Grinning I passed over the two personal shield units over to Leet and Uber, each one about the size of a deck of cards.

"Almost doubled the performance of them too, they'll easily tank RPG's and nearly unlimited amounts of conventional bullets. It's regenerative like the original one was, so even after they collapse from too much damage they'll recharge after a few seconds of down time."

Grinning I placed the original one on the table and slid it over to them, "Also fixed the original one it's basically the same as it was, minus the chance of explosions."

Leet looked over the shields, pulling out a set of screwdrivers before disassembling one of them carefully. He was probably checking to make sure I didn't sneak in any GPS or tracking circuitry, I know I would.

After a few minutes of silence while he worked, "It's legit" he proclaimed.

I scoffed, stood up on the chair seat and leaned over the edge of the table and quietly said, "Of course it is, I do have to think about life outside of the wards after all. Their rules are stifling and I don't plan on being with them for too long. But I've been thinking… in your file in the records, they hypothesized that your tinkering specialty is that you're able to build anything once but has an increasing failure rate after the first time you build a specific circuit or part." Of course, I never bothered to actually look at the records they had on either of them, It just made for a good excuse as to what I knew.

I drummed my lower claws along the table, "Assuming that's true, between my tinker specialty and yours, we'd be able to build anything and make it safe and reliable. I even have an idea on how to make quite a bit of money."

They both perked up at that.

I grinned, showing off my row of sharp teeth. "Have you ever given thought as to how much money the PRT might be willing to spend on a machine that could heal? Or perhaps even one that was capable of bringing back the very recently dead. Tinker-tech or not, just one machine capable of doing that would change the world. Make a few of them and they'd need to be serviced by tinkers to keep them running, you.. we.. could have a nice recurring maintenance plan to keep them running."

I launched into my pitch, "Leet, the only thing you have to do it do the initial design work, I'll fix the sabotage your ability plants into the design and then build it with your and Uber's assistance. I'm not going to gloss over the fact that you're currently considered villains. The first one we build will probably be used as a demo unit and as a bribe for the PRT to register you two as rogues. They might overlook your previous criminal activities in exchange for something like that. Anyways, I would like to propose a partnership, maybe even make up a company to sell them and the maintenance plans."

"I'm also interested in some weapons specifically, I have some ideas for some anti-endbringer weapons I'd like to see if you can design. I'd also like to talk about machines that can build machines, things like nanotech factories or maybe something like star trek replication."

Leet looked over at Uber who shrugged, "We'll have to think about that. We kinda have our own thing going on with the video games and our sponsors."

Deflating a bit, I sagged down… and with a subtle grin turned on my sad face which made me look like a kicked puppy. Which seemed to make both of them extremely uncomfortable. Putting my upper claws together, ears tight against my head and pointed down a while and looking down at their feet. I sadly muttered, "Oh…"

Softly with a bit of wavering, choking sounds "You guys are just... like.. cool and stuff… " thrown in a bit of trembling lip added.

"and Shadowstalker is so mean to everyone..." I'd avoided her as much as possible myself, and poor Vista's dreams about having a "girl" finally on the team with her were shattered by the aggressive cape who preferred to use her as a verbal punching bag on patrol.

"Armsmaster is an asshole…" who mostly stays in his lab away from everyone.

Uber spoke up, "Look that's... rough and all but we still need to discuss this proposal."

Leet nodded, "Yeah we've got fans we need to worry about, fans who expect new videos for their donations we can't just drop them you know."

Uber nudged Leet with an elbow who looked back at him before Uber pointed down at me. Leet took a few seconds before figuring it out. "Oh yeah. speaking of which we think we've uhh... figured out a part you can play in our next video."

Uber nodded, "yeah"

Leet continued and patted his pocket before pulling out a small bundle of paper, "So yeah, here's designs for a suit I came up with, figured with you being a tinker you'd want to build it yourself so it doesn't like.. blow up or anything and the costume idea. Umm... just shoot us a message when your done with making it and we'll set a time and date for you to show up. You can keep the suit of course."

He passed over the papers which I took and started looking it over.

I probably looked like a fish with my mouth gaping open every once in awhile.

"Huh.. really .. that's interesting… Yeah, I can do this, probably be about a week or so" as I picked up Speed Suit.

"Oh Leet, can I look over your hovering camera drone plans, I've been wanting to make one for myself."

"Uhh.. sure I guess just make one or two for me too. Mine keep breaking down, uhh actually.. just take that one with you. It's been shorting out on me," he said as a drone floated over to me before landing on the ground at my feet.

"Sure thing."

I snuck into the Wards kitchen to grab some food as I was running low in my own little kitchenette area in the lab. With my arms piled up high with stolen goodies from the fridge, I turned around to leave only to see Shadowstalker phasing in.

"Oh, Mister cute and fluffy has finally decided to grace us with his presence. I couldn't help but notice you've been avoiding me, o'king of the stuffed animals. Poor Vista has been beside herself without her cute, fluffy little snugglums."

"I've just been busy Shadowstalker, I'm a tinker we.. tinker all day long."

"Yet I've managed to pin Kid Win four times since starting a week ago, and here I've heard you're pretty good in the sparring ring but somehow I haven't managed to catch you sparring even once. I mean all of the other Wards keep talking about how you'd definitely beat me."

"Oh, Shadowstalker I didn't know you cared enough to... stalk me. Look fine, you want a match I'll be at the spar tomorrow."

She attempted to trip me as I walked past her, only for me to forcefully push her foot and ankle away. Making her stumble briefly, I grinned at her. "My feet are.. sticky. If you're not careful you might just break an ankle doing something like that."

Oh Shadowstalker, you always brighten up a room when you leave it.

The other wards were excited when I actually showed up for the spar. Some PRT officer that I didn't recognize was in attendance and supervising the training session and the workouts. I stopped going weeks ago as I didn't really benefit from any combat training or exercise and you know... no one complained about me not showing up to them. Or maybe I just ignore it when they did relentlessly complain about me not showing up. Yes, yes, that second one.

Come to think of it, I also didn't show up to a lot of things that the other Wards did. I mostly just saw them when I wanted to be petted or needed more food or materials.

I think I've turned into a pet cat.

I'm ok with that, Bow down to me mortals, worship your fluffy god!

"Alright, so here I am. How do you want to waste my time fighting you Shadowstalker? First to give up, first to knock out, first to ring out or when you fail to do anything to me for ten minutes?"

She snorted, "A fur ball like you, first to knock out of course."

She should be glad that we're not using weapons, with her "issues" with electricity it's likely that the excited electrons that make up the charge can jump to her phased mass and discharge into her.

Entire atoms in a plasma (not just the electrons) are excited similarity to the electrons in electricity and are extremely conductive in that state, a ball of extremely hot, static-clingy plasma would probably cook her phased mass as it traveled through her, transferring some of it's heat and electrical charge into her body.

But I'm not sure if it would travel through her or not, the plasma might just blend into her mass doing something else horrific like causing her to disintegrate or it might cling to the outside of her phased state like a soap bubble sticking to soapy water only to explode(as normal) when she de-phases.

Guess it depends on how her phased state works and how well the shard keeps her together, her vulnerability to electricity does not bode well for her chances against plasma weaponry.

I replied, "So ten minutes then, Clockblocker if you can, please set an alarm for ten minutes."

"I don't have a watch."

I glared at him, "Really, you had one the last time I was on patrol with you."

"Well, why would I have a watch?"

"Your name is Clockblocker, your entire theme is about time and you don't have a watch?"

"Isn't that stereotyping me, I mean should I expect Vista to carry around pictures of landscapes?"

Aegis interrupted, "Stop messing with him and just set your watch."

Clockblocker sighed and shrugged before rolling back his sleeve and setting the alarm on the third watch on his wrist. Grumbling softly, "Why do I always have to be the one to keep track of time for everyone."

The PRT officer had us move into the practice-area before starting the match.

"Begin"

I just stood there while she circled around me, I slid one leg slightly forward and stayed in place. I stuck my feet to the ground and just braced myself for her attack.

Attacking me from behind she kicked me with a leg to the back of my head, it jostled me a little. Besides her phasing power, she was just a "normal" teenager, complete with normal teenager strength. She probably even weighed about as much as I did.

I grinned and replied to her attack. "If you do that lower on my back I could get a massage out of this."

She kicked me a few more times before moving in to throw an arm around my neck in a rear choke hold to try and knock me out.

She had about as much success at that as she was with the kicks. Cheekily I said "Soo.. how's choking me working out for you?" before I grabbed her arm and slowly squeezed.

She gasped in pain as I increased the pressure, she let go of my neck and wildly punched the back of my head with her other hand to try and get me to let go. I just kept squeezing until she finally turned into her shadow state to escape my painful grip. I instantly moved to overlap her shadow-like body with as much of mine as I could.

I bet it was horrible, my sheer physical density was probably unpleasant for her own body to try and pass through, she tried to dodge around me several times, but was "unfortunately" slower than I was. I don't know if she needed to breathe or not in that form but after several minutes of playing-stay-in-the-blurry-shadow she "ran" out of the fighting area and off of the safety mat. I let her go after she left the area and she collapsed after returning to a physical form gasping either from exhaustion or from simply being out of breath.

I walked off the mat and started back towards my lab "That was boring, Guess I win then?"

"No!" she screeched and picked herself up off of the ground shakily.

"Oh, well guess you win then because I don't care what you want to call it but I'm leaving."

"We're not finished blue ball." she spat out at me.

I looked over at her as I opened the door and laughed, "But Shadowstalker... I'm so scaaarred.. I give up. You're the winner, congratulations." I said mockingly before closing the door behind me.

Choke on your "victory" Shadowstalker.

I'm not entirely sure what she was thinking that she was going to be able to do to me anyways. She could phase some weapons into me to do some serious damage if we were actually fighting, but that's obviously not going to fly in a no-weapons spar. I understand that I look incredibly harmless, adorable and cute but surely she's heard that I'm a brute too and can turn people and steel bars into pretzels. I guess it's just hard to take that sort of warning seriously when I look like a plush toy.

Small blue clawed fingers clattered over two sets of keyboards, words quickly filled the screen.

Project Oracle

AI - based Prediction Engine

(External Drive A) Code Core completion(5%)

(External Drive B) Prediction Engine completion(5%)

(External Drive C) Morality Core completion(0%)