Chapter 24:
Returning home, he saw that his roommates had gotten home while he was stumbling through some brainstorming in the desert. Walking through the door into the living room, he found them on the couch.
“Hey guys, how was work?”
Jake responded rapidly, with a mildly disgruntled tone.
“You know, if I didn’t know you I would swear that was your way of rubbing in the fact that you don’t have to go to a regular job anymore.”
“Oh, I definitely am. I’m super fancy now. Don’t worry though, you just have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and you’ll get to be as cool as I am.
Well, that and have alien tech start giving you super powers, somehow survive getting struck by a massive bolt of lightning, then agree to work for the alien that provided that tech in the first place. I’m sure anyone could do it, you just have to really believe in yourself!”
That got a snort from both roommates, and Jake stopped pretending to be grumpy.
“Of course, I’ll get right on that. Anyway, work was fine for me. How about you, Paige?”
“Well, clearly not nearly as exciting as it was for you, but nothing to complain about. Will, you should bring us up to date on what you’ve been up to. It’s hard to live vicariously through a friend who doesn’t spill, after all.”
“Ha, fair enough.”
So, Will started going through everything he had been up to for the last two days. He finished his story with his practice out at the Ring today, and Jake spoke up.
“I’m looking forward to seeing your suit. Hopefully, it looks like tights so I can make fun of you endlessly.”
“I specified it should not look like a superhero costume, thank you very much. Besides, after the vibe that dude gave off, I’m not taking any chances that I don’t have to. He was seriously bad news.”
Both of his roommates had serious expressions as they agreed with him about not taking chances. They couldn’t know what Will had felt, but they trusted their friend. If he said the guy was no good, that was good enough for them.
“So, you’re going back tonight to get a better look at the headquarters for your new secret cult?”
“Now, Paige, it’s a secret SOCIETY. Secret cults are what your aunt is part of. There’s a difference, at least in this case.
That reminds me, though, if she ever finds out about something like this, you know, one that’s actually real, she’s going to be seriously disappointed. There wasn’t a single dungeon on the property that I could find. There weren’t any sacrificial altars, and I definitely didn’t spot anyone preparing for any orgies.”
“Oh god, we will never be telling her about any of this. Period. She’d either stroke out or never shut up again. No thank you.”
“Ha, yeah, definitely not. Oh, and yeah, I’ll be heading back up there tonight. I need to get a better look at things, and maybe check out that outbuilding.’
Jake picked up the conversation there.
“Okay, but seriously man, keep in touch. You getting caught would be bad, but it would be even worse if we didn’t find out until someone’s busting through a wall like a glass jug full of colorful drink.”
“Yeah, Sil and Artie will reach out if anything bad goes down, and you both have Cierra’s number. I’ll also be introducing her to our alien friends soon as well. I’ll probably set up a time with her tomorrow.”
Paige’s eyes lit up at that, and Will knew what was coming.
“Right! That’s a good call. By the way, how are things going between you two?”
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“Well, nothing has really changed. We flirt, but neither of us has really tried to escalate.”
“Booo. Lame. You need to get on that.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
His sardonic tone and raised eyebrow earned him a roll of her eyes, but he kept talking.
“Now, I need to go take a shower and get ready for my super secret stealth mission. You guys have a good night.”
They said their goodbyes, wishing him luck, and Will started getting himself ready for his night.
Will had finished showering and drying himself off, when one of the small, insect-like drones flew up to him holding one of his earbuds. Slipping it into his ear, Will acknowledged his new friends.
“What’s up, boys?”
Artie’s voice came through with perfect clarity, as usual.
“If you open your window, I can deliver your armor, Will.”
“Oh, nice! Good timing.”
After he opened the way, a drone that looked almost identical to the one that had taken his measurements earlier flew into his room with a rolled up bundle suspended from it. Will grabbed the bundle, and unrolled it.
He was immediately happy to see it was not a single piece. Instead, he first unrolled a pair of tactical looking pants with plenty of pockets. Following that he found a long sleeved shirt that was mostly unadorned, except for some more rigid pieces in the forearm areas. Lastly came something that looked similar to a vest.
The pants were the easiest to describe, as they looked almost identical to a pair he already had, but were clearly a lot sturdier. The most surprising aspects were that they were very light in weight, and thicker than his normal pants without losing any flexibility.
The shirt portion was meant to be worn under the vest, so it was pretty basic. It was made of the same material as the pants. Where his wrists and forearms would be were the interesting parts of that piece. He noted the rigid pieces might help with his blocking, if and when he wound up in a fight. As expected, he found a palm-sized tool mounted under the left wrist that could be detached, and assumed it was the device Artie had made to help with the more larcenous skills he was lacking in. Lastly, he located the mount for a drone on the outside of the right bicep area. He was extremely excited to try out his little lock pick, but set the shirt aside to look at the final piece.
Looking closely, he realized this was the most important part of the gear. He didn’t have a clue what it was made from, but the material was obviously much tougher and more rigid than normal clothing. He guessed the weight of this piece alone to be about five pounds, and it reminded him of the gear worn by one of his favorite characters from tv from several years ago. Luckily, it wasn’t green, and he wouldn’t be using a bow and arrow.
Looking closely, he spotted a sturdy looking zipper tucked under a flap. It ran from the bottom of the left arm hole to the bottom of the piece. Thinking about it, he realized the material wouldn’t be flexible or stretchy enough to pull on without that. He had never really considered it, but guessed the zipper would be a potential weak spot. It made sense to have it somewhere he was less likely to take a hit.
Lastly, there were two rounded tubes built into the back on either side of center, that ran vertically so they would parallel his spine. He had no clue what they might be for, but assumed they weren’t just for aesthetics.
“Okay, Artie. Run me through the basics.”
“Gladly. I am quite proud of the design. Sil actually came up with the basic design. He said you may recognize it, but wouldn’t be likely to mind. The base material is composed of an exceptionally malleable metallic alloy with a naturally flat color profile. You will find it to be extremely durable, not overly insulating, and the color should allow you to blend in at night quite easily.
The vest-like portion is the same material, but in a much tighter and layered weave. It should prove considerably more resilient than modern human body armor. I theorize the nature of the weave and durability should provide significant protection against stabbing and slashing weapons, while the multiple layers should prevent any civilian firearms from penetrating the armor. I must warn you, however, that the impact from these weapons will still transmit significant blunt force.
Lastly, you noticed the holsters on the back portion. I am currently designing a pair of collapsible batons that you will be able to use as weapons. We agreed a weapon that is essentially a basic club would be ideal for your level of experience, but I am working to incorporate some extra functionality into their design. Of course, they will also be resilient enough to be wielded by someone of your level of strength.
Lastly, you will find a small zippered compartment around the rear of the neck. This simply holds a thin hood you can pull out. It is the same material as the undershirt portion, and should prove useful in concealment. I will caution you that while it will be durable enough not to rip or tear easily, you would do well not to depend on it for protection from anything significant.”
“Daaammnn. These are amazing guys. Thank you. I can’t wait to see these batons you’re working on.
Hey, when we bring Cierra in on all of this, are you going to offer her a job? If so, I can pretty much promise you she’ll be thrilled to get a set like this.”
“That is an excellent point. I will begin manufacturing after I finish your batons, but we will need to get her measurements before completing a set. Truthfully, we had the basic design in a database of equipment used by Sil’s people when exploring new worlds. Adapting it for your use was much faster than developing something new.”
“That makes sense. I’m sure she won’t mind getting scanned after we lay everything out for her. Hell, the gear alone would probably be a major selling point. This shit is cool.”
Looking outside, Will saw the sun was almost done setting for the night, and decided to suit up. He figured it would be a good idea to get used to moving in the armor. Plus he really wanted to try out his new toys.