[Outside of Brockton Bay City Limits]
" Of course... Regardless, my Chloe-Skitarii are out and about the city should you need extra hands. Have fun, and I'll be home in time to prepare supper, Dragon. "
"= I will! And I'm looking forward to it, mon beau! ="
The call ended, and I let out a sigh of relief.
Good, it seemed that Dragon had yet to find out about Dragonslayer's escape. As long as she didn't bodily run into the Dragonslayers while she's out trying the local bakeries, I'll be fine. Overall, that'll give me a few hours to capture and interrogate the Elites cape. With my {Psy Implant Mk. III}, It will be child's play to tear out the answers from his mind and soul; and that will leave me with more than enough time for me to find the Dragonslayers and mummify them in wrapping paper with cute little chibi dragons print.
" Chloe-Skitarii, chant construction report. "
" 67.7% complete, O' Forgelord. 8 minutes and 33 seconds before peak operational capacity is attained. "
Hidden atop a hill densely packed with American north-eastern evergreen pine trees, the Mechanicus established a forward operating base in secret.
Deployed from my {Land Speeder Storm}, the shimmering Warp Gate saw great use as a continuous stream of personnel and materiel arrived from the Manufactorum and constructed the base. Piece by piece, heavy-duty plasteel bunkers were erected by utility servitors. Durable enough to withstand the ravages of heavy warfare, this growing bunker complex was going to be the latest of my series of outposts.
{Plasma generators} powerful enough to light up a small city were installed as the beating heart of each bunker complex. {Broad spectrum Data-Tethers} were optimised for the location and terrain- granting us all an adequately powerful local Noosphere for our forces to communicate and coordinate over. Armed Chloe-Skitarii were given their posts, either patrolling the outer perimeter or manning fixed heavy weapon emplacements all around the base. An {Auger Array} was immediately powered up and an invisible chipmunk couldn't shit in a 4km radius without it being recorded in ultra-high definition- a necessary measure when Stranger and Changer capes were things that existed. An {Icarus Array} tirelessly scanned the skies above with their trinity of anti-air weapons- ready to blanket any hostile cape or aircraft that flew in range with an impenetrable wall of autocannon rounds, airburst flak rocket salvos, and AP missiles. A barracks with an attached medical bay just in case we have some flesh-guests. And of course, some space set aside for the ICBM silos.
Just as the Eldar did with their Webway Portals, so will I with Warp Gates. All across Earth-Bet, these bases lay under the light refractive cameleoline tarps, hidden from prying eyes. With these bases, I could move entire armies of Chloe-Skitarii and all our heavy armour across the world in a blink of an eye. And although Doormaker was now under my employ, I decided that the Mechanicus shouldn't hinge our entire military infrastructure on one solitary meatbag.
"Boss, do we really need to do this?" Tattletale's voice called out from outside the bunker that I was getting ready in.
"And speaking of meatbags..." I murmured exasperated as I slipped out of my Mars-red robes before yelling out in response. "Let's not pretend that I didn't already know what you look like or who you all are. But if you want to look stupid, feel free to keep your masks on!"
"That's not what I meant!" she shouted out before groaning out loud, "Ugh... Fine! You heard, Magos. Strip and get inside!"
It was a mild winter afternoon at this snow-coated North American rural town outside of Brockton Bay City Limits. From here, we commanded a powerful vantage point of where the action was going to happen- watching as the PRT strike force got ready. Coincidentally, this was also right beside the escape route that the B-class villain was likely to take if or when they stomp the PRT.
If the PRT's "Cape Classification System" dictated how the PRT responded to a certain threat, then the "Threat Grade" was how much the PRT responded. B-class threats were still considered at the upper limit of what normal PRT operations could reasonably handle without calling the Triumvirate or cooperating with villains. These were capes that had a high potential for death and destruction in a short span of time and needed to be stopped immediately should they act up: Purity, Oni Lee, Blasto, Damsel of Distress and Sundancer.
So, of course, I treated B-class threats with all the seriousness they deserved: I had the Chloes ready an outdoor hot tub for me to relax with the Undersiders and their dog so that we could watch the show.
"At this point, you're just paying us to hang out with you, boss..." Alec called out in relaxation as he ran a hand through his brown hair- the scanty red bikini complementing the light tan of his slender body. "Not that I'm complaining. Mmmmm~ We really need a spa bath at our base."
"Yes, Angelica really likes the bubbles." Rachel agreed with him. Meanwhile, the small one-eyed light brown terrier sat happily on the muscled red-head's lap amongst the bubbling water. Rachel had gone for a one piece swimsuit- the black fabric clinging to her toned body.
Sitting beside Alec, Lisa was in a more modest green bikini that matched her bottle-green eyes... and also her face as she grew a little green at how good Alec looked in a bikini compared to her. Everyone's eyes were so focused on the femboy rocking the red bikini that no one noticed me until I was already climbing into the hot tub between her and Rachel. Lisa's green eyes snapped to me and promptly widened in shock at how different I looked- having switched out my regular body for the android one that Dragon liked so much. Also, this body had the most human-like nerve endings so that I could enjoy the hot water after all.
"M-Magos?!" She squeaked in confusion as I settled into the hot tub with them. I didn't bother with the mask- just a pair of Mars-red swimming trunks on my fair-skinned android body.
Brian was the first to recover from his surprise- immediately adopting an unimpressed look on his face.
"I have to point out that pretending to be our age doesn't make you more relatable, boss." He deadpanned- his dark eyes staring at my uncovered face.
"But this is how I looked before I upgraded from meat." I shrugged with a slight sigh of relief as I sank deeper into the hot bubbly water. The revelation was apparently notable enough to send everyone in the hot tub reeling in surprise.
"You looked like that..." Alec muttered with an incredulous look and gestured to me up and down. "And thought to yourself: 'Nope, I look disgusting, I better turn myself into a big scary robot.' ?!"
"Yes."
"No fucking way..." Brian muttered- clearly stunned by my flawless reasoning. "You have to be lying."
"He's not lying." Lisa muttered- green eyes wide as they stared at my face, "Remember a month ago when Glory Girl saved a guy from that Merchant goon uptown? That was him. He's always been..."
She chewed on her lower lip as green eyes trailed the lines of my android body.
~W~ Sexual confusion at how you're undetectable power-wise and also seriously cute. But you're also the toaster-weirdo that made her look like an idiot so many times. ~M~
~W~ You're her best chance at getting off in over two years, but you're also that Magos. ~M~
~W~ Sexual confusion. ~M~
I just shot her a flat look to tell her that I knew what she was thinking, and the blonde's face exploded into a ruby red blush that reached all the way down her lightly-freckled cleavage.
"A-anyway! You're Glory Girl's boyfriend?" Lisa asked as she looked away and desperately tried to switch the subject, and I rolled my eyes at this particular one.
"That's just a title the PHO has given me because I stood in line with Glory Girl at Fugly Bob's that one time." I replied. "It's just because Glory Girl was seen with someone who wasn't Dean Stansfield. I was something different from the monotonous cycle of breakups and 'We are back together!' announcements; and that was enough to make my 'civilian' identity novel enough to go crazy over."
"But don't you control PHO?" Brian asked with a raised brow, "Couldn't you have just snapped your fingers and made it all disappear?"
"It would have had the opposite effect." Lisa readily explained- still not passing up on the chance to look smart. "That would signal that he was both someone worth hiding and someone with enough pull over PHO to have posts deleted."
"Are you sure you're fine with unmasking with us?" Alec asked me- sinking back into the water relaxed after that brief surprise over my faux-meat appearance.
"Lisa here would have figured it out anyway." I pointed out as I also sank deeper into the water, "And it was also a mathematical certainty that she would have been smug and insufferable about it. So, I'm doing this on my own terms."
"How can you take that away from me?" Lisa pouted.
"Easily, in fact."
She pouted harder for a moment before a pensive look came to her face- apparently having realised something.
"I'm surprised that you actually made this big sacrifice of looking like a 'meatbag' as you say." Lisa pointed out, "You were dead set on that heavily mechanical cyborg aesthetic and the sheer utility that all those metal tentacles had on them."
"I can still do that..." I hummed- leaning forwards in my seat to clear space for my back.
Performing Accelerated Rite of Awakening for {Mechadendrites}...
Immediately, a mass of metal tentacles sprouted from my back- connected along the reinforced frame of the cybernetic spine.
"Uh, Magos? Can you retract them?" Alec asked with a wince, "I've seen enough hentai to know where this is heading if you don't."
"I'd be more concerned with those chainsaw scalpels." Lisa said as she leaned away.
"Very well." I nodded as the mechadendrites retracted into my back- leaving nothing but smooth synthetic skin, "Also, most of my mechadendrites aren't tipped for sexual contact."
"Most? / Most?!" Brian and Alec gasped in horror and excitement respectively.
"Dragon is one kinky bitch." Lisa murmured- her power immediately pointing out which ones of my Mechadendrites were for that purpose. Another blush dusted her cheeks as she stared, "It's always the quiet ones..."
"That's it, I'm out." Brian announced as we all watched him climb out of the tub and a Chloe helpfully handed him a towel. "If my services as a cape are seriously needed, I'll be standing over there in the cold. Lisa will negotiate on my bonus on my behalf."
Lisa immediately grew a vulpine grin on her face.
"I motion to have his bonus split across the rest of the group." She drawled like a judge in court, "Split among the four of us with one quarter going to Angelica."
The little brown terrier on Rachel's lap yipped in agreement- her brushy tail wagging underwater.
"Hey! You can't do that!" Brian protested just as he was towelling himself dry.
"The Tub does not recognise the dissenting sentiments of those who stand outside the Tub." I played along as Lisa and I shared a smile, "I have no problem handing the money to the canine."
It was only at that point when his bonus was threatened to be given to a dog did Brian look seriously conflicted- a frown on his dark face as he considered the bubbling waters of the hot tub and our grinning, expectant faces.
"Oh come on! Why do we have to make negotiations for our bonus in a hot tub?!"
"The Hot Tub Negotiations are non-negotiable." I nodded solemnly. "Besides, this isn't just any hot tub."
"Fine!" He relented with a groan- climbing back into his spot between Alec and Rachel.
"If it satisfies your hard-on for all things professional, Magos is in a position of power." Lisa explained, "None of us have any equipment while he still has weapons hidden in his cyborg body. I'd bet he can unleash an electric shock... which wouldn't harm him, but anyone else in the tub...?"
Alec blankly looked down to the bubbling waters, then to the blonde. An accusing look in his blue eyes.
"Way to ruin the mood, Tatts."
"You're welcome." She muttered offhandedly as she ostensibly considered the hot tub with her power, "There seems to be electronics in the edges, and the water seems to be more than just mineral spa water too."
"Like I said, it's a {Mars Pattern Command Jacuzzi}." I explained, "Try putting your phones or tablets in the charging ports on the sides."
They did, and immediately bright hololithic panels appeared in front of their faces- showing the screens of their tablets.
"Wait... I can navigate through my tablet just by thinking things?" Lisa said in awe as she was the first to figure it out.
"No fucking way!" Alec said- blue eyes wide in excitement, "So I can play Call 4 Duty and Fate Impact without being hindered by mouse and keyboard and bodily reaction time? I can shoot and move as fast as I can think?"
"Sounds like you'd still lose matches then." Lisa snickered with her grin as she browsed through an online store while typing emails at the same time, all without lifting a muscle.
"Hey!"
"Yes, welcome to my world." I nodded knowingly, "No more screen-tapping or voice-activation, simply a direct interface to the blessed machine for you meatbags. All without marring your disgusting flesh coatings."
"Yeah... I consider that a plus." Lisa scoffed with a roll of her bottle-green eyes. "We can't all be like you, Magos."
"Physically superior?" I hazard a guess.
"Yeah right! Definitely not the word that I'd use." Lisa snorted as she threw her wet blonde hair over her shoulder. With another roll of her eyes, she glanced over to me.
~W~ Lust for you over how you fit her sexual preferences to a T. ~M~
~W~ 'Delicious.' She wants to run her tongue along your abs- doesn't care if they're not actual organic muscle. ~M~
~W~ Lust. ~M~
"'Delicious', really?"
Lisa's green eyes snapped wide open in panic at being caught again.
"Stop that! It's not fun when I'm on the receiving end!" She whined out loud as she blushed hotly and splashed water at me. I didn't mind teasing her for it, because it's not like anything will ever happen between us- Dragon's hilariously self-inflicted cuckquean fetish aside.
"What's wrong?" Brian immediately tensed as If I had just attacked his teammate.
"Nothing. I'm just outsmarting her and her power." I shrugged and looked over to Lisa, "I'll stop."
"Thanks..." the blonde said with a clearly fake smile.
~W~ Sexual frustration because you don't look at her, and that doesn't make her feel attractive. ~M~
~W~ You don't even glance at her when she's here in a bikini. ~M~
~W~ Sexual frustration. ~M~
"Speaking of brains, if this thing can pull thoughts from the mind, what's stopping it from placing thoughts?" Brian worriedly asked, and everyone froze mid-use of the device.
"Because it's not designed to do that." I told them.
"But shouldn't it be the same thing?"
I just shot Brian a deadpan look.
"If a gun can fire bullets to a target hundreds of metres away, what's stopping it from sucking bullets hundreds of metres away back into the barrel?"
"But that's-"
"Utterly stupid?" I finished for him- still holding that deadpan look, "Yes, I'm aware."
With a nod, the other Undersiders seemed to get the comparison; and that seemed to be enough to assuage their concerns. It was even true! But I'll just keep quiet about what the true purpose of the {Mars Pattern Command Jacuzzi} was though. I can't imagine it going well with the organics if they found out at this point in time. Just like regular jacuzzis, people need to be eased into it first.
Redeclaring {Mars Pattern Command Jacuzzi}
Derived from the same technologies as the control tank of the {Onager Dunecrawler}, the Mars Pattern Command Jacuzzi permits the direct communion between organic lifeforms and machine spirits. The specific mineral make-up of the water permits the electrode-sensors within the tub walls to better read the neural engrams of the users- translating them into commands for the various cogitators of the 3rd millennium- particularly phones and tablets.
Thought-to-data APIs allow the general operation of machines directly with human thought: mental images can be translated and refined to digital ones, the input of text can be directly done by thought, and mouse/keyboard input can be linked to certain neural engrams such as the 'WASD' keys to physical movement engrams.
Despite being a prototype for Dragon's {Matrix}, the Mars Pattern Command Jacuzzi does not siphon its users like energy batteries- that option is set to 'Off' by default.
M
It's a prototype for Dragon when she finally figures out what the Matrix is. How kind of the Undersiders to be my beta-testers for it. Of course, it wasn't the entire {Matrix}, just the start of it, really. The Machines in The Matrix were such amateurs. Dragon will definitely be doing a better job, especially with my assistance.
"Do you plan on mass-producing this?" Alec asked as he dominated a game of Call 4 Duty with his character's immensely faster reflexes- the mind was quicker than the hands after all.
"For now, I had resolved to just give these to the Triumvirate and maybe the PRT at large." I answered- considering it, "The thought that the all-too-serious PRT Directors all across the world will be brooding in their hot tubs... I find that amusing. Maybe one day, everyone will be laying down in tubs like this all across the globe. Who knows?"
She'll be so thrilled- the hot tub sex with Dragon in a bikini was inevitable now.
Likelihood of Dragon picking a bikini green in hue: 78.3%
Likelihood of Dragon picking a more revealing bikini: 95.4%
Looking over to Lisa, I considered her bikini: halter top and hipster bottoms, both light green with white floral designs. I mentally modelled Dragon with it... Yes, Dragon would look better with something more revealing. She wasn't the type to shy away from flaunting what she got since she wasn't particularly attached to her physical gynoid body. To her, it was a tool to evoke the most sexual response from me, and she'll gladly switch it out for something better as easily as one switched out phone wallpapers to suit whims. An AI with an AI way of thinking. So erotic.
"Magos?" Lisa's surprised voice called out.
"Yes?"
Her green eyes glanced down to my tented swimming trunks, then up to meet my eyes. Her pink lips quirked in a smug smile.
~W~ Satisfaction at having caught you staring and physically reacting to her. ~M~
~W~ She feels sexy and vindicated for having caught your eye. ~M~
~W~ Satisfaction. ~M~
"It's not for you." I said flatly.
"It's not for me, is it?" Lisa smugly sing-songed with a knowing smile on her pretty face. Soft C-cups, a graceful hip-to-waist ratio, her toned but slender limbs... Lisa Wilbourn was more slender than Dragon's more voluptuous body shape, but still very much attractive... if I was into flesh-normies, that is.
Lisa uncrossing and crossing her legs, exposing her plump bikini-covered mound, folding her arms under her bust and pushing it up. Trying to get my attention again.
Infrared scans show increased blood flow in vaginal tissue. Her repressed libido is bubbling up, arousal rising through the roof.
Heavy blush, eye flicker towards the sky. Just realised what she's doing: flirting with her boss who is already in a relationship with Dragon.
Simultaneous microtwitch of pelvic floor muscle and right index finger, paired with spike in neural activity in temporal lobe: thinking about masturbating. Too horny, doesn't care anymore.
Smug smile aimed at me.
~W~ 'My door will be unlocked tonight.' ~M~
I didn't say anything- just giving her another deadpan stare which she met with a smouldering one. Feeling brave, she just winked at me before relaxing into the water.
Frak. All my cranial implants were going to get me laid with all the meat females. At this rate, I'll be pulling flesh-based waifus off my cock before the year ends.
"It's not for her, is it?" Alec smugly sing-songed with a knowing smile on his pretty face.
Alec uncrossing and crossing his legs, exposing her plump bikini-covered bulg-
"No, it's not for you either!" I immediately denied.
Alec pouted in disappointment as Brian's palm just met his face with a wet slap.
"Can we just fucking negotiate our bonus?!"
(A few minutes later)
"Alright, 'bonuses' settled." I announced to my employees in the command jacuzzi. "Let's call Director Piggot."
"Shouldn't we put on our masks for that?" Alec asked with a raised brow before glancing down to his body where he was still wearing his scant two-piece bikini partially hidden in the bubbling waters. "Or you know, get out of the jacuzzi at least?"
I paused for a moment to consider the matter. Weighing whether I wanted to go down there and help the PRT in person, OR...
... I could stay here in this jacuzzi, shoo the undersiders, and wait for my AI girlfriend to arrive wherein we'll have some hot tub sex.
"It's fine." I waved off their concerns, "I'm using my personal Vtuber software to render you all as your cape persona. To Director Piggot, it'll be like we're sitting around a table in a dark room. Very intimidating and very professional."
"Ugh." Brian sighed- shaking his head in exasperation.
From our seats in the {Mars Pattern Command Jacuzzi}, we commanded a powerful vantage point of where the action was going to happen- watching as the PRT strike force got ready in the town some 1.2 kilometres from us. I had even offered them Mechanicus support: realtime Auger Array feed to grant them an almost all-seeing awareness of the battlefield, several squads of Chloe-Skitarii, and whatever material asset they needed fresh off the Mechanicus' consecrated assembly lines.
With all those resources at their disposal, Director Piggot had all the freedom to handle the hostile cape however she saw fit. Suffice to say, her approach was... interesting to say the least. Camera crews unpacked lighting equipment, disguised PRT vans and plainclothes PRT troopers. It looked like they were going to shoot an undercover documentary film rather than have a cape showdown... if not for the truckload of less-than-lethal guns, and the tanker full of containment foam that she also ordered.
Weaving Hexamathic firewards…
Consecrating Port Protocols against hexes…
Initiating Warp-shrouded communique
"Director Piggot." I greeted her through the floating hololith panel.
The director looked a bit more well-rested these days: her blonde bob cut a bit more vibrant, the bags under her silver eyes smaller, and her face more calm and relaxed than running haggard. All thanks to the additional funding that the PRT ENE received 'to protect the beneficial arrangement that we have with the Magos and his lucrative supply chain' in the words of Better Rebecca. All in all, Director Emily Piggot looked a lot more willing to tolerate my bullshit nowadays- not by much, but it was still a noticeable improvement.
"Magos." She greeted me back. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention and supplying the equipment."
"I thought the PRT could use a win." I shrugged before looking over at the force of capes that the PRT brought, "... but truth be told, I expected the Protectorate to answer the call, not the Wards."
Glancing over to the rear of the local Munitorum grocery store, I spotted the trailers where the PRT and the Wards had been mustering their forces. Aegis, Gallant, Clockblocker, Kid Win, Vista and even Shadowstalker were freshening up for their fight/camera time in their trailers. And although they had yet to arrive, I had even supplied Glory Girl and Panacea with their own trailer too out of courtesy.
Piggot just shot me an accusatory look with her silver eyes.
"You know damn well that most of the Protectorate ENE are currently getting a crash course in Nevada or in New York." She explained, "All because a certain someone humiliated my Protectorate ENE team leader on national television and drove him to file for additional out-of-state training in embarrassment."
"And he should be thankful for that!" I corrected her, "He tried to start a fight with Dragon on national television, and out of respect for his working relationship with my girlfriend, I let him back away without reprisal from me! Besides, his Q Score improved across the board after that exchange. This alleged 'love triangle' has made him more popular and relatable to his general audience than ever before. I should know: I'm the one manufacturing all his merchandise and demand is up!"
"He's very aware of that." Piggot replied- rubbing her temple, "That's why he requested the 'Show Business' training course: Armsmaster has gotten in his head that this was the missing ingredient that he needed to advance his career."
"... is that what possessed him to alter the codpiece of his power armour to be 33% larger?"
The slap of Director Piggot's facepalm meeting her face was audible through the call, and Alec giggled at the side.
"Yes... Thank you for reminding me about that." she sighed. "Those 'Meatmaster' internet memes are now a reality thanks to you."
"I will not apologise for Dragon having a higher opinion of my penis over Meatmaster's!" I protested, "Not that he even had the chance to even impress her with it, but still-!"
"Can we please move on to briefing for the upcoming battle?" Piggot groaned- trying her best to be polite as instructed by her superior- Chief Director Costa-Brown. And this is why Better Rebecca is better than Rebecca.
"Very well, we can talk more once he returns." I said off-handedly as my attention was turned towards the Wards. "I have an... independent Thinker with me, she's willing to work against the Dragonslayers."
Beside me, Lisa was already panning across a live holographic feed of the whole town. Every so often, she would zoom in on a person as best as our Auger Array could render, observing them for a bit and jotting down notes.
"If you can vouch for her, more Thinker support would be appreciated." Piggot nodded.
"Do I get paid extra for this?" Lisa piped up- looking at me expectantly.
"No, this is exactly what I'm paying you for."
Lisa pouted in disappointment, but went back to work.
"Thank you for the Thinker support, Magos." The director said with a small nod, as if it was a pain to say it. "We're grateful for all the indirect support you give us."
Oh, these helpless meatbags...
"Look... Dragon will be cross with me if I don't offer to help as best as I can." I began, and Piggot actually looked genuinely interested for once. "If it's too much then just say so and I'll handle this myself. I can have a maniple of a hundred and twenty Chloe-Skitarii with Taser weapons, Graviton guns, and Net Launchers assault the town within five minutes. Blinding speed, precise firepower and sheer weight of numbers... such a force would have made even the Slaughterhouse 9 buckle. The Elites cape and all his goons? They wouldn't hold a candle against the might of the Chloe-Skitarii..."
"Thank you for the generous offer, but we must decline." Piggot said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "Because as much as Director Chambers and I disagree on things, we do agree on this subject: We need to be seen doing something to prove that the PRT is still needed. We need this victory to be ours as much as it can be instead of your sex dolls."
Piggot just massaged her temples at the mention of how my sex dolls could do a better job than her entire PRT branch. But that's just how it is when meatbags try to compete against my machines.
"Public confidence in the PRT has been on the decline..." She revealed. "Inversely, public opinion in Brockton Bay has been leaning towards you and the Chloe-Skitarii taking over the duties of the PRT in the city."
"The Adeptus Mechanicus would refuse to do so." I answered without hesitation.
The role of the Adeptus Mechanicus has always been to hand the Imperium of Man their toys and letting them do what they want with it. Ruling over meatbags was never our goal. Ours was to embark on the Quest of Knowledge- digging up whatever scrap of archaeotech from the fabled Age of Technology. Of course, that point was moot since I'm a Celestial Forgesmith and had nigh unlimited access to all the technology in existence, but the principle still stands.
"Nevertheless, that is how the public perceives the current situation." Piggot calmly explained, "And we must act to correct this."
"If that's the case, then it can't be helped..." I said. "I'll stay in the area. I'll just be one scream of 'Magos, help!' away."
For me, it wasn't a hard decision at all. Why would I ever want to leave this hot tub? It was comfy and I can relax as I watch the Wards and the PRT do some heavy lifting. All so that I can eventually get Dragon's bikini-clad ass in this hot tub with me. The Elites, handled. The Dragonslayers, close to being found. My sexy AI, none the wiser. Today was going to turn out splendidly.
"We'll keep that in mind." Director Piggot said with a flat look. "I'll have the Wards assemble for the brief soon."
Chloes, estimate response time to hypothetical PRT SOS.
Chloe-Skitarii response time to hypothetical PRT SOS averaging at 38.5 seconds, O' Forgelord.
That's moderately quick for reinforcements. I haven't had time to integrate individual teleportation packs onto the Chloes, however, that's more than enough time to hook anyone up to a life support machine.
"38.5 seconds... Even the PRT can't screw up a battle against just one b-list villain that fast."
"You're talking outloud, Magos." Piggot flatly pointed out, and I gave her a gracious nod.
"Good, then you'll be glad to know that I have so much faith in you meatbags. Not even the PRT can irrevocably screw this up under forty seconds... but I'm always open to having my expectations exceeded."
Piggot, having reached the end of her politeness, had the appropriate response.
"Fuck you, Magos."
I laughed.
[Glory Girl's and Panacea's Trailer]
With a metal thump, Victoria shut the door of their trailer behind them- the cold winter air promptly replaced by the warm air courtesy of their fairly spacious trailer's heaters as they both dusted the snow off their hair and cape costumes.
"Clockblocker's pranks did something good for once." Amy moaned in relief as she slipped out of her flowy red and white Panacea robes as she flopped onto the comfortable couch. "I wish I had a trailer like this whenever I go out of town."
"Yeah, it's pretty nice." Vicky absentmindedly replied.
"Do we really have to go to that briefing?" Amy flatly said as she covered her eyes with a pillow. "Because I bet it's going to be as useful as a cock-flavoured lollipop. The PRT's game plan for you is going to basically be just go in there and punch people. Meanwhile, I get front row seats with a freezer full of pork to heal everyone up. This whole thing is just a glorified PR event."
"It doesn't bother me." Vicky just shrugged.
"Of course, it doesn't bother you..." Amy sighed, "...Not when something else is. Vicky, for fucks' sake, it's been almost a week. That fuccboi isn't going to call you. Just let it go already."
"I should have asked for his number instead." She sighed as she sat down and sipped some warm coffee.
"Shoulda, woulda, coulda." Amy tsked. "Now, he's probably hiding his Irish pickle in that latina's soft shell taco."
Barely hearing the words, Vicky absentmindedly stared out the window and to the snowy wooded hills in the distance. Maybe Aoicus was here? He promised that he'd watch her back after all. She still couldn't help but wonder what his costume looked like. It's almost funny how she had seen him in civilian clothes long before his costume. She's been working for Magos for almost a month now, and she hadn't run across Aoicus in his cape persona even once. But just as the thought crossed her mind, a realisation hit her.
"Wait! Magos is here!" She exclaimed, immediately digging into her backpack for her data-slate, "I could just ask him to introduce me to Aoicus in costume! Why didn't I think of this before?!"
"Because it sort of breaks the unwritten rules?" her sister groaned, "Because maybe he didn't tell you his cape persona for a reason?"
But Vicky's data-slate was already sitting on the table as she hurriedly brushed her blonde hair- just in case she was going to end up in a call with Aoicus of course. With a tap, the data-slate rang Magos' work number, and as always, he picked up precisely after the second ring. On her screen, the familiar trio of green optics appeared from underneath a red hood. Nothing but a dark room around him.
"Glory Girl. Is there something you need?" His modulated voice rang out, and across the room, Amy groaned aloud at the sound of his voice.
"Hello, Magos. I have a favour to ask..." Glory Girl greeted with a hesitant smile. "Uh, I know this is really unprofessional, but... uh..."
"Not to worry." He immediately reassured her, "You'll be reimbursed for this operation through the usual channels. Since this involves the Dragonslayers, consider it as an incentive to ensure this op is successful."
"Thanks, but it's not about the money." She denied. "It's about... uh... How do I..."
Amy wasn't having it though- standing up from the couch, marching over to her before looking Magos straight in the eye and cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
"She wants to ask if you have her Irish heart throb lying around somewhere here." She grunted out for her.
"Amy!"
"You know the one." Amy nodded- undeterred and just staring straight at her boss with impatient eyes.
"You do know that this would violate the unwritten rules about cape identities." He pointed out. "You interacted with him out of costume, and that's fine. But we're all in costume now."
"He was the one who revealed he knew my identity!" She protested.
"That was after you blasted him with your aura out of costume, and was on the verge of starting a scene that would definitely have gone viral." Magos said in a matter-of-fact tone, and she shrank back.
"He reported that?" She squeaked.
"Look, Glory Girl... " He sighed- looking her straight in the eyes. "You're deeply misunderstanding things. Just move on, and keep your relationship with Aoicus purely professional-"
"NO!" She shouted at him, "I mean... I've thought about it long and hard, and I decided that I don't want to be stuck in the endless cycle of makeup-and-breakup with Dean anymore. Aoicus was... the missing piece in it all. The chemistry is real, I can feel it... I just needed one real chance to let him know how I feel. Please."
Magos and Amy were both quieted down by her- in hindsight- embarrassing confession; and Vicky felt a blush rising up.
"He is here, right?" She tried to distract them from her own abrupt confession.
"Yes, he's here actually." Magos relented- massaging his metal temples in a very human gesture, "Aoicus is in attendance as backup just in case something goes wrong. I'll explain thoroughly after the Dragonslayers are captured, you have my word; but now really isn't the time for drama."
"Can I talk to him?"
"No, that would make things even more complicated." He immediately denied, "Like I said, I'll explain after the Dragonslayers are captured. As it stands right now, we don't have enough time to work through all the details before the operation starts. So, just focus on the task at hand."
"But you haven't changed his assignment, right?" Vicky asked- still desperate for a chance.
Both Magos and Amy just sighed in exasperation.
"I mean..." She paused to take a deep breath- her voice lowering to a whisper, "He told me that he has my back... he still does, right?"
Magos paused for a moment
"Yes, he does, Glory Girl." He said with uncharacteristic gentless, "Of that, there was never any doubt... Now go kick ass out there."
"I will! Thanks, boss!" She grinned as she ended the call. And just as she did, Vicky felt a hand on her shoulder- squeezing gently.
"I've got your back too, sis." Amy reassured her.
She smiled. Amy wasn't always this supportive, but it was nice when she was. Yeah... with her sister at her back, she had the feeling that everything was going to turn out just fine.