"There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time." - Malcolm X
"God damn it," I swore under my breath. "You know it's always a good start to your morning when your door squeaks like four hundred, seventy two thousand, six hundred and thirty five bats out of hell. It's always a good time!" I spoke sarcastically, grumbling all the way to my tool box. It was also always a good time when I had to make my own home improvements, because clearly, it was something to be happy about.
The apartment complex I lived in wasn't the cheapest, but it wasn't the most expensive either. It sat perfectly in the middle where my budget would allow me to stay. It was somewhere where I didn't have to expect attacks from mysterious beings every other day, it wasn't a place I had to worry about concerning my appearance (the looks they give you in the high end cities, yeesh), and expenses weren't ridiculously overpriced. Overall, it was a pretty good place to live. It was comfortable.
Unfortunately, comfortable didn't always mean it was the best. It was laid back, and as such, the apartment complex I lived in wasn't known for taking care of its problems very efficiently. I complained several times to the landlord about the problems in my humble little abode. I had a whole damn list of the things wrong with it; leaky roof, unstable scaffolding which was still there even though all the cleaning and repairing had been done, loud neighbors who didn't understand the definition of the opposite of screaming, the vending machines in the lobby which had always taken to eating my money, the few dryers which didn't even give off hot air, and now of all things, it was the squeaky door hinge everyone in the building had.
When I'd first found the building, it was an amazing five out of five, although now that I'd seen its worst, it was more like a solid two out of five hell bats. Not exactly appealing. So, I was fed up. If the landlord couldn't get his shit together, then I'd fix this one thing by myself, and I didn't care if he complained to me about adjusting the building's structure without a permit. My official engineering certificate, diploma, master's and bachelor's degree were permit enough, and if that didn't satisfy him, then he could take all of the occasional problems with the place and shove it.
Taking a screwdriver and a hammer out of my briefcase and some white lithium grease from my box of little supplies, I tapped the door hinge pin out of the top hinge and coated it with the grease, grimacing at its slimy texture. It wasn't as if I hadn't worked with slimy materials before, though in the majority of situations I'd ever been in, slimy almost never meant pleasant. Placing the pin back in the hinge, I tested it out, and frowned when it still squeaked. It was the bottom one causing me so much trouble, then. I repeated the process I'd done for the top door hinge and applied it to the second.
While in the middle of coating the second pin, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I assumed it was my landlord. "Mr. Oro, I swear to God, if you so much as whine about what I'm doing, I will take this lubricated pin in my hands and force it down your-" With how his footsteps stopped in his tracks, I turned to face him fully to let him witness the full extent of my rant properly.
Pointing the pin menacingly, I blinked. That wasn't Mr. Oro. My eyes trailed from his sandaled feet, to his robed body, and finally to his bald head. No, no, it really wasn't Mr. Oro. In mortification, I bowed my head repeatedly, apologizing until my lungs would give out on me.
But to all people...
He laughed sheepishly, placing a hand to the back of his head. "No, no! It's alright! Someone like you shouldn't be bowing to me anyway!"
...did it have to happen to Yonten?
"You've made me curious although, is the landlord really that bad? He seems like a sweet old man on first impression."
I lifted slowly from my near 90 degree, back breaking bow, and was brought back to my ire. "That's what he wants you to think! Then once you're all situated in, he strikes like a snake and wraps you up in his iron grip!" My hand closed tightly, and forgetting a heavily lubricated hinge pin was in it, the pin slipped out of my grasp, and hit Yonten in the face. I felt myself choke. "I am so sorry!" What the hell was wrong with me today?!
Ever grinning, Yonten wiped at the lithium grease that had ended up on his cheek, and picked up the pin to hand it back to me. "I can understand how the landlord entices clientele. The building is quite beautiful on the outside. On the inside, well, your presence improves the quality, I see." He winked.
I shifted uncomfortably and took the pin back. I was so very close to forgetting Yonten was a flirt. So very close. He adjusted himself to my lack of reaction. "So what is it you're doing here?" He coughed into his robes, and I sympathized with him. I too lacked wooing abilities.
I played with the pin, showing it to him. "The doors have this ungodly sounding shriek whenever you move it even an inch, so I thought I'd fix it. Well, mine at least. This pin is the thing causing the whole mess." I recoated the pin with grease and placed it back into its hinge properly. "Are you a new tenant?" I asked for the sake of conversation, turning back to him.
"Yes!" He nodded, sticking his hand out. "My name is Yonten, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Well, friend, this isn't the first time we've met, but a pleasure nonetheless, I thought.
I looked at it almost experimentally, and picked up a rag I had also brought out with me to clean myself up. "Sorry, I don't mean to be offensive, but my hands are kind of gross right now. I'm Jade."
He laughed, throwing his head back. "It's nothing to apologize for! I should know better. But I'm glad to know you'll be my neighbor, Jade!" At least he wasn't calling me Jason.
I tilted my head curiously. "Neighbor?"
"Yup! I now live in the apartment… right there." He looked over me and shot a look to the door next to mine.
"Oh," I deadpanned, something which the monk lacked to notice, "how convenient…" How much harder would this make things for me? Quite. This was supposed to be the same building Jason's armour (I had now taken to calling it that) left. Whether it be from my apartment door/balcony, or the basement which I rented from time to time (I basically owned it; tenants could rent it for a month, and it was a first come first serve kind of deal. I was always the first), with Yonten, a hero, and someone who knew Jason, I could see this causing problems for me in the future.
I put on a smile anyway, trying to hold onto something other than negativity. I'd figure something out later. "Well, welcome to the building! Try not to let Mr. Oro deceive you like he has to so many of us. He may look innocent, but trust me, he's really not." I eyed his door contemplatively. "It's not much of a welcoming present, but let me fix up your hinges for you."
"Are you sure?" He looked tentative about it, though I didn't understand why.
"Absolutely!" I replied. "If it makes you feel any better, this is probably more for me than you anyway. I've got some time to kill, and you know, the less noise in this place the better."
To that, he was less reluctant and took my offer. "Thank you," he bowed.
I waved it off like it was no big deal. "Thank me when you don't have to deal with a migraine in the morning and your door isn't screaming like its heart was ripped out." We both moved to his door and he opened it with his key. I winced at the sound when he moved his door towards the both of us. Yeah, this was definitely being done more for me than anyone. I tapped the pin out of the hinge with my screwdriver and hammer.
Coating the pin with grease, Yonten jokingly asked me, "So what are you? Some sort of handywoman?"
I raised a brow in mild surprise as I put the pin back and moved on to the bottom hinge. "Close. I'm an engineer. I'm used to working with more complicated materials and machinery, but fixing small things like this is refreshing every now and then." In a comfortable silence, I fixed up the last hinge, and clapped my hands together satisfyingly, wiping it off with the rag.
Yonten was leaned up against the wall, and he hummed after a few moments. "You could make a business out of this, you know?"
First trying to understand what he was saying, I was confused, but soon I scoffed, and stood back to my full height. "Trust me, I've tried. You'd be surprised at how many people don't want their appliances fixed by a teenage girl." Especially the boss who declined the coffee blaster idea. Well, I was working with a well renowned scientist and had the chance to work with a cyborg of all things now! He lost out on a lot when he docked my pay. If he even tried to contact me now, I was proud to say I would be the one to decline him.
"No, no," Yonten shook his head. "I mean with the building here, and maybe then you could spread out from there. You could have a fully functional business in no time!" He encouraged.
I wiped at my hands absentmindedly with a frown. I truly had thought of making a repair shop before, but I didn't have the necessary tools or resources. Maybe I could try to start a business. There certainly was a high demand for repair shops considering how many monsters destroyed property. I nodded. "Okay yeah," I grinned. "I'll try and see where it takes me."
Yonten pumped his fist up. "That's the spirit!" I gathered my tools and put them back into my little box. Yonten reached out a hand, having looked a little distressed. "Do you have something to attend?" He inquired.
I checked my phone for the time again, and put it back in my pocket. It was about time I left."Yeah, I have this… event I'm going to. There's some stuff I have to do before that, so I need to head off pretty soon." It involved exchanging Genos's arms and finding the proper equipment, not to mention some tools I had made for this specific fight. I intended to observe it fully.
He perked back up, nodded vigorously. "Right, I suppose I'll see you soon!" He opened his door, and I reveled in the sound it wasn't giving off. "Thank you again, Jade!" And he stepped back into his apartment.
Awkwardly, I was left outside with a hand raised in a small wave. I sighed. Yonten was a… tiresome character. Well, I had something else to attend to now. With that determined thought, I put my toolbox back in my apartment, grabbed two briefcases, and a light coat. In order for the whole project to fully function, I needed a third large suitcase which was back at the facility.
I decided to walk at a leisurely pace. I felt like everything was moving too fast. It passed me by so quickly, I barely had enough time to soak it all in. I supposed that was how I felt ever since my home town had been destroyed. It had been one thing after the other without any breaks in between. First it had been discovering the mad cyborg, finding Doctor Kuseno, working with him, warning the people, the destruction, my leg, meeting Genos, surgery, working with Genos, and then always working by him, never happy that he had gotten so hurt.
My breaths had gotten shorter, and I felt my frown deepen. I was just tired. I was really tired of it. But even if the world passed me by, then I was satisfied knowing I'd be helping Genos, and through him, thousands of people in the process.
I kicked a stray rock on the pavement. So why did my heart still feel so heavy? Was it because I wasn't doing my part? That was why I decided to join the Association, though, so that couldn't have been it.
I stopped a moment. What was I so hung up over? I slapped my cheeks to wake myself up. "Shut up, Jade," I muttered under my breath, "you should know better than this!" I was being stupid. It was pointless to think about.
I ended up kicking the rock all the way to the facility. Once I was outside, the security camera on the corner flickered up to life, and looked me over with a scan. I grinned. "It's me Haf, you can let me in."
"Of course ma'am," the speakers buzzed through Haf's light tone. Several locks and the sounds of various weapons deactivating met my ears and I sighed with content. I loved the sound of working machinery.
The door opened, and I went through the little underground hall. More weapons and security measures were being disabled. I was still in a room where I could be easily eliminated with extremely dangerous weapons. I loved it.
As soon as that was finished, I was finally in the full facility. I went to my desk and set my two briefcases laying flat, making sure they were set the right way. I unlocked the sides of the first case just so I could proudly gaze at my newly made babies. Click, one, click, tw-
"You're here already?"
I jumped, slamming the locks back in place. I turned, and placed a hand on my heart, finding the resident cyborg looking at me curiously. I scowled. "You scared the crap out of me!"
He paused a moment, cocking his head to the side. "There isn't any trace of human feces-"
"It's an expression." I deadpanned, cutting him off to save face. "But yeah, I wanted to come early so I could make sure I had everything prepared."
"Everything?" He questioned, moving next to me to look on at my briefcases. "I'm assuming that's 'everything?'" He pointed.
I nodded happily. I was really excited to show them off. "Yup! Well, not necessarily… See, I need a third case for them to work. They're all meant to work in tandem, as a unit." I explained. "The third one, I left here, because while it is compressed into a large suitcase, I wouldn't be able to open it in my apartment. When it's full sized, it's pretty big." I felt like I was rambling, but I didn't particularly care. The same could be said for my random hand movements.
"I see," Genos muttered, "so what are they really?"
I grinned mirthfully, tapping my fingers against my metal desk. "Well, that would just ruin the surprise."
"It's a surprise?"
"Of course! I like to build excitement."
Genos sighed almost impatiently. What, me? I wasn't that bad, was I? "Should we get started with putting on these new arms?" He asked, crossing his arms in an ironic fashion.
I frowned. "Shouldn't we get Doctor Kuseno for that? I mean, he built these arms. I'm not sure if It's my place to exchange them. Not to mention, the time it would take me to apply them alone? I don't know if you planned a set time with Saitama, but if that's the case we might be fashionably late. Very fashionably late."
He tapped his fingers against his arms. A nervous quirk, I realized. What was there to be nervous about? He looked the other way, not meeting my gaze. "I was… hoping the computers would take care of it this time…"
My face lit up with enthusiasm, but I quickly backtracked, swallowing it down. "G-Genos, are you absolutely sure? This is a big thing! You haven't been repaired or checked up on by the computers in years." I stressed. It didn't matter if the computers worked or not, Genos's safety always came first. And I know I pushed for him being repaired by them before; if he wasn't comfortable with it, then he didn't have to go through with it.
He showed slight hesitance, but nodded with a firm resolve. "Logically, to get over something, you have to continually expose yourself to it. I realize this is something I've been avoiding. I'd prefer to face it head on." Like all his battles, Genos was going into this with little to no prior information. But to inadvertently admit that he was afraid of being repaired by the computers (and for a good reason, no less)? I appreciated it. He was really taking a step down to even come close to saying so.
"Alright," I sighed, rubbing my hands together for warmth. He really wasn't going to be deterred from this decision, that much was apparent. "Let's get started."
We started with standard procedure. He stripped and laid on the table. Beforehand, we always did small checkups if he wasn't in after a large fight; things like can your fingers move, toes, eyes following the light, roll your neck, so on so forth. And now that the computers were fair game, I could finally turn them on for use.
I looked over the codes, my eyes going over them a good five times until I was satisfied. I pursed my lips. There was still something wrong, I didn't know what. "I'm going to get the old doc for a second," I muttered loud enough for Genos to hear.
I went searching for the good doctor, and found him quickly. He was pouring over some documents. The most recent sketches I made for Genos's arms, I realized. He looked up and a pleased look appeared on his face.
"Jade, I was just about to get you. This model is very well thought out, though I wanted to make some suggestions," he pointed to the core-energy converter in the sketch. I thought about cutting this conversation short, however I really was looking for feedback on this sketch. It was important. "This incineration cannon is extremely powerful and will be incredibly useful. However, because of it's power, you've overlooked how much energy it will expend. What you desire is a cannon that is both powerful and efficient. With the way you've conceptualized this model here, the exothermic energy coupled with the blast will have an amazing capacity, but it will deplete Genos's core immediately." In other words, if he even tried to use the most powerful aspect of these arms, I'd be responsible for his death.
I winced and cursed under my breath. "What did I forget, the catalyst converter?"
"Yes, and no." He pointed to the energy pathway that would unfurl into the casing where the core would be located. "The energy that is being exchanged for power is excessive and ultimately self destructive. To rectify anything here, you need to be sure that there's a lower demand for energy, but still runs a moderate power level, do you understand?"
I nodded and tried my best to not duck my head in shame. Doctor Kuseno had a way that made learning a lesson or correcting yourself, sound like a reprimanding or a scolding. It was a bad feeling, yes, and it stung a little, but it was imperative that I learned from my mistakes; even the stupid ones. Besides, with the theoretical concepts I put into that model, I would have killed Genos without even knowing. I was glad the doctor pointed out the flaws, and I was aggravated with myself for not noticing them sooner.
The good doctor seemed to notice the change in my demeanour, and patted my arm. "It's nothing to be ashamed about," he said comfortingly, although I didn't believe it much. I was the one being reckless with my work, work that had the ability for Genos to have an early death. "It's all a matter of paying more attention to detail, isn't it?"
"Right," I nodded again, this time with a little more meekness. I felt like I was being brought back to my school days, when I was too scared to ask or answer to the teacher. Well, I decided, no more of that. "Did you still want my, 'report' on Saitama?" I asked blandly, adding air quotes to change the subject. He had been asking for it recently, although I was occupied whenever the topic did come up. Now was a good time if any.
His head inclined, and his dome like hair followed. I would have told him his hairstyle wasn't necessarily 'in' right now, but I didn't think he particularly cared. "Absolutely,"
"I can give it to you right now I guess," I muttered.
"Oh, is it typed up?" He seemed surprised that I'd take the initiative. I was almost sorry to disappoint.
"No, all verbal." I smiled crookedly. "In any case, there's not much to worry about with Saitama. He seems like a trustworthy guy, not really harmful in the sentimental kind of way. Although, he is extremely strong like Genos always says. In fact, I saw him punch the head off of this genetically mutated praying mantis like it was paper maché; you have no idea how much I thought I was imagining it afterwards." I thought I needed therapy, to be more precise. I hummed, wondering if I had anything else to add. "There's not a lot to say about him, really. All that comes to mind is his strength." Anything more was yet to be seen.
"I see." The doctor had a hand up to his chin, going over the information I conveyed to him, which wasn't actually a lot. "Was there anything you wanted to ask me?" He inquired.
"Right," I remembered why I had come to see him in the first place. "I was going to ask if you could go over the codes issued in the network concerning Genos's arm exchanging."
He raised an eyebrow in a mildly surprised manner. "He wants to work with the computers?"
"I know," I huffed a small laugh, "I could hardly believe it either, but he wants to get over it. I'm just not so sure about it, and even though I reviewed them several times, I was hoping you could take a look at the codes." Him reviewing my sketch only enforced this notion in my mind. I didn't want to accidentally get Genos killed, I thought apathetically. At least, as apathetically as I could.
Somehow they seemed like they were only words, like there was no meaning or power behind them. But the words 'killed' and 'Genos' being in the same phrase, held more than I ever hoped they would. I knew if they were said firmly, with no room for argument, that someone had died… Well, I was sure I'd never make it to that sort of circumstance. Genos wasn't the kind of person to keel over.
The good doctor followed me back out to the computers in Genos's repair room. The cyborg in question raised an eyebrow in my direction when he saw the old man away at the monitor screens, eyes flicking over each and every programming code inputted like I had been. I leaned against the table he was still laying on and crossed my arms. "I want to make sure there are no errors, you know, to make sure that you'll at least walk away from this experience happily. Don't want a grumpy Genos to fight his sensei."
He scoffed. "Are you sure this isn't some intricately concocted plan for Haf to eliminate me?" He shifted uncomfortably several times when I gave no response. "What?" He asked.
I stared at him in faux surprise. "Did you just joke?" I put a hand to cover my mouth mockingly. "How scandalous!" I couldn't even remember the last time I heard Genos say something that was even akin to a joke. Or at least something with a punch line.
"Can I not joke from time to time?" He inquired exasperatedly, seemingly upset that his witt didn't get anyone in the room chortling. It was a good thing he never pursued a career in comedy. I couldn't fathom how many tomatoes would be rocketed his way if he did.
I shrugged, smirking. "Considering you have the sense of humour of a toaster, I don't think you can."
He bristled, resenting my statement, and sighed when he realized it wasn't worth it. He was more dignified and patient than I was. I kind of envied it. "It's not like your sense of humour is much better.."
I retracted my previous thought. It was clear we were both equally dignified and patient.
"Well then," I muttered in an aghast tone, placing a hand over my heart, "it seems we might need a second opinion on that. What do you say, doctor?" I looked over to the old man, who looked like he was just finishing up going over the rest of the codes, eyes trailing from line to line.
Doctor Kuseno, who looked like he did not want to get in on our little fest, changed the subject. "I say there isn't anything to worry about over here," he smiled warmly, tilting his head in my direction. "All of your sequencing was correct, and everything should function properly."
I moved over back to the computer to check for myself. No matter how much confidence he tried to instill in me, something still felt wrong, but if he said it was alright, then… "If you say so," I muttered. "Do you want to be here for this?"
The good doctor waved me off. "No, no, I've model sheets to finish, concepts to reconsider, you know the gist of it, but if you need me…" He left with that, turning the corner to go to his work station.
I frowned. He was lying, I could tell. I passed by his model sheets earlier that week, and he surely couldn't have started on any others within the timeframe. Not because he was a slow worker, no Doctor Kuseno was a demon when it came to work ethic, but he had been focusing so much on the new arms for Genos, there was rarely any time for anything else. I was sure I'd get to the bottom of whatever he decided to lie about, though it left an uncomfortable feeling in my chest.
I redirected my attention to Genos now. He was my first priority here. "You ready?"
He left his expression even and slightly unreadable, like he was preparing himself. After several moments, with only a slight confidence I could pick up on, he nodded.
I turned my head to the ceiling slowly, to be certain my movements weren't too horribly sudden and that I was in Genos's line of sight. "Haf, activate protocol 6152, you know what to do."
"Yes, ma'am. Protocol initiating." I couldn't tell if it was just me, but Haf's normally monotone voice was more enthusiastic in my ears.
Genos looked at me warily, and I grinned to try and ease some of his worries. "What exactly does this protocol entail?"
"Try to get as comfortable as you can, you'll be in this position for— Haf how long will this take?"
"Approximately, twenty minutes."
"Twenty minutes."
He raised a brow. "Are you really bothering on this being a surprise again? Am I obligated to wait and find out?" There was an underlying tone of annoyance with me, although it wasn't like it really mattered at the moment. It would fade in the long run.
"Oh, absolutely."
As soon as I said that, the robotic arms I'd gotten Haf to install into the ceiling extended and reached Genos's arms. Two of them clamped down on his shoulders, while in the background, two more of them brought out Genos's new arms. Folding my hands behind my back, I pointed at the pair of sleek, black arms proudly. "Although I didn't have the pleasure of making these, I did have the pleasure of naming them." I cleared my throat, and I only wished Haf had some sort of stage light shining on me. "The Anti-Saitama Tactical Arms!" I exclaimed with a flourish, adding jazz hands for an extra boost of amazingness.
His face was blank, and for a second, I didn't think he was even going to comment on anything. The doctor worked really hard on these, and if he even dared to— "Your presentation skills need work." Of course.
I slumped slightly, holding myself halfway upright. "Thanks," I bit sarcastically, "I've been thinking about being an announcer recently, you know, from those weird infomercials, but if anyone were to save me from a horrible career choice, it would be you."
I saw something like a smirk appear on his face briefly, as he said an amused, "you're welcome."
I mirrored his expression and stretched out my back, letting out a small groan. "Alright, let me tell you what's going to happen for the next few minutes," I motioned to the arms from the ceiling and the computer I was standing at. "For the first half, Haf is basically working on removing your default arms with a precise attention to detail. Normally, with Doctor Kuseno or me doing this, we aren't able to catch all of our mistakes, no matter how minimal they are. Those mistakes build up. The second half of this is applying the AST arms— that's the Anti-Saitama Tactical arms, sorry— and since Haf can catch what mistakes I might have made, you can be sure these babies will work to their full capacity." I shrugged. "Or not; you know, the application of their power depends on you."
He paused a moment. "How powerful are they?"
I turned back to the computer as Haf fiddled with the joints and wires in Genos's default arms. "Well, you'd have to ask the doctor about that, but if you wanted my estimate, you could probably blast away a small mountain at one hundred percent."
He hummed and twitched a bit under Haf's work. He scrunched up his nose, and I held up a hand to him. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah," he murmured. "It's different…"
I tilted my head to the side, wondering what he was talking about. "What do you mean?"
He cleared his throat, and I could tell he wanted to lift a hand to cough into it despite his arms being occupied. "It feels different being handled by the computers rather than you or the doctor." Well that was a given, but was it a positive change, or negative? "It's not bad," he quickly interjected when I had opened my mouth to ask, "although I'm not certain if it's good, either. It's not unpleasant, though I can't say I'm very well pleased by it. It's strange." He concluded.
"Right," I nodded in understanding. Meanwhile, Haf had taken the default arms on another small table, while placing the AST arms a good distance from Genos's torso. I hadn't realized the first ten minutes had passed already. "If you ever feel like going back to manual procedure, you can always ask me." I offered.
He raised a brow with a small tilt at the corner of his lips. "I thought you were tired of that?" Genos inquired with an annoyingly smug expression.
I scowled in his direction, his accusation being exceedingly true, but my stupid pride wouldn't allow me to fall into anything like he was setting up. "No, I said Haf and the computers would be more efficient. This is for your sake, not for mine."
"Whatever you say," Genos muttered, unconvinced, shifting a bit and letting his eyes close shut. "There was something I wanted to ask you about," he said suddenly, as if he was comfortable in his current position. I hoped he was, anyway.
"Yeah? What about?"
He hummed for a moment, then continued. "Yesterday, at the Superhero Registry, only four people passed to become officially ranked heroes; Saitama-sensei, me, a monk, and a man in a suit."
My eyes widened. Had he figured me out already? At the moment, I was glad he had his eyes closed. I played it off, scoffing. "What do you mean by suit? Was there a guy in a tux who passed the tests?"
"No," he frowned. "I mean a super suit, like metal encompassing his whole body. I had assumed he was also a cyborg at first." I started bite my cheek anxiously. "The technology that man possesses… it looks like yours." Shit, shit, shit!
"So," I started slowly, trying not to make a fuss out of it, making sure that I still looked worried; and that wasn't acting. There was still a chance he didn't suspect me, although as Haf would say, it was a 90% possibility he did. "What do you suppose that means?"
He opened his eyes to look at me again, and I was unnerved at the fire in his eyes. "I considered several possibilities of who he was and how he attained that suit. Most of my assumptions felt too far off. I even considered that you might have entered the registry."
I laughed it off, shaking my hands in front of my face. "Me?" I pointed to myself in an overly incredulous fashion. "You thought I would join?"
His lip twitched upwards. "I know, it was ridiculous of me to think." He turned stone faced once more, and spoke with more fervency. "But considering the facility was hacked not too long ago, I find it the most reasonable explanation for technology matching yours at the registry, that the hackers did manage to find interesting data, then used that data to build that suit, and registered as a hero."
"What's this guy's name, do you know?" I was asking about myself. Do you know how weird that is? I already knew about this, yet I had to fake it. I didn't even know why I kept on lying! I should have told Genos, I really should have. I registered as a hero, but my registration got screwed up, and now I'm a registered hero of the opposite gender. But the thought of how hard it'd be to actually confront myself into telling him that… I didn't want to. I was scared.
"Jason."
"What do you plan to do about it?" This was for both me, and my alter ego. I could avoid Genos as Jason at all times if I had to, but that would probably make Jason more suspicious in his eyes.
"I want to find out who he is, of course, and although I haven't come up with a plan as to how to achieve that, I'll tell you when I do."
I nodded appreciatively. "Thanks."
We spent the remainder of the twenty minutes in a semi-comfortable silence with the machines responsible with Genos's procedure whirring in the background. With nothing for me to do but wait, I could certainly see how this felt different to Genos. There was definitely a difference for me, and like him, I didn't know if it was good or bad. It left me more time to think about Jason, though it was certainly something I didn't want to do at the moment. The process was at least faster, and soon enough, Genos was standing up, with his clothes back on as he rolled his shoulders experimentally, as if he was testing his arms already.
"So?" I probed, my eyes trailing over the sleek, black metal plating. "What do you think?"
He stretched out his mechanical deltoids, all the way to his adductor pollicis. He looked at the back of his hand with a disinclination. "Really?" He asked, showing me his fist.
On the back of both of his hands was the name of the arms, and their model number. The AST arms model number happened to be TVPS-00. "What?" I asked innocently, raising my hands up in surrender. "I didn't even engrave that in there!" When his glare didn't lessen, I lowered my hands, desperately spewing whatever came to mind first. "...Think of it like this; you're repping your sensei out there! Even if you are fighting him with these, you can show him how strong you are, and how you deserve to be his disciple!"
"I didn't think about it like that…" He murmured tentatively, holding his hand to his chin.
I patted his shoulder good naturedly and moved forward to my little cubicle in the other room. "It's why I'm here," I breathed, happy I had gotten out of it. I totally bull shitted my way through that one. I heard his footsteps trailing behind me and I took it as a sign we'd be going off soon to… whichever location Genos picked for him and Saitama.
I reached under my desk, struggling to find the handle for my suitcase. Fingers grasping for it, I finally found it and pulled it out with a little trouble. With a heave, I managed to place it on my desk, and if the creaking coming from it was any indication, the load I'd be carrying would be massive.
"This is all of it?" Genos walked around my cases with only a small glance of interest.
"Yeah," I sighed, picking up my first two briefcases. With the two of them occupying both my left and right hands, I wouldn't be able to carry my suitcase. I transferred the one from my left to my right, and tried to fit my hand around both handles. I winced when both of the briefcases clacked together loudly. I reached out my hand to get my suitcase, but a blur of black had beat me to it. I turned around to find the resident cyborg carrying my last case. I raised a brow quizzically. "I think I've got it Genos, you don't need to help me."
"You exceeded the weight limit," was his automatic response.
I took on a more confused and offended expression, and took a threatening step towards him. "Are you calling me fat?"
"No, I'm saying you exceeded the weight limit." I felt my eyebrow twitch.
"Meaning?" I prodded.
"The necessary weight limit someone of your size should carry," he clarified. "If you take much more, you could possible strain something, most likely causing shoulder impingement syndrome, a herniated disk, or something of the like."
I shook my head, closing my eyes. It still didn't make much sense to me. There was no point in arguing with Genos. "Alright, whatever. You take that one, I'll take these two?"
He nodded. "Let's go."
As we neared the exit of the facility, I banged one of my cases against some of the metal structure of a corner, the sound of it reverberating within the facility. "Hey, doc! We're going to be out for a while, don't wait up!" I heard a muffled response from him somewhere, but I couldn't trace it all the way back to him clearly. I assumed he bid us adieu.
Going back through the small hallway to the exit, multiple tumblers fell away as we passed, and Genos tilted his head up to the ceiling where one of the security cameras was. "Haf, lock up after us." He ordered.
"Of course, Mr. Genos," Haf responded.
Genos's gaze turned back to mine to find that I was smirking at him. "What?" He asked with slight irritability.
"Nothing," I waved off, smirk still plastered, "just a pleasant surprise, is all."
His eyes narrowed, but said nothing more of it.
Despite what conversation we may have had on the journey there, I wasn't very sure as to where we ended up location wise after that, but I did know that it was fairly far from a city, and it was much like a canyon; dry and dead. I was panting, and sweating, and I felt like all energy I had for the day was drained from out of me instantly.
"Do you have any water?" I asked pitifully, raising a hand up with what motivation I didn't have.
"No," Genos announced in a bored tone, and if it was any more possible, I felt my throat shrivel.
"Ah, damn…" I wheezed, hands placed on my legs with my head tucked between my knees. "Oh well…" I stretched out my back, placing my hands on my lower hips, then stretched out my arms, reaching over my head. "What time did you say Saitama was coming here?"
He pulled out his flip phone to check the time. I didn't understand why he wasn't keen on letting me make a touchscreen phone for him that would be compatible with his arms, but to each his own, I supposed. "In about ten minutes, why?"
I gathered my briefcases up again, and nodded at the suitcase Genos was carrying earlier. "That should be enough time to set up, I think. Here, take that and help me get up there." I pointed to one of the tall edges of the canyon. The way the place was set up was that it was much like the aftermath of a fissure of some sort. There were two upper edges, and the place I assumed Genos wanted to fight Saitama was the large inner depression of it.
"H-hey, wait-!" I croaked, feeling myself getting lifted off of my feet. The wind quickly rushed into my ears, and I closed my eyes tightly in trepidation. I vaguely noticed my hands were wrapped tightly around a cool, hard surface, my grip still being on my briefcases. Before I knew it, I was placed back on my feet, and the thump at my side felt like the suitcase had been dropped. I opened my eyes, and Genos was crossing his arms in front of me. "Shit, that was fast…" My breath hitched a bit, and I could still hear the sound of my heart beating hard in my ears. I attempted to tame my terribly windswept hair.
"So what is in these cases of yours?"
My attention was redirected to what he said, and like a flip was switched, I was back in work mode. "Right! Uh, okay…" I opened the two briefcases, setting them on the ground, and working with their locking systems. "So this one," I motioned to the one on my right, "is filled with drones." I pointed at each one individually and lovingly. "They're all going to give me an aerial view of your fight from different angles, so we can properly analyze it afterwards. The big one there I call, Big Mama, and her four little ones are Shabby, Trissy, Bass, and Uma." He looked at me like I was half crazy, half brilliant, which, in a not so careful consideration of all the facts, it probably wasn't that far off. I moved onto the next case. "This one contains a portable computer system with which I can contact and consult with Haf where it also receives the signals sent by the drones' cameras, so I can observe and conclude on results from your fight while it's still going on." He seemed a little more pleased by the information.
"And what about the suitcase?"
"That," I pointed, moving closer to it to unlock its system. The suitcase unfolded from plate to plate into a large dome, managing to cover the both of us, letting out a light from the small glass window behind me. Yeah, this would definitely not fit in my dainty, little apartment. I motioned to the area surrounding us. "Is a shelter for me to work in." I walked around, and tested out its spaciousness. It was pretty spacey. "I figured your fight would be in a pretty large scale, so I'm not taking any chances with what might end up in the crossfire."
"Wow…" I wouldn't have called it gawking unless I didn't know Genos, but I had the slightest inclination to call what he was doing gawking. "This is a lot…"
I grinned triumphantly. I felt like I had really surprised him this time. It only meant that I was indeed improving myself, something which I was extremely pleased by. "Well, what did you expect of me? Did you think I was going to just bring a notepad and a pair of binoculars?"
"Truthfully, yes," he told me in all bluntness. I made a small noise of protest. "But this is impressive… Thank you." He was thanking me? That was… That felt like a major accomplishment.
I felt my heart swell, and I rubbed the back of my head bashfully. "You don't need go thanking me, after all I-"
"Yes, after all, this will help me discover the secrets to Sensei's power, myself. I won't be able to thank you enough."
I was taken aback, and my mouth bobbed up and down like that of a fish until I could find my voice again. It wasn't at all close as to what I was going to say."Y-you're welcome," I gulped down, feeling my grin slowly lessen. I didn't know why I felt disappointed, all I knew was that I was.
He moved closer to the small glass window in the shelter and peered out of it. "I think he's here already!" He exclaimed, an obvious excitement filling his tone. "I'll go meet Sensei," he announced. He turned back to me holding his hand out warily. "You will be okay here, right?"
"Y-yeah," I stuttered, kicking the tip of my shoes against the ground, "I'll be fine!"
"Right, I'll-" he tried to feel around for the exit of the shelter, and I almost felt bad for wanting to laugh. I pushed him aside and got it for him.
"Here," I murmured, holding the curved door open for him. On the way out he managed to hit his head against the top of the doorframe. I made a mental notes to make the shelter taller if only for Genos's sake.
At the last second, when he was about to jump back down into the depression of the canyon, I grabbed his shoulder to which he looked back in a mild surprise. "What is it?" He asked, and I could feel myself wanting to pull back my hand already.
"Look, just," I puffed out a some air to move a few strands of hair out of my face, "be careful, alright? I know this is a way for you to measure Saitama's strength, but don't overdo it. ...I don't want to go back to the facility alone." It was a tad bit too serious for me to say, but I sincerely meant it. I didn't want to see Genos get hurt like he had been when he came back from monster hunts, or from taking down the evil organizations like he did. I just wanted to help him this one time; I wanted to know what it was like to stand near him in a simulated battle and how it felt. I pressed my hand harder against the top of his shoulder.
With a hesitance that didn't feel good, he nodded and told me not to worry, not comprehending that it would only make me worry more, then jumped back down to greet Saitama.
Left by my lonesome once more, I thought more about the situation between Jason and Genos. What was I going to do about it? First Yonten had moved into my apartment building, and now Genos wanted to find out who was behind the mask? I shook my head. This was not the time to worry about Jason's side of things right now. I was Jade, and I needed to set up.
I sighed and brought out my briefcase with the drones and activated their systems, releasing them into the air. I took my other briefcase with the small computer system in it, and brought it back into the shelter to set it up, closing the door on the way in. Once the system was functional, I had all five eyes in the sky, from Big Mama, all the way to Uma. I placed a headset on which had been in the case with the drones. "Is the bug I placed sticking?"
"Yes ma'am, the auditory computer node you placed on Mr. Genos's shoulder is functioning properly. Have you checked line two?" Haf asked from the headset I put on. I had decided to leave my earpiece at home in the morning.
"On it," I mumbled, typing away on the touchscreen keyboard of the computer system.
With my fingers clacking away at the glass screen, after only a few moments, noise blasted into my ears. I winced, taking the headset off my ears before haphazardly turning down the volume. Genos's voice came on, but there was some sort of background noise competing within the frequencies.
"...we've set up a proper procedure with which we can collect data from you, Sensei."
"What is that noise?" I muttered irritably. It was some sort of thrumming noise. It wasn't, horribly kill yourself with a spoon bad, but it was a petty thing. It didn't mean I was satisfied with it, however.
I was already typing my way through isolating its sound waves when Haf interrupted my thoughts. "I do believe that is Mr. Genos's core you are hearing, ma'am."
I listened intently on it again, and found Haf was right. The noise was unmistakable now that I'd thought about it. In fact, instead of growing more annoying, it was more… comforting, in a sense.
"Oh, so that means that mechanic girl is here, right? What was her name again…?" I almost forgot about their conversation. Saitama's voice was audible, yet a bit far away. It was logical, considering the paces Genos set between the two of them. The bug was noise sensitive, although it wasn't that sensitive.
I positioned one of the drones, Trissy, so that she could focus in on Saitama from his side. I adjusted the microphone from my headset as Genos continued to speak.
"My mechanic's name is Jade, Sensei."
"Hey, Saitama," I drolled. From what I could pick up on from my screen, he had looked both ways to see where my voice was coming from. His eyes eventually locked onto Trissy. Funnily enough, he almost seemed to perk up at what technology was in front of him.
"What is that?" He said with a smile that somehow still seemed somewhat blank.
"That is a drone, Sensei. Jade has stationed them all over the location for observation purposes. They are going to ensure we get as much information from this as possible."
"Right, right!" He snapped his fingers as if remembering something. "She was the one who fixed my ceiling. Thanks for that."
"No problem," I chirped through Trissy's speakers. "If you ever need anymore help, you can always call me. I only charge for the low, low price of free."
He contemplated my offer, with a gleam of almost interest in his eyes. "I do like that price…"
Genos, who seemed only slightly upset by the steer of conversation, was on his phone, and through Bass's eyes, I could see he was on the internet, which did leave me quite befuddled. I couldn't imagine the service he was receiving was the best. "On the website of the Superhero Registry… We've been ranked last in the Class S and the Class C rankings respectively," then under his breath, he muttered, "even that monk and that man in the suit were placed in the last two rankings of Class A."
With Jason being brought up again, it was at that point, I knew I wasn't going to be very interested in the following conversation. I could save my energy to analyze when the real fight began. I muted the line.
"Do you no longer wish to follow their line of conversation, ma'am?" I wasn't very surprised Haf brought it up. If anything was important, they would want to be the one to manage it, especially if Haf knew I didn't have the time, or in this case, energy, to do it.
"Not really. I think I'll save my eyes for their fight, you know?" I leaned against the table that extended from the shelter, the same one which I placed the computer system on. On screen from almost all of the drones' angles, Genos and Saitama walked around the canyon until they were satisfied with their positions. They were quite a ways away from each other.
"Do you wish for me to document their conversation for you to refer to later?"
I crossed my arms, my eyes narrowing on Genos's movements. "Do whatever you think is important."
"I will endeavour to do my best to document their conversation."
I snorted quietly. Oh Haf, I thought, you really are the best. I knew I probably wouldn't be interested in it at the present moment, I could always use a reference, though.
Back on screen, through all five points of view, Big Mama, the video being taken from right above everything, caught sight of Genos shifting his position, the thermal energy in his arms and chest building up to emit light energy. I unmuted the line, and I could hear the thrumming of his core, all the way to the buildup of heat in his body.
I switched to Uma's cameras, and immediately, Genos shot a blast from the back of his shoulders to rocket at Saitama. I winced at the amount of noise meeting my ears. Genos's leg was out to meet Saitama's face, and I rubbed my eyes when it didn't connect. The cyborg was back on the rebound, using the cannons in his arms to redirect himself, and sent a kick over Saitama's head again. It missed. Again. I wasn't seeing things, right?
Even so, with more force, the resident cyborg was pushing himself in circles around Saitama, trying to fake him out, I thought. I switched to Shabby's camera, near the back of where the Genos was. He shot himself upwards, raising his leg, and sent himself back down to meet the ground which quaked under his feet. The sound was monstrous, and I could feel the effects all the up in the shelter, struggling to keep balance. Saitama still dodged.
I switched back to Big Mama's cameras to get a bigger view of the sky. Saitama was up in the air with other pieces of debris. An orange light shone from the dust cloud Genos created. A large blast erupted from it, and I thought with certainty, there was no way the bald man could have avoided that. He had proved me wrong once more. He landed feet in front of Genos, his back to him.
Trissy's cameras were operational, and through them, I took a look at the damage Genos had created. I gasped. A large portion of the top of the canyon was eliminated in a semicircle shape. Most of the dirt was still scorching, gleaming orange.
Over the audio, I heard Genos cough, and from Bass's cameras, he was coughing up steam. Don't overdo it, I chided mentally, don't get yourself killed. Genos hunched over for a moment, then struck the ground around the same area where he had left it with a giant burn mark. I caught on to what he was doing, quickly. He was taking the thermal energy he had created from the ground to convert it to extra energy. But what kind?
My question was immediately answered when he blurred out of focus from all of the drones' cameras. Saitama too. I couldn't keep track of them, they were moving ridiculously fast. I could only assume of what was happening, and I didn't know if I liked it. What I believed was happening was that Genos was still keeping up his frontal attacks on Saitama, and his sensei was dodging them all, with little to no effort.
I couldn't believe it. Of course, I had a good grasp of what Saitama's strength level was, but for it to be like this? For Genos not being able to land a single hit? It felt impossible.
Craters appeared on the side of the canyon, and in a moment, I had visuals on Genos again. In the middle of another blow, he paused, looking at the hole with no bald man in it. His head snapped to the side, looking at the same time I was. I checked all over from each camera until Uma was locked on. Saitama was… running? With the speed to match that of a cheetah's?
Genos landed right in front of Saitama, and locked his arms together. The metal plates unfolded from his shoulders, to his arms, to his damn knuckles, all at once to reveal the crazy amount of artillery hidden in only two cybernetic appendages. "Incinerate!" I heard him exclaim, and the size of the blast which erupted didn't rightfully fit the word giant. Meanwhile, the connection I had with the audio bug was destabilizing. It was becoming less clear, more loud, yet I was still able to make out the sound of Genos's core.
There was no way Saitama had gotten out of that one. The sound of a tap on the bug alerted me, and with Big Mama's overhead cameras, Saitama had patted Genos's shoulder. The cyborg's arms shifted back to normal quickly, as the bald man's voice came over the line. "Okay, I win, so…" Genos went for a strike, blowing dust in its wake, and Saitama had once again zipped out of the way.
As the remnants of steam wisped off of him to go into the air, Genos turned slowly and spoke with a serious conviction. "Teacher, have you forgotten the rules of this sparring session?" He began to list them off. "Dodge every attack you're able to dodge. Fight seriously without fooling around. Don't hold back because of me. And… continue fighting until I'm unable to fight." My eyes widened considerably.
I grabbed the mic on my headset to bring it closer to my mouth. "Idiot!" I hissed. "That's not a sparring session, that's a death wish!" They both continued on, as though my voice had never been heard. In fact, the connection between my computer, the drones, and the bug was not going well, so it was a possibility that my voice hadn't gone through any of the drones' speaker systems at all. I leaned back in horror. Genos was going to die, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
"Show me no mercy. Those were the rules, Sensei-"
Saitama blurred out of sight, and I brought my hands to cover my mouth as my heart pounded. He was back in front of Genos, and in shock, Genos lashed out with a kick. It only connected with an afterimage, and in miliseconds, Saitama was behind Genos who was in an unsafe stance. In that position, he was a sitting duck. He's going to die, I chanted like a mantra, he's going to die. I felt sick to my stomach.
Saitama reeled back his fist slowly, and struck. I covered my eyes, and heavy sounds came over the line for eight seconds, each one feeling like a lifetime. By the time it stopped, I figured I'd hear Genos's core again. But I couldn't hear it, I thought in despair. I couldn't hear it.
"Genos!" I cried, throwing off my headset, opening the door to the shelter, dashing out, and frantically trying to find a way down from the ledge. Screw it, my mind jeered, I just had to jump. Looking to my far left, the canyon ledge curved. It wasn't there before, yet I didn't bother to think about where it came from; I didn't have the time. Screw jumping, my thoughts screamed, I could slide down that! By the time I got down, my hand was scratched and bleeding, and dirt covered parts of my coat and pants.
I tumbled during my run, and Genos was standing still, hair swept back, facing the large depression of the ledge which was now behind me. I couldn't even confirm he was alive. He could've been dead on his feet. There was only one way to test it. "I need to hear it, I've gotta hear it…" I whispered. I ran past and around him, and I pressed my head against his chest. His core was thrumming. I breathed a sigh of relief. I could hear it. Oh, thank God I could hear it. The world around me was muffled. As long as I could hear his core, that was all that mattered.
"Jade?" I came back to his attention, slowly, not wanting the noise of his core to lessen while I concentrated on talking to him. "You're crying."
I blinked away a wetness in my eyes, a wetness I didn't even realize was there. My heart continued to thud against my rib cage, and I wiped away my tears. "Y-yeah," I hiccupped. I winced when I curled my right hand into a fist. "Sorry, I thought… I couldn't see you for a while. I assumed the worst."
"I'm fine," he insisted, then took my wrist in concern. "You're bleeding. Did you hurt yourself?"
It was my turn to insist I was fine, and although Genos worried like a mother hen, I eventually got him to back off. "I'm just really happy you're okay," I breathed heavily, trying to regulate my lungs again. "You really scared me. I was serious when I said I didn't want to go back to the facility alone, you know?" He nodded after a moment of contemplation.
"Hey, do you guys not want udon?"
Genos and I both turned to Saitama who had shouted across the distance he had made between us. I looked on with a more amused grin and turned back to Genos. "Want udon?"
He smirked in return. "Yeah."
At the end of the day, Genos and Jade are just two kids concerned about each other. Also, did you guys notice the lack of flashbacks? From your reviews and careful consideration, I figured I'd leave them out for a while, just until there are chapters that really need them to add to the story, otherwise they'd detract from them.
Also, this chapter was another 20 or so pages. I thought I would have made this another 5000 or so word chapter, but there was more to this chapter than I thought. I'm sorry I haven't updated in awhile too. I hope this chapter made up for it. This chapter had a lot of Genos and Jade interaction, so I was pretty glad about that. And we have more stuff about Yonten, and Genos is suspicious of Jason being their hacker. And of course, the great fight between Genos and Saitama.
The next two chapters are going to be overall a small part, but important to the story nonetheless. It's going to heavily involve Jason, and the Heroes' Association! Also, not that this is going to be in the next two chapters, but for a much, much later arc, I've found a way to incorporate an OPM world Civil War, based off of Marvel's Civil War. So just know that is something to be excited about in a much later chapter. Probably won't be happening until after the Sea King Arc, or around that general time.
A big, huge, enormous thank you to everyone who reviewed! I appreciate it immensely!
supermeg16- Jade's relationship with Haf is always fun to write. And I totally agree, puns are amazing.
xGuiltyXGigglesx03- Thanks! I'm glad you think Genos and Saitama are in character! Even though they are major parts of the story, I always find it a bit challenging to find them through it all. And finding a fanfiction with a good sense of proper grammar is pretty difficult, but it IS fanfiction, so you always have to search!
Hispanicin- AHHH! YOU LOVE IT?! THANK YOU FOR LOVING IT! AHHH!
Bob (Guest)- Thanks a lot for your three reviews! Majorly appreciated! And I really appreciate your criticisms. I'll never learn if my mistakes aren't pointed out, so I do appreciate the advice, and I will definitely try to improve the entertainment value for future chapters. Your reviews were actually what I was really looking for in terms of criticisms. I want Jason to keep a balance, definitely. Obviously, Jason is going to be able to fight off a few monsters (not the ones in cannon though, dear god) but ultimately, leaving the big monsters to the big guys. Jason will have moments in cannon, but nothing too major to take the spotlight from Genos or Saitama. Thanks again, though! Your words really helped me reconsider some thoughts of mine!
Reviews are love and motivation!
