Well damn, on this episode of Author's Notes Time I got to thank ernstwong555 and StickyFingaz for the encouragement and appreciation. There's no higher praise for an aspiring author than to hear that people enjoy your writing, so this means a lot.
Also, an important announcement in regards to the story is that I intend to make UA a college so the main characters are about sixteen before they get to UA. Makes writing any future romance subplots or the like far less awkward/questionable for me and probably the same applies to reading them.
Well then, guess I better make use of this motivation and do another chapter for everyone to read. Hope you enjoy this new chapter of Voidborne!
One year later, Musutafu Science convention, age 14
Over the last year of hunting down various criminal groups across the planet I had consistently ran into the small issue that in spite of all my simulation and designing software I was running on the processor stacks I had a limit to how subtle or refined I could make my equipment. That's not to say that I couldn't make some really good equipment by myself, but I seemed to favour combat smarts over design smarts in terms of my mental inclinations.
The obvious solution was to visit the science convention that was held annually in Musutafu for the main city and the surrounding prefectures to observe and try to copy some of the designs on display for my own use later on. Asides from the major technical companies putting on showcases to show off their prowess there was also a segment for talented juniors to show off their abilities.
A few months spent at Dagobah Beach while my clones were tearing apart the worst of the criminal underworld led to the creation of a fully functioning hoverboard that could keep up with minor speed quirks, all built using materials that could be found from Dagobah Beach and a few rare substances I could believably get fairly easily online. Of course, that was all Void Heart but I had to try and make the cover story believable. I even went to the trouble of putting together a functional makeshift forging hut in the middle of the scrap heaps at Dagobah Beach to throw off suspicion.
A few disguised clones wondering the crowd to search for anything of potential use both here and in other conventions around the world were feeding me some rather interesting blueprints to refine later on, when I got alerted to something ridiculous. Somehow, this pink-haired girl my age had put together a full set of exo-armour from scrap. Chances were that she didn't have anything as awesome as Void Heart to help her, so she had to be something else.
Petting Void Heart's cat form's head as she purred with satisfaction from atop my shoulder, I rushed across the convention to take a look at this myself. When I reached her stall swarmed by manufacturing companies on my hoverboard, our eyes met and an insane grin lit up on our faces. She looked down at the hoverboard and I looked to the exo-armour before I landed and said "Hot damn they weren't kidding. How'd you manage to make something like this?" gleefully examining the exo-armour.
She rushed straight into my personal space almost drooling as she bounced around like an excitable puppy "I wanted to ask about the hoverboard myself. Come on tell me, please? Please?" with raw enthusiasm that almost took visible form around her. A grin lighting up across my face I cackle "You got a good workshop to make use of? It's been a while since I met someone I could just techo-babble to and I want to enjoy it. What do you say?"
With a bone-crushing hug she nods rapidly "YES! Finally, someone to talk tech with! Alright, here's the address, this Sunday, bring your babies along. The name's Mei Hatsume by the way, see you then!" before grabbing her stuff and wheeling it all out to a van that seemed to have her parents chuckling with her about her antics. I think I'm going to enjoy this visit a lot.
Sunday Morning
Walking up to the address Hatsume had given me, I bang on the door for it to swiftly open to a man built like a mountain with hands tough and calloused from constant mechanic work judging from the mess in the garage. I snap back to reality when he booms "So you're who Mei was so eager to meet. Now then, are you planning on dating my daughter?"
Utterly confused I reply eloquently as usual with "Huh? Where'd you get that idea from? We noticed each other's inventions and wanted to talk more about them since we didn't have anyone to talk with about them. What other reason would I come here with pulling a small trailer of inventions?" gesturing other my shoulder to the aforementioned trailer.
His expression warped into bemusement as Mei bounced out the door cheering "Yay, you brought your babies with you! Come on, let's get to the workshop and make stuff. You have no idea how long I've wanted someone to tinker with. Let's go, let's go, let's go!" as she practically vibrated on the spot from sheer enthusiasm. Grabbing me in a bone-crushing hug, she darts to the trailer handle and helps me pull in into the warehouse behind the mechanic shop.
Calling over my shoulder I yell "It was nice to meet you sir, don't worry about any explosions. It's better to have them malfunction spectacularly in testing than during field use in dangerous situations" causing Mei to gain a fire in her eyes that could melt steel if let loose cheering "At last, someone that understands the value of workshop explosions! I think we're going to get along well, to a long-time baby-making partnership!" holding out her greasy hand.
An insane fire that competed with Mei's for whose desire to make stuff could burn brighter burst into life in my eyes as I cackle "You're on, to a long-time baby-making partnership, with many explosions to come" as we haul everything into Mei's warehouse/workshop leaving behind her mildly traumatised father.
His face falling into his hand, he mumbles in despair for the damage and noise complaints to come "This is getting out of hand. Now there are two of them" with no small amount of worry. Perhaps he'd be needing the hair dye sooner than expected, he could already feel his hair starting to grey as it was.
Thus began a beautiful friendship and a drastic increase in explosions. It was okay though; we were having fun.
That night
Leaving a clone behind in my bed to avoid alerting Mum, I warp to the meeting point and chuckle lightly "Hey, been a while since we last talked Stain. How're you doing?
In the last two years Stain had killed far less frequently, but each and every false hero he purged would be considered by most to be beyond any form of redemption. People cutting deals with crime lords to turn a blind eye to their dealings, abusers and those that took a sick joy in brutalising anyone with weak, 'villainous' or mutant quirks. They also tended to be especially brutal towards quirkless, a fact that turned my stomach considering I gained Void Heart by sheer luck. In another timeline, I might have been one of those who were left with crippling injuries.
"The Roses" that Stain spoke fondly of as fellow crusaders to right the wrongs of the world had welcomed me with open arms the few times that they saw me as a trusted colleague of Stain and a fellow crusader seeking the same goal through different methods. I never revealed my face or identity to any of them, a situation they understood and accepted easily enough. After Stain had altered his methods of conduct, many had taken it upon themselves to seek out the evidence of sins and misdemeanours of false heroes to be released to the world on their purging.
Stain tried to avoid contacting me if it was possible to prevent anyone tracing my identity, but I still dropped by occasionally to upgrade some of the equipment used by the roses and patch up any lethal injuries they couldn't go to a hospital or underground doctor to patch up. Many of the Roses were similar to me in some ways, let down by the people who were supposed to save them and left to rot by those that didn't care enough to save them.
On this night in particular Stain looked somewhat grim, anger burning in his eyes as he read a message on his phone as he growled "Damn it all! Judgement we've got an issue and it might be something only you can help with. One of our best hackers got tracked and is now in transit to a rigged court to throw the book at him. The Commision has viewed us as a threat for breaking the illusion that they were holding people under, weakening their control over society and they'll do anything to give him a sentence that is excessive to try and discourage anyone from ever digging into their dirty secrets. If we have no hackers, we have evidence and-"
"They're trying to maintain their control no matter what. No hackers, no evidence. No evidence, no justification. No justification and they control the narrative. They got us by the balls here" I summarise in a frozen tone, cursing the shameless bastards to hell and back. Making a snap decision I ask "Alright Stain, we get the details on the transport, I get your guy out and I put together a little something to get around the issue of them tracing your hacks afterwards"
Laughing slightly at Stain's shock I chuckle "Oh come on now. Did you really think so little of me that I would abandon one of yours that was trying to help expose the worst of the fakes and got in trouble for it? I'm wounded old friend, my heart bleeds" making an overdramatic performance of it in an attempt to ease the poor guy's worry for his subordinate.
Smiling slightly, he jabs back "Let's be honest here kid. Even if they weren't one of mine that got caught, you'd still help them escape. Anyone on a mission to expose fakes and make a fool out of the Commision would have the same treatment" causing a small coughing fit in embarrassment at how well he knew my motives.
"True, but only your guys get me to handle it personally. I'd probably let a clone handle other cases, but I could hardly let down my teacher's allies" I reply, nostalgic for the days when we would train and discuss the better world that we wished to see one day. From the softening of his eyes beneath his signature red cloth mask, I could tell he too was thinking fondly of those simple days.
Snapping back to the present, I hold out a hand saying "Are we going to get your hacker out or are we going to just sit here on our asses all night?". A savage grin is the only response I get as Stain grasps my hand and pulls himself up to stand next to me. It was the only one I needed to see.
Well then Hero Commision, let the games begin.
Two hours later
Sat atop the main arches of the suspension bridge, I hum along to a catchy little song from the pre-quirk era in order to get into the mood for fighting. Seeing the convoy about to pass underneath me I grin and start a special track I had been saving for the fight.
[Your gracious author interrupts this chapter the state that for maximum enjoyment you should open a YouTube tab and start playing Elton John – Saturday Night's alright for fighting. Personal preference either way]
Dropping off the arch, I land on the hood of the first armoured SUV and flip it with the landing, tangling it in a burst of heavy wires that lashed themselves onto the bridge and cut off their path as more trap them on the bridge.
Nodding along to the beat I slicken the ground beneath my feet as I slide past the agents getting out in the other car at the front wrapping them in more wires before pausing in glee for the chorus.
Skipping as I dance through the convoy to beat of the chorus, I stamp on the ground mid dance move to meld road up to the agents' necks, trapping them in the road. Thanking myself for muting the speaker in the mask I spin around singing along joyously to the lyrics as I saunter towards the transport truck.
Slapping the door lightly, Void Heart infiltrates into the door before causing the hinges and lock to explode outwards by growing in size within the moving parts of the mechanisms. The shock factor was definitely something considering the look of shock on Death Arms face as I hop in and yank the hacker from his restraints before he can gather his thoughts. It only got better when I dashed out and he tried to give chase, only to find an anvil colliding directly with his skull and knocking him out.
Humming along to the tune I hoist the hacker onto my shoulder and bail into the forests that they had past to get to the bridge, running until the song finished and we'd gone far enough for them to struggle to find us. Quickly checking and finding a miniscule tracker very well hidden in the soles of his shoes that the Commision had outfitted him with, I pretend not to notice as I asked how he was doing and said some vague stuff about owing a favour.
Holding up a small piece of writing to explain to keep up the charade, a diabolical grin spread across my face as Void Heart and I let loose with our penchant for making certain people very miserable.
Quickly ordering Void Heart to turn a small part into a bird and to take it to a "attraction site" I'd prepared ages ago for such an occasion while making it seem like we hadn't noticed anything, teleporting itself and the tracker far away before turning around and grinning maliciously "Now that the nosy bastards aren't listening in, Stain asked me to get you. Didn't want you to get the book unfairly thrown at you and that's where I come in. Let's get you back, we have a small show to watch soon enough"
As I warp us both back to an outpost to meet Stain I call "Hey Stain, mind gathering everyone to watch something? It's not every day that you get to see the Commision make complete fools of themselves" watching the dawning realisation on his face as the implications set in. An amused chuckle escapes as he asks "How badly have you messed with them this time?"
My simple response of "Yes" seemed to simultaneously terrified and interested him.
Heading back to the main base Stain yells "Everyone, we've got a presentation you're not going to want to miss. Move it or fail to see the Commision get handed the embarrassment of a lifetime". As one of the new recruits asks how he knows about that, Stain simply gestures to me and the giant shit-eating grin that was projected onto my mask.
The veterans cackled and dashed off to grab snacks. The new bloods were informed of the coming shitshow. Many were betting on if it was worse than the last event with constant Weird Al Yankovic tracks playing over the PA system. As for Stain...
He was looking forwards to this little prank.
Elsewhere, Nezu
Watching the Heroes move in on the warehouse in an attempt to track down the elusive headquarters of The Roses, I run over the plan again and again. The tracker is undetectable by any scanners until activated, the convoy had enough strength on it to make it a convincing idea, the routes had been deliberately left in a slightly less secure folder to be found by the hackers working with Stain and even now the tracker and listening device had picked up a level of activity consistent with a small base or at least an important outpost. There shouldn't be any reason to be concerned about the outcome of this operation.
So why were my instincts screaming that this entire operation was off?
My suspicions were unfortunately proven right as multiple pros staggered out of the warehouse covered in what appeared to be treacle and feathers, with the detestable sound of Rick Astley's "Never gonna give you up" playing out of speakers hidden in the structure. It only drove home the point when every single communication device and the Commision mainframes were flooded with massive amounts of the most degenerate pornography imaginable.
Screaming with frustration into my paws, I hear an instantly recognisable voice cackle "Oh come on, you'll need to do better than that. Find me if you can Nezu" completely drunk off the spectacle of these hardened pro dashing around looking like human sized chickens and being subjected to some seriously questionable erotic material. Calming myself somewhat I look on the bright side and mumble "At least he didn't target any systems other than the Commision's" before my ringtone trills, filling me with a sudden sense of all-consuming despair.
Answering the call, I hear Power Loader report in a hollow tone "Nezu sir, we've suddenly been had the system flooded with porn, the vents releasing a constant stench of rotten eggs and the toilets are flooding" before there a background noise similar to a "thunk" that left him even more broken continuing "Now the electrical circuits are tripped. If you don't mind, I need to try and sort this mess out for after the holidays end in a week" hanging up with a resounding thud that brings me back to reality.
Groaning I mumble in despair at the sheer mess this would cause "Me and my big articulate mouth".
Somehow, I have the feeling that someone is enjoying my suffering a little too much right now.
That's the chapter. Sorry for the delay, family decided to visit and I couldn't find time to write while they were here. Hopefully you end up enjoying this.