* October 29, 2005 *
It had taken a few minutes for Danny and Annette to be there at their panicked daughter's side, to see what had her in that panicked state.
That they could see, but not interact with, the little boxes in front of her was also very new. Also very welcome as now they had evidence of the whole 'This Is Not How Parahuman Powers Work' thing.
"This is like one of Laura's videogames worked," said Annette as she glanced over the choices. "Okay. See what happens when you choose a box."
"Which one?" asked Taylor, the ten-year-old trying not to hyperventilate because the text not only indicated a one-time offer but there was a countdown with less than fifteen minutes on it.
[No Man's Sky tech] [Acme Sample Box] [Turn Off Celestial Forge] [Blind Spot] [Specialized Lab]
[Friendly Monster] [Teleport Tech] [Upgraded Factory] [Divine Favor (I have connections)]
"How about 'Upgraded Factory'?" suggested Danny Hebert. "You've had issues with just a couple of workbenches, right?"
Taylor reached out to the box apparently floating right in front of her, and gently touched the indicated box.
[You have chosen 'Upgraded Factory']
[Choose one:] [Automated Assembly Line] [Biotech Factory] [Starship Spacedock] [Synth Factory] [Nanotech Manufactory]
[Or: Go Back]
"Go back," said Annette and Danny simultaneously, which had them look at each other and then smile before returning their attention to the renewed menu.
"Okay," said Taylor, still eyeing the countdown. "What about..."
[You have chosen 'Acme Sample Box']
[Box contains 1 of each of the following best-sellers of Acme Industries: Portable Hole, Slapstick Dynamite, Rocket Skates, Ridiculously Powerful Horseshoe Magnet, Instant Anvil, Triple Strength Leg Muscle Vitamins (family size), Jet Bike kit, Dehydrated Boulders (box), Do-It-Yourself Tornado Kit, Christmas Packaging Machine, Instant Road, Invisible Paint.]
[Or: Go Back]
Taylor glanced to the countdown again. Eleven minutes remaining.
[You have chosen 'Friendly Monster']
[You can choose one of the following, who will be a completely loyal minion/pet capable of guarding your installations, running very simple errands, and can be housed at a dedicated space within your warehouse. Food/water will be provided on a daily basis automatically to this kennel. While the monster can understand your language, actual intelligence varies depending on the monster chosen.]
[Choose:] [Spawn of Cerebus] [Spawn of Fenris] [Raven Familiar] [Dragon, Tiny] [Dragon, Toothless] [Unicorn] [Mechagodzilla (requires parental consent)] [Succubus (requires parental consent)] [Iron Giant] [Benzoate Ostylezene Bicarbonate] [Superdog]
[Or: Go Back]
"Huh, so what's..." Taylor clicked the most mysterious of the selections.
[You have chosen 'Blind Spot']
[Your world (among others) has precogs, clairvoyants, groups and individuals who can gain information at a distance without the use of pesky spy equipment. This perk makes you a blind spot in all their attempts. Indirect effects can still be observed. For +100 points you can make the effect viral - affecting all those you consider allies, minions, or followers.]
[Or: Go Back]
Annette was already using her phone to call one of her colleagues at the college.
Danny was already using his tablet to look up some of the references.
"Divine Favor," read Taylor aloud as she noticed her parents' attention was elsewhere. "Due to various connections, a divine favor can be bestowed upon you. Randomly determined among the deities of the Norse (remember to dedicate accomplishments), Egyptian (they'd like monuments), Greek (remember to pour libations), Japanese (small shrines with the occasional offering), or of the D&D Realms."
"That can be good or bad or both," side-spoke Annette. "There are all sorts of myths and legends involved."
Watching the countdown continue onwards, Taylor started fidgeting and tapped the first one.
[You have chosen 'No Man's Sky tech']
[Dozens of blueprints, including a device to get more blueprints. Advanced technology of a galaxies-spanning civilization. Includes the possibility of finding upgrades and further blueprints through use of your Multi-Tool.]
[FREE: 8 slot C-Class Multi-tool (can be upgraded)]
[FREE: broken down C-Class Fighter-type spaceship (requires repairs)]
[Or: Go Back]
Taylor stared. Slowly she reached over and tugged on her mother's shoulder. "Mom. Look. Mom. Dad."
Danny and Annette looked. They stared.
"I think that one seems a valid choice," said Annette.
"Agreed," said Danny.
Taylor had to be reminded twice not to run all the way to the lockers.
When she got to the locker, it was a small one in the style of gym cubicle-style lockers. It also contained two items instead of the single item they'd expected. The first was a visor-like device that looked like high-tech ski goggles. The second was something vaguely like a gun. Specifically some sort of water pistol.
"Oh, they're linked," said Taylor, who had put the visor on before either had caught up enough to realize she'd done so. Because, super-genius or not, she WAS ten years old.
"Initializing," said a vaguely feminine mechanical voice. "Updating. Exosuit not available, virtual suit deployed. Shield Kinetic System online. Mining Beam installed. Scanner operational in basic mode. Terrain Editor unavailable. Waveform Focuser N56-P."
Taylor looked towards her mother and her father, grinning so much it looked like it would hurt except for all the adrenaline she had going at the moment. "Supply world?"
Annette and Danny looked at each other, then Danny checked his watch. "It's already nine-thirty."
"Tomorrow's Sunday. No school," said Annette. She pointed at Taylor. "Do you honestly think she's going to be able to get any sleep until she's exhausted?"
Danny considered the nearly-vibrating pre-teen and admitted that his wife, as was frequently the case, had a point.
Neither of the adults had expected there to be new crystalline growths dotting the landscape, though it was hard to tell with Taylor as she was excitedly babbling about everything new that she was seeing while scanning things with her multi-tool and visor.
"So that's what a 'mining beam' does," said Danny after a few moments of Taylor running around using some laser-like device.
"Green laser beam that breaks things down into elements and sends it to a storage unit? That could be pretty handy," admitted Annette.
"Are you pondering what I'm pondering?" asked Danny.
"Does it involve warming lube and a late night?" asked Annette.
Danny was silent for a few moments. "Well, it was actually about the Ship's Graveyard, but let's go with your idea instead. Taylor, bedtime!"
* October 31, 2005 *
"What?" asked Taylor. "Is that what I think it is?"
"That depends, what do you think it is?" asked Danny Hebert, smirking a little bit.
Taylor quickly looked over the piece of electronics with badly cut-off wiring sticking out of it, and scorch marks along one side of the parts mish-mash. "Tinkertech."
"Yeppers," said Danny, then deciding he would never use that particular phrase again. Patrick had used it when he'd turned that little gadget up from the aftermath of a cape battle, and it hadn't sounded ridiculous then.
"Hmmm," said Taylor.
"Patrick got it from the scene after a cape fight down at Fisherman's Way near Pat's bar. It was a couple of out-of-towners fighting. I think their names were Jiggle Belle and Steamboat."
"Some cape names deserve to be lost to time," mumbled Taylor as she focused on taking apart the casing of the Tinkertech.
"Steamboat was this steampunk-styled Tinker, whose device exploded during the fight, and the PRT missed this part." Danny shrugged. "There was a lot of talk about things I'll have to look up later. Or maybe your mother knows something about them."
Taylor proved she was listening despite her apparent fascination with the device. "What kind of things?"
"Terms the PRT guys were talking about while they cleaned up the scene," said Danny. "Patrick's got very good hearing. 'Cluster Trigger', 'Kiss/Kill effect', 'Tinker specialization' which is apparently different from 'Tinker focus', and 'optical diversion generator' for starts," said Danny.
"That's what this is," said Taylor. "These glass beads are hooked up to lasers and these others are basically cameras. This shouldn't work though. There are pieces missing and what's here should have just been smoldering junk."
"So... you want more Tinkertech if we come across it?" asked Danny.
"Yes, please," said Taylor absently as she went towards her workshop.
She almost didn't notice the rumble, but when it did penetrate she stopped and considered before nodding and mumbling something about how handy THAT would be.
It looked like the Scarlet Lady was entirely possible with this sort of tech.
Though she had to wonder what the heck this tech had to do with bubblegum of all things.
* November 24, 2005 *
* White House, Secure Meeting Room B-214 *
"What have you got for us now?" asked President Hayes, looking as if he needed a bright spot in his day.
"She's produced a formula, with the equations and chemical breakdown, of a room temperature superconductor that will survive in anything from -100 degrees to +385 degrees. We're still working on the anti-grav technology. As soon as we get one application working, we find three more along the way. She's upgraded the battery technology, now reading 410% more effective than lithium-ion batteries of the same size. There's a good chance for military exoskeletons at this point. We're working on getting her some medical credentialing so that she can perform medical tasks under supervision, apparently she's capable of that and of creating cybernetic replacement parts - so that will be quite handy if she can work on those skills." Doctor Rutherford took a sip from his water bottle at the end of all that, before shaking his head. "Brockton Bay University is working alongside other groups as they build prototypes from her notes - I have to remind myself she's all of ten years old because some of my own people aren't as complete with their reports as her documentation tends to be."
"I'd imagine you'd be able to hold that over them if we weren't keeping her identity secret," said President Hayes with a smirk.
"It has been tempting," admitted Doctor Rutherford.
General Calhoun smirked. "'Doctor Curlyhair' has a device which can deconstruct materials into their base composition. She uses a lot of words to describe the effect that I doubt anyone here but Doctor Rutherford can make much sense out of it - but if she can duplicate it we'll have technology that allows us to put bases up nearly anywhere we choose in minutes as well as take apart unused structures in the same amount of time."
"Oh?" asked President Hayes.
"We're trying to expedite, under the radar as much as possible, her eliminating that ship blocking the way into Brockton Bay's harbor," continued General Calhoun. "If nothing else, that will cover us quietly opening back up some nearby bases."
President Hayes nodded. "Any indication of other parties noticing and taking action?"
"Nothing yet," said Secretary Robertson. "We do have some resources moved in locally to take action if needed."
* December 12, 2005 *
She'd upgraded, of course. Her Multi-tool had been traded in at an automated kiosk in one of the otherwise empty Minor Settlements that had cropped up, and at the likewise-automated space station. Yeah, flying was cool but flying in space was even better!
As she headed to the space station again, she heard the rumble of the Forge and saw something she was definitely going to use!
With a factory she could just send blueprints to and they'd make the whatever? As long as it was purely technological and not exceeding the technology of the factory itself? Oh yeah, that was getting a lot of work.
"BWAHAHAHAHA!" tried Doctor Curlyhair from within her spaceship. After all, if she tried a mad scientist laugh at home - her mother would give her That Look. No, much better to practice out here. "Oooh! There's another wreck. Maybe I can upgrade."
* Department of Defense *
* December 24, 2005:
"Admiral Reyes, this is General Calhoun."
"General. It's Christmas Eve. Is it that important?"
"The Asset gave us a Christmas present."
"I have top level security clearance, I don't know who the Asset is, and I know I don't want to know. Opsec is a thing. After all I've seen coming out courtesy of this Asset - I'm inclined to listen to whatever she wants."
"No, General. She gave us a present."
"After the molecular reinforcement field, the medical gel, the optical diversion field, anti-gravity, upgraded variable-frequency laser weapons, and that superconductive material... I really hesitate to guess. I know they're being investigated, in fact some of the Navy labs are contributing to those 'little' research projects, but based on those and that the mind churning these out isn't a parahuman? No idea."
"Don't forget that sub you've got patrolling that part of the East Coast. Some people don't like President Hayes, but right now he's pretty popular with us for not doing something stupid like whisking the Asset away to some deep hole or eliminating them for 'rocking the boat' or something. Anyway. The samples we've gotten are called photon cannons. Two of them. They act just like you see in the movies. My techs are absolutely delighted with the amount of mayhem they can cause. Only stickler is the amount of power they take - might be required to use a carrier."
"Ah. I see. And you might be willing to loan us one of your cannon, so that it could be properly field tested?"
"Well, I did owe you something for that time in Budapest."
"I thought we were even after that time over Macho Grande."
"I'll never be over Macho Grande."
* Perks This Chapter *
Washu-01 No Sky's Limit (Free one time choice) (No Man's Sky) (Knowledge Future Tech):
This ain't no simulation, Traveler. You start out with a basic multi-tool, a wrecked spaceship, and a handful of blueprints. Where does it end? Wherever you want, Traveler. Make it so.
FREE: Waveform Focuser N56-P: Class C, 8 Slot Multi-tool with Mining Beam.
FREE: Prime Vector. C-Class basic Space Fighter. requires launch and pulse drive systems to be repaired.
FREE: Blueprints: Construction Research Terminal, Base Computer, Di-hydrogen gel, Electrical Wiring, Portable Refiner, and the Basic Package. Further blueprints will have to be researched.
19.0140 Grease Monkey (300CP) (Bubblegum Crisis) (Knowledge Mundane):
What can you fix or build? What CAN'T you fix or build? Nothing, that's what. From hyper-cars to Buma, computers to Hardsuits, with the right tools and enough time and experiments, you can build it all, weaponry included.
7.2.1-Auto-Factory (100CP)(Starbound)(Facilities Technology):
A room full of various arms and other tools, this factory is designed to be programmed with the blueprints for any item that you know how to create, allowing for raw materials to be fed in from the ship's storage, and be turned into whatever items are programmed into the factory. Warning: Only items that run on purely mechanical / scientific principles can be made here. If something requires magic or more esoteric energies to be created, it will require your personal touch to actually make, though individual parts could still be crafted by the factory. Can't make items bigger than the room itself, though it can build the pieces for you to put together yourself later.
* 100cp because a 1 module ship costs that