occur by interacting with this effect.

[Totem]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Michael switches to viewing Codina's thoughts, intending to monitor any changes that might occur by interacting with this effect.

[Michael: Telereceive 17, -2 range = 15: 5+4+2 = 11 (success by 4)]
[Codina: Mind Block 15: 1+5+5 = 11 (success by 4)
[Michael: Psychology 14: 4+4+1 = 9 (success by 5, sufficient to overcome Mind Block)]

Michael's efforts to get into Codina's mind meet with a certain amount of resistance from her deliberate efforts to confuse things. After a bit of effort he is able to get inside and detangle what he is seeing, though it isn't easy with this amount of noise; in the meantime he catches a lot of stuff about various things that have supposedly happened to Codina, some of which are merely contradictory and others of which, when partly detangled and mixed in with actual thoughts, create some quite disturbing images. The opinions that you can form of someone from all three stages (fiction, fact and mixed) can be interesting...

The world in general doesn't appear to object to Codina's efforts. On the other hand one of the people doing the filing will notice it. Given that they are apparently clear that they need to be polite to you all they won't actually oppose what you are doing, but the instant you move onto the next set of shelves they will come in and start restoring it to their system. It looks like indirect action here won't accomplish much.

[the_matrix_walker]

Alec wanders a bit farther, and looks for other signs of strange behavior, hoping to cross reference the busy work thinking of possible related verbs... (Obsess, Organize, collate, collect, order, codify...)

[Totem]

Originally Posted by the_matrix_walker

Alec wanders a bit farther, and looks for other signs of strange behavior, hoping to cross reference the busy work thinking of possible related verbs... (Obsess, Organize, collate, collect, order, codify...)

There are only four of them, plus you, in the archive at present, and aside from their peculiar system of counter-arranging everything there doesn't seem to be anything going on.

[OOC: Remembering stuff that should have gone in before. Mea culpa.]

[Leo: Sense (Out of the ordinary, focused on one person) 13, -2 = 11: 2+2+4 = 8 (success by 3)]

Leo observes the person who has started tidying up after Codina's efforts, trying to tell if there is anything special going on. There is, and Codina (when paying close attention) is also aware of this [Heightened Perceptual Awareness; need to remember these things]. Precisely what it is, is hard to define. It's not exactly mind control, but it's clearly influencing the person's thoughts to some degree. Basically, in metagame terms, it's something fudging the dice rolls to fail the SC roll. But that brief challenge to it appears to have focused it somewhat; neither Leo or Codina is able to define what they are seeing properly, but it's like they've got something's attention somewhat.

[ericthered]

Michael investigates the actual data -- what is it about?

to 'eight': where else have you noticed this verb on this world?

[Totem]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Michael investigates the actual data -- what is it about?

to 'eight': where else have you noticed this verb on this world?

As indicated the documentation is mostly related to tests that have been run by other companies which this company has been acting as third party witnesses for. The tests and the customers vary but tend to be industrial/ production based (things like chemical production plants, water systems, breweries, anything of that run). Aside from that there are paper backups of HR documents and the like. Are you looking for something specific beyond that?

The Verb manifest nearby and was chased into this building in very short order (if you persist Eight admits that it was something like fifteen seconds and twenty kilometres before they cornered it inside the building). It hasn't been anywhere else and if they (and you) can help it, it won't go anywhere else.