Participants:
| Scene Title | Eyeing Zoe |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Zoe is poking around about Robin Hood, so Robin Hood pokes back. |
| Date | April 16, 2009 |
It's late at night in the Linderman Archives, and Zoe has yet to go home. It's not after all, as if she's got someplace to be. As much as Eliot tries to draw her out, she's still very much a mouse, which is to say, a bit of a social hermit. But it's not as if she's working hard. Instead, she's hardly working. She has plans, and those plans require research. She's presently looking at the various articles published about the 35, along with journals about youth counseling programs and the like. She's already had occaision to review her bank account and see the significant drop in funds to her as the Porter heir. It's not as if she's worried about being 'po, and she knows generally where the money went (Robin Hood, after all, follows a traditional path of predictability), but there are certain aspects about it that have irked her. She's looking to see if any actual charities recieved money, or if it was just individuals. In short, she's a very busy girl.
The problem with researching on the internet is that the line between fact and fiction is almost always blurred. There have been no charities that have claimed to have gotten any money. But then again Robin Hood knows that there aren't many charities that take in money that don't take some sort of cut right off the top. So he decided to distribute the money to the poor himself. Depending on how much Zoe would stockpiled, he'd only taken maybe five to ten percent of what she had.
The technopath has been monitoring his reputation since this all began this past weekend and he can already see that his surge of popularity is waning, having dropped from Yahoo and Google top searched keywords, so he's going to have to try something a little different. Of course, he has to juggle the things he wants to do with the things he needs to do for April and the other time travelers in the area.
Then a query flashes by him about him and he follows the trail back to the host, looking to see perhaps what is being researched about him. He doesn't alert the user to his presence just yet as he just monitors.
Zoe actually does have a webcam, but at the moment it's not turned on. Zoe's an heiress, she not only has her family fortune but her shares of Linderman Group and her substantial salary. The girl's rolling in it…but her expenditure history seems…oddly less than glamorous, with occaisional exception for things like travel (when it's not a work based effort) and the occaisional frock (for appearances as needed by a high profile employee).
At the moment, there's very little to see - she's got her charity research minimized and is reading a bulletin board in which a user is advocating some form of Evolved oriented counseling for teens as a result of the 35.
He keeps a binary eye on her actions as he digs around her computer and sees what there is to see. Trying to decipher her identity and any other interests she may have. He sees she was one of the few who had money taken from her, so now realizes what it was she was looking for. He accesses her sound card, and the light on the web cam turns on as he takes a peek at her before he starts to speak, using the digital sound card and the voice of the Florence Henderson is used as the sample for this particular conversation. "Looks like you have a lot of money there. You might consider sharing your wealth a little bit."
If he accesses the webcam, he can see her. Youthful - mid to late twenties, redhead, glasses. Dressed like…like a librarian. Or a graduate student. Maybe a teacher. She cocks her head. Is someone playing a trick on her? Her hands go to the keyboard and she starts tapping out a trace. "If you know that I'm rich, then you also know that I not only donate money, but time." And if he does access her information, it's true: Zoe gives to charity on a regular basis, though primarily through Linderman Group. She volunteers in museums guiding tours for children - many of whom are underpriveleged. The details of her life are made apparent - little girl heiress orphaned young, adopted by Daniel Linderman who has served as a loving father figure. She's been seen at galas and benefits, represented their interests in some charities, though not all. For all the thugs and dangerous people in Linderman's outfit, she's not one of them. Oh, and of course…registered Evolved, a psychometrist.
Any sort of trace would loop back to this particular computer, since he's actually sitting inside it at the moment. He does do the obligatory 17 year old boy ogling as he checks her out. He already knows what she's given, but he can't help but to prod her to give more. Of course, his adolescent ways are obscured by the older female voice that continues to come across her speakers. "Pity that you only give such a small portion to those who are needy. It's not like you are going without here." He disables her keyboard driver next, giving him full access to the system without her interference. "Perhaps we should look at what else you've been spending your money on? Money that could have gone to help someone who needs it? Maybe I should dig a little deeper and see what you are really into?"
The smartest thing to do would be to keep calm. "My apartment. My cat. My expenses, and my travel." It's true. She's young and rich and (despite dressing like a librarian) kind of hot, but she doesn't party, doesn't spend her money on a closet full of shoes. Her most expensive purchases seem to be antiquities and artifacts. "You know, a lot of the people you took money from do give generously. And the money you're going to take from me now already has a purpose I'm intending for it, so if it's all the same to you, I'd rather you didn't."
"Sure. Charities who will take their cut before giving it out to those THEY see fit. What about the others? The ones who get overlooked, yet continue to suffer every day?" It's not like he believes this crap, as he quotes something he read off the web. He's just a kid that likes to stir up shit. "At least the money I handed out went to actual people. People who were broke or in debt, unable to dig their way out." He hasn't done anything just yet with the computer. Though it's highly possible he's reaching out to other computers in the area. The voice continues. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to question your sincerity on this. I think I should appoint myself your trustee and divy out this money for you. I won't even take a cut." Sure, the kid is annoying — or perhaps it's Carol Brady that's annoying. Take your pick.
Zoe cocks her head. "I think if you were as smart as you think you are, you'd ask me what I intended to do with it first." She shakes her head. "You hide in computers the way I hide in this archive." she observes softly. "Because it's where you have power. I can't blame you if you didn't ever want to leave it."
There's a brief pause, and the response simple. "I'll bite. What did you intend to do with it?" Either he's buying time, or he has a legitimate interest in what she might intend to do with her money. As he snoops around other computers in the building, he continues to watch her through the camcorder.
"You've heard about the Thirty Five?" she asks. "Of course you have. You're on the net, you know what happened." Even if he doesn't, it won't take but a moment to access the necessary information. All those suicides. All those children. "I want to develop a program." she says quietly. "I'm not sure if it's going to be a center, or some kind of national organization, but I want some kind of outreach for Evolved kids. Someplace or some people they can go to without being afraid, to help them deal with the way their lives have changed." Abruptly she clenches the edges of her sweater - this is important to her. "So this never happens again." He can look through her recent inquiries and research - apparently yes, her current efforts corroborate what she's saying.
In the Bright Future, the 35 Foundation is a very big deal and everything that Zoe describes to Reed makes sense. He still is snooping around a little bit. When he's concluded his business here, the voice comes across the speaker again. "Sounds like something very important. I hope you follow through with your idea. I would hate for you to be steering me away from your money, just so you can stow it away for a rainy day. Whatever you do with it, wherever you put it, I can find it and make sure those who are needy get it. But I'll take your word that you aren't feeding me a line of crap." Well, that is probably something to hear Ms. Henderson say. "Was there something in particular you wanted to ask me before I leave? I saw you were looking around about me."
Zoe considers a moment. "You live in the machine." she says quietly. "So why do you care? Do you really care about these people, or is it just the idea that you can take power from the powerful, and make them helpless?"
"I didn't always live in the machine. I used to be just like you." is the response. "I may not always live in the machine either. Plus, I think it's sad that some have so much, more than they could ever possibly need while others have little or nothing. Those individuals should be ashamed of themselves."
Zoe says simply, "I do what I can. So do a lot of other people. And some worked very hard to get what they have. I'm well aware that I was born into a fortunate circumstance - if you consider my parents dying to be fortunate, and that's why I give back. I hope you consider the individual circumstances of those you take from as much as you consider the circumstances of those you're giving too. It's not a crime to be rich, you know. It's a crime to choose not to give back."
The light on the webcam goes off and the room grows quiet. If Robin Hood is doing anything further on the system, it's not going to be announced. If the keyboard is used, it will once again respond and it seems that everything is back the way it should be. Except if she were to minimize everything on the system, she would see a change to her desktop wallpaper that says. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. - RH" printed in large block letters.
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