redshiftrp | @lazarus

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@lazarus | video

[ The video opens on Ben's face. He is looking particularly grim, filming in one of the rooms in the residential section. No greetings or build-up, he just cuts right to the chase, holding up a tiny device between forefinger and thumb. Visible is a tiny lens, and what looks like a small antennae to transmit. ]

PSA. There are surveillance cameras hidden in the lighting fixtures of the bedrooms. I found a creepy tunnel leading to a creepy lair where some fucking creep has been spying on us. Still trying to figure out who is behind it and what they want, but the feeds only show occupied rooms and no empty ones so it's not a coincidence, unfortunately.

[ Ben turns the frame to face the spot where the small camera had obviously been ripped out of an overhead light. From offscreen he says, voice clipped and angry: ]

Anyway. Wanted you guys to know. Hit me up if you need help ripping the suckers out. I'll post again when I know more.

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Good call. I'm working to secure the other feeds as we speak. Hang onto whatever cameras you find, Peter and I might be able to extract some information from them.

[ Has he actually talked to Peter about this? Who knows. Would he namedrop the kid either way? Probably! ]

Hey do you wanna maybe NOT announce specific plans for how we're gonna solve this clusterfuck on the public network? We don't know who might be involved and listening. Thanks.

[ Ugh. Okay. That was snippy and probably an overreaction. Ben pinches the bridge of his nose and tries to be a little more constructive. ]

Sorry. Kinda tense right now. But we really maybe should try to keep stuff on the dl, including which of us are working on catching this creep.

I take it you know Peter? He's already got a hard-drive of saved footage he's going over. I'll make sure to save any cameras I can in case they've got clues.

[ Shame, he was really looking forward to smashing the little motherfucker. ]

Edited (THAT'S NOT HIS USERNAME) 2019-10-02 03:43 (UTC)

[ Probably good that it's not video, since Qubit gets scowling something fierce at the implication he doesn't know what he's doing. Of course he knows the network is insecure, what do you take him for?

But he bites his tongue (somewhat), keeping his tone professional. You only get one first impression, after all, and he needs to cultivate trust. ]

I do know him, we're already collaborating on the issue. Were you trying to keep his name out of it? Because if the culprit's been watching us for any length of time, they'd be more foolish not to assume he's involved.

Anyway, that was hardly specific. If you want to discuss this in person, the labs are clear of bugs, I've seen to that.

[ I mean. apart from his own security measures, but Qubit's the only one with access to those. ]

Edited 2019-10-02 15:43 (UTC)

[ As far as first impressions go, this one is definitely not one of Ben's best. It calms him down some, to hear that Qubit and Peter have already talked and are working together. He doesn't have confirmation of that yet, but it's easy enough to confirm that he can't imagine it would be worth lying about.

Much more calmly, he reasons: ]

The way I see it... we shouldn't let assumptions about what they might know stop us from at least trying to be cautious. That only works to their advantage. And I want to keep Peter safe.

[ And if Qubit doesn't think that's a worthy goal then honestly? He's got some very different priorities than Ben. ]

I appreciate the offer. Probably pretty obvious from the... general bitchiness, but I'm super not in a great discussing place about all this right now. I don't know anything about tech and I'm not thinking straight. I'll keep those cameras for you, though.

Edited 2019-10-02 16:35 (UTC)

[ Ben's argument isn't without merit. Qubit could have been vaguer, or he could have just PM'd Ben directly. What he did post was less "calculated statement" than "spur-of-the-moment weigh-in." But all things considered, he doesn't think he was wrong to do it that way. Ben's unwilling to trust a stranger - he explicitly said as much to Scaramouche (though in fairness, Qubit doesn't trust that guy either) - and it's pretty clear from context that he's setting all his reply threads to private. That they've gotten as far as they have is solely down to the association with Peter, and Qubit knows it.

So why not make the whole thing private? Simple: because he wants himself on record as working on this. See, there's a certain foible he has - often he throws himself too much into his work and forgets to socialize, to connect with people outside of chance encounters. And then when something happens, and he's actually needed, no one knows him well enough to trust him, much less seek him out.

He let that go on far too long on Earth-β. And it's begun to occur to him that he could easily repeat the same mistake here. ]

Understood, and thanks. I don't blame you for being upset about all this, so am I. [ If not in precisely the same way. ] And don't get me wrong - I want him safe as much as you do. But in my opinion...

[ He takes a second to think about how he should word this. ]

I assume you're aware, but Peter's a superhero, not a covert operative. He isn't the type that can fly under radar for long. Nor, in my opinion, should he have to.

Still, if he wanted his name kept out of this, then fine, that's on me. Should I go and apologize to him?

[ It's a serious question, but he's got a hunch as to whose idea it really was. ]

[ Those right there? Are the sort of motives that would never have even occurred to Ben Hargreeves. That's what happens when you're globally famous as a kid; you sort of forget that other people actually want to get noticed. As far as Ben's concerned, being publicly associated with this whole investigation is dangerous. He'd forced himself to make that post on the network, even though posting videos of himself is near the bottom of the list of things he likes to do even when he's not having a really shitty day.

When Qubit asks if he should apologize, Ben doesn't respond directly, but... it should be clear enough from what he does say that this is all coming from him, not Peter: ]

Peter's a kid. I'm not saying he's not skilled or smart or capable. I know he worked with a team of adult superheroes in his world and he's used to being treated just like one of them, but... even if he thinks he can handle being on the front line of this, doing extra to help push him up there... just feels wrong to me.

[ But maybe Ben is overstepping, going too far, thinking he knows better for other people the way he always does. And... yeah, okay, maybe he's got some unresolved Stuff about the way he'd been thrust into the limelight as a thirteen-year-old superhero, himself, and how many times he and his siblings had been the targets of supervillains and creeps and weirdos because everyone figured they were superheroes, and didn't need to be treated like human children whose decision-making faculties were still half-cooked. ]

He doesn't have to do anything. I just- I'm not going to do anything that makes him more of a target, if I can avoid it.

[ Qubit certainly knows that impulse to protect him. He feels it strongly himself, whether it's protecting him from killer robots or traitors among us or Tony Stark or the potential denizens of the woolie hole. Or, perhaps most importantly, from the stupid mistakes of some tall-haired fool.

Peter is a kid. And Qubit's got some strong opinions about kid heroes. Being forced into that life does things to a child - he saw it in Max, especially. And it's incredibly dangerous - just look what happened to Samsara. But Peter's in that gray area right on the cusp of adulthood, where it's difficult to make a hard-and-fast determination on the numbers alone. ]

I understand where you're coming from. He is young, and I hate to see him in danger. But bear in mind, no one's forcing him to do what he does. He sees a need, he steps in and fills it. Not because he has to, not for personal reward, but because he feels it's the right thing to do.

[ He may not have those exact words out of Peter's mouth, but it's what his actions are saying. He pauses here, though, as something hits him - a few years ago, he'd have painted the Plutonian's motivations as equally pure, equally selfless. And look how that turned out.

On second thought, maybe he should have a talk with Peter about this, at some point. Too late to take back the conjecture now, though. ]

... What I'm getting at is, you aren't pushing him onto the front lines. He'll find his way there on his own. What he needs isn't someone to pull him back - it's someone to stand up there with him.

[ Qubit does have a good point, about the fact that no one is forcing Peter to put himself in dangerous situations. It's honestly super irritating that Qubit is right, but Ben can't deny it. This is different than it had been for him; he'd never wanted to be a superhero, never been given a choice. He shouldn't let that color how he treats Peter, though.

And perhaps he ought to focus more on supporting the decisions Peter is making, rather than try to make better ones for him without even asking him. The truth is, underneath everything else, it is just painful, thinking about Peter getting hurt. It's not an unfamiliar pain - Ben's felt it for Klaus and his other siblings all his life. How do other people not let it drive them to distraction? This fear of losing people? ]

Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I just wish I could turn off the worry.

[ Ben still thinks, privately, that in (proverbially) standing in the front lines with Peter, if there's a chance to get in between him and danger, he's still going to take it. Every time.

It's clear to him, too, that Qubit really does know Peter, and well. He's clearly familiar with Peter's particular brand of reckless bravery and goodness. Which... in the end, really does accomplish Qubit's goal of making himself more trustworthy.

All hints of anger are gone from Ben's voice now, and he sounds drained as he asks: ]

Who do you think did this? I mean I know... it's pointless to speculate until we know more but. But if you had to guess. Why... what do they want?

[ Yeah, sorry Ben, you never get to turn it off now. But he's glad they're seeing eye to eye on the issue, anyway. Now, to business... ]

True, it's too early to say who, but I have my suspicions as to why.

If I had to guess: we're soon going to find out there's more to this than mere surveillance. The goal here wasn't just to watch us, I'm certain of that. It's a means to an end.

Now, whoever our peeping Tom is, I also don't believe he acted alone. I suspect he was doing this on behalf of some third party. Who that is, or what their motives are, I haven't a clue. It's possible that they're more or less benign, and this is all some sort of ... cosmic misunderstanding. But frankly, I don't trust my luck that far these days.

[ He could go on. That's one of the drawbacks to a mind that works as fast as his - he can come up with so, so many worst-case scenarios, and they're all completely plausible. But he pauses, catching himself. Ben's already upset about the whole affair, and he probably isn't helping matters. ]

... Sorry. I'm not trying to sound pessimistic. I don't have conclusive proof yet, so there's still a chance I'm completely off base. But if something out there does have it in for us, I want to be sure we're ready.

[ The on-behalf-of-someone-else theory is interesting. Not one Ben would have thought of, himself. He takes in the theories and thoughts without comment, absorbing them all and filing them away. There is only one point that he feels the need to respond to externally: ]

Of course it isn't benign. That's not pessimism. It's not being an idiot.

[ Even if the person or persons responsible for the cameras believed they were acting for the benefit of the people spied on, that doesn't matter. Someone who thinks they're doing what's best for you, and takes away your freedom and right to choose and privacy, isn't fucking benign thanks. ]

[ Real talk, Qubit kind of feels the same way. Pessimism is realistic, paranoia is preparedness. But he doesn't like to inspire it in others. As a superhero, that's not what he should be about. ]

Well - until we know for sure, we shouldn't dismiss a better outcome out of hand. Being realistic cuts both ways. You have to be willing to accept what the evidence proves, even if it's not as bad as you thought.

Actually, I don't have to do anything, thanks.

[ Ben hears how clipped and icy the words come out, but he can't stop himself. The hairs on the back of his neck are standing up, and everything inside him recoils from the idea that any of this is good, or useful.

This time, though, he is quicker to relent, to follow up with: ]

I'm sorry, I don't mean to keep snapping at you. I guess I've got some, like...

[ The word trauma, while probably accurate, is just absolutely non-negotiable here. Ben bites at his lip, a long silence stretching before he settles on: ]

...stuff about cameras and being spied on and whatever. But there is no good outcome here if you ask me. Even if whoever is responsible for this thought their intentions were pure, even if they thought they were helping... I can't accept that something like this is for my own good, or whatever.

That's fine. Then I won't ask you to.

[ It does explain some of the hostility, though, if he's got a history with it. Qubit's somewhat curious, but it's none of his business. ]

As I said, I'm not banking on it turning out harmless, either. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

Edited 2019-10-22 17:09 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm more of a: expect the worst, but plan for something much worse that you hadn't even imagined kind of guy.

[ There's some humor in the way he says it; Ben knows he can be gloomy, and pessimistic, and that he can take things too far. But in spite of that, he's grateful for Qubit not asking any invasive questions or trying to convince him it might not all be so bad, after all. That's decent of him. Ben has got to stop yelling at him. He's gotta stop yelling at everybody today, when none of this is their fault. ]

Thanks again for dealing with the tech stuff. I'll get you as many of those cameras as I can.

Edited 2019-10-23 14:46 (UTC)

[ Honestly, that probably should be Qubit's strategy by this point, given all the times he's gotten blindsided by the worst shit imaginable. He just doesn't have the patience to plan for anything beyond a handful of most likely outcomes. ]

I appreciate it. And Lazarus - thank you for alerting the others to this. You did the right thing.

Oh! It's - I'm Ben. The username's just a joke. My name is Ben.

[ And that bit of confusion had even gotten a little smile out of Ben, on a day as bad as today. So there are some glimpses of light in all this darkness ]

Hm! All right, Ben, then. Sorry, thought it might be a codename.

[ Y'know, like "Qubit." He's well accustomed to calling people whatever they decide to call themselves. ]

[ A brief pause, as he thinks about just letting that be the end of the conversation, but then he admits: ]

Yeah, I had one of those back in the day, but it was 'The Horror' so you can probably see why I went a different route with the account name.

[ Then, as punctuation and to emphasize that he really isn't going to be explaining that code name at all just now: ]

I'll get you those cameras soon.

Wait, what-

[ - oh, we've moved on already. Well fine, Qubit will just have to let that nugget of information percolate until next time!! ]

- um, right. Thanks.

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@lazarus | video

audio; @Qubit

@lazarus | audio --> private

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