Upgrading Security

Security Room - 

A multitude of monitors cover most of the walls that make up the security room. It is here that the Autobots' elaborate web of sensor network grids is vigilantly monitored by Autobot military personnel. This includes key tactical locations underground, on the surface, near city perimeters, and even the region of space around Cybertron.

Iacon's security room, well.. more specifically, Decagon's security room. It goes without saying though, that the sensor grid linked up here covers -most- of the city. In fact, that's the problem.

It's not complete.

Red Alert sets out each sensor on the large table, each machine identical except for identifying numbers printed on them in big red numbers. 001, 002, 003, etc. Checking his chronometer, the Security Directors vents a sigh and takes a seat. Brainstorm is late. It's not a big deal, but he can't help but think about WHAT the Headmaster is currently doing to delay his arrival.

Most likely inventing some end-of-the-world device.

Brainstorm walks in, looking completely innocent of ever devising any such morally and ethically questionable devices (who him?). Nope, he's all about taking care of business right now. If anything, he is dressed to impress- at least in the sense of bringing an impressive amount of charts, graphs, calculators, laptops, tablets and not just one but several briefcases. Brainstorm looks VERY BUSY and VERY IMPORTANT. And very dexterious, juggling all that equipment. In fact, anyone who had seen him in the hallway would have heard all about the VERY IMPORTANT meeting he was heading towards, and "Sorry, but I'm VERY BUSY right now..." whether they actually wanted to talk or not. (And of course, there's the fact that he could have carried all that in subspace and prevented himself the hassle... but, well, then no one would have SEEN IT, would they?) The Headmaster walks in and greets Red Alert through the pile of things he carries. "HEY THERE! Sorry, important stuff back at the lab, y'know... I got away as quickly as I could! I just grabbed a few things...."

"A few things.." Red Alert allows the statement to hang in the air, carefully inspecting each and every piece of equipment he'd brought with him. Not for security purposes, no. He already had the Headmaster scanned via cameras SEVERAL times in the hallways. No, Red is admiring not only his dedication to the job in front of them.. but the preparedness.

"Brainstorm, you're a mech after my own spark." he smiles, offering to take some of the items from him and help unload.

And Brainstorm is prepared... or he will sure make it LOOK like he is! But honestly, the Headmaster has actually been researching and gathering data and, well, brainstorming ideas for this project, and he readily accepts the help from Red Alert. "Thanks!" Once the items are all arranged and ready to go according to size and color, Brainstorm straightens up and looks Red in the optic. "I know I am, Red, and your dedication to improving the safety and security of our living areas is....well, dedicated!"

Bowing his head ever so slightly, Red Alert actually lets out a genuine chuckle and smile. It's not very often he is actually thanked for his efforts. Instead, it's always 'Red, why did you confiscate my television set?' or 'I understand you do not trust toasters, but that was a bit over the line Red'.

Once everything is laid out to bear, the Security Director rests his hands on his hips. "Alright, first let's get the long-range sensors upgraded." he suggests, taking a sensor in his hand and giving Brainstorm another. "Sooo.. how would we do that, again?"

Brainstorm looks at the sensor at hand, and immediately goes into Technobabble/Engineering Geek mode. "Well, it appears to me that we've got an amorphous network of spatially distributed sensor platforms that wirelessly communicate with each other, and it seems to me if we upgraded these babies to a mesh networking protocol stack, they'd communicate more effiently AND the ground reception rates would be VASTLY improved!" He points to some of his graphs (which look kind of like the colors of the rainbow). "Here, you can CLEARLY see that if we adjusted the frequency of the parabolic dish antennas, there'd be at least a 35 % rate of improvement!" He pauses and looks expectantly at Red to see if he's following.

"Is that taking into account the delivery rate of the frequency tuning?" Red Alert inquires, leaning in to inspect his own sensor. Listening intently still, he begins to dismantle the device and start pulling out parts. "Also, we are a tad shy on some parts.. could always make a run to Pz-zazz though, visit Tosche Station for power converters."

Brainstorm optics raises slightly in surprise, but then he just sliiides right along. "Absolutely!!! My calculations were quite thorough, after all." He listens to the latter suggestion, "Yes, that might work. However, I've been working on a way to improve the effiency of the power converter pipeline..." He clicks on the laptop and starts running a program to show what he means, which is full of very complicated and important-looking calculations. There are little animations throughout the program's illustrations and graphs, including something that looks suspiciously like Perceptor in his microscope mode that comes on every now and then to offer help files, like the old paperclip in Microsoft Office. Brainstorm keeps swatting it away with his mouse.

"Ah, so I would shift the high speed transponder right.. then that would make way for the converter, allowing you room to upgrade the pipelines?" Red Alert asks, still fiddling with the sensor.

When chibi-Perceptor shows up offering suggestions, he fights back the urge to spout out his theory on the program's spying parameters AND point a gun at the laptop. Instead, he studies it intently with a piercing glare.

Combat: Red Alert takes extra time to aim his next attack.

Brainstorm raises a finger. "Exactly! Let me add a few extra tweaks to my program and adjust some of the delivery aspects to the sensor nodes, and if there's still a problem we can always go to... wherever that was." Brainstorm reaches over and scoots the laptop a little closer to himself, protectively, as Red Alert gets a little TOO intent on that not-really-Perceptor-I-swear. "Oh, never mind that little thing.... it just, uh, pops up sometimes. One of those programs that, uh, came pre-installed and I never bothered to delete it, yeah..." He quickly turns it off and brings up a few more charts, enlarging them for consideration.

"So, as you can see, I think it shouldn't be too much of a problem to apply a larger radius and greater power to this sensor network, as well as increase effiency. Once that's done, it'll be a cinch to take these sensors, once they're finalized, and place them in strategic points across the globe and beyond!"

The view pans out, as Red Alert and Brainstorm burn the midnight oil upgrading the sensors. Well, as much as they can with the parts available. Panning out, it begins to slowly fade to black. Just what foul sensor-technics will they get into offscreen?

That, will have to wait for another time.