Pick Your Poison
The Armsmaster
[Wednesday, December 1, 2010]
Colin Wallace has been quite busy the past couple of days. He trusted his team and the PRT had the Teeth well in hand and shipped off to the Birdcage like they had with Lung and Lee, so he went straight to work tinkering once he was able. He was currently bent over perhaps the most expensive microscope in the city doing delicate precision work on his latest project. In fact, it was so precise, it had to be measured in picometres. It also required intense focus and-.
"COLIN!" Colin Wallace snapped out of his intense fugue at Tess's voice combined with her shaking his shoulder. He blinked, wondering what he was looking at through his high intensity microscope for a moment. "Colin, it's been almost two days! Do you even have any idea what you've been working on?!" The nearly human-sized suit of Dragon armor demanded of him.
"..." Colin couldn't speak, his throat was dry. How long had it been since he'd had a drink? Before he could move to get himself some coffee, Tess held up a thermos, and he wordlessly accepted it to down the contents, which he about spat back up at tasting a meal replacement shake instead of the coffee he'd expected. Still unable to speak, he leered at his friend reproachfully, to which she gestured he continue drinking. The traitor.
"Colin, what caused you to lock yourself in here for nearly two days since Panacea reattached your's and Hannah's limbs? I've been so busy supporting the Merchants to keep the MS13 and the Bloods from hurting the DWU that I haven't been here to keep you in check." Tess chided him like a mother hen, to which Colin huffed and mentally agreed with the comparison. Shame she'd never have children with her body so frail she had to live out of her lab. She'd be a good mother according to the behavioral analysis books he's read.
"Ahem...achieving the pinnacle of miniaturized efficiency." Colin answered with all seriousness, turning back to the seemingly empty workspace he was at that had microscopes and various extremely small precision tools he may or may not have cannibalized from other, less ambitious projects. "When I got a blood sample from Hannah and examined it to compare differences between her new Biotinker-altered state and her original one, my power practically hammered on my attention span that I had the opportunity to learn from Dealer's genius."
"...Colin. What have you done." Tess demanded severely, and Colin grunted wordlessly as he gestured to the microscope array he'd been working with. She complied and took a look before sighing and visibly slumping a bit. Colin was always intrigued at how and why Tess worked such unnecessary details into her humanoid suits. "Nanites. You're making nanites. Colin…."
"They have limited self-replication, but only enough to do so on command and when given appropriate materials to do so. Watching the Stim bacterial colony in Hannah's blood work together to keep it stable outside of her body led to me being inspired to try my hand at what most would consider the ultimate in miniaturization." Colin moved to get back to work, but Tess put a hand on his shoulder to keep him away from it.
"The government has regulations on this for a reason Colin! You can't seriously expect anyone, let alone Director Piggot to even consider letting you field these!" Tess fretted, and Colin had to scoff at her concern, even if it was appreciated.
"Field them? Tess, I don't even have the initial prototype running in a controlled environment yet. What makes you think I would even use them outside of the lab? At least for now." He first planned to use them in his tinkering, as advanced tools to make his creations as compact and efficient as possible. "I'll take them out once I can verify they can perform surgery without error."
"Colin! You can't be serious!" Tess's pleading was starting to get on his nerves, and he didn't appreciate her adding her other hand to his other shoulder.
"We're losing Tess!" Colin declared loudly and he ducked under her proxy's mechanical strength to stand back a bit. "We're losing the war! The Merchants are the Heroes in the eyes of the people now, and we're just a nuisance. Petty Rogues, or even Villains in comparison. I can't possibly go out there in my current state, the same as always. I need an ace up my sleeve, one that can't just be dodged or ignored, one that can put me on even ground with the monsters that compose the Maras and the Bloods. Monsters not even Chevalier and Myrddin can suppress."
"I agree." Colin's impassioned rant was interrupted by an unexpected visitor. Director Piggot fully entered his lab, leaning heavily on her cane. The stress was getting to her and agitating her condition. Colin had time and again of late petitioned her to get healed by Panacea, but she'd staunchly refused as usual. Now though, Colin was more curious about her timely presence.
"Director?" Had she known already? He knew she spied on them, but he wasn't aware she had eyes into his lab, a place he scoured for bugs on a weekly basis.
"These are desperate times. Our city has become an even bigger cesspit of scum and villainy despite both ours, and the Merchants' best efforts. They won't go haywire?" Piggot demanded as she moved to his workstation to look in the microscope.
"Unless I'm up against another Tinker who has signal hijacking as a specialization, beyond unlikely. At best they'll just revert to inactivity without continued command prompts from my system every few seconds." It may have been tedious and clunky, but at least with such a restricted system in place, the tiny robots couldn't do anything if he just had his system stop sending prompts.
"That's a relief. But what use did you have in mind for them?" Piggot's question was easy.
"Initially, as tools to aid in my tinkering. Later, I planned to use them for field surgery and first aid, or unleash them on a crowd, have them target weapons, then break them down. The Maras and Bloods may have Capes, but it's their rank-and-file we have to be worried about spreading carnage too far." Both organizations existed before parahumans did, and thus already had a system in place before capes. His studies revealed that in spite of the capes, both organizations still operated more-or-less the same, and just treated their capes as notable toughs in the gang.
Colin was thankful that at least the Mafia hadn't given up on their rigid ethics, or else the country would've already been run by one of the Families.
"That is acceptable, so long as they pass muster on pig corpses and later cadavers. It's good to see that you haven't been shirking your duties like I'd suspected. Even if you are required some downtime after such a grievous injury, healed or not." Piggot appraised as she left his workstation. "Take a break however. You've been working nonstop and I order you to get some sleep." Piggot glared, as if daring Colin to defy her, and he sighed in defeat at the assault of two women on his personal time.
"Very well. Once I finish this liquid meal I'll go crawl into my cot." Colin acquiesced, and with that, Piggot nodded in confirmation, then left. "That woman is too damn stubborn for her own good."
"Indeed. She's had the resources to be back in her prime on hand since being stationed here. Now with multiple ways to achieve such an end and her still refusing, I'm beginning to think the director may have serious issues." Tess commented with concern. "I might even petition she be ordered from on high to get medical attention at this rate."
"Her ability to do her job has been diminishing greatly these past couple of months." Colin groused before he chugged the thermos down. "Hm, not a fan of chocolate. Regardless, I'll gladly sign off on such a petition. Director Piggot needs help."
"Thank you. I'll draft up a request immediately. You, however, have some sleep to catch up on." Tess insisted, and Colin sighed in defeat before he turned towards his lab's fold-out wall cot. It wasn't as comfortable as his personal quarters, but time was of the essence and the sooner he could get his new armor and weapons ready with the help of the nanites, the better.
[Pick Your Poison]
After Colin got several hours of sleep, it was evening, and he was told he had to attend a team meeting to discuss their next course of action and also take stock of the situation now that they and the Think Tank have gathered what they could from the past three days since their city was so brutally assaulted by the Teeth, and then invaded by two even worse organizations.
"Of all the Villains to come here, why did MS13 decide to send some of their worst?" Ethan bemoaned, to which Colin grunted in wordless agreement. "I mean, Cadejo was bad enough, but Coco and Silbón too? Those three each have confirmed kill counts in nearly the triple digits." Ethan groaned while running his hands down his face. Here in this secure meeting room on the PHQ, they felt safe enough to be without their masks. It took Colin doing a thermal scan for any invisible people to gain such a level of reassurance, but they didn't want to hide behind masks for these meetings. It was how they did things when Robin was with them, after all.
"Not to mention Cipito, Siguanaba, and Chupacabra." Colin scowled. The MS13 came prepared for war. Those six were their most devastating capes in the country. Four of them also have Protectorate blood on their hands. Cadejo still has a standing Kill Order from him killing the Ward; Deputy, in Austin. An event that haunts Eidolon to this day, but his power making him nigh-invincible has lent him a similar reputation of fear that Lung held, especially since he brutally kills, and eats, nearly everyone that goes after him, Eidolon being one of the few exceptions. "Remember, Coco only got her hands on Robin thanks to Cipito and Siguanaba's combined mind-altering effects."
"But Lily was compromised even at range because she told nobody she was gay, and she was enthralled by Siguanaba despite her lessened effect at longer ranges. Because of this she couldn't make the shot to save Robin and she hasn't come out of her room since then." Hannah reminded sternly. She left out the fact that Lily also had to watch the baggy rag-covered monster named Coco dismember Robin with pure strength and start eating before Triumph and Dauntless pulled her away. Thankfully they hadn't been close enough for Cipito to affect them, but hadn't looked directly at Siguanaba like she had, or they would've possibly lost four good heroes that day rather than one.
"Which also means nobody here besides maybe Halbeard or Dragon can even face Siguanaba directly." Katherine huffed as she toyed with the movable ears on her helmet she had on the table in front of her. "I'm Bi, so there's no chance I could resist her. I've corrupted Hannah so she can't either-." "HEY!" "-Then there's the fact the rest of you are all men." Katherine continued, ignoring Hannah's exclamation along with her flushed and embarrassed expression.
"And I'm not?" Colin glared at the unprofessional and grating presence that was the other non-Protectorate volunteer of his team. Her obvious approval of the Merchants on top of her casual demeanor and disregard for authority didn't give her any positive points in his book. Ethan may be in the same camp as her, but he at least understood that when Vigilantes go unchecked, they tend to become worse than the evils they fight.
"To be fair Colin, she has a point. You have no libido to speak of and have such tunnel vision she might not even be able to affect you." Colin snapped his glare to Ian. "I mean that in a good way for the situation Colin. We may not be defenseless against her in your case." Colin growled quietly, unable to hide his disdain for the way his work rival described his dedication to his work. He appreciated the female form as much as any man, but his work came before any physical distraction.
"Don't be so hard on Colin for being so occupied with his tinkering Ian." Rory chided his older teammate. "After he lost his limbs he would've had to rebuild his armor from the ground up anyway, there's no chance he could've just gone back out on the field with us." Colin simmered, more in frustration than indignation at the truth of it and why Dauntless, Ian, was so standoffish.
"*sigh* You're right. Sorry Colin, that was out of line. It's been hell out there." Ian grumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose, his unkempt helmet-hair falling around his face. Lazy Trump, didn't even bother with proper personal care. "As if the MS13 wasn't bad enough, the Bloods haven't even brought their capes in yet and have already claimed a good portion of the southern part of the city."
"Which brings to question; why are the Maras so interested in the Slums and Docks of North Brockton, while the Bloods have spread like a web over South Brockton's more upscale communities?" Tess brought up, helping organize the topics and thoughts on the meeting at the whiteboard. At least she was being helpful unlike Katherine or Ian.
"I have a theory. We've all been brought up on the history of the Merchants since they started escalating?" Colin asked, hoping he wouldn't have to recap, but unfortunately, Katherine and Rory shook their heads in the negative. At least Rory had the decency to look abashed at having shirked his research. Knowing is half the battle after all.
"I'll be brief. The Merchants were started by a teenaged Skidmark and Squealer out of the neighborhood of Archer's Bridge in the Docks. It was originally in self-defense against the Teeth, who were originally from here. However, after they helped the other gangs and Protectorate at the time force the Teeth out of the city, they turned to crime as was expected, with an unexpected focus on drugs above all else. Their source wasn't local, at least at first, meaning they had a supplier from outside. Between the Maras and the Bloods, which is more focused on illegal drug distribution?"
Colin's rhetorical question had everyone at the table come to the conclusion of his theory if their faces meant anything. "As you may have guessed, I'm theorizing the Maras were their original suppliers, who after a time decided to cut ties when the E88 and ABB formed, possibly figuring two different racial supremacist gangs would kill any effort to expand here."
"Which is no longer the case with the Merchants suddenly rising out of the gutters and ripping their throats out." Ethan grimaced. "They likely see the Merchants taking over as a betrayal of sorts. They were probably betting on using the Merchants as a foothold and then throwing them away once they were established here. Now their pawns have become kings, and they're pissed."
"Exactly. Which is why they're so hell-bent on taking North Brockton when it's nominally run by the Merchants. Why they've sent their six most dangerous capes. Why they're already escalating beyond normal reason." The Maras had already killed several Merchants. Cadejo himself had slaughtered seven in the past few days, but thankfully for the Merchants, their new more intelligent operations have prevented further death tolls. They may be Villains, but they don't deserve to die.
"Considering the situation. Maybe siding with the Merchants would be for the best." Katherine offered, and though it grated on him to admit it, Colin felt the same way.
"Yes. They may be villains, but they at least haven't been harming civilians since their reformation. The Maras have already assaulted dozens of civilians, stolen thousands of dollars of property and money, and the number of murders have climbed back up. In comparison, the Merchants have only been running security." Not protection rackets either, actual security. Boots on the ground have reported they keep unseen patrols in their client's areas, but don't threaten or harm people who've refused to pay. Some of those people have even decided to purchase services after the fact since they were so professional from what reports said.
"Isn't that illegal?" Rory asked in surprise.
"No. They may be a criminal organization from their past actions, but being a member of a criminal organization doesn't make you a criminal by default. Think of them as the local Yakuza." So long as the Merchants didn't do anything illegal, such as possessing a gun without a permit, or anything criminal for that matter, they were actually allowed to operate so long as people without known criminal actions weren't in the open. Besides, unofficial Truces like this happened all the time in serious situations as this. Colin may not like it, but he would play ball if it meant protecting his city.
"Finally! Let's drop them a line and try to communicate or something. I gave Dealer my number, so hopefully he'll give me a call if we send them a message somehow." Katherine cheered as she stood up and put her helmet back on.
"You gave an underage minor your number why?" Colin demanded heatedly, to which Katherine scoffed.
"What? I can't give an admiring fan my phone number? What if he wants to hang out? Besides, it works out doesn't it? C'mon Dragon, let's go put up a white flag at the Docks, or however you guys make truces here in New England." Katherine practically skipped out of the meeting room, and Colin sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"We haven't even gone over patrol routes yet." Colin groused as he tried to valiantly fight off another headache, courtesy of the resident rodent-themed heroine.
"Might as well put that on hold, let's see if we can't get in contact with the Merchants first. Besides, you still have work to do in your lab." Tess soothed, and Colin nodded in agreement. If they were going to be working with the Merchants, at least for the time being, it would be best if they could work their patrols around each other.
"Yes, indeed. Dismissed everyone, we're on standby for the evening until Dragon and Mouse Protector, as a third party, can make contact with the Merchants." Colin put his helmet back on and walked back to his lab. Once everything was sealed back up, he sighed and undid the clasps of his make-do suit of armor and laid them out on another table, before he went to his nanite station and went straight back to work.
After just a few minutes, his first nanite was finished. But, rather than slave away at a second nanite, he placed a small ingot of various metals, slag, drippings from other projects, all sorts of misc elements on the slide, and picked up his tablet. "Okay then. First test of self-replication." After fiddling with the system commands that would transmit to the nanite, he put his eyes to the microscope and pressed the activate command. Colin watched in fascination as the nanite, in a blinding speed, moved to the pinky-sized ingot of metal and tore into it like it was made of soft cheese.
Within minutes, the nanite had successfully made dozens of copies of itself, but none of them were joining it in making more. "The limiter is working properly then." This was good. He could selectively pick out how many nanites to dedicate to a task. With that confirmed, he set it so all of them were dedicated to the same task, and within another minute, the swarm had completely used up the ingot to make more of themselves. He left the same command running, but since there were no suitable materials within the very limited range for them to utilize, they simply went into standby.
"Perfect." Colin felt a smile grow on his usually taciturn face, and then picked up the slide after he ordered them into proper standby. He moved the roughly marble-sized mound of nanites into a large biohazard containment cell, labeled as 'immutable' to the nanites, and then proceeded dump his old suit of armor in, as well as one of his spare halberds. "Now, if this works right…." Colin mumbled as he loaded a whole series of schematics and blueprints he'd put together with help from Dragon, and set the nanites to work. "I'll have my new suit of armor and halberd come morning. Even less downtime thanks to this. Optimal."
Colin was quite pleased with himself. He could be a hero much more efficiently now, and it was ironically thanks to the good graces of a Villain too. Speaking of which…. Colin went to his computer and checked on the progress his team was getting towards being allowed to utilize the Surge they'd confiscated from Winslow, and he hummed in approval at seeing they were given the all clear to start enhancing themselves. Signed by Chief Director Costa-Brown too.
"Colin. Mouse Protector and I have made contact with a Peeper from the Merchants. She's relayed things back and forth, and even gotten Squealer on the phone for us. They're more than willing to work with us." Tess stated as her digital avatar appeared on his computer screen.
"This is good. Hopefully we'll be able to get swift justice for Robin, and even start stabilizing the city once the Maras and the Bloods are dealt with." Colin opened up the city map, and began plotting out routes. "Just help me set up patrols for now."
"Certainly. But where did this sudden confidence come from?" Tess asked, to which he gave her one of his rare smiles.
"Let's just say that I'm feeling like defying the odds for once." Colin answered as he idly pulled up his private design for his Nanothorn technology.