Throwing Caution to the Wind

Chapter 31

"What's up Mr Stark," Peter asked dropping his bag in his chair.

It was Wednesday and Peter was here for their usual lab day.

"I'm looking over security cameras to see who could be buying and selling the scraps," Mr Stark told him.

"Any ideas yet," Peter asked.

"They were very careful, the most I can see of them is half their face in shadows," Mr Stark said frustrated.

Peter walked over and looked at the screen in front of him. It was paused in a blurry frame of a dark alleyway.

"You see that," Mr Stark asked.

"See what," Peter asked.

"Exactly," Mr Stark said.

When Peter looked confused he elaborated.

"I've had Friday look at the security cameras and compile the most route that the thieves would take and this is alleyway is almost guaranteed to be used to take the scraps. She picked up a heat signature and motion here, but there isn't anyone," Mr Stark told him.

"So did she mess up or did they find away to delete themselves from the footage," Peter asked.

"That's actually a better theory than I had. I was thinking that they avoided the cameras completely but the motion and heat detectors were too sensitive for them to avoid," Tony said as he started typing something on his computer.

Peter watched as he pulled up several different tabs muttering things about those "dam hackers".

Finally a few minutes later he looked to Peter and with a pleased look on his face.

"I've overlayed the thermal-scans with the motion scanners and found this," he said moving the screen so Peter could see it.

On the screen was a blob of red that seemed contained into a shape vaugely resembling someone.

"That doesn't really tell us much though does it," Peter asked.

"Not yet, Friday will run with against stock footage of people walking and compare and contrast. Friday will keep building models based on actual people with similar proportions to give us a rough idea of what they actually look like. Then once we have that we can scan all the footage in to narrow down the list of piss suspects" Mr Stark explained a pleased smile on his face.

"How long do you think that will take," Peter asked.

"Maybe a day," he said.

Peter nodded.

"I just need to a adjust a few things on the web-shooters but I've got homework so I have to leave a bit early today," Peter told him.

Truthfully MJ had invited him and Ned to help her for some art project. But the genius didn't need to know that.

"I'll order you in a sandwich then, I don't need you fainting on the way home," Tony said.

Peter got to his workstation and pulled out the appropriate tools.

"Sir, I've found another note signed by Ontobo over a server in SI. Unfortunately there isn't an electronic signature so I can't figure out where it came from, but it's from a high-level employee in the tower," Friday announced after a few minutes of silence.

"Read it Fri," Tony said pushing his chair from his workstation to where the super-computer was set up.

"I have one more load of scraps, this includes a discarded reactor case and several large sheets of tin that came in too small," she recited.