[10.2.2] Merv mission feedback thread: "The Rain Fell in Torrents"

**Rarebit**

Scheduled for tomorrow.

KanoR

I can't help but wonder if this is a double entendre or not.
Either it's going to be really stormy, or code is erupting from the sky.

**MatrixRefugee**

Ooh, neat title! Can't figure out what it means, but I like it... Guess I'll find out tomorrow night.

**CPT_Starschwar**

Hmm... is that another Biblical reference? Something about the flood? Or in this case, Flood?

**Rarebit**

If only there were some way to search for a text phrase...maybe using the internet or something. I'd call it...hmm...Internet Look-Up Library, or ILULZ for short (the Z is just to sex it up a bit for the punters). Now if only some massive tech company would implement my invention.

**CPT_Starschwar**

Now that is a plot twist! That changes everything. I'm really excited about where this is going.

**Tseng.**

http://www.ilulz.co.cc/

O_o

**Rarebit**

KanoR

[spoiler warning]

Flood: We've tried setting up relays to re-stablish communication with that dunderpate, the General, but they've been foiled by various types of human weakness. There are so many, I suppose we could fail in a new way every day for years if we kept relying on you.

But, droll as that might be, we'll have to come up with something better if we intend to support ourselves in the style to which we're accustomed. The Merovingian wants to pick your brain on this topic, although if there's anything in there, I've yet to see it...

Operator: Hm... Some other way to get back in touch with the General...

Wait, did we try semaphore yet?

Twin: Oh, no, he made it, old boy.
Twin2: Did he? Mm. Then you get to begin the sentences this week...again.

The Merovingian: Frustrant... this is not an idea! We have no ideas... We may as well begin with "it was a dark and stormy night..."

Un moment... The storm... The storm is electrically charged, yes? For 800 miles from here to the General, the tempest rages unbroken... There may be a way to use this. Oui... But we must learn more.

KanoRain, call Flood See what you can find out about this.

The Merovingian: That storm... The greatest force on the lpanet. What are the Machines to it? Mon dieu... Just think of it...

Persephone: More exploration, more exploitation... it will never end.

Persephone: Do you think the universe is finite? No, not even here. You accumulate more, and still there is more that you do not have.

Twin: Why, Zion's fellow Lock, you know--got through to their new city on[should probably be "in"] one piece, they say. And some of our crews even wrangled promotions out of it!
Twin2: Yes, I did rather think he was bound to meet with some soft of accident en-route. There's just no counting on karma these days...

Flood: Ah yes. Obviously I would be singled out for a task such as this, requiring both technical mastery and genius-level intuition. I'll just call one of our best operatives to put my brilliant plans into motion...

...

Blast it, how can they all be getting their hair done? ... All right, KanoRain, I'll just have to make do with your rough clay. First, you're going to make an anonymous call to the popular meteorological radio call-in show, "Rainy Day Dan," and ask about using lightning storms to transmit messages. You'll call from a residential line so that it absolutely can't be traced back to us... unless you were to do something stupid like giving them your name.

Operator: This is what Flood considers research?

All right... Oops, looks like the family's at home. Better hurry, though, 'cause that show's only on for another few minutes.

Christene Evagash [Civilian Female]: Darling, what's going on? Who is this person?
Reyes Royer [Civilan Male]: I don't know, dear--some poor unfortunate. Letting them put out a call for help is the least we can do.

Desk Phone [Rain Day Dan]: And our last caller is... "Soggy Poodle," from the city! What weather question can we answer for you today, Soggy?

My! That's quite a question! I don't know of a way that lightning would actually help you there, Soggy! In fact, lightning is very dangerous, and I wouldn't recommend staying outdoors in any sort of storm like that, listeners!

I think your best hope is for the storm to cause what's called a "temperature inversion." If that happened,r adio waves might get a boost due to a phenomenon known as "tropospheric ducting." The conditions are very rare, but good luck on that, Soggy!

Operator: Man, I can see why that show's so popular.

Flood: A temperatur inversion? Why, that would be child's play, I'm sure. Let me just consult my extensive personal notes... Blast it, why is the page taking so long to load? I swear, if Ookami's downlading-- [LOLOLOL So that's why Vector is laggy, eh RB?]

Ah! Ahem. Yes, temperature inversion. It's quite simple, you see, KanoRain. All we'll have to do is seed the atmosphere with...hm... Eh...

Tell you what, KanoRain. Since this may require grunt work from the General's commandos, why don't you go ask them for details on the storm's composition? There's a good operative.

Operator: You know, I like the commando programs. They're always so polite and gung-ho. Too bad the General isn't more like them...

Cupar [Commando 1]: Can't say we know that much about the atmosphere, sir. It's pretty stagnant with the surface being dead and cooled up and all, of course, except higher up where the storm mixes things a bit. But oxygen breaks down real slow, and even all that lightning from the storm is only a drop in the bucket as far as ozone creation goes.

Casca [Commando 2]: That storm was created by humans, sir. They called it "Operation Dark Storm," we don't know exactly how they pulled it off. Why, if the Machines knew that, I expect they'd have done something to reverse it by now--don't you?

Zatkin [Command 3]: Low and fast, sir; that's how we do it! Go to high, and you'll get your circuits fried by the storm! [Another lul moment, RB? SMILEY

]

Operator: Hm.. Seems like that storm's one big mystery.

Flood: That isn't much to go on, operative. If the composition of the lower atmosphere is sufficiently similar to what it was before the storm, then we could use standard cloud seeding techniques to cause an inversion, but that storm is a big wet wildcard[wild card*] that I'm not very happy with. If it was caused by humans, then we'll have to find out what they know about it.

Zion has a database link at that spot operative. See what they've got on the "Dark Storm" boondoggie.

Operator: Well... We know Operation Dark Storm happened early in the first Man/Machine war. That was way before Zion existed. I suppose it's possible that they've dug something up. Got a few active signals in there. I think I see the terminal Flood was talking about.

Zion Vector: It's Mauser! Oh, nope.

Computer: Searching...
1 article found. Display? (Y/N)>Y
>> [...] released more information on the recently unveild "Operation Dark Storm," a [...] Machines powerless by cutting off access to sunlight.

Spokespersons [...] be controlled and reversible. "The storm will be dispersed as soon as the Machines have been destroyed," an aide stated. "There's no way [...] if we didn't have complete control over it." Responding [...] admitted that "some crop failures are expected," but added [...] preferable to "defeat by an inhuman enemy bent on our total annihilation." [...] including hand-charged flashlights, would be available for wide distribution [...] into effect next week.

Operator: Reversible? Then there might be some way to get rid of it... That would sure put a twist on things, wouldn't it?

Flood: Complete hogwash, operative. When did human governments ever tell the truth about what they were going to do? But why am I asking you that? You probably still believe in taxes and the tooth fairy...

Since you've failed to find real information on the storm's composition, we'll just have to have some of the General's Sentinels "wing it" by throwing a variety of time-tested chemicals up into the storm along the route to the General and that silly no-fly zone. Let me see... Hm... Yes, we'll have them disperse silver iodide--I'm sure we can find boatloads of that laying around... Ah, we can whip up some dry ice... Ooh, salt mixtures might work as well...

Also, kicking some Zion *CENSORED*...

**Othinn1**

The clouds are composed of (or at least maintained by) nanomachines. This is mentioned in both the director's commentary for "The Second Rennaisance" (and I'd like to point out that Mahiro Maeda worked closely with the Wachowskis), and the script book for The Matrix Revolutions.

**Cadsuane**

The Merv has been getting away with a lot while no one is watching him. Things are starting to get very interesting indeed.

**Archangel**

Rarebit wrote:

If only there were some way to search for a text phrase...maybe using the internet or something. I'd call it...hmm...Internet Look-Up Library, or ILULZ for short (the Z is just to sex it up a bit for the punters). Now if only some massive tech company would implement my invention.

Works wonders for me...

**Rarebit**

Did it, though?

KanoR

Rarebit wrote:

Did it, though?

Sure, if the Matrix really takes place in 1898.

**Rarebit**

Wonders have not been worked here. =p