Does Marcone have Little Chicago?

[vincentric]

We know that Harry's basement survived total destruction in the fire but did Little Chicago survive? If it did the FBI could have moved it or Marcone could have taken it. Namshiel would be able to fix it and Marcone couldn't fail to see how useful a tool it was. He'd get more use from it than Harry. He may have moved it during the castle's construction and not moved it back.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Namshiel would have been around during Changes so it is possible, but following Battle Ground Little Chicago wouldn’t work anyhow as Big Chicago had changed too much in the interim. To get little Chicago Marcone would have had to pull it through the Never Never in Leas domain.

It is likely that if LC survived Marcone wouldn’t have moved it outside the castle

[Mira]

Namshiel would have been around during Changes so it is possible, but following Battle Ground Little Chicago wouldn’t work anyhow as Big Chicago had changed too much in the interim. To get little Chicago Marcone would have had to pull it through the Never Never in Leas domain.

It is likely that if LC survived Marcone wouldn’t have moved it outside the castle

 I agree that most likely little Chicago survived, but when Marcone bought the property to put his castle on, 1] had he taken up the coin yet?  Somehow I doubt it because in Peace Talks if I remember Harry mentions the magic circle, I think Namshiel would have done something with it.
However the big thing I agree with, even if Marcone has it, and Namshiel knows how to use it, it is simply useless because that Chicago no longer exists.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

WOJ is that Marcone took up the coin in the helicopter coming back from Demonreach in Turn Coat, so yes.

Marcone may have moved it from the sub-basement to another part of the Castle to create a cell for Thomas and then moved it out when Harry took charge. In either event LC is now out of date so even if Marcone had it running it won’t be now, until it is updated. Given the degree of redevelopment LC may be in a state of flux for the foreseeable future.

My guess if it survived it would have impressed even Namshiel, who was very dismissive of Dresden in Turn Coat but much less so in Battle Ground. Namshiel would have realised Dresden was another magic nerd upon examining LC, not a thug wizard the world generally saw. Bob was impressed by LC, and he had worked for many powerful and subtle wizards in the past, including Kemmler, so it is likely it impressed Namshiel.

[SerScot]

I seriously doubt Little Chicago survived the fire intact. 

[Mira]

I seriously doubt Little Chicago survived the fire intact.

  Either way it is a moot point because big Chicago will never be the same.

[vincentric]

Harry made Little Chicago by gathering all the components from all over the city on his own. Marcone has hundreds of people to take pictures and gather materials and has the head start of Harry's work to build off. Yes, there was a great deal of destruction but 60-70% of the city is still there and Marcone would be able to get a full picture of the damaged areas much sooner.

[Mira]

Harry made Little Chicago by gathering all the components from all over the city on his own. Marcone has hundreds of people to take pictures and gather materials and has the head start of Harry's work to build off. Yes, there was a great deal of destruction but 60-70% of the city is still there and Marcone would be able to get a full picture of the damaged areas much sooner.

  Reconstruction takes time and changes minute by minute as things are built and torn down... They just finished building a huge house next door, you could take a picture of it one hour, but it wouldn't be the same the next hour.  Other things burn and get torn down, in truth Little Chicago was never really practical because a city is dynamic and never static..

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Harry made Little Chicago by gathering all the components from all over the city on his own. Marcone has hundreds of people to take pictures and gather materials and has the head start of Harry's work to build off. Yes, there was a great deal of destruction but 60-70% of the city is still there and Marcone would be able to get a full picture of the damaged areas much sooner.

I have considered that argument. Magical tools are most attuned to their maker, staffs can be used by another wizard but never as well. LC is far more complex than any staff, another practitioner could use it, but with a far lesser level of proficiency than Harry, say 20% if they can use it at all. Harry gathered everything himself, made it himself, physically and magically.

Harry is also unusually adept at making and working with magical tools. He has intuited that the swords contain an angel rather than being a purely magical construct like a staff, and that the Castle needs a guiding spirit of intellect to work properly (which Namshiel didn’t)

[vincentric]

  Reconstruction takes time and changes minute by minute as things are built and torn down... They just finished building a huge house next door, you could take a picture of it one hour, but it wouldn't be the same the next hour.  Other things burn and get torn down, in truth Little Chicago was never really practical because a city is dynamic and never static..

The city was changing in those ways when Harry made LC the first time around. Marcone probably has people in some way involved with over 90% of the construction going on. He could easily keep it more up to date than Harry. Google Maps does it in the real world and they keep making updates year round.

The attunement factor could be a problem at first. But most magic items in the Dresdenverse seem to be something that any person with the will and skill can master eventually. Marcone may not start at 100% but he could work his way there.

[Mira]

The city was changing in those ways when Harry made LC the first time around. Marcone probably has people in some way involved with over 90% of the construction going on. He could easily keep it more up to date than Harry. Google Maps does it in the real world and they keep making updates year round.

The attunement factor could be a problem at first. But most magic items in the Dresdenverse seem to be something that any person with the will and skill can master eventually. Marcone may not start at 100% but he could work his way there.

  The magic that powers Little Chicago must be way more complicated than it appears, otherwise it would be used more.. Or it isn't complicated, but there are flaws in the concept, and when there are flaws problems arise as we saw when Little Chicago was "broken."   I think the problem is it's place in the story telling, as readers we are fascinated by it, it comes up again and again on the boards.  However in my opinion there are only so many times Harry can go to that well, Jim knows that. Then it simply becomes lazy story telling.

[g33k]

If the (wooden) trap-door was intact after the fire, then virtually all of the lab was intact, too.

Modulo anything Marcone may have done.
He and Nammy may have been *very* regular users of LC, in the pre-BG era.

But there were other "interested parties" during the same time-period.  Given Mab's "anti-tool" training, she may have acted (having the Way in via Lea's MurderGarden) to deprive Harry of LC, even if Marcone would have loved it... maybe even especially if Marcone would have loved it!

... Marcone probably has people in some way involved with over 90% of the construction going on. He could easily keep it more up to date than Harry. Google Maps does it in the real world and they keep making updates year round...

And Harry has the Little Folk.  If he were willing to put in the time (and it still existed) I expect he could have Little Chicago back in operation in short order.

... I think the problem is it's place in the story telling, as readers we are fascinated by it, it comes up again and again on the boards.  However in my opinion there are only so many times Harry can go to that well, Jim knows that. Then it simply becomes lazy story telling.

This, I think.  It's really much more a meta-consideration than an in-universe one.

Does Jim want to use LC further?

If Jim wants LC gone, it's easy to justify it being gone.
If Jim has further use for LC, it's easy to justify how it's still there.

(Unlike you, Mira, I think Jim could use it; I don't think that well is nearly dry, yet, and Jim spent quite a while building it up, so I expect he wants more payoff from it)

[Mira]

(Unlike you, Mira, I think Jim could use it; I don't think that well is nearly dry, yet, and Jim spent quite a while building it up, so I expect he wants more payoff from it)

  Oh I'm not saying he can't use it again, but it is a fine line.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

It depends how well Jim wants Harry to set up his defences. The Castle is secure, Demonreach is secure, but what about the rest of Chicago? If Harry is indeed the official protector of Chicago he will get LC back, and do things with it he hadn’t previously considered. For example Harry is very interested in local teleportation. LC could allow Harry to teleport from the Castle to anywhere covered by LC. Think of a little pewter Harry figurine placed on LC where he wants to go. To important waypoints (and thus by the Ways across the world), to where he is needed urgently, to Demonreach if he extends it that far. Of course Harry won’t have figured out how to teleport point to point without starting from LC so he ends up always  walking home. Bit of a problem if it’s Demonreach…… Still will need the Munstermobile for most things. It would probably be much safer than most other forms of teleportation as LC would lock onto exactly where he needs to go

I can see Harry making miniatures of his daughter, Mouse, the Knights, the Alphas and his other allies so he can teleport them around the City, for safety of them and others, and if he can get his DNA perhaps Marcone, just for fun, into the harbour, the Prison etc.

Here’s a thought LC is Marcone’s wedding present to Harry, because he is making his own with Namshiel, now Namshiel has seen Harry’s version.

[morriswalters]

There is a WOJ on this.  It's gone.  Water would have washed away the magic. In any case as of Battleground there is at least one and possibly 2 other versions in the books.