Good Learning Experience

Participants:

dcrypt_icon.gif kapila_icon.gif

Scene Title Good Learning Experience
Synopsis Alia converses with another technopath over a considerable distance.
Date October 29, 2009

Between There and Here


Alia sighs as she flops down in her apartment, computer already left on behind her. The visit to various hospitals to 'get a list of doctors specializing in Evolved treatment' a cover that got some raised eyebrows, but it got her close enough to the machines she needed to get near. She tossed her jacket over a chair, sat down, and began the slow, very slow, way of going through the network. First a jump to an old proxy set up in the Brooklyn Public LIbrary, then a remote login to Suresh, then a jump back to the proxy, to a second proxy, then to the hospital…the admin login name and password… and there, first step into the door… And into more 'trouble' or 'potential trouble' at least then she'd ever been in personally her entire life.

As far as the hospital systems are concerned, the access is of no concern at all. The login is valid, a matter of routine entirely covered by their programming; for all their security, technopaths are something the hospital — and many other places — have yet to really take into account.

Other technopaths, however, are a different consideration. And the subtlety of the digital tripwire attached to records for one Belinda Aniston is a bellwether of someone with a far more intimate connection to computers than your typical keyboard-user.

Alia sighs as she begins pulling up the information requested of her, mortality rates, child mortality rates, severe cases, the names attached to such… it doesn't take long to find the one for Belinda Aniston and add it to the pile… which of course sets off the tripwire as plainly as someone playing tug of war with a church-bell's rope.

More miles away than she cares to consider, Hana Gitelman listens to the simple, brief signal propagating in all directions; a code without set destination and without transparent meaning. She brings her motorcycle to a halt at the side of a poorly-maintained excuse for a road, shaking her hair loose of a removed helmet, and squints into a far less measurable distance.

Compared to, say, some of the tricks she untangled while dealing with Malice, tracing Alia's access route is relatively straightforward, even if it takes measurable time. She takes more time to study the topics of interest, decides the situation might pique her curiosity — looking up such records is mundane, but bouncing through multiple proxies to do it is less so.

K.Apila: Why such interest in children?

Alia blinks at the text and does a quick 'oh shhhhhit' out loud. Someone was obviously catching onto her.

D.Crypt: Hired to. Curious to why myself.

Digital silence for a few moments, the interrupting technopath presumably considering Alia's reply. Or perhaps investigating the connection to the Suresh Center on the side, the employee login 'D.Crypt' is working under, the records associated with that account.

K.Apila: If I ask by whom, will you answer?

Alia leans back and rubs her forehead. It's slower to check the source of the text backwards… and she's having far less luck. Alia did use her own login info… which has admin rights to the non-medical wing files and network.

D.Crypt: Maybe. You aren't cop or hospital staff. Still want to know why he wants to know.

In the end, K.Apila's trace seems to disappear completely into the ether; a trail masked so well it can't be followed, perhaps… perhaps. But for her, records bring name, and name brings more records, retrieved out of databases Hana barely has to think to access, she spends so much time in and out of them.

K.Apila: Who is 'he'?

For Alia's part, it is something else she does out of habit more than anything else. There's a momentary pause as a file works its way through a few layers of encryption from her end, straight twoards 'K.Apila'. It resolves into an image that had been given to police some time ago, or part of one. Below it the name 'Adam' is written in. The picture isn't photo-perfect, but it isn't a bad rendtion of the man in question either.

Adam. Curiouser and curiouser.

Silence again from K.Apila's end, momentary, reflective; she files away the information, both what was given and what was surrepetitiously lifted.

K.Apila: I see. But not so curious that you've asked why?

Alia leans back and grins a little, despite the headache even this little bit of putting things itno words caused her.

D.Crypt: Doubt he'd give straight answers. Doubt you would too. Feel free to doubt me too.

She sighs and leans back, rubbing her forehead. It's going to be a two advil night for someone.

She can't much argue with that statement; straight answers haven't truly existed on any front, here. Not that Hana really expected differently; she did acquire, however, a rather good amount of information on Alia herself, and that is useful.

K.Apila: Doubt only matters if we ever have business.

Which they might, depending on how the message Hana has begun composing is received.

Alia sighs at the screen. The pause was longer than usual. She was slowing down with her words, it took so much to put them together for her.

D.crypt: Sorry… Wish there was… easier way. Learning the hard way. Of limits.

Alia leaned back and closed her eyes a moment. Explaining to someone else that you had trouble putting thoughts into words, by definition, was never easy.

Surprise isn't conveyed through the stark electronic noise, but Hana considers the message she's composing, strikes one line to replace it with another.

K.Apila: Perhaps another day. I expect we'll meet again.

She'll see to it, in fact. But not for a while. Sliding the helmet on and buckling it into place, Hana sets her motorcycle back into its course, the background noise of mountain forests lost in the whistle of wind.

The message is sent; for now, Alia Chavez is someone else's problem.

Alia sighs as the connection is broke. She doesn't waste the effort one would usually use to make a goodbye. She instead finishes getting the data she needed, and closing the link before someone ELSE could track it back, then goes to take a long nap. Words, so easily understood, so hard to get out. Alia paused, considered the list of damages that could be done by someone who could track her back, then shrugged again. There was no help for it now, but it was a good learning experience.


Hana's message to select members of the Ferry:

Happened across a technopath picking over files recently of interest to the Ferry, particularly regarding Belinda Aniston. Claimed to have been hired for the hack by Adam Monroe, expressed ignorance as to why he would want the info. Has been employed at the Suresh Center since its opening as an IT tech. May be notable as a potential risk; appears to be unregistered Evolved, albeit known to the Center administration; may be worth watching as potential passenger or recruit. Suggest some attempt be made to get a sense of her in-person.

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