I looked over the room, it was nothing like it had been a couple weeks ago. Instead of a dilapidated room full of piles of stuff, broken and not, covered in dusty tarps and more than a few cobwebs, the room was now a respectable mechanic shop.
The first week had been mostly spent cleaning up the place, as the room was anything but small. Of course it didn't look that way now that it was filled with machinery and multiple vehicles in different states of disrepair. Spare pieces, tools and other materials dotted the place without making things look messy.
The room had on one of its larger walls an opening that led to the base's main hangar, an easy way to move the vehicles back and forth. Along with access to the larger air transport such as the helicopters, VTOL and the large cargo plane.
I wiped the oil and grease off my hands with a rag that quickly found itself being thrown into the trash. A soft sigh escaped my lips before I grabbed a clean rag and some wax to polish the bike in front of me.
Did this vehicle really need much more attention than the other, larger, ones? Not really, at most it had needed quick maintenance and a change of oil, the wax was even less of a need. But when one of your superiors
asks you to look over their bike you know better than leaving it for later. No matter how much the large transport VTOL could use to have its rotors realigned, or spend a couple hours making sure the ships over at the shipyard were in working order.
My hand ran the rag over the black and neon green paint of the bike's body when I heard movement behind me. It was unnerving just how silent she could be when she wanted to, mostly because she had decided to fiddle with the tools that were nowhere close to any of the doors.
In these two weeks I had gained a good sense of where everything was in the shop, it's a necessity to work efficiently. You needed to know where the tool you had to use was at all times, less time spent looking for them meant the faster you were done. And that meant your bosses were less likely to get angry at you.
I knew she had done it on purpose, slipping around unnoticed even when I wasn't fully focusing on my work. That meant she either wanted my attention for something, she was angry at me for delaying work, or simply felt like it. Most likely the last one.
I turned to the young, dark-haired woman. I was pretty sure she was older than eighteen, which didn't make me ogling her any less dangerous than it was. I was twenty eight years old dude, barely above a meter eighty, and I still felt like a bunny in front of a large predator. One that routinely looked at me like if she still wasn't sure I was meant to be eaten, played with or ignored.
"Is it ready?" She asked drily, her eyes no longer on me and instead on the bike.
Her bike.
"Yes, ma'am. It should run smoothly, and I refilled the tank too. It's ready for you to take anywhere." I answered quickly.
She passed by and I could feel the soft thrum of power that emanated from her body. The barely constrained green energy she kept under her skin. It was a prickly feeling that left my mouth tasting sour. And no matter how good she made her tight green and black suit look, I kept my eyes above her neck. I'd seen what she did to the last guy who kept looking at her like that.
"Good job, Rick." A leg easily went over the bike before she leaned onto it. The key was already turning and the strong thrum of the bike's motor revved up. I did my best to not swallow out loud.
"No problem, ma'am. It's my job to keep things working here." I replied easily, it had become almost a mantra since I had found myself in the tropical island base.
She let out a small snort. "And call me Shego, Rick. It's the least you can do for the only henchmen around who actually does his job."
"Sure,
ma'am." I replied cheekily. I just didn't think that calling her by her name would be safe, especially for my health.
She chuckled and quickly drove out of the room, only then I let out a sigh of relief, leaning back onto the workshop table. My knuckles almost white as I held onto it.
Two weeks in, and I was still scared shitless. I honestly had never expected to one day wake up in Dr. Drakken's base and have to pass as one of his henchmen. It was two weeks ago…
\/ AffMB \/
I woke up startled when I felt myself fall onto the ground. The most surprising part was the strange not-sensation the ground gave me. That surprise was quickly dwarfed by the place I found myself in.
Last I remembered was going to sleep in my bed, at my apartment the night before. Waking up in a white vo-… Void shook all the sleep out of my brain and made my body kick into fight or flight. Of course that quickly ran out when absolutely nothing happened.
Nothing happened that easily led to my brain running wild on theories, I was dead, I was still sleeping, I was kidnapped by aliens, a ROB or space bats. The real surprise came when a half-transparent screen about two-palms wide appeared in front of me. Trying to look behind it made it clear it was anchored to always stay in front of me, no matter where I looked.
Without anything else to do, I decided to go ahead and read what it said.
'Welcome [Chosen] to the space between spaces.
You have been selected to participate in a world changing event.
You, along with many others on your planet of origin, have acquired the special chance to gain incredible futures.
You have been chosen to wield the [Celestial Forge].
Given the nature of the [CF] you will be sent to another world temporarily.
Consider this a test and training.
No time shall pass in your original world until you return.'
It took me a few moments, and a couple re-reads to get my brain to fit the idea that I was basically being given super powers. Or that the text in front of me carried a lot more meaning than what just was written down.
While reading [Chosen] had a few other meanings, like person chosen, special one and
test subject. [Celestial Forge] was packed with so much information that my brain
itched. My understanding of the Celestial Forge was very basic, what I could put together was a collection of powers from all kinds of realities, all geared to give me the tools, skills, knowledge and materials needed to craft
anything.
Of course, since I didn't know anything new, or had any tool on my hand, I suspected that there was more to the situation. The screen updated when my attention returned to it.
'Given the size of the [Celestial Forge], the method of acquisition may be different to other [Chosen].
You shall receive a stipend of 1 charge every 7%j2.
You may also receive extra charges through the completion of tasks, quests and other milestones.
Every time you acquire a full charge, a random perk from the [Celestial Forge] shall be picked.
If the number of charges accumulated are equal or larger than the price of the perk, it shall be bought.
Otherwise the perk shall be skipped, until the next full charge.
Some Rewards may consist of specific perks, specific domains or specific price ranges.'
I read it carefully, absorbing every bit of data the screen gave me. Even reading certain words gave me a short-lived migraine. I didn't know if the stipend's rate of acquisition was an error or something that didn't translate well, so I wouldn't be able to rely on it. That left the extras, except I had no idea what they were, and I would need to look into them better.
The screen updated again, and along with it came the sensation that something was changing.
'To start you have been rewarded with a single charge perk.
Repair Savvy(Resource Domain) (1 Charge)
This perk comes with an extra perk.
Extra perks can be cosmetic, useful or even necessary for the main perk's working.
Fancy Suit(Extra Domain)'
I felt the perk slide seamlessly into my brain, which was definitely something new to think about. I could almost see how the new concepts on mechanics opened to me, as if I had been working with cars, trucks, planes and ships for years. My fingers felt the phantom sensation of the mechanic tools. The perk also made the time needed to repair and maintain equipment that I considered mine take minutes instead of hours.
The Fancy Suit, on the other hand, was a set of clothing that I could summon to me at any time. I had a pretty good idea of its looks, and if I had to describe it, it was pretty similar to Star Lord's get-up. The movie version, not the more military comic's version, sans the mask, and the red jacket had more diagonal lines on its design compared to his.
It was a nice suit, would fit me perfectly, and honestly it would pass unnoticed in most modern and futuristic settings. Hopefully. It wasn't unnaturally tough or reinforced in any way, but it would fix itself in less than twenty four hours if it broke or was destroyed.
I watched the screen update, and I knew this would be the last message before something happened.
'Soon you shall be deposited in your destination.
You will be arriving in a place away from prying eyes, but the area in general could be dangerous unless you take steps to hide your presence.
Good luck [Chosen]
We shall speak again in the future, or not.'
'Well, see you too, floating screen.' I thought to myself as I was suddenly standing in a dirty room.
Looking around didn't reveal much. Most of the room was occupied by piles of things under tarps and dust, and more dust than tarp in some of the cases. Objects piled in a haphazard fashion under tarps make some strange shapes. The only light coming from a blinking light on the ceiling lets me see a large way on one of the walls lying currently closed, no idea where it led.
The screen had stated that I was an unknown, currently safe but in not a really safe place. And only having my boxers on, meant that I needed to cover myself quickly. I thought about calling on my Fancy Suit, but a stray thought made me realize that it would most likely make me stand out more.
With no idea of just how much time I had until someone checked on this room,
if they even would, given the situation, I started to look through the things under the tarps.
The first few only revealed crates full of tools, weapons, motors and other materials. I would most likely never know what they were for if it wasn't for my perk. Repair Savvy provided me the knowledge to know what the spark plugs were used for, or what the oil bottles would be used for.
Nearly five minutes of looking under the tarps in just my boxers finally rewarded me, and with more than just a layer of old dust on my body. Thankfully, a crowbar had been laying near, most likely for the opening of said crates. It helped in opening a particularly large crate that turned to be filled with full body suits made from some elastic material.
I had no idea what they were made from, but it beat staying in my underwear. Hopefully this was the standard uniform of the people here. A couple more crates found me the rest of the uniform, boots, gloves and a mask.
I also found some clean rags and a faucet, the water was temperate enough that it wasn't a torture cleaning the dust off my body before slipping into the suit. The material was interestingly comfortable, stretching correctly and not riding up in any awkward way. It was snug without showing off my body.
A few minutes later I had put things back in the
order they had been before I came around. The less it looked like I had been ransacking the place, the better.
Finding an unlocked door led me to an empty hallway, looking back showed the room I had been in was marked as a Mechanic Shop. I could use that tidbit.
Soon I found myself in a more inhabited area of the base, because my wandering had left it quite clear I was in some kind of military base. Thankfully the uniform I had found was identical to the rest of the people around, the mask hiding my face well enough that no one looked at me twice.
Fifteen minutes of wandering around revealed a few very useful things. To begin with, they were henchmen, so I was certainly
not in a safe place. Second I had found a bathroom, which had not only let me relieve myself, something I had totally forgotten I needed. But also revealed one of the most important tidbits.
I was in Dr. Drakken's base, evil genius and main antagonist of the Kim Possible cartoon. It made some things easier and some harder.
The Kim Possible cartoon was a world of super spies, some mysticism and relatively low danger. Didn't mean there weren't ways to get killed, but there were only one or two villains that would actually go as far as kill people.
Dr. Drakken wasn't the worst option to fall under. The man was definitely very intelligent and capable of inventing pretty advanced technology. I didn't remember if he dealt much with magic, but my memories of the show were quite small. The man was just above the category of joke villain. A lot of his schemes would have been successful if it wasn't for Kim thwarting his plans.
Shego, his second in command, was a completely different subject. She was skilled and could be quite determined, her energy blaster power and her training as a hero had definitely shaped a very dangerous woman. Honestly, if I remembered the show right, it was her almost anti-hero personality that held her back from being a true danger. Not that it stopped her from going toe-to-toe against most skilled fighters.
Lastly, the henchmen were a joke, barely above the disposable mook. It made it very easy to slip around, I doubted most knew what the rest looked outside of their suits. The general low level of intelligence made it easy to fake it till you make it. Apparently just stating you were the new mechanic was enough for everyone to believe you.
Kind of knowing all of that didn't prepare me for when I ended in front of the man. The good doctor's skin was shown as a light blue in the show, in real life was the definition of
unhealthy and
corpse-like. If the rest of his features were normal, outside of a few scars, one would certainly be more worried about the man in front of them.
"And who are you?" He leaned forward to look at me closed.
"I...I'm the new m-mechanic, sir." I stuttered a bit, but quickly fell back onto the mantra that I had been repeating inside my head, '
I'm the new mechanic, I'm here to do my job'.
"Hmm… Good." He stood up straight. "What are you doing now?"
"Getting used to the place, sir. The shop's a mess, I was looking for you to get someone to help me clean it up." I lied, and hoped the lie was believable enough. Or that he thought it was just my nerves at being new around here.
"Yes… yes, the place's a mess, we haven't had a good mechanic in… a few years." He rubbed his chin. "Shego!"
The scream made me jump in place, half of surprise, and half because she could easily be my undoing. It's strange to attribute the description of comic-book pretty to someone in real life, but she definitely earned the category, and the suit certainly helped her figure.
"What?! I was busy, what do you need?" She walked closer, completely ignoring me, and I was okay with it. Especially as she was close enough that I could feel my skin prickling at something, as if the air had been charged with static electricity, and my mouth suddenly tastes sour.
"The new mechanic's here, get some of the henchmen to help him clean up the place." He ordered her.
Instead of doing as he said, the very dangerous woman put one of her hands on her waist, leaned onto it and glared at the man.
"Shego! Stop undermining my authority, just tell them to follow him and clean up the place." He growled and she chuckled.
"Okay, okay, Drakky, no need to get your panties in a twist." She turned to me, and for a moment I feared my cover was blown. She took a moment to size me up and nodded. "Come on, follow me."
I did as ordered, hoping my heart wasn't beating
too loud. On the good news, the suit was amazing in dealing with excessive sweating. I walked behind her, keeping my eyes up front and my arms firm on my sides. Luckily, it appeared to be the normal reaction around her as every henchmen that we passed by reacted similarly to me.
Thank god for general incompetence.
We stepped into a larger room that turned out to be the cafeteria, given the morning hour it was half filled with people eating, or finishing, their breakfast. Shego looked around before calling about half a dozen men who had definitely finished eating.
"You all, follow me." She left no doubt about the order, and we all followed her. She appeared to know where the mechanic shop was. "This guy," She put a hand on my shoulder and my blood ran cold. "is the new mechanic. That means he will make sure the vehicles run properly, but for that this place needs to be put in order. That means you all will help, I'll check later."
And then she added sweetly. "And I sure hope the place's been cleaned up, understood?" The tone was certainly piqued by the radioactive green glow surrounding her hand.
I felt proud to not be the
first to swallow loudly. A few nods and sounds of acknowledgment was all she got before she turned and left.
Once she was out of the room I turned to them, feeling faint. "Is she always like this?" I asked softly, hoping super hearing wasn't in her powers.
One guy snorted. "That was her being
nice." The rest chuckled.
The rest of the day was spent cleaning up, and even then it hadn't been enough. There was a lot of stuff, even for seven people.
Apparently, one part of being a good mechanic was having a good idea of how the shop had to look like. This helped me guide the other men in putting stuff in order, know what to throw away as complete crap, and what could be used.
One of the guys opened the large entrance on one side of the room, showing a direct connection with the main hangar. It gave me an idea of just how much work was in front of me, but it meant not getting killed, so I was okay with it. Mostly.
During the day we stopped twice, one for lunch and once for dinner. The threat of general injury by Shego was enough to get all of us going. At the end of the day I simply followed the rest of them to the barracks, slipping away from the group to one of the less used corners, too tired to shower I simply fell onto the bed and passed out.
\/AFfMB\/
Morning came far too quickly for my tastes. My internal clock woke me up before anyone else, which was good since in front of me floated an holographic screen. Part of me hoped I was the only one capable of seeing it.
Survive one (1) day in dangerous territory
1 Charge Acquired.
Roll… Perk Acquired.
Bandit Gunsmith(Technology Crafting Domain)(1 Charge)
Infiltrate a large faction
2 Charges Acquired
Roll… Perk Acquired
Tool Box(Technological Toolkit Domain)(1 Charge)
Stipend Charge Acquired
Roll… Perk Acquired
Decadence(Appearance Domain)(1 Charge)
1 Charge banked.
I closed my eyes hard when the perks hit me, the process feeling rougher than the first time. I didn't know the reason, it could have been because I was outside of that white space, or maybe because they were two perks, or maybe one of them was the problem.
I just laid there as I learned all about putting working equipment from spare parts or broken items. It wouldn't give me a good result, but it would work. I knew how to put guns and other similar weapons together from the parts. It helped that it apparently built upon my Repair Savvy knowledge on personal equipment.
Decadence, on the other hand, was all about making things look good. Without sacrificing function over it. It synergized well with the previous perk, the objects I put together would look less like trash. It also was useful in hiding, and finding, cameras and other surveillance devices.
Finally the Toolkit was practically what it said. Similar to how I could summon my outfit, I could summon a tool box. The box was practically a bag of holding, being able to store any tool categorized as hand-held, it would ignore their weight. It would also
always contain at least a couple of any common or mundane tools needed for my work.
I let myself rest there till I heard the rest of the guys in the barracks start to move. With nothing else to do, and the threat of serious injury if I didn't get to work, I got up and joined them in the showers. Funny thing, henchmen keep their masks even in the shower.
Breakfast was quickly consumed and the six guys and I soon found ourselves back in the mechanic shop, cleaning up the place.
Just a day of work had the place looking better, we had replaced all missing or broken lights. It made it easier to work when we could actually see what we're doing. Some of the tarp-covered objects turned to be harder to deal with, as Drakken had apparently chosen to drop some of his old projects in the room to get them out of the way.
Things like Bebe bots' parts, I've to admit we all screamed when we opened one of the crates and
heads rolled out. Multiple ray guns in multiple designs, I stealthily sneaked that crate under one of the workshop tables to look into later. And a large collection of other inventions I was pretty sure never had worked to begin with.
The day passed pretty similar to the first, and it wasn't till the third day that laziness won over the threat of injury and the other henchmen left me to work alone. Thankfully most of the work had been done by then.
I was busy painting the place when Shego and Dr. Drakken came around to check on the place.
