2013.04.06 - Going Rummaging

A nice day out in Soho...it's just your average day, with nothing exceptional going on at all. It's one of those quieter days, with customers coming and going without a lot of noise and fuss. And fitting in quite well--with the tone of the day, but not in appearance--is a somewhat small youth who has wandered into this area of town. He's quiet, passing unnoticed by much of the crowd despite his somewhat strange appearance: long blonde hair that makes it actually a little hard to tell that's a "him", combined with an old, plain and somewhat worn robe, and bare feet. What's he doing? Well, he's window shopping, apparently. He's standing staring at one of the shops, looking at items in the window with an expressionless gaze.

Which, incidentally, is what he's been doing for the past 15 minutes. The same store. The same window. Probably the same item.

Weird children? John doesn't notice the strange little boy right away. He's in his private investigator disguise...nondescript enough not to stand out, and by this point he knows very well how to pretend to be human. He's gotten good at it.

Staaaaaare. The boy continues to stare into the window, silently, for several more moments...and then quite suddenly steps away and turns to go. Rather too quickly, it seems, as he manages to catch one foot with the other, tripping. He doesn't even remotely react in time to catch himself, plopping down face-first onto the sidewalk. /That/ gets some attention from people.

Martian Manhunter moves quickly, crossing the distance to help the kid back to his feet. "Are you okay?" he asks, in a gentle voice. To the kid, he probably looks pretty old...if 157 was actually a real kid. As he isn't, who knows.

157 has barely even /moved/ by the time Jones is there. He's just starting to pick himself up off the ground, and as John offers help, he looks at him without any real comprehesion. Finally, he seems to recognize what's going on and takes the hand, slowly getting back to his feet. He's got a scrape on his chin from that, but it doesn't look serious. He stands there for a few moments, staring up at the man, and finally responds in monotone. "Query: Are you okay? Probable meaning: Report physical condition. Status: This unit has sustained minor injuries. Repairs are unnecessary."

Martian Manhunter drops to one knee. "Unit?" The kid...isn't lying, but a private investigator might not know that as keenly, as clearly, as the telepath he can't reveal himself to be.

"Query: Unit?" 157 stares at John for a few moments with that same blank expression. "Error: Query not understood. This unit cannot answer question. Request: Expand wording of query for additional clarity."

"Do you have a name?" John asks, still gentle. Kid seems human, but...something's very messed up here. And he can't find out what without violating telepathic ethics. Which he's not willing to do JUSt yet.

"Query: Do you have a name? Answer: Affirmative." 157 pauses, and then it must have dawned on him that the question probably was about more than yes or no. "Additional information: Unit identification Yeweseisisel. Current language usage: English. English translation: One-Hundred and Fifty-Seven. Unit will also respond to variants. Examples: One-Hundred Fifty Seven. One-Five-Seven. Hundred-Fifty-Seven." 157 falls silent for a few moments, watching John, and then speaks again. "Notification: It is not necessary to remain in kneeling position to speak with this unit. This unit is capable of a full range of motion with the head and neck."

Martian Manhunter laughs slightly. "Well, kid...where are you from?" Maybe he'll even answer the gently-given questions...although the Martian is already trying to work out what is actually going on here. Not an easy task.

"Query: Where are you from? Probable meaning: Where did this unit originate? Error: Subject is not recognized as authorized. Access denied." Looks like it isn't going to be that easy, unfortunately. 157 seems to behave almost like a computer system--answering queries freely and honestly, /except/ when there's some kind of lock over the answers. And this would appear to be one of the locks. "Clarification needed: Should this unit add 'kid' to recognized identifications?"

"Probably a good idea." He looks like a child. He doesn't act like a child. His mind is...messed up would be the technical term. How does J'onn resolve this one?

"Understood. This unit will now respond to 'kid'." Hopefully he at least has some capability of recognizing when someone is saying that to him as opposed to another kid, or a whole lot of people are going to have rather interesting conversations soon. A pause, and 157 suddenly turns to start walking away down the sidewalk. "Energy reserves dropping. Observation priority lowered. Current priority: Retrieval of energy source."

"Do you need help finding something to eat?" Odd how the detective seems to already speak fluent 157. Of course, he could just be smart.

157 stops, looking back over at the detective. "Query: Do you need help finding something to eat?" A long pause, and he turns fully to face John again. "Answer: Assistance is not required. This unit is capable of locating and retrieving energy sources. However, this unit has little data on restrictions regarding retrieval of energy sources in region designated 'New York'. Retrieval may become dangerous."

"Okay. Do you need help getting something to eat without just taking it?" Sigh. Brainwashed kid...J'onn is so tempted to go rummaging at this point.

157 stands there silently for a few more moments, and then finally answers. "Query: Do you need help getting something to eat without just taking it? Answer: Affirmative. This unit has access to one location for authorized energy source retrieval. However, authorized retrieval is dependent upon presence of subject identified 'Fern'. Probability of presence uncertain. Current subject offers additional means of authorized retrieval. This unit will follow."

"Fern, eh?" He makes note of that. "Come on. I'll buy you a sandwich." At least the kid has, if not a legal guardian, then at least a friend who can help him navigate society. That's one step above the situation J'onn was fearing.

157 steps back over to join John, looking up at him. "Query: Fern, eh? Probable meaning: Confirmation of statement desired. Answer: Affirmative. Confirmation required: Item designated 'sandwich' is energy source, also designated 'food'."

"Come on, then." John looks around. There's got to be...aha. Yes. He remembers where the nearest good, old fashioned New York deli is.

157 pads softly after John, following quite readily now that he's decided to do so. Weird kid, but at least he doesn't seem to be all that difficult. As they walk, he keeps looking over at the various shop windows, looking at the items. Fortunately, though, he's keeping walking for now rather than engaging in another quarter-hour staring session. His current objective is an energy source, after all.

Martian Manhunter reaches the deli, ducking in. It's very Jewish...they probably won't put cheese on your meat sandwich...but the food looks and smells good.

Which draws...absolutely no reaction from the kid. Then again, John probably wasn't expecting one by now. He stands in the doorway for a few moments, eyes scanning across the deli in a manner uncannily like a security camera scanning a room, and then steps fully in, following John. "Clarification required: Are energy sources in this location only available by communication with proper authority?"

Martian Manhunter nods. "Pretty much, although sometimes if you go at the end of the day they'll give you something they don't want to hold until the next."

"Understood. Energy source availability enhanced at end of day." 157 walks over towards the counter, staring up at the people behind it silently. Stare. Staaaaare. Yeah, he clearly has no idea how to order food. He's probably expecting someone to just hand something over.

"What do you want, or have you not really worked out what you like yet?" John inquires. The kid is probably spoilt for choice and not sure what to order. It's not like *normal* people don't stare at menus sometimes.

"Query: What do you want? Answer: It is not necessary for this unit to 'want'," 157 says, looking up at John again. "This unit will accept energy sources chosen by subject."

"Okay..." He turned. "Two roast beef sandwiches. And two bottles of flavored water." NOT buying the kid soda...nope. It's not his kid, after all. Well, not even the same species, but...

And as odd as the kid seems to be, it's probably not a good idea to see what he'd be like on a caffiene rush. "Two roast beef sandwiches. And two bottles of flavored water," the kid mimics, quietly. He looks from the server to John, then back to the server, then back to John. Wordlessly, he turns and walks over to a booth, getting into one of the seats and staring out at the empty space across the table from him.

Martian Manhunter takes the sandwiches as they're made and heads over to join the kid, sliding one of them...and one of the water bottles, over to him. Hopefully the kid will learn to want something. He's clearly been abused...and John is leaning more and more towards finding out who by by any means necessary.

157 barely reacts as John joins him, and only slowly looks down at the sandwich and the water bottle. He considers them for a few moments, and then reaches out to touch the sandwich, but pauses, looking up at John again. "Instruction required: Is this energy source to be consumed with hands or with aid of tools?"

"Hands." At which point John will actually demonstrate biting into the sandwich. Being careful of the wrapper.

"Hands. Understood." 157 picks up his sandwich as well, at first almost biting into the wrapper before he seems to realize that element of John's demonstration. Carefully, he folds back the wrapper, and bites into the sandwich. Chew, chew, chew, chew, chew...and so on, before he swallows. Kid eats like a machine going through a standard operation, and there's no sign of enjoyment or any other reaction than fulfillment of a necessity. Another bite, another mechanical chewing and swallowing process, and he sets the sandwich down, staring at the water bottle for a few moments before he picks it up, looking it over. He tries to suck on the lid, and that doesn't go anywhere, so he tries to bite it. No success there, either, so he looks at John. "Instruction required."

"Like this." Open the bottle...hopefully the kid will remember it next time. Kid has to be thirsty as well as hungry, though.

157 blinks, staring at the bottle for a few moments, and then takes a sip. He pauses, a sort of dull confusion coming to his face, and looks at the bottle again, then at John. "Alert: Substance identified as 'water' does not match known taste of substance 'water'. Possibility of contamination or poison. Recommendation: Cease consumption immediately. Submit to medical inspection."

"No, it's just had flavoring added." John will demonstrate its safety in the most obvious manner, by opening his own bottle and taking a long swig. "Some people prefer it that way."

157 watches John drink...and watches him for several seconds afterwards. A long pause, and one can almost see gears turning in his head, before he sets down his bottle. "Self-preservation priority. Assessment: Potential threat. Recommendation: Additional evidence required to lower threat rating." He slides his bottle across the table to John. "Request: Drink to demonstrate safety of substance."

"Fair enough." J'onn will indeed take a drink, although much smaller than from his own...just so he doesn't drink so much of the kids' water.

157 watches him drink, and watches him for a good long while after he's done. Clearly, he's looking for a reaction. Not aware, of course, that John would probably have some level of resistance anyway given he isn't what he appears, but hey. It's a decent protocol, anyway. Finally, it appears enough time has elapsed that he's judged it safe, and he retrieves the bottle, taking another drink. "Flavoring added. Understood. It is not necessary for this unit to 'prefer'." He goes back to the sandwich, resuming that mechanical eating.

That does it. It's a quick scan...first...to make sure the kid really is as human as he appears to be to surface senses. He reclaims his own bottle. "It comes in several different flavors, so you know."

"Multiple flavors. Understood." 157 looks over at the counter, then back at his bottle. "Clarification required: Are other flavors available from same location?" The mind is there, and...it seems to be that of a person, rather than a programmed entity. It's...unusual, though. There's almost no resistance to the mental probe, not even the normal level one would expect to deal with from your average person. Even for a quick scan, it may be the easiest scan John's ever done.

Inwardly, John sighs. The kid's been deeply abused, has no self esteem...this is going to be hard to fix even if he can identify the abuser and remove them from the situation. He scans quickly for images related to "Fern" - a potential ally in the situation.

The scan is still amazingly easy. There's almost no protection there...at least in that part of the mind. He might notice as he scans that there are some parts of the mind that have.../significant/ protection. Unbreakable? No. But the kid's mind is like a computer file structure, almost. Some things are accessible to just about anyone, while other things are locked down under deep security. Fern, though? No protection whatsoever. There's good mental images of Fern Fiddlehead, evidently a waitress at a restaurant. From the images he finds, looks like she gave the kid some food and drink at some point too. Or something like that. There's one image that suggests the kid may have...acquired...a burger for himself via stealing it from another customer, and Fern jumped in after that.

Definitely worth checking on. The question is...is there any information about who did this to the kid not in one of those locked areas. John isn't messing with those yet. Might hurt the boy.

There are what might be hints. Memories of non-critical moments on what look to be missions...the sort of things people might not think to instruct someone to keep quiet. In those moments, figures that are shadowy in some other memories come into more focus...and some can be recognized...some of the members of the recently-deceased Nasibban black ops team John looked into, the ones that died in the fight in the warehouse. This boy was involved with them.

Involved in...well, that is worth investigating. For now, John withdraws. And drinks more of his water. "157. So...what *can* you tell me about what you're doing here?"

"Query: So, what can you tell me about what you're doing here?" 157 says, and sits there with his sandwich in front of his mouth where he'd been about to take a bite. Answering questions takes priority, though, so he continues sitting in that awkward pose throughout. "Possible meanings: Why are you in this location? Why are you on planet designated 'Earth'? Meaning 1...low probability. Subject does not appear to have suffered cranial trauma or similar injuries leading to memory loss. Meaning 2...high probability. Answer: This unit is an observation and information retrieval unit created by access denied. This unit was sent by access denied to planet designated 'Earth' to observe."

Martian Manhunter frowns a little bit. "And you aren't allowed to tell me who sent you." Which could mean he's for an invasion...or he could just have been dropped here by some not very ethical xenoanthropologists. Hard to know.

"Query: And you aren't allowed to tell me who sent you. Answer: Information is restricted to authorized users. Subject not authorized. Access denied." 157 finally takes that bite again, and a little while later, another drink of water. Not a lot of information to go on, no...though if he was related to that Nasibban team...they don't do invasions, but they /do/ do shady information dealings, theft, spying, and the like. If he's involved with that team that was wiped out, it's unlikely it will lead to an invasion...but they were here for /something/.

Or he's not. Or, heck, the Nasibban team was here to kidnap him. Which seems more likely to the detective, right now. "Got it."

Definitely an option and definitely in the Nasibban playbook. 157 finishes off his sandwich, then finishes off his water, and remains seated for a few moments more, staring over at John for no particular reason. After a few moments of this, he gets out of his seat. "Energy sources acquired and consumed. Priority: Resume observation of current area." And with that, with no hesitation whatsoever, he starts walking towards the door.