02 . text

[systemize]

[The comm tag reads Stormer and is untraceable.]

Someone asked me recently how I'd define moral and immoral, but I think my perspective's a little skewed. How do you define it?


> private to Magicman
I need to ask you for a favor. Do they have you listed as an adult here? I wasn't sure what your official age would be.

> private to Isaac
I think I have your software finished. I can send you the file to download and you can check if it needs troubleshooting.

Comments

[systemize]

I can understand keeping it quiet, but it's hard not to warn people. I get it. What do you have so far? I'll set up a bot to trawl the police archives for flag words, see if there's any trace of preliminary crimes or details you don't have yet.

No, I'm pretending I trust him for now. I'm going to see what else he wants from me, and then I'm going to nail him for it in public. I just need him to give me enough information about what he's up to to entrap him for it.

[This is sort of half the reason Cadel doesn't have too many people he can be honest with. Most of the time, he's playing espionage lying games like this.]

[microbrobotics]

i can link you to the same post dean did. it's ... it's really bad though. dude's head is cut open. just. warning you.

you sure you're gonna be okay? he's a demon, right - is he gonna go after you?

[systemize]

Oh, God. I'm going to fast forward through it. I think I'd throw up.

[Cadel's kind of a delicate flower, violence wise, much to Prosper's eternal despair.

He's also truly desperate for any kind of emotional support, not that he knows how to verbalize that. He hasn't been totally without support since he was very young, before he met Sonja, and every time he's been totally cut off has been traumatizing for him. It'd always coincided with extremely high stress situations. He's been maybe a little feeling like he's under that kind of pressure here, not because of the situation but just because he's used to it correlating with having no one to rely on.

It's one of the main reasons he'd opened up to Hiro, although he doesn't realize that.] As long as I don't give anything away, it'll be fine. Once I go public I'll be protected. And I've been careful not to associate Stormer with my physical name or identity, though I haven't been airtight. I hate it but I know how to lie. I can handle it.

[microbrobotics]

yeah that's fine. don't get sick. i couldn't really stomach it either.

[ Hiro understands; he'd understand even more if he hadn't had his brother as an absolute rock growing up. And even then ... friends their own age are hard to come by, aren't they? ]

man, okay, if you say so ... but if you need someone to watch your back, i'm on it.

[systemize]

I won't. It's not relevant information. Do you have the link? It'll probably take me a few days to get results, but I'll let you know.

... Thanks. But I don't want to put you in danger.

[Cadel just had a very intense couple of months with every single one of his friends and family getting hurt specifically because they care about him. Methodically and purposefully to dismantle him. So he's a bit sensitive on that subject.]

[microbrobotics]

here. and ... thanks, cadel. i sure would feel better knowing more about this guy.

i can handle myself, y'know. i was a superhero back home.

[ He won't push, but he has to make that clear. ]

[systemize]

Me, too. Can you imagine what would happen if someone had your power and mine? They could control anything technological any way they wanted.

Wait, seriously? What does that mean?

[microbrobotics]

oh god. don't even THINK about that. we'd all be screwed.

i didn't tell you?

[systemize]

It'd be difficult, that's for sure. I'm with you on this guy needing to be neutralized as a threat.

You might have gotten distracted by the DNA wiring.

[microbrobotics]

good. glad im not the only one. i think dean'l be fine with the tech i gave him but...

okay in my defense, the DNA wiring? is super cool. i'm already doing stuff wtih it.

[systemize]

[And since Cadel has already started reading through that post...] Dean? The man who was killed in that post is the one searching for him?

It is amazing. I was fixated for months by it. What have you been doing? Wait, never mind, back up. Tell me about the superhero thing.

[microbrobotics]

yeah that's him. he's the one who asked me to make a nullifying weapon. fire powers usually. so whoever this dude is he has fire powers too.

okay but they're both fun. it ... kind of happened by accident? there was a jerk i was trying to get revenge on but then i realized hurting him wasn't gonna fix anything.

[systemize]

I'll add a search criteria for suspicious fires. You can tell Dean I'm involved if you want, but say it's Stormer so I can keep things separate?

Maybe you could make a nullifier with a physical switch, so you can remotely activate it if it's planted on the culprit. Make a trap, let him get confident, then when he's in it you can turn it on. I could activate it without a switch, too.

[There's a short span of time before he types to this last bit.] I know a lot of people who've never realized that. That takes a lot. So after you changed your mind, you wanted to keep helping?

[microbrobotics]

totally. i respect secret identities, don't worry.

... that's a good idea actually. i mean, i don't want to be that close ever?? kinda promised my bro i was only going to get involved with the tech part.

[ He pauses too. Honestly, he doesn't feel like he did a lot; mostly he feels empty. And there's still a fire in his heart that would flare into existence if he ever saw Yokai's face again. ]

yeah. basically. part of it was jsut helping, and part of it was like ... after we started, bad guys just came out of the woodwork.

[systemize]

Thanks.

I can do it. I'm used to being bait. If it comes up, let me know.

[Not that Cadel isn't scared. He swallows just typing that. But what else is he supposed to do with himself? For all Cadel legitimately enjoys a chance to go to college and be part of society - legally, no less - there exists in him this belief that when he's uniquely capable of doing something, he should do it. There's no sense letting someone else take on a greater risk when he's better at it. He's faced this situation so many times before. The only difference here is that it isn't Prosper, and therefore directly his responsibility, who's at fault. But he doesn't want to be that sort of person, who only helps when it's his fault. That's not that much better than not helping at all.]

Like you were challenging them? Figures. But they were probably doing something awful before you were around, just more quietly.