[Space Station Rico, Kuiper Belt]

[July 21, 2022]

Warren grunted as he plunged his hands into the rock. The feeling was… tiring. The constant confined space was getting to him.

“Ready!” Warren said as he felt his energy spread across the wall.

The heavy machine beeped as half of its arms plunged into the once-solid rock to emerge on the other side. On this side of the wall were scrapers, and the other side was also scrapers.

Johnson punched data into the pad and allowed the machine to begin its work. The two arms began smoothing out the two surfaces into a consistent thickness.

The two-meter wall was important and served as the foundation for this project. Without this wall, it provided a critical flaw to any future work.

The only thing Warren heard was music. The soft opera music and singing of the actors distracted him. The powers he was born with got used and abused as he maintained his control.

His area of influence was limited, so he had to move with the machine. He needed to ensure that spread and smoothed the rock into a smooth wall.

Later he would have to go outside and check on the work done. The other four would have scrapers to fix what the machine missed.

A hand tapped on his shoulder, and Warren jumped. The third act was beginning!

“Warren!” Jenson yelled, and she waited until he nodded at her. “We’re done!”

Warren blinked and saw that the scraping machine was already moving away. Its arms retracted to its fat body. Time spent with it had reduced his accidental bumps into it whenever it stopped. He wasn’t sure if he was pleased or sad at this.

With a sigh, he let his tingle stop. The power faded from the wall as he pulled his hand out and wrung it. This work was very simple, but also very tiring.

“Shifts over! Everyone back in!” Jenson ordered.

Warren nodded. This meant his shift was over, and the next crew would come in. Another man who’s ability was like his own.

Zack Stiller, a Val Verde teen fresh into his First Service. Eager and energetic, it was hard to dislike the kid.

Zack was a young man who could slide materials together and somewhat combining them. He would slide in diamond sheets into the wall. The two-meter thick wall would get solid upgrades.

After that, the walls would get a third addition. A layer of lead to protect everything inside. Just in case.

No one understood how Zack could do this, or the long-term issues, but so far the tests have shown that it worked. The test samples were stable and were sitting in an observation locker. If something went wrong, they would know right away.

Zack shifted the original material around. Like shoving a stick into the mud and leaving it there. Except the mud was rock, and the stick today was diamond sheets. Cheap, simple reinforcements.

The rock would help the brittle diamond stay in place. If the diamond cracked, it wouldn’t matter as much since it was still in the right places.

Any high-velocity impacts would get mitigated. Buying enough time so that the people inside could get to safety.

Warren pulled himself forward. The safety rope attached to the heavy, triple reinforced door allowed him to sail over. He had to be gentle as it was easy to speed up. Going fast was a problem, as stopping was not as easy.

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The odd weightlessness of space was crazy. Since there was no gravity here, he had to rely on slamming against the far wall to stop. Which meant speed control was important.

Sure he had impulse thrusters, but he found it was less of a headache to slam to a stop than to spin around in a panic. He was getting better though!

A hand reached out, and Warren took it.

Anna pulled him forward, and he sighed as gravity reasserted itself. Warren slapped the giant red [Door] button, and it flooded the room with red lights.

The door closed with a resounding thunk and a heavy hiss flooded the room as they cycled the air. A safety protocol in case there was an issue from the outside.

Warren waited until the room turned green and the opposite door opened. He and the other three walked out.

Two teams were waiting. They were all loaded with climbing gear and robot dogs. The Malamute series was robot dog hauling units. Each unit got loaded with diamond sheets.

Each sheet was five centimeters thick and smelted by the research division. How this was done? He only guessed it involved the amazing Impulse Tech and meta-human help.

“Good work everyone!” Anna yelled out as they reached the lockers. A tech took off her helmet and shook her hair. Sweat flew everywhere.

There was a group of other technicians waiting. They helped them get free of the suits. The interlocking system was complex. It was designed to prevent atmospheric loss if they got ejected into space.

“Yes! We. Are. Done! We can go home today!” Stella whooped as she pulled off her top and skipped to the showers.

Warren rolled his eyes as he made his way over as well. The suits always had to get hosed down after every use. Mold growth was an issue if you didn’t clean it after every use.

The warm water was a godsend as it fell down. The stress of the day faded, and he cleaned up. Anna and Stella chatted.

Vern remained stoic as he occasionally grunted at things. The man was not a meta-human, but damn was he tall. The seven-foot giant was gentle and took the girl’s ribbing with a stoic face.

Warren wasn’t sure if it was a delusion, or he was learning the language of manly men. A fact that Anna and Stella joked about all the time.

He swore he was understanding Vern nowadays. The grunts and subtle face movements were expressing themselves to him.

Vern looked over. Grunt.

“Yeah, 4 days off is going to be great. Seeing the family, yourself?”

Grunt.

“No shit? A clay competition?” Warren asked in surprise. Vern didn’t seem to be the type to do pottery but who was he to complain? He could shape rocks for fun.

Grunt.

“Taking on the champion again? How close did you lose last time? Third place!?” Warren was shocked. What the heck was competitive pottery, anyway?

He could imagine the seven-foot man either throwing boulders at other competitors. Or people beating the very clay from the earth. Vern did have huge hands.

Grunt.

“A bird would a challenge! Ever thought of making an ostrich?” Warren asked as he turned off his water.

Grunt. Vern looked intrigued. Grunt.

“Hell yeah, I can help shape some stuff. I am not great with mud, ironic I know, but I can bring Sue and Susan over. We can make a day of it,” Warren and imagined his daughter riding Vern’s over-sized clay bird.

Grunt. Vern looked amused as well.

The two girls stared at each other and then broke into laughter. Boys.

—

Major Anna Jenson smiled as she hefted her bag up and waited for the others to join her.

The portal room was the heaviest defended area on base. There was an extra layer of rock and diamonds. The portal even had its own arc reactor for power.

The device hummed louder. A sign that its systems were warming up. In a few moments, it would open up to a base on Val Verde. There they would get a four-day break and then come back for another four-day shift.

Anna stared at the simple, long room around her. It was the size of an outlet in a mall. Large enough, bright enough…

Yet it was all because of Warren’s power. They had carved open an asteroid and broke it apart. They then took the unwanted bits and made a massive shell.

All from one simple cylinder that housed the initial teleportation gate. That cylinder was still floating outside, but it allowed them to make this. Delivered by Green Lantern and operated by the bravest of Val Verde’s elite.

Space Station Rico was already processing raw materials. The grinders were breaking down ore and moving it back to the motherland.

The refuse got shipped back and used as a wall lining. They were currently working on the third expansion. Which specialist Stiller would finish up.

Warren’s laughter and Vern’s heavy footsteps signaled their coming presence.

Anna smiled. Her team was solid.

Warren’s powers were a gift from the greater good. He was a key to the future, and her orders were simple. Keep him alive and keep him happy.

The man simply needed direction, guidance, and positive feedback.

“First beers on me!” Anna yelled and the other three cheered.

The portal hummed to life, casting a green light over everything. They all walked into the light.

With just one step, the team traveled some 6.3 billion kilometers.

Anna's smile widened as she stepped out the other side. Soldiers on duty saluted as she appeared.

It was good to be home.

————

Year Three Side Story: Specialist Warren Zolfer