[March 15th, 2011]
[Brian Laborn]
It was nice and easy working for Jason Wilke, granted it was probably because Frontline had just started the business less than a month ago, but regardless of that he was getting paid handsomely for what amounted to not a whole lot of work. If anything Bitch, Rachel, had been doing the most work out of all of them as the "Top Line Used Automotive and Restoration" company's lead janitor; their building had only been open for a day and she had already gone through and cleaned the place from top to bottom twice.
The day after himself, Alec, and Rachel signed their generous employment contracts a used car lot with a mechanic's garage was purchased up and within a few hours, large fences were put up around the perimeter. They were tall and had a thick cloth covering them, and they were a staple around construction sites in the country, both to prevent people from walking through a construction zone and to also provide some cover; a lot of businesses wanted it to be a bit of a 'to-do' when their buildings were finished, and the unveiling process was something that was part-and-parcel of that process.
Jason Wilke, Horizon himself, was there throughout the whole process to supervise the workers from the Dockworkers and the Construction Unions that showed up in the daytime to help him renovate the used car lot and shops so that everything was set up to his exact specifications. It was, however, during the night when the most work got done- Brian knew this because during this transitional phase he was their "nighttime security guard" a lot of materials and structures were put up. New parking lot lamps, asphalt torn up and laid back down, lines in the lot repainted, and almost a whole paint booth put up before the sun came up; really, the electricians and other union members were primarily there to be the rubber stamp that ensured everything was up to code.
Some of them groused that whatever under-the-table help he was getting was cutting into their profits, but a subtle reminder of all of the work they'd have once the Brockton Bay restoration projects kicked off in a few weeks was more than enough to mollify them. The things Brian had to do to keep some of the more curious workers away from the job site once the work day was called.
Truth be told, though, not even Brian knew what went on behind the fencing once the sun went down and the traffic died in the Central ward of Brockton Bay; he had his security booth outside the fencing along with a bank of monitors and cameras that were facing outside and that was about it. The security booth was incredibly high-tech, alerting him of movement on the cameras and sensors and he was kept company by the best coffee and food known to man- they tasted great, kept him awake without there being any jitters, and they all came as part of a package with the most comfortable chair he'd ever sat in.
Honestly, he wasn't even needed, but like hell he'd turn down $40 an hour for stupidly easy work like this- not even Alec complained about working the swing shift because he could play around on one of his handheld game systems without there being a single lapse in the security.
That was just their civilian jobs- their cape identities also came with a $5,000 a month retainer, $5,000 a month for Patrol pay (provided they logged 20 hours of patrolling per week), and if there was going to be an active job where they were going to take direct action they each got an additional $5,000 per sortie, along with a 100% bonus in danger pay if whatever capes they were engaging with was enough of a threat to harm them through the power armors that Frontline provided. As part of the benefits, they each had a $2 Million dollar life insurance policy that would be paid out to whoever was listed as their next of kin, along with the best health benefits money couldn't buy.
Sure, it was 50 hours of work a week between both the civilian and cape responsibilities, but when he was going to rake in almost $15,000 a month without having to actually engage anyone? That was damn fine money for someone like him with only a high school diploma, and it was more than enough to take care of himself and his little sister.
The only issue was that they needed to do what Horizon had dubbed "basic training" and have an "advanced course" in order to get them up to Frontline's standards. The basic course would last 90 days while the advanced course would last another 120 days; he wasn't certain when the hell they would find nine months to fit all of that training in, but he guessed that they would do it like the National Guard or something? They did one weekend a month and two weeks every year, right?
Brian shook his head and refocused his eyes back down to the computer monitors within the security booth. The cameras were clean and clear, and within an hour Alec would shuffle over to the booth and take up his shift.
Alec arrived five minutes past 1:00 AM, but that was something Brian expected from his fellow teen and accepted; it was hard enough for the boy to show any enthusiasm for anything, but he still managed to scrounge together enough willpower to overcome his apathy for the easy money that Horizon provided.
Brian unlocked the door to the security booth as Alec stepped forward, "Hey, Bri, stick around- the boss man wants to have a meeting at 6:30; something about our future job training."
The dark-skinned teen nodded his head as he adjusted his tan uniform shirt and tucked it back in underneath his security belt. "Sure thing, I guess I'll just sleep in the break room."
"Heh, that bed in the break room is awesome," The pale-skinned teen chuckled as he slipped into the chair and pulled his handheld gaming device out of the side cargo pocket on his trousers, "Fell asleep in it earlier today while I was playing."
Brian rolled his eyes and waved at the other teen. "Well, see you in 5 hours then."
"Yup, see ya then," Alec responded, the tiny sounds of music coming from the handheld's speakers as Brian slid the booth door shut.
"So, thank you all for being here," Jason Wilke spoke, the seven-foot tall, muscular blonde man crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back against a large, heavy wooden desk in the middle of the office. Lisa, Alec, Rachel, and Brian were all seated in some chairs in a semi-circle around him, and the Chinese woman that had introduced herself as Qi Bai Zhang Min was standing off to the side with a pleasant smile on her face and some manila envelopes tucked against her side. It took some willpower to focus on their employer instead of the smartly cut business suit the woman wore, but considering she wasn't the one who was paying them it was a bit easier to do.
"Now, we're not here to talk about the business here, we're here," He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver disc before placing it on the table, and with a small 'click' a translucent blue bubble expanded from it until it covered the entire room, "- to talk about Cape shit."
"Hell yeah," Alec spoke out, but his voice was just as unenthusiastic as it always was.
Horizon's lips quirked but he shook his head, "However, first thing's first- Qi, if you would please?"
The woman walked over and began passing out packets to all of them, and they all looked at the manila envelopes. "The fuck is this?"
Brian winced at Bitch's words, but their boss took it all in stride. "For you, Rachel, that is your criminal record expunged; I sat down with the PRT last week and we did some digging... and found out that the Agent responsible for handling your case did not take into account the circumstances of your Trigger event. So your murder charge has been dropped and you've been officially placed in my care until the day you turn 18."
The black teen felt his eyebrow rise and he pushed the copper tabs up and opened his own envelope before pouring over the documentation. "For you Brian, I pulled some strings and provided you set yourself up in a good apartment here on this side of town and get her enrolled into Arcadia for the fall semester then she'll be officially in your custody. Nothing your mother will be able to stop."
Brian inhaled sharply and let the breath out slowly as he leaned back in his chair and ran a hand over his cornrows. His fist clenched and he nodded back. "Yeah, yeah. That should be easy enough- this documentation should do it, right?"
"Indeed, though it isn't official until Monday next week, so you can utilize the next six days to do some apartment hunting, purchase some furniture to furnish it," Horizon spoke calmly, "Once you get your apartment situated we'll swing by to do some security upgrades for your place since that is where you'll be keeping your patrol armor."
"Oh man, now I'm getting excited. What did I get?" Alec chuckled and he opened up his envelope and looked at the single sheet of paperwork in his hand, "The... hell?"
"That is an IOU," The blonde man tilted his head to the side, "For a slot on our action team when we head up into Canada to kill Heartbreaker. I'm certain that you'll want to be there for that."
The teen's jaw moved, all sense of excitement gone from his posture, but he did look up at their employer with a smoldering gaze, "I honestly wasn't expecting this, but out of everything here I feel like I got the best little gift."
"Though, I do wonder what Lisa got," Alec turned his gaze towards the Undersider's former Thinker and she gave him a foxy grin with a double thumbs-up.
"They saved my life by taking out Coil, I now have stable and lucrative civilian and Cape employment, and the backing of the most powerful Cape organization on the planet. I don't think I need to ask for anything else."
"Also, Rachel, once we're finished renovating my shop here I've taken the liberty of purchasing an old animal shelter just a block down the street. It will be a bit of a fixer-upper, but we'll fix it once we're done with our little training trip." Horizon looked at Rachel and she nodded.
"Good."
"Now," The blonde man unfolded his arms and clapped his hands together lightly, "For the real reason we're all here. Tonight we are going to be handling your Basic and Advanced training blocks."
Alec tilted his head back and narrowed his eyes, "That's like nine months, boss man."
"Yes, it will be nine months of training, but in reality... it will be less than five hours." He shrugged his shoulders, "We have mastered the manipulation of time itself, so we're going to be spending 210 days in a highly specialized training complex. The complex will be surrounded by a time dilation field, so while 210 days pass by on the inside only four and an half hours will pass in the outside world."
Horizon looked at the wall clock, "It's almost seven AM right now, so if we went in we'd exit just before noon."
"Fucking cool," Alec chuckled, "Just like 'Chronos Lever'."
The blonde arched an eyebrow, "I'm not familiar with the particular game you're talking about, but yes, it is fucking cool. It's how we've managed to get so much done in so little time; a time dilation field does wonders for helping move Tinker projects along."
"However, before we get all excited about that, there are a few things I need to inform you of," The man tapped the center of the hardwood table and a Tinker tech holographic projector appeared with numerous diagrams that popped up- some were of the human body while others were of the power armors that Frontline used. "The power armors can be used by unaugmented people, but the amount of armor and safety features that can be utilized is minimal compared to the current model of armors I want you to use."
"If you tried to use the armor we have with your current physical bodies you'd just rip your own arm off. So, to combat this, we're going to be putting you through a multi-step process that will painlessly upgrade your bodies to peak physical condition and then beyond that," Horizon's blue eyes turned away from the holograms and locked with each one of theirs in turn, "I would say that this process is voluntary, but it isn't, not if you're going to be a part of Frontline proper; the independents that want to be apart of our affiliate program can squeak by with just getting watered down power armor, but if you're going to be my boys and girls then I'm going to do everything within my power to make sure that you come home alive."
"This includes gene therapy, optimal nutrition, a skeletal and muscular overhaul, along with numerous other improvements to your eyesight, reflexes, and durability," He popped his neck, "I will essentially be turning you all into super-soldiers with a Brute 5 rating just so that you can handle wearing the power armors that I've developed for you, and the armors themselves will bump you up to Brute 7, but all of the little bells and whistles will give you a variety of lethal and non-lethal options to handle pretty much any criminal that remains within the United States."
"You have a one-year probationary contract with Frontline now, but the moment that you finish your augmentations that will be extended to a five-year contract; after that Frontline will consider the augmentations paid off and you'll be able to leave the Cape life behind and strike out on your own if you so choose," Horizon shrugged his shoulders, "You'll live to be about 150 years old, will stay younger looking longer, and will be incredibly strong and durable without the need for other Powers. So it's not as though there aren't some incredible benefits with the augmentation process."
Lisa leaned back in her chair and rubbed the side of her head, "And what's the failure rate for these augmentations?"
Horizon arched an eyebrow and looked at her, "Zero. I've had a 100% success rate- myself and all of the other members of Frontline had been augmented with everything we will be giving you and then some. We have the best of the best overseeing every step of the process, and there are no negative consequences for going through the full suite."
Brian, for his part, believed him; if the 40+ members of Frontline had all gone through the process that made them able to do all of the incredible feats they have done in the past few months then he was certain that if there were any kinks in the process they would have been worked out by now. What was more important in his mind was that the reason they would be going through the process at all was that Horizon didn't feel comfortable putting them out there with just the watered-down power armors to protect them; he could have easily held all of this back to keep all of the 'good stuff' to the core members of the group... but he wasn't.
Granted, there was some suspicion in the back of Brain Laborn's mind as Frontline had been... incredibly generous with not just the pay and benefits, but they had also followed through on all of their promises. In less than a week, he'd be able to collect Aisha and get her out of their mother's house, and that was worth more than its weight in gold. It was right there on the borderline of "too good to be true", but considering the power, money, and influence that Frontline could now throw around the more likely answer was that Horizon wanted to cultivate talent and gave them plenty of incentives to stay.
Brian wasn't much of a comic book nerd, but even he knew that being on par with Captain America without the power armor and then exceeding Captain America with the armor was more than enough to convince him that going forward with the process would be the correct decision. What good would it do if he got Aisha out of that hellhole only to get himself killed because he wasn't strong enough, fast enough, or wasn't wearing the best protection possible because he hadn't gotten the proper augmentations to wear it?
Brian Laborn closed his eyes for a few moments and then opened them up, "So what do I need to do going forward?"
"Shit, if Brian's in then I'm in," Alec snorted, clearly amused by the whole thing.
"I can't take care of my dogs if I'm dead," Rachel grunted as if that was the only reason she was doing it. Granted, in her mind that probably was the only reason she was doing it.
Lisa sighed and shook her head, "Well, I was hoping to get some upgrades anyways, but it seems that peer pressure just greased the wheels."
To Brian's surprise, Horizon gave them all a soft smile, "Well... thank you for trusting us. We'll meet back up here after lunch, so if there is a particular restaurant that you want to eat at before going away then now is the time to do so. Don't worry about clothes or anything else, all of that will be provided by us."
The bubble that had been surrounding them in the room popped and Jason Wilke walked out of the office with Qi following close behind him.
They sat in silence for a few moments before Alec broke the tension. "Fugly Bob's?"
[Jason Wilke]
[March 16th,2011]
[2 Days into the Training of the Undersiders]
Homecoming was nice. I got to spend a lot of time with Tiffany and the girls, had some quality bonding time with my son, and even got the renovations started on my business. Two weeks was the amount of time I had budgeted for getting everything finished- I could have easily renovated the entire place in less than a minute with the help of the Canoptek Scarabs, but that would have obviously not flown over well, so I decided to split the work 50/50 between the construction and dockworker's unions. We did most of the tear-down, stripping the old place down to the studs, and systematically made plenty of repairs and upgrades to the old used car lot and mechanics shop; everything I needed to conduct my business was there, and I honestly looked forward to the day that I could do some more of the mundane stuff and just relax.
However, I couldn't exactly relax now as I now had my first team of outsiders to look after, and I needed to make sure that they were brought up to snuff. They would be the test bed for my new Augmentation Delivery System- a way for the Undersiders to upgrade themselves over time without me having a direct hand in the process, and thus not fall under the Three Laws perk that would undermine their autonomy; now whether or not I would utilize this method for other people I honestly didn't know, but I felt I had a decent enough read on the Undersiders to let them do hero work without needing to be Mastered.
The system itself was quite simple- nanomachines that were self-administered, when fed the proper nutrients and building materials, would upgrade the Undersiders over an extended period of time; they would get the Promethean physiology as well as the modified Super-Soldier serum, though in the case of Rachel Lindt and Alec, or Jean-Paul Vasil, they would have to undergo some mental tweaks that would improve over time as well; primarily in the empathy and critical thinking centers of the brain. Ultimately they would all end up half as strong as the rest of Frontline was prior to the ingestion of the Heart-Shaped Herb, though that was done both on purpose and because the delivery system wouldn't be nearly as effective as Subee and her girls were.
They would still be monsters on the field without the armor, and their armor would be similar to what we were all wearing; no sense in gimping their suits when survivability was the primary goal.
Regardless, if they ever went rogue they wouldn't be strong enough to give us any issue when it comes to dispatching them, and that was before any of the magic, the Force, and Ki was taken into consideration.
Springfield informed me that she was grooming Lisa to eventually be inducted into the harem, and if she chose to take that step then she would get the complete workup along with all of the ass-pain and training that would entail.
"So you're saying that any tech you create is automatically loyal to you?" Alec's words were irreverent, his posture on the comfortable couch relaxed, but his words still held a tinge of nervousness to them.
I gave him a look and then nodded, "Yes, that was what I just said. Then I explained how we would get around that with the self-administration of the nanomachines. The end results won't nearly be as good as if you'd had the augmentations directly created by me, but the armors will compensate for those deficiencies."
Lisa sighed and rubbed the side of her head, "Well, I would be more worried if the Robotics Tinker didn't have a Master sub-classification to keep his minions under control, but are you certain that this little workaround will be successful?"
"As long as neither myself nor any of my minions do the direct work then the Master effect will not engage," I spoke calmly and held up the vials of silvery liquid for them to see, "I've known about this since I got my powers, which is why I went through all of the ass pain to create this workaround in the first place. If I wanted to Master you I would have kept my mouth shut and just augmented you, then I would have my brand spanking new team of utterly loyal Undersiders that I could have done with as I pleased."
Rachel just shrugged and stood up before walking over, cracking the cap on the vial and downing it all in one go, the teen making a face as she washed it down with a bottle of water (Frontline Brand, if you must know). "It tastes like metal. Anyway, I just swallow those metal tablets every day, right?"
"Yes, swallow all ten tablets every day and eat the meals provided. We'll be doing scans every morning after physical training to keep an eye on it, but it's mainly just a sanity check; part of my powers ensures that everything I make functions as intended, every time, all of the time." I fixed the burly young woman with a look, "But just in case something does go wrong then we can fix it."
"Good enough," Rachel grunted before looking at the rest of the teens formerly of the Undersiders, "Well? Are you going to do it or not? We did all of this bullshit just to get to this point, no sense in pussying out now; he could have Mastered us, but he didn't."
"Well, in for a penny, in for a pound," Lisa was the next to stand up and grab her vial, twisting the cap off and doing her best college student impression with a can of beer. Her face twisted into all sorts of amusing looks before she clicked her tongue, "Oh man, she wasn't kidding. Tastes like a pile of iron shavings looks."
"Well, you can't be worse than dear old dad," Alec chuckled ruefully before standing up and walking over and grabbing his vial, the teen looked me dead in the eyes as he tossed it back, wincing at the taste. He smacked his lips dramatically before shrugging. "If I do end up Mastered do be a dear and at least fuck me every once in a while, just give me a reach around if you do."
I arched an eyebrow, "Not going to happen because you're not going to get Mastered. I prefer women."
He gave me a grin, "Oh, I can tell. My old man would be super jealous about the spectacular harem you've got here, boss man."
With that Alec and the others moved off to the side where they downed the metal tablets and the high-density nutrient pastes needed to jumpstart their process and get them going. Only Brian was left, and he eventually stood up and walked over to me, doubt plainly written across his features. "I'm not certain I should take this or not."
"Don't go off the reservation and start committing heinous crimes, and neither of us will have to worry," I stood up and looked him dead in the eyes, but making sure not to loom over him, "Frontline is the one accepting all of the risks in this situation; I could have easily Mastered you but I chose not to because I believe that I can trust you kids to do the right thing, whether it is because you want to do the right thing or because you're properly incentivized to do the right thing. Either way, it is a net win for the both of us because we will need more people if we're going to accomplish what we want to accomplish."
He nodded and twisted off the cap before looking down at the brew of swirling nanites, "If... if something happens to me, will you look after my sister?"
A soft smile pulled at my lips, "Now that isn't something you need to ask. If anything does happen, which it won't, then she'll be set for life with all of the opportunities that my organization can give to her."
Brian Laborn licked his lips and threw the entire vial back, just barely managing to down it all before he coughed violently, "Oh man, this tastes like I just got punched in the mouth by my old man."
He shook his head and gratefully swished around some water from a bottle that Lisa handed to him before he downed the tablets and began slurping on the tube of nutrient paste. His eyebrow arched and he looked at me, "How the hell did you make this paste taste so damn good but that vial tasted like powered steel?"
I shook my head as I walked over to the door of the briefing room, "The dining facility will be open 24/7, so if you need to eat then eat. If you feel like you don't need to eat then eat some more. We're going to be breaking down your body and rebuilding it into something far stronger than you ever thought possible, and that is going to require a lot of calories. Those tablets are just as important as those will be broken down into the metals that will be coating and protecting your bones as well as forming a sub-dermal mesh that should protect you from knives and most firearms below machine-gun calibers. Once most of your biological changes have been made we'll be starting a specialized regimen for the construction of your cranial implants."
I placed my hand on the side of the door frame and looked back at them over my shoulder, "So don't skip anything. The rest of the day is free, so take a MRVN or one of the girls and go take a tour of the facility; it's a hell of a lot larger than it looks, and after a little while we'll be moving into something less structured which should give you some freedom."
"Wait, wait, wait," Alec raised his hand as he spoke around a mouthful of nutrient paste, "This... is this going to be like the Army?"
I looked over the lot of them and nodded, "It will begin like the military, yes. You need to learn everything from Small Unit Tactics to Solo Operations. Weapons handling and qualification, maintenance, and speed drills. Once your implants are fully grown in we'll be able to speed through user maintenance of the armors among other things; you will be taught to be self-sufficient for the most part because you might end up being slotted into a team that will be posted in another city."
"Everything you will be learning here is geared towards using your body, your weapons, and your armor to the fullest extent possible; you alone will be able to accomplish what is usually required of entire Protectorate teams," I gave him a small smirk as I referenced Alec's favorite Aleph Import, "You will become a One Man Army. So, it's 1330 hours now, PT will be at 0600 hours. We'll go over your scheduling and everything else then."
As the door shut behind me I heard Lisa let out a small squeal of disappointment as Rachel told her to 'toughen the fuck up'.
Yeah, this was going to be a lot of fun.
[Remaining: 200 CP]
[30 Days into "Basic Training"]
[Rachel Lindt]
Rachel was running quite a bit. It was hard, in the beginning, to learn how to "pace herself"; she was used to going two speeds- either walking comfortably or running as fast as she could.
Not that she needed to run everywhere because her dogs were usually the ones doing all of the running for her, but when she did run it was because her dogs needed the exercise and they were playing. Now though? Now she was running because she needed to stress herself so that her body would complete the physical augmentations faster. It was a simple concept that even she understood- run faster, push more weight and she got better faster. Brian understood it, and because of that Rachel and the former leader of their pack were improving at a much more rapid pace than Lisa and Alec.
They were pussies, griping and complaining about every single exercise.
Yeah, it sucked, it hurt, but that hurt was only temporary, and seeing the incredible gains they were already making was very pleasing to Rachel. That constant drip of improvement seen on their personal "scoreboards" was something that she liked, a lot; she understood that if it worked for dogs then it could work for humans too. Less than a month into their physical training and her 2-mile run time dropped from 23 minutes down to 18 minutes; how much of that was whatever modifications were being made to her body, the loss of ten pounds of body fat from her husky frame, or the improvements to her running form and pacing?
Rachel didn't know and she didn't really care- she was getting better every day, and that was all that mattered.
"Hurry. The. Fuck. Up." The young woman ground out as she lapped Lisa once again on the track, the woman grunting it out again a minute later as she ran past Alec; the pasty pretty-boy floundering like some sort of fish on legs. However, just as she lapped them on the track Brian lapped her once more- he was stronger than her, faster than her too. He was also someone used to physical effort and he already knew how to properly pace himself, so it was only natural that he finish ahead of her.
It still galled her, somewhat, but instead of picking up her pace now and burning herself out when she still had two more laps to complete she held some of her energy in reserve; the last lap was when she would go all out.
[60 Days into "Basic Training"]
[Alec aka Jean Paul Vasil]
Well, at least he could say that every day spent here wasn't boring. Sure, he didn't get as much time to play his games as he wanted, but considering he was surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women who were all so enthusiastically giving him some many-on-one instruction it certainly made up for it. It didn't matter that he was getting tossed around like a child during the Hand-to-Hand combatives classes because he was getting stronger, and he was getting better; it was something that Rachel commented on, seeing the visible progress each and every day... it was like getting a level-up in any of his favorite RPGs- a small but noticeable tick upward in his performance.
It also helped that he was now growing at a much faster rate than before. Sure he'd been a pretty boy, and considering it was what he had he rocked the pale-skinned, lithe look the best he could, but now he was closing near six foot and was looking more ripped than an Abercrombie model. His cock and balls were also getting larger too, and while he had been totally fine with his slightly above-average features, getting an extra two inches was something he'd never complain about; now all he had to do was go out to a club once all of this was over and sink himself into some pussy or ass and life would be complete.
Still, it was far and away from what he thought something "military-like" would be- sure, it had a lot of physical fitness training that he had to force himself to do, but it was pretty relaxed as long as he paid the bare minimum respect to Horizon's position as the "Commander". It helped that the man in question seemed to be aware of his apathy and they came to a sort-of middle ground where they could try to meet in the middle; it was a lot of effort for Alec to even do that much, but considering the pay and the perks even someone as lazy as himself knew a good deal when he saw one.
The fact that hands down the most gorgeous women he'd ever seen were all the ones providing the instruction for the "Intermediate Tactics" training made it that much more enjoyable. Not that he was too distracted by the beauties to pay attention- the coursework was engaging, and required a little bit of a different mindset to make progress; as much as he laughed at the internet nerds for pointing such things out in the forums, Alec was surprised that he was actually the most knowledgable (for a certain definition of knowledgable) when it came to actual military tactics and procedures.
He had to thank the Call of Honor and Badge of Courage development teams for actually consulting with the military when they made their games.
Though it wasn't much, it did give him something of a framework to build upon- certain words, phrases, and basic tactics were something that was known to him, so he quickly found it was much easier for him to soak in the knowledge that the Frontline girls were espousing and turn that into something he could use. Sure, Lisa was usually the Undersider's primary tactician, if only because her power gave her a lot of hints that no one else got, but in an environment like this? Well, Alec was able to flex his mental muscles and show out in some of the simulated missions that they went out on.
Speaking of which, one of the best things about this whole experience was the fact that unlike the actual military they weren't packed 60 soldiers deep in a classroom with a minimum-effort power point presentation being given by an NCO or Officer that had already done the exact same class for the 20th time that training cycle. No, it was their small group with a bevy of instructors that constantly swapped around to provide different unique viewpoints and some funny, anecdotal stories. That and the training was engaging because they forced him to think, and the use of the holo tables and sprites which used the current abilities of the Undersiders for data was inspired.
All of his current abilities were carefully and exhaustingly measured, from his current levels of full-body strength to his agility, balance, speed, marksmanship, and hand-to-hand proficiency; they were tested frequently as their augmentations progressed, and their runs through the various obstacle courses were all recorded and handed off to analysis programs that quantified their strengths and weaknesses. Even Lisa's penchant for flinching and shutting her eyes when getting clocked in the face was noted down in her "Game Sprite", which was something that rankled her and made Alec chuckle.
These "Sprites" were then used to act as their placeholder in the numerous simulations that took place, and while one might consider it a bit demoralizing to see his currently abysmal combat abilities broken down to numbers that a holographic version of himself used to flail around uselessly in a simulated hand-to-hand combat situation against a run-of-the-mill ganger... for Alec? It was motivation. Not to only to be better because his life would eventually be on the line, but also because he didn't want to look at the small representation of himself throwing a limp-wristed punch that only succeeded in dealing some damage because of his current level of augmentation putting him on an equal playing field with a larger, stronger opponent.
He ended up getting some lessons from Brian on the side- getting some additional help on how to throw a proper punch, speed drills, and the like to help him step his game up. It was probably a bit vain to put in all of this effort so that the "video game" version of himself would perform better, but damnit he was a power gamer, and if there was anything that would get him more motivated it was not wanting to suck at a game. Of course, the intermediate tactics and the accompanying training were game-like, but the Commander had made sure to let them know that it was only a representation and that real life was different.
No shit real life was different- after having been in real-life Cape fights and fist-fights alike, Alec knew that more than most people did, but he knew that Horizon was also just covering their bases and making sure that they didn't get lulled into a false sense of security.
Still, seeing his mini-me's progress was an endorphin rush- back when they did their initial physical fitness and combat testing Alec had been little better than a slightly emaciated teenage pretty boy; he was still stronger than Lisa and Rachel, but it was by a much slimmer margin than he would have liked. He also really only knew how to fight with his scepter, which he had a taser installed- and when combined with his ability to trigger nerves directly- allowed him a greater than average combat ability when compared to regular people. Without all of that? Well, he damn near broke one of his knuckles trying to punch Horizon in the face, and that was when the man had allowed him to hit him in the face. Despite it being so damn good looking he could be quite punchable at times with the mysterious anime-sensei shtick that he did every so often.
All of that culminated in a Training Sprite that was below-average in pretty much everything, and seeing it get wailed on by a pair of Merchant tweaker A.I. who were half-starved did not feel good in the slightest. It reminded him that without his power he had been a normal teenage boy- ultimately pretty helpless in front of a full-grown man.
Now, though? 60 days in he was quite strong, and he would continue to get stronger now that the foundation for his augmentations had been completed. Sure, being stronger and faster, with better reflexes and everything else was cool, but the best part about everything was just how much easier everything was to learn; his suped-up brain and drastically improved nervous system made retaining information and making mind-muscle connections so much easier than before. He had never thought about picking up a guitar and learning how to play it, but damnit he felt like he could learn it quickly enough now.
Still, there was a huge difference between learning how to do something and actually applying it. Even if he could heal incredibly quickly getting beaten black and blue on a daily basis was not fun- he'd foregone his typical hedonistic ways when he left dear old dad behind, but his handheld just didn't please him in ways that the soft body of a woman or the firm body of a man did; it was only made worse by the fact that he knew for a fact Horizon was getting laid six ways to Sunday while everyone else when back to their admittedly lavish dorm-style rooms alone.
Truth be told though, he was getting some serious flashbacks from home that put him more than a little on edge- almost half of the Frontline women were now avoiding their physical training sessions and were instead handling the more academic portions of their training. Those women were practically glowing with happiness at their impending motherhood and the sheer joy of their pregnancies was palpable; the women in his father's harem had the same cheer about them when they were pregnant with his future siblings.
It made him shudder sometimes when he was alone and no one else was around; Lisa had noticed his discomfort- something he'd done his best to layer under his constant apathy- but unfortunately, the other girl was just too good at ferreting out the secrets of others. However, instead of using his moments of weakness as a beatstick or holding it over his head to keep him in line like she used to do when the Undersiders were first formed, the Thinker had gone out of her way to try and help him work through the things he was feeling. He didn't like 'feeling'- the lack of caring was one of his strongest shields and it helped keep the traumas of the past from taking up residence at the forefront of his mind, but something about this whole process was changing him; it was incredibly subtle, but with his powers, he knew his nervous system inside and out, much the same as with the rest of the Undersiders.
It wasn't Mastering as far as he was able to tell, and even if it was as a Master himself he was particularly resistant to other Master effects, but it was just part of the augmentation process; their bodies, to include their brains, were being upgraded into something that was far more than human, and that would then be upgraded even further once their physical augmentations had completed. The new meat-ware came with additional stress and anxiety coping mechanisms that did wonders for helping him not freak the fuck out any time he saw the small groups of Frontline women all gathered around one another and giggled like school girls as they fawned over each other.
The only thing that made it tolerable for him was the fact that they didn't really do anything out in the open and they kept it to themselves- he only found out because he actively sought them out for additional training (Wow, Alec, seeking out more work? Truly, the end times were upon them.) and came across them discussing baby names.
No, he wasn't salty that all of these beautiful women weren't throwing themselves at him like they were Horizon, but he found it hard to blame them- he'd like a shot at gnawing at the man's perfectly sculpted ass cheeks as well; Alec wasn't exactly picky when it came to men or women, but when you were offered a fillet mignon for the eyes then you ate filet mignon.
All in all, Alec was just wanting all of this to be over so that he could go back to being a night guard at the dealership again- it was a hassle now, but Horizon had been holding the power armor and weapons high above their heads since the very beginning... and they were already a third of the way into training so what was the harm in just continuing on? He had never been one of those "I Don't Quit" types of people (hell, he gave up a lot) but when the apples of the orchard he was working towards were mother fucking power armor and cool weapons and shit?
That was something worth struggling for.
Special thanks to Lmc9389, Xodarap4, Artillery, DrkShdow, AuraofCalm, Zerak, Mioismoe, Zath, Splendid, D. Wongsonegoro, Darkarma, Acrimonius, T. Balewood, Randall Randall, Dominyx Black, CyberCrisis, Blue, Russ Stilter, Legion_13, Mike Fatal_Bullet, P. Nguyen, Fred65, K. Nielsen, J. Ricardo Passos, B. Rison, K. Weierbach, R. Alderman, A P, Arrorn, Empty Shelf, PbookR, and Mortaegus for being Patrons!
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A/N: Just been feeling pretty 'meh' lately. Been spending all of my time hanging out with family, doing stuff with them, and my sleep has been crap as of the past week. So rather than sit on what I've got written in between trips to various houses and hanging out with my bro I decided that I'd just post this and get it out of the way.