Kaleb staggered to the main level of the hangar at dawn. He’d spent practically all night in Jar-Lock’s magic chair, trying to find the right combination of spells. Daivor was right. There were hundred of spells for degradation and decay. But nothing quite what Kaleb was looking for. Matter was either transformed or destroyed outright with magic. Breaking down elements to their constituent parts was a little trickery. Which simply solidified Kaleb’s feelings on magic versus technology. However, he found mention of something that might help him. Unfortunately, it was in the school of Alchemy. Something Jar’s library had very few books on.
By the time he’d discovered the potential solution, it was deep into the night. So he’d taken Daivor back to the workshop and then return to his room to crash. Now he was side-stepping bright-eyed NPCs as they went about their work. He could find the hangar’s coffee maker in the dark, so he blearily made his way to where it was and poured himself a cup. The days where the others were still logged out were weird. The game still turned and Kaleb got to watch all the teens and Brutes go about their lives like real people. They made friends, talked about work or school, and sometimes they would even have arguments.
He chuckled to himself as he sipped at his coffee and planned out his day. He had two options: go to the college and use the Mass-spectrometer again, or find a new lead with alchemy. Of course, the state he left the college in last time would probably make using the high-end equipment difficult. In fact, Kaleb had a hard time remembering if the machine survived the demon's possession. Plus, Alchemy was chemistry adjacent. He and Daivor theorized that the two skills would have some overlap.
Kaleb drained the last of his coffee and refilled his mug. Checking the clock, he found it was ten minutes to eight. He had just enough time to drive out to the bookstore and find something on Alchemy. Grinning to himself, he rushed over to his workshop only for a flurry of activity at the Command Center to draw his eyes. Farrah’s AI clone was working away already along with a few of the teens and Brutes. She turned to Kaleb and waved a hand at the largest screen.
“We’ve got a fire out near Hollow Hook. Assistance has been requested and the police are sand-bagging their response.”
Kaleb froze. “But I’m the only one here.”
“Yes, I’m aware of that, professor. But criminals don’t take breaks and the cops are still playing their little games. If you don’t drive out there, we all look bad. Yes, most of our roster is on a rotating cycle, but we need to continue to do what we can.”
Kaleb growled and threw back his hot coffee. The bitter liquid scorched the back of his throat, but he ignored it as he rushed to his workshop. He shouted at Farrah’s AI driven clone to contact him on the road. Cursing to himself, Kaleb burst into his workshop, startling both Marie and Terrance. They were back at their stations busying themselves with small task. Kaleb grinned as a thought came to him.
“Terrance, I need you to head out and grab every book you can on Alchemy. Marie, you can handle the shop.”
“And what are you going to be doing?” Marie asked tersely.
Kaleb waggled his Cybar in the air as he pulled on a fresh lab coat. “Hero business. There’s a fire in the Hook.”
Both teens nodded at his answer, and Kaleb saw Terrance turn to look for his own keys. As he did, Kaleb saw past the tall boy to the back of the workshop. Roy was sprawled out on a cot at the back of the shop. His armor and weapons were still strapped to his body. Kaleb smiled warmly at the sight and shook his head. Apparently the boy’s first foray into Side-kicking had ended well.
Marie turned to look at what Kaleb was smiling at and snorted. “He was here when we came in. He must've stumbled in before the sun was up and passed out. I don’t look forward to how he’s going to complain about sleeping in his armor.”
Kaleb shrugged. “It happens. Make sure he stays undisturbed.”
Marie shrugged, and Terrance nodded as Kaleb left the workshop. He assumed Daivor was still asleep, but they’d go over the Alchemy stuff later. Kaleb had some solo hero-ing to do. Quickly rushing to his car and throwing open the door, Kaleb pushed his comm unit into his ear. Immediately, Farrah’s voice gave him an address and Kaleb drove out of the airfield as fast as he could. As a mostly grounded Super Group, they didn’t exactly have a license to speed everywhere. But if he or anyone else was caught speeding to their destination, the cops were supposed to be understanding. Kaleb hoped he’d never have to try that out in practice, though. Not with the cops were being.
He arrived at the house fire in Hollow Hook quickly enough. However, once he did, the fire department seemed surprised that he had been called. Apparently, the fire was caused by a bunch of stupid kids being stupid and not some diabolical gang or Villain plot. Kaleb bit his lip against his own annoyance and still offered his help. His next hour was filled with the drudgeries of putting out a proper fire and giving a stern warning to a bunch of mouthy teens. The little bastards seemed more disappointed that Kaleb wasn’t a ‘real hero’ and completely disregarded him. Rather than pistol whip the little shits, Kaleb passed them off to their parents and smiled evilly as punishments were doled out.
Afterward, Kaleb called it in to Farrah, and she gave him the next hot spot. His day was again filled with saving cats and helping little old ladies repair their air conditions. There were a few bright spots. A gang stomping into an outdoor cafeteria, or a wild gunman threatening people in the streets. But ultimately Kaleb’s morning passed pretty calmly.
“Two Gun and Claire have just woken up. They’re willing to take over, Professor.”
Kaleb checked his clock and blinked. It was still noon in the game. That meant the husband and wife duo must have gotten off work early. The old cowboy’s laugh echoed in Kaleb’s ear as he and his wife jumped on comms.
“Ha! I figured you’d be drowning in work by now.”
“Not really. It’s been a quiet morning overall. But the cops are still playing slow. Also, I think they are calling us into jobs that we don’t need to be at. Had a fire this morning, and the department looked surprised I’d been tapped.”
“Well, that’s just mean,” Claire sniffed indignantly.
“Agreed.”
“Come on in, Prof. The wife and I will handle things in the area. We were hoping to do some gaming today.”
Kaleb stepped on his gas and drove back to the hangar. He waved at Two Gun and Claire as their car passed him on the way in. He parked, refilled his coffee mug, and sat down to fill out the paperwork as everything around him fell away. The bustle of people, the clacking of keyboard keys, the quiet drone of people at work. For a moment Kaleb was back in his real-world office, doing the same thing. The mundanity of the day had finally smacked him in the head. He was a Super Hero, damn it! Work wasn’t supposed to be this boring! He had literally spent his day being a handyman for the elderly.
Kaleb smacked his forehead against the table and sent a loud bang reverberating everywhere. Eyes and heads turned in his direction. He took in a breath and slowly released it as he tried to think of a solution.
“Solution… Solution? That’s it! The formula! I bet Terrance has the books. I am sure that little vial will lead us to our next big case. Heroes aren’t supposed to be repair men! They are out there fighting crime and saving lives!”
He quickly brought his head back up and started writing. He filled in the paperwork and then threw it at the nearest hunter. The teen caught it and started filing, and Kaleb stomped back to his workshop. Brutes and teens cleared his path as Kaleb felt himself grin maliciously. Soon he would have all the knowledge he needed to hunt down this next lead.
Bursting into his workshop again, Kaleb wasn’t surprised that he went unnoticed. Terrance and Marie were deep in their own work, making weapons or whatever personal projects they had. Meanwhile, Daivor and Roy had their heads together and seemed to be discussing things animatedly over the noise of the shop. Kaleb got Terrance’s attention and mimed a question about the books. The tall teenager nodded over at Kaleb’s workstation. Giving the boy a thumbs up, Kaleb hurried over and cracked the first book he could find.
It was an introduction to Alchemy by someone whose name Kaleb didn’t want to try to pronounce. But it was written fairly well, and he immediately dove into it, hoping he’d find the answers he was looking for.
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“Blah blah… Great world of wonder… blah blah… laws… blah blah… equivalent exchange… This is all rather dry.” Kaleb thought as his hand skimmed down the page.
Alchemy appeared to be an exact science, much like chemistry, and he could feel his understanding of the mechanics of it growing already. Kaleb read through the first chapter and then sat back to absorb what he had learned. Which, truly, wasn’t much. The chapter was mostly concerned with identifying and catalogue various substances for use in potions and salves. He was about to tackle the second when he found Roy waiting patiently by his bench, Daivor perched on his shoulder. Kaleb grinned.
“I hear your first solo-outing went well.”
Roy nodded animatedly. “It did. Even though it was merely recon, it let me test so many new ideas. Also, we think we figured out who was pushing that drug you found.”
Kaleb snapped to his feet and grasped the boy by his shoulders. “Seriously?!”
“Whoa, boss. Ease up.” Daivor admonished.
“No, it’s okay. You know how the Doc gets. Yeah, those two goons we tracked to the warehouse waited there almost all night until a van came and picked them up.”
“An unmarked van?”
“Yep. But it was weird. The van showed up and both our guys went super still. Like statues. Then two guys covered in body armor moved them into the van like luggage.”
Kaleb nodded slowly. “So then you followed the Van?”
Roy smiled as Daivor shook his head. “He didn’t have to. Show him, kid.”
Kaleb stared curiously as Roy reached into his inside pocket and pulled out a silver disk. The thing was no bigger than a quarter. But as Roy dropped it in Kaleb’s hand, he could feel the weight of the thing. He gently weighed it in his hand and, as he did, he could feel some kind of liquid inside the disc. He inspected the small device until Roy explained, clearly happy.
“It’s a tracking disc. When I toss it, it sticks to whatever it hits and releases a gas that can be tracked by our drone’s infrared cameras.”
Kaleb blinked as the idea of a tracking device hadn’t occurred to him. He wanted to slap himself as Roy and Daivor looked pleased with themselves. Kaleb had to hand it to the kid. He was improving faster than he had expected. When he said as much to Roy, the young man went red in the face and passed off the accomplishment to Daivor. But the Builder Gnome was having none of it.
“It was your idea, kid. I just helped with some design aspects. All the grunt work and metalworking were all you. So be proud. Between this and your other toys, you’re well on your way to being an accomplished inventor.”
“Other toys?” Kaleb asked, intrigued.
Roy grinned and took a step back. As he did, Kaleb noticed Marie secure her papers and documents on her workbench. Daivor swung over to Kaleb’s workbench and put his thumbs through his suspenders. Looking like the proudest papa Kaleb had ever seen. Roy tapped the front of his shoes together and a low hum emitted from his feet. The noise was accompanied by a soft blue glow that Kaleb recognized as a repulsor. Roy floated into the air, sending bits of dust and paper everywhere from the force of his elevation. Kaleb dropped to the floor and looked under Roy’s shoes. Attached to the heels of both of the boy’s sneakers were two metal apparatuses that housed several tiny repulsors.
With no other recourse, Kaleb sat up and applauded as Roy's face became cherry red. He somehow cut the power to the repulsors and fell roughly to the workshop floor. Kaleb shook his head as he stared up at the young man who had once attacked a giant robot with a bat. He couldn’t have been prouder… or more disappointed in himself, really. Jet boots should’ve been on his own personal list. He really wanted to smack himself. But Roy’s story wasn’t over and after his head-slam in the in the command center, he didn’t want to start a trend.
AS he got to his feet, Kaleb asked. “So, where did the van go?”
“Really? You're not going to ask him about the boots?” Daivor complained.
“Oh, I will be examining those as he talks. Hand them over, Roy. This is a command from your mentor… hero… um… guy.”
Both Daivor and Roy rolled their eyes at him, but the young man took his shoes off and detached the strange bracket that held the repulsors in place. Kaleb received the thing and then quickly placed it on his workbench. The entire apparatus was hot, not horribly so, but it was enough to sting slightly. Roy finished his story as Kaleb went over the boy’s gadget.
“The van was taken to a place just outside downtown Austin and then torched. But the drones kept up with the occupants all the way back to their home base.”
“HLO HQ?” Kaleb asked scathingly.
“Nope. TekNik Electronics and Sundries.”
Kaleb blinked, having not expected that at all. Roy looked pleased with himself as Daivor lit his pipe with a finger.
“I guess we know what the sundries are, huh, boss?”
Kaleb was about to ask something when he spotted a problem with one of Roy’s repulsors.
“Hey, you notched the power cycles down on this one.”
“Yeah, the kick is too much to handle for me if I go any higher. Which is why I won’t be outright flying with them anytime soon.”
Kaleb quickly checked the three other repulsors and found the same thing. Which meant that the dream of flight was currently out of reach unless they strengthened the boy’s legs. That thought brought Kaleb back around to his alchemy books still strewn across his worktable. He sighed as he sat Roy’s gadget to the side. All of a sudden, his day was full again. The soul-sucking nature of this morning’s tedium had been replaced. Now he was refreshed and renewed. He had new gadgets to explore and a new lead to follow.
Catching Roy’s curious stare, Kaleb grinned. “So what did Farrah say about the TekNik lead?”
Roy shrugged. “She said not to touch it until we get more proof. I don’t know what she’s planning, but it sounded like she had some ideas.”
“Good. Well, she can handle that while you can help me with something else.”
“What’s that, Doc?”
“We’re adding another station to the workshop!” Kaleb crowed in triumph, garnering looks from both Terrance and Marie.
He spun in his chair and picked up the books Terrance had picked up. “We need a chemistry lab and, given the similarities between the two, I suspect we can also throw in a little alchemy.”
Marie snorted and went back to her own designs at his words. But Terrance seemed mildly interested. Roy and Daivor, of course, both looked as excited as Kaleb felt. The three of them grinned at each other for a few seconds until Roy grabbed his leg gadget off the desk.
“What’s the first step, Doc?”
“Shopping. We need to pick up some stuff for the alchemy as well as chemistry supplies. Most of it can be ordered. But we are going to be out, anyway.”
“What for?” Daivor asked, puffing on his pipe.
“We need our own equipment for a chemistry lab.”
“Boss, we don’t have the funds for most of that stuff, remember?”
“Yes, I know. But the others aren’t here today. Which means we have access to another source of equipment.”
“Under-Town.” Roy and Daivor said together.
Kaleb nodded. “Exactly. It’ll be dangerous. But I figure a quick jaunt down to that K-Tech Dump site and we’ll be swimming in high-grade stuff.”
“Broken high-grade stuff.” Roy pointed out.
“Yeah, but fixing it won’t be a problem for the five of us.”
“Leave me out of it.” Marie shouted over the noise of the shop. “It ain’t metal or weapons. I don’t care. A Forgemaster needs to zero in on her chosen craft, not spread herself too thin.”
Kaleb scowled, but nodded in understanding. Turning to Terrance, he found the tall boy waffling.
“I don’t know, man. That sounds pretty dangerous. I like staying in the shop. Less chance of getting stabbed or gored.”
“Fair enough.” Kaleb said sadly. “But you’ll help when we bring the stuff back?”
“Sure thing, Prof.”
Kaleb rubbed his hands together greedily and smiled to himself. This morning was long forgotten and the fires of fun gaming had reignited themselves. Now he just needed to find what he wanted and get himself set up. There was just one other small thing that he needed to ask Roy about.
“Roy, there’s one more thing.”
The boy looked up from attaching his gadget to his lower leg and shoe. Kaleb approached solemnly and carefully placed a hand on the boy’s slim shoulder. He could see Roy’s worried eyes trying to discern something in his face and Kaleb barely kept it together as he said.
“You're driving the dumb truck this time.”
Daivor snickered as Roy batted Kaleb’s hand off his shoulder. Kaleb and Daivor shared a chuckle as Roy grumbled to himself. Then the three of them put their heads together and planned their next jaunt into the underground junk site. Kaleb hoped everything would be much calmer this time. But if they weren’t he was fine with that too. He needed some more excitement today, cause tomorrow it was back to the early morning tedium.