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xavier_institute_logs2015-09-28 02:13 pm
astonishing_xmods) wrote in xavier_institute_logs2015-09-28 02:13 pm
Entry tags:
Decoding [OPEN]
WHO: Students and staff of Xavier’s Institute
WHAT: Scanning some paper that may or may not have information leading to a proper cure
WHERE: One of the library’s computer labs
WHEN: After the recovery team’s return
WARNING(S): Papercuts and swearing
The notes taken from the Essex mansion could fill two rooms of printer boxes, and still be spilling out the door. The paper was old, but at least not crumbling; the pages were still easy to handle, provided it was done so with care. These were documents of some historical importance, if only from where they came from. Digitizing them for better preservation was part of a hastily drawn up agreement for removing the documents from the mansion to keep nationalistic curators quiet.
The pages were written in a simple Roman substitution cipher; easy enough to crack in the modern day even for students, and especially when scanned in and uploaded to a server where it could all be done electronically. McCoy’s lab could have done it faster, of course—but they were otherwise occupied at the time, with their resources better spent elsewhere. The documents couldn’t very well leave the Institute, after the price of getting them here—so instead, the task was advertised to the students and employees.
Mostly it was tedious busywork, and not at all mandatory. Volunteers could show up and stay for as long or little as they liked, and rewarded with community service hours depending on the duration. The only stipulation was not to take the notes out of the room.
With many hands, the work should be finished relatively quickly at least.
((OOC: The mod account may appear if something important comes up, but otherwise players can do what they wish here.))
WHAT: Scanning some paper that may or may not have information leading to a proper cure
WHERE: One of the library’s computer labs
WHEN: After the recovery team’s return
WARNING(S): Papercuts and swearing
The notes taken from the Essex mansion could fill two rooms of printer boxes, and still be spilling out the door. The paper was old, but at least not crumbling; the pages were still easy to handle, provided it was done so with care. These were documents of some historical importance, if only from where they came from. Digitizing them for better preservation was part of a hastily drawn up agreement for removing the documents from the mansion to keep nationalistic curators quiet.
The pages were written in a simple Roman substitution cipher; easy enough to crack in the modern day even for students, and especially when scanned in and uploaded to a server where it could all be done electronically. McCoy’s lab could have done it faster, of course—but they were otherwise occupied at the time, with their resources better spent elsewhere. The documents couldn’t very well leave the Institute, after the price of getting them here—so instead, the task was advertised to the students and employees.
Mostly it was tedious busywork, and not at all mandatory. Volunteers could show up and stay for as long or little as they liked, and rewarded with community service hours depending on the duration. The only stipulation was not to take the notes out of the room.
With many hands, the work should be finished relatively quickly at least.
((OOC: The mod account may appear if something important comes up, but otherwise players can do what they wish here.))
no subject
He didn't have that much experience working with codes, and he wished he could just scan all the documents and email them to Smithers (not that he even has a way to contact Smithers anyway). But most 16 year old teens have seen a spy movie or television show that contained a plot about codes, so he knew about the most basic ciphers. He could start there and eliminate those. If that didn't work, well, at least he could get everything scanned into the computers.
So every spare minute that Alex had, when he wasn't in class, working on homework, or performing other necessary functions like eating and sleeping, he was in the computer lab, scanning page after page after page.
no subject
But he tries to help anyway. He handles a lot of the actual scanning, and then takes a turn at the deciphering when there's nothing else to do, staring at the letters and trying to make them make sense. It's easier if he thinks of it as a game, but not much.
He's got a couple of sheets of blank paper to make notes on, and as he stares in confusion at the computer screen, his hands move of their own accord. They fold it into a paper crane - apparently his body knows how to do that? He doesn't remember learning. Turning to Alex next to him, he offers him a tired smile. "Does any of this make sense to you?"
no subject
"Not yet. I'm sure someone in this school could probably program an algorithm to check for simple substitution ciphers, but I'm no computer wiz. So I found a table for shift ciphers and am starting there. So far, it's just been gibberish."
Alex waved a hand at the sheets of notebook paper at his side, covered in scribbled blocks of text.
"I'm just hoping the documents are even in English. Or at least a language I know."
no subject
"As if Sinister would just leave information on the cure lying around." No that's not why Viti was pouring over code.
"So, power are you going to do something useful, after all the harm you've done?"
Viti suddenly realized that the word "Sinister" was derived from Latin word for left handed.
"Well I already knew that," he grumbled.