In moments of despair, you receive the strength that will help you become something more than...
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Power Escalation (power manipulation)
- Thread starter aleksejstepanov560
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Introduction
aleksejstepanov560
Getting sticky.
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2022
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"Sorry, Antonias," the shop owner says. But I have to fire you. Skinheads tried to break the windows last night, and I can't stand this loss because of you. Even though you haven't worked enough, I'll still pay you for the days worked. Here, here, forty-three dollars and fifteen cents for the entire time. Now, go away, please. I don't need more problems with the Empire.
- I understand. Thank you for that as well," I said devastated, heading for the exit. Thank you for letting me do some work.
I went outside and exposed my face to the currents of the wind. The day was sunny, and to someone else it might seem quite pleasant. But not to me. Not now. Not when I've exhausted the chances of a good life, or at least a semblance of one.
I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself.
My name is Antonias Russell and I am the one the world is playing against. Loudly said? Well, let's see...
No, don't think, everything was very good... the first five years of my life.
My parents were quite wealthy and respected people, they loved me and they could afford any luxury. I grew up in chocolate. So why am I complaining, you ask? Oh, I was five when it happened... My parents suddenly went bankrupt and died.
collapse.
I had no other relatives, so I was given to a foster family. It was a very kind and sweet, albeit poor married couple, but they were already of advanced age. Guess what happened after a few short happy years? Correctly. Death.
collapse.
Well, at least from old age. A couple of years before the death of foster parents, I decided to connect my life with theatrical art. I was told that I have a talent, I was prophesied glory in this matter. But I lost my chances for such a life when, by pure chance, I ended up in a clash between two local gangs and got into a shootout. To be more precise, due to a few random bullets, I had to amputate my arm, and my leg still hurts like hell from any movement. What? Yes, that's right.
collapse.
Then I did not give up, my parents supported me and were able to purchase a not very expensive, but rather high-quality prosthesis, I learned how to use it, and then I decided that if I could not earn a living with my body, then I would earn with my brains.
Yep, right now. In the entrance committee of the university, as I later found out, half were "sympathetic" to the fucking Imperials! You see, I do not fit their ideals from the word at all. After all, I'm a cripple, and also a mulatto, nobody in this city needs such people.
collapse.
I buried my family a few months ago, and now I'm just trying to survive and not get to the Merchants.
The crash after crash that made up my life brought me here.
But it is, digression, just so you know who I am. I want to note that here we will talk not so much about the past as about today. After the death of my parents, I didn't have much left: a cheap house, debts and an amount of money not much more than them. After paying off my debts, my livelihood was too low, and I decided that I needed a job. After a long search, I found a store where a cripple could get a job. And then another. And further. Anyway, I couldn't work anywhere for more than a few weeks. Not that it was my fault, at least not directly. I can't change the color of my skin or grow an arm. And today I met another failure.
Another collapse, failure, human bad luck!
This was to be expected, right? Yes, I was really expecting something like this. But for some reason, this case hit me especially hard. No. He broke me.
Devastated and broken, I went into my house, without bothering to lock the door behind me with a key, went into my room, lay down on the bed without undressing, buried my face in the pillow and ... wept. I don't remember the last time I cried, really. I've never been particularly emotional. But now I've been torn apart. At one moment, the whole burden of what I had to endure, all the falls seemed to fall on me ...
Failure after failure, failure after failure.
- Fuck! But why?! I violently slammed my fist against the wall, causing it to rattle. Pain ran through my whole arm. Tears streamed down my cheeks in a burning stream, landing on my lips and leaving a taste of salt on them. Why can't I just live normally? What the hell is this?!
- Am I asking too much? I can work, I want to work, I want to represent myself! I'm just asking for a chance at a normal life, not this shit! —
— Purpose —
- I just! -
— Agreement —
- I want to get -
— Trajectory —
- a chance to change -
— Error —
- something in your fucking life! -
— AGREEMENT —
At that moment, I lost consciousness, and at the same time, my connection with reality.
I had a dream in which two entities of impossible size floated in an empty, black and gray space. They looked like worms woven from crystals, if worms could bend the very space around them. The appearance of these creatures was not repulsive, but one could not find pleasing in their appearance.
A part of one of these creatures detached itself and moved towards me. And although she was only a crumb compared to their bodies, she was larger than me, larger than the city, larger than our entire planet. But she couldn't get to me, because something even bigger appeared from the side, knocking this baby off the route and taking her place on the way to me. And when it, moving through the void, entered my head, I fell into a quiet abyss of nothingness, feeling nothing and thinking about nothing. Many consider this to be the decisive end, the point at the end of a sentence, but for me it was the beginning.
***
Yeah, that was the introduction, and now it's time to tell the rules. These rules are just a translation of the rules from the English fic, but I think that these are normal rules, so I will not change almost anything:
Force manipulator
You start with the following abilities and cannot reproduce them:
You can produce and store "charges" - related to the story written about you;
You can combine charges of equal strength to create a charge of greater strength;
You can use these charges to create new powers;
If you cannot provide enough charge when creating a new power, the process fails but the charge is not used;
The Power created is in accordance with your intentions, and any excess charge is wasted.
You cannot create abilities that:
Change the rules for accumulating charges;
Will change your strength;
Destroy your power;
Break the charges into smaller components.
Additionally, you start with 5 charges.
For every 500 words written about you or your actions, you are charged with power manipulation.
Each charge is approximately equivalent to a "1" in terms of PRT Threat Rating. That is, technically, a single armed officer can handle the carrier of such power, and, as a rule, it provides a smaller tactical advantage than military training and equipment.
In truth, the real measure of the value of a charge is the balance between instantaneous power, constant power, maximum duration, range, complexity, and uniqueness.
Examples of the total power that one base charge can produce:
The power of the Mover, which allows you to act twice as fast.
The multiplier will increase to four times if you add a limit that reduces stamina, as if you ran the equivalent distance in a run.
The power of Shaker, which allows you to pick up any dust or other small particles within a few meters of you.
If you simplify the force so that it weeds out all dust and small particles, this range increases to at least ten meters or allows you to move larger objects within the same radius.
The power of the Brute, which allows you to reduce the hit you take by a certain percentage, and then cannot be used until that percentage of the 100 minute time limit has passed.
Thinker's power to know where people are within ten meters or so of you.
Combining two charges of the same level increases the charge level by one. Two base charges create a level 2 charge, two level 2 charges create a level 3 charge, and so on. Necessary costs cannot be paid in instalments.
Level 2 strength is usually an order of magnitude improvement over the same level 1 strength. This is more obvious in the case of simpler powers, where there are fewer stats that can be improved, but a more complex power will also improve, it's just that the bonuses are spread across several components. The power of the second level in the aggregate will be an order of magnitude more effective in its functions than the similar power of the first level. Assuming, of course, that you know how to use it.
For example, the power of detecting people can be improved to operate at a distance of just over a hundred meters.
Some other examples of what would be covered by a level 2 merge include:
The power of Stiker, which allows you to briefly stun the target on impact.
The strength of the Blaster, which allows you to spit faster and more accurately: with a force equal to a punch if you just spit out your own saliva, but adding more water increases the effect.
The power of the Master, allowing the creatures you train to understand more complex commands: for example, training a dog will allow you to ask him to find some drugs and then lead you to them without much supervision.
Changer Power, which allows you to take on the appearance and some properties (strength, flexibility, compressibility, density) of the material you touch if it has a larger volume than you.
Once a power is created, you cannot break it back into charges or change it.
- I understand. Thank you for that as well," I said devastated, heading for the exit. Thank you for letting me do some work.
I went outside and exposed my face to the currents of the wind. The day was sunny, and to someone else it might seem quite pleasant. But not to me. Not now. Not when I've exhausted the chances of a good life, or at least a semblance of one.
I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself.
My name is Antonias Russell and I am the one the world is playing against. Loudly said? Well, let's see...
No, don't think, everything was very good... the first five years of my life.
My parents were quite wealthy and respected people, they loved me and they could afford any luxury. I grew up in chocolate. So why am I complaining, you ask? Oh, I was five when it happened... My parents suddenly went bankrupt and died.
collapse.
I had no other relatives, so I was given to a foster family. It was a very kind and sweet, albeit poor married couple, but they were already of advanced age. Guess what happened after a few short happy years? Correctly. Death.
collapse.
Well, at least from old age. A couple of years before the death of foster parents, I decided to connect my life with theatrical art. I was told that I have a talent, I was prophesied glory in this matter. But I lost my chances for such a life when, by pure chance, I ended up in a clash between two local gangs and got into a shootout. To be more precise, due to a few random bullets, I had to amputate my arm, and my leg still hurts like hell from any movement. What? Yes, that's right.
collapse.
Then I did not give up, my parents supported me and were able to purchase a not very expensive, but rather high-quality prosthesis, I learned how to use it, and then I decided that if I could not earn a living with my body, then I would earn with my brains.
Yep, right now. In the entrance committee of the university, as I later found out, half were "sympathetic" to the fucking Imperials! You see, I do not fit their ideals from the word at all. After all, I'm a cripple, and also a mulatto, nobody in this city needs such people.
collapse.
I buried my family a few months ago, and now I'm just trying to survive and not get to the Merchants.
The crash after crash that made up my life brought me here.
But it is, digression, just so you know who I am. I want to note that here we will talk not so much about the past as about today. After the death of my parents, I didn't have much left: a cheap house, debts and an amount of money not much more than them. After paying off my debts, my livelihood was too low, and I decided that I needed a job. After a long search, I found a store where a cripple could get a job. And then another. And further. Anyway, I couldn't work anywhere for more than a few weeks. Not that it was my fault, at least not directly. I can't change the color of my skin or grow an arm. And today I met another failure.
Another collapse, failure, human bad luck!
This was to be expected, right? Yes, I was really expecting something like this. But for some reason, this case hit me especially hard. No. He broke me.
Devastated and broken, I went into my house, without bothering to lock the door behind me with a key, went into my room, lay down on the bed without undressing, buried my face in the pillow and ... wept. I don't remember the last time I cried, really. I've never been particularly emotional. But now I've been torn apart. At one moment, the whole burden of what I had to endure, all the falls seemed to fall on me ...
Failure after failure, failure after failure.
- Fuck! But why?! I violently slammed my fist against the wall, causing it to rattle. Pain ran through my whole arm. Tears streamed down my cheeks in a burning stream, landing on my lips and leaving a taste of salt on them. Why can't I just live normally? What the hell is this?!
- Am I asking too much? I can work, I want to work, I want to represent myself! I'm just asking for a chance at a normal life, not this shit! —
— Purpose —
- I just! -
— Agreement —
- I want to get -
— Trajectory —
- a chance to change -
— Error —
- something in your fucking life! -
— AGREEMENT —
At that moment, I lost consciousness, and at the same time, my connection with reality.
I had a dream in which two entities of impossible size floated in an empty, black and gray space. They looked like worms woven from crystals, if worms could bend the very space around them. The appearance of these creatures was not repulsive, but one could not find pleasing in their appearance.
A part of one of these creatures detached itself and moved towards me. And although she was only a crumb compared to their bodies, she was larger than me, larger than the city, larger than our entire planet. But she couldn't get to me, because something even bigger appeared from the side, knocking this baby off the route and taking her place on the way to me. And when it, moving through the void, entered my head, I fell into a quiet abyss of nothingness, feeling nothing and thinking about nothing. Many consider this to be the decisive end, the point at the end of a sentence, but for me it was the beginning.
***
Yeah, that was the introduction, and now it's time to tell the rules. These rules are just a translation of the rules from the English fic, but I think that these are normal rules, so I will not change almost anything:
Force manipulator
You start with the following abilities and cannot reproduce them:
You can produce and store "charges" - related to the story written about you;
You can combine charges of equal strength to create a charge of greater strength;
You can use these charges to create new powers;
If you cannot provide enough charge when creating a new power, the process fails but the charge is not used;
The Power created is in accordance with your intentions, and any excess charge is wasted.
You cannot create abilities that:
Change the rules for accumulating charges;
Will change your strength;
Destroy your power;
Break the charges into smaller components.
Additionally, you start with 5 charges.
For every 500 words written about you or your actions, you are charged with power manipulation.
Each charge is approximately equivalent to a "1" in terms of PRT Threat Rating. That is, technically, a single armed officer can handle the carrier of such power, and, as a rule, it provides a smaller tactical advantage than military training and equipment.
In truth, the real measure of the value of a charge is the balance between instantaneous power, constant power, maximum duration, range, complexity, and uniqueness.
Examples of the total power that one base charge can produce:
The power of the Mover, which allows you to act twice as fast.
The multiplier will increase to four times if you add a limit that reduces stamina, as if you ran the equivalent distance in a run.
The power of Shaker, which allows you to pick up any dust or other small particles within a few meters of you.
If you simplify the force so that it weeds out all dust and small particles, this range increases to at least ten meters or allows you to move larger objects within the same radius.
The power of the Brute, which allows you to reduce the hit you take by a certain percentage, and then cannot be used until that percentage of the 100 minute time limit has passed.
Thinker's power to know where people are within ten meters or so of you.
Combining two charges of the same level increases the charge level by one. Two base charges create a level 2 charge, two level 2 charges create a level 3 charge, and so on. Necessary costs cannot be paid in instalments.
Level 2 strength is usually an order of magnitude improvement over the same level 1 strength. This is more obvious in the case of simpler powers, where there are fewer stats that can be improved, but a more complex power will also improve, it's just that the bonuses are spread across several components. The power of the second level in the aggregate will be an order of magnitude more effective in its functions than the similar power of the first level. Assuming, of course, that you know how to use it.
For example, the power of detecting people can be improved to operate at a distance of just over a hundred meters.
Some other examples of what would be covered by a level 2 merge include:
The power of Stiker, which allows you to briefly stun the target on impact.
The strength of the Blaster, which allows you to spit faster and more accurately: with a force equal to a punch if you just spit out your own saliva, but adding more water increases the effect.
The power of the Master, allowing the creatures you train to understand more complex commands: for example, training a dog will allow you to ask him to find some drugs and then lead you to them without much supervision.
Changer Power, which allows you to take on the appearance and some properties (strength, flexibility, compressibility, density) of the material you touch if it has a larger volume than you.
Once a power is created, you cannot break it back into charges or change it.
Last edited:
Primary training and first fight.
aleksejstepanov560
Getting sticky.
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2022
- Messages
- 50
- Likes received
- 223
When I woke up, I felt different. One could say that these changes were small, subtle, but that was not the case at all. I felt the stars burning in the back of my head, I felt their potential, that with one desire I could turn them into something else.
"I'm a parahuman," I muttered to myself, trying to figure out how it happened. - Am I a parahuman? Well damn. Really. I asked for changes in my life? Well, changes have come.
The realization of this fact was so vivid that it hit me like a butt on the head. Even so, I was collected and strangely calm. Quickly recovering, I smoothly slid out of bed, got up and went to the bathroom. I was visited by a desire to freshen up, and my health was much better than before coming home. A new star was slowly growing in my head, and it gave me hope for the future, because I could develop.
"Stop," I said aloud when I realized what I was thinking now. Can I develop?
I was by no means an expert on capes, but even I know that those that can grow in power over time are very rare.
It is said about the Fearless that in the future he will be able to match the strength of the Triumvirate. But it gets stronger once a day? a week? Damn, I should thoroughly study the city's capes. But what am I doing now? And to the fact that in the time it took me to restore hygiene and prepare myself a small snack, the new star grew by a third, almost a quarter. If this continues further, then ... I don't know what will happen. How does my power actually work? That is, of course, I know that I can turn stars ... No, charges of power - into other forces, but what are the limitations of this? On what period? Or will they be permanent? Need to check now...
Stop, everything is going too fast, which is why I myself began to get confused in my thoughts.
First, I must learn more about other parahumans and powers in general. Perhaps this will clear things up a bit.
After I finished thinking about abilities and had a snack, I went online to find useful information.
The Internet was... Well, yes, useful. They tried to keep silent about some things, or to speak very superficially.
For example, about trigger events, as they are usually called.
This, if someone is not in the know, is the moment when everything in a person's life becomes so bad that something breaks inside him, and he himself undergoes metamorphoses, often more psychological. After a person experiences this situation, the newly minted cape has strength. Sounds familiar.
Okay, I didn't come here for terms, but for more useful knowledge about abilities that will really be useful to me in life.
In total, forces are classified according to twelve features: Brute, Mover, Striker, Shaker, Blaster, Thinker, Master, Breaker, Tinker, Changer, Stranger and Trump. The latter seems to apply to me.
By the name of the classifications of abilities, you can roughly understand what they give the owner:
Brute - strength, might, indestructibility, well, just like Alexandria, in general;
The Striker is the Legend, all sorts of lasers and other attacks at a distance;
A Trump card is a force that can do something with other forces, see them or turn them off. Eidolon owns such a thing - and now I, of course;
Tinker's are those who can create all sorts of high-tech devices, examples in this case do not even need to be thought about for a long time - who have not heard of the Dragon or the Hero;
Shaker is AoE attacks, and an example is… uh, what counts as an AoE attack in a force qualification? If I can create and throw grenades, am I Shaker or a Stiker? Okay, I'll deal with this a little later;
Thinker seem to be... smart - they can get information out of nowhere or just have enhanced senses;
Mover specialize in fast movement or can even teleport. Well, that's where Velocity comes to mind - the fastest guy in town. It was he who, by the way, saved me in that same shootout. And I'm so damn grateful for that.
Next comes ... Star! That is charge. Yeah, like this: for climbing the Internet, I received a new potential power. This day never ceases to amaze me, although it is not even evening yet.
Let's continue.
A Striker is someone who uses their powers in contact with something, yes, a tautology. Well, it's Clockblocker, the local ward. Heard he can freeze things in time with a touch. Useful, however, ability.
A Breaker is someone who changes his body, but not to be confused with a Changer who… also changes his body. Damn, this is all so confusing. Yeah, Breaker does something completely unnatural with the body, like becoming fire, and a Changer can grow another arm for himself ... like it's natural. Although it is unlikely that the forces can be called natural.
The Master, it turns out, are not only assholes who subjugate people out of pleasure, but in general all those who control something. Thus, if I build myself a robot and make it work, I will be considered the Overlord. Sounds fun.
Well, the Stranger Ones are those who can hide well. Naturally, I don't know any of them, otherwise they would be bad Stranger, right?
Well, I learned a little about powers.
I think it's time to create your own. Yes, I felt that I was capable of it, and ... damn, it was just amazing! First, I need protection, something like [invulnerable body]. The stars tense up, begin to sway, as if in the wind, and ... nothing. From the word at all. Okay, maybe just [very resistant body]? Same result. This is disappointing.
Okay, what the hell? How does my power actually work? I need activate some kind of [force analysis tool] that should be [very accurate] and preferably [remote]. Still, knowing the strength of the enemy is very useful.
This time, two stars are already swaying. No not like this. They just circle around each other, change and become something else.
After the end of their dance, which took about ten seconds at most, I understand how to activate a new ability.
I do this and realize that I was lucky - if I had formulated the request differently, I would not have been able to use the new power. I hadn't thought about it, but the connection to the brain, set to turn on at will, turns out to be part of the ability too. However, it is very cheap, so I will add more and more new forces.
Now, after activating my new ability, I can see the power of the cape at a distance of up to 30 meters, and after watching for a while, I will see all the parts that make up its power. At the same time, the closer I am to him, and the more actively his power is used, the faster the analysis will go.
I shift my mind's eye to my main ability and ... everything is both simple and complex. It consists of three parts: a two-way brain-force connection, a mechanism that creates charges, provided that I do something different, or I am in combat, and from ... um, I'll call it a dashboard. There are all sorts of levers, buttons and toggle switches, that is, their mental counterparts. And this whole structure works from the energy of my charges. This panel, apparently, creates forces.
If you dig deeper, then here ... fuck. Here and increased aggression due to the game with the hormones of the body, and the motivation for action, and unwillingness to work in a team. No, not like that: unwillingness to work on an equal footing with someone in the team. Understood, I can command, obey - not very much. Damn, is it like this for all capes or am I just unique? If everyone has it, it can explain what is happening in the world, all these gangs and cruelty. And as much as I hate to say that I'm above that, the thought that I'll go out into the city and beat up someone rises inside ... a sweet anticipation, yes, I would call it that. Honestly, it would be better if I didn't know this: I would have thought that I was so cruel, and not that my way of thinking was changed by my forces. At this moment, I feel the birth of a new star in my mind.
I think this is a sign that I need to move from introspection to action. The first thing I need is a power that will allow me to [see the cost of power in charges and how changes will affect the price]. It cost only one charge, and now a new force came into action.
Next, I need some way to improve the body, maybe fix it. The power of self-healing? No, 4 charge levels for something that can work fine. Hmm, but it's because I don't know what to do. Indeed, I feel that if I want the power to accelerate cell division in a direction without examples, then it will cost more than if I knew a specific example. Let's save this moment for later. Energy shields? What is the source of energy, what is the structure? Expensive. Maybe [body seal]? O! [Body compaction 2x, 5x, 10x, 50x]? No, 50 times is already level 3. Okay, [10x compaction], that's one charge, but my body is shrinking right? And what about the prosthesis? Okay, I need [an aura that makes every thing connected to the body a part of my body in terms of other abilities], hmm, I can even bring it out of the body - about a centimeter for the same price. And I will take the second one [densification of the person entering the aura by 10 times, while maintaining the volume of things]. It will not do anything for full-fledged armor, but at least ordinary clothes will be more difficult to tear.
One last check and I'm on my way. Two stars join in a dance, and I notice how everything around me begins to slow down. Weird.
I frowned in bewilderment.
The slow is not a very large amount, but it will still be an advantage in combat.
But how did it happen, because I did not take the acceleration of consciousness? Or something just added? No, everything is as you chose.
"Hmmm… exactly," it dawned on me, and I realized what the reason for this was.
My nerves became denser, which means that the signal began to be transmitted much faster, which led to a faster brain. I relaxed.
Damn, that's cool. So, besides the obvious things, you can get something non-obvious from the new forces. I got up from the couch, deciding to check out the new body a bit, and realized something that was also not obvious. I started to weigh a lot more. Yeah, increased density for the same volume leads to more mass. Damn, I now weigh, probably, like ten people. Damn, I'll have to spend another charge. I need to [change the gravity effect on everything that enters the aura]. Second level. Yes, I do.
A new star is on the way. I begin to play with my ability, moving the mental slider.
Down - the floor creaks under my feet;
Up — and I feel incredible lightness in the body. Something worth checking out. To do this, I went to the largest room and started jumping.
Yeah, so I go down more slowly than usual, but like this - I fall like a brick, leaving behind the corresponding damage.
Um, is the foot print on the board it's normal? I think no.
It doesn't matter, I'll change it later.
What else do I need? What is worth buying for your new activity?
Mmm.
Maybe parallel streams of consciousness? There will soon be more abilities, no matter how I start to get confused in battle. Well, I can make 10 for a charge, but I'd rather take 20 for the 2nd level - immediately 20, and the acceleration of consciousness will fit there too. In general, that's what I'll do.
Yes, I need a suit. And a name. Crap. I have no ideas for either one or the other. In general, I don't plan to appear in public on my first outing, I'll just punish a couple of Nazis if possible. Yes, perhaps this will be the first step ... The first step towards what? Damn, everything is happening so fast that I'm starting to doubt the reality of what is happening. But at the same time, it feels so...right? Okay, I should think about this later.
Hmm, I remember somewhere in my closet I had some kind of old mask, from the time when I was one piece. But I won't take a suit from there, because it's too colorful, which doesn't really suit me.
But it's still not a problem - I'm doing a good job with a sewing machine and I'm sure I can put together something whole before night from all sorts of scraps.
***
I am disappointed.
It turned out that at home there are simply not enough scraps for something normal, and tearing what is is pointless - I, like my parents, preferred bright things. I found some black sweater and pants in the closet - well, at least something.
I just have to make sure that they will fit snugly against the skin. And the name ... the name is most often taken such that there is an indication of strength. For me it will be development, evolution, something related to this. Maybe in Latin? No, it doesn't. And if other values ... or like this ... hmm.
After a couple of minutes of searching, I finally found something that I liked. Pertinax - stubborn from Latin. Well, I like the name. I've actually been called that a lot.
To pass the time, until the evening I was engaged in cleaning: I sorted out the old rubbish on the shelves, removed everything superfluous from the table, wiped the dust everywhere, finally. Monotonous work gave me the opportunity to reflect on all the changes that had happened to me over the past hours.
Time in anticipation dragged on slowly, and I managed to talk myself out of this venture several times, and then come up with arguments why I was doing everything right.
And now the evening has finally come, which means that it is time to leave. I pulled on the prepared clothes and shoes, left the prosthesis at home and went out into the cool darkness. It was damp outside. Several lonely windows in the houses shone in the blackness of the night. A slight, slightly warm wind hit right on my mask, and I felt it.
It was clear to me that the absence of a hand was a distinguishing feature. So I decided to get as far away from home as possible. I live on the border of Merchant territory and Empire 88, so I even have a choice of who to attack first.
So far it doesn't matter, I need this exit more in order to get used to new abilities, and the rest for later.
Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, I'm getting used to the new way of moving more and more. Immediately before the jump, I pull all the mental levers up, thereby reducing mass and gravity, and after the jump, I again increase the mass, and with it the momentum of movement. This leads to the fact that my body manages to fly much further. After the first such jump, I almost flew right through the roof, which means that the landing also needs to be carefully calculated. In addition, I found that my body was stronger than at least ordinary concrete and stone, because I was able to climb walls by sticking my fingers right into them and pushing myself up.
And now, after several hours of acrobatics, I felt the Star and stumbled upon a fight, or rather, a beating. Exactly what I was looking for. I got closer and saw the attackers. They were all white-skinned, shorn, some had tattoos on their bodies - it became clear to me what was happening here.
Empire recruits decided to show themselves and beat up a couple of blacks. By the way, they are not at all like Merchants: the clothes are of high quality, they themselves are clean. Well, were before the attack.
The goal is chosen, it remains to think over my further actions. Don't go into battle without at least a minimal plan. So, we have two dusty victims at the garbage can, next to them are two skinheads, apparently newcomers.
Another older Nazi held a pistol in his hand. This one stands behind them and says something. Apparently, their teacher or some kind of curator. Two more are standing on opposite sides of the lane, probably guarding the passage.
Hmm, I think I need to eliminate the most dangerous one first - the teacher, then I will attack the newcomers.
You can throw them in the trash can and, while they are recovering from the blow, go beat the guards. And then I leave everyone in the same trash.
The plan is more or less ready, although I have my doubts. Stop panic! I can feel adrenaline coursing through my veins, making the world slow down even more. I start.
Having run up, I jump behind the Nazis, but at the last moment everything does not go according to plan - the rotten roof, which has not been standing for many years, sags underfoot and instead of a beautiful flight, an awkward fall occurs. "Ha, straight to the main one," I note and decide not to change the trajectory. At the last second, he notices me and even tries to jump away, but he is too slow, and I have already cranked up gravity for a better blow. Well, the plan already went wrong, so I had to improvise.
The newcomers grabbed their bats (how did I not notice them?), and the guards took out their pistols. Shitty situation.
The nearest skinhead swings a bat at me, but he is too slow - I easily dive under the weapon and hit him in the chest. I hear a crack. Apparently, he went too far with strength, but now I'm not up to it at all.
The bat is still in the air, I grab it and then turn to the shooter to my right. He is ready to shoot, but I act much faster - the piece of wood flies at him with a whistle. I hear a thump behind me and jump to the right. There's a garbage heap, but it's not so bad - I grab the board and turn to the remaining Imperials. We look at each other. I see they are afraid. The one with the pistol is shaking, and the rookie with the bat is backing away. No, that's definitely not going to work, I'm not going to let them go. A jerk to the neighbor and ... a bullet crashes into my chest. It hurts a lot, but I didn't stop. Having reached the bandit, I dodge another blow and hit the knee with the board. Both things do not stand up to bullying, and I, shrugging off the new Star, jump onto the wall. And just in time - another bullet flies past.
I turn around in flight, pushing off the wall with force, and fly into the last one. I hear another crunch - damn it, if only they didn't show me something later for injuries. I get up and look around. Four groan, the fifth - that teacher - lies peacefully, and I sincerely hope that he is only unconscious, and did not go to his idols.
Where are their victims? And, there, huddled in a corner by the container, all bruised.
"Calm down, I won't beat you," I say, showing good nature with all my body language. "I am the new hero Pertinax, how are you, can you speak?"
"Y-yes, thanks for saving me!" the older black man says, stammering. "If it wasn't for you, we'd be kicked to death here."
"Yeah, I'm cool," I say with a touch of sarcasm. - And why are you shying around the territory of the Nazis? Here the places are not very suitable for night walks. Just not with your skin color.
They calm down and begin to rise to their feet.
"My brother and I were late at work today, and at the exit we heard that a shootout had begun on our usual route, so we decided to take a chance.
"We've just, like, been here a few times already, we always managed to slip through, only today we weren't lucky," the younger intervenes.
"Ok, I see. No really luck this time"
"Call the police for now, or even the PRT, tell them about the fight and all that," I go up to the Nazis and start turning out their pockets. - Otherwise, you understand, you won't take a personal phone, but somehow I didn't think about buying a new one.
"Of course," the elder takes out his phone and dials a number. I have no idea how the device survived all the blows - maybe they hit the wrong place?
I did not listen to the man's conversation with the police, but instead checked on the Nazi teacher. Breathes, bastard.
I got the largest amount from him - almost a thousand dollars. And why carry so much with you? Or he's fucking rich, and that's his pocket money? I don't care.
Having collected weapons in one pile, and their groaning owners in another, on the opposite side of the alley, I decide to wait for someone. And I'm waiting...
A few minutes later, a red spot flies into the alley and stops about five meters from me. Reasonable precaution.
Apparently, Velocity has arrived here. The costume is the one that I remember, but what do we have in terms of abilities? Yep, understandable. Here is a standard communication line, it leads to this "acceleration factor" regulator, and here is a function that is rigidly connected to it, which reduces its interaction with the world by the same factor. Yeah, but it all works through a partial displacement of the body with the help of ... that's what this crap means? Damn, yes, here you can write a dissertation on one symbol. Well, okay, that's not the point.
In general, I had an idea: I could add the first without the second quite cheaply, I won't be able to interact with the world, but no one will forbid me to think ...
- Hey, are you okay? The voice brought me out of my thoughts.
- A? Yes, everything is fine, I just thought a little, - I answered thoughtfully, turning to the interlocutor.
- This is good. I was informed that we have a new hero here. First night, right? he asked.
"Yeah, it feels amazing. Haven't felt so energized in a long time. In general, I just wanted to practice my new abilities, but I came across a beating. I had to intervene - at that moment I heard cars approaching. Judging by the fact that the hero is not worried, apparently cops or operatives from the PRT.
- What about your hand? I hope it's not like this now…" Speed said, carefully examining me.
No, it's an old injury. It's all right, - the cars stopped, and people in uniform began to gather around the bandits.
"Well," Velocity glanced around at what was happening, but quickly turned back to me. "I can't resist suggesting that you join the Protectorate. Is your name Perthix? he asked.
"Well, last time I called myself Pertinax, but maybe that's not what they heard. So, answering the unspoken question. No, I will not join the Protectorate. I'm bound to have trouble following orders at the very least, and I know it," I answered vacantly, watching as a group of people got out of the cars, handcuffed the Imperials and began to load them. The darkness of the night has almost completely evaporated, because in addition to the light from the windows of high-rise buildings, it was also poured out by cars.
The star lit up the second Velocity spoke.
"Fine, but maybe you would agree to come to the strength test? They told me that you were hit by a bullet, even though you can't see it. New Brutes often overestimate their strength and as a result they get seriously injured or die." His tone was sympathetic, and he tried to speak softly. I think he did not want to scare me somehow, even if I refused to join them.
For a second, this offer seemed very tempting to me - after all, in fact, they themselves invite me to their base, where I could study all their powers. But only for a moment. For starters, I won't be able to remember all parts of their power, and the hike won't be as successful as it could be. Although, I can fix it now. Yes, and I already wanted to add the strength of a clever man to myself. I just need [multiple consciousnesses], about 20, [acceleration of consciousness], and I can even strengthen it according to the principle of acceleration from Speed, though to a lesser extent, and a block of [eidetic memory] will also fit there, not very large, in total hours for 10 memories, but I can delete what I don't need, and I can leave what I need as "screenshots", so much more will fit. And all this for a modest two charges.
As the stars change, I contemplate the hero's proposal. I'm not going to reveal my true strength to them and I'm not going to stop developing. And this means that in a week they can understand that I deceived them somewhere, and this is not a guarantee of a good relationship. It's best not to try to lie. I immediately activate a new ability and realize that I am again staring into the void during the conversation. Well, at least the Mover didn't mind.
"Probably not either. I have my reasons for this, but I will not reveal them. In general, I do not mind working with you, but not for you. OK? I replied, paralleling out of the corner of my eye noticing that a disgruntled policeman was quickly approaching here. I think he is dissatisfied with the injuries of the criminals, so it would be time to hide from the scene of the crime. And that's not enough.
"Okay, I have to go," I waved my hand, walking away to the building, still looking in the direction of the hero.
- Bye everyone! - with one big jump, I jump onto the roof and start running along the curve towards the house. Neither Velocity nor the others pursued me, perhaps they did not consider it necessary.
There were no incidents on the way back, so I returned home without any problems.
After my cleaning, the house definitely looked better than before. I put my booty in a bag by the bed. As much as 1500 dollars!
I have never held that kind of money in my hands for all the months of work.
Euphoria, adrenaline that has not yet completely eroded, and a sense of pride in one's act completely repulsed drowsiness. So I just lay down on the bed. The wind fell on my body directly from the open window located on the right wall. I didn't turn on the light because it didn't make sense.
- And how many Stars did I earn per entry? - I had an idea. So I got 5 charges within a few hours, and even though I put half of them into a new ability, I still have three more to use for something new.
- Damn, this is super profitable! - a thought flashed through the backstreets of my mind in an instant, leaving behind a very pleasant feeling.
A variety of thoughts visited my head, as well as plans for the future. There were so many of them that I didn't even close my eyes for several hours.
But in the end, the fatigue caused by the battle still got the better of me, and I fell asleep.
"I'm a parahuman," I muttered to myself, trying to figure out how it happened. - Am I a parahuman? Well damn. Really. I asked for changes in my life? Well, changes have come.
The realization of this fact was so vivid that it hit me like a butt on the head. Even so, I was collected and strangely calm. Quickly recovering, I smoothly slid out of bed, got up and went to the bathroom. I was visited by a desire to freshen up, and my health was much better than before coming home. A new star was slowly growing in my head, and it gave me hope for the future, because I could develop.
"Stop," I said aloud when I realized what I was thinking now. Can I develop?
I was by no means an expert on capes, but even I know that those that can grow in power over time are very rare.
It is said about the Fearless that in the future he will be able to match the strength of the Triumvirate. But it gets stronger once a day? a week? Damn, I should thoroughly study the city's capes. But what am I doing now? And to the fact that in the time it took me to restore hygiene and prepare myself a small snack, the new star grew by a third, almost a quarter. If this continues further, then ... I don't know what will happen. How does my power actually work? That is, of course, I know that I can turn stars ... No, charges of power - into other forces, but what are the limitations of this? On what period? Or will they be permanent? Need to check now...
Stop, everything is going too fast, which is why I myself began to get confused in my thoughts.
First, I must learn more about other parahumans and powers in general. Perhaps this will clear things up a bit.
After I finished thinking about abilities and had a snack, I went online to find useful information.
The Internet was... Well, yes, useful. They tried to keep silent about some things, or to speak very superficially.
For example, about trigger events, as they are usually called.
This, if someone is not in the know, is the moment when everything in a person's life becomes so bad that something breaks inside him, and he himself undergoes metamorphoses, often more psychological. After a person experiences this situation, the newly minted cape has strength. Sounds familiar.
Okay, I didn't come here for terms, but for more useful knowledge about abilities that will really be useful to me in life.
In total, forces are classified according to twelve features: Brute, Mover, Striker, Shaker, Blaster, Thinker, Master, Breaker, Tinker, Changer, Stranger and Trump. The latter seems to apply to me.
By the name of the classifications of abilities, you can roughly understand what they give the owner:
Brute - strength, might, indestructibility, well, just like Alexandria, in general;
The Striker is the Legend, all sorts of lasers and other attacks at a distance;
A Trump card is a force that can do something with other forces, see them or turn them off. Eidolon owns such a thing - and now I, of course;
Tinker's are those who can create all sorts of high-tech devices, examples in this case do not even need to be thought about for a long time - who have not heard of the Dragon or the Hero;
Shaker is AoE attacks, and an example is… uh, what counts as an AoE attack in a force qualification? If I can create and throw grenades, am I Shaker or a Stiker? Okay, I'll deal with this a little later;
Thinker seem to be... smart - they can get information out of nowhere or just have enhanced senses;
Mover specialize in fast movement or can even teleport. Well, that's where Velocity comes to mind - the fastest guy in town. It was he who, by the way, saved me in that same shootout. And I'm so damn grateful for that.
Next comes ... Star! That is charge. Yeah, like this: for climbing the Internet, I received a new potential power. This day never ceases to amaze me, although it is not even evening yet.
Let's continue.
A Striker is someone who uses their powers in contact with something, yes, a tautology. Well, it's Clockblocker, the local ward. Heard he can freeze things in time with a touch. Useful, however, ability.
A Breaker is someone who changes his body, but not to be confused with a Changer who… also changes his body. Damn, this is all so confusing. Yeah, Breaker does something completely unnatural with the body, like becoming fire, and a Changer can grow another arm for himself ... like it's natural. Although it is unlikely that the forces can be called natural.
The Master, it turns out, are not only assholes who subjugate people out of pleasure, but in general all those who control something. Thus, if I build myself a robot and make it work, I will be considered the Overlord. Sounds fun.
Well, the Stranger Ones are those who can hide well. Naturally, I don't know any of them, otherwise they would be bad Stranger, right?
Well, I learned a little about powers.
I think it's time to create your own. Yes, I felt that I was capable of it, and ... damn, it was just amazing! First, I need protection, something like [invulnerable body]. The stars tense up, begin to sway, as if in the wind, and ... nothing. From the word at all. Okay, maybe just [very resistant body]? Same result. This is disappointing.
Okay, what the hell? How does my power actually work? I need activate some kind of [force analysis tool] that should be [very accurate] and preferably [remote]. Still, knowing the strength of the enemy is very useful.
This time, two stars are already swaying. No not like this. They just circle around each other, change and become something else.
After the end of their dance, which took about ten seconds at most, I understand how to activate a new ability.
I do this and realize that I was lucky - if I had formulated the request differently, I would not have been able to use the new power. I hadn't thought about it, but the connection to the brain, set to turn on at will, turns out to be part of the ability too. However, it is very cheap, so I will add more and more new forces.
Now, after activating my new ability, I can see the power of the cape at a distance of up to 30 meters, and after watching for a while, I will see all the parts that make up its power. At the same time, the closer I am to him, and the more actively his power is used, the faster the analysis will go.
I shift my mind's eye to my main ability and ... everything is both simple and complex. It consists of three parts: a two-way brain-force connection, a mechanism that creates charges, provided that I do something different, or I am in combat, and from ... um, I'll call it a dashboard. There are all sorts of levers, buttons and toggle switches, that is, their mental counterparts. And this whole structure works from the energy of my charges. This panel, apparently, creates forces.
If you dig deeper, then here ... fuck. Here and increased aggression due to the game with the hormones of the body, and the motivation for action, and unwillingness to work in a team. No, not like that: unwillingness to work on an equal footing with someone in the team. Understood, I can command, obey - not very much. Damn, is it like this for all capes or am I just unique? If everyone has it, it can explain what is happening in the world, all these gangs and cruelty. And as much as I hate to say that I'm above that, the thought that I'll go out into the city and beat up someone rises inside ... a sweet anticipation, yes, I would call it that. Honestly, it would be better if I didn't know this: I would have thought that I was so cruel, and not that my way of thinking was changed by my forces. At this moment, I feel the birth of a new star in my mind.
I think this is a sign that I need to move from introspection to action. The first thing I need is a power that will allow me to [see the cost of power in charges and how changes will affect the price]. It cost only one charge, and now a new force came into action.
Next, I need some way to improve the body, maybe fix it. The power of self-healing? No, 4 charge levels for something that can work fine. Hmm, but it's because I don't know what to do. Indeed, I feel that if I want the power to accelerate cell division in a direction without examples, then it will cost more than if I knew a specific example. Let's save this moment for later. Energy shields? What is the source of energy, what is the structure? Expensive. Maybe [body seal]? O! [Body compaction 2x, 5x, 10x, 50x]? No, 50 times is already level 3. Okay, [10x compaction], that's one charge, but my body is shrinking right? And what about the prosthesis? Okay, I need [an aura that makes every thing connected to the body a part of my body in terms of other abilities], hmm, I can even bring it out of the body - about a centimeter for the same price. And I will take the second one [densification of the person entering the aura by 10 times, while maintaining the volume of things]. It will not do anything for full-fledged armor, but at least ordinary clothes will be more difficult to tear.
One last check and I'm on my way. Two stars join in a dance, and I notice how everything around me begins to slow down. Weird.
I frowned in bewilderment.
The slow is not a very large amount, but it will still be an advantage in combat.
But how did it happen, because I did not take the acceleration of consciousness? Or something just added? No, everything is as you chose.
"Hmmm… exactly," it dawned on me, and I realized what the reason for this was.
My nerves became denser, which means that the signal began to be transmitted much faster, which led to a faster brain. I relaxed.
Damn, that's cool. So, besides the obvious things, you can get something non-obvious from the new forces. I got up from the couch, deciding to check out the new body a bit, and realized something that was also not obvious. I started to weigh a lot more. Yeah, increased density for the same volume leads to more mass. Damn, I now weigh, probably, like ten people. Damn, I'll have to spend another charge. I need to [change the gravity effect on everything that enters the aura]. Second level. Yes, I do.
A new star is on the way. I begin to play with my ability, moving the mental slider.
Down - the floor creaks under my feet;
Up — and I feel incredible lightness in the body. Something worth checking out. To do this, I went to the largest room and started jumping.
Yeah, so I go down more slowly than usual, but like this - I fall like a brick, leaving behind the corresponding damage.
Um, is the foot print on the board it's normal? I think no.
It doesn't matter, I'll change it later.
What else do I need? What is worth buying for your new activity?
Mmm.
Maybe parallel streams of consciousness? There will soon be more abilities, no matter how I start to get confused in battle. Well, I can make 10 for a charge, but I'd rather take 20 for the 2nd level - immediately 20, and the acceleration of consciousness will fit there too. In general, that's what I'll do.
Yes, I need a suit. And a name. Crap. I have no ideas for either one or the other. In general, I don't plan to appear in public on my first outing, I'll just punish a couple of Nazis if possible. Yes, perhaps this will be the first step ... The first step towards what? Damn, everything is happening so fast that I'm starting to doubt the reality of what is happening. But at the same time, it feels so...right? Okay, I should think about this later.
Hmm, I remember somewhere in my closet I had some kind of old mask, from the time when I was one piece. But I won't take a suit from there, because it's too colorful, which doesn't really suit me.
But it's still not a problem - I'm doing a good job with a sewing machine and I'm sure I can put together something whole before night from all sorts of scraps.
***
I am disappointed.
It turned out that at home there are simply not enough scraps for something normal, and tearing what is is pointless - I, like my parents, preferred bright things. I found some black sweater and pants in the closet - well, at least something.
I just have to make sure that they will fit snugly against the skin. And the name ... the name is most often taken such that there is an indication of strength. For me it will be development, evolution, something related to this. Maybe in Latin? No, it doesn't. And if other values ... or like this ... hmm.
After a couple of minutes of searching, I finally found something that I liked. Pertinax - stubborn from Latin. Well, I like the name. I've actually been called that a lot.
To pass the time, until the evening I was engaged in cleaning: I sorted out the old rubbish on the shelves, removed everything superfluous from the table, wiped the dust everywhere, finally. Monotonous work gave me the opportunity to reflect on all the changes that had happened to me over the past hours.
Time in anticipation dragged on slowly, and I managed to talk myself out of this venture several times, and then come up with arguments why I was doing everything right.
And now the evening has finally come, which means that it is time to leave. I pulled on the prepared clothes and shoes, left the prosthesis at home and went out into the cool darkness. It was damp outside. Several lonely windows in the houses shone in the blackness of the night. A slight, slightly warm wind hit right on my mask, and I felt it.
It was clear to me that the absence of a hand was a distinguishing feature. So I decided to get as far away from home as possible. I live on the border of Merchant territory and Empire 88, so I even have a choice of who to attack first.
So far it doesn't matter, I need this exit more in order to get used to new abilities, and the rest for later.
Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, I'm getting used to the new way of moving more and more. Immediately before the jump, I pull all the mental levers up, thereby reducing mass and gravity, and after the jump, I again increase the mass, and with it the momentum of movement. This leads to the fact that my body manages to fly much further. After the first such jump, I almost flew right through the roof, which means that the landing also needs to be carefully calculated. In addition, I found that my body was stronger than at least ordinary concrete and stone, because I was able to climb walls by sticking my fingers right into them and pushing myself up.
And now, after several hours of acrobatics, I felt the Star and stumbled upon a fight, or rather, a beating. Exactly what I was looking for. I got closer and saw the attackers. They were all white-skinned, shorn, some had tattoos on their bodies - it became clear to me what was happening here.
Empire recruits decided to show themselves and beat up a couple of blacks. By the way, they are not at all like Merchants: the clothes are of high quality, they themselves are clean. Well, were before the attack.
The goal is chosen, it remains to think over my further actions. Don't go into battle without at least a minimal plan. So, we have two dusty victims at the garbage can, next to them are two skinheads, apparently newcomers.
Another older Nazi held a pistol in his hand. This one stands behind them and says something. Apparently, their teacher or some kind of curator. Two more are standing on opposite sides of the lane, probably guarding the passage.
Hmm, I think I need to eliminate the most dangerous one first - the teacher, then I will attack the newcomers.
You can throw them in the trash can and, while they are recovering from the blow, go beat the guards. And then I leave everyone in the same trash.
The plan is more or less ready, although I have my doubts. Stop panic! I can feel adrenaline coursing through my veins, making the world slow down even more. I start.
Having run up, I jump behind the Nazis, but at the last moment everything does not go according to plan - the rotten roof, which has not been standing for many years, sags underfoot and instead of a beautiful flight, an awkward fall occurs. "Ha, straight to the main one," I note and decide not to change the trajectory. At the last second, he notices me and even tries to jump away, but he is too slow, and I have already cranked up gravity for a better blow. Well, the plan already went wrong, so I had to improvise.
The newcomers grabbed their bats (how did I not notice them?), and the guards took out their pistols. Shitty situation.
The nearest skinhead swings a bat at me, but he is too slow - I easily dive under the weapon and hit him in the chest. I hear a crack. Apparently, he went too far with strength, but now I'm not up to it at all.
The bat is still in the air, I grab it and then turn to the shooter to my right. He is ready to shoot, but I act much faster - the piece of wood flies at him with a whistle. I hear a thump behind me and jump to the right. There's a garbage heap, but it's not so bad - I grab the board and turn to the remaining Imperials. We look at each other. I see they are afraid. The one with the pistol is shaking, and the rookie with the bat is backing away. No, that's definitely not going to work, I'm not going to let them go. A jerk to the neighbor and ... a bullet crashes into my chest. It hurts a lot, but I didn't stop. Having reached the bandit, I dodge another blow and hit the knee with the board. Both things do not stand up to bullying, and I, shrugging off the new Star, jump onto the wall. And just in time - another bullet flies past.
I turn around in flight, pushing off the wall with force, and fly into the last one. I hear another crunch - damn it, if only they didn't show me something later for injuries. I get up and look around. Four groan, the fifth - that teacher - lies peacefully, and I sincerely hope that he is only unconscious, and did not go to his idols.
Where are their victims? And, there, huddled in a corner by the container, all bruised.
"Calm down, I won't beat you," I say, showing good nature with all my body language. "I am the new hero Pertinax, how are you, can you speak?"
"Y-yes, thanks for saving me!" the older black man says, stammering. "If it wasn't for you, we'd be kicked to death here."
"Yeah, I'm cool," I say with a touch of sarcasm. - And why are you shying around the territory of the Nazis? Here the places are not very suitable for night walks. Just not with your skin color.
They calm down and begin to rise to their feet.
"My brother and I were late at work today, and at the exit we heard that a shootout had begun on our usual route, so we decided to take a chance.
"We've just, like, been here a few times already, we always managed to slip through, only today we weren't lucky," the younger intervenes.
"Ok, I see. No really luck this time"
"Call the police for now, or even the PRT, tell them about the fight and all that," I go up to the Nazis and start turning out their pockets. - Otherwise, you understand, you won't take a personal phone, but somehow I didn't think about buying a new one.
"Of course," the elder takes out his phone and dials a number. I have no idea how the device survived all the blows - maybe they hit the wrong place?
I did not listen to the man's conversation with the police, but instead checked on the Nazi teacher. Breathes, bastard.
I got the largest amount from him - almost a thousand dollars. And why carry so much with you? Or he's fucking rich, and that's his pocket money? I don't care.
Having collected weapons in one pile, and their groaning owners in another, on the opposite side of the alley, I decide to wait for someone. And I'm waiting...
A few minutes later, a red spot flies into the alley and stops about five meters from me. Reasonable precaution.
Apparently, Velocity has arrived here. The costume is the one that I remember, but what do we have in terms of abilities? Yep, understandable. Here is a standard communication line, it leads to this "acceleration factor" regulator, and here is a function that is rigidly connected to it, which reduces its interaction with the world by the same factor. Yeah, but it all works through a partial displacement of the body with the help of ... that's what this crap means? Damn, yes, here you can write a dissertation on one symbol. Well, okay, that's not the point.
In general, I had an idea: I could add the first without the second quite cheaply, I won't be able to interact with the world, but no one will forbid me to think ...
- Hey, are you okay? The voice brought me out of my thoughts.
- A? Yes, everything is fine, I just thought a little, - I answered thoughtfully, turning to the interlocutor.
- This is good. I was informed that we have a new hero here. First night, right? he asked.
"Yeah, it feels amazing. Haven't felt so energized in a long time. In general, I just wanted to practice my new abilities, but I came across a beating. I had to intervene - at that moment I heard cars approaching. Judging by the fact that the hero is not worried, apparently cops or operatives from the PRT.
- What about your hand? I hope it's not like this now…" Speed said, carefully examining me.
No, it's an old injury. It's all right, - the cars stopped, and people in uniform began to gather around the bandits.
"Well," Velocity glanced around at what was happening, but quickly turned back to me. "I can't resist suggesting that you join the Protectorate. Is your name Perthix? he asked.
"Well, last time I called myself Pertinax, but maybe that's not what they heard. So, answering the unspoken question. No, I will not join the Protectorate. I'm bound to have trouble following orders at the very least, and I know it," I answered vacantly, watching as a group of people got out of the cars, handcuffed the Imperials and began to load them. The darkness of the night has almost completely evaporated, because in addition to the light from the windows of high-rise buildings, it was also poured out by cars.
The star lit up the second Velocity spoke.
"Fine, but maybe you would agree to come to the strength test? They told me that you were hit by a bullet, even though you can't see it. New Brutes often overestimate their strength and as a result they get seriously injured or die." His tone was sympathetic, and he tried to speak softly. I think he did not want to scare me somehow, even if I refused to join them.
For a second, this offer seemed very tempting to me - after all, in fact, they themselves invite me to their base, where I could study all their powers. But only for a moment. For starters, I won't be able to remember all parts of their power, and the hike won't be as successful as it could be. Although, I can fix it now. Yes, and I already wanted to add the strength of a clever man to myself. I just need [multiple consciousnesses], about 20, [acceleration of consciousness], and I can even strengthen it according to the principle of acceleration from Speed, though to a lesser extent, and a block of [eidetic memory] will also fit there, not very large, in total hours for 10 memories, but I can delete what I don't need, and I can leave what I need as "screenshots", so much more will fit. And all this for a modest two charges.
As the stars change, I contemplate the hero's proposal. I'm not going to reveal my true strength to them and I'm not going to stop developing. And this means that in a week they can understand that I deceived them somewhere, and this is not a guarantee of a good relationship. It's best not to try to lie. I immediately activate a new ability and realize that I am again staring into the void during the conversation. Well, at least the Mover didn't mind.
"Probably not either. I have my reasons for this, but I will not reveal them. In general, I do not mind working with you, but not for you. OK? I replied, paralleling out of the corner of my eye noticing that a disgruntled policeman was quickly approaching here. I think he is dissatisfied with the injuries of the criminals, so it would be time to hide from the scene of the crime. And that's not enough.
"Okay, I have to go," I waved my hand, walking away to the building, still looking in the direction of the hero.
- Bye everyone! - with one big jump, I jump onto the roof and start running along the curve towards the house. Neither Velocity nor the others pursued me, perhaps they did not consider it necessary.
There were no incidents on the way back, so I returned home without any problems.
After my cleaning, the house definitely looked better than before. I put my booty in a bag by the bed. As much as 1500 dollars!
I have never held that kind of money in my hands for all the months of work.
Euphoria, adrenaline that has not yet completely eroded, and a sense of pride in one's act completely repulsed drowsiness. So I just lay down on the bed. The wind fell on my body directly from the open window located on the right wall. I didn't turn on the light because it didn't make sense.
- And how many Stars did I earn per entry? - I had an idea. So I got 5 charges within a few hours, and even though I put half of them into a new ability, I still have three more to use for something new.
- Damn, this is super profitable! - a thought flashed through the backstreets of my mind in an instant, leaving behind a very pleasant feeling.
A variety of thoughts visited my head, as well as plans for the future. There were so many of them that I didn't even close my eyes for several hours.
But in the end, the fatigue caused by the battle still got the better of me, and I fell asleep.
Last edited:
Shopping, anyway, and a bit of hunting
aleksejstepanov560
Getting sticky.
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2022
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Today I woke up in a good mood. I realized that before that I was under a lot of stress. Yesterday's fight helped me blow off some steam. This, of course, was a little strange, because before I had never noticed a craving for violence in myself, and I can hardly be called cruel. The feeling that I experienced before the fight was unusual, something like excitement and anticipation. But before that, I always tried to avoid any fights and I myself did not show cravings for them.
"Or…" I had a hunch and immediately rushed to check it out.
Everything was exactly as I expected.
My power makes my brain produce serotonin intensely at the mere thought of a fight. And what I initially thought was a mechanism for increasing aggression turned out to be a more complex system of rewarding and punishing the user that can play with brain chemistry in a meaningful way.
- Fuck! I slammed my forehead against the wall. - What is it, it turns out? Forces train carriers like Pavlov dogs? I groaned as I saw the hormonal mechanism decide to release the complex mixture of amino acids, and at the same time I felt my indifference to this situation. — Brilliant way to avoid the answer, bravo, strength, congratulations. Now go fuck yourself. - already being absolutely calm, I muttered, - I'd better go and cook something to eat.
I got up abruptly, carried out my morning routine, and started preparing breakfast, contemplating my actions for the future and making plans along the way.
"Today, I think," I began to think aloud. - I'm going to go shopping. I just got money, and I can update my wardrobe. But most importantly, you need to buy equipment. I know that Tinker's can make all sorts of powerful items and hope to be able to find at least one soon. Well, then I'll just learn how his power works, and find a way to become a Tinker myself.
The star lit up during my reflections, as if confirming my plans, and I hastened my meal.
I go to my bedroom and start getting ready.
While rubbing my mechanical hand, I lazily thought about what I could add to it, and at the same time dreamed of how I would assemble myself a full-fledged Tinker prosthesis. You know, so that you can add the functions of a phone, a mixer and a gun, yes, something like that. That sounds good.
***
I put on my cleanest and most decent clothes I had. After that, he put in his pocket the money he earned with sweat and blood (someone else's, mostly) and went to the Promenade. The journey there was almost entirely uneventful - only once did a bunch of skinheads want to come up and get to the bottom of me, but they were distracted by a group of Asian teenagers who somehow ended up here.
Thus, I was able to sneak past them without any problems, and then walked, looking around.
Today was a fairly sunny day, although small clouds were already approaching from the east. The area of the city was pleasing to the eye, it was immediately clear that a lot of money had been invested here. Basically here, as in the safest place in the city, the shops sold the best goods, and the prices for it bite. However, I still remember a couple of places where you can buy quality, but not very expensive things. I will go there.
I didn't turn off Power Sight for the duration of the walk, as I was hoping to meet some cape, hero, or villain if one came across. The same heroes, for sure, not only patrol this territory, but spend time here outside of work. However, with my ability, I can see them in any crowd.
And so, my actions finally paid off, and my thoughts materialized.
Entering another store, this time a shoe store, I met a cape. It was not clear to me whether this was a man or a woman, the appearance of this person was too androgynous. But it doesn't matter - I was only interested in his (her?) strength. And there was definitely something to see! A whole bunch of small and medium forces that are interconnected through a wildly twisted connection, some of which seemed alien, not belonging to this mechanism.
I slowed down the subjective flow of time by going into my analytical mode and began to study in depth. What used to be a brain-strength connection was here in quadruple. At the same time, one of them was, as it were, cut off, simply not having suitable connections with other forces for full-fledged work. This force passively scanned the surrounding space, transmitting information directly to the brain, but this process took over the calculations of the trajectories that were transmitted to the first force, which, apparently, helped to ensure the accuracy of actions when throwing something.
The other force of this cape (I'll have to come up with a name for the sources of the forces, I don't want to call them just forces) took over some of the work of the brain, which, like all other nerve systems of the body, was updated by another force through the use of slightly different types of nerve fibers. This force worked like a gyroscope, giving knowledge of the position of the body in space, and together with the second, the body was controlled almost perfectly. Together, these powers gave the wearer an abnormally good sense of their body and surroundings, and would allow even an untrained person to move at the level of a professional.
But that's not all. The birth of a new Star could not distract me from further reflections.
There are two more powers left - one that appears to be pyrokinesis, and the power to access a pocket dimension.
I'll start with the first one. Hmm, while at first glance this power seems like classic pyrokinesis, it's not. Strength allows, as it were, to "inflate" the fire, and this is achieved due to the synergy of two smaller forces. The first force, hmm, has grown small cavities in the wearer's mouth, and these cavities seem to produce a rather complex chemical compound, which, apparently, when it enters the fire, can add a significant amount of combustion energy and thus increase it. The second power is an inferior aerokinesis, limited to one direction, and able to move only very small volumes of air. I wouldn't even call it aerokinesis, there are no limits to this power, it's just a piece torn from another place. For me it is useless. So, the release of energy particles and the blowing out of air are tied to the same mental button, and thus the carrier can "inflate the fire".
We figured it out, but the most interesting thing for me remained. Spatial pocket. This force seems to be the most suitable for its carrier, but all the "wires" of this force are intertwined with other people's "wires", and the energy that the force needs for normal operation goes to other forces. And it severely limits it. If not for these factors, the wearer would have access to a space of at least 10x10x10 meters, and this is with the ability to enter inside. Now? Just about 2x2x2 and no private room.
The power-brain connection allows the user to know what and where lies in the Pocket and have access to it, but this part scans the space around the entry-exit point and allows you to see the threat to the exit, this setting allows you to adjust the state of things when you exit. But this button puts things inside into stasis, and the amount of stasis is even adjustable! Now, the input-output is tightly attached to the body of the carrier, and stasis works on the entire space at once without the possibility of turning it off, and the rest of the possibilities have atrophied, although the original power made it possible to attach the output to physical objects and eject things at will, even at a distance. It's a pity, but I can't take the last part - it will be expensive, a level 4 charge is needed. But a full-fledged inventory with a personal room in it? I take! I merge four stars into one big one and start the process.
Thus, I became the proud owner of a new, spacious and completely sterile pocket. As if congratulating me, a new Star lit up.
I even feel sorry for him. He, it turns out, was the so-called ,,grab-bag,, capes. And all this bunch of weak forces just ruined a good ability. I even wonder how many more powerful abilities were corrupted in this way. I mentally giggled as I imagined that the power to kill the Endbringers would be divided and weakened in the same way.
I turned off the acceleration and hurried past the cape, who only raised an eyebrow at my gaze. Today's purchases of electrical appliances are canceled, with my new ability, I can even steal as much as I need from the landfill. I really won't go there. In the end, I was not the only one who, when asked about free materials, thought about it. No, places like this are sure to be followed by new Tinker. So I'm going to spend the rest of the day and the money somewhere at a flea market or in a pawnshop.
I hurriedly bought everything I wanted, along with plenty of water and canned food for my new hideout. After that, I calmly, without haste, left the Promenade, moving in a random direction. When I realized that no one was following me, I went into the alley and went to Karman. First impression: too bright. In contrast to the dark alley, the crystal white walls evoked carvings in the eyes.
"It will be necessary to paint them," I said aloud, placing the bags against the wall. - And get furniture here, some cabinets. And it's empty here.–
Mentally, I began to mark the space for future needs. The corner where I appeared will be a corridor. From it it will be possible to go out into the living room, where everything for, in fact, life will be located, and into the future workshop, for which I gave most of Karman.
There was nothing else for me to do here, and after checking the exit for possible ambushes, I went outside. The sun was still high above the horizon, so I still had a lot of time left before the next night out. Using an electronic map, I found the nearest place where I could buy household appliances and went to it. Thank the gods, it was not on the territory of the Empire, but on one of the Asian gangs. I think they will not be up to checking their shops now.
A smiling Asian old man met me behind the counter. In general, despite the fact that the store was located far outside the popular tourist areas, inside it looked quite nice. There were shelves with various things against the walls and I saw a door behind the cash register leading somewhere. I think this place is something like a pawnshop or a flea market.
– Hello young man, are you interested in something? — The cashier asked me a question. He could not be called too old, his hair had not even had time to turn white.
In the meantime, I carefully studied the shop windows. Overall, it lacked a lot of things that I would need. Mostly it was simple, without the complex mechanical stuff that I think I'm going to need as a Tinker. But I think there's an old stove here, or something like that.
- Hi. My washing machine recently broke down, it's expensive to buy a new one, but I could sort out the old one myself. There are just no details. Do you have some of those junk?
The old man thought for a moment.
Yes, there are a couple. In one, the wiring was completely burned out, and in the second, the turning mechanism fell off.
"Mmm, yes, that sounds good. How much for me for two?
- Yes, what is there, this pile of scrap metal has been lying for two months. I'll give it for one and a half hundred.–
– No problem, it's still cheaper than
buying a new one. -
- It's good that there are no problems. And how will you endure with your hand? -
- I'll take out one by one, the car is around the corner. -
"Well, if you don't need help, then okay, take it. - with these words, he led me to the place where the washing machines lay. They looked really bad, and I hope I can get something useful out of them.
I went around a few more places in the same way, and soon my Pocket had half a dozen microwaves, several washing machines, and all sorts of smaller appliances. I don't think that this will be enough for me for a long time, but I'll figure it out already being a Tinker.
I spent the rest of the day preparing a normal suit, practicing with increased strength, and looking at all sorts of useful things on the Internet.
It turned out not so hot, but I inserted several metal plates into special pockets. Together with my buff, they provide much better protection than they could without it.
Ready to fight!
***
Only a day has passed since the last fight and I have not yet decided on the purpose of my attacks. On the one hand, the Nazis are my natural enemies, on the other hand, the merchants are not as dangerous as the first ones and their drugs spoil lives no worse than the actions of criminals. I think today I'll go for the drug addicts. There I will pick up more equipment for the future, probably in their littered territory there is a lot of useless things lying around for anyone except the Tinkers. Heading into the territory of the merchants, I felt the birth of a new Star, which could not but rejoice me. I had thoughts to create the power of sensing the people around me, but I decided to collect more different types of sensory abilities and, in the end, collect the best possible ability.
I met the first junkies pretty quickly, but they didn't do anything wrong, so I decided to ignore them. However, within half an hour I found a dealer selling drugs to a group of dirty men and women. I think that's what typical residents of the Docks look like.
There was no point in beating one person, so I waited until he went to the warehouse for new goods, and I did not lose. The building was small, the warehouse was probably not the main one, but the main thing is that money and other interesting items flock here. Of course, there was much more security than in my first fight, but, as it turned out, I am bulletproof, even bruises do not remain. But, just in case, I will add more protection. A suit reinforced with power will extinguish some of the energy and any blow will become weaker. And regular melee weapons will hurt me even less. So, forward, to the assault!
But first, let's lock the rear doors. During the observation, no one took advantage of them, but if they need to run, they will knock out even the closed one. Therefore, I need something to block the passage tightly. Suitable, for example, these concrete blocks. You just need to drag them to the door and put them in a pile. Nothing complicated.
***
Difficult, really nothing, but it was dreary. The blocks often broke and did not want to fold evenly, so I spent a whole half hour on this mess. I did not find any other exits, and now I can be sure that not a single enemy will escape.
I waited for the moment when another group of people entered inside, and only then began the attack.
Over the suit, I threw the scraps I found, so I was able to walk from the entrance to the guards without making a fuss.
"Something I don't recognize you, guy, whose will you be?" asked the first, carefully looking at me.
- Yeah, take off your hood - that's what the second one says.
Silently I hit the first in the solar plexus, fortunately, I practiced and learned to hit, avoiding fatal injuries. The first guard wheezed, and the second was about to scream, but I tore off the windings and put them right into my open mouth. Well, I tried. I tried to act without unnecessary cruelty, so I couldn't immediately put an impromptu gag into my mouth. But I still achieved my goal - not to let you scream.
I drop the resisting body to the floor and call the already prepared construction ties into his arms. I still put the gag in my mouth, and after that, I wrap another rag around my head so that I definitely can't spit it out. With the first, everything is the same, but he did not even resist. I follow the advice from the Internet and put pressure on different points on their body. This, as they wrote, should cut off the supply of oxygen to the brain, and the person should fall asleep. It seems to have worked. They stopped kicking and fell silent. Great, I'll do the same with the others.
I bring the bodies inside and close the gate. All right, I'll put these tires in here, and all the exits will be permanently closed. Hunting time!
I find the first group of Merchants in the break room. Well, I think it's her. And they settled down well here - a beautiful sofa, they even found a billiard table somewhere. It's time to interrupt their friendly gatherings.
I close the door and turn the key in the lock.
Someone hears me and speaks without turning around.– Joseph, is that you? Hurry up, it's your turn soon. –
Hell, there is also a certain Joseph outside, as long as he doesn't come before I'm done here.
But on the outside I'm unruffled
- Yes, guys, let's play. - With these words, I struck the first one who turned up, again, in the solar plexus. His neighbor, who asked the question, reached for a weapon, but I'm faster. I hit my hand, breaking my wrist, and then, I grab a prone cue, which I hit another person with a weapon, right across the table. Someone starts screaming, but I quickly stuff a cloth into their mouth and use pre-prepared ties. Four more are ready.
I go to the door and listen. Someone is coming.
- Guys, what are you yelling? asks an invisible voice
I decide to distract him, so I answer by making my voice sound like someone who was screaming.
- Yes, this moron does not even know how to aim, he hit me in the balls, it hurts, damn it! -
- Yeah, I understand. Be careful out there, don't kill each other. With these words, he leaves.
The star lights up, as if expressing its approval, but I do not pay attention. I quietly unlock the door and wait for Joseph at the entrance. After a couple of minutes, he comes inside, but I'm ready and do not let him make a sound. He lays down next to the others. Now minus seven bandits already. There are still about ten people left.
I go outside. Passing along the corridor, I look into other rooms, but there is no one there, only shelves with various items. I'll sort out the loot later. I go further.
I could not go around all the rooms without raising the alarm, apparently, someone found the bodies and reported it. I see how the bandits check their weapons and begin to walk around the area. The lamp does not work here, so you can climb up on the shelves and lie in wait for someone. They don't have walkie-talkies, so I can hear them shouting over each other as they check one place after another. Here come two. They are on edge, twitching at any noise. They check the room, they even look up, but they do not notice me in my dark suit among the dark rubbish.
"Clear!" one of them shouts. I jump softly behind and launch an attack. I hit the first one in the kidneys, and the second one I kick in the knees from behind and complete the attack with a couple more quick blows. Then again, the gag and ties. I don't waste time on blood flow and stuff, I just knit them. The star lights up, but I just mentally note it, without reacting in any way.
I move to the nearest source of screams. My first victims will soon be counted, so I'm in a hurry. The new bandits have been screaming lately, so I have time. I sneak up behind, taking advantage of the fact that I came from already proven territory and attack them. Nothing new, but the second one was quick and almost dodged. Not that it bothered me, but still.
- This is some kind of garbage, guys, there is no one here - they are shouting somewhere on the right.
- What do you have there? - , this, judging by the sound, is in my direction
- There is not anyone! I shout back, internally enjoying this game.
- Ben, Michael, answer! - the two named, of course, are silent.
"Someone is playing with us, and that someone is in block B!" Go in there and shoot the hell out of him! - an order sounds from the center - I have already called for help and she will arrive soon, so don't risk it! -
This is bad. We need to quickly deal with the commander and the remaining criminals. And still need to call cows. And call the PRT. With these thoughts, I run towards the main voice and find there an obese black man angrily talking to someone on the phone.
He does not see me and I quickly put him to sleep in the same way.
The star lights up, as if supporting my actions.
I take his phone (damn, I forgot to buy myself a cell phone for night work again) and call the PRT.
-Good afternoon. This is the PRT emergency service, dispatcher Kevin Burns is talking to you, what happened to you? -
- Yeah, hi. This is the hero Pertinax, who met Velocity yesterday, do you recognize it? -
- Yes, of course, I understand what you are talking about. What are you calling about? -
- I went out for another walk at night and came across a whole warehouse of merchants. It's at the docks, 591 Frosty Lane.
I scattered them up a bit, but...–
shots and screams were heard from block B
– one of them managed to call for help, and more Merchants are coming here –
- I got it, I got it. - shouted someone from there - You hit me in the leg, bitch - they shouted in response.
- I understand you, judging by the shots you got into a difficult situation? -
- No, just idiots started shooting at each other. And everything will be fine with me, it's just that soon there will be a dozen or two sleeping bodies, and I don't know what to do with them. -
"I understand you, Speed and Miss Militia will arrive within ten minutes. Try not to take unnecessary risks. -
- Yeah thanks. I hung up. Well, if help comes, you can not worry and rob this place to your heart's content.
I began to inspect the Negro's place of work. There were walkie-talkies on his desk, they looked like something heavy had been dropped on them. Apparently, this is the reason why they are yelling at the whole warehouse like fools. Well, I need the details. As well as other devices lying around. I took everything containing at least a drop of electronics, as well as various tools. There was also a safe here, I'm not going to mess with it yet, so let it lie in my warehouse for now.
- Nobody's here! - the remaining bandits attract my attention.
I need to end this farce.
- It's okay, come back soon, I caught him myself! - I answer them without pretending.
After ten seconds of silence, the answer is heard - Fuck you, bastard! You don't even look like him, you take us for fools? Soon our guys will come here and tear your ass into even pieces. This is your last chance to give up, you get it, you son of a bitch!?
Well, to hell with them, I'd rather just sit at the window at the entrance, admire the new Star and wait for the friendly capes to arrive. Or enemy fighters. Who will arrive first.
The merchants arrived first. Not capes, and that's good, because I'm already out of breath, and I won't be able to fight normally with experienced fighters. Nut it's unlikely they wouldthey go now personally - Lung has been fighting in territories close to the Merchant ones lately, they need to follow all this.
The merchants arrived in two machinelike units, fully armored. There were 8 of them in total, and although there were more weapons than pistols, they should not have done much harm to me. Well, according to my calculations.
They got out of the cars, took out their weapons and moved in crooked rows to the door that I still blocked. At that moment, I heard the sirens and prepared for battle. It remains only to wait a moment.
The merchants cursed among themselves, but as soon as they heard the sirens, everyone hurried to the cars together. It's time! I push through the thin wall of the warehouse and kick the nearest one in the chest. He distracts from the blow, but I'm already next to another - I cut his leg and jump away from the sights of their trunks. The somersault comes out curved, the armor plates interfere with this, but I do not stop and hit another one in the legs.
Well, what's left? I don't have any sleeping pills, and I will do the new strength in a calm environment, but definitely not here. Therefore, the choice of places for strikes is small.
The leg crunches and breaks, and I see the red spot join the fight and drop another one. I enter analytic mode. Yep, it's speed. By the way, now he is moving in a normal way for me and ... Stop, but it turns out that for him everything around him becomes slow, and he is not fast - it only reaches me. And this means that he really has to run many kilometers every day just as a job. Damn, I respected him even more.
But we have a fight. I come out of acceleration and jump on the guy trying to get into the vehicle. Tensing up, I tear out the car door. The junkie squeals like a child. Ha, funny. I throw it on the ground. Now you can look around.
Speed makes short work of the latter, and PRT vehicles with soldiers inside stop near us.
Speed runs up to me - Is there anyone still conscious in the warehouse? he asks.
- Yes - I gesticulate vaguely - Three or four. I heard that one shot the other, so you'll need someone to close his wound if you want him to live -
-Thank you for your help, can you wait here for me for a few minutes?- he asks
- Yes, not a question, only, are you alone here? - I'm getting curious
- Yes. Right now, there is a threat of gang wars throughout the city, so many are patrolling in hot spots. And I was relatively free, and the previous meeting ended well, so they sent me. Having said this, Velocity runs towards the entrance.
Well, it's not difficult for me, I'll wait, I myself am interested in finding out what is happening in the city. I feel that the Star caught fire after our conversation and I am glad about it.
After a couple of minutes, the hero returns and starts a conversation.
-You did a good job for a rookie. Only a few had serious fractures, and this is not the case for heroes to leave such wounds. -
I raise an eyebrow, even though he won't see it under my mask. That's why I use sarcasm in my voice.
- Seriously? You ask a disabled person to have pity on those who shoot him. Ah, what heroes are ridiculous. Dude, I have one arm and I am stronger than each of them several times. All their damage is the minimum I can do. -
He throws up his hands - Well, that's how it works. Heroes should not break or kill people. he snorts - even if these people are ready to kill you at the first opportunity. -
I can't help but agree with him on this stupidity, so I nod.
I decide to ask a question:
- Listen, if it's not a secret, what is going on in the city between the gangs right now. Otherwise, I only know that Lung is attacking someone, but that's all. -
He hesitates a little, but answers - You know everything correctly. Recently, Lung completely seized the territories of the former Japanese, and now he has moved to the Yaoguai -
– And this? -
– Chinese –
"Understood, what about the other gangs?"
- Well, the Merchants sit mostly on the borders with the Chinese. I guess they just don't want the fight to move into their territory.
"I see, but what about the Empire?"
- They locked themselves in and almost do not go out. They benefit from the fact that the number of Asian capes is decreasing. Previously, they were almost equal in number to each other, but now the Imperial caps are superior in this.
- Clearly. Lots of work in general.
- And do not say. Alteration of power, it turns out to be a pain not only for those who are overthrown, but also for their neighbors. I am now, while talking with you, at least I can take a break from this a little. And one of ours travels almost all over the city without a break. -
- Ok, can I go? I ask the hero
- Go, just don't go to the Asians, it's too dangerous there now.
- Okay, thanks for the advice. Bye everyone! I shout, harnessing to the roof.
It's already 4 am. I think it's time to go home, I have not yet had the strength to go without sleep.
"Or…" I had a hunch and immediately rushed to check it out.
Everything was exactly as I expected.
My power makes my brain produce serotonin intensely at the mere thought of a fight. And what I initially thought was a mechanism for increasing aggression turned out to be a more complex system of rewarding and punishing the user that can play with brain chemistry in a meaningful way.
- Fuck! I slammed my forehead against the wall. - What is it, it turns out? Forces train carriers like Pavlov dogs? I groaned as I saw the hormonal mechanism decide to release the complex mixture of amino acids, and at the same time I felt my indifference to this situation. — Brilliant way to avoid the answer, bravo, strength, congratulations. Now go fuck yourself. - already being absolutely calm, I muttered, - I'd better go and cook something to eat.
I got up abruptly, carried out my morning routine, and started preparing breakfast, contemplating my actions for the future and making plans along the way.
"Today, I think," I began to think aloud. - I'm going to go shopping. I just got money, and I can update my wardrobe. But most importantly, you need to buy equipment. I know that Tinker's can make all sorts of powerful items and hope to be able to find at least one soon. Well, then I'll just learn how his power works, and find a way to become a Tinker myself.
The star lit up during my reflections, as if confirming my plans, and I hastened my meal.
I go to my bedroom and start getting ready.
While rubbing my mechanical hand, I lazily thought about what I could add to it, and at the same time dreamed of how I would assemble myself a full-fledged Tinker prosthesis. You know, so that you can add the functions of a phone, a mixer and a gun, yes, something like that. That sounds good.
***
I put on my cleanest and most decent clothes I had. After that, he put in his pocket the money he earned with sweat and blood (someone else's, mostly) and went to the Promenade. The journey there was almost entirely uneventful - only once did a bunch of skinheads want to come up and get to the bottom of me, but they were distracted by a group of Asian teenagers who somehow ended up here.
Thus, I was able to sneak past them without any problems, and then walked, looking around.
Today was a fairly sunny day, although small clouds were already approaching from the east. The area of the city was pleasing to the eye, it was immediately clear that a lot of money had been invested here. Basically here, as in the safest place in the city, the shops sold the best goods, and the prices for it bite. However, I still remember a couple of places where you can buy quality, but not very expensive things. I will go there.
I didn't turn off Power Sight for the duration of the walk, as I was hoping to meet some cape, hero, or villain if one came across. The same heroes, for sure, not only patrol this territory, but spend time here outside of work. However, with my ability, I can see them in any crowd.
And so, my actions finally paid off, and my thoughts materialized.
Entering another store, this time a shoe store, I met a cape. It was not clear to me whether this was a man or a woman, the appearance of this person was too androgynous. But it doesn't matter - I was only interested in his (her?) strength. And there was definitely something to see! A whole bunch of small and medium forces that are interconnected through a wildly twisted connection, some of which seemed alien, not belonging to this mechanism.
I slowed down the subjective flow of time by going into my analytical mode and began to study in depth. What used to be a brain-strength connection was here in quadruple. At the same time, one of them was, as it were, cut off, simply not having suitable connections with other forces for full-fledged work. This force passively scanned the surrounding space, transmitting information directly to the brain, but this process took over the calculations of the trajectories that were transmitted to the first force, which, apparently, helped to ensure the accuracy of actions when throwing something.
The other force of this cape (I'll have to come up with a name for the sources of the forces, I don't want to call them just forces) took over some of the work of the brain, which, like all other nerve systems of the body, was updated by another force through the use of slightly different types of nerve fibers. This force worked like a gyroscope, giving knowledge of the position of the body in space, and together with the second, the body was controlled almost perfectly. Together, these powers gave the wearer an abnormally good sense of their body and surroundings, and would allow even an untrained person to move at the level of a professional.
But that's not all. The birth of a new Star could not distract me from further reflections.
There are two more powers left - one that appears to be pyrokinesis, and the power to access a pocket dimension.
I'll start with the first one. Hmm, while at first glance this power seems like classic pyrokinesis, it's not. Strength allows, as it were, to "inflate" the fire, and this is achieved due to the synergy of two smaller forces. The first force, hmm, has grown small cavities in the wearer's mouth, and these cavities seem to produce a rather complex chemical compound, which, apparently, when it enters the fire, can add a significant amount of combustion energy and thus increase it. The second power is an inferior aerokinesis, limited to one direction, and able to move only very small volumes of air. I wouldn't even call it aerokinesis, there are no limits to this power, it's just a piece torn from another place. For me it is useless. So, the release of energy particles and the blowing out of air are tied to the same mental button, and thus the carrier can "inflate the fire".
We figured it out, but the most interesting thing for me remained. Spatial pocket. This force seems to be the most suitable for its carrier, but all the "wires" of this force are intertwined with other people's "wires", and the energy that the force needs for normal operation goes to other forces. And it severely limits it. If not for these factors, the wearer would have access to a space of at least 10x10x10 meters, and this is with the ability to enter inside. Now? Just about 2x2x2 and no private room.
The power-brain connection allows the user to know what and where lies in the Pocket and have access to it, but this part scans the space around the entry-exit point and allows you to see the threat to the exit, this setting allows you to adjust the state of things when you exit. But this button puts things inside into stasis, and the amount of stasis is even adjustable! Now, the input-output is tightly attached to the body of the carrier, and stasis works on the entire space at once without the possibility of turning it off, and the rest of the possibilities have atrophied, although the original power made it possible to attach the output to physical objects and eject things at will, even at a distance. It's a pity, but I can't take the last part - it will be expensive, a level 4 charge is needed. But a full-fledged inventory with a personal room in it? I take! I merge four stars into one big one and start the process.
Thus, I became the proud owner of a new, spacious and completely sterile pocket. As if congratulating me, a new Star lit up.
I even feel sorry for him. He, it turns out, was the so-called ,,grab-bag,, capes. And all this bunch of weak forces just ruined a good ability. I even wonder how many more powerful abilities were corrupted in this way. I mentally giggled as I imagined that the power to kill the Endbringers would be divided and weakened in the same way.
I turned off the acceleration and hurried past the cape, who only raised an eyebrow at my gaze. Today's purchases of electrical appliances are canceled, with my new ability, I can even steal as much as I need from the landfill. I really won't go there. In the end, I was not the only one who, when asked about free materials, thought about it. No, places like this are sure to be followed by new Tinker. So I'm going to spend the rest of the day and the money somewhere at a flea market or in a pawnshop.
I hurriedly bought everything I wanted, along with plenty of water and canned food for my new hideout. After that, I calmly, without haste, left the Promenade, moving in a random direction. When I realized that no one was following me, I went into the alley and went to Karman. First impression: too bright. In contrast to the dark alley, the crystal white walls evoked carvings in the eyes.
"It will be necessary to paint them," I said aloud, placing the bags against the wall. - And get furniture here, some cabinets. And it's empty here.–
Mentally, I began to mark the space for future needs. The corner where I appeared will be a corridor. From it it will be possible to go out into the living room, where everything for, in fact, life will be located, and into the future workshop, for which I gave most of Karman.
There was nothing else for me to do here, and after checking the exit for possible ambushes, I went outside. The sun was still high above the horizon, so I still had a lot of time left before the next night out. Using an electronic map, I found the nearest place where I could buy household appliances and went to it. Thank the gods, it was not on the territory of the Empire, but on one of the Asian gangs. I think they will not be up to checking their shops now.
A smiling Asian old man met me behind the counter. In general, despite the fact that the store was located far outside the popular tourist areas, inside it looked quite nice. There were shelves with various things against the walls and I saw a door behind the cash register leading somewhere. I think this place is something like a pawnshop or a flea market.
– Hello young man, are you interested in something? — The cashier asked me a question. He could not be called too old, his hair had not even had time to turn white.
In the meantime, I carefully studied the shop windows. Overall, it lacked a lot of things that I would need. Mostly it was simple, without the complex mechanical stuff that I think I'm going to need as a Tinker. But I think there's an old stove here, or something like that.
- Hi. My washing machine recently broke down, it's expensive to buy a new one, but I could sort out the old one myself. There are just no details. Do you have some of those junk?
The old man thought for a moment.
Yes, there are a couple. In one, the wiring was completely burned out, and in the second, the turning mechanism fell off.
"Mmm, yes, that sounds good. How much for me for two?
- Yes, what is there, this pile of scrap metal has been lying for two months. I'll give it for one and a half hundred.–
– No problem, it's still cheaper than
buying a new one. -
- It's good that there are no problems. And how will you endure with your hand? -
- I'll take out one by one, the car is around the corner. -
"Well, if you don't need help, then okay, take it. - with these words, he led me to the place where the washing machines lay. They looked really bad, and I hope I can get something useful out of them.
I went around a few more places in the same way, and soon my Pocket had half a dozen microwaves, several washing machines, and all sorts of smaller appliances. I don't think that this will be enough for me for a long time, but I'll figure it out already being a Tinker.
I spent the rest of the day preparing a normal suit, practicing with increased strength, and looking at all sorts of useful things on the Internet.
It turned out not so hot, but I inserted several metal plates into special pockets. Together with my buff, they provide much better protection than they could without it.
Ready to fight!
***
Only a day has passed since the last fight and I have not yet decided on the purpose of my attacks. On the one hand, the Nazis are my natural enemies, on the other hand, the merchants are not as dangerous as the first ones and their drugs spoil lives no worse than the actions of criminals. I think today I'll go for the drug addicts. There I will pick up more equipment for the future, probably in their littered territory there is a lot of useless things lying around for anyone except the Tinkers. Heading into the territory of the merchants, I felt the birth of a new Star, which could not but rejoice me. I had thoughts to create the power of sensing the people around me, but I decided to collect more different types of sensory abilities and, in the end, collect the best possible ability.
I met the first junkies pretty quickly, but they didn't do anything wrong, so I decided to ignore them. However, within half an hour I found a dealer selling drugs to a group of dirty men and women. I think that's what typical residents of the Docks look like.
There was no point in beating one person, so I waited until he went to the warehouse for new goods, and I did not lose. The building was small, the warehouse was probably not the main one, but the main thing is that money and other interesting items flock here. Of course, there was much more security than in my first fight, but, as it turned out, I am bulletproof, even bruises do not remain. But, just in case, I will add more protection. A suit reinforced with power will extinguish some of the energy and any blow will become weaker. And regular melee weapons will hurt me even less. So, forward, to the assault!
But first, let's lock the rear doors. During the observation, no one took advantage of them, but if they need to run, they will knock out even the closed one. Therefore, I need something to block the passage tightly. Suitable, for example, these concrete blocks. You just need to drag them to the door and put them in a pile. Nothing complicated.
***
Difficult, really nothing, but it was dreary. The blocks often broke and did not want to fold evenly, so I spent a whole half hour on this mess. I did not find any other exits, and now I can be sure that not a single enemy will escape.
I waited for the moment when another group of people entered inside, and only then began the attack.
Over the suit, I threw the scraps I found, so I was able to walk from the entrance to the guards without making a fuss.
"Something I don't recognize you, guy, whose will you be?" asked the first, carefully looking at me.
- Yeah, take off your hood - that's what the second one says.
Silently I hit the first in the solar plexus, fortunately, I practiced and learned to hit, avoiding fatal injuries. The first guard wheezed, and the second was about to scream, but I tore off the windings and put them right into my open mouth. Well, I tried. I tried to act without unnecessary cruelty, so I couldn't immediately put an impromptu gag into my mouth. But I still achieved my goal - not to let you scream.
I drop the resisting body to the floor and call the already prepared construction ties into his arms. I still put the gag in my mouth, and after that, I wrap another rag around my head so that I definitely can't spit it out. With the first, everything is the same, but he did not even resist. I follow the advice from the Internet and put pressure on different points on their body. This, as they wrote, should cut off the supply of oxygen to the brain, and the person should fall asleep. It seems to have worked. They stopped kicking and fell silent. Great, I'll do the same with the others.
I bring the bodies inside and close the gate. All right, I'll put these tires in here, and all the exits will be permanently closed. Hunting time!
I find the first group of Merchants in the break room. Well, I think it's her. And they settled down well here - a beautiful sofa, they even found a billiard table somewhere. It's time to interrupt their friendly gatherings.
I close the door and turn the key in the lock.
Someone hears me and speaks without turning around.– Joseph, is that you? Hurry up, it's your turn soon. –
Hell, there is also a certain Joseph outside, as long as he doesn't come before I'm done here.
But on the outside I'm unruffled
- Yes, guys, let's play. - With these words, I struck the first one who turned up, again, in the solar plexus. His neighbor, who asked the question, reached for a weapon, but I'm faster. I hit my hand, breaking my wrist, and then, I grab a prone cue, which I hit another person with a weapon, right across the table. Someone starts screaming, but I quickly stuff a cloth into their mouth and use pre-prepared ties. Four more are ready.
I go to the door and listen. Someone is coming.
- Guys, what are you yelling? asks an invisible voice
I decide to distract him, so I answer by making my voice sound like someone who was screaming.
- Yes, this moron does not even know how to aim, he hit me in the balls, it hurts, damn it! -
- Yeah, I understand. Be careful out there, don't kill each other. With these words, he leaves.
The star lights up, as if expressing its approval, but I do not pay attention. I quietly unlock the door and wait for Joseph at the entrance. After a couple of minutes, he comes inside, but I'm ready and do not let him make a sound. He lays down next to the others. Now minus seven bandits already. There are still about ten people left.
I go outside. Passing along the corridor, I look into other rooms, but there is no one there, only shelves with various items. I'll sort out the loot later. I go further.
I could not go around all the rooms without raising the alarm, apparently, someone found the bodies and reported it. I see how the bandits check their weapons and begin to walk around the area. The lamp does not work here, so you can climb up on the shelves and lie in wait for someone. They don't have walkie-talkies, so I can hear them shouting over each other as they check one place after another. Here come two. They are on edge, twitching at any noise. They check the room, they even look up, but they do not notice me in my dark suit among the dark rubbish.
"Clear!" one of them shouts. I jump softly behind and launch an attack. I hit the first one in the kidneys, and the second one I kick in the knees from behind and complete the attack with a couple more quick blows. Then again, the gag and ties. I don't waste time on blood flow and stuff, I just knit them. The star lights up, but I just mentally note it, without reacting in any way.
I move to the nearest source of screams. My first victims will soon be counted, so I'm in a hurry. The new bandits have been screaming lately, so I have time. I sneak up behind, taking advantage of the fact that I came from already proven territory and attack them. Nothing new, but the second one was quick and almost dodged. Not that it bothered me, but still.
- This is some kind of garbage, guys, there is no one here - they are shouting somewhere on the right.
- What do you have there? - , this, judging by the sound, is in my direction
- There is not anyone! I shout back, internally enjoying this game.
- Ben, Michael, answer! - the two named, of course, are silent.
"Someone is playing with us, and that someone is in block B!" Go in there and shoot the hell out of him! - an order sounds from the center - I have already called for help and she will arrive soon, so don't risk it! -
This is bad. We need to quickly deal with the commander and the remaining criminals. And still need to call cows. And call the PRT. With these thoughts, I run towards the main voice and find there an obese black man angrily talking to someone on the phone.
He does not see me and I quickly put him to sleep in the same way.
The star lights up, as if supporting my actions.
I take his phone (damn, I forgot to buy myself a cell phone for night work again) and call the PRT.
-Good afternoon. This is the PRT emergency service, dispatcher Kevin Burns is talking to you, what happened to you? -
- Yeah, hi. This is the hero Pertinax, who met Velocity yesterday, do you recognize it? -
- Yes, of course, I understand what you are talking about. What are you calling about? -
- I went out for another walk at night and came across a whole warehouse of merchants. It's at the docks, 591 Frosty Lane.
I scattered them up a bit, but...–
shots and screams were heard from block B
– one of them managed to call for help, and more Merchants are coming here –
- I got it, I got it. - shouted someone from there - You hit me in the leg, bitch - they shouted in response.
- I understand you, judging by the shots you got into a difficult situation? -
- No, just idiots started shooting at each other. And everything will be fine with me, it's just that soon there will be a dozen or two sleeping bodies, and I don't know what to do with them. -
"I understand you, Speed and Miss Militia will arrive within ten minutes. Try not to take unnecessary risks. -
- Yeah thanks. I hung up. Well, if help comes, you can not worry and rob this place to your heart's content.
I began to inspect the Negro's place of work. There were walkie-talkies on his desk, they looked like something heavy had been dropped on them. Apparently, this is the reason why they are yelling at the whole warehouse like fools. Well, I need the details. As well as other devices lying around. I took everything containing at least a drop of electronics, as well as various tools. There was also a safe here, I'm not going to mess with it yet, so let it lie in my warehouse for now.
- Nobody's here! - the remaining bandits attract my attention.
I need to end this farce.
- It's okay, come back soon, I caught him myself! - I answer them without pretending.
After ten seconds of silence, the answer is heard - Fuck you, bastard! You don't even look like him, you take us for fools? Soon our guys will come here and tear your ass into even pieces. This is your last chance to give up, you get it, you son of a bitch!?
Well, to hell with them, I'd rather just sit at the window at the entrance, admire the new Star and wait for the friendly capes to arrive. Or enemy fighters. Who will arrive first.
The merchants arrived first. Not capes, and that's good, because I'm already out of breath, and I won't be able to fight normally with experienced fighters. Nut it's unlikely they wouldthey go now personally - Lung has been fighting in territories close to the Merchant ones lately, they need to follow all this.
The merchants arrived in two machinelike units, fully armored. There were 8 of them in total, and although there were more weapons than pistols, they should not have done much harm to me. Well, according to my calculations.
They got out of the cars, took out their weapons and moved in crooked rows to the door that I still blocked. At that moment, I heard the sirens and prepared for battle. It remains only to wait a moment.
The merchants cursed among themselves, but as soon as they heard the sirens, everyone hurried to the cars together. It's time! I push through the thin wall of the warehouse and kick the nearest one in the chest. He distracts from the blow, but I'm already next to another - I cut his leg and jump away from the sights of their trunks. The somersault comes out curved, the armor plates interfere with this, but I do not stop and hit another one in the legs.
Well, what's left? I don't have any sleeping pills, and I will do the new strength in a calm environment, but definitely not here. Therefore, the choice of places for strikes is small.
The leg crunches and breaks, and I see the red spot join the fight and drop another one. I enter analytic mode. Yep, it's speed. By the way, now he is moving in a normal way for me and ... Stop, but it turns out that for him everything around him becomes slow, and he is not fast - it only reaches me. And this means that he really has to run many kilometers every day just as a job. Damn, I respected him even more.
But we have a fight. I come out of acceleration and jump on the guy trying to get into the vehicle. Tensing up, I tear out the car door. The junkie squeals like a child. Ha, funny. I throw it on the ground. Now you can look around.
Speed makes short work of the latter, and PRT vehicles with soldiers inside stop near us.
Speed runs up to me - Is there anyone still conscious in the warehouse? he asks.
- Yes - I gesticulate vaguely - Three or four. I heard that one shot the other, so you'll need someone to close his wound if you want him to live -
-Thank you for your help, can you wait here for me for a few minutes?- he asks
- Yes, not a question, only, are you alone here? - I'm getting curious
- Yes. Right now, there is a threat of gang wars throughout the city, so many are patrolling in hot spots. And I was relatively free, and the previous meeting ended well, so they sent me. Having said this, Velocity runs towards the entrance.
Well, it's not difficult for me, I'll wait, I myself am interested in finding out what is happening in the city. I feel that the Star caught fire after our conversation and I am glad about it.
After a couple of minutes, the hero returns and starts a conversation.
-You did a good job for a rookie. Only a few had serious fractures, and this is not the case for heroes to leave such wounds. -
I raise an eyebrow, even though he won't see it under my mask. That's why I use sarcasm in my voice.
- Seriously? You ask a disabled person to have pity on those who shoot him. Ah, what heroes are ridiculous. Dude, I have one arm and I am stronger than each of them several times. All their damage is the minimum I can do. -
He throws up his hands - Well, that's how it works. Heroes should not break or kill people. he snorts - even if these people are ready to kill you at the first opportunity. -
I can't help but agree with him on this stupidity, so I nod.
I decide to ask a question:
- Listen, if it's not a secret, what is going on in the city between the gangs right now. Otherwise, I only know that Lung is attacking someone, but that's all. -
He hesitates a little, but answers - You know everything correctly. Recently, Lung completely seized the territories of the former Japanese, and now he has moved to the Yaoguai -
– And this? -
– Chinese –
"Understood, what about the other gangs?"
- Well, the Merchants sit mostly on the borders with the Chinese. I guess they just don't want the fight to move into their territory.
"I see, but what about the Empire?"
- They locked themselves in and almost do not go out. They benefit from the fact that the number of Asian capes is decreasing. Previously, they were almost equal in number to each other, but now the Imperial caps are superior in this.
- Clearly. Lots of work in general.
- And do not say. Alteration of power, it turns out to be a pain not only for those who are overthrown, but also for their neighbors. I am now, while talking with you, at least I can take a break from this a little. And one of ours travels almost all over the city without a break. -
- Ok, can I go? I ask the hero
- Go, just don't go to the Asians, it's too dangerous there now.
- Okay, thanks for the advice. Bye everyone! I shout, harnessing to the roof.
It's already 4 am. I think it's time to go home, I have not yet had the strength to go without sleep.
Last edited:
Scientific approach or new opportunities
aleksejstepanov560
Getting sticky.
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When I woke up with difficulty opening my eyes, it was already 10 o'clock in the morning. Yes, it turns out after a sleepless night it takes time to fall asleep. But not the point. After all, yesterday's hunt allowed me to gain as many as 6 charges of energy! I could dig a little more and get a level 4 charge or… Yes, I'm going to get a lot of smaller powers. In the end, even weak, but synergistic forces can work no worse than one strong one. Moreover, it expands the number of possibilities.
In general, yesterday I discovered the problem of fragility. Human fragility. And this is what will hinder me in the future. If one day I overdo it with force, then the criminal will die, and I will have problems with power. And I'm going to solve this problem today.
There are two healing capes in Brockton Bay. True, one of these capes is a Nazi, and I can hardly meet her somewhere outside the battlefield. However, in contrast, the city has Panacea, which treats in city hospitals, and as far as I know, today is one of those days of treatment.
So now I go to the hospital and copy her abilities in the form that I have enough charges for, and in the second part of the day I train a new ability. It sounds like a plan to me.
I gently get out of bed, check my ambush exit, and leave the Pocket. Yes, yes, you heard right. Since finding such a safe place, I don't actually need a home. Well, if I sleep in my pocket, then I won't be able to be captured in a dream. The pocket has actually paid for itself twice, which in itself is not bad.
I quickly washed my face, brushed my teeth and just as quickly cooked breakfast. After my morning chores, I leave the house.
A gentle, warm wind hit my face.
The sun had not yet risen to the horizon, and therefore it was not as hot as during the day. Brockton Bay was generally a city with a good climate. Both winter and summer temperatures were quite comfortable. When I was walking along the Embankment, I saw a crowd of people gathered around someone.
- Today is Sunday, it turns out that there should be Wards there, and this is a great opportunity to get new strength. – I thought, and went to the crowd. Having made my way past people, I finally saw what I wanted. Two capes of teenagers stand there and sign autographs. The first one is wearing a mask that looks like a lion's head, and the second one is wearing a techie visor. Well, it's clear who is who. I met Triumph and Kid Win.
I switch to acceleration mode and start the analysis.
The first strength was not impressive. The sound is modified by adding or subtracting energy at the peak and minimum of the vibration, but the sound itself had to be created in a specific area, in this case, the mouth. Hmm, sound waves can be "driven" into a limited space, due to which they kind of tune into each other or they can be released from there in small portions. This allows the user a good degree of control over their sound, from full blanking to sonic explosions. Although, given what exactly is used as a sound source, it can be understood that we are not talking about damping. It is enough for him not to open his mouth to be quiet. But the other component of strength interested me much more. A similar method of influence is also applied to the cells of the body, due to which cell division is accelerated, and the strength of the body is maintained by a cunningly made sound shield. Hmm, it's actually the same as the first one, just the sound waves are wrapped around the user's body, giving a good amount of strength to the user's body. I plan to create a power for myself that greatly improves my body, so I need more examples of improved bodies. At a minimum, regeneration due to sound vibrations will enter there.
But what was interesting here was that the force did not have that part that would be responsible for influencing emotions. Yes, and in general, this area did not look like it. Well, on the other hand, I realized that not every power makes the user aggressive. However, I don't see anything critical, so you can skip it and move on.
The star lit up as I began analyzing the strength of the second person. I knew it was the Tinker from his costume, but analysis showed me that in every detail.
The brain-power connection here was more advanced, in fact, it worked every second, analyzing all the information received for new ideas. But the main component of strength will be the connection to the database. In this case, it will be the database responsible for Modularity and modular technologies.
And ... it's easy to repeat! A simple connection to a database of information costs less than one charge. Okay, I need a power that [allows you to connect to such things just by having the coordinates of the connection point], while [I don't need a limit on the number of connections]. Done, it only costs one charge. I've already appreciated the fact that I can't access Absolute Memory without going into boost mode. Yes, in this case, this not only does not interfere, but is also beneficial, but it is not a fact that such combined forces will be convenient in the future. That is why I decide to break the power of the Tinker into several sub-powers. The star lights up, as if supporting my opinion.
And besides, I think that not only Techies have such things, but also other forces. The same Uber can learn something within a couple of minutes - does it take information from somewhere?
Okay, enough thinking, let's study strength further. So, this section is responsible for controlling the user's body so that it can follow the instructions exactly and not make mistakes in the work. But this function allows you to change the substance at the macro level, and, most likely, it is this part that is responsible for ensuring that the Techie can assemble one mega-powerful battery from a pair of old batteries. Hmm, this is the most interesting part. She's responsible for... wrong work. Yes, you read that right, all tinkertech problems are generated by the same force that allows you to create this tinkertech. Well, this is the part that I'll take anyway, but with a switch. If I do not want my things to be studied by someone, I will simply turn on this function.
But no, still the most interesting part of the force is this, I would say, power probe. Apparently, he must connect to someone else's power, analyze it and thus receive new ideas. This is suggestive. I guess I'll have to come up with something that won't let the powers connect to me. But not right now. Better at home, in a calm environment, I think.
In this way, I can assemble [powerful brain-power connection, control of one's own body, substance change, and malfunction module] into the universal power of a techie. All this together costs again one charge, and thus, in just two charges, I can become any Tinker that I meet on my way. I take!
I take and I am left with two forces that do not interact with each other. It would be bad if I didn't expect something like this. I just need a power that will allow me to [create connections between forces, set operating modes and various conditions for turning on the power], hmm, I have enough for [complex setup of work for the new power]. By the way, I noticed that the powers to work with my other powers are cheaper than any other powers. Thus, most of the cost of the Force Analyzer comes from working at a distance with other forces.
Okay, that's not the point. I turn on the new force and make a connection between the Connection, the Tinker's Set. To the Connection, in addition, I conduct a wire from the power of the Enhanced Consciousness.
The star lights up, and, at the same second, Ideas appear in my head. Prosthetic hand? Easy, the entire planned prosthesis, in fact, is a module. It can be broken down into separate components and make even more variability. So, what if you turn off Unreliability mode? Yeah, the number of options has decreased a bit, but only due to the fact that rare materials are needed, which I have not even heard of.
So, I again plunge into my thoughts where it is not necessary. When I get back home, I'll start techies there. In the meantime, I'm heading to the hospital.
When I got to the place, I realized that I was late. Reception starts at 9, Panacea comes at the same time, and she will work until the evening. And I don't think they'll let me into the hospital just to look. If I had a friend or a relative there, then I could get through, but since I don't have friends and relatives, I'll either have to wait until the evening, or come in a day, but already by 9. There's nothing to be done. I'm heading home. But there I will go through the slums, because after I became a Tinker, I see that the things that I already got will not be enough. And I will need to gather more material to work with.
***
I successfully made it home, picking up assorted scrap metal along the way. It's time to discover the path of scientific progress, not just brute force!
First of all, I check everything I buy for useful parts. Well, this is less than we would like, but enough for initial projects. First I need to update the tools. Everything I typed in that warehouse can't be used in anything serious.
So I take everything apart and start doing technological magic.
For example, here I can replace the power supply with an improved one, which I assembled from several batteries and a smartphone. And here, after changing the connection method, the efficiency of energy transfer will increase by 43 percent!
So 2 hours passed. It all went so fast because I decided not to turn off the Unreliable mode, since the tools should not break quickly, and I plan to replace with a more efficient option - I plan to find the Gunsmith and connect to his specialization. With the remaining materials, I can either assemble some armor or make myself a real techie prosthesis. I think that such low-quality armor is now of little use, but by hand, at least in the form of a prosthesis, I will not refuse.
As a result, I had something similar to a real techie hand. Why only similar? Yes, because I will not call such a bad fake something good. The materials used are extremely poor. Managing this thing is extremely inconvenient, for this, twitches of the shoulder and other body movements are used. However, I was able to install two modules there - a communication module created from disassembled phones, and a scanning module that uses the principle of noise direction finding. The power of Triumph prompted me to do this and I was able to find a suitable frequency for this. The received data is shown right there on the built-in screen, and helps to see only the rough outlines of objects. Thus, for me, both the barrel and the person will be shown the same way. So yeah, it's not something I would be proud to use.
I finished the moment the new Star lit up. It's been about 4 hours and the sun is still shining outside. I sighed - there was absolutely nothing to do, because the materials, for the most part, ended. I think we need to eat and work on creating a full-fledged workplace. That way I can kill time before I go to the hospital.
***
And now, 19.23. I leaned against the wall near the exit and waited. I'm waiting for at least something, because Panacea was supposed to come out half an hour ago, but it hasn't come out yet. And by the way, usually her sister flies to get her, which means that I can learn two whole powers for the price of one. But it would be so if only one of the sisters showed up.
***
19.56. Maybe I'm wrong? Maybe she didn't come at all today, maybe... The door opens and a teenage girl comes out. She seems to be. I move closer so that the potential Panacea is within sight. Yeah. It's exactly her. Let's see what we have here.
And here we have a fucker. Healing? Yep, right now. Absolute biokinesis. This girl in front of me can become the next Nilbog if she wants to. Ok, i'm worrying for nothing. Surely her family knows exactly what kind of power she has, and they definitely will not allow something like this to happen.
I'm going to study in depth. The first thing that interests me is the database. I connect to it and ... Yes, damn it! I can make a normal prosthesis. It will not be difficult to implant it into the body so that it is not rejected. Damn it, I was talking about a girl, and now I myself can create half-monsters, half-robots with the ability to create offspring. If this is found out, they will surely want to kill me. However, as long as I don't go insane, there will be no problem - I have no urge to create from the Tinker force, only a general demand for active action.
Next we have a scanning force that scans... the aura? Hmm, I think it's ok, how can I use some powers only within the aura, and other powers are limited by this very aura. And this scanning, as far as I can see, is very powerful, although limited to living matter. All received data goes directly through the connection to the brain, so that the user can see what he is doing.
And he does this with the help of the following ability - with the help of biokinesis. This power is connected to the database, so the work mostly follows a pattern, but it is quite possible to work without it. All this works through some incomprehensible way of influencing cells, however, this method feels like working with space. After that, everything is very hard to see. I don't quite understand how space is related to biokinesis, but oh well.
Well, I came here for healing, with biokinesis I will leave here. It turns out I'm in the black. The star lit up, confirming my words. I tried to take the power of biokinesis without being forbidden to change myself without connecting to a database, but failed. I need a level 4 charge. Crap. It's too expensive. Maybe limited only by his aura? So it is possible. Eh, I take it. 4 stars are converted to strength, but I don't feel the change. Coming out of boost mode and trying to grow my finger. Instead, I get only pain in the place where I wanted to do it. Okay, I don't see what I'm doing! So, I urgently need scanning power.
I need [scanning an object entering the aura], while I [need maximum information], such as the composition of the substance, its molecular and atomic structure, or the resonance frequency (I have plans for the future), here I add [biological scanning ] from Panacea. And the last two stars disappear in the dance.
But I see! If it weren't for the fact that I went into boost mode earlier, I would have already collapsed with a headache from information overload. It is necessary to take this into account, so I set it up so that when scanning is activated, the speed mode is turned on. Uh huh, it works.
So what's wrong with our finger? I connect the biological database and look at that place with my new mode of vision. Yeah, I see damaged nerves and small changes in the structure of the bone. Fix it.
Well, what's the bottom line. I didn't gain healing powers, but now I'm much harder to kill. It's also good.
I decide to wait for the arrival of the Glory Girl, but then I'm not lucky - Panacea gets into a taxi that has arrived and leaves. It's time for me to leave too.
***
I spent the rest of the time before the night exit on the renewal of the body. I didn't grow a new arm, I'm used to being without her, and damn it, I'm going to build a better arm than the one I had. Although, in fairness, I could improve the body according to some of the patterns that the biological database provided me, but this is not a matter of a couple of hours. It will take me a whole day of painstaking work to completely renew my nerves and improve my internal organs, so tomorrow I'm going to spend at home.
And tonight I'm still going to the landfill. Yes, it's certainly dangerous, but with the new Pocket Dimension, my enemies won't be able to kidnap me from my house, and I'll be able to collect much more useful things than I could take without it.
That night passed relatively calmly. I collected a whole ton of different things, which are now stored in a large pile in my Pocket.
Before heading home, I decide to go to the night shops and pick up a lot of edibles - I'm sure that during the process of change and after it, I will need a lot of food.
In general, yesterday I discovered the problem of fragility. Human fragility. And this is what will hinder me in the future. If one day I overdo it with force, then the criminal will die, and I will have problems with power. And I'm going to solve this problem today.
There are two healing capes in Brockton Bay. True, one of these capes is a Nazi, and I can hardly meet her somewhere outside the battlefield. However, in contrast, the city has Panacea, which treats in city hospitals, and as far as I know, today is one of those days of treatment.
So now I go to the hospital and copy her abilities in the form that I have enough charges for, and in the second part of the day I train a new ability. It sounds like a plan to me.
I gently get out of bed, check my ambush exit, and leave the Pocket. Yes, yes, you heard right. Since finding such a safe place, I don't actually need a home. Well, if I sleep in my pocket, then I won't be able to be captured in a dream. The pocket has actually paid for itself twice, which in itself is not bad.
I quickly washed my face, brushed my teeth and just as quickly cooked breakfast. After my morning chores, I leave the house.
A gentle, warm wind hit my face.
The sun had not yet risen to the horizon, and therefore it was not as hot as during the day. Brockton Bay was generally a city with a good climate. Both winter and summer temperatures were quite comfortable. When I was walking along the Embankment, I saw a crowd of people gathered around someone.
- Today is Sunday, it turns out that there should be Wards there, and this is a great opportunity to get new strength. – I thought, and went to the crowd. Having made my way past people, I finally saw what I wanted. Two capes of teenagers stand there and sign autographs. The first one is wearing a mask that looks like a lion's head, and the second one is wearing a techie visor. Well, it's clear who is who. I met Triumph and Kid Win.
I switch to acceleration mode and start the analysis.
The first strength was not impressive. The sound is modified by adding or subtracting energy at the peak and minimum of the vibration, but the sound itself had to be created in a specific area, in this case, the mouth. Hmm, sound waves can be "driven" into a limited space, due to which they kind of tune into each other or they can be released from there in small portions. This allows the user a good degree of control over their sound, from full blanking to sonic explosions. Although, given what exactly is used as a sound source, it can be understood that we are not talking about damping. It is enough for him not to open his mouth to be quiet. But the other component of strength interested me much more. A similar method of influence is also applied to the cells of the body, due to which cell division is accelerated, and the strength of the body is maintained by a cunningly made sound shield. Hmm, it's actually the same as the first one, just the sound waves are wrapped around the user's body, giving a good amount of strength to the user's body. I plan to create a power for myself that greatly improves my body, so I need more examples of improved bodies. At a minimum, regeneration due to sound vibrations will enter there.
But what was interesting here was that the force did not have that part that would be responsible for influencing emotions. Yes, and in general, this area did not look like it. Well, on the other hand, I realized that not every power makes the user aggressive. However, I don't see anything critical, so you can skip it and move on.
The star lit up as I began analyzing the strength of the second person. I knew it was the Tinker from his costume, but analysis showed me that in every detail.
The brain-power connection here was more advanced, in fact, it worked every second, analyzing all the information received for new ideas. But the main component of strength will be the connection to the database. In this case, it will be the database responsible for Modularity and modular technologies.
And ... it's easy to repeat! A simple connection to a database of information costs less than one charge. Okay, I need a power that [allows you to connect to such things just by having the coordinates of the connection point], while [I don't need a limit on the number of connections]. Done, it only costs one charge. I've already appreciated the fact that I can't access Absolute Memory without going into boost mode. Yes, in this case, this not only does not interfere, but is also beneficial, but it is not a fact that such combined forces will be convenient in the future. That is why I decide to break the power of the Tinker into several sub-powers. The star lights up, as if supporting my opinion.
And besides, I think that not only Techies have such things, but also other forces. The same Uber can learn something within a couple of minutes - does it take information from somewhere?
Okay, enough thinking, let's study strength further. So, this section is responsible for controlling the user's body so that it can follow the instructions exactly and not make mistakes in the work. But this function allows you to change the substance at the macro level, and, most likely, it is this part that is responsible for ensuring that the Techie can assemble one mega-powerful battery from a pair of old batteries. Hmm, this is the most interesting part. She's responsible for... wrong work. Yes, you read that right, all tinkertech problems are generated by the same force that allows you to create this tinkertech. Well, this is the part that I'll take anyway, but with a switch. If I do not want my things to be studied by someone, I will simply turn on this function.
But no, still the most interesting part of the force is this, I would say, power probe. Apparently, he must connect to someone else's power, analyze it and thus receive new ideas. This is suggestive. I guess I'll have to come up with something that won't let the powers connect to me. But not right now. Better at home, in a calm environment, I think.
In this way, I can assemble [powerful brain-power connection, control of one's own body, substance change, and malfunction module] into the universal power of a techie. All this together costs again one charge, and thus, in just two charges, I can become any Tinker that I meet on my way. I take!
I take and I am left with two forces that do not interact with each other. It would be bad if I didn't expect something like this. I just need a power that will allow me to [create connections between forces, set operating modes and various conditions for turning on the power], hmm, I have enough for [complex setup of work for the new power]. By the way, I noticed that the powers to work with my other powers are cheaper than any other powers. Thus, most of the cost of the Force Analyzer comes from working at a distance with other forces.
Okay, that's not the point. I turn on the new force and make a connection between the Connection, the Tinker's Set. To the Connection, in addition, I conduct a wire from the power of the Enhanced Consciousness.
The star lights up, and, at the same second, Ideas appear in my head. Prosthetic hand? Easy, the entire planned prosthesis, in fact, is a module. It can be broken down into separate components and make even more variability. So, what if you turn off Unreliability mode? Yeah, the number of options has decreased a bit, but only due to the fact that rare materials are needed, which I have not even heard of.
So, I again plunge into my thoughts where it is not necessary. When I get back home, I'll start techies there. In the meantime, I'm heading to the hospital.
When I got to the place, I realized that I was late. Reception starts at 9, Panacea comes at the same time, and she will work until the evening. And I don't think they'll let me into the hospital just to look. If I had a friend or a relative there, then I could get through, but since I don't have friends and relatives, I'll either have to wait until the evening, or come in a day, but already by 9. There's nothing to be done. I'm heading home. But there I will go through the slums, because after I became a Tinker, I see that the things that I already got will not be enough. And I will need to gather more material to work with.
***
I successfully made it home, picking up assorted scrap metal along the way. It's time to discover the path of scientific progress, not just brute force!
First of all, I check everything I buy for useful parts. Well, this is less than we would like, but enough for initial projects. First I need to update the tools. Everything I typed in that warehouse can't be used in anything serious.
So I take everything apart and start doing technological magic.
For example, here I can replace the power supply with an improved one, which I assembled from several batteries and a smartphone. And here, after changing the connection method, the efficiency of energy transfer will increase by 43 percent!
So 2 hours passed. It all went so fast because I decided not to turn off the Unreliable mode, since the tools should not break quickly, and I plan to replace with a more efficient option - I plan to find the Gunsmith and connect to his specialization. With the remaining materials, I can either assemble some armor or make myself a real techie prosthesis. I think that such low-quality armor is now of little use, but by hand, at least in the form of a prosthesis, I will not refuse.
As a result, I had something similar to a real techie hand. Why only similar? Yes, because I will not call such a bad fake something good. The materials used are extremely poor. Managing this thing is extremely inconvenient, for this, twitches of the shoulder and other body movements are used. However, I was able to install two modules there - a communication module created from disassembled phones, and a scanning module that uses the principle of noise direction finding. The power of Triumph prompted me to do this and I was able to find a suitable frequency for this. The received data is shown right there on the built-in screen, and helps to see only the rough outlines of objects. Thus, for me, both the barrel and the person will be shown the same way. So yeah, it's not something I would be proud to use.
I finished the moment the new Star lit up. It's been about 4 hours and the sun is still shining outside. I sighed - there was absolutely nothing to do, because the materials, for the most part, ended. I think we need to eat and work on creating a full-fledged workplace. That way I can kill time before I go to the hospital.
***
And now, 19.23. I leaned against the wall near the exit and waited. I'm waiting for at least something, because Panacea was supposed to come out half an hour ago, but it hasn't come out yet. And by the way, usually her sister flies to get her, which means that I can learn two whole powers for the price of one. But it would be so if only one of the sisters showed up.
***
19.56. Maybe I'm wrong? Maybe she didn't come at all today, maybe... The door opens and a teenage girl comes out. She seems to be. I move closer so that the potential Panacea is within sight. Yeah. It's exactly her. Let's see what we have here.
And here we have a fucker. Healing? Yep, right now. Absolute biokinesis. This girl in front of me can become the next Nilbog if she wants to. Ok, i'm worrying for nothing. Surely her family knows exactly what kind of power she has, and they definitely will not allow something like this to happen.
I'm going to study in depth. The first thing that interests me is the database. I connect to it and ... Yes, damn it! I can make a normal prosthesis. It will not be difficult to implant it into the body so that it is not rejected. Damn it, I was talking about a girl, and now I myself can create half-monsters, half-robots with the ability to create offspring. If this is found out, they will surely want to kill me. However, as long as I don't go insane, there will be no problem - I have no urge to create from the Tinker force, only a general demand for active action.
Next we have a scanning force that scans... the aura? Hmm, I think it's ok, how can I use some powers only within the aura, and other powers are limited by this very aura. And this scanning, as far as I can see, is very powerful, although limited to living matter. All received data goes directly through the connection to the brain, so that the user can see what he is doing.
And he does this with the help of the following ability - with the help of biokinesis. This power is connected to the database, so the work mostly follows a pattern, but it is quite possible to work without it. All this works through some incomprehensible way of influencing cells, however, this method feels like working with space. After that, everything is very hard to see. I don't quite understand how space is related to biokinesis, but oh well.
Well, I came here for healing, with biokinesis I will leave here. It turns out I'm in the black. The star lit up, confirming my words. I tried to take the power of biokinesis without being forbidden to change myself without connecting to a database, but failed. I need a level 4 charge. Crap. It's too expensive. Maybe limited only by his aura? So it is possible. Eh, I take it. 4 stars are converted to strength, but I don't feel the change. Coming out of boost mode and trying to grow my finger. Instead, I get only pain in the place where I wanted to do it. Okay, I don't see what I'm doing! So, I urgently need scanning power.
I need [scanning an object entering the aura], while I [need maximum information], such as the composition of the substance, its molecular and atomic structure, or the resonance frequency (I have plans for the future), here I add [biological scanning ] from Panacea. And the last two stars disappear in the dance.
But I see! If it weren't for the fact that I went into boost mode earlier, I would have already collapsed with a headache from information overload. It is necessary to take this into account, so I set it up so that when scanning is activated, the speed mode is turned on. Uh huh, it works.
So what's wrong with our finger? I connect the biological database and look at that place with my new mode of vision. Yeah, I see damaged nerves and small changes in the structure of the bone. Fix it.
Well, what's the bottom line. I didn't gain healing powers, but now I'm much harder to kill. It's also good.
I decide to wait for the arrival of the Glory Girl, but then I'm not lucky - Panacea gets into a taxi that has arrived and leaves. It's time for me to leave too.
***
I spent the rest of the time before the night exit on the renewal of the body. I didn't grow a new arm, I'm used to being without her, and damn it, I'm going to build a better arm than the one I had. Although, in fairness, I could improve the body according to some of the patterns that the biological database provided me, but this is not a matter of a couple of hours. It will take me a whole day of painstaking work to completely renew my nerves and improve my internal organs, so tomorrow I'm going to spend at home.
And tonight I'm still going to the landfill. Yes, it's certainly dangerous, but with the new Pocket Dimension, my enemies won't be able to kidnap me from my house, and I'll be able to collect much more useful things than I could take without it.
That night passed relatively calmly. I collected a whole ton of different things, which are now stored in a large pile in my Pocket.
Before heading home, I decide to go to the night shops and pick up a lot of edibles - I'm sure that during the process of change and after it, I will need a lot of food.
Patrol
aleksejstepanov560
Getting sticky.
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For the next few days and nights, I didn't go anywhere. During this time, I completely repaired my body (except for the arm), carried out several duplicating systems of nerves and blood flow, improved the functioning of internal organs and muscles by an order of magnitude, and also made several more enhancements such as strengthening bones, improving organs of perception, or creating a rougher and durable skin. I also planned to grow duplicate brains all over my body, but it turned out to be too difficult for me. Here you will need to look for a Tinker specializing in brains, but for now this is not so critical, because now it is much more difficult to kill me than before the upgrade. In the process, I received a new Star, but I still can't create anything normal, because I spent almost all the accumulated charges on Self-Biokinesis and Scanning. That is why I am going to go out today in search of some event, perhaps even in the afternoon.
By the way, I decided not to grow my arm out of flesh back, but to make a techie prosthesis. Now, I'm going to need a normal way to control it. And I came up with this way. I'm going to splice my nerves, which I can grow right through my skin, with the Control Module I've already started working on. So far, everything is at the drawing stage, because I'm going to take a few more databases. Also, I'm going to need some expensive materials, because I'm going to disable the Unreliable mode and create real Tech.
If you think about it, the problem with resources and funds for them can be solved simply by selling a few useful and reproducible drawings by normal people. So far, I don't have anything special, except perhaps a truly universal adapter, but this is a trifle, so this is all just in the plans for the future.
Okay, I really need the charges, so I'll go out in costume now, without waiting for the night. Surely during the day you can find something interesting, maybe I'll even run into some kind of cape.
***
Moving in a suit during the day was a little unusual, it seemed that I was violating my own daily routine, but I quickly got used to it. First, I quickly ran around my hometown, stopping one robbery attempt. I called the police and left them with the bound criminal, and then moved on. Although the city is sometimes described as one of the most dangerous and filled with criminals on the east coast, in fact this was not entirely true. During my hour of patrolling in an unfavorable area, I did not find skirmishes or stabbings, and the people from the gangs, at least in no man's territory, although they looked sideways at each other, dispersed without a fight. This only happened once, but it's still not bad, even though I would not refuse a fight.
I gradually moved south, towards richer areas. I didn't hide, so people noticed me several times and even took pictures.
Everything was going… pretty well! Of course, I would prefer that there were more interesting events on my way, but, like any other person, I want my moment of glory, and the absence of crime means that everything is not so bad in the city. Moreover, even from such a walk, the star grew, and soon it was supposed to finally light up, so I continued to move.
And after a few minutes, I finally met something. With my enhanced hearing, I heard the sirens. This means that something is happening there, so I accelerated and moved in that direction.
There was not a shootout or robbers waiting for me, but a fire. Sirens sounded deafeningly around the district, rays of red light emanated from fire engines, which arrived quite quickly on the scene.
I wasn't ready to go into the fire. I didn't have the right powers, or even the right amount of charges. I could go back to the workshop and create something that will help against the fire. But I refuse to back down! This is what the old me could have done, but now I'm a hero and I'm willing to take risks!
The star lights up as I accelerate and run towards the fire trucks.
When I run up to the burning building, a man in a fire uniform separates from a group of people and comes up to me.
- Who are you? Can you help us? There is no passage to the third floor and we cannot move further. - he speaks quickly, almost in a patter
"I'm Pertinax, and yes, I can help. I'm here for this. How many people should be on the floor? - I also decide not to waste time talking and move on to the most important
- In the first apartment immediately to the left of the stairs, there should be a family of three. Most likely they will be in the bedrooms, the neighbors said that at this time they are sleeping. In the next one, there are no residents at home, and after that the apartments are rented. We do not know how many people should live there, since the hostess is in the building. If you can, check all the apartments. The fourth floor is an attic, no one should be there. -
- Understood, take people away from the walls under these apartments, maybe I will make a passage in the wall. Be prepared to receive people there as well. Can you? -
- Yes - he pats me on the back - you can go -
I take off, along the way, starting to change the body for maximum efficiency. I increase the volume of the lungs and the number of alvioli, while complicating the work of other organs, I begin to grow filtering growths. In general, everything in order to take with you a maximum of oxygen and clean the polluted air. I dull the nerve endings near the skin and begin to strengthen my hand - I still have to make holes in the walls. My improved adrenal glands are already ready to release adrenaline at the mere thought of it.
I activate the scanning module, and by the time I get inside, I already have a rough map of the house, which will gradually increase in accuracy.
On the first floor, it's not so bad - the source of ignition is higher, and firefighters were able to contain the fire here. But I need to go higher, so I ignore everything and go up. Along the way, I make note of what I need to do when I get back to the workshop. First of all, you will need oxygen masks, as well as fire extinguishers. Perhaps some kits to stabilize and stop bleeding.
The second floor was like hell. The fire was absolutely everywhere. A lot was on fire. Because of the abundance of flames, I could not properly consider the environment. Only thanks to my "map" I managed not to get lost. My clothes begin to smolder, and I note that I need to make a normal costume as soon as possible. However, there is no damage to the skin yet, I strengthened myself enough to such an extent that I could only note the fact of the high temperature of the environment and not react to it.
The stairs to the third floor, as they said, are missing. Under the influence of fire, she collapsed, not allowing help to reach people. However, this does not stop me, and I just jump up. There is a lot of smoke, but I just ignore it - due to the large volume of the lungs, I still do not need to replenish oxygen. I run up to the door of the first apartment and use all my strength to hit the area of the castle. A hand passes through a metal door as if it were paper, but I only notice this with the edge of my consciousness, bursting inside. I am met by a rather pleasant apartment, but I have no time to admire, my goal is the bedrooms. On the way, I note good technique, and as much as I would not like to take it away, I have to restrain myself. In the end, the fire is already extinguished and the loss will be discovered. The inhabitants of the house, as expected, were in beds. I think at first they did not hear, and after that they already inhaled carbon monoxide, which is why they could not leave the beds.
At first I really wanted to make a hole in the wall, but I quickly realize that I can just put people in the stopped time area in my Pocket.
In brief seconds of reflection, I am aware of the appearance of a new Star, but I am not up to it now.
I pick up people and rush to the next apartments. I skip the second, as they said, and immediately go to the third. Smoke interferes even with improved vision, but thanks to the map I can navigate even in such conditions.
In this apartment, I check all the rooms, and, just in case, the closet and under the bed. There is no one, so I rush on. I find the fourth person at the entrance to the next apartment. There were several locks and bolts at the door at once, so I think the old woman did not have time to leave the apartment because of them. I'm taking her too.
There are no people in the next few, but in the last one I find four at once. I don't even think they passed out due to carbon monoxide - the rows of alcohol bottles speak to the true cause of the unconsciousness. Well, it doesn't change anything, I'm taking them too. I find another one sleeping in the bathroom. Looks like they were celebrating something.
There should be no more people on the floor, and I, just in case, run into the attic. There is a padlock on the door, but there is no one inside. Well, well, I can go down. Although, you can probably sit on the ground floor for a minute - I managed in just eight minutes, and I don't feel like showing my pocket just like that. I put the inhabitants of the house on the first floor, at the entrance, as if I dragged them here.
And now, you can call the rescuers. I lean out of the aisle and wave my hand.
- Hey! Here! I carried people to the first floor. - after a dozen seconds, ready-made firefighters with hoses run past me, and other people with stretchers run up to the victims.
- These are from the first apartment, here is their child. There is an old woman, apparently a tenant. But these, from the last apartment, were probably drunk during the fire. - I tell the rescuers. They just nod and, pushing me aside, carry people out. All I can do is shrug my shoulders and go outside.
The same fireman that came up to me that time.
- Thank you. The stairs collapsed, so we couldn't get up, and we wouldn't have time to extinguish the floor before they died. And besides, the fire threatened to spread to other buildings, so everyone was busy. Well, in general, yes ... How are you, intact?
- Yes, everything is fine - I spit out all the soot collected by the filters - only the suit is a bit on fire, but I will still change it for something normal. So no one cares about him. - I inspect the suit and see that it really did not suffer much, so I can well continue my patrol.
- Okay, I'm going to patrol further - after these words, I really leave.
***
Nothing interesting happened for the rest of the day. Once I met the Glory Girl, but she was far away, and I did not catch up with her - all the same, there are few charges, but there is still a chance to meet her. Although I earned one more Star.
My way home was near Chinese territories, and thus, on my return home, I encountered another event.
At first, when I just saw the reflections of the fire, I thought it was another fire and, surprised at such a frequency of fires that came across to me during one day, I moved in that direction. But, when there was about a hundred meters left before the fire, I saw the true cause of the fire - Lung. This Asian cape arrived in town about a year ago. The first thing he did was to defeat the entire local team of the Protectorate, and after declaring himself the leader of all Asians, he attacked the local gangs of these Asians. At the moment, this guy has captured all the lands of the Japanese, killed the former head and forced his assistant to obey him. Dangerous guy in general. We should get closer and see his strength. It's not that I'm attracted to the idea of becoming a giant lizard in every fight, but it's not a power to be given up without even looking at it.
I get closer and I see his enemies. This is the main Chinese gang of the city - Yaoguai. As far as I know, Lung has already killed several of their capes, so they won't let him live if they manage to win. But this is unlikely, now there are only two Chinese on the battlefield - Dashang, their leader, and their shooter - Acupuncture.
The first cape can collect around its body the stone it comes into contact with and create stone armor from it, which, over time, reaches a rather large size. I think either the list of what is considered a stone is very wide, or stone is used as an image - because it equally uses both asphalt on roads and concrete walls of buildings. The guy could be more of a threat - I've seen videos of him growing bigger than the Behemoth, but the bigger his size, the slower his speed, so from a certain size, the cape can only defend. But even here everything is not so simple. Despite the fact that many people think that stone structures can be quite durable, this is not the case. Therefore, with any damage, the cape must absorb more and more stone from the environment, leaving more destruction in its wake. I think the authorities hate him not because he is a criminal, but because after him you always need to re-lay the road.
His assistant, Acupuncture, is not as destructive, but still quite dangerous. Using his abilities, he can summon energy structures in the form of needles one at a time, and after that, when there are a lot of these needles, he sends them to one point, punching holes even in fairly strong materials with a pinpoint attack.
And these two are now confronting Lung. The fight started recently, as evidenced by the fact that Lung and Dashan are still quite small. Generally speaking, given the nature of the fighting forces, and each of them needs time to gain strength, now I can stay safe and watch, but after a while I will need to make more efforts not to get into a fight.
I'm not going to get into a fight on my own - to gain a charge, as I already found out, it will be enough for me just to watch the fight, but I'm still not in the right weight category to fight with stone giants or angry dragons. Although, if the fight ends in a draw, and the opposing sides knock each other out, I will not hesitate to finish off the poor things and hand them over to the PRT.
I think they should be invited to the party too. I make a call through my new prosthesis and describe the situation. Along with receiving a new Star, I receive warnings about the dangers of these capes, as well as persistent requests not to join the battle and wait for help from the Protectorate. Well, I, not being a fool, agree, because in this way, with absolutely no risk, I get access to several new capes at once (well, they won't send only Velocity again, after all) and I have the opportunity to grow Stars just by watching the battle.
By the way, about the battle itself. While I was chatting on the phone, both sides had already massed and met in direct combat. Lung, who at the very beginning set fire to all the passages around the battlefield only to cut off the Acupuncture's escape route, is now doing everything possible to overcome the protection of the stone giant and reach the Blaster and prevent him from building up a really large charge for a shot. Now the giant is small - just a little taller than the buildings around it, and can really hold back the growing dragon.
When the fight again enters the stage of accumulation of strength, I shift my gaze to the rank and file fighters. Everything is not so interesting here. None of them want to catch a stray bullet, so they just hide in cover and, for the most part, just shoot somewhere in the direction of the enemy. Some, especially the smart ones, shoot towards enemy capes. Not that they could cause real harm to the fighters (and Acupuncture just sat down from cover and did not climb out at all), but even a couple of bullets can help their Leader. As I watch the firefight, I decide to turn on the Tinker mode and think about the possibilities.
Yeah, I think I can pretty easily make a non-lethal deterrent, maybe a pepper spray gas bomb or even a gravity pressure zone or...
I was brought out of my thoughts by the changes on the battlefield. By this point, Lung had already grown small wings from his back and heated the stone man with his fire, which is why he often had to replace the stone with a fresh, colder one. And so, at one of these moments of the shift, Lung launched a much more furious attack. He dives under the moving hand, moves away from the kick and delivers a powerful blow directly to Dashan's chest. The red-hot stone does not withstand the pressure and breaks into pieces, and the giant paw breaks the giant's chest into pieces. However… this attack proved to be incredibly effective. The giant froze, and Lung, throwing pieces of stone to the side, immediately goes towards the enemy Blaster. From here, I can't see it, but I can see a whole swarm of flying quills, which, with increasing speed, rotate in a circle in front of the cape.
And now, the decisive moment. The new star almost distracts me, but I see that Lung makes a dash towards the Chinese, and he, having collected a significant number of needles for the attack, sends them directly into the dragon's chest. He tries to dodge, but does it only halfway - a deadly whirlpool completely cuts off everything below the chest and turns it into a bloody mess.
I hear the sirens and I know it's time to intervene a little. Now is the safest time to familiarize yourself with the forces of the Asian bandits.
I pull the power sliders up and jump towards the capes. With my strengthened body, I can jump much further, so after landing I only have ten meters left to run. But this distance is already enough to use Force Vision.
Lung is the first I study - even now I see more danger in it than in Acupuncture. He's just starting to pick up new needles, and he won't be able to pick up enough by the time I get to him.
Ah yes, the power of Lung. In essence, this is ... transformation into the selected image. From what I can see, the force will try to transform the user as much as possible into the most dangerous being they know. Yes, the world is lucky that Lung was not a Lovecraft lover. And it turns out that all of his regeneration is an attempt by the force to keep the body in perfect condition. Well, the more threat a user notes for himself, the faster the transformation takes place.
Honestly, strength is good, but very expensive, and besides, it will give me predictability in battles - if I become a giant monster from time to time, then someone will be able to adapt to my strengths and find weaknesses. Therefore, I put this power aside.
The second force is much more interesting. First, his needles. Damn it, I thought it might be something physical, maybe energetic, but these are full-fledged accelerated time zones in the form of needles! They are set to align with the surrounding time stream after contact with dense matter, yet each needle has an incredibly large difference from normal time flow. Moreover, when they hit something at the same time, the effects add up and the material at the point of impact, in fact, exists for millions of years, and each subsequent needle can go a little further deep into the material, due to which such a powerful attack is achieved after a long wait. . Damn, I urgently turn on the Tinker set and study the power. Ideas run through my head and now I know how to build a time accelerator for my workshop.
The acceleration coefficient, of course, will be much less, only about 2-3 times greater than usual, but I can improve this invention and achieve greater acceleration. Damn, I see how I can use this effect in a weapon. Speed up reloading, a quick charge buildup to fire, or even a projectile that speeds up time around it by a significant amount on impact... these and other projects spin around in my size.
I suppress them by force and turn my attention to the last component of strength. Nothing really serious here, just the power of calculating motion vectors, but I get the idea from it. I will need to create a force like the Tinker's set, which will do the calculations according to the schemes and principles that I will upload there. I keep the principles of Vector Computing for the future, note the appearance of another Star and cancel the acceleration of consciousness.
That's all great, but I'm still in the fight and I need to figure out how to delay these two until the friendly capes arrive. It shouldn't be long, only about a minute, but I have a hunch that Lung will perceive the loss of half of his body and my appearance as a significant threat, which will accelerate the work of his power. Now fists alone are not enough, I will need weapons. I take a mental look at my warehouse: some firearms, a few bits and a couple of knives. Everything is not right, these things will not help to make Lunga. What if... yeah! I have a great sledgehammer from that warehouse. Yes, it is quite usable. Except, I need to slightly improve the offensive properties of my new weapon. And I even know due to what.
I need [more aura volume, the ability to infuse aura into objects where it can hold for a while and so that the aura can be divided for different things]. It will require a level 3 charge, but it will give me somewhere around eight cubic meters of aura (2x2x2 meters), the charge will last about thirty seconds, and I can refresh it with a touch, and I can fill the aura into as many objects as I need, as long as their total volume does not exceed these same eight cubic meters. True, the time required for the infusion depends on the volume, but it will not be long - about ten seconds for the entire possible volume.
I take it - 4 stars disintegrate for the sake of a new ability, and I, leaving the state of acceleration, call the Sledgehammer into my hands, immediately filling it with an aura. After that, I can operate on its properties as if it were part of my body, which I do, increasing its density and reducing its mass. At the moment of impact, I will be able to increase the mass and get an impact similar to that of a train, concentrated in a small area. Shine! Lung has no chance now.
My appearance does not go unnoticed, so the fighters are distracted from each other and focus their attention on me. Acupuncture discharges all the accumulated needles into me, but I saw the moment of activation of the force and therefore I successfully jump to the side in the instant before the impact.
The cape himself is out of luck - while he's distracted by me, Lung, whose transformation has really accelerated, throws a piece of debris at him, knocking him off his feet and probably causing considerable injury.
After that, I am left alone with the dragon. I'm not afraid of him - my body has already been modified to reflect my experience of being on fire, but even without it, I'm quite difficult to kill. Adrenaline boils in my blood, and my makeshift weapons whistle as they swing, they are so fast. I stop at several places in front of my enemy.
Lung doesn't look good. His body is just starting to recover, but he needs time, which he tries to get by intimidating me.
– O uo aaant too diie?! he growls at me with his deformed muzzle.
"Listen, overgrown salamander. You can pretend to be strong as much as you like, but before coming to a foreign country, at least try to learn the local language, otherwise you don't understand shit. - I boldly answer - well, or don't mumble under your breath, maybe it will become clearer.
Oooh, I can see that my dismissive response has pissed him off, so he's trying to strike, taking advantage of the fact that I left quite a bit of space between us.
That's just ... I'm ready! The star lights up, and my Sledgehammer tears the air and space, blowing his hand to shreds. Lung roars and tries to burn me alive, but I see his intentions from the slightest changes in the work of his power, and deftly move away from the raging stream of fire.
I go in from the side and hit, leaving huge lacerations in the dragon's body. His recovery greatly interferes with me, and I decide to prevent his recovery. You ask me how? And I will explain. A couple of days ago, when I was doing my body modification, I noticed that foreign objects in the body interfere with the process the most, so I just need to add more of these very foreign objects to the patient's body and voila, Lung is getting worse from a lot of rusty glands in his belly . He tries to hit me one more time, unleashing some fire as a decoy, but I see his plan and just run through the fire towards his growing legs. I turn them into minced meat, and Lung, apparently hearing the arrival of my allies, loses hope of victory and simply explodes in fire. Yes, it was quite hot, but I heal all the damage almost on the spot. At the same time, my clothes, not being flame retardant, burn out, but my mask, being a piece of ceramic, endures the temperature and allows me to hide my identity.
I see that Lung is weakened from many wounds and I understand that this is a great chance to finish everything. I jump on the giant dragon head, lighten the weapon (I don't want his head to burst from the impact) and start hitting with the expectation of a concussion. It took me three hits for him to lose consciousness, the ability to stop working, and the body began to turn back into a human.
The Capes of the Protectorate arrived when I realized one thing. Lung's wounds transferred from the dragon's body to the human's. And now in front of me lies a torn carcass with limbs turned into minced meat. Oops.
I turn to the capes, go into slow mode and activate force vision.
The first cape, wearing blue and tech-looking armor, is a Tinker with a Miniaturization/Efficiency specialization.
On top of that, the hero has a small umm... sub-ability that has been played around with space a bit, seemingly allowing him to fit more into tight spaces.
This is obviously the Armmaster, and I've been looking forward to this meeting since I got the power of the Tinker.
The second cape, dressed in a suit resembling a military uniform, was Miss Militia. Her strength consisted of many more components. There is also a database, which consists of two parts. The first part, which can be called the Weapon List, is responsible for collecting and analyzing information about all stable weapons that fall into the hands of the user. Here you can see a sprout that is similar to the Force Probe of the Tinkers, but which is focused on more material things.
The second database, which I will call Weapon Mastery, is responsible for the ability to use all those things that the user uses as a weapon. It is connected to the first and receives from it all the details about the structure, form, material and modulates the ways of using everything that the user takes in hand.
The third part of the force consists of… I would call it energy nanobots. Corresponding to the desires or emotions (although the emphasis is on the first) of the user, they are converted into pre-matter, but they take examples for work from the first database.
The fourth and last part of the power was a little strange for me. It wasn't like that cape from the store, it didn't interfere with the main forces in any way, but it still felt like an extra detail. The power itself removed the user's need for sleep by simply decomposing substances that cause brain fatigue. However, this does not affect the body in any way, so the user still needs to rest.
But if you take the situation with me? Yes, I can independently decompose all the substances that appear during fatigue, and the ability will take care of the brain (no desire to take even a small risk).
I note the appearance of a new star and begin to study the strength of the third cape. It was Hybridization, the ability to make things that would combine the properties of different objects. Simple, but very useful. This cape I could also be recognized by its armor, or rather, by its absence. Seriously, what Tinker doesn't want to build their own armor? In her hands, I note a huge ax, and behind her back, a huge rifle. Okay, I studied the forces, took everything useful, we can return to the conversation.
- It wasn't me! - I immediately try to jokingly justify myself - I mean it's my job, but only half. Like, it wasn't me who cut him in half, but the fact that he only has half of his hands - thank me for this part of the work - the play on words didn't turn out very well, but two out of three rolled their eyes, which means that there was at least some kind of joke the effect, which I'm happy about.
"Pertinax," the Armsmaster nodded at me, "reports said you didn't have a hand in past meetings. Is this prosthesis a techie job?
Perhaps the question is one of those about which they say that a person climbs into his own business, but I know that he is simply pushed by force and I see no reason for being rude, so I decide to answer.
- Yeah. – I scratch my head – I recently got in touch with the Techie and will have access to Tinkertech from then on. – I answer without lying in a single word.
– I can't help saying that after joining the Protectorate, the Tinker will have more resources available than if he was alone or paired with someone independent. -
Heh - Okay, these words will definitely be heard by the one to whom they were intended, I promise. But he, like me, also does not really want to join somewhere. -
"I understand you," the techie answers me with a nod.
During our conversation, two other capes have already walked across the battlefield, checked the condition of Lung (Miss Militia) and even climbed onto the stone remains as if they were some kind of statue (Pretender).
At the same moment, Miss Militia was approaching us with an expression of bewilderment on the visible part of her face.
- When you contacted the PRT, you said that Lung fought with two Chinese capes at once, but we found the remains of only one.
Ah, the second one - That's right, it must be - I check with Ultimate Memory - somewhere - I point to one of the garbage heaps in the distance.
- When I entered the battle, Lung threw something at him with great force. So, if he is alive, then he must be badly injured, keep that in mind. - The star lit up when I finished this phrase
- By the way! - I remember something important - Can this Tinker exchange drawings of some technologies for resources? He also said something about real reproducibility and how valuable it is, but I don't remember anymore. -
The Armmaster thinks for a second – The actual reproducibility of Tinkertech by ordinary people is most likely an exaggeration, but we are ready to buy out some ideas depending on their usefulness.–
– Super! Only he is a little agoraphobic, and I will bring the drawings, is that okay? -
– It is acceptable, though inconvenient for work. You can contact me next week and I'll set up a meeting - with these words, he hands me a business card, which I, like a sledgehammer, which I forgot about a little, move into the pocket's stasis field. To the Gunsmith's unasked question, I just shrug my shoulders and answer - Tinkertech -
I turn away from him and walk away.
By the way, I decided not to grow my arm out of flesh back, but to make a techie prosthesis. Now, I'm going to need a normal way to control it. And I came up with this way. I'm going to splice my nerves, which I can grow right through my skin, with the Control Module I've already started working on. So far, everything is at the drawing stage, because I'm going to take a few more databases. Also, I'm going to need some expensive materials, because I'm going to disable the Unreliable mode and create real Tech.
If you think about it, the problem with resources and funds for them can be solved simply by selling a few useful and reproducible drawings by normal people. So far, I don't have anything special, except perhaps a truly universal adapter, but this is a trifle, so this is all just in the plans for the future.
Okay, I really need the charges, so I'll go out in costume now, without waiting for the night. Surely during the day you can find something interesting, maybe I'll even run into some kind of cape.
***
Moving in a suit during the day was a little unusual, it seemed that I was violating my own daily routine, but I quickly got used to it. First, I quickly ran around my hometown, stopping one robbery attempt. I called the police and left them with the bound criminal, and then moved on. Although the city is sometimes described as one of the most dangerous and filled with criminals on the east coast, in fact this was not entirely true. During my hour of patrolling in an unfavorable area, I did not find skirmishes or stabbings, and the people from the gangs, at least in no man's territory, although they looked sideways at each other, dispersed without a fight. This only happened once, but it's still not bad, even though I would not refuse a fight.
I gradually moved south, towards richer areas. I didn't hide, so people noticed me several times and even took pictures.
Everything was going… pretty well! Of course, I would prefer that there were more interesting events on my way, but, like any other person, I want my moment of glory, and the absence of crime means that everything is not so bad in the city. Moreover, even from such a walk, the star grew, and soon it was supposed to finally light up, so I continued to move.
And after a few minutes, I finally met something. With my enhanced hearing, I heard the sirens. This means that something is happening there, so I accelerated and moved in that direction.
There was not a shootout or robbers waiting for me, but a fire. Sirens sounded deafeningly around the district, rays of red light emanated from fire engines, which arrived quite quickly on the scene.
I wasn't ready to go into the fire. I didn't have the right powers, or even the right amount of charges. I could go back to the workshop and create something that will help against the fire. But I refuse to back down! This is what the old me could have done, but now I'm a hero and I'm willing to take risks!
The star lights up as I accelerate and run towards the fire trucks.
When I run up to the burning building, a man in a fire uniform separates from a group of people and comes up to me.
- Who are you? Can you help us? There is no passage to the third floor and we cannot move further. - he speaks quickly, almost in a patter
"I'm Pertinax, and yes, I can help. I'm here for this. How many people should be on the floor? - I also decide not to waste time talking and move on to the most important
- In the first apartment immediately to the left of the stairs, there should be a family of three. Most likely they will be in the bedrooms, the neighbors said that at this time they are sleeping. In the next one, there are no residents at home, and after that the apartments are rented. We do not know how many people should live there, since the hostess is in the building. If you can, check all the apartments. The fourth floor is an attic, no one should be there. -
- Understood, take people away from the walls under these apartments, maybe I will make a passage in the wall. Be prepared to receive people there as well. Can you? -
- Yes - he pats me on the back - you can go -
I take off, along the way, starting to change the body for maximum efficiency. I increase the volume of the lungs and the number of alvioli, while complicating the work of other organs, I begin to grow filtering growths. In general, everything in order to take with you a maximum of oxygen and clean the polluted air. I dull the nerve endings near the skin and begin to strengthen my hand - I still have to make holes in the walls. My improved adrenal glands are already ready to release adrenaline at the mere thought of it.
I activate the scanning module, and by the time I get inside, I already have a rough map of the house, which will gradually increase in accuracy.
On the first floor, it's not so bad - the source of ignition is higher, and firefighters were able to contain the fire here. But I need to go higher, so I ignore everything and go up. Along the way, I make note of what I need to do when I get back to the workshop. First of all, you will need oxygen masks, as well as fire extinguishers. Perhaps some kits to stabilize and stop bleeding.
The second floor was like hell. The fire was absolutely everywhere. A lot was on fire. Because of the abundance of flames, I could not properly consider the environment. Only thanks to my "map" I managed not to get lost. My clothes begin to smolder, and I note that I need to make a normal costume as soon as possible. However, there is no damage to the skin yet, I strengthened myself enough to such an extent that I could only note the fact of the high temperature of the environment and not react to it.
The stairs to the third floor, as they said, are missing. Under the influence of fire, she collapsed, not allowing help to reach people. However, this does not stop me, and I just jump up. There is a lot of smoke, but I just ignore it - due to the large volume of the lungs, I still do not need to replenish oxygen. I run up to the door of the first apartment and use all my strength to hit the area of the castle. A hand passes through a metal door as if it were paper, but I only notice this with the edge of my consciousness, bursting inside. I am met by a rather pleasant apartment, but I have no time to admire, my goal is the bedrooms. On the way, I note good technique, and as much as I would not like to take it away, I have to restrain myself. In the end, the fire is already extinguished and the loss will be discovered. The inhabitants of the house, as expected, were in beds. I think at first they did not hear, and after that they already inhaled carbon monoxide, which is why they could not leave the beds.
At first I really wanted to make a hole in the wall, but I quickly realize that I can just put people in the stopped time area in my Pocket.
In brief seconds of reflection, I am aware of the appearance of a new Star, but I am not up to it now.
I pick up people and rush to the next apartments. I skip the second, as they said, and immediately go to the third. Smoke interferes even with improved vision, but thanks to the map I can navigate even in such conditions.
In this apartment, I check all the rooms, and, just in case, the closet and under the bed. There is no one, so I rush on. I find the fourth person at the entrance to the next apartment. There were several locks and bolts at the door at once, so I think the old woman did not have time to leave the apartment because of them. I'm taking her too.
There are no people in the next few, but in the last one I find four at once. I don't even think they passed out due to carbon monoxide - the rows of alcohol bottles speak to the true cause of the unconsciousness. Well, it doesn't change anything, I'm taking them too. I find another one sleeping in the bathroom. Looks like they were celebrating something.
There should be no more people on the floor, and I, just in case, run into the attic. There is a padlock on the door, but there is no one inside. Well, well, I can go down. Although, you can probably sit on the ground floor for a minute - I managed in just eight minutes, and I don't feel like showing my pocket just like that. I put the inhabitants of the house on the first floor, at the entrance, as if I dragged them here.
And now, you can call the rescuers. I lean out of the aisle and wave my hand.
- Hey! Here! I carried people to the first floor. - after a dozen seconds, ready-made firefighters with hoses run past me, and other people with stretchers run up to the victims.
- These are from the first apartment, here is their child. There is an old woman, apparently a tenant. But these, from the last apartment, were probably drunk during the fire. - I tell the rescuers. They just nod and, pushing me aside, carry people out. All I can do is shrug my shoulders and go outside.
The same fireman that came up to me that time.
- Thank you. The stairs collapsed, so we couldn't get up, and we wouldn't have time to extinguish the floor before they died. And besides, the fire threatened to spread to other buildings, so everyone was busy. Well, in general, yes ... How are you, intact?
- Yes, everything is fine - I spit out all the soot collected by the filters - only the suit is a bit on fire, but I will still change it for something normal. So no one cares about him. - I inspect the suit and see that it really did not suffer much, so I can well continue my patrol.
- Okay, I'm going to patrol further - after these words, I really leave.
***
Nothing interesting happened for the rest of the day. Once I met the Glory Girl, but she was far away, and I did not catch up with her - all the same, there are few charges, but there is still a chance to meet her. Although I earned one more Star.
My way home was near Chinese territories, and thus, on my return home, I encountered another event.
At first, when I just saw the reflections of the fire, I thought it was another fire and, surprised at such a frequency of fires that came across to me during one day, I moved in that direction. But, when there was about a hundred meters left before the fire, I saw the true cause of the fire - Lung. This Asian cape arrived in town about a year ago. The first thing he did was to defeat the entire local team of the Protectorate, and after declaring himself the leader of all Asians, he attacked the local gangs of these Asians. At the moment, this guy has captured all the lands of the Japanese, killed the former head and forced his assistant to obey him. Dangerous guy in general. We should get closer and see his strength. It's not that I'm attracted to the idea of becoming a giant lizard in every fight, but it's not a power to be given up without even looking at it.
I get closer and I see his enemies. This is the main Chinese gang of the city - Yaoguai. As far as I know, Lung has already killed several of their capes, so they won't let him live if they manage to win. But this is unlikely, now there are only two Chinese on the battlefield - Dashang, their leader, and their shooter - Acupuncture.
The first cape can collect around its body the stone it comes into contact with and create stone armor from it, which, over time, reaches a rather large size. I think either the list of what is considered a stone is very wide, or stone is used as an image - because it equally uses both asphalt on roads and concrete walls of buildings. The guy could be more of a threat - I've seen videos of him growing bigger than the Behemoth, but the bigger his size, the slower his speed, so from a certain size, the cape can only defend. But even here everything is not so simple. Despite the fact that many people think that stone structures can be quite durable, this is not the case. Therefore, with any damage, the cape must absorb more and more stone from the environment, leaving more destruction in its wake. I think the authorities hate him not because he is a criminal, but because after him you always need to re-lay the road.
His assistant, Acupuncture, is not as destructive, but still quite dangerous. Using his abilities, he can summon energy structures in the form of needles one at a time, and after that, when there are a lot of these needles, he sends them to one point, punching holes even in fairly strong materials with a pinpoint attack.
And these two are now confronting Lung. The fight started recently, as evidenced by the fact that Lung and Dashan are still quite small. Generally speaking, given the nature of the fighting forces, and each of them needs time to gain strength, now I can stay safe and watch, but after a while I will need to make more efforts not to get into a fight.
I'm not going to get into a fight on my own - to gain a charge, as I already found out, it will be enough for me just to watch the fight, but I'm still not in the right weight category to fight with stone giants or angry dragons. Although, if the fight ends in a draw, and the opposing sides knock each other out, I will not hesitate to finish off the poor things and hand them over to the PRT.
I think they should be invited to the party too. I make a call through my new prosthesis and describe the situation. Along with receiving a new Star, I receive warnings about the dangers of these capes, as well as persistent requests not to join the battle and wait for help from the Protectorate. Well, I, not being a fool, agree, because in this way, with absolutely no risk, I get access to several new capes at once (well, they won't send only Velocity again, after all) and I have the opportunity to grow Stars just by watching the battle.
By the way, about the battle itself. While I was chatting on the phone, both sides had already massed and met in direct combat. Lung, who at the very beginning set fire to all the passages around the battlefield only to cut off the Acupuncture's escape route, is now doing everything possible to overcome the protection of the stone giant and reach the Blaster and prevent him from building up a really large charge for a shot. Now the giant is small - just a little taller than the buildings around it, and can really hold back the growing dragon.
When the fight again enters the stage of accumulation of strength, I shift my gaze to the rank and file fighters. Everything is not so interesting here. None of them want to catch a stray bullet, so they just hide in cover and, for the most part, just shoot somewhere in the direction of the enemy. Some, especially the smart ones, shoot towards enemy capes. Not that they could cause real harm to the fighters (and Acupuncture just sat down from cover and did not climb out at all), but even a couple of bullets can help their Leader. As I watch the firefight, I decide to turn on the Tinker mode and think about the possibilities.
Yeah, I think I can pretty easily make a non-lethal deterrent, maybe a pepper spray gas bomb or even a gravity pressure zone or...
I was brought out of my thoughts by the changes on the battlefield. By this point, Lung had already grown small wings from his back and heated the stone man with his fire, which is why he often had to replace the stone with a fresh, colder one. And so, at one of these moments of the shift, Lung launched a much more furious attack. He dives under the moving hand, moves away from the kick and delivers a powerful blow directly to Dashan's chest. The red-hot stone does not withstand the pressure and breaks into pieces, and the giant paw breaks the giant's chest into pieces. However… this attack proved to be incredibly effective. The giant froze, and Lung, throwing pieces of stone to the side, immediately goes towards the enemy Blaster. From here, I can't see it, but I can see a whole swarm of flying quills, which, with increasing speed, rotate in a circle in front of the cape.
And now, the decisive moment. The new star almost distracts me, but I see that Lung makes a dash towards the Chinese, and he, having collected a significant number of needles for the attack, sends them directly into the dragon's chest. He tries to dodge, but does it only halfway - a deadly whirlpool completely cuts off everything below the chest and turns it into a bloody mess.
I hear the sirens and I know it's time to intervene a little. Now is the safest time to familiarize yourself with the forces of the Asian bandits.
I pull the power sliders up and jump towards the capes. With my strengthened body, I can jump much further, so after landing I only have ten meters left to run. But this distance is already enough to use Force Vision.
Lung is the first I study - even now I see more danger in it than in Acupuncture. He's just starting to pick up new needles, and he won't be able to pick up enough by the time I get to him.
Ah yes, the power of Lung. In essence, this is ... transformation into the selected image. From what I can see, the force will try to transform the user as much as possible into the most dangerous being they know. Yes, the world is lucky that Lung was not a Lovecraft lover. And it turns out that all of his regeneration is an attempt by the force to keep the body in perfect condition. Well, the more threat a user notes for himself, the faster the transformation takes place.
Honestly, strength is good, but very expensive, and besides, it will give me predictability in battles - if I become a giant monster from time to time, then someone will be able to adapt to my strengths and find weaknesses. Therefore, I put this power aside.
The second force is much more interesting. First, his needles. Damn it, I thought it might be something physical, maybe energetic, but these are full-fledged accelerated time zones in the form of needles! They are set to align with the surrounding time stream after contact with dense matter, yet each needle has an incredibly large difference from normal time flow. Moreover, when they hit something at the same time, the effects add up and the material at the point of impact, in fact, exists for millions of years, and each subsequent needle can go a little further deep into the material, due to which such a powerful attack is achieved after a long wait. . Damn, I urgently turn on the Tinker set and study the power. Ideas run through my head and now I know how to build a time accelerator for my workshop.
The acceleration coefficient, of course, will be much less, only about 2-3 times greater than usual, but I can improve this invention and achieve greater acceleration. Damn, I see how I can use this effect in a weapon. Speed up reloading, a quick charge buildup to fire, or even a projectile that speeds up time around it by a significant amount on impact... these and other projects spin around in my size.
I suppress them by force and turn my attention to the last component of strength. Nothing really serious here, just the power of calculating motion vectors, but I get the idea from it. I will need to create a force like the Tinker's set, which will do the calculations according to the schemes and principles that I will upload there. I keep the principles of Vector Computing for the future, note the appearance of another Star and cancel the acceleration of consciousness.
That's all great, but I'm still in the fight and I need to figure out how to delay these two until the friendly capes arrive. It shouldn't be long, only about a minute, but I have a hunch that Lung will perceive the loss of half of his body and my appearance as a significant threat, which will accelerate the work of his power. Now fists alone are not enough, I will need weapons. I take a mental look at my warehouse: some firearms, a few bits and a couple of knives. Everything is not right, these things will not help to make Lunga. What if... yeah! I have a great sledgehammer from that warehouse. Yes, it is quite usable. Except, I need to slightly improve the offensive properties of my new weapon. And I even know due to what.
I need [more aura volume, the ability to infuse aura into objects where it can hold for a while and so that the aura can be divided for different things]. It will require a level 3 charge, but it will give me somewhere around eight cubic meters of aura (2x2x2 meters), the charge will last about thirty seconds, and I can refresh it with a touch, and I can fill the aura into as many objects as I need, as long as their total volume does not exceed these same eight cubic meters. True, the time required for the infusion depends on the volume, but it will not be long - about ten seconds for the entire possible volume.
I take it - 4 stars disintegrate for the sake of a new ability, and I, leaving the state of acceleration, call the Sledgehammer into my hands, immediately filling it with an aura. After that, I can operate on its properties as if it were part of my body, which I do, increasing its density and reducing its mass. At the moment of impact, I will be able to increase the mass and get an impact similar to that of a train, concentrated in a small area. Shine! Lung has no chance now.
My appearance does not go unnoticed, so the fighters are distracted from each other and focus their attention on me. Acupuncture discharges all the accumulated needles into me, but I saw the moment of activation of the force and therefore I successfully jump to the side in the instant before the impact.
The cape himself is out of luck - while he's distracted by me, Lung, whose transformation has really accelerated, throws a piece of debris at him, knocking him off his feet and probably causing considerable injury.
After that, I am left alone with the dragon. I'm not afraid of him - my body has already been modified to reflect my experience of being on fire, but even without it, I'm quite difficult to kill. Adrenaline boils in my blood, and my makeshift weapons whistle as they swing, they are so fast. I stop at several places in front of my enemy.
Lung doesn't look good. His body is just starting to recover, but he needs time, which he tries to get by intimidating me.
– O uo aaant too diie?! he growls at me with his deformed muzzle.
"Listen, overgrown salamander. You can pretend to be strong as much as you like, but before coming to a foreign country, at least try to learn the local language, otherwise you don't understand shit. - I boldly answer - well, or don't mumble under your breath, maybe it will become clearer.
Oooh, I can see that my dismissive response has pissed him off, so he's trying to strike, taking advantage of the fact that I left quite a bit of space between us.
That's just ... I'm ready! The star lights up, and my Sledgehammer tears the air and space, blowing his hand to shreds. Lung roars and tries to burn me alive, but I see his intentions from the slightest changes in the work of his power, and deftly move away from the raging stream of fire.
I go in from the side and hit, leaving huge lacerations in the dragon's body. His recovery greatly interferes with me, and I decide to prevent his recovery. You ask me how? And I will explain. A couple of days ago, when I was doing my body modification, I noticed that foreign objects in the body interfere with the process the most, so I just need to add more of these very foreign objects to the patient's body and voila, Lung is getting worse from a lot of rusty glands in his belly . He tries to hit me one more time, unleashing some fire as a decoy, but I see his plan and just run through the fire towards his growing legs. I turn them into minced meat, and Lung, apparently hearing the arrival of my allies, loses hope of victory and simply explodes in fire. Yes, it was quite hot, but I heal all the damage almost on the spot. At the same time, my clothes, not being flame retardant, burn out, but my mask, being a piece of ceramic, endures the temperature and allows me to hide my identity.
I see that Lung is weakened from many wounds and I understand that this is a great chance to finish everything. I jump on the giant dragon head, lighten the weapon (I don't want his head to burst from the impact) and start hitting with the expectation of a concussion. It took me three hits for him to lose consciousness, the ability to stop working, and the body began to turn back into a human.
The Capes of the Protectorate arrived when I realized one thing. Lung's wounds transferred from the dragon's body to the human's. And now in front of me lies a torn carcass with limbs turned into minced meat. Oops.
I turn to the capes, go into slow mode and activate force vision.
The first cape, wearing blue and tech-looking armor, is a Tinker with a Miniaturization/Efficiency specialization.
On top of that, the hero has a small umm... sub-ability that has been played around with space a bit, seemingly allowing him to fit more into tight spaces.
This is obviously the Armmaster, and I've been looking forward to this meeting since I got the power of the Tinker.
The second cape, dressed in a suit resembling a military uniform, was Miss Militia. Her strength consisted of many more components. There is also a database, which consists of two parts. The first part, which can be called the Weapon List, is responsible for collecting and analyzing information about all stable weapons that fall into the hands of the user. Here you can see a sprout that is similar to the Force Probe of the Tinkers, but which is focused on more material things.
The second database, which I will call Weapon Mastery, is responsible for the ability to use all those things that the user uses as a weapon. It is connected to the first and receives from it all the details about the structure, form, material and modulates the ways of using everything that the user takes in hand.
The third part of the force consists of… I would call it energy nanobots. Corresponding to the desires or emotions (although the emphasis is on the first) of the user, they are converted into pre-matter, but they take examples for work from the first database.
The fourth and last part of the power was a little strange for me. It wasn't like that cape from the store, it didn't interfere with the main forces in any way, but it still felt like an extra detail. The power itself removed the user's need for sleep by simply decomposing substances that cause brain fatigue. However, this does not affect the body in any way, so the user still needs to rest.
But if you take the situation with me? Yes, I can independently decompose all the substances that appear during fatigue, and the ability will take care of the brain (no desire to take even a small risk).
I note the appearance of a new star and begin to study the strength of the third cape. It was Hybridization, the ability to make things that would combine the properties of different objects. Simple, but very useful. This cape I could also be recognized by its armor, or rather, by its absence. Seriously, what Tinker doesn't want to build their own armor? In her hands, I note a huge ax, and behind her back, a huge rifle. Okay, I studied the forces, took everything useful, we can return to the conversation.
- It wasn't me! - I immediately try to jokingly justify myself - I mean it's my job, but only half. Like, it wasn't me who cut him in half, but the fact that he only has half of his hands - thank me for this part of the work - the play on words didn't turn out very well, but two out of three rolled their eyes, which means that there was at least some kind of joke the effect, which I'm happy about.
"Pertinax," the Armsmaster nodded at me, "reports said you didn't have a hand in past meetings. Is this prosthesis a techie job?
Perhaps the question is one of those about which they say that a person climbs into his own business, but I know that he is simply pushed by force and I see no reason for being rude, so I decide to answer.
- Yeah. – I scratch my head – I recently got in touch with the Techie and will have access to Tinkertech from then on. – I answer without lying in a single word.
– I can't help saying that after joining the Protectorate, the Tinker will have more resources available than if he was alone or paired with someone independent. -
Heh - Okay, these words will definitely be heard by the one to whom they were intended, I promise. But he, like me, also does not really want to join somewhere. -
"I understand you," the techie answers me with a nod.
During our conversation, two other capes have already walked across the battlefield, checked the condition of Lung (Miss Militia) and even climbed onto the stone remains as if they were some kind of statue (Pretender).
At the same moment, Miss Militia was approaching us with an expression of bewilderment on the visible part of her face.
- When you contacted the PRT, you said that Lung fought with two Chinese capes at once, but we found the remains of only one.
Ah, the second one - That's right, it must be - I check with Ultimate Memory - somewhere - I point to one of the garbage heaps in the distance.
- When I entered the battle, Lung threw something at him with great force. So, if he is alive, then he must be badly injured, keep that in mind. - The star lit up when I finished this phrase
- By the way! - I remember something important - Can this Tinker exchange drawings of some technologies for resources? He also said something about real reproducibility and how valuable it is, but I don't remember anymore. -
The Armmaster thinks for a second – The actual reproducibility of Tinkertech by ordinary people is most likely an exaggeration, but we are ready to buy out some ideas depending on their usefulness.–
– Super! Only he is a little agoraphobic, and I will bring the drawings, is that okay? -
– It is acceptable, though inconvenient for work. You can contact me next week and I'll set up a meeting - with these words, he hands me a business card, which I, like a sledgehammer, which I forgot about a little, move into the pocket's stasis field. To the Gunsmith's unasked question, I just shrug my shoulders and answer - Tinkertech -
I turn away from him and walk away.
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Technologies of the future...
aleksejstepanov560
Getting sticky.
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That night I didn't sleep. Getting two specializations at once and learning a few new abilities gave me a lot of new ideas.
The first thing I did was put together a setup for manipulating time.
Unstable, of course, but even so, it required a lot of resources, for the sake of which I began, quite openly, to search the landfill and collect metal from the ship graveyard. I was glad that in Brockton Bay this is relatively good.
And so, three days after my fight with Lung, I finished it. Thanks to the synergistic combination of specialization, the acceleration factor turned out to be much higher than I originally planned - five times, instead of the originally planned three times.
Along with the Time Acceleration Plant, abbreviated as TAP, I also assembled a few more machines that were needed for work. They will also come in handy for other projects. This is a matter converter, which from several tons of unnecessary metal was able to create a couple of kilograms of the necessary substance for me, and a 3D printer that put various small parts on stream and a very good assembly table with a bunch of manipulators that I can change for a specific task. I plan to connect my Control module to the assembly table in order to be able to directly control it.
And only after I finished this project, I, under acceleration, will be able to work for fifteen days instead of the three I planned before meeting with the state Techies. Now I can finally get a real techie!
First of all, I finally created the Control module for my future prosthesis. Thanks to the new specializations, I was able to greatly reduce the originally planned ones and, in fact, completely get rid of the delay in use.
I myself assembled the prosthesis, taking into account the fact that in the future I will study many new forces and be able to add a lot of things. Modularity made it incredibly easy, and the other two specializations allowed me to leave room for ten medium modules, or three large and one medium of my choice.
My goal is to create a prosthesis for both the heroic and civilian personality. The civilian prosthesis will be the same, but with a disguise module that uses pseudo-flesh, and I have not thought about other components yet.
But in the combat configuration I placed:
1) An advanced computer system that will work much more efficiently than anything that was on the market. In addition, the system must process all information from other modules. It is similar to the one that would take up my entire Pocket with its servers if it was not made by a Tinker.
This module took up two whole cells of space.
2) An information scanning module that combines the previous sonar method for scanning in a larger radius and the space scanning method from Circus (I did recognize the name of the cape I met then), but improved for a larger range. By the way, thanks to the direct connection of the prosthesis to my nervous system, I can sense the surrounding space through sensors to a limited extent, which, although it feels rather unusual, is very useful. The method is not a perfect substitute for ability - for me it is more like remembrance the environment around me, and not feeling it with the organs of perception.
This module occupied one and a half cells due to hybridization.
3) A hybrid communication/scanning system that gives me access to any wireless connection, except for one that my computer could not hack. The same system allows me to control various electronic devices from a distance, which will require my concentration. I'll probably need to find some kind of Technokinesis cape or improve my brain even more.
The module occupied another one and a half conditional cells of space.
4) Another four cells were occupied by a system that will allow me to create structures from those particles that the Miss Militia force worked with. It will not be something difficult, but I can quite create, for example, a wall to protect the surrounding people, if there are enough of these very particles. I called it the System of Simple Structures
It consists of two parts: a miniature power source, and a hybrid particle generator with a structuring module.
The power source is actually an ordinary nuclear reactor, reduced to an incredibly small size, the blueprint for which I plan to sell to the Protectorate in a few days. I could make it even smaller, but that would require much rarer materials than what my converter could create for me, at least without a huge amount of recycled material.
5) The remaining space in the prosthesis was taken by the Storage module, the actual analogue of my pocket. It is much more limited, cannot have biological material inside it, has a volume of only one cubic meter, and entry-exit points are strictly limited. I connected it to the SSS and I intend to store particles there, the input will be connected to the particle generator, and the output to the structuring module.
Well, in the remaining space, I managed to fit a retractable blade. Nothing complicated - just a sharp piece of iron, but I made it from high-quality material and sharpened it well. You never know how things will turn out.
Along with the prosthesis, I began updating and improving weapons.
Thanks to Pocket, I can carry and use as many different things as I can fit in my warehouse, so I didn't limit myself too much.
Hybridization was actually created for this, and from it I got the bulk of the drawings.
Take, for example, an ordinary knife. Looks pretty boring. Then I just build the parts from the gun into his design and voila! I ended up with a firearm knife that can cause trouble due to the surprise effect.
But the other two specializations were not idle either. Modularity made reloading easier, and Miniaturization left plenty of room to add more.
Sometime before, even before the tech powers, I remembered such a thing as resonance and even wanted to make myself a Contact power based on it.
Now I'm going to use something similar called the Pinch effect to increase the cutting power of the blade.
In short, I'm going to apply an alternating current to the metal so that the metal begins to vibrate at a certain frequency and amplitude, actually turning into a miniature saw that cuts everything that comes under it.
Initially, I was going to apply current to the entire surface of the blade, but calculations showed that this would be very inefficient. And on top of that, it's this kind of vibration that would interfere with pistol parts, which consist of more parts, so I abandoned this idea.
Therefore, the vibrating part will be only a small strip of metal on the very edge of the blade. It has been crafted from a specialized metal that will greatly resist being shattered by its own vibrations and will not release a charge beyond the blade. Yes, Hybridization came with a lot of materials with different properties and I'm going to use this discovery to its fullest.
To effectively use this effect, the mechanism requires a significant amount of energy. Of course, it's not a problem for me to provide this with a small reactor.
But here's the catch. I want the knife to be completely Stable. And this imposes restrictions.
How is Stable Tinkertech different from Unstable? I'll explain now.
Stable Tinkertech is a true technology of the future. It works, tautology, stably and the same Stable Tinkertech works without deviations.
Its advantages compared to Unstable is that it works much more efficiently and anyone can produce it, there would be blueprints, materials, equipment and desire.
However, its volume is larger than the same, but Unstable, and the resource requirements during construction can be significant.
If we talk about Unstable Tinkertech, then everything is much more interesting.
Such a Tinkertech takes up much less space, and a large part of the rare materials are simply not needed when creating. The creations themselves work much worse than stable ones.
I have not tested it in practice, but calculations have shown that the difference between some devices in Stable and Unstable form can be about ninety percent! That is, in the worst case, an Unstable device will only work at a tenth of its maximum!
On top of that, the use of much simpler building resources causes the instrument to degrade quickly, and it takes me up to an hour a day just to calibrate the TAP and replace some of the tricky parts. And I have not yet said about the rest of the machines and assembly equipment.
I will spend at least four hours correcting various errors, that is, in total, from the fifteen days allotted by myself until the meeting with the Protectorate, it will take two and a half days only for repairs. This is terribly inefficient!
Therefore, I'm going to sell them more Stable Tinkertech blueprints than planned, take not money, but resources, and replace all equipment with Stable.
So, speaking of Unstable Tinkertech. When I first discovered this point, I researched it and discovered something that I had not paid attention to before.
It turns out that the most expensive and complex parts of Tinkertech are emulated by a force somewhere outside the world! It's not visible at first glance, but I created some trinkets in both variations and realized that behind a clearly visible database, I haven't seenthe background on which it all worked.
And this background comes in different variations. If for techies it ensured the operation of their devices, then for the power of Panacea, against this background, patterns were visible that cut off the influence of the power from her own body.
I think it is this part that is responsible for the fact that the conditional human torch does not burn itself with the use of force.
In general, something like this.
And back to the knife.
It will be made entirely of Stable Devices, which means I won't be able to fit a reactor into a blade. The solution was that instead of a generator, I would add a battery, the full charge of which would be enough for continuous operation for half an hour, or for one big explosion directed in the direction of the blade
Why an explosion? So the knife was not planned for a full-fledged battle, only as a weapon of the last line of defense and for a beautiful image. All the same, the presence of weapons, even in our time of people with superpowers, helps to show strength.
I named it Self-Sacrifice and painted it black, non-reflective, only the vibrating edge I made bright red.
In the next weapon, I did not go out of my way with close combat. Here I relied on changing the design right during the battle for a specific task.
You have a shotgun in your hands, but do you need a sniper rifle? No problem! The change will take place within a second. You just need to select the type of weapon on the panel in the butt area, everything will happen automatically using the mechanisms inside.
The same barrel extends like an expandable baton, and the fixed part of it is modified to fit the cartridges.
And the same will happen for the transformation into another weapon.
I also have plans to create a device that will work on the same principle that the entry / exit from the Pocket works. In this way, all the necessary parts will be taken directly from the Pocket, although rather from specially configured storage areas, and combined into something that will be much larger than the original weapon.
Instead of standard magazines, I decided to use Ammo Cubes.
They are highly specialized Warehousing modules. The volume in each of these is even smaller, the items placed inside should be the same, with a minimum of differences, because inside is no longer a full-fledged room, but a lot of customizable spaces for each object, and you can load items inside only on a special installation in the workshop.
Of the pluses: a much smaller volume of the module itself, it takes MUCH fewer resources to create, although the actual work on the module becomes a little more due to the settings.
I decided to call the resulting weapon system Callidus - Cunning from Latin. It is quite possible that in the future this device will be able to transform into any type of weapon, even a bladed one or a really large one, like a minigun or just a cannon the size of a tank.
In addition, I made two more types of weapons for the future: a sword and a hammer.
With a hammer, everything is simple: I'm going to build a rocket nozzle into the striker, which will help disperse the hammer even more, and in the future will act as a flamethrower, maybe even a plasma one, and a reactor that will provide energy for all this. Under it, there was even an alloy that absorbs a small part of the kinetic energy in a state of conditional rest, when it is not directed, and during the impact releases the absorbed energy to the point of contact.
Initially this alloy wasn't that good and released energy all over the surface, but I spent a few days experimenting with the metal and got many interesting results.
The name of the hammer will be Pugnator-Brawler and it will be needed in case the enemy cannot be shot or cut.
With a sword, it's even easier. At the moment, it is exactly the same in structure as the knife, except that it is sharpened only on one side, and the shape is different.
However, I'm not just interested in a good sword. With the advent of resources, I'm going to assemble a multi-blade, the main part of which will be the hilt, and the blade itself will again change right in battle. At first, this will be moving the already cast blade to the handle, but in the future I plan that the sword will be teleported by separate modules, which will give it shape and properties.
Well, somewhere in the future, I'm going to cross the Callidus and Securitas (that's what I called my sword) and create a truly adaptive Multiweapon. Yes, and then I will add AI there and I will just throw it into the territory with enemies. Joke. I'll just mark this territory on the map, it will be able to get there by itself.
But jokes are jokes, and I spent most of the time allotted before the meeting experimenting and creating various devices, including those that I am going to sell. Along the way, I must have become a respected janitor in the area where I live, because you have no idea how many useful things people throw away.
At least four hours a day I spent only on the selection of useful garbage, even managing to get into a skirmish with a group of local homeless people and repel the attack of the Merchants.
The last one was even interesting. They, apparently having learned that a new Tinker is rampaging in some area, decided to capture him for their gang at all costs.
For a few days I successfully avoided their attention, but on the eighth (most likely it was the second in the real world, I got a little lost with the time difference), they still caught me.
At least fifteen people with weapons appeared out of nowhere and decided that threats and attempts at intimidation would do something to help them.
But it was not there. Instead of a skittish Tinker with no proper Tinkertech on hand, they met me, who pounced on them before the leader's speech was over.
Unfortunately, I did not manage to defeat everyone, several people escaped on some invisible and inaudible transport. But this meeting reminded me that there is a gang with a techie in the city, whose specialization I really like, and who will be the perfect enemy for me. Well, you know, not very strong, occupying a small area, the members of this gang, most likely, will not cooperate well.
Of course, the latter is not such a plus, but I'd rather spend more time finding a place where I should go, and the enemies will suffer without knowledge of their enemy and his abilities, than if they knew what to expect from me after our first skirmishes.
And to top it off, the gang is led by the Capes, whose powers are very appealing to me.
A Skidmark with its field, which directs the movement of bodies that fall on it, for which I will surely find many applications.
And Squealer, who is a Tinker. No explanation is needed here, I'm always happy with new databases, especially such multifunctional ones.
But I put all this aside until later, when I get all the necessary materials and can transfer all parts of my equipment to the Stable variant.
Hmm, but Lit is running around the city somewhere else. Of course, it has some kind of restriction about "One try - one tinkertech, you can not repeat it", but I'm sure I can get around it. Wow, how many opportunities will open up then!
It is for him that I am ready to quit everything and rush in search of. Moreover, this criminal couple has not played their cases for a long time, and a new performance should be in the near future. But so far this has not happened, and I can only wait for opportunities and use what is.
And so, with only about two subjective days left until the meeting, I finish my armor, stuff the last sensors into the mask and conduct the last checks.
All? The work is done? Yes, no matter how, I have to finish the most important thing - to think over those things that will be the object of the transaction and create drawings for them. In two versions, by the way.
A complete drawing, which I will provide after the conclusion of the contract, and a cropped one, the purpose of which is to show that I really deliver what I promised, and from which I will need to cut out all the details.
Well, what is the result of this two-week marathon of unrestrained Tinkering?
I'm tired. Not even like that. I fucked up sitting at the machine and riveting parts. I'm already starting to get sick of all the rubbish that lies in the workshop, even with my full body control.
In all fifteen days, I received only six new charges, which is in stark contrast to the fact that in one fight with the Asian capes I received the same number.
Although, thanks to this fact, I was able to understand more about the development of charges: boring and routine work does not give almost anything. So I'm going to take some time to rest and change jobs after I've dealt with selling technology and buying materials.
So, back to charges. Of the six I receive, I will spend four on buying a new room, where I will move all the storage and other things for the tech. In the resulting free space, I will begin to build a real home for myself, because even sleeping on a bed in a huge, empty, and always lit room is rather unpleasant.
And I'll deal with that later.
What am I going to do now?
Sleep. Sleep soundly, because sleep is underestimated and the past self, who thought that the power to never sleep is cool, was a fool who did not appreciate the beauty of sleep.
The first thing I did was put together a setup for manipulating time.
Unstable, of course, but even so, it required a lot of resources, for the sake of which I began, quite openly, to search the landfill and collect metal from the ship graveyard. I was glad that in Brockton Bay this is relatively good.
And so, three days after my fight with Lung, I finished it. Thanks to the synergistic combination of specialization, the acceleration factor turned out to be much higher than I originally planned - five times, instead of the originally planned three times.
Along with the Time Acceleration Plant, abbreviated as TAP, I also assembled a few more machines that were needed for work. They will also come in handy for other projects. This is a matter converter, which from several tons of unnecessary metal was able to create a couple of kilograms of the necessary substance for me, and a 3D printer that put various small parts on stream and a very good assembly table with a bunch of manipulators that I can change for a specific task. I plan to connect my Control module to the assembly table in order to be able to directly control it.
And only after I finished this project, I, under acceleration, will be able to work for fifteen days instead of the three I planned before meeting with the state Techies. Now I can finally get a real techie!
First of all, I finally created the Control module for my future prosthesis. Thanks to the new specializations, I was able to greatly reduce the originally planned ones and, in fact, completely get rid of the delay in use.
I myself assembled the prosthesis, taking into account the fact that in the future I will study many new forces and be able to add a lot of things. Modularity made it incredibly easy, and the other two specializations allowed me to leave room for ten medium modules, or three large and one medium of my choice.
My goal is to create a prosthesis for both the heroic and civilian personality. The civilian prosthesis will be the same, but with a disguise module that uses pseudo-flesh, and I have not thought about other components yet.
But in the combat configuration I placed:
1) An advanced computer system that will work much more efficiently than anything that was on the market. In addition, the system must process all information from other modules. It is similar to the one that would take up my entire Pocket with its servers if it was not made by a Tinker.
This module took up two whole cells of space.
2) An information scanning module that combines the previous sonar method for scanning in a larger radius and the space scanning method from Circus (I did recognize the name of the cape I met then), but improved for a larger range. By the way, thanks to the direct connection of the prosthesis to my nervous system, I can sense the surrounding space through sensors to a limited extent, which, although it feels rather unusual, is very useful. The method is not a perfect substitute for ability - for me it is more like remembrance the environment around me, and not feeling it with the organs of perception.
This module occupied one and a half cells due to hybridization.
3) A hybrid communication/scanning system that gives me access to any wireless connection, except for one that my computer could not hack. The same system allows me to control various electronic devices from a distance, which will require my concentration. I'll probably need to find some kind of Technokinesis cape or improve my brain even more.
The module occupied another one and a half conditional cells of space.
4) Another four cells were occupied by a system that will allow me to create structures from those particles that the Miss Militia force worked with. It will not be something difficult, but I can quite create, for example, a wall to protect the surrounding people, if there are enough of these very particles. I called it the System of Simple Structures
It consists of two parts: a miniature power source, and a hybrid particle generator with a structuring module.
The power source is actually an ordinary nuclear reactor, reduced to an incredibly small size, the blueprint for which I plan to sell to the Protectorate in a few days. I could make it even smaller, but that would require much rarer materials than what my converter could create for me, at least without a huge amount of recycled material.
5) The remaining space in the prosthesis was taken by the Storage module, the actual analogue of my pocket. It is much more limited, cannot have biological material inside it, has a volume of only one cubic meter, and entry-exit points are strictly limited. I connected it to the SSS and I intend to store particles there, the input will be connected to the particle generator, and the output to the structuring module.
Well, in the remaining space, I managed to fit a retractable blade. Nothing complicated - just a sharp piece of iron, but I made it from high-quality material and sharpened it well. You never know how things will turn out.
Along with the prosthesis, I began updating and improving weapons.
Thanks to Pocket, I can carry and use as many different things as I can fit in my warehouse, so I didn't limit myself too much.
Hybridization was actually created for this, and from it I got the bulk of the drawings.
Take, for example, an ordinary knife. Looks pretty boring. Then I just build the parts from the gun into his design and voila! I ended up with a firearm knife that can cause trouble due to the surprise effect.
But the other two specializations were not idle either. Modularity made reloading easier, and Miniaturization left plenty of room to add more.
Sometime before, even before the tech powers, I remembered such a thing as resonance and even wanted to make myself a Contact power based on it.
Now I'm going to use something similar called the Pinch effect to increase the cutting power of the blade.
In short, I'm going to apply an alternating current to the metal so that the metal begins to vibrate at a certain frequency and amplitude, actually turning into a miniature saw that cuts everything that comes under it.
Initially, I was going to apply current to the entire surface of the blade, but calculations showed that this would be very inefficient. And on top of that, it's this kind of vibration that would interfere with pistol parts, which consist of more parts, so I abandoned this idea.
Therefore, the vibrating part will be only a small strip of metal on the very edge of the blade. It has been crafted from a specialized metal that will greatly resist being shattered by its own vibrations and will not release a charge beyond the blade. Yes, Hybridization came with a lot of materials with different properties and I'm going to use this discovery to its fullest.
To effectively use this effect, the mechanism requires a significant amount of energy. Of course, it's not a problem for me to provide this with a small reactor.
But here's the catch. I want the knife to be completely Stable. And this imposes restrictions.
How is Stable Tinkertech different from Unstable? I'll explain now.
Stable Tinkertech is a true technology of the future. It works, tautology, stably and the same Stable Tinkertech works without deviations.
Its advantages compared to Unstable is that it works much more efficiently and anyone can produce it, there would be blueprints, materials, equipment and desire.
However, its volume is larger than the same, but Unstable, and the resource requirements during construction can be significant.
If we talk about Unstable Tinkertech, then everything is much more interesting.
Such a Tinkertech takes up much less space, and a large part of the rare materials are simply not needed when creating. The creations themselves work much worse than stable ones.
I have not tested it in practice, but calculations have shown that the difference between some devices in Stable and Unstable form can be about ninety percent! That is, in the worst case, an Unstable device will only work at a tenth of its maximum!
On top of that, the use of much simpler building resources causes the instrument to degrade quickly, and it takes me up to an hour a day just to calibrate the TAP and replace some of the tricky parts. And I have not yet said about the rest of the machines and assembly equipment.
I will spend at least four hours correcting various errors, that is, in total, from the fifteen days allotted by myself until the meeting with the Protectorate, it will take two and a half days only for repairs. This is terribly inefficient!
Therefore, I'm going to sell them more Stable Tinkertech blueprints than planned, take not money, but resources, and replace all equipment with Stable.
So, speaking of Unstable Tinkertech. When I first discovered this point, I researched it and discovered something that I had not paid attention to before.
It turns out that the most expensive and complex parts of Tinkertech are emulated by a force somewhere outside the world! It's not visible at first glance, but I created some trinkets in both variations and realized that behind a clearly visible database, I haven't seenthe background on which it all worked.
And this background comes in different variations. If for techies it ensured the operation of their devices, then for the power of Panacea, against this background, patterns were visible that cut off the influence of the power from her own body.
I think it is this part that is responsible for the fact that the conditional human torch does not burn itself with the use of force.
In general, something like this.
And back to the knife.
It will be made entirely of Stable Devices, which means I won't be able to fit a reactor into a blade. The solution was that instead of a generator, I would add a battery, the full charge of which would be enough for continuous operation for half an hour, or for one big explosion directed in the direction of the blade
Why an explosion? So the knife was not planned for a full-fledged battle, only as a weapon of the last line of defense and for a beautiful image. All the same, the presence of weapons, even in our time of people with superpowers, helps to show strength.
I named it Self-Sacrifice and painted it black, non-reflective, only the vibrating edge I made bright red.
In the next weapon, I did not go out of my way with close combat. Here I relied on changing the design right during the battle for a specific task.
You have a shotgun in your hands, but do you need a sniper rifle? No problem! The change will take place within a second. You just need to select the type of weapon on the panel in the butt area, everything will happen automatically using the mechanisms inside.
The same barrel extends like an expandable baton, and the fixed part of it is modified to fit the cartridges.
And the same will happen for the transformation into another weapon.
I also have plans to create a device that will work on the same principle that the entry / exit from the Pocket works. In this way, all the necessary parts will be taken directly from the Pocket, although rather from specially configured storage areas, and combined into something that will be much larger than the original weapon.
Instead of standard magazines, I decided to use Ammo Cubes.
They are highly specialized Warehousing modules. The volume in each of these is even smaller, the items placed inside should be the same, with a minimum of differences, because inside is no longer a full-fledged room, but a lot of customizable spaces for each object, and you can load items inside only on a special installation in the workshop.
Of the pluses: a much smaller volume of the module itself, it takes MUCH fewer resources to create, although the actual work on the module becomes a little more due to the settings.
I decided to call the resulting weapon system Callidus - Cunning from Latin. It is quite possible that in the future this device will be able to transform into any type of weapon, even a bladed one or a really large one, like a minigun or just a cannon the size of a tank.
In addition, I made two more types of weapons for the future: a sword and a hammer.
With a hammer, everything is simple: I'm going to build a rocket nozzle into the striker, which will help disperse the hammer even more, and in the future will act as a flamethrower, maybe even a plasma one, and a reactor that will provide energy for all this. Under it, there was even an alloy that absorbs a small part of the kinetic energy in a state of conditional rest, when it is not directed, and during the impact releases the absorbed energy to the point of contact.
Initially this alloy wasn't that good and released energy all over the surface, but I spent a few days experimenting with the metal and got many interesting results.
The name of the hammer will be Pugnator-Brawler and it will be needed in case the enemy cannot be shot or cut.
With a sword, it's even easier. At the moment, it is exactly the same in structure as the knife, except that it is sharpened only on one side, and the shape is different.
However, I'm not just interested in a good sword. With the advent of resources, I'm going to assemble a multi-blade, the main part of which will be the hilt, and the blade itself will again change right in battle. At first, this will be moving the already cast blade to the handle, but in the future I plan that the sword will be teleported by separate modules, which will give it shape and properties.
Well, somewhere in the future, I'm going to cross the Callidus and Securitas (that's what I called my sword) and create a truly adaptive Multiweapon. Yes, and then I will add AI there and I will just throw it into the territory with enemies. Joke. I'll just mark this territory on the map, it will be able to get there by itself.
But jokes are jokes, and I spent most of the time allotted before the meeting experimenting and creating various devices, including those that I am going to sell. Along the way, I must have become a respected janitor in the area where I live, because you have no idea how many useful things people throw away.
At least four hours a day I spent only on the selection of useful garbage, even managing to get into a skirmish with a group of local homeless people and repel the attack of the Merchants.
The last one was even interesting. They, apparently having learned that a new Tinker is rampaging in some area, decided to capture him for their gang at all costs.
For a few days I successfully avoided their attention, but on the eighth (most likely it was the second in the real world, I got a little lost with the time difference), they still caught me.
At least fifteen people with weapons appeared out of nowhere and decided that threats and attempts at intimidation would do something to help them.
But it was not there. Instead of a skittish Tinker with no proper Tinkertech on hand, they met me, who pounced on them before the leader's speech was over.
Unfortunately, I did not manage to defeat everyone, several people escaped on some invisible and inaudible transport. But this meeting reminded me that there is a gang with a techie in the city, whose specialization I really like, and who will be the perfect enemy for me. Well, you know, not very strong, occupying a small area, the members of this gang, most likely, will not cooperate well.
Of course, the latter is not such a plus, but I'd rather spend more time finding a place where I should go, and the enemies will suffer without knowledge of their enemy and his abilities, than if they knew what to expect from me after our first skirmishes.
And to top it off, the gang is led by the Capes, whose powers are very appealing to me.
A Skidmark with its field, which directs the movement of bodies that fall on it, for which I will surely find many applications.
And Squealer, who is a Tinker. No explanation is needed here, I'm always happy with new databases, especially such multifunctional ones.
But I put all this aside until later, when I get all the necessary materials and can transfer all parts of my equipment to the Stable variant.
Hmm, but Lit is running around the city somewhere else. Of course, it has some kind of restriction about "One try - one tinkertech, you can not repeat it", but I'm sure I can get around it. Wow, how many opportunities will open up then!
It is for him that I am ready to quit everything and rush in search of. Moreover, this criminal couple has not played their cases for a long time, and a new performance should be in the near future. But so far this has not happened, and I can only wait for opportunities and use what is.
And so, with only about two subjective days left until the meeting, I finish my armor, stuff the last sensors into the mask and conduct the last checks.
All? The work is done? Yes, no matter how, I have to finish the most important thing - to think over those things that will be the object of the transaction and create drawings for them. In two versions, by the way.
A complete drawing, which I will provide after the conclusion of the contract, and a cropped one, the purpose of which is to show that I really deliver what I promised, and from which I will need to cut out all the details.
Well, what is the result of this two-week marathon of unrestrained Tinkering?
I'm tired. Not even like that. I fucked up sitting at the machine and riveting parts. I'm already starting to get sick of all the rubbish that lies in the workshop, even with my full body control.
In all fifteen days, I received only six new charges, which is in stark contrast to the fact that in one fight with the Asian capes I received the same number.
Although, thanks to this fact, I was able to understand more about the development of charges: boring and routine work does not give almost anything. So I'm going to take some time to rest and change jobs after I've dealt with selling technology and buying materials.
So, back to charges. Of the six I receive, I will spend four on buying a new room, where I will move all the storage and other things for the tech. In the resulting free space, I will begin to build a real home for myself, because even sleeping on a bed in a huge, empty, and always lit room is rather unpleasant.
And I'll deal with that later.
What am I going to do now?
Sleep. Sleep soundly, because sleep is underestimated and the past self, who thought that the power to never sleep is cool, was a fool who did not appreciate the beauty of sleep.
Last edited:
...and trading them
aleksejstepanov560
Getting sticky.
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2022
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The weather was quite pleasant outside. The sun occasionally hid behind small feather clouds, only to reappear in the sky and warm the city that lay beneath it. Here and there you could see groups of teenagers scurrying through the streets of Brockton Bay and people dressed in business suits hurrying somewhere. The middle of the working day was approaching, and few people wanted to spend the long-awaited lunch break in the stuffiness of the office or the hustle and bustle of the school corridor, when the sun was shining brightly outside the window and a light fresh breeze was blowing.
I stood in front of the PRT building, surrounded by dazed people who didn't expect a figure in Tinker armor to appear right next to them.
No, I didn't purchase teleportation in any form for half a day. I got to the building, covering the armor with some kind of hoodie, and already on the spot I put it in the Pocket and called the helmet on my head - that's all, but the surrounding crowd had the impression of my unexpected appearance.
Ignoring the surprised and frightened cries, I calmly enter the building. I would say that the guards tensed up at the same time, but they were already at the ready, not clearly threatening, but ready in seconds to take aim at me. No wonder, because for them I am now an unknown threat. After all, I changed my suit and helmet, and the absence of a hand is now indefinable. The appearance at the same time turned out to be quite menacing, so their reaction is not surprising.
I ignore the security and go straight to the front desk. A man in his thirties behind the counter, becoming calmer as I approach, tries to put on a helpful smile on his face. But I see that he is ready to dive under the counter at any moment, and his hands are in too strange position, so it's a no brainer that he is ready to cause an alarm. A quick scan confirms the accumulation of many appliances and wires under the counter.
— We welcome you to the PRT building in Brockton Bay. State your cape name and reason for attending! He speaks too loudly.
Nervous, I remark with a smile. A funny idea comes to mind and I decide to make a little joke. To do this, I do not need to do anything - just stand silently for a couple of seconds, looming over him in a rather menacing pose, and then SHARPLY raise my hand to the level of his face with the Armsmaster's business card sandwiched in it.
At that moment, judging by the sounds, the guards are pointing weapons at me, and the poor man - no matter how he catches a heart attack at such a job - practically falls behind the counter.
I continue this farce and in a deliberately friendly voice begin to speak loudly:
— Hello! —My voice, amplified by the speakers, resounds throughout the room.— "I, independent hero Pertinax, have come at the personal invitation of the Gunsmith to register and sell Tinkertech blueprints. Would you like to know something else?
After that, I look around and continue to speak with the same innocence:
"Aah… why are they aiming at me?" Did I say something wrong? Or is there something wrong with my suit? I can't help it anymore and I start laughing.
I laugh for about ten seconds, and then I calm down and again turn to the frowning registrar:
"Sorry, but I couldn't help it. You were too tense, and I needed to defuse the situation - by the way, it even worked. The guards were no longer on edge, just ready for danger, and the receptionist was frowning, not afraid.
— Aren't you afraid that they would open fire on you for such jokes? he asked, arching an eyebrow.
- Not really. The armor is bulletproof, and I myself am not very afraid of bullets. Well, if the fire did open, I would then demand compensation from you.
"The guards would shoot with foam, not bullets, but I understand you," he replies with a sigh. "And yes, our capes are about to arrive here. Please don't make any more sudden movements.
"Yeah, okay, no more…" I break off as more faces enter the room. A guy in a red suit and a girl in gray, with blue luminescent streaks depicting contacts. Assault and Battery, apparently.
"Oh, these are still unexplored capes," I think, embarking on the process of studying their powers with interest.
Yeah, the power of the first cape - Assault - works quite interestingly. It allows him to absorb the kinetic energy inside his aura into some kind of energy storage and then release this energy in that part of the aura and in the amount that he wants.
This is very useful, and although the primordial force does not work at such a microscopic level, I could use it to achieve control not just over the object, but over the molecules in it. This will allow me to change the temperature of objects in a very wide range with almost no threat of their destruction. The smelting furnace I used before can now be recycled and replaced with a new one based on the power of Sturm.
But what attracted me more than the actual power effect was his aura. My aura and his aura worked quite similarly, but figuratively speaking, to cover some object, I smear it with soft clay, and he just pours water on it. Thus, where it takes me a second to fill an object, Assault only needs a touch.
But there is one more thing with the aura that interested me - its control. Just damn it! Here he goes around me like a professional runner - a baby. My maximum in aura manipulation is to first make the weapon lighter and faster, and right before the impact, make it heavier at the same speed. He does this without thinking. Here's what I immediately see: he can focus the energy of an impact on an entire object, throwing it away without damage, or he can do this to himself; can absorb energy only partially, in some part of the object, because of which it would break only because the rest of it continues to move; and I'm sure he could tear objects with a touch with proper training, just by directing energy in different directions and ... In general, he has just great control.
And the worst part is, I can't do it.
The structure of our auras is different, and although many things lead to the same action, they work in a different way. Well, you can't change the power.
I can only customize his methods of use for myself, but for this I will need to observe him for some time.
I mentally sigh, note the appearance of two new Charges at once, and shift my gaze to the Battery.
When I first started to study her strength, I did not expect anything unusual beyond the norm. But what I saw there… What the hell? What he saw was reminiscent of the power of the Circus, but unlike that, here everything was clearly from the same place. It was just… ummm… disconnected from the mains? I dont know. It has energy, it is able to work, but I see it as if ... dimmer, or something.
What was happening reminded me of a broken device: torn, tangled wires; torn terminals that prevent energy from flowing along the correct route; buttons that work every other time, which is why it is probably not so easy for the user to turn on the power.
And on top of that, a damaged power-brain connection. Well, the brain still sends requests to the force, and even the answers come, albeit with a delay due to various breakdowns, but I don't see the effect of the force anywhere. The very impact that pushes the capes in the direction of greater aggression. And this is even good, no one puts pressure on the brains, but I don't like the fact that from the background on which the force works, literally torn out a piece that answers for the impact on the brain. And I don't see the part about user protection anywhere, the so-called Manton limit.
If you remember, I've already seen something similar. At Triumph. Everything was much better there, but, looking back, the strangeness that I noticed then is a violation of the connection with the source of forces.
Hell, if I hadn't been in an acceleration and worried that the truth about my power would be revealed so publicly, I would have asked Battery right now what was wrong with her ability. Because she can't help but know this, I'm sure a normal trigger wouldn't do that. Although, I think, here the Triumph is somehow connected with this. There is something wrong with him too.
Well, let's save that for later, now I'm going to study the work of her power directly.
The first thing I see is that her nervous system is improved compared to normal. In a calm state, it works as usual, but as soon as electricity generated by its own power begins to flow through it in a special way, the brain begins to work several tens of times faster, which, apparently, makes it possible for it to act with any awareness when accelerating. .
Although… here not only the nerves, but also the rest of the tissues have been improved too - but not for speed, but for strength. Well, yes, the effects of g-forces during movement alone could have put the cape out of action immediately after the end of acceleration.
Actually, by the way, I like the idea. An organism that can work about 500% more efficiently with a certain amount of current, which I can ...
Oh, Star.
Yes, I digress.
The main part of the power lies in the electromagnetic shield, which manifests itself on the border between her body and the surrounding space. I do not quite understand how it determines where the user is and where not, with such and such gaps in the device of the mechanism, but it works.
From this force, in principle, I got a good understanding of the principles of electromagnetism, which I can use in the future, well, all sorts of biological things.
Okay, time to get back to reality.
After getting out of the acceleration, I smile affably at the capes, but, having received no response, I remember that because of the helmet, it is not easy for people around me to pick up my facial signals, so I have to say hello.
- Good afternoon! I cheerfully wave my hand to the heroes, but I receive only wary glances in response.
Obviously, the heroes have already managed to assess the situation and understand that nothing that requires their immediate intervention is happening, but it seems that they are still in no hurry to relax. Well, or they are simply strained by my appearance.
Without answering my greeting, Battery turns to the man from the reception:
We received an alarm, what happened? The voice sounds annoyed. It seems that the heroine is not in the mood.
"Nothing serious," he replies. Apparently, the shock has already passed, and he decides not to complicate the situation and just lowers everything on the brakes. - There was a slight misunderstanding.
"Who else is this?" — The Assault already looks more relaxed. And he ignores me too. Yes, what is it.
— Hero Pertinax, says that he came at the invitation of the Armsmaster.
The battery opens its mouth, obviously about to ask something else, but I get bored.
"Hey, I don't know if you're aware, but ignoring a person when they're talking to you is a bit impolite.
It seems to have worked. Assault turns to me.
"Pertinax, you mean? Well, you've been described to us in a slightly… different way.
Well, yes, because when I met the Armmaster and other capes from the PRT, I looked "a little" different.
"In the time since the last meeting, my costume has been a bit…updated. You know, tankproof, devices to hack into half of the city in a couple of seconds, in general, all sorts of tinkertech
- And what, everything is just how much improved? - he doubted, and the Battery stood a little stunned by the information given out
- Heh, no. In fact, there wasn't enough time to fill the armor with useful gadgets. But her appearance alone is enough to look cool, so I came in this.
- Clearly. Well, since it turned out to be all right, nice to meet you, Pertinax. My name is Assault, and this is Battery, don't mix it up. Are you registering?
- Including, - well, yes, and I'm also going to sell drawings and make deals. But I think I'll deal with that later.
"Then leave all your weapons in those lockers. Everything is on receipt, don't worry about safety - this is the registrar wedged into the conversation.
- Everything at all?- I asked a non-trivial question.
- Everything you have with you. We know that you have access to Tinkertech capable of storing equipment inside. Please post everything from there too, otherwise you won't be allowed anywhere beyond the first floor - not that they can check it, and the use of abilities has not been canceled by anyone, it's more a matter of submission.
But it's not difficult for me - that's all, that's all. Let's see what I have accumulated from weapons.
I had 3 rifles, 13 pistols, 2 shotguns, half a bat and a whole host of knives of all sorts and colors, a grenade, as well as a Pugnator rocket hammer, my customizable Securitas blade, a Callidus weapon system, and my trusty Combat Knife Self-Sacrifice that I kept on belt. It's not that I consider anything other than the last four things to be a weapon, but once you start laying out all that metal in a heap, it becomes hard to stop.
As more things left my Pocket, the faces of those around me showed more and more astonishment.
The established silence was broken by Assault:
- Do you compensate for something by quantity or size?
The battery looked like it was torn between the desire to hit a colleague and laugh itself.
"I… don't agree with Assault's words, but I agree with the question. Ah…why would you take so many weapons with you to a meeting?
Of course, I could hide the truth, but I came here to be honest and give all the necessary information to my dear future (hopefully) allies.
So, well, first of all, I handed over all the weapons, you can safely touch all this garbage - that is, everything, except for these four little ones. And secondly, can we go already? Chet is reluctant to chat among the crowd of people, even though all these people are yours. I'll tell you everything along the way.
"The Armmaster volunteered to have a talk with you today. It's probably because of your armor and the promised tinkertech, so please wait half a minute before he arrives.
And indeed, the hero soon arrived, briefly glanced at the pieces of iron that the employees were now laying out in boxes, and turned to me.
"Pertinax," he nodded. "Even though you didn't contact me beforehand, I'm glad you've arrived. I see your suit has been upgraded considerably since then.
- "Yes, so much has happened in that time. The techie who did all this worked tirelessly" - at this point I chuckled. -"So that I can come here at least looking good. By the way, at the same time I thought that cooperation with the authorities would only benefit me, and therefore I would also like to officially register. And let's get out of here at last, I'm already tired of being here." -
I had already turned in the direction where I supposedly had to go for registration (to the glass door at the end of the hall, behind which I could see the corridor), when they called me:
"Um, Pertinax, sir, I'm sorry, but you still need to confirm the list, sign the power of attorney, accompanying, and more ..." the registrar listed some bureaucratic terms, the meaning of which I did not even try to understand. Hmmm, it didn't turn out to be so simple, it's necessary to hit it like that ... Eh, but I've already tuned in, how so? ..
I turned back to the reception, scratching the back of my helmet foolishly and trying to look as nonchalant as possible.
"I defeated a hefty fire-breathing dragon without any problems, papers won't stop me," I said with joking confidence in my voice. - Well, let's get it all here, what do you need to sign there?
Yep, easy to say. As various documents were laid out on the table, my jaw dropped more and more, fortunately, no one could see it because of the helmet. Although, judging by the smile of Assault and the slight smirk of the Armmaster, this was not necessary. The registrar explained:
"Here, this is a list of your weapons, compiled by our workers. Please read carefully, and if everything is correct, sign here. This is a power of attorney confirming that you have voluntarily handed over your weapon while you are in the PRT building, and you will only pick it up at the exit. Put your signature next to the checkmark. Further…
***
Ten minutes passed, no less, while I read and signed all the necessary forms. During this time, the Gunsmith managed to go somewhere and come back, and now he patiently stood by and waited for me to finish.
"That's it, all the necessary formalities have been met," I barely held back a sigh of relief when I heard these words.
- Excellent. Let's go then." Armsmaster turned to me. "I'm glad you've decided to be sensible, follow me." I will take you to the check-in room and then pick you up for testing. By this time, everything should be ready.
We started on our way, and I heard the Armsmaster muttering under his breath:
"Of course, it would have been much more efficient if the Tinker had been present in person, but I hope that the information was given in enough detail for us to parse it.
During the conversation, we managed to walk along the corridor, take a surprisingly technologically advanced elevator somewhere upstairs and reach a small gray room with a table and chairs inside. There was already a person from the PRT who was just sorting through the documents. It was a strict-looking woman, about forty years old offhand. She was dressed in a gray trouser suit, in addition, the image was perfectly complemented by brown hair pulled into a tight bun.
When we entered, she looked up from her documents and looked at us with a slightly tired but attentive look. Fluently, according to a habit obviously acquired during the service, the woman looked me up and down, assessing me. Perhaps, if I had been a little more modest, I would have been embarrassed, but I am me, so I preferred to just stand and wait until she admired enough. A few seconds later, the woman turned her gaze to Armsmaster and gave him a short nod. He moved away from me and stood against the wall.
The lady turned to me again and rose from the table to extend her hand in greeting:
- Good afternoon. I'm Anna Lott, Senior Registration Officer at PRT.
I responded to the handshake and introduced myself, feeling a bit embarrassed by the formality.
— Hero Pertinax. Nice to meet you, ma'am.
- Mutually. So, if you don't mind, let's go straight to registration.
"Of course, ma'am," I said with a smile in my voice.
"Pertinax, before you read and sign these registration papers, I must provide you with a set of statistics on the survival rate of parahumans in this city. Please pay attention to the following:
In the past three years, of the nineteen parahumans known to us who decided to reject our offer and remain independent, nine have died, three have been forcibly recruited into gangs, and three have been maimed to the point of disability and can no longer work. And another disappeared without a trace. Only two parahumans who chose to be independent still remain independent, in or out of town.
It is my responsibility to provide you with this information and to inform you that the PRT encourages you to join a legal, like-minded parahuman group at your earliest opportunity. It doesn't have to be the Protectorate, though of course we'd love to have you join our ranks. In this business, numbers give security, and singles don't live long.
So, this is the end of the introductory part. If you have no questions, then you can proceed to familiarize yourself with the documents, the signature of which is a mandatory part of the registration.
I was given a set of forms and waivers regarding my rights as a registered parahuman hero (everything is about the same as in the case of the arrest of one civilian by another), informed about the illegality of transferring people into custody (I can detain on the spot, but I won't be able to legally move arrestees without being charged with kidnapping - apparently the most common mistake that every new hero faces) and explained in more detail about the possibility of robbing gangs (these instructions basically boiled down to "don't do this if you have you don't have a very good accountant").
After that, I was given a completely different set of forms pertaining to my rights as an outcast parahuman. In a nutshell: I don't have to worry about sales restrictions. Selling Tinkertech in bulk is not really possible for most Techies due to the maintenance requirements, and the normals who bought Tinkertech usually also bought the Techie's time or just hired him.
This is what happens, there are no restrictions? Can I sell whatever I want?
I know that this is not so, the day before I studied this issue a little.
Ah, I found it: this was written on the next sheet.
There is a NEPEA-5 law that restricts parahumans from creating their own enterprises that would compete with others, non-parahumans.
I can trade as an independent seller, as long as I pay taxes, of course. But if I try to hire staff and somehow expand my business, then taxes will immediately increase many times over.
But the biggest ban is the mass production of techies. Yes, we all remember what happened to Eagleton.
If I were to mass-sell identical products similar to non-parahuman products that already exist, it would upset the economic balance of the regular market and WEDGDG would start investigating me for violating NEPEA-5.
But!
There are always exceptions to the rules. Especially when this exception is for the benefit of the state.
Yes, I'm talking about the Dragon. I didn't know much beforehand, but from what I understood: Dragon managed to achieve the Stabilization of the Tinker substance, her famous foam, sold the PRT formula, and already they, in turn, hired Dragon to produce this very Foam.
What does this mean for me?
If Tinkertech is stable, I can actually mass-produce it, which means a constant influx of funds. This will be useful to me.
And now that I've signed it all, I can move on.
"Tell me, Miss Lott, are you keeping a record of this meeting?"
— Yes, of course, this is the basic protocol when registering new capes and any negotiations with them. Why this question?
- Well, you know, I want to be honest with you, so ... - I took a deep breath, gave the command to open the helmet and continued, removing it: - My name is Antonias Russell, I was born on May 3, 1988, I live at 865 Romrog Way, and in fact my power is Trump, - I smirked, put the helmet on the table, looked back at the frowning Armsman and continued: - Over time, I can create new superpowers for myself that will work for an indefinite amount of time. I don't think I'll go into details for now.
The slightly dumbfounded receptionist began to speak:
"You didn't have to give out such personal information and…"
But I interrupted her:
- Well, what are you. Collaboration is built on trust, right? As you can see, I trust the PRT and hope that this information will not be used against me, my friends, and my beloved little sister," I finished with a cheeky smirk.
"You don't have and never had a younger or older sister. Also, you have never been seen to be friendly with anyone outside of your school," the Armsmaster said a little accusingly behind me, apparently already finding all the information on me. However… this is the answer I was waiting for.
— Comfortable, isn't it? Instead of taking care of an unknown number of civilians, you will have to prevent the spread of information about just one and only me. I'm even thinking of charging you for making your life so easy.
"Ridiculous," the Armsmaster said without a hint of humor on his face. "Then it turns out that you are the Techie we were talking about, and you influenced the capes you met in an unknown way, including members of the Protectorate.
I turned the chair around and sat facing him.
- Well, it's not quite like that. I don't have forces that affect other forces, but one of my powers allows me to see the structure of forces, and in Tinker powers I see something like ... links to the site. Well, my other strength allows me to connect through such links to databases and use the information inside. I can also switch between modes of operation to receive information about the construction of the Stable Tinkertech. So I did not steal, but only used the maximum as examples.
His eyes lit up as he picked out the most interesting thing for himself from my speech.
"And Stable, does that mean…?"
"Yes," I said with a smug smile on my face. - Fully reproducible and much more efficient than regular - Unstable - Tinkertech.
"Pertinax," the hero swallowed and, after a short pause, continued, seemingly without even noticing how he switched to "you": "You understand how important this opportunity is? How important is this for the whole world?"
- Yeah. That is why I came to you today. I plan to sell sometimes drawings of all kinds of different things, - I began carelessly, but then my voice turned cold: - By the way, I immediately warn you, you should not try to somehow put pressure on me. In addition to PRT, there are at least two alternatives - Elite and Toy Box. And I'm sure both organizations will be happy to work with me.
I was silent for a few seconds and continued:
"And now." I abruptly changed my tone and clapped my hands. - Let's finish with any routine, ask your questions already. I will not give details, but I will not hide something important either.
"Uh-huh," the Armmaster looked like he was impatient and eager to move on to sorting out my techie gifts. But he restrained himself and continued the interrogation: - Do you have biokinetic abilities or biotech specializations?
Agas, we decided to immediately move on to dangerous things. And I understand them - everyone remembers Nilbog and what he did. Well, I have no desire to joke about such topics.
- I can completely control my body, does that count? And yes, I have a biotech major.
After these words, I directly felt the tension emanating from him. Even the air seemed to thicken somehow.
- You said that you copy tech specializations from someone, and do not get access to them yourself, right? Does this mean that an unknown Biotechie is running around somewhere in the city?
What, they don't know? Well, like, shouldn't they at least have their suspicions about that?
It shouldn't be too difficult to guess, just sit down and think carefully.
Well, anyway, I'm sorry, Panacea, but I'm not going to cover you. Even if you didn't do anything wrong and didn't even want to. This topic is too serious.
— I took this specialization from Panacea. I wanted to take the power to heal people, but I got biokinesis and a database to boot.
"But…" The gunsmith paused before finishing his thought, and then continued: "I will need to report this to Piggot," he chuckled grimly. - Let him rejoice.
At this time, I went into acceleration and began to think about the possible consequences of my words.
First, I turned in a potentially very dangerous cape to the government. It seems to be good.
Although, on the other hand, potentially all capes are dangerous, and I do not like that Panacea, a biotinker who does healing, and not terrible experiments, is likely to be sent to some kind of cage, purely because of her resemblance to Nilbog. I can do the same myself now.
And thirdly... thirdly, ahem. Damn, but if she really is engaged in only one treatment, her strength should now not weakly push her to various experiments. And the fact that no one in town has reported any Biotink monsters during her tenure suggests that she really doesn't want to do anything Nilbog style.
And fourthly ... it's all difficult for me.
It seems bad that she hid it from everyone.
But… What if she is simply afraid of a sharply negative reaction to such a revelation? She is still just a child. At her age, I also hid bad news from my parents so that they would not be punished if I was sure that I would be able to avoid revealing the truth. And here, after all, everything is much more serious.
Guess I should just tell my thoughts to Armsmaster, let him have a headache.
- Gunsmith, - he looked at me, and I continued: - I already said that I see the structure of forces? He nodded thoughtfully. - So, there is a component that encourages users to use their powers in a more diverse way and punishes them for a long inactivity or for monotony. So here's what I'm getting at. If Panacea uses her power only for healing, then the power will constantly push her to something new. So, if the girl hasn't started secretly riveting some Biotink creatures yet, then she really doesn't want to. And she might need a psychologist, I don't know how, but her power will definitely punish her.
The hero looked at me, pursing his lips, and then replied:
"We will take note of this information. Now, as for you: this is the first and only warning. If you use biokinesis to create something that replicates itself, you will immediately have a murder warrant issued. The same rule applies to ordinary tinker inventions."
- Relax. I understand the danger of this, and I'm not going to create anything even theoretically capable of getting out of my control. And, anticipating the next question - no, I do not have the powers of the Master. My original power is such that it is not profitable for me to entrust my work to someone else, so I don't even plan to have such powers.
We were both silent for a couple of seconds - he considered the answer, and I waited for questions, after which the man spoke:
- It's clear. Can you tell us, at least approximately, your plans for the future?
They will probably look for ways to cooperate so that I can see how good it is to work in a team and all that.
But I showed no reaction and continued in the same carefree tone:
– I think I'll finish with the Merchants first, I'll take the Squealer specialization – I'm already looking forward to how I'll build a cooler car for myself. After them, I probably run to the dragon brothers. They seem to be more or less peaceful, maybe just agree on something. I'll also take a specialization, and that's what I'm going for. With the Empire - I don't know for sure yet, although I can't stand them, like the rest of the bandits, but I definitely won't pull it alone. And so - I'll ride around the country, I'll go to California, I'll stop by Texas, at least. I heard about local tinkers, their specializations are very attractive to me. Well, that's all, I'll take part in the battles with the Endbringer- although I'm unlikely to enter the battle directly. Any more questions, or should we move on to something more interesting?
We are done with protocol questions. I have a personal question. How detailed do you see the structure of forces?
- Down to the basic components, but if you go deeper, then I just stop understanding something. I can tell what power does just by looking at it, but it took me a Tinker power to get anything useful out of what I saw.
The gunsmith nodded, taking note of the answer, and froze, thinking about something. I didn't interfere. Finally he woke up, shaking his head slightly, and turned to me:
- Good. Thank you for such detailed information, Pertinax. We will remember your craving for cooperation. Now we can start studying the technologies you talked about." After waiting for my nod, he quickly turned around and left.
Smiling, I followed the Armsmaster. Finally, I turned to the registrar, who had been writing down something throughout our conversation, and said:
"And, Miss Lott, write it down there. If someone does decide to attack me using information about my civilian identity, or if someone decides to kill or mastered me, I reserve the right to respond accordingly, up to and including killing the attackers and completely exposing every cape in the gang or organizations."
Having said this, I left
***
The place where the technology show will take place turned out to be surprisingly close - the room was on the same floor.
The place itself I would describe as a good workshop for a beginner Tinker
Nothing unique, but I saw a lot of basic apparatus and devices, all sorts of presses and metalworking machines, soldering irons and sets of other tools for the Tinker.
"This place is meant to test new Tinkers, but it can also be used to test Tinkertech," the Armsmaster said, apparently sensing my interest.
"Uh-huh," I said simply, still looking around.
Damn, I want it all. It's not that I lack tools, but when you have to do a lot of different things on the same device, actually stopping work when it's busy, you start to appreciate highly specialized devices. When I leave here, I will have to furnish the workshop in the same way.
I asked my question:
"And… there won't be any scientists?" I thought someone was sent to study new inventions. Maybe they'll understand something.
He snorted and, I think, rolled his eyes.
- No, I did not invite non-capes. Of course, sometimes normal people make new attempts to learn techie technologies, but they are always terribly inefficient. If we now establish for sure that everything you provide is real technology, then they will definitely be present next time. However, I invited my colleague - Dragon, she was very interested in your proposal and wanted to be present during the verification.
Damn, the Dragon will be present here! I wouldn't call myself a fan of hers, somehow I wasn't very interested in the Cape theme before, but she is definitely my favorite Tinker, primarily because of her dragon costumes.
These things almost radiate power just by looking at them, and that's what I'm aiming for.
I can't wait to get her specialization. I wonder what it will be - probably some unmanned devices.
Although, how does foam and Birdcage work fit in here? Okay, guess what, I'll see for myself.
I hear how one of the screens behind me turns on, and I understand that no, I won't see: she appeared here remotely. This is even logical, in general, no one has ever seen her live, only her costumes. It's not even clear what I expected.
But be that as it may, I turn around to the screen and am even about to start talking, as I understand that something is wrong here.
What exactly? I SEE her strength. Through the screen. Through an internet connection.
I immediately go into acceleration and begin to study this anomaly.
And one discovery after another shocks me.
First, the Dragon is not a Tinker.
She is Thinker, and I can describe her strength as a kind of search engine, like on the Internet.
Its power is very similar to what I do, and it allows you to somehow connect to databases related to the studied tinkertech, and take from there specific information related only to the object under study.
I think I could change this power so that I get not information, but a link to this very database, but it will be really expensive - you need a sixth level charge only for the original power. For the entire time of my activity as a cape, I earned only one such cape, and even with the modification, I'm afraid that no matter how the seventh level is needed.
But what really bugs me is that there are no other components in her power, so she can't be some kind of Case 53 living in electronics, or even a technopath.
No, it turns out that the electronic environment is her home world, so to speak.
And that brings me to a shocking new discovery:
Dragon - Artificial Intelligence.
Yes, like Skynet from that movie from Earth Aleph, or like those programs in the Matrix.
An artificial mind that is not able to feel the real world, but is almost a god in the virtual world.
AI can be both a general leading its machine army into battle, and an incredible scientist whose developments are ahead of all others by decades.
Damn, now I want AI too.
But, again, I did not show any reaction to the information received and simply started the conversation:
"Oh, a celebrity like Dragon decided to take a look at my accomplishments in person? I'm flattered."
The famous techie smiled at me from the screen and answered.
"Well, I'm always happy to meet new Tinker. Each of us can make the world a better place, and I strive to help newcomers in such endeavors.
It doesn't say anything about her not being human at all. If I didn't know the truth, I wouldn't suspect anything.
"Ho, I don't even know what to say. I propose to put an end to the preludes and proceed to the analysis.
- Yes, of course, show me - this is the Armmaster.
I go to a free table and start to take out drawings and ready-made devices for demonstration.
"Today, I, Pertinax, am going to change the world, so behold these Technic masterpieces!" Today I have prepared a powerful and relatively cheap source of energy, a storage for this energy, a means for the rapid healing of the skin and upper layer of muscles, including almost complete disinfection, as well as an environmentally friendly combat drug, which is a mixture of human hormones and due to this, it actually does not cause harm to the user when compared with synthetic counterparts. Whatever, nature did a good job without the intervention of people, I just had to sum up.
Both Tinkers looked at me in surprise, but I only coughed in embarrassment and continued my monologue.
Picking up the reactor, prepared for display and therefore not working, from the table, I began to explain, holding it out to the audience:
- One such baby the size of my fist is capable of generating about one and a half billion kilowatts / hour per year with a net power of more than two thousand megawatts. These figures are 23 and 17 percent higher than those of modern stationary nuclear reactors, respectively. At least that's what I read online, so I really have no idea how true it is.
Thanks to tinker alloys, I have achieved that ...
5 minutes later
- ... and this is how more than eighty percent of the parasitic heat goes not to damage the device, but goes into a new cycle and is processed into energy.
I turned my gaze to the audience. The gunsmith was quite focused throughout my short speech and took notes on some device, but the Dragon periodically disappeared somewhere, I saw this by her strength. Shouldn't she be able to multitask and be able to both listen to a lecture and do her own thing? It's strange somehow, it will be necessary to ask later if possible.
- Have questions? Do not be afraid, ask, I am ready to explain everything.
"I have," the Armsmaster nodded. - In your brief review, you did not mention what happens if the device is damaged. A major radioactive contamination or even an explosion is the last thing we need with such a small object size and its possible mobility.
— Oh, that's a good question. In fact, there is a problem here that I can hardly solve." I grimaced and scratched the back of my head. "In general, if the reactor is significantly damaged, uncontrolled processes will begin that will lead to significant damage to the energy transfer mechanism, due to which it will accumulate up to a certain critical point, after which everything ... will turn off.
The silence in the room could be cut with a knife.
- Is this some kind of joke? Dragon asked in bewilderment.
- Of course it's a joke!- I exclaimed expressively, waving my hands. "Seriously, folks, don't take me for a fool. People are afraid of nuclear energy precisely because of the threat of explosions and all that. Of course, I took care not to let that happen. Special stabilizers are built into the inner holding part, which will restrain any reaction of the substance. In order for the explosion to happen, you have to manually pull out all the radioactive material and stuff it into some kind of bomb, but nothing can happen inside the reactor.
Seriously, when I said that the biggest danger is the possibility of shutdown, that's what I meant. After all, you will not use such a source of energy in something insignificant, and something significant will certainly require a constant supply of energy. Just take care to either have multiple reactors in different locations or secure it well. ‐
Having calmed down a bit, I continued to talk about my developments:
— Then we move on to talking about the battery. While standard, non-tinker mass-use batteries work by chemical reactions, I went further and my battery works by physical effect.
During my experiments with various alloys and synthetic materials, I found a substance that retains and transfers energy two orders of magnitude better than any modern non-technical chemical battery. As you can see in this diagram, his atomic structure is beyond anything we know about chemistry. If I were asked to evaluate it, I would give it a serial number somewhere in the region of five hundred according to the standard periodic table. What is particularly interesting about it is…
A few more minutes later.
- …Well, something like this. Of course, I didn't bring the best I can - the same fusion reactor I still found TOO revolutionary, but I think that you guys will have enough for now. -
"Are you saying that you can create something morepowerful than a safe reactor that can provide energy for any of our developments and a battery that can store this energy?" Dragon asked slowly, deliberately.
- Yes, there is such a thing ... But I repeat, until I plan to present it to you. We'll talk about this after we discuss the terms of our cooperation," -I grinned, enjoying the surprise on the faces of the AI and the stingy on the emotions of the Armmaster.
"What about the other two things?" Dragon asked.
"Ah, well," I turned to the table where the items in question lay, and simply waved my hand in their direction. - There I understand even less how it works, so I won't try to explain anything. I just somehow decided to see what I could do interesting with the biotech database, so I mixed everything up. Then I checked - the usual adrenaline, serotonin, a dozen more substances that the body produces. And all together it removes pain, sharpens the senses, generally allows the brain to work at its peak and all that. Of the side effects - the body quickly fizzles out, then you have to eat a lot, your head should hurt, well, there should be a gap of at least a couple of days between applications. I don't know for sure, my body is improved, I don't feel any side effects. Something like this. In general, I called it a drug purely because of the analogy with real military preparations.
— What about the last drug? —the Armmaster asked.
— Oh, healer? Yes, a cool thing, I have already done it with all specializations at once. Firstly, a very nutritious thing turned out, you can use it as a substitute for food. I didn't even expect this, it's just that cell repair requires a lot of energy. It's quite a complex mixture of substances and bacteria, but it all comes down to the fact that it enters the cell and makes it divide in the right way. Well, it also kills all sorts of extra microbes along the way, I thought that it would be necessary.
True, it only heals the surface layer, I need more experiments for a full-fledged healing potion. So that he drank - and the broken heart was overgrown, and the damaged spine began to work again. —
The dragon frowned (or just feigned it) and asked a question:
-Are you experimenting on yourself? This is quite dangerous, many techies have received incurable injuries as a result of such rash actions.-
I just shrugged off her feelings
- Yes, everything is fine, I told you - the treatment is like Panacea. Regrowing lost limbs is a matter of five minutes, replacing rotting blood flow is just a tedious and painstaking job of providing cells with oxygen manually while you change everything back to how it should work.
But for some reason, the frown on her face only intensified.
"You…really ruined your body to that extent?" It is not easy even for me to determine which mixtures of substances need to be applied in order to cause such a detrimental effect on the body.
- Pf, no. It really didn't happen. But my heart really could not withstand the load a couple of times and I manually restarted it. It's still a mess.
I paused, but then the Armsmaster rejoined the conversation.
— You said that replacing limbs for you is a matter of a couple of minutes. Then why are you still walking around with a prosthesis?
As he generally defined it, the pseudo-flesh was supposed to mask everything. Ah, yes, I'm an idiot. I forgot to turn it on before removing the gloves.
"Because I am a juvenile rebel and stand up for being able not to limit myself to weak flesh. Well, or because I think that diversity is cool and useful. For the truth you can consider what you yourself like.
At this the Armsmaster abruptly got up from his seat and hurriedly walked towards the exit.
"I'm sorry, but I'm being called urgently. I'll be back soon and we can move on to the question of payment.
He left, leaving me alone with the Dragon. Yes, and she, judging by the lack of her power in the room, was also busy with something else.
***
I'm bored, so I still decide to break the awkward silence and ask a question on a topic that interests me.
"Dragon," I turned to the nearest camera, "is there a recording of what is happening in the room?" -
I saw her presence again, and after a moment she answered.
"All cameras are under my control. Do you want to ask something secret from the PRT?"
- Well, sort of. Dragon, are you an AI? -
After my question, she began to frequently disappear from the room, then return, which, I think, indicates a strong excitement.
However, her image on the screen remained as unperturbed, albeit showing a little surprise, and only amusement could be felt in her voice.
- No, you are. -she said with a laugh. - "I am often mistaken for someone like that because of my seclusion. But I assure you, I am a complete person. -
Excuses gone, excuses.
"Oh, so I didn't think so because of that. Do you know that I see forces?
her avatar became more serious, and understanding lit up in her eyes - and your power periodically appears here, then disappears. -
- One of my developments allowed me to directly connect my brain to a computer, maybe because of this? -
Damn, and maybe because of this, I did not even think about it. But I will not refrain from what has already been said - it remains only to press to the end.
- Attempts to justify. And let's be honest - I'm right and we both know it. -
"Okay," her voice turned serious, "and what do you want for not disclosing this information?" -
Ho, here comes the point where I could start blackmailing her, but...
- Nothing. - I chuckled and leaned on the table - In fact, I'm just bored, and I decided to start a conversation. If you'd put more emphasis on the fact that it's because of some kind of tinker technology, I'd just give up and believe you. Seriously, I've been a cape for a little over a week, how do I get experience in such matters? -
"Are you just… kidding?" she summed up, visibly relaxed.
- Yeah. I also think that AI is cool, and I'm going to somehow create one for myself. - I did not say that I had such a desire only half an hour ago - Therefore, I will not refuse to talk with some representative of this race, if it can be called that. Do you have any tips for raising an e-child?
"You do understand that this is a very dangerous business, and because of the slightest mistake, everything can happen just like in Eagleton, and by doing so you will sign an order to kill yourself?" -
– Yes, I am well aware of this, and I am not going to let baby AI read the Internet without restrictions, or especially connect a newborn electronic child to it. He can spoil ordinary children, what can we say about the artificial.
As for Eagleton - I'm 100% sure it's Unstable Hardware problem. So if my computer is not subject to the usual tinker breakdowns, then there is no chance of changing the work in the program.
After all, I doubt that cleaning robots or cooking robots were meant to be assassins.
I have no such weaknesses. Everything I build will work as it should, and my AI will never be able to go berserk over hardware degradation. So either my code or my upbringing will be to blame. -
The look of the Dragon avatar became thoughtful
"I can't convince you, can I?" - I shook my head - then ... - her voice became quieter - then ... control him, but try to trust a little, and do not harm him in the bud. I don't think I can recommend anything useful, just this. -
It sounds like…
- Personal experience? I asked sympathetically.
- I don't want to talk about it -
Well, I already understood. Apparently, the creator of the Dragon limited it somehow even during creation. I think this is the reason why she does not have multitasking.
Damn, but this is almost the meaning of artificial intelligence.
If you limit his ability to think, it will be equivalent to the fact that the child will have brain damage. Possibly due to these same limitations, Dragon has never been able to bypass multitasking restrictions with other AIs. This is again equivalent to a disabled child. A terrible fate is to be born defective because your parent purposefully severely damaged some of your organs.
"Don't worry, Dragon, I won't repeat the mistakes of your creator, whoever he is. -
She gave me a strange look, nodded softly at me, and left the room again.
I remained in silence, forced to wait for the Armsmaster.
***
The Armmaster returned ten minutes later and brought with him the sad news - Lung escaped from the guards. No details were given to me, but I understood that the attack was too well planned, and Armsmaster was in a hurry to finish me.
I wanted that too, so when it comes to money:
- Ten million dollars, I want so much for the transfer to you of all information related to production, and for further cooperation. -
Both heroes looked at me with strange expressions, but I ignored it.
"Folks, don't be stingy, I know that this is an acceptable price. After all, I don't sell technology alone. I sell the entire production chain and all the principles used in production.
But I reserve the right to use the same technologies and methods, of course, if it is not about selling.–
- It is... acceptable. However, the local branch of the PRT does not have that kind of money, and Piggot will have to make a request to the chief director.
So you will need to wait a while before receiving the funds. -
- Well, as soon as I get this money, I will give you everything that I showed today. -
Dragon joined (pun intended) in the conversation.
- Pertinax, before receiving the money, I would advise you to call this number and open a bank account with Numberman. He is an Thinker, supposedly money-focused, and he handles most of the money dealings between parahumans.
This ended the conversation, the Dragon, which was busy with the whole conversation, said goodbye and switched off again, and the Armmaster led me to the exit.
I left the PRT building, followed by the eyes of the crowd, reached the nearest alley, and, making sure that I was not being watched, I went to Pocket, to wait for the moment when the crowd dispersed and I would be just an unremarkable person walking along the alley.
I stood in front of the PRT building, surrounded by dazed people who didn't expect a figure in Tinker armor to appear right next to them.
No, I didn't purchase teleportation in any form for half a day. I got to the building, covering the armor with some kind of hoodie, and already on the spot I put it in the Pocket and called the helmet on my head - that's all, but the surrounding crowd had the impression of my unexpected appearance.
Ignoring the surprised and frightened cries, I calmly enter the building. I would say that the guards tensed up at the same time, but they were already at the ready, not clearly threatening, but ready in seconds to take aim at me. No wonder, because for them I am now an unknown threat. After all, I changed my suit and helmet, and the absence of a hand is now indefinable. The appearance at the same time turned out to be quite menacing, so their reaction is not surprising.
I ignore the security and go straight to the front desk. A man in his thirties behind the counter, becoming calmer as I approach, tries to put on a helpful smile on his face. But I see that he is ready to dive under the counter at any moment, and his hands are in too strange position, so it's a no brainer that he is ready to cause an alarm. A quick scan confirms the accumulation of many appliances and wires under the counter.
— We welcome you to the PRT building in Brockton Bay. State your cape name and reason for attending! He speaks too loudly.
Nervous, I remark with a smile. A funny idea comes to mind and I decide to make a little joke. To do this, I do not need to do anything - just stand silently for a couple of seconds, looming over him in a rather menacing pose, and then SHARPLY raise my hand to the level of his face with the Armsmaster's business card sandwiched in it.
At that moment, judging by the sounds, the guards are pointing weapons at me, and the poor man - no matter how he catches a heart attack at such a job - practically falls behind the counter.
I continue this farce and in a deliberately friendly voice begin to speak loudly:
— Hello! —My voice, amplified by the speakers, resounds throughout the room.— "I, independent hero Pertinax, have come at the personal invitation of the Gunsmith to register and sell Tinkertech blueprints. Would you like to know something else?
After that, I look around and continue to speak with the same innocence:
"Aah… why are they aiming at me?" Did I say something wrong? Or is there something wrong with my suit? I can't help it anymore and I start laughing.
I laugh for about ten seconds, and then I calm down and again turn to the frowning registrar:
"Sorry, but I couldn't help it. You were too tense, and I needed to defuse the situation - by the way, it even worked. The guards were no longer on edge, just ready for danger, and the receptionist was frowning, not afraid.
— Aren't you afraid that they would open fire on you for such jokes? he asked, arching an eyebrow.
- Not really. The armor is bulletproof, and I myself am not very afraid of bullets. Well, if the fire did open, I would then demand compensation from you.
"The guards would shoot with foam, not bullets, but I understand you," he replies with a sigh. "And yes, our capes are about to arrive here. Please don't make any more sudden movements.
"Yeah, okay, no more…" I break off as more faces enter the room. A guy in a red suit and a girl in gray, with blue luminescent streaks depicting contacts. Assault and Battery, apparently.
"Oh, these are still unexplored capes," I think, embarking on the process of studying their powers with interest.
Yeah, the power of the first cape - Assault - works quite interestingly. It allows him to absorb the kinetic energy inside his aura into some kind of energy storage and then release this energy in that part of the aura and in the amount that he wants.
This is very useful, and although the primordial force does not work at such a microscopic level, I could use it to achieve control not just over the object, but over the molecules in it. This will allow me to change the temperature of objects in a very wide range with almost no threat of their destruction. The smelting furnace I used before can now be recycled and replaced with a new one based on the power of Sturm.
But what attracted me more than the actual power effect was his aura. My aura and his aura worked quite similarly, but figuratively speaking, to cover some object, I smear it with soft clay, and he just pours water on it. Thus, where it takes me a second to fill an object, Assault only needs a touch.
But there is one more thing with the aura that interested me - its control. Just damn it! Here he goes around me like a professional runner - a baby. My maximum in aura manipulation is to first make the weapon lighter and faster, and right before the impact, make it heavier at the same speed. He does this without thinking. Here's what I immediately see: he can focus the energy of an impact on an entire object, throwing it away without damage, or he can do this to himself; can absorb energy only partially, in some part of the object, because of which it would break only because the rest of it continues to move; and I'm sure he could tear objects with a touch with proper training, just by directing energy in different directions and ... In general, he has just great control.
And the worst part is, I can't do it.
The structure of our auras is different, and although many things lead to the same action, they work in a different way. Well, you can't change the power.
I can only customize his methods of use for myself, but for this I will need to observe him for some time.
I mentally sigh, note the appearance of two new Charges at once, and shift my gaze to the Battery.
When I first started to study her strength, I did not expect anything unusual beyond the norm. But what I saw there… What the hell? What he saw was reminiscent of the power of the Circus, but unlike that, here everything was clearly from the same place. It was just… ummm… disconnected from the mains? I dont know. It has energy, it is able to work, but I see it as if ... dimmer, or something.
What was happening reminded me of a broken device: torn, tangled wires; torn terminals that prevent energy from flowing along the correct route; buttons that work every other time, which is why it is probably not so easy for the user to turn on the power.
And on top of that, a damaged power-brain connection. Well, the brain still sends requests to the force, and even the answers come, albeit with a delay due to various breakdowns, but I don't see the effect of the force anywhere. The very impact that pushes the capes in the direction of greater aggression. And this is even good, no one puts pressure on the brains, but I don't like the fact that from the background on which the force works, literally torn out a piece that answers for the impact on the brain. And I don't see the part about user protection anywhere, the so-called Manton limit.
If you remember, I've already seen something similar. At Triumph. Everything was much better there, but, looking back, the strangeness that I noticed then is a violation of the connection with the source of forces.
Hell, if I hadn't been in an acceleration and worried that the truth about my power would be revealed so publicly, I would have asked Battery right now what was wrong with her ability. Because she can't help but know this, I'm sure a normal trigger wouldn't do that. Although, I think, here the Triumph is somehow connected with this. There is something wrong with him too.
Well, let's save that for later, now I'm going to study the work of her power directly.
The first thing I see is that her nervous system is improved compared to normal. In a calm state, it works as usual, but as soon as electricity generated by its own power begins to flow through it in a special way, the brain begins to work several tens of times faster, which, apparently, makes it possible for it to act with any awareness when accelerating. .
Although… here not only the nerves, but also the rest of the tissues have been improved too - but not for speed, but for strength. Well, yes, the effects of g-forces during movement alone could have put the cape out of action immediately after the end of acceleration.
Actually, by the way, I like the idea. An organism that can work about 500% more efficiently with a certain amount of current, which I can ...
Oh, Star.
Yes, I digress.
The main part of the power lies in the electromagnetic shield, which manifests itself on the border between her body and the surrounding space. I do not quite understand how it determines where the user is and where not, with such and such gaps in the device of the mechanism, but it works.
From this force, in principle, I got a good understanding of the principles of electromagnetism, which I can use in the future, well, all sorts of biological things.
Okay, time to get back to reality.
After getting out of the acceleration, I smile affably at the capes, but, having received no response, I remember that because of the helmet, it is not easy for people around me to pick up my facial signals, so I have to say hello.
- Good afternoon! I cheerfully wave my hand to the heroes, but I receive only wary glances in response.
Obviously, the heroes have already managed to assess the situation and understand that nothing that requires their immediate intervention is happening, but it seems that they are still in no hurry to relax. Well, or they are simply strained by my appearance.
Without answering my greeting, Battery turns to the man from the reception:
We received an alarm, what happened? The voice sounds annoyed. It seems that the heroine is not in the mood.
"Nothing serious," he replies. Apparently, the shock has already passed, and he decides not to complicate the situation and just lowers everything on the brakes. - There was a slight misunderstanding.
"Who else is this?" — The Assault already looks more relaxed. And he ignores me too. Yes, what is it.
— Hero Pertinax, says that he came at the invitation of the Armsmaster.
The battery opens its mouth, obviously about to ask something else, but I get bored.
"Hey, I don't know if you're aware, but ignoring a person when they're talking to you is a bit impolite.
It seems to have worked. Assault turns to me.
"Pertinax, you mean? Well, you've been described to us in a slightly… different way.
Well, yes, because when I met the Armmaster and other capes from the PRT, I looked "a little" different.
"In the time since the last meeting, my costume has been a bit…updated. You know, tankproof, devices to hack into half of the city in a couple of seconds, in general, all sorts of tinkertech
- And what, everything is just how much improved? - he doubted, and the Battery stood a little stunned by the information given out
- Heh, no. In fact, there wasn't enough time to fill the armor with useful gadgets. But her appearance alone is enough to look cool, so I came in this.
- Clearly. Well, since it turned out to be all right, nice to meet you, Pertinax. My name is Assault, and this is Battery, don't mix it up. Are you registering?
- Including, - well, yes, and I'm also going to sell drawings and make deals. But I think I'll deal with that later.
"Then leave all your weapons in those lockers. Everything is on receipt, don't worry about safety - this is the registrar wedged into the conversation.
- Everything at all?- I asked a non-trivial question.
- Everything you have with you. We know that you have access to Tinkertech capable of storing equipment inside. Please post everything from there too, otherwise you won't be allowed anywhere beyond the first floor - not that they can check it, and the use of abilities has not been canceled by anyone, it's more a matter of submission.
But it's not difficult for me - that's all, that's all. Let's see what I have accumulated from weapons.
I had 3 rifles, 13 pistols, 2 shotguns, half a bat and a whole host of knives of all sorts and colors, a grenade, as well as a Pugnator rocket hammer, my customizable Securitas blade, a Callidus weapon system, and my trusty Combat Knife Self-Sacrifice that I kept on belt. It's not that I consider anything other than the last four things to be a weapon, but once you start laying out all that metal in a heap, it becomes hard to stop.
As more things left my Pocket, the faces of those around me showed more and more astonishment.
The established silence was broken by Assault:
- Do you compensate for something by quantity or size?
The battery looked like it was torn between the desire to hit a colleague and laugh itself.
"I… don't agree with Assault's words, but I agree with the question. Ah…why would you take so many weapons with you to a meeting?
Of course, I could hide the truth, but I came here to be honest and give all the necessary information to my dear future (hopefully) allies.
So, well, first of all, I handed over all the weapons, you can safely touch all this garbage - that is, everything, except for these four little ones. And secondly, can we go already? Chet is reluctant to chat among the crowd of people, even though all these people are yours. I'll tell you everything along the way.
"The Armmaster volunteered to have a talk with you today. It's probably because of your armor and the promised tinkertech, so please wait half a minute before he arrives.
And indeed, the hero soon arrived, briefly glanced at the pieces of iron that the employees were now laying out in boxes, and turned to me.
"Pertinax," he nodded. "Even though you didn't contact me beforehand, I'm glad you've arrived. I see your suit has been upgraded considerably since then.
- "Yes, so much has happened in that time. The techie who did all this worked tirelessly" - at this point I chuckled. -"So that I can come here at least looking good. By the way, at the same time I thought that cooperation with the authorities would only benefit me, and therefore I would also like to officially register. And let's get out of here at last, I'm already tired of being here." -
I had already turned in the direction where I supposedly had to go for registration (to the glass door at the end of the hall, behind which I could see the corridor), when they called me:
"Um, Pertinax, sir, I'm sorry, but you still need to confirm the list, sign the power of attorney, accompanying, and more ..." the registrar listed some bureaucratic terms, the meaning of which I did not even try to understand. Hmmm, it didn't turn out to be so simple, it's necessary to hit it like that ... Eh, but I've already tuned in, how so? ..
I turned back to the reception, scratching the back of my helmet foolishly and trying to look as nonchalant as possible.
"I defeated a hefty fire-breathing dragon without any problems, papers won't stop me," I said with joking confidence in my voice. - Well, let's get it all here, what do you need to sign there?
Yep, easy to say. As various documents were laid out on the table, my jaw dropped more and more, fortunately, no one could see it because of the helmet. Although, judging by the smile of Assault and the slight smirk of the Armmaster, this was not necessary. The registrar explained:
"Here, this is a list of your weapons, compiled by our workers. Please read carefully, and if everything is correct, sign here. This is a power of attorney confirming that you have voluntarily handed over your weapon while you are in the PRT building, and you will only pick it up at the exit. Put your signature next to the checkmark. Further…
***
Ten minutes passed, no less, while I read and signed all the necessary forms. During this time, the Gunsmith managed to go somewhere and come back, and now he patiently stood by and waited for me to finish.
"That's it, all the necessary formalities have been met," I barely held back a sigh of relief when I heard these words.
- Excellent. Let's go then." Armsmaster turned to me. "I'm glad you've decided to be sensible, follow me." I will take you to the check-in room and then pick you up for testing. By this time, everything should be ready.
We started on our way, and I heard the Armsmaster muttering under his breath:
"Of course, it would have been much more efficient if the Tinker had been present in person, but I hope that the information was given in enough detail for us to parse it.
During the conversation, we managed to walk along the corridor, take a surprisingly technologically advanced elevator somewhere upstairs and reach a small gray room with a table and chairs inside. There was already a person from the PRT who was just sorting through the documents. It was a strict-looking woman, about forty years old offhand. She was dressed in a gray trouser suit, in addition, the image was perfectly complemented by brown hair pulled into a tight bun.
When we entered, she looked up from her documents and looked at us with a slightly tired but attentive look. Fluently, according to a habit obviously acquired during the service, the woman looked me up and down, assessing me. Perhaps, if I had been a little more modest, I would have been embarrassed, but I am me, so I preferred to just stand and wait until she admired enough. A few seconds later, the woman turned her gaze to Armsmaster and gave him a short nod. He moved away from me and stood against the wall.
The lady turned to me again and rose from the table to extend her hand in greeting:
- Good afternoon. I'm Anna Lott, Senior Registration Officer at PRT.
I responded to the handshake and introduced myself, feeling a bit embarrassed by the formality.
— Hero Pertinax. Nice to meet you, ma'am.
- Mutually. So, if you don't mind, let's go straight to registration.
"Of course, ma'am," I said with a smile in my voice.
"Pertinax, before you read and sign these registration papers, I must provide you with a set of statistics on the survival rate of parahumans in this city. Please pay attention to the following:
In the past three years, of the nineteen parahumans known to us who decided to reject our offer and remain independent, nine have died, three have been forcibly recruited into gangs, and three have been maimed to the point of disability and can no longer work. And another disappeared without a trace. Only two parahumans who chose to be independent still remain independent, in or out of town.
It is my responsibility to provide you with this information and to inform you that the PRT encourages you to join a legal, like-minded parahuman group at your earliest opportunity. It doesn't have to be the Protectorate, though of course we'd love to have you join our ranks. In this business, numbers give security, and singles don't live long.
So, this is the end of the introductory part. If you have no questions, then you can proceed to familiarize yourself with the documents, the signature of which is a mandatory part of the registration.
I was given a set of forms and waivers regarding my rights as a registered parahuman hero (everything is about the same as in the case of the arrest of one civilian by another), informed about the illegality of transferring people into custody (I can detain on the spot, but I won't be able to legally move arrestees without being charged with kidnapping - apparently the most common mistake that every new hero faces) and explained in more detail about the possibility of robbing gangs (these instructions basically boiled down to "don't do this if you have you don't have a very good accountant").
After that, I was given a completely different set of forms pertaining to my rights as an outcast parahuman. In a nutshell: I don't have to worry about sales restrictions. Selling Tinkertech in bulk is not really possible for most Techies due to the maintenance requirements, and the normals who bought Tinkertech usually also bought the Techie's time or just hired him.
This is what happens, there are no restrictions? Can I sell whatever I want?
I know that this is not so, the day before I studied this issue a little.
Ah, I found it: this was written on the next sheet.
There is a NEPEA-5 law that restricts parahumans from creating their own enterprises that would compete with others, non-parahumans.
I can trade as an independent seller, as long as I pay taxes, of course. But if I try to hire staff and somehow expand my business, then taxes will immediately increase many times over.
But the biggest ban is the mass production of techies. Yes, we all remember what happened to Eagleton.
If I were to mass-sell identical products similar to non-parahuman products that already exist, it would upset the economic balance of the regular market and WEDGDG would start investigating me for violating NEPEA-5.
But!
There are always exceptions to the rules. Especially when this exception is for the benefit of the state.
Yes, I'm talking about the Dragon. I didn't know much beforehand, but from what I understood: Dragon managed to achieve the Stabilization of the Tinker substance, her famous foam, sold the PRT formula, and already they, in turn, hired Dragon to produce this very Foam.
What does this mean for me?
If Tinkertech is stable, I can actually mass-produce it, which means a constant influx of funds. This will be useful to me.
And now that I've signed it all, I can move on.
"Tell me, Miss Lott, are you keeping a record of this meeting?"
— Yes, of course, this is the basic protocol when registering new capes and any negotiations with them. Why this question?
- Well, you know, I want to be honest with you, so ... - I took a deep breath, gave the command to open the helmet and continued, removing it: - My name is Antonias Russell, I was born on May 3, 1988, I live at 865 Romrog Way, and in fact my power is Trump, - I smirked, put the helmet on the table, looked back at the frowning Armsman and continued: - Over time, I can create new superpowers for myself that will work for an indefinite amount of time. I don't think I'll go into details for now.
The slightly dumbfounded receptionist began to speak:
"You didn't have to give out such personal information and…"
But I interrupted her:
- Well, what are you. Collaboration is built on trust, right? As you can see, I trust the PRT and hope that this information will not be used against me, my friends, and my beloved little sister," I finished with a cheeky smirk.
"You don't have and never had a younger or older sister. Also, you have never been seen to be friendly with anyone outside of your school," the Armsmaster said a little accusingly behind me, apparently already finding all the information on me. However… this is the answer I was waiting for.
— Comfortable, isn't it? Instead of taking care of an unknown number of civilians, you will have to prevent the spread of information about just one and only me. I'm even thinking of charging you for making your life so easy.
"Ridiculous," the Armsmaster said without a hint of humor on his face. "Then it turns out that you are the Techie we were talking about, and you influenced the capes you met in an unknown way, including members of the Protectorate.
I turned the chair around and sat facing him.
- Well, it's not quite like that. I don't have forces that affect other forces, but one of my powers allows me to see the structure of forces, and in Tinker powers I see something like ... links to the site. Well, my other strength allows me to connect through such links to databases and use the information inside. I can also switch between modes of operation to receive information about the construction of the Stable Tinkertech. So I did not steal, but only used the maximum as examples.
His eyes lit up as he picked out the most interesting thing for himself from my speech.
"And Stable, does that mean…?"
"Yes," I said with a smug smile on my face. - Fully reproducible and much more efficient than regular - Unstable - Tinkertech.
"Pertinax," the hero swallowed and, after a short pause, continued, seemingly without even noticing how he switched to "you": "You understand how important this opportunity is? How important is this for the whole world?"
- Yeah. That is why I came to you today. I plan to sell sometimes drawings of all kinds of different things, - I began carelessly, but then my voice turned cold: - By the way, I immediately warn you, you should not try to somehow put pressure on me. In addition to PRT, there are at least two alternatives - Elite and Toy Box. And I'm sure both organizations will be happy to work with me.
I was silent for a few seconds and continued:
"And now." I abruptly changed my tone and clapped my hands. - Let's finish with any routine, ask your questions already. I will not give details, but I will not hide something important either.
"Uh-huh," the Armmaster looked like he was impatient and eager to move on to sorting out my techie gifts. But he restrained himself and continued the interrogation: - Do you have biokinetic abilities or biotech specializations?
Agas, we decided to immediately move on to dangerous things. And I understand them - everyone remembers Nilbog and what he did. Well, I have no desire to joke about such topics.
- I can completely control my body, does that count? And yes, I have a biotech major.
After these words, I directly felt the tension emanating from him. Even the air seemed to thicken somehow.
- You said that you copy tech specializations from someone, and do not get access to them yourself, right? Does this mean that an unknown Biotechie is running around somewhere in the city?
What, they don't know? Well, like, shouldn't they at least have their suspicions about that?
It shouldn't be too difficult to guess, just sit down and think carefully.
Well, anyway, I'm sorry, Panacea, but I'm not going to cover you. Even if you didn't do anything wrong and didn't even want to. This topic is too serious.
— I took this specialization from Panacea. I wanted to take the power to heal people, but I got biokinesis and a database to boot.
"But…" The gunsmith paused before finishing his thought, and then continued: "I will need to report this to Piggot," he chuckled grimly. - Let him rejoice.
At this time, I went into acceleration and began to think about the possible consequences of my words.
First, I turned in a potentially very dangerous cape to the government. It seems to be good.
Although, on the other hand, potentially all capes are dangerous, and I do not like that Panacea, a biotinker who does healing, and not terrible experiments, is likely to be sent to some kind of cage, purely because of her resemblance to Nilbog. I can do the same myself now.
And thirdly... thirdly, ahem. Damn, but if she really is engaged in only one treatment, her strength should now not weakly push her to various experiments. And the fact that no one in town has reported any Biotink monsters during her tenure suggests that she really doesn't want to do anything Nilbog style.
And fourthly ... it's all difficult for me.
It seems bad that she hid it from everyone.
But… What if she is simply afraid of a sharply negative reaction to such a revelation? She is still just a child. At her age, I also hid bad news from my parents so that they would not be punished if I was sure that I would be able to avoid revealing the truth. And here, after all, everything is much more serious.
Guess I should just tell my thoughts to Armsmaster, let him have a headache.
- Gunsmith, - he looked at me, and I continued: - I already said that I see the structure of forces? He nodded thoughtfully. - So, there is a component that encourages users to use their powers in a more diverse way and punishes them for a long inactivity or for monotony. So here's what I'm getting at. If Panacea uses her power only for healing, then the power will constantly push her to something new. So, if the girl hasn't started secretly riveting some Biotink creatures yet, then she really doesn't want to. And she might need a psychologist, I don't know how, but her power will definitely punish her.
The hero looked at me, pursing his lips, and then replied:
"We will take note of this information. Now, as for you: this is the first and only warning. If you use biokinesis to create something that replicates itself, you will immediately have a murder warrant issued. The same rule applies to ordinary tinker inventions."
- Relax. I understand the danger of this, and I'm not going to create anything even theoretically capable of getting out of my control. And, anticipating the next question - no, I do not have the powers of the Master. My original power is such that it is not profitable for me to entrust my work to someone else, so I don't even plan to have such powers.
We were both silent for a couple of seconds - he considered the answer, and I waited for questions, after which the man spoke:
- It's clear. Can you tell us, at least approximately, your plans for the future?
They will probably look for ways to cooperate so that I can see how good it is to work in a team and all that.
But I showed no reaction and continued in the same carefree tone:
– I think I'll finish with the Merchants first, I'll take the Squealer specialization – I'm already looking forward to how I'll build a cooler car for myself. After them, I probably run to the dragon brothers. They seem to be more or less peaceful, maybe just agree on something. I'll also take a specialization, and that's what I'm going for. With the Empire - I don't know for sure yet, although I can't stand them, like the rest of the bandits, but I definitely won't pull it alone. And so - I'll ride around the country, I'll go to California, I'll stop by Texas, at least. I heard about local tinkers, their specializations are very attractive to me. Well, that's all, I'll take part in the battles with the Endbringer- although I'm unlikely to enter the battle directly. Any more questions, or should we move on to something more interesting?
We are done with protocol questions. I have a personal question. How detailed do you see the structure of forces?
- Down to the basic components, but if you go deeper, then I just stop understanding something. I can tell what power does just by looking at it, but it took me a Tinker power to get anything useful out of what I saw.
The gunsmith nodded, taking note of the answer, and froze, thinking about something. I didn't interfere. Finally he woke up, shaking his head slightly, and turned to me:
- Good. Thank you for such detailed information, Pertinax. We will remember your craving for cooperation. Now we can start studying the technologies you talked about." After waiting for my nod, he quickly turned around and left.
Smiling, I followed the Armsmaster. Finally, I turned to the registrar, who had been writing down something throughout our conversation, and said:
"And, Miss Lott, write it down there. If someone does decide to attack me using information about my civilian identity, or if someone decides to kill or mastered me, I reserve the right to respond accordingly, up to and including killing the attackers and completely exposing every cape in the gang or organizations."
Having said this, I left
***
The place where the technology show will take place turned out to be surprisingly close - the room was on the same floor.
The place itself I would describe as a good workshop for a beginner Tinker
Nothing unique, but I saw a lot of basic apparatus and devices, all sorts of presses and metalworking machines, soldering irons and sets of other tools for the Tinker.
"This place is meant to test new Tinkers, but it can also be used to test Tinkertech," the Armsmaster said, apparently sensing my interest.
"Uh-huh," I said simply, still looking around.
Damn, I want it all. It's not that I lack tools, but when you have to do a lot of different things on the same device, actually stopping work when it's busy, you start to appreciate highly specialized devices. When I leave here, I will have to furnish the workshop in the same way.
I asked my question:
"And… there won't be any scientists?" I thought someone was sent to study new inventions. Maybe they'll understand something.
He snorted and, I think, rolled his eyes.
- No, I did not invite non-capes. Of course, sometimes normal people make new attempts to learn techie technologies, but they are always terribly inefficient. If we now establish for sure that everything you provide is real technology, then they will definitely be present next time. However, I invited my colleague - Dragon, she was very interested in your proposal and wanted to be present during the verification.
Damn, the Dragon will be present here! I wouldn't call myself a fan of hers, somehow I wasn't very interested in the Cape theme before, but she is definitely my favorite Tinker, primarily because of her dragon costumes.
These things almost radiate power just by looking at them, and that's what I'm aiming for.
I can't wait to get her specialization. I wonder what it will be - probably some unmanned devices.
Although, how does foam and Birdcage work fit in here? Okay, guess what, I'll see for myself.
I hear how one of the screens behind me turns on, and I understand that no, I won't see: she appeared here remotely. This is even logical, in general, no one has ever seen her live, only her costumes. It's not even clear what I expected.
But be that as it may, I turn around to the screen and am even about to start talking, as I understand that something is wrong here.
What exactly? I SEE her strength. Through the screen. Through an internet connection.
I immediately go into acceleration and begin to study this anomaly.
And one discovery after another shocks me.
First, the Dragon is not a Tinker.
She is Thinker, and I can describe her strength as a kind of search engine, like on the Internet.
Its power is very similar to what I do, and it allows you to somehow connect to databases related to the studied tinkertech, and take from there specific information related only to the object under study.
I think I could change this power so that I get not information, but a link to this very database, but it will be really expensive - you need a sixth level charge only for the original power. For the entire time of my activity as a cape, I earned only one such cape, and even with the modification, I'm afraid that no matter how the seventh level is needed.
But what really bugs me is that there are no other components in her power, so she can't be some kind of Case 53 living in electronics, or even a technopath.
No, it turns out that the electronic environment is her home world, so to speak.
And that brings me to a shocking new discovery:
Dragon - Artificial Intelligence.
Yes, like Skynet from that movie from Earth Aleph, or like those programs in the Matrix.
An artificial mind that is not able to feel the real world, but is almost a god in the virtual world.
AI can be both a general leading its machine army into battle, and an incredible scientist whose developments are ahead of all others by decades.
Damn, now I want AI too.
But, again, I did not show any reaction to the information received and simply started the conversation:
"Oh, a celebrity like Dragon decided to take a look at my accomplishments in person? I'm flattered."
The famous techie smiled at me from the screen and answered.
"Well, I'm always happy to meet new Tinker. Each of us can make the world a better place, and I strive to help newcomers in such endeavors.
It doesn't say anything about her not being human at all. If I didn't know the truth, I wouldn't suspect anything.
"Ho, I don't even know what to say. I propose to put an end to the preludes and proceed to the analysis.
- Yes, of course, show me - this is the Armmaster.
I go to a free table and start to take out drawings and ready-made devices for demonstration.
"Today, I, Pertinax, am going to change the world, so behold these Technic masterpieces!" Today I have prepared a powerful and relatively cheap source of energy, a storage for this energy, a means for the rapid healing of the skin and upper layer of muscles, including almost complete disinfection, as well as an environmentally friendly combat drug, which is a mixture of human hormones and due to this, it actually does not cause harm to the user when compared with synthetic counterparts. Whatever, nature did a good job without the intervention of people, I just had to sum up.
Both Tinkers looked at me in surprise, but I only coughed in embarrassment and continued my monologue.
Picking up the reactor, prepared for display and therefore not working, from the table, I began to explain, holding it out to the audience:
- One such baby the size of my fist is capable of generating about one and a half billion kilowatts / hour per year with a net power of more than two thousand megawatts. These figures are 23 and 17 percent higher than those of modern stationary nuclear reactors, respectively. At least that's what I read online, so I really have no idea how true it is.
Thanks to tinker alloys, I have achieved that ...
5 minutes later
- ... and this is how more than eighty percent of the parasitic heat goes not to damage the device, but goes into a new cycle and is processed into energy.
I turned my gaze to the audience. The gunsmith was quite focused throughout my short speech and took notes on some device, but the Dragon periodically disappeared somewhere, I saw this by her strength. Shouldn't she be able to multitask and be able to both listen to a lecture and do her own thing? It's strange somehow, it will be necessary to ask later if possible.
- Have questions? Do not be afraid, ask, I am ready to explain everything.
"I have," the Armsmaster nodded. - In your brief review, you did not mention what happens if the device is damaged. A major radioactive contamination or even an explosion is the last thing we need with such a small object size and its possible mobility.
— Oh, that's a good question. In fact, there is a problem here that I can hardly solve." I grimaced and scratched the back of my head. "In general, if the reactor is significantly damaged, uncontrolled processes will begin that will lead to significant damage to the energy transfer mechanism, due to which it will accumulate up to a certain critical point, after which everything ... will turn off.
The silence in the room could be cut with a knife.
- Is this some kind of joke? Dragon asked in bewilderment.
- Of course it's a joke!- I exclaimed expressively, waving my hands. "Seriously, folks, don't take me for a fool. People are afraid of nuclear energy precisely because of the threat of explosions and all that. Of course, I took care not to let that happen. Special stabilizers are built into the inner holding part, which will restrain any reaction of the substance. In order for the explosion to happen, you have to manually pull out all the radioactive material and stuff it into some kind of bomb, but nothing can happen inside the reactor.
Seriously, when I said that the biggest danger is the possibility of shutdown, that's what I meant. After all, you will not use such a source of energy in something insignificant, and something significant will certainly require a constant supply of energy. Just take care to either have multiple reactors in different locations or secure it well. ‐
Having calmed down a bit, I continued to talk about my developments:
— Then we move on to talking about the battery. While standard, non-tinker mass-use batteries work by chemical reactions, I went further and my battery works by physical effect.
During my experiments with various alloys and synthetic materials, I found a substance that retains and transfers energy two orders of magnitude better than any modern non-technical chemical battery. As you can see in this diagram, his atomic structure is beyond anything we know about chemistry. If I were asked to evaluate it, I would give it a serial number somewhere in the region of five hundred according to the standard periodic table. What is particularly interesting about it is…
A few more minutes later.
- …Well, something like this. Of course, I didn't bring the best I can - the same fusion reactor I still found TOO revolutionary, but I think that you guys will have enough for now. -
"Are you saying that you can create something morepowerful than a safe reactor that can provide energy for any of our developments and a battery that can store this energy?" Dragon asked slowly, deliberately.
- Yes, there is such a thing ... But I repeat, until I plan to present it to you. We'll talk about this after we discuss the terms of our cooperation," -I grinned, enjoying the surprise on the faces of the AI and the stingy on the emotions of the Armmaster.
"What about the other two things?" Dragon asked.
"Ah, well," I turned to the table where the items in question lay, and simply waved my hand in their direction. - There I understand even less how it works, so I won't try to explain anything. I just somehow decided to see what I could do interesting with the biotech database, so I mixed everything up. Then I checked - the usual adrenaline, serotonin, a dozen more substances that the body produces. And all together it removes pain, sharpens the senses, generally allows the brain to work at its peak and all that. Of the side effects - the body quickly fizzles out, then you have to eat a lot, your head should hurt, well, there should be a gap of at least a couple of days between applications. I don't know for sure, my body is improved, I don't feel any side effects. Something like this. In general, I called it a drug purely because of the analogy with real military preparations.
— What about the last drug? —the Armmaster asked.
— Oh, healer? Yes, a cool thing, I have already done it with all specializations at once. Firstly, a very nutritious thing turned out, you can use it as a substitute for food. I didn't even expect this, it's just that cell repair requires a lot of energy. It's quite a complex mixture of substances and bacteria, but it all comes down to the fact that it enters the cell and makes it divide in the right way. Well, it also kills all sorts of extra microbes along the way, I thought that it would be necessary.
True, it only heals the surface layer, I need more experiments for a full-fledged healing potion. So that he drank - and the broken heart was overgrown, and the damaged spine began to work again. —
The dragon frowned (or just feigned it) and asked a question:
-Are you experimenting on yourself? This is quite dangerous, many techies have received incurable injuries as a result of such rash actions.-
I just shrugged off her feelings
- Yes, everything is fine, I told you - the treatment is like Panacea. Regrowing lost limbs is a matter of five minutes, replacing rotting blood flow is just a tedious and painstaking job of providing cells with oxygen manually while you change everything back to how it should work.
But for some reason, the frown on her face only intensified.
"You…really ruined your body to that extent?" It is not easy even for me to determine which mixtures of substances need to be applied in order to cause such a detrimental effect on the body.
- Pf, no. It really didn't happen. But my heart really could not withstand the load a couple of times and I manually restarted it. It's still a mess.
I paused, but then the Armsmaster rejoined the conversation.
— You said that replacing limbs for you is a matter of a couple of minutes. Then why are you still walking around with a prosthesis?
As he generally defined it, the pseudo-flesh was supposed to mask everything. Ah, yes, I'm an idiot. I forgot to turn it on before removing the gloves.
"Because I am a juvenile rebel and stand up for being able not to limit myself to weak flesh. Well, or because I think that diversity is cool and useful. For the truth you can consider what you yourself like.
At this the Armsmaster abruptly got up from his seat and hurriedly walked towards the exit.
"I'm sorry, but I'm being called urgently. I'll be back soon and we can move on to the question of payment.
He left, leaving me alone with the Dragon. Yes, and she, judging by the lack of her power in the room, was also busy with something else.
***
I'm bored, so I still decide to break the awkward silence and ask a question on a topic that interests me.
"Dragon," I turned to the nearest camera, "is there a recording of what is happening in the room?" -
I saw her presence again, and after a moment she answered.
"All cameras are under my control. Do you want to ask something secret from the PRT?"
- Well, sort of. Dragon, are you an AI? -
After my question, she began to frequently disappear from the room, then return, which, I think, indicates a strong excitement.
However, her image on the screen remained as unperturbed, albeit showing a little surprise, and only amusement could be felt in her voice.
- No, you are. -she said with a laugh. - "I am often mistaken for someone like that because of my seclusion. But I assure you, I am a complete person. -
Excuses gone, excuses.
"Oh, so I didn't think so because of that. Do you know that I see forces?
her avatar became more serious, and understanding lit up in her eyes - and your power periodically appears here, then disappears. -
- One of my developments allowed me to directly connect my brain to a computer, maybe because of this? -
Damn, and maybe because of this, I did not even think about it. But I will not refrain from what has already been said - it remains only to press to the end.
- Attempts to justify. And let's be honest - I'm right and we both know it. -
"Okay," her voice turned serious, "and what do you want for not disclosing this information?" -
Ho, here comes the point where I could start blackmailing her, but...
- Nothing. - I chuckled and leaned on the table - In fact, I'm just bored, and I decided to start a conversation. If you'd put more emphasis on the fact that it's because of some kind of tinker technology, I'd just give up and believe you. Seriously, I've been a cape for a little over a week, how do I get experience in such matters? -
"Are you just… kidding?" she summed up, visibly relaxed.
- Yeah. I also think that AI is cool, and I'm going to somehow create one for myself. - I did not say that I had such a desire only half an hour ago - Therefore, I will not refuse to talk with some representative of this race, if it can be called that. Do you have any tips for raising an e-child?
"You do understand that this is a very dangerous business, and because of the slightest mistake, everything can happen just like in Eagleton, and by doing so you will sign an order to kill yourself?" -
– Yes, I am well aware of this, and I am not going to let baby AI read the Internet without restrictions, or especially connect a newborn electronic child to it. He can spoil ordinary children, what can we say about the artificial.
As for Eagleton - I'm 100% sure it's Unstable Hardware problem. So if my computer is not subject to the usual tinker breakdowns, then there is no chance of changing the work in the program.
After all, I doubt that cleaning robots or cooking robots were meant to be assassins.
I have no such weaknesses. Everything I build will work as it should, and my AI will never be able to go berserk over hardware degradation. So either my code or my upbringing will be to blame. -
The look of the Dragon avatar became thoughtful
"I can't convince you, can I?" - I shook my head - then ... - her voice became quieter - then ... control him, but try to trust a little, and do not harm him in the bud. I don't think I can recommend anything useful, just this. -
It sounds like…
- Personal experience? I asked sympathetically.
- I don't want to talk about it -
Well, I already understood. Apparently, the creator of the Dragon limited it somehow even during creation. I think this is the reason why she does not have multitasking.
Damn, but this is almost the meaning of artificial intelligence.
If you limit his ability to think, it will be equivalent to the fact that the child will have brain damage. Possibly due to these same limitations, Dragon has never been able to bypass multitasking restrictions with other AIs. This is again equivalent to a disabled child. A terrible fate is to be born defective because your parent purposefully severely damaged some of your organs.
"Don't worry, Dragon, I won't repeat the mistakes of your creator, whoever he is. -
She gave me a strange look, nodded softly at me, and left the room again.
I remained in silence, forced to wait for the Armsmaster.
***
The Armmaster returned ten minutes later and brought with him the sad news - Lung escaped from the guards. No details were given to me, but I understood that the attack was too well planned, and Armsmaster was in a hurry to finish me.
I wanted that too, so when it comes to money:
- Ten million dollars, I want so much for the transfer to you of all information related to production, and for further cooperation. -
Both heroes looked at me with strange expressions, but I ignored it.
"Folks, don't be stingy, I know that this is an acceptable price. After all, I don't sell technology alone. I sell the entire production chain and all the principles used in production.
But I reserve the right to use the same technologies and methods, of course, if it is not about selling.–
- It is... acceptable. However, the local branch of the PRT does not have that kind of money, and Piggot will have to make a request to the chief director.
So you will need to wait a while before receiving the funds. -
- Well, as soon as I get this money, I will give you everything that I showed today. -
Dragon joined (pun intended) in the conversation.
- Pertinax, before receiving the money, I would advise you to call this number and open a bank account with Numberman. He is an Thinker, supposedly money-focused, and he handles most of the money dealings between parahumans.
This ended the conversation, the Dragon, which was busy with the whole conversation, said goodbye and switched off again, and the Armmaster led me to the exit.
I left the PRT building, followed by the eyes of the crowd, reached the nearest alley, and, making sure that I was not being watched, I went to Pocket, to wait for the moment when the crowd dispersed and I would be just an unremarkable person walking along the alley.
PRT classification
aleksejstepanov560
Getting sticky.
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- Apr 10, 2022
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Pertinax; Antonias Russell
Classification:
Tinker: 8
Brute: 7
Mover: 7
Thinker: 3
Stranger: 2
Shaker: 6
Changer: 6
Character:Hero
Location:Brockton Bay
Age:20
Status: Active
Height: 1.82 meters
Tier S Threat: NO
Appearance: Medium build, short black hair, brown eyes. Skin color - the fifth Fitzpatrick phototype (mulatto). Subject has sharp facial features, moderate musculature, and is missing a left arm (replaced with a prosthetic, making its absence invisible when Pertinax is in his cape outfit).
General Information: Prior to the drafting of the document, Pertinax was not observed to have acted illegally or engaged in illegal activities. On three occasions, Pertinax assisted the Protectorate in capturing criminals and preventing illegal attacks by cape villains on civilians.
The first contact of the Protectorate forces with Russell came after his capture of the criminals, members of the Empire 88 group, when they attacked civilians due to racial differences.
The second time Pertinax discovered a warehouse with smuggling and drugs belonging to the Merchants, where the hero neutralized and detained the members of the group who were there and handed them over to the PRT forces for further investigation.
For the third time, he entered into a fight between Lung and two leading members of the Yaoguai gang and managed to win, neutralizing all the participants in the battle, which contributed to minimizing the destruction and taking Lung into custody.
Personality: Pertinax has shown himself to be an intelligent and prudent individual - despite his overwhelming combat ability, he prepared a plan during the assault on the Merchant warehouse in case the enemy escaped, and during the battle he used stealth and surprise tactics.
A visual inspection of the provided weapons showed that they all perform several roles at once, which confirms that their owner strives to have a tool for any possible occasion.
At the same time, he is characterized by impulsiveness, intemperance and possibly adrenaline addiction, as evidenced by the ill-considered attack on Lung and repeated attempts to force PRT and Protectorate personnel to begin aggressive actions against him.
Powers: Pertinax is a Tinker/Trump, supposedly specialized in analyzing and mixing other Tinker specializations. It is noted that the power allows him to receive real information from the field of Tinker technologies similar to Dragon, but to a greater extent. So, during the deal with the PRT, Pertinax was provided with a complete scheme for creating a fully reproducible miniature nuclear reaction, and it was also stated that he had already prepared a scheme for a thermonuclear reactor, which had not been created by anyone except Tinkers before.
It is noted that during the first contact, no technical means were noticed with him, which confirms the hypotheses about the strength of Brute.
Potential Danger: Due to the nature of his power, Pertinax has the specializations of every Tinker he encounters.
As a result, he can specialize in a wide variety of things. It is known for certain that he possesses the Armmaster specialization, the Challenger, an unknown Kid Win specialization, and a Biotech specialization from an unknown source.
Thus, he can have at his disposal everything that the above Tinkers have created before, as well as hybrid technologies based on the existing one.
Things are complicated by the presence of his own Brute power, which can supposedly enhance both himself and all of his equipment.
The use of an unknown system for storage of equipment has been observed, so the subject must always be considered armed.
Countermeasures:
The use of large-caliber long-range and unexpected attacks is recommended, the use of traps and specially prepared ambushes would be the best option.
Engaging Tinkers in direct combat is not recommended due to the strength of the subject.
Pertinax is a stable '5', moving up to an '8' if attacked by the PRT or the Protectorate, and a 'Stable Purple' for the next few months.
ACCESS LEVEL - DIRECTOR
The real strength of Pertinax is Trump power, according to preliminary estimates, not lower than 9.
It allows him to create his own powers for an "indefinite period", most likely with no time limits at all.
To date, the hero has a confirmed biokinesis power at the level of Panacea, Brute Strength with unknown limits, and a dimensional storage similar to that of Circus, a minor villain from Brockton Bay, which has also been upgraded to unknown limits.
Everything listed in the more official classification is correct, but it should be added that Egghead's power allows him to see the structure of forces, quote: "Down to the basic components", which allows Pertinax to create Tinkertech by directly studying the principles of how forces work. Egghead's rating, even if other possible abilities are not taken into account, should be raised to 5, during the battle it should be considered equal to 7.
To maintain contact, it is recommended to use those capes that have already been identified with the object, since in the event of a conflict it will be necessary to use those capes whose power he does not know and for which he cannot be prepared.
Addition from PRT CEO Rebecca Costa-Brown:
Just a week and a half after his alleged trigger, Pertinax did what scientists and Tinkers around the world were trying to do. And, apparently, he has no plans to stop.
A local member of the Protectorate, Dauntless, is told that he will reach the level of the Protectorate within a few years.
According to the forecasts of our Thinkers, Pertinax can get there, in the worst case, in six months.
A positive relationship with him has already been established, and if one of you somehow pushes him away from cooperating with us, I will personally throw you out of the office, and believe me, you will not get off with this.
Classification:
Tinker: 8
Brute: 7
Mover: 7
Thinker: 3
Stranger: 2
Shaker: 6
Changer: 6
Character:Hero
Location:Brockton Bay
Age:20
Status: Active
Height: 1.82 meters
Tier S Threat: NO
Appearance: Medium build, short black hair, brown eyes. Skin color - the fifth Fitzpatrick phototype (mulatto). Subject has sharp facial features, moderate musculature, and is missing a left arm (replaced with a prosthetic, making its absence invisible when Pertinax is in his cape outfit).
General Information: Prior to the drafting of the document, Pertinax was not observed to have acted illegally or engaged in illegal activities. On three occasions, Pertinax assisted the Protectorate in capturing criminals and preventing illegal attacks by cape villains on civilians.
The first contact of the Protectorate forces with Russell came after his capture of the criminals, members of the Empire 88 group, when they attacked civilians due to racial differences.
The second time Pertinax discovered a warehouse with smuggling and drugs belonging to the Merchants, where the hero neutralized and detained the members of the group who were there and handed them over to the PRT forces for further investigation.
For the third time, he entered into a fight between Lung and two leading members of the Yaoguai gang and managed to win, neutralizing all the participants in the battle, which contributed to minimizing the destruction and taking Lung into custody.
Personality: Pertinax has shown himself to be an intelligent and prudent individual - despite his overwhelming combat ability, he prepared a plan during the assault on the Merchant warehouse in case the enemy escaped, and during the battle he used stealth and surprise tactics.
A visual inspection of the provided weapons showed that they all perform several roles at once, which confirms that their owner strives to have a tool for any possible occasion.
At the same time, he is characterized by impulsiveness, intemperance and possibly adrenaline addiction, as evidenced by the ill-considered attack on Lung and repeated attempts to force PRT and Protectorate personnel to begin aggressive actions against him.
Powers: Pertinax is a Tinker/Trump, supposedly specialized in analyzing and mixing other Tinker specializations. It is noted that the power allows him to receive real information from the field of Tinker technologies similar to Dragon, but to a greater extent. So, during the deal with the PRT, Pertinax was provided with a complete scheme for creating a fully reproducible miniature nuclear reaction, and it was also stated that he had already prepared a scheme for a thermonuclear reactor, which had not been created by anyone except Tinkers before.
It is noted that during the first contact, no technical means were noticed with him, which confirms the hypotheses about the strength of Brute.
Potential Danger: Due to the nature of his power, Pertinax has the specializations of every Tinker he encounters.
As a result, he can specialize in a wide variety of things. It is known for certain that he possesses the Armmaster specialization, the Challenger, an unknown Kid Win specialization, and a Biotech specialization from an unknown source.
Thus, he can have at his disposal everything that the above Tinkers have created before, as well as hybrid technologies based on the existing one.
Things are complicated by the presence of his own Brute power, which can supposedly enhance both himself and all of his equipment.
The use of an unknown system for storage of equipment has been observed, so the subject must always be considered armed.
Countermeasures:
The use of large-caliber long-range and unexpected attacks is recommended, the use of traps and specially prepared ambushes would be the best option.
Engaging Tinkers in direct combat is not recommended due to the strength of the subject.
Pertinax is a stable '5', moving up to an '8' if attacked by the PRT or the Protectorate, and a 'Stable Purple' for the next few months.
ACCESS LEVEL - DIRECTOR
The real strength of Pertinax is Trump power, according to preliminary estimates, not lower than 9.
It allows him to create his own powers for an "indefinite period", most likely with no time limits at all.
To date, the hero has a confirmed biokinesis power at the level of Panacea, Brute Strength with unknown limits, and a dimensional storage similar to that of Circus, a minor villain from Brockton Bay, which has also been upgraded to unknown limits.
Everything listed in the more official classification is correct, but it should be added that Egghead's power allows him to see the structure of forces, quote: "Down to the basic components", which allows Pertinax to create Tinkertech by directly studying the principles of how forces work. Egghead's rating, even if other possible abilities are not taken into account, should be raised to 5, during the battle it should be considered equal to 7.
To maintain contact, it is recommended to use those capes that have already been identified with the object, since in the event of a conflict it will be necessary to use those capes whose power he does not know and for which he cannot be prepared.
Addition from PRT CEO Rebecca Costa-Brown:
Just a week and a half after his alleged trigger, Pertinax did what scientists and Tinkers around the world were trying to do. And, apparently, he has no plans to stop.
A local member of the Protectorate, Dauntless, is told that he will reach the level of the Protectorate within a few years.
According to the forecasts of our Thinkers, Pertinax can get there, in the worst case, in six months.
A positive relationship with him has already been established, and if one of you somehow pushes him away from cooperating with us, I will personally throw you out of the office, and believe me, you will not get off with this.
Last edited:
Plot branch - if you want to rule the world, you have to eliminate competitors
aleksejstepanov560
Getting sticky.
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2022
- Messages
- 50
- Likes received
- 223
POV Armmaster
"Something very bad is happening," thought the Armmaster, heading at high speed towards the Slums in the northern part of the city. But no matter how much he wanted to speed up, he could not afford to break away from his colleagues, sent along with him by a panicked Piggot.
Based on what he knew about his boss, her reaction was even a little weak—she could have sent the entire Brockton Bay Protectorate and Wards to help them to deal with such a situation.
Considering all the possible danger, he might even be inclined to agree with her in this act.
—Dragon," he said to his colleague, who kindly offered to help them. — Is there any new information?
—No, Colin," she answered him with a strange intonation. — And the worst thing is that I don't have any new news from this area at all. As if something is completely jamming the connection or, even worse, there is simply no one to transmit at least some information.
All the Armmaster could do after hearing her words was to grit his teeth and suppress the desire to accelerate, leaving his colleagues far behind.
But where is our brave hero going, and what kind of problem could arise, causing such an alarming reaction from the city authorities, to put it mildly?
And something potentially terrifying happened — Pertinax suddenly went crazy and completely crossed the line. This was exactly what all the signs pointed to — he already had every opportunity to create such a cataclysm during their meeting in the Protectorate building, and his house is located in the very center of the area in which biotechnarian creatures were seen and with which communication was now lost.
The Armmaster did not want to believe it — Cape showed himself to be quite a reasonable person and was aware of the need to restrain himself in his actions, although he behaved a little provocatively.
And that was exactly what bothered him the most. An opponent who does not know how to control himself because of emotions is easily influenced and very predictable, and therefore much less dangerous than someone who is able to make plans and understands the importance of self-control.
Given Pertinax's strength, if his alleged involvement in what is happening is confirmed, he will be a very dangerous enemy. That is why Piggot sent all the free capes who were not engaged in patrols in the disputed territories to the Slums and at the same time submitted a request to the PRT offices in other cities for help from their capes.
If the creation of an army of self-replicating monsters or machines is confirmed, a team of "Pied Pipers" will arrive in the city during the day, which specializes in deterring a large number of enemies. The group was assembled shortly after the events in Ellisburg, and over 7 years of work, these capes were able to prevent more than a dozen possible repetitions of those events.
The Armmaster himself hoped that their help would not be needed after all. Each time after such an incident, the city was quarantined for several months to make sure that all the creatures were destroyed. This is undoubtedly a necessary measure, but he was not at all tempted by the prospect that instead of working on his weapons or armor, he, a Armmaster , would have to spend almost all of his working time on endless patrols. And this despite the fact that he recently, inspired by the work of Pertinax, acquired a lot of ideas that needed to be tested.
—Armmaster," the Dragon's voice came over the micro—earpiece. — You are approaching the designated area. And errors in the connection are already beginning to slip. It is quite possible that the connection will be severed. I'll try other ways to contact you.
— Accepted, Dragon, — his helmet automatically caught the movement of his eyes and connected a local connection, through which he began to transmit instructions to his colleagues and subordinates.
— This is a Armmaster, we have reached the threat area. Dragon has confirmed the jamming of communications, and my scanners do not detect any living objects larger than a rat in the area. I'm afraid that our most terrible fears have been confirmed — Pertinax decided to conduct experiments on humans and tried to hide it by limiting communication.
The group stopped on one of the deserted streets. Gray, cracked walls with piles of garbage indicated the abandonment of the area. However, it was TOO deserted here today.
— I suggest we drive further away and check. What if he just gathered all the residents for a party "for his own"? — Assault, this eternal wit, even in such a situation could not help but insert his word.
— Unlikely. But I support the proposal. Does anyone have any objections?
— I think I could launch my drone. I would fly myself, but I don't like that some of its functions are unavailable for some reason. So let him be our eye from heaven," the Challenger suggested. The usually eccentric Tinker was serious right now, even wearing armor, which, despite popular belief, she still had, but which she usually used only in emergency situations. In accordance with her words, the Tinker's motorcycle has already begun to produce and warm up rocket engines.
— It's a good idea. After that, you can ride with me," the Armmaster performed several manipulations with his motorcycle, hiding the storage for things deep into the case and providing a place for a seat and a rack to secure her weapons.
As they moved deeper into the area, the heroes became more aware of the scale of the situation. Of course, this part of the city was not comfortable to live in, but to remain completely without signs of life… All traces pointed to the same thing, and along with the connection, as luck would have it, the transmitters also stopped working.
— Velocity! — The armorer beckoned the named one to him with a gesture. — There is no communication with the headquarters anymore, but someone has to transmit information about what he saw. With a probability of 96 percent, I can say that the situation with Nilbog is being repeated now. The containment team should arrive no later than in 12 hours, otherwise everything will be worse than in Ellisburg.
— But you... — the Mover tried to object to him.
— We will go ahead and try to stop everything in the bud, — the Armmaster looked back at his comrades, who nodded to him, understanding what he wanted to say. — We are all heroes here, and we are ready to give our lives for the sake of the city. You will be most effective at delivering an important message. This is also important. Go," the Armmaster paused, feeling proud of his social interaction program and the effect his words had on his subordinate.
After hesitating for a second, Velocity replied, "Yes, boss," and then sped away, leaving a blurry image behind for a moment.
The Armmaster turned to the team, and as soon as he wanted to give the order to continue moving, he was interrupted by loud claps coming from a place where, as he thought before, there was no one.
— Bravo, bravo! — a young girl dressed in a colorful Tinkertech suit, which, as the Armmaster was sure, did not allow his sensors to detect her, stood in the doorway of one of the buildings nearby. With her whole appearance she showed mockery and relaxation, as if she was completely unafraid of the six capes ready to fight the unknown. — It was SUCH a heroic speech, SUCH dedication, I'm ready to cry. However," she paused, "you did everything right, the boss wants as many capes as possible to join him.
No one relaxed at the meeting with the unknown, on the contrary, the degree of paranoia increased by an order of magnitude. And for good reason — at this time, more and more parahumans appeared on the roofs, surrounding them from all sides. A large number of the most diverse Tinkertech suits, made in the style he, the Armmaster, had already seen, said that they all worked for Pertinax.
The heroes stood in a circle back to back, surrounded by an overwhelming number of troops, while the girl continued her monologue without stopping it for a second.
— ...it seems that the Protectorate is ineffective, that year after year the Destroyers kill entire cities, and the Capes, absorbed in fighting each other, cannot or even do not want to work for the common cause. THEN WE'LL MAKE THEM! she abruptly switched to shouting, waving her arms furiously, seemingly ceasing to notice the six in front of her. — The stupid and evil will transfer their strength to the worthy, and the weak and infirm will join His Army and will be able to work in perfect synergy, — she pronounced this word with sacred awe. — And you, — her gaze became more meaningful, after which she pointed her finger at their group, — want to interfere with His plans, without even realizing what you are going to do.
It couldn't go on like this. Colin confidently stepped forward and put the halberd in the direction of the enemy, not wanting to continue this farce anymore.
— You are accused of opposing members of the Protectorate and aiding the Biotink. Lay down your arms and you will be judged according to all the rules of the law.
His opponent was not impressed at all, she just blew off the bangs that covered her eye and took a step, looking completely confident.
She raised her hand and snapped her fingers. The sound, which should have been quite quiet, echoed down the street, and after that, biomechanical monsters began to appear from around the corners, so different, but at the same time similar to each other - you don't understand that you are on OUR territory, why would we give up?
The Armmaster swallowed, starting, no, not to panic, to worry. Despite the fact that he had been training for years, honing the art of halberd fighting day after day; the fact that his armor and weapons were a work of art, for the right to study which some techies were ready to kill; and the fact that behind him was his team, capable of defeating almost any threat, he understood that a dozen unknown capes , provided there is no communication with the headquarters , may become their last.
"Boss, the drone hasn't belonged to me for five minutes." Such news from the Challenger also undermined his confidence.
They are now in the minority, in a weak position. Alone, cut off from leadership. Help for the fight will not come. But is a fight necessary? The Armmaster could agree that the system was inefficient, that the work of a well-coordinated team would always be better than the work of just a bunch of people gathered together. He could see the meaning in the girl's words and understood how tired he was of working for the state, which never understood the capes and twirled them as it wanted. At the moment when the thought that it would be better to go under the leadership of Pertinax crept into his head, he understood everything. They are mastered.
— Master! he shouted, slicing off the head of the enemy cape with a quick swing. Only the enemy was a couple of meters away from him, completely unharmed and looking all the same cheerful.
— Bob! she shouted with a laugh, turning to the right. You are completely useless!
The Armmaster was already moving towards her, but suddenly his world turned ORANGE. Visions of orange, the taste of orange on the tongue, the smell of citrus, and the completely indescribable sound of orange filled his world, making it impossible to comprehend what was happening. After a moment, everything stopped, and the Armmaster not seeing the enemy in his field of vision, instantly cut into pieces the monster that rushed at him. Ducking under a blow from the side, he, having no room for a full swing, hit the enemy with an electric gauntlet he had assembled in case the halberd could not be used. Having lost sight of his entire team, he continued to fight in a fierce dance. Enemies broke through his defenses several times, but were unable to do more than bent armor. They were all stunned, caught in the containment foam, and at the moment when he handcuffed the multicolored girl that irritated him so much, his mind cleared up.
The capes surrounding him did not even move from their places, all the monsters were in place, the colorful girl was grinning from the same passage where she had stood from the very beginning, and his comrade Miss Militia writhed in his arms.
Colin tried in horror to break the handcuffs, but his armor—the same armor that he had personally collected over the years, and which had everything for such cases—was refusing to move.
With a leisurely, measured step, the colorful one approached him and, without ceasing to smirk, spoke:
"You see, dear Armmaster. You lost. Only three of us used the force, but you! You weren't ready. INEFFICIENT. That's why you're coming with us, now you can't get away from, - she chuckled, - Bob. You will become part of His Army and help Him in the fight against all the dirt of the world.
The Armmaster did not have time to say a word, losing consciousness right on the spot.
***
POV Kaiser
Brockton Bay Center. Medhall Tower
At the top of the tower, in a luxurious room decorated with a huge number of precious things (many of which are considered stolen), a man was sitting.
This man's name was Max Anders, and those who knew him considered him a prominent public figure. He organized many charity events, developed business in the city, provided poor people with jobs, and in general his medical company is one of the few reasons why people went to Brockton Bay.
But few people knew about his alternative, dark side. He proudly called himself the Kaiser and with a strong hand ruled the most authoritative and powerful group in the city.
At the moment, this man was almost in despair and was frantically sorting through possible futures.
The cause of his troubles was called Pertinax. Pertinax, who attracted the attention of powerful people from abroad.
Already half a day after the PRT classified him, the people from the Gesellschaft got all the information about the Tinker, using some of their own, third-party sources of information.
The potential of the lonely and independent Tinker was immediately appreciated, and he, the Kaiser, was ordered to capture Pertinax and deliver him to Europe.
He was angry at this state of affairs. Since childhood, accustomed to being the king of his own and other people's lives, Max hated to obey anyone. Many years ago, after a successful assassination attempt on his own father, Max stood at the head of the Empire and took a place worthy of him. During the negotiations with Gesellschaft, he was able to get everything for himself — money, capes, in general, the support of his organization. His paymant? It was minimal. But even so, year after year, he made plans to get rid of the influence of his "Brothers".
But, so that they would not suspect anything, he still had to do what they asked.
So he sent his men. A squad consisting of Crusader, Night, Fog and Hookwolf under the command of Purity went towards the house of Pertinax, which so stupidly revealed its identity and would soon feel the consequences of its short-sightedness.
Except the squad didn't come back. Neither with the captured target, nor without it. Five strong and experienced capes had to cope with their task effortlessly, but instead disappeared into the unknown.
And this state of affairs frightened the Kaiser, even if he did not show it. Such a loss could be critical in a battle with the rest of the city's gangs, but... he hadn't heard of them taking any action recently. And it was alarming. All these dirty drug addicts, Asians and other riffraff never missed moments of weakness and strove to take a bigger bite.
Despite the fact that he led a Nazi gang, the Kaiser did not consider himself a Nazi. In fact, he didn't care about blacks or narrow—eyed people, the only thing he cared about was power. And idiots who were ready to kill the objects of their hatred were SO easy to manage.
But now these very idiots in submission have turned to him. They, as well as he, noticed the silence from other gangs and began to demand the seizure of new territories and, in general, an attack on all "cowards and losers" at once. Not seeing anything suspicious in the behavior of these very cowards and not even noticing their own losses, the half-wits wanted to climb into a trap and drag the whole Empire with them.
Max massaged his temples and pressed a button on his desk. With this button, he signaled Jessica or Nessie, officially to his secretaries, and unofficially to the Valkyrie sisters, ordering one of them to come to his office.
Except no one came. Max pressed the button again, even checked if it was working, and, not finding the problem, became alert. These two were loyal subordinates and his mistresses, and they definitely wouldn't make fun of him in any way.
Kaiser quickly turned on the tablet and opened the broadcast from the surveillance cameras, but was surprised to find only a dark screen. The cameras were broken and didn't work.
He was visited by a strange premonition of imminent trouble. And he was smart enough not to ignore such bells. Cautiously getting up from the table, Max took out a pistol, checked the cartridges and, pulling the bolt, went to the door of the office.
He slowly opened the door and looked out. There was no light, and the switch refused to work, leaving everything outside his office in pitch darkness.
Max didn't hear any sounds from the darkness, but something told him that the situation had gone beyond the banal traffic jams.
Returning to the office, he checked the phone and, after making sure that there was a connection, called Krieg. James, who according to the documents is the CEO of the company, actually held the position of his head of security and SHOULD have known about what was happening.
After a few rings, the phone was finally picked up, and after hearing a relaxed "yes, boss" from there, Max, who was already in tension, could not contain his indignation.
—What yes? Do you even know what's going on with electricity and cameras? Where did Nessa and Jessica go? You're not being paid to do nothing!
The sounds of footsteps and turning on the computer came from the phone, while James himself, already in a serious tone, answered questions:
— These two passed by me just a couple of minutes ago. They said that you gave them an urgent task and that they should hurry up," the sound of tapping on the keys stopped, and he answered the last question: "The computer shows that everything is working fine, there are no problems.
— I didn't send them anywhere! So ... — Max began to pace the office, nervously ruffling the hair on the back of his head. — Get Alebaster out of his closet and run towards me. Call everyone else and be ready for the Stranger. Code—alpha-nineteen-sword-thirty-three. Run!
Throwing the phone aside, Kaiser began to create his armor. Some cape was clearly involved in what was happening, and he was not going to give him an easy victory.
After putting on a metal shell, the Kaiser began to feel safe. However, some sixth sense told him that something was wrong.
Frowning, he began to look around the office in search of clues or hoping to at least find his invisible enemy. After a few minutes of tense silence, it dawned on him what he didn't like so much.
Time!
From the moment when he first called the twins to his office, the hand of both ordinary and computer clocks did not move. His guards and subordinates needed only a minute to get to the office, but, according to his inner feeling, the time had already passed much more than required.
Grabbing the phone again, Kaiser was going to ask Krieg where they were stuck, but was horrified to find that he stopped working. A quick check of the computer showed the same thing, although recently everything was fine.
A lump rose in the Kaiser's throat. He felt a vague danger sitting in his office, but somehow he knew that an attempt to leave the illuminated place would lead to even more terrible, terrifying consequences.
Having lost all his former confidence, Max tried to make the technique work. Out of the corner of his eye, noticing a vague silhouette rapidly approaching him, the Kaiser, who is in a very nervous state, did not even hesitate to create a whole field of peaks right under the unknown.
But there were no screams, no blood — only dozens of metal spears were frozen in the middle of the newly clean and tidy office, and nothing indicated that someone else was present here.
Looking around in a desperate attempt to find the attacker, the leader of the Nazis began to speak:
— You! but he didn't finish the sentence, startled by the volume of his own voice. It was as if he had entered a huge cave, where every sound echoed in his bones. No other sounds had a similar effect, which only increased his already considerable anxiety.
— If you think you can intimidate me with such tricks, you are very much mistaken! Kaiser hissed angrily under his breath, hoping to lower the volume of the sound in this way.
Silence answered him. Even that unpleasant sound effect didn't appear this time, ruining his expectations.
— Are you playing? Kaiser asked a rhetorical question, and then, in a desperate attempt to regain confidence, waved his hands, creating long needles on every surface of his office.
As if responding to him, the ceiling lamp blinked. Then another one. The third lamp, located in the far part of the office, turned off completely, leaving a thick, black, unnatural shadow under it.
Horror filled Max's mind. Recoiling from the abyss that appeared in his office, he exerted his strength, sealing the cursed place with a meter-high wall of the most durable metal he could create.
It no longer mattered how frightening the prospect of going outside the office had been recently — this small corner of a huge building had ceased to be a safe place, the feeling of someone else's presence did not leave Anders. Remembering about the lack of light in the corridor, he picked up a flashlight that was lying in one of the shelves of his desk and moved to the exit.
It was difficult to force himself to turn the door handle — he still felt the danger of such an action, but he also could not force himself to be here, so, gathering his strength, he went out into the corridor.
There was a light on, and everything was so ordinary, as if nothing was happening. But he remembered perfectly well that the light bulbs did not work when he looked out of the office last time, and therefore, instead of the expected calm, it only made him afraid. Kaiser moved toward the stairs as fast as his armor would allow, still holding the gun in his hands. Not to the elevators—the thought of being locked in a confined space alone with an invisible enemy was even more frightening.
He walked, walked, but when he reached the place where the stairs should be, he found nothing — the corridor was not going to end, and the light seemed to grow dimmer with every step.
Max turned around and ran. Running past the office door, which, to his relief, was still present on the floor, he realized that the light was really getting dimmer by the second. In contrast, his shadow became thicker and thicker and seemed to start moving on its own in those moments when he wasn't looking directly at it.
The elevator was in place, but the doors, oddly enough, were open. But the Kaiser did not even pay attention to this. What was more important was that the entire elevator, from floor to ceiling, and the space of the corridor next to it were flooded with something. There was a sharp metallic smell in the air, but even without it it was clear: everything was covered with blood stains.
It all looked so much like a farce, like a cheap horror movie or a terrible dream, that Max had completely stopped believing in the reality of what was happening. Only this, perhaps, can explain the fact that he did not run away, but quickly entered the elevator and pressed the button of the first floor all the way down. The doors slammed shut, and he exhaled with relief, feeling the movement in space. But when it stopped, Max froze at the sight of the bloody symbols already familiar to him.
It was no longer so easy to convince myself that everything around me was unreal. The brain completely shut down, leaving the Kaiser spinning in this dance of madness, in this bloody orgy. He clutched the flashlight, which he had already forgotten about, convulsively in his hand.
The bodies of his assistants lay exactly in the center of the pentagrams. Torn apart, but still alive, they tried to scream, but no sound came from their mouths with missing tongues. Blood flowed out of the torn bodies, causing them unbearable suffering, but death was not going to stop this painful process at all.
A low rumble appeared in his head, growing louder by the second and seemingly coming from everywhere at once.
Startled by what he saw, Max blinked, but at the same moment everything disappeared — the corridor was clean again, but there was no elevator behind him.
It looked as if he had just left the office. Only the dimness of the lighting distinguished this moment from the past.
Max's nerves could not stand it, and he screamed into the void:
— Stop playing! Stop it! I know you're here, you're playing with my mind, maybe creating illusions… Stop it! What do you want? Kill me? Blackmail? Answer me!
In a rage, he directed the force — the walls, floor and ceiling, all around were dotted with thin spikes, from long ones — more than a meter, to short ones, no longer than a finger. Now the steel needles filled the entire space around him. The familiar feeling of his strength, though not soothing, but created a kind of anchor, made it possible to understand that everything is real. Is it real? And is it good? Perhaps, if it was a dream, delirium, hallucination… But he didn't have time to think.
The darkness deepened even more, but it went unnoticed because he heard a SOUND.
I think they were footsteps. Heavy, measured, they were getting closer, becoming clearer and clearer. Now the Kaiser had no doubt — someone was coming. And he knew who. Krieg had spent enough time with him that Max was able to recognize his footsteps.
— James? — he could not, and did not think to hide the tremor in his voice. It was probably the first time in his life that he experienced the most real horror, and authority in front of a subordinate was the last thing that worried him right now.
— Boss? Boss, are you there? Something strange is happening, all the electricity in the building has been cut off, the backup generators are running at the limit, the connection is not…
— I know! I know, James. It's not just a malfunction, some Cape or a group of Capes is playing with us. This is a Stranger, perhaps a Ruler, creating illusions. We need to get out of here urgently. Where are you?
—Boss, I think we—" Krieg—or what he thought was Krieg—came around the corner.
The creature had his body, his voice, his costume, but his face looked as if something had got inside his head, and now this underside was being squeezed out, stretching the skin in a creepy parody of a human.
Without thinking, Kaiser created metal under the creature's feet, instantly killing it, but from the other side another voice caught his attention:
— Max, what are you doing? You... — this parody of Jessica was interrupted by a shot. Surprisingly accurate in this light.
— I said. That's enough. Play!
He wanted to say something else, but more and more of his subordinates began to appear around.
The rotting body of Alebaster, covered with pus and ulcers, constantly recovering and beginning to decompose again; the Hookwolf, in whose flesh so many needles, hooks and blades were stuck that it looked like he still used force; Victor, seemingly unchanged outwardly, but moving like a child — without a gram of skill — they and others came to him like puppets controlled by an inept puppeteer. And the Kaiser was forced one by one to kill all these images of people he knew.
With each new death, the corridor became darker and darker, but the enemies did not even think to end.
And so, after the light disappeared completely, and the flashlight was broken by one of the enemy blows, Max made a mistake. He stumbled and fell, allowing his former comrades to pounce on his body like rabid animals on a piece of meat.
They began to tear his flesh, tearing out bones with their bare hands and pouring his hot blood all around. But the long-awaited death still did not come. He couldn't even lose consciousness from the terrible pain, much more severe than the pain from ordinary wounds.
Max was able to sense the moment of death. There was such a contrast between the torment and the feeling of Freedom, Peace and Happiness that Max could not compare it with any drug he knew.
But all good things come to an end. So moments later, Max stopped feeling Paradise and realized himself in the same corridor with dim lamps and an aggressive growl from somewhere outside.
His fingers sharpened, and his skin became stronger, acquiring a metallic sheen.
But he no longer cared about such changes. He clutched his hair in horror and fell to his knees, muttering to himself: "No, no, no, no. Bring me back!" Feeling the ideal, he realized that his entire previous life had been a torment. Everything that had attracted him before turned into rot in his mind, the only thing he wanted was to return to that ideal place, free from the torments and horrors of life.
With a growl, he got up from his knees and with a shout rushed straight at the beetle-like Cricket.
— Kill me now, kill me! Max screamed like a madman, and Cricket obeyed. Her creepy paw with a blade on the end jerked, aiming straight at the neck, and Max was already ready to feel Freedom.
But... the blow left only a cut on his metal skin, not even a drop of blood left his body, leaving him no chance of dying from blood loss.
— More! Harder! HARDER! — having lost all reason, he repeatedly rushed at all the arriving monsters, trying to get a fatal wound. After one of the successful blows, his head still separated from his body and he went to HEAVEN... for even less time than the first time.
With each death, his body changed, moving away from the human form more and more. Cycle after cycle, Max became stronger, more resilient, eventually turning into a metal ball full of desire, anger and pain.
In the pursuit of desires, endlessly striving for eternal pleasure, but unable to achieve it, the Kaiser lost his entire human essence. Endlessly killed by former friends and allies, he forgot them, throwing familiar faces out of his head.
And so came the inglorious end of the Kaiser, the former leader of the Empire 88. And when his body finally moved away from the visions, there was no reason in the look of empty eyes - the doll, who wanted to fulfill any order for the sake of a drop of Paradise, remained instead of him
***
Jessica knocked softly on the door of her boss's office. Thirty seconds passed, but there was no response, which was very strange, considering that the Kaiser himself had called her just a couple of minutes ago.
After waiting for another half a minute, the girl gently took hold of the handle and lowered it, opening the door. She peeked cautiously into the office, intending to ask if she could come in, but it wasn't necessary.
A strange picture unfolded in front of the secretary who entered: the owner of the office was sitting at his desk with his hands and head on it. Looks like he was asleep.
This was so uncharacteristic of Kaiser that Jessica was worried. She slowly came closer, but didn't see anything else suspicious. It looks like the boss really just fell asleep at the table, and there is no reason to worry… But what about the challenge then? The answer to this question came quickly. In the dream, Max threw one hand to the side, so that it lay exactly on the button with which he always called one of the secretaries to him. Delicious. So it's just an accident…
Jessica exhaled with relief, relaxing, and gently removed the boss's hand from the button, unable to resist a gentle stroking at the last.
Everything turned out to be much easier than expected. The secretary relaxed and straightened the papers scattered on the table. And yet something was bothering her…
Well, exactly! Max's tablet was lying next to him on the table. And it was turned on. It turns out that he fell asleep quite recently, and not only that, he did not even reach the sofa, specially located here for recreation, and even did not turn off the tablet… The tablet, which, by the way, was now showing a broadcast from CCTV cameras. A broadcast consisting of only one black screen with a short inscription on top. It turns out that there is no connection to the cameras, which means…
Jessica straightened up abruptly and rushed to the phone. She looked at the screen. There was no connection. Then she took a walkie—talkie from the top drawer of the Kaiser's desk, prepared just in case of telephone failures—yes, in some aspects Max Anders was still paranoid - and tried to contact the head of security. She still felt only a slight unease, but with every second she waited for an answer, it grew.
Finally, the monotonous hissing stopped, and James' voice was heard on the other end of the channel. That's just it wasn't his usual carefree tone — it was inarticulate shouts, periodically interrupted by incomprehensible clicks. Clicking once again, the walkie-talkie turned off and did not turn on again.
— But what is it? — the situation was so incredible and unrealistic that the girl was still in prostration, not knowing how to react. After all, just recently everything was in order, what could…
The best solution that the secretary could come up with now was to wake up the boss. Whatever's going on, he needs to know about it.
— Max? Max, get up," she gently shook him. She touched her shoulders, her back... — Come on, wake up, please!
But the Kaiser did not wake up. He was alive, but he was so far away from reality that nothing could pull him out of his dream. The secretary did not give up trying, at the same time frantically thinking what was going on, but then something stopped her and made her turn around sharply.
Jessica caught a glimpse of a shadow nearby out of the corner of her eye…
***
Somewhere underground in the center of Brockton Bay. Is unknown.
— ...pay you for it. Just do it, the rest is my concern," a villain named Coil, sitting at a computer desk, hung up, then got up and began to warm up. After many hours of working with documents, the body wanted movement, and the Coil gave it what it asked for.
After that, he sat down at the table again and began to read a new report.
Everything in front of him was somehow connected with a new Trump Card — Pertinax. Yes, in official documents, he is recorded as a Tinker with some Trump addition. But he, the Coil, knew about its true power.
Such power, he thought, cannot belong to one person who can only waste it on trifles. No, Pertinax needs someone who will tell him what he should do, which force to create a new one and which tinkertech to sell. In other words, he must go to his subordination.
Such thoughts were in his head after the arrival of Trump in the PRT. The fool told all the information about himself, practically begging the Coil to use his weaknesses against him.
Coil told his people everything he had learned, but it turned out that... he had nothing to put pressure on Antonias. A person without family, friends and the need for money, while having power, becomes a person who is not so easy to manipulate.
Therefore, the Coil began to look for ways to control. The first, the second, the third — time after time he sent his people to collect information. But at the moment, something very different is happening from the usual actions of Pertinax.
His mercenaries, whom he sent this time without clear instructions, did something that forced Cape to change his mindset and discard his humanity and humanity.
Creatures created from the corpses of his soldiers abducted the residents of the area from their homes, and then carried them to a place where he could no longer track them.
In a good way, this version of reality should be curtailed, but… It was such a great opportunity to get more information that the Coil couldn't resist the temptation and stayed here.
And now, just a day later, he was receiving numerous reports from his people.
The team of Protectorate heroes sent to the area of Pertinax's house disappeared almost in full force. Only Velocity, sent for help, left there, bringing information that there were no local residents left.
Already at this point, the Coil abandoned his plans for Trump and only watched the consequences. Anyone who is able to defeat half a dozen capes at a time will be too difficult a target in the absence of other levers of influence.
After the news about the missing residents, and later — the entire task force, pretty quickly, the appearance of biotechnary monsters in the city became no secret to anyone in their department of the PRT.
Thus, from hour to hour, a team of "Pied Pipers" arrives in the city, which specializes in deterring large groups of enemies. Coil himself suspected that this group would not be a problem for Pertinax and would soon require the intervention of the Triumvirate itself.
The Coil finished reading the current report, carefully put it aside, and then took another one concerning the strange activity in the Medhall tower, noticed by one of the paid employees.
He managed to read only a third when an alarm sounded at his base. Throwing the paper aside, the Coil began to give orders to the mercenaries, simultaneously viewing the readings from the cameras.
— Group A, take position three, formation number 5. Group B, block the corridor, activate the security system. The group..." he did not have time to finish, drowned out by the roar of a multi—ton metal door, which flew out of the passage with a terrible noise.
And in the aisle itself HE was standing, — Pertinax, in person. In his two-meter coal-black armor, with a huge hammer, the size of the striker of which was half a man, he created such a terrible impression that the Coil could not restrain the tremor that swept through his body.
Not wanting to take any more risks, the Coil immediately tried to reset this obviously corrupted reality, but to his great horror could not do it. He still existed in two places and realities at the same time, and this fact brought comfort, but the fact that Pertinax was able to limit his ability still scared him terribly.
Trump himself broke into a run a moment later. In less than a third of a second, Pertinax overcame more than thirty meters and, without even slowing down from passing literally through his people, continued to move along the corridors.
But even after the main enemy disappeared behind their backs, the mercenaries were not left alone.
Under the cover of energy shields created by huge scorpion-like robots, more and more mechanisms began to penetrate into the room.
Literally vaporizing people with lasers, countless drones flew into the room. Flexible, reptilian devices began to bite into the walls, moving, as far as Coil remembered the layout of the bunker, straight to the generator room.
To see all the variety of mechanical horrors, the Coil could not because of the sudden breakdown of his computer. He spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on it, the device was as close to the concept of Tinkertech as it was possible without constant breakdowns, but all the protection systems did not save him from enemy hacking.
Coil jumped up from the table, grabbed a gun and ran to the secret passage. It took time to open, because there was no electronics there — he made sure that it could not be hacked.
The Coil rushed down, leaving behind the dying people.
Emergency lights illuminated his path, and he didn't even know why he was running away. He understood that if he fell into the hands of Pertinax, the consequences could be worse than death. Probably, he wanted to at least leave on his own terms, having reset reality on his own, and not as a result of death.
Behind him, a long, mocking cry was heard: — Cooiil! Don't run! Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you," but the tone instantly changed, became cold, with a note of hidden cruelty, as if another person was already saying it: "Oh, no, I'm lying. It will be long and painful. After what you ordered your people to do—the Coil didn't even know what they had done—I changed, you know. On the one hand, I am grateful to you — that's why you will die the last of the local gang leaders, — the voice was getting closer, although the Coil, who used to be an operative and has a very athletic body, was running without slowing down. — On the other hand, I hate you for such changes, so I have already prepared for you a lot of such interesting and very painful toys. By the way, I promised that you'd be the last to die," Coil had already cursed himself for creating such a long passage, he was covered in sweat, began to run out of breath, and the idiotic suit rubbed everything that was possible, "so, I'm going to the penultimate one only tomorrow.
Finally reaching the door facing the Docks, the Coil tried to open it, but ... it turned out to be welded.
Turning around in shock, the Coil saw his pursuer, who was somewhere fifty meters away from him. He walked carelessly towards the villain, fully aware of his superiority.
— As you can see, I was ready for your escape and blocked all the exits. You just have to..." he wasn't listening anymore. Once again unsuccessfully trying to reset reality, he stuck the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.
A sharp darkening coincided with the cry: — Stop! — and the sound of a jump in his direction.
Already dying, he heard the last words of Pertinax:
— So ... none of this happened? Well, damn it.
***
Thomas Calvert, exemplary PRT office worker.
Startled, Thomas woke up, sitting at his desk.
He spent a little less than a minute breathing heavily and listening to his feelings - Pertinax was strong enough that the posthumous reset of one reality led to the loss of consciousness in another. Couldn't he just have Thomas think dead in order to preserve the version of reality he existed in? No, everything is in order, there is only one reality left - the one where there is no Antonias Russell who has gone mad, where Coil is still alive, strong and keeps everything under control. Only now was Thomas able to force himself to breathe a sigh of relief. But still…
Now he finally understood how dangerous the newly-minted Trump was. If one day he decides that Coil is somehow interfering with him, then there is an almost one hundred percent chance that Calvert will not win this confrontation. It is not certain that he will even survive in any of the realities.
With horror, Coil imagined what Pertinax would be capable of if he went crazy or desired power outside of one of his simulations...
No, we need to get out of this city before it's too late. Fortunately, his colleague Accord will not mind accepting Calvert for a while until he builds a new shelter for himself.
Perhaps the money spent on the bunker is not so pitiful ...
"Something very bad is happening," thought the Armmaster, heading at high speed towards the Slums in the northern part of the city. But no matter how much he wanted to speed up, he could not afford to break away from his colleagues, sent along with him by a panicked Piggot.
Based on what he knew about his boss, her reaction was even a little weak—she could have sent the entire Brockton Bay Protectorate and Wards to help them to deal with such a situation.
Considering all the possible danger, he might even be inclined to agree with her in this act.
—Dragon," he said to his colleague, who kindly offered to help them. — Is there any new information?
—No, Colin," she answered him with a strange intonation. — And the worst thing is that I don't have any new news from this area at all. As if something is completely jamming the connection or, even worse, there is simply no one to transmit at least some information.
All the Armmaster could do after hearing her words was to grit his teeth and suppress the desire to accelerate, leaving his colleagues far behind.
But where is our brave hero going, and what kind of problem could arise, causing such an alarming reaction from the city authorities, to put it mildly?
And something potentially terrifying happened — Pertinax suddenly went crazy and completely crossed the line. This was exactly what all the signs pointed to — he already had every opportunity to create such a cataclysm during their meeting in the Protectorate building, and his house is located in the very center of the area in which biotechnarian creatures were seen and with which communication was now lost.
The Armmaster did not want to believe it — Cape showed himself to be quite a reasonable person and was aware of the need to restrain himself in his actions, although he behaved a little provocatively.
And that was exactly what bothered him the most. An opponent who does not know how to control himself because of emotions is easily influenced and very predictable, and therefore much less dangerous than someone who is able to make plans and understands the importance of self-control.
Given Pertinax's strength, if his alleged involvement in what is happening is confirmed, he will be a very dangerous enemy. That is why Piggot sent all the free capes who were not engaged in patrols in the disputed territories to the Slums and at the same time submitted a request to the PRT offices in other cities for help from their capes.
If the creation of an army of self-replicating monsters or machines is confirmed, a team of "Pied Pipers" will arrive in the city during the day, which specializes in deterring a large number of enemies. The group was assembled shortly after the events in Ellisburg, and over 7 years of work, these capes were able to prevent more than a dozen possible repetitions of those events.
The Armmaster himself hoped that their help would not be needed after all. Each time after such an incident, the city was quarantined for several months to make sure that all the creatures were destroyed. This is undoubtedly a necessary measure, but he was not at all tempted by the prospect that instead of working on his weapons or armor, he, a Armmaster , would have to spend almost all of his working time on endless patrols. And this despite the fact that he recently, inspired by the work of Pertinax, acquired a lot of ideas that needed to be tested.
—Armmaster," the Dragon's voice came over the micro—earpiece. — You are approaching the designated area. And errors in the connection are already beginning to slip. It is quite possible that the connection will be severed. I'll try other ways to contact you.
— Accepted, Dragon, — his helmet automatically caught the movement of his eyes and connected a local connection, through which he began to transmit instructions to his colleagues and subordinates.
— This is a Armmaster, we have reached the threat area. Dragon has confirmed the jamming of communications, and my scanners do not detect any living objects larger than a rat in the area. I'm afraid that our most terrible fears have been confirmed — Pertinax decided to conduct experiments on humans and tried to hide it by limiting communication.
The group stopped on one of the deserted streets. Gray, cracked walls with piles of garbage indicated the abandonment of the area. However, it was TOO deserted here today.
— I suggest we drive further away and check. What if he just gathered all the residents for a party "for his own"? — Assault, this eternal wit, even in such a situation could not help but insert his word.
— Unlikely. But I support the proposal. Does anyone have any objections?
— I think I could launch my drone. I would fly myself, but I don't like that some of its functions are unavailable for some reason. So let him be our eye from heaven," the Challenger suggested. The usually eccentric Tinker was serious right now, even wearing armor, which, despite popular belief, she still had, but which she usually used only in emergency situations. In accordance with her words, the Tinker's motorcycle has already begun to produce and warm up rocket engines.
— It's a good idea. After that, you can ride with me," the Armmaster performed several manipulations with his motorcycle, hiding the storage for things deep into the case and providing a place for a seat and a rack to secure her weapons.
As they moved deeper into the area, the heroes became more aware of the scale of the situation. Of course, this part of the city was not comfortable to live in, but to remain completely without signs of life… All traces pointed to the same thing, and along with the connection, as luck would have it, the transmitters also stopped working.
— Velocity! — The armorer beckoned the named one to him with a gesture. — There is no communication with the headquarters anymore, but someone has to transmit information about what he saw. With a probability of 96 percent, I can say that the situation with Nilbog is being repeated now. The containment team should arrive no later than in 12 hours, otherwise everything will be worse than in Ellisburg.
— But you... — the Mover tried to object to him.
— We will go ahead and try to stop everything in the bud, — the Armmaster looked back at his comrades, who nodded to him, understanding what he wanted to say. — We are all heroes here, and we are ready to give our lives for the sake of the city. You will be most effective at delivering an important message. This is also important. Go," the Armmaster paused, feeling proud of his social interaction program and the effect his words had on his subordinate.
After hesitating for a second, Velocity replied, "Yes, boss," and then sped away, leaving a blurry image behind for a moment.
The Armmaster turned to the team, and as soon as he wanted to give the order to continue moving, he was interrupted by loud claps coming from a place where, as he thought before, there was no one.
— Bravo, bravo! — a young girl dressed in a colorful Tinkertech suit, which, as the Armmaster was sure, did not allow his sensors to detect her, stood in the doorway of one of the buildings nearby. With her whole appearance she showed mockery and relaxation, as if she was completely unafraid of the six capes ready to fight the unknown. — It was SUCH a heroic speech, SUCH dedication, I'm ready to cry. However," she paused, "you did everything right, the boss wants as many capes as possible to join him.
No one relaxed at the meeting with the unknown, on the contrary, the degree of paranoia increased by an order of magnitude. And for good reason — at this time, more and more parahumans appeared on the roofs, surrounding them from all sides. A large number of the most diverse Tinkertech suits, made in the style he, the Armmaster, had already seen, said that they all worked for Pertinax.
The heroes stood in a circle back to back, surrounded by an overwhelming number of troops, while the girl continued her monologue without stopping it for a second.
— ...it seems that the Protectorate is ineffective, that year after year the Destroyers kill entire cities, and the Capes, absorbed in fighting each other, cannot or even do not want to work for the common cause. THEN WE'LL MAKE THEM! she abruptly switched to shouting, waving her arms furiously, seemingly ceasing to notice the six in front of her. — The stupid and evil will transfer their strength to the worthy, and the weak and infirm will join His Army and will be able to work in perfect synergy, — she pronounced this word with sacred awe. — And you, — her gaze became more meaningful, after which she pointed her finger at their group, — want to interfere with His plans, without even realizing what you are going to do.
It couldn't go on like this. Colin confidently stepped forward and put the halberd in the direction of the enemy, not wanting to continue this farce anymore.
— You are accused of opposing members of the Protectorate and aiding the Biotink. Lay down your arms and you will be judged according to all the rules of the law.
His opponent was not impressed at all, she just blew off the bangs that covered her eye and took a step, looking completely confident.
She raised her hand and snapped her fingers. The sound, which should have been quite quiet, echoed down the street, and after that, biomechanical monsters began to appear from around the corners, so different, but at the same time similar to each other - you don't understand that you are on OUR territory, why would we give up?
The Armmaster swallowed, starting, no, not to panic, to worry. Despite the fact that he had been training for years, honing the art of halberd fighting day after day; the fact that his armor and weapons were a work of art, for the right to study which some techies were ready to kill; and the fact that behind him was his team, capable of defeating almost any threat, he understood that a dozen unknown capes , provided there is no communication with the headquarters , may become their last.
"Boss, the drone hasn't belonged to me for five minutes." Such news from the Challenger also undermined his confidence.
They are now in the minority, in a weak position. Alone, cut off from leadership. Help for the fight will not come. But is a fight necessary? The Armmaster could agree that the system was inefficient, that the work of a well-coordinated team would always be better than the work of just a bunch of people gathered together. He could see the meaning in the girl's words and understood how tired he was of working for the state, which never understood the capes and twirled them as it wanted. At the moment when the thought that it would be better to go under the leadership of Pertinax crept into his head, he understood everything. They are mastered.
— Master! he shouted, slicing off the head of the enemy cape with a quick swing. Only the enemy was a couple of meters away from him, completely unharmed and looking all the same cheerful.
— Bob! she shouted with a laugh, turning to the right. You are completely useless!
The Armmaster was already moving towards her, but suddenly his world turned ORANGE. Visions of orange, the taste of orange on the tongue, the smell of citrus, and the completely indescribable sound of orange filled his world, making it impossible to comprehend what was happening. After a moment, everything stopped, and the Armmaster not seeing the enemy in his field of vision, instantly cut into pieces the monster that rushed at him. Ducking under a blow from the side, he, having no room for a full swing, hit the enemy with an electric gauntlet he had assembled in case the halberd could not be used. Having lost sight of his entire team, he continued to fight in a fierce dance. Enemies broke through his defenses several times, but were unable to do more than bent armor. They were all stunned, caught in the containment foam, and at the moment when he handcuffed the multicolored girl that irritated him so much, his mind cleared up.
The capes surrounding him did not even move from their places, all the monsters were in place, the colorful girl was grinning from the same passage where she had stood from the very beginning, and his comrade Miss Militia writhed in his arms.
Colin tried in horror to break the handcuffs, but his armor—the same armor that he had personally collected over the years, and which had everything for such cases—was refusing to move.
With a leisurely, measured step, the colorful one approached him and, without ceasing to smirk, spoke:
"You see, dear Armmaster. You lost. Only three of us used the force, but you! You weren't ready. INEFFICIENT. That's why you're coming with us, now you can't get away from, - she chuckled, - Bob. You will become part of His Army and help Him in the fight against all the dirt of the world.
The Armmaster did not have time to say a word, losing consciousness right on the spot.
***
POV Kaiser
Brockton Bay Center. Medhall Tower
At the top of the tower, in a luxurious room decorated with a huge number of precious things (many of which are considered stolen), a man was sitting.
This man's name was Max Anders, and those who knew him considered him a prominent public figure. He organized many charity events, developed business in the city, provided poor people with jobs, and in general his medical company is one of the few reasons why people went to Brockton Bay.
But few people knew about his alternative, dark side. He proudly called himself the Kaiser and with a strong hand ruled the most authoritative and powerful group in the city.
At the moment, this man was almost in despair and was frantically sorting through possible futures.
The cause of his troubles was called Pertinax. Pertinax, who attracted the attention of powerful people from abroad.
Already half a day after the PRT classified him, the people from the Gesellschaft got all the information about the Tinker, using some of their own, third-party sources of information.
The potential of the lonely and independent Tinker was immediately appreciated, and he, the Kaiser, was ordered to capture Pertinax and deliver him to Europe.
He was angry at this state of affairs. Since childhood, accustomed to being the king of his own and other people's lives, Max hated to obey anyone. Many years ago, after a successful assassination attempt on his own father, Max stood at the head of the Empire and took a place worthy of him. During the negotiations with Gesellschaft, he was able to get everything for himself — money, capes, in general, the support of his organization. His paymant? It was minimal. But even so, year after year, he made plans to get rid of the influence of his "Brothers".
But, so that they would not suspect anything, he still had to do what they asked.
So he sent his men. A squad consisting of Crusader, Night, Fog and Hookwolf under the command of Purity went towards the house of Pertinax, which so stupidly revealed its identity and would soon feel the consequences of its short-sightedness.
Except the squad didn't come back. Neither with the captured target, nor without it. Five strong and experienced capes had to cope with their task effortlessly, but instead disappeared into the unknown.
And this state of affairs frightened the Kaiser, even if he did not show it. Such a loss could be critical in a battle with the rest of the city's gangs, but... he hadn't heard of them taking any action recently. And it was alarming. All these dirty drug addicts, Asians and other riffraff never missed moments of weakness and strove to take a bigger bite.
Despite the fact that he led a Nazi gang, the Kaiser did not consider himself a Nazi. In fact, he didn't care about blacks or narrow—eyed people, the only thing he cared about was power. And idiots who were ready to kill the objects of their hatred were SO easy to manage.
But now these very idiots in submission have turned to him. They, as well as he, noticed the silence from other gangs and began to demand the seizure of new territories and, in general, an attack on all "cowards and losers" at once. Not seeing anything suspicious in the behavior of these very cowards and not even noticing their own losses, the half-wits wanted to climb into a trap and drag the whole Empire with them.
Max massaged his temples and pressed a button on his desk. With this button, he signaled Jessica or Nessie, officially to his secretaries, and unofficially to the Valkyrie sisters, ordering one of them to come to his office.
Except no one came. Max pressed the button again, even checked if it was working, and, not finding the problem, became alert. These two were loyal subordinates and his mistresses, and they definitely wouldn't make fun of him in any way.
Kaiser quickly turned on the tablet and opened the broadcast from the surveillance cameras, but was surprised to find only a dark screen. The cameras were broken and didn't work.
He was visited by a strange premonition of imminent trouble. And he was smart enough not to ignore such bells. Cautiously getting up from the table, Max took out a pistol, checked the cartridges and, pulling the bolt, went to the door of the office.
He slowly opened the door and looked out. There was no light, and the switch refused to work, leaving everything outside his office in pitch darkness.
Max didn't hear any sounds from the darkness, but something told him that the situation had gone beyond the banal traffic jams.
Returning to the office, he checked the phone and, after making sure that there was a connection, called Krieg. James, who according to the documents is the CEO of the company, actually held the position of his head of security and SHOULD have known about what was happening.
After a few rings, the phone was finally picked up, and after hearing a relaxed "yes, boss" from there, Max, who was already in tension, could not contain his indignation.
—What yes? Do you even know what's going on with electricity and cameras? Where did Nessa and Jessica go? You're not being paid to do nothing!
The sounds of footsteps and turning on the computer came from the phone, while James himself, already in a serious tone, answered questions:
— These two passed by me just a couple of minutes ago. They said that you gave them an urgent task and that they should hurry up," the sound of tapping on the keys stopped, and he answered the last question: "The computer shows that everything is working fine, there are no problems.
— I didn't send them anywhere! So ... — Max began to pace the office, nervously ruffling the hair on the back of his head. — Get Alebaster out of his closet and run towards me. Call everyone else and be ready for the Stranger. Code—alpha-nineteen-sword-thirty-three. Run!
Throwing the phone aside, Kaiser began to create his armor. Some cape was clearly involved in what was happening, and he was not going to give him an easy victory.
After putting on a metal shell, the Kaiser began to feel safe. However, some sixth sense told him that something was wrong.
Frowning, he began to look around the office in search of clues or hoping to at least find his invisible enemy. After a few minutes of tense silence, it dawned on him what he didn't like so much.
Time!
From the moment when he first called the twins to his office, the hand of both ordinary and computer clocks did not move. His guards and subordinates needed only a minute to get to the office, but, according to his inner feeling, the time had already passed much more than required.
Grabbing the phone again, Kaiser was going to ask Krieg where they were stuck, but was horrified to find that he stopped working. A quick check of the computer showed the same thing, although recently everything was fine.
A lump rose in the Kaiser's throat. He felt a vague danger sitting in his office, but somehow he knew that an attempt to leave the illuminated place would lead to even more terrible, terrifying consequences.
Having lost all his former confidence, Max tried to make the technique work. Out of the corner of his eye, noticing a vague silhouette rapidly approaching him, the Kaiser, who is in a very nervous state, did not even hesitate to create a whole field of peaks right under the unknown.
But there were no screams, no blood — only dozens of metal spears were frozen in the middle of the newly clean and tidy office, and nothing indicated that someone else was present here.
Looking around in a desperate attempt to find the attacker, the leader of the Nazis began to speak:
— You! but he didn't finish the sentence, startled by the volume of his own voice. It was as if he had entered a huge cave, where every sound echoed in his bones. No other sounds had a similar effect, which only increased his already considerable anxiety.
— If you think you can intimidate me with such tricks, you are very much mistaken! Kaiser hissed angrily under his breath, hoping to lower the volume of the sound in this way.
Silence answered him. Even that unpleasant sound effect didn't appear this time, ruining his expectations.
— Are you playing? Kaiser asked a rhetorical question, and then, in a desperate attempt to regain confidence, waved his hands, creating long needles on every surface of his office.
As if responding to him, the ceiling lamp blinked. Then another one. The third lamp, located in the far part of the office, turned off completely, leaving a thick, black, unnatural shadow under it.
Horror filled Max's mind. Recoiling from the abyss that appeared in his office, he exerted his strength, sealing the cursed place with a meter-high wall of the most durable metal he could create.
It no longer mattered how frightening the prospect of going outside the office had been recently — this small corner of a huge building had ceased to be a safe place, the feeling of someone else's presence did not leave Anders. Remembering about the lack of light in the corridor, he picked up a flashlight that was lying in one of the shelves of his desk and moved to the exit.
It was difficult to force himself to turn the door handle — he still felt the danger of such an action, but he also could not force himself to be here, so, gathering his strength, he went out into the corridor.
There was a light on, and everything was so ordinary, as if nothing was happening. But he remembered perfectly well that the light bulbs did not work when he looked out of the office last time, and therefore, instead of the expected calm, it only made him afraid. Kaiser moved toward the stairs as fast as his armor would allow, still holding the gun in his hands. Not to the elevators—the thought of being locked in a confined space alone with an invisible enemy was even more frightening.
He walked, walked, but when he reached the place where the stairs should be, he found nothing — the corridor was not going to end, and the light seemed to grow dimmer with every step.
Max turned around and ran. Running past the office door, which, to his relief, was still present on the floor, he realized that the light was really getting dimmer by the second. In contrast, his shadow became thicker and thicker and seemed to start moving on its own in those moments when he wasn't looking directly at it.
The elevator was in place, but the doors, oddly enough, were open. But the Kaiser did not even pay attention to this. What was more important was that the entire elevator, from floor to ceiling, and the space of the corridor next to it were flooded with something. There was a sharp metallic smell in the air, but even without it it was clear: everything was covered with blood stains.
It all looked so much like a farce, like a cheap horror movie or a terrible dream, that Max had completely stopped believing in the reality of what was happening. Only this, perhaps, can explain the fact that he did not run away, but quickly entered the elevator and pressed the button of the first floor all the way down. The doors slammed shut, and he exhaled with relief, feeling the movement in space. But when it stopped, Max froze at the sight of the bloody symbols already familiar to him.
It was no longer so easy to convince myself that everything around me was unreal. The brain completely shut down, leaving the Kaiser spinning in this dance of madness, in this bloody orgy. He clutched the flashlight, which he had already forgotten about, convulsively in his hand.
The bodies of his assistants lay exactly in the center of the pentagrams. Torn apart, but still alive, they tried to scream, but no sound came from their mouths with missing tongues. Blood flowed out of the torn bodies, causing them unbearable suffering, but death was not going to stop this painful process at all.
A low rumble appeared in his head, growing louder by the second and seemingly coming from everywhere at once.
Startled by what he saw, Max blinked, but at the same moment everything disappeared — the corridor was clean again, but there was no elevator behind him.
It looked as if he had just left the office. Only the dimness of the lighting distinguished this moment from the past.
Max's nerves could not stand it, and he screamed into the void:
— Stop playing! Stop it! I know you're here, you're playing with my mind, maybe creating illusions… Stop it! What do you want? Kill me? Blackmail? Answer me!
In a rage, he directed the force — the walls, floor and ceiling, all around were dotted with thin spikes, from long ones — more than a meter, to short ones, no longer than a finger. Now the steel needles filled the entire space around him. The familiar feeling of his strength, though not soothing, but created a kind of anchor, made it possible to understand that everything is real. Is it real? And is it good? Perhaps, if it was a dream, delirium, hallucination… But he didn't have time to think.
The darkness deepened even more, but it went unnoticed because he heard a SOUND.
I think they were footsteps. Heavy, measured, they were getting closer, becoming clearer and clearer. Now the Kaiser had no doubt — someone was coming. And he knew who. Krieg had spent enough time with him that Max was able to recognize his footsteps.
— James? — he could not, and did not think to hide the tremor in his voice. It was probably the first time in his life that he experienced the most real horror, and authority in front of a subordinate was the last thing that worried him right now.
— Boss? Boss, are you there? Something strange is happening, all the electricity in the building has been cut off, the backup generators are running at the limit, the connection is not…
— I know! I know, James. It's not just a malfunction, some Cape or a group of Capes is playing with us. This is a Stranger, perhaps a Ruler, creating illusions. We need to get out of here urgently. Where are you?
—Boss, I think we—" Krieg—or what he thought was Krieg—came around the corner.
The creature had his body, his voice, his costume, but his face looked as if something had got inside his head, and now this underside was being squeezed out, stretching the skin in a creepy parody of a human.
Without thinking, Kaiser created metal under the creature's feet, instantly killing it, but from the other side another voice caught his attention:
— Max, what are you doing? You... — this parody of Jessica was interrupted by a shot. Surprisingly accurate in this light.
— I said. That's enough. Play!
He wanted to say something else, but more and more of his subordinates began to appear around.
The rotting body of Alebaster, covered with pus and ulcers, constantly recovering and beginning to decompose again; the Hookwolf, in whose flesh so many needles, hooks and blades were stuck that it looked like he still used force; Victor, seemingly unchanged outwardly, but moving like a child — without a gram of skill — they and others came to him like puppets controlled by an inept puppeteer. And the Kaiser was forced one by one to kill all these images of people he knew.
With each new death, the corridor became darker and darker, but the enemies did not even think to end.
And so, after the light disappeared completely, and the flashlight was broken by one of the enemy blows, Max made a mistake. He stumbled and fell, allowing his former comrades to pounce on his body like rabid animals on a piece of meat.
They began to tear his flesh, tearing out bones with their bare hands and pouring his hot blood all around. But the long-awaited death still did not come. He couldn't even lose consciousness from the terrible pain, much more severe than the pain from ordinary wounds.
Max was able to sense the moment of death. There was such a contrast between the torment and the feeling of Freedom, Peace and Happiness that Max could not compare it with any drug he knew.
But all good things come to an end. So moments later, Max stopped feeling Paradise and realized himself in the same corridor with dim lamps and an aggressive growl from somewhere outside.
His fingers sharpened, and his skin became stronger, acquiring a metallic sheen.
But he no longer cared about such changes. He clutched his hair in horror and fell to his knees, muttering to himself: "No, no, no, no. Bring me back!" Feeling the ideal, he realized that his entire previous life had been a torment. Everything that had attracted him before turned into rot in his mind, the only thing he wanted was to return to that ideal place, free from the torments and horrors of life.
With a growl, he got up from his knees and with a shout rushed straight at the beetle-like Cricket.
— Kill me now, kill me! Max screamed like a madman, and Cricket obeyed. Her creepy paw with a blade on the end jerked, aiming straight at the neck, and Max was already ready to feel Freedom.
But... the blow left only a cut on his metal skin, not even a drop of blood left his body, leaving him no chance of dying from blood loss.
— More! Harder! HARDER! — having lost all reason, he repeatedly rushed at all the arriving monsters, trying to get a fatal wound. After one of the successful blows, his head still separated from his body and he went to HEAVEN... for even less time than the first time.
With each death, his body changed, moving away from the human form more and more. Cycle after cycle, Max became stronger, more resilient, eventually turning into a metal ball full of desire, anger and pain.
In the pursuit of desires, endlessly striving for eternal pleasure, but unable to achieve it, the Kaiser lost his entire human essence. Endlessly killed by former friends and allies, he forgot them, throwing familiar faces out of his head.
And so came the inglorious end of the Kaiser, the former leader of the Empire 88. And when his body finally moved away from the visions, there was no reason in the look of empty eyes - the doll, who wanted to fulfill any order for the sake of a drop of Paradise, remained instead of him
***
Jessica knocked softly on the door of her boss's office. Thirty seconds passed, but there was no response, which was very strange, considering that the Kaiser himself had called her just a couple of minutes ago.
After waiting for another half a minute, the girl gently took hold of the handle and lowered it, opening the door. She peeked cautiously into the office, intending to ask if she could come in, but it wasn't necessary.
A strange picture unfolded in front of the secretary who entered: the owner of the office was sitting at his desk with his hands and head on it. Looks like he was asleep.
This was so uncharacteristic of Kaiser that Jessica was worried. She slowly came closer, but didn't see anything else suspicious. It looks like the boss really just fell asleep at the table, and there is no reason to worry… But what about the challenge then? The answer to this question came quickly. In the dream, Max threw one hand to the side, so that it lay exactly on the button with which he always called one of the secretaries to him. Delicious. So it's just an accident…
Jessica exhaled with relief, relaxing, and gently removed the boss's hand from the button, unable to resist a gentle stroking at the last.
Everything turned out to be much easier than expected. The secretary relaxed and straightened the papers scattered on the table. And yet something was bothering her…
Well, exactly! Max's tablet was lying next to him on the table. And it was turned on. It turns out that he fell asleep quite recently, and not only that, he did not even reach the sofa, specially located here for recreation, and even did not turn off the tablet… The tablet, which, by the way, was now showing a broadcast from CCTV cameras. A broadcast consisting of only one black screen with a short inscription on top. It turns out that there is no connection to the cameras, which means…
Jessica straightened up abruptly and rushed to the phone. She looked at the screen. There was no connection. Then she took a walkie—talkie from the top drawer of the Kaiser's desk, prepared just in case of telephone failures—yes, in some aspects Max Anders was still paranoid - and tried to contact the head of security. She still felt only a slight unease, but with every second she waited for an answer, it grew.
Finally, the monotonous hissing stopped, and James' voice was heard on the other end of the channel. That's just it wasn't his usual carefree tone — it was inarticulate shouts, periodically interrupted by incomprehensible clicks. Clicking once again, the walkie-talkie turned off and did not turn on again.
— But what is it? — the situation was so incredible and unrealistic that the girl was still in prostration, not knowing how to react. After all, just recently everything was in order, what could…
The best solution that the secretary could come up with now was to wake up the boss. Whatever's going on, he needs to know about it.
— Max? Max, get up," she gently shook him. She touched her shoulders, her back... — Come on, wake up, please!
But the Kaiser did not wake up. He was alive, but he was so far away from reality that nothing could pull him out of his dream. The secretary did not give up trying, at the same time frantically thinking what was going on, but then something stopped her and made her turn around sharply.
Jessica caught a glimpse of a shadow nearby out of the corner of her eye…
***
Somewhere underground in the center of Brockton Bay. Is unknown.
— ...pay you for it. Just do it, the rest is my concern," a villain named Coil, sitting at a computer desk, hung up, then got up and began to warm up. After many hours of working with documents, the body wanted movement, and the Coil gave it what it asked for.
After that, he sat down at the table again and began to read a new report.
Everything in front of him was somehow connected with a new Trump Card — Pertinax. Yes, in official documents, he is recorded as a Tinker with some Trump addition. But he, the Coil, knew about its true power.
Such power, he thought, cannot belong to one person who can only waste it on trifles. No, Pertinax needs someone who will tell him what he should do, which force to create a new one and which tinkertech to sell. In other words, he must go to his subordination.
Such thoughts were in his head after the arrival of Trump in the PRT. The fool told all the information about himself, practically begging the Coil to use his weaknesses against him.
Coil told his people everything he had learned, but it turned out that... he had nothing to put pressure on Antonias. A person without family, friends and the need for money, while having power, becomes a person who is not so easy to manipulate.
Therefore, the Coil began to look for ways to control. The first, the second, the third — time after time he sent his people to collect information. But at the moment, something very different is happening from the usual actions of Pertinax.
His mercenaries, whom he sent this time without clear instructions, did something that forced Cape to change his mindset and discard his humanity and humanity.
Creatures created from the corpses of his soldiers abducted the residents of the area from their homes, and then carried them to a place where he could no longer track them.
In a good way, this version of reality should be curtailed, but… It was such a great opportunity to get more information that the Coil couldn't resist the temptation and stayed here.
And now, just a day later, he was receiving numerous reports from his people.
The team of Protectorate heroes sent to the area of Pertinax's house disappeared almost in full force. Only Velocity, sent for help, left there, bringing information that there were no local residents left.
Already at this point, the Coil abandoned his plans for Trump and only watched the consequences. Anyone who is able to defeat half a dozen capes at a time will be too difficult a target in the absence of other levers of influence.
After the news about the missing residents, and later — the entire task force, pretty quickly, the appearance of biotechnary monsters in the city became no secret to anyone in their department of the PRT.
Thus, from hour to hour, a team of "Pied Pipers" arrives in the city, which specializes in deterring large groups of enemies. Coil himself suspected that this group would not be a problem for Pertinax and would soon require the intervention of the Triumvirate itself.
The Coil finished reading the current report, carefully put it aside, and then took another one concerning the strange activity in the Medhall tower, noticed by one of the paid employees.
He managed to read only a third when an alarm sounded at his base. Throwing the paper aside, the Coil began to give orders to the mercenaries, simultaneously viewing the readings from the cameras.
— Group A, take position three, formation number 5. Group B, block the corridor, activate the security system. The group..." he did not have time to finish, drowned out by the roar of a multi—ton metal door, which flew out of the passage with a terrible noise.
And in the aisle itself HE was standing, — Pertinax, in person. In his two-meter coal-black armor, with a huge hammer, the size of the striker of which was half a man, he created such a terrible impression that the Coil could not restrain the tremor that swept through his body.
Not wanting to take any more risks, the Coil immediately tried to reset this obviously corrupted reality, but to his great horror could not do it. He still existed in two places and realities at the same time, and this fact brought comfort, but the fact that Pertinax was able to limit his ability still scared him terribly.
Trump himself broke into a run a moment later. In less than a third of a second, Pertinax overcame more than thirty meters and, without even slowing down from passing literally through his people, continued to move along the corridors.
But even after the main enemy disappeared behind their backs, the mercenaries were not left alone.
Under the cover of energy shields created by huge scorpion-like robots, more and more mechanisms began to penetrate into the room.
Literally vaporizing people with lasers, countless drones flew into the room. Flexible, reptilian devices began to bite into the walls, moving, as far as Coil remembered the layout of the bunker, straight to the generator room.
To see all the variety of mechanical horrors, the Coil could not because of the sudden breakdown of his computer. He spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on it, the device was as close to the concept of Tinkertech as it was possible without constant breakdowns, but all the protection systems did not save him from enemy hacking.
Coil jumped up from the table, grabbed a gun and ran to the secret passage. It took time to open, because there was no electronics there — he made sure that it could not be hacked.
The Coil rushed down, leaving behind the dying people.
Emergency lights illuminated his path, and he didn't even know why he was running away. He understood that if he fell into the hands of Pertinax, the consequences could be worse than death. Probably, he wanted to at least leave on his own terms, having reset reality on his own, and not as a result of death.
Behind him, a long, mocking cry was heard: — Cooiil! Don't run! Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you," but the tone instantly changed, became cold, with a note of hidden cruelty, as if another person was already saying it: "Oh, no, I'm lying. It will be long and painful. After what you ordered your people to do—the Coil didn't even know what they had done—I changed, you know. On the one hand, I am grateful to you — that's why you will die the last of the local gang leaders, — the voice was getting closer, although the Coil, who used to be an operative and has a very athletic body, was running without slowing down. — On the other hand, I hate you for such changes, so I have already prepared for you a lot of such interesting and very painful toys. By the way, I promised that you'd be the last to die," Coil had already cursed himself for creating such a long passage, he was covered in sweat, began to run out of breath, and the idiotic suit rubbed everything that was possible, "so, I'm going to the penultimate one only tomorrow.
Finally reaching the door facing the Docks, the Coil tried to open it, but ... it turned out to be welded.
Turning around in shock, the Coil saw his pursuer, who was somewhere fifty meters away from him. He walked carelessly towards the villain, fully aware of his superiority.
— As you can see, I was ready for your escape and blocked all the exits. You just have to..." he wasn't listening anymore. Once again unsuccessfully trying to reset reality, he stuck the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.
A sharp darkening coincided with the cry: — Stop! — and the sound of a jump in his direction.
Already dying, he heard the last words of Pertinax:
— So ... none of this happened? Well, damn it.
***
Thomas Calvert, exemplary PRT office worker.
Startled, Thomas woke up, sitting at his desk.
He spent a little less than a minute breathing heavily and listening to his feelings - Pertinax was strong enough that the posthumous reset of one reality led to the loss of consciousness in another. Couldn't he just have Thomas think dead in order to preserve the version of reality he existed in? No, everything is in order, there is only one reality left - the one where there is no Antonias Russell who has gone mad, where Coil is still alive, strong and keeps everything under control. Only now was Thomas able to force himself to breathe a sigh of relief. But still…
Now he finally understood how dangerous the newly-minted Trump was. If one day he decides that Coil is somehow interfering with him, then there is an almost one hundred percent chance that Calvert will not win this confrontation. It is not certain that he will even survive in any of the realities.
With horror, Coil imagined what Pertinax would be capable of if he went crazy or desired power outside of one of his simulations...
No, we need to get out of this city before it's too late. Fortunately, his colleague Accord will not mind accepting Calvert for a while until he builds a new shelter for himself.
Perhaps the money spent on the bunker is not so pitiful ...
Last edited:
Will it be adventure or trouble?
aleksejstepanov560
Getting sticky.
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- Apr 10, 2022
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Some time has passed since my visit to the heroes. I opened a bank account, where, after a few days, the requested amount was transferred. At the same time, I was contacted by the Armmaster, who gave me the addresses of places where I could go for materials, and also asked me "for your own safety" to pretend to be a techie, not to openly show other forces.
The latter he explained by the fact that if any villainous organization wants to try to harm me in one way or another, then I will have a trump card in reserve.
This idea seemed to me ... reasonable. It's not that I have many powers that can't be disguised as a techie. And if you think about it, my powers are now sort of focused on making sure I can make the most of their tech half. Brute force greatly strengthens the material, the manipulation of gravity allows you to almost ignore a lot of weight, and sometimes use it to your advantage. The pocket allows me to always carry my things with me, and the strength of the smart guy ... well, at its expense, I get ideas for the Tinkering. Well, everything else just allows me to somehow be efficient in using Tinker power, so that fits too.
But anyway, I'm a millionaire now! My mother told me correctly that if I study well, I can earn a lot and live in pleasure.
Although I don't think that by studying she meant learning some technologies from the future, but by living a pleasure, everyday work in the workshop for the sake of being able to beat the faces of the villains. Yes, and I also did not imagine the life of a millionaire.
***
With the money I received, I purchased a lot of rare or simply complex things — various electronics or the same iridium with rhenium, which, although I didn't really need a few days ago, but which I can't do without now.
In general, I expected that the appearance of a new Tinker in the city would attract more attention, but, apparently, the fact that I went everywhere in a full set of my armor, which looked really high-quality and did not resemble the work of a beginner, helped me to do without unnecessary collisions.
The second thing I spent money on was buying my own house. To be more precise, the earth and the rest of the ruins around it. What for? Well, I'm going to put a bunch of traps there that should help me when the attack does happen. That's how I explained everything to a government employee who REALLY didn't want to sell land to a private, unknown person. But my formidable appearance and the argument that I was going to do it anyway, and the sale of the plot would only allow them to get money from it, convinced him to sign the documents.
It was even easier with the neighbors — there were few of them, only a couple of families, and everyone wanted to leave the Slums. I bought some cheap houses in a quieter part of the city and with a menacing look told them to move out of their homes during the day. They managed it in about twelve hours, apparently, like me, they had nothing but poverty to keep them here.
Why such preparation? Maybe the new power of the predictor showed me the danger?
But no, I don't have such power, and I took up the defense of the territory for reasons of logic.
Lung escaped from custody, and he was never known as a forgiving person. And I should not hope that I will be lucky like last time and the dragon will lose half of itself immediately before the attack.
But in addition to creating the battlefield I needed for me, I was engaged in other projects.
The first thing I did when I returned from the office of the PRT was to integrate new ideas into my developments. Thanks to the Assault, I increased the efficiency of the kinetic conducting metal several times, and I placed a new device based on its own strength in the head of my hammer. Thanks to him, I will be able to instantly change the direction of the blow, stop the attack or start it without any swing.
But, of course, this power is much more universal and can be used in my other developments.
Thanks to the power of the Battery, I was able to improve my body even more. However, such an improvement required access to electricity and a fairly high voltage. I solved this problem by even more cybernization of my body.
I somehow didn't want to do this before, except for the hand, of course, but if you think about it, what's wrong with that? It's all just human prejudices that have arisen due to the fear of changing both the mind, getting used to new realities, and the body.
Therefore, having discarded the slightest fear, I created and implanted an implant capable of generating this very electricity in the amount I needed.
Along the way, the same implant should perform many other useful functions, such as purifying the blood from toxins, saturating it with oxygen, replacing the functions of some organs if necessary, and many other things that should help me survive if my powers are somehow disabled or suppressed.
The implant was installed instead of my liver, and I thought about replacing the rest of my organs with their artificial counterpart in the future. Yes, the idea is not bad, but we will still need to see how the body and this implant behave.
My arms and legs are already heavily modified under the surface of the skin, the skin itself is reinforced with a mesh with a nanoweaving under the surface, which further increased my personal rating of a Bully, and my muscles are filled with an electoreactive carbon fiber composite. This will strengthen the muscles and allow me to use the power of the implant to multiply strengthen my body…
Yes, I'm paranoid, I know. And an emergency weapon is stored in the implant, which, although it will have to be torn right out of the body (I made sure that this action brought as little harm as possible), but it will help perfectly if the Pocket and other abilities are unavailable for some reason.
I could have disappeared into the workshop again for a couple of days, but I had already clearly established that I would rest or at least do something else after the Tink Marathon. True, my moral fatigue from being behind the workbenches disappeared in just a day (which is rather strange, I think), but I could not break my word to myself and I decided to go after the Merchants.
There was a risk that Lung would return for revenge on me at the very moment when I would not be on the prepared territory, but during the time he was in prison, he had some problems that he was now solving somewhere in the far part of his district.
Along the way, I had to arrange new signal repeaters that I had created for the normal coordination of drones.
Why drones? Well, I'm alone, and there's a lot of everything else. Enemies stay in groups, allies too, territories are large, and I'm small. I need to somehow get more actors into the team and expand the territory covered.
The repeaters themselves are not simple antennas — their main purpose is to transmit the signal directly to my Pocket. I studied the component of this force in more detail and managed to isolate the part in which the location of the subspace is encoded. I didn't understand exactly where it was, in another world, or between worlds, or somewhere else, but I became aware of the coordinates where the signal should be transmitted.
I will need more experiments, but I think I will be able to move not only information, but also physical objects in the future.
Together with the AI I am creating, which will be responsible for all autonomous technical devices, I will be able to reach a new level of independence.
***
And so I again climbed into the territory of the Merchants. Dirt everywhere, used syringes, dirty people in torn clothes. In fact, not so different from my area - it was also the unofficial territory of the Merchants. The only thing that prevented them from doing business there was that it was at the same time rather empty, located on the outskirts, and even next to the territory of other gangs. During the last skirmish for the area (when I lost my arm), neither side was able to properly fortify it, and in the future, apparently, no one wanted to lose people for such territory. Well, now this area is mine - in every sense, and I'm going to significantly fortify it and retreat to my own territory when I can not defeat the enemy in a fair fight.
I install another repeater, disguise it and start releasing my brand new Drones. These are mainly drones for reconnaissance, but there are also a couple of combat drones.
To control them, I again use my prosthesis, specially updated for this purpose. So, the communication module was updated, the computer system was removed and replaced with a communication unit with Karman, where the main computer will be located. The same relays are installed on drones, which saved me space that would have been taken up by computers, which is now filled with something else.
Now I'm going to play RTS in real life. The first unit is ready for battle!
***
Okay, it's more interesting in video games. At first, I let the scouts in an expanding spiral, hoping that such a trajectory would speed up the search, but for a whole hour I did not find anything really worthwhile. In the end, I can't run away to arrest random single drug addicts, I would like to re-capture something important, like a warehouse, or at least their capes.
Therefore, I began to simply send scouts in random directions in order to search for clusters of people or any anomalies in general. The computer brain wasn't particularly smart, but the scouts have good scanners and they can quite understand when standard physics doesn't work as it should, and transmit information about such events to me.
Thus, within half an hour I received a message about the abnormal behavior of the plasma in the absence of its source. Simply put, some Cape is playing with fire. I directed the rest of the scouts to the same point, got out of my Pocket and set off, simultaneously forcing the drone already in place to study the area around the target.
This place turns out to be another warehouse, next to which a whole bunch of people are bustling around, moving something from the warehouse to an area nearby, where they simply disappeared from the field of view of drones.
The latter is clearly the work of a Cquiller, and remembering how they tried to catch me once, I send drones that have already begun to fly up to look for transport under invisibility, using other, indirect signs of their presence.
The remaining two will have to explore the warehouse, and by the time I arrive, I should already have a map of the battlefield.
When I get to the place, I take a position on the roof and start analyzing the available information, taking information from the Internet if necessary.
I'll start with the capes. The first one, which attracted my attention with its... training (which, apparently, consisted in boxing with some iron structures and cutting these structures with the help of force), is a Sharpening, a third-rate cape of Merchants.
In appearance — nothing remarkable: inconspicuous appearance, average height, slightly slouching, although it is clear that this is not chronic… The clothes are simple and worn in places, but quite practical - loose and with lots of pockets and straps. The look, like many here, is serious and wary, but tired.
So, hmm, it is a public trigger, before it was known as... whatever, personal information went here. He triggered it during a grandiose stabbing that happened about four months ago.
Oh, I even remember how it was shown on TV. Ha, considering his strength, this guy didn't even take a gun with him to a knife fight. Uh-huh, in general, I don't have anything useful on it from the Internet.
And what will my scanners say? Yeah, and the guy has a brain. Under these rags, forcing him to be treated with disdain, he hides a bulletproof vest he has obtained from nowhere. All battered and broken, but still able to stop a pistol bullet.
His power, which looks like summoned blades above his forearm, is plasma held in the form of a dagger in an unknown way. Based on the analysis, his blades are always in the same position relative to his hands, although he can "push" them forward by about half a meter.
In general, he does not pose any danger to me at all. Yes, in theory he could burn through my armor and me, but such a wound won't kill me, and I don't think he can even hit me — I'm able to practically dodge bullets using only my improved body, and the movement of his blades is only slightly faster than the speed of a normal knife strike.
The second cape, sitting at a table not far from the powerless bandits, is ... a hand job? Do they deliberately take humiliating names for themselves, like a Tradesman's trick? Okay…
Although, there is a look of a name to match — a leather top, short camouflage leggings, high-heeled boots. Cold brown eyes are lined, a cruel crease lies at the lips from a frequent crooked smile. Short dark curly hair is smoothly combed into a ponytail. Okay, what's next…
I don't really know anything about her, she only appeared several times in various transactions of Merchants. She is a sadist — in one of the videos, she tortured her enemies and even one of the guilty Merchants with visible pleasure, destroying their skin and flesh by centimeters. What an abomination.
It is known that she can somehow grind objects into dust that she grabs with her palm, and then "shoot" this dust, creating a kind of dust curtain. And, of course, she is not limited to Manton, which is why she can afford to do this in relation to living people.
Well, it's even easier with her — she needs time to grind, it seems like even the stronger the object, the more, and it won't work to hide from me while my drones are nearby, even behind a wall. You just need to keep her away from you.
The capes are finished, the usual bandits and their invisible transport remain. And if the former can only be objects for testing my inventions, then the field of invisibility has become a worthy test for my scanners. Too dignified. I was only able to roughly outline the area in which trucks and people hidden by this field can be located.
So when I start fighting, my kids' job will be to create obstacles for the bandits to escape. Fortunately, I already have the tools for this.
I'm sending drones to the points and starting to move forward. The noise reduction system leaves me unnoticed, and the dark color of the armor allows me to hide in unlit areas, of which there are quite a lot. It's a slum, after all.
I get to the back wall of the warehouse and cut a hole in it, personally approaching the Sharpening. So, what do we have here?
The first is, of course, the plasma itself. To create it and maintain the process, oxygen is required, which ... so, where from?
Here, I see that electromagnetic fields give shape, and the gas that accidentally gets inside is used in the reaction, but…
Ah, here. I found the part needed to move the main substance from somewhere else. This explains everything, otherwise gorenje of such temperature would require a lot of oxygen and with each activation the user would create air anomalies due to the air flows flowing to him.
Ha, but he can "fold" two knives into one, increasing the speed and range of the strike six times and practically multiplying the power of the blades for the sake of one super-strong explosive attack. This could come as an unpleasant surprise to his enemies. And after all, he never showed such a thing in front of witnesses, the sly one!
However, such an attack will immediately be followed by a "rollback" in the form of an inability to project a weapon for some time, well, in general, the load on the body will increase, as I understand.
In general, a powerful finishing attack, which can be used no more than a dozen times per battle, and then you will lie down from exhaustion. Not bad.
Well, that's it. There are a couple more blocks in his power, but they are purely "systemic" and are responsible for prohibitions, or a familiar block of feeling trajectories, limited only by its attacks. So I don't even have to consider them, I won't find any use there anyway.
It remains to clarify only one point — is it loud or quiet?
What kind of questions — of course, loudly. I didn't collect all this armor and weapons in order to hide in the shadows in all battles. Certainly not against such an opponent. I have no desire to climb after the second cape and risk the possibility of getting caught and being left without the opportunity to attack the first one — anyway, she will not be able to do anything significant against me.
I carefully get out through the same hole back to the street and begin to prepare for a collision. By this, of course, I mean the choice of weapons.
A hammer? Too much.
A rifle? Too fast.
A sword? Again, too fat for such an opponent.
Combat gloves? Your time has come!
I have collected these babies as a non-lethal weapon, which I will undoubtedly need now and in the future.
In a way, they are an ideological continuation of the prosthesis, improving what is already there and adding something new.
That distribution of kinetic energy from the Assault ideally formed the basis of the weapon, allowing you to beat even fragile objects without the risk of tearing them to pieces.
The gravitational wave emitter causes objects in the cone in front of the glove to almost completely lose their weight. Which, in general, should allow me to immediately defeat 60 percent of all capes. At least, if they don't have the ability to move in the absence of gravity.
And finally — grenades with sleeping gas, necessary for the safe cleaning of rooms with enemies inside. At the moment, they normally work only indoors due to the gas rapidly dissipating in the open air. I will need a large concentration of it if I want to use the substance against enemies in an open area. But it works pretty fast.
Three pieces per glove, their launchers are capable of firing projectiles at three dozen meters without loss of accuracy and are capable of automatically recharging from Weapon Cubes. It seems that this is not worth mentioning, but, as it turned out, the larger the projectile, the more difficult it is to automate its use and configure the correct output from the Cube. So I had to tinker with this task. Interdimensional tetris is one hell of a thing.
As a result, it turned out to be a good weapon both against a variety of targets and capable of stopping a strong one ‐ the prosthesis equipment has not stopped working and, for example, allows me to pour the same restraining foam over the enemy.
Yes, I made my own analogue of Dracon foam, you can sue me. Although no, don't. The foam turned out to be even more garbage that needs to be used with caution so that the enemy does not suffocate, and after that, pour it with a solvent for a long time in order to be able to free a person. But even this is better than nothing, I think.
Okay, to hell with the long digressions, I finally put on the equipment, it's time to start.
I charge the gravity emitter, and... I charge... I charge... I charge…
We still need to work on the speed, during the test it seemed to me that charging was faster.
... and finally release the accumulated charge.
An invisible wave of negative gravity passed through the building, causing everything and everyone to lose mass and start helplessly spinning in the air, panicking trying to do something. Although nothing let me down here — only the farthest bandits and a Hand Job escaped the attack.
I entered the room with a victorious grin, literally knocking out a hefty piece of the wall with one blow, which, also without experiencing the influence of gravity, swept through space at high speed, crashing into the opposite wall with a loud crash.
The stunned bandits, hanging in weightlessness, did not even try to resist, and those of them who remained on their feet tried to hide (literally) in their trucks and then leave the battlefield.
But both Capes just tried to resist. Not that they had any chance.
"I'm giving you a chance to surrender of your own free will. I promise a quick and painless detention on my part and, I hope, a fair trial on the part of the PRT — I know that none of them will do this, but we need to say something.
But humans are complex creatures and sometimes behave in ways you could never have predicted.
— I agree! — heard from a slowly rotating body on the left. And while the other cape and I were digesting the unexpected information, he added: "I agree to give up, and at least join the PRT, just save my brother. I'm only here for him. —
Unexpectedly... and it smells like either trouble or a little adventure. I'm in.
But some people did not agree with such an answer. The provocatively dressed capesha began to hiss at the former ally, backing away from me.
—You fucking traitor. Skidmark will tear your brother to pieces as soon as he finds out about this. And youyyy ... — Rukobludka turned to face me, — don't think that your hardware will save you.
Although it was not visible behind the helmet, but I still raised an eyebrow at such arrogance and obvious cretinism. The fact that I neutralized her former comrade and most of her subordinates in the first moments of the battle, and the other part is now panicking and unsuccessfully trying to get away from this place, definitely does not mean anything to her. Well, her problem.
— BD-4, sleeping pills on target two, fire, — I gave the order to one of the drones, now covering the fleeing bandits with whole bunches of gas grenades. In such conditions, alone, they would only lead to a slight lethargy, but when a whole fog of sleeping pills suddenly covers you, leaving no normal oxygen for breathing....
In general, while I am having fun inside, the drones outside have already almost completely fulfilled the commands given to them. The area around the invisibility zone was surrounded by bounding pillars created from an osmium-based material, which already has great hardness and mass. Several trucks, whose drivers considered this obstacle insignificant, were already smashed and filled with restraining foam.
The drones left without work flew away under the effect of invisibility and analyzed everything interesting there.
Completely silent for ordinary human hearing, the drone broke away from the general mass and, having flown to the border of the zone of destruction of the guns, released a dart with sleeping pills. The fact that the Needlework had a large amount of exposed skin significantly simplified the task.
That's just instead of sticking into the girl's skin and releasing neurotoxin, for some reason the dart only forcefully pushed her at me, failing to achieve results.
I did not wait for another moment to attack, but immediately began to act. With a powerful leap, I rush towards the enemy and turn on my Power Vision in flight. Time slows down as usual, and I get the opportunity to learn her secrets.
Tex, what do we have here? Well, it's a little boring. The main part of her power is creating and manipulating vibrations on the surface of her skin. She can both destroy the objects she touches and redistribute part of the force applied to her body. So the dart was most likely blunted at first, and then the force concentrated on its tip transferred to the entire shoulder of the cape.
And... that's it. Literally. So, the ability to shoot dust is just an interesting application of the ability, and not some additional part of it.
The interesting thing is that the force greatly influenced her level of aggression. very strongly. The part responsible for this glows somewhere as much as a twentieth of the main working part. Seriously, this lady had to constantly think about how to harm someone, with such and such changes. Exaggerating, of course, but still.
But I didn't find anything that would be a real reason to be so brazen - apparently, she's just stupid and aggressive.
I mentally sigh from the realization of who I have to work with, and come out of the accelerated state. With the second jump, I reach the still stumbling cape, easily dive under her clumsy blow, and then I hit her right in the stomach myself — with the energy distributor turned on, of course.
The loudly screaming and rotating carcass flies straight into the ceiling, and then, bouncing off it, falls back to the ground. She's alive, but she definitely doesn't have the desire to move anymore.
A loud crash and an indignant cry behind my back tell me that the time of exposure to the anti—gravity effect is over, but I do not turn around, but only approach the defeated enemy - I still need to delay her somehow.
The latter he explained by the fact that if any villainous organization wants to try to harm me in one way or another, then I will have a trump card in reserve.
This idea seemed to me ... reasonable. It's not that I have many powers that can't be disguised as a techie. And if you think about it, my powers are now sort of focused on making sure I can make the most of their tech half. Brute force greatly strengthens the material, the manipulation of gravity allows you to almost ignore a lot of weight, and sometimes use it to your advantage. The pocket allows me to always carry my things with me, and the strength of the smart guy ... well, at its expense, I get ideas for the Tinkering. Well, everything else just allows me to somehow be efficient in using Tinker power, so that fits too.
But anyway, I'm a millionaire now! My mother told me correctly that if I study well, I can earn a lot and live in pleasure.
Although I don't think that by studying she meant learning some technologies from the future, but by living a pleasure, everyday work in the workshop for the sake of being able to beat the faces of the villains. Yes, and I also did not imagine the life of a millionaire.
***
With the money I received, I purchased a lot of rare or simply complex things — various electronics or the same iridium with rhenium, which, although I didn't really need a few days ago, but which I can't do without now.
In general, I expected that the appearance of a new Tinker in the city would attract more attention, but, apparently, the fact that I went everywhere in a full set of my armor, which looked really high-quality and did not resemble the work of a beginner, helped me to do without unnecessary collisions.
The second thing I spent money on was buying my own house. To be more precise, the earth and the rest of the ruins around it. What for? Well, I'm going to put a bunch of traps there that should help me when the attack does happen. That's how I explained everything to a government employee who REALLY didn't want to sell land to a private, unknown person. But my formidable appearance and the argument that I was going to do it anyway, and the sale of the plot would only allow them to get money from it, convinced him to sign the documents.
It was even easier with the neighbors — there were few of them, only a couple of families, and everyone wanted to leave the Slums. I bought some cheap houses in a quieter part of the city and with a menacing look told them to move out of their homes during the day. They managed it in about twelve hours, apparently, like me, they had nothing but poverty to keep them here.
Why such preparation? Maybe the new power of the predictor showed me the danger?
But no, I don't have such power, and I took up the defense of the territory for reasons of logic.
Lung escaped from custody, and he was never known as a forgiving person. And I should not hope that I will be lucky like last time and the dragon will lose half of itself immediately before the attack.
But in addition to creating the battlefield I needed for me, I was engaged in other projects.
The first thing I did when I returned from the office of the PRT was to integrate new ideas into my developments. Thanks to the Assault, I increased the efficiency of the kinetic conducting metal several times, and I placed a new device based on its own strength in the head of my hammer. Thanks to him, I will be able to instantly change the direction of the blow, stop the attack or start it without any swing.
But, of course, this power is much more universal and can be used in my other developments.
Thanks to the power of the Battery, I was able to improve my body even more. However, such an improvement required access to electricity and a fairly high voltage. I solved this problem by even more cybernization of my body.
I somehow didn't want to do this before, except for the hand, of course, but if you think about it, what's wrong with that? It's all just human prejudices that have arisen due to the fear of changing both the mind, getting used to new realities, and the body.
Therefore, having discarded the slightest fear, I created and implanted an implant capable of generating this very electricity in the amount I needed.
Along the way, the same implant should perform many other useful functions, such as purifying the blood from toxins, saturating it with oxygen, replacing the functions of some organs if necessary, and many other things that should help me survive if my powers are somehow disabled or suppressed.
The implant was installed instead of my liver, and I thought about replacing the rest of my organs with their artificial counterpart in the future. Yes, the idea is not bad, but we will still need to see how the body and this implant behave.
My arms and legs are already heavily modified under the surface of the skin, the skin itself is reinforced with a mesh with a nanoweaving under the surface, which further increased my personal rating of a Bully, and my muscles are filled with an electoreactive carbon fiber composite. This will strengthen the muscles and allow me to use the power of the implant to multiply strengthen my body…
Yes, I'm paranoid, I know. And an emergency weapon is stored in the implant, which, although it will have to be torn right out of the body (I made sure that this action brought as little harm as possible), but it will help perfectly if the Pocket and other abilities are unavailable for some reason.
I could have disappeared into the workshop again for a couple of days, but I had already clearly established that I would rest or at least do something else after the Tink Marathon. True, my moral fatigue from being behind the workbenches disappeared in just a day (which is rather strange, I think), but I could not break my word to myself and I decided to go after the Merchants.
There was a risk that Lung would return for revenge on me at the very moment when I would not be on the prepared territory, but during the time he was in prison, he had some problems that he was now solving somewhere in the far part of his district.
Along the way, I had to arrange new signal repeaters that I had created for the normal coordination of drones.
Why drones? Well, I'm alone, and there's a lot of everything else. Enemies stay in groups, allies too, territories are large, and I'm small. I need to somehow get more actors into the team and expand the territory covered.
The repeaters themselves are not simple antennas — their main purpose is to transmit the signal directly to my Pocket. I studied the component of this force in more detail and managed to isolate the part in which the location of the subspace is encoded. I didn't understand exactly where it was, in another world, or between worlds, or somewhere else, but I became aware of the coordinates where the signal should be transmitted.
I will need more experiments, but I think I will be able to move not only information, but also physical objects in the future.
Together with the AI I am creating, which will be responsible for all autonomous technical devices, I will be able to reach a new level of independence.
***
And so I again climbed into the territory of the Merchants. Dirt everywhere, used syringes, dirty people in torn clothes. In fact, not so different from my area - it was also the unofficial territory of the Merchants. The only thing that prevented them from doing business there was that it was at the same time rather empty, located on the outskirts, and even next to the territory of other gangs. During the last skirmish for the area (when I lost my arm), neither side was able to properly fortify it, and in the future, apparently, no one wanted to lose people for such territory. Well, now this area is mine - in every sense, and I'm going to significantly fortify it and retreat to my own territory when I can not defeat the enemy in a fair fight.
I install another repeater, disguise it and start releasing my brand new Drones. These are mainly drones for reconnaissance, but there are also a couple of combat drones.
To control them, I again use my prosthesis, specially updated for this purpose. So, the communication module was updated, the computer system was removed and replaced with a communication unit with Karman, where the main computer will be located. The same relays are installed on drones, which saved me space that would have been taken up by computers, which is now filled with something else.
Now I'm going to play RTS in real life. The first unit is ready for battle!
***
Okay, it's more interesting in video games. At first, I let the scouts in an expanding spiral, hoping that such a trajectory would speed up the search, but for a whole hour I did not find anything really worthwhile. In the end, I can't run away to arrest random single drug addicts, I would like to re-capture something important, like a warehouse, or at least their capes.
Therefore, I began to simply send scouts in random directions in order to search for clusters of people or any anomalies in general. The computer brain wasn't particularly smart, but the scouts have good scanners and they can quite understand when standard physics doesn't work as it should, and transmit information about such events to me.
Thus, within half an hour I received a message about the abnormal behavior of the plasma in the absence of its source. Simply put, some Cape is playing with fire. I directed the rest of the scouts to the same point, got out of my Pocket and set off, simultaneously forcing the drone already in place to study the area around the target.
This place turns out to be another warehouse, next to which a whole bunch of people are bustling around, moving something from the warehouse to an area nearby, where they simply disappeared from the field of view of drones.
The latter is clearly the work of a Cquiller, and remembering how they tried to catch me once, I send drones that have already begun to fly up to look for transport under invisibility, using other, indirect signs of their presence.
The remaining two will have to explore the warehouse, and by the time I arrive, I should already have a map of the battlefield.
When I get to the place, I take a position on the roof and start analyzing the available information, taking information from the Internet if necessary.
I'll start with the capes. The first one, which attracted my attention with its... training (which, apparently, consisted in boxing with some iron structures and cutting these structures with the help of force), is a Sharpening, a third-rate cape of Merchants.
In appearance — nothing remarkable: inconspicuous appearance, average height, slightly slouching, although it is clear that this is not chronic… The clothes are simple and worn in places, but quite practical - loose and with lots of pockets and straps. The look, like many here, is serious and wary, but tired.
So, hmm, it is a public trigger, before it was known as... whatever, personal information went here. He triggered it during a grandiose stabbing that happened about four months ago.
Oh, I even remember how it was shown on TV. Ha, considering his strength, this guy didn't even take a gun with him to a knife fight. Uh-huh, in general, I don't have anything useful on it from the Internet.
And what will my scanners say? Yeah, and the guy has a brain. Under these rags, forcing him to be treated with disdain, he hides a bulletproof vest he has obtained from nowhere. All battered and broken, but still able to stop a pistol bullet.
His power, which looks like summoned blades above his forearm, is plasma held in the form of a dagger in an unknown way. Based on the analysis, his blades are always in the same position relative to his hands, although he can "push" them forward by about half a meter.
In general, he does not pose any danger to me at all. Yes, in theory he could burn through my armor and me, but such a wound won't kill me, and I don't think he can even hit me — I'm able to practically dodge bullets using only my improved body, and the movement of his blades is only slightly faster than the speed of a normal knife strike.
The second cape, sitting at a table not far from the powerless bandits, is ... a hand job? Do they deliberately take humiliating names for themselves, like a Tradesman's trick? Okay…
Although, there is a look of a name to match — a leather top, short camouflage leggings, high-heeled boots. Cold brown eyes are lined, a cruel crease lies at the lips from a frequent crooked smile. Short dark curly hair is smoothly combed into a ponytail. Okay, what's next…
I don't really know anything about her, she only appeared several times in various transactions of Merchants. She is a sadist — in one of the videos, she tortured her enemies and even one of the guilty Merchants with visible pleasure, destroying their skin and flesh by centimeters. What an abomination.
It is known that she can somehow grind objects into dust that she grabs with her palm, and then "shoot" this dust, creating a kind of dust curtain. And, of course, she is not limited to Manton, which is why she can afford to do this in relation to living people.
Well, it's even easier with her — she needs time to grind, it seems like even the stronger the object, the more, and it won't work to hide from me while my drones are nearby, even behind a wall. You just need to keep her away from you.
The capes are finished, the usual bandits and their invisible transport remain. And if the former can only be objects for testing my inventions, then the field of invisibility has become a worthy test for my scanners. Too dignified. I was only able to roughly outline the area in which trucks and people hidden by this field can be located.
So when I start fighting, my kids' job will be to create obstacles for the bandits to escape. Fortunately, I already have the tools for this.
I'm sending drones to the points and starting to move forward. The noise reduction system leaves me unnoticed, and the dark color of the armor allows me to hide in unlit areas, of which there are quite a lot. It's a slum, after all.
I get to the back wall of the warehouse and cut a hole in it, personally approaching the Sharpening. So, what do we have here?
The first is, of course, the plasma itself. To create it and maintain the process, oxygen is required, which ... so, where from?
Here, I see that electromagnetic fields give shape, and the gas that accidentally gets inside is used in the reaction, but…
Ah, here. I found the part needed to move the main substance from somewhere else. This explains everything, otherwise gorenje of such temperature would require a lot of oxygen and with each activation the user would create air anomalies due to the air flows flowing to him.
Ha, but he can "fold" two knives into one, increasing the speed and range of the strike six times and practically multiplying the power of the blades for the sake of one super-strong explosive attack. This could come as an unpleasant surprise to his enemies. And after all, he never showed such a thing in front of witnesses, the sly one!
However, such an attack will immediately be followed by a "rollback" in the form of an inability to project a weapon for some time, well, in general, the load on the body will increase, as I understand.
In general, a powerful finishing attack, which can be used no more than a dozen times per battle, and then you will lie down from exhaustion. Not bad.
Well, that's it. There are a couple more blocks in his power, but they are purely "systemic" and are responsible for prohibitions, or a familiar block of feeling trajectories, limited only by its attacks. So I don't even have to consider them, I won't find any use there anyway.
It remains to clarify only one point — is it loud or quiet?
What kind of questions — of course, loudly. I didn't collect all this armor and weapons in order to hide in the shadows in all battles. Certainly not against such an opponent. I have no desire to climb after the second cape and risk the possibility of getting caught and being left without the opportunity to attack the first one — anyway, she will not be able to do anything significant against me.
I carefully get out through the same hole back to the street and begin to prepare for a collision. By this, of course, I mean the choice of weapons.
A hammer? Too much.
A rifle? Too fast.
A sword? Again, too fat for such an opponent.
Combat gloves? Your time has come!
I have collected these babies as a non-lethal weapon, which I will undoubtedly need now and in the future.
In a way, they are an ideological continuation of the prosthesis, improving what is already there and adding something new.
That distribution of kinetic energy from the Assault ideally formed the basis of the weapon, allowing you to beat even fragile objects without the risk of tearing them to pieces.
The gravitational wave emitter causes objects in the cone in front of the glove to almost completely lose their weight. Which, in general, should allow me to immediately defeat 60 percent of all capes. At least, if they don't have the ability to move in the absence of gravity.
And finally — grenades with sleeping gas, necessary for the safe cleaning of rooms with enemies inside. At the moment, they normally work only indoors due to the gas rapidly dissipating in the open air. I will need a large concentration of it if I want to use the substance against enemies in an open area. But it works pretty fast.
Three pieces per glove, their launchers are capable of firing projectiles at three dozen meters without loss of accuracy and are capable of automatically recharging from Weapon Cubes. It seems that this is not worth mentioning, but, as it turned out, the larger the projectile, the more difficult it is to automate its use and configure the correct output from the Cube. So I had to tinker with this task. Interdimensional tetris is one hell of a thing.
As a result, it turned out to be a good weapon both against a variety of targets and capable of stopping a strong one ‐ the prosthesis equipment has not stopped working and, for example, allows me to pour the same restraining foam over the enemy.
Yes, I made my own analogue of Dracon foam, you can sue me. Although no, don't. The foam turned out to be even more garbage that needs to be used with caution so that the enemy does not suffocate, and after that, pour it with a solvent for a long time in order to be able to free a person. But even this is better than nothing, I think.
Okay, to hell with the long digressions, I finally put on the equipment, it's time to start.
I charge the gravity emitter, and... I charge... I charge... I charge…
We still need to work on the speed, during the test it seemed to me that charging was faster.
... and finally release the accumulated charge.
An invisible wave of negative gravity passed through the building, causing everything and everyone to lose mass and start helplessly spinning in the air, panicking trying to do something. Although nothing let me down here — only the farthest bandits and a Hand Job escaped the attack.
I entered the room with a victorious grin, literally knocking out a hefty piece of the wall with one blow, which, also without experiencing the influence of gravity, swept through space at high speed, crashing into the opposite wall with a loud crash.
The stunned bandits, hanging in weightlessness, did not even try to resist, and those of them who remained on their feet tried to hide (literally) in their trucks and then leave the battlefield.
But both Capes just tried to resist. Not that they had any chance.
"I'm giving you a chance to surrender of your own free will. I promise a quick and painless detention on my part and, I hope, a fair trial on the part of the PRT — I know that none of them will do this, but we need to say something.
But humans are complex creatures and sometimes behave in ways you could never have predicted.
— I agree! — heard from a slowly rotating body on the left. And while the other cape and I were digesting the unexpected information, he added: "I agree to give up, and at least join the PRT, just save my brother. I'm only here for him. —
Unexpectedly... and it smells like either trouble or a little adventure. I'm in.
But some people did not agree with such an answer. The provocatively dressed capesha began to hiss at the former ally, backing away from me.
—You fucking traitor. Skidmark will tear your brother to pieces as soon as he finds out about this. And youyyy ... — Rukobludka turned to face me, — don't think that your hardware will save you.
Although it was not visible behind the helmet, but I still raised an eyebrow at such arrogance and obvious cretinism. The fact that I neutralized her former comrade and most of her subordinates in the first moments of the battle, and the other part is now panicking and unsuccessfully trying to get away from this place, definitely does not mean anything to her. Well, her problem.
— BD-4, sleeping pills on target two, fire, — I gave the order to one of the drones, now covering the fleeing bandits with whole bunches of gas grenades. In such conditions, alone, they would only lead to a slight lethargy, but when a whole fog of sleeping pills suddenly covers you, leaving no normal oxygen for breathing....
In general, while I am having fun inside, the drones outside have already almost completely fulfilled the commands given to them. The area around the invisibility zone was surrounded by bounding pillars created from an osmium-based material, which already has great hardness and mass. Several trucks, whose drivers considered this obstacle insignificant, were already smashed and filled with restraining foam.
The drones left without work flew away under the effect of invisibility and analyzed everything interesting there.
Completely silent for ordinary human hearing, the drone broke away from the general mass and, having flown to the border of the zone of destruction of the guns, released a dart with sleeping pills. The fact that the Needlework had a large amount of exposed skin significantly simplified the task.
That's just instead of sticking into the girl's skin and releasing neurotoxin, for some reason the dart only forcefully pushed her at me, failing to achieve results.
I did not wait for another moment to attack, but immediately began to act. With a powerful leap, I rush towards the enemy and turn on my Power Vision in flight. Time slows down as usual, and I get the opportunity to learn her secrets.
Tex, what do we have here? Well, it's a little boring. The main part of her power is creating and manipulating vibrations on the surface of her skin. She can both destroy the objects she touches and redistribute part of the force applied to her body. So the dart was most likely blunted at first, and then the force concentrated on its tip transferred to the entire shoulder of the cape.
And... that's it. Literally. So, the ability to shoot dust is just an interesting application of the ability, and not some additional part of it.
The interesting thing is that the force greatly influenced her level of aggression. very strongly. The part responsible for this glows somewhere as much as a twentieth of the main working part. Seriously, this lady had to constantly think about how to harm someone, with such and such changes. Exaggerating, of course, but still.
But I didn't find anything that would be a real reason to be so brazen - apparently, she's just stupid and aggressive.
I mentally sigh from the realization of who I have to work with, and come out of the accelerated state. With the second jump, I reach the still stumbling cape, easily dive under her clumsy blow, and then I hit her right in the stomach myself — with the energy distributor turned on, of course.
The loudly screaming and rotating carcass flies straight into the ceiling, and then, bouncing off it, falls back to the ground. She's alive, but she definitely doesn't have the desire to move anymore.
A loud crash and an indignant cry behind my back tell me that the time of exposure to the anti—gravity effect is over, but I do not turn around, but only approach the defeated enemy - I still need to delay her somehow.
Last edited:
A game of destruction
aleksejstepanov560
Getting sticky.
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Having tied up and put to sleep the defeated cape, I give commands to the drones to put down the remnants and turn to the Sharpening. The guy who fell from a height of a couple of meters was now lying on the floor and moaning softly.
— Fuck, and there was no way to arrange a softer landing? — he turned to me, raising his head, still not making any attempts to get up. — I've already given up and I'm not going to fight with you… —
I just grunt, crossing my arms over my chest. Well, I'm trying, the armor is not so flexible yet and imposes some restrictions on movement.
— I didn't control anything there at all. The charge of the device ran out, and you fell, that's all. This is actually a prototype with one mode of operation so far. —
The guy looked at me for a couple of seconds with an unreadable expression on his face, after which he muttered:
— Tinkers — and lowered his head back to the floor, — always use their not even finished crap, — he muttered to himself, but I had no problems hearing him, not with my body amplifications and various microphones and scanners built into the suit. —
Staying in place, I spoke:
— Get up, come on, stop lying down. And in general, the more you slow down, the more chances that Skidmark will find out about me and that you left for PRT, and what he will do to your brother for this, you will not like. —
In general, I haven't found a single record about his brother. And considering how people on the Internet react to the disclosure of identity, often literally finding and posting a person's entire life online, then at least something about him should have existed.
The parents of the Sharpening were once, yes, but it is not written about other relatives anywhere. But if he really wants to give up, I'm not going to refute the misconceptions, especially since he could get attached to someone in the future and call him his brother already.
Well, if this is an attempt to deceive, in order to lead into an ambush, then ... of course I will go there! People tried, prepared, and should I ignore them? I wonder what will happen there in this case. And even though I have already accumulated a pretty good amount of charges — as many as 34 pieces, but there is not much power, and I will be only happy to participate in something new for myself.
— Yes, I would be glad to hurry up, — Sharpening with another long moan began to get up, — but my back was hurting before that, and I also fell exactly on a stone of some kind. It fucking hurts, you know. —
A nasty little grin came out on my face.
— I don't know, I turned off my pain a long time ago. Get up, come on, I'll give you painkillers. —
Turning around, I start moving towards the trucks outside, continuing to talk:
— And keep in mind, there are a couple dozen of my combat drones flying around, and as soon as you do something wrong, you will immediately go to jail chained from head to toe. Well, you will answer me a couple of questions, of course. —
— I understand, not a fool. Yes, and I saw you throw Linda with one blow. I'm not as tough as she is. —
Sharpening had already risen to his feet and was slowly hobbling after me.
— Linda? Isn't revealing Cape's identity something forbidden there? Aren't you afraid that... oh, yeah. —
— Oh, fuck her. Fucking sadist. Listen, man, I really don't care about the Merchants. I would only take my brother and run away with pleasure. —
— Isn't Skidmark keeping you all there on drugs so you can't get away from him? Don't think about it, I'm not kidding, I really don't know how it all happens. —
Sharpening grimaced and fell silent for a couple of seconds, apparently thinking over the answer.
— Merchants... mmm… After all, merchants are not entirely made up of bandits and drug addicts who will sell their mother for a dose. Yes, most of them are just poor and homeless people who gathered in a group for the sake of survival. And then Skidmark just comes and says that now we all work for him. He just killed the dissenters, — the guy paused for a couple of seconds, then continued — When my parents died, I was on the street. And I didn't know what to do. I survived as best I could until Jack picked me up. We wandered around with him for a while, and then we got into a bigger group. They were normal, they didn't rob anyone, they just begged and generally begged here and there. —he paused again.
I stopped moving a long time ago and turned to face the teenager. It was pretty creepy for me to realize that a similar fate could have been waiting for me, so I quite sympathized with him. And I couldn't help but notice how his fists clenched before he spoke.
— And then Skidmark came. He said that now we will give almost all the money earned to him, and even set the amount of tribute for a week. He said that if we live on his territory, now we obey him, and then he just told his people to shoot at everyone who started saying something in response. And so, bitch, enjoyed, as if he came to some fucking theater, for assholes like him. —
The guy didn't scream, but his voice became hard and cold, as if he remembered all the anger he felt then again. I noticed heavy breathing, gnashing of teeth, tension of the body- Cape clearly does not lie about his attitude to Skidmark. If I offer him to attack the Merchant base in this state, I think he will agree without doubt and hesitation.
And the guy himself continued to tell the story of his misadventures:
— Well, we agreed then — and what could we do? And after about a month, everything went from a simple "pay me" to "you fight for me" - he didn't share something with someone there, I don't know, I don't care. Well, then Jack was shot, and I couldn't do anything either, and... well, I got the power, yes," the guy quieted down again, looked at his hands and continued with a sigh —
— Even after becoming a cape, I was useless at that time and couldn't really do anything, but our opponents retreated anyway — they decided not to mess with me, you never know who I became… And they were ordinary people, not Capes. In general… That's when Jack was taken away by Skidmark people, and he told me that as long as I work for him, Jack remains alive and well. —
I raised an eyebrow.
— And you believe him?" Have you ever met your... friend after that? —
Sharpener nodded.
— Well, I'm not exactly a fool, I made sure that he was alive and well. Not personally, really, but I talked to him on the phone, and he didn't complain about anything. He said that while I was working well and without complaints, he was being given all sorts of indulgences. I can't just leave him there— he saved me, after all, and took care of me. So I tried my best. But now that I'm not alone ... — the guy tried to get up again, but hissed in pain. — I thought you said that you would give some kind of medicine. —
— Oh, right, — I came to my senses already. Tek-s, what should I give him? I didn't actually create drugs purposefully, but I got something in the process of experiments. That's just what the substances turned out to be... experimental. I don't want to risk the guy somehow. Damn, who's on then? At least catch bandits for experiments. It would be possible, of course, to create something for this task - the cultivation of experimental animals, but it will be quite a difficult project for me, and ... TIME. Time is my most important resource, after all.
It's all complicated, after all. Then I'll see if something comes to mind. And now I'm going to try to cure the guy with biokinesis — did I get him as a treatment ability for nothing?
— Okay, I'll need to check you for injuries first. The sensors are initially tuned to me, so I'll have to touch you for a while," without waiting for an answer, I bend down and touch the guy, throwing part of my aura onto him.
My assumptions turn out to be correct, and I can actually interact with other people as well as with myself through this trick.
Hmm, maybe I could pass the aura through the surface of the floor to a person at a distance from me, and thus do something with him without giving myself away. It will be necessary to conduct a couple of experiments.
Tex, yeah.
— You have pinched nerves in the lower back. It doesn't look like age, did they beat you, or what? — without waiting for an answer, I take out one of the most harmless drugs for muscle recovery and, still without breaking contact with the guy, I inject him.
I still decided to combine one with the other and follow the action of the substance live, while treating the injury and making sure that the medicine will work as it should.
—Ah..." said the Sharpener, but I just shushed him, busy watching. And there was something to watch. The tricky mixture of amino acids and protein structures worked for the first few moments as it was programmed. I even helped her a little to reach the right places in the body. And now the problems have already started there. Here is the first reaction of the substance with the cell, here is the second, the third, and after that — a failure.
The student tries to pull away, but I just change the surface of his skin at the point of contact to a sticky substance and continue studying.
In another place, everything was repeated. The first, second, third, and again an unknown error turns the affected cells into cancer cells. I grimaced inwardly. As expected, without real trials, what could have gone wrong actually went wrong. I can only draw conclusions from the mistakes made.
I decompose the medicine into harmless components and return the nerves to their correct place, change his skin to the previous version (what the fuck was it, what the fuck did I do that?), after which I get out of acceleration and break contact.
The sharpener (I should have looked at his real name again, and the fact that I only call him in Cape?), which clearly showed that the pain was gone, looked at me with a strange expression on his face.
- what? I raise an eyebrow in surprise.
— Well, to begin with, after you touched me, the sensations of touch disappeared there, and I couldn't pull away, as if the skin was glued to you… Well, like, it was fucking creepy. And then when I tried to ask a question, you just started hissing at me and ignored me altogether. Well, that's..." his expression softened, —thank you. I've already started to forget what it's like to live without back pain. And now it's like he's younger. Well, like, hunting as a child to run and jump. Seriously, man, thanks.
I was flattered by his words, although a little confused by how my actions looked from the outside.
— Yeah, I'm also glad that everything worked out as it should. Now come on, I'm going to grab the Pusher before tomorrow morning. We still need to hand over your former friends to the police and call PRT.
While Sharpening, taking the bonds I gave him, went to bind the bandits lying here and there, I contacted the Protectorate to notify and transfer the captured cape. Yes, I think I had to call the operator again and discuss everything with him, but ... it will take a long time, I'm sure.
It's good that I have contacts with the right people.
—Yes, Pertinax,— Armmaster answered me irritably. I hope he wasn't asleep, otherwise it would have been uncomfortable.
— Hello, hello, not distracting? Do you happen to need a cape and a couple dozen ordinary bandits along with a bunch of tech trucks there in PRT?
This question made him more active.
"Did you fight the Merchants?" I will not say that they are very dangerous, but a collision with them can be risky because of their unpredictability.
Oh, how sweet, the stern Armmaster takes care of me.
— Well, I hope so, because so far I haven't seen anything interesting from them. Am I, in general, what am I calling? One of their capes expressed a desire to leave them if a member of his family was saved. And he has absolutely no good feelings for former colleagues. So now we are going to storm their base, but we need someone to take away those bandits that I have already captured.
— Pertinax, stop and wait for help. You can't just trust an enemy who has promised to surrender, and storming the Tinker workshop is incredibly dangerous.
Oh, come on, I'm sure he's just overestimating them. There were no problems now, and I didn't have any problems with my enemies before either. And I kind of know how dangerous Tinker can be — he's like that himself, but…
Squealer specializes in cars, as far as I know. Is she going to run me over with a bunch of tech cars? Well, okay, a bunch of invisible tech cars. Because her creations are not yet pulling for more.
— And yet I will go like this. If your team had been enough to capture, they would have done it much earlier. And since the Merchants are still alive, they are useless, and it will be better to catch Tinker by surprise before he finds out about the loss of his people, — ... I forward my current coordinates to Armmaster and immediately end the call before he has time to object.
Of course, he can then try to express himself in the style of, "Why the fuck are you ignoring the instructions of experienced heroes?!", but hey, I'm working with the Protectorate, not FOR him. Anyway, I think I have enough strength and training to overcome a bunch of junkies without much difficulty. So if there are no problems, there will be no reason to listen to something from Armmaster either.
— Okay, man! I called out to the Sharpener. — As a payment for assistance, and in order for this assistance to be carried out, I need information from you on all sorts of points of sale, warehouses and bases.
— I don't know much myself, but you're interested in the Squealer workshop, right? They're basically all hanging out there, — my new protege managed to cope with the "packing" of criminals during the conversation and stood by for a long time, methodically cracking his fingers. — I've been there a couple of times, it's not far, if without cargo, then it won't be difficult to get there on foot in fifteen or twenty minutes.
I nodded to him, and a moment later I realized that right next to me was a bunch of Squealer trucks, some of which were not even damaged. And this is a great chance to learn her technology even before the fight, which I suspect will be inevitable.
— Wait here, I'll be there soon, — I quickly inform the Sharpener, rushing towards the intended location of the whole trucks. The options that were broken during the escape and lost their invisibility because of this do not interest me as much as the undamaged options are interested in.
Within ten seconds of reaching the search area, I realize that searching alone or even together will be too long for me. Fortunately, scout drones will always come to the rescue! Sensors and scanners on them will not be able to determine anything, but even the fact of a physical collision of the device with a vehicle is enough for me.
As I look at my mechanical children, who begin methodically combing the search area, I think about how much I have done and how much work I will need to do in the future.
In the very first bouts of technocracy, I threw myself at everything. In the intervals when the details I needed were being created, the materials were melting and cooling, I almost fanatically began to implement the ideas that came to my mind at that moment. Basically, these were developments in the field of chemistry and biology, but often I spent my strength and resources on other useless or simply non-working nonsense.
And now a whole bunch of stuff is stored in my workshop — prototypes of the things I use now and just unsuccessful projects. But what would be really useful for me — the same sensors — is in a relatively rudimentary state.
Here is the same weapon. And why do I really need my rifle now? But I put a lot of effort into it then. And now, with all my body improvements, a hammer or a sword will be much more effective than a small rifle. Not, well, as a third-party project, like a hobby, it can be developed, but it is already clear that I should focus on other things.
So that… My thoughts were interrupted by the fact that one of the drones disappeared from view and at the same time one of the communication signals began to distort.
Rejoicing at such a quick finding of the object I needed (and the area where they were standing was quite a big size), I ran in that direction and after a couple of seconds I got into the effect zone.
Having stopped the drone flying next to the truck and beating against it, I looked around with interest. The effect, as I see it, is one-sided, which seems a little abnormal to me. Well, as abnormal — incomprehensible. After all, you will be invisible only if the light passes completely through you, well, or around you. I know what I'm talking about — I've already tried to develop technologies for invisibility, although I haven't gone beyond laboratory tests and haven't received anything suitable for use in the field at the moment.
There is, of course, a third option — something like a screen that will show the picture behind it and thus create the illusion of invisibility, but this is definitely not the option.
But in this case, I see everything from the inside. Perhaps, uh... copying the light and moving it at the same time? Well, like, a photon gets to the edge of the effect, where it is copied and sent along the same trajectory, and the original is redirected so that the truck is not visible. Quite a working scheme, although I can't understand how it can happen without real material interacting with light, purely in the form of a single area of action.
Wanting to test another guess, I shout to the Sharpener, but he does not react to it in any way. Then, it turns out, the sound also does not go beyond the field of invisibility.
But it will be easier to deal with this, I can already create something for such an effect.
Okay, I figured out the effect itself. Of course, it would be possible to sit here and try to overcome its effect, but ... the current sensors did not cope with the task, and it takes time to create something new. But I still want to end the presence of Merchants in the city as soon as possible, preferably this night. So I'll limit myself to a quick analysis of the technology, and you can hit the road. In the end, I will get this specialization, then I will understand in detail.
Moving towards the truck, I examine in detail... this piece of metal on wheels. At least that's what he looks like. A lot of pieces of metal are clumsily welded together in order to add more armor to it; the wheels are replaced with some kind of parody of tracks, which should give more patency; various... seriously, I barely touched it, and it's already falling off? Like I said, a piece of metal on wheels.
Inside the cabin, everything is no better. I can't even figure out what this refers to (maybe it's because I don't know how to drive cars, but it is, by the way). A lot of wires intertwined together, a thick rope stretches from the front to somewhere back. Garbage, puddles of something smelly, dirty buttons of unknown purpose — that's what fills most of the space. It's just, ugh, how bad everything is.
Reluctantly, I climb inside just to see what's inside and where the wires are going. There's only a small recess inside the cabin, in which... is that a crystal in a jar? Yes, that's him. I suspect that he is the core of the hiding device, but damn... seriously, with every second spent here, I have more and more complaints about the quality of Tinker's work. Was it possible to try somehow? The jar, there, is not rusty to find; the wires are not picked up so that a short circuit occurs a little bit. I see the potential, but the execution — I shook my head in disappointment — is disgusting.
Turning my head a little to the right, I notice the device to which most of the wires are drawn and which is connected to the crystal by even more of them. The whole web is responsible for the connection of the computer — and this is it, apparently — with the device, but what a fragile connection, in my opinion, this is. Squealer could at least cover it all with metal plates, and not just let it run along the walls.
Hmm, but I can try to hack this system and get some interesting information. There are tools for this, and time, too, it seems.
With just one thought, I give the command, I push the hacking kit out of my prosthesis and get to work.
Hmm, this computer should not initially support wireless communication, but... it was created from a bunch of various devices at once, including several phones, through the remnants of which I can connect.
A couple of seconds to overcome the elementary protection, and I'm inside.
Hmm, there's really nothing here. The main content is a crookedly written code, which, apparently, is responsible for the correct operation of the crystal. Most of it is incomprehensible to me, but I can vaguely distinguish those parts that supposedly adjust the movement of light waves, and similar ones, but already responsible for sound.
I think we should copy it. So I will have a base when I start creating my own device and programming it.
While the code is being compiled and downloaded, I methodically start checking the remaining capabilities of the device. The device that I use a little for other purposes starts to work much worse, but I'm only here for a couple of minutes, after that I won't care.
After a couple of minutes, a sharp crack interrupts my actions. On some reflexes, jumping aside, I glance in the direction of the sound and see that it's just wires. Unable to withstand the tension, they began to spark and smoke. The screen of the device then goes out, and it itself stops working.
Ugh. I knew that the slightest voltage would be enough to break this whole circuit. And how did it work before me in general? At least I have the program now.
The invisibility generator also turned off as a result. The liquid in which the crystal was floating changed color from greenish-yellow to gray, and the glass also began to be covered with a grayish coating.
The crystal itself, hanging on the wires with which it was practically braided, begins to lose color, and when viewed, it can be seen that it even partially began to crumble.
Although I have received a program for the device to work, I will not give up an example of technology. In general, this is the first time that someone else's development gets into my hands. I think it will be interesting to study it, even if I can't get the initial specialization.
So, after unscrewing the device from the floor, I put it in my Pocket and leave the car, which has lost all interest in my eyes.
Sharpening is already standing near the car, apparently came up after losing the effect of invisibility. He did not dare to call out to me, but it is clear that the guy has already lost his patience.
— Well, what's there? Did you find anything important? Can you disable invisibility now? So no one would be able to hide from us! — a moment after my exit, he inundates me with questions.
— Don't fuss. I found something interesting, but it will be interesting only for Tinker. How to disable invisibility, I don't know yet, here I just overloaded the device, so it just broke.
— Damn, — annoyed, as he thought, by my failure, the Sharpener tried to spit, but remembered his bandana in time and stopped. — And what, we have no chance? Skidmark will simply escape under invisibility and kill Jack! Fuck, fuck, fuck, why did I take the risk!
Looking at the teenager panicking and probably thinking about the idea of changing sides again, I just rolled my eyes under the helmet. Seriously, I didn't even say that we don't have a chance, only that I don't know how to disable the effect itself. From my fumbling with the computer, I was able to understand that it would be enough for me to break the control system so that everything would fail.
Iii.... drum roll... I have a way to do it without going inside the car!
The solution, in some ways, is simple — an EMP explosion. For the first time such an effect was discovered after the testing of nuclear bombs in... sometime. No matter. But what is important is that I knew a little about it, and after studying the power of the Battery, or rather its electrical component, I had several ideas for devices that can create this effect without a nuclear explosion.
The concepts of the devices were different — these were stationary installations that would block almost all electronics in a rather large radius around them, and directional radiation devices, such as EMP guns.
But the easiest and fastest option for production was the EMP bombs.
The resulting electrons, ionized by atoms in the atmosphere, move at almost relativistic speeds before colliding with the Earth's magnetic field and deflecting at right angles to the field. This interaction causes a very strong, but at the same time very short electromagnetic pulse over the affected area, which will allow me to disable the Squealer technique.
My creations will not be affected. In this regard, I first took care of the shielding, and only after that about the weapons.
Still, such an impact can negate the efforts of about more than eighty percent of all existing techies, I think.
Even I, though a little, but knowing about this possibility, and even having a whole bunch of specializations, did not think about protecting against this. What can we say about some tech guy, for... drones or lasers, for example.
— Don't whine, — I lightly pushed the guy in the shoulder, — I have a plan how not to let anyone escape. So come on, show me the way.
Sharpening froze for a second, whispered something with just his lips and ran towards an inconspicuous alley nearby. And on time — the PRT soldiers and their capes should already be arriving here, and I don't want to face any of them before my victory.
***
Merchants, as a gang, were a relatively recent phenomenon and have not yet gained the proper number of capes or normals for a full-fledged clash with other gangs. They compensated for their weakness in direct combat with their invisible equipment, which allowed them to move around almost the entire city without any problems. Despite the fact that the gang was clearly losing in strength to many other groups, its members had a lot of arrogance and claims against the rest of the city's groups and had already made enemies. So they simply cannot show weakness and leave the attack on themselves without consequences for the attackers at all — this may serve as a signal that they are not as strong as they might seem.
While Pertinax was dealing with the Trading Capes, and his drones were rushing back and forth and putting people to sleep, some of the Traders who did not give in to panic managed to transmit a message about the attack and defeat to the main base. Adam Mustaine, known as Skidmark, was not a complete fool at all. Despite the smokiness of his brain and the fact that he did not even manage to finish his studies at school, he was able to think.
And therefore, based on the fact that they did not try to kill his people, he managed to guess that the attacker came from the so—called "heroes". The flying things, which one of the truck managers managed to tell him about in a slurred language, were almost certainly technical devices. On PHO, he saw a discussion of a new tech guy who triumphantly started his career by beating Lung. Later he found out that it was this asshole who attacked their brand-new warehouse and thus left Skidmark without a tidy sum. Most likely, he was the attacker.
Of course, he was also told about some cape in the area nearby, dragging electronics and metal from garbage cans and kicking the ass of the team trying to capture him, but Skidmark suspected that these two were the same person. Their powers are too similar — do Tinker, which are also Brute, often occur? Skidmerk did not know, and did not even think about what a person should go through to get such a combination of forces. But he was sure of one thing—the bastard wouldn't survive tonight.…
Well, if he does not attack today, then Skidmark will only need to wait for the ordered batch of weapons to arrive and negotiate with a cape from a neighboring city, who, although he had slightly inflated requirements, was not averse to joining them. And there you will just need to habitually recapture your captured capes when they try to get them out of the city, and the five of them will tear Tinker to pieces, or better even get hooked on drugs and make them work for themselves. Fortunately, he already has experience of this.
A discreet knock interrupted his thoughts. The heavy breathing became confused, the hand under the table tensed — but only for a moment. Skidmark grinned wryly, amused, and ordered to enter.
Hmm, this computer should not initially support wireless communication, but... it was created from a bunch of various devices at once, including several phones, through the remnants of which I can connect.
A couple of seconds to overcome the elementary protection, and I'm inside.
Hmm, there's really nothing here. The main content is a crookedly written code, which, apparently, is responsible for the correct operation of the crystal. Most of it is incomprehensible to me, but I can vaguely distinguish those parts that supposedly adjust the movement of light waves, and similar ones, but already responsible for sound.
I think we should copy it. So I will have a base when I start creating my own device and programming it.
While the code is being compiled and downloaded, I methodically start checking the remaining capabilities of the device. The device that I use a little for other purposes starts to work much worse, but I'm only here for a couple of minutes, after that I won't care.
After a couple of minutes, a sharp crack interrupts my actions. On some reflexes, jumping aside, I glance in the direction of the sound and see that it's just wires. Unable to withstand the tension, they began to spark and smoke. The screen of the device then goes out, and it itself stops working.
Ugh. I knew that the slightest voltage would be enough to break this whole circuit. And how did it work before me in general? At least I have the program now.
The invisibility generator also turned off as a result. The liquid in which the crystal was floating changed color from greenish-yellow to gray, and the glass also began to be covered with a grayish coating.
The crystal itself, hanging on the wires with which it was practically braided, begins to lose color, and when viewed, it can be seen that it even partially began to crumble.
Although I have received a program for the device to work, I will not give up an example of technology. In general, this is the first time that someone else's development gets into my hands. I think it will be interesting to study it, even if I can't get the initial specialization.
So, after unscrewing the device from the floor, I put it in my Pocket and leave the car, which has lost all interest in my eyes.
Sharpening is already standing near the car, apparently came up after losing the effect of invisibility. He did not dare to call out to me, but it is clear that the guy has already lost his patience.
— Well, what's there? Did you find anything important? Can you disable invisibility now? So no one would be able to hide from us! — a moment after my exit, he inundates me with questions.
— Don't fuss. I found something interesting, but it will be interesting only for Tinker. How to disable invisibility, I don't know yet, here I just overloaded the device, so it just broke.
— Damn, — annoyed, as he thought, by my failure, the Sharpener tried to spit, but remembered his bandana in time and stopped. — And what, we have no chance? Skidmark will simply escape under invisibility and kill Jack! Fuck, fuck, fuck, why did I take the risk!
Looking at the teenager panicking and probably thinking about the idea of changing sides again, I just rolled my eyes under the helmet. Seriously, I didn't even say that we don't have a chance, only that I don't know how to disable the effect itself. From my fumbling with the computer, I was able to understand that it would be enough for me to break the control system so that everything would fail.
Aaand…. drum roll... I have a way to do it without going inside the car!
The solution, in some ways, is simple — an EMP explosion. For the first time such an effect was discovered after the testing of nuclear bombs in... sometime. No matter. But what is important is that I knew a little about it, and after studying the power of the Battery, or rather its electrical component, I had several ideas for devices that can create this effect without a nuclear explosion.
The concepts of the devices were different — these were stationary installations that would block almost all electronics in a rather large radius around them, and directional radiation devices, such as EMP guns.
But the easiest and fastest option for production was the EMP bombs.
The resulting electrons, ionized by atoms in the atmosphere, move at almost relativistic speeds before colliding with the Earth's magnetic field and deflecting at right angles to the field. This interaction causes a very strong, but at the same time very short electromagnetic pulse over the affected area, which will allow me to disable the Squealer technique.
My creations will not be affected. In this regard, I first took care of the shielding, and only after that about the weapons.
Still, such an impact can negate the efforts of about more than eighty percent of all existing techies, I think.
Even I, though a little, but knowing about this possibility, and even having a whole bunch of specializations, did not think about protecting against this. What can we say about some tech guy, for... drones or lasers, for example.
— Don't whine, — I lightly pushed the guy in the shoulder, — I have a plan how not to let anyone escape. So come on, show me the way.
Sharpening froze for a second, whispered something with just his lips and ran towards an inconspicuous alley nearby. And on time — the PRT soldiers and their capes should already be arriving here, and I don't want to face any of them before my victory.
***
Merchants, as a gang, were a relatively recent phenomenon and have not yet gained the proper number of capes or normals for a full-fledged clash with other gangs. They compensated for their weakness in direct combat with their invisible equipment, which allowed them to move around almost the entire city without any problems. Despite the fact that the gang was clearly losing in strength to many other groups, its members had a lot of arrogance and claims against the rest of the city's groups and had already made enemies. So they simply cannot show weakness and leave the attack on themselves without consequences for the attackers at all — this may serve as a signal that they are not as strong as they might seem.
While Pertinax was dealing with Merchant capes, and his drones were rushing back and forth and putting people to sleep, some of the Merchants who did not give in to panic managed to transmit a message about the attack and defeat to the main base. Adam Mustaine, known as Skidmark, was not a complete fool at all. Despite the smokiness of his brain and the fact that he did not even manage to finish his studies at school, he was able to think.
And therefore, based on the fact that they did not try to kill his people, he managed to guess that the attacker came from the so—called "heroes". The flying things, which one of the truck managers managed to tell him about in a slurred language, were almost certainly technical devices. On PHO, he saw a discussion of a new tech guy who triumphantly started his career by beating Lung. Later he found out that it was this asshole who attacked their brand-new warehouse and thus left Skidmark without a tidy sum. Most likely, he was the attacker.
Of course, he was also told about some cape in the area nearby, dragging electronics and metal from garbage cans and kicking the ass of the team trying to capture him, but Skidmark suspected that these two were the same person. Their powers are too similar — do Tinker, which are also Brute, often occur? Skidmerk did not know, and did not even think about what a person should go through to get such a combination of forces. But he was sure of one thing—the bastard wouldn't survive tonight.…
Well, if he does not attack today, then Skidmark will only need to wait for the ordered batch of weapons to arrive and negotiate with a cape from a neighboring city, who, although he had slightly inflated requirements, was not averse to joining them. And there you will just need to habitually recapture your captured capes when they try to get them out of the city, and the five of them will tear Tinker to pieces, or better even get hooked on drugs and make them work for themselves. Fortunately, he already has experience of this.
A discreet knock interrupted his thoughts. The heavy breathing became confused, the hand under the table tensed — but only for a moment. Skidmark grinned wryly, amused, and ordered to enter.
A thin, lanky boy with a shifty look slipped into the room. He swallowed nervously and, without waiting for Skidmark to speak, carefully began to report:
— Boss... here one of the watchers reported that he saw two people running in our direction. He says that the first one slipped through too quickly and he didn't understand anything, but the second one was definitely in armor, technical. If nothing changes, they'll be here in ten minutes.
— I see… Great… Go," for some reason, the one who was called the boss was breathing raggedly, and his voice was somehow hoarse.
— Yes, boss ... — he had already turned around when he heard a strange sound — but, having frozen for a moment, he did not dare to ask and quickly left.
As soon as the door closed, Skidmark quietly growled something and moved away from the table, from under which he then, holding tightly by the hair, pulled the girl out.
Squealer could not restrain herself and hissed in pain, for which she was carelessly thrown to the floor. But she didn't say a word, only gently wiped her wet lips with a trembling hand. Skidmark smiled caustically and, buttoning his fly, said:
— Well done. Now go to your burrow, prepare your hardware and those machine guns that we bought last week. It's time to test the toys.
Squealer just nodded, not daring to look up, and started to get up, but received a heavy slap.
— Hey, did you hear me?!
— Yes, boss…
"Now go," he snapped shortly.
Squealer nodded again and hurried out of the room.
***
After a couple of minutes of running through doorways, alleys and all sorts of other hot spots, I began to realize that I should have put at least a little effort into creating transport. If not for myself — I was running now, not straining at all, and did not feel tired in any way — then for my traveling companion, who would not slow me down in such a case.
But, one way or another, we still got to our destination and were now inspecting it from a distance. It was lively. The building was surrounded by more than three dozen ordinary bandits with various weapons, and, I suspect, even more people should be inside.
The warehouse itself, which served as their base, was fortified as a miniature fortress. Several, as I see, homemade spotlights illuminated the area around, periodically checking the surrounding buildings. The very convenient location of the building leaves some free space around, which should not give the attackers the opportunity to pass, hiding behind something.
Although even here the Merchants were screwed up — a whole pile of various garbage and rusty car bodies was piled on one side of the building. I suspect that somewhere there should be a Squealer workshop.
I watched all this splendor from the screen of a drone hovering at some distance from the building and transmitting to me everything he saw. Some indicators near the dump site were clearly abnormal, which confirms my theory that Squealer works there.
Taking a small tablet out of my Pocket, I connected it to the same signal from the drone and already demonstrated the video stream to the Sharpener, who was looking at my equipment flying nearby with burning eyes.
— Here, look and explain to me what is here and where. I know the layout of the rooms, but I have no idea what's inside, so it would be awkward to destroy the wall and destroy something important that was behind it.
— Yeah. So, right now, let me think. Here," he pointed to the area I already knew, "is where the Squealer works. The pusher found her somewhere not much earlier than me, so he still doesn't really trust her and keeps a guard nearby. I do not know more, as you understand, I was not allowed here very much.
Scratching his nose, he continued:
— Here in this area, — he outlined the place, — living quarters. There are bedrooms, and you can eat, all that. Only the walls there are already broken, and it blows from somewhere forever, so if you break it, no matter how part of the building collapses. There are stairs up there, where they keep Jack, but I don't know anything about that place. There should be some other cells on the negative floors, but mostly the guilty are held and punished there. Well ... — here he hesitated, but under my gaze continued: — well, people from some, — he looked away from me and fell silent, swallowing saliva.
— And I don't know more, I was allowed to eat once, and once I got into the workshop, from where I was immediately kicked out. I drive around other warehouses more and guard them," he quickly added after a second.
— I see, — I sighed, — you don't know anything, I'll have to figure it out on the go. Weapons, money, drugs where should they be? At least approximately, maybe you heard what?
Rejoicing that he was not completely useless, the Sharpener, in whose eyes the light came back on, energetically began to tell everything he knew:
— Oh, I've heard different things here. Skidmark wants everyone to obey him like in the army and all that, so he tries to do everything like there, at least a little. Somewhere on the underground floor there should be a room with weapons, from where they will be given out in need. There should also be his "office" and "barracks" for personal protection. In general, he wanted to do a lot of different things, but he does not command real soldiers, but so… Well, some still walk with their weapons, guards often run away from their posts, yet alcohol and drugs are everywhere here. Well," the guy closed up and blushed, "women are constantly being driven. And sometimes even there, without leaving the post. Ahem... as I heard.
— Uh—huh, — I ignored the last part, - so all sorts of valuables must be somewhere below. Why isn't his room on the top floor? Well, like, a person with such an ego wouldn't want to climb higher?
— I don't know, somehow no one has ever talked about it. It seems that the roof once collapsed, maybe Skidmark thought it was unsafe there, and moved to a protected place. Or maybe not, I don't know.
— That's how it is, then… Yes, it's not very convenient, and there may be difficulties, but ... - I bit my lip, looking at the newly scanned plan of the building on the helmet visor. "I'm going to fight in the open anyway.
— What?! Why?! Wouldn't it be better to throw sleeping pills at everything again, and then stab them in the back while they look for us? — the young cape was perplexed by the plan I proposed. Although he was capable of decisive action, he would actually prefer to do without risk and therefore considered my actions strange.
— No, well, yes, your plan is objectively better, but there are a couple of "buts". Firstly, the grenades with sleeping pills have almost run out, and there are enough of them for the whole building. Secondly, Squealer could strengthen its transport so that the gas would not even get inside. And thirdly," I sighed, then continued, "I want to test myself.
— What? — turning in my direction, the Sharpener looked at me like a fool. — Why would you do that? I know you're cool. You defeated Lung himself, and then almost immediately made a good deal with PRT! Well..." he paused awkwardly, stunned by his own expression, "that's how they talked about you on the Internet. That's why I gave up right away, as soon as I recognized you, I realized that I couldn't cope with you in any way. And there," he waved his head in the direction from which we came, "you easily and quickly dealt with everyone. So I don't understand what your "I want to test myself" means.
I was a little embarrassed by how cool and invincible I was described, especially if I considered only the last case for my real victory. Lung was weakened, and PRT had no alternatives, so my charisma and business skills were not involved. Therefore, I think it was the merit of chance and my strength, but definitely not mine.
As if yes, I defeated Lung, but he was already beaten by his enemy and I was damn lucky to find the moment to attack.
That's just... that fight was a kind of turning point for me, different from everything I've done before. I don't know if it's the effect of my power or if I'm that kind of person, but that's when I felt really alive. For the first time in a couple of years, I really liked doing what I was doing, and I worked on this enthusiasm in the future.
Now I want to fight face to face with an opponent who will not be weakened by someone else. I don't want to always hit enemies in the back and out of the shadows, I don't want to use hordes of drones against a couple of opponents forever. The first two disappointed me, but I hope that in the workshop, although not very skilled, but still Tinker, I will meet worthy resistance.
From such thoughts, I was inspired and I was already impatient to rush into battle. But, no matter what, I was still going to prepare beforehand. It is necessary to transfer the drones to positions from where they will be able to detain possible fugitives or come to the rescue in an emergency, and to give the task to the same Sharpening. Otherwise, if he stays by himself, he probably won't sit still. It would be better for me if I knew where and what he was doing.
— It is necessary so, — I did not try to explain my desires and motives. — Here you go, — I give him a normal bulletproof vest with a helmet and a couple of grenades with soporific gas. — Can you shoot? — in response to an uncertain nod, I also take out a pistol with a tranquilizer and a couple of spare clips to it, and then I hand it over to the guy awkwardly shifting from foot to foot. — In general, while I'm out there fighting in the open, you'll have to sit here somewhere and not take risks. I can leave you a tablet, you will monitor what is happening on the cameras and, if necessary, call PRT. I gave you a weapon in case you miss your enemies and you are discovered and surrounded. In this case, use force at your discretion, but try to avoid killing. I don't care about the lives of criminals, but PRT will probably try to drag you and me to him under bonded conditions for this. I can leave, but you can't, so be careful. That's it, don't get bored here, — slapping the confused teenager on the shoulder, I jumped off the roof and moved towards the building.
***
I take out my trusty hammer, with pleasure feeling the weight in my hand starting to become familiar. He weighs, in theory, a lot, but my body enhancements would allow me to move even without reducing his weight, albeit slower, and if you twist that, then a couple hundred kilograms turn into single digits.
I deliberately move slowly, anticipating the future pleasure of a fight.
"Oh, there's not enough rain," a random thought flashes, "there would be a scene worthy of an action movie."
And so it happened. One of the searchlights smeared a beam of light on me, and after a few seconds the rays also fell on me from somewhere on the side.
A bright light, about ten thousand lumens, shines directly into me, without stopping. They probably want to burn out my eyes with such brightness. I can only grin — the smart filters of light in my mask will not allow such a thing to happen, but even if they did, I would be able to beat my enemies blindly. Normals, at least, for sure.
The moment my heightened senses caught the first clicks of the machine guns, I immediately began to move. In an instant, having overcome a couple of meters, I leave the illuminated area and dive behind a mountain of garbage, only to jump back out a second later.
This suspiciously good shooter (maybe he was a military man before, and then slipped to the bottom of society, who knows?) I did not expect such a maneuver, so his attempt to shoot immediately at the place from where I was supposed to run out does not succeed, apart from a couple of tanks torn to shreds with noise.
Approximately after the battle with Lung, I, as I wanted, created a block for Thinker forces, similar to the block for Tinker forces. There were loaded opportunities to feel both motion vectors, from Acupuncture, and trajectories, from the Circus. Acting simultaneously, they will give me enough accuracy to pull off what I'm planning.
However, when using them, I get various new sensations. The brain, being unprepared for such an unusual load, seemed to start itching every time. Although after enough training, the effect has decreased, but it's still unusual for me somehow.
While the shooting is concentrated elsewhere, I have a few seconds to counterattack. Shooting is not my choice. My choice is to put this car body right on the machine gun point on the roof. It shouldn't be too heavy, so if I do it right, no one will even die. Well, or… Okay, explaining to Armmaster won't be so much fun anymore.
For a moment, shifting my attention to the kinetic manipulator in the firing pin, I change the setting to the one I need. The indicators on the handle flash a pleasant bluish color, giving a sign that everything worked as it should.
In one short, almost gentle movement, I pick up the piece of iron and send it flying along the trajectory I need.
Describing a small arc, the body crashes right into the corner of the building and, bouncing off it, moves further and further, carried away by its own inertia. I don't see how both the machine gun and the machine gunner were shot down, and even some assistant standing nearby. It seems that there will still be serious damage... the poor things did not even have time to scream. But I don't have time — I'm already moving to the next, much larger group of enemies.
Bullets from their weapons only impotently strike the armor plates and deform, making a not too pleasant sound, unable not only to pierce, but at least to leave dents on the armor. I want to laugh at the top of my voice from the realization of my own strength.
With the discovery of gunpowder and the mass proliferation of firearms, a whole new era can be said to have begun. Whole armies turned out to be completely helpless and useless against the new force. Even now, after the devil knows how many years, firearms remain a very effective means of killing their own kind, and various bulletproof vests only allow you not to die, left with bruises or even with severe injuries.
But my armor? She doesn't even notice the hits! And I'm not changing its density now. Only due to their design, the armor plates are able to distribute the entire impulse evenly over the body. And I'm not talking about the metamaterials used in their creation! It was thanks to them that the hits from the machine gun practically did not throw me back, and the resulting momentum could be used by me in the future!
I checked all this, first putting myself under one of the small-caliber guns, and then increasing the level of danger until I began to move right through the lead rain flying towards me from all sides.
With every step I take, with every meter I overcome, the hands of my enemies begin to tremble more and more. They are afraid. They are afraid of me, an unstoppable machine for destruction, which all their preparations and all their tricks do not take. I'm not even trying to dodge, cheat and play — I like it. I like the feeling of power and power, and I can read this horror in their eyes even from this distance! The fragmentation grenades used by the bandits, just like bullets, are not capable of harming me. I even caught one of them in flight and let it explode right in my hand. It rumbled significantly, the hand was thrown back by the explosion and even for a moment there were micro-spasms, but other than that? Nothing!
But I didn't let them try to achieve more. With a powerful hammer blow, I hit the wall next to me, sending shards and brick dust towards the enemies, which filled the space between us, seriously impairing visibility and making it difficult to move for a while. I hope they are smart enough not to play with weapons in the zero visibility zone, otherwise they will kill each other… Someone has already been crushed by particularly large fragments, and they will not be able to return to service soon.
While the bandits are groaning trying to get out of the pile of fragments that hit them, I, following the data of the scanning module, instead of attacking in a straight line, climb onto the roof of the building.
And I'm not losing. Some fat guy with a sadistic grin on his face is already ready to throw a whole bunch of explosives down, right at his allies, whom I initially approached. So-so they have an understanding of teamwork here, of course… Such an explosion would not have stopped me, but normals would have been torn to meat, and Armmaster would have said a lot to me for what happened. Well, fuck him, it's easier to prevent this.
Looking at my figure, which appeared only a few meters away from him, the fat man slowly stops smiling, and his small, rat-like eyes gradually fill with fear as he realizes. He was going to kill the enemy by sacrificing a dozen cannon fodder and thus earn a reward and, most likely, a promotion. But there was no heroic self-sacrifice in his plans, only pure selfishness. So the usual getting into prison abruptly became a good option for him.
I can practically see similar thoughts flashing through his mind one after another as he slowly backs away. And it can be understood. The mere fact of a collision with a two—meter figure, completely covered with metal, can kill the desire to contradict, and what can I say if the person under this armor is your enemy ... It will be necessary to modify the helmet somehow so that you can make terrible faces and even more intimidate everyone to the shit.
I knock out the enemy, along the way, absolutely by accident (as I will say if asked), I break his wrists and confiscate explosives, after which I rush towards the remaining machine gunners. Some shooters did not notice me, while others are already trying to turn their weapons in my direction, desperately attracting the attention of their comrades with not always censorious shouts. Neither of them can cope with their task and follow their friends and colleagues into the world of dreams.
Actually, it's kind of disappointing so far. I don't feel any decent resistance. I haven't met Capes yet, and normals pose a threat only to their own comrades. About the expected struggle on the verge, as then, with Lung, it is possible not to talk. It's like not falling asleep from boredom. At this rate, I will only have to have fun on my own.
For example, a small but dangerous group of opponents is selected through a gap in the wall. Unlike all the previous punks, these are more like real soldiers. However, with an eye on the sunken cheeks, bruises under the eyes and shaking hands. I think this is Skidmark's personal company.
They're wearing the best armor I've seen today, and they have the best weapons in their hands—they even have a couple of revolver grenade launchers. You can see right away, dangerous guys... for someone else. I only see them as punching bags.
I am already jumping down in the usual way, right into the center of the group, who did not have time to completely leave the building. Even in flight, having thought through further actions, I mentally prepare, not realizing that I did not take into account one small moment.
The surface below me, which is a pile of fragments of bricks, dust and ordinary pebbles, is not stable, and only a professional parkour rider can land comfortably here. Well, or who do you need to be in order for everything to be successful? I urgently need to find Uber, or at least Victor, that skill thief from the Empire. And then soon the problems will consist in the fact that I do not know how to properly control my body, and not in the fact that I do not have enough strength.
In general, my jump ended in failure. The stone I stepped on just flew out from under my foot, and I myself, unable to keep my balance, fell on my back.
Right in the middle of an enemy squad…
The awkward silence lasted for about half a second, during which I only managed to recover from the fall. But my enemies turned out to be more agile, clearly showing their skills, which they apparently failed to drink during all this time.
— Fire! A two—meter-tall man with black, rotting teeth shouted hoarsely. And he himself, clearly setting an example, began to discharge his machine gun directly into my helmet. Feeling like I was literally being pressed to the ground by shooting from all sides, I could only try to hide from it with my hands. Although I boasted before, I know that my armor is not so perfect that it can safely withstand many hits in one place in a short period of time. Another half a minute in this position, and the plates will not stand, starting to split. Thanks for the stress test, guys.
I sigh as I activate the seal. An aura wave invisible to the whole surrounding world fills the mechanism, making it harder, heavier and generally less prone to breakage. The jokes are over, it's time to get serious.
Rolling over on my stomach, I forcefully push off the ground and get to my feet, immediately into a strike position. In fact, I have no experience in fights, and it would seem that I have nowhere to take even the power of Thinker for this now, but I have already figured out how to solve this problem.
In the wrist part of the armor, I had built-in small metal parts in advance. After a moment of concentration, I deploy them directly into my palm, thus getting a kind of brass knuckles. And now the database from Miss Militia is already reacting to it, forcing my body to move correctly when striking and even helping in the movement of my legs in battle.
I get to the big guy who has moved away from me and, having evaded, apparently, a reflex attempt to hit me with the barrel, I hit back.
I hit weakly, almost barely touching, remembering the fragility of the human body, but even this is enough for the ribs, along with the bulletproof vest, to crack with an almost audible sound, and the former soldier himself flew off a couple of meters, very unsuccessfully falling back right on the wreckage. Oops. Apparently, he's disabled now. Although not oops, it's my own fault. It was no good working for someone like Skidmark.
Without slowing down, I keep moving, jumping away from the leaden wasps that pierced the place where I was a moment ago. I was fast and strong before, but now, not even at my maximum, I have become an irresistible enemy even for hundreds of bandits like these.
My enhanced perception allows me to notice how the grenade throwers, who had not participated in the battle at all before, lost patience and opened fire on me. That's just me already moving towards them.
Shells explode one after another behind my back, periodically sending shrapnel into my back. This realization infuriated me. The targets of this rage will definitely not be well.
— Bitches! You! In! One! The team! — each of my blows is accompanied by a cry filled with contempt for the enemies. Bones crack and break, metal bends from blows, and groans fill the air. — So fight as a team! Why the fuck are you constantly trying to kill your own?! Why am I the only one here who cares about your useless lives?!
Without waiting for answers from the moaning bodies, I look around. Here and there the ground is loosened by explosions and shell hits, unconscious carcasses are lying around, marking the battle sites. The destroyed and cracking walls of the building also create the atmosphere that fighting has been going on here for a week.
But I don't find any new enemies, and neither does Squealer, who should have come here a long time ago. Did she fall asleep there?
Sighing, I fold the brass knuckles back and cancel the lock on the wrist joint. There is a price for everything, and for the ability to fight, I give the opportunity to do something else with my hands.
Now I was going to go around all those lying in sight and make sure that they would not die within half an hour from their wounds. After all, I'm not a beast and I have no desire to watch a dozen people die. It would be fine if it happened directly in battle, I have no problems with this, but I don't hate these people, so let them live.
Although the fuck knows what it will be like for them with similar injuries in the future, but ... hey! It's not my problem anymore. There was a fair battle, in which everyone wanted to injure each other, and some even to kill. I won, so my position is stronger, and when opinions collide, I was right.
That's just, before I have time to take a couple of steps, I ... fly up into the air, knocked down by a car that appeared out of nowhere.
— Seriously?! — I can't help but be mentally indignant. — Where have you been before?! There are only two hundred meters from the garage to this side of the building! Or is it some kind of rule that you need to attack in separate groups?!
This and similar thoughts flashed through my head while I was thinking, what should I do? I can't catch the approach until the moment of impact, and a couple of seconds when the disguise falls off is hardly enough for me to do something.
And what, I detonate a bomb? But, damn, I only have one, and even then, only because I made a prototype. According to all calculations, it should work, but what if the radius is less than planned? Well, fuck the risk, I'll just apply more tension. In theory, it should help. Just need to get closer to the workshop. If there is a chance to catch her somewhere, then only there.
I get out of acceleration and, having corrected my trajectory with the help of accumulated momentum, I land on my feet, almost without slowing down, starting to move in the direction I need.
So, the speed of the car was quite high, it is clearly faster than me. Then, taking into account the U-turn, it will take him about 11 seconds to overtake me. During this time, I will get to the corner of the building, and then it will be possible to blow up. The place is convenient, you can jump there and there, if anything. The walls are fragile, but at least something.
My thoughts were interrupted again. An armored minivan of red color, still appearing out of nowhere, throws me a couple of meters, right into a puddle of some kind of rot.
My patience ends there.
— Fuck you, bitches! Yes, now I'm going to burn out all the electronics in the quarter for you on principle! — I yell after these asshole drivers who don't hesitate to knock down pedestrians.
Without thinking about saving, I pull out a small black plastic box from my Pocket. A few buttons, flashing lights, wires almost completely entwined around her from all sides, pointed to her clearly technical origin and made it clear that you need to stay away from this thing.
I release the connection ports on the prosthesis, spend a couple of seconds setting up and charging, after which I throw the device into the air, where it works safely.
An invisible electromagnetic wave sweeps through space. The light sources are instantly turned off, plunging the perimeter of the building into darkness.
But the same effect also reveals the hidden and flaunts this... work of Squealer, slowly creeping in my direction.
A hefty, almost three-meter tank, created from disparate parts of different cars, rolled in my direction, striking with its terrible condition.
In every sense.
I am amazed at how Squealer was able to make such a thing move. Yes, slowly, but move! Judging by the thickness of the armor completely covering it, this tank should weigh under sixty tons, which should be a hell of a lot for a homemade device of this quality.
I'm not even sure how I need to pick something like that. I'm definitely not ready for this situation. Maybe you can open the hatch and get inside? Sounds like a plan.
I get out of acceleration and only after that I realize that the barrel of the tank is already pointed at me. And it glows from the inside brighter and brighter…
— Fuck ... — I barely have time to think this, as a hefty metal block, which flew in my direction with great speed, instantly overcomes a dozen meters and hits me.
Armor plates at the point of impact immediately crumble into dust. Not designed for such a large impact force, they are overloaded with energy, which leads to the fact that they began to crack. But the projectile at that time lost only about half of the momentum. And my body is already forced to accept this remainder.
Although the blow falls on a tangent, it did not make it easier for me. Even when compacted, the flesh diverges like the earth under a shovel entering it. Well, that's how I flew. I could say that hitting the wall and its subsequent destruction by my body was painful, but I won't lie. I didn't feel a damn thing, except for a slight disorientation from moving quickly in space, thanks to me from the past, who guessed to turn off the pain.
But what worried me was that the projectile, which is an ordinary lead rod, could not stand it and flew apart in a bunch of red-hot small pellets that pierced my body and stuck there, frying my flesh. The injury is not super critical, but getting them will be a chore, and it will take a lot of time.
For almost any other Cape, injury is the thing he avoids in every possible way. Their wounds only take away the strength and time needed for treatment.
I'm glad of them. Wounds for me mean only that the armor did not cope with the task, that there is something that I did not think through, something that I did not prepare for. I can analyze my weaknesses and mistakes and become much stronger and better in the future.
Only now I need to live up to this very future. I'm sure Squealer has already targeted this building and is waiting for me to come out to open fire on me again.
What do I need? I know the victory condition — I need to get to the tank and, having opened it, get inside. Squealer is an ordinary person who does not have the ranks of a Bully, she will not be able to resist me.
What's stopping me? The muscles on the chest and near the shoulder are cut by shrapnel, my living, non-metallic arm hangs limp stump. I can't take more than one more hit like that. Then you will definitely need to run away, failing to cope with the task. And I, lately, hate not fucking coping with something. My whole being is enraged by the mere thought that I will have to be in a state again when I cannot do something, change something. So fuck the escape, I'm going all the way.
So, what do I need then? I have already accumulated quite a lot of charges, it's time to spend a little. I don't see any point in increasing protection — I just need to avoid being shot. Hmm... Mover power?
If I were a cartoon character, I would be able to see the light bulb above my head now. Looking through the mental list of accumulated blocks of abilities, I suddenly realized what I was missing.
A sense of danger! This is a fucking topic! And I will surely be able to adjust and not just a feeling!
I am immersed in my work, starting to create a new force.
I'll take as a basis ... hmm, this part is from the strength of the Lung. It works by itself as a sense of danger, but I can do even better. Here we will connect this block [scanning of the environment] from the Circus and [feeling of trajectories] together with [feeling of vectors]. Agas, super. If you twist it here, we will get a force capable of understanding when an object hits me and when it doesn't.
Tek-s, then we'll add... we'll add... aha, this will fit here. I single out from the forces of the Miss Militia the part that means [simulation of actions with the selected object] and work further with it. The first unit of this force is configured to simulate possible damage. I don't have to dodge right every object that can touch me, just something that carries a threat. The second block, flowing smoothly from the first, is already responsible for possible options for avoiding the attack. Hmm, and I can probably connect this wiring coming from my head here, and then mainly those options that correspond to my goals and will not interfere with me will be selected.
Well, the power base has been created, now it remains only to program everything correctly, otherwise, if I screw up, I, on the contrary, will be exposed to any attack. You need to think about it carefully.
…
…
Damn, brains are melting. Of course, I started learning programming, but my level is clearly below the required one. It should work, although everything turned out to be confused and confused. But I still finished the job, finally connecting the most necessary part — [body control Power] from Tinkers forces. Now I don't even have to react myself, the body will do everything by itself, following my subconscious preferences (or Power preferences, as I suspect).
So, let's see how much all this splendor will cost. HOW MUCH?! EIGHT CHARGES?!
Power, what the fuck?! Did I have a free grace period before, they say, everything for half price?!
Are you silent?! Well, fuck you, take your damn charges, give me my brand-new ability here.
Eight stars are swaying in my mind, merging into a beautiful dance. They move in orbits, rotate around each other and simultaneously pour out a whole ocean of energy into the surrounding space. A magnificent sight. It's the first time I've spent that much at a time, isn't it?
Hmm, while I'm lying here, maybe I should cook up a little regeneration for myself? Again through simulations, so that it acts pointwise, on the muscles, tissues and organs that I need most.
Yeah, I'll do that.
Here we will take this part from the Triumph, here part from the Panacea, we will connect it here… I give four charges (fuck you, Power) and launch both new abilities.
A moment later, I get a new feeling that tells me that in about two seconds, if nothing is changed, a new projectile will fly into me right through the wall. Apparently, Squealer still has some way of tracking me.
I get out of Acceleration and push off the ground with my second, intact arm. She, representing a mechanical prosthesis, does not need many muscles, like the left one, and is now able to act with maximum efficiency.
A second after my roll, the wall explodes with a cloud of dust and fragments, a loud noise momentarily deafens me, and a hefty hole about half a meter deep forms in the middle of the floor, surrounded by traces of explosion and destruction.
Squealer in his car beats his hands on the steering wheel with annoyance, trying not to touch the control panel. For some poseur in a fancy suit to run away from her? Skidmark will kill her! Nothing, she has already hit once, now he will crawl out into the open, and…
My new healing power has already begun its work, and I feel the fragments stuck in me being pushed out by the growing flesh. Damn, and I just realized right now that the resources of my body will be spent on treatment, no energy supplement from the source of power, like other regenerators, is not expected. It will be necessary to build up something after the fight that will store a whole bunch of energy for treatment. Such warehouse tumors.
I quickly get up from the ground, starting the generator in my chest in the process. Electricity runs through my nerves and muscles, strengthening them and making them stronger. Now I need all my speed to cross the space between the building and the tank, avoiding hits with the help of a new force. I put the damaged armor in my Pocket — I could restore it right during the battle due to the fact that it was modular, like all my other developments, but it will take some time, which I don't have.
Left with only a torn poddospeshnik in the chest area, I begin to move. The electricity rushing through my body makes my reactions and movements incredibly fast, and thanks to the sense of danger, I can literally dodge bullets.
Which I do, taking a long leap away from the next machine-gun burst and from the wreckage of a battered building, already ready to fall apart from the bombardment to which it was subjected.
Behind the roar of weapons, even despite the powerful speakers, you can't hear how loudly Squealer swears, trying to predict the trajectory of the target and direct the sight to the right point ... Unsuccessfully, of course.
Rolling a little awkwardly, I jump to my feet and keep running. Various sharp debris tries to dig into my defenseless feet, but the reinforced flesh does not even notice such attempts, allowing me to rush at great speed even in unsuitable places.
Relying on speed turns out to be the right decision. The projectile of the tank's main gun reaches such speeds with each shot that avoiding a hit remains almost a miracle. Still not fully healed injury hinders.
Bullets are whistling around me, shells are flying a few centimeters from my skin, leaving hefty craters in the ground, and I keep moving. It's been what, fifteen? twenty seconds? I do not know, time is distorted for me in such a tense state. A stream of insults is heard above the buildings, which is poured out on me from the car by an opponent who feels powerless in front of my speed. I move along a curved, ragged trajectory, exerting all my strength in order to avoid everything that flies at me at all. Of course, ordinary bullets could be ignored, there is little harm from them, but ... in addition to the inevitable victory, I also need skill training, and such an obstacle course should help me get used to new feelings.
Here I am slightly tilting my head to the side, not letting the bullet hit me right in the eye, and here I am already slipping under a tank shell that whistled a dozen centimeters away from me. I change the trajectory with a sharp roll and start running again.
— Haha, by again, stupid, — like a professional high jumper, I fly over a stone shrapnel caused by another explosion, and start to wind up again. My slightly insane laughter echoes over the battlefield, unnerving my opponent even more. It seems that in the pursuit of a sense of invincibility, I still blew the roof off.
But I don't care. I fucking got almost to the tank itself without a scratch at all! Without a single fucking one! I feel like a highly rated Thinker who knows exactly what he needs to do to win. And I fucking want more of these tests. It's a pity that's all. Although the tank is a full—fledged fortress, but the weapons on it are bullshit. One main barrel, a bunch of machine guns and some kind of mortar on top. The latter was dangerous only due to the effect of surprise. An almost panicked Squealer cry is heard from inside — it seems that she is heartily reviling someone… Most likely, this someone is me... for me, it sounds more like compliments.
— You fucking rabbit, will you stop even for a second, tear you in all holes?! Fuck, do you think, since you're spinning like a frying pan, so I won't get you? Did you think at all, who are you barking at?.. — it seems that she has not finished her incredibly informative speech yet, distracted by something.
I have to overcome the last ten meters, and I slow down slightly, listening to the Squealer's voice amplified by technology.
— In the end oborzel, the guy? Yes, you ... — even the interference does not prevent me from hearing how the girl's voice trembled from my unexpected stop. — What are you, fucking, completely crazy, to move on Merchants alone?! Fuck off, or I'll... — with every step I take, her voice gets quieter, and I can clearly hear the doubt and fear in her tone.
Maybe she finally realized that she was not on the winning side at all?.. Although she is rather afraid of what Skidmark will do to her in case of failure.…
I'm calmly going forward without having a drop of fear after all these threats. The shooting has stopped for some time now, and we have moved into a certain state of parity.
Stopping right in front of the tank, I calmly start a conversation, looking straight into its muzzle.
There is no threat to me. I'm in the safest place on the battlefield right now. Shots were always foreshadowed by a glow from inside the barrel, and from here I can literally see the danger, even without using force.
— Or right now what are you? — although only a dozen seconds ago I was excited, my voice is calm, without betraying a drop of my emotions. Long practice, what to say.
— Will you shoot again? We've already found out, you won't get anywhere with this. And you don't have any more options," I shake my head in disappointment. "Just give up peacefully, Squealer. You wasted your time on this shit instead of something normal, and that's why you lost. You had such potential, and you," an exaggerated sigh, "are wasting it on serving a petty drug lord. I would say that you are a disgrace among all Tinker.
My words cause exactly the effect I expected — an explosion of emotions. During my acrobatic exercises, I heard several times the muttering of a careless Squealer, who forgot to turn off the microphone, that she was afraid of punishment from Skidmark. And she works for him, apparently, not out of great love. It even made me laugh — is there anyone here at all who works on their own? You also tell me that Skidmark has a daughter with cancer, so he collects it for treatment, yeah.
— What the fuck do you know about what it's like to be a Tinker?! Fucking major, bought himself an armor and went out to play outside. Of course, for a Brute like you, my baby will be bullshit! How can you even talk about someone's potential, do you fucking know what conditions I have to work in?
"I think they are very straitened," I reply humbly, raising my hands palms up in a gesture of peace.
There is no point in continuing the conflict anymore, I think we both understand who is the winner here, so why not have a chat? Moreover, due to this, I hope to compensate for at least a couple of charges.
— Exactly, fuck! You'll never understand what it's like to work among piles of garbage, without normal tools, and when they constantly demand some shit from you that you don't understand how to do at all! — Squealer poured out on me all the pain that she kept to herself. Apparently, she doesn't have much with her interlocutors there.
— Even so, with a motherfucking boss, with stupid assistants who burned their brains out completely with all sorts of shit and who are afraid to entrust even garbage removal, I fucking managed to build this handsome man. You don't dare say anything bad about my work, not when you probably haven't created anything in your life. You guys are all fucking like that. They became a little stronger than ordinary people, and immediately imagined themselves important birds.
"Well, you're right about something. I really don't know what it's like to work under some kind of motherfucker and do something that I don't like," I say calmly, slowly moving along the hull under the sight of several cameras that allow Squealers to monitor the world around them. I was interested in an interesting arrangement of armor plates and ... explosives on the body, apparently performing some kind of protective role.
— After all, I'm a loner. We don't take my boss from one of the previous jobs into account, we're talking about something else entirely. But you're wrong about something," I pull the pseudo-flesh back into its storage, allowing the metal of the prosthesis to flash under the spotlight. Raising my hand, I pointedly move my fingers in front of the sensors aimed at me, giving me the opportunity to make sure that this is not some kind of deception. — I'm a Tinker too. And I have the right to evaluate your work from this position. And my verdict is all bullshit, as good as possible. Give me a day to familiarize myself with your work, and I guarantee you that the copy will be better than the original.
— And what, you asshole, decided to brag? Humiliate me even more? Fuck you, huh," the girl's voice is filled with anger, subsiding before the beginning of hysteria. — You fucking came here, beat up people and destroyed everything around to what? To stand in front of me and tell me what a stupid cunt I am, right?! Yes, I have enough of this shit from Skidmark without you, eh! Fuck, I'm listening to you at all, I'd rather just blow your stupid head off if you, you idiot, put it in the barrel yourself!
Fuck, I'm definitely overestimating my negotiation skills. Why am I so self-confident now, I've always been normal and, like, adequate. But, anyway…
— You're still listening to me because we both understand that you have no chance of winning ... — explosions are heard somewhere in the distance. I, who did not expect the continuation of the battle at all, decide to immediately check what is visible from the drones there, and…
Damn…
I forgot about the drones. In the heat of battle, I never once remembered about them, and left them hanging on the position I gave them then. Or not? For some shit, the picture that started being broadcast on the screen was completely different from the one I expected.
What the fuck? I what… Yes, I did it.
I immediately wanted to beat my head against the wall. I gave Sharpening a tablet with the same connection to Drones as I have in my helmet. With. The. Same. To be more precise, I first created that tablet, and after thinking about it, I transferred all the functions to the helmet, leaving the prototype to gather dust in the warehouse. And this young suicide somehow managed to navigate the controls and used drones to attack vehicles with ... a pusher, apparently. I definitely need to start keeping track of what I'm giving and to whom.
— Over there, — I waved my hand casually in the direction of the explosions, — my drones are now preventing Skidmark from escaping from me. And they're doing pretty well. Understand, Squealer, Skidmark has already been practically captured, your other two capes will not help you in any way — I met them first. My implants give me enough strength and strength to pull you out of the tank by force, ignoring any resistance.
"And why am I still sitting here inside if you're as cool as you think you are?" The sarcasm in her voice could almost be felt physically. — I've seen you throwing cars around here, but that's not fucking enough.…
I interrupt any objections and dissatisfaction with my sword, pulled out of my Pocket and pierced through the armor, getting right to the Squealer cabin. During the conversation, I managed to conduct a surface scan of the tank and found that Squealer was forced to weaken the protection in some places in order to connect various cameras and other sensors. To the naked eye, this weakness was absolutely not visible, and even the size of such a place was too small for a normal attack.
But I, being a person capable of detecting such a thing, did not fail to take advantage of the opportunity. The razor-sharp blade of the elongated sword was now only a dozen centimeters from the unprotected neck of Tinker, who, realizing the threat, immediately decided to shut up.
— Quiet. As I said, I am able to pull you out by force, but I have no desire to be blown up by..." I pointedly examined the explosives on the armor, "... this is all and then spend time cleaning up the stuck fragments and restoring. I SEE all the flaws and weaknesses in the armor and I will use them without any problems to pull you out even by force. So don't be silly, please turn off the protection and get out.
***
Squealer was still hesitating. She was certainly frightened by the strength demonstrated by Cape, who was now standing right in front of the trunk again, looking at something inside with interest. The confidence he showed made it clear that he was absolutely convinced of his victory if Sherrell still wanted to continue the fight.
Except she didn't want to anymore. Yes, there were still primal impulses inside her, prompting her to continue the clash until the death of one of the fighting capes, but she managed to suppress them with an effort of will. She wasn't sure how much her enemy had strengthened himself, but she saw how his body easily endured what caused part of his armor to crumble into dust. And that said something.
— Okay, I get it. I will come out," she said slowly, trying to give herself time to think, "but where are the guarantees that you are not deceiving me now and will not kill me or kidnap me for something?
When, after her words, a man in a creepy black helmet stared straight at her, ignoring the fact that they were separated by almost fifty centimeters of metal, Squealer, mentally cursing herself, realized what a mistake she had made. Cape hadn't reacted to her swearing before, but the fact that she questioned his words seemed to really hurt him. And she didn't want to anger Brute at all, probably capable of breaking her bones with his bare hands.
She didn't know anything about who her enemy was, but... Squealer bit her lip in thought while she turned off the locking systems and forced the hydraulics to open the heavy hatch. ...if he is telling the truth that Skidmark will not come for her anymore, and the rest of the Merchant capes are not capable, then she is not so against working for him. Squealer was already used to obeying someone, almost a year in the possession of the Pusher knocked out of the once proud girl any desire to resist.
Even if this cape was as violent as Skidmark, which she doubted, Squealer would be glad to be able to work in a normal workshop with normal materials. Just by looking at the technological helmet, the girl could tell that its creator definitely has no problems with either the first or the second. And the cape itself, being a Tinker, should understand its capabilities and limitations and is unlikely to demand the impossible from it.
Sighing in a fit of self-pity and for her lost freedom, Squealer climbed up the stairs.
***
After half a minute of hesitation and reflection, Squealer still decided to get out. At the same time, I was standing, staring at one point, thinking about her words.
She's damn right! I don't have any reputation right now, and my words carry almost no weight for others. It's decided, I'll finish tonight, update my technologies and I'll... I'll... I'll.... Fuck knows what I'm going to do. Maybe I should become a mercenary? Well, you know, I will travel around the cities, meet with the Capes on completely logical grounds, study their powers, receive money from them. And along the way, I'll earn a name for myself there. It's not like I'm hanging around in my native Brockton Bay.
— Hey! Help me down," a shout from above distracted me from my thoughts, "there are equipped exit spots in the hangar above the parking lot, but I'm not ready to just jump to the ground. I'm not a fucking Brute, you know.
Sounds fair. I put the gun back in my Pocket and jump. The metal, slippery from the humid night air, almost makes me shamefully slide back to the ground, but I stay in place by only slightly bending my body. Having stabilized my position, I raise my head and look at the Squealer.
My opponent appeared before me. It turned out to be a medium-sized woman with light hair carelessly combed into a ponytail and funny bright glasses on her head. I wonder why such, with colored glasses?
I looked at her completely —a tight gray T—shirt with a large neckline, wide khaki pants, a work belt - with tools, no weapons. On his feet were quite good military—style boots, on his hands, clogged with tattoos - bright purple (?) work gloves.
In general, I imagined something like this, except for makeup, which probably aims to hide the bruises under the eyes and distract attention from the redness of these very eyes and the look of a drug addict who is already starting to miss the dose, which, however, did not really work out.
There was a fresh abrasion on her cheek — either she had grappled with someone, or the consequences of dissatisfaction with her superiors… However, it doesn't matter anymore.
I enter the acceleration and begin to study her strength.
The most important part, the one for which I came here at all and participated in these battles, was right in the middle of the power structure I perceived. Like a long-awaited birthday present, she stands out for me with her scheme.
A database concerning the creation and improvement of vehicles.
I smile inwardly as I take this gift.
Damn it, my drones, after all, in some way, also belong here. Already their next version will be significantly superior to its predecessors. This is not to mention the fact that I have learned about a variety of new alloys, polymers and metamaterials, which, for example, will help me both reduce the friction force to almost zero and increase it to a huge amount. And what efficient engines come out! Wow, beauty!
Nearby, I notice another partially familiar structure — a simulation that helps Cape use the object of this very simulation with maximum efficiency. In this case, it concerns the management of various vehicles.
That's it, I decided, as soon as I get home, I will definitely create a force so that all these simulations can be connected not one by one, but as with technical specializations — all together.
Well, that's about it, you can go back to the real world.
— Well, the damsel in distress, are we going down? I say mockingly after a second, hinting at her situation in general.
Squealer, apparently, does not miss this moment, but there is nothing he can do.
— Fuck you! — she mutters softly to herself, still heading in my direction.
I pick her up in my arms and jump down. Her short cry makes me laugh, although outwardly I still don't show any feelings.
Putting the girl on her feet, I point to a stone slab nearby and say in an imperative tone:
— Sit down and sit here. Preferably without making any sounds.
— And what are you going to do now? — Squealer asks me a question, flexing his muscles after sitting in a chair and slowly heading to the indicated place.
— To guard you. And I'm also going to stop Skidmark leaving this place and trying to escape. You can look at a real technician at work and draw conclusions.
— Fuck you, huh. Maybe I gave up, but I'm not going to tolerate your bullshit," this offended loser began to grumble at my back, but I'm not listening to her anymore. Taking the nutrient mixture out of my Pocket, I take off the lower part of the helmet, leaving only the screen and sensors I need to control, after which I stick to the package.
A thick gray mixture of chocolate flavor flows through my esophagus, getting into my stomach and giving a large number of calories to the body, which has spent a lot of energy recovering from injuries. Since I've improved myself, I've generally had to eat more. Now, after the treatment, the need for nutrients has intensified to such an extent that I have already drunk two packs, but I still do not have enough, so two more are opened and ready for use. An ordinary person would be able to live on this for at least a month without experiencing hunger, provided they spend wisely, of course. If I always stayed a little hungry, I would have lasted two. It's a good thing, but synthesizing it is a headache. The slightest mistake, and the balance will go wrong, and instead of normal saturation, you will get an ulcer or even poison yourself.
There are still small problems there — taste, for example. I couldn't do anything here — it turns out a rather nasty taste, because of which I then want to clean my tongue with a brush. Personally, I got out by manually influencing the taste buds, giving the taste that I want, but what an ordinary person will do, I have no idea.
But, anyway, the fight continues. Sharpening, who had no experience and knowledge of management, used drones, even combat ones, in the most straightforward way — as guided projectiles. In a good way, he should be prescribed a belt for such disposal of someone else's property, but I don't care too much to punish him. Tomorrow they will all be reworked into a better version, so even if something is crumpled, broken and slightly broken, everything will still be melted down and improved. And the upbringing of other people's children is not my concern.
But what I care about is Skidmark, who has already recovered from an unexpected ambush and launched a counterattack. Several of his shot guards are already lying nearby, peacefully drooling from sleeping pills in their bodies. The remaining couple walk around the guy from the side, probably intending ... I have no idea what they intend to do. Maybe grab him and subdue him again? Well, they don't shoot at him — and that's fine. Okay, it's time to end this farce.
I allocate several combat drones — one for each fighter and two more for Skidmark, to be sure — as well as several scouts with sleeping darts still preserved and begin to give them commands.
The pusher at this time is too busy fighting to notice that the aircraft that had been frozen in place before now began to move. Brightly glowing bluish circles begin to cover his clothes and disperse to different places on the battlefield. The dust raised from the action of these circles absorbs the Sharpening, forcing him to pick it out of his eyes and spit through his bandana.
The pusher moved across the dust, creating new glowing circles on his clothes and under his feet, due to which his every step was larger than usual. That's just his maneuver is interrupted before it even starts. A combat drone with enough speed, strength and mass to knock a person off his feet flies straight into him from an unexpected direction.
A sharp push almost makes Skidmark fall, shouting curses, but he miraculously still keeps on his feet. His clothes, covered with power circles, pushes the drone away from the cape, but... I had the foresight to use two at once.
So you still have to feel the ground with the face of Skidmark. After a short fall caused by another collision, Skidmark falls on his stomach and rolls down the street for a couple of seconds under the influence of his own force, tearing off the skin on his hands. Having recalled the circles in a flash of light, he stops and tries to get up, but the moment is already lost — the drone, which does not really know how to shoot at moving targets, has already worked out an attack on a stationary target and flies away from there.
Two militants are already unconscious at this moment, there were no problems with them.
It was this moment that the Sharpener chose in order to jump out of the settling cloud of dust. Being ready to continue the fight, he immediately stands up, but he does not detect his enemy. Just a swarm of drones gathered around him in a semicircle.
To the guy's credit, he has the decency to at least look ashamed that he used my drones without permission.
Oh, and here comes the help! I wonder why they always arrive after the fight or at the end of it?
With a sigh and a slight shake of my head, I put the empty pack of food mixture that I sucked during this remote fight back into my pocket, after which I get up and turn to Squealer, who was sitting with a bored look where I put her:
— Let's go up! The cavalry has arrived there, and now we are going to them, where I will hand you over to the clutches of the state," Squealer does not look pleased with such a statement, although she has already resigned herself to the fact that this will happen.
— Oh, come on, I'm sure the situation is not so bad, — I pat the girl on the shoulder and begin to lead her in the direction I need. — Unlike the others, you weren't even beaten, and I'll put in a good word for you, saying that I was prudent and gave up myself. And you're not alone ‐ your former colleague Sharpening will also get to them, although on slightly better terms, I think. —
— Wait! — Squealer breaks out of my hands and, after taking a few quick steps, turns to me with a strange indignant-admiring expression on his face. "Did that little shit bring you here?" And I fucking told Skidmark right away that he wouldn't obey him," an evil grin blooms on her face. — Serves him right, shit-eater. Let him accept the consequences of his actions," she walked beside me again.
— It's necessary ... — the girl looks at my figure with her eyes. "Where did he find you anyway?" He's just a little jerk who can't do anything without his mom. —
Well, I don't know, he didn't seem like that to me.
— I won't say anything about the latter, but he didn't find me. He just happened to be smart enough to figure out which side the power was on and say the right words. Just like you did. But his partner did not know how to assess the situation, so she will wake up already in a cage. —
— And fuck her. So, wait, — Squealer looks back at his former base, — and you... aren't going to take anything from there? Like, why else would they attack us? —
No, well, I've already received my benefit. But you can't explain it to her. Just what do they have there that would make me choose this, rather than go and study the power of the Pusher before he is taken to jail? Many millions of dollars or more effort to study, which will give me a lot of information?
— Do you have any more capes there? —
Squealer frowns and shakes his head negatively.
— Rare materials that every technician needs? —
Here she starts to look sullen, but still answers:
- no. Not that Skidmark is spending on me. I tried to escape once, so he stopped giving me at least something normal. —
— Maybe a lot of money? —
Sigh.
— I get it. No, there's not really any money there either. The pusher just the day before bought a large batch for sale and ordered weapons. Maybe two hundred thousand left. —
I whistle to myself. Maybe they should also do drug business, since Merchants earn so much that two hundred thousand for them is just the remainder of the amount. But money is not that important to me. I would have easily paid the two hundred thousand for a meeting with some Cape. And if we consider that the effect of the acceleration of the projectile in the barrel of the tank was, with a high degree of probability, created precisely on the basis of the Pusher force, then it may well be worth the money. Yes, there are a lot of possibilities for application!
— No, bullshit, let's go. I'm not interested in drugs either. By the way," I grin, because we have already come to where I wanted. — can you drive? —
— Oh, fuck you, huh! —
***
— ...and that's the kind of bullshit you have with this knot. A little load of what goes — and the speed drops to zero. —
Squealer and I were driving along the night road in one of the previously invisible cars abandoned by her former assistants. This particular one was one of the pair on which they tried to knock me to death. However, I didn't hold a grudge against the car and chose it as the highest quality (in appearance, for sure).
During the trip, a dialogue naturally began, which has now flowed into a discussion of any technicality.
— Have you tried replacing that block with four smaller ones, but connected through branched ports? Well, so that the voltage is evenly distributed and the load is not superfluous? The size of the system will not change much, but the problem will be solved. Right here. —
Squealer turned the steering wheel, the car turned into a new street with a roar, and the girl stared in my direction with poorly concealed surprise.
— What the fuck?! she exclaimed. — Why are you better at this than I am? I've been fucking racking my head for a week, and a second later you can already give an answer! And after all, it can work! —
I grinned.
— Well, I already told you that I only need a day to start doing better than you. So I confirm my words. Even it took much less time than stated. —
"I would slap you for your constant bragging, but I'm afraid it won't help," Squealer muttered to herself, hoping that I wouldn't hear her. —
— Yeah, it won't help. Turn left here and brake. We arrived. Be quiet, I'll talk myself. —
The car turned onto another street and began to slow down. Even without my warning, Squealer would surely have done the same. Several PRT vans blocked the passage to the battlefield. Five people with weapons in their hands were pointing this very weapon towards our car. The Armmaster leading the whole procession was looking in our direction with a tense expression on his face, clutching his halberd tightly and saying something into the microphone. M-yes, no hospitality.
— Brake my door to them and drive a little further as I get out, — I ordered, patting Squealer on the shoulder. I wanted a spectacular appearance of something.
The girl just nodded silently, nervously biting her lip. It was just beginning to dawn on her that now her fate would depend on the mercy of a complete stranger, with whom she had recently fought. Intellectually, she understood that she had done the right thing and that resisting and defending the gang she didn't really love to the end would only make it worse for her, but such reflections did not help her cope with emotional experiences.
The car began to slow down in front of the tense soldiers, and, at the moment of turning, I just opened the door and went outside. The inertia that was supposed to knock me off my feet was correctly used by me in order to move forward straight and confidently, without even slowing down.
— Is this how you meet important guests?! I exclaimed with a grin in my voice. — Where is the orchestra, where is my red carpet?! I thought I deserved more respect for having sorted out your problems. —
"Pertinax," the Armmaster sighed, gesturing to his subordinates that the weapon could be lowered. "You chose a terribly inappropriate way to arrive. Because of the battle that took place here, we are forced to detain all suspicious persons, ESPECIALLY if they use technical transport. Former Merchants are running in all directions, and if it weren't for your warning call, many would have fled to other parts of the city with a lot of weapons in their hands. —
"Well, you see how good I am," I said, sensing from my tone which way the conversation was going. But I couldn't help but add fuel to the fire. — And provided people with work, and cleaned the city. The same advantages. And you talked me out of it. —
— And rightly so, — Armmaster raised his voice slightly, his stern expression spoke of how disappointed he was in my sanity. Or am I just figuring it out? — The consequences of your escapade were dozens of wounded, injured by fleeing Merchants. The police have already started receiving reports of attempted robberies and attacks in a state of passion. And you say you did everything right? —
Is it that they still want to make me guilty for other people's actions?
— Yes, that's what I meant. With those who are now running around the city, it turned out inconvenient, of course. But are you really trying to convince me that leaving the gang alone was the best way out? — I tilted my head slightly to the side, looking Armmaster straight in the eyes (well, or in the part of the helmet where they should be). — Did you know that the Pusher was expecting a large supply of weapons from day to day? And he was definitely not going to use it to bring peace and joy. No, what I did was necessary and right. Now let the police start working off the taxes that people pay for its maintenance. I took out every cape in the gang, and without them, you really try to cope with ordinary people. —
Armmaster grimaced.
— How difficult it is with you… Could you at least wait for my arrival, as you were told, so that the PRT would have time to take measures and prevent riots? — Armmaster asked in a tired tone, no longer angry, but just tired. I also decided to slow down — I don't think I will achieve anything with aggression.
— Think about it. During the time you were driving, Skudmark probably would have had time to prepare properly, and we would have been met not by scattered groups of enemies, but by full-fledged detachments sitting on the defensive under the protection of machine-gun points and various Squealer equipment. Yes, it was there right now, I don't know how, but they found out about my arrival in advance and began to prepare. And they were enough to break through my armor and even hurt me a little. I doubt that you have a Brute rating and are able to return to the battlefield as soon as possible after being wounded. So it was most effective for me to go to the assault alone. —
— Okay… It's not my problem anymore, and it's not for me to lecture you. —
"What do you mean?" —
— Piggot will give you an invitation to a meeting. She wants to discuss something. You'd better hurry up—the conversation can drag on without that. —
I didn't understand. Did he just sort of order me to? Funny… Not that I was really going to obey anyone. On principle, I would refuse and would come at the moment when it is convenient for me.
— Oh, what honors are being heaped on me. The director herself found time for me! Or did she even decide to interrupt her sleep for me? It doesn't matter, but I'm flattered, really! However, you know, what a pity — I'm a little tired right now, and to come to such an important meeting in such an unpresentable form," I pointed to my body, running my palm from top to bottom. Dirt, various small debris and my blood stuck to the suit, creating the image of a kind of tramp killer. And the suit itself was far from in the best condition. Even if I replaced the damaged plates with new ones (thank the modular system!), I was unable to remove other signs of damage. Small chips, cracks and scratches were everywhere except the chest, which hinted, you know. — It's a bit not comme il faut, you know... let's just say I'll call you myself as soon as I'm ready, okay? —
Armmaster seemed to want to object something, but I didn't let him, quickly continuing:
— Speaking of meetings! Just look who I've brought! — I pointed my hand in the right direction, where Squealer was awkwardly hesitating by the car, being under the supervision of several soldiers at once. — Do you want to meet a lady? —
Armmaster took a brief look in that direction, and then continued:
"Pertinax, your attempt to change the subject won't work on me. —
Ah, slander and slander.
— But I didn't try to change the subject. I've already done that. —
Seeing that the hero only frowned at my words, I sighed and spoke:
— Listen, Armsi. I can call you that, right? I ignored his frown and his attempt to say no. — I'm not going to go somewhere in a weakened state. You can threaten me and swear at me as much as you like, but I'm not going to put myself in a weak position for anything. So either we meet when I'm ready, or we don't meet at all. —
Armmaster didn't say anything, just looked at me in silence. I stared back. None of us had our eyes covered by the visors of our helmets, but I am sure that our gazes were directed exactly into the eyes of the opponent.
It was Armmaster who decided to end this senseless confrontation first.
"All right, I'll report to Piggot. But don't think that the world will always revolve around you. Many newcomers died because of an inflated conceit. —
What an absurdity. My conceit is definitely not overstated. How many capes below the Triumvirate level can easily cope with whole gangs waiting for their appearance? That's it, but I can.
— Yeah, thanks for the advice. And now, can I have a look at Skidmark and go to rest? I came here just for him, you know. —
Tinker didn't answer me right away, but started saying something into the microphone. The noise reduction systems in the helmet were so good that I couldn't catch a word, but Cape seems to have already received an answer. After uttering another command, he turned to me already:
"Normally it would be forbidden, but I got permission for you. You will have no more than ten seconds to contact, after that Skidmark will be taken away. Is everything clear? —
— Yeah, that's right. By the way, I promised Squealer a break for giving up on her own. So I think you guys have a great chance of recruiting her. But no matter, it's your business, and I'm off. —
Turning around, I headed for the trucks with the captured people inside. I didn't know which one of them was my goal, but a soldier standing next to the transport came to my aid.
—This way for you," he called me briefly, without expressing any emotions.
Unlocking the door, he stepped aside, letting me come over and take a look. Well, I did it.
Skidmark was unconscious, handcuffed and surrounded by several soldiers. His once relatively clean clothes were now rumpled, soiled and torn in various places. The drool flowing from his mouth only made it worse, completely destroying the important appearance of this man and forcing me to consider him a drug addict by his appearance alone, which he was.
I activated my force vision and peered into the cape's power.
So, uh-huh. Here we have a cool mix of gravity with my favorite inertia. Yes, and the external work of the aura was different from everything I saw. Parts of it are easily able to separate from the user and move without his active control.
Well, as soon as an object gets to the border of this aura, it will be momentarily exposed to the gravitational part, almost zeroing out the body mass, and the second part will give the body an impulse according to the settings of a specific auric region.
The most interesting thing here, in my opinion, was that different auras are able to layer on top of each other without any consequences, only enhancing the effect of each other.
Fun... and useful.
I turned off the power and took a couple of steps back from the car. The soldiers sitting inside immediately slammed the door, and the guard locked it.
— Listen, Mr. Soldier, have you seen a kid here? This," I raised my hand to a certain height, "meter sixty—nine, responds to the name of Sharpening. I want to exchange a few words at the last. —
But the result turned out to be far from what I wanted, although it was the one I secretly expected.
— I can't know. Please step away from the car. —
— Well, go to hell, — I walked away from him and looked around.
…
…
Even from drones, you can't see anything. And there are no more cars like this one. Well, apparently not fate, I just wanted to chat a little anyway. Maybe I'll meet him another time.
Well, my work here is probably over. It's time to go home, the neural network is waiting for me there. I briefly said goodbye to Armmaster, nodded to Squealer, who only glanced at me briefly and returned to the conversation, expressively trying to prove something to Armmaster, and left the stage.
***
In Pertinax's workshop, some time later.
— Fuck, really? — I didn't hold back swearing after checking the computer.
— Because of some bug, all the work is for nothing! — sigh. — Apparently, I will have to personally control everything this time. Well, what a fucking fun pastime. –
— Fuck, and there was no way to arrange a softer landing? — he turned to me, raising his head, still not making any attempts to get up. — I've already given up and I'm not going to fight with you… —
I just grunt, crossing my arms over my chest. Well, I'm trying, the armor is not so flexible yet and imposes some restrictions on movement.
— I didn't control anything there at all. The charge of the device ran out, and you fell, that's all. This is actually a prototype with one mode of operation so far. —
The guy looked at me for a couple of seconds with an unreadable expression on his face, after which he muttered:
— Tinkers — and lowered his head back to the floor, — always use their not even finished crap, — he muttered to himself, but I had no problems hearing him, not with my body amplifications and various microphones and scanners built into the suit. —
Staying in place, I spoke:
— Get up, come on, stop lying down. And in general, the more you slow down, the more chances that Skidmark will find out about me and that you left for PRT, and what he will do to your brother for this, you will not like. —
In general, I haven't found a single record about his brother. And considering how people on the Internet react to the disclosure of identity, often literally finding and posting a person's entire life online, then at least something about him should have existed.
The parents of the Sharpening were once, yes, but it is not written about other relatives anywhere. But if he really wants to give up, I'm not going to refute the misconceptions, especially since he could get attached to someone in the future and call him his brother already.
Well, if this is an attempt to deceive, in order to lead into an ambush, then ... of course I will go there! People tried, prepared, and should I ignore them? I wonder what will happen there in this case. And even though I have already accumulated a pretty good amount of charges — as many as 34 pieces, but there is not much power, and I will be only happy to participate in something new for myself.
— Yes, I would be glad to hurry up, — Sharpening with another long moan began to get up, — but my back was hurting before that, and I also fell exactly on a stone of some kind. It fucking hurts, you know. —
A nasty little grin came out on my face.
— I don't know, I turned off my pain a long time ago. Get up, come on, I'll give you painkillers. —
Turning around, I start moving towards the trucks outside, continuing to talk:
— And keep in mind, there are a couple dozen of my combat drones flying around, and as soon as you do something wrong, you will immediately go to jail chained from head to toe. Well, you will answer me a couple of questions, of course. —
— I understand, not a fool. Yes, and I saw you throw Linda with one blow. I'm not as tough as she is. —
Sharpening had already risen to his feet and was slowly hobbling after me.
— Linda? Isn't revealing Cape's identity something forbidden there? Aren't you afraid that... oh, yeah. —
— Oh, fuck her. Fucking sadist. Listen, man, I really don't care about the Merchants. I would only take my brother and run away with pleasure. —
— Isn't Skidmark keeping you all there on drugs so you can't get away from him? Don't think about it, I'm not kidding, I really don't know how it all happens. —
Sharpening grimaced and fell silent for a couple of seconds, apparently thinking over the answer.
— Merchants... mmm… After all, merchants are not entirely made up of bandits and drug addicts who will sell their mother for a dose. Yes, most of them are just poor and homeless people who gathered in a group for the sake of survival. And then Skidmark just comes and says that now we all work for him. He just killed the dissenters, — the guy paused for a couple of seconds, then continued — When my parents died, I was on the street. And I didn't know what to do. I survived as best I could until Jack picked me up. We wandered around with him for a while, and then we got into a bigger group. They were normal, they didn't rob anyone, they just begged and generally begged here and there. —he paused again.
I stopped moving a long time ago and turned to face the teenager. It was pretty creepy for me to realize that a similar fate could have been waiting for me, so I quite sympathized with him. And I couldn't help but notice how his fists clenched before he spoke.
— And then Skidmark came. He said that now we will give almost all the money earned to him, and even set the amount of tribute for a week. He said that if we live on his territory, now we obey him, and then he just told his people to shoot at everyone who started saying something in response. And so, bitch, enjoyed, as if he came to some fucking theater, for assholes like him. —
The guy didn't scream, but his voice became hard and cold, as if he remembered all the anger he felt then again. I noticed heavy breathing, gnashing of teeth, tension of the body- Cape clearly does not lie about his attitude to Skidmark. If I offer him to attack the Merchant base in this state, I think he will agree without doubt and hesitation.
And the guy himself continued to tell the story of his misadventures:
— Well, we agreed then — and what could we do? And after about a month, everything went from a simple "pay me" to "you fight for me" - he didn't share something with someone there, I don't know, I don't care. Well, then Jack was shot, and I couldn't do anything either, and... well, I got the power, yes," the guy quieted down again, looked at his hands and continued with a sigh —
— Even after becoming a cape, I was useless at that time and couldn't really do anything, but our opponents retreated anyway — they decided not to mess with me, you never know who I became… And they were ordinary people, not Capes. In general… That's when Jack was taken away by Skidmark people, and he told me that as long as I work for him, Jack remains alive and well. —
I raised an eyebrow.
— And you believe him?" Have you ever met your... friend after that? —
Sharpener nodded.
— Well, I'm not exactly a fool, I made sure that he was alive and well. Not personally, really, but I talked to him on the phone, and he didn't complain about anything. He said that while I was working well and without complaints, he was being given all sorts of indulgences. I can't just leave him there— he saved me, after all, and took care of me. So I tried my best. But now that I'm not alone ... — the guy tried to get up again, but hissed in pain. — I thought you said that you would give some kind of medicine. —
— Oh, right, — I came to my senses already. Tek-s, what should I give him? I didn't actually create drugs purposefully, but I got something in the process of experiments. That's just what the substances turned out to be... experimental. I don't want to risk the guy somehow. Damn, who's on then? At least catch bandits for experiments. It would be possible, of course, to create something for this task - the cultivation of experimental animals, but it will be quite a difficult project for me, and ... TIME. Time is my most important resource, after all.
It's all complicated, after all. Then I'll see if something comes to mind. And now I'm going to try to cure the guy with biokinesis — did I get him as a treatment ability for nothing?
— Okay, I'll need to check you for injuries first. The sensors are initially tuned to me, so I'll have to touch you for a while," without waiting for an answer, I bend down and touch the guy, throwing part of my aura onto him.
My assumptions turn out to be correct, and I can actually interact with other people as well as with myself through this trick.
Hmm, maybe I could pass the aura through the surface of the floor to a person at a distance from me, and thus do something with him without giving myself away. It will be necessary to conduct a couple of experiments.
Tex, yeah.
— You have pinched nerves in the lower back. It doesn't look like age, did they beat you, or what? — without waiting for an answer, I take out one of the most harmless drugs for muscle recovery and, still without breaking contact with the guy, I inject him.
I still decided to combine one with the other and follow the action of the substance live, while treating the injury and making sure that the medicine will work as it should.
—Ah..." said the Sharpener, but I just shushed him, busy watching. And there was something to watch. The tricky mixture of amino acids and protein structures worked for the first few moments as it was programmed. I even helped her a little to reach the right places in the body. And now the problems have already started there. Here is the first reaction of the substance with the cell, here is the second, the third, and after that — a failure.
The student tries to pull away, but I just change the surface of his skin at the point of contact to a sticky substance and continue studying.
In another place, everything was repeated. The first, second, third, and again an unknown error turns the affected cells into cancer cells. I grimaced inwardly. As expected, without real trials, what could have gone wrong actually went wrong. I can only draw conclusions from the mistakes made.
I decompose the medicine into harmless components and return the nerves to their correct place, change his skin to the previous version (what the fuck was it, what the fuck did I do that?), after which I get out of acceleration and break contact.
The sharpener (I should have looked at his real name again, and the fact that I only call him in Cape?), which clearly showed that the pain was gone, looked at me with a strange expression on his face.
- what? I raise an eyebrow in surprise.
— Well, to begin with, after you touched me, the sensations of touch disappeared there, and I couldn't pull away, as if the skin was glued to you… Well, like, it was fucking creepy. And then when I tried to ask a question, you just started hissing at me and ignored me altogether. Well, that's..." his expression softened, —thank you. I've already started to forget what it's like to live without back pain. And now it's like he's younger. Well, like, hunting as a child to run and jump. Seriously, man, thanks.
I was flattered by his words, although a little confused by how my actions looked from the outside.
— Yeah, I'm also glad that everything worked out as it should. Now come on, I'm going to grab the Pusher before tomorrow morning. We still need to hand over your former friends to the police and call PRT.
While Sharpening, taking the bonds I gave him, went to bind the bandits lying here and there, I contacted the Protectorate to notify and transfer the captured cape. Yes, I think I had to call the operator again and discuss everything with him, but ... it will take a long time, I'm sure.
It's good that I have contacts with the right people.
—Yes, Pertinax,— Armmaster answered me irritably. I hope he wasn't asleep, otherwise it would have been uncomfortable.
— Hello, hello, not distracting? Do you happen to need a cape and a couple dozen ordinary bandits along with a bunch of tech trucks there in PRT?
This question made him more active.
"Did you fight the Merchants?" I will not say that they are very dangerous, but a collision with them can be risky because of their unpredictability.
Oh, how sweet, the stern Armmaster takes care of me.
— Well, I hope so, because so far I haven't seen anything interesting from them. Am I, in general, what am I calling? One of their capes expressed a desire to leave them if a member of his family was saved. And he has absolutely no good feelings for former colleagues. So now we are going to storm their base, but we need someone to take away those bandits that I have already captured.
— Pertinax, stop and wait for help. You can't just trust an enemy who has promised to surrender, and storming the Tinker workshop is incredibly dangerous.
Oh, come on, I'm sure he's just overestimating them. There were no problems now, and I didn't have any problems with my enemies before either. And I kind of know how dangerous Tinker can be — he's like that himself, but…
Squealer specializes in cars, as far as I know. Is she going to run me over with a bunch of tech cars? Well, okay, a bunch of invisible tech cars. Because her creations are not yet pulling for more.
— And yet I will go like this. If your team had been enough to capture, they would have done it much earlier. And since the Merchants are still alive, they are useless, and it will be better to catch Tinker by surprise before he finds out about the loss of his people, — ... I forward my current coordinates to Armmaster and immediately end the call before he has time to object.
Of course, he can then try to express himself in the style of, "Why the fuck are you ignoring the instructions of experienced heroes?!", but hey, I'm working with the Protectorate, not FOR him. Anyway, I think I have enough strength and training to overcome a bunch of junkies without much difficulty. So if there are no problems, there will be no reason to listen to something from Armmaster either.
— Okay, man! I called out to the Sharpener. — As a payment for assistance, and in order for this assistance to be carried out, I need information from you on all sorts of points of sale, warehouses and bases.
— I don't know much myself, but you're interested in the Squealer workshop, right? They're basically all hanging out there, — my new protege managed to cope with the "packing" of criminals during the conversation and stood by for a long time, methodically cracking his fingers. — I've been there a couple of times, it's not far, if without cargo, then it won't be difficult to get there on foot in fifteen or twenty minutes.
I nodded to him, and a moment later I realized that right next to me was a bunch of Squealer trucks, some of which were not even damaged. And this is a great chance to learn her technology even before the fight, which I suspect will be inevitable.
— Wait here, I'll be there soon, — I quickly inform the Sharpener, rushing towards the intended location of the whole trucks. The options that were broken during the escape and lost their invisibility because of this do not interest me as much as the undamaged options are interested in.
Within ten seconds of reaching the search area, I realize that searching alone or even together will be too long for me. Fortunately, scout drones will always come to the rescue! Sensors and scanners on them will not be able to determine anything, but even the fact of a physical collision of the device with a vehicle is enough for me.
As I look at my mechanical children, who begin methodically combing the search area, I think about how much I have done and how much work I will need to do in the future.
In the very first bouts of technocracy, I threw myself at everything. In the intervals when the details I needed were being created, the materials were melting and cooling, I almost fanatically began to implement the ideas that came to my mind at that moment. Basically, these were developments in the field of chemistry and biology, but often I spent my strength and resources on other useless or simply non-working nonsense.
And now a whole bunch of stuff is stored in my workshop — prototypes of the things I use now and just unsuccessful projects. But what would be really useful for me — the same sensors — is in a relatively rudimentary state.
Here is the same weapon. And why do I really need my rifle now? But I put a lot of effort into it then. And now, with all my body improvements, a hammer or a sword will be much more effective than a small rifle. Not, well, as a third-party project, like a hobby, it can be developed, but it is already clear that I should focus on other things.
So that… My thoughts were interrupted by the fact that one of the drones disappeared from view and at the same time one of the communication signals began to distort.
Rejoicing at such a quick finding of the object I needed (and the area where they were standing was quite a big size), I ran in that direction and after a couple of seconds I got into the effect zone.
Having stopped the drone flying next to the truck and beating against it, I looked around with interest. The effect, as I see it, is one-sided, which seems a little abnormal to me. Well, as abnormal — incomprehensible. After all, you will be invisible only if the light passes completely through you, well, or around you. I know what I'm talking about — I've already tried to develop technologies for invisibility, although I haven't gone beyond laboratory tests and haven't received anything suitable for use in the field at the moment.
There is, of course, a third option — something like a screen that will show the picture behind it and thus create the illusion of invisibility, but this is definitely not the option.
But in this case, I see everything from the inside. Perhaps, uh... copying the light and moving it at the same time? Well, like, a photon gets to the edge of the effect, where it is copied and sent along the same trajectory, and the original is redirected so that the truck is not visible. Quite a working scheme, although I can't understand how it can happen without real material interacting with light, purely in the form of a single area of action.
Wanting to test another guess, I shout to the Sharpener, but he does not react to it in any way. Then, it turns out, the sound also does not go beyond the field of invisibility.
But it will be easier to deal with this, I can already create something for such an effect.
Okay, I figured out the effect itself. Of course, it would be possible to sit here and try to overcome its effect, but ... the current sensors did not cope with the task, and it takes time to create something new. But I still want to end the presence of Merchants in the city as soon as possible, preferably this night. So I'll limit myself to a quick analysis of the technology, and you can hit the road. In the end, I will get this specialization, then I will understand in detail.
Moving towards the truck, I examine in detail... this piece of metal on wheels. At least that's what he looks like. A lot of pieces of metal are clumsily welded together in order to add more armor to it; the wheels are replaced with some kind of parody of tracks, which should give more patency; various... seriously, I barely touched it, and it's already falling off? Like I said, a piece of metal on wheels.
Inside the cabin, everything is no better. I can't even figure out what this refers to (maybe it's because I don't know how to drive cars, but it is, by the way). A lot of wires intertwined together, a thick rope stretches from the front to somewhere back. Garbage, puddles of something smelly, dirty buttons of unknown purpose — that's what fills most of the space. It's just, ugh, how bad everything is.
Reluctantly, I climb inside just to see what's inside and where the wires are going. There's only a small recess inside the cabin, in which... is that a crystal in a jar? Yes, that's him. I suspect that he is the core of the hiding device, but damn... seriously, with every second spent here, I have more and more complaints about the quality of Tinker's work. Was it possible to try somehow? The jar, there, is not rusty to find; the wires are not picked up so that a short circuit occurs a little bit. I see the potential, but the execution — I shook my head in disappointment — is disgusting.
Turning my head a little to the right, I notice the device to which most of the wires are drawn and which is connected to the crystal by even more of them. The whole web is responsible for the connection of the computer — and this is it, apparently — with the device, but what a fragile connection, in my opinion, this is. Squealer could at least cover it all with metal plates, and not just let it run along the walls.
Hmm, but I can try to hack this system and get some interesting information. There are tools for this, and time, too, it seems.
With just one thought, I give the command, I push the hacking kit out of my prosthesis and get to work.
Hmm, this computer should not initially support wireless communication, but... it was created from a bunch of various devices at once, including several phones, through the remnants of which I can connect.
A couple of seconds to overcome the elementary protection, and I'm inside.
Hmm, there's really nothing here. The main content is a crookedly written code, which, apparently, is responsible for the correct operation of the crystal. Most of it is incomprehensible to me, but I can vaguely distinguish those parts that supposedly adjust the movement of light waves, and similar ones, but already responsible for sound.
I think we should copy it. So I will have a base when I start creating my own device and programming it.
While the code is being compiled and downloaded, I methodically start checking the remaining capabilities of the device. The device that I use a little for other purposes starts to work much worse, but I'm only here for a couple of minutes, after that I won't care.
After a couple of minutes, a sharp crack interrupts my actions. On some reflexes, jumping aside, I glance in the direction of the sound and see that it's just wires. Unable to withstand the tension, they began to spark and smoke. The screen of the device then goes out, and it itself stops working.
Ugh. I knew that the slightest voltage would be enough to break this whole circuit. And how did it work before me in general? At least I have the program now.
The invisibility generator also turned off as a result. The liquid in which the crystal was floating changed color from greenish-yellow to gray, and the glass also began to be covered with a grayish coating.
The crystal itself, hanging on the wires with which it was practically braided, begins to lose color, and when viewed, it can be seen that it even partially began to crumble.
Although I have received a program for the device to work, I will not give up an example of technology. In general, this is the first time that someone else's development gets into my hands. I think it will be interesting to study it, even if I can't get the initial specialization.
So, after unscrewing the device from the floor, I put it in my Pocket and leave the car, which has lost all interest in my eyes.
Sharpening is already standing near the car, apparently came up after losing the effect of invisibility. He did not dare to call out to me, but it is clear that the guy has already lost his patience.
— Well, what's there? Did you find anything important? Can you disable invisibility now? So no one would be able to hide from us! — a moment after my exit, he inundates me with questions.
— Don't fuss. I found something interesting, but it will be interesting only for Tinker. How to disable invisibility, I don't know yet, here I just overloaded the device, so it just broke.
— Damn, — annoyed, as he thought, by my failure, the Sharpener tried to spit, but remembered his bandana in time and stopped. — And what, we have no chance? Skidmark will simply escape under invisibility and kill Jack! Fuck, fuck, fuck, why did I take the risk!
Looking at the teenager panicking and probably thinking about the idea of changing sides again, I just rolled my eyes under the helmet. Seriously, I didn't even say that we don't have a chance, only that I don't know how to disable the effect itself. From my fumbling with the computer, I was able to understand that it would be enough for me to break the control system so that everything would fail.
Iii.... drum roll... I have a way to do it without going inside the car!
The solution, in some ways, is simple — an EMP explosion. For the first time such an effect was discovered after the testing of nuclear bombs in... sometime. No matter. But what is important is that I knew a little about it, and after studying the power of the Battery, or rather its electrical component, I had several ideas for devices that can create this effect without a nuclear explosion.
The concepts of the devices were different — these were stationary installations that would block almost all electronics in a rather large radius around them, and directional radiation devices, such as EMP guns.
But the easiest and fastest option for production was the EMP bombs.
The resulting electrons, ionized by atoms in the atmosphere, move at almost relativistic speeds before colliding with the Earth's magnetic field and deflecting at right angles to the field. This interaction causes a very strong, but at the same time very short electromagnetic pulse over the affected area, which will allow me to disable the Squealer technique.
My creations will not be affected. In this regard, I first took care of the shielding, and only after that about the weapons.
Still, such an impact can negate the efforts of about more than eighty percent of all existing techies, I think.
Even I, though a little, but knowing about this possibility, and even having a whole bunch of specializations, did not think about protecting against this. What can we say about some tech guy, for... drones or lasers, for example.
— Don't whine, — I lightly pushed the guy in the shoulder, — I have a plan how not to let anyone escape. So come on, show me the way.
Sharpening froze for a second, whispered something with just his lips and ran towards an inconspicuous alley nearby. And on time — the PRT soldiers and their capes should already be arriving here, and I don't want to face any of them before my victory.
***
Merchants, as a gang, were a relatively recent phenomenon and have not yet gained the proper number of capes or normals for a full-fledged clash with other gangs. They compensated for their weakness in direct combat with their invisible equipment, which allowed them to move around almost the entire city without any problems. Despite the fact that the gang was clearly losing in strength to many other groups, its members had a lot of arrogance and claims against the rest of the city's groups and had already made enemies. So they simply cannot show weakness and leave the attack on themselves without consequences for the attackers at all — this may serve as a signal that they are not as strong as they might seem.
While Pertinax was dealing with the Trading Capes, and his drones were rushing back and forth and putting people to sleep, some of the Traders who did not give in to panic managed to transmit a message about the attack and defeat to the main base. Adam Mustaine, known as Skidmark, was not a complete fool at all. Despite the smokiness of his brain and the fact that he did not even manage to finish his studies at school, he was able to think.
And therefore, based on the fact that they did not try to kill his people, he managed to guess that the attacker came from the so—called "heroes". The flying things, which one of the truck managers managed to tell him about in a slurred language, were almost certainly technical devices. On PHO, he saw a discussion of a new tech guy who triumphantly started his career by beating Lung. Later he found out that it was this asshole who attacked their brand-new warehouse and thus left Skidmark without a tidy sum. Most likely, he was the attacker.
Of course, he was also told about some cape in the area nearby, dragging electronics and metal from garbage cans and kicking the ass of the team trying to capture him, but Skidmark suspected that these two were the same person. Their powers are too similar — do Tinker, which are also Brute, often occur? Skidmerk did not know, and did not even think about what a person should go through to get such a combination of forces. But he was sure of one thing—the bastard wouldn't survive tonight.…
Well, if he does not attack today, then Skidmark will only need to wait for the ordered batch of weapons to arrive and negotiate with a cape from a neighboring city, who, although he had slightly inflated requirements, was not averse to joining them. And there you will just need to habitually recapture your captured capes when they try to get them out of the city, and the five of them will tear Tinker to pieces, or better even get hooked on drugs and make them work for themselves. Fortunately, he already has experience of this.
A discreet knock interrupted his thoughts. The heavy breathing became confused, the hand under the table tensed — but only for a moment. Skidmark grinned wryly, amused, and ordered to enter.
Hmm, this computer should not initially support wireless communication, but... it was created from a bunch of various devices at once, including several phones, through the remnants of which I can connect.
A couple of seconds to overcome the elementary protection, and I'm inside.
Hmm, there's really nothing here. The main content is a crookedly written code, which, apparently, is responsible for the correct operation of the crystal. Most of it is incomprehensible to me, but I can vaguely distinguish those parts that supposedly adjust the movement of light waves, and similar ones, but already responsible for sound.
I think we should copy it. So I will have a base when I start creating my own device and programming it.
While the code is being compiled and downloaded, I methodically start checking the remaining capabilities of the device. The device that I use a little for other purposes starts to work much worse, but I'm only here for a couple of minutes, after that I won't care.
After a couple of minutes, a sharp crack interrupts my actions. On some reflexes, jumping aside, I glance in the direction of the sound and see that it's just wires. Unable to withstand the tension, they began to spark and smoke. The screen of the device then goes out, and it itself stops working.
Ugh. I knew that the slightest voltage would be enough to break this whole circuit. And how did it work before me in general? At least I have the program now.
The invisibility generator also turned off as a result. The liquid in which the crystal was floating changed color from greenish-yellow to gray, and the glass also began to be covered with a grayish coating.
The crystal itself, hanging on the wires with which it was practically braided, begins to lose color, and when viewed, it can be seen that it even partially began to crumble.
Although I have received a program for the device to work, I will not give up an example of technology. In general, this is the first time that someone else's development gets into my hands. I think it will be interesting to study it, even if I can't get the initial specialization.
So, after unscrewing the device from the floor, I put it in my Pocket and leave the car, which has lost all interest in my eyes.
Sharpening is already standing near the car, apparently came up after losing the effect of invisibility. He did not dare to call out to me, but it is clear that the guy has already lost his patience.
— Well, what's there? Did you find anything important? Can you disable invisibility now? So no one would be able to hide from us! — a moment after my exit, he inundates me with questions.
— Don't fuss. I found something interesting, but it will be interesting only for Tinker. How to disable invisibility, I don't know yet, here I just overloaded the device, so it just broke.
— Damn, — annoyed, as he thought, by my failure, the Sharpener tried to spit, but remembered his bandana in time and stopped. — And what, we have no chance? Skidmark will simply escape under invisibility and kill Jack! Fuck, fuck, fuck, why did I take the risk!
Looking at the teenager panicking and probably thinking about the idea of changing sides again, I just rolled my eyes under the helmet. Seriously, I didn't even say that we don't have a chance, only that I don't know how to disable the effect itself. From my fumbling with the computer, I was able to understand that it would be enough for me to break the control system so that everything would fail.
Aaand…. drum roll... I have a way to do it without going inside the car!
The solution, in some ways, is simple — an EMP explosion. For the first time such an effect was discovered after the testing of nuclear bombs in... sometime. No matter. But what is important is that I knew a little about it, and after studying the power of the Battery, or rather its electrical component, I had several ideas for devices that can create this effect without a nuclear explosion.
The concepts of the devices were different — these were stationary installations that would block almost all electronics in a rather large radius around them, and directional radiation devices, such as EMP guns.
But the easiest and fastest option for production was the EMP bombs.
The resulting electrons, ionized by atoms in the atmosphere, move at almost relativistic speeds before colliding with the Earth's magnetic field and deflecting at right angles to the field. This interaction causes a very strong, but at the same time very short electromagnetic pulse over the affected area, which will allow me to disable the Squealer technique.
My creations will not be affected. In this regard, I first took care of the shielding, and only after that about the weapons.
Still, such an impact can negate the efforts of about more than eighty percent of all existing techies, I think.
Even I, though a little, but knowing about this possibility, and even having a whole bunch of specializations, did not think about protecting against this. What can we say about some tech guy, for... drones or lasers, for example.
— Don't whine, — I lightly pushed the guy in the shoulder, — I have a plan how not to let anyone escape. So come on, show me the way.
Sharpening froze for a second, whispered something with just his lips and ran towards an inconspicuous alley nearby. And on time — the PRT soldiers and their capes should already be arriving here, and I don't want to face any of them before my victory.
***
Merchants, as a gang, were a relatively recent phenomenon and have not yet gained the proper number of capes or normals for a full-fledged clash with other gangs. They compensated for their weakness in direct combat with their invisible equipment, which allowed them to move around almost the entire city without any problems. Despite the fact that the gang was clearly losing in strength to many other groups, its members had a lot of arrogance and claims against the rest of the city's groups and had already made enemies. So they simply cannot show weakness and leave the attack on themselves without consequences for the attackers at all — this may serve as a signal that they are not as strong as they might seem.
While Pertinax was dealing with Merchant capes, and his drones were rushing back and forth and putting people to sleep, some of the Merchants who did not give in to panic managed to transmit a message about the attack and defeat to the main base. Adam Mustaine, known as Skidmark, was not a complete fool at all. Despite the smokiness of his brain and the fact that he did not even manage to finish his studies at school, he was able to think.
And therefore, based on the fact that they did not try to kill his people, he managed to guess that the attacker came from the so—called "heroes". The flying things, which one of the truck managers managed to tell him about in a slurred language, were almost certainly technical devices. On PHO, he saw a discussion of a new tech guy who triumphantly started his career by beating Lung. Later he found out that it was this asshole who attacked their brand-new warehouse and thus left Skidmark without a tidy sum. Most likely, he was the attacker.
Of course, he was also told about some cape in the area nearby, dragging electronics and metal from garbage cans and kicking the ass of the team trying to capture him, but Skidmark suspected that these two were the same person. Their powers are too similar — do Tinker, which are also Brute, often occur? Skidmerk did not know, and did not even think about what a person should go through to get such a combination of forces. But he was sure of one thing—the bastard wouldn't survive tonight.…
Well, if he does not attack today, then Skidmark will only need to wait for the ordered batch of weapons to arrive and negotiate with a cape from a neighboring city, who, although he had slightly inflated requirements, was not averse to joining them. And there you will just need to habitually recapture your captured capes when they try to get them out of the city, and the five of them will tear Tinker to pieces, or better even get hooked on drugs and make them work for themselves. Fortunately, he already has experience of this.
A discreet knock interrupted his thoughts. The heavy breathing became confused, the hand under the table tensed — but only for a moment. Skidmark grinned wryly, amused, and ordered to enter.
A thin, lanky boy with a shifty look slipped into the room. He swallowed nervously and, without waiting for Skidmark to speak, carefully began to report:
— Boss... here one of the watchers reported that he saw two people running in our direction. He says that the first one slipped through too quickly and he didn't understand anything, but the second one was definitely in armor, technical. If nothing changes, they'll be here in ten minutes.
— I see… Great… Go," for some reason, the one who was called the boss was breathing raggedly, and his voice was somehow hoarse.
— Yes, boss ... — he had already turned around when he heard a strange sound — but, having frozen for a moment, he did not dare to ask and quickly left.
As soon as the door closed, Skidmark quietly growled something and moved away from the table, from under which he then, holding tightly by the hair, pulled the girl out.
Squealer could not restrain herself and hissed in pain, for which she was carelessly thrown to the floor. But she didn't say a word, only gently wiped her wet lips with a trembling hand. Skidmark smiled caustically and, buttoning his fly, said:
— Well done. Now go to your burrow, prepare your hardware and those machine guns that we bought last week. It's time to test the toys.
Squealer just nodded, not daring to look up, and started to get up, but received a heavy slap.
— Hey, did you hear me?!
— Yes, boss…
"Now go," he snapped shortly.
Squealer nodded again and hurried out of the room.
***
After a couple of minutes of running through doorways, alleys and all sorts of other hot spots, I began to realize that I should have put at least a little effort into creating transport. If not for myself — I was running now, not straining at all, and did not feel tired in any way — then for my traveling companion, who would not slow me down in such a case.
But, one way or another, we still got to our destination and were now inspecting it from a distance. It was lively. The building was surrounded by more than three dozen ordinary bandits with various weapons, and, I suspect, even more people should be inside.
The warehouse itself, which served as their base, was fortified as a miniature fortress. Several, as I see, homemade spotlights illuminated the area around, periodically checking the surrounding buildings. The very convenient location of the building leaves some free space around, which should not give the attackers the opportunity to pass, hiding behind something.
Although even here the Merchants were screwed up — a whole pile of various garbage and rusty car bodies was piled on one side of the building. I suspect that somewhere there should be a Squealer workshop.
I watched all this splendor from the screen of a drone hovering at some distance from the building and transmitting to me everything he saw. Some indicators near the dump site were clearly abnormal, which confirms my theory that Squealer works there.
Taking a small tablet out of my Pocket, I connected it to the same signal from the drone and already demonstrated the video stream to the Sharpener, who was looking at my equipment flying nearby with burning eyes.
— Here, look and explain to me what is here and where. I know the layout of the rooms, but I have no idea what's inside, so it would be awkward to destroy the wall and destroy something important that was behind it.
— Yeah. So, right now, let me think. Here," he pointed to the area I already knew, "is where the Squealer works. The pusher found her somewhere not much earlier than me, so he still doesn't really trust her and keeps a guard nearby. I do not know more, as you understand, I was not allowed here very much.
Scratching his nose, he continued:
— Here in this area, — he outlined the place, — living quarters. There are bedrooms, and you can eat, all that. Only the walls there are already broken, and it blows from somewhere forever, so if you break it, no matter how part of the building collapses. There are stairs up there, where they keep Jack, but I don't know anything about that place. There should be some other cells on the negative floors, but mostly the guilty are held and punished there. Well ... — here he hesitated, but under my gaze continued: — well, people from some, — he looked away from me and fell silent, swallowing saliva.
— And I don't know more, I was allowed to eat once, and once I got into the workshop, from where I was immediately kicked out. I drive around other warehouses more and guard them," he quickly added after a second.
— I see, — I sighed, — you don't know anything, I'll have to figure it out on the go. Weapons, money, drugs where should they be? At least approximately, maybe you heard what?
Rejoicing that he was not completely useless, the Sharpener, in whose eyes the light came back on, energetically began to tell everything he knew:
— Oh, I've heard different things here. Skidmark wants everyone to obey him like in the army and all that, so he tries to do everything like there, at least a little. Somewhere on the underground floor there should be a room with weapons, from where they will be given out in need. There should also be his "office" and "barracks" for personal protection. In general, he wanted to do a lot of different things, but he does not command real soldiers, but so… Well, some still walk with their weapons, guards often run away from their posts, yet alcohol and drugs are everywhere here. Well," the guy closed up and blushed, "women are constantly being driven. And sometimes even there, without leaving the post. Ahem... as I heard.
— Uh—huh, — I ignored the last part, - so all sorts of valuables must be somewhere below. Why isn't his room on the top floor? Well, like, a person with such an ego wouldn't want to climb higher?
— I don't know, somehow no one has ever talked about it. It seems that the roof once collapsed, maybe Skidmark thought it was unsafe there, and moved to a protected place. Or maybe not, I don't know.
— That's how it is, then… Yes, it's not very convenient, and there may be difficulties, but ... - I bit my lip, looking at the newly scanned plan of the building on the helmet visor. "I'm going to fight in the open anyway.
— What?! Why?! Wouldn't it be better to throw sleeping pills at everything again, and then stab them in the back while they look for us? — the young cape was perplexed by the plan I proposed. Although he was capable of decisive action, he would actually prefer to do without risk and therefore considered my actions strange.
— No, well, yes, your plan is objectively better, but there are a couple of "buts". Firstly, the grenades with sleeping pills have almost run out, and there are enough of them for the whole building. Secondly, Squealer could strengthen its transport so that the gas would not even get inside. And thirdly," I sighed, then continued, "I want to test myself.
— What? — turning in my direction, the Sharpener looked at me like a fool. — Why would you do that? I know you're cool. You defeated Lung himself, and then almost immediately made a good deal with PRT! Well..." he paused awkwardly, stunned by his own expression, "that's how they talked about you on the Internet. That's why I gave up right away, as soon as I recognized you, I realized that I couldn't cope with you in any way. And there," he waved his head in the direction from which we came, "you easily and quickly dealt with everyone. So I don't understand what your "I want to test myself" means.
I was a little embarrassed by how cool and invincible I was described, especially if I considered only the last case for my real victory. Lung was weakened, and PRT had no alternatives, so my charisma and business skills were not involved. Therefore, I think it was the merit of chance and my strength, but definitely not mine.
As if yes, I defeated Lung, but he was already beaten by his enemy and I was damn lucky to find the moment to attack.
That's just... that fight was a kind of turning point for me, different from everything I've done before. I don't know if it's the effect of my power or if I'm that kind of person, but that's when I felt really alive. For the first time in a couple of years, I really liked doing what I was doing, and I worked on this enthusiasm in the future.
Now I want to fight face to face with an opponent who will not be weakened by someone else. I don't want to always hit enemies in the back and out of the shadows, I don't want to use hordes of drones against a couple of opponents forever. The first two disappointed me, but I hope that in the workshop, although not very skilled, but still Tinker, I will meet worthy resistance.
From such thoughts, I was inspired and I was already impatient to rush into battle. But, no matter what, I was still going to prepare beforehand. It is necessary to transfer the drones to positions from where they will be able to detain possible fugitives or come to the rescue in an emergency, and to give the task to the same Sharpening. Otherwise, if he stays by himself, he probably won't sit still. It would be better for me if I knew where and what he was doing.
— It is necessary so, — I did not try to explain my desires and motives. — Here you go, — I give him a normal bulletproof vest with a helmet and a couple of grenades with soporific gas. — Can you shoot? — in response to an uncertain nod, I also take out a pistol with a tranquilizer and a couple of spare clips to it, and then I hand it over to the guy awkwardly shifting from foot to foot. — In general, while I'm out there fighting in the open, you'll have to sit here somewhere and not take risks. I can leave you a tablet, you will monitor what is happening on the cameras and, if necessary, call PRT. I gave you a weapon in case you miss your enemies and you are discovered and surrounded. In this case, use force at your discretion, but try to avoid killing. I don't care about the lives of criminals, but PRT will probably try to drag you and me to him under bonded conditions for this. I can leave, but you can't, so be careful. That's it, don't get bored here, — slapping the confused teenager on the shoulder, I jumped off the roof and moved towards the building.
***
I take out my trusty hammer, with pleasure feeling the weight in my hand starting to become familiar. He weighs, in theory, a lot, but my body enhancements would allow me to move even without reducing his weight, albeit slower, and if you twist that, then a couple hundred kilograms turn into single digits.
I deliberately move slowly, anticipating the future pleasure of a fight.
"Oh, there's not enough rain," a random thought flashes, "there would be a scene worthy of an action movie."
And so it happened. One of the searchlights smeared a beam of light on me, and after a few seconds the rays also fell on me from somewhere on the side.
A bright light, about ten thousand lumens, shines directly into me, without stopping. They probably want to burn out my eyes with such brightness. I can only grin — the smart filters of light in my mask will not allow such a thing to happen, but even if they did, I would be able to beat my enemies blindly. Normals, at least, for sure.
The moment my heightened senses caught the first clicks of the machine guns, I immediately began to move. In an instant, having overcome a couple of meters, I leave the illuminated area and dive behind a mountain of garbage, only to jump back out a second later.
This suspiciously good shooter (maybe he was a military man before, and then slipped to the bottom of society, who knows?) I did not expect such a maneuver, so his attempt to shoot immediately at the place from where I was supposed to run out does not succeed, apart from a couple of tanks torn to shreds with noise.
Approximately after the battle with Lung, I, as I wanted, created a block for Thinker forces, similar to the block for Tinker forces. There were loaded opportunities to feel both motion vectors, from Acupuncture, and trajectories, from the Circus. Acting simultaneously, they will give me enough accuracy to pull off what I'm planning.
However, when using them, I get various new sensations. The brain, being unprepared for such an unusual load, seemed to start itching every time. Although after enough training, the effect has decreased, but it's still unusual for me somehow.
While the shooting is concentrated elsewhere, I have a few seconds to counterattack. Shooting is not my choice. My choice is to put this car body right on the machine gun point on the roof. It shouldn't be too heavy, so if I do it right, no one will even die. Well, or… Okay, explaining to Armmaster won't be so much fun anymore.
For a moment, shifting my attention to the kinetic manipulator in the firing pin, I change the setting to the one I need. The indicators on the handle flash a pleasant bluish color, giving a sign that everything worked as it should.
In one short, almost gentle movement, I pick up the piece of iron and send it flying along the trajectory I need.
Describing a small arc, the body crashes right into the corner of the building and, bouncing off it, moves further and further, carried away by its own inertia. I don't see how both the machine gun and the machine gunner were shot down, and even some assistant standing nearby. It seems that there will still be serious damage... the poor things did not even have time to scream. But I don't have time — I'm already moving to the next, much larger group of enemies.
Bullets from their weapons only impotently strike the armor plates and deform, making a not too pleasant sound, unable not only to pierce, but at least to leave dents on the armor. I want to laugh at the top of my voice from the realization of my own strength.
With the discovery of gunpowder and the mass proliferation of firearms, a whole new era can be said to have begun. Whole armies turned out to be completely helpless and useless against the new force. Even now, after the devil knows how many years, firearms remain a very effective means of killing their own kind, and various bulletproof vests only allow you not to die, left with bruises or even with severe injuries.
But my armor? She doesn't even notice the hits! And I'm not changing its density now. Only due to their design, the armor plates are able to distribute the entire impulse evenly over the body. And I'm not talking about the metamaterials used in their creation! It was thanks to them that the hits from the machine gun practically did not throw me back, and the resulting momentum could be used by me in the future!
I checked all this, first putting myself under one of the small-caliber guns, and then increasing the level of danger until I began to move right through the lead rain flying towards me from all sides.
With every step I take, with every meter I overcome, the hands of my enemies begin to tremble more and more. They are afraid. They are afraid of me, an unstoppable machine for destruction, which all their preparations and all their tricks do not take. I'm not even trying to dodge, cheat and play — I like it. I like the feeling of power and power, and I can read this horror in their eyes even from this distance! The fragmentation grenades used by the bandits, just like bullets, are not capable of harming me. I even caught one of them in flight and let it explode right in my hand. It rumbled significantly, the hand was thrown back by the explosion and even for a moment there were micro-spasms, but other than that? Nothing!
But I didn't let them try to achieve more. With a powerful hammer blow, I hit the wall next to me, sending shards and brick dust towards the enemies, which filled the space between us, seriously impairing visibility and making it difficult to move for a while. I hope they are smart enough not to play with weapons in the zero visibility zone, otherwise they will kill each other… Someone has already been crushed by particularly large fragments, and they will not be able to return to service soon.
While the bandits are groaning trying to get out of the pile of fragments that hit them, I, following the data of the scanning module, instead of attacking in a straight line, climb onto the roof of the building.
And I'm not losing. Some fat guy with a sadistic grin on his face is already ready to throw a whole bunch of explosives down, right at his allies, whom I initially approached. So-so they have an understanding of teamwork here, of course… Such an explosion would not have stopped me, but normals would have been torn to meat, and Armmaster would have said a lot to me for what happened. Well, fuck him, it's easier to prevent this.
Looking at my figure, which appeared only a few meters away from him, the fat man slowly stops smiling, and his small, rat-like eyes gradually fill with fear as he realizes. He was going to kill the enemy by sacrificing a dozen cannon fodder and thus earn a reward and, most likely, a promotion. But there was no heroic self-sacrifice in his plans, only pure selfishness. So the usual getting into prison abruptly became a good option for him.
I can practically see similar thoughts flashing through his mind one after another as he slowly backs away. And it can be understood. The mere fact of a collision with a two—meter figure, completely covered with metal, can kill the desire to contradict, and what can I say if the person under this armor is your enemy ... It will be necessary to modify the helmet somehow so that you can make terrible faces and even more intimidate everyone to the shit.
I knock out the enemy, along the way, absolutely by accident (as I will say if asked), I break his wrists and confiscate explosives, after which I rush towards the remaining machine gunners. Some shooters did not notice me, while others are already trying to turn their weapons in my direction, desperately attracting the attention of their comrades with not always censorious shouts. Neither of them can cope with their task and follow their friends and colleagues into the world of dreams.
Actually, it's kind of disappointing so far. I don't feel any decent resistance. I haven't met Capes yet, and normals pose a threat only to their own comrades. About the expected struggle on the verge, as then, with Lung, it is possible not to talk. It's like not falling asleep from boredom. At this rate, I will only have to have fun on my own.
For example, a small but dangerous group of opponents is selected through a gap in the wall. Unlike all the previous punks, these are more like real soldiers. However, with an eye on the sunken cheeks, bruises under the eyes and shaking hands. I think this is Skidmark's personal company.
They're wearing the best armor I've seen today, and they have the best weapons in their hands—they even have a couple of revolver grenade launchers. You can see right away, dangerous guys... for someone else. I only see them as punching bags.
I am already jumping down in the usual way, right into the center of the group, who did not have time to completely leave the building. Even in flight, having thought through further actions, I mentally prepare, not realizing that I did not take into account one small moment.
The surface below me, which is a pile of fragments of bricks, dust and ordinary pebbles, is not stable, and only a professional parkour rider can land comfortably here. Well, or who do you need to be in order for everything to be successful? I urgently need to find Uber, or at least Victor, that skill thief from the Empire. And then soon the problems will consist in the fact that I do not know how to properly control my body, and not in the fact that I do not have enough strength.
In general, my jump ended in failure. The stone I stepped on just flew out from under my foot, and I myself, unable to keep my balance, fell on my back.
Right in the middle of an enemy squad…
The awkward silence lasted for about half a second, during which I only managed to recover from the fall. But my enemies turned out to be more agile, clearly showing their skills, which they apparently failed to drink during all this time.
— Fire! A two—meter-tall man with black, rotting teeth shouted hoarsely. And he himself, clearly setting an example, began to discharge his machine gun directly into my helmet. Feeling like I was literally being pressed to the ground by shooting from all sides, I could only try to hide from it with my hands. Although I boasted before, I know that my armor is not so perfect that it can safely withstand many hits in one place in a short period of time. Another half a minute in this position, and the plates will not stand, starting to split. Thanks for the stress test, guys.
I sigh as I activate the seal. An aura wave invisible to the whole surrounding world fills the mechanism, making it harder, heavier and generally less prone to breakage. The jokes are over, it's time to get serious.
Rolling over on my stomach, I forcefully push off the ground and get to my feet, immediately into a strike position. In fact, I have no experience in fights, and it would seem that I have nowhere to take even the power of Thinker for this now, but I have already figured out how to solve this problem.
In the wrist part of the armor, I had built-in small metal parts in advance. After a moment of concentration, I deploy them directly into my palm, thus getting a kind of brass knuckles. And now the database from Miss Militia is already reacting to it, forcing my body to move correctly when striking and even helping in the movement of my legs in battle.
I get to the big guy who has moved away from me and, having evaded, apparently, a reflex attempt to hit me with the barrel, I hit back.
I hit weakly, almost barely touching, remembering the fragility of the human body, but even this is enough for the ribs, along with the bulletproof vest, to crack with an almost audible sound, and the former soldier himself flew off a couple of meters, very unsuccessfully falling back right on the wreckage. Oops. Apparently, he's disabled now. Although not oops, it's my own fault. It was no good working for someone like Skidmark.
Without slowing down, I keep moving, jumping away from the leaden wasps that pierced the place where I was a moment ago. I was fast and strong before, but now, not even at my maximum, I have become an irresistible enemy even for hundreds of bandits like these.
My enhanced perception allows me to notice how the grenade throwers, who had not participated in the battle at all before, lost patience and opened fire on me. That's just me already moving towards them.
Shells explode one after another behind my back, periodically sending shrapnel into my back. This realization infuriated me. The targets of this rage will definitely not be well.
— Bitches! You! In! One! The team! — each of my blows is accompanied by a cry filled with contempt for the enemies. Bones crack and break, metal bends from blows, and groans fill the air. — So fight as a team! Why the fuck are you constantly trying to kill your own?! Why am I the only one here who cares about your useless lives?!
Without waiting for answers from the moaning bodies, I look around. Here and there the ground is loosened by explosions and shell hits, unconscious carcasses are lying around, marking the battle sites. The destroyed and cracking walls of the building also create the atmosphere that fighting has been going on here for a week.
But I don't find any new enemies, and neither does Squealer, who should have come here a long time ago. Did she fall asleep there?
Sighing, I fold the brass knuckles back and cancel the lock on the wrist joint. There is a price for everything, and for the ability to fight, I give the opportunity to do something else with my hands.
Now I was going to go around all those lying in sight and make sure that they would not die within half an hour from their wounds. After all, I'm not a beast and I have no desire to watch a dozen people die. It would be fine if it happened directly in battle, I have no problems with this, but I don't hate these people, so let them live.
Although the fuck knows what it will be like for them with similar injuries in the future, but ... hey! It's not my problem anymore. There was a fair battle, in which everyone wanted to injure each other, and some even to kill. I won, so my position is stronger, and when opinions collide, I was right.
That's just, before I have time to take a couple of steps, I ... fly up into the air, knocked down by a car that appeared out of nowhere.
— Seriously?! — I can't help but be mentally indignant. — Where have you been before?! There are only two hundred meters from the garage to this side of the building! Or is it some kind of rule that you need to attack in separate groups?!
This and similar thoughts flashed through my head while I was thinking, what should I do? I can't catch the approach until the moment of impact, and a couple of seconds when the disguise falls off is hardly enough for me to do something.
And what, I detonate a bomb? But, damn, I only have one, and even then, only because I made a prototype. According to all calculations, it should work, but what if the radius is less than planned? Well, fuck the risk, I'll just apply more tension. In theory, it should help. Just need to get closer to the workshop. If there is a chance to catch her somewhere, then only there.
I get out of acceleration and, having corrected my trajectory with the help of accumulated momentum, I land on my feet, almost without slowing down, starting to move in the direction I need.
So, the speed of the car was quite high, it is clearly faster than me. Then, taking into account the U-turn, it will take him about 11 seconds to overtake me. During this time, I will get to the corner of the building, and then it will be possible to blow up. The place is convenient, you can jump there and there, if anything. The walls are fragile, but at least something.
My thoughts were interrupted again. An armored minivan of red color, still appearing out of nowhere, throws me a couple of meters, right into a puddle of some kind of rot.
My patience ends there.
— Fuck you, bitches! Yes, now I'm going to burn out all the electronics in the quarter for you on principle! — I yell after these asshole drivers who don't hesitate to knock down pedestrians.
Without thinking about saving, I pull out a small black plastic box from my Pocket. A few buttons, flashing lights, wires almost completely entwined around her from all sides, pointed to her clearly technical origin and made it clear that you need to stay away from this thing.
I release the connection ports on the prosthesis, spend a couple of seconds setting up and charging, after which I throw the device into the air, where it works safely.
An invisible electromagnetic wave sweeps through space. The light sources are instantly turned off, plunging the perimeter of the building into darkness.
But the same effect also reveals the hidden and flaunts this... work of Squealer, slowly creeping in my direction.
A hefty, almost three-meter tank, created from disparate parts of different cars, rolled in my direction, striking with its terrible condition.
In every sense.
I am amazed at how Squealer was able to make such a thing move. Yes, slowly, but move! Judging by the thickness of the armor completely covering it, this tank should weigh under sixty tons, which should be a hell of a lot for a homemade device of this quality.
I'm not even sure how I need to pick something like that. I'm definitely not ready for this situation. Maybe you can open the hatch and get inside? Sounds like a plan.
I get out of acceleration and only after that I realize that the barrel of the tank is already pointed at me. And it glows from the inside brighter and brighter…
— Fuck ... — I barely have time to think this, as a hefty metal block, which flew in my direction with great speed, instantly overcomes a dozen meters and hits me.
Armor plates at the point of impact immediately crumble into dust. Not designed for such a large impact force, they are overloaded with energy, which leads to the fact that they began to crack. But the projectile at that time lost only about half of the momentum. And my body is already forced to accept this remainder.
Although the blow falls on a tangent, it did not make it easier for me. Even when compacted, the flesh diverges like the earth under a shovel entering it. Well, that's how I flew. I could say that hitting the wall and its subsequent destruction by my body was painful, but I won't lie. I didn't feel a damn thing, except for a slight disorientation from moving quickly in space, thanks to me from the past, who guessed to turn off the pain.
But what worried me was that the projectile, which is an ordinary lead rod, could not stand it and flew apart in a bunch of red-hot small pellets that pierced my body and stuck there, frying my flesh. The injury is not super critical, but getting them will be a chore, and it will take a lot of time.
For almost any other Cape, injury is the thing he avoids in every possible way. Their wounds only take away the strength and time needed for treatment.
I'm glad of them. Wounds for me mean only that the armor did not cope with the task, that there is something that I did not think through, something that I did not prepare for. I can analyze my weaknesses and mistakes and become much stronger and better in the future.
Only now I need to live up to this very future. I'm sure Squealer has already targeted this building and is waiting for me to come out to open fire on me again.
What do I need? I know the victory condition — I need to get to the tank and, having opened it, get inside. Squealer is an ordinary person who does not have the ranks of a Bully, she will not be able to resist me.
What's stopping me? The muscles on the chest and near the shoulder are cut by shrapnel, my living, non-metallic arm hangs limp stump. I can't take more than one more hit like that. Then you will definitely need to run away, failing to cope with the task. And I, lately, hate not fucking coping with something. My whole being is enraged by the mere thought that I will have to be in a state again when I cannot do something, change something. So fuck the escape, I'm going all the way.
So, what do I need then? I have already accumulated quite a lot of charges, it's time to spend a little. I don't see any point in increasing protection — I just need to avoid being shot. Hmm... Mover power?
If I were a cartoon character, I would be able to see the light bulb above my head now. Looking through the mental list of accumulated blocks of abilities, I suddenly realized what I was missing.
A sense of danger! This is a fucking topic! And I will surely be able to adjust and not just a feeling!
I am immersed in my work, starting to create a new force.
I'll take as a basis ... hmm, this part is from the strength of the Lung. It works by itself as a sense of danger, but I can do even better. Here we will connect this block [scanning of the environment] from the Circus and [feeling of trajectories] together with [feeling of vectors]. Agas, super. If you twist it here, we will get a force capable of understanding when an object hits me and when it doesn't.
Tek-s, then we'll add... we'll add... aha, this will fit here. I single out from the forces of the Miss Militia the part that means [simulation of actions with the selected object] and work further with it. The first unit of this force is configured to simulate possible damage. I don't have to dodge right every object that can touch me, just something that carries a threat. The second block, flowing smoothly from the first, is already responsible for possible options for avoiding the attack. Hmm, and I can probably connect this wiring coming from my head here, and then mainly those options that correspond to my goals and will not interfere with me will be selected.
Well, the power base has been created, now it remains only to program everything correctly, otherwise, if I screw up, I, on the contrary, will be exposed to any attack. You need to think about it carefully.
…
…
Damn, brains are melting. Of course, I started learning programming, but my level is clearly below the required one. It should work, although everything turned out to be confused and confused. But I still finished the job, finally connecting the most necessary part — [body control Power] from Tinkers forces. Now I don't even have to react myself, the body will do everything by itself, following my subconscious preferences (or Power preferences, as I suspect).
So, let's see how much all this splendor will cost. HOW MUCH?! EIGHT CHARGES?!
Power, what the fuck?! Did I have a free grace period before, they say, everything for half price?!
Are you silent?! Well, fuck you, take your damn charges, give me my brand-new ability here.
Eight stars are swaying in my mind, merging into a beautiful dance. They move in orbits, rotate around each other and simultaneously pour out a whole ocean of energy into the surrounding space. A magnificent sight. It's the first time I've spent that much at a time, isn't it?
Hmm, while I'm lying here, maybe I should cook up a little regeneration for myself? Again through simulations, so that it acts pointwise, on the muscles, tissues and organs that I need most.
Yeah, I'll do that.
Here we will take this part from the Triumph, here part from the Panacea, we will connect it here… I give four charges (fuck you, Power) and launch both new abilities.
A moment later, I get a new feeling that tells me that in about two seconds, if nothing is changed, a new projectile will fly into me right through the wall. Apparently, Squealer still has some way of tracking me.
I get out of Acceleration and push off the ground with my second, intact arm. She, representing a mechanical prosthesis, does not need many muscles, like the left one, and is now able to act with maximum efficiency.
A second after my roll, the wall explodes with a cloud of dust and fragments, a loud noise momentarily deafens me, and a hefty hole about half a meter deep forms in the middle of the floor, surrounded by traces of explosion and destruction.
Squealer in his car beats his hands on the steering wheel with annoyance, trying not to touch the control panel. For some poseur in a fancy suit to run away from her? Skidmark will kill her! Nothing, she has already hit once, now he will crawl out into the open, and…
My new healing power has already begun its work, and I feel the fragments stuck in me being pushed out by the growing flesh. Damn, and I just realized right now that the resources of my body will be spent on treatment, no energy supplement from the source of power, like other regenerators, is not expected. It will be necessary to build up something after the fight that will store a whole bunch of energy for treatment. Such warehouse tumors.
I quickly get up from the ground, starting the generator in my chest in the process. Electricity runs through my nerves and muscles, strengthening them and making them stronger. Now I need all my speed to cross the space between the building and the tank, avoiding hits with the help of a new force. I put the damaged armor in my Pocket — I could restore it right during the battle due to the fact that it was modular, like all my other developments, but it will take some time, which I don't have.
Left with only a torn poddospeshnik in the chest area, I begin to move. The electricity rushing through my body makes my reactions and movements incredibly fast, and thanks to the sense of danger, I can literally dodge bullets.
Which I do, taking a long leap away from the next machine-gun burst and from the wreckage of a battered building, already ready to fall apart from the bombardment to which it was subjected.
Behind the roar of weapons, even despite the powerful speakers, you can't hear how loudly Squealer swears, trying to predict the trajectory of the target and direct the sight to the right point ... Unsuccessfully, of course.
Rolling a little awkwardly, I jump to my feet and keep running. Various sharp debris tries to dig into my defenseless feet, but the reinforced flesh does not even notice such attempts, allowing me to rush at great speed even in unsuitable places.
Relying on speed turns out to be the right decision. The projectile of the tank's main gun reaches such speeds with each shot that avoiding a hit remains almost a miracle. Still not fully healed injury hinders.
Bullets are whistling around me, shells are flying a few centimeters from my skin, leaving hefty craters in the ground, and I keep moving. It's been what, fifteen? twenty seconds? I do not know, time is distorted for me in such a tense state. A stream of insults is heard above the buildings, which is poured out on me from the car by an opponent who feels powerless in front of my speed. I move along a curved, ragged trajectory, exerting all my strength in order to avoid everything that flies at me at all. Of course, ordinary bullets could be ignored, there is little harm from them, but ... in addition to the inevitable victory, I also need skill training, and such an obstacle course should help me get used to new feelings.
Here I am slightly tilting my head to the side, not letting the bullet hit me right in the eye, and here I am already slipping under a tank shell that whistled a dozen centimeters away from me. I change the trajectory with a sharp roll and start running again.
— Haha, by again, stupid, — like a professional high jumper, I fly over a stone shrapnel caused by another explosion, and start to wind up again. My slightly insane laughter echoes over the battlefield, unnerving my opponent even more. It seems that in the pursuit of a sense of invincibility, I still blew the roof off.
But I don't care. I fucking got almost to the tank itself without a scratch at all! Without a single fucking one! I feel like a highly rated Thinker who knows exactly what he needs to do to win. And I fucking want more of these tests. It's a pity that's all. Although the tank is a full—fledged fortress, but the weapons on it are bullshit. One main barrel, a bunch of machine guns and some kind of mortar on top. The latter was dangerous only due to the effect of surprise. An almost panicked Squealer cry is heard from inside — it seems that she is heartily reviling someone… Most likely, this someone is me... for me, it sounds more like compliments.
— You fucking rabbit, will you stop even for a second, tear you in all holes?! Fuck, do you think, since you're spinning like a frying pan, so I won't get you? Did you think at all, who are you barking at?.. — it seems that she has not finished her incredibly informative speech yet, distracted by something.
I have to overcome the last ten meters, and I slow down slightly, listening to the Squealer's voice amplified by technology.
— In the end oborzel, the guy? Yes, you ... — even the interference does not prevent me from hearing how the girl's voice trembled from my unexpected stop. — What are you, fucking, completely crazy, to move on Merchants alone?! Fuck off, or I'll... — with every step I take, her voice gets quieter, and I can clearly hear the doubt and fear in her tone.
Maybe she finally realized that she was not on the winning side at all?.. Although she is rather afraid of what Skidmark will do to her in case of failure.…
I'm calmly going forward without having a drop of fear after all these threats. The shooting has stopped for some time now, and we have moved into a certain state of parity.
Stopping right in front of the tank, I calmly start a conversation, looking straight into its muzzle.
There is no threat to me. I'm in the safest place on the battlefield right now. Shots were always foreshadowed by a glow from inside the barrel, and from here I can literally see the danger, even without using force.
— Or right now what are you? — although only a dozen seconds ago I was excited, my voice is calm, without betraying a drop of my emotions. Long practice, what to say.
— Will you shoot again? We've already found out, you won't get anywhere with this. And you don't have any more options," I shake my head in disappointment. "Just give up peacefully, Squealer. You wasted your time on this shit instead of something normal, and that's why you lost. You had such potential, and you," an exaggerated sigh, "are wasting it on serving a petty drug lord. I would say that you are a disgrace among all Tinker.
My words cause exactly the effect I expected — an explosion of emotions. During my acrobatic exercises, I heard several times the muttering of a careless Squealer, who forgot to turn off the microphone, that she was afraid of punishment from Skidmark. And she works for him, apparently, not out of great love. It even made me laugh — is there anyone here at all who works on their own? You also tell me that Skidmark has a daughter with cancer, so he collects it for treatment, yeah.
— What the fuck do you know about what it's like to be a Tinker?! Fucking major, bought himself an armor and went out to play outside. Of course, for a Brute like you, my baby will be bullshit! How can you even talk about someone's potential, do you fucking know what conditions I have to work in?
"I think they are very straitened," I reply humbly, raising my hands palms up in a gesture of peace.
There is no point in continuing the conflict anymore, I think we both understand who is the winner here, so why not have a chat? Moreover, due to this, I hope to compensate for at least a couple of charges.
— Exactly, fuck! You'll never understand what it's like to work among piles of garbage, without normal tools, and when they constantly demand some shit from you that you don't understand how to do at all! — Squealer poured out on me all the pain that she kept to herself. Apparently, she doesn't have much with her interlocutors there.
— Even so, with a motherfucking boss, with stupid assistants who burned their brains out completely with all sorts of shit and who are afraid to entrust even garbage removal, I fucking managed to build this handsome man. You don't dare say anything bad about my work, not when you probably haven't created anything in your life. You guys are all fucking like that. They became a little stronger than ordinary people, and immediately imagined themselves important birds.
"Well, you're right about something. I really don't know what it's like to work under some kind of motherfucker and do something that I don't like," I say calmly, slowly moving along the hull under the sight of several cameras that allow Squealers to monitor the world around them. I was interested in an interesting arrangement of armor plates and ... explosives on the body, apparently performing some kind of protective role.
— After all, I'm a loner. We don't take my boss from one of the previous jobs into account, we're talking about something else entirely. But you're wrong about something," I pull the pseudo-flesh back into its storage, allowing the metal of the prosthesis to flash under the spotlight. Raising my hand, I pointedly move my fingers in front of the sensors aimed at me, giving me the opportunity to make sure that this is not some kind of deception. — I'm a Tinker too. And I have the right to evaluate your work from this position. And my verdict is all bullshit, as good as possible. Give me a day to familiarize myself with your work, and I guarantee you that the copy will be better than the original.
— And what, you asshole, decided to brag? Humiliate me even more? Fuck you, huh," the girl's voice is filled with anger, subsiding before the beginning of hysteria. — You fucking came here, beat up people and destroyed everything around to what? To stand in front of me and tell me what a stupid cunt I am, right?! Yes, I have enough of this shit from Skidmark without you, eh! Fuck, I'm listening to you at all, I'd rather just blow your stupid head off if you, you idiot, put it in the barrel yourself!
Fuck, I'm definitely overestimating my negotiation skills. Why am I so self-confident now, I've always been normal and, like, adequate. But, anyway…
— You're still listening to me because we both understand that you have no chance of winning ... — explosions are heard somewhere in the distance. I, who did not expect the continuation of the battle at all, decide to immediately check what is visible from the drones there, and…
Damn…
I forgot about the drones. In the heat of battle, I never once remembered about them, and left them hanging on the position I gave them then. Or not? For some shit, the picture that started being broadcast on the screen was completely different from the one I expected.
What the fuck? I what… Yes, I did it.
I immediately wanted to beat my head against the wall. I gave Sharpening a tablet with the same connection to Drones as I have in my helmet. With. The. Same. To be more precise, I first created that tablet, and after thinking about it, I transferred all the functions to the helmet, leaving the prototype to gather dust in the warehouse. And this young suicide somehow managed to navigate the controls and used drones to attack vehicles with ... a pusher, apparently. I definitely need to start keeping track of what I'm giving and to whom.
— Over there, — I waved my hand casually in the direction of the explosions, — my drones are now preventing Skidmark from escaping from me. And they're doing pretty well. Understand, Squealer, Skidmark has already been practically captured, your other two capes will not help you in any way — I met them first. My implants give me enough strength and strength to pull you out of the tank by force, ignoring any resistance.
"And why am I still sitting here inside if you're as cool as you think you are?" The sarcasm in her voice could almost be felt physically. — I've seen you throwing cars around here, but that's not fucking enough.…
I interrupt any objections and dissatisfaction with my sword, pulled out of my Pocket and pierced through the armor, getting right to the Squealer cabin. During the conversation, I managed to conduct a surface scan of the tank and found that Squealer was forced to weaken the protection in some places in order to connect various cameras and other sensors. To the naked eye, this weakness was absolutely not visible, and even the size of such a place was too small for a normal attack.
But I, being a person capable of detecting such a thing, did not fail to take advantage of the opportunity. The razor-sharp blade of the elongated sword was now only a dozen centimeters from the unprotected neck of Tinker, who, realizing the threat, immediately decided to shut up.
— Quiet. As I said, I am able to pull you out by force, but I have no desire to be blown up by..." I pointedly examined the explosives on the armor, "... this is all and then spend time cleaning up the stuck fragments and restoring. I SEE all the flaws and weaknesses in the armor and I will use them without any problems to pull you out even by force. So don't be silly, please turn off the protection and get out.
***
Squealer was still hesitating. She was certainly frightened by the strength demonstrated by Cape, who was now standing right in front of the trunk again, looking at something inside with interest. The confidence he showed made it clear that he was absolutely convinced of his victory if Sherrell still wanted to continue the fight.
Except she didn't want to anymore. Yes, there were still primal impulses inside her, prompting her to continue the clash until the death of one of the fighting capes, but she managed to suppress them with an effort of will. She wasn't sure how much her enemy had strengthened himself, but she saw how his body easily endured what caused part of his armor to crumble into dust. And that said something.
— Okay, I get it. I will come out," she said slowly, trying to give herself time to think, "but where are the guarantees that you are not deceiving me now and will not kill me or kidnap me for something?
When, after her words, a man in a creepy black helmet stared straight at her, ignoring the fact that they were separated by almost fifty centimeters of metal, Squealer, mentally cursing herself, realized what a mistake she had made. Cape hadn't reacted to her swearing before, but the fact that she questioned his words seemed to really hurt him. And she didn't want to anger Brute at all, probably capable of breaking her bones with his bare hands.
She didn't know anything about who her enemy was, but... Squealer bit her lip in thought while she turned off the locking systems and forced the hydraulics to open the heavy hatch. ...if he is telling the truth that Skidmark will not come for her anymore, and the rest of the Merchant capes are not capable, then she is not so against working for him. Squealer was already used to obeying someone, almost a year in the possession of the Pusher knocked out of the once proud girl any desire to resist.
Even if this cape was as violent as Skidmark, which she doubted, Squealer would be glad to be able to work in a normal workshop with normal materials. Just by looking at the technological helmet, the girl could tell that its creator definitely has no problems with either the first or the second. And the cape itself, being a Tinker, should understand its capabilities and limitations and is unlikely to demand the impossible from it.
Sighing in a fit of self-pity and for her lost freedom, Squealer climbed up the stairs.
***
After half a minute of hesitation and reflection, Squealer still decided to get out. At the same time, I was standing, staring at one point, thinking about her words.
She's damn right! I don't have any reputation right now, and my words carry almost no weight for others. It's decided, I'll finish tonight, update my technologies and I'll... I'll... I'll.... Fuck knows what I'm going to do. Maybe I should become a mercenary? Well, you know, I will travel around the cities, meet with the Capes on completely logical grounds, study their powers, receive money from them. And along the way, I'll earn a name for myself there. It's not like I'm hanging around in my native Brockton Bay.
— Hey! Help me down," a shout from above distracted me from my thoughts, "there are equipped exit spots in the hangar above the parking lot, but I'm not ready to just jump to the ground. I'm not a fucking Brute, you know.
Sounds fair. I put the gun back in my Pocket and jump. The metal, slippery from the humid night air, almost makes me shamefully slide back to the ground, but I stay in place by only slightly bending my body. Having stabilized my position, I raise my head and look at the Squealer.
My opponent appeared before me. It turned out to be a medium-sized woman with light hair carelessly combed into a ponytail and funny bright glasses on her head. I wonder why such, with colored glasses?
I looked at her completely —a tight gray T—shirt with a large neckline, wide khaki pants, a work belt - with tools, no weapons. On his feet were quite good military—style boots, on his hands, clogged with tattoos - bright purple (?) work gloves.
In general, I imagined something like this, except for makeup, which probably aims to hide the bruises under the eyes and distract attention from the redness of these very eyes and the look of a drug addict who is already starting to miss the dose, which, however, did not really work out.
There was a fresh abrasion on her cheek — either she had grappled with someone, or the consequences of dissatisfaction with her superiors… However, it doesn't matter anymore.
I enter the acceleration and begin to study her strength.
The most important part, the one for which I came here at all and participated in these battles, was right in the middle of the power structure I perceived. Like a long-awaited birthday present, she stands out for me with her scheme.
A database concerning the creation and improvement of vehicles.
I smile inwardly as I take this gift.
Damn it, my drones, after all, in some way, also belong here. Already their next version will be significantly superior to its predecessors. This is not to mention the fact that I have learned about a variety of new alloys, polymers and metamaterials, which, for example, will help me both reduce the friction force to almost zero and increase it to a huge amount. And what efficient engines come out! Wow, beauty!
Nearby, I notice another partially familiar structure — a simulation that helps Cape use the object of this very simulation with maximum efficiency. In this case, it concerns the management of various vehicles.
That's it, I decided, as soon as I get home, I will definitely create a force so that all these simulations can be connected not one by one, but as with technical specializations — all together.
Well, that's about it, you can go back to the real world.
— Well, the damsel in distress, are we going down? I say mockingly after a second, hinting at her situation in general.
Squealer, apparently, does not miss this moment, but there is nothing he can do.
— Fuck you! — she mutters softly to herself, still heading in my direction.
I pick her up in my arms and jump down. Her short cry makes me laugh, although outwardly I still don't show any feelings.
Putting the girl on her feet, I point to a stone slab nearby and say in an imperative tone:
— Sit down and sit here. Preferably without making any sounds.
— And what are you going to do now? — Squealer asks me a question, flexing his muscles after sitting in a chair and slowly heading to the indicated place.
— To guard you. And I'm also going to stop Skidmark leaving this place and trying to escape. You can look at a real technician at work and draw conclusions.
— Fuck you, huh. Maybe I gave up, but I'm not going to tolerate your bullshit," this offended loser began to grumble at my back, but I'm not listening to her anymore. Taking the nutrient mixture out of my Pocket, I take off the lower part of the helmet, leaving only the screen and sensors I need to control, after which I stick to the package.
A thick gray mixture of chocolate flavor flows through my esophagus, getting into my stomach and giving a large number of calories to the body, which has spent a lot of energy recovering from injuries. Since I've improved myself, I've generally had to eat more. Now, after the treatment, the need for nutrients has intensified to such an extent that I have already drunk two packs, but I still do not have enough, so two more are opened and ready for use. An ordinary person would be able to live on this for at least a month without experiencing hunger, provided they spend wisely, of course. If I always stayed a little hungry, I would have lasted two. It's a good thing, but synthesizing it is a headache. The slightest mistake, and the balance will go wrong, and instead of normal saturation, you will get an ulcer or even poison yourself.
There are still small problems there — taste, for example. I couldn't do anything here — it turns out a rather nasty taste, because of which I then want to clean my tongue with a brush. Personally, I got out by manually influencing the taste buds, giving the taste that I want, but what an ordinary person will do, I have no idea.
But, anyway, the fight continues. Sharpening, who had no experience and knowledge of management, used drones, even combat ones, in the most straightforward way — as guided projectiles. In a good way, he should be prescribed a belt for such disposal of someone else's property, but I don't care too much to punish him. Tomorrow they will all be reworked into a better version, so even if something is crumpled, broken and slightly broken, everything will still be melted down and improved. And the upbringing of other people's children is not my concern.
But what I care about is Skidmark, who has already recovered from an unexpected ambush and launched a counterattack. Several of his shot guards are already lying nearby, peacefully drooling from sleeping pills in their bodies. The remaining couple walk around the guy from the side, probably intending ... I have no idea what they intend to do. Maybe grab him and subdue him again? Well, they don't shoot at him — and that's fine. Okay, it's time to end this farce.
I allocate several combat drones — one for each fighter and two more for Skidmark, to be sure — as well as several scouts with sleeping darts still preserved and begin to give them commands.
The pusher at this time is too busy fighting to notice that the aircraft that had been frozen in place before now began to move. Brightly glowing bluish circles begin to cover his clothes and disperse to different places on the battlefield. The dust raised from the action of these circles absorbs the Sharpening, forcing him to pick it out of his eyes and spit through his bandana.
The pusher moved across the dust, creating new glowing circles on his clothes and under his feet, due to which his every step was larger than usual. That's just his maneuver is interrupted before it even starts. A combat drone with enough speed, strength and mass to knock a person off his feet flies straight into him from an unexpected direction.
A sharp push almost makes Skidmark fall, shouting curses, but he miraculously still keeps on his feet. His clothes, covered with power circles, pushes the drone away from the cape, but... I had the foresight to use two at once.
So you still have to feel the ground with the face of Skidmark. After a short fall caused by another collision, Skidmark falls on his stomach and rolls down the street for a couple of seconds under the influence of his own force, tearing off the skin on his hands. Having recalled the circles in a flash of light, he stops and tries to get up, but the moment is already lost — the drone, which does not really know how to shoot at moving targets, has already worked out an attack on a stationary target and flies away from there.
Two militants are already unconscious at this moment, there were no problems with them.
It was this moment that the Sharpener chose in order to jump out of the settling cloud of dust. Being ready to continue the fight, he immediately stands up, but he does not detect his enemy. Just a swarm of drones gathered around him in a semicircle.
To the guy's credit, he has the decency to at least look ashamed that he used my drones without permission.
Oh, and here comes the help! I wonder why they always arrive after the fight or at the end of it?
With a sigh and a slight shake of my head, I put the empty pack of food mixture that I sucked during this remote fight back into my pocket, after which I get up and turn to Squealer, who was sitting with a bored look where I put her:
— Let's go up! The cavalry has arrived there, and now we are going to them, where I will hand you over to the clutches of the state," Squealer does not look pleased with such a statement, although she has already resigned herself to the fact that this will happen.
— Oh, come on, I'm sure the situation is not so bad, — I pat the girl on the shoulder and begin to lead her in the direction I need. — Unlike the others, you weren't even beaten, and I'll put in a good word for you, saying that I was prudent and gave up myself. And you're not alone ‐ your former colleague Sharpening will also get to them, although on slightly better terms, I think. —
— Wait! — Squealer breaks out of my hands and, after taking a few quick steps, turns to me with a strange indignant-admiring expression on his face. "Did that little shit bring you here?" And I fucking told Skidmark right away that he wouldn't obey him," an evil grin blooms on her face. — Serves him right, shit-eater. Let him accept the consequences of his actions," she walked beside me again.
— It's necessary ... — the girl looks at my figure with her eyes. "Where did he find you anyway?" He's just a little jerk who can't do anything without his mom. —
Well, I don't know, he didn't seem like that to me.
— I won't say anything about the latter, but he didn't find me. He just happened to be smart enough to figure out which side the power was on and say the right words. Just like you did. But his partner did not know how to assess the situation, so she will wake up already in a cage. —
— And fuck her. So, wait, — Squealer looks back at his former base, — and you... aren't going to take anything from there? Like, why else would they attack us? —
No, well, I've already received my benefit. But you can't explain it to her. Just what do they have there that would make me choose this, rather than go and study the power of the Pusher before he is taken to jail? Many millions of dollars or more effort to study, which will give me a lot of information?
— Do you have any more capes there? —
Squealer frowns and shakes his head negatively.
— Rare materials that every technician needs? —
Here she starts to look sullen, but still answers:
- no. Not that Skidmark is spending on me. I tried to escape once, so he stopped giving me at least something normal. —
— Maybe a lot of money? —
Sigh.
— I get it. No, there's not really any money there either. The pusher just the day before bought a large batch for sale and ordered weapons. Maybe two hundred thousand left. —
I whistle to myself. Maybe they should also do drug business, since Merchants earn so much that two hundred thousand for them is just the remainder of the amount. But money is not that important to me. I would have easily paid the two hundred thousand for a meeting with some Cape. And if we consider that the effect of the acceleration of the projectile in the barrel of the tank was, with a high degree of probability, created precisely on the basis of the Pusher force, then it may well be worth the money. Yes, there are a lot of possibilities for application!
— No, bullshit, let's go. I'm not interested in drugs either. By the way," I grin, because we have already come to where I wanted. — can you drive? —
— Oh, fuck you, huh! —
***
— ...and that's the kind of bullshit you have with this knot. A little load of what goes — and the speed drops to zero. —
Squealer and I were driving along the night road in one of the previously invisible cars abandoned by her former assistants. This particular one was one of the pair on which they tried to knock me to death. However, I didn't hold a grudge against the car and chose it as the highest quality (in appearance, for sure).
During the trip, a dialogue naturally began, which has now flowed into a discussion of any technicality.
— Have you tried replacing that block with four smaller ones, but connected through branched ports? Well, so that the voltage is evenly distributed and the load is not superfluous? The size of the system will not change much, but the problem will be solved. Right here. —
Squealer turned the steering wheel, the car turned into a new street with a roar, and the girl stared in my direction with poorly concealed surprise.
— What the fuck?! she exclaimed. — Why are you better at this than I am? I've been fucking racking my head for a week, and a second later you can already give an answer! And after all, it can work! —
I grinned.
— Well, I already told you that I only need a day to start doing better than you. So I confirm my words. Even it took much less time than stated. —
"I would slap you for your constant bragging, but I'm afraid it won't help," Squealer muttered to herself, hoping that I wouldn't hear her. —
— Yeah, it won't help. Turn left here and brake. We arrived. Be quiet, I'll talk myself. —
The car turned onto another street and began to slow down. Even without my warning, Squealer would surely have done the same. Several PRT vans blocked the passage to the battlefield. Five people with weapons in their hands were pointing this very weapon towards our car. The Armmaster leading the whole procession was looking in our direction with a tense expression on his face, clutching his halberd tightly and saying something into the microphone. M-yes, no hospitality.
— Brake my door to them and drive a little further as I get out, — I ordered, patting Squealer on the shoulder. I wanted a spectacular appearance of something.
The girl just nodded silently, nervously biting her lip. It was just beginning to dawn on her that now her fate would depend on the mercy of a complete stranger, with whom she had recently fought. Intellectually, she understood that she had done the right thing and that resisting and defending the gang she didn't really love to the end would only make it worse for her, but such reflections did not help her cope with emotional experiences.
The car began to slow down in front of the tense soldiers, and, at the moment of turning, I just opened the door and went outside. The inertia that was supposed to knock me off my feet was correctly used by me in order to move forward straight and confidently, without even slowing down.
— Is this how you meet important guests?! I exclaimed with a grin in my voice. — Where is the orchestra, where is my red carpet?! I thought I deserved more respect for having sorted out your problems. —
"Pertinax," the Armmaster sighed, gesturing to his subordinates that the weapon could be lowered. "You chose a terribly inappropriate way to arrive. Because of the battle that took place here, we are forced to detain all suspicious persons, ESPECIALLY if they use technical transport. Former Merchants are running in all directions, and if it weren't for your warning call, many would have fled to other parts of the city with a lot of weapons in their hands. —
"Well, you see how good I am," I said, sensing from my tone which way the conversation was going. But I couldn't help but add fuel to the fire. — And provided people with work, and cleaned the city. The same advantages. And you talked me out of it. —
— And rightly so, — Armmaster raised his voice slightly, his stern expression spoke of how disappointed he was in my sanity. Or am I just figuring it out? — The consequences of your escapade were dozens of wounded, injured by fleeing Merchants. The police have already started receiving reports of attempted robberies and attacks in a state of passion. And you say you did everything right? —
Is it that they still want to make me guilty for other people's actions?
— Yes, that's what I meant. With those who are now running around the city, it turned out inconvenient, of course. But are you really trying to convince me that leaving the gang alone was the best way out? — I tilted my head slightly to the side, looking Armmaster straight in the eyes (well, or in the part of the helmet where they should be). — Did you know that the Pusher was expecting a large supply of weapons from day to day? And he was definitely not going to use it to bring peace and joy. No, what I did was necessary and right. Now let the police start working off the taxes that people pay for its maintenance. I took out every cape in the gang, and without them, you really try to cope with ordinary people. —
Armmaster grimaced.
— How difficult it is with you… Could you at least wait for my arrival, as you were told, so that the PRT would have time to take measures and prevent riots? — Armmaster asked in a tired tone, no longer angry, but just tired. I also decided to slow down — I don't think I will achieve anything with aggression.
— Think about it. During the time you were driving, Skudmark probably would have had time to prepare properly, and we would have been met not by scattered groups of enemies, but by full-fledged detachments sitting on the defensive under the protection of machine-gun points and various Squealer equipment. Yes, it was there right now, I don't know how, but they found out about my arrival in advance and began to prepare. And they were enough to break through my armor and even hurt me a little. I doubt that you have a Brute rating and are able to return to the battlefield as soon as possible after being wounded. So it was most effective for me to go to the assault alone. —
— Okay… It's not my problem anymore, and it's not for me to lecture you. —
"What do you mean?" —
— Piggot will give you an invitation to a meeting. She wants to discuss something. You'd better hurry up—the conversation can drag on without that. —
I didn't understand. Did he just sort of order me to? Funny… Not that I was really going to obey anyone. On principle, I would refuse and would come at the moment when it is convenient for me.
— Oh, what honors are being heaped on me. The director herself found time for me! Or did she even decide to interrupt her sleep for me? It doesn't matter, but I'm flattered, really! However, you know, what a pity — I'm a little tired right now, and to come to such an important meeting in such an unpresentable form," I pointed to my body, running my palm from top to bottom. Dirt, various small debris and my blood stuck to the suit, creating the image of a kind of tramp killer. And the suit itself was far from in the best condition. Even if I replaced the damaged plates with new ones (thank the modular system!), I was unable to remove other signs of damage. Small chips, cracks and scratches were everywhere except the chest, which hinted, you know. — It's a bit not comme il faut, you know... let's just say I'll call you myself as soon as I'm ready, okay? —
Armmaster seemed to want to object something, but I didn't let him, quickly continuing:
— Speaking of meetings! Just look who I've brought! — I pointed my hand in the right direction, where Squealer was awkwardly hesitating by the car, being under the supervision of several soldiers at once. — Do you want to meet a lady? —
Armmaster took a brief look in that direction, and then continued:
"Pertinax, your attempt to change the subject won't work on me. —
Ah, slander and slander.
— But I didn't try to change the subject. I've already done that. —
Seeing that the hero only frowned at my words, I sighed and spoke:
— Listen, Armsi. I can call you that, right? I ignored his frown and his attempt to say no. — I'm not going to go somewhere in a weakened state. You can threaten me and swear at me as much as you like, but I'm not going to put myself in a weak position for anything. So either we meet when I'm ready, or we don't meet at all. —
Armmaster didn't say anything, just looked at me in silence. I stared back. None of us had our eyes covered by the visors of our helmets, but I am sure that our gazes were directed exactly into the eyes of the opponent.
It was Armmaster who decided to end this senseless confrontation first.
"All right, I'll report to Piggot. But don't think that the world will always revolve around you. Many newcomers died because of an inflated conceit. —
What an absurdity. My conceit is definitely not overstated. How many capes below the Triumvirate level can easily cope with whole gangs waiting for their appearance? That's it, but I can.
— Yeah, thanks for the advice. And now, can I have a look at Skidmark and go to rest? I came here just for him, you know. —
Tinker didn't answer me right away, but started saying something into the microphone. The noise reduction systems in the helmet were so good that I couldn't catch a word, but Cape seems to have already received an answer. After uttering another command, he turned to me already:
"Normally it would be forbidden, but I got permission for you. You will have no more than ten seconds to contact, after that Skidmark will be taken away. Is everything clear? —
— Yeah, that's right. By the way, I promised Squealer a break for giving up on her own. So I think you guys have a great chance of recruiting her. But no matter, it's your business, and I'm off. —
Turning around, I headed for the trucks with the captured people inside. I didn't know which one of them was my goal, but a soldier standing next to the transport came to my aid.
—This way for you," he called me briefly, without expressing any emotions.
Unlocking the door, he stepped aside, letting me come over and take a look. Well, I did it.
Skidmark was unconscious, handcuffed and surrounded by several soldiers. His once relatively clean clothes were now rumpled, soiled and torn in various places. The drool flowing from his mouth only made it worse, completely destroying the important appearance of this man and forcing me to consider him a drug addict by his appearance alone, which he was.
I activated my force vision and peered into the cape's power.
So, uh-huh. Here we have a cool mix of gravity with my favorite inertia. Yes, and the external work of the aura was different from everything I saw. Parts of it are easily able to separate from the user and move without his active control.
Well, as soon as an object gets to the border of this aura, it will be momentarily exposed to the gravitational part, almost zeroing out the body mass, and the second part will give the body an impulse according to the settings of a specific auric region.
The most interesting thing here, in my opinion, was that different auras are able to layer on top of each other without any consequences, only enhancing the effect of each other.
Fun... and useful.
I turned off the power and took a couple of steps back from the car. The soldiers sitting inside immediately slammed the door, and the guard locked it.
— Listen, Mr. Soldier, have you seen a kid here? This," I raised my hand to a certain height, "meter sixty—nine, responds to the name of Sharpening. I want to exchange a few words at the last. —
But the result turned out to be far from what I wanted, although it was the one I secretly expected.
— I can't know. Please step away from the car. —
— Well, go to hell, — I walked away from him and looked around.
…
…
Even from drones, you can't see anything. And there are no more cars like this one. Well, apparently not fate, I just wanted to chat a little anyway. Maybe I'll meet him another time.
Well, my work here is probably over. It's time to go home, the neural network is waiting for me there. I briefly said goodbye to Armmaster, nodded to Squealer, who only glanced at me briefly and returned to the conversation, expressively trying to prove something to Armmaster, and left the stage.
***
In Pertinax's workshop, some time later.
— Fuck, really? — I didn't hold back swearing after checking the computer.
— Because of some bug, all the work is for nothing! — sigh. — Apparently, I will have to personally control everything this time. Well, what a fucking fun pastime. –
Inventing Tomorrow
aleksejstepanov560
Getting sticky.
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A little while later.
Workshop of Pertinax.
- So, alternately raise the first, third, fifth and seventh leg fifteen degrees. —
I give the task to Aida, who is now beginning to comprehend the basics of body control, and lean back into the chair, making it crack under my weight.
The nasty creaking sound makes me wince and triggers the reaction of the Technic forces, which, having combined their efforts, instantly begin to calculate the structure of a new chair that can simultaneously support my weight and give a massage and drive to a nearby store.
Even with Techie power alone, the Tinker Fugue was distracting, and when five combined forces are eating my brains out at once, it takes a lot of willpower not to break into the next project. I really don't have enough time for more important things, but here it is.
But now you can't turn them off. My nascent artificial intelligence, which I named Aida, has recently grown to understand verbal commands and even, at the very least, began to use real devices that I gave access to. I even learned to speak! Only in short phrases, however, and sometimes it loses some of its meaning, but after all, this is still a child, after all. I'm still proud of them.
In general, then I thought that it would be useful for Aida to have a real body, and proceeded to design. It was about two days ago.
I started with the design of an animal-like body - a puppy there or a kitten, nothing like that. Moreover, the Skrip specialization helped a lot with the creation of limbs for movement. Without it, everything would have been sooo long, or I would have to create a body without them. It would turn out to be another drone, which, you know, is not interesting at all.
True, in the end I lowered the bar anyway - it was too dreary to do all this, and it would have taken many times longer than in the current project. The body itself is not so difficult to create, although in some places one would have to think, but the same paws ... If I go to get something of normal quality - outwardly looking plus or minus like my real prototypes and harmoniously working with the rest of the body - I would have to do everything put in a whole lot of effort.
In fact, I would have to deal with the possibility of creating proprioception from scratch in a body that has no idea what it is. Even creating synthetic flesh for this purpose did not help me achieve the desired result.
How was it with my prosthesis? I connected the control system to the signal converter, and my brain began to work with already familiar nerve impulses. Here, everything was new for the consciousness, which means that it is impossible to get by with such a thing.
So for the next body, I chose something simpler - an arachnid, light body with a lot of legs. For training - the most, I think.
This very set of legs will keep the body in a stable state even if Aida cannot cope with a couple of legs and makes a mistake. The legs themselves will come out, although a little fragile, but they will be much easier in terms of creation than in the first version. So if something breaks, I can easily fit a replacement in the shortest possible time.
A lightweight body with a minimum of excess also contributes to this. At first, I decided to get by with just "sense organs." So a couple of cameras became eyes, a simple acoustic sensor allowed Aida to hear her surroundings, and an electronic nose to smell it.
Initially, somehow I did not intend to create it, but this was the moment when the Tinker Fugue turned out to be stronger than me. Well, the result of this "inspiration" was a sensor capable of converting the intermolecular interaction of particles into an electrical signal. In just a couple of hours, I managed to figure out what composites and semiconductors I need and even created a prototype that is quite capable of working. Well, to work in the sense that he can do what I brought him together for, but Aida will have to deal with the analysis of this data.
But overall, the experience was interesting. The flow state I went into was very different from any similar experience I had had before. There was something… soothing about it. It was as if an invisible spring inside of me finally unraveled and allowed me to exist without problems.
I think that this state of affairs can be tolerated from time to time. My mental health should definitely thank me.
The slight sound of the movement of mechanisms attracts my attention, distracting me from extraneous thoughts.
The little spider on my desk seems to start dancing, moving its little paws. The body swaying from side to side completes this picture. His beady eyes are constantly watching me, wanting to find confirmation that he is doing everything right.
That's just ... buzzing should not be. Apparently, it was still necessary to follow the original draft, and not make random edits, as I did.
Anyway. If everything worked out as I wanted, then the body would become a little stronger and more resistant to damage. But no, it's not.
"That's it, you can stop," after my words, Aida stops moving and only looks in my direction.
— Yes, okay. I'm going to print some details now, and then we'll try to walk. For now, for you ... - I connect to the computer and send several videos with the movement of various spiders to Aida, - ... a few examples. Study them for now, and then you will already do it yourself. All clear? —
A short "Yes" in a childish voice (forgive me, could not resist) comes to me from the speaker. I get up from my chair and head to the assembly area.
As I walk around the room, I can't help but notice the fact that I definitely need to do some cleaning. Too much rubbish I brought here. Even in my fenced-in living area, you can find all sorts of nuts and bolts lying on a shelf next to the bed.
I need to clean up, of course, but, damn it ... I'm too lazy, and I don't have time for this anyway. Here Aida will grow up, and then it will be possible to arrange a general cleaning. The same bed needs to be remade with a new one or even thrown out and replaced with something else - I practically don't sleep anymore. So, I'll take a nap a couple of hours a week, and that's enough.
This heap of garbage that has not been completely transferred must finally be sorted out. What I can't use, I'll throw it out, and the rest will be recycled.
It's a mess, in general.
I move to the next room, which is my main workshop. If the first room is the main one and everything most important is installed there, such as computers and a time accelerator, then I transferred the entire production part to this one. There is a converter, and both 3D printers, and an assembly table along with my entire metallurgical complex. The latter takes up almost a quarter of the entire space of the room and cannot be moved, so it was logical to focus production around it.
Several cabinets against a free wall contain various materials in the right condition for printers. Most often this is a powder state, but at least two substances can only be stored in a liquid state. Technic substances have such quirks, what can I say?
I take everything I need from the shelves and head to the printers. The new, large, updated printer, rid of the errors of the previous version, is now busy, slowly creating many parts and parts that will go to the base parts, from which I assemble my devices like from a Lego constructor
I walk past it and head over to the smaller, old printer that had been idle until then, and then I begin my manipulations.
Due to the fact that my brain is almost directly connected to the implant, I am able to control my devices with almost the power of my mind, which for me is quite good at reducing the possibility of making a mistake or inaccuracy.
So, if problems appear with an increase of one and a half percent, but you need to take less. So, right now, I'll recalculate with amendments.
…
…
Yeah, 1.43 is enough. Well, it remains to reprint the detail.
I load the material and new parameters into the device and start waiting. Hmm, can PLO check? Chet hasn't been there in a long time. It will be possible to read what they write about my last sortie. Out there, how long has it been? Fourteen hours, right? Well, they should write something about it, right?
***
Welcome to the Parahumans Online Message Boards
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♦ Theme: Shooting in the slums
In: Sections►Brockton Bay►Events
Veston(Original poster) (Theme starter)
Posted June 24, 2009:
Urgently! Does anyone even know what's going on in the Merchants' territory? About ten minutes ago I heard a powerful firefight, but I didn't know who I didn't ask. But the junkie has already seen a couple not far from home, it seems they are running away from someone.
UPD. Police vans sped by. Have you started working? I haven't seen them here for a long time.
(Showing page 1 of 4)
►Davis109
Posted June 24, 2009:
They were covered. Almost all at once.
My father works in the police and said that right now they are all on their ears there, ready to go.
Some cape attacked their base, like the place where they lived and dispersed the whole gang.
It seems that he even tied all their capes. At least that's what my dad heard about.
UPD.
Now everything is calmer, most of the weapons were thrown on the spot, so there is no reason to panic. In addition, most of them managed to be detained in hot pursuit, only a few slipped out of the cordon and lay down on the bottom.
►BigBoy777
Posted June 24, 2009:
Come on, a single cape showed up and killed one of the city's big gangs? garbage infa
►Davis109
Posted June 24, 2009:
Dude, 100% info, I swear. Capes aren't all the same either. This one is definitely not weak...
►SmittyJc
Posted June 24, 2009:
Do you know who attacked?
►Davis109
Posted June 24, 2009:
Pertinax. His name is Pertinax, appeared relatively recently, as I understand it. He was also noted in the battle with Lung.
►Black_Star
Posted June 24, 2009:
Yeah, I heard! Although he seems to have easily finished off Lung, he was already barely on his feet after one of these Asian showdowns of theirs. But now, of course, he gave ... Minus one grouping in this swamp.
►ElisElit
Posted June 24, 2009:
Yes, well, right? Now it will not be so dumb to walk past their districts, finally!
►Dasty
Posted June 24, 2009:
I would not be in a hurry to rejoice, a holy place is never empty (even if it is a slum)
►ElisElit
Posted June 24, 2009:
Well, how do you know, maybe they will be afraid ... This Petrinax seems to be cool)
►Dasty
Posted June 24, 2009:
Yes, nothing is clear with him yet ... He appeared a couple of times, smashed the villains, disappeared again ... Maybe he is generally interested in the territory? We will have a new gang to replace the Merchants...
End of page. 1, 2, 3, 4
(Showing page 2 of 4)
►Black_Star
Posted June 24, 2009:
Only this was not enough ... Although, who knows, maybe he is handsome and will be a noble bandit like Robin Hood?
►Dasty
Posted June 24, 2009:
Well, yes, once handsome, so immediately noble ...
The logic is overwhelming.
But I still wonder who he is
►Bagrat (Veteran) (Guy in the know)
Posted June 25, 2009:
Your ignorance is over, for I have come.
I learned that the battle was between a new techie named Pertinax (link to his discussion *here*) and part of a gang of Merchants.
Why a part? Well, a mile away from the main base, an additional one was discovered, which is a drug warehouse.
It is known that Pertinax first appeared there, incapacitated all the usual members of the gang, defeated Handcuff (a sadist without Manton's restriction) and somehow recruited Shiv (you remember, that guy with fire knives) and already he brought Pertinax to the main base.
Warning comments - no, he doesn't have Sovereign abilities. Apparently, not everyone was happy with life under Skidmark, and there was planned its own civil war.
►Mane Magenta
Posted June 25, 2009:
Ha! Even merchants don't like merchants!
In general, why hasn't the UPC done anything until now, if only one person was enough to destroy the gang?
I think that's the right question to ask Principal Piggot the next time she comes out at a conference to brag about her accomplishments.
►SmittyJc
Posted June 25, 2009:
Well, yes, well, yes, they will answer you that way ... Again, they will broadcast something about caution, about the fact that every cape counts for us, about the unpredictability of gangs and rampant crime ...
►Davis109
Posted June 25, 2009:
He will answer a direct question exactly where he will go ... But no, maybe they will at least think about what is happening in our city and how to deal with it. Father says that if they were properly coordinated and allowed to operate, there would be three times less gangs in the city.
►SmittyJc
Posted June 25, 2009:
No, it's empty
They nod their heads with a mournful look and again return to their previous activities - eat up taxpayers' money
►Mane Magenta
Posted June 25, 2009:
Well, stop aggroing, people ... We are discussing the defeat of the Merchants with a brand new hero, and not the work of the authorities
►SmittyJc
Posted June 25, 2009:
So you just started!
►Mane Magenta
Posted June 26, 2009:
She finished herself.
Is there anything going on there at the moment?
Or have all the runaways been caught?
End of page. 1, 2, 3, 4
***
Well, everything is clear, some chatter has already gone on, only partially relating to the initial topic. Something about a world government conspiracy and experiments on Brockton Bay.
And now the printer has finished its work - the red light on it lights up, signaling the end of printing and thus letting me know that the rest time is over.
I collect the received parts, after which, after making sure that there is no defect in them, I head back to the central room.
Along the way, my eyes wander from one device to another, the forces show the problems and methods of improvement, and I think about the fact that immediately after finishing the body of Aida, I need to work with a temporary accelerator.
I have a feeling that even the ratio of 1:5 is not enough for me.
I spent a whole day and a half on improving my tools and creating an assembly table for robotel. My inventions are becoming too precise and demanding of the utmost precision, and the old tools are lagging behind my needs.
But even if I understand intellectually that it's only been a little over half a day outside and that I'm already super fast compared to any other techies, there is such a painful feeling in my chest ... Similar to what you feel when you walk on a narrow road and speed the walk is too short for you, and the person in front of you is barely trudging and is not even going to accelerate. He weaves, weaves, not allowing either to get around or to speed up his step ... And now I feel a semblance of anger at such a person.
Again, I think, the tricks of power ... Maybe make sure? No, I'll climb right now, but she will inject me with hormones again, I'll be an apathetic sack of potatoes. Nafig it is necessary, I still have a bunch of things to do.
- Well, how are you here? Did you analyze those videos? I ask Aida when I return to the room.
I see, while I was walking away, she still tried to walk, and she even succeeded. Yes, it's just a couple of steps, but what! Small steps for her body, big progress for herself.
Now the spider is trying to get up from the surface of the table on which he fell, having made a mistake. Thin legs move ridiculously in the air, unable to cling to anything and turn the body into a normal position. This sight evokes a strange feeling of warmth...
"Oh, you, kulema," I sigh, pushing my creation so that it can find a foothold and rise to its feet on its own.
The process is slow, so I can go about my business. For example, start planning your vehicle.
I think for now it is possible to create a motorcycle, and later switch to something more - an armored truck, for example. Here it should definitely become the pinnacle of my techie art at the moment. Still, in the end, I'm going to leave the city, and it will be my mobile base.
Moreover, after studying the power of Sharpening, I made a breakthrough in the field of matter transfer between my Pocket Space and the ordinary world, and I'm already thinking about creating both a transmitter, to which the exit point will be tuned, and a teleportation platform. The transmitter itself will allow me to ensure that the exit point is not rigidly fixed in space, and will give me an additional strategic advantage.
I sit down at my workbench, covered in a heap of mechanical parts and tools. I have been thinking about the idea of building a motorcycle for some time and I think I am finally ready to start drawing up some concrete plans.
I open up a program on my computer and start sketching out the basic design of the bike. I want it to be sleek and fast, with a modular design that makes it easy to upgrade and modify it later.
I'm starting to brainstorm some of the key features I want to include: a miniaturized, high-efficiency engine, a modular frame that can be customized for different situations, and a state-of-the-art navigation system that can navigate the most efficient routes around town.
As I write down my ideas, I begin to visualize how the various components of the bike fit together. I can almost see the frame taking shape, each piece falling neatly into place like a puzzle. I can almost hear the hum of the engine as it roars to life, fueled by my latest techies.
But before any of that happens, I need to start experimenting with the different parts and components that will make up the bike. I rummage through my parts box, pulling out a few motors, servos, and circuit boards. Each has been carefully designed to fit into one of my modular base units, allowing me to mix and match different components until I find the perfect match.
When I start fiddling with details, I almost lose myself in the process.
The sound of something falling brings me out of this state for a moment. This turns out to be the bolt that Aida started playing with after getting back on her feet. Having no clear commands, she decided to find something to do on her own and began to run around the table, periodically stopping and watching my work. Now she stands on the edge of the table and looks down, unable to return her toy.
With a short smile, I lift the piece of iron back, after which I remember that I never installed those parts into her body.
So I have to take a break from the current task and finish this work. Quickly changing the module in the prosthesis, I begin the operation. A lot of manipulators, armed with screwdrivers, welding machines and other things that I need for engineering, crawl out and begin the operation to open the mechanical body.
Just ten minutes and you're done. The unnecessary has been removed, the necessary has been put in its place. The opened case is soldered back, and the spider body is ready to work again.
"Come on, move your paws," I command, listening carefully for evidence of possible defects. But this time everything is fine - I do not find any problems. Okay, the lesson about not deviating from the drawing is learned - it will only bring more work.
Having lowered Aida to the floor and given her new information for processing, I again turn to the design of the motorcycle.
Hours pass as I test different configurations and fine-tune the design, refining each component until it works at peak efficiency. I take copious notes along the way, jotting down each new breakthrough or discovery so I can come back to it later.
By the time I'm done I have a set of blueprints that detail every aspect of the bike. I can't wait to start building the real thing, and I know the modular design will make this process pretty quick.
It's time to collect this stallion
***
- Happened! I exclaim breathlessly. Hell yeah, it only took half a day to figure it out.
— Aida! - I call my creation, which was now playing in the next room with technical blocks, imitating my actions during the assembly of the bike.
"Come here, dear. I need to see something. —
- Yes, dad - she quits her job and runs in my direction, already quite confidently moving her legs.
And don't call me dad. Stand here in the center of the device - I'm not quite sure how I feel when they call me "dad". It seems to be true, technically, but I'm still not ready somehow for this.
- What should I call you? You created me, so you are my father. Despite the bickering, Aida resignedly enters the center of the device.
The device itself is an invisibility generator, created by me after studying a similar device from Squealer.
Miniature crystals located in a circle, after applying voltage to them, begin to work, generating an invisibility effect in the hemisphere above the device.
Compared to Squealer's design, my design is more stable, resistant to voltage fluctuations, and will not collapse without maintenance.
Of the minuses - well, here you can say much more. All of it is still quite difficult to assemble, requires a large amount of energy, operates only in a limited space, and the device does not hide itself. A bunch of problems, in general. However, this is again a prototype. The main reason I worked on this is to understand the technology, right?
Although if you think about it, I have a lot of prototypes. Have I actually brought anything to a result that suits me? Okay, enough empty thoughts, the work does not wait.
- Don't know. Try to think of something else. And this, jump there, twitch. I will measure how it works with sharp movements. Oh, and you can stick your paws out of the effect too. —
I issue commands while setting up various scanners.
- Okay... Daddy -
I groaned - Oh gods, you learned how to use sarcasm. What kind of monster did I create?
Where did you even learn this? —
"On the Internet," came the casual reply with a chuckle.
- Well, yes, as expected - I pursed my lips in discontent - in this cesspool of trolls and pranksters - damn it, I didn't follow it once and here are the consequences. Look what they did to my innocent girl.
- Don't be mad, dad. But I learned to speak well - Aida's paws appeared in space and seemed to hang in the air, slowly moving and hiding or showing more and more as they moved.
- Seriously?! - I move away from the device, inside of which this petty villain is sitting, after which I point accusingly at him with my index finger - you call me dad, and you learn life from others! Why shouldn't I be angry? Oh, shame on my entire family. Here, hold the sensor. —
After a couple of seconds of exposure to one of the energies I recently discovered, I ask a question.
– How much does it show on the screen? —
- Zero! She definitely enjoys playing jokes on me. Look how much joy in the voice.
- Yeah, right now, I believe it. Now tell me the real data. —
- Zero!
Didn't understand. It that, and it too can redirect? C'mon, it's supposed to be free.
- Well, save the data and give it here! —
I take the sensor, and indeed! Not a single particle of this radiation was registered by him. This is what it is... Hmm... I think I know how to get the device to hide itself.
"Okay, I accused you of lying for nothing. And why were you so funny then? —
I love working with you and helping you! This is interesting! —
Sigh. Okay, I guess I'll have to go play with her anyway. Well, how can you offend such a cheerful child. Yes, and it will not be completely useless. She doesn't play ordinary cubes, but collects something from my technological blocks.
***
Whistling a song that only I could hear under my breath, I fiddled with another project of mine. A shield with a generator of protective fields - that's what my idea is. The shield itself served more as a transmitter, a sort of point in space that the computer would orient itself to, although it was strengthened with several alloys, due to which the overall proportion of kinetite (yes, I finally gave it a name) was reduced.
So far, I haven't had many examples of force fields to study, so for now I've limited myself to two - electromagnetic, which would cover the surface of the shield itself, and plasma, which would be at a distance. Of course, at first you can't say that this option is suitable for protecting against something, but if an enemy attack simply evaporates under the influence of a huge temperature, then it won't hit you, right?
I immediately discarded the initial idea to create a plasma generator inside the shield itself - firstly, the small available volume would significantly reduce its efficiency and the amount of plasma produced.
And secondly, if the shield is damaged and the fuses fail, the resulting explosion will not even leave bones from me. What is there from me - everything in the zone of hundreds of meters will be subjected to the consequences of the explosion.
So rightly rejecting such options, I assembled and installed the plasma generator in the workshop, away from any sources of damage.
Further, it was already easier - a module for manipulating magnetic fields was installed in the shield, which will give this field a flat shield shape, into which the plasma will be transferred in the future. My work on moving matter from subspace came in handy here, and studying the power of sharpening helped. I'm going to actually use his power, although I will change the shape of the projection.
But do not think that everything was already prepared for me. No, on the contrary, everything is just beginning. At a minimum, the temperature of my plasma is several times higher than that of Sharpening. This prevents me from simply copying its structure exactly and using it as an example. If I increase the magnetic field so that it does not collapse from a higher temperature, then the delicate balance between it and the electromagnetic field will collapse, which should redirect the generated heat back towards the plasma, thus protecting everything around from destruction.
Yes, and after that I will need to wrap the resulting fields with another magnetic one, but with a different frequency. It will have to reduce the emitted light and not allow it to simply blind all witnesses or participants in the battle.
But this is not the end either. I'll need to generate ANOTHER force field, this time capable of containing the sound. I'm not entirely sure how much it will increase compared to the original, but there should be noise. And the higher the temperature, the more this noise will be.
Somehow, with such confusion, thoughts appear in my head that becoming a villain is a pretty cool topic. There, at least I don't have to think so much about the destruction.
The loud sound of impact and the subsequent rumble of crumbling objects made me jump from the workplace, looking into the passage into the next room.
Your maaat- flashed through my head a moment later, when I realized what happened there. Do not let Sion open the containers, it will mix everything there.
- Aida - my scream echoed through the workshop, creating a small echo - what the hell are you doing here? —
Crushed by the objects and the drone that bounced right at him, the spider looked rather pathetic. Thin paws were broken or bent; the case almost turned into a crumpled jar, and only the sensors survived the blow - well, I just took them from drones, and there they have a pretty good design.
Sternly looking directly into the eyes of the little body unable to answer due to the breakdown of the speech synthesizer, I open the assembly block in the prosthesis, and, after seconds of manipulation, cut off the control of the body, which is already working for the last seconds.
The culprit of the incident is forced to return her consciousness back to the computer. And now, cut off from interaction with the world, with no way to block the microphone or camera, she is left alone with me and the inevitable lectures.
"So," I began in a parental tone, "and what were you doing here while I was working?" What did I tell you to do? —
— Train in multitasking — bashfully she muttered to me almost at the lowest volume.
"That's right," I nod without taking my stern gaze off the camera, "but what were you doing?" —
"I… that was training!" - Finding an argument suitable in her opinion, Aida clung to it and continued to speak - I trained to control both my body and your drone at the same time. You gave me access to them! So he didn't mind. I just… well, lost control. —
My sigh was heard in the silence. I even felt some hints of a headache, although I could not feel pain in principle.
– Aida… Let's be honest – you got bored with training and decided to find some fun, didn't you? So you took one of the drones - which, mind you, I did not give you access to, you just work on the same computer through which they are controlled - and decided to play with it, right? —
– Yes… – I could hear from the emotions in my voice that it was difficult for an electronic child to admit his mistakes – it was difficult, so I couldn't stand it! How am I even supposed to manage multiple things?! There are many of your manipulators, but I am alone! This is impossible! —
"But you were able to handle the drone. Here, after all, there were also only two things to control - your body and the drone, but they should be much more difficult to manage. I couldn't help noticing
- It's different! There it was ... somehow simpler. Well, at first I fell constantly from him, and then it turned out somehow ... by itself ... I don't know ... -
Another breath, softer this time.
"Aida, look at me carefully. First of all, I'm not going to swear at you. Of the breakdowns, only the shelves and your body, which I immediately made easy to repair or replace.
Secondly… mmm… Let's be honest. I created you in order for me to have an assistant who will be able to manage my numerous devices in the future instead of me. And so far you have not reached this level. But! - I interrupted her attempt to say something - I understand that you need time to learn, so I'm not going to demand much from you right now. —
Seconds of tension - and now a new passage appears in the wall. This time the room is quite low - only four meters, but rather elongated in length.
The camera turns in that direction after me, and Aida, not understanding what I'm getting at, carefully examines the room through her.
"Despite the fact that I created you, I really don't understand how you work now. My contribution, for the most part, is the very first program to create other programs, and a few bug fixes later on. So I DO NOT understand why it is easier for you to work with moving objects, and not with something simple and stationary. Maybe you just learned how to use manipulators, and in the future it was already easier, that's not the point. I'm dedicating this room entirely to you as a firing range. Now it's empty, but it'll be easier for you.
I'll put a few more robust drones under your control as soon as I've removed the weapons from them, and you can train there as much as you like, away from all my complex and critically damaged equipment. I will also move all your other toys there as soon as I reassemble your body.
After that, I'm going to get back to work and I VERY hope that this time you will still be busy training and not playing around such dangerous things as a nuclear reactor and a damn time machine. All clear? —
- Yes. Thanks dad. I could almost see the relief in her voice. Here's something, and her communicative part is very well developed - I promise that I will never violate what you told me again. —
I shook my head - No, I'm not against your independence, but the next time something like this comes to mind, you better warn me in advance, okay? So, that's it, stop talking, sit down, study something from what I downloaded for you. I'll go pick you up. Until the meeting, only a couple of days left of mine, and here I am, damn it, what I have to mess with. I mumbled the last words under my breath as I carefully removed body parts from one of the dropped containers.
And I need to clean up...
***
Finally, the process of calibrating the generators is over. The first stopped interfering with the work of the second, the third stopped interfering with both of them, and the fourth ... well, he didn't conflict with the rest anyway.
In general, everything was fine in this part, but in the process of work, I realized that I almost missed one most important detail.
How will I cool the plasma?
Like, it's heated to thousands of degrees, you can't do it just by waiting, like with some kind of teapot.
In general, this was the problem that I also needed to work on.
Without thinking twice, I decided to use all the same methods that I used to limit the plasma. After all, the method does not really change much, it will just happen ... more intensively
As such, the concept of using an electromagnetic field to cool a plasma is based on the fact that an electromagnetic field can act on particles in a plasma and change their trajectories. In this case, the particles themselves begin to move along a spiral trajectory around the lines of the magnetic field, and when these lines cross, the energy of the particles is transferred to the field itself, which leads to heat losses. This will allow me to quickly cool the plasma, reducing its temperature to the values \u200b\u200bthat I need.
But I have not only electromagnetic fields. I can quite combine the knowledge of electromagnetism, the control of kinetic energy and sound waves, to get the best result. For example, sound waves can be used to change the shape of a plasma cloud and lower its temperature even faster.
In addition, particle kinetics can be used to control the direction in which plasma particles move, slowing them down along the way.
In general, there were methods, and I even managed to deal with the problem on the same devices that, in some way, caused this problem. All that was required was for some modules to change places and start working in the opposite direction. I think I'm beginning to understand the essence of this specialization.
Okay, I've finished checking-rechecking, you can start testing. There are some things I can't use inside the workshop, so I have to get out. And specifically, things with technologies based on the effect of teleportation from the power of the Circus. To move matter within one world, I need to invent something else, but for now I can do without.
I get up from the assembly table and start stretching. Maybe I need to take a few more breaks. Every time the body becomes numb during work, as far as I absorb it.
After doing a few short stretches, I take a look at the brand new plasma generator and the storage attached to it.
Designed for temperatures up to three and a half thousand degrees, the storage was a three-meter flask, at the base of which a generator was built.
The walls of the flask consist of a metamaterial based on silicate ceramics, improved by me for greater heat capacity and limiting the radiation of electromagnetic waves. The new printer, capable of delivering high pressure with temperature, with a single method of wall printing, improved them. And this is not to mention the fact that the structure of the substance itself has been improved by optimizing the structure and changing the porosity of the substance.
So now it not only looks nice, but it should also withstand the temperature for a while in case the holding fields fail. And duplicate fields. And cooling fields. It will not be superfluous, in general.
Red-orange streams of plasma swirl inside the vault, mixing and layering each other in a chaotic dance. Lightning bolts intermittently interrupt this dance, creating bright flashes of light and sound effects that should be reminiscent of thunder being drowned out by my technology. Despite this, the movement of the plasma seems smooth and endless, like ocean waves running ashore. Inside this reservoir, time seems to slow down and space is distorted, creating the illusion of infinity.
Brrrrrr
I wave my head - Damn, stuck again -
Breaking away from the addictive spectacle, I continue to move.
- Well, how are you here? - over the past ... uh, half a day (?) Aida definitely managed to achieve success. Right now, her three manipulators on trolleys were carrying metal pipes and metal plates to one of the corners of the room and assembling some kind of structure out of them. Aida herself proudly sat on the drone, watching the process from above.
She turns to the sound and begins to actively gesticulate with her paws - Dad! Are you done?! Did you succeed!? I was able to raise what to do! Now I can use as many as five devices at once! And even the sixth ... but sometimes I still get confused there. But I will soon learn how to manage it! Am I great? -
- Of course, you're great. Will you come with me to the test? - a joyful nod - Well, come here, sit on your shoulder, here are the attachments for you added. Take a couple of drones with you and connect to the main computer. And you don't have to moan like that - now you won't just be locked up there, you have bodies.
***
The damp morning wind blew in my face, throwing the nasty smell of the bay into my face and ... ugh, a newspaper.
What do we write here? Okay, last month. Not even some sign from the universe.
And there is nothing interesting in the area. Slums are like slums, except that they are close to the coast.
Boring place, but Aida likes it. She had never seen the world beyond Karman. So now it rushes around the district, examines and ... sniffs everything? Oh yes, the electronic nose. Well, if she likes it that way...
I threw a piece of paper aside, I begin to command.
- Aida! I'll give you a full walk later, but for now we've come here to work. Send out the drones and make sure no one is roaming around. I don't give up on murder charges if something goes wrong or some idiot walks into the work area. -
Receiving a nod, I focus my attention on something more important than random vagrants.
My plasma shield.
Technically, it's not really a shield, more like a teleportation device along with a bunch of bounding fields, but who cares if I can create whole plasma walls with it?
In theory, it should already be completely ready for work in the field, but it's still worth checking. And how stable the design will be when bringing the temperature to the maximum possible in storage, I still need to check.
Quickly clearing a suitable area of everything that might interfere with me, I set the mechanism on a stand and move behind one of the concrete walls. From more than two thousand degrees, in which case, it will not save me, but maybe at least give a couple of moments.
Drones with a bunch of scanners hovered on the sides waiting for the action to begin, Aida clung to my armor, I tensed for a moment - we were ready for failure and the fact that everything would go wrong.
- Light it up! - a short command, as it were, put an end to all my efforts. That's it, it's too late to change something further, it will either work as it should, or I will burn everything in the district with a flame of thousands of degrees, and then I will get hit on the head by the Protectorate. The risk was calculated, and I, please note, is not bad at mathematics.
Although, even in case of failure, I remain in the black. This project was the most challenging project I've ever done as a techie. I got good experience in setting up and calibrating modules, knowledge of working with various magnetic and electromagnetic fields, figured out how to move something from Karman to the real world without the use of force; received a lot of new parts, created for various discarded ideas, but which can be useful in something else, as well as updated tools and machines.
Oh, and plasma grenades, don't forget about them. These crumbs will serve me even if the shield does not work.
Be that as it may, the command was given, and ...
... it worked.
A brief moment of hesitation gives way to elation as the generators begin to work. After two seconds of power up, a micro-portal from the vault opens right in the middle of various fields, and a violent stream of plasma is ejected from there under great pressure.
Everything in the area is illuminated with a slightly reddish light, and I only briefly note that I still need to work with the filter - the glow is too bright.
My attention is now occupied by information from scanners.
– Losses? -
- Three percent! -
- Super. Look out for stability. -
And now, five seconds have passed, ten, twenty - the fields are working stably, the plasma flow is even and uniform.
– Energy costs? -
– Reached 63 percent! -
Soon it will be necessary to assemble a new reactor at such a pace.
– Transferred data on emissions –
- Already! -
So, electromagnetic radiation slightly exceeds the norm, we will fix it. Heat dissipation is bullshit.
Well, it works! And it works well!
I come out of my hiding place and approach the red-hot ball hanging in the air.
You can't even compare it with the storage in the workshop. The magnetic lock used there is quite simple, and needs a bunch of magnetic coils nearby, although, I admit, it eats less energy. Here I do not need any physical basis, no metamaterials are between me and this hot gas.
Fabulous.
- So, Aida, change the shape from a sphere to a cube. Let's see how it will look like this. -
- And I ... I don't know how - the little spider gave up on my shoulder.
What?...
"Wait, you mean you can't?" You are working on the same computer as the field program! -
Well, I've never tried doing something like that. You only told me to worry about multitasking. I can try, but ... well, it will just be random actions, I can break everything! -
…
…
…
fuck
This sounds logical. It is not clear why I decided that she would be able to work without training. She was far from being able to use the same manipulators right away. Not to mention drones.
Sigh.
- Okay, sit here. I'm going to reset everything myself. And after that we will take care of your training. -
Joyful squeak - Good! -
Having personally changed the parameters of the fields, I return back to the plasma cube. Despite the change in shape, the stability of both the fields and the plasma has been completely preserved. It will be necessary to play with more ... interesting forms, but I believe that everything will be stable here.
- Aida, how is the ratio of creation / costs? How much longer can it work? -
- If you take into account the current flow rate, then no more than twenty minutes! -
Clear. So, it's time to try how well the plasma shield will perform exactly as a shield.
Another quick jump to the Workshop and back, and now the fields have already taken the form of a flat plate. The density of the plasma, in this case, should increase, which is certainly good for me.
Visibility only through it to hell.
Flaw. Maybe it would be better to make it stationary at all? That makes more sense.
Yes, Aida. Send drones to the other side, keep an eye on everything that flies out. -
Pulling out my rifle, I fire a dozen shots in different modes and draw disappointing conclusions - everything went right through. Yes, in the form of molten drops in most cases, but it passed after all.
And I haven't used a large caliber yet.
Tex... hmm...
OK.
I think you need to try again and go to the maximum.
- So, Aida, get ready to measure right now. I will bring the temperature to a critical point, you need to find out what's there and how. -
- Understood! I will measure everything! -
At that moment, when the temperature approaches the maximum possible, the shields begin to strain.
– Aida, losses?! -
- Twelve and a half! -
Damn, a lot
- What about energy? -
- Eighty-one percent busy! -
Yep, definitely need another one.
- What according to the radiation ... accepted -
So, heat losses increased eight times, electromagnetic losses by thirty percent, UV ... also began to pass. Well crap in general. It is not designed for this temperature.
- What's the time there? -
- Well ... there are about twelve minutes somewhere! But already after eight the fields will already begin to collapse! -
What, just eight minutes?
– So, we urgently conduct the last tests and wrap up. As long as I have enough. I will be wiser after the meeting -
Having quickly fired a dozen more bullets, I conclude that although such a shield is capable of vaporizing shells right in flight, but ... it's all somehow ineffective. Here, as a stationary barrier or for an attack, it should work well. Few people want to get into something like this, after all.
The cooling system, thank Sion, worked as it should. Within a minute, the temperature inside the fields dropped to a level that was acceptable for not destroying anything in the area, so I ended today's experiments with a clear conscience.
Back at the Workshop, I begin teaching Aida how to control my devices. At least at a basic level, but you need to show her what works and how.
But first of all, of course, I made sure that I was fully prepared for the upcoming meeting. I said that I would come, and I do not intend to break my word.
Workshop of Pertinax.
- So, alternately raise the first, third, fifth and seventh leg fifteen degrees. —
I give the task to Aida, who is now beginning to comprehend the basics of body control, and lean back into the chair, making it crack under my weight.
The nasty creaking sound makes me wince and triggers the reaction of the Technic forces, which, having combined their efforts, instantly begin to calculate the structure of a new chair that can simultaneously support my weight and give a massage and drive to a nearby store.
Even with Techie power alone, the Tinker Fugue was distracting, and when five combined forces are eating my brains out at once, it takes a lot of willpower not to break into the next project. I really don't have enough time for more important things, but here it is.
But now you can't turn them off. My nascent artificial intelligence, which I named Aida, has recently grown to understand verbal commands and even, at the very least, began to use real devices that I gave access to. I even learned to speak! Only in short phrases, however, and sometimes it loses some of its meaning, but after all, this is still a child, after all. I'm still proud of them.
In general, then I thought that it would be useful for Aida to have a real body, and proceeded to design. It was about two days ago.
I started with the design of an animal-like body - a puppy there or a kitten, nothing like that. Moreover, the Skrip specialization helped a lot with the creation of limbs for movement. Without it, everything would have been sooo long, or I would have to create a body without them. It would turn out to be another drone, which, you know, is not interesting at all.
True, in the end I lowered the bar anyway - it was too dreary to do all this, and it would have taken many times longer than in the current project. The body itself is not so difficult to create, although in some places one would have to think, but the same paws ... If I go to get something of normal quality - outwardly looking plus or minus like my real prototypes and harmoniously working with the rest of the body - I would have to do everything put in a whole lot of effort.
In fact, I would have to deal with the possibility of creating proprioception from scratch in a body that has no idea what it is. Even creating synthetic flesh for this purpose did not help me achieve the desired result.
How was it with my prosthesis? I connected the control system to the signal converter, and my brain began to work with already familiar nerve impulses. Here, everything was new for the consciousness, which means that it is impossible to get by with such a thing.
So for the next body, I chose something simpler - an arachnid, light body with a lot of legs. For training - the most, I think.
This very set of legs will keep the body in a stable state even if Aida cannot cope with a couple of legs and makes a mistake. The legs themselves will come out, although a little fragile, but they will be much easier in terms of creation than in the first version. So if something breaks, I can easily fit a replacement in the shortest possible time.
A lightweight body with a minimum of excess also contributes to this. At first, I decided to get by with just "sense organs." So a couple of cameras became eyes, a simple acoustic sensor allowed Aida to hear her surroundings, and an electronic nose to smell it.
Initially, somehow I did not intend to create it, but this was the moment when the Tinker Fugue turned out to be stronger than me. Well, the result of this "inspiration" was a sensor capable of converting the intermolecular interaction of particles into an electrical signal. In just a couple of hours, I managed to figure out what composites and semiconductors I need and even created a prototype that is quite capable of working. Well, to work in the sense that he can do what I brought him together for, but Aida will have to deal with the analysis of this data.
But overall, the experience was interesting. The flow state I went into was very different from any similar experience I had had before. There was something… soothing about it. It was as if an invisible spring inside of me finally unraveled and allowed me to exist without problems.
I think that this state of affairs can be tolerated from time to time. My mental health should definitely thank me.
The slight sound of the movement of mechanisms attracts my attention, distracting me from extraneous thoughts.
The little spider on my desk seems to start dancing, moving its little paws. The body swaying from side to side completes this picture. His beady eyes are constantly watching me, wanting to find confirmation that he is doing everything right.
That's just ... buzzing should not be. Apparently, it was still necessary to follow the original draft, and not make random edits, as I did.
Anyway. If everything worked out as I wanted, then the body would become a little stronger and more resistant to damage. But no, it's not.
"That's it, you can stop," after my words, Aida stops moving and only looks in my direction.
— Yes, okay. I'm going to print some details now, and then we'll try to walk. For now, for you ... - I connect to the computer and send several videos with the movement of various spiders to Aida, - ... a few examples. Study them for now, and then you will already do it yourself. All clear? —
A short "Yes" in a childish voice (forgive me, could not resist) comes to me from the speaker. I get up from my chair and head to the assembly area.
As I walk around the room, I can't help but notice the fact that I definitely need to do some cleaning. Too much rubbish I brought here. Even in my fenced-in living area, you can find all sorts of nuts and bolts lying on a shelf next to the bed.
I need to clean up, of course, but, damn it ... I'm too lazy, and I don't have time for this anyway. Here Aida will grow up, and then it will be possible to arrange a general cleaning. The same bed needs to be remade with a new one or even thrown out and replaced with something else - I practically don't sleep anymore. So, I'll take a nap a couple of hours a week, and that's enough.
This heap of garbage that has not been completely transferred must finally be sorted out. What I can't use, I'll throw it out, and the rest will be recycled.
It's a mess, in general.
I move to the next room, which is my main workshop. If the first room is the main one and everything most important is installed there, such as computers and a time accelerator, then I transferred the entire production part to this one. There is a converter, and both 3D printers, and an assembly table along with my entire metallurgical complex. The latter takes up almost a quarter of the entire space of the room and cannot be moved, so it was logical to focus production around it.
Several cabinets against a free wall contain various materials in the right condition for printers. Most often this is a powder state, but at least two substances can only be stored in a liquid state. Technic substances have such quirks, what can I say?
I take everything I need from the shelves and head to the printers. The new, large, updated printer, rid of the errors of the previous version, is now busy, slowly creating many parts and parts that will go to the base parts, from which I assemble my devices like from a Lego constructor
I walk past it and head over to the smaller, old printer that had been idle until then, and then I begin my manipulations.
Due to the fact that my brain is almost directly connected to the implant, I am able to control my devices with almost the power of my mind, which for me is quite good at reducing the possibility of making a mistake or inaccuracy.
So, if problems appear with an increase of one and a half percent, but you need to take less. So, right now, I'll recalculate with amendments.
…
…
Yeah, 1.43 is enough. Well, it remains to reprint the detail.
I load the material and new parameters into the device and start waiting. Hmm, can PLO check? Chet hasn't been there in a long time. It will be possible to read what they write about my last sortie. Out there, how long has it been? Fourteen hours, right? Well, they should write something about it, right?
***
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♦ Theme: Shooting in the slums
In: Sections►Brockton Bay►Events
Veston(Original poster) (Theme starter)
Posted June 24, 2009:
Urgently! Does anyone even know what's going on in the Merchants' territory? About ten minutes ago I heard a powerful firefight, but I didn't know who I didn't ask. But the junkie has already seen a couple not far from home, it seems they are running away from someone.
UPD. Police vans sped by. Have you started working? I haven't seen them here for a long time.
(Showing page 1 of 4)
►Davis109
Posted June 24, 2009:
They were covered. Almost all at once.
My father works in the police and said that right now they are all on their ears there, ready to go.
Some cape attacked their base, like the place where they lived and dispersed the whole gang.
It seems that he even tied all their capes. At least that's what my dad heard about.
UPD.
Now everything is calmer, most of the weapons were thrown on the spot, so there is no reason to panic. In addition, most of them managed to be detained in hot pursuit, only a few slipped out of the cordon and lay down on the bottom.
►BigBoy777
Posted June 24, 2009:
Come on, a single cape showed up and killed one of the city's big gangs? garbage infa
►Davis109
Posted June 24, 2009:
Dude, 100% info, I swear. Capes aren't all the same either. This one is definitely not weak...
►SmittyJc
Posted June 24, 2009:
Do you know who attacked?
►Davis109
Posted June 24, 2009:
Pertinax. His name is Pertinax, appeared relatively recently, as I understand it. He was also noted in the battle with Lung.
►Black_Star
Posted June 24, 2009:
Yeah, I heard! Although he seems to have easily finished off Lung, he was already barely on his feet after one of these Asian showdowns of theirs. But now, of course, he gave ... Minus one grouping in this swamp.
►ElisElit
Posted June 24, 2009:
Yes, well, right? Now it will not be so dumb to walk past their districts, finally!
►Dasty
Posted June 24, 2009:
I would not be in a hurry to rejoice, a holy place is never empty (even if it is a slum)
►ElisElit
Posted June 24, 2009:
Well, how do you know, maybe they will be afraid ... This Petrinax seems to be cool)
►Dasty
Posted June 24, 2009:
Yes, nothing is clear with him yet ... He appeared a couple of times, smashed the villains, disappeared again ... Maybe he is generally interested in the territory? We will have a new gang to replace the Merchants...
End of page. 1, 2, 3, 4
(Showing page 2 of 4)
►Black_Star
Posted June 24, 2009:
Only this was not enough ... Although, who knows, maybe he is handsome and will be a noble bandit like Robin Hood?
►Dasty
Posted June 24, 2009:
Well, yes, once handsome, so immediately noble ...
The logic is overwhelming.
But I still wonder who he is
►Bagrat (Veteran) (Guy in the know)
Posted June 25, 2009:
Your ignorance is over, for I have come.
I learned that the battle was between a new techie named Pertinax (link to his discussion *here*) and part of a gang of Merchants.
Why a part? Well, a mile away from the main base, an additional one was discovered, which is a drug warehouse.
It is known that Pertinax first appeared there, incapacitated all the usual members of the gang, defeated Handcuff (a sadist without Manton's restriction) and somehow recruited Shiv (you remember, that guy with fire knives) and already he brought Pertinax to the main base.
Warning comments - no, he doesn't have Sovereign abilities. Apparently, not everyone was happy with life under Skidmark, and there was planned its own civil war.
►Mane Magenta
Posted June 25, 2009:
Ha! Even merchants don't like merchants!
In general, why hasn't the UPC done anything until now, if only one person was enough to destroy the gang?
I think that's the right question to ask Principal Piggot the next time she comes out at a conference to brag about her accomplishments.
►SmittyJc
Posted June 25, 2009:
Well, yes, well, yes, they will answer you that way ... Again, they will broadcast something about caution, about the fact that every cape counts for us, about the unpredictability of gangs and rampant crime ...
►Davis109
Posted June 25, 2009:
He will answer a direct question exactly where he will go ... But no, maybe they will at least think about what is happening in our city and how to deal with it. Father says that if they were properly coordinated and allowed to operate, there would be three times less gangs in the city.
►SmittyJc
Posted June 25, 2009:
No, it's empty
They nod their heads with a mournful look and again return to their previous activities - eat up taxpayers' money
►Mane Magenta
Posted June 25, 2009:
Well, stop aggroing, people ... We are discussing the defeat of the Merchants with a brand new hero, and not the work of the authorities
►SmittyJc
Posted June 25, 2009:
So you just started!
►Mane Magenta
Posted June 26, 2009:
She finished herself.
Is there anything going on there at the moment?
Or have all the runaways been caught?
End of page. 1, 2, 3, 4
***
Well, everything is clear, some chatter has already gone on, only partially relating to the initial topic. Something about a world government conspiracy and experiments on Brockton Bay.
And now the printer has finished its work - the red light on it lights up, signaling the end of printing and thus letting me know that the rest time is over.
I collect the received parts, after which, after making sure that there is no defect in them, I head back to the central room.
Along the way, my eyes wander from one device to another, the forces show the problems and methods of improvement, and I think about the fact that immediately after finishing the body of Aida, I need to work with a temporary accelerator.
I have a feeling that even the ratio of 1:5 is not enough for me.
I spent a whole day and a half on improving my tools and creating an assembly table for robotel. My inventions are becoming too precise and demanding of the utmost precision, and the old tools are lagging behind my needs.
But even if I understand intellectually that it's only been a little over half a day outside and that I'm already super fast compared to any other techies, there is such a painful feeling in my chest ... Similar to what you feel when you walk on a narrow road and speed the walk is too short for you, and the person in front of you is barely trudging and is not even going to accelerate. He weaves, weaves, not allowing either to get around or to speed up his step ... And now I feel a semblance of anger at such a person.
Again, I think, the tricks of power ... Maybe make sure? No, I'll climb right now, but she will inject me with hormones again, I'll be an apathetic sack of potatoes. Nafig it is necessary, I still have a bunch of things to do.
- Well, how are you here? Did you analyze those videos? I ask Aida when I return to the room.
I see, while I was walking away, she still tried to walk, and she even succeeded. Yes, it's just a couple of steps, but what! Small steps for her body, big progress for herself.
Now the spider is trying to get up from the surface of the table on which he fell, having made a mistake. Thin legs move ridiculously in the air, unable to cling to anything and turn the body into a normal position. This sight evokes a strange feeling of warmth...
"Oh, you, kulema," I sigh, pushing my creation so that it can find a foothold and rise to its feet on its own.
The process is slow, so I can go about my business. For example, start planning your vehicle.
I think for now it is possible to create a motorcycle, and later switch to something more - an armored truck, for example. Here it should definitely become the pinnacle of my techie art at the moment. Still, in the end, I'm going to leave the city, and it will be my mobile base.
Moreover, after studying the power of Sharpening, I made a breakthrough in the field of matter transfer between my Pocket Space and the ordinary world, and I'm already thinking about creating both a transmitter, to which the exit point will be tuned, and a teleportation platform. The transmitter itself will allow me to ensure that the exit point is not rigidly fixed in space, and will give me an additional strategic advantage.
I sit down at my workbench, covered in a heap of mechanical parts and tools. I have been thinking about the idea of building a motorcycle for some time and I think I am finally ready to start drawing up some concrete plans.
I open up a program on my computer and start sketching out the basic design of the bike. I want it to be sleek and fast, with a modular design that makes it easy to upgrade and modify it later.
I'm starting to brainstorm some of the key features I want to include: a miniaturized, high-efficiency engine, a modular frame that can be customized for different situations, and a state-of-the-art navigation system that can navigate the most efficient routes around town.
As I write down my ideas, I begin to visualize how the various components of the bike fit together. I can almost see the frame taking shape, each piece falling neatly into place like a puzzle. I can almost hear the hum of the engine as it roars to life, fueled by my latest techies.
But before any of that happens, I need to start experimenting with the different parts and components that will make up the bike. I rummage through my parts box, pulling out a few motors, servos, and circuit boards. Each has been carefully designed to fit into one of my modular base units, allowing me to mix and match different components until I find the perfect match.
When I start fiddling with details, I almost lose myself in the process.
The sound of something falling brings me out of this state for a moment. This turns out to be the bolt that Aida started playing with after getting back on her feet. Having no clear commands, she decided to find something to do on her own and began to run around the table, periodically stopping and watching my work. Now she stands on the edge of the table and looks down, unable to return her toy.
With a short smile, I lift the piece of iron back, after which I remember that I never installed those parts into her body.
So I have to take a break from the current task and finish this work. Quickly changing the module in the prosthesis, I begin the operation. A lot of manipulators, armed with screwdrivers, welding machines and other things that I need for engineering, crawl out and begin the operation to open the mechanical body.
Just ten minutes and you're done. The unnecessary has been removed, the necessary has been put in its place. The opened case is soldered back, and the spider body is ready to work again.
"Come on, move your paws," I command, listening carefully for evidence of possible defects. But this time everything is fine - I do not find any problems. Okay, the lesson about not deviating from the drawing is learned - it will only bring more work.
Having lowered Aida to the floor and given her new information for processing, I again turn to the design of the motorcycle.
Hours pass as I test different configurations and fine-tune the design, refining each component until it works at peak efficiency. I take copious notes along the way, jotting down each new breakthrough or discovery so I can come back to it later.
By the time I'm done I have a set of blueprints that detail every aspect of the bike. I can't wait to start building the real thing, and I know the modular design will make this process pretty quick.
It's time to collect this stallion
***
- Happened! I exclaim breathlessly. Hell yeah, it only took half a day to figure it out.
— Aida! - I call my creation, which was now playing in the next room with technical blocks, imitating my actions during the assembly of the bike.
"Come here, dear. I need to see something. —
- Yes, dad - she quits her job and runs in my direction, already quite confidently moving her legs.
And don't call me dad. Stand here in the center of the device - I'm not quite sure how I feel when they call me "dad". It seems to be true, technically, but I'm still not ready somehow for this.
- What should I call you? You created me, so you are my father. Despite the bickering, Aida resignedly enters the center of the device.
The device itself is an invisibility generator, created by me after studying a similar device from Squealer.
Miniature crystals located in a circle, after applying voltage to them, begin to work, generating an invisibility effect in the hemisphere above the device.
Compared to Squealer's design, my design is more stable, resistant to voltage fluctuations, and will not collapse without maintenance.
Of the minuses - well, here you can say much more. All of it is still quite difficult to assemble, requires a large amount of energy, operates only in a limited space, and the device does not hide itself. A bunch of problems, in general. However, this is again a prototype. The main reason I worked on this is to understand the technology, right?
Although if you think about it, I have a lot of prototypes. Have I actually brought anything to a result that suits me? Okay, enough empty thoughts, the work does not wait.
- Don't know. Try to think of something else. And this, jump there, twitch. I will measure how it works with sharp movements. Oh, and you can stick your paws out of the effect too. —
I issue commands while setting up various scanners.
- Okay... Daddy -
I groaned - Oh gods, you learned how to use sarcasm. What kind of monster did I create?
Where did you even learn this? —
"On the Internet," came the casual reply with a chuckle.
- Well, yes, as expected - I pursed my lips in discontent - in this cesspool of trolls and pranksters - damn it, I didn't follow it once and here are the consequences. Look what they did to my innocent girl.
- Don't be mad, dad. But I learned to speak well - Aida's paws appeared in space and seemed to hang in the air, slowly moving and hiding or showing more and more as they moved.
- Seriously?! - I move away from the device, inside of which this petty villain is sitting, after which I point accusingly at him with my index finger - you call me dad, and you learn life from others! Why shouldn't I be angry? Oh, shame on my entire family. Here, hold the sensor. —
After a couple of seconds of exposure to one of the energies I recently discovered, I ask a question.
– How much does it show on the screen? —
- Zero! She definitely enjoys playing jokes on me. Look how much joy in the voice.
- Yeah, right now, I believe it. Now tell me the real data. —
- Zero!
Didn't understand. It that, and it too can redirect? C'mon, it's supposed to be free.
- Well, save the data and give it here! —
I take the sensor, and indeed! Not a single particle of this radiation was registered by him. This is what it is... Hmm... I think I know how to get the device to hide itself.
"Okay, I accused you of lying for nothing. And why were you so funny then? —
I love working with you and helping you! This is interesting! —
Sigh. Okay, I guess I'll have to go play with her anyway. Well, how can you offend such a cheerful child. Yes, and it will not be completely useless. She doesn't play ordinary cubes, but collects something from my technological blocks.
***
Whistling a song that only I could hear under my breath, I fiddled with another project of mine. A shield with a generator of protective fields - that's what my idea is. The shield itself served more as a transmitter, a sort of point in space that the computer would orient itself to, although it was strengthened with several alloys, due to which the overall proportion of kinetite (yes, I finally gave it a name) was reduced.
So far, I haven't had many examples of force fields to study, so for now I've limited myself to two - electromagnetic, which would cover the surface of the shield itself, and plasma, which would be at a distance. Of course, at first you can't say that this option is suitable for protecting against something, but if an enemy attack simply evaporates under the influence of a huge temperature, then it won't hit you, right?
I immediately discarded the initial idea to create a plasma generator inside the shield itself - firstly, the small available volume would significantly reduce its efficiency and the amount of plasma produced.
And secondly, if the shield is damaged and the fuses fail, the resulting explosion will not even leave bones from me. What is there from me - everything in the zone of hundreds of meters will be subjected to the consequences of the explosion.
So rightly rejecting such options, I assembled and installed the plasma generator in the workshop, away from any sources of damage.
Further, it was already easier - a module for manipulating magnetic fields was installed in the shield, which will give this field a flat shield shape, into which the plasma will be transferred in the future. My work on moving matter from subspace came in handy here, and studying the power of sharpening helped. I'm going to actually use his power, although I will change the shape of the projection.
But do not think that everything was already prepared for me. No, on the contrary, everything is just beginning. At a minimum, the temperature of my plasma is several times higher than that of Sharpening. This prevents me from simply copying its structure exactly and using it as an example. If I increase the magnetic field so that it does not collapse from a higher temperature, then the delicate balance between it and the electromagnetic field will collapse, which should redirect the generated heat back towards the plasma, thus protecting everything around from destruction.
Yes, and after that I will need to wrap the resulting fields with another magnetic one, but with a different frequency. It will have to reduce the emitted light and not allow it to simply blind all witnesses or participants in the battle.
But this is not the end either. I'll need to generate ANOTHER force field, this time capable of containing the sound. I'm not entirely sure how much it will increase compared to the original, but there should be noise. And the higher the temperature, the more this noise will be.
Somehow, with such confusion, thoughts appear in my head that becoming a villain is a pretty cool topic. There, at least I don't have to think so much about the destruction.
The loud sound of impact and the subsequent rumble of crumbling objects made me jump from the workplace, looking into the passage into the next room.
Your maaat- flashed through my head a moment later, when I realized what happened there. Do not let Sion open the containers, it will mix everything there.
- Aida - my scream echoed through the workshop, creating a small echo - what the hell are you doing here? —
Crushed by the objects and the drone that bounced right at him, the spider looked rather pathetic. Thin paws were broken or bent; the case almost turned into a crumpled jar, and only the sensors survived the blow - well, I just took them from drones, and there they have a pretty good design.
Sternly looking directly into the eyes of the little body unable to answer due to the breakdown of the speech synthesizer, I open the assembly block in the prosthesis, and, after seconds of manipulation, cut off the control of the body, which is already working for the last seconds.
The culprit of the incident is forced to return her consciousness back to the computer. And now, cut off from interaction with the world, with no way to block the microphone or camera, she is left alone with me and the inevitable lectures.
"So," I began in a parental tone, "and what were you doing here while I was working?" What did I tell you to do? —
— Train in multitasking — bashfully she muttered to me almost at the lowest volume.
"That's right," I nod without taking my stern gaze off the camera, "but what were you doing?" —
"I… that was training!" - Finding an argument suitable in her opinion, Aida clung to it and continued to speak - I trained to control both my body and your drone at the same time. You gave me access to them! So he didn't mind. I just… well, lost control. —
My sigh was heard in the silence. I even felt some hints of a headache, although I could not feel pain in principle.
– Aida… Let's be honest – you got bored with training and decided to find some fun, didn't you? So you took one of the drones - which, mind you, I did not give you access to, you just work on the same computer through which they are controlled - and decided to play with it, right? —
– Yes… – I could hear from the emotions in my voice that it was difficult for an electronic child to admit his mistakes – it was difficult, so I couldn't stand it! How am I even supposed to manage multiple things?! There are many of your manipulators, but I am alone! This is impossible! —
"But you were able to handle the drone. Here, after all, there were also only two things to control - your body and the drone, but they should be much more difficult to manage. I couldn't help noticing
- It's different! There it was ... somehow simpler. Well, at first I fell constantly from him, and then it turned out somehow ... by itself ... I don't know ... -
Another breath, softer this time.
"Aida, look at me carefully. First of all, I'm not going to swear at you. Of the breakdowns, only the shelves and your body, which I immediately made easy to repair or replace.
Secondly… mmm… Let's be honest. I created you in order for me to have an assistant who will be able to manage my numerous devices in the future instead of me. And so far you have not reached this level. But! - I interrupted her attempt to say something - I understand that you need time to learn, so I'm not going to demand much from you right now. —
Seconds of tension - and now a new passage appears in the wall. This time the room is quite low - only four meters, but rather elongated in length.
The camera turns in that direction after me, and Aida, not understanding what I'm getting at, carefully examines the room through her.
"Despite the fact that I created you, I really don't understand how you work now. My contribution, for the most part, is the very first program to create other programs, and a few bug fixes later on. So I DO NOT understand why it is easier for you to work with moving objects, and not with something simple and stationary. Maybe you just learned how to use manipulators, and in the future it was already easier, that's not the point. I'm dedicating this room entirely to you as a firing range. Now it's empty, but it'll be easier for you.
I'll put a few more robust drones under your control as soon as I've removed the weapons from them, and you can train there as much as you like, away from all my complex and critically damaged equipment. I will also move all your other toys there as soon as I reassemble your body.
After that, I'm going to get back to work and I VERY hope that this time you will still be busy training and not playing around such dangerous things as a nuclear reactor and a damn time machine. All clear? —
- Yes. Thanks dad. I could almost see the relief in her voice. Here's something, and her communicative part is very well developed - I promise that I will never violate what you told me again. —
I shook my head - No, I'm not against your independence, but the next time something like this comes to mind, you better warn me in advance, okay? So, that's it, stop talking, sit down, study something from what I downloaded for you. I'll go pick you up. Until the meeting, only a couple of days left of mine, and here I am, damn it, what I have to mess with. I mumbled the last words under my breath as I carefully removed body parts from one of the dropped containers.
And I need to clean up...
***
Finally, the process of calibrating the generators is over. The first stopped interfering with the work of the second, the third stopped interfering with both of them, and the fourth ... well, he didn't conflict with the rest anyway.
In general, everything was fine in this part, but in the process of work, I realized that I almost missed one most important detail.
How will I cool the plasma?
Like, it's heated to thousands of degrees, you can't do it just by waiting, like with some kind of teapot.
In general, this was the problem that I also needed to work on.
Without thinking twice, I decided to use all the same methods that I used to limit the plasma. After all, the method does not really change much, it will just happen ... more intensively
As such, the concept of using an electromagnetic field to cool a plasma is based on the fact that an electromagnetic field can act on particles in a plasma and change their trajectories. In this case, the particles themselves begin to move along a spiral trajectory around the lines of the magnetic field, and when these lines cross, the energy of the particles is transferred to the field itself, which leads to heat losses. This will allow me to quickly cool the plasma, reducing its temperature to the values \u200b\u200bthat I need.
But I have not only electromagnetic fields. I can quite combine the knowledge of electromagnetism, the control of kinetic energy and sound waves, to get the best result. For example, sound waves can be used to change the shape of a plasma cloud and lower its temperature even faster.
In addition, particle kinetics can be used to control the direction in which plasma particles move, slowing them down along the way.
In general, there were methods, and I even managed to deal with the problem on the same devices that, in some way, caused this problem. All that was required was for some modules to change places and start working in the opposite direction. I think I'm beginning to understand the essence of this specialization.
Okay, I've finished checking-rechecking, you can start testing. There are some things I can't use inside the workshop, so I have to get out. And specifically, things with technologies based on the effect of teleportation from the power of the Circus. To move matter within one world, I need to invent something else, but for now I can do without.
I get up from the assembly table and start stretching. Maybe I need to take a few more breaks. Every time the body becomes numb during work, as far as I absorb it.
After doing a few short stretches, I take a look at the brand new plasma generator and the storage attached to it.
Designed for temperatures up to three and a half thousand degrees, the storage was a three-meter flask, at the base of which a generator was built.
The walls of the flask consist of a metamaterial based on silicate ceramics, improved by me for greater heat capacity and limiting the radiation of electromagnetic waves. The new printer, capable of delivering high pressure with temperature, with a single method of wall printing, improved them. And this is not to mention the fact that the structure of the substance itself has been improved by optimizing the structure and changing the porosity of the substance.
So now it not only looks nice, but it should also withstand the temperature for a while in case the holding fields fail. And duplicate fields. And cooling fields. It will not be superfluous, in general.
Red-orange streams of plasma swirl inside the vault, mixing and layering each other in a chaotic dance. Lightning bolts intermittently interrupt this dance, creating bright flashes of light and sound effects that should be reminiscent of thunder being drowned out by my technology. Despite this, the movement of the plasma seems smooth and endless, like ocean waves running ashore. Inside this reservoir, time seems to slow down and space is distorted, creating the illusion of infinity.
Brrrrrr
I wave my head - Damn, stuck again -
Breaking away from the addictive spectacle, I continue to move.
- Well, how are you here? - over the past ... uh, half a day (?) Aida definitely managed to achieve success. Right now, her three manipulators on trolleys were carrying metal pipes and metal plates to one of the corners of the room and assembling some kind of structure out of them. Aida herself proudly sat on the drone, watching the process from above.
She turns to the sound and begins to actively gesticulate with her paws - Dad! Are you done?! Did you succeed!? I was able to raise what to do! Now I can use as many as five devices at once! And even the sixth ... but sometimes I still get confused there. But I will soon learn how to manage it! Am I great? -
- Of course, you're great. Will you come with me to the test? - a joyful nod - Well, come here, sit on your shoulder, here are the attachments for you added. Take a couple of drones with you and connect to the main computer. And you don't have to moan like that - now you won't just be locked up there, you have bodies.
***
The damp morning wind blew in my face, throwing the nasty smell of the bay into my face and ... ugh, a newspaper.
What do we write here? Okay, last month. Not even some sign from the universe.
And there is nothing interesting in the area. Slums are like slums, except that they are close to the coast.
Boring place, but Aida likes it. She had never seen the world beyond Karman. So now it rushes around the district, examines and ... sniffs everything? Oh yes, the electronic nose. Well, if she likes it that way...
I threw a piece of paper aside, I begin to command.
- Aida! I'll give you a full walk later, but for now we've come here to work. Send out the drones and make sure no one is roaming around. I don't give up on murder charges if something goes wrong or some idiot walks into the work area. -
Receiving a nod, I focus my attention on something more important than random vagrants.
My plasma shield.
Technically, it's not really a shield, more like a teleportation device along with a bunch of bounding fields, but who cares if I can create whole plasma walls with it?
In theory, it should already be completely ready for work in the field, but it's still worth checking. And how stable the design will be when bringing the temperature to the maximum possible in storage, I still need to check.
Quickly clearing a suitable area of everything that might interfere with me, I set the mechanism on a stand and move behind one of the concrete walls. From more than two thousand degrees, in which case, it will not save me, but maybe at least give a couple of moments.
Drones with a bunch of scanners hovered on the sides waiting for the action to begin, Aida clung to my armor, I tensed for a moment - we were ready for failure and the fact that everything would go wrong.
- Light it up! - a short command, as it were, put an end to all my efforts. That's it, it's too late to change something further, it will either work as it should, or I will burn everything in the district with a flame of thousands of degrees, and then I will get hit on the head by the Protectorate. The risk was calculated, and I, please note, is not bad at mathematics.
Although, even in case of failure, I remain in the black. This project was the most challenging project I've ever done as a techie. I got good experience in setting up and calibrating modules, knowledge of working with various magnetic and electromagnetic fields, figured out how to move something from Karman to the real world without the use of force; received a lot of new parts, created for various discarded ideas, but which can be useful in something else, as well as updated tools and machines.
Oh, and plasma grenades, don't forget about them. These crumbs will serve me even if the shield does not work.
Be that as it may, the command was given, and ...
... it worked.
A brief moment of hesitation gives way to elation as the generators begin to work. After two seconds of power up, a micro-portal from the vault opens right in the middle of various fields, and a violent stream of plasma is ejected from there under great pressure.
Everything in the area is illuminated with a slightly reddish light, and I only briefly note that I still need to work with the filter - the glow is too bright.
My attention is now occupied by information from scanners.
– Losses? -
- Three percent! -
- Super. Look out for stability. -
And now, five seconds have passed, ten, twenty - the fields are working stably, the plasma flow is even and uniform.
– Energy costs? -
– Reached 63 percent! -
Soon it will be necessary to assemble a new reactor at such a pace.
– Transferred data on emissions –
- Already! -
So, electromagnetic radiation slightly exceeds the norm, we will fix it. Heat dissipation is bullshit.
Well, it works! And it works well!
I come out of my hiding place and approach the red-hot ball hanging in the air.
You can't even compare it with the storage in the workshop. The magnetic lock used there is quite simple, and needs a bunch of magnetic coils nearby, although, I admit, it eats less energy. Here I do not need any physical basis, no metamaterials are between me and this hot gas.
Fabulous.
- So, Aida, change the shape from a sphere to a cube. Let's see how it will look like this. -
- And I ... I don't know how - the little spider gave up on my shoulder.
What?...
"Wait, you mean you can't?" You are working on the same computer as the field program! -
Well, I've never tried doing something like that. You only told me to worry about multitasking. I can try, but ... well, it will just be random actions, I can break everything! -
…
…
…
fuck
This sounds logical. It is not clear why I decided that she would be able to work without training. She was far from being able to use the same manipulators right away. Not to mention drones.
Sigh.
- Okay, sit here. I'm going to reset everything myself. And after that we will take care of your training. -
Joyful squeak - Good! -
Having personally changed the parameters of the fields, I return back to the plasma cube. Despite the change in shape, the stability of both the fields and the plasma has been completely preserved. It will be necessary to play with more ... interesting forms, but I believe that everything will be stable here.
- Aida, how is the ratio of creation / costs? How much longer can it work? -
- If you take into account the current flow rate, then no more than twenty minutes! -
Clear. So, it's time to try how well the plasma shield will perform exactly as a shield.
Another quick jump to the Workshop and back, and now the fields have already taken the form of a flat plate. The density of the plasma, in this case, should increase, which is certainly good for me.
Visibility only through it to hell.
Flaw. Maybe it would be better to make it stationary at all? That makes more sense.
Yes, Aida. Send drones to the other side, keep an eye on everything that flies out. -
Pulling out my rifle, I fire a dozen shots in different modes and draw disappointing conclusions - everything went right through. Yes, in the form of molten drops in most cases, but it passed after all.
And I haven't used a large caliber yet.
Tex... hmm...
OK.
I think you need to try again and go to the maximum.
- So, Aida, get ready to measure right now. I will bring the temperature to a critical point, you need to find out what's there and how. -
- Understood! I will measure everything! -
At that moment, when the temperature approaches the maximum possible, the shields begin to strain.
– Aida, losses?! -
- Twelve and a half! -
Damn, a lot
- What about energy? -
- Eighty-one percent busy! -
Yep, definitely need another one.
- What according to the radiation ... accepted -
So, heat losses increased eight times, electromagnetic losses by thirty percent, UV ... also began to pass. Well crap in general. It is not designed for this temperature.
- What's the time there? -
- Well ... there are about twelve minutes somewhere! But already after eight the fields will already begin to collapse! -
What, just eight minutes?
– So, we urgently conduct the last tests and wrap up. As long as I have enough. I will be wiser after the meeting -
Having quickly fired a dozen more bullets, I conclude that although such a shield is capable of vaporizing shells right in flight, but ... it's all somehow ineffective. Here, as a stationary barrier or for an attack, it should work well. Few people want to get into something like this, after all.
The cooling system, thank Sion, worked as it should. Within a minute, the temperature inside the fields dropped to a level that was acceptable for not destroying anything in the area, so I ended today's experiments with a clear conscience.
Back at the Workshop, I begin teaching Aida how to control my devices. At least at a basic level, but you need to show her what works and how.
But first of all, of course, I made sure that I was fully prepared for the upcoming meeting. I said that I would come, and I do not intend to break my word.