My fingertips brushed the front of my power armor.
With my suit in the Disengagement Unit I had designed to house it when not in use, I could work on it. I was able to get better readings on power consumption when it was hooked up, while simultaneously testing how efficient my modules were. So far, I knew my Camouflage Module drained power at a predictable pace. The kinetic dampeners devoured power depending on the level of absorbed impacts.
The Jericho Core MK II powered them well enough, but I felt I was steadily approaching the threshold where ‘well enough’ wasn’t acceptable. Adequate wasn’t going to cut it with all the attention on Madhouse now. Stagnation now would just lead to my death.
The MK V I reacquired from Starburst and Basilisk had been one I created and intended to ship with Cyberspace’s help. The safe house they raided was a drop point that would’ve seen it sent out of the country to wherever Kriegsmaschine was. In return, Madhouse would receive an automated projectile interception platform capable of defending against nearly anything. The only thing stopping him from finishing the project was a sufficient power source, which I would provide.
Unfortunately, that power source was now in my suit.
[Charges: 10/25]
[Type]
* Multi-purpose Armored Combat Suit MK IX
[Durability 100/100 - Repair Unavailable]
[Materials]
* Neoprene-Steel ★ MK VIII
* * Durability MK XI
* * Insulation MK X
* * Sturdiness MK X
* * Flexibility MK X
* * Acidic Resistance MK V
* * Fire Resistance MK VI
[Software]
[Power Systems]
[Weapons Systems]
[Medical Systems]
[Oxygen Systems]
[Installed Modules]
[↓. . .↓]
The sub-categories on the material were only going to grow the more protection vectors I integrated. Right now, I had everything I needed in there to survive pretty much anything. As long as I wasn’t hit in the face with a hydrogen bomb, my armor would protect me from most threats. Of course, that was only if I didn’t take the esoteric powers some people had into account. Cosmikinetics were dangerous like that. Stuff that messed with and broke the laws of physics.
Kind of like my power.
Disabling the suit’s security measures, I popped out the Jericho MK II power core and rested it in my palm. Its identical form factor to the MK V made it easier to carry. Red, blue, and green bolts of lightning forked out from the small piece of material at the center but never breached its glass container. It wasn’t really glass. It was a hyper-conductive transparent material that converted the energy generated within and redirected it outward through conductive tracks. Other than the broad strokes, I didn’t understand how it worked, but I knew that holding it was perfectly safe.
I considered my options for a few moments. I could swap this back out for the MK V and give it to Cyberspace to ship, or I could upgrade this one and send it away. Either way, Kriegsmaschine was getting the product he requested. It was only a matter of timing, and Cyberspace insisted that there was no rush, especially with the safehouse being compromised by Starburst and Basilisk.
My brow furrowed at the memory.
I hadn’t even bothered to ask them how they’d found out about the safe house. Neither of them were Mentalists, so they couldn’t have figured it out alone. Either they had someone feeding them info, or the people handling our things were incompetent enough that children caught on to what they were doing. Cyberspace had hidden themselves for almost a decade, so I doubted incompetence was to blame.
There’s a Mentalist then.
I refocused my attention on the Jericho Core in my hand. Kriegsmaschine could wait a little longer.
[Charges: 10/25]
[Type]
* Jericho Core MK II
[Durability 100/100 - Repair Unavailable]
[Model]
* Jericho Core MK II
* * Jericho Core MK III (Cost: 1)
* * * Jericho Core MK IV (Cost: 2)
* * * * Jericho Core MK V (Cost: 3)
* * * * * Jericho Core MK VI (Cost: 6)
Pushing this core to MK V meant getting any subsequent Jericho Core to MK V would be a breeze. If there was one thing I really loved about my power, it was its ability to learn. Repeating the same upgrade halved the cost, which meant that soon, I’d be able to churn out several of these things a day. Most of my equipment was already configured to run off the base Jericho Core, so replacing them with MK V’s only meant they’d last longer.
I paid the three charges to start a slow upgrade to MK V and set the upgrading item down on a table as it folded into its liquid state. In three hours it would be done, and Cyberspace would have a new power core to send our enthusiastic Mechakinetic collaborator.
All in a day’s work, and I still had seven charges to spare.
What else could I improve?
I long since learned that the answer to that question was ‘everything’ but I just couldn’t decide on what. There was my armor, obviously. There was no such thing as being too protected so any investment there would be worth it. However, the same could be said for my newly minted drones. The first was the one Francis had bought off of me. It had some wear and tear, showing it had been used, but knowing more about my powers now made tinkering with it further easy.
My armor, drones, 3D printers, fabricators, assemblers, generators, building defenses… they all had their uses, and investing charges into them always paid off. In my mind, there was no such thing as a ‘bad’ investment, even if Sam would disagree.
With that in mind, I turned on my heel and meandered to a back corner of my workshop where three racks stood containing suits of a lesser quality than mine. The three identical black wetsuits were the beginnings of what would be protective armor for Sam, Mia, and Liam. Each of them had weaknesses that could be exploited, and I wanted to ensure that this armor could compensate for that.
As far as anyone was concerned, Liam was indestructible while in his Morpher state. The only problem was his inability to communicate comprehensively. Sam was able to translate with Gold based on his reactions, but to me and Mia, Anomaly sounded like the screams of the damned. However, he was vulnerable while human, and that made surprise attacks deadly. That’s not even considering odd power interactions like Springsong and her capability to prevent his transformation. My armor would be able to protect Liam and give him enough time to transform.
Mia was in a similar boat. Her statues were blindly fast, strong, durable, and had some kind of subtle Mentalist effect that stopped people from noticing them. Sam had explained it as a sort of ‘perception filter’ where if she wasn’t the sole focus, her statues could be overlooked as just background objects. I wasn’t entirely sure how that worked, since I always noticed where her statues were, but Mia clarified that it was possible it didn’t affect us because she didn't feel the need to hide her statues from us. Like Liam, she was vulnerable as a human, her only defense being her ability to freely switch between her statues. My armor would give her more options, or at the very least buy her enough time to run away.
Sam was a tricky one.
As an Aspect, a rather versatile one at that, she had an answer for nearly every problem.
Pink gave her maneuverability, Gold fed her information, Red was the muscle, Purple let her reach places she otherwise couldn’t, and Orange gave her whatever skill she needed. She wasn’t even weak to sneak attacks like the other two since Blue – or Sam really – allowed her to sense imminent danger. Her flaws weren’t so simple, and they were intrinsically tied to her powers, that being her multiple personalities. As powerful as she was, she wasn’t invincible.
Again, it came back to being caught off-guard. The few times she had been injured, she wasn’t using Blue to sense the danger coming. She had been shot in the shoulder on our first night out when Gold took over, and she hadn’t been able to sense Springsong’s approach in time for the same reason. If memory serves, she realized at the last moment when we were already caught in her silent song.
I wanted to develop a safety net for them, and basic suits seemed to be the right way to go about it. They didn’t need to be as advanced as mine. It would be redundant to incorporate all my weapons systems into their suits, not to mention time-consuming. Well, Mia might get some use out of them, but she didn’t seem to even want to hold a gun, let alone fire one. Liam would just transform and utilize his powers, same with Sam.
Still, incorporating camouflage and armor modules into the suits couldn’t hurt. There were no downsides to it, though the suits themselves were still a few upgrades away from having module slots. They weren’t sophisticated enough, and right now, they just served as body armor. Maybe now was the time to change that.
I can use Sam’s as a basis to start.
I stepped forward, resting a hand on the midsection of the suit, and paid two charges to open up [Power Systems] and a module slot under [Installed Modules].
I was moving away from the upgrading suit before it could finish, heading toward one of my 3D printers. I loaded up the schematic I created for the baseline model of a Jericho Core and hit start. The machine whirled and began printing the replica. The moment it was done, I reached and snatched it up, and paid three charges to change the materials. A few moments later, I had a reliable power source most Mechakinetics would kill for.
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I returned to Sam’s suit and deposited the Jericho Core into the single slot that appeared on the lower back. It wasn’t exactly the best place to put it, but if she had any complaints I could alter its positioning later. For now, it would do for a simple test run. All I needed now was a module, but which one? Camouflage or Improved Armor?
I had a feeling Sam would want the invisibility, but none of the suits I designed for them covered the whole body. They were made to be inconspicuous – able to be worn under clothing, unlike mine. My armor had become too bulky with too many systems to be concealed in any meaningful way. I’d have to invest more into Compact-shifting or make the push to Nano-tech. Compact-shifting was cheap for smaller objects, like my laser pistol, but it became costly the more complex the item was. Nanotechnology was Nanoforge’s forte, and while it wasn’t nearly as expensive as Deadlocked’s prototype, it wasn’t by any means cheap. I would have to spend weeks focusing on certain components, and something told me I’d be putting my suit on in the next few days.
Nanotech could wait, but only for so long.
I snagged a blank computer chip and used my last four charges to transform it into a basic armor module. I had done this before so the cost had been discounted. When I returned to the suit once more, I slotted the chip into the only available module slot next to the Jericho Core. Without a visual interface to connect to, switching the module on and off had to be done manually. Thankfully, my power included a way to do this by incorporating a small switch. I just had to direct where that switch ended up. I felt the wrist would be the easiest way to access this.
It was just a coincidence that Abby triggered Nanoforge’s armor the same way.
Bounding up the stairs, I opened the door and poked my head into the living quarters. I was immediately hit with the smell of fresh paint. Sam’s escapades to renovate the upstairs took much longer than she anticipated, but at least she had designed the rooms spectacularly. Orange’s skills were shining through with how she maximized the space she was working with. All of us had functional bedrooms with spacious wardrobes and ensuites. It was interesting why she hadn’t done this with the apartment complex, but I guessed that building was always meant to be temporary, and getting the necessary materials to fix things up would’ve been a hassle. Here, she could just hand a note to one of Cyberspace’s guys, and they’d go fetch the stuff for her. I hadn’t needed to help in the slightest.
“Looking good,” I praised. “I’ve never had much of an eye for this stuff.”
Sam turned to me with a beaming smile. Her gray sweatshirt and sweatpants had splotches of paint all over the place, color varying from every corner of the spectrum. She waved a roller, pointing toward me before turning and gesturing aggressively toward Mia, who sat at the other end of the room at the table.
“Aha! See?! I knew he’d like it. The yellowish cream color really brings out the living room’s personality!” Sam explained, flicking paint all over the white sheet she put down to protect the floor. “Look at you over there, doubting my genius.”
Mia scoffed.
“I think beige is the word you’re looking for.”
“Eh… To-may-to, to-mah-to.”
“Sam,” I interrupted, bringing her attention back to me. “Can I borrow you for a bit?
“Oh, yeah!” She chirped, dropping the roller back into the paint. “What’ve you got in store for us? I’m trying to ignore Gold right now so I can actually feel surprised, you know? Without any stakes, not knowing something is actually kinda fun. I can really let my mind wander, so the possibilities are endless!”
I laughed awkwardly.
“The painting has really been boring you, hasn’t it?”
“It's been driving me nuts! I can’t even trust Pink to do it properly either, the whole room would look like a unicorn vomited everywhere,” Sam brushed hair out of her eyes and stretched her arms a bit. “Sorry, didn’t mean to sound so excited. Been a bit boring to be stuck in a routine like this. School in the morning and then coming back to work on this place,” she yawned and shook her hands. “I need some excitement.”
“Well, I don’t know if this’ll be exciting but it’s something different at least,” I looked past Sam and over to Mia. “Did you want to come down and watch? I hear you’ve been up here all day.”
“Sorry,” Mia offered a weak smile. “I’m studying. I feel weird about going back to my University classes so I’m doing them remotely. Um… Cyberspace and Francis helped set things up for me.”
“Alright,” I nodded, stepping to the side to let Sam through the door. “Give us a holler if you need anything. We’ll just be downstairs.”
“I’ll see if I can sort dinner while you guys are busy,” Mia gestured to the entertainment room. “Liam’s distracting himself, so I’ll see what he wants. Any preferences?”
“I’m fine with anything!” Sam called out. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Same as her, I guess,” I chuckled, shrugging. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
I closed the door and descended back to my workshop with Sam. She practically skipped down the stairs, doing nothing to hide her excitement. It was strange to see her so giddy about something that seemed so… casual? I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Maybe she really was just happy to be doing something different. Sam hadn’t had much involvement in the development of my projects. In fact, she had been very hands-off since we moved into this place. Now that I had so many different things going at once, it would be a good idea to consult her and the rest of Madhouse about what I should prioritize.
“So! What’ve you been cooking down here?”
“Lots of stuff,” I replied, amused. I looked around at all the machines actively working away. “I’ve talked to Cyberspace about how to move forward with Deadlocked’s prototype,” I pointed toward the upgrading laptop. “It’ll be a while yet before we can open it. I estimate about a month or so, assuming my hunch isn’t wrong.”
“I see, I see,” Sam mused. “You’ve made some improvements to the 3D Printer, and… wow! Listen to them go,” she arrived at the bottom of the stairs, immediately turning toward the fabrication machines. Cyberspace imported a half dozen of them, and I had been quick to improve on them. They broke down raw materials and allowed for the reconstruction of complex machines. It was just another means of production, an alternative to the 3D printers. Anything that allowed me to save on charges was going to be useful. “Have they always been that noisy?”
“The Mark Threes are kinda loud. Doesn’t really bother me though. I’ve got them making more drone parts.”
“We’re definitely going to need a machine swarm if we’re going to hold our own against Ajax’s stuff,” Sam said. “I’ve been doing some research on the Sweepers and Walkers,” she sucked in a breath. “Really got to watch out for those when they’re deployed. If we’re not careful, it’s lights out for us. I don’t think there’s going to be much discrimination when they’re picking their targets.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning if it gets bad enough, those things won’t care if we’re minors, or any good we’ve done,” Sam flicked the side of her head. “They’ll take us out in the most efficient way possible.”
“Again, it seems like overkill to bring them here.”
“Mmhm. Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Why bring warmachines to New Elpis? What are they preparing to fight?”
“Well, if it was Grim, then they're a bit late to the party.”
“I bet they were planning to use them against Grim, not that they’d have much effect. Given what he was, I don’t think he was the sole reason Ajax and General Jessamine brought the Sweepers and Walkers here…” Sam trailed off. “There are other reasons. The sinkholes for instance. I’ve heard Hunters have been deployed down in Zachery Port already.”
“Yeah, Abby said as much.”
Sam gave me a conflicted look.
“Ajax sticking around is never a good sign. Gold has been fixated on why he’s here, none of the possibilities are good.”
“When are they ever?” I sighed with a light shrug. I pointed to the corner of my workshop where I was keeping their suits. “I suppose it’s a good thing I started on those then.”
Sam’s eyes followed my finger, her mouth widening into a grin when she saw the suits. Without saying a word, she took over in a flash of pink, appearing in front of the three racks. Calmly, I followed after her, shoving my hands in my pockets. I had to admit that it was amusing to see her analyze each one before promptly positioning herself in front of the one I designed for her.
“I want this one!”
“I can rent it out to you. How does twenty-thousand a week sound?”
Sam scoffed.
“I know you’re joking, but come on dude. Realistically, if you were renting these things out you should be charging at least a hundred grand. Have some pride in your ability, anything less is chump change. All but the crappiest Mechatech is often valued higher than most people, and your work is far from crap,” Sam’s hand brushed the chest of the suit. I got the feeling she was happy with the new addition to her costume. “Even a hundred thousand is cheap, but since it looks like these are barebones creations, it would make sense.”
I wasn’t sure if I felt disgusted or prideful at that little fact. Worse still, I knew she wasn’t lying.
“Do you want to try it on?”
“Right now?” Sam gave me a mock suspicious look. “Not while you’re looking.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes.
“Once you've changed, meet me over by the C.A.R. I think this’ll be a good way to kill two birds with one stone,” I said, turning away to give her some privacy. “Unless you’re not up to it.”
“Oh, no. I am. It’s just… C.A.R?”
“The Combat Analysis Recreation machine? The thing you were helping me with earlier?”
“I know what it is,” Sam laughed. “The acronym is kinda silly. I need to help you come up with some better names because… wow. You could just call it the Mimicry machine.”
I bristled and felt my neck heat up.
“My names are fine.”
Sam waved me off with a cheeky grin.
“Mhmm, yes, fine.”
Grumbling, I gave her the privacy she needed and headed toward my suit. Slipping into it felt second nature at this point. It had actually gotten to the point where I felt more comfortable inside the suit than wearing regular clothes. It was like a second skin. With every upgrade, I felt safer wearing it.
Sam didn’t quite beat me to the C.A.R. but she wasn’t that far behind. She slipped into her suit effortlessly and even had time to fetch her costume. It was interesting to see her old costume mixed with her new suit. Naturally, she didn’t look all that different. Her costume was still worn over the top, but she had ditched the stockings since the suit made them redundant. The suit looked better anyway.
“That’s a good look on you,” I nodded fairly. “You won’t be taking any surprise shots to the shoulder anymore.”
“Just my noggin,” Sam quipped with a smile. She flicked her head again for good measure. “There’s no stopping a bullet from popping my head like a balloon.”
“If you’d let me make a helmet—”
“Here’s an idea: Force Fields!”
I rolled my eyes while Sam continued to giggle at my exasperation.
Force Fields were not simple to just make. Sure, I had developed incredible Mechatech on my own, but finding the right path to get there was extremely difficult. Gold wasn’t much help either. As much as she might seem like a walking, talking encyclopedia, Gold didn’t have access to my power and all the information it provided. We just had to wait for Cyberspace to get a sample.
“I’m just messing with you. This is more than enough. I’ve made it this far without serious brain damage – and I know what you're thinking,” she stopped me, wagging a finger in front of my face. “Don’t say it. Don’t say ‘that’s debatable’.”
“I wasn’t thinking that.”
I was.
“Ahuh,” she gave me a knowing look. “So, we’re finally going to use this thing?”
She gestured to the C.A.R.’s stage.
The Combat Analysis Recreation machine was actually pretty simple in its design. I started with motion capture technology and improved its accuracy. There were sensors, cameras, and more stationed around the stage to capture every angle. It would translate any movement into raw data. It had been an idea I had thrown out there as a way to fix my tragically pathetic skill in fighting. Sam extrapolated and dived into the idea with more detail, mapping out what we could do and how we could take advantage of it. Cyberspace – naturally – provided the resources to make it happen.
“That’s the plan. With my suit, I won’t get hurt. With your suit, you won’t break any bones while using Orange,” I said. “I installed a Jericho Core and armor, so you should be fine.”
“Oooh! Good thinking,” Sam clapped her hands excitedly.
I just shrugged.
“Actually, it only just occurred to me. You can test out how the suit feels and I can collect some data. Two birds, one stone.”
“Just so you know, it’ll be difficult for me to stick to one style with Orange. So for the purposes of gathering data, we’ll have to take this slow so I can really concentrate, ” Sam said. “And I know you’ve thought of this, but gathering this data isn’t going to make you the best in a fight. Sure, the module will help you but—”
“I know,” I cut her off. “I know. I’ll actually have to learn in the interim.”
“The Interim?” Her brow raised. “What do you mean?”
“I’m already looking into Cybernetics, Sam,” I tapped the side of my head. “Chances are I’ll end up with a neural implant. I might not actually need to learn all this stuff.”
“Hmm…” She didn’t look too pleased with that idea. “I guess that could work. Messing with the brain is dangerous, Max. Especially if it's not your speciality.”
“I know, I’ll be careful. I have you around to help,” I switched the C.A.R. on and started the data recording. “Let’s get started.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Sam asked, her tone suspiciously eager.
“It’s not going to hurt me,” I gestured to my suit. “Best you’ll do is wind me. I doubt you’ll even be capable of that without Red.”
“There are other forms of hurt than physical,” she all but sang as she skipped up onto the stage. “I just don’t wanna hurt your ego. I know how guys feel about getting beaten up by a girl.”
I snorted.
“I don’t have an ego. I fully expect to get my ass beat. That’s the whole point of this.”
“If that’s what you’re into.”
“Oh, come on,” I groaned. “Every time… Why do you always have to make it weird?”
Sam winked.
“Let’s go, tech-monkey! Show me whatcha got!”
I may not be capable of lasting five seconds in close quarters, but I was willing to suffer any embarrassment now if it saved my life later.