Tinker, Tailor, Hero, Spy [Modplot/Log Post] [Part 2] [The Investigation]

[letsgolegion]

Who| Closed to Donatello, Pidge, Judy, Nick, Parker, Wash, and (eventually) Rocket
What| The Mole Investigation
Where| All over the place!
When| After a little recovery time from the ambush
Warnings/Notes| N/A

There are at least a few leads for the Legionnaires to follow. The team assigned to the case is split up and given certain tasks based on their skills. With luck, they can prove Rocket's innocence and find the real culprit that supplied plans to the Fatal Five.

One thing's for sure: until they stop the mole, the Legion's mission will be harder than ever. The more information the mole feeds the enemies of the Legion on an ongoing basis, the more likely the Fatal Five (and possibly their other enemies) will be able to finally defeat them.

Comments

Group 1 - Donatello and Pidge

[letsgolegion]

Due to their technical skills, Donatello and Pidge are given the task of examining the evidence to Rocket's supposed hacking, and the video that was supposedly taken of him at the console where the hacking allegedly took place.

With enough poking around in the files and examination of some of the technology involved, they can potentially find proof that the evidence was falsified.

To start with, they can access the digital evidence or investigage the mechanical evidence..

[ooc: Pick one in thread!]

Group 2 - Judy and Nick

[letsgolegion]

Due to their investigation skills, Nick and Judy have been given a lead to run down. The Legion got a tip from one of their criminal connections that a criminal named Four Thumbs Shaughnessy may have been the go between that supplied the mole's information to the Fatal Five.

If the two can track the criminal down, they might be able to get some information out of him.

Their investigation brings them to a bar, where they can talk to the bartender or one of the prostitutes that habitually frequents the joint.

[ooc: Pick one in thread!]

Group 3 - Parker and Chief

[letsgolegion]

Due to their tactical and sneaking skills, Parker and Chief are given a tip on a particular warehouse on Earth to investigate, in the city of New New Orleans. The Legion's liaison with the Science Police, Officer Erin has a connection that's working the case that believes Rocket may be innocent, too, even if others don't.

An undercover Science Police officer is the source of this tip.

They have the option of trying to sneak in through a hole in the roof or through a ventilation shaft.

[ooc: Pick one in thead!]

A Cunning Escape - Rocket

[letsgolegion]

Since the case is still pending, the Science Police keep Rocket in holding on Takron-Galtos, the prison planet.

Low security holding. With a power dampener that can be picked and removed fairly easily.

[nerdninja]

"Okay, so." Donnie tapped the sides of his omnicom thoughtfully. "We know that footage is ridiculously easy to falsify, but even a good hack job usually leaves footprints. What do you think - start there, or with something else?"

Re: Group 2 - Judy and Nick

[the_fuzz]

Judy looked up at the bar, giving the place a flat, resigned look.

"Of course it's a dive bar. With a name like Four Thumbs Shaughnessy I don't know why I expected anything different." SO far it seemed like the guy wanted to hit every cliche in the book, and then some.

"Flip for bad cop?" she asked, pulling a coin out of her pocket.

Re: Group 3 - Parker and Chief

[leverageintceo]

Parker looks between her partner for the information-gathering trip and the opening for the ventilation shaft.

"...Can you fit in there, or should we use the hole?" she asked dubiously. The man was very large, almost excessively so. How did he ever get anything done? How did he slip away from anything?

Re: Group 3 - Parker and Chief

[prettycoolguy]

"I can, but it'll be tight."

The Chief's shields flare briefly as he deactivates them. It cuts his profile down a little bit, at least.

"You go first, so I can back out if I have to."

He's done this before, but he's pretty aware that not everywhere's built to have a Spartan scrambling around in it.

He may be surprisingly quiet for being so big, but he's still definitely big.

[isthisapidge]

Pidge adjusted her glasses, her tongue in he cheek. "Hmm...the way they hacked in, they would have had to tamper with the mechanisms. That might get us there quicker but I don't think we can be as exact...How much time do you think we have?"

[nerdninja]

"I don't know how fast the legal system moves here, but the faster we can clear this up, the better." Donnie frowned. "Maybe we should divide and conquer?"

They could work on analyzing different parts of the evidence from the same lab space, and just reconvene when they needed second opinions, but before they could take the data and hole up in the lab - "Actually, scratch that, we should probably go through the mechanical evidence first, in case we can't bring everything back to the lab. Whatever we have to do in the field, let's get out of the way. We can bring the digital evidence back to work wherever."

[isthisapidge]

"Good point, but but we should go together if we can. If the mole is watching and sees us trying to crack this thing, they might decide to do something about us."

Pidge is already packing up some tools. Nothing gets her going quite like a project, and this is a doozy.

[nerdninja]

"Also a good point." Donnie was used to watching over his shoulder - for the most part - but all that ninja training hadn't quite cured him of the tendency to sometimes get a little too buried in what he was doing.

[isthisapidge]

"Then lets start broad and work our way down. What's the most efficient way to hack science police databases?"

[frickingguardian]

He needs to start hiding lockpicks in his fur, he swears. In the tail, maybe-it's puffy and could probably hide a few, once he can figure out how to get them to stay. Nobody expects that, right?

Though apparently, nobody expects a breakout in general from him, judging from their security. It's almost a little insulting, if he's being honest. Low security. Seriously?

His only problem might be figuring out a way to pick that power dampener, but...he does have nails, the tip of which might be small enough, if he's lucky. If not, he'll have to get more creative. Rocket makes his way over towards the power dampener, does a quick glance around, and then sets to work, trying to see if he can make any of his nails fit.

Yeah, definitely figuring out how to hide lockpicks, next time.

Re: Group 3 - Parker and Chief

[leverageintceo]

"If you block me in, I'm going to be annoyed," Parker warned him, before loosening the screws holding the cover in place and eeling her way inside.

"No signs of any laser tripwires or anything," she said quietly. Wow, did she ever miss the earbuds. She was going to have to talk a lot louder than she was used to if Chief was going to hear anything. She popped her head back out. "It's safe enough for you to try and fit in."

[nerdninja]

"The best way not to get noticed where you don't belong is to look like you belong there in the first place. Which usually implies access codes."

But that was before adding superpowers to the equation, of course. "I can get in pretty flawlessly if I can actually touch something that's hard-wired into their systems. But depending how far we have to look for that, hacking it the old-fashioned way might be quicker."

[thethinzooline]

"You got to be bad cop last time."

Then again, he got to be bad cop a couple times in a row before that, thanks to coin flips, so he figured it was only fair.

Knowing that she'd probably argue that very thing, he sighed.

"Fine. Heads."

[letsgolegion]

Not only were there no laser tripwires, there were no inconvenient grates visible up ahead to block their progress in the duct, and it looked to be a straight shot in, without any awkward angles. As long as they could handle the tight fit, it ought to be smooth sailing ahead.

The only sounds, aside from those they made themselves, were the faint thrum of machinery and some soft, distant thuds.

[letsgolegion]

Fortunately, at most consoles, there is a small piece of hardware responsible for encrypting or decrypting almost everything that needs it, from access info data, to security video, to data from the biometric security protocols.

While data might have been erased in other places, isolating and removing this encryption device (something that takes particular skill to avoid it doing an automatic data wipe) can potentially allow them to search the device for data or security video that was erased elsewhere.

[letsgolegion]

His nails are sharp enough to pick the device, and though it might take some thought to figure out how to move them to unlock the lock, it's possible to remove them.

The door is a different matter. With no tools to use, and surveillance on the room, he has two options.

The first is psychologically manipulating the guards into opening the door, perhaps via faking illness or damaging something in the room.

The second is unhinging a loose panel and messing with the wiring inside to force the door to open -- before the guards get there.

[frickingguardian]

When given the choice between having to interact with guards, and playing 'fun with wiring', Rocket always leans towards the latter. It's worked in the past; he has a good track record with it. (Mostly. If you don't have too many concerns about property damage.)

Rocket considers his options. Power dampener versus door...well, he's probably not lucky enough to find a greenhouse in a prison, anyway. The power dampener can wait; the door and busting out is more important. He turns his attention to working at the panel, trying to squint inside as he works at unhinging it. He's not sure how much time he'll have, and the more idea of which wires look the most promising before he gets the panel off, the better. "C'mon, c'mon..."

[leverageintceo]

Parker tended to prefer ducts with more corners, if only because they made it easier to duck out of sight or to take cover if someone started actually shooting. But a straight-shot is probably best, considering her partner's size.

She eased herself along, listening for for anything that could be guards approaching their location, and trusting Chief to take care of himself. She could do this blindfolded.