Chapter 11: Julian Likes Puns
After Bradley left, Colin and I went into our lab while Mechelle and Destiny joined us. Destiny was curious about our process. That was fine by me, since our work wasn't Eggman related. I leaned against a table that Mechelle was sitting on, while Destiny swung one leg back and forth as she sat on an armchair, the three of us watching as Colin stood in front of us just in front of a screen holding the image of a very big vehicle.
"The Bradley Fighting Vehicle," Mechelle mumbled.
"The list of jokes about this thing is longer than my arm thanks to The Pentagon Wars," Colin said.
"The Pentagon Wars? What's that?" Destiny asked.
"An older movie, a comedy really, about the development of the Bradley," I said. "A friend of mine showed it to me once. Anyway, the joke is that it's supposed to be an APC: Armored Personnel Carrier. This thing was supposed to carry around 11 people to the battlefield, just a simple fast as fuck vehicle. But they went on to add a bunch of stuff to it."
"Nowadays, however, it has a good reputation in the modern military," Colin said. "The M3 model is respected by many. It may have started out as a camel, but it's a damn robust one now."
"Camel," Destiny chuckled. "Right. A horse made by a committee."
"Enough of the past," I said, taking the lead. "Focus on the now. Forget just making a tank. This is IvoTech building it's brand. We need to provide not just a better design, anyone with an idea and a drawing board can do that if they're smart enough. We need more. Think basics… the metal."
Destiny frowned, watching as I walked over to the computer nearby. "IvoTech is currently finishing up work on a new type of plastic."
"I thought you wanted to think about metal," Destiny noted, her dark lips quirking a bit.
"I wanted to think about the material. This is something we've been thinking of as a derivative of nanocellulose."
"That wood pulp stuff?" When I gave her a surprised look, she grinned. "I may not be a scientist, but I've helped a lot of them."
Oh right.
"Well, we've been working on something similar, but synthetic," based on the work that Eggman had done to make bots that couldn't be found out by metal detectors… as well as the time his nicer half had made a certain adorable wooden girl out of similar materials, in terms of durability at least..
"Something light, but extremely strong, flexible, resistant to impact, scratching, other such things, and most importantly when it comes to selling to the military? Cheap to produce and mold. Haven't come up with a snazzy name for it yet, but I'm excited for it. I wanted to make body armor out of it, maybe later improve it to the point it can be used for almost anything but-"
"It's too inflexible right now, and we haven't gotten it as light as we like," Colin finished. "But it is still a quarter the weight of armor grade steel so with a full-on tank engine pushing it, it's a perfect light and strong replacement for plate armor. We can even modify it to be explosive reactive like we planned, or to at least absorb attacks with ease. That's a great idea."
"That's the model we'll follow then. Not a new tank. Improvements only we can provide," Mechelle added.
"Okay, then the engine has to go," Colin pointed at the image of the Bradley. "We're using a smaller and more powerful engine in our Big Foot. We can easily modify it to fit this thing, make more room for ammo and personal. While we're at it, we can improve the systems of the actual thing, the computers and targeting system."
Following his idea, I started to manipulate the computer to quickly begin writing up a schematic, fingers moving fast. I had to hold back from really improving the thing, giving it the Eggman touch, instead just making more room to account for the size of the engine. "The Bradley engine right now isn't powerful enough, but we may be able to do something very interesting with this new version. Quad treads!"
"I thought you didn't want to change the design too much," Destiny said sarcastically.
"It wouldn't be a big change. Split the treads of the tank so it has four. The thing will be able to move even if one of them gets blown away by a mine or missile, so it'll make it more likely that it'll be able to come back home. Plus, there are the inherent advantages of them. Quad treads have less trouble with sudden elevation and changes in terrain. Then, there is the tread wear. With two sets of shorter treads, they don't have much tension across them, so they're less vulnerable to wear and tear."
I drew in the suspension to the treads, then cleaned up the design just a bit more.
"What about armaments?" Mechelle asked. She sounded so robotic that Destiny turned to look at her in surprise, to which Mechelle gave her a small smile.
"Good point. With the right materials, we can give this thing a banger of a turret without changing it's current profile too much, equipped with Ivotech lightweight and powerful radar, sensors, thermal optics, the works. And then of course, the missile pods."
"Julian, seriously, weren't you just saying-" Destiny began to speak, only to get cut off again.
"Here, the design we made for the stinger missile pod design," Colin sent me the file, and I quickly sketched it in.
"The pilot won't be able to get in if you make the turret that big," Destiny noted.
"Then we'll make it front opening instead of top opening. The armor plating we'll be adding will be more than enough to protect everyone inside, at least for a good long while."
I finished drawing and backed up a bit. "Good for a basic sketch… Let's start checking over the design and making sure this thing can really sin-"
I stopped when I turned to look at the Bradley. Then at the vehicle I had created. Then the Bradley again.
"...these are two different tanks."
"I tried to tell you," Destiny said with a sigh.
I think I understand why the first Bradley ended up the way it was. Still, it was going to be a LOT roomier, more powerful, lighter, faster and tougher with the extra reinforcements. That was the basic idea, right?
I guess that meant I shouldn't add in the air conditioning…
—---
After Destiny left to let us keep working, Mechelle, Colin, and I instead switched gears.
Ivotech being successful would be nice, but the main goal was beating Vought. Anything else was just food to feed that beast of a goal. That said, there was one event that I absolutely wasn't about to let go down.
"You know what I'm going to say," Colin sighed next to me, his hands clenching and unclenching as we watched the screen in front of us.
"That we're risking way too much."
"We are," Colin said, sounding exasperated.
The screen in front of us displayed a large round room, with a marble floor, a big table of similar material, and several screens on the walls of the room displaying things like satellite imagery and graphs. The Seven's meeting room, this worlds version of the Justice League round table.
"There is no benefit to us," Colin said. "I agree with this morally, but if we get found out, it could undermine our entire operation."
"...What do you think, Mechelle?"
My android businesswoman didn't show any emotion, but still hummed. "Logically, this isn't something we should interfere with, but I understand that you seem to take this personally enough that you wouldn't be able to live with yourself without interfering."
"And I'm sure you would have done the same with Robin if you could have," Colin said patiently. "But where does it end? What about those in the asylum you left behind?" I winced. Colin continued. "What about Kimiko, or her brother? The many soldiers that will die from that super, Naqib?"
"Look, I get it," I watched the screen, with nothing happening just yet. "There are things I just can't interfere with, I agree. Some events just sort of… have to happen, but there are some I can at least have some minor influence over. Enough to hold back the worst shit, right?"
"You'll end up playing god if you aren't careful," I stopped looking at the screen to eye Colin. "Picking and choosing who to save and when. It's going to end badly if you aren't careful."
"Well this is not going to-"
"Also, have you considered the net positive that will follow?" Colin continued.
"Positive!?"
Colin didn't flinch from my tone. "If you interfere incorrectly, she won't be distraught. She won't have reason to visit the park. She won't meet Hughie and become involved with the Boys."
"...She won't have to, if I do this right," I said that just as two people walked in. The Deep, in his usual green uniform, and Starlight.
The blonde girl really did remind me of Mary Marvel. Not the costume or the hair, that was entirely different being a white and gold uniform and long blonde hair. More just the bright and happy look of awe on her face. It was something I could have imagined on the Lady Shazam.
The pair walked around, The Deep talking about the power of the Seven's satellites. Well, Vought's satellites.
"-World View-4 satellites in geocentric orbit. We can essentially read a getaway car's license plate from 380 miles up."
He wasn't wrong. Thus far, those satellites had been very useful to me. I could keep track of a lot by piggybacking off those same satellites.
Eventually though… we got to that point.
"I kind of had a schoolgirl crush on you."
"God, I can't watch," I rubbed my face as the two continued talking. "Please tell me this is going to be interrupted soon."
"If you timed things right, yes, it will," Colin handed me a tablet, displaying four red dots and two green on a map of the city. I tapped the screen and grinned at the confirmation that the magic was happening.
"Perfect. Then it's time for some monkey business."
Colin groaned. Mechelle sighed.
"What? …You think panda-monium is better?"
"I wish you hadn't said either one," Colin said.
Everyone's a critic.
On the screen, Starlight's turned away from the Deep. He reached for his pants with a smug look on his face.
The doors slammed open. "Deep!"
Ashley Barrett burst in like a storm on fire. The petite redhead looked around. "Why the fuck isn't your phone on!?"
The Deep stared at her, quickly removing his hands from his waist. "Uh… I uh-"
Starlight looked between Deep and Ashley, confused, while the redhead scowled.
"Nevermind! Deep, Starlight, a bank is getting robbed down the street from us."
"A bank?" Starlight's face shifted, determination filling it. The Deep, on the other hand, looked annoyed.
"All right, well we can take care of that," he said without much enthusiasm. I knew what he was thinking. A generic easy mission, quick and done, with cameras filming him, getting good views, with some cheap baddies to knock out. Basic PR gig.
Man needed to learn to get with the times.
"You'll have to," Ashley still looked panicked and worried. "Because the robbers are Eggman's robots."
The Deep gaped. Starlight's face showed determination. I smirked.
"Oh yeah… it's all coming together."
—---
To their credit, Vought got the Deep and Starlight to the bank quickly. But then, we had chosen a very specific one.
The bank in question had actually built their location specifically because Vought Tower was near them. After all, what bank would be safer than one right next to a bunch of superheroes? And in their defense, that had worked. Pretty much every building for a few blocks was safe from random violence and crime.
Today, however, was a different day.
The bank in question had been closed at the time, with some security guards roaming it. The place was made of smooth stone floors, pillars, and ceilings, with the main lobby in front of the vault being a circular room. Vault on the far end of the room, entrance across from it. Teller desks ringed the room, with pillars ringing the center of it to give the whole place the appearance of a Roman or Greek sort of temple. A place of worship to the god of money.
The entrance had been smashed inwards, a trail of debris leading to a large white van that was sitting on the remains of a door and a desk. On the side of the van was a sign for a fake company that sold free range liquid eggs.
And now, at the center of the room, a large capsule had been set up. A large steel container made just for holding people.
A robotic panda lifted a screaming guard high, shoving him into the container with three other yelling guards as well as the two cops who had come by to see what was going on. Outside, police lights were still spinning as more officers cordoned off the street.
I watched through the cameras of a different bot as the capsule was sealed and the panda stepped back to join a second one.
I'll be honest. The panda thing was purely me wanting to make a joke. Funnily, Eggman, across the multiverse, didn't have a panda badnik. So I'd take a different badnik, by the name of Snowy, and just shifted the colors. Like Snowy, the new badniks had a large and stocky build, with armored plating, massive clawed hands, and a overall bear appearance, but with a black and white look. I called them Bamboo.
In keeping with the jungle theme, the bot who's eyes I was looking through, climbed up a pillar like a tree, it's monkey paws easily gripping the stone as it turned to look at the entrance. One of a set of eight, the monkey badnik was an adorable thing, only about a foot high, with brown metal across it's form and a 't-shirt' of yellow painted on it's chest. A Coconut, one of the models Eggman had made often.
Two other Coconuts were piling up bags of money in the back of the bank, on top if the ripped off vault door. They hadn't found much, just enough to fill around six small bags. People didn't seem to want cash as much nowadays.
Then someone stepped in.
"Hey!" Deep shouted, Starlight following after him looking nervous. "Where's your boss!?"
Two pandas and eight monkeys turned to look at him. The Deep and Starlight stood side by side in the light. For a tense moment the ten Badniks and two heroes faced each other.
"So… are you going to surrender, or are we fighting?" Starlight said, sounding both non-plussed and determined.
"Oh no," the Deep snarled, sounding more than a little annoyed. "We're fighting. I need to make up for the last fight. You take the right, I'm taking-"
Okay, guess that's how this was starting.
I snapped my fingers. "All right, run it."
"GRAAAAR!" pandas in the real world, while still bears, tend to be very cute sounding. Bamboo, on the other hand, were based off the software and hardware of Snowy. Based on fucking polar bears.
Their echoing roars were followed by the Deep and Starlight staggering back briefly.
Then the panda bots were in their faces, sweeping out massive arms. Starlight blocked the blow with a pained grunt, while Deep barely dodged. He ran forward and punched it.
"Oh good, he's actually trying now," I mused to Colin and Mechelle.
The Coconuts moved as one. Within their chests, a small plastic sleeve was filled with chemicals, turning it into a tough plastic orb filled with caustic chemicals. The orb was moved by a suction system from the chest, through a pipe in the arms, before leaving a port in the palms of the Coconut's, allowing them to grip the orbs before tossing them.
Starlight ducked an attack from a Bamboo, the panda's claws ripping through the wall behind her. One of the Coconut's took advantage of the opening to toss a ball that landed against her chest, shattering apart in an explosion of sound and light while tossing her back.
"Ahhh!" Starlight scrambled back, screaming while grabbing her ears and closing her eyes tight.
"Ah, damnit!" Deep shouted in unison, staggering back despite having been across the room from that.
From the safety of my office I noted that the Deep really did have enhanced vision and hearing. Not much probably, but enough to allow him to traverse the ocean well.
Starlight staggered to her feet as a Bamboo approached her, eyes struggling to stay open. A Coconut launched another ball at her and she raised her hands, unleashing burst of light that stopped Bamboo in it's tracks and exploded the bombs in mid-air, well away from her.
She didn't see it, but the energy levels of the Badniks closest to her dropped a small amount as well. Not a huge amount, but enough that I could see it on their status charts.
The Deep, not wanting to be seen lacking, moved in to attack as well. A Coconut tossed a bomb at him, this one exploding at his feet. The Deep, on seeing the bomb explode into plumes of smoke, shut his mouth, and smashed his fists into the Bamboo.
The panda took the hits across his chest, then returned it with a backhand from its claws that smacked the Deep into a pillar behind him. The Deep recovered in time to dodge the next claws, circling around quickly and kicking at the Badnik's back desperately.
His mouth was still closed and his eyes were near slits. Neither should have prevented the tear gas from affecting him at least somewhat, but he was still fighting. Interesting. Something about his physiology? Also, I wouldn't have thought a man with gills would need to learn to be able to hold his breath for long, but he was doing very well fighting at top strength with only a small amount of breath.
Not too much actual martial arts skill, unlike Starlight who was moving in with a combination right out of boxing, but he made up for it with his natural strength and athleticism.
The Bamboo Badnik he was fighting adjusted quickly, roaring and smacking him aside. The Deep screamed in pain as the massive metal palm smashed into his chest, but moved back in. Damn, where had this will to fight been before?
No. I could see it in his eyes. He was desperate looking, hungry. He knew he'd tarnished his reputation on the football field. Now he wanted to make up for it. This was a man with low self-esteem desperate to make it back to the top.
Almost admirable in some ways.
A bomb exploded next to him, flash-bang blinding and stunning him long enough for panda to kick him in the stomach. He staggered.
"Fuck me! Starlight, we gotta take care of those monkeys!"
"I'm trying, this panda is on me!" the Bamboo's arms smashed down on her upraised ones, shattering the ground underneath her as she briefly struggled to hold the panda back. She managed to overwhelm it after a bit, pushing up then kicking it back before blasting it with a small burst of light.
Interesting. That was around 2 tons of force she had fought off. I'd noted another decrease in the ambient electricity as well when she'd done that initial push. So already amplified strength, but maybe she could up her physical parameters with the same electric conversion she powered her light attacks with.
The Deep was clearly not feeling as introspective as me. "Fine! Then let me handle them both!"
To my surprise, he grabbed the panda he was fighting by the left arm and spun around, lifting up the Badnik and tossing it in the direction of the other Bamboo. Starlight barely dodged it in time to let the two bots smash together, followed by the Deep landing on top of them and desperately punching down at them as their programming adjusted for the sudden violence.
Starlight didn't hesitate to take advantage of her freedom, raising her arms and blasting a Coconut in the chest, turning it to scrap. The other three Coconuts attacking her threw bombs, which she blew out of the air only to curse as all three bombs exploded into tear gas. She released another concussive blast, dispersing the smoke before shooting at another Coconut, barely missing.
At the same time, the Deep was in trouble. He was now fighting both Bamboo's at once, and they were laying into him. He shouted in pain when a claw smacked him in the head, punching the offending panda before the other one bit him in the shoulder. He uppercut the panda, ripping it's teeth from his tough skin, then kicked it back with a scream. He looked like he was panicking, but still stayed in the fight, moving forward even as he bruised up and bled.
Man, surprising what comes out of people in a tight spot, huh?
Starlight shot another Coconut in the arm, then fired at the pillar it was hanging from, ripping the pillar apart and sending the monkey tumbling under the stones. She ducked another flash-bang, gritting her teeth in pain as it exploded behind her, but raising her hands and filling them with power. A lot of power.
Which had to come from somewhere.
One of the Coconut's shut off, the one closer to her, as it's energy levels dropping under the safety levels. A Bamboo stuttered it's movements, allowing the Deep to clock it in the face.
Starlight noticed. Her eyes lit up metaphorically. Then literally.
The Bamboos and the Coconuts shook. Their power levels dropped rapidly.
"Take this!" Starlight roared, raising her hands and unleashing a single beam of energy about a foot wide. The blast ripped through the hardened armor of one of the Bamboo's, sending it crashing to the floor. The Deep screamed as he grabbed the other one by the head and ripped it off while it was distracted.
Starlight fired another beam, this one blinding the camera's entirely. When it was over, the Coconut I'd been watching from was lying on the ground. I blinked a bit.
"Huh… That was dope as fuck."
Starlight gasped, dropping to her knees as she panted. The Deep was breathing desperately, trying to stay standing even as he staggered.
"Holy shit. Holy shit," he gasped. Then he clutched at his shoulder, where blood slowly dripped. "Oh god, that hurts!"
"Y-You okay?" Starlight asked the Deep with genuine worry.
"Of course I'm not fucking okay, I got bit by a robot bear!" he spat, Starlight flinching. He had a point there.
I flipped a switch on my control board and coughed to clear my throat before speaking into the mic. "Technically, it was just one of my badniks. But I gotta say, that bite should have had the force of an actual polar bear. Around 1200 pounds per square inch."
"Eggman," Starlight mumbled. She looked around quickly before her eyes landed on one of the Coconuts, it's eyes blinking a dark red. When I spoke again, the lights glowed and dimmed with each word.
"In the flesh, or I suppose the audio, my dear," I chuckled, shaking my head. "Honestly, I was just bored and decided to try for a classic. The bank robbery! Good old school crime! But I didn't expect you two to put up the fight you did! The Deep, one of the most useless members of the Seven last time we fought, fighting like a pissed off weasel trapped in a pair of jeans this time around? Amazing! The new girl, still shiny from her last job, turning my badniks to scrap! I must say, I wish I'd sent more badniks in, see how you all do with a few more to fight!"
"F-Fuck… you," Deep gasped out.
"We're going to find you," Starlight said with real heroic aplomb. She had a black eye, her arms covered in bruises, her ears bleeding, and she still had trouble seeing. But she stood tall and firm. The Deep stared at her, surprise on his face. "We'll shut you down, I promise! You won't hurt anyone anymore!"
I couldn't help it. I laughed. A genuine happy laugh. "See! That's what I wanted! A real hero! Not someone desperate to save her pride, not some foolish fop of a celebrity! Someone who stands, covered in dirt and pain, and still willing to fight."
The sigh I followed up with was filled with nostalgia. "Starlight, I'll be watching your career with great interest. Because as of now, there are three heroes I'm willing to call my rivals. Maeve. Starlight. And honestly, next would have been Black Noir, but Deep you actually respond to my taunts so you're more fun."
"Is this a game to you!?" Starlight spat out.
"Only when it's easy," I chuckled. "No offense to your efforts. It's just… I had eight Coconuts."
"...Coco-what?" the Deep asked, confused.
"The monkey badniks. I understand battlefield math is hard in the thick of it but… I had eight. You scrapped four."
The two heroes paled, looking around. Four destroyed monkeys, two broken pandas. And a few bags of missing money.
"Fuck!" the Deep staggered up, glancing around.
"Eh, it was only around 500,000 or so. Not much to worry about," I said as the pair of heroes stared around. "Besides, you two should use this as a lesson. Get some better gear. Armored costumes at least. Deep, you need to upgrade as well. Poseidon it up and get a trident, something useful so you stop breaking your knuckles."
Then I disconnected the connection and activated the self-destruct, leaning back with a grin.
"You look pleased with yourself," Colin said with a small smile.
I turned from my control center. "I am. That footage is going to be very fun. And I'm sure the charities we'll be giving that money to will be pleased."
"I'll find a way to legally give that cash then," Mechelle said robotically. "Do you mind if I edit the footage? We can upload it to the website."
"Thinking of putting it up with the music video?" when she nodded I chuckled. "Yeah, that's fair. Well, there is just one last thing… is it worth matchmaking Hughie and Annie after this?"
Colin scoffed, looking over at a different screen. On there, a traffic light showed a panicked Hughie in a car next to a very badass looking man. Then again, I'd had a high opinion of Butcher, and Karl Urban played my favorite Dredd of all time.
"If you're worried about matchmaking," Colin looked at another screen. I joined him. "Then shouldn't she be on your list?"
Within a small house, a woman and child were having dinner together. Her with dark brown hair, him with a dirty blonde head of hair. They were smiling and talking animatedly. Becca Butcher and Ryan Butcher.
"...If I bring them in out of the cold too soon Vought will become a much bigger problem. I wouldn't put it past them to tell Homelander we kidnapped his kid or something equally ridiculous."
"Fair point," Colin said. "Still, I know you don't want to leave them separate forever."
"Of course not. I'm a nice guy like that," I said with a hint of smugness.
But man, I had a lot of balls up in the air. What I wouldn't give to be fighting just one ragtag bunch of animals rather than working against a government and corporation.
Ah, who was I kidding? I'd never had this much fun.
Tomorrow though. It was time to work on Gordon. See what we could do for the little EMP emitter. I needed more samples of supes however.
Luckily, there was going to be a free supe corpse in just a few hours. Fare thee well, Translucent. Fare thee well.
Chapter 12: The More Things Change
Chapter 12
On the day before Translucent was going to die I had a morbid sort of feeling around me. It was like his ghost was already glaring at me. He wasn't dead yet, but I almost felt it. Like he was screaming 'why don't you save me!? Do something! Help!'
Eh, that was fair. I'd be pissed if someone decided to let me die instead of helping. But Translucent wasn't important to the world, and I had no real care for the guy beyond what I would feel for basic human life. Maybe I should have worried about that, morally speaking, but I decided to ignore it. I did feel for his family though...
There were other things to worry about.
CNN Broadcast
A very pretty blonde woman was speaking to the camera, looking stone-faced and professional in a manner that had become commonplace for broadcasters the world over. Which was in stark contrast to the news of the day.
"-and once again, our ongoing coverage of the new website, Eggs Over Heroes, apparently created by the supervillain Eggman. The US government has been urging people to avoid posting or visiting the website, but tech experts say the website's cybersecurity have made any attempt to prevent anyone from visiting or shutting it down nearly impossible, as well as unable to track back to its source. Some media personalities have come under fire for publicly posting on the site, but those who wish to be anonymous have been equally impossible to track."
"As for the actual content on the site, users have been able to post videos, images, status updates, and even play small video games. The biggest draw however has been a music video currently being played on the site."
A brief clip began to play of Eggman… dancing in the middle of a warehouse. He was swaying his hips from side to side, bouncing to the music.
"Evil grooooows in the dark!"
Eggman did a quick spin, shifting his rotund form with far more agility than one would expect. He continued to dance as robots began to enter the camera's view from the shadows. Motobugs rolling in, Buzz Bombers zomming through the air, Crabmeat's striding in sideways, a pair of massive Bamboo bears.
All of them dancing.
As the funky beats of The Poppy Family continued to play, Eggman did a dab, then shifted into a swaying cha-cha. The Bamboos did their own dance, Motobugs rolled in synchronization with the Buzz Bombers above, and the Crabmeats clapped their claws in beat with the tune.
"Evil grows in the dark
Where the sun it never shines
Evil grows in cracks and holes
And lives in people's minds"
The reporter returned on screen as the video played in the corner. "The video has already gained over 1.5 million views on its own website. On other social media sites, remixes, remakes, and parodies have exploded in popularity. The actual video has been uploaded on the same sites before being taken down, only to reappear almost immediately after. The description of the latest video reads, 'Keep trying idiots, I've got bots like you wouldn't believe!'"
The last was spoken almost flatly, but she was still clearly taken aback at that. "Along with those videos, footage of Eggman fighting The Deep and new member of the Seven, Starlight, has been uploaded, with music and editing as well. The Deep and Starlight were unavailable for comment, but they did win their fight, something Vought themselves pointed out, despite no arrest of Eggman himself."
"In other news-"
Annie January/Starlight
Annie sat in a park, staring out into the distance as she listened to her mother on the phone. "No, they were really excited after the fight. They started talking about how they would promote me from then on… No, Homelander wasn't there. He's really busy. Mom, I just want to say I-"
She stopped. Her mom was just overly excited. She could almost picture her exploding with joy and most likely cutting up magazines. "Okay, yeah mom. I need to go. I'll keep you in the loop. Yeah… I love you too."
Annie put down her phone and stared out at the park. Her hands were shaking.
Last night had been crazy. She'd fought a supervillain. A real one.
Eggman had seemed so funny on television. A goofy fat man with funny animal robots.
Then she'd had a bear hitting her harder than she'd ever been hit before, and suddenly everything changed. Back in Des Moines, she'd been in a few fights. Usually they were simple. She'd knock over some guys with her powers, get hit with some small caliber rounds in one circumstance. But nothing that hurt as much as that.
Those bears looked so stupid until they hit her. When she blocked their blows, she felt the bones in her arms crack. She could still taste blood in her mouth and remembering those explosions from those stupid monkey's bombs made her ears ring.
Annie had wanted to be a true hero for a long time. Not for the fame or fortune, but to do the right thing. And in some ways, that fight felt like the first time she'd come close.
Then it all came crashing down.
Vought had grabbed her and the Deep after the fight, bringing them back to the tower. There, the Vought lady, Ashley Barrett, the Director of Talent Relations, spoke to her. At first, things had been very normal. They asked what happened, who they fought, how the fight had gone and other usual things.
Then they played the music video.
Eggman had recorded the fight. He'd recorded it from multiple angles, with high-def images. Then he'd edited it and added a high energy beat while clips of the Deep and her fighting the robots played. They looked heroic. He'd cut out all the parts where she'd been terrified out of her mind.
Why would he do that? He had embarrassed the Seven before, now he was deliberately trying to make her and the Deep look good? She brought that up. Annie didn't get the response she expected.
"Who cares?"
Inside Vought, the night before she would end up walking over to the park, Annie stared at Ashley. The redheaded woman who had just spoken said the words so bluntly they didn't register for a moment.
"I mean-" Annie tried to figure out how to explain it. "Shouldn't we try to figure that out? We need to find out what his plans are, why he's doing this. If we can figure that out, we can stop him-"
"Oh come on Starlight, that's not important," Ashley said.
"Why wouldn't that be important!?"
"Well, it's not what we need to worry about," Ashley said in what she must have thought was a comforting way. "Starlight, think about it. We just got a big win against Eggman."
"He got away with 500,000 dollars."
"Chump change! I'm talking about the optics of this. We needed a win, and right now, you and the Deep look like you chased him off."
Because of a video Eggman made.
"So, we're going to make sure the public knows. We'll do some press tours, some interviews, film a commercial or two."
Ashley turned and looked over at the other two people in the room. "This is Seth and Evan from marketing, they have some brilliant ideas on how to capitalize on all the buzz. Gentlemen."
A young black man and an older white man. They immediately started talking, the black man, Seth apparently, starting.
"Oh yes, we are so excited for this. Okay, follow us on this. Small town Iowa girl comes into the big city and becomes an unexpected prodigy chosen for the Seven!"
The other man, Evan, took over. "Destined for greatness, chosen to fight alongside her heroes, when suddenly, bam!" he clapped his hands for dramatic effect. "A real supervillain comes out of the blue! Using automated machines to attack, to steal from the people, she and one of her greatest heroes fight side by side!"
Annie felt a small smile on her face at the description of that. That sounded good. Heroic, like she was doing the right thing. Then Seth spoke.
"Now, she gets into the fight. She's scared. She's terrified. But she pulls herself together, beats back the bad guy! And now, rather than cower in fear! She adapts, transforms!"
"Embraces her feminine strength!"
The pair was getting excited. Annie was starting to get worried.
"Preparing to fight off the forces of an evil manufacturer of automated robots, she reaches for that feminine strength, and prepares for the fight of her life!"
"Say hello to the new Staaaaarlight!"
A woman who had been standing calmly in the back of the room took a gold blanket off of a mannequin. Starlight noticed three things.
First, the gauntlets. Big looking, armored, made of metal, painted her white and gold colors.
Second, the boots. Also gold, but to the point of stupidity. They looked so damn heavy and shiny.
The last thing she noticed was the cleavage. The deep, deep cleavage, leaving everything open from the edges of her nipples to her groin.
Seth, Evan, and Ashley looked so proud. Annie felt horrified.
"...I'm not wearing that."
They looked at her like she'd asked them to kill puppies.
"What?" the woman who had pulled off the blanket said.
"Why not? It's beautiful," Ashley's supportive voice was gone. Now she sounded extremely hostile. Annie barely had time to wonder just how fake her earlier cheeriness had been before Seth spoke up.
"Yeah, look at it! We gave you armor! You know, so you could punch the robots harder!" He did some excited punching moves.
"I don't mind the gauntlets, but if you were going to give me armor, why did you leave my damn chest open?"
"...Because you're bulletproof?" Evan asked hesitantly.
"Bulletproof, not laserproof as far as I know, or whatever other stuff Eggman is going to bring!" Annie shook her head. "And this just isn't me."
"Oh come on, it's feminist, it's powerful-"
"Feminist?" Annie asked, stunned.
"It's showing you taking a hold of your sexuality, turning it into power to fight evil!"
Annie thought back to the end of the fight. What Eggman had said. Get some better gear. Armored costumes at least.
It was partially armored at least, but somehow she got the feeling he would have agreed about it not being enough.
"Look, I appreciate what you think you're doing, but I like my costume," Annie said, speaking as calmly as she could. "I don't mind adding the gauntlets, those make sense, but the rest of it is too much."
"You're wearing that," Ashley said. Annie stared at the angry redhead, stunned. Apparently she'd decided to go with the hard sell.
"I don't have to. I'm allowed to wear what I want, to expose only as much as I want, especially when it has my safety in mind."
"Oh, you are," a new voice said.
They turned to see Madelyn Stillwell enter the room with Homelander just a step behind her. Madelyn had a smile on her face. "You can wear anything you want… when you aren't a member of the Seven."
Annie felt her heart drop into her stomach at the smug smile on Madelyn's face. "But right now? You're wearing that. All of it."
"I think it looks nice," Homelander said, smirking. It was a very unkind smirk, nothing like his megawatt smiles on television. "Really shows off what you got."
And in that moment, Annie never felt more alone.
Now she was here, in the park. She felt like shit. All she wanted was to help people. For a moment, just a moment, she thought she'd gotten that. Then Vought seemed to come down and destroy that. Not just the costume, but all of the scheduling they had ready. She had to go to a dozen events, all timed one after another. Even her hero work was going to be scheduled. Not patrolling like back in Des Moines or investigating Eggman in some way. More like a big showboat.
Then they dropped another bomb. She'd be marketed as an anti-robot hero. They were going to have her speak about automation taking jobs from people, about needing to get back to basics.
It wasn't like she didn't feel for people who lost their jobs when robots replaced them, but she wasn't sure just blaming robots for that was the solution, especially when it came to Eggman of all people. Wasn't there a lot more behind that, corporations and bigwigs pushing for cheaper labor at the cost of human interests? She was pretty sure that it was more complicated than the Vought marketing guys were making it.
And really, she didn't want to be a part of that. She wanted to save people, in her costume. She wanted to actively hunt down Eggman, not just do scheduled missions.
But she still wanted to be part of the Seven. She'd wanted it since she was a kid. The Deep had said it in the beginning. They had so many resources to see crime as it happened that she could help so many people, maybe inspire someone like she had been inspired.
Like Homelander had, until he'd started acting like a jerk.
Annie sniffled, rubbing at her face. Then the guy next to her, who had been eating quietly, spoke up.
"Um," she looked up at him. He was tall, thin. A flop of brown hair rested on his head. He looked hesitant. "Excuse me, sorry, a-are you okay?"
Annie stared at him.
"J-Just seemed like a tough call," he said kindly.
And that was how Annie met Hughie.
Colin Kintober
While Annie and Hughie were facing destiny, Colin was entering an operating room.
An experimental operating room.
Julian had created a transportable operating room, purchasing the necessary medical tools across the board. Within that room, there was enough material to do all but the most in-depth medical procedures. So they wouldn't be able to move a brain from one human to another, but anything else was fair game.
Then he'd taken those tools and placed them in the MCR, Moving Clean Room. It was able to be transported by helicopter, large enough to hold up to 8 medical professionals and two patients (if a bit cramped), had dozens of failsafes to keep the inside clean, and a small room just in front of the door to allow for thorough scrub-ups.
Of course, that all was contained in a very pricey, durable, and advanced room, made to be lifted and dropped anywhere in the world. They likely would sell the model down the road.
But right now, it would be used on just one patient.
As Colin finished washing his hands, he looked up at the window, one of a few set into the walls of the MCR.
Outside, the tropical paradise that had become Eggman's future base was as tranquil as ever.
"This really is quite the beautiful location," Colin said.
A speaker in the ceiling spoke with Julian's voice. "Yeah, but I can't wait to get started building shit there."
"I thought you might be eager, considering the number of blueprints you've created."
Julian scoffed. "Don't blame me. I keep trying to make a solid base, but something in the design eludes me."
"A problem for later," Colin said calmly. His AI mind was working through the various files he'd downloaded. Footage of various surgeries, procedures, dozens of techniques and failsafes in case the worst happened. He needed to be careful. He was technically the only real medical professional in the area.
Not to say he wouldn't have help.
As he entered the main surgery room, a machine set up with multiple arms rested above the patient. Each arm had a medical tool of some sort, made for a specific purpose. Colin walked up and took a hold of a cable hanging on the machine. Then he inserted it into his back, into a port made just for that cable.
His mind, well, his software really, linked into the machine. Seconds later, it began moving at his command. Perfect.
"How is he?" Julian asked.
Colin looked down at the man of the hour.
Gordon was sedated, resting peacefully on the surgical bed.
"Peaceful."
"Good. Well doctor, what's first?"
Colin took a hold of a scalpel. "First, we open up his wrists and insert the implants. And can you please put on something classical."
"Sure thing."
After a moment, the tunes of Eminem's Lose Yourself began to play. Colin smirked. "Perfection."
With that, he began to cut. First, arms, then the heart, inner thighs, and finally his neck, inserting implants, making changes to his system. Where biology had failed to adjust to his powers, technology would take over.
It was going to be a very long operation.
Author's Note: Sorry this is so late, it's been a rough few weeks. But I'll get back to it asap.
Meantime, we're slowly getting into the plot. If, a very out of order plot. The costume conversation wasn't supposed to happen for a while, and this version has some legit armor on her fists and feet.
I maintain that Starlight would have been devastated at the state of the Seven no matter what. She's just too good a person, man. For someone who wants to be a real hero, finding out the world has so few HURTS.
Then, Gordon. He's going to be interesting. I don't want to do TOO much with him, but giving him a way to deal with his powers will be fun. Next chapter should have a moment where Colin and Julian explain stuff to him.
Next chapter of one of my other stories, Dial: Call Resumed, is up on my Patreon, and will be up elsewhere Tuesday, if I have my timing right. I'm gonna work on this one as well. I wonder how season 3 of the show will go...
Chapter 13: Chunky
Julian Ivo/Eggman
I watched Colin for a brief time through the cameras in the MCR, but I had to keep it short. Colin was competent, I'd designed him that way after all, and I had other stuff to do. The surgery, even with a superhuman AI moving at top speed, would take hours. More than 24 most likely.
In the meantime, despite my worry for Gordon the walking EMP, I needed to keep my eyes on the ball.
Which meant keeping an eye on the developing Vought situation.
What I remembered of the Boys timeline wasn't exactly the wiki. I had a perfect memory of every Eggman life, not my own. No matter how smart Eggman made me, he couldn't make my own memories perfect.
But I was positive I had it right.
While I had skipped a step, Annie still met Hughie in the park. Hughie would next go to Butcher and agree to leave a bug at Vought. Then, Translucent would follow and get kidnapped. The next day, he'd die, then Homelander would later kill the mayor of Baltimore. Nice and simple.
But hey, why should Butcher be the only one to leave a bug in Vought? I'd hacked into some of their systems, but a direct listening device within their base would be good. Maybe even a way to listen in on Stan Edgar.
Worth the risk, that.
I went into my office and was surprised to find Mechelle there. Looking at… ah.
"Mechelle," I grunted, sighing when she looked over at me from the screen she'd been gazing at. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to visit," she said. Then she sharply turned to look at the screen again. "What is this?"
"Something… well, something I've been working on from the side," I stood next to her. On the screen was a video, a rudimentary moving blueprint really, of a flat structure folding and unfolding itself into a variety of designs. A crane, lizard, tiger. Over and over, shifting between them. The video then transitioned into an image of the internals of the flat structure.
"This isn't Eggman tech," Mechelle said. Not accusing. Not judging. Just saying it.
"...I kind of came up with it based on some stuff I'd seen in my own world," I admitted. "It's probably going to be used on the Eggman side of things. And I've barely got any clue on how I'll make it possible, but I wanted the Eggman to use something I made myself, rather than just modifications or copies of previous designs. So uh… the Origami bot-line. A set of robots designed to fold and unfold into a set of designs, changing functions to suit what they need. All capable of being stacked together like pieces of paper."
I demonstrated this by waving at a box of papers near the printer. About 500 sheets inside. Heavy, yes. But also, a lot of paper, in a small space. I sighed. "Can't get the design quite right though. They'd be too thick. I have this idea, too, that the folding would bring the circuitry together in different ways to allow different abilities…"
Mechelle searched my face. I relented. "I'm grateful for Eggman's experience and knowledge. But if I ever end up meeting that villainous magnificent bastard, I'm going to have some shit of my own to show him beyond just cribbing his style… Got to be my own kind of bad guy."
She seemed to accept that. "Can I help?"
I chuckled, giving her a one-armed hug that got me a surprised look. "Always."
Despite the robotic look she always carried, I could tell that made her happy.
Being a super-genius meant a lot of things were easier. But it also meant I had trouble with some things I hadn't expected. Like obsession. I thought it was bad in my world, where I could get so into writing or gaming that I would forget to eat, but it was way worse now. I'd sometimes wake up covered in oil with blueprints in front of me and a belly roaring with hunger after a two day stint.
Mechelle kept an eye on me from then on, but being as smart as Eggman was an addiction in itself. Having an idea and immediately forming the exact things you needed to make it happen, right down to the final wire soldering and bit of code. It was a heady feeling of power, knowing physics were under your command and only time kept you from true power.
The other part was that I wasn't sure what to do when Bradley approached me about making an official contract with the US Military. Eggman was a genius. But he was a supervillain, and he never had to worry about having a good relationship with any government. In some realities he wasthe government. No tyrant in human history had ever reached the level of power he'd obtained. 'My rule is law' was literal there, sometimes including laws of reality.
Point is, he didn't have nearly as much paperwork.
In my office, I sat behind my desk reading a set of papers. Across from me, Bradley, my favorite military man, was looking a bit disapprovingly at me, not sitting down just yet. It could have been my clothes. I'd been working out before this meeting, and was still sweaty and wearing a pair of shorts and a shirt, rather than my usual lab clothes.
Healthy body, healthy mind. Until later at least.
"Bradley, I'm not sure how much of this I can agree to," I said with a frown. "I'm an American, I don't want to sell my weaponry to any country that we aren't allied to. But we aren't just a weapons manufacturer."
"I know," Bradley watched as I sipped from a protein drink. "This isn't about the rest of your technology. While we are interested in your computer tech, your military tech is the only thing I've been told to lock down. The fact is, you've become a valuable commodity. It was crazy enough when you made the new guns and other shit. But then you brought a mech out. Not just those half-assed pipe dreams with battery life like a fucking gameboy. But a viable piece of honest to god robust engineering."
Bradley leaned back, finally sitting down. "The shit you've made might as well be goddamn magic, Julian. I hear you've got someone ready to have cybernetics applied to them as well?"
"For a very exorbitant price," I pointed out. "Tommy King is going to be healed, but the materials I'm putting into it are actually going to cost more than four Abrams tanks and a couple of A10 Warthogs."
"It's a start," Bradley tapped the papers I'd handed over. "We aren't offering you peanuts here. You'd become one of our industry partners, working with DARPA. They'll be working closely with you, along with some other partners. And I promise you. This will become a very lucrative deal for you."
"Be careful how you say that," I said with a sigh. "Way too many companies end up taking advantage of that government check."
"You're too arrogant for that."
"Oh? How do you figure?"
"I think I have you pegged," Bradley smirked. "You don't give a shit about money. Just the stuff you can make with it."
"...Well, you aren't wrong."
"Ha!" he chuckled. "Yeah. I don't think you're gonna be one of those soft-serve fuckers pulling us along while taking cash. You? You're more likely to bankrupt the US because you can't stopmaking new shit for us to buy."
I smirked. "I will be honest with you. The ideas and possibilities in my brain do sometimes terrify me."
Reaching into my desk, I pulled out a large blueprint and handed it to him. As good a time as any other to share this.
"As an example. How would the army like an attack helicopter of sorts that can match or even outperform the Warthog in the speed department and run rings around its maneuverability? This is just one of many things bouncing around my brain. Hell, I could have a prototype ready soon with my... Well I think I will keep those cards close to my chest. Got to keep some proprietary company secrets to not lose my edge. Suffice to say I have methods to speed up a lot of steps of manufacturing in house. You interested?"
Bradley looked over the plans for the copter in question, a single seater. One I'd copied from a game this world had never made.
"Fucking hell. Yes, I'm interested. A top speed of-... You better not be messing with me."
"I never lie about science or technology."
Bradley chuckled. "Yeah. Yeah. Oh. Just in case, I'm also going to recommend upping your security."
"Worried about me?"
"Worried about the people who might be against changing the status quo," Bradley shrugged. "This is a competitive business. War always is."
"War, huh?"
I hummed to myself. Yes. War. I had memories of war. But no real experience. This should be valuable for me. Starting small.
I signed the papers. Let the government believe they had a hold on me.
At least as long as I let them live with that ignorance.
The next day, I was watching a screen on my own. In a small kitchen in the city, I watched three men shout and yell at each other. Frenchie, Butcher, and Hughie. Thank you, The Boys tv show, for giving me a massive amount of establishing shots from which to find the building I needed.
In the room next to them, I knew that a certain super 'hero' would be sitting naked in an electrified cage. As long as the trio weren't idiots, as long as Hughie was still the same as he once was, then that hero would soon be chunks all across the kitchen. A shame, I'm sure.
By the way, funnily enough, I hadn't actually needed to track the building I needed. Frenchie's girlfriend had bought a Ivo Phone and laptop, so I was able to use the, impossible for anyone but me to find, backdoor into then hack into Frenchie's phone as well. She was quite the tech fiend apparently.
I could worry about my recent lack of respect for boundaries or privacy some other time.
In any case, I turned away from the screens when a call came in. Colin. I brought the call up and his face appeared. He looked… refreshed? Ecstatic? Accomplished, that was it.
"Colin. How did it go?"
"Incredibly," he sighed, shaking his head. "I do have some new questions about the nature of these powers, especially the fact they seem to ignore the laws of physics. If he wasn't dead I might be inclined to recommend we hire Dr. Vought."
"I'll consider it if I make a time machine. How is the patient?"
"Healed, for lack of a better word," Colin moved the camera over to show off Gordon. The EMP generating young man was asleep, and otherwise looked exactly the same as before. Except for the lines of silver along his cheeks, pectorals, and abdomen. He was naked except for a pair of shorts, more lines of cybernetic silver running along his knees, shins, and ankles. Most importantly, two silver disks rested at his wrists.
"The young man will need therapy. I took some of his brain and replaced it, but healing the damage caused by long-term exposure to electromagnetic pulses is easy. The PTSD from a long period of torture and solitude is more of a problem."
"Therapy doesn't exist in fiction," I joked lightly. "Or comic universes."
"Sopranos and Doctor Leonard Samson," Colin countered with a roll of his eyes. "And I'm serious, Julian. If you want him to become a halfway healthy human being, he needs therapy. As for your dreams of having him on the payroll, I don't see that happening for a while."
I shrugged. "That's fine by me. It's like the man said. Investments are a risk, but the big ones have great returns."
Colin seemed to accept that. "Gordon will require at least a week of rest. Extended time for physical therapy as well."
"Done. He'll get a nice vacation on that beautiful beach island as well," I said with a smile. "Come on back home, Colin. We'll leave the rest to my Eggman body."
"See you soon," he hung up. I rubbed my chin, rising up to my feet and walking out of my office.
In Ivotech, every building had someone working in it 24/7. We had to, to keep up with the demand for our products, and thus had shifts switching between each other constantly. I'd gone out of my way to make sure the contract for working with me was very lucrative, and very open on hours. Overtime was allowed, but I had Mechelle and my managers making sure we weren't overworking people.
So whenever I left my office, I was surrounded by people. I walked past men and women, some in lab coats, some in 'bunny' suits (body encompassing white suits to prevent lint, hair, and other things from contaminating computer ships), and some covered in oil while wearing jumpsuits. The roar of machinery from the creation of guns, computers, and mechs filled the air.
I stopped briefly in front of one door. Inside, my favorite creations sat, still being made. I watched the inky black figures being worked on for a moment, admiring the efficient designs before walking away. Bradley had no reason to worry about my security. Not once those got started.
The thought about my company's current problems made me frown. With Gordon, I would need to hire a therapist. More likely, several, for a variety of reasons.
I'd also need to hire security. Real security, in the form of trained men and women capable of wearing armor and weapons of my making, some of them with experience in espionage. Sad as it was, there were plenty of veterans I could hire on who had trouble finding work.
Tomorrow I'd speak to Colin, Mechelle, and Destiny, and work out a plan for us to expand. A pair of new facilities was also in the works and Destiny should have some results on our deal with hiring a third party to make the Big Foot mechs.
Exhilarating. Truly. But in the end, the only reason it mattered was that it supported Eggman.
I walked back into my office and sat down, sending a message out to Colin, Mechelle, and Destiny. On the screens, Hughie pressed a button. Red flew about the room. I reached over and idly pressed a button of my own. Once the Boys were done cleaning up the body and tossing it into the ocean, the next part would be easy enough. Then, I'd need to make another attack.
Couldn't let Vought rest too easily. They'd never have a moment to forget that Eggman was out there, ready to embarrass and harass them. Hm… I'd done a bank robbery. Maybe next, a good old fashioned… yes. That would be FUN.
Wall Street was open for business.
Beneath the Waters of the Hudson Bay
A silver-colored zinc trunk lay at the bottom of the river, under a harbor. Earlier, a porpoise had swam up to the trunk, inspected it, then left after a while. That was when the next visitors moved up.
The first was a strange combination of goofy and terrifying. Purple in color, it was shaped like a child's drawing of a shark, with massive goofy looking eyes, a tiny fin on its back, and a propeller rather than a tail.
The terrifying part was the massive steel jaws, with teeth like butcher knives. The badnik, called a Jaws, swam up to the crate and took a position near it, circling slowly in a guarding position.
Another robot approached the crate itself. It was pink in color, with a large bulbous head. More importantly, it had 8 long limbs. Using those arms, the Octus badnik unclasped the crate and pulled it open. Within was a set of words spray painted in black.
'Coming For You'
There was also a set of black plastic bags, chunks of meat laying within.
The octus reached in and took several portions of the corpse, sucking them into itsit's mouth to be contained within it. Then, it placed a small sticker to the inside, a barely noticeable piece of tape that blended into the crate. Once done, the badnik closed up the crate. With the Jaws as it's escort, the Octus swam off into the ocean together, heading down river. They left long before a man in a green suit would encounter the same crate.
Superhuman corpse chunks acquired.
Author's Note: Next chapter. Back to war again, and a gift for a brit. Also, bitcoin theft and loot boxes.
Next chapter will be on Patreon, but my original fic, Rewired Saga, will be up next.