Chapter 3: Tenuous Meetings
Chad and Carrick are both stunned, for different reasons. Chad is dumbfounded by the condition the medabot is in: rust streaks from the joints, lichen and moss peeling from the armor in chaotic fashion. Who would let their medabot get this way? Shaking his head in pity, he looks over to Carrick, whose jaw is flapping with idle transmit signals from the brain. "Uhm….Carrick? Man, you there?" Giving up on the spoken wake up calls, he just elbows Carrick sharply, causing the 21 year old to jolt back to reality.
Before Chad can summon a word to his mouth, Carrick started jittering excitedly, "Do you know what that is? That's the legendary Gont-Tsuan, the original prototype for the use of medals in robots!" Chad looks at Carrick, who is on the verge of cardiac arrest. Before he can calm the other guy down, his wrist is grappled by Carrick's hand and he is jerked off balance as Carrick drags him off to follow the ugly robot. Kracker and Slag just follow naturally.
As Chad gets in stride, he is given a spiel as Carrick mutters about the robots history in a low key. "You see that thing? That robot was built by a man known as Tim Williamson over 65 years ago. Tim Williamson was a brilliant man, and literally created the first artificial life form using medallions, or medals. The medals he used were all the ancient rare ones that were dug up on the archaeological dig sites around the world. However, his first tests were only to see how to connect the medal to the robot. Gont-Tsuan was the first of his creations to succeed in wielding the medal flawlessly."
Chad recalls something, and interrupts Carrick, "65 years ago? What you talkin' about? Everyone knows that Dr. Aki created the med…" He is suddenly cut off by Carrick.
"Yes, yes, Dr. Aki this, Dr. Aki that. You know what? That itself is bullshit! Dr. Aki only used the findings of the relatively unknown Dr. Hushi, who, if you are really in the know, is the actual creator of the medals we use today. But, even THAT is wrong! Tim Williamson first created the Medal theorem about 69 years ago in the back woods of Canada. He then scribbled that out onto a napkin in a small café."
In turn, Chad cuts off Carrick, "That's blasphemous! How can you say that this guy, Tim Williamson was the creator of the medabot??"
"I understand your disagreement, hell, I was raised to believe that Dr. Aki created everything medabot as well," Carrick continued un-phased by Chad's lack of knowledge. "But trust me; Tim Williamson didn't just scribble that onto a napkin for no reason. No, he wrote it for someone, and that someone, is my Grandfather. My grandpa still has that napkin, only it is now yellowed, and encased in plastic, but signed AND dated by Tim Williamson himself. We even have carbon dating records to prove its validity."
"Now, I'll tell you the really mind blowing part: How much that robot is worth! You see, Tim Williamson was an inventor, and he made everything he used; from his car, to his shoes. It stood to reason that he had made everything in Gont-Tsuan from scratch. Even more surprising, is that some of the technology he equipped Gont-Tsuan with, is not even known to exist, or is even available for medabots today! Much of this was because Tim was a phenomenal genius, his IQ was never fully established, but scientists could only estimate it at being over 350….with a normal person rating 100. He saw ways to make things that only teams of so called 'scientific geniuses' could only catch fleeting glimpses of…such as his 130 frames per second, variable optics unit. Before you tell me 130+ fps is preposterous, I understand…the fastest medabots today still are horrendously hindered by their 30 fps optics, which is still better than humans. But Tim didn't just sit around hypothetically analyzing the possibility, he just went out and made it…and put it into that robot before us."
"Oh, and don't get any thoughts of robattling that thing, because I can guarantee to that Slag would be utterly no match for it."
Chad look at Carrick funny, "Over 65 years old, and you think that I don't have a chance in hell to beat it? Maybe your mind is as full as moss as it has on its armor!"
Shaking his head, Carrick continued. "If you want to, you're welcome to try, but I know that thing has speeds comparable to some of the faster robots we have today…and it weighs 75 pounds…mostly armor. Tim got it that fast because he used the most efficient motor designs he could find, motors that used the heat they made to work better. Another technology that is only just STARTING to come out. But also, look at the shield on its left arm, that thing is nearly impervious to any attacks. I read minor documentation of that shield stopping gun fire from weapons capable of disabling an armored personnel carrier from the military. That shield helped that robot be undefeated in over 13 years of existence, until someone else made a medallion powered robot…and that robots only purpose was to defeat Gont-Tsuan. But that is legend, however, believable, as after 13 years of utterly dominating the world robot competitions, Gont-Tsuan disappeared. Tim Williamson seemed to go insane afterwards, and literally destroyed all of his work. When the firefighters put his house out, they found his computers had been taken apart, and each RAM chip had been personally smashed into little pieces, the hard drives had been hacked to pieces with an axe, and everything else had been doused with water, and then torched. All of his paper designs had been used as tinder for the fire, and Tim's body was found 2 days later in the basement with his neck slashed open, and the back of his skull splashed across the wall…a 12 gauge shotgun had been manipulated with his toes. Only one thing could be said, Tim Williamson had been thorough. However, that napkin had escaped his grasp of destructing, and so had Gont-Tsu…."
Simply Carrick stopped when he saw the rusted, and glittering blade between him and Chad….Their eyes wandering to its owner…a small black painted robot, with green growths covering sections of armor, and a deep red glow coming from the LCD panel that covered its optics. From under its armored chin armor came a deep rumble of a voice, "You know my name, tell me yours before the streets are awash with your blood."
Swallowing hard, Carrick spoke first. "H-He is Chad…and I am Carrick Jankett."
Swinging the sword to face Carrick, he nudges the young mans chin with the back edge of the blade, "Jankett, of Jankett In?"
Nervous for his life, Carrick answered. "Jankett Industries? That'd be my fathers business. May I…uh…ask why you want to find it?"
The red eyes relaxing slightly, perhaps tinting a bit more towards orange, Gont-Tsuan swings the sword back into the slot in his back. "I seek your father, for the reason concerning my medal. You seem to know plenty about me Carrick Jankett, more than I even know of myself. Perhaps we can strike a deal…you deliver me to your father, and you will not be harmed by anything…me, or the mugger lying in wait around the corner."
Chad and Carrick are both stunned, for different reasons. Chad is dumbfounded by the condition the medabot is in: rust streaks from the joints, lichen and moss peeling from the armor in chaotic fashion. Who would let their medabot get this way? Shaking his head in pity, he looks over to Carrick, whose jaw is flapping with idle transmit signals from the brain. "Uhm….Carrick? Man, you there?" Giving up on the spoken wake up calls, he just elbows Carrick sharply, causing the 21 year old to jolt back to reality.
Before Chad can summon a word to his mouth, Carrick started jittering excitedly, "Do you know what that is? That's the legendary Gont-Tsuan, the original prototype for the use of medals in robots!" Chad looks at Carrick, who is on the verge of cardiac arrest. Before he can calm the other guy down, his wrist is grappled by Carrick's hand and he is jerked off balance as Carrick drags him off to follow the ugly robot. Kracker and Slag just follow naturally.
As Chad gets in stride, he is given a spiel as Carrick mutters about the robots history in a low key. "You see that thing? That robot was built by a man known as Tim Williamson over 65 years ago. Tim Williamson was a brilliant man, and literally created the first artificial life form using medallions, or medals. The medals he used were all the ancient rare ones that were dug up on the archaeological dig sites around the world. However, his first tests were only to see how to connect the medal to the robot. Gont-Tsuan was the first of his creations to succeed in wielding the medal flawlessly."
Chad recalls something, and interrupts Carrick, "65 years ago? What you talkin' about? Everyone knows that Dr. Aki created the med…" He is suddenly cut off by Carrick.
"Yes, yes, Dr. Aki this, Dr. Aki that. You know what? That itself is bullshit! Dr. Aki only used the findings of the relatively unknown Dr. Hushi, who, if you are really in the know, is the actual creator of the medals we use today. But, even THAT is wrong! Tim Williamson first created the Medal theorem about 69 years ago in the back woods of Canada. He then scribbled that out onto a napkin in a small café."
In turn, Chad cuts off Carrick, "That's blasphemous! How can you say that this guy, Tim Williamson was the creator of the medabot??"
"I understand your disagreement, hell, I was raised to believe that Dr. Aki created everything medabot as well," Carrick continued un-phased by Chad's lack of knowledge. "But trust me; Tim Williamson didn't just scribble that onto a napkin for no reason. No, he wrote it for someone, and that someone, is my Grandfather. My grandpa still has that napkin, only it is now yellowed, and encased in plastic, but signed AND dated by Tim Williamson himself. We even have carbon dating records to prove its validity."
"Now, I'll tell you the really mind blowing part: How much that robot is worth! You see, Tim Williamson was an inventor, and he made everything he used; from his car, to his shoes. It stood to reason that he had made everything in Gont-Tsuan from scratch. Even more surprising, is that some of the technology he equipped Gont-Tsuan with, is not even known to exist, or is even available for medabots today! Much of this was because Tim was a phenomenal genius, his IQ was never fully established, but scientists could only estimate it at being over 350….with a normal person rating 100. He saw ways to make things that only teams of so called 'scientific geniuses' could only catch fleeting glimpses of…such as his 130 frames per second, variable optics unit. Before you tell me 130+ fps is preposterous, I understand…the fastest medabots today still are horrendously hindered by their 30 fps optics, which is still better than humans. But Tim didn't just sit around hypothetically analyzing the possibility, he just went out and made it…and put it into that robot before us."
"Oh, and don't get any thoughts of robattling that thing, because I can guarantee to that Slag would be utterly no match for it."
Chad look at Carrick funny, "Over 65 years old, and you think that I don't have a chance in hell to beat it? Maybe your mind is as full as moss as it has on its armor!"
Shaking his head, Carrick continued. "If you want to, you're welcome to try, but I know that thing has speeds comparable to some of the faster robots we have today…and it weighs 75 pounds…mostly armor. Tim got it that fast because he used the most efficient motor designs he could find, motors that used the heat they made to work better. Another technology that is only just STARTING to come out. But also, look at the shield on its left arm, that thing is nearly impervious to any attacks. I read minor documentation of that shield stopping gun fire from weapons capable of disabling an armored personnel carrier from the military. That shield helped that robot be undefeated in over 13 years of existence, until someone else made a medallion powered robot…and that robots only purpose was to defeat Gont-Tsuan. But that is legend, however, believable, as after 13 years of utterly dominating the world robot competitions, Gont-Tsuan disappeared. Tim Williamson seemed to go insane afterwards, and literally destroyed all of his work. When the firefighters put his house out, they found his computers had been taken apart, and each RAM chip had been personally smashed into little pieces, the hard drives had been hacked to pieces with an axe, and everything else had been doused with water, and then torched. All of his paper designs had been used as tinder for the fire, and Tim's body was found 2 days later in the basement with his neck slashed open, and the back of his skull splashed across the wall…a 12 gauge shotgun had been manipulated with his toes. Only one thing could be said, Tim Williamson had been thorough. However, that napkin had escaped his grasp of destructing, and so had Gont-Tsu…."
Simply Carrick stopped when he saw the rusted, and glittering blade between him and Chad….Their eyes wandering to its owner…a small black painted robot, with green growths covering sections of armor, and a deep red glow coming from the LCD panel that covered its optics. From under its armored chin armor came a deep rumble of a voice, "You know my name, tell me yours before the streets are awash with your blood."
Swallowing hard, Carrick spoke first. "H-He is Chad…and I am Carrick Jankett."
Swinging the sword to face Carrick, he nudges the young mans chin with the back edge of the blade, "Jankett, of Jankett In?"
Nervous for his life, Carrick answered. "Jankett Industries? That'd be my fathers business. May I…uh…ask why you want to find it?"
The red eyes relaxing slightly, perhaps tinting a bit more towards orange, Gont-Tsuan swings the sword back into the slot in his back. "I seek your father, for the reason concerning my medal. You seem to know plenty about me Carrick Jankett, more than I even know of myself. Perhaps we can strike a deal…you deliver me to your father, and you will not be harmed by anything…me, or the mugger lying in wait around the corner."