[] Go with Cassiel to the "proof" she offered
Cloudy Skies 11.11
Monday, July 11
You appear in the Tinkers' workshop and look around. The tinking sound production is present but much reduced from its normal, such that even with what sound there is it still strikes you as an oppressive silence. "Where is everybody?" you ask the one individual who is where she is supposed to be.
The oddly named Firefly – 'oddly named' mostly because it is her brother who has the bright red feathers on his head while her own are a drab brown – does not glance away from the futuristic rifle she is busy assembling. "Sir and Twin are out. He said he wanted to analyze time-loop bubbles created by a villain. The prime fairy went to another production plant to supervise construction of armor for her organization. The feather fairy is in her room, watching something the prime fairy turned on for her."
Even after five days or so of their existence, you still have to spend a second figuring out what Tim's Guardian Beast means. It was an odd quirk of both her and Nostromo that they do not use names for anyone; the closest they get to that is calling Tim 'Sir' and each other 'Twin'. Everyone else is instead referred to by a descriptive title. Still, you know enough about your allies' schedules to put it together. Dragon had, after all, said she needed to get copies of her Dragon Teeth armor made for a demonstration, and likewise Tim had made comments about using his new understanding of temporal shenanigans to see what he could discover about the victims left behind by Grey Boy. If anyone can come up with a way to free the people he trapped in his infamous bubbles, you would put your money on Tim and Dragon.
Firefly snaps the last piece of the rifle into place and finally looks up at you. "I need a test subject."
"I'm not letting you shoot me with that thing," is your immediate response.
Apparently that is not exactly what the Guardian Beast of the Gear meant if her shaking head is any indication. "I need someone to fire this weapon. Sir and the prime fairy wish to submit it for testing by the organization, but I need to prove that it is at minimum not inferior to weapons already in use."
Well, that explains why she also has the laser rifle your dad and the Privateers bought off Coil on another part of the table. "Sam, can you take care of that? I need to finish off this email."
Your Guardian Beast mutters something under her breath but steps up to the plate. You, on the other hand, pull up the screen where Perfect Storm saved a draft of the email you had been dictating before coming over here.
Legend emailed you this morning asking for further details about the Guardian Beast process, and from reading between the lines you are pretty sure this was a huge topic of conversation between him and the higher ups in the PRT. On Friday, he had floated out the idea of scanning every agent in a city for magic and having them create Guardian Beasts of their own, but somehow between Friday and today, that went from idle musings to a solid plan signed off on by the Chief Director. His email even mentioned using the Philadelphia branch as the pilot for the program!
His questions and concerns right now are all on the practical issues, including an obvious reluctance to have a bunch of rebels like Cat Sith running around. "Okay Storm, I'm stuck. Do you have any ideas for how we could guarantee Legend that the Guardian Beasts we help the PRT create will fit within their power structure? I'm coming up blank."
"Animal species plays role in Guardian Beast behavior," your Device says in a faintly lecturing tone.
"Based on name, Cat Sith created from feline base. Felines and avians tend towards highly independent Guardian Beasts. On opposite spectrum, cooperative and submissive Guardian Beasts most common result of uplifting pack canines or herd ungulates."
"I don't think the PRT has any mounted police, so horses are probably off the table. Dogs should be doable, though." You add that to your email and look over it again. That was more or less the last big question you were wrestling with, so you shrug your shoulders and send the reply back to Legend.
The zaps and zorches that filled the air trail into silence, and you look over at the two Guardian Beasts before your jaw drops. Firefly set up a wooden crate with a bullseye painted on it at the far end of the room, but judging by the scorch marks, Samantha managed to hit everything
except the target.
Firefly, in turn, is staring at Samantha in undisguised horror. "This is not possible. The weapon cannot be this miscalibrated. It would have blown up in your hands. Could you…?" She trails off, holding up the original laser rifle.
Another minute and another round of tests reveals it is not the gun that is at fault.
"This makes me feel better," the Gear says with a satisfied smile as she pulls the rifle out of Samantha's grasp. "I am pleased I did not build you a custom weapon as I considered. You would be more dangerous to individuals around you than your enemies."
"Hey, I can use all sorts of weapons just fine!" Samantha protests. "Spears, swords, hammers. I even one time was playing around with a length of chain and used it like a whip to carve a smiley face in a box. Don't ask," she adds when you open your mouth to do just that. "It's these stupid guns that don't make any sense."
"Mm hmm, mm hmm," hums Firefly, taking a pad and pen out of her pocket and scribbling a few things down. A wave of green light appears and fades, leaving Tim and Nostromo blinking spots out of their eyes. "Sir, welcome back. The weapon is ready, but further tests are still necessary. Do not let the flame witch's Beast near it; she is a menace. Twin, I desire your opinion."
"O… kay? Thank you?" is Tim's reply. Nostromo, meanwhile, picks up the box that came back with them and walks out with Firefly deeper into the compound. "So. What brings you up here today, Taylor?"
Right, your real purpose for coming here. "I was hoping to borrow you and Dragon for a short trip. Remember how Cassiel said she had something to show us to get the Protectorate on our side about how to undo the conditioning she used on her victims? Now's as good a time as ever."
"Makes sense. Dragon had some other errands to run, but she should be back soon. Are we waiting for Lacey, too?"
You shake your head. Lacey is… otherwise engaged at the moment. She actually told you this morning before she went to work that she planned on running to Pennsylvania Presbyterian, the same hospital your dad was in before Alexandria brought Haven's healer to help him. She is not visiting a friend, however. Her template apparently has the same healing spell you gave Maclibuin, and she elected to volunteer a day in the hospital and test out her power that way.
"Oh well. I guess it will just have to be the four of us."
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Once Dragon returns from overseeing her construction plant and Samantha drags Cassiel away from reruns of Looney Tunes, you look squarely at the former Endbringer. "Cassiel, you said you had something to show us that will help open up talks about trying to deprogram your victims. Where are we going?"
"Somewhere inaccessible to anyone else. It is in another dimension," she says, her fluttering wings revealing just how satisfied to be revealing this information. She has admittedly been sitting on it for a while, but you wanted to deal with all the other issues that keep coming up before you went gallivanting off on a potential wild goose chase on the Simurgh's say-so. It was not as if you really knew whether you could trust her, and even now you still aren't fully sure.
That said, it's really,
really hard to assign malevolent motives to anyone who was caught browsing Amazon for a Bugs Bunny stuffed animal.
You shake that thought away before you start laughing at her again and conjure a window containing the code for your Dimensional Transfer spell. "Okay then. I ask again, where are we going?"
"I am… not sure of the exact coordinates. I have never been there myself, only seen people transfer back and forth between this world and that one."
That makes you look back at her. "There are other people who routinely cross dimensions?" You thought that was impossible for parahumans! The only Tinker who ever performed a feat even close to that was the villain Professor Haywire, who famously created a portal to Earth Aleph, but that portal was only capable of transferring data, not any kind of physical materials.
"An individual capable of such did exist, but I have good reason to believe that he or she is deceased and has been for some time." She moves her focus to the gem in your staff. "Perfect Storm, perhaps you can determine our destination? I am sending you what information I was able to accumulate previously."
Your Device hums.
"Processing… Calculating teleport vector… Cross-referencing astrometry data from Enforcers… Possible match found. 79% likelihood."
"That isn't a strong match," Dragon points out.
"Next candidate less than 5%."
"Fair enough. Consider my objection retracted."
"You're sure you can get us there?" you ask instead. If Perfect Storm is having this much trouble finding the place, you reserve the right to be concerned this little adventure is going to end in blood and tears.
"Transfer simple. Question regarding proper destination." For all your Device's concerns, it must still be willing to trust Cassiel's vague directions because you feel a tug on your Linker Core and watch your sigil expand into place.
Teleporting between worlds takes mere seconds, and you look down from the hill you stand upon at the ruined village below. The columns make the architecture seem vaguely Greek, but in all honesty there is no way you can say for sure where you are. What you can guess is that this is not from the era of Homer and Aristotle; the remains of the village are overrun with the encroaching grasslands, but you would guess that it's only been a few decades that it has been abandoned, not thousands of years.
"Is this what you wanted us to see?" asks Tim dubiously.
Cassiel shakes her head. "It is not this. I do not know the precise location. It should be in the near vicinity." A flap of her wings sends her rocketing into the sky, and she hovers above you and turns slowly in a circle before coming back down with a broad smile on her face. "We are close. Our destination is on top of the cliff behind us."
It is a good thing all of you can fly because looking at the rough surface of the cliff face, you do not envy anyone who had to make that climb regularly. Another ruin awaits you at the top, but where the first was simply abandoned, this one was intentionally destroyed. A few spans of gleaming white stone make up what little is left of an exterior wall, and past that? A deep crater that reveals subterranean tunnels almost like the inside of an anthill.
You turn to the fairy who is now perched on your shoulder. "What we need to see is down there, I'm guessing?"
"Somewhere. I do not know more than that."
Glancing at the others, you can tell that Samantha not only knows what you are about to say, she is not happy about it. "You think we should split up."
"The chances of us facing anything worse than some wild animals down there is slim to none, and it looks like a maze already. Splitting up halves the time we need for a proper search. Just in case we run into anything dangerous"—now Samantha huffs—"you should go with Tim while I stick with Dragon and Cassiel. A Tinker and a fighter for each. Tim, do you have a way to light your path?"
He reaches into a couple of the pockets that cover his pants and finally pulls out a small flashlight.
"Good enough. We stay in constant contact, and we let the other team know if we find anything interesting."
Tim and Samantha take the lefthand side of the hole, so you descend to the first hallway on the right. A single Flare Shooter provides just enough light to cast everything five feet from you into eerie shadows, and you sigh before turning it white-hot. Better, even if now you want to make sure you don't melt the ceiling.
"Is it just me, or is it a little strange that we have an underground base with white metal everything a hop, skip, and a jump way from what looks like some kind of Grecian-meets-medieval village?" Samantha asks on the screen that floats in front and to the left of you.
"I had noticed the same," Dragon agrees, "but I think we know the answer. Cassiel mentioned that people were crossing back and forth between our world and this one. They are likely the people who brought the tools and supplies necessary to build it. Am I right?"
"We are entering the realm of conjecture. I do not know all the details," replies Cassiel in a huffy voice. "Nor will I reveal the identity of those whom I know journeyed here. You will not believe me should I do so."
Deeper and deeper into the shattered building you go, and Dragon clearly has had enough of the silence because she asks, "A question for you, Tim. Why did I see Firefly walking around with a laser rifle? Is she planning to go hunting for something?"
"Not exactly. It's actually for you, kind of." That catches her by surprise.
"You said you were planning to show off the armor you're building for the PRT and the Guild, and I thought that if they're about to have their defenses revamped, it would make sense to give them another choice with weaponry. Something that's less cumbersome than tanks of containment foam. Firefly built a rifle that we can submit to the Protectorate for testing, and once they approve it, we can put it into full production for them to use."
"Wow. Thank you, truly. I was not expecting you to do something like this. It is a lot of effort to go through for little reward, which raises another question. I would prefer it if no one takes offense at this," she adds with a deliberate look at you. Why would you be offended?! "If you plan to contribute so substantially to the PRT and Protectorate, why not join as a full member? I know you, Taylor, and Samantha are independent affiliates already, but there are numerous benefits to joining. You would have ready access to other Tinkers to bounce ideas off of, a full team to support you, and a budget of your own so you don't have to mooch off me all the time."
"…Oh god, Dragon, I didn't know it was becoming a problem! I mean, you said to use whatever I thought I needed, and I did my best not to waste anything, but if it was that bad why didn't you say anything—"
"Tim! That part was a joke."
His panicked babbling stops, and his expression of horror hesitantly smoothes back out into something approaching normal.
"Whew, okay. Sorry. Um, anyway, Protectorate. A lot of that sounds great and all, but wouldn't I have to do stuff like Armsmaster did back home in Brockton Bay, go on patrols and be marketed and everything? I'd much rather stay in the lab and just build stuff."
Dragon nods and flutters to your shoulder opposite Cassiel. When did you become the preferred perch for tired fairies? "You aren't the only one. Most Tinkers do. Marketing is a big thing with the Protectorate, yes, and you would have to work with their PR office.
'Defending hearts is just as important as defending lives', after all," she says with a roll of her eyes. "That isn't all bad, though; it would ensure that everyone knows about your designs and ideas."
"And the patrols?"
"Tinkers are put on the patrol schedules just like their colleagues. I know you don't want to fight, so that would be a strain on you." Tim's snort confirms that. "If not the Protectorate itself, the Guild is also an option. We have a smaller budget than does the Protectorate, no surprise, and fewer people would see your designs or realize how mana-based technology has the potential to revolutionize a number of industries, but we are much more
laissez-faire about things like patrolling or making yourself kid-friendly. The downside is that you would still be expected to contribute to our primary purpose, dealing with S-class threats."
"Instead of getting into fights with gang-bangers and drug dealers every day, it'd be serial killers and monsters every month."
Dragon looks aghast at the screen. "We don't fight nearly as often as that! But… yes, that is the gist of it."
"Uh huh."
You turn a corner and start down another hallway before she speaks again. "If… If you do not care about accolades and fame and just want to design things, there is another option we haven't discussed yet. You could come to work for me officially."
Tim frowns.
"What do you mean, work for you officially?"
"Exactly that. I offer you a position in DragonTech, and then I provide you the materials you need to work with and pay you a salary and bonuses. It is in many ways the same arrangement we have now, just made more formal. It also means I can protect you from lawsuits or political attacks in case anything goes wrong with your designs, or even if someone uses it incorrectly and tries to blame you for it. The patent wouldn't be under your name, but under mine."
"Would you be able to afford that? I mean, I know you said the mooching thing was a joke, but now I'm worried that I'm eating into your funds. You've helped me so much, I don't want to be a burden on you, and I don't want you offering me a job out of charity either."
This actually makes Dragon laugh, though the sound is a tad bit mocking. "Yes, because turning me into a real girl with no expectation of reward wasn't charity in its own way. You have no need to fear that my business is in the red. I can probably pay you entirely out of profits from my newest project and still have money left over. You would deserve it, too, since I never would have figured out how to do it without you."
Tim shoots you a confused look, one you return. "You think the Dragon Teeth armor will be that successful?"
"The armor? No, no, no, that's not what I'm talking about. Have… Have I not told you about it?" You shake your head, so she explains, "I'm going into the personal computer business."
"I think there's already plenty of competition in that field," Samantha points out.
"Not in what I intend to provide," Dragon says with a little smirk. "Desktops are not mobile. Laptops have moving parts that make them fragile. Tablets are limited in their capabilities. I'm combining all their good traits into a single package and throwing in a dash of magic. Imagine this for me: a solid brick, sturdy even if you drop it. Hit the power button, and instead of hooking it up to anything you get a holographic screen and keyboard. Both of them are touch-sensitive, and when you need to move on you put the computer to sleep, stick the processor in a purse or a briefcase, and there you go."
You can imagine it all too easily. The screens she is talking about must be based on the same screens you have gotten used to since finding Perfect Storm. "The holograms alone would give it the cool factor it needs."
She nods. "Indeed they will. I'm still working on the operating system since I want it to be slick and intuitive, and I need to adapt some aspects of tablet systems for the screen interactivity to work correctly, but I should have it ready to reveal publicly by August or September at the latest and hopefully I can get them in production in time for the Christmas season. I could also do preorders, but I would prefer to be able to ship immediately."
That is an ambitious goal, but combining the holographic features and Dragon's instant name recognition? She might be able to do it. "You're doing all the work yourself?"
"On the hardware, yes, but not the software. I have a couple of new A.I.s trying out new features, and I've also employed some computer engineers who just graduated to come up to my Toronto plant to determine and refine the best human features."
"Even then, you're counting on how much you might make—"
"This is a new branch of my business, Tim, and a small one besides," she tells him in a faintly irritated voice. "Most of my money? Patents for containment foam, the production process, the sprayers, and the dissolving agent, and the distribution to the PRT earns me a significant income already. Then there are the contracts I have with the military to design aircraft for the U.S. and Canadian Air Forces.
And I'm involved with launching telecommunication satellites into orbit, which is undoubtedly soon to broaden in scope to manned space flight again now that the Simurgh is gone." Dragon shakes her head. "You have no reason to be worried that I'm headed for bankruptcy. I don't have a budget; I have a percentage of Canada's GDP. Even with the expense of assembling a personal fleet of billion dollar fighter jets, I still have more money than I know what to do with."
You hear a grunt from off-screen, and Samantha asks,
"Hey, can I get a light over here?" Tim's flashlight and the screen both turn to follow her, and she shifts a pieces of debris out of the way before dislodging a scratched up metal briefcase.
"Well now. What do we have now?"
"Hold on a moment," you tell her. "We'll be right over. Storm, can I get her coordinates?"
By the time you and the Unison Devices arrive at Samantha and Tim's location, she has already cleared another area. "Ready to see what this is?" she asks, to which you nod. She flips the tabs and lifts the lid.
What you see inside is less than impressive. A few sheets of paper sit on top, and beneath them are a pair of glass tubes holding a thick slurry. The briefcase is filled with styrofoam except for the two slots cut out for the vials, so clearly they were important to somebody, but what are they?
"Holy shit," whispers your Guardian Beast. She raises her eyes from the papers to meet your own. "Do you know what these are?"
You shake your head.
"Superpowers. Superpowers in a can." She holds the papers out for you. "You need to read this."
Dear Accord,
"Isn't Accord a villain?" you ask. That name is ringing a bell, though you can't remember any details about him.
"Yes, in Boston. He used to all but run the city's underworld, but he has been steadily marginalized for the last couple of years. It was about the time his organization stopped its constant growth," Dragon added in a murmur.
Thank you for your recent purchase of superpowers. These vials were prepared as per our normal contract. Please be aware that Client 2 will need to be on birth control for the foreseeable future, as we are unable to predict what interaction her power would have with a pregnancy.
This case contains the following:
Canister A: H-2-0-0-1, 'Disruption', 75% mixture.
Added: C-0-0-7-2, 'Balance', 25% mixture.
To be consumed by Client 1.
Canister B: B-1-3-9-8, 'Leo', 80% mixture.
Added: O-0-1-2-1, 'Aegis', 15% mixture.
Added: C-0-0-7-2, 'Balance', 5% mixture.
To be consumed by Client 2.
We hope you enjoy your purchase. Please contact us again for all your further parahuman needs.
There is no signature, but the letterhead at the top holds an emblem. The Greek capital letter omega, rotated ninety degrees counterclockwise.
"
Cauldron."
You look at Dragon, who has left your shoulder and is now staring at the sheets of paper. "You know who they are?" you ask.
She shakes her head. "I don't know anything about them. Nothing definitive, anyway. Nobody does. There have been rumors online for years about them, an organization that produces and sells superpowers, but no one has ever found any proof that they exist. I've scoured the Internet on multiple occasions but never found anything. They are a myth, an online legend. I was all but sure they didn't actually exist. But this? Vials of liquid that you can drink and gain powers from, hidden in a ruined base
in another dimension? This cannot possibly be a hoax. It is far too elaborate."
"Cassiel." The ex-Endbringer perks up now that she hears her name. "You said this would help us have an honest discussion with the Protectorate." She nods, and you stare into her eyes. "How?"
Her self-satisfied, knowing smile would be at home on the Mona Lisa's face. "You will have to ask the Triumvirate. They will find this information interesting. Between the two of us, I would recommend you mention it to Alexandria. She ought to reveal the most out of the three of them."
You were not planning to talk to Eidolon ever again, not after his temper tantrum when you scanned him, but you would have assumed Legend would be the most open of the Triumvirate. "Does she know more about this than Legend does?" you guess.
"Nothing I say regarding this will be as convincing as what she tells you." Her suggestion made, Ziz slides her thumb and index finger across her mouth in a zipping motion.
When the newer of the fairies does not quail under your glare, you turn to Dragon. "When are you planning on fishing the Simurgh's old body out of the ocean?"
"Friday. You want me to invite Alexandria along for the ride?"
"Please. It seems she might be the only person who will actually give us any answers." Plus, you decide, you have a couple other things to talk to her about.
"Cauldron vial x2" added to Key Items.
"Magitech laser rifle" added to Inventory.
Such an interesting question Dragon asked. You guys have only yourselves to blame, what with the talk about Tim building power plants and weapons for the PRT. Should Tim…
[ ] Join the Protectorate – His skills would be praised the way they deserve and he gets a large Tinkering budget, but he would be obligated to follow Protectorate patrol schedules and PR rules.
[ ] Join the Guild – He receives some accolades and a moderate budget without needing to go on patrol, but he would be expected to contribute to S-class fights.
[ ] Remain independent – He might get recognition, but he doesn't have his own income and he is liable for any problems that arise from people using his designs.
[ ] Take a job at DragonTech – His contributions to society have a minimal likelihood of being connected to him, but he gets Dragon's protection if anything goes wrong with his tech.
