Asher=Hephaestus.

At the school's science department, where none of the classmates had normally entered, was a large lab area, almost specifically designed for the manufacturing of robotics. Inside the workshop was a single student, dressed in what seemed to be a white coat with a black trim and greyscale, triangular designs going down the back, with it being white near his shoulders and black at the bottom. The student looked a bit older than most others, probably around early twenties. That was the thing, he wasn't a student at all, but a graduate who came to visit quite a bit. He was listening to classical music as he worked on both the construction and design of a few projects, one of which was a mechanical limb that replicated his every move. As he worked to the sound of Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Bach, and Tchaikovsky, the man felt at peace with himself, of course before a phone call had interrupted his music, and of course it was fitting enough. Hearing the sound of funeral bells instead of the symphonies of Chopin, he instantly knew who it was, sighing as he answered the call and set it to speaker, a tone of disgust in his voice.

"What is it now, Weston?"

"Hey, didn't think you'd pick up. Or, is this another fancy recorded message of yours."

The man had chuckled a bit before shaking his head. "No, I am actually here. But really, what do you want?"

There was a short pause between them before Weston returned to speaking. "Sorry, dealing with something right now. But, yeah, I've been doing some research, and the guy I help out even agrees, but you may be the reincarnation of Hephaestus."

The man in the white coat laughed, finding it amusing before the laugh faded back to a calmer tone. "Ah, Weston. You and your jokes.. You know I'm Agnostic, I don't even know if there is a /normal/ god." The man then continued as he continued to work on the mechanical limb. "I start to question if the gods that are said to be there stay in their own plane of existence because they live in fear of what they created. We humans are not exactly the perfect lifeforms. We walk, we talk, we socialize, we love.. We can also destroy, hate, terrorize, and create something else because we are not comfortable with what we have."

"Ash, can you not get-"

"Don't blame this on me, Weston, you brought this up and I am ending it where it stands. Tell your friend I am not a 'reincarnated god,' and that he can look somewhere else."

"But-"

"Good day." Asher said before hanging up the phone and going back to his work, resuming the symphony by Chopin, 'Piano Concerto No.2 in F.'

Meanwhile, back at the hideout, Weston was staring at his phone sighing before shoving it back into his pocket as he looked over at Chris, who was right across the table.

"Well, you heard him, no luck with that. Asher's the kind of guy who likes to work alone with no interruptions."

"And when does he stop working?"

"When he's sleeping." Weston said with a bit of a sarcastic, yet at the same time, truthful tone.

"Get the Car ready. Take Robert and Diana with you." Chris said with a semi-demanding tone, as he turned around, obviously thinking about other things, yet the other man didn't care too much.

"How about you go get him? Asher and I really don't have a good past together. Plus, I'm gonna be busy here with a few projects of my own." Weston replied to Chris as he stood up and began walking around. "For once, I don't think new firearms are worth straining an already tense relation with him."

"Why do you think I-you know what, forget it. Go tell Robert that I have a job for him."

"With pleasure." Weston said with a sigh as he got up and walked deeper into the hideout, going to find Robert.

Back at the mechanics lab, Asher was putting the finishing touches on the limb, soon powering it on as he began to wiggle his fingers. To no surprise, the mechanical arm replicated his movements. He then clenched his hand to a fist and bent his own arm, which the robotic replica mimicked him. All the while, the sounds of Beethoven's 'Fur Elise' echoed sofly in the room. He hummed along to the tune before he then began to work on a second limb, grabbing the materials as he began to fasten the materials together with ease, already getting the frame of it done in a matter of minutes. Of course, as he began his work on the mechanisms inside it, there was a knock at the door. Asher sighed as he walked over to it, expecting Weston to be there, but instead found Robert.

"And what do you- Oh, my mistake. I thought you were someone else. Do you need something?" He asked Robert as he folded one hand behind his back, awaiting his response.

"Are you Asher?" Robert asked, as he held his hands behind his back.

"Yes, I am. Do I know you from somewhere? Did Weston send you?" The man asked as he walked back inside the laboratory, offering for Robert to come inside.

"Not exactly. I work with Weston, not for him. Really, the boss sent me." Robert replied, inspecting the mechanical arm as he walked in.

"And this boss of yours is who? If not Weston, probably someone actually threatening." The man said as he adjusted his coat.

"You wouldn't think so at first, but he can be." Robert replied, as he casually placed something under the counter, trying to not alarm Asher.

"Does he have a name at least?.. And don't touch anything." Asher said before going back to working. "When I say that, I mean it, physically avoid touching anything."

"His name is Chris. And, yeah, sure, sorry. No touchy." Robert said as he stepped away from the counter. "Anyway, here's the gist: your supposedly a candidate for the reincarnation of Hephaestus, the god of crafting, fire, and blacksmithing, aka, building shit or burning shit down. I was sent to ask you to come and see if the boss is right about you or not. He hasn't been wrong so far, but better safe than sorry. So what do you say?"

"Ah, that kid." He said with a chuckle. "The fact you take orders from him is hilarious. I told you, I am not a reincarnation of a god, nor am I going to go with you. You may find another Hephaestus."

The man said as he continued to work on the second limb, finishing rather quickly as he tested it by flexing his fingers, wrists, then elbow. It seemed to be working perfectly.

"Ah. Oh, well. I can't make you do anything. My friend, on the other hand…"

Robert stepped to the side as an arrow flew the window, hitting the older man in the shoulder.

"...can be very convincing." Robert said, as he moved in, wanting to take this guy out as quickly as possible. Robert had spent a lot of time in jail, to the point of being able to tell if someone would be an easy fight. This guy wasn't one of those people.

"The bigger they are, the harder they-"

Before Robert could finish his cliche sentence, Asher suddenly lurched forward and punched the boy in the stomach, sending Robert a good 10 feet back.

"Of all the years I have spent in my career, I've learned a few things. One of which is that I should treat all people the same.."

Asher reached up and pulled the arrow out of his shoulder, only lightly wincing. He then snapped the arrow in two.

"..So just like the others, I'll put you and your friends in the ground for that."

Robert got back to his feet as he tried to catch his breath. The fucker could punch. No way Robert would be able to win in a fair fight.

'Alright. Plan B."

Diana then burst into the room, but by the time she had opened the door with such force, Asher already had a plan of his own. He snapped his fingers as a swarm of small drones surrounded Diana and then erupted simultaneously, each of them emitting a small dose of chloroform. From how many were there, it was a very potent amount. Diana slumped to the floor.

"Weston did not give us enough info to work with. Let's just hope this works." Robert said to himself, as he pulled out what looked like a detonator and pressed the button. Instantly, the table with the Robotic arms exploded.

As Asher noticed the table explode, he smiled before making a gesture with his arms, as if pushing something down. The limbs had survived the explosion and propelled themselves from the flames.

"Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me." Robert said, before the limbs raced towards him.

The man controlled the separated arms with ease, having them practically leap across the ground with hard shoves and simple attacks while they were in the air. Asher then whistled as something seemed to emerge from a small cubby near the ceiling, it seemed like a spider, like a pet, only difference is that it was mechanical. The small device shimmied down the wall before then rapidly approaching Robert as the limbs distracted him, soon turning to climb up the wall next to him. The spider-like machine then leapt at Robert, attaching to his back and then injecting a temporary paralysis serum into his neck. Robert fell to the floor.

"Wha'ssss goin'-*HIC*- on in here?"

Asher turned around and saw Emily, holding an empty moonshine bottle, struggling to stand.

"Le's get thisssh party- No, wait...must've gotten th'-*HIC*-wrong adressh again. Or th' wrong date." The drunken girl then laughed, apparently oblivious to what was going on. 'Are you a cop? Ah fuckin' hate co- no, wait, your th- uh...th inventive fuck, what's 'is name. Ashton? Ashley? Asshole? Eh. Fuckit." Emily stumbled forward.

"Another? I swear you guys came to recruit me for some pathetic cause and only make things worse.." He growls to himself before gesturing for the mechanical limbs to return to him, which then slipped onto his arms almost like gauntlets, still able to be controlled as normal arms.

"Eh. Fuck you, asshole. " Emily tripped over her feet. She then pulled out another moonshine bottle, though Asher couldn't tell where she'd been hiding it, and began chugging.

At this point, the engineer just watched, somewhat hoping she would just drink herself into a coma, so he used this time to call his inventions to him. Everything from the mechanical spider to a few other machines, such as a small fleet of ariel scouting drones, followed behind Asher as he just casually strolled to the back exit of the facility. "At least I can continue my work elsewhere.. And tell your leader to not follow me."

"Yeaaaaah, no."

Before Asher had time to turn around, Emily broke the empty bottle over his head. However, it did not affect him as intended. The man turned and stared at Emily, as if really pissed now. Using the new augmentations on his arm, he sent her across the room to join the others on the ground. With those three out of the way, his projects following behind him, he walked off, sighing to himself as he put in earbuds to continue listening to more classical music.

"You know, you could have made this a lot easier on yourself if you'd just cooperated."

Asher turned around and saw a boy with a hood leaning on the building. The boy held a juul in hand, and smoke was slowly evaporating around the boys face, which was partially hidden by a hood. He stared at the boy for a second, just walking past him, assuming that this was just your average moron. Either way, it didn't matter to him. That's when he took out his phone and called Weston, speaking through the earbuds microphone as he left a message.

"You, and your friends, can find someone else. I refuse to work with those who attempt to destroy my property."

"Don't bother. His boss is right behind you."

Asher hung up the phone call, ignoring the other boy as he just walked off, having one of his drones near his head as it deployed something from underneath it, a mirror to keep an eye on him.

The boy shrugged and put the juul in his pocket. "What do I have to do to get you to listen?"

"What do I have to say to clarify I am not some reincarnation of a god? Even if I was, what good would it do? What difference would it make?" Asher says as he continues walking.

"If you're who I think you are, you'd have unlimited ability in your craft. You could be able to design anything. And I mean everything."

"It's called intelligence. I don't need blessings to know that I can do all this." The man said as he turned around to face the boy in the hoodie, one of the scouting drones hovering near Asher's shoulder.

The boy just looked at the older man. "But do you have the resources, I wonder? It can't be fun, having to work in a school robotics lab."

"I have signed so many contracts that supplies are easy to come across. I don't work for any one specific person. Multiple companies want something and I make them here. I'm just saving money until my own laboratory is built."

"I have a spare laboratory. I have the funds. Beside, your already work for my father, so the contract still applies." The boy said, pulling out the juul and taking another smoke.

The man rolled his eyes as he noticed him juuling again, but still responded. "I don't remember signing a contract with him. I have everything I need, I can handle myself."

"Have fun telling them that." The boy replied. "In the Myths, Hephaestus always gets crippled at some point. Not saying it's desirable, but, accidents do happen."

"If that's a threat, good luck carrying that through, but like I said, I can handle myself." He replied before turning back around and beginning to walk away again, the drones and mechanical creations following close behind.

Suddenly, one of the drones short circuited. It fell to the ground before causing a small explosion. Asher just kept walking, another drone flying over to the disabled one, picking it up, and flying right back. His voice was audible enough at this range.

"This is why I'm not joining whatever cause this is for."

"You know what? Fine. Have a nice life of obscurity."

At that point, Asher was too far to hear the boy's snobby remark, so he disregarded it and continued on his way, the effects of the chloroform drones and the spider drone wearing off for Diana and Robert. Back at the hideout, Weston was already checking his voicemails, since a new one just came in. He recognized Asher's name and wondered why he was originally calling, soon listening to the message that was left for him. The man listened to the message before slamming his fist on the table he sat at, severely denting it as he stood up.

"You're actually fuckin' serious.. They pissed him off. Great! Absolutely-fuckin'-great! One simple job, just convince him, what the fuck did they even-" He stopped before listening to the voicemail again. "-They destroyed his property… Yeah, he's never gonna join us."

Weston seemed to be taking this well, before slamming his hand into the table, which didn't dent it again, but broke it in two, causing the various weapon parts to clatter to the ground in a jumbled mess.

"I'm giving all three, no.. All four of them shit about this."

After around an hour of walking, Asher soon returns home, only to find Weston waiting for him near the garage he worked in. The older man sighed as he raised his hand as if to snap his fingers, which Weston spoke up beforehand.

"Okay, no, calm down, man. Listen, I just want to-"

"Let me guess, apologize for having your friends nearly kill me? The hell is wrong with you? Don't you have any idea how to properly keep friends? This happened all through school for you, and yet it is still an issue!" Asher said, almost sounding like a father to Weston, but sounding incredibly angry.

"Yeah, that's exactly why. Dude, I know of the stuff you're capable of doing, I don't care if you're one of us or not. Hell, I still don't think I'm a reincarnation of a god either. But, would it really matter if you can do what you want and get paid for it? You keep your drones, you can get the upgrades you want for your lab, you can-"

"Fine. As long as I can work alone, and not have to live with anyone. The only person allowed on my property, and I may regret saying this, is you. Okay? If I see any of your friends here, especially the ones who tried to kill me earlier, I'm putting them in the ground. Understood?"

Weston was surprised he agreed so quickly, only nodding as he then looked back up at Asher with a smile. "Sounds good. Works for me, man. Mind if I work with you? I don't like hanging around those guys either."

Asher contemplated the question for a while before nodding to his friend, grinning as he folded his hands behind his back. "I don't see why not."

"So, you're not going to mock me for not building drones?"