The Fedor Smeltery Co. was the only small order foundry in the Kadia area that could work with exotic orders. It was kind of unusual for the foundry to take cash, but business was slowing down and the money was good. The materials certainly raised eyebrows though, yet few batted an eye. Seth’s reputation wasn’t big, but he was certainly trusted. Waited outside the main yard, the heat from the smelter was pouring out the barely enclosed main building. A familiar heat, oppressive. But not enough to rouse anything too bad. Just a little extra warmth against his face. Also there was way less soot in the air and it smelled more of coal and oil than ash.
The foreman for the yard proper trudged out from the metal stacks with three workers in tow, an industrial trolley bearing a pile of matte grey bars weighing all four of them down. Seth met them halfway to save them at least some trouble.
“Welp!”
The foreman stopped short and haggardly picked up his clipboard from the trolley.
“1,500 pounds of… whatever you want to call this, ready and cooled.”
Seth went over and picked up a bar. It was heavy, felt slightly brittle and flaky to the touch, but it was conductive as hell and exactly to the Garkah’s specifications. He smiled with a little pride at them getting this right on the money.
“It’s perfect, and you were even able to make some extra.”
One of the workers sneered a little.
“It’s pretty easy to melt random trash together if-”
“IF there is anything else you need just ask.”
The foreman handed the clipboard over to Seth for his signature.
“Nope this is more than enough. But…” Seth handed the signed board back. “If I were you, I would look to diversifying your outputs. Something tells me you’re going to be down a few major customers in the coming years.”
Now the foreman was leering at him.
“And what makes you say that?”
Seth put a hand on the trolley’s rail.
“Well… the armorers in Kadia are starting to lose customers, and likely won’t maintain their current sales figures by the end of the year. And once that happens, the stocks start to dip, the investors lose interest, and suddenly the whole industry is staring at a major downturn. It’s just better to diversify now so you don’t get sucked down with them.”
All four men stared at him like he just turned green, but Seth just shrugged off their indignation.
“Just some off hand advice.” ‘And about 35 analysts in my ear.’
He started to pull at the trolley. The foreman went to help.
“Wait, we at least need to help get that to your truck.”
Seth smiled again, “Nah, I got it.” and pulled the near one ton trolley along behind him with nothing but a metal warping groan from it. Momentum already rolling it without effort as he towed it briskly from between the awestruck workers.
“I’ll send the cart back later.”
Seth wheeled the trolley around, inertia crashing the handle into his waiting palm, and pushed it out onto the wide sidewalks of the industrial district he’d accepted as his home. Pushing it down the street like it was nothing more than a shopping cart. Thankfully the district was designed so materials could be transported like this, though not by just one person. A few looks from the work yards and offices he passed went unreturned, the smile on his face too much to stifle. It was like nothing bad had ever happened. The ashen skies and bloodied streets were a distant memory distilled into simple resolve. He had moved on, at least consciously.
For Seth, home was a dingy apartment block just on the border of the sector. The orphanage had closed down not long after he had outgrown it, and a degree wasn’t really needed, so it was the bachelor life for him. Also the apartment had garage space for tenants so it was perfect. Walking his heavy cargo up to one of the garages, he put a hand to the door. A bit of focus and a metallic clink and it was rising on its own. Inside, a dim overhead light came standard with every unit, the three extra work lights didn’t. The garage was set up like a mechanic's shop, work tables flanked a heavy metal framework with pulleys and chains for heavy lifting. Tools were hung on the walls and in holsters at each table. There was even a faux generator placed near the door just to cover all the bases. Just one thing was missing from this picture though, but only because a tarp cloaked it against the far wall.
Seth left the trolley at the door and began, two by two, stacking the metal bricks at the foot of a machining table. Their brittleness left them without the resounding clang that twenty five pound metal bars usually responded with, simply thudding against each other as they stacked higher and higher. Once everything was in place, the cart was moved outside, and the door shut. The work lights kept the room lit from all sides, but the cloak maintained a defiant shadow. One at last to be brought into the light as he clutched the fabric covering it. Dark shade becoming a glistening skeleton.
Titanium alloy formed into distinct shapes, like a wide angular mesh waiting to be filled in. Simple joints beefed up with servos, full axis rotary cuffs breaking up the frame up into distinct body parts. Finally a drive pack and battery were hung and wired into the grooves on the inside, or at least it looked that way. Seth didn’t really need the assistance.
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But still, it was a powersuit to the layman's eyes, like many built since the crisis. An industry to fill the gaps. One he’d put himself into quite firmly. He’d repaired, built, modified, and designed countless numbers of suits over those years. All of it preparation and training, all of it leading to this one suit. The culmination of his and the Garkah’s plans for the future. He was going to need it to keep his power in check and hidden. A buffer between him and the world that could keep him safe from scrutiny. But that could wait, there were still some final pieces to get before the day was out. Tomorrow though, that was going to be a great day.
The alarm clock went off, but Seth was barely asleep. Another night of nothing, but at least it wasn’t another lecture. Still his bed was rather comfy, but he had to get up. No sense being late to your last day at work. He trudged to the bathroom, sweeping up a prepped shirt and cargo pants along the way. His apartment wasn’t as dingy as the exterior made it out to be. New appliances and furniture existed alongside drab yellowing wallpaper. The fixtures in the bathroom were much the same, disintegrating molding and stained ceramic clashing with clean metal. Seth had the money to burn on things he could get himself, and had plenty of pestering know how from the Garkah on caring for metal, but in turn cared little for aesthetics or stuff he’d have to call out for.
Blankly staring into the mirror as he brushed his teeth told him he was still the same kid that walked through hell. Just taller, and with completely whited out hair. An annoying reminder he shook away to regain his smile. Though his skin was also still pretty pale. ‘I’m inside too much. But that’s at least changing today.’
As he left the bathroom and headed for the kitchen, a single left hand turn away in this one room apartment, a distant boom rattled his only window. He didn’t pay it any mind. Booms like that usually signaled another super villain cropping up and getting beat down. And sure enough the echo of the alert system started up in its wake, warning everyone to steer clear. He listened as he pulled out butter, bread, and cinnamon for a light breakfast. Muffled words but he could make out ‘park’, so he already knew where it was located. As he put the bread down in the toaster he heard another boom, this time it was a little closer, higher up, a sonic boom. ‘The flyers are getting called in huh.’ Then another something softer, a droning, the jet whine of one of the League’s transports flying over the city. Seth smiled wider. This was a big one. ’And worth the detour.’
The toaster popped. Before the lightly browned bread had a chance to fall it was buttered, dusted, and hanging out of his mouth as he was pulling on an overstuffed backpack and running out the door. Sprinting down two flights of stairs was too slow so he mounted the banister and slid, munching on his toast for the first length. Only lurching to a stop to allow his only other neighbor by.
“Morning Ms. Mahan!”
Seth squeezed by his built yet kindly, and literally blue haired, grandma of a neighbor as she climbed up the stairs back to her room.
“No sense in being in such a hurry dearie. If you’ve seen one fight you’ve seen them all.”
“I know Ms. Mahan, I’ll be careful”
Seth ramped off the other banister and careened out the door, skipping the last few stairs of the building’s stoop by kicking off over the edge into the garage area.
He didn’t make contact as his garage door flung open to his arm whamming up. Finishing his toast, he put his pack down and quickly grabbed up a loose suit covered in sockets. A connector suit to slip on over his clothes so he could snap into the empty skeleton of his armor. He needed to give the illusion he was taking his powersuit for a spin. Magnetic rings snapped into the connectors with pleasant metallic pings, joining the movements of the two together. It couldn’t get skin tight over his clothes so his moves weren’t going to be very precise, but he didn’t need precision.
A heavy railed in foot lifted and a smooth whir resounded before thudding the concrete. He scooped back up his bag and stomped the frame out of the garage, making sure it locked up behind him before he prepped for takeoff. The joints whirred and whined smoothly as he tested them, stretching his arms and reaching about as far as he could go. Tightly wound servos resisting with mediated rhythm. Sockets clanking their limits. Pistons moving inline like tendons and keeping the weight even. All set, he put his foot down ahead of him, a sprint to catch up to the action.
Seth eyed his surroundings. The road was clear, but downtown wasn’t going to be, so he’d need to use the rooftops. Within a second of this proposal the asphalt under his foot was crushed to dust. And the race was on. The Garkah had taught him to enhance his strength and speed, to focus his power internally rather than just externally, and the effects seem to have stuck a little too well. He didn't know everything about his powers, but he certainly wasn’t complaining about that. What he was decrying though was not having a face shield to end the ceaseless buffeting from the wind as he picked up speed, but beggars can’t be choosers.
He stormed down the fairly empty industrial street, exoskeletal feet keeping him from tearing his shoes apart, but doing a number on the roadway. When he had enough speed, he put his foot down again and launched upward toward a low building, crunching one last bit of asphalt but clearing the lip of the roof and continuing on. A few hundred pounds of heavy flying metal clanging and bending the metal coping the League had mandated be installed on most buildings. It was better to have a single hardened piece of metal take the brunt than risk raining shattered concrete on people just to get around traffic. Also it’s easier to repair and clean with the right super.
As he made his way downtown, the distance between roofs waned, at least horizontally, vertically the variance started getting annoying. A clear path forward required jumping entire intersections, or three whole turns to get around the increasing skyscrapers that were too high to jump to. When Seth finally had to climb, at least the metal coping extended down the corners on most of the buildings. Better to have maintainable metal than shattered windows. In all honesty this city was designed from the ground up for hero work, and practically required supers to keep it running. Especially with events like this.
Reaching the top, Seth could see his destination. A common spot, a circular park ringed by high-rises just off downtown. And from the smoke and dust it looked like the park was going to need to be replanted… again. Jumping those last few bounds, he found his position. A building just off the ring, close enough to see without technically being inside the police line flashing below. He unpacked his bag, pulling out a smooth hunch of metal. A recon set up he had… borrowed from work. Snapping it onto the shoulder of his exoskeleton, he pulled the scope out and over to his face, slotting the provided earbuds in for the long range microphone. The hud adjusted before his eyes, a small glitch or two signaling the Garkah were tapping in for the show as well. And the earbuds blocked out the ever present din of downtown for them.
“I would scold your shirking of responsibilities, but the more intel we get the better our chances.”
“Eh it’s his last day, what are they going to do? Fire him.”
Speaker and Threat had really lightened up over the years, and settled a little too well into their rolls.
"So then, who's up to the docket today?"
The unit zoomed quietly as the elevation provided an unhindered sightline. The scene waiting for them almost a cliché, several heroes lined up facing down a villain almost twice their size. Seth could pick out a few names he-
‘Holy shit!! The League didn’t just send whoever was on call, they sent the Elite!’