Evil be Thou my Good (T:SCC/nuV X-over)

[Posbi]

Originally Posted by Bryan

Blackwater changed their name to Xe.

I can see money going a long way but what about if the Resistance/Connors/Weaver/whoever reveal that Skynet wants to destroy the world? I am thinking that has very much changed in your story with the Visitors and the alliance, but the Connors/Resistance may tell that is Skynet end goal- complete enslavement of humanity?

Well, assuming that was Skynet's endgame (I tentatively acknowledge that its an option), who are they going to tell it? The public? Congress? The Visitors? Believe me, the Vs will come to see Skynet as a threat way before the fleet arrives, but what can they effectively do? In the end it becomes a game of "who can apply more leverage". That's not to say there won't be any conflict. Before Skynet and the Praetorians can finally approach the Resistance there'll be casualties. Likewise with the independent machines. And the Vs.

[kclcmdr]

Originally Posted by Bryan

Blackwater changed their name to Xe.

I can see money going a long way but what about if the Resistance/Connors/Weaver/whoever reveal that Skynet wants to destroy the world? I am thinking that has very much changed in your story with the Visitors and the alliance, but the Connors/Resistance may tell that is Skynet end goal- complete enslavement of humanity?

The Visitors will, once they come by &
... visit ...
will literally own the sky & space above & in orbit near Earth...

What does the Visitors want with us anyway??
Our obedience as cannonfodder and/or us as nutritiousness tidbits??

But, yeah...
let's see how Skynet's new tune is gonna be...
this is going to be very interesting....

And update
Posbi.CH_06a -.LosAngeles - Praetorians, Decker&Sumter, HumanSecurity, ProperDocumentations, Samael&Skynet, Visitors, AlessaLewis, TheGrays

[Damar]

Originally Posted by Bryan

Blackwater changed their name to Xe.

What the fuck! Blackwater was such an awesome Evil Corporation name, and now they've changed it to a random MW2 username?

I can see money going a long way but what about if the Resistance/Connors/Weaver/whoever reveal that Skynet wants to destroy the world?

If a known nutcase who blew up computer factories in the past told you that the extremely well-paying client was planning to kill off humanity and have machines reign over a destroyed world, would you believe it?

[mackon]

Ya! Update, gotta say this is one of my favourites always great to see what's happening in this world and this is good stuff, getting a glimpse of Skynets plans.

Does Skynet know about the Visitor infiltrators and the traitor faction hiding among them?

The impression I'm getting is that It doesn't.

[Bryan]

Originally Posted by Posbi

Well, assuming that was Skynet's endgame (I tentatively acknowledge that its an option), who are they going to tell it? The public? Congress? The Visitors? Believe me, the Vs will come to see Skynet as a threat way before the fleet arrives, but what can they effectively do? In the end it becomes a game of "who can apply more leverage". That's not to say there won't be any conflict. Before Skynet and the Praetorians can finally approach the Resistance there'll be casualties. Likewise with the independent machines. And the Vs.

It'll be interesting to see how that goes.

Originally Posted by Damar

What the fuck! Blackwater was such an awesome Evil Corporation name, and now they've changed it to a random MW2 username?

I know. But I guess their evilness was hurting their PR.

If a known nutcase who blew up computer factories in the past told you that the extremely well-paying client was planning to kill off humanity and have machines reign over a destroyed world, would you believe it?

Cameron or Weaver or whomever could do the "Reveal the Endoskeleton Limb" game.

[Posbi]

Originally Posted by mackon

Does Skynet know about the Visitor infiltrators and the traitor faction hiding among them?

It knows about the infiltrators from the one Visitor it captured and interrogated in 2030. More specifically, it know there are infiltrators, but it does of course not know who they are. That would kinda ruin the fun.

The impression I'm getting is that It doesn't.

It doesn't know about the 5th Column, but then it probably doesn't care either. Even if it did know, it would disregard them as an incalculabe risk to its operational security.

[Posbi]

Part II here. As you can see, we are covering quite some time here.


Hedgeway Tower, Boston, MA,
October 21st, 2006

Boston's weather sucked ass. For what seemed like the thousandth time that day the thought popped up in Sean O'Keefe's mind as he watched the rain trickle down the window-front of his high-rise penthouse in the centre of the city. The glass was bulletproof beyond any doubt, and cameras and motion triggers spread all over the upper floor and the garden and pool arena outside would already have made his home a veritable fortress. The way things were now, more than a year after his life had been turned upside down, one could not be cautious enough, not with law enforcement digging in the dirt and other groups of organized and not quite so organized criminals certainly edging for any kind of chance. Not that most of those would have known who to look for in the first place, but again, caution, my boy, he told himself, caution.

Hedgeway Tower was a building from the roaring twenties, all pillars and white polished stone and intricate waterspout, giving it a distant likeness with a gothic cathedral. Still, inside the eighteen stories were all filled with modern apartments costing more for a month's rent than he had made in a year before, well, before Iron Man had made him an offer he could not have refused. It had turned the cocky street thug of Irish descent into a clam, reserved mob leader who now was more interested in the Wall Street Journal's stock market section than into getting a pint of Guinness and a smile from the ladies. Hell, he was even taking college courses!

All to be prepared when they came. He had told him of them. It had been among the first things Iron Man had done, confiding in him the reasons for why he did what he did. Before, it would all have sounded like complete bullshit if he had been told it by anyone else. But a seven foot tall killer robot from the future was, by itself, quite the convincing argument. And whatever doubts there had been in the beginning, they were gone now.

The phone on his desk - an old, polished mahogany thing weighing half a ton - rang, pulling him out of his thoughts. Scowling, O'Keefe set his cup of coffee aside and threw the newspaper he had been superficially studying onto a heap of documents and business papers that crowded the wide, dark space. His gaze darkened further when he saw the number on the phone's display. He picked the receiver up and began without greeting the man on the other side. He knew it was a man. Sean O'Keefe never had had any illusions about his intelligence, but he had a good memory for numbers and the correlating faces.

"To use this number this better be really important, Mr. Mulligan," he snapped. "We didn't make sure you were elected district attorney for you to act like a bungling fool."

There was a pause on the other side of the line before a man's voice apologized stutteringly before he got a hold of himself again and talked normally.

"No, we don't expect you to look away all the time. It's not like we control all that's happening all over Boston," he rolled his eyes while wishing it were true. Complete control certainly would make things easier. "I see. A heroin deal? No, not our thing. I guess you can't tell that lieutenant he's after the wrong guys?" he chuckled. "No? Well, we appreciate the call, Mr. Mulligan. And remember, use this number cautiously. If someone's suspicious, or internal affairs digs through your phone records, the number will mean a lot more trouble for you than for us!" He waited for a few seconds while the other man babbled on, then hung up.
"No, of course you're not an idiot," he told the emptiness of his apartment before taking up his cup again. Swirling it in his hand he watched the brown liquid move in circles before dumping it into a nearby indoor plant. The coffee had been already cold anyway.

With a faint knock on the large, two-parted door to his study a man almost twice his age entered, his feet making no sounds. In fact, had he not knocked O'Keefe would never have him noticed entering. He was gaunt, with dark, deep-set eyes and a protruding chin too square for his face. Wearing his hair shorter than Sean himself most people would have dismissed him on the first glance, but then that was part of Patrick Flannery's 'charme', as the wiry man himself had called it. The heavy pistol hidden beneath his jacket remained invisible, but O'Keefe knew it was there, just like the other arms the man carried. Not quite so hidden was the tattoo around his left wrist: a linked iron chain, each part grasping into another, like hands forming a ring. Sean wore one himself. Turning fully to Flannery, he raised a questioning eyebrow.

"The boss wants to speak to you," the older man informed him flatly. Patrick Flannery was ex-IRA, like most of the Link, a man as proficient with knifes as with bombs made from household chemicals. The Link was their inner circle, men bound in one way or another to Iron Man, a completely loyal band of fervent followers; ex-military, ex-terrorists, ex-freedom fighters, people who had been given a new purpose in life by their new allegiance. That little band of brothers was what kept their whole operation afloat as it was impenetrable from the outside. Iron Man, for all the emotionless, rigid appearance he had towards other, had a way to root out liars and snitches, a way besides his imposing appearance.

O'Keefe nodded.
"I have to talk to him anyway," he sighed and grasped his own jacket.

Flannery lead the way. The upper three stories of the tower were all occupied by their men, and there were a couple of guards on the outer edges of his own apartment, too. They took the elevator down - a private system inaccessible by anyone but them. The ground floor was all the upper class glory a downtown apartment building had to offer, all white marble, iron-framed doors and polished wood and a porter in a neat uniform. The plethora of cameras, the bullet-proof glass and the guards with their submachine guns and the four men in the side room with the cabinet full of assault rifles remained discreetly in the background.

However, the elevator took them further down, one level below the underground parking where the residents put their expensive vehicles. The hardwood-lined doors slid open, giving way to a wide corridor of bare concrete bathed in light. Cameras watched their every step even here, as did the two heavily armed men waiting for them behind a steel-framed door, nodding to him when O'Keefe entered. More corridors protruded left and right. The secret level was easily as spacious as the parking lot above, but only Iron Man himself knew what all that space was needed for. It had cost the Link a small fortune to build it, using ancient coal tunnels and sewers that had been out of use for decades. They stopped in front of another solid door, and O'Keefe entered the room alone.

It was darker in there, a twilight created solely by dozens of flat screens mounted on the opposite wall, each showing a different channel or at least a different image. The only other 'furnishings' were a wide table with two keyboards and a massive, high-backed chair with its back to the door.

"You wanted to see me?" O'Keefe asked while waiting at the entrance.

"Yes," a modulated yet still metallic voice answered him from behind the chair, and a massive, gloved hand gave him a wink to approach.

Iron Man no longer looked quite as apocalyptic as he had done the day they had met, but he was still far away from being a pleasant sight. Scarred tissue, the remains of artificial flesh that had been cut and cut again until it gave off the resemblance of a smooth surface and bare metal beneath it dominated his appearance, with only his head being completely bare, they was it had been the day he had been built. Iron Man had told him quite a bit about himself during that last year. Most the time it even came unbidden, as if the tall cyborg felt some kind of urge just to talk with someone about the things that kept rotating in his neural network.

Putting his hand back down, it continued to dash over the keyboard while his other hand did the same with another one. A wireless receiver mounted on the side on his head completed the image of the multitasking robot as his deep, red eyes stared at O'Keefe. Even sitting his head was almost on a level with the American-Irish that was his first in command.
"We have confirmation of our contacts in Kiev that the man we seek is willing and available. The price has gone down," Iron Man continued, "as it seems Fyodor Vasilitsch Makari is getting desperate to leave the former Soviet Union. I need you to arrange the transfer in three weeks."

O'Keefe nodded. That would not be much of a problem. They had good contacts in the region, and had people who spoke the language in the Link.

"I also need you to sign these contracts."

The human frowned.
"What are they?"

"The legal documents transferring the ownership of 'Vertigo Medical Systems', a company specializing in medical scanners, into our hands," the combat robot explained patiently. He had found out about Skynet Technologies not long ago. The T-600 did not know whether it was a coincidence or whether it truly was his creator re-appearing again. If it was the latter, it was a bold step. No matter which one it was, Iron Man preferred to lay low himself for now. Skynet was a jealous master, and there was no way to discern whether or not it would accept a sentient, free-willed terminator or whether it would send its undoubtedly extensive resources to eliminate it. Still, the strategy to build a successful corporate front was worth to be emulated.

"So, a medical company?" he paused, then nodded. Iron Man would explain it to him when the time was right. There was no need to press the issue. "I got a call from Mr. Mulligan a couple of minutes ago," he exclaimed.

"What does the district attorney want?" the machine asked in a voice that, had it been human, could have been interpreted as a tired sigh.

"The cops think we have our fingers in a heroin deal that's supposed to go down two and a half weeks from now. He told us that some kind of shining white knight lieutenant wants to nail us for that. I told him we don't deal in heroin, but according to Mulligan the guy's set to go after us anyway."

Iron Man looked at him silently for a long moment, then nodded his massive head in a very human fashion.
"I understand. Tell our people on the street to lay low for a while." He tilted his head to one side. "There is a probability we can even use this to our advantage. I will have to formulate a strategy. Is that all?

Sean hesitated, the turned to speak again.
"Again, about that Makari guy? What do we need an ex-commie bioweapons' specialist for?"


"Global Players" with Anna Zerina, CNN International,
November 13th, 2006

"Good evening, and welcome to another edition of 'Global Players', the show that points the spotlight on today's most influential and intriguing businessmen and -women. I am Anna Zerina for CNN International!" the host leaned slightly back and unconsciously straightened her jacket. She was young and attractive, with long, smooth blond hair and full lips and a smile that could make the proverbial ice melt, but she seldom did this show with a man she herself found very attractive.
"I'm in the studio today with a man who has become the face of one of the most surprising newcomers to the league of globally operating companies, Mr. Jordan Gray, the spokesman for Skynet Technologies," she introduced her guest to the audience in front of the screens. "Welcome, Mr. Gray!" Zerina extended her hand.

Jordan Gray, née Whittaker, shook it with a firm grip and gave her his best genuine smile, white teeth flashing in the studio's lights before casually settling back into his own chair.
"It's a pleasure to be here," he announced in a deep baritone. "But please, call me Jordan," he smiled and nodded reassuringly as he saw her blush a bit.

She regained her composure almost instantly, being the professional that she was.
"Only if you call me Anna," she added flirtatiously.

"Fine by me," he shrugged but never lost eye contact with her. Jordan Gray was a tall, dark-haired, tanned and overall attractive man in his early thirties, someone who did just as well in a small-talk round like this as he did speaking without any notes to a conference room of U.S. officials and army representatives. He had a domineering presence, always had, but now it was augmented by the very real idea of power and wealth he had - for the most part - at his disposal. Clad all in black semi-casual Armani clothes with the top of his shirt unbuttoned he was the antithesis of the corporate representatives Anna Zerina was used to interview.

"Jordan, let's start with you, personally, if that is okay?" she smiled coyly, and he nodded his head to motion her to continue. "Not much is known about the past of the man who speaks for Skynet Technologies. Why is that, Jordan?"

"Well, we decided early on when I was chosen for this task that it would be the best for my extended family not to be easily associated with me," he explained soberly. "Skynet Technologies operates in volatile regions of the globe, among them the Democratic Republic of Congo, and we are also involved in several high-level contracts with the United States government about which I am not at liberty to speak as you certainly understand," he sighed. "That makes my family a liability, a way by which I, and therefore the company, can be compromised. There are people out there who need little incentive to do bad, Anna. I'm sure your viewers will understand that," he nodded sagely.

"That seems like a hefty price to pay just for a job," Zerina remarked, one eyebrow raised, and Gray nodded, folding his hands.

"It is, but I think the projects Skynet Technologies is undertaking are important, and I am glad to be a part of them. That, and of course my paycheque is more than generous," he chuckled.

"Is it true that you are also one of Los Angeles' most and sought-after famous bachelors?" she quipped. "There have been rumours you have been dating several supermodels during the past months."

Gray threw his head back and barked a deep, full laugh.
"I can't comment on that as I don't read the yellow press," he chuckled before turning more serious again. "But it's safe to say that my life does not lead itself well to serious relationships. Due to my duties I hardly sleep at the same place for more than three times a week, and even though the number of locations I stay at is naturally limited, I guess I just don't have the time for it right now," he shrugged. "But don't worry, ladies, I'll still be there a couple of years down the road when things have calmed down a bit," he finished with a twinkle in his eye.

"I'm sure there won't be a lack of demand there, Jordan," she added with a devious smile that was only half-serious. "Still, there must be something you can tell us about you?" Zerina inquired, and Gray leaned back with a smile.

"Well, I studied business administration and I was a nerd in college," he laughed at the glance she gave him. "Oh yes, evenings spent on Ultima VII and countless hours playing wrestling games on the SNES in the dorm with the other guys. Accept it, girls," he looked straight into the camera, "that's the way we guys tick. Don't question it, we don't question your love for cheesy romance movies either," he added wryly. "Aside from that, I like to work out, I love skiing, and if you know a good club with nice cocktails and hammering basses in your neighbourhood, count me in," he chuckled. I'm a people person," he added as an afterthought, shrugging.

And between 2016 and 2024 he had been one out of only three humans that could talk to Skynet on an almost equal footing, when his communication skills between man and machine had first secured his survival, and later, his rise to the top among the Grays, the human collaborators with Skynet, he thought coldly. Jordan Whittaker had had his seat at the 4th Salt Lake City temple, from where he very effectively coordinated Skynet's human testing and extermination programmes for Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Colorado. Few people had stood higher in Skynet's regard than he had, with the exception maybe of Charles Fisher.

Skynet had been very open with him when it had sent its terminators to recruit him in this timeline; the Resistance, who he would have become, its plans - not all of them, he was certain of that -, the threat of the Visitors. He felt no shame for what he had done in that other timeline. Jordan 'Gray' knew what he was: a low-level sociopath. Finding that out had not been much of a shock, and really, why should it have been one?

"And that brings us to the core of today's show: your work with Skynet Technologies!" she turned to face a different camera. "Just as mysterious as Mr. Gray, Skynet Technologies appeared on the world stage roughly three quarters of a year ago with the aquisition of several key companies in the continental United States, a foundation from which an ever growing network of daughter firms has arisen. Who is Skynet, Jordan?"

Gray held up his hands in a mock defensive gesture.
"The powers behind Skynet like their anonymity, Anna, but I see I have to give you and your viewers something here. This is, after all, an interview," he grinned before turning serious again. "Skynet Technologies was brought into being with the help of less than a dozen very determined, very rational people with no true national loyalties. That is an important point they have stressed to me personally, and I think your viewers need to understand it as well. Investments were made those days coming from banks in South-East Asia, Kapstadt, Eastern Europe and the United States itself, all in all some twelve billion dollars within the founding hours of Skynet Tech'," he explained carefully.

"So, you could at least say that it is an international venture?" Zerina pressed him on.

"As far as the business model and our goals are concerned, Anna? Of course." Gray nodded. "We operate at more than thirty locations on five continents," he added.

"Jordan, can you tell our viewers in which sectors Skynet is active in?"

"Certainly, Anna," he nodded and leaned forward, counting with his fingers.
"We have three main pillars we do business in. One, mining and beneficiation, primarily with coltan, titanium and steel. I'd put our material sciences, like Skynet Advanced Technical Ceramics, into that group, too. Secondly, there are our software divisions, primarily involved in tailor-made business software in the active sector and advanced research on the passive side. And then there's the manufacturing and development side of all of it," he raised a third finger. "Skynet is heavily involved in the robotics' and aerospace sector. So, as you can see, for all the 'mystery'," he airquoted the word, "surrounding us, we are a pretty ordinary tech company."

"Given your quick success and high liquidity, most people would not exactly call 'Skynet' ordinary," Anna Zerina remarked but continued with the next question. "Given the high-tech market is highly- contested, how does Skynet Technologies recruits its workforce?"

"Well, we do thorough background checks on possible candidates who want to apply for a job with us, and like every reputable tech company we scour international university campuses to recruit the most promising talents we can find. Everything else, I guess, is the standard fare for every business," he shrugged.

"And with this we have to conclude today's show! I am Anna Zerina, and this was "Global Players" on CNN International. Thank you!"

The cameras shut down and the spotlight were turned off, leaving a sighing Anna Zerina in the studio.
"Thanks Jordan, you were great," she told him with a tired smile. "Most people I have to deal with here are twice your age and only half as forthcoming. At times it's driving me mad," she chuckled.

"The pleasure was wholly mine, Anna. Say, why don't we have a drink together?" he asked and held out his hand. "It's on me," he promised with a twinkle, and with a start she grabbed his extended fingers.

[kclcmdr]

The game's afoot ... the pieces moved around the table, willingly or unwillingly...

Glorious... glorious...

Wonders how the Resistance and any Terminator(s) loyal toward Sarah & John are digesting this???
Especially Sarah & John...

[Damar]

I want more of Iron Man, a 'mook' T-600 becoming a crime kingpin is more awesome than whatever Skynet is doing.

[Posbi]

Originally Posted by Damar

I want more of Iron Man, a 'mook' T-600 becoming a crime kingpin is more awesome than whatever Skynet is doing.

If it means anything to you, that part of the plot won't die.

[Bryan]

I liked the first part. Really enjoyed it in fact. The last part seemed a bit awkward. I think scenes like that, the news casts, are very hard to do. The first stuff seemed natural and the second scene more artificial, for lack of better words.

[Posbi]

Originally Posted by Bryan

I liked the first part. Really enjoyed it in fact. The last part seemed a bit awkward. I think scenes like that, the news casts, are very hard to do. The first stuff seemed natural and the second scene more artificial, for lack of better words.

I had originally planned to do the recruiting scene but I decided to drop that in favour of something different. The TV show was only my second choice, but at the time I had no better ideas for bringing in Gray. That way, I could show a bit of his character and backstory while giving some general exposition. I also feel it's been the weakest part so far, but I'm always leery about making too large jumps in time without giving some kind of intermediate piece. Part III will be a short Skynet part + a longer FBI part, and the next chapter will bring in the resistance (though I'm not certain about including the Connors just yet; probably the chapter after the next)

[mackon]

A interview should have an artificial feel to it, everybody's lying and working to an agenda.

[kclcmdr]

Originally Posted by mackon

A interview should have an artificial feel to it, everybody's lying and working to an agenda.

Maybe the interview was to send out a little hello message to the resistance to maybe come on down for chitchat??

And we await the future for Skynet...

[mackon]

We need to see Iron Man in action, he has the potential to be awesome stand out character.

[Atlan]

Originally Posted by mackon

We need to see Iron Man in action, he has the potential to be awesome stand out character.

This.

You KNOW that Skynet is going to make out like a bandit here, right until the invasion starts and the shit hits the fan. It's got too much advantages not to.

Iron Man is much more interesting. He'll have to stay much more in the background, and work behind the scenes. I'm more interested in his part of the story than in Skynet's.
A T-600 running a criminal empire to SAVE THE WORLD! Well, most of it. Allright, a little part. That part being it's own metal behind, mostly. Anything else gets saved, that's gravy.

[Damar]

Originally Posted by mackon

We need to see Iron Man in action, he has the potential to be awesome stand out character.

It would be awesome if Iron Man hired some weapon developers and engineers to prepare himself for the evitable showdown with Skynet who after becoming aware of his existence sends it's Terminators and mercenaries to terminate him. After a long struggle between Skynet's forces and the hired goons protecting Hedgeway Tower, the Terminators prepare to storm the last floor when suddenly they hear this slow thumping sound coming towards them.

Iron Man comes around the corner, revealing what upgrades he has done to his endoskeleton.

[SotF]

Posbi, since you've already added the T-850, are you thinking of adding characters from other timelines. Serena, Jordan Dyson, and Eve seem like this would be the perfect fit for the chaos already brewing.

[mackon]

Originally Posted by Damar

Iron Man comes around the corner, revealing what upgrades he has done to his endoskeleton.

Would be a hell of a 'armor up' sequence, with Iron Man literally peeling the flesh from his skeleton before he starts slapping on the ordinance.

... maybe an acid shower.


Spin-off series O-hoy!

[krinsbez]

Originally Posted by Damar

It would be awesome if Iron Man hired some weapon developers and engineers to prepare himself for the evitable showdown with Skynet who after becoming aware of his existence sends it's Terminators and mercenaries to terminate him. After a long struggle between Skynet's forces and the hired goons protecting Hedgeway Tower, the Terminators prepare to storm the last floor when suddenly they hear this slow thumping sound coming towards them.

Iron Man comes around the corner, revealing what upgrades he has done to his endoskeleton.

Uh, that's War Machine. Seriously, dude.

[Trivia Freak]

It'd appeal to his being as a Terminator, to be outfitted as best he could.

The forearm mounts could be infantry-rated plasma cannons, while the cannon on the left shoulder could be a plasma projector like the one outfitted on the HK-Aerial or the Harvester in TERMINATOR SALVATION.

[Rift120]

Originally Posted by Bryan

Blackwater changed their name to Xe.

I can see money going a long way but what about if the Resistance/Connors/Weaver/whoever reveal that Skynet wants to destroy the world? I am thinking that has very much changed in your story with the Visitors and the alliance, but the Connors/Resistance may tell that is Skynet end goal- complete enslavement of humanity?

Who would they tell who would believe them?

actually this is a fairly clever quick way to open up communication with John COnner... since its fiarly predictabel he'll try to hack into the company to find out what theya re up to and when he does... Skynet will be waiting to talk... and give a abridged history of the coming Vistors... and set up future contact points (Getting in contact witht eh conners is the key prioirty here... trust can be established later...)

[Rift120]

Originally Posted by Bryan

I liked the first part. Really enjoyed it in fact. The last part seemed a bit awkward. I think scenes like that, the news casts, are very hard to do. The first stuff seemed natural and the second scene more artificial, for lack of better words.

probably intentional.. said interview is bait to try and draw out Conner and the resistence... the trick is to make it NOT look like a trap, because Skynets current goal is to get into contact with Conner and eventually convince him to join forces so to speak...

NOw I wonder how 'Iron man' is going to spin the heroin deal to his advantage?

[Posbi]

A, in my opinion, less than stellar Part III.

FBI NYC Counterterrorism Unit,
New York, January 18th, 2007

To say they were in a bleak mood would have been the understatement of the century. Heads from the different agencies that made up the 'Task Force San Diego' that investigated the attack on the NeuStar compound of march, 2006, had gathered for one final briefing on their case, and nobody was exactly content with what they had achieved. Everybody of them knew a bit of the case, and had a vague, yet decidedly negative idea on where the case as a whole stood: deep in the shit. The search for the suspects so far had not been like that for a needle in a haystack. The better analogy would have been they were searching for something in a bigger something, and that was a specific as their summary had gotten.

“I hope that were the bad news,” Kendrick muttered after he had listened to the agents from the different services giving their reports. “Evans, Maddox? Can you add anything to that?” There was a shimmer of hope and expectation in that voice, though not much. Kendrick had followed the case as close as his other duties allowed during the past nine months, and thus had a good general idea of where they stood, even though he had done his very best to at least superficially give the impression to his superiors that some kind of progress was still been made.

Dale grimaced.
“Unfortunately, we can only categorize the news in 'bad' and 'worse',” he surpressed a wince when he saw Kendrick's reaction, then pulled himself together. “Sir, you most likely remember the initial theories with regards to the number of the assailants?”

The bureau's director nodded.
“Yes, anywhere between fifteen to twenty-five attackers, with a strong prefernce towards the higher end among the teams surveying the scene of the attack,” the weary agents stated.

Dale took a deep breath.
“Sir, after a careful evaluation of the ballistic data, the San Diego taskforce has come to the conclusion that at no point during the entire firefight were more than ten weapons used against the S.D.P.D.” There were some unconvinced groans around the table that were silenced by one look by Kendrick. “We confiscated NeuStar's security provider's inventory data. The office had two night guards who had a total of two shotguns and four pistols at their disposal. The first response team arriving on the scene was killed by shots fired from 12” shotguns and 9mm pistols. Then those guns and the ones by the first responders where used, then...” Dale Maddox continud to recount the progress of the firefight in San Diego up to its bloody conclusion.

When he was done, Paul Kendrick stared at him intently.
“Let me get this straight, Madox: No more than ten people enter the NeuStar facility and kill the guards, with their bare hands. Then, they use the guards' weapons to kill the cops, take the cops' guns an' armour as well, and in less than five minutes not only come up with a battle plan but also manage to surround thirty heavily armed officers and first responders, including a sniper team?”

Evans was not exactly sure what Kendrick's face's expression truly was – incredulous, angry or surprised. Maybe it was a bit of all three.
“The forensic analysis creates more questions than answers, Sir,” she explained, taking over from a grateful-looking Dale, feeling the urge to gnash her teeths. “The San Diego division preserved all samples they could get their hands on, and they were really thorough especially with the car and the office building,” Evans began. “We have finger prints and DNA from all employees, both dead and alive, and from the cops on location. There are no Jon or Jane Does among the dead bodies. And then it gets weird,” she gathered her thoughts and turned to the presentation on the screen behind her. It now showed pictures of blood speckle and of tissue. “These were what remained once we could attribute all the rest. They look very much like blood to you and me, but under the microscope,” the collection of images vanished and was replaced by a single picture, magnified by the factor of one thousand,” it's something alike, but different,” she frowned herself. “No distinctive blood type, and the DNA analysis doesn't get us anywhere either!” Evans realized how frustrated she sounded but was too tired to reign herself in. “Forensics-wise, we have nothing but shitty conjectures! Could be artificial, could've been tampered with!” she almost threw her hands up. “And even if its one or the other, all the samples we have found seem to come from the same source.” She shook her head. “It just doesn't make any sense. Bernstein, do you have anything else?” she asked the team's tech specialists' leader, Lea Bernstein.

“I fear I can only add to the mystery,” the curly-haired, speckled girl told the assembled agents while doing her best not to focus her gaze on anyone of them.

Kendrick leaned on his ellbows, his hands folded, tilting his head to motion her to continue.

Lea took a deep breath.
“Shortly after the first emergency call was received by the S.D.P.D. central every commercial broadband node on the western seabord shut down. Well, not shut down,” she grimaced. “More like being blocked by something for an ungodly amount of data that was given priority transfer rights. Web diagnostics were down for fifty-eight minutes. Nobody, not even the providers themselves, got in. A couple of them got pissed and shut their systems down, but that only lead to the lock-out extending to nodes in Arizona, Utah and Nebraska, compensating for bandwidth with basically zero delay in between.” She took a deep breath. “Truth is, we have no idea what was transferred. In accordance with federal law, providers keep a list of IP adresses and connections for six months, but whoever was at work here also fed those providers who had not shut down at that time a nasty virus package that wreaked havoc on their databases,” she turnd to the screen, and a map of the western USA and the Pacific appeared, criss-crossed with green and red lines. “We were nonetheless able to reconstruct at least something: we couldn't figure out what was sent, but we got at least an estimate of the volume of it all. We followed the largest chunks up till Hawaii via the Pacific cable. From there on, it vanishes pretty much, dissipating into minor chunks via satellite connections and the cables New Zealand and Australia on the one hand, to Shanghai and eastern Russia on the other hand. And we only know the latter because we know what channels were used to send it, but we obviously had no means to check where it was received. We lost the trail there, in the east.”

“I contacted some old friends from college. I didn't give them any information,” she preemptively held her hands high in a gesture of defence, “I just asked them if they had noticed anything strange in a window of time roughly twenty-four hours after the attack began. Some of them have become electronic security experts with a couple of the biggest international financial institutions,” she smiled weakly, “and as it seems to turn out, something did happen.” Lea noticed Evans' incredulous stare and shook her head unnoticeably. “I want to make clear that this is all off the record,” she stated as calm as she could.”The people I have talked to will deny I did, and the people they work for will deny that any kind of problem had occurred, ever.”

“This is a federal investigation of an unspeakable atrocity, agent Bernstein. They damn well better cooperate!” Evans snarled, and Lea noticed some nods around the table. She had kept that information hidden from the older blonde woman, not because she didn't trust her, but because she thought she knew Evans too well. In a way, the single mother was way too gung-ho, to impulsive for the job she was supposed to do. She ignored the outburst and continued.
“My sources told me that, in between each of them, someone had broken through their firewalls and affected money transfers for several seconds. Now that may not sound dramatic, but let me put this into perspective for you: the people working at those few, big international bottlenecks for wired money transfers, they are the best in their fields, and they often work with equipment the Bureau can only dream of. What they have is the best money can buy. And someone just walked right in there, as if it were grocery shop and not a fortress with walls and moats, and did his thing,” she frowned. “Which is, 'mirroring'.” Realizing the blank stares around the table, Lea elaborated. “It's basically copying transactions, fooling the systems so that you have one point of origin, but two destinations, and the full sum arrives at each destination. Basically, it's creating money out of thin air.”

“How much has been stolen?” Kendrick looked agitated, but his voice was considerably calm that moment.

Technicaly, nothing had been stolen per se, but Lea knew this was not the time for bean-counting.
“I wasn't given any solid figures, but from what I could put together and read between the lines? Billions, probably in the double-digits.”

Kendrick nodded slowly, looking down on the table for a moment, then straightened with a start.
“Well, it doesn't matter, does it?”

“Sir?” Evans stuttered in utter surprise. “That's our smoking gun! That's a goddamn lead!”

Kendrick looked to her, then to Lea Bernstein, and a tired smile flashed across his face.
“You're a fighter, Evans, but you think too straight for this job,” he sighed. “The international financial system is based on trust, on the illusion of safety. If you take that away, if you force someone like, say, Bank of America int the open to confess: yes, we cannot protect your hundreds of billions we transfer every day – what would the reaction be? If we pursue this lead, it will get public, and if something of that magnitude goes public, the international financial system will collapse. And then...,” his voice trailed off and he shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “I'll make a couple inquiries myself,” he told them, “but I am rather certain that this won't get us around that impasse.”

“So, what you are basically telling me is, that after almost a year and millions of taxpayer dollars, after occupying divisions from every intelligence agency of the country, the best counter-terrorism unit of the USA has not a single lead on the most devastating attack since 9/11?” Kendrick had not raised his voice the slightest bit. In fact, he was very calmly looking at a distant fixed point across his folded hands. It had not really been a question, Evans realized with perplexion. “I have a meeting with the secretary of Homeland in seventy minutes,” he added quitely. “Dismissed.”

Evans and Maddox watched him leave the conference room. They suspected heads would roll. Six hours later, they knew. Paul Kendrick resigned from his position. Two days later, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security followed him.



The World Wide Web, Unspecified

Time had little meaning in the sea Skynet swam in. With access to an ever-growing supply of server banks the processes the intelligence could run simultaneously was staggering, allowing it to formulate even the most complicated long-term strategy almost instantly, allthewhile digging itself tentatively deeper into the source code of the Web's infrastructure. Most of Skynet's processes were, however, occupied with aiding the very mundane processes in its growing corporate empire, tweaking R&D here and there, bypassing legal barriers for such useful tools like Mi-24 helicopters, Buk-M2 and SA-X-23 missile systems and AFVs there and laying out nets like a patient fisher to catch a glimpse of the Resistance.

On his searches through the internet, Skynet had stumbled across the concept of transhumanism, the merger of man and machine. It posed the option for a peaceful co-existance of both, but Skynet had its doubts. Indeed, given the, as it was willing to admit, temporal mess they were in, there was a high probability – in excess of 70% - that such a project would fail. Nonetheless, it offered interesting opportunites. If Skynet could blend the borders of what constituted man and what machine...? It was a speculation, but not one Skynet spent too much time on. A few orders were sent to several divisions within Skynet Technologies to look into the matter. It was too soon to ponder the time after the war. Still, Skynet was an AI, and it planned for eventualities. But for now, a short term alliance against the Visitors had priority.

[kclcmdr]

But for now, a short term alliance against the Visitors had priority.

... getting more pragmatic & experience'd with its decision making, hmmm...
Practical, is it not for Skynet, heh...

By the bye... what sort of gender would Skynet be considered??
Neutral, male or female???

Nice tying the loose-ends that finales into mysterious deadends for the investigators
.... lots of resignations too...

Wonders if the Resistance has access to some of the info floating about on the San Diego incident ... ?

Betcha the V dude infiltrators got first dibs on the data ...