Brockton's Celestial Forge

by Lord Roustabout

The Celestial Forge is the greatest combination of crafting powers in Jumpchain, meaning it is the greatest combination of crafting abilities in all of fiction. In Brockton Bay a forgotten side character's trigger event ends with him linked to the Celestial Forge rather than his intended shard. His expanding collection of tinker abilities drag him into the city's cape conflicts.

30. 24 Tech Work - Addendum Alec

It turns out I really needed sleep. There was very little time between the point where I climbed into my incredible new bed and the point where I was completely dead to the world. A big part of that was probably the light level. The entryway had this kind of vague murky dimness. It was dark enough to be able to sleep, but not really ideal. Still, a massive step above my apartment, so I tolerated it with additional lighting when I needed to work and not quite dark enough when I needed to sleep.

With this room I could get that deep pitch blackness that just swallowed you up. There wasn't even the odd electric LED disturbed it. When combined with a wonderful bed, comfortable sheets, and just the right temperature, I was out like a coma patient.

That night was basically a tour of every kind of sleep I had missed out on during my frenzied work blitz. There was the 'there is something seriously wrong' sleep where you basically shut down and barely move. You sort of wake up hours later with your sheets solidified around you. There's the conventional sleep where you lie in bed for a brief period and have a few thoughts before you slip in and out of consciousness complete with unremembered dreams. Then there's the 'I don't really need to sleep but I'm comfortable so fuck it' period where you're basically lounging in bed until you brain or body manage to form a convincing enough argument to get you up.

I made it to the crack of noon before a combination of biological needs and the crushing obligation of my upcoming technical projects finally punched through the blissful embrace of sleep and saw me throw myself upright. There was the brief moment of wondering where the hell I was before my brain caught up and I pulled myself away from the blankets.

The apartment had really been wonderfully arranged so that even with the limited space everything was both convenient and aesthetically appealing. I really had to give my duplicates credit. Wait, was this just a backwards way of complimenting myself? This was seriously confusing.

I went through my morning routine in a bathroom that was actually designed for human habitation rather than designed to ensure you met the legal definition for the purposes of rental listings. There were a few technical modifications that had been added by my copies to improve the livability, ensure continuous hot water, and even prevent the mirror from fogging.

The water pressure was better than I was used to in my apartment, but not quite the power sprayers they had at the gym. I'm pretty sure those had been installed long before water conservation was a concept in the public consciousness. As such, post gym showers hit with enough force to scrub the sweat off you just by the strength of the water flow. I suspect the limiting factor was whatever water input/drainage system my workshop was facilitating for this place.

After my shower I got dressed and headed over to the small kitchen. It was actually comprehensive enough to not be referred to as a kitchenette. My duplicates had managed to move over most of my food, with a focus on the better quality items purchased with the advance I received from the Undersiders. Most of the ready-to-eat items had been devoured after my life fiber mishap, so I was going to have to actually cook something.

I needed breakfast before I dove into things. Well, technically it would be brunch at this time of day. I was now certain that my nanites were supplementing my nutritional needs, but I didn't trust them to cover everything and there was still a mental aspect to things. Yes, I could probably get by sustained by my power forever, but I didn't think getting more isolated and removed from the human experience was a good long term idea. I decided to go for a basic fried egg and see how I felt from there.

A few things were discovered in the time it took me to fry an egg. First of all, my pans had either been replaced or rebuilt by my duplicates. I really needed to look over the transmutation arrays that had been transferred because I couldn't see this kind of work being completed in the timeline available without using that power. When looking for a pan I found a collection that would make a small restaurant envious, all built to the insane quality and aesthetic standards that came to my power by default.

The second thing I learned is that cooking counts as making something. That should have been obvious, but this was the first time I tried it since getting those permanent crafting enhancements. To avoid ending up with an egg the size of a pizza I had to select the five times duplication. Masterwork Crafter also made itself known and had me frying with a level of care and expertise I had no experience with. Oh, and Beauty in the Arts presented itself as I was plating the meal, creating an arrangement of five perfect fried eggs, delicately spiced and perfectly displayed.

It almost looked too good to eat. Fortunately it smelled so good that that wasn't even a minor obstacle. I probably would have chewed through the Mona Lisa if it smelled like this. It felt needlessly self-congratulatory, but it was the best plate of eggs I've had in my life. It may have been the best meal I've ever experienced, and it consisted of just three minutes of cook time.

After I absolutely demolished that meal I took a moment to consider things. This situation was actually a bit jarring. I'd been focused on my tinker powers as high level abstract stuff, bending the laws of physics with magical enchantments and super technology. It was crazy, but it belonged in the crazy space of cape life. That was the world of larger than life personalities, heroes and villains, all the insanity that comes with being a parahuman.

This was breakfast. It was a parahuman breakfast. Tinker level breakfast. Breakfast made to superhuman levels of perfection. The concept was just so incongruous I could barely process it.

What it meant was that I no longer had a cape life and a normal life. The divide wasn't there anymore. I still had a civilian identity, but there wouldn't be a time when the costume and gadgets got put away and I went back to being a normal person. Not anymore.

That was a harrowing thought and would be more disturbing if I hadn't just had possibly the greatest breakfast of my life. Really, I should have known this was coming. That was kind of what the jar was about. I just somehow didn't give much thought to what would happen when my powers built to a point where they became an intrinsic part of my life.

The fact that I was now properly living in a pocket dimension, not just squatting in the entrance but fully moved in, should have been a sign of that. Was this home now? I certainly felt more of a connection to it than that apartment out in the real world or that abandoned room back at my parent's house, and these rooms had been specifically prepared for me with great care and attention. Maybe not really home just yet, but things were certainly getting there.

I was considering the impact my power was having on me when the Celestial Forge seemingly decided to drive that point home. There was the familiar rumbling of facilities being added to my workshop following the connection to the Toolkits constellation. I did get a rough sense of what was added with certain powers, and this time it wasn't a bunch of machinery, an apartment, or even a magic lava forge.

I had been considering whether the workshop counted as home and my power had decided to give me an entire house.

It was a fairly utilitarian house, but still an entire building worth of rooms suddenly stapled onto my workshop. With the fact that the construction area of my workshop now resembled a large mall or mid-sized airport that shouldn't have been such a big deal, but there was an odd division of purpose that was associated with the facilities of this extra dimensional space. Crafting areas were for crafting. I could try to use them for something else, but the metal shop actually contracted when equipment was removed. Trying to cram in materials that were against the purpose of the location was a constant battle. It's why I'd been sleeping in my entryway for weeks rather than the much roomier, open, and better lit workshop. The workshop was very much not a residence and almost fought attempts to use it as such.

The house, however, was most certainly a residence. An official, almost militaristic residence, but a residence nonetheless. I could sort of feel what had been added to my workshop, though not the precise details of it. That would require an investigation.

I left my plate on the table in my office and slipped out to examine the addition. The effect of this power was plain to see from the additional door in the hallway, and a quick glance confirmed its connection to my bedroom/kitchen as well. I cautiously moved to examine the new expansion.

As suspected this power had added an entire house worth of rooms to my workshop. Not anything like a mansion, but not a terribly small house either. It was a proper home with multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room, and all the other little details. Checking upstairs showed there was one master bedroom and four rooms each holding a pair of twin beds. The pantry was attached to a sizable kitchen and packed with non-perishable food, enough to sustain nine people for at least a year.

There was a clear military bent to this place, with empty weapon racks and an abandoned small armory. That said, there was also an old timey feel to it, like something out of the thirties or forties. It wasn't lacking in amenities, and was probably fairly nice by the standards of the time, but seemed positively ancient to a modern eye.

That got even worse when I found the real meat of this expansion. There was a 'secret' lab attached to the house. By secret I mean the entrance was concealed, but for what reason I could only guess. You had to access it through a rotating bookcase of the kind associated with bad mystery movies, complete with false book to trigger the entrance. It was horribly cliché, but also had a weird kind of charm. The 'concealed' part probably would have been a lot more effective if there had been any other books on the bookcase. I would probably need to do something about that.

The lab was a decent size, but the archaic nature of the design was even more prevalent there. This was definitely the technology of the Second World War. Or it would be if World War Two had run on magic power crystals.

Included with the outdated research technology and scattered notes, which I would have to make a point to examine in detail later, there was a box containing a large glowing crystal, a little under a foot tall. It was labeled as a piece of ragnite, and from what I could tell from a quick skim of notes and records was the blanket power source of this type of technology. I had no understanding of how the stuff worked, only that it could be used to power things and apparently needed to be refined to be truly effective. There were some notes to that effect, including a diagram of a figure surrounded by light. From the outline it looked like something about biological integration?

Ragnite also seemed to have some potential medical applications, possibly related to that biological integration note. Unfortunately I didn't have anything close to the expertise needed to utilize that kind of thing. It would take a serious amount of experimentation of a very 'wet tinkering' variety to get any level of confirmation of the effects. That was not something I had the time or inclination to mess around with at the moment.

None of this helped with my current situation, even if the ragnite could end up used as an effective power source it would take time to understand it properly. There was also the problem of integrating it into my technology. I had no idea how long that would take. Magitek couldn't draw directly from it and the high level tech from Master Builder needed an insanely pure energy source to work.

The ragnite had potential, but that would take longer to unlock than it was likely to be worth. Studying the notes and principles in this lab could be filed with long term projects with uncertain payoff, like the medical manuals waiting for me in the cybernetics clinic.

As I tried to work out where this place sat in relation to the entryway I noticed a door at the end of the laboratory. A large, gothic, over decorated door. I considered the hypothetical layout of the rooms, and then opened the new entrance to my Laboratorium.

The skulls perked up with excitement the moment I walked in. The hymn was still playing on a loop, but the "AVE IMPERATOR!" alerts had become much less frequent. There was only a single one as I crossed the huge room towards the main door, various results presenting themselves on displays as I went. The early portions of the analysis had been completed and more detailed scans were now being taken and examined.

It looked like my workshop had created a loop in room layout. The building facilities were on the left, the living areas towards the back, and the research labs on the right. Everything connected and linked to everything else, which saved me from having to use the entryway as a hub for the various areas.

I waved goodbye to the skulls and emerged from the Laboratorium to my entryway. It was largely as I had left it, though the last of the furniture had been removed along with my mattress. It had either been integrated into the apartments or returned to the outside... apartment. Now the entryway was just a repository of cape equipment, mostly in lockers, with the notable exception being my costume.

My badly damaged costume.

I needed to fix that. Another work session with Garment would be required, though this time I'd have to be careful of the effects of my Workaholic power. Actually, extra costumes wouldn't be a terrible thing to have on hand. I'd also need to help Garment with her new dress. She had been staying in that red evening dress almost as a point of pride for her actions from the night, but if giving it to the police would help get convictions for some of those assault cases I know she would be willing to part with it. I just had to make sure she had a replacement ready that met her standards.

And that thought brought me back to my massive list of projects. I had a lot of work to do, and hopefully this time I would be able to get some more cooperative help since I was now properly fed and rested.

I was surprised to find Garment in the Alchemy lab rather than with the textile machinery she had been so attached to the night before. She was focused on the dyeing station and working an incredibly intricate and detailed design in a multitude of colors that somehow swam together without coming across as jumbled or messy in any way. When I walked in she waved me over to inspect her work.

The piece was beautiful, and she seemed to have reset the textile portion of the Alchemist's Laboratory to her previous and preferred arrangement. I looked over the pattern and various other pieces she had worked on. Her laptop was set up nearby with an album of pictures from the integrated camera of the various patterns, likely with Survey's help. It took me a moment to figure out her intentions.

"Oh, sure. You can post those. And any other sewing you want to show off. Uh, just be careful not to show the lab or workshop? Like these are fine, but this one you can see the distillation columns in the background. That could raise some difficult questions. Maybe set up a screen or something?"

She gestured enthusiastically and started fabricating a cloth backdrop for her pictures. I smiled and left her to it while I headed for my potion stocks. While working with my duplicate I was able to start the brewing of a significant number of potions. In addition to all of the potions from Kazooie Alchemy I had a set of bright red healing potions from Innate Talent: Alchemist and a few experimental potions from Natural Alchemy.

The potions from Kazooie Alchemy were the only ones that couldn't be combined. Well, they could, but not without consequences so severe that I didn't want to think about them. I liked being a roughly human shape with functional arms and legs, so I was very determined to let the previous potions run their course before taking a new one.

Still, I had two untested potions, and they were potions I wouldn't be able to test as long as I had duplicates active. I decanted all of the completed potions into individual vials, picked up the green potion, and was about to down it when something occurred to me. Proper testing needed data and records, not just personal experience. I pulled up my omni-tool and fabricated a fresh flight of drones.

Drones linked to Survey with my computer core backing it was a different beast than drones running from a truncated A.I. operating on my omni-tool hardware. After fabrication the drones shifted into a specific formation as Survey's inquiry was broadcast through my omni-tool.

"Greetings. How may I help?"

The synthesized voice was a little off, and a quick examination of the processes found it was essentially a chatbot with text to voice and speech recognition that had been integrated in the A.I.'s optimization. Still, it was a big step towards proper communication, so I decided to engage with it.

"Beginning experiment of concealment effect. Monitor with all available sensors to provide data on effectiveness." I made a point of speaking slowly and clearly for the benefit of the speech recognition, and even then had to input a couple of corrections directly. The next time I used the neural interface I could help upgrade that program to a reliable level of recognition, but for an independent development it was pretty impressive.

The drones surrounded me as I lifted the vial and downed the green liquid. As I watched my body quickly faded out of existence. Invisibility was kind of a head trip since you were working on your sense of position in space rather than being able to check with your own eyes. Without the benefit of my micromanipulators I would probably have had serious problems interacting with objects or judging distances properly.

What followed was a truncated test of the limits of the invisibility. The potion hid me from visible light but not thermal vision. Well, it stopped direct infrared emission, but not other forms of heat transfer. That created a warm section of air that was still visible on infrared scans, even if it was not as pronounced as full body heat.

Invisibility remained when partially submerged in liquid, though I wasn't willing to actually fully immerse myself by going for a swim in any of the workshop tanks. That suggested it was an active concealment effect, not just becoming transparent with the same refractive index as air. Moving through an area with mist, smoke, or dust created a disruption to the suspended particles, but no human shaped gap in them. Throwing powder or light material on my body didn't expose it, but cloth or heavier material did. I think Garment had a good deal of fun experimenting with that, since it was essentially a game of tag using ribbons and sheets.

Finally, it was determined that a single solid hit dispelled the effect. It had to be meaningful, even if it wasn't damaging. If it was blocked by my force field alchemy then it didn't count, but my invincibility barrier didn't stop the invisibility from being dispelled. I started testing that aspect when the timer passed the nine minute mark, since I'm fairly certain I'll be seeing roughly the same duration as my duplication potion. I missed a connection to the Quality constellation as the testing concluded.

The dispeling of the invisibility upon impact provided a way to drop the potion's effect, something I didn't have access to with the yellow potion I tested next. This one created a sphere of energy around me that blocked damage. As predicted, repeated trials found nothing that could bypass the effect. It was, as far as I could tell, total invincibility for nearly ten minutes.

There was one significant drawback that stopped it from being a complete world changer. The sphere extended a good way outside my body. No attack could penetrate the sphere, but the sphere moved with me. Rather than crash against people and objects it became permeable when moving. If I closed the distance to someone they could just remain still and slip inside the barrier. When stationary I was invincible, when moving I was very vulnerable. It was less a force field than a magical perimeter that stopped attacks that crossed it. Still immensely useful, just not the perfect solution.

Like the other potions it lasted just under ten minutes, though this one had no way of being deactivated. Also, these potions could also not be combined, either with the other types or multiples of the same types. Not without risking very bad consequences. Invincibility was great, but it effectively locked me out of the other potions for the full duration. I'd have to use it carefully and tactically, and even with Evermore Alchemist being able to pull off the same trick with a shorter duration duplication and invisibility would probably be my go to combat potions.

On that note, with testing concluded I sent Survey to once again update the workshop floor plans and picked up one of the blue potions. With two gulps a pair of duplicates stepped out of my body into the Alchemist's Laboratory.

The difference between the duplicates that stepped out today from the ones that were created last night was, well it was night and day. Horrible joke, but it was true. If these were accurate representations of me then that night of sleep had clearly done me a world of good. The duplicates were fresh, clean, and possibly even counted as chipper.

I cautiously glanced across them before speaking. "So, any other concerns, or are we good to actually get to work now?"

The first shrugged his shoulders, kind of rolling them at the same time as if noting a lack of tension. "I've got no complaints. How about you?"

The second nodded. "I'm good to get started." He pulled up his copy of my omni-tool. I realized I'd forgotten to copy my call bead reagents, but considering the pile of beads from the night before including the massive one that had brought wrath down on me, it probably wasn't a priority at the moment. I had more than I needed and duplication potions to spare.

"Hold up." The second called out. "Have you seen this? Wait, I'm you. Of course you haven't seen this. You need to see this." There was a ping from his omni-tool and I received a message directing me to the file I received the night before.

Over two dozen alchemical transmutation arrays were stored in the data along with detailed notes on application and use. It neatly answered the question of how the apartments had been renovated so quickly. The arrays weren't what you'd call advanced alchemy, instead dealing with simple recombination of basic materials or common material combinations. Normally that kind of alchemy would result in crude flakey objects but the combination of my crafting and design powers made that completely impossible.

It did seem like the design powers provided some assistance in the drafting of transmutation circles and arrays. Probably the effect of Tailor Made allowing high level of detail without extra time. Transmutation symbols benefited from complexity, and that power would allow instant application of as much detail as I could manage.

The duplicates point was clearly made, but the first chose to restate it. "You really should have reviewed this already."

"I've been busy."

"Busy with scut work." He cycled through a display of the transmutation arrays. "There's no point in someone who's going to vanish in ten minutes doing research like this."

"What, you want me to slack off from work?"

"What I want is to not have to spend my limited existence reviewing something another duplicate already worked on. You should be doing the experimentation and training, not us."

"Yeah. I mean, think of the duplicates after us." The second one chimed in. "I don't want them coming into existence under skilled because you wasted time."

It made sense on some level, but I didn't like dumping tedious tasks on copies of myself. Though apparently the copies of myself felt the same way about me, and they had a better case for it.

"You seriously want me to shirk all the work we need to do?"

The second duplicate shrugged. "Not shirk, just focus on stuff that will have a permanent benefit. Research, design work, alchemy practice, and combat training."

"Oh, and life fiber training as well. We don't want to get out muscled by Uber next time." Garment poked around the screen at the mention of life fibers, then made an encouraging gesture. "See, Garment agrees with us."

I looked between the two copies of myself and nodded. "Fine, but I'm at least working on the planning and initial systems of the workshop upgrade."

"That's fair. Don't want future copies having a hard time finding their way around this place."

I nodded to the first duplicate. "Great. Where do we start?"

"Computer?"

"Computer."

That was fair. This place badly needed to be networked and some kind of oversight system would speed up all future projects. And there were going to be a lot of future projects. If I wanted to go for a full upgrade of my equipment I needed to start with an upgrade of my workshop.

As advanced as the new equipment was, it was still a far cry from being able to produce technology on the level of complexity seen from Class:Engineer or Master Builder. The omni-tool was fantastic, but the fabricator was still fairly limited. An omni-tool couldn't make another omni-tool, or anything on a similar level of complexity. That required specialized equipment, and I would have to build the machinery to build the machinery to build that kind of equipment.

A good first step would be getting a decent computer system.

"We're going optical, right?" I pulled up a design workspace on my omni-tool and the duplicates followed suit.

"Best we can manage without cybertonium. We need to get to work on that, but it's not worth delaying the central computer."

"Not that much of a loss if we build everything modular. Swap out means upgrades will be easy. Should still hybridize with neural interface, that's way too useful to lose. If we can combine all the optical technology we have it should be enough to get a respectable system."

I nodded to the second duplicate. It would mean we could finally move away from slightly upgraded human crap.

Suddenly all three of our heads shot up at once. A quick glance confirmed we'd basically all had the same thought.

"So..." The first duplicate started. "Does that count as three quarters, or just one?"

Diving into a design project with copies of yourself was an interesting experience. I had been seriously concerned how I would function alongside people who had all of my issues and insecurities. Maybe that would have been a problem if we were sitting around dealing with family or school related stuff, but I'd always been good at focusing when there was a clear task to be done, a trait my copies also shared.

I had experiences with group projects over the two years of my engineering program that I managed before things started to fall apart. Herding cats was a good metaphor for keeping engineering students on project. Between the slackers, the people chasing perfect grades, and the people who always wanted to take things in a completely different direction, it was a nightmare.

Those issues weren't present here. The duplicates stayed on task, at least until their timer started getting close to the end. The last couple of minutes would usually involve some side project, or drafting notes on the odd idea they'd had while working, or wandering off to see if Garment needed anything. I thought it was an anomaly on the first potion, but after it happened a second time I came around to accepting it.

I'm not sure if that kind of behavior was an element of the potion or something about my own mentality being emulated. As it stood I wasn't going to complain about an intelligent entity that decided to spend his last moments of existence transmuting a better access between workshop levels or running down to the textile section to help Garment with the polymer fabricators. It could easily have been an existential breakdown instead.

Ultimately I just adopted a version of Google's 20% time policy and cut the duplicates loose at the eight minute mark. I got quick summaries of their activities, sometimes with the odd mildly derisive comment.

'The motoroid was running on reserve power since last night. Replaced the call bead and drafted potential upgrade plans. Read them so the next copy doesn't need to.'

'Our alchemy is NOT at a level that can handle element zero. You need to get on that. Also I rebuilt the pistol. We have five of them now. Blueprints attached."

'Heads up for you and all future duplicates. The diamond nanorod aggregator is intended for weapon and equipment production. Do not let Garment convince you it is a good option for the creation of synthetic fabrics. Explanation and repair plans attached.'

'For the record Metal element runes are possible and magnetic field generation is an easy and effective application of them. That said, they should not be used in the workshop sections indicated on the attached map and damage report."

'Motoroid wasn't strong enough to move the industrial equipment so I did that overdue servo upgrade. Fleet is also developing well in manual dexterity. Should set an update to the core optimization soon. Plans attached. Condolences for missing that connection to the Magic constellation.'

It was like they were playing a game of 'how many headaches can you trigger in two minutes?'. That might not sound like much, but my duplicates were me, with all of my powers. That meant they worked at least forty times faster on every mechanical task and could function like anything from a team of ten men to a group of over a hundred. They had all of my technical knowledge, crafting and resource powers, and alchemy abilities if they just wanted to activate an array for instant work. I was dealing with a barrage of unexpected insights, surprise technology, and mystery projects.

When I was doing this kind of thing to the Undersiders I thought it was an absolute riot. I would say this kind experience had made me reevaluate my position on that kind of behavior, but based on the duplicate's continued action that point clearly wasn't getting through to me. In fact, the more of it I had to deal with the worse it got. Honestly, if I had the option of doing this to them without consequences I would probably take it. I guess I am not quite a good enough person to ensure completely harmonious project work.

Their insistence on reviewing plans wasn't as onerous as it sounded. My Engineer power let me hold an infinite number of blueprints in my head with perfect accuracy. In fact, external mediums were not really necessary at all. I had a feeling some design work was being conducted across the entire duration of the copies existence and the files were just transcriptions of what had already been developed and in some cases tested. It only took a quick read through and the plan was in my mind forever.

It was also why I had a perfect outline of the workshop and every machine, conduit, and storeroom in the Workshop. There would be no repeat of last night's navigation though the sensing of equipment. It also provided a potential tactical application. Blueprint storage worked equally well on buildings as with machinery. With access to the city's database I could have a perfect map scaled down to the accuracy of the surveying data and the layout of most of the buildings on tap whenever I wanted. It would be a huge advantage in cases where I couldn't rely on Survey or Fleet for navigation.

The construction work had moved away from the alchemy area, particularly once enough duplication potions had been set to brew. I didn't need to tap into the new batches, but if this was going to be my standard construction plan from now on I needed a stable supply. Once that was ensured work split out into the workshop at large.

Equipment from the materials lab, nano fabricators, optics manufacture, and software development needed to be used in the construction of the new computer core. The modularity was a godsend with this project, as components could be constructed independently and integrated later. It meant that Workaholic could be more easily managed. If the component needed more of a material it could be undersized. If it was being built based on size and detail work then the four extra copies produced could be combined for stronger effects.

One of the problems was the location for the computer. It was still combined with a neural interface, so I couldn't just hide it in a closet. Wired connections were being made to various systems and pieces of machinery, both for monitoring and the potential of direct control potentially allowing my crafting powers to work through the equipment. That made the software development lab a less than ideal location. Ultimately Alchemy was used to fabricate a dedicated platform in the central overlook of the workshop.

There was a noticeable distinction between the structural portions of the facility that had come with the workshop and the parts that had been renovated or modified by myself or my duplicates. Reworking architecture wasn't that difficult once the composition of the floors, ceilings, and walls was properly understood. It would be a while before the entire facility was as optimized as my previous workshop, but there were definite paths of higher level design, better quality materials, and more pleasing and convenient arrangements of paths and stairwells.

It was honestly an incredible sensation to circulate energy through a transmutation array and feel the world shaped to your will. The process was a lot more intense than it looked from the outside. You essentially had to constantly run analysis of the composition of the target material, decide how to break it down, and have an exact picture of how you planned to recombine the elements and properties in play. The ability to hold perfect plans in my mind was immensely helpful with the final step and allowed major workshop renovations with nothing but a bit of consideration and a symbol printed from an omni-tool.

It was also why the main entrance to the workshop opened to a sweeping staircase leading to an overlook containing the towering form of my new computer core. I looked down at the entrance, then back at the computer before turning to my duplicates.

"Do you think we went a little too far?"

"What?" He looked over the computer. "Is it the gold? I guess it could make it look a bit gaudy."

The gold had been selected for optimal conductivity, and with alchemy combined with the resource multiplication of Workaholic meant I could produce as much of it as I could want.

"No, not the gold." I answered.

"Is it the fact that it's a fifteen foot tall diamond throne overlooking the workshop like the seat of a space emperor?" The second duplicate offered.

"Oh, yeah. I can see it now." The first suddenly acted like he was seeing the towering mass of crystalized carbon processors for the first time.

This was a very good computer. It was the culmination of the optical computing technology of Grease Monkey, Machinist, Master Builder, Skills: Physics, Science! Engineering, Class: Engineer, and Engineering. It was further enhanced through various crafting powers and scientific knowledge. I had spent over an hour on this thing. That may not sound like much, but that was over an hour of work from three versions of myself, all doing technical work to an insane standard at a rate forty times faster than should have been possible and also each handling the task of at least ten people. That worked out to something in the ballpark of seven to eight months of high level tinker work going into a single item.

It would already have been incredibly advanced, but it was my Machinist power that took it over the top. That technology set had some of the most basic optical processing technology in my repertoire, but included one staggering innovation. The ability to integrate pure diamond into the system for an absolutely massive increased processing power. It was such that just shoving a diamond into the optical system would enhance it. Applying those principles when you had the capacity to manufacture, duplicate, and enlarge diamonds took its impact to a staggering level, at the cost of having your computer look like part of the Krypton set from the seventies Superman movie.

Components had been grown as crystals, duplicated or enlarged by Workaholic, then had imperfections introduced on the atomic level to create a three dimensional matrix of optical processing. I started with a tiny flake of diamond assembled in my nano forge from carbon dust. That flake was processed, resulting in a tiny crystal with twenty five times the volume. A few more basic alterations compounded the expansion effect until I had a chunk of diamond larger than any stone on earth. WIth the multiplication and growth effects of that power being applied to that gem I had an immense amount of pure, perfect diamond to work into a masterwork optical computer.

The result was a towering mass of diamond spires assembled into a seat for the neural interface. The structure glowed softly from the light of the magitek converter in the heart of the computer. This system had been too far removed from manufacturing equipment to be compatible with the workshop's fiat based energy supply, causing the need to build a custom magitek core. It was translating magitek energy directly into electricity rather than directly running the system, but it let me tie the power supply into my effectively infinite amount of call beads.

Considering the computer core, I could look at it and see every individual component, knowing what they did and how they fit together. None of it was superfluous or wasted space. It was definitely beautiful, my power ensured that, but I didn't think it was that excessive. My perspective might have been a bit compromised from being involved from the start of the project. I really needed an external perspective to tell if this was really over the top excessive design work.

A series of footsteps drew our attention to Garment climbing towards the computer core. She slowed as she approached, gestured reverently towards the elaborate mass of gold and diamond, then clasped her hands to her chest passionately, just radiating approval.

Okay, that confirmed it. This was definitely too much. Good thing no one else would ever need to see it.

Garment was dragging me up to the seat as the duplicates looked on in amusement. I'm not even sure she knew it was a neural interface/computer core. For all I knew she assumed I had just built an elaborate throne to oversee the workshop, and would probably approve of such an endeavor.

Okay, if she tries to make me a set of coronation robes I am definitely putting my foot down.

I settled into the interface seat and the throne started to glow with excess light from its optical processes. Garment clearly approved of this development and I saw her expressing appreciation to one of the duplicates as the interface finished calibrating and my awareness extended into the computer.

This was nothing like it had been before. There was a world of difference between thinking with electric current and thinking with photons. My mind was literally working at the speed of light. The entire crystal apparatus was an incredibly advanced computer, probably one of the most advanced computers on the planet, only possibly exceeded by specialist tinker's mega projects. Unlike before I was able to maintain at least basic awareness of my body, though sensations from it were odd and drawn out.

I shifted my awareness through the limited network that had been assembled through the workshop. It was comprehensive enough to gain a basic status of the numerous pieces of machinery, but there weren't sufficient automation or control systems in place to accomplish more.

Shifting focus to the software lab I felt the laughably primitive computer core holding the primary copies of Survey and Fleet. My consciousness extended into the system at a level where I was barely consciousness of the code and protocols at work. With the connection I checked on the A.I.'s development.

Both had had extensive interaction with my duplicates, an experience that was accepted without note by Fleet, but saw Survey devoting a considerable amount of time to documenting and analyzing the effect. At the awareness of my presence the A.I.s acknowledged me, including the first english communication I had seen from Fleet.

"Hello."

"Greetings. Pleased to work on place information. Ongoing project documentation data and assistance."

Survey's response was more complicated than Fleet, if a little muddled. I examined their development, including the aspects that had been noted by my duplicates. From the perspective of my new extremely advanced processing system I had a better awareness of how their programs were unfolding and the nuances of their development. I assisted with some refinement, pointed out some improved optimization routines, and scheduled the next set of parameter expansions based on my latest set of powers, including an eventual transition to the new computer core.

There was what could almost be called excitement at that prospect. Not quite the emotion yet, but the basis for the emotion. The knowledge that things would be coming that would expand what was available to them, and a base level of preparation for that in their behavior. Future planning was a big step in development, and I was glad to see it.

I shifted my awareness back and exited the interface. Garment seemed put off for some reason, and there were odd looks from the duplicates.

"Something wrong?"

I gave the first a confused look. "No, worked like a charm. Checked all the connections, verified the functionality, and did a full series of optimization updates." Both duplicates were giving me a surprised look. "What?"

"Uh, check your time stamp."

I pulled up a recording of the interaction on my omni-tool, including the breakdown of each activity while connected to the computer core.

"Oh."

The second duplicate grinned. "Yeah, 'Oh' is right." He turned to the other copy. "I think we can call this a success. That kind of effect is well worth the aesthetics of the thing."

From an outside perspective I had basically sat down and stood back up. There were maybe three seconds where I was connected to the system, and accomplished everything I intended and more.

The first duplicate grinned ear to ear. "Gentlemen, we have cognitive acceleration."

A smile crept onto my face. "That's one of the big ones."

The second checked the report on his omni-tool. "It is a bit unstable. Probably best to keep the acceleration factor under twenty. There was some serious neural stress when you were in there."

"Yeah, but even holding to that..."

"Right, massive increase in design time. Even more once we get the automation set up on the equipment. If powers work through them then the level of output we could pull off is legitimately insane."

It really would be. With the time crunch I'd been operating under anything that boosted productivity would be a godsend. Of course, depending on how my powers interacted with the network I could actually come out ahead using the combination of Don't Need A Team and Most Holy Order of the Socket Wrench. The neural interface was incredibly immersive, but I'm not sure it was enough to properly channel my powers.

So that was the major project taken care of, and with an unexpected benefit as well. So the question was what did I do next? With most of the Master Builder technology locked behind material requirements my most powerful option was working with element zero. I'd already established that it could be duplicated with Workaholic, but that was a tiny quantity. That stuff was insanely difficult to manipulate properly and too complicated for me to be able to churn it out with alchemical transmutations.

I glanced at the duplicates as I felt the familiar sense of the Magic constellation move by. That constellation was almost as bad as Magitech in terms of missed connections, so I was understandably surprised when my power was able to connect to the smallest mote available.

There are times when my power gives me something so perfect that I wonder if it's being actively guided. Of course, there are a lot more times when it gives something completely irrelevant to the current situation or worse, gives a key power right after it would have made a difference. This power was one of those perfect moments of serendipity.

It was called Advanced Materials and was specifically designed to facilitate working with exotic materials with vastly different properties and getting them to function together. It provided a massively expanded understanding of material properties and how they interacted with other substances. Its primary function was to facilitate exotic combinations and alloys, but as a side effect of that it gave a more comprehensive understanding of any advanced or exotic material.

Perhaps enough to allow alchemical transmutation on a piece of mass controlling neutron matter?

That's how I found myself in the transmutation section of the Alchemist's Laboratory with the mass effect coil of one of the spare pistols sitting in the center of a meticulously drawn alchemical circle. I could have compressed it into an array, but there was no call for that at this point. If this worked it would mean I had just unlocked the fast track to a universe of possibilities.

Both duplicates were hovering near me. Technically they were into their 20% time, but nobody wanted to miss this. If it worked it would be a complete game changer.

I placed both hands on the circle and focused on cycling energy through the paths laid out in the design. It was complicated even by my standards and had to be drawn with a fine tip pen. The effect when the transmutation activated was nearly blinding, but I could feel it working. The casing, connectors and circuitry peeled away. The tiny piece of element zero decomposed to its fundamental state, then with one last pulse of will it reassembled itself.

A tiny grain of bluish metallic material dropped into the center of the circle. It was barely a speck, but it was absolutely pure element zero with twenty five times the mass of what had been in the pistol. I could do it. I could shape and multiply eezo with nothing but alchemy. I didn't need the complicated refinery technology or insane amounts of support equipment. One transmutation circle, backed up by a power from the Magic constellation, was enough to bring an entire universe within arm's reach.

I sat back, basking in the success with my duplicates. How much had it taken to get here? How many powers were piled on top of each other, every one adding slightly to the last until I had achieved this? A tiny grain of exotic matter that held infinite possibilities.

This brought me the stars.

I pushed that thought aside. No faster than light travel until the Simurgh was dealt with. Right now I had bigger concerns.

"So what's next?" I looked over at my duplicates. They were at the end of their duration, but were sticking with me rather than running off for some personal project. It was endearing, but considering I was consistently dealing with myself both the frustrations and moments of appreciation felt distinctly unusual.

Still, I smiled at them and tried to order my thoughts in the time they had left. "We need support technology that can handle element zero. Stuff that can shape the dark energy properly so we can actually use the mass effect field to their best effect. That means upgrading fabrication, all the way, as far as we can go. We also need to get a gravity forge set up, preferably near the Skyforge. Low gravity for evenly blended alloys, high gravity for hyper compressed materials." Something else hit me. "Also, this last power means pretty much all our metallurgy will need to be updated. Potential combination, applications, new fabrication methods. It brings cybertonium a lot closer, plus all the magical metals. Also everything from the Armourer database."

One of the duplicates smirked at me. "Well, sounds like a lot of work. Best of luck to the next guys."

I glanced down to check the duration timer just to see it roll over, then back up to find both of them gone. For some reason I preferred it when they ran off at the end of their duration to chase some pet project. It was a lot more comforting than seeing them vanish in front of me.

I wonder if that was why they did it, or if it was just a lucky coincidence? Despite going through more than a dozen duplicates I still wasn't sure how this actually worked. It all seemed to be going fine with no more trouble than the odd crafting experiment. Still, anything that went this smoothly made me suspicious. I guess I always expected to have the rug pulled out from under me, so just getting something as powerful as free duplication put me on edge for when it would turn bad.

So far the closest thing I'd gotten to actual rebellion, like not the little petty snipes from side projects but proper direct defiance, was last night when I tried to use duplicates while physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. So I guess I would be able to safely utilize this power to its full extent as long as I practiced reasonable self-care and maintained a healthy mental stats.

Well, I'm doomed. Might as well get what I can from this power before it blows up in my face.

I looked across the laboratory at the rows and rows of blue vials, utterly dwarfing the stockpiled quantities of invisibility and shielding potions. When I first got the power to make this potion it would have taken an hour of careful monitoring and I would have been lucky to get three minutes of duration. Now with expanded alchemical knowledge, crafting powers, and an incredibly advanced facility it took less than five minutes to set a beaker to brew.

Well, I had a lifetime's work to do. Might as well get started. I downed a vial and watched the familiar sight of a pair of duplicates stepping out of my body.

"So, just to check, you're both on board with this plan?"

The first one nodded. "Mostly."

"Mostly?"

The second stepped forward and keyed something on his omni-tool. "Look, it's important to get the techbase up and running, but that wasn't the only cause of failure last night."

My stomach dropped at the mention of my previous performance. I hadn't checked on things in the city or the reaction to my fight largely out of concern over those mistakes. Bakuda had gotten away, basically gift wrapped for the ABB. I'd been flying by the seat of my pants all night and at the last minute got fooled by Uber and Leet of all people. I had tried to mop things up as well as I could, both with the Undersiders and the conscripts, but I was dreading the public reaction.

I mean, I would have been dreading it anyway. I did not do well with large groups and the idea of being a public figure terrified me. It would have been bad enough if I had managed to accomplish my goals rather than let a bunch of chemically imbalanced teenagers lead me in a clusterfuck of an assault plan.

"Training?" I hazarded, but considering these were my duplicates I already knew the answer.

They both nodded. "Cognitive acceleration in the new interface core means you can stay on top of things and coordinate work between duplicates. The rest of the time you can practice combat, work on alchemy, try to integrate those military skills better, and do some more life fiber training."

That made sense. Even the brief bout of life fiber exposure had resulted in a permanent improvement in my physical condition. Thanks to my nanites it was a full body overhaul every time I used it. I had no idea exactly what the growth curve would look like, but I suspected it could take me beyond peak human levels. Additionally, if I ever wanted to use life fibers in combat I could need practice interfacing with them and with Garment. It wasn't something I would prioritize over the machinery upgrades, but running it in parallel seemed like a solid plan.

"I'll need Garment's help to train with the life fibers."

The second duplicate smirked and turned towards the entrance of the workshop where Garment strolled in following one of the Survey piloted drones.

"Hello Garment. Want to help Joe with some life fiber training?"

Garment froze at those words, then raised a finger and bolted out of the room.

"Uh," I ventured. "Any idea what that was about?" Asking copies of myself should have been redundant, but something about their finite existence gave them a divergent perspective to my own.

"Don't know. Last time she did that she came back with those Bond tuxedos."

"Think she wants us to wear that in exchange for the training?"

I shrugged. Could be, and wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, though taking the time to change the duplicates clothes whenever the potion wore off would be a trial.

It didn't take long for the sound of Garment's footsteps to echo through the hallways signaling her return to the laboratory with her price for the training. It wasn't a Bond Tuxedo. It was much, much worse.

"Oh my God. She actually made it."

"I don't believe it."

I was right there with my duplicates, but had been rendered speechless by the outfit Garment was displaying before her. The best thing I could say about it was I wouldn't need to repair my costume before the training. Garment, in her spare time, had constructed a backup. A backup designed off her inspiration following the last life fiber test.

"You know," one of the duplicates said contemplatively. "Seeing it in person, it's really not that bad."

Garment beamed at him.

"I know what you mean." The second continued. "It comes together really well. I think Barbarian Chic could be the next big thing."

I glared daggers at my traitorous duplicates before turning to try to wrap my head around Garment's Frank Frazetta inspired outfit. The armor plates were still there, though more decoratively attached. There was still a version of the mask and the visor, but no hood on the cowl. Outside of that... Well, it might be legal on certain beaches. In very open minded parts of Europe or South America.

"Garment." I looked directly at her. "I am not wearing that."

"Oh, you should totally wear it."

"It's only fair. She'll be helping with your training."

I cleared my throat. "You do realize that if I'm wearing that it will be duplicated when I take the potion and end up on my copies as well?"

"Yeah." The first drawled. "But we'll be gone by then. That's those guy's problem."

Okay, apparently a limited existence could lead to me being a jerk to myself and my future alternate selves. I'm not sure if they were encouraging it because Garment wanted it or they knew it would make me uncomfortable, but whatever the reason there was no way I was dressing like someone off the cover art of a bad fantasy novel.

A short time later I was meditating on the strength of my character. Considering everything I've gone through I really thought I would be better about sticking to my convictions.

"Doesn't that chafe?"

That was a question that never had a good connotation. I took some small satisfaction at the sheer offence Garment directed towards the duplicate who brought it up.

In fact, the outfit didn't chafe. Everything was perfectly fitted, built for full range of motion, as expected given its brevity, and even the armor plates had been properly set and padded to prevent any abrasion. That said, with this much reinforcement I could probably have worn a steel wool bodysuit and still be perfectly comfortable.

I mean, I felt ridiculous, but thankfully since I was surrounded by copies of myself I only had to deal with my own judgment and derision. So just like normal, only with an external representation of that aspect of my mind.

Okay, I might be complaining a bit too much. Garment was passionate about all her work and I'm pretty sure the idea of putting someone in an unfashionable outfit as a joke or prank was completely antithetical to her nature. There were smirks and amusement from my duplicates, but that was mostly entertainment at the situation, including Garment's genuine enthusiasm for the outfit. If I had to wear this in public I would probably die of shame, but this was at least a moderately trustworthy space.

My smirking duplicates had just returned heaving under the weight of the other half of Garment's price for her assistance. I don't know if she actually understood the relationship between my nanite assisted training and expanded food needs, but she was clearly not taking any chances. They were both carrying trays of food that had been immaculately prepared and excessively duplicated using Workaholic. It was the first time I had seen a twenty five egg omelet, remarkable considering it had been made with a single egg. I honestly did not expect it to look so appetizing.

I was having a quick pre-training snack from the plethora of food when I felt the rumble of a modification being added to the workshop. Another connection to the Toolkit constellation, one simply called Garage.

It had brought some serious revisions to the layout of my workshop and I kind of wished it had shown up before I agreed to wear Garment's fashion forward offering. I had come to accept this outfit when I was set to dive straight into training. Running around trying to get a handle on the latest offering of my power was making me very aware of the lack of coverage in various areas.

This addition was the first to significantly alter the entryway. The wall opposite the door had expanded into a kind of driveway that led straight to the Garage. The new addition was nestled adjacent to the furthest facilities in the crafting area, the ones designed for vehicle construction. There was a direct link to the cyberpunk automotive area, and it was directly adjacent to the large construction hanger.

The place was fairly impressive. This wasn't a family garage for one or two cars. This was the kind of place that would support a professional team of mechanics. It could fit well over a dozen vehicles of just about any scale, up to and including large transport trucks. There were enough parts in stock to rebuild just about any car from scratch or perform any number of upgrades.

Like what happened with Master Builder this place shared the same feel with my Mechanic and Most Holy Order of the Socket Wrench powers. There was a kind of resonance between them, as well as a unique tone to the place. It had the feel of a neighborhood garage, only if everything was exaggerated for maximum impact. There was the office with the slow fans, customer computers, automotive magazines scattered around the place, and even some pinup calendars that Garment amused herself with by evaluating the fashionableness of the model's clothing, or lack-there-of.

Just in case there was any doubt to the character and tone of this place there was also equipment for producing clean papers, new license plates, and changing VIN numbers. It had the trappings of a modestly sleazy mechanic's garage spread over what was clearly a chop shop.

Then there was the car. The Garage had come with a free vehicle, if you could even refer to it as such. It was a pale yellow 1979 Ford Pinto sedan that showed every second of its thirty plus years of life. The odometer was close to 500,000 miles. Opening the hood showed the barely serviceable state of the engine. The interior was cheap plastic and worn fabric badly in need of cleaning. It was one of the ugliest cars I'd ever seen, and Garment strongly shared that sentiment.

I shared a glance with my duplicates and the first one said what we were all thinking.

"My God did we ever need this."

I nodded along with the second while Garment made an expression that suggested we had either gone insane or were plotting treason.

The reasoning was simple. This car was everything my bike was supposed to be before that project had gotten away from me. Worn and out of date cars were practically part of the background scenery in Brockton Bay. The necessity of commutes meant they could be spotted even in the rich areas of the city. Driving a car like this provided actual effective transportation in my civilian identity and would probably be more effective at avoiding attention than one of Squealer's invisibility systems.

Of course trying to explain this to Garment was a lost cause. She eventually seemed to decide it was some kind of situationally induced madness and departed before it could afflict her. My duplicates burned through the last of their duration picking through the parts and miscellaneous items of the Garage and helping me with an overhaul of the Pinto.

There was a serious focus on keeping the technology conventional. I could turn this into a supercar with little effort, but the point of this was to blend in. When someone popped the hood they would see nothing but a well maintained but antiquated engine.

However, there was no stopping Stylish Mechanic, so the car still came out decidedly clean and pleasant in appearance.

There was the question of getting it out of here. The straight corridor to the entryway would allow it to be driven out the main entrance, but perhaps the most valuable aspect of the Garage was the completely unprecedented feature it had added to the Workshop.

There was now a second entrance.

The garage opened to its own cavernous version of the entryway clearly intended for vehicles. Rather than a key there was a kind of adaptor designed for garage doors. Well, I said garage, but really any large door would work, up to and including aircraft hangar doors. It was unexpected but seriously welcome. Without something like this I would have needed to wait for size changing technology to get larger vehicles outside, or gone modular and transported them out piece by piece. Now I just needed a garage door, or anything similar, and I could deploy just about anything I could build.

The airliners might be a stretch, but I wasn't exactly prioritizing that kind of project.

It took some time to get things squared away and evaluated. I called Fleet to bring the motoroid from the entryway to the Garage where it managed to look both more comfortable and seriously out of place. Survey had to update the Workshop layout again, though the pseudo-frustration at that task was mitigated by the addition actually containing identifiable equipment for once.

After I finished the manufacturing upgrades I needed to build some proper drones instead of relying on flash fabricated ones tied to my omni-tool. Those were great for combat, but there were much better possibilities for long term monitoring and support.

When I found Garment she was clearly upset, and I doubted anything short of crushing the Pinto into a cube and beginning construction of some kind of luxury car would completely make it up to her. Fortunately I found something that was almost as effective.

Garment needed a new dress. Garment had designed a new dress. Garment had been waiting for me to help her with a new dress. Apparently Garment had also slightly revised her design based on new workshop equipment and abilities.

Which is why we were in the textile division preparing to begin a session of what I could only describe as experimental seamstressing. My duplicates had been good enough to help Garment with the use and operation of the various complex pieces of machinery she had claimed, which resulted in the series of completely revolutionary fabrics that had been generated. For once Garment had something she couldn't just conjure at cost because this kind of thing wasn't for sale anywhere in the world.

These were experimental polymers or hyper advanced synthetics, all produced in incredible shades due to structural coloration rather than the use of pigments. It was an amazing production for such a short time, but Garment seemed to have an innate understanding of these things. I could only imagine what she would be capable of when I finished the upgrades of the facilities.

Once again, Garment raised her hands to mine and her gloves folded inside out to flow over my hands. There was that incredible sense of shared skill and perception that was both heady and intimidating. Her damaged red dress shifted carefully into a prepared hanger and covering, then with a flash the materials began to fly around me.

I knew what to do at a totally instinctive level. The skills Garment provided complimented my other abilities rather than overriding or overlapping with them. This was the culmination of my own incredible crafting and enhancement powers with Garment's peak understanding and perfect fashion sense. Glimmering fabric flew together. Accents and attachment pieces were added at the perfect moment. Stitches of novel and immense complexity danced into seams that were either totally invisible or perfectly complemented the outfit.

Finally it was done. Garment slipped off my hands and mimed pulling on the stunning silver gown. Not merely a dress, but a full on magnificent gown. Once again I found myself looking away out of habit, though with that outfit it was a difficult prospect. This was absolutely immaculate in every way. The culmination of so many powers presented themselves through this one item of clothing. Bling of War, Decadence, The Flock's Fleece, Beauty in the Arts, and Masterwork Craftsman all combined to produce an item of almost unearthly beauty. The skill, care and planning that had gone into it was astounding. If Garment's goal was to impress the Protectorate when she next met Flechette this would accomplish that goal beyond any possible metric.

And that reminded me of something else I'd been putting off. I pulled up my omni-tool's fabrication and design space and started working. This was another of those challenging builds where the objective was to prevent my powers from getting away from me rather than push them to their limit. Garment peered over my shoulder as I worked, expressing delight at the finished product.

It was the most basic smartphone I could make. It was still obviously a custom design, but one that could be passed off as an enthusiast build rather than full tinker tech. Most of the aesthetic improvements were limited to the casing. The screen had been tricky, but I'd managed to leverage some of the other workshop equipment and build something conventional that Garment would be able to use with her gloved fingers. Finally I programmed in Flechette's number and set up a truncated version of Survey's chat assist that would be able to pass as one of the better autocomplete systems rather than a full A.I. assistant.

"You should probably reach out to Flechette, find out when to hand over the dress and anything else she wants."

Garment made a gesture of assent, then turned to the phone screen. She was able to bring up the text message program and I had emulated a prepaid SIM card in the device that should be untraceable. Garment didn't have any easier of a time with a smartphone keyboard than a full one, but considering this was an opening message and she had help it wasn't that bad.

G-A-RMENT

The text was sent, leaving us nothing to do but wait and deal with the staggering amount of work I had committed to. I took a breath, retrieved a duplication potion and headed for the interface.

Garment definitely seemed to think this outfit was a good fit for the diamond throne theme of my neural interface chair. I made a point to avoid providing any opinion on the matter as I sank into the seat and felt my consciousness expand.

Regrettably I couldn't just upgrade everything in a single sweep. There would have to be two or three passes on some equipment to get them close to the level of my best technology. Some of the more advanced gear from my Armourer power would require even more than that, but that got terrifyingly advanced at the highest levels.

Materials would have to be my first priority, since that's what everything else would be based on. I didn't need the best I would ever be able to produce, especially since refining ceramite to the highest grades was a nightmare in itself. Just getting to the point where I could build equipment that would let me properly utilize element zero would be enough.

The first step to that would be a gravity forge. Micro gravity to produce perfectly consistent alloys with no imperfections in casting, then hypergravity to ultra-compress the samples for strength. Building it at the Skyforge would let me take advantage of the magical enhancement of any metal forged there. Examining Survey's records showed there was a kind of underforge beneath the main forge. Probably for storage, but it did present the ability to connect directly from the workshop to transfer supplies and power without using the stairway.

I drafted the plans, disconnected from the system and downed my duplication potion. The duplicates that stepped out looked down at their barbarian armor clothing, then over at Garment, who was still enjoying the scene.

"I hate those last guys so much." The first duplicate said with frustration.

"Yeah, well this wasn't my idea." It wasn't their idea either. I couldn't blame future duplicates for the actions of past duplicates, meaning I was bringing into existence short lived intelligences with no accountability. I was damn lucky this was the worst to have come from it. "Are you good for the project?"

The second tapped his head with a micromanipulator sheathed finger. "Perfect memory for plans and blueprints. You go train or whatever, we'll get started."

They split off into the workshop and I started proceeding to the Laboratorium with Garment. On the way I felt a connection to a small mote from the Knowledge constellation. It was called Machines, They Just Speak To Me and on the surface it seemed to be just another mechanical skill enhancer. Boosting of ability to work or repair machinery without formal training. The major thing was that it gave the ability to repair ANY machinery.

It didn't matter how advanced the technology was, with this power I could fix any problem that came up. Understanding of the principles or even structure of the components was unnecessary. Just based on basic observation and instinct I could tell what was wrong and correct it with at least a temporary patch. Given how reliable my technology was, that may not have seemed like a big advantage, but that wasn't the case with other technology.

Like, for example, the three pieces of broken tinker tech I had stolen from Leet that were currently sequestered in my Laboratorium.

I could get those working again. I could get any tinker tech working again. No matter how complex, with this power I could manage it. It didn't give me the ability to understand or replicate other tinker's work, but I would be able to keep their technology working indefinitely.

It was a shame I was on bad terms with the PRT. They probably had warehouses full of tinkertech that had been critically damaged or failed from lack of maintenance. If I ever managed to patch up relations that would be a high priority.

I entered the Laboratorium to the greeting of the cyber skulls and the refrain of the hymn. As we made our way to the life fiber's containment field I reviewed the displays of bomb and technology analysis. It was progressing well, but with the rate they were working passive scans would produce everything they could within a day. The next step would be destructive testing. I needed to check if items copied along with the duplicate potion could survive the process of disassembly. It seemed like they should, and that would give me free rein to tear apart vital technology to learn its secrets.

Like so many things that was a project for later. Technology analysis could be delegated to a duplicate, training could not. Once again I donned Garment's gloves, feeling the expanded awareness and knowledge. The gown mimed being taken off, and was handed over to an unusually accommodating cyber skull who then suddenly realized that no other work would be possible while the gown was awkwardly being suspended.

I vaguely felt the extension of Garment's power and lowered the stasis field around the glowing mass of red fibers. They stayed clustered around the spool for a moment, the shot towards me with whip like speed. Without the connection to Garment assuring me that they were under control I would have had an unpleasant flashback to that first nearly lethal experiment.

I watched as Garment carefully wove the red fiber around me. It was really incredible. The fibers were simultaneously both a creature and a material resource. I couldn't tell how they could be integrated into clothing just yet, but the insight from my Advanced Materials power was providing all kinds of possibilities. Hardened life fiber weapons, fiber reinforced materials, even technology emulated entirely through life fiber use.

Not anything I wanted to mess with without the secondary power that provided understanding of the function of the life fibers. There was also the very concerning prospect of using a creature with emerging sapience as a construction material. Even if I had the time for this project I wasn't going to touch it until I had a better handle on those elements.

Garment was holding the softly glowing thread just a hair above my skin. The response time and control was incredible. I could move through my entire range without so much as a second of accidental contact. If I was using them in the field I would need that control to hold off the effect when I wasn't prepared to manage it.

I took a deep breath, the fibers crisscrossing my torso expanding along with my chest, then activated my nanites. Blue circuit-like lines spread across my entire body and with a signal to Garment the life fibers made contact.

The threads instantly shifted from dull red to a blinding crimson glow. The drafty nature of the Laboratorium was instantly forgotten as heat from the accumulated energy spread through my body. A mist of steam from boiling sweat began to accumulate around me in a way that would have left me desiccated if not for the restorative effect of the nanites. With a single pounce I launched myself in a low arc across the Laboratorium, reaching the main door in a single bound.

The skull's reactions were mixed, with some excited, some upset at having their work destroyed, and some seemingly consulting the various icons for guidance on the escape of the horrible xeno creature.

It was hard to focus with the life fiber energy coursing through my body. Add the fact that I also had to maintain nanite activation and it was clear I wouldn't be deploying drones, making field repairs, or mixing Alchemy formulas in this state. Those downsides were balanced by the fact that the distracting energy made me so insanely strong that I could probably wrestle one of Bitch's fully enhanced dogs like it was a newborn puppy.

Wrestling would probably be a lot easier than fine movement. Opening a door properly without ripping the thing off its hinges was a delicate endeavor. I pushed through for the purposes of training, though I wondered if this was a common problem among brutes. After two delicately opened doors I was in my main workshop, or if you wanted to acknowledge the scale of it, my crafting mall.

At the moment it would probably have been more accurate to call it my playground. Combine multi-story leaping, the ability to ignore all falling damage, reflexes good enough to land on your feet in any situation, and a land speed that poses a serious risk of forming a mach cone and you end up with what was legitimately the best time I've had since I got my powers.

I was fast enough to WALK up walls. When running any flat surface sufficed, regardless of orientation. I was pretty sure my jumps could be strong enough to leave craters in weaker surfaces, though I wasn't sure what my full strength leap could manage since a standing jump could carry me from the lowest level to the roof of my workshop. The eventual forced break due to hunger and duplicate duration was a bit of a letdown, but I managed.

Garment disconnected the life fibers from direct contact and I devoured a significant portion of the stored food. Following that I sank briefly into the neural interface, monitored progress and reports, set plans for the next set of duplicates, then disconnected and took another potion.

As suspected, and as should probably have been tested in more stable conditions, the life fibers were not copied with the duplicates. They were both wearing copies of Garment's white gloves, but theirs were just cloth with none of her animating spirit. We quickly confirmed tasks, then they split off while I got back to training.

That was how the latter part of my afternoon progressed. I would train with life fibers for ten minutes, then gorge myself to try to feed the augmentations being inflicted on my body, review the progress of my duplicates, including any little side projects they decided would be fun last minute additions, then repeat.

The food requirements following intense life fiber exposure were extreme. I thought the heaving trays provided by my duplicates would be enough, but the rate I was burning through them proved otherwise. I had to address the issue with secondary cooking to trigger Workaholic again. Sticking a twenty five egg omelet between two slices of bread counts as making something new, that something being a cartoonishly large egg sandwich more than sufficient to sate even an alien parasite induce appetite. It was the exponential progression of my crafting resources applied to foodstuffs. The sheer quantity would have been a bit nauseating if not for the unbelievable quality of the final product. I was thanking God for my Masterwork Crafter power every time I took a bite of one of those giant sandwiches.

There would normally be a question of 'where was I putting it?' but that was easily answered by casual observation of my duplicates. Garment's costume choice left almost nothing to the imagination, so the effects of life fiber training were very apparent, particularly when you were summoning updated duplicates of yourself at regular intervals. It was like looking at one of those workout progress pic montages, except instead of being spread across weeks and months it was a matter of hours.

The change was a gradual process, and it took five sets of duplicates before it was clear enough for me to notice. At that point I started including medical scans in the Laboratorium as well, but that just confirmed what my eyes were telling me. I got to watch abdominal muscles slowly become visible over the course of an hour, then increase in definition with the inevitability of a glacier until I was sporting a full proper six-pack.

I should have been excited about it, but the change was happening so quickly that it was hard to accept. Each time I downed a duplication potion there was a longer moment of 'who are those guys?' before I recognized myself. I could see that my duplicates were going through that as well, and it wasn't like I needed any other mental difficulties piled on top of everything else. That jar was filling up too quickly as it was.

Thankfully whatever augmentation effect the life fibers were creating had some kind of regulation on it. I wasn't bulking up like a powerlifter or professional wrestler. After a certain point muscles stopped getting physically larger and just became more defined. The Laboratorium scans were able to confirm that increases in density and structural augmentations were occurring in place of just getting as swole as possible. I still had a reasonable body shape, but Garment would probably need to adjust my clothes if I didn't want every outfit to be clinging like spandex.

I didn't have a good handle on how strong I was becoming in my normal state since everything felt pathetically weak compared to the rush of life fiber energy. When you can manage a standing leap across the length of a football field there's not really a level of 'enhanced human' that's going to impress. I did notice my duplicates were shifting larger pieces of machinery by themselves that would normally have required help from lifting equipment or the Motoroid.

That sight made me realize a key factor I'd been overlooking. The scale of the motoroid had been carefully managed to be exactly within the bounds of what the duplication potion could affect. This is what happens when you get that 'world of possibilities' in front of you. It's easy to overlook basic plans that should have been fundamental.

The next time I interfaced with the computer core I summoned Fleet and began working on a data management program. For an A.I. having multiple copies in operation at the same time was a minor issue, but that was conventionally copying. I needed to make sure Fleet would be able to manage the potion based duplication without any errors. I programmed a basic explanation and series of failsafes as the Celestial Forge missed a connection with the Resources and Durability constellation. Then I exited the system and boarded the motoroid.

For this to work I needed to drink the potion while the Motoriod was in armor form. Just sitting on the bike wouldn't cut it. I didn't have a handy reservoir in the armor, so I made a note to fix that later and entered the armor with the vial held in my mouth. With a little bit of work I was able to down the potion and a pair of identical suits of power armor stepped out of my own.

One opened to reveal a duplicate striding out while the other shifted into motorcycle form with the second riding it. Both were grinning widely.

"I cannot believe we forgot this."

I nodded to the first duplicate. "Well, we've been busy." I glanced across the slowly changing workshop. "Just remember to update the core program optimization before the duration expires."

"Of course." At a signal from the second duplicate the motoroid started to spin its rear tire. "Can't let this go to waste."

With that he peeled off towards the next project, treating the stairs like car ramps. I would be impressed, but I was almost certain that was all Fleet, as was the precise swoops taken by the first armor as it launched itself into the air before diving towards the fabrication facility.

That left me with the original motoroid. I wouldn't exactly say I'd gotten tired of the workshop parkour or that it had gotten old. It was still an incredible rush, though half of that was probably due to the influence of life fiber energy. Still, this was supposed to be training, and more than just physical training. With my motoroid on hand it gave me an idea.

Which was why training shifted from running around the workshop like a crazy person to sparring practice in the Garage. It may have been an odd choice, but it was the most open area I had. Still, a hulking robot squaring off against a half-naked man covered in glowing thread in a location unrelated to either of them brought up a certain association.

Leet must have influenced me more than I thought if I was essentially recreating scenes from fighting games.

Fleet needed the close-combat training even more than I did. It was easy to assume skills in one area meant proficiency in another, but that just wasn't the case. Fleet had optimized driving, flight, and even manual dexterity, but combat was still very basic. That was what we were working on.

The idea of fighting five hundred pounds of hyper alloy with recently enhanced strength servos would have normally been a terrifying prospect. Unfortunately with this much life fiber energy in my system I'm not sure I could even experience that emotion, and with the way I had to split my focus on nanite activation I didn't have time for it anyway. It did definitively answer the question of how strong I was under life fiber exposure.

At least strong enough to throw around a robot suit like a rag doll.

Some of that was due to my added combat training. Military CQC and T'ai Chi Chuan were instinctively ingrained in me and thus still usable when focusing on nanites. In fact, the lack of conflicting thoughts probably made them come out stronger. It did result in the entertaining scene of me repeatedly windmilling a robot around me as it made gradually less clumsy swipes with its weapons.

The pattern of review and training shifted to be more combat focused and Fleet showed gradual improvements in both combat acuity and general technical skills. Despite the rate at which we could work, my duplicates were clearly enjoying having the extra muscle on hand, and I was starting to get recommendations for what to include in the next motoroid upgrade.

With the repeated cycles of food, training, and technical review it was easy to lose track of time, particularly with the way the upgraded neural interface accelerated perception. As such I was entirely taken aback when my omni-tool signaled an incoming call on my work phone.

It didn't help that I was at the time in mid-fight with a motoroid showing significantly improved close combat skills. The distraction was enough for it to land a hit with one of the tremor tonfas, which further disoriented things as it sent me tumbling across the room while violently shaking. I pulled myself together, signaled Garment to disable the life fiber contact, and hastily answered the phone.

"YES!?" My voice was not exactly the picture of calm while upside down on a garage floor and bleeding off life fiber energy.

"Uh, it's Lisa. I have the information you wanted?"

I took a deep breath and steadied myself as well as I was able. "Oh, right. Thanks for calling." I pulled myself to my feet with deliberate calm and checked the time. It was after five o'clock, my series of upgrades and training having basically eaten the entire day.

"I've gotten as much as I can pull together about that stuff, and I just wanted to check how I should get it to you."

My God, she was worse than Brian. And what is it about the Undersiders calling during the aftermath of life fiber exposure? I quickly keyed up Survey and the familiar telecommunication connection that was still going unnoticed thanks to the blatant exploitability of human communication systems.

...right. Quarter, jar, deal with it later.

"Look, I have a secure line. …and now also encrypted. You can speak freely. What do you have?"

There was a brief pause where it sounded like she swallowed, then she continued. "Alright, I've got you as much as I can on the ABB. Both public records, Protectorate information, PRT data, and my own analysis. Also the locations of any confirmed or suspected front businesses and any properties I've been able to confirm as owned by gang members of their fronts."

"That's great." I moved out of my Garage towards the workshop. "I'm sending you a link to a deniable single use storing site." I keyed in the commands. "Single upload and download, then it will scramble the data. It's obscure, so the chance of anyone even noticing the transfer is minimal, much less tracking it."

"Right, I've got it. I'll handle the transfer after the call."

Which meant she had other stuff to review, which probably meant it wasn't good. I had managed to accomplish a huge amount today, but at the cost of basically sticking my fingers in my ears and ignoring the fallout from the previous night. Also, exiting the Garage into the more open workshop combined with the lack of life fiber energy to distract was making me feel very exposed.

"What else do you have?"

I couldn't keep that embarrassment out of my voice, and the worst part was I was sure Tattletale would be able to pick up on it.

"I have some updates on the official response and general stuff from the city. Did I call at a bad time?"

"I was in the middle of training." I answered hastily.

"Right." There was something between amusement and nervousness in her voice. Thankfully she pressed on without asking follow-up questions. "I have got some bad news about how things ended last night."

"What's wrong?" I had made some mistakes during the encounter, but I figured I wrapped things up as well as could be managed under the circumstances.

"It's Chen." The amusement was gone from her voice and I had the sense she'd been dreading this conversation.

"What's wrong? Is he in trouble for shooting that gang member?"

"Sort of, but that's not the main problem." I waited for her to elaborate. With a sigh she continued. "You remember those concerns the PRT had about your powers?"

I went over things. I seriously doubted this would be about the tinker verses shaker debate, which meant she was talking about...

"They think I mastered him? Forced him to do that?"

There was another sigh. "That's the way things are leaning."

"That's insane. Even for a government organization that's beyond stupid. You don't need mind control to make you want to shoot someone who put a bomb in your head."

"I know that, but there's an inertia to this stuff in the PRT. The report they got was that you stood up and talked to the crowd, then someone shot the person who attacked you and the rest lined up for surgery."

I took a deep breath and clenched my fist. "The only way that makes any sense is if you ignore every shred of context, both before and after."

"Congratulations, you just hit upon the PRT's analysis strategy during a local crisis." Her voice sounded tired. "It would probably have blown over, but not with the stuff online."

"What stuff online?" I asked.

There was a decided pause before she responded. "You haven't checked the public reaction yet? Not at all?"

That note of dread worked itself into my stomach. "I've been busy. Was going to review the footage later tonight.

"You should get on that." She answered quickly. "It's mostly speculation, but the big thing was people you saved have been jumping on a lot of forms of media to defend you."

Sadly I could see where this was going. "And the PRT thinks it must be that I mastered them, not because I pulled a psychopath's bomb out of their heads."

"This is really about PR." I could hear the weariness in her voice. "You kind of showed up the local Protectorate last night. They're trying not to let it seem like you're the hero of the hour. There are no official statements, just a lot of words like 'suspected' and 'alleged' being thrown around. A lot of the people from the facility got pretty vocal about being dismissed like that. Some of them have been taken in for observation and questioning."

I pictured one of those mahjong grandmothers being subjected to master stranger protocols. It wasn't a pleasant image, but I doubted there was anything I could do without making things worse. It was frustrating to no end that the PRT had taken the one thing I felt good about from the previous night and managed to twist it into something horrible.

"How bad was it for the Protectorate? I saw the footage of the fight on the Rig and Lung's escape, but not the full impact."

"They aren't looking good. The attack on the Rig was a mess. Armsmaster is at least out of critical condition, but is not going to be on his feet any time soon unless they can get Panacea back in the field. Velocity is not getting back on his feet period, not without some parahuman healing. Spiral fractures. Assault came out the best, but he's still going to need weeks before he's back in the field."

I tried to process the scale of those losses, the sheer magnitude of it. Even if the ABB hadn't upset things that would have drastically altered the power dynamic in the city.

"And Weld, the new ward from Boston? He was on the front lines of that fight. Apparently took a hit for Armsmaster and got knocked into the bay by Lung. He sank like a stone. Metal body, so he can handle the pressure and get by without air, but he hasn't walked to shore and they still haven't pulled together a rescue diver team. Could be days before they find him."

That was a grim thought reinforced by my passenger. There wasn't any reaction about Weld on the level of the Undersiders, but there was some level of affection there. In particular the idea of him stuck under water was bringing out this kind of sympathetic distress. I shook off the thought and pressed on.

"Any word about the new thinker?"

"There's something, but I haven't been able to nail it down. The Wards were attacked at the Forsberg Gallery by Oni Lee and another cape. Probably our thinker, but the PRT is keeping things tight lipped. With the disaster recovery I can't get the kind of inside look I used to. From what I've been able to pull together they're actually trying to confirm things before making a public announcement. Whoever it is they don't want to blame everything on her, so probably some minor villain who either stepped up in a big way or stopped holding back."

That wasn't a pleasant thought. Well, nothing about this situation was pleasant, but the idea that some c-lister might have walked into Brockton Bay and laid the city bare was an embarrassment for everyone involved, including me.

"Anything else?"

"Well, New Wave is a mess. They were doing scattered response last night, and there's rumors about the Pelham and Dallon families splitting up, except the Dallon side doesn't have the firepower to function on their own and the Pelham side is just a strike team without Manpower tanking and Amy providing support. Might see integration into the Protectorate, or other teams might come snooping around, too early to say for sure."

I felt terrible about that, but this was clearly a house of cards. I couldn't hold it up, and there was no way to tell when would be a safe time to knock it down. That didn't change the fact that the city had lost a well-coordinated super team right when they needed all the help they could get.

"How is your team holding up?"

Tattletale seemed to consider before answering. "We're managing. Taylor was still unsteady last night. She's going to rest for a few days, take some time to recover." Good idea. I wish I had the same option. "The rest of us are alright. Brian's been a bit off since last night, and Rachel and Alec are keeping to themselves, but they'll come around." That sounded more like an optimistic guess than a certainty.

"Good to hear it. We can reconnect after the team is back on their feet." And figure out how we're going to manage that debt. "Is that everything?"

"Mostly. New cape showed up at the docks, nonstandard body and weird powers, but fairly low key. The Protectorate's going to make a recruitment push soon, if just for the press." I was careful to give no reaction to her words. "Empire and Merchants didn't lose any territory, but some of the thefts were in areas the Empire claimed. They might push for a reprisal, or just use that to take point in whatever response ends up being planned."

"The gangs plan those things? Like, together?"

"Sort of. If it's something really disruptive they'll have a meeting to come to terms, agree on actions. If the ABB goes quiet after this it might not come to that, but any hint of a repeat will force their hand."

Great. "Thanks for the update. Keep me posted?"

"Sure. And check out that reaction stuff as soon as you get a chance."

"Right."

I closed the connection and took a breath. I did not want to check out that reaction stuff. I had put it off till now, I could put it off some more.

So what did I do now? My upgrades were at the point where I could start building decent technology, not just the means to construct decent technology. The idea of sealing my apartment and not leaving until I had everything I could possibly need had some appeal.

But that wouldn't work. I needed to stay on top of the ABB. Outside of them, well I doubted I could say or do anything that would help the freed conscripts. The best thing would be establishing that I had no influence over them at all. If they were afraid of my healing I couldn't help any of the injured heroes or civilians. New Wave was not a situation where I would be likely to have any positive impact, except in possibly letting them assault and arrest me. Even then it wouldn't deal with the issues that tore them apart in the first place. So what could I do? Where could I help?

Weld. I could help Weld.

The city might not have rescue divers, but I had more than enough resources to mount a recovery effort and the technology base to handle aquatic environments with ease. I'd need search drones, an environmental suit, or at least breathing apparatus, some kind of aquatic propulsion, and improved scanner technology.

My passenger was convinced that being trapped underwater was not a good thing for Weld. Physically he might be fine, but there were a lot of things that could go wrong while a person was still physically fine. The sensations of horrible isolation I was sympathetically picking up from my passenger were both concerning and also familiar, which just made them more concerning.

There was also the possibility that Weld would actually be willing to interact with me. He was from outside the city and apparently had been sent because of my offhand comment about the Boston Protectorate. He had also been cut off, so wouldn't be under any mandates that had gone out following that insanity about the ABB survivors. Also, I know if someone saved me after being stuck at the bottom of a harbor for more than 24 hours I'd be at least moderately well-disposed to them.

I had pushed through a day of unfocused training and general upgrades. Now I had a goal with a clear objective and attainable steps. I could do this, save a kid from a horrible situation, maybe get some decent relations with the city's heroes, and get a chance to test my new technology in the field.

And I definitely wasn't doing this to avoid looking at the public response to last night's cape fight.

---

Addendum Alec

Alec sat in his room in the Undersiders base. It wasn't normally his preferred hangout location, usually that would be a prime spot on one of the couches within easy reach of the game consoles and a clear view of the TV. But now it was a refuge. He had entered as soon as they'd returned to base and only left for the occasional food or necessity run. One of those had him briefly cross paths with Rachel, but the girl had left with nothing but an angry look.

Alec was cool with that. She very clearly cared more about the fact that they were in a lifetime of debt than about the bomb tinker's escape. From the way she stormed out Alec wondered if she'd ever be back. It was something he was used to considering, though more in an abstract sense than one that could determine his future.

He turned his attention down to the laptop, dozens of tabs open across his browser. Normally web surfing relaxed him. It was a way to get away from himself, even when digging through reactions to his team's actions.

It wasn't relaxing him now. Nothing was relaxing, not like it used to be. He didn't know if it was that super-healing, the stress of the night, the conflict in the team, or what had happened in that locker. Whatever it was he was agitated.

He didn't like being agitated. He had mastered the art of not being agitated. Cool wasn't just a style choice, it was a survival mechanism. You could do whatever you wanted, but you did it cool, not hot.

At the moment he was not cool. He was about as far from cool as he'd been since before he got his powers. Back then you learned and learned fast. Emotions were weapons in his family. There were too many who could feel them, twist them, turn them against you. Stay cool and stay off the radar. Stay cool, don't run hot.

Hot. The flames. The light reflected in lenses of a gasmask. The metallic laughter. That feeling, the point where he didn't even feel the heat anymore, just the pain and the smell of charred...

He shoved his laptop away from him and struggled to breathe. This was wrong. Everything was wrong.

After a few labored breaths the pounding in his chest slowed and a cold sheen of sweat coated his forehead. He wondered again if this was that super healing. The effects of everything turned up to eleven, but instead of the crash that comes with a drug high you find a solid foundation beneath you.

If this was what people meant by getting high on life then they could go fuck themselves.

A knock on his door dragged him out of his contemplation. He took a second to collect himself before calling out.

"Come in."

The door swung open to reveal Lisa, out of costume and looking that special kind of tired she got when the boss was pressing her for information. From her expression he could guess what this was about.

"So, the team finally came to a decision on me? Am I out on the street, or do they want some kind of penance? Pound of flesh? First born son?"

As usual she bore his humor without reaction. "No call there. Probably won't be until we square things with Joe."

Ah yes, their life debt to the mighty Apeiron. The pie run jokes hadn't landed. Maybe he should shift to pretending to mishear it as 'appear on'. That seemed to be popular online, and presented all kinds of set up opportunities.

The fact that they owed Joe an amount of money that would likely cripple any gang in the city was probably the only thing keeping the group together. As a team they could slowly pay things off with jobs, like they had started last night. Someone leaves, well, did they take their debt with them? Specifically theirs, or an equal portion of everyone's?

That was the point getting under Rachel's skin. Since Joe decided to creatively assign debt for dog healing she was the only one with a personal medical bill that was anything like affordable, meaning she was the only one who could make a case for paying out and leaving the team.

Of course, surviving on your own in the current climate was another matter.

"Just had an update call with Joe. Got him the data he wanted and filled him in on our timeframe."

Alec grinned at that. "So what does he think of his new celebrity status?"

Lisa shook her head. "Hasn't looked at it yet." She paused. "I think he's deliberately avoiding it."

"Seriously?" Alec reached for his laptop. "You mean he's missed gems like this?"

Topic: Apeiron Equipment Thread

In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay ► Capes

Tinker's Hoarder (Original Poster) (Wiki Warrior)

Posted On Apr 17th 2011:

Main Thread for Apeiron gear and inventions. Update with date and media confirmation.

Apeiron - Brockton Bay Cape, Unconfirmed Rogue, Suspected Villain

Personal Equipment:

Unknown Defensive Item (No visible damage from gunfire, kinetic impact, plasma exposure, or extreme heat. Overcome by 'concentrated spatial disruption')

Unknown Healing item (Possibly glove based, suspected responsible for full restoration of Undersiders, fully restored spatial damage in no more than 6 seconds)

Arm mounted holographic interface (Possible source of electrical and thermal discharge, unconfirmed, display and coordination device for drones)

Unknown mechanical system (mechanical gloves or sheathing visible when costume was damaged. Possible source of electrical and thermal discharge, unconfirmed)

Side Arm with integrated energy blade, name pending (advanced pistol, highly accurate, unknown ammunition, shock waves and major kinetic impact evident. Integrated blade capable of projective cuts at least 6 meters distance in normal mode. BFS mode appears to require assistance from pouch items. Use of "Final cut' may damage or disable sword, evaluation and name pending)

Pouch Items (Unidentified small technological items capable of exotic effects. Apparently single use. Apparent activation time. Confirmed effects include tracking thermal attacks, Lightning cloud manifestation, creation of attack insects (projection or construct), weapon enhancement (BFS) material creation (stone fist), and temporal suspension)

Support equipment:

Transforming motorcycle/robot/power armor (Tripredacus Guardian)

High speed and maneuverability in motorcycle form (Boardwalk Video)

Flight Capable in robot/armor mode

Confirmed armament: 2 geokinetic melee weapons, suspected C class minimum

Spherical Drones (Tripredacus Scout)

Either summoned or fabricated in the field

Flight capable

Suspected surveillance link to holographic interface

Deployment seems limited to 5 drones simultaneously

Confirmed armament: Short range electronic discharge

(Showing page 1 of 57)

►Quester

Replied On Apr 17th 2011:

Why is the durability listed as an item instead of a power?

►Tinker's Hoarder (Original Poster) (Wiki Warrior)

Replied On Apr 17th 2011:

This is not the place for that debate. Take the hereditary arguments to the cape's main page. Without convincing evidence to the contrary a tinkers durability will ALWAYS be attributed to equipment and not a secondary power.

►Quester

Replied On Apr 17th 2011:

"Convincing Evidence"

Really?

-Durability that resist everything but spatial attacks

-Color choice of costume

-Apparent age lines up perfectly

-Well equipped, supplied, and trained on supposedly first appearance

-Broad tinker specialization and rapid assessment of new technology

What more do you want?

►Cobalt

Replied On Apr 17th 2011:

"-Apparent age lines up perfectly"

Right, and when exactly was that nine month window of absence that would line up with that perfect timeline?

►Quester

Replied On Apr 17th 2011:

You think they couldn't have built some kind of artificial womb or cloning vat? It's basic logic.

►Tinker's Hoarder (Original Poster) (Wiki Warrior)

Replied On Apr 17th 2011:

I'm serious, this is not the place for this. Take theories to their own thread of the main cape discussion before the mods get involved.

►Frayed One (Banned)

Replied On Apr 17th 2011:

That's right, this thread is only for discussion of the equipment of Brockton's new pedophile tinker.

►Tinker's Hoarder (Original Poster) (Wiki Warrior)

Replied On Apr 17th 2011:

Until evidence to the contrary is presented it is being assumed by this site that Apeiron and the Undersiders, including Lady Khepri, are minors and should be regarded as such.

And once again, not the place for that debate.

►Frayed One (Banned)

Replied On Apr 17th 2011:

Right, I forgot about all of those military trained sixteen year olds with clear combat experience.

►Cobalt

Replied On Apr 17th 2011:

Right, and I forgot about all of those little teenage girls who are built like supermodels, move like death, and can shred a Protectorate Ward without a second thought, so LADY Khepri is obviously 14 or 15 years old.

►Frayed One (Banned)

Replied On Apr 17th 2011:

Dude, have you ever even MET a teenage girl?

End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 55, 56, 57

Lisa glanced over the thread and shook her head. "He's never going to get away from that. Neither of them are."

Alec smirked. "Wish I could be there when they find out about it. Not a single piece of media pops up without someone claiming it's the greatest love story of the age, or some horrible act of child exploitation. More of the former than the latter, but it's incredible how many people are jumping to defend Taylor's honor when they were screaming for her blood two days ago."

He watched Lisa's discomfort at the idea. She had most likely been up to her eyeballs in this stuff and knew it better than he did. He could practically see the highlight reel playing behind her eyes. Unfortunately it wasn't enough to distract her from the purpose of her visit.

"We need to talk about what happened last night."

The statement was detached and clinical. That was expected from Lisa. She knew he wouldn't buy any sentimentality from her, so she was coming at this like a business obligation. At any other time he would have appreciated the professionalism. This wasn't any other time.

He shrugged and turned back to the laptop. "What can we say that our adoring public hasn't already discussed? I mean we're nationally famous. You want to know something, you can just go to the replay."

He clicked on a tab and turned to face Lisa as the video began playing. An all too familiar electronic voice emerged from the tinny laptop speakers.

"...it's a gift really. Just like a rock star. You get to burn out instead of fading away."

He watched the girl's expression as the sounds of incendiaries played in the room. Last night they had sounded like the roar of a dragon. In the video they were diminished, harmless sounds. The crackling of a campfire. A barbeque with lighter fluid sprayed on it. That sound when a gas stove starts.

Then the screaming started. He was proud of how long he lasted. Maybe if he had shown more reaction from the start they wouldn't have gone as far. Or maybe they would have seen it through to the end. He'd known people like that his entire life and sometimes there was no way to tell how things would fall until they played out.

The screaming didn't stop, not for a long time. Lisa didn't look away, but Alec could only guess what she was taking from this. It was hard to separate the girl from her power, if the line even existed.

He stopped the video there. He'd watched it more times than he could count. It didn't get better. It didn't desensitize him. It just made him angry, that hot, dangerous anger that led to stupid decisions.

"Wasn't your fault." He said flippantly. "I mean, your job is to specifically avoid situations like that, but of course you would run into the perfect anti-thinker who just stumps everyone. How long has she been in the city anyway? She there for the bank job when we ended up facing the entire Wards on our own? How about when you were so sure you had a handle on Joe? In fact, she must have started back when we were squaring against Oni Lee and Lung, right?"

This wasn't accomplishing anything. Alec hated being like this, hated being out of control. Hot anger, the kind that lets people take advantage of you.

"What happened when you tried to hijack Bakuda?"

The directness of the question caught him off guard. He tried to summon a flippant response, but it died in his throat. Fuck it, she probably knew anyway. Might as well plough through.

"I... I think it was the dark." She nodded slightly. Of course she already knew. "That super healing must have brought things back. I was... feeling stuff. Old stuff. It got overwhelming. Then I just kind of let go. Stayed focused on the connection to Bakuda, but everything else, it was like being disconnected from my own thoughts, from everything around me." He shook his head. "Took the hell bike crashing to break me out."

And hadn't that been a treat. Black void with red crystals, and everywhere flesh. Flesh with lightning inside it, lumped, spread and budded. He could see them, the connections. He could recognize them. The network of Heartbreaker, leading to him and everyone else in that house. Eternal imprints, just waiting to bind them forever.

Eternity with your family. Joe may have said it wasn't exactly hell, but that was close enough for Alec's definition.

Lisa took a breath. "I should have seen it. The healing, I mean. It had nothing to do with the ABB thinker. I should have seen it, but I wasn't looking in the right place."

"Isn't that your job? Find the right place to look."

She shook her head. "Lately, I don't know." The admission clearly pained her, and Alec decided not to press further, at least for the moment. "Taylor will buy us two or three days to get our shit together. Can you handle that?"

"Sure." He drew out the word. "I've only been tortured, chemically altered, and had what was probably a nervous breakdown or something. Five minutes of indirect therapy is more than enough to get me back on top."

She gave him a long look and he let out a breath. "You want me to be okay, well I can't guarantee that. You want me to act like I'm okay? Sure. I can do that. I'm good at that. I'll even bring the latest memes for when we meet Joe again."

Lisa nodded slowly. "This won't be forever."

"Lisa, if I thought this was forever I'd already be on a bus out of here."

"No, I mean Joe, Apeiron? He's going to change things."

"Well obviously."

"Seriously, city wide at the minimum, probably further. I don't know how he works, or what's driving this, but he thinks he has a handle on it, and it's going to be big. We just have to ride it out."

"So what, ride the coattails of super tinker and reap the benefits of being friends with his one and only?" Lisa twitched slightly at that, which raised his spirits. "Sure, I can deal with that."

"Alright. I'll sort things out with Brian. Taylor should be okay after her rest. Rachel will need to come to terms with what's going on."

"Alright." He shifted slightly. "We going to be seeing any more dramatic feats from super tinker any time soon?"

"I doubt it." She said with confidence. "When I talked to him he seemed kind of embarrassed about how he spent the day, like I caught him goofing off. He's probably taking it easy for a while. We should have a few days before we see any more surprises."

That was a nice thought, but for some reason Alec doubted they would be that lucky.

Jumpchain abilities this chapter:

Hidden Hideaway / Laboratory (Valkyria Chronicles) 200:

You've come into possession of a small but out of the way safe-house, providing you with a place to rest and recuperate. This place has enough supplies for 9 people to live for a year or so. Those who have chosen the Scientist origin however, gain an upgrade to this building in the form of an underground laboratory. It is stocked with all the necessary tools and ingredients for a secret lab in the 1930's, along with a few scattered notes on what appears to be a figure surrounded in light.

Ragnite Container (Valkyria Chronicles) Free:

Ragnite is a valuable resource in Europa, and it is unlikely to appear in any other worlds. You receive a container that replenishes once per day. The free level gets you a box the size of a human head.

Advanced Materials (XCOM 2) 200:

As you experiment the physics and rules of a world ideas for new materials come to you. Elements and compounds from different universes often follow the same rules after all, so it should be theoretically possible to mix them. While you are developing new materials for your projects you will instinctively know whether or not materials will be compatible with each other and roughly how strong they will be. You will not know the exact ratio or procedure you will need to perform to fabricate these exotic materials, and it's not guaranteed that every material will be compatible with each other, but development will be made a lot easier.

Garage (Fast and Furious) 100:

You have a nice garage and parts supply. With a few days and some elbow grease, you could basically rebuild your car or cars from the bottom up; you probably have enough parts to keep someone else's ride running or give it an upgrade, too.

The Vehicle (Fast and Furious) Free:

This object barely deserves the title of car, at least in your opinion. A Volkswagen Beetle, a Pinto, or a Yugo, this car technically meets all the criteria and is very cheap, but it would take a master mechanic and a driving god to let it rival even the worst other racers can bring to the table.

Machines, They Just Speak To Me (Firefly) 200:

You have no formal schooling, but can fine-tune and repair engines with nothing but shoe polish. You don't know what the parts are SUPPOSED to do, but you know how to make them work the way you want. You can diagnose a faulty part in the power core just by listening to the AC cycle, and can fix pretty much anything with naught but a wrench and some duct tape. It may not be pretty, and it may not last long, but it'll work.