Author's Note: Hello everyone! I hope you all are doing well. The bulk of this chapter will be about John and Mark looking for the final two pieces of technology. There is also going to be a surprise discovery in one of the buildings as well. It's a crossover from a different fandom, one that should be apparent when you get to it. I'm usually not one for doing crossover stuff, but I think that it fits in with the setting of Big Mountain. Enjoy the chapter, and reviews are welcomed and appreciated.
Veronica stared at Mark, trying to decipher if he was telling the truth. Eventually she shook her head. "No, that's not possible. Cass' dad disappeared over thirty years ago. From what I've sussed out, he was fairly old when he disappeared, so he should be dead by now. Even with how things seem to go around you, there is no way in hell that you just happened to run into him in this place. That isn't funny, Mark."
"No, it ain't funny, but that doesn't mean it ain't true," came a voice to her left. Standing in the doorway was an older gentleman with a metal plate in his head, wearing a white t-shirt, khaki shorts, and black boots. Mark grinned. "Veronica, meet John Cassidy, Cass' dad. John, this Veronica Santangelo, a friend of mine." "Pleasure," John said as he walked in the room.
Veronica stared at John, mouth hanging open. John raised an eyebrow. "You okay, Miss Santangelo?" he asked. "Are-are you really Cass' dad?" Veronica asked, coming back to her senses. "Well, I call her Rosie, but yes, I am. John Cassidy at your service." "He's already proven to me who he is, Veronica," Mark said. "He told me about Cass' necklace and her heart condition."
"Oh, I am so sorry, Mr. Cassidy, sir. It just seemed highly unlikely that you would still be alive," Veronica said contritely. John waved a hand dismissively. "Eh, don't worry about it. By all rights, I should've been long dead by now. And none of this 'Mr. Cassidy,' or 'sir' crap. Just call me John." Veronica nodded.
"How're you feeling, John?" Mark asked. "Better than ever! Don't have to worry about my heart anymore, I can see out of both eyes again, and all with very minimal recovery time. That auto-doc is a miracle-worker." A voice came from the other room. "Well, I do try my best, sir," the auto-doc said.
John turned his attention back to Veronica. "So, how'd you get here? Same way as him?" "In a manner of speaking, yes," Mark said. "I'll explain later." John nodded. "Ok, Mark," Veronica said, "so tell me what's happened since you got here." John sat down at the table with them. "Ok, but save your questions until the end. I'd like to explain this as quickly as possible."
Veronica nodded and pulled out her journal and a pen. Mark then told her everything that happened from when he arrived until when she arrived. John also told her an abbreviated version of what he had told Mark, excluding Mark's possible lineage. Once they were done, Veronica kept looking between her notes and the two of them, having trouble comprehending what they had just told her.
"Ok, so let me see if I have all of this correct. You," she said pointing to Mark, "are currently missing your brain, heart, and spine, and yet you are not only alive, but also fully coherent. In addition, five floating brains in jars are forcing you to collect three pieces of technology that will somehow allow to get your brain, which is currently being held by a sixth brain in a jar, back in your body, and you can't leave until that happens." "Yup, that's pretty much it," Mark replied.
"Ok," Veronica said, focusing her attention on John, "so when you found out that Cass inherited your heart condition, you thought your best course of action was to leave your wife and daughter in the middle of the night to come find a place that you weren't even sure existed to try and find a cure. In the process, you ended up being cryogenically frozen for thirty years, which is how you're still alive." "Well, I ain't proud of leaving in the middle of the night like I did, but other than that, you hit the nail on the head," John said.
Veronica just laughed. "You know what, Mark, apparently around you, the unlikely becomes likely, and the impossible becomes possible. I'm just going to stop doubting anything that you say at this point." She shook her head. "Ok, I want to see this creation program thingy you talked about." Mark stood up. "Well, then follow me."
The three of them went back into the main room and gathered around the table. "Veronica, meet Wallace, the nerve center of this place. Wallace, this is my friend Veronica Santangelo." "Greetings, madam, and welcome to the Sink," Wallace said. "Uh, thanks, Wallace. Mark, what's with the name? Did he come with that?" Mark shook his head. "Nope. Name was my idea. Named it after a kid that I hated in the vault."
The terminal was still up from before, so Mark went through the computer while Veronica stood next to him. "Let's see…here we go." He pressed a button, and moments later, a stimpak was on the table. Veronica picked it up and examined it. "Wow. Mark, do you know what we could do with this technology?" "I am well aware of what we could do, Veronica," Mark said.
"Man, if the Brotherhood ever got a hold of something like this-" "-They'd hide it away, and it would never see the light of day again," Mark said, interrupting her. Veronica couldn't refute that fact. That is most likely what would happen. "You Brotherhood?" John asked Veronica. "Uh, formerly. We had some ideological differences, so I decided to leave. Do you have a problem with the Brotherhood?"
"Nah, they never bothered me. Never had anything that'd interest them. You know, the thing I always found funny about them is that they walk around in that fancy armor of theirs, claiming to be above scavengers and raiders and the like, but when you get right down to it, that's exactly what they are. They go through old buildings looking for pieces of technology, like scavengers, and if you have something they want, they take it from you at gunpoint, just like raiders."
"Yeah, I came to that conclusion myself, John," Veronica said. "Ok, Veronica," Mark said, "I need you to take a couple of pictures back with you, one of myself, and one of John." Veronica looked around the place. "Pictures? Where'd you develop them?" "Don't have to develop them." He went over to the workbench and picked something up, showing it to her. It was white, was a lot smaller than the cameras that she had seen, and there was a thin slot in the front of it. "That's a camera?" she asked, looking at it curiously. "Yup," Mark said, bringing it up to his eye and pressing a button.
There was a click, and a couple seconds later, something slid out of the slot on the front of it. Mark grabbed it, shook it for a few seconds, and handed it to Veronica. It was a picture of herself. "Well, that's more convenient than those bulky cameras that I've seen." Two pictures were taken, one of Mark, and one of John, and were both given to Veronica. "The one of me is for everyone, and the one of John is for Cass, obviously, since I doubt that she'll take your word for it."
Veronica nodded and put both in her pocket. "Hey!" came a loud voice from the sitting room, "I've got an even better camera for you! All you need to do is reach in my bread slot to get it!" "Ok, enough out of you!" Mark yelled. "If you don't shut up, I'll toss you in the bathtub!" "Then who would toast your bread, huh?! No one! Hahahaha!" Mark shut the door.
"Who was that?" Veronica asked. "A psychotic toaster with delusional fantasies of world domination," Mark said. "A psychotic-" Veronica started before cutting herself off. "You know what, never mind. I brought a bag with a whole bunch of weapons and ammo and stuff. Go through it and take what you want."
She grabbed it and brought in the main room. Mark opened it, relieved to see his own armor. He made a copy of it for John, as he was about the same height as Mark. He also made copies of all the weapons and ammunition, including John's shotgun, so that they would now be stored in Wallace's database, as would the armor.
While Mark made copies, John organized everything in the sitting room, and Veronica had conversations with the other personalities in the Sink. Mark had talked with all of them earlier, deciding to leave them all on, just because he felt like it. Veronica had arguments with the Toaster and the Book Chute, and got flustered by the Light Switches and the Biological Research Station. She found Muggy to be adorable, the actual Sink to be stuck-up and snooty, the Auto-Doc fascinating, and the Jukebox to be very laid-back and relaxed.
Once that was done, she came back to Mark, who was almost done. "Well, these personality modules are interesting. Especially the Auto-Doc and that Research Station. If those things could be replicated on a bigger scale, well…" "Yeah, I know what you mean," Mark said. "Ok, I'm done copying everything." John came out and collected the last of it.
"Alright, so, if either of you want to write a message to your various loved ones, now's the time to do so," Veronica said. Mark accepted and started to write something. John declined, however. "I need to talk to her in person. I don't think a short note is going to cut it," he said. "Well, I'm leaving and coming back here, so you could come with me if you want so you can see her." John shook his head. "Nope. I ain't leaving until the kid does," he replied.
"But, Miss Santangelo-" "Uh, call me Veronica, please," Veronica interrupted. "Right, Veronica, since you are coming back, would you mind taking that camera and getting a picture of Rosie for me? I'd, uh, I'd like to see how she looks nowadays." "Oh, absolutely. I was about to suggest that myself," Veronica said.
Mark finished his note and handed it to Veronica. "Ok, the only thing I want you to bring back here is my gauss rifle. You need anything else, John?" "Uh, no. Just the picture of Rosie, please," John said. Mark brought up the map on Wallace's screen. "Where exactly did you come in the crater from, Veronica?"
She pointed to the area, and Mark nodded. "Ok, we'll bring you back there, because the X-8 Research Center," he said, pointing to a tall building with a satellite dish on top near Veronica's entry point, "is where the upgrade for the Sonic Emitter is. You ready, John?" John nodded. "Alright, let's suit up."
Mark donned his armor and fully armed himself, as did John, wearing the copy of Mark's armor. He got the Shield Disks and used one on himself and gave one to John. Mark had to activate John's, since his fingerprints were obviously not stored in the ship's systems. John asked where he had gotten them from, but Mark said that he would explain later.
Stepping outside, night had completely fallen, so Mark and John activated the night vision on their helmets. Taking a left, they were set upon by cyberdogs. Veronica was able to see them via some lights that were attached to the Think Tank building. The three of them quickly dispatched the robotic dogs.
Before they could catch their breath, however, bullets peppered the ground near their feet. The three of them ran for cover behind a nearby large pipe. Looking up, they saw one of those Y-17 Trauma Harnesses, which was carrying a submachine gun. They were only able to fire potshots over the pipe as the skeleton in the suit advanced on them. "Guys, I'm gonna circle around. Keep it occupied."
She took off before they could respond, so they did as she asked. With it distracted by Mark and John, Veronica was able to get behind it. "Hey, bag of bones!" she yelled. The suit turned around and was met instantly with Veronica's power fist connecting with the dome over its head. Both the dome and skull were crushed upon impact. Taking a quick look around, she saw nothing else.
"Clear, guys," she called out. Mark and John came over. "That was one hell of a punch, young lady," John said. "Thank you. I do so enjoy punching things." Collecting the submachine gun, the trio continued on to X-8. They encountered a couple more cyberdogs, but they were dispatched as well.
Eventually, the reached the edge of the crater. John and Mark both helped Veronica up, and then Mark tossed her bag up to her. Using her pip-boy light, she took out and enlarged the beacon. "Be careful, you two. If I don't hear gunfire, I'll wait for you back at the Sink." "Alright. Oh, uh, Veronica, the negotiations between the Kings and NCR are supposed to happen tomorrow, and since I might not be there, can you see if Cass can take care of that? If not, I'm sure Amata will do it."
"Sure thing, Mark," Veronica said. John then spoke. "Uh, Veronica, just one more thing. I'm sure the picture of me will be enough to convince my daughter that I'm still alive, but just in case, tell her that her mother's name is Mikaela, and we called her Rosie. She never told either of you that stuff, did she?" "Not to me," Veronica said. "Me neither," Mark replied.
"Anything else?" Veronica asked. Getting head shakes from both, Veronica touched the beacon and disappeared. "Let me guess: you'll explain later?" John said to Mark. "Yup," Mark responded, turning and heading for the front of the X-8 building.
They had to climb up some stars to get to the X-8 facility, which was a two-story building with two green pipes running from the ground into the building on either side of the doorway. There was also a giant stone pillar with a satellite dish on top of it with X-8 painted on it near the back of the building.
Walking into the building, they were in a long room with doorways on either end. There were brains in tanks along the walls, similar to the tanks that held Mark's other body parts. In front of them was a table with a working terminal on it. Next to that was a window with a sign that read 'OBSERVATION AREA' above it. Getting a closer look, they saw two circular saws on arms attached to the ceiling continually cutting into some indistinguishable piece of meat.
Mark then went over to the terminal while John stood next to him. On the computer was information about something called the 'X-8 Institutional Test,' as well as a 'X-8 Residential Test.' "Ok," Mark said, "looks like we have to complete a test before we can get the chip that I need. It appears to be some kind of training course, and we have to collect three pieces of information to complete it."
"I assume that there are obstacles, then?" John asked. "Yeah. Cyberdogs, turrets, and protectrons," Mark answered. "Oh, I thought it would be more difficult. Let's get on with it, then," John said. Not sure which way to go, they took the doorway on their left. On the wall next to a door at the end of the hall were the words 'SPLICING TEST AREA.'
Opening the door, Mark peeked in, seeing a Mr. Handy robot. Taking a pulse grenade off his belt, he tossed it in and ducked back out of the room. A few seconds later, the grenade went off, and the robot was destroyed. Seeing nothing else, they walked in. They were on a raised platform, labeled as 'OBSERVATION AREA'.
The stairs led down, splitting off. One path led to a pod with servers and a terminal in it, while the other path led to a metal platform with a weird-looking generator and two large tubes above it. "I don't think this is it, kid," John said. "Yeah, I don't think so either, but I want to see what's on the terminal."
Reading it, he found that this was where the scientists tested splicing robots with animals and humans, which he told to John. "Guess they enjoyed playing God, huh?" John said. "Yeah, I guess," Mark replied. He looked through the splicing rules, and then the options for splicing. There were four options:
Splice Robot and Dog
Splice Lobotomite and Robot
Splice Lobotomite and Dog
Splice Robot and Unusual Specimen
There was no information on what this 'Unusual Specimen' was. "Alright, I wanna try this out. Be ready for anything," Mark said. "Well, I'd just let it be, but whatever. Go ahead, kid." Mark selected the first option, 'Splice Robot and Dog.' Hearing a 'thunk' from above them, the two tubes shot out a Mr. Handy and a dog onto the platform, both amazingly landing upright. A moment later, there was a bright flash, and now on the platform was a cyberdog with a red brain dome.
It saw the two of them but made no move to attack. Instead, it sat down, its tongue hanging out of its mouth. Curious, Mark stepped out of the pod and approached the dog. "Kid, stop. It might be trying to lure you in." "No, I don't think so," Mark said as he approached it. Getting down to on knee in front of it, Mark took off his helmet and deactivated the Shield Disk. The dog sniffed him, and then licked his face.
Mark laughed and petted the dog. "Yeah, who's a good boy?" The dog shook its head as if it understood Mark. "Oh, so you're a girl," Mark said, making sure he understood what she meant. She barked. "Well, girl, did you want to come with us? I have a wife and daughter who would absolutely love you." The dog barked happily and licked Mark again. "I'll take that as a 'yes' then." "Uh, kid, can we get going, please?" John said.
"Yeah, one second. Now, what to name you? I'm guessing that since you're a girl, Dogmeat II is out of the question. Hmmm…how about Roxie?" The dog shook her head. "Not Roxie? Ok, how about…how about Skye?" She barked and licked Mark again. "Ok, Skye it is, then. Well, Skye, let's get going." Skye stood up, and Mark put his helmet back on and reactivated the Shield Disk. She walked just in front of the two of them as they exited the room.
"Dogmeat II?" John asked as they walked to the other side of the facility. Mark smiled under his helmet. "Yeah, back in DC I found a dog in a junkyard. He was the first dog I saw that didn't try to kill me. Had a makeshift collar on, and that was the name on it. That dog was brave as hell. He had no fear. Unfortunately, he tried to take on a deathclaw. That didn't turn out so well. One swipe and he was gone. I only had him for a couple weeks, but he was the first real friend I had in the wastes. Gave him a proper burial. Still miss that damn dog."
They came to the other side of the facility. Skye stood in the doorway and growled. "What is it, Skye? Something bad?" She continued to growl. "Skye, come!" Mark commanded. The dog turned around and came to Mark while John looked down the stairs. "I don't see anything," he said. He went through the door and started to walk down, when he came diving back out. Mark saw the barest hint of flames.
"Shit! Handies!" John yelled. Mark took another pulse grenade and tossed it down the stairs. After hearing the cackling of the grenade, he looked around the corner, seeing two Mr. Handy robots collapsed on the ground. After making sure no more were coming, the trio went down the stairs and into a large room.
There were more brains in tanks to their immediate left. There were two other metallic doors in the room: One was along the left wall and had a terminal on the wall next to it and a red light above it, and the other was on the opposite side of the room. Along the wall to their right were a bunch of opened coffins. There was another terminal on a table near the back of the room, and in the center of the room there was a surgical table with a skeleton on it, and two desks pushed together that had a robobrain, sans the brain, on it.
Mark went through both terminals while John and Skye looked around. The door with the red light above it apparently led to the testing area. The other terminal had more information about the tests. "Ok, so, from what I've gathered, the forcefield neutralizer thing can only be gotten when we undergo this institutional test thing. Unfortunately, that is not the piece of technology that I need to get."
"That is currently part of the 'Residential Cyberdog Test,' which we can only get to after the institutional test." "Eh, minor setback. Let's get to it," John said. Mark went back to the door with the light over it and pressed the button to start the test. The building rumbled for a few moments before the light above the door turned green. The door opened, and the trio went through.
The door closed behind them as they entered a replica of a high school. There were lights and pipes coming from the ceiling, trophy cases covered by forcefields, a computer in the back-right corner, and two doorways. One was marked 'HALL G' and the other was marked as 'HALL H'. The doors to Hall G were closed, while the doorway to Hall H was covered by a forcefield. As they stepped in, a voice came over the intercom.
"Attention students! This is the pre-recorded voice of your pre-recorded principal, Doctor-Principal Borous!" "Is that one of those doctors?" John asked. Mark nodded. "-Head Chief First Researcher of labs Z-9 and Z-14. There I fought valiantly to preserve rattlesnake DNA, and put it right where it belongs, in the husk of another fearsome predator. Oh, and the tarantula hawk. Can't splice enough, I always say, especially if you can create a magnificent cazador!"
Borous continued talking, but Mark wasn't listening. If he heard that right, then Borous was responsible for creating cazadores and nightstalkers. Clearing his head of violent thoughts towards Borous, he went over to the terminal on the wall in the corner. On it was a note about something called an 'EM Pulse Wave,' which was what was needed to take out the forcefields.
As he read, a small hole opened in the wall next to the computer. A small tray came out, and on it was a small blue microchip. Mark picked it up, and the tray slid back into the wall. "What's that, kid?" John asked as he and Skye came over. "This is the thing that will enable the Sonic Emitter to disable the forcefields." Mark took the Sonic Emitter out of his bag and looked it over.
There was a small slot on top, one that looked to be the exact size of the chip. Mark slid it in, and the Sonic Emitter dinged, accepting the chip. He tested it out on one of the trophy cases, and the forcefield disappeared. "Alright, well, the egghead's done talking, and the other door's locked, so fire it at that door and let's get going." Mark nodded and fired the gun at the blocked doorway, which disappeared. "Ok, let's get it on."
Going through the school was interesting. Borous kept making comments about his school days, mostly complaining about people named Richie Marcus and Betsy Bright. The three pieces of data he needed to collect were on three terminals scattered around the facility. They were Betsy Bright's disciplinary record, Cherie O'Bannon's after-school schedule, and Richie Marcus' grades, all of which were an F, except for Science, which was an F-. Mark chuckled at the thought that those grades were probably a close approximation of Butch's grades.
As for the adversaries, it seemed that some lobotomites had gotten in the test facility, in addition to the turrets, protectrons, and cyberdogs. Skye was especially effective, mostly against the lobotomites and cyberdogs. She was able to deftly swerve around the bullets that the lobotomites shot at her, while aiming for the necks of both the lobotomites and dogs.
After they finished, they exited the school and came into a lab. As soon as the door closed behind them, Borous spoke again. "Oh my, you got to the Residential Test," he said. "Getting really tired of this guy," John said. Skye barked in agreement. "This is really Borous, by the way, hello again. None of us thought that you would get this far."
"Well, you obviously don't know me, then," Mark commented. Skye barked. "Oh, sorry, girl. Obviously doesn't know us." The lab they were in had chalkboards, servers, and schematics around the outside of the room. On the wall to their left was a door, and on a table near the back-right corner was a terminal. In the center of the room was a table with a holographic blue projection of some type of gun.
It was about the length of a rifle, but it was unlike anything that Mark had ever seen before. He went over to the terminal to see what was on it. There were three entries. Apparently, one of the workers testing the Trauma Harnesses in X-12 choked to death, and the suit malfunctioned, so the team requested assistance from X-8. They sent something over called the 'K9000 Cyberdog Gun' to take the suit down.
There was an accident, however, as the person handling the gun fell over, and the Trauma Harness gained control of the weapon. The team that had been sent to contain the Trauma Harness sealed it in X-12, where it still likely resided. Mark checked his pip-boy, discovering that X-12 was right next to the Think Tank. That bore some looking in to.
"Well," Mark said to John, "it's called the 'K9000 Cyberdog Gun,' and it's sealed in a building next to the Think Tank. "Well, that would explain this, then," John said, pointing to a spot on the gun. There was some type of casing with a brain in it. "They put a dog's brain in a gun? Seriously?" Mark said.
Skye, who was in between the two of them, whined. Mark reached down to pet her. "Don't worry, girl. I won't let anything happen to your brain." She rubbed up against Mark's leg. Heading for the other door, they walked out into an observation pod, as there was a window to their right that overlooked the high school. There was another window to their left as well. That one, however, overlooked something unusual.
There was a classroom, and inside, sitting around a table, were five cyberdogs playing cards, somehow holding the cards with their paws. Behind them was a chalkboard. Being projected on the chalkboard was a picture of the vault-girl rubbing a cyberdog's belly. Above the chalkboard were three words, all one below another. It read 'SIT, STAY, KILL.'
"What the hell?" John commented. One of the dogs looked at them, nodded, and then looked back at their cards. "Yeah, I've pretty much given up trying to understand this place. Let's look for a way back to the main facility," Mark said. As they ventured further in, they encountered more enemies, as well as the voices of Klein and Borous.
"The Residential Test. Wasn't that shut down for some reason?" Klein asked. Then Borous came on. "Ohhhh yes, my PET, Gabe. I'd forgotten about the old boy and the COUNTLESS experiments I'd done on him back at Higgs. Gaaabe? Gabe, you're about to have your favorite treat- a VISITOR. Won't that be nice? DON'T eat the visitor, boy. Don't. Please?"
He paused for a couple moments before speaking again. "Gabe would bark and snarl and bite whenever ANYONE came to visit. That's why I replaced his legs with spare parts and fed him a steady diet of Psycho-laced dog chow." 'Wonderful,' Mark thought sarcastically as the last of the enemies were dispatched, 'a cyberdog hopped up on Psycho. What could possibly go wrong?'
"God, do these eggheads ever shut up?" John asked. "Probably not. You okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine. These shield things are holding up really nice." "Good to know. You okay, Skye?" Mark asked, looking her over. She barked. "Good. I think I saw the exit back a bit." They exited the observation area and back into the room where they started.
Mark went back over to the terminal near the door. The 'Residential Cyberdog Guard Test' was now available. Selecting it, it said the parameters of the test were incomplete, and to beware of dog. Like before, the building rumbled, and then the light over the door turned green. After checking to see that John and Skye were ready, Mark opened the door. This time, they were in a short hallway with a wooden door at the end.
Opening the door, they found themselves in a dimly lit cave-like room which was somewhat decorated to look like a residential neighborhood. There were a couple houses and part of a playground, but it was mostly dirt and rock. Mark also saw the observation area above the back part of the room. "Alright, be careful. Borous' cyberdog is in here somewhere."
As soon as Mark finished talking, Borous' voice came over the intercom again. "Now Gabe, let the intruder have the Sonic Emitter schematics. Klein wants it, alright boy? Let the intruder dig it up from wherever you buried it." The three of them then saw a very large cyberdog come out from behind one of the houses in the dark, which was about thirty yards away from them.
The dog, likely Gabe, was about as tall as Mark, and was snarling at them. It began to advance on them slowly. Mark and John trained their weapons on it and were about to fire when Skye ran towards Gabe. "Skye, no, come back!" Mark yelled, fearing for her safety. Skye stood right in front of Gabe and barked at him, which Gabe returned.
Mark and John watched this curiously, but kept their weapons trained on the large dog just in case. After about ten seconds of non-stop barking, the most amazing thing happened. Gabe just laid down, seemingly pacified. "What the- did she just get that thing to lay down? Why didn't she do that for those other dogs we faced?" John asked incredulously.
"She did, and I don't know why, but I don't really care," Mark said as Skye came back over to them. Mark petted her. "Good girl, Skye. You'll get a nice treat when we get back to the Sink. Now I need to find this audio sample thing." At those words, Skye went back over to the pacified Gabe, and barked at him again.
Gabe lifted a paw and pointed to an area to their left. Skye barked and headed in that direction. Mark and John followed while keeping an eye on Gabe. As they got over to Skye, there was a hole in the ground, and in that hole was a slightly larger microchip, and a small white packet that said 'Seeds' on it. Figuring that this was what the Biological Research Station needed, he tossed it in his bag. Mark then picked up the microchip.
As soon as he touched it, he felt another pulse of energy run through him, like when he touched the antenna. Then Mobius' voice came over the intercom, and robo-scorpions materialized in the facility. Quickly depositing the chip in his bag, he tossed a pulse grenade in the direction of a couple of them, then grabbed the Sonic Emitter out of his bag.
"So," Mobius said, "you uncovered the Sonic Emitter schematics…or was it the frequency? No matter! They'll broadcast your screams as the robo-scorpions destroy you!" John had the axe in hand and was working on one of them. Skye barked at Gabe a couple times, prompting him to get up and start fighting the scorpions as well. He helped tremendously, stepping on them, and flinging them across the room by grabbing them by the tails with his mouth.
Once the robo-scorpions were all dead, Mark made sure that John and Skye were ok. Finding that they were, he looked at Gabe, who was back lying on the ground, using one of the robo-scorpion's tails as a chew toy. "Uh, thanks, Gabe," Mark said. Gabe looked at him and growled, and then went back to ignoring him.
"Alright, let's get out of here. I don't want to push my luck," John said, eyeing Gabe. Mark nodded, and the trio headed back towards the door, which was made to look like it was the front door to a house. Coming back to the lab area, they found more robo-scorpions. Once they were dead, they headed back to the top floor.
"Alright," Mark said, "the other place we need to go is the X-13 Research Facility, which is on the other side of the crater. I'm thinking we stop by the Sink, resupply, get something to eat, go get the suit at X-13, then call it a night. Sound good?" "Fine by me, kid. I'm not as young as I used to be," John said. Mark nodded and looked down at Skye, who barked and wagged her tail. Taking that as a 'yes,' Mark opened the door, and the trio ventured outside.
(1 hour earlier, Lucky 38)
Amata had brought Christina up the Presidential Suite to get her settled and to introduce (or reintroduce, in Boone's case) her to everyone. Amata told everyone that Christina would be living with them, although how that came to be would be kept secret for now, as those reasons involved Mark.
She was a bit freaked out by ED-E, and shy around the others, but they did their best to make her feel welcome. She started to take a liking to Abby, who asked her all manner of questions. She was set up in the bedroom with the case of weapons in it, as that was the last free bedroom on the floor. Amata told her about the clothing stores, as she would need a whole new wardrobe.
The group was just finishing eating dinner when a securitron rolled in the room. "Mrs. Franklin, Mr. House requests your presence in the Penthouse," the securitron said. Until it was decided Christina could be trusted, this was how Yes Man would call for her if she was needed. While Christina was getting settled in her room earlier, Amata took everyone aside and asked them not to mention anything about House's death or Yes Man.
"Thank you. I will be right there," Amata said, getting up out of her chair. "If you will excuse me," Amata said to the others as she exited the room. Upon arrival in the office, she found Elliott already on the screen. "Ok, what's up, Elliott?" "Well, using night vision, we took a still-shot from the Big Empty." She was shown a greenish photo taken from overhead of three people, one of which was Veronica holding a pistol and a bag.
The other two people were wearing an identical set of armor, although one was carrying a bag and what appeared to be an assault rifle, while the other held a shotgun. "Well, that's definitely Mark's armor, and I'd wager that he's the one carrying the bag. The question is, who's the other person, and how'd they get an identical set of armor? Elliott, how long ago was this taken?" "Uh, about ten minutes ago," he answered. "Elliott, did I or did I not ask you to have Yes Man get me the moment you saw Mark?"
He looked sheepish. "Sorry about that. Had to use the restroom." He then put a finger up to his right ear, a look of concentration on his face. "Copy that," he said. He then looked back at Amata. "Beckett just informed me that Miss Santangelo was just beamed to the roof of the 38." Amata immediately went to her pip-boy.
"Veronica, come to the Penthouse." A few seconds later, Veronica answered. "Yeah, I'll be right there." A minute later, Veronica stepped off the elevator only to be immediately engulfed by Amata in a hug. "How are you, Veronica? How's Mark?" "Fine, and fine," Veronica answered. Amata pulled back.
Veronica broke out in a wide grin. "Amata, that place is amazing! The technology there would have the Brotherhood sending everyone they had in there to get it." "That's great, Veronica. I saw three people in an overhead shot. Who's the third person?" "Oh, yeah, about that, I think we need to talk with Cass and Boone, so that way I don't have to repeat everything."
"Ok, and Abby as well," Amata said. "Abby?" Veronica asked. Amata nodded. "Yeah, she caught me in a lie. Seems Cass taught her too well." They got on the elevator and went back down. Stepping off the elevator, they heard noise in the game room. Standing in the doorway, they saw Cass and Boone playing pool, Christina talking to Abby off to the side, and ED-E was flying around, broadcasting Radio New Vegas.
Amata then cleared her throat, all sound in the room immediately ceasing. "Auntie Ronnie!" Abby shouted, jumping off her seat and running to Veronica, hugging her legs. "Hey there, kiddo." "Auntie Ronnie, I missed you. How's my daddy?" Abby asked. "Uh, we'll get to that in second, sweetheart," Amata said. "Firstly, Veronica, this is former NCR Private Christina Morales. She's going to be staying with us. I'll explain why another time. Christina, this is Veronica Santangelo, another friend of ours."
Christina got up and walked over to Veronica, extending a hand, which Veronica shook. "It's very nice to meet you, Veronica," Christina said. "Uh, you as well, Christine, uh, sorry, Christina." 'That's probably going to happen a lot,' Veronica thought. "Christina," Amata said, "I need to borrow everyone else for a bit of a meeting, if you don't mind."
"Oh, of course. You know what, I think that I'll go check out those clothing stores that you told me about. I'll make sure to take my time." "Thank you, Christina," Amata said. The former soldier headed towards the elevator while Amata herded everyone else into the kitchen. Once everyone sat down, with Abby in Amata's lap. Veronica spoke.
"Ok, first of all, he's fine." The atmosphere in the room lightened. "Actually, I forgot, I have a picture of him." She had separated the two pictures, Mark in her right pocket, and the one of John in her left. She took out Mark's picture and handed it to Amata. "What the hell happened to him, Veronica? Did someone perform surgery on him?" She passed the picture over to Cass, who then gave it to Boone.
"Yeah, that's where this whole thing kinda starts," Veronica said. She pulled out her notes and then told them everything that Mark told her. As she spoke, their reactions ranged from shock, to incredulity, to amazement, and everything in between. She deliberately avoided mentioning John's name, only saying that Mark found help, and the person helping him had been cryogenically frozen, and that he seemed like a capable fighter.
At the end, Amata pinched the bridge of her nose. "Only Mark could get into a situation like this. Although, some of that technology sounds like it could be useful, especially that copying thing. What name did Mark call it again?" "Uh, Wallace," Veronica said after checking her notes. "He said something about naming it after a kid that he hated in the vault," Veronica answered.
Amata chuckled. "Wally Mack, yeah. He and Mark have a history." "So, seriously, Veronica," Cass said, "who is this other person helpin' Mark?" "Yeah, I'd actually really like to know that as well, Veronica," Amata added. Throughout her explanation, the picture of John was burning a hole in her pocket. She knew that she was going to have to tell them eventually, so she wasn't sure why she just didn't do it in the first place.
She scratched the back of her head nervously. "Right, so, you know how I mentioned that he had been frozen for thirty years, right? Well…" she trailed off and took the other photo out of her pocket. She then put it face down on the table and slid it to Cass, who was across from her. Cass looked at Veronica in confusion.
"Just…uh, yeah, just…just look at it, Cass," Veronica said. Cass shrugged her shoulders. "Alright, if ya say so." She picked it up and looked at it. The room was silent as Cass looked at it, her face now emotionless. After about fifteen seconds, Cass spoke, her eyes never leaving the picture. "Is this a joke?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "No, Cass, it isn't," Veronica said. "If it helps, he said to tell you that your mother's name was Mikaela, and that they called you Rosie. Besides, how would Mark or I even know what he looked like?"
"Cass, what's going on? Who is it?" Amata asked, concerned. Cass didn't answer. Instead, she put down the picture, stood up, and walked out of the room. A door slammed closed a few seconds later. "Veronica, what's going on? Who is that picture of?" Amata asked. Veronica stood up, leaned over, and grabbed the picture, moving it to the center of the table, where everyone leaned in to get a look at it.
"Everyone, the man in the photo is none other than John Cassidy, Cass' dad." The room once again went silent at that proclamation. "Cass' dad? But Cass said he disappeared-" "-thirty years ago, which is what I told you earlier," Veronica said, interrupting Amata. "Well, why was he there?" "He has, well, had, now, I guess, the same heart condition as Cass. He went there looking for a cure. He found it, as that auto-doc I told you about fixed him. It just took thirty years of being cryogenically frozen to get to that point."
"And he didn't want to come back with you to see his daughter?" Amata asked. "No, he was pretty adamant that he was going to stay until Mark could leave that place as well. I didn't ask, but I'm pretty sure they bonded or something." Amata had a hunch what they bonded over, given what James had done for Mark.
"Mommy, is Auntie Cass going to be okay?" Abby asked. "Yeah, she'll be okay, sweetie. She just has to work through some things on her own right now," Amata said, hugging the young girl. "Ok. Are you going to talk to her later, then?" "No, sweetie. I don't think one of us talking to her is going to help this time. I think the only person that she really needs to talk to is currently helping your father," Amata said, staring out into the hallway.
(Present, The Sink)
"Welcome back, sirs," Wallace said as the trio entered. Skye walked around, examining the apartment. "Wallace, that's Skye. We found her in X-8," Mark said, going into the kitchen while John went into the bedroom. Mark took a box of Cram, dumped it on a plate, and put it on the ground. "Skye, come here, girl," Mark called out. A few seconds later, Skye came in the room, seeing the food. "All for you, girl," Mark said. Skye dug in and started eating.
That taken care of, Mark went into his bag and took out the Sonic Emitter and the audio sample chip. He went into the sitting room, seeking out the Jukebox, aka 'Blind Diode Jefferson.' As he entered, the Light Switch spoke. "Oh, so you've returned. I hope it's to see me, and not that useless little strumpet," she said a bit snidely. "Oh, be quiet you," the other Light Switch said, "I'm sure that he prefers a light switch with more brains than beauty, you big-processored hussy."
"Hey! Will the two of you please stop bickering?!" John yelled from the bedroom. "Yeah, ladies, please don't argue," Mark said. "You're both equally smart and beautiful, um, light switches." 'Wow, that's a phrase I never thought that I would ever say,' he thought. "Fine," both Light Switches said in unison.
"Thank you. Hey Jefferson, how's it going?" "Ah, so the big boss returns. I'm good, my man. What can this old jukebox do for you?" he asked. "You can replace the audio sample for the Sonic Emitter, correct?" Mark asked. "Oh, absolutely, my man. Just give me the goodies and I'll mix you up a sweet, sweet sound." A tray slid out from the front, with a slight indentation in the shape of the Sonic Emitter, as well as one for the audio sample.
Mark put them down in the indicated places, and the tray slid back in. Jefferson then started to whir. "Oh, yeah, that's the good stuff," he said. A few moments later, the tray slid back out, with just the Sonic Emitter on the tray. "There you go, my man. One recalibrated Sonic Emitter. I'll keep that other audio sample safe for you if ever want to switch it back."
Mark examined the weapon. The only thing that changed was the color of the display. It previously had a dark blue background with a light blue wavelength. Now the background was a dark red, and the wavelength was dark yellow. "Thanks, Jefferson. You're a real cool cat." "You are most welcome, my man," Jefferson responded.
With that done, he went back into the main room, where Skye was slowly prowling Muggy, who was rolling backwards as fast as he could go, presumably. "Nice doggy, nice doggy. You don't want to eat old Muggy now, do you?" the tiny securitron asked nervously. Mark laughed and went over to his bag, pulling out the bag of seeds, and then going over to Wallace. "Wallace, are you able to clone organic matter?" Mark asked.
"If sir is inquiring about the seeds in sir's hand, then yes I am. If sir is asking me if I am able to clone an animal or human, then I cannot. My programming is restricted in that regard, sir." "Yes, I was asking about the seeds, Wallace." Mark tossed the bag on the table, and then copied them. Grabbing both bags, he went into the room with the Biological Research Station and the Sink.
"My word," the Sink said in an uptight woman's voice, "you are absolutely filthy! There is a shower in this place, you know." "I am aware, thank you," Mark said, turning his attention to the Biological Research Station. "Hey, I have some seeds for you, um, well, I guess we'll have to think of a name for you." "Aw yeah, baby," the machine said, "now that's what I'm talking about. Opening my port and preparing to receive your seed!"
A small port opened to the right of the computer screen on the machine. Mark ripped open one of the packets and dumped its contents in. The hatch then closed. "Oh yeah, baby, that's what I'm talking about. Let me fire up the old interface so you can really push my buttons." The interface on the screen turned on, showing various crops. Mark looked through the list, seeing a lot of crops that had likely gone extinct.
"How many of these can you grow at once?" Mark asked. "Oh, into the group stuff, are you? Baby, I can grow three of these at once before they need to be harvested." "And how long does it take to grow these crops?" "About eight hours, baby. Gotta take it nice and slow, gotta be all sensual with that stuff," the machine said. Mark nodded. "Alright, how about we do some coffee beans (Mark had really missed coffee from his time in the vault), some strawberries, and…let's do some watermelon. Those sound good."
"Oh, excellent choices, baby. Now let me work my magic, and I'll have some nice crops ready for you by tomorrow." Mark went back out into the main room, where John was finishing eating something, looking like he was ready to go back out. "You ready, kid? I've had enough of that Toaster right now. Why do you have them all on again?" "Eh, I find them kind of funny. Skye!"
Skye came running out of the entryway. "Ready, girl?" he asked. Skye barked and wagged her tail. Grabbing some food to go, they headed out, and as they did, they heard the Book Chute. "Remember, Citizens, if you find any seditious materials, be sure to bring them to me for processing!" Mark thought that he could use the Book Chute to clean up a destroyed book so that Abby could have a diary, like Amata had when she was younger.
Making their way to X-13, they encountered more cyberdogs, as well as nightstalkers, which John had never seen before. They had walked through a series of giant hexagonal pillars that appeared to serve no purpose, which the map on Mark's pip-boy denoted as the 'X-66 Hexcrete Archipelago.'
The X-13 building, denoted by the 'X-13' painted above the door, was a one-story building with satellite dishes on top. On a nearby cliff was a giant tower with a satellite dish on top of it, which also had 'X-13' painted on it, with the 'X' above the '13'. The trio ventured into the building, finding themselves in a reception area. There was a row of chairs along the left wall, an open door with a small sign next to it on the opposite wall, and a doorway covered by a forcefield to their right. There was also a reception desk in front of them.
Taking out the Sonic Emitter, Mark disabled the forcefield, finding a room full of laser pistols and ammunition. After collecting everything, they ventured further into the facility going through the open door, which had a sign next to it that read 'X-13 Labs'. "What're we looking for again, kid?" John asked. "Some kind of stealth suit," Mark replied. They walked into the first room they came upon, denoted as 'Lab #1'.
There were chalkboards, desks, filing cabinets, and schematics on the walls. On a table in the center of the room was a blue display of someone wearing the stealth suit. Scattered around the room were sets of boots that appeared to be broken, likely other attempts to create the boots that had failed. "Well, no suit in here," John commented. Lab #2 was also a bust, but upon entering Lab #3, they appeared to have found what they were looking for.
Lab #3 was similar to the other two labs, except along the back wall was a mannequin wearing the stealth suit. It was a black suit with grey kneepads, grey pouches along the belt, with a circular white belt buckle and a large grey chest piece. It also came with black boots and black fingerless gloves. "Huh. Looks fancy," John said, moving closer to examine it. Mark went up to it as well and touched it, feeling nothing when he expected to feel a pulse. He tried removing his hand and touching it a couple more times, with the same result.
"Something wrong, kid?" John asked, noticing the confusion on Mark's face. "Yeah. When I touched the antenna and the audio sample, I felt a pulse of energy, but I didn't feel anything this time," Mark answered. "Well, maybe you have to put it on," John suggested. Figuring it was a good idea as any, he put it on after asking John and Skye to leave the room. The suit was made of some type of breathable mesh. It initially appeared to be too small, but upon putting it on, he found that it fit perfectly, so either it self-adjusted or he misjudged the size. He still felt no energy pulse, however.
"Ok, I'm decent," Mark called out. John and Skye came back in. "Any luck?" John asked. Mark shook his head. "No, and I'm not sure what's supposed to happen now," he replied. "Well, let's go explore the rest of the facility, see if we can figure it out," John said. Mark nodded and grabbed his bag, heading to the door at the end of the hallway.
Opening the door, the three of them stepped onto a catwalk that was above what looked like a kennel. There were forcefields acting as a floor next to the catwalk. There were doors on either side of the room. Straight ahead was a blue-lit door with the words "Testing Area" next to it. Near the door was a terminal on a desk. Going to the terminal Mark found, among other things, the information he was looking for.
"Ok, so it looks like there's some sort of stealth test that I have to go through that'll update the firmware on the suit before it'll work properly," Mark said to his two companions. "Does it say what the suit actually does?" John asked. "Well, it wasn't specific, but it'll make me harder to see somehow."
The door opened to an elevator, which they took down. That led to another catwalk that overlooked an area with a terminal on the wall, as well as a wall safe. There was one door on the other side of the catwalk, and another door right next to the elevator, with a sign next to it that read 'Test Area.' There was also another terminal on a desk, but it had the same information as the terminal he just read.
Going through the door next to the elevator led them down a set of stairs and into the room with the safe and the terminal. To their left was a closed set of double doors. Trying to open them was fruitless, as they seemed to be sealed with a maglock. On the computer was the information for the infiltration test. "Ok, it looks like I have to avoid some robots and make it to the administrator's office to steal a document. You two are probably going to have to stay here while I do it," Mark said.
John nodded, while Skye whined. Mark smiled and petted her. "Don't worry girl, I'll be fine. I'll be back before you know it." He then looked back at John. "Be on alert. Mobius is probably going to send more robo-scorpions once I finish this thing." John nodded. Mark then went to the computer and started the test. The doors swung open, and Mark stepped through. The doors then closed behind him.
He stepped into a replica of a REPCONN lobby, if the sign behind the u-shaped desk was any indication. The room was barely lit, and there were three doors. There was one along the far wall, one along the wall to his right, and one along the wall of where he just entered from. Choosing the closest door, he opened it to see a turret directly across from him in a hallway. He froze for a second before he realized that the turret appeared to be non-hostile.
After checking to see if the coast was clear, he stepped into the hallway. There were two more hallways: one to his immediate left, and one a little further down to his right. Checking the left hallway, he saw a robobrain rolling down the hallway, facing away from him. Getting close to the wall with the turret along it, he looked around the right hallway corner and saw another robobrain. He also saw a sign hanging from the ceiling in the distance that indicated where the administrator's office was.
Going through a doorway that was across from where he was, he found himself in a bathroom that had a hole in the wall that led to the kitchen. He went through the hole in the wall and opened the door that led into the hallway slightly. The robobrain was rolling in the opposite direction of where he needed to go. He ran across the hall and to a solid wooden door that had 'Administrator's Office' painted on it.
Going in, he entered what was probably the secretary's office, as there was another set of double doors leading further in that said 'Administrator' on them. Going through, he saw a c-shaped desk with a terminal on it, and along the back wall was a wall safe. He opened the safe, finding a piece of paper and an envelope. He also heard a bell ring and the lights come on, signaling the end of the test. He read the paper.
"Congratulations on completing the X-13 Stealth Test! Inside the envelope is the firmware update chip for the Mark II Stealth Suit. Simply place the chip into the appropriate slot on the belt buckle and press the button on the front of the buckle to activate/deactivate the suit. For successfully completing the test, a reward has been placed in the safe at the start of the test. (Note: Big Mountain is not responsible for any injuries sustained during this test. Check your employment contract for further details. Please do not use the Mark II Stealth Suit if you are pregnant.)
Mark put down the note and picked up and opened the envelope. Inside was a small microchip. Looking down, he saw a small slot on the top of the belt buckle. Inserting the microchip, he felt a familiar pulse of energy, as well as feeling the suit powering up. Just then, Mobius' voice came over the loudspeakers. "X-13 breached? No…not even the stealth suit can hide you from my robo-scorpion army! Sting them, my pets! Sting them until they are stupid!"
Mark then heard crackles of energy, and then laser fire. Taking the Protonic Inversal Axe off his belt, he pressed the button on the belt buckle, hearing a 'whoosh' as the suit activated. Taking a quick look down at himself, he found that his entire body was completely see-through, as if he were using a stealth boy. What was different from a stealth boy was that there was no telltale shimmer. The suit made him one hundred percent invisible.
Smiling, he stepped out into the hallway, where the robobrains were helping to fight the robo-scorpions. He also heard barking off in the distance. Using the invisibility to his advantage, he made short work of the robo-scorpions. He then made his way back to the beginning of the test, where John and Skye were surrounded by dead robo-scorpions. "You guys okay?" Mark asked.
John whipped his head around, not seeing anyone. "Who said that? Come out!" he yelled. Skye, however, picked up Mark's scent and bounded over to him. Mark then realized that the suit was still active, so he deactivated it, making him visible once again. "Jesus, kid, don't do that!" John said. "Sorry, John. Didn't realize the suit was still active," Mark said as he scratched Skye behind the ear. "Yeah, whatever. You get what we came for?" Mark nodded. "Yeah. Oh wait, there's a prize in the safe for me for completing the test."
Mark went over to the safe and opened it, picking up what was inside. When he saw what it was, his eyes widened. "No-freaking-way!" he said excitedly. John came closer, seeing a comic book being held almost reverently by Mark. "A comic book, kid? That's what you're so excited about?"
"John, this is a copy of "Grognak The Barbarian and The Silver Shroud Fight The Demonic Dragons From Hell!" This is a special crossover issue! They only made, like, a hundred of these, and they were only given away as part of a contest in the DC area! I've been looking for one of these for ages! And it's even in a protective bag! Oh, this is the best day of my life!"
John raised an eyebrow. "Really? How about when you got married?" "Yeah, that's up there too," Mark said almost dismissively, carefully putting the comic in his bag. The trio then made their way up the stairs, and then back on the elevator. There they found more robo-scorpions. Once they were taken care of, Mark looked around the room. "John, did you look behind those doors at all?" Mark asked.
"I checked the one on the left, nothing but junk. Didn't check the other one, though. You finished reading the terminal before I could," John answered. Mark walked over to the door and opened it. Inside was another lab, somewhat larger than the others, with the layout being similar, except for one major difference.
In the back of the room, standing enclosed in a circular forcefield, was some type of metal suit. It was mostly red, with gold accents on the arms and legs, with the facemask being entirely gold. In the center of the chest plate was a dark circle. "Dear god, what is that?" John asked as he looked at it in awe. Skye circled around the forcefield, examining it as well. Mark saw a computer next to it, so he sat down and started reading.
"Ok, so apparently it's called the 'Variable Threat Response Battle Suit,' a manned suit, and it was 'liberated' from a private citizen with the initials 'T.S.' They had it brought to the X-42 Robo-Warfare Facility to try and recreate it. They couldn't, so they had it brought here to see if they could incorporate their stealth technology with it."
"A battle suit? Wow," John said. Mark took the Sonic Emitter and fired it at the forcefield, disabling it. He then walked behind it. "Now how do you get inside?" he asked himself. He touched it, when the suit split open along a seam running down the back. Mark, ever curious, stepped inside. Amazingly, the suit was just his size. As he stepped in, the suit closed and then started to power up.
"Suit active," a feminine robotic voice said. "Integrating stealth technology. Integrating pip-boy." Suddenly, sensor readings popped up on the heads-up display. "You okay, kid?" John asked. Mark looked over and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." The display then showed data from his pip-boy, such as the date, time, and his vitals. It then began scanning things in the room, including John and Skye, showing their vitals as well.
"Diagnostics complete. Suit is on-line and fully functional. Hello, Mark Franklin." "Who are you? And how do you know my name?" Mark asked. "I am the AI for this suit. I am the Mobile Autonomous Robotic Interface, but you may call me 'MARI' for short. As for how I know your name, I took the information from your pip-boy, obviously."
Mark looked at his hands as he flexed them, seeing that only the screen of his pip-boy was visible on his left arm. "Well, uh, MARI, give me the specs of this suit, please." A virtual schematic of the suit popped up on his HUD. "Certainly," MARI answered. "The suit is made up of a metal alloy created by combining two million grain-of-sand-sized discrete units, which are shaped to have as large a surface area as possible to optimize effectiveness."
"The basis of the suit's structural integrity is a powerful forcefield that permeates the armor's cells, as well as the entire suit when active. Each of these "cells" is a tiny unit, contributing power to the entire armor, which allows its continued function even after taking significant damage. The suit is powered by an arc reactor in the chest, which provides power to all systems."
"The arc reactor also functions as a weapon, a 'uni-beam,' if you will. The suit is capable of flight up to speeds of Mach 1 using a jet propulsion system in the boots. Repulsors on each hand help to stabilize flight, as well as acting as weapons in their own right. There are also rockets in each shoulder blade, used in conjunction with an on-board targeting system. The suit confers a strength enhancement and has now integrated with the stealth suit technology. I am also able to intercept radio broadcasts and can break into nearby computer systems. Any questions?"
John looked on in astonishment, and Skye in confusion, while Mark had a big grin in his face. "Haha! I hit the freaking jackpot!" he said excitedly. John shook himself out of his stupor. "Damn, that is impressive. I'm glad I'm on your side, kid, because I would not like to face that thing in battle." Mark, who had been standing still since he entered the suit, took a couple steps forward.
"MARI, how do I control everything?" Mark asked. "The suit uses a cerebral interface, so all you need to do is think what you want to happen," she answered. "So, if I want to-" The mask and helmet retracted into the suit. "Oh, cool. So what if I wanted to-" A beam of energy came from the repulsor in his right hand, hitting just to the right of his companions, who ducked in fear. The energy left a gaping hole in the wall.
"Jesus, kid, be careful where you aim that damn thing!" John said, dusting himself off, while Skye shook the debris off herself, barking in annoyance. "Oh, sorry guys. Won't happen again. Damn powerful, though." "Yeah, you're telling me," John said, examining the hole. "Yeah, definitely don't want to face that in battle." Mark then tested out the flight capabilities, finding himself floating a couple feet in the air. Going back down, he stumbled as he landed. "Well," he said, "this has been fun, but we've gotten what we came for. Need to see if Veronica's back anyways."
Leaving the X-13 facility, they found more robo-scorpions outside. Mark made excellent use of the suit, destroying all of them almost single-handedly. Stepping back into the Sink, Wallace spoke to Mark. "Sir, Miss Santangelo has returned and is currently sleeping on the couch in the sitting room. She asked me to disable the Toaster because, and I quote, "If I have to listen to it talk about destroying the world again, I'm going to throw it off the balcony.""
Mark chuckled. "That's fine, Wallace." Mark went into the sitting room, finding Veronica laying on her side on the couch, facing them. Skye went up to her and started to lick her face. Veronica smiled and started to talk in her sleep. "Mmm…oh Emily, that's nice…yeah, just like that…" Mark laughed, while John chuckled.
Hearing the laughing woke Veronica up, and upon seeing a dog in her face, she screamed and rolled off the couch. She nearly hit Skye, who moved out of the way just in time. Standing up, she saw Mark and John. "So, uh, who's Emily?" Mark asked, trying to stifle further laughter. She glared at Mark.
"Emily is…she's none of your damn business, that's who she is!" she said indignantly, blushing slightly. She then noticed the suit Mark was wearing, her eyes widening in shock. "Mark, what the hell is that?" Mark flexed his fingers and recalled the mask and helmet. "This, Veronica, is a game-changer."
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. So yes, Mark has the "Iron Man" suit. I got the information about the suit from various online sources. The voice in the battle suit is why the stealth suit didn't talk, as I didn't want to complicate things with two voices talking. As for why the dog is named Skye instead of Roxie, well, one of my nieces loves the show "Paw Patrol," and Skye is her favorite character. I also like the name as well. I did say that some things would be different. Until next time, and reviews are always welcomed and appreciated.