View source for 3577/Court of Owls: Can't Stop The Signal...Or Can You

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2020/09/26
|Location=Batcave
|Synopsis=Batman and Batgirl brainstorm on ways of mapping the Gotham Undercity, in search of the Court of Owls.
|Cast of Characters=165,175
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:165|Bruce Wayne (165)}} has posed:'''<br>To say it's been a hectic few hours for the Bat-Family is quite an understatement, though you wouldn't know it from the outwards calm that the Batman seems to project, seated at the Bat-Computer with his cowl pulled back, cycling through an array of technical blueprints. A quick glimpse at them will reveal something...pretty specifically bat-shaped, as well as several other devices that look suspiciously like wireless router technology.<br><br>Of course, the bat-shaped thing may have something to do with the thing that looks suspiciously like a Bat, hanging upside down on a perch beside the computer, without a cage, and mostly motionless.<br><br>Orders have gone out to the various members of the Bat-Clan, and given his attire it's likely Bruce will be out and about in the Gotham night soon, but first...there's a conversation to be had, and Batgirl is the lady for this particular job.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:175|Barbara Gordon (175)}} has posed:'''<br>The alert hits her monitors in on a highly encrypted channel while she's setting a patrol pattern in preparation for nightfall. Shortly after, she's headed for her motorcycle in the Clocktowers lower level garage wearing blue-jeans, blouse, and a light jacket against the impending Gotham cold. Cutting in and out of traffic on her way to one of the secure entrances to the cave, pulling up alongside the other vehicles in the dark recesses, she's headed directly to the raised platform. <br><br>Attention set upon that bat shaped object beside the computer, Babs adjusts her glasses and closes the distance between the stairs and the stoic Batman sitting in front of the bank of monitors. Concern cutting into her features. Reading about Tim and Jason being taken is one thing, but somehow being here, in the cave? That makes it real for her. <br><br>"How do I help, Bruce?" <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:165|Bruce Wayne (165)}} has posed:'''<br>"We need to be able to operate more effectively in the Undercity on Founder's Island." Batman notes, swiveling in his chair to face Barbara, and gesturing with a hand towards the "bat" on the perch, "I started developing these once we realized we were encountering the Talons on Founder's Island significantly more often than the other Islands. I've suspected for a while that their headquarters is in the Undercity somewhere, but we've always had difficulty mapping the area." The wings of the "bat" flutter, almost lifelike, but there's /just/ that hint of "uncanny valley" to the movement of it's head. "These are micro drones with sonar capability. My plan was to set loose a flock of them into the Undercity and use them to give us a more complete picture of what we're dealing with. The problem, however, is twofold: First, placing onboard memory on it increases the weight too much. I could use a larger frame, but then it wouldn't appear like a Bat native to this area and would be more easily detected. The other aspect is even if we could get onboard memory on them, I can't give them enough onboard power to get in, send their sonar signals and get out...at least not if we want to go deeper than the very outskirts of the Undercity."<br><br>Batman steeples his fingers in front of him, "I CAN get miniaturized wireless technology in them to let them send signals back to us...virtually mapping in real-time, but as you well know, once we start to get into the Undercity our signals become blocked very quickly. We need a solution for that."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:175|Barbara Gordon (175)}} has posed:'''<br>Babs steps over to the Bat Drone while Bruce is explaining it to her, tilting her head to look at some of the more intricate design concepts with a nod to various points he's making about them. There's a periodic glance his way, thoughtfully quirking her brow behind the red-framed glasses set on the upper bridge of her nose, and another slow nod when he concludes, "Like dropping a cellphone in a well." Lips pursed, eyes squinting as she considers their problem. <br><br>"Mmm, I've been working on a drone to deploy during BoP global opperations in countries with spotty signal strength or spotty satelite coverage." Rubbing her thumb and index finger down the corners of her mouth, "Essentially it's the same as these bats, but they wouldn't have the capability for sustained flight over any great distance.. Their singular purpose would be to provide signal as an extension of the Array through satelite relays in a blanket area." <br><br>She glances at Bruce again, "They're miniature and short lived, but we could position hundreds of them at strategic locations around the island under the guise of moving materials to one of the factories, and launch them in swarms over the island. Essentially turning the minerals of the cave itself into a resonance generator, boosting the sonar from the bats.." <br><br>"Probably add an hour of deep scan coverage with minimal expossure for anyone looking for us snooping." <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:165|Bruce Wayne (165)}} has posed:'''<br>"The upside is that the Court seems averse to high technology. Presumably not in their everyday guises, but they're careful about not sending out signals of their own. Likely because they know us, by which I largely mean you, would find them." Batman notes, "So I'm not worried about them tracing our signals, so much as visual identification and destruction. How unobtrusive are your signal-boosters once they're in place?"<br><br>Bruce contemplates as Barbara processes that question, "The Cave's being turned over to cryo-weapon production, for the most part, as well as most of the auxiliary caves. You said hundreds...how many exactly? I think we can devote the Wayne Tower Sublevel and Clocktower fabricators to work on manufacture, but once we have a number, we'll know a timeframe, and if we need to divert additional capacity." Inwardly, he knows they simply may not have the time for this to be immediately useful in the hunt for Tim and Jason, but even if it's not, it will be useful moving forward...whatever their fate.<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:175|Barbara Gordon (175)}} has posed:'''<br>"The smaller they are, the harder they'll be to visually detect. Obviously." Babs raises a hand, which slaps down on her thigh with a small frown forming at his counter to her concept, which she cannot deny. Without fabricators... She nods and furrows her brow at the Drone again. "The more the better.." Letting the gears turn as she looks over the framework with a far off glaze in her eyes. <br><br>Until something else occurs to her. <br><br>"I could come up with a hundred thousand ''ideas'', but I feel like most of them wouldn't be useful on a expediated time table. I could run the Clocktower's fabricator and have .. a hundred? Two? In a week or two, but I'd still have to write the programming.. and design a prototype small enough that it wouldn't be easily visualized.." <br><br>Instead, "If we could get access to more than just Wayne Satelites... and temporarily take control of the cell towers on and around the island, we could achieve the same success with half the number of drones. Provided there's no unknown crystal deposits down in those tunnels, anyways." <br><br>"It's not a long term solution, but for a quick expedition? Almost certainly going to leave a trail, though.. Someone WILL know we boosted their satelite access.." <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:165|Bruce Wayne (165)}} has posed:'''<br>"How well can you hide your trail beyond the awareness that they were temporarily co-opted? Though I think there is at least one other major corporation I can secure cooperation from without any trouble, so it becomes a question of how many more you might need." Batman ponders, wheels within wheels turning in his head, "Obviously we want to avoid any LexCorp satellites, however much satisfaction it might bring to "borrow" them. Possibly Stark as well...I don't doubt his intentions but I also suspect once he found the intrusion he'd be inclined to trace it, and have the brainpower and resources to succeed." He adds, "But as I said, perhaps we can bypass the need for those."<br><br>He considers, gesturing to the Bat-drones, "As far as potential alternatives...could you adapt your technology to these drones? The framework would already be constructed, it would just be a matter of the internals and the programming. Or conversely...if we dedicated say...one out of every ten, maybe twenty-five of these to serving as a relay point...a mobile hotspot, if you will... possibly using line-of-sight signals...how feasible would you think it might be to chain the signal back up into the open air?"<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:175|Barbara Gordon (175)}} has posed:'''<br>"That also depends on how many I have to hack simultaniously. Individually they aren't exceptionally hard to hide intrusion, but the more I chain them together, the more obvious it becomes that someone is doing something... Which..." Wiggling her finger again, she's always been a kinetic thinker, moving, conversing, brainstorming. The longer she's talking, the more it shapes in her head, the more pieces fall into place. Even if they're right in front of her. <br><br>She motions up at the Bat computer and leans over the keys after adjusting her glasses frames. Eyes moving steadily back and forth over old schematics that are both public, and less than public, domain. <br><br>Until she's brought up an old skeletal framework of the vent systems under old Gotham, "This is a map that shows the old steam heating system that Gotham laid down in the late 1800s. Central heating chambers that would pump steam out to radiators in surrounding buildings. It was largely replaced during public works programs in the 1930s during Roosevelt's New Deal to try to help the nation out of the Great Depression. Some of the newer system is even still use today. Though we care about the older one.<br><br>That 1800s system was made largely out of iron, and while some sections of it rusted out, a lot were well protected. So I'm saying we have an underground grid of iron pipes that cover some significant areas of Gotham, that can be used as antennas. With the breaks, and rusting, it's not going to be something to try to stream the last &lt;name of some show&gt; in HD to your heads up display. But it's still expansive enough those thousands of feet of pipe collectively will give us a boost. In roughly... 70% of Gotham.<br><br>"Between this, whatever satelites we can get between Wayne holdings and cooperative assets.. and the drones outfit with a more streamlined scanning software that I can /absolutely/ write in far less time than fabricating miniaturized signal drones..." She claps and holds her hands out. "We have a fairly strong signal across most of Founders Island... and as far down as... say... a six or seven hundred yards /down/." <br> <br>

:'''{{#var:165|Bruce Wayne (165)}} has posed:'''<br>"All right. Get started on it as soon as possible. Keep the usual monitoring up as much as you're able but this is the priority for now." Bruce swivels in the chair and starts inputting some codes on the Bat Computer, "I'm giving you override access for the fabrication facilities in Wayne Enterprises Sub-level 3, and Auxiliary Batcave North. Do whatever you need to get this done, and let me know when it's ready to deploy. I'll keep working on alternatives as I'm able in case things don't go as planned, but it's certainly going to take a lower priority than the physical search. Get in touch with Lucius if you need anything else that WayneTech might be able to provide." THe permissions input, he rises from the seat, and moves to pull on his cowl, "And now it's time for both of us to get to work."<br> <br>

:'''{{#var:175|Barbara Gordon (175)}} has posed:'''<br>Babs breaths out a slow sigh, still looking up at the computers, a gentle reflective glow from the monitors in the lense of her glasses as she stands from her half lean over one set of keys. "I'm on it." She assures Bruce with a nod, rubbing the back of her neck when stepping away... Stopping in her departure cold and turns towards him assuming the mantle of the Bat, "We'll find them, Bruce." It is entirely unlikely that she'll have any of this ready in time to be implimented in searching for their lost family, but... The sentiment is still there. <br><br>Whether he says it or shows it, Babs knows he's thinking it. <br><br>She nods once, but doesn't wait for a response, she's got a years worth of programming and building to do in a couple of days if she wants any of this to be rolled out before Thanksgiving. Considering the scope of everything, the particulars of what she has to put together, on her way back to the Clocktower. <br> <br>
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