- - -Dilligently-Piggot- - -
"Director Piggot here. How can I be of assistance, Chief Director?"
"Piggot. I just received a priority call from one of our Thinkers. They inform me that Armsmaster will be requesting an immediate leave of absence sometime in the next few days. You're going to approve his request."
Emily's eyes widened fractionally - Armsmaster requesting a leave of absence? With such short notice? The situation isn't ideal, to say the least - without Armsmaster, the Bay is without one of its best defenders. The Protectorate will be stretched thin - especially if the leave is an extended one. "Just who is this Thinker, ma'am?"
She shakes her head, her lips pursed. "That's need-to-know information. They've given us accurate warnings in the past, however, so you will be following their advice. Give Armsmaster his leave, and don't let on that the order came from above."
"I don't like it, but if this Thinker is reliable, I'll see it done. In the meantime however, we're going to be left shorthanded - Armsmaster is a core part of our presence here in the Bay. Can we expect reinforcements to compensate?"
The Chief Director sends an appraising look through the call. After a few moments consideration, she nods. "I will see what I can do. Goodbye, Director."
She cuts the call, and Emily sinks back into her chair.
- - -Still-Defiant- - -
My way into work is uneventful. Remembering all the procedures was a trick, but I hadn't aroused suspicion - I would have noticed the PRT troopers subtly moving into position otherwise.
There are no responsibilities for me to attend to today - if there were, I would have recorded them in my phone's calendar. That means the person I was two years ago would have spent the day Tinkering, so I make a beeline for my workshop.
I change into my jumpsuit, putting on my domino mask. My shirt and slacks get folded up and put into my locker inside the changing room.
What do I spend my time on?
Do I dare contact Dragon? If there's anybody that would be able to notice a change in my personality, it's her. We hadn't spoken to each other every day, but it was definitely close to it.
...No - not talking to her would only arouse suspicion. While I'm not the same person as I was two years ago, I can't exactly say that we're dramatically different - as much as it may pain me to admit it.
New technology is out of the question for now - there isn't the time to get it approved before I go hunting. Any modifications to my gear will have to be discreet - maybe I should work on the combat prediction software? I'm familiar enough with the program that I'll be able to smooth out most of the kinks from memory - in terms of return on time investment, I think it's what I'll see the most benefit from.
Walking into my lab, I come to a decision. Combat prediction software it is.
A quick message to Dragon reveals that she's preoccupied at the moment, though she says she'll call me later.
I slip into my armour. Compared to my most recent suits, it's downright primitive - I'll definitely need to do some upgrades when I get the chance. Sitting down, I begin working my way through the code.
My old ocular and tactile interface is nowhere near as efficient as a direct cybernetic neural link, but it's still a far sight better than a simple keyboard. Regardless - I'm making an unacceptable amount of typographical errors as I readapt to the interface.
Eventually, I hit my groove. Ironing out the mess of archaic code structure and redundant code that this early version of the program consists of is cathartic, in a way - it's simple work that I don't need to focus on.
As I work, my mind wanders. What should I do once I've taken Saint out of the picture?
Continue working with the Protectorate? No… Not permanently, anyway. Thanks to Cauldron, the Protectorate is a poisoned chalice. The Guild, then?
Yes - that seems to be the best option to me. I'll be needing an organization that's been briefed on the threat that Scion poses, and is willing to work with me towards ending that threat. The Protectorate is unsuitable for that task, but the Guild will do just fine.
I don't think competing with Cauldron is a wise move. No - it would be best to work with them where appropriate. I can't condone all of their actions, but they're too great a resource for me to eschew entirely.
I can use them, and in return they will use me. Scion will die, and everybody will be happy. Hopefully.
I let out a sigh. Keeping my spirits up is necessary, but there's no point in deluding myself - this will be a nigh-insurmountable objective. I'll need Tinkers willing to work with me - and lots of them. Even despite the failure of the first one, a collaborative Tinker superweapon is our best bet, in my opinion.
The only catch is that funding and organising such a task will be a complete nightmare. In addition to the Tinkers, we'll need a skilled management team to direct their efforts.
An idea strikes me - we didn't need a management team the last time we made one, so why do we need one this time? Granted - Mastering Tinkers and forcing them to coordinate work on a superweapon is a monumentally bad idea, but what if we don't need a Master?
What if we use an unshackled AI instead?
The idea has merit.
Good - that's a long-term goal I can work towards, then. What about in the short-term? I need allies - powerful ones. There's too many threats in this world to go it alone. A project of the scale required to end Scion is bound to attract the wrong sort of attention - The Slaughterhouse Nine, for example. Who could I recruit to my cause?
Legend? I think there's a decent chance of it, should Cauldron's deeds come to light.
Weaver?
A pang of guilt hits me. We'd made up, but my mistakes with how I first treated her still make me ashamed of myself. I could certainly try - hell, if I manage to stick around with the Protectorate long enough I could probably right much of the wrongs done to her by the system.
She hasn't made her appearance on the cape scene yet, though. If memory serves, she isn't due for it until early next month.
Who else? Tattletale? She had worked with me during the opening days of the fight with Scion - she'd certainly be a great asset to have on our side. I don't know much about her personal situation, at this point in time though - would she be amenable to working with me?
I doubt it, but it is an avenue to explore.
Kid Win? Having another Tinker on my side could only be good, but I don't think poaching a Ward from the Protectorate would earn me any favours. Perhaps Dragon could negotiate a transfer? She'd likely have the tact to pull it off, and Chris would undoubtedly jump at the chance to work with her.
"Colin?"
The voice shocks me from my trance. I push my display to the side with a flick of my eyes, turning in my chair to face her avatar on the main display. "Dragon. I hope the situation was resolved well."
She nods. "Just a minor hiccup on one of my monitoring systems. I see you've been busy - reworking the Combat Prediction software?"
"That's right. It's been a productive morning." I turn back, pulling the window back into focus. I also pull up a mirror of the image on my main display, putting Dragon's avatar up in the top corner of my helmet display. "If things continue at this pace, it should be ready for a proper field-test soon."
She smiles. I find my own expression mirroring hers. "Oh, that's great news, Colin! And what about the feedback loop problems?"
"Sorted themselves out when I restructured some of the more obtuse code paths. Or, they did in the Closed Test Environment, anyway."
Her face takes on a wry grin. "See? What did I tell you - keeping a concise program structure prevents so many problems from even happening in the first place."
I wave her off. This was a lesson I learned a long time ago. "You were right, of course. I'm just happy that I managed to sort it all out so quickly."
"So, what's the plan for the rest of today? I think you said something about starting work on a tranquiliser for Lung?"
I dip my head. "That was the plan, correct. But I've hit my groove with this - I think I'll try to finish it off." I also want to send through my request for a leave of absence. My suit and halberd will need a final maintenance check before I leave, too - today is the ideal time for that.
We settle into an easy conversation - Dragon is brainstorming ideas for the latest iteration on one of her suits. I supply her with advice while I work, but don't give her anything out of the ordinary. I vaguely recall this one being posted to the Birdcage. Did it even see use, in the end?
It's nice, just talking to her like this. I treasured our time like this after I became Defiant. But… It's bittersweet. There's a two-and-a-quarter year gap between our experiences. She hasn't confided in me yet, and we haven't spent months together hunting down a band of the worst murderous psychos that the world has to offer.
We aren't partners. And that fact is painful to admit to myself. My Dragon was lost forever when I got sent back in time. This Dragon will never be the same, but that doesn't mean we can't have a similar relationship.
We don't have that sort of relationship right now. If I were to indulge in poetics, I would say that there's the potential for it - bubbling below the surface, tantalizingly out of reach. But we aren't there yet.
Eventually, Dragon is called away on business, and I'm left to finish up the code by myself. By around three, I've got it to a point where I'm happy to use it in the field. I'll likely need to make some last-minute adjustments, but they're nothing I can't do on the go.
Getting out of my seat, I set about performing a maintenance check on the rest of my gear. The act also serves to refamiliarize me with my current set of equipment. It's all archaic compared to what I was using before, but it will have to suffice for the time being.
By four, I've eaten a quick lunch and have printed off and filled in the paperwork to apply for a leave of absence. I keep it vague, but if Piggot were to ask me the reason for it, I plan to tell her the truth - that I will bring Saint and the Dragonslayers to heel.
As I leave my workshop, I lament about how difficult this suit is to control in comparison to the one I had as Defiant. The algorithms driving the servos are good, but nothing compares to the smoothness of a direct neural interface.
It's just another thing I must adjust to.