Chapter Six
Virgil stared down at himself and the smooth seamless metal that covered his skin like a suit of chrome armour in surprise and amazement. It perfectly hugged the contours of his skin making him look like a living chrome statue and really showed off his muscles, yet somehow he knew that vanity was not the metals purpose. That its purpose was defensive a metallic body armour that could take an immense amount of pounding before breaking down.
"Wow," he said. "Guess we know what my second power is now. This metal seems to be like some kind of personal body armour. Don't ask how I know that I just do."
"Wow. I wonder how much punishment it could take before it breaks down and your vulnerable," Alan wondered.
"I don't know," Virgil replied as he curled his hand up into a fist. It felt really strange he could feel the metal flowing as his hand moved yet he could feel perfectly through the metal. "This feels really weird."
"Fascinating," Gear said thoughtfully. "I've never seen a power like that before. Even after all the years that have passed since the first big bang its still amazing all the things that mutagenic gas can do to a human body. You know a scientist could easily devote his or her life to studying you boys and your powers."
And then chuckled as all five Tracy sons made uncomfortable faces at the cheery thought of being poked and prodded by scientists.
"Cheery thought Rich," Static said sarcastically from beside him.
"Sorry," Gear replied honestly realising that he had probably offended everyone though it was not intentional. Me and my big mouth, he thought.
"Your forgiven," Virgil Tracy said at last after a few uncomfortable moments of silence. "Though what I want to know is how I actually get this metal to disappear. I don't fancy walking around looking like a living chrome statue all the time."
"That's probably easier than you think Virgil," Alan said. "Try concentrating and imagining the metal covering you gone. Imagine you skin normal again."
Virgil decided that he would do as Alan suggested of all of his brothers Alan had the most experience when it came to controlling metahuman abilities. He concentrated and imagined his skin being normal again. For a moment nothing happened and then he felt the same energy that had created the metal armour covering his skin surge forth from somewhere deep inside him again. The metal armour covering his skin suddenly rippled and seemed to become like a silvery liquid before disappearing inside him leaving his skin normal behind it. He felt the silver liquid somehow converting into energy as it entered his body. And then the feeling of power faded away into the background where it was masked by the strong feeling that came from his altered muscles.
"Woah that felt weird," Virgil said then noticed the true state of his T-shirt. The sweatpants weren't that badly damaged they'd only been lightly torn above his right knee where an icicle had grazed his leg. But his T-shirt was much worse. It had been torn in a number of places by flying icicles and was basically ruined.
"Oh man," he said. "This was the only shirt I had that still somewhere near fit me."
"Maybe you can wear one of my T-shirts Virgil," Scott suggested. "I might be able to find one that will fit you. One that's too loose for my taste like a few are."
"I suppose that might work," Virgil agreed. "You were a size bigger than me before that meteor hit the island. Though it will only be a stop gap I really need some new clothes."
"Well that won't be that difficult," Peter said. "We just need to find what your measurements are now and then I can get you some new clothes in Dakota when I take these two back," he gestured to Static and Gear.
"Which will have to be later today," Static replied. "There is a big delivery of new equipment due at Transtech tomorrow. We'll need to be there."
"I can understand that," Jeff responded though he was curious about what equipment that they were expecting to be delivered to Transtech though it was most likely something to do with the companies expansion to meet increasing demand for the crystal state processors and rechargeable high-density power cells that Transtech manufactured. But he wouldn't ask.
"I'll take you both back later," Peter said. "After we've all had something to eat that is."
"Now that sounds like a good idea," Gordon replied remembering that none of them had eaten yet today.
"Indeed it does," Gear replied finding himself longing for some chilli cheese fries which he hadn't had in a week though he doubted they had them here on Tracy Island.
Alan listened to the conversation and was about to say something when he felt something at the back of his mind where that strange but wonderful thing that he had experienced with Tin-Tin earlier when her psi abilities were so suddenly increased by her exposure to metagas had receded to. Though it hadn't disappeared entirely. He felt it increase in strength and suddenly knew somehow that Tin-Tin was awake. Alan blinked in surprise when he found he could feel Tin-Tin waking up, that she was there somehow at the back of his mind.
He turned some of his attention to the strange but wonderful feeling at the back of his mind and suddenly it broadened in his awareness and he could actually sense Tin-Tin's thoughts. Surprise blossomed inside him and he somehow knew that Tin-Tin was feeling and experiencing exactly the same thing.
"Alan!" Tin-Tin's voice suddenly said in his mind seeming to come from whatever this link was between them.
"Tin-Tin," Alan found himself answering back, which was astounding. He wasn't psychic in anyway yet he found himself speaking telepathically to Tin-Tin.
"I can feel you," they both thought at the same time.
"I wonder how this has happened," Tin-Tin said.
"Might have something to do with what happened between us earlier," Alan replied. "Though I don't care how it happened. I like this."
"Me too," Tin-Tin replied.
Alan was startled when a hand was abruptly waved in front of his eyes.
"Alan," Gordon's voice said. "Hello. Earth to Alan."
"Think I better answer before I start getting poked," Alan thought to Tin-Tin feeling her amusement.
"That might be a good idea," Tin-Tin agreed. Alan pulled away so to speak from Tin-Tin and felt the link fade back into the back of his mind where it stayed. Alan blinked and found everyone staring at him in confusion and concern.
"What?" he asked.
"Alan are you alright," Jeff asked looking worriedly at his youngest son. "You were just standing there staring into space."
"I'm fine dad," Alan replied. "I was just talking to Tin-Tin."
"Tin-Tin," Gordon repeated. "But she's asleep in the house and you are out here."
"She's awake now," Alan replied. "I felt her wake up."
"How could you do that Alan," Scott asked. "Your not a telepath unless you're second exposure to metagas has turned you into one."
"That is definitely not the case Scott," Gear said. "If Alan were telepathic as a result of being exposed to mutagenic gas for the second time I would have detected it when I scanned him. What I suspect has happened here is somekind of telepathic bond has formed between Alan and Tin-Tin it most likely occurred earlier when Tin-Tin's boosted psi abilities appeared."
"That's what we both suspect," Alan agreed. "We were talking about it."
"Fascinating," Gear responded. "But we can talk about this later. Maybe we should go inside and get some breakfast."
"Now that is a very good idea," Jeff agreed he didn't add that they would probably have to fix it themselves. He knew full well that while Kyrano was in his current unconscious coma-like state Onaha would not leave her husband's side for very long not that Jeff would expect her to. He started walking back towards the path that would take them back to the villa complex. Everyone followed him all ready for breakfast.
As he walked Gear looked at the mountain that the villa complex was built on. He especially looked in the direction of the point on the mountain where the meteor had impacted the island yesterday. He was curious about how the meteor could have produced the organic form of metagas that had been released here after the impact and given four of the five Tracy sons there powers. He knew of no natural chemical reaction that could cause such an event. Maybe an analysis of the meteor – assuming it hadn't been vaporised on impact – would provide some answers.
"What are you thinking bro," Static asked from beside him knowing from the look on Gear's face that he was thinking about something.
"I'm thinking about the meteor that started all this," Gear answered. Jeff looked back at the metahuman genius.
"What about it," he asked.
"I'm trying to figure out how it could have produced a natural form of metagas. I know of no naturally occurring chemical reaction that could do that," Gear replied.
"The meteor came from deep space," Peter pointed out. "You said yourself that the reaction that could lead to a natural mutagenic gas could not occur naturally on this planet but possibly on another one. Maybe the meteor had some trapped inside it a legacy of a long destroyed planet."
"It is a possibility," Gear agreed. "But the more I think about it the more that doesn't make sense. The mutagenic component on the gas released here was extremely unstable and as you might recall rapidly breaking down. I very much doubt that it could have survived being in space for millions of years."
"So where would the gas come from," Jeff wondered having been listening intently to the conversation just like everyone else even as they moved along the path towards the villa.
"I don't know there are many unanswered questions," Gear replied. "What I would really like to do is get a look at that meteor assuming it wasn't vaporised on impact."
"It would still be really hot in the impact crater," Virgil pointed out. "Even though it's been over twelve hours since the impact."
"If your serious about going into that crater if its possible to go in there then you can use one of our thermal protection suits," Jeff said like Gear he wanted answers about that meteor and how it could have produced metagas. He knew full well that his sons had been fortunate after their exposure. They'd remained themselves despite developing superpowers and they'd retained human form even Virgil who showed the biggest outright change in his increased size. He knew of many people who after being exposed to metagas who hadn't been so lucky. Being transformed mentally as well as physically.
Still he wanted some answers about that meteor if any of it had survived and that was a big if. After all it was perfectly possible that the meteor had been vaporised when it impacted the island.
"Thank you," Gear replied. "Though it will have to wait until after breakfast. It's not a good idea to do things like that on an empty stomach."
"Bro with you its never a good idea to do anything on an empty stomach," Static replied making everyone even Gear laugh at that comment even as they came to the main villa complex and started across the sundeck besides the diving pool towards the front entrance of the main house. Everyone more than ready for breakfast.