10110/City Fall: Hunting for Parts

City Fall: Hunting for Parts
Date of Scene:	19 November 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Doctor Octopus, Grease Monkey
Tinyplot:	City Fall

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Doctor Octopus has posed:
New York. A place you can find nearly anything you could want or desire, as long as the price is right. This is true for most folks, especially if you deal with the black or grey markets...

For a select few though, these days, a good portion of the city is unavailable for trade. One such person are the Octoboys, under Otto Octavius AKA Doctor Octopus. Ever since his defiant stand up on a Casino roof months ago, the Foot clan have made him underworld public enemy number one. He's been fighting a guerrilla war in the months since, only coming into the public eye when he's actually doing offensives.

Of course, any war needs logistics, supplies... and Otto has to eat. So do the Octoboys... and one of the few dealers willing to actually trade with them is a group from out of town, who deals with Fisk and his Empire. With Otto allied with Fisk recently, that meant another source of supplies that Octoboys needed.

The meetup was more of a general showing in a warehouse. Guns, electronics, and drugs were for sale, and numerous parties were invited to this one.

Grease Monkey has posed:
    Various parties means more opportunity for leaks. Sometimes someone arrives who wasn't technically invited, but at least has something to show. Dressed in what they hope is a somewhat appropriate outfit - that is, they've ditched the mechanic jumpsuit for all black, including an oversized hoodie used to hide their ears - Grease Monkey arrives with a messenger bag full of small devices they hope they can peddle.
    The drugs are avoided like the plague, guns given only a cursory look, and the electronics...well. As much as itchy fingers want to just dive in to everything, GM knows they need to make money, first. So at one of the stalls, they pull out something from their bag, quietly offering it for inspection and hoping their nervousness is hidden by the bulky clothing they wear.
    "Yeah, short circuits most systems you put it to, should trigger the emergency override..."

Doctor Octopus has posed:
There are various parties indeed. Some of them are even interested in Grease Monkey's offerings. Street gangs looking for discount hardware and security breaks are everywhere, with electronics becoming to prevalent.

Of course, Doctor Octopus is capable of creating some seriously advanced hardware on his own... but components are extremely difficult to come by outside of recycling from dump sites... and Doctor Octopus isn't interested in that yet. Not with current offerings still working to his interests.

Into the warehouse comes Otto, his safety glasses reflecting those inside as he looks around. The metallic grey arms coming out of his back are retracted completely and down to his side in a neutral manner. He's not here for a fight, and it shows, his real arms coming up to cross over his chest as he observes those within, his brown overcoat doing it's best to conceal the rest of his body.

Grease Monkey has posed:
    Leave it to the ones who don't mind getting dirty, then. Grease Monkey certainly lives up to their name, even with the 'Monkey' aspect hidden. The hoodie is dirty, their hands moreso, but the tech they're sharing is...actually decently clean. Some of it could be more efficient and neater in terms of wiring and polish, but it's clearly made by someone who knows what they're doing.
    What's more, and perhaps most telling...they seem ill used to the bargaining. The first few pieces sold are maybe not at a loss, but could have been sold for more by someone who knew what they were doing in that aspect. Still, they seem pleased, resecuring their bag as they take a moment to scan the room again...
    ...and quickly glance back down at a table. Of course there'd be big names here. Though the thought of trying to sell to such is quite tempting, for the moment, GM is focusing on obtaining a few harder-to-scrounge raw materials.

Doctor Octopus has posed:
Even in the middle of a war with a good portion of the underworld, Otto can easily judge the quality of machines and electronics anywhere he goes... and despite their crudeness in comparison to some of his work, there is potential there.

The others can wait, a young mind could use some advice, probably... and Otto has an interest in forming networks. "Nice work, kid." Doctor Octopus offers as he looks at what Grease Monkey has on offer. Walking over, one of his tentacles reaches over and picks up one of the items.

For all the power and intensity behind those tentacles, the pincers are surprisingly controlled and gentle as they 'hang' the item in the air at eye level. GM can easily get the impression that Otto has had these extra tentacles for so long they're a natural part of his nervous system now; he thinks of those tentacles as part of him, not just extensions of himself.

"Did you do this yourself?" Otto inquires.

Grease Monkey has posed:
    So much for staying under the radar. GM's eyes widen, and they reflexively reach for their build only to freeze midgrab when they realize who's taken it. Bold they may be, but they know when they're outclassed. Still, as their eyes linger on the arm, fear is replaced by a subtle awe and curiosity. Oh, to see those up close...
    They blink after they realize they've been addressed. "Um." Wait, no, be cool. Not dumb. "Y-es?" they manage, voice cracking just a bit, which is very much not cool and in fact very dumb. Reaching up to their hood, they grimace, clear their throat, and try again. "Yeah. I made it. It's. Um. It's for sale. Or trade."
    Someone's either a little nervous, starstruck, or a mixture of that and more.

Doctor Octopus has posed:
It's no secret that Otto Octavius is among the brightest minds on the planet, even if he is a petty criminal. Having admirers (or haters) is nothing new. He considers himself on the level of Reed Richards, after all.

"Rough around the edges, but not incompetent. I don't often see potential in these meetings." Otto muses aloud, before he puts it back where it was via tentacle, and the tentacle itself retracts once more.

Within moments, Otto is standing in front of Grease Monkey, "Just looking to make a quick buck?" Otto asks, a raised brow evident above his right eye in curiosity.

Grease Monkey has posed:
    Well, that's...flattering. Even with the bulky clothing, Grease Monkey seems to beam a bit, accepting the return with only so much...reluctance? Maybe they hoped it'd be a sale. Maybe it was too much to hope for.
    Maybe they weren't expecting the good Doctor to move right in front of them. They take a slight step back, looking up - there's a good few inches between them - and holding on more tightly to their hoodie. A few seconds of silence, then an attempt at a nonchalant shrug.
    "I like to build things." The voice is just slightly more confident. "I can't build all the things I want without...you know." They make a helpless gesture.

Doctor Octopus has posed:
"I know the feeling. Inferior minds all around that can't recognize what's right in front of them, and when you try to open their eyes, you get swarmed by mediocrity." Otto explains, "Even if you do everything right, you still lose."

He looks to one side, to the rest of the meetup, "These people are a stopgap." He looks back, "they're useful for trade. You want to own what you build... but you need money for patents. For studies."

Grease Monkey has posed:
    Patents? Maybe. In truth, Grease Monkey hasn't thought that far ahead yet. Their worldview isn't so much simple as narrow; they have a goal, they are trying to achieve it. To do that, they need resources. And that's where these sales come in - though, as their gaze follows Doctor Octopus's, they can't help but press their lips together. He isn't...completely off the target. And after a moment?
    They decide to be bold. "A mentor or sponsor'd be nice. But I'm not here to be anyone's private toolkit." A beat, and then they continue. "I mean, freelance projects are one thing..."
    They look back at Ock as they speak, peering up at his face to try and read it.

Doctor Octopus has posed:
The safety glasses are pretty thick, preventing eye contact, but the rest of his face is an open book, and is decidedly neutral. "Do you care if you own your technology, or are you just looking to build things?" Otto asks.

Grease Monkey has posed:
    "I don't build for money. I mean, I do, but- I don't /want/ to." The kid makes a face, clearly frustrated with their words. "I don't care about who owns it or who gets credit. What I care about is my d-"
    They cut themselves off, closing their eyes for a moment. Clearly, someone was getting a little away from themselves. "...I like building 'cause it's fun. As long as I can do that, and maybe get something for it so I can /keep/ doing that, I'm good. So I take things other than cash," they conclude, looking back up. "If that's what you were asking."

Doctor Octopus has posed:
"If you let others walk all over you, they start to think they own you themselves." Otto sneers, his tentacles extending around Grease Monkey from all angles. It'd almost look like an attack... except each of the four stops just short of physical contact, with one directly in front of GM's eyes, before they snap their pincers in near unison.

"Inventors always need to be on the lookout for those who would steal their ideas."

Grease Monkey has posed:
    The kid immediately takes another step back, half dropping in to a crouch as the tentacles surround them. They look about ready to...do something, even reaching in to a pocket and grabbing something and tensing up. Whatever it is, however, remains pocketed- when it becomes clear that this was intimidation, they don't so much relax as become clearly annoyed.
    "Uh huh. Any other words of wisdom to share?" they grouse, looking about at the metal arms warily as if expecting one to lash out again. Their hand remains in their pocket.

Doctor Octopus has posed:
The tentacles pull back, retracting back towards Otto's back. All except for one, which goes for another bit of GM's handiwork, bringing it up to Otto's eyes to inspect it. His real arms come up a moment later as he actually gives it an examination.

"Is most of your work original, or do you tend to replicate technology for selling?" Otto asks.

Grease Monkey has posed:
    When the 'threat' has passed, GM finally starts to relax - though they do stiffen a bit when another piece of tech is grabbed. At the question, they frown a bit.
    "Both? Depends on what I'm trying to make it do." The piece in Otto is looking at in particular seems to be inspired by EMP technology, but has a bit of a different twist on it; it's trying to funnel the pulse in one direction.