- - -Still-Defiant- - -

"Are there any questions?" I regard Lodestar and Flechette. They shake their heads. "Then that concludes the briefing. If all goes well, expect the mission to be in a few days. We'll be making contact with the pair over PHO today."

Lodestar leans back in her chair. "Sure thing, boss. We'll be ready for it." Flechette nods, agreeing.

"There are a few other matters I would like to address. I received an agreement from the Protectorate Tinker Hardcase this morning. He is scheduled to arrive on the tenth. The Protectorate Tinkers Corona and Gelid are both on their way now, and will be arriving today and tomorrow. With the exclusion of Leet, we have now concluded our first round of recruitment."

Lodestar tilts her head. "First round? You intend on more?"

"I do. The scope of this project is likely too wide for only seven Tinkers to accomplish. Further Tinker specializations will be recruited as necessary. Additional field assets may also be required, depending on what courses of action we pursue. For now, however, we have enough people to make a start."

Flechette nods, slowly. "That makes sense. Would you like us to show Corona and Gelid around when they arrive?"

"Leave introducing their workspace to me, but showing them the rest of the facilities would be appreciated. I believe Corona and Hardcase plan to live off-site, but Gelid will be living here."

Flechette shifts in her seat, getting ready to stand up. Lodestar remains still, looking at the two of us. "Ok. Is there anything else?"

I raise a hand to stop her. "There is." She sits back down. "It's in regards to your equipment. If you're amenable, I intend to provide you with a standardised set of armour that you will be given the opportunity to customize the appearance of to your liking. It will be a similar set to what we intend to equip the Dragon's Teeth with."

Even under her helmet, I can recognise that she'd been taken aback by the offer. She collects herself quickly, though. "I'd like that. If it helps, I can get you an image for what look I want."

"That would be of assistance. I would also ask you to submit your arbalest to Dragon for analysis - the technology used for the matter fabrication components are outside of my specialization, so I will be unable to perform maintenance on the device for you."

She nods. "I'll make sure to do that."

I stand, Flechette and Lodestar following suit. "That's all. I will ensure you are notified of when Corona and Gelid arrive."

- - -Now-Flechette- - -

Lodestar presses the call button for the elevator. We've just been paged to meet Corona in the lobby. I make some idle conversation as we wait. "So, what did you think of Corona? I like the whole 'Wendy the Welder' look she's got, but she seemed a bit... " I trail off as the elevator arrives and we step inside. We met Corona yesterday, but I didn't get a chance to ask Lisa what she thought about her.

Corona had taken the first opportunity to get rid of us, and hadn't stuck around in the building for longer than she'd had to. It hadn't helped that her language had been a bit more profanity-laden than is expected of a professional.

"Boorish? Yeah - I think that's just who she is. I got the impression that she knows she doesn't make a good impression on people, but just doesn't care."

"You think she'll have trouble?"

Lodestar shakes her head. "No - one thing I definitely got from her is that above all else she loves Tinkering. The opportunity to work on a big project like this is something she'll love. I think she'll manage to work it out, even if there's a bit of friction at first."

The elevator slows, coming to a stop. We step out into a hall behind the lobby. Walking into the lobby proper, Gelid is immediately recognisable. Atop her head is a glass bowl, the inside of which is a swirling mass of snow - like a snowglobe containing a blizzard. Her face is completely hidden behind it all, but it doesn't seem to affect her ability to see.

She turns to us as we walk in, the swirling snow shifting as she moves. Now that she's facing me, I can see two bright blue lights shining through the snow where her eyes would be. Her body is covered by a loose, thick, rubbery suit - almost like hazmat gear. It's coloured a dark grey and bright aqua in a two-toned design. Tubes run across the surface of the suit, connecting the various segments to a canister pack set atop her back. Across her forearms are control panels with buttons, neon blue lights and dials exposed for the world to see.

It's imposing - whoever helped out with her image did a good job with it. A light misting wafts from her pack and helm, trailing behind her as she moves towards us.

Lodestar steps forward, extending her hand. "You must be Gelid. I'm Lodestar."

She takes the handshake. "Pleased to meet you." Her voice has a quaver to it, betraying her anxiousness.

I offer my own hand. "Flechette. I'm looking forward to working with you."

She shakes it, her grip loose. Even through my costume, I get a chill from her hand. "Hello." Her stance has shrunk - she looks nervous. It clashes pretty badly with the image that her armour gives.

Lodestar steps in, directing her to walk with us. "Let's give you the tour. You're staying in the building, right? Your rooms will be near ours." Her tone is gentle, almost sympathetic. She's being accommodating - Gelid is clearly rather skittish.

She stutters. "Right."

We walk to the elevator, taking it up. Poor girl - she's a bundle of nerves. I'd heard that she only recently left the Wards, too. Hopefully she'll get settled in well enough.

- - -Still-Defiant- - -

The warning alarm for the workshop doors sounds, distracting me from the tour of the facility I'd been providing to our two newest Tinkers. My personal touch is required for this part of their introduction - Lodestar and Flechette just aren't close enough to the Tinkertech side of things to do a good job of it. Besides, this is a good opportunity to get an impression of the people I'll be working with in the lab.

I pull the door's feed up on my helmet display - it's Masamune. It's fortunate that he's here - now is a good time to introduce these two to him. They'll be working together on our projects, after all. A few moments pass, and he's admitted to the workshop.

I greet him. "Masamune. It's good to see you up and about." After coming out of his fugue, he'd crashed for a few days, recovering. I've looked over his work - very good, as always. The parts he'd managed to crack will help a great deal with maintaining both Lodestar's and my own suit.

"Ah, yes. It is good to be back." He nods to himself. "Who is this?"

He points to the two Tinkers beside me. "This is Corona and Gelid. They'll be working with us. I'm just introducing them to the workshop."

This workshop, as opposed to the smaller one I've been working out of so far, is rather large. We've taken over an entire floor of The Guild's tower for the space. They'd had to do a little bit of reshuffling, but the tower is large enough for it to not be an issue. The important part is that it is secure, safe, and well-equipped.

He turns to them, looking them up and down. "Yes, yes! I have read Armsmaster's notes - High-Energy Systems and Thermal Energy? So much potential! I am looking forward to seeing your work."

Gelid wrings her hands, saying nothing. Corona snorts, the welder's mask that covers her face shifting slightly.

Turning to the two new Tinkers, I address them. "This is Masamune. He is an important part of this project. His Tinker speciality allows him to mass-produce Tinkertech."

Gelid stills. Corona leans forward. "Really? This goo-" She cuts herself off. "This guy? That sounds…"

"Neither of you have been briefed on the Dragon's Teeth project yet. But, we plan to outfit squads of PRT troopers with a full loadout of mass-produced Tinkertech equipment. Your first assignments will be to assist in the creation of that gear. Hardcase and I will be primarily focused on the suit, while your specialties will lend themselves to the weapons. Of course, if you see something that you can help with in the suit, don't hesitate to lend your expertise."

I tap a few commands out on my interface. Corona cocks her head. "Tinkertech equipped troops?"

"Correct. I'll get you the full brief now." Connecting to the printer near the door to the workshop, I send the documents I'd prepared earlier through. Handing them out, I watch their reactions closely.

Corona's stance shifts. I can tell she's excited - eager to get to work. Gelid… I don't know. She's quiet - I don't think she's said more than a few words to me since she arrived. Lodestar's report had said that she has trouble talking to people, but I didn't think it would be quite like this.

I'm not sure what to do about it - or even if I should do anything.

I make a note to seek Dragon's advice later. For now, I'll leave things be.

- - -Now-Flechette- - -

I knock on the door. Behind, I can hear Lisa shuffling about. She opens it. "Oh hey, Lily."

"Hey. I was about to head down to the gym for my routine. I was wondering if you'd like to join me?"

She looks at me, chewing her lip for just a moment. "Yeah, ok. I could probably use a break anyway. No guarantees about being able to keep up with you though."

I smile. Awesome - I'd been getting tired of working out by myself. She turns around calling out behind her as she walks back into her room. "Let me just get my stuff - I'll be right with you."

Down in the gym, we start off with some running. After ten minutes or so, I can tell that Lisa wasn't kidding when she said she might not be able to keep up with me. I've barely started with my routine, and she's already looking like she's about to drop.

As she runs on the treadmill next to me, she flicks her head, trying to clear her fringe out of her eyes. Beads of sweat run down her face, giving it a wet shine.

It's admirable, seeing her try so hard to keep up. It's pretty clear to me she isn't exceptionally fit, but I can't fault her ethic.

I refocus, turning the treadmill's speed up a little. I'm glad that she's on the project - I'd been a little scared that I wouldn't have anyone I could really connect with. We're colleagues - friends, too - but I've only known her for a week.

A week that we've hung out with each other just about every day.

Well… I suppose it's safe to say we've hit it off well. She's got a wry sense of humor that never fails to amuse. Despite all the time we've spent together, though, we really haven't spoken much about our personal lives.

I guess it just never came up, but I can't help but be a little curious.

"Alright. I can practically see the smoke coming out of your ears." Lisa's voice cuts through my inner conflict. She's stopped running, standing on the sides of the treadmill. By the looks of things, she's already caught her breath.

Smoke coming out of my ears? Oh - that's right - she's a Thinker. I step off the treadmill, turning it off. I don't know the specifics of her power, other than that it's a fairly powerful one.

She continues, "I'd probably say I'm about at my limit for now. Do you want to go grab a coffee? I'm happy to listen to whatever's troubling you."

I nod. "Okay - that sounds nice." I haven't really even made a dent in my exercise routine, but coffee with a friend wasn't really something my old Wards buddies were ever up for. Lisa and I seem to have made a habit of it - much to my delight.

We part ways, heading to our rooms to go clean up. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, I knock on her door.

She lets me inside. Handing me a mug of coffee, she says "Here. Let's go sit down."

We sit opposite each other, sitting in an amicable silence for a few moments.

"You're curious about something - about me. What's up?" Lisa asks directly, sitting in a relaxed slouch on the couch.

I wave her off - "No - nothing in particular. I was just thinking that we never really spoke to each other about our pasts."

She nods. "They tend to be pretty prickly subjects, when it comes to capes." There's a weight to her tone - I catch the implication that her own past falls into that category.

I let the topic drop, shifting the conversation back towards more lighthearted waters. If she's up to discuss it, she'll bring it up in time.