- Pronouns
- He
"Who is Contessa ? Who is Dinah ? And what's Coil exact power if this anti-precog power doesn't work on him ?"
Brockton's Celestial Forge (Worm/Jumpchain)
- Thread starter LordRoustabout
- Start date
"Who is Contessa ? Who is Dinah ? And what's Coil exact power if this anti-precog power doesn't work on him ?"
- Location
- United States
Dinah doesn't show up on the list, the full perk text here is this.
Lord has already confirmed that Joe will get those names listed there, so Joe will learn he is immune to all passenger based precog, including both Ziz and Scion, as well as someone named Contessa. But Coil is an exception to this.
I expect that last one is going to make him go, WTF is Coil's power, when he was just given immunity to all precogs but him, which includes an outright Endbringer and Scion himself.
I also suspect that Joe going to wonder why this person named Contessa is listed among the likes of Ziz and Scion, and likely a lot of surprise that Scion has a precog power as well.
Meanwhile, his own passenger going to be extremely happy for this.
- Pronouns
- Mini Maji
We all know the worst fear of Joe is being discovered in like 5 seconds because of the bird lady in the sky, This just enables him to go H A M and go for anything he needs with more relative safety.
AntaeusTheGiant
Child of Gaea
- Location
- Lawrence, KS
The problem is, certainly as of the FTL slaughter of Lung, he is already on their radar before he gets this perk. With him suddenly vanishing from their sight, if it happens right now I'd suspect they will think he just died from his wounds in the fight. Which will work fine for a while, give him a tiny bit of time to build up before he does something they notice again even without being able to path him. And with the Build Rome perk, a tiny bit of time is enough to do about anything he wants on as large a scale as he can imagine.
I really want Joe to get Weapon Crafting from devil may cry it will basically double his anime potential and make him miss militia but better it's only a 200 cost perk but it essentially gives Joe the infinite potential for all the anime and his innuendo perks very deadly and I think that it gives the opportunity for the best kind of madness the Brockton bay celestial forge type of madness
edit: I was looking at the perk list and found Chosen of Death which would make him a demigod again and I'm wondering how that would work
edit: I was looking at the perk list and found Chosen of Death which would make him a demigod again and I'm wondering how that would work
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- Pronouns
- He
As long Joe stay in his workshop, he is already hidden from Ziz
Discord - Group Chat That’s All Fun & Games
Discord is great for playing games and chilling with friends, or even building a worldwide community. Customize your own space to talk, play, and hang out.
I'm just gonna leave this here for anyone who wants to join.
AntaeusTheGiant
Child of Gaea
- Location
- Lawrence, KS
As far as I know, the only perks that altered his DNA so far were the Demigod child of Hephaestus one and the Bloody Roar shapeshifting one. Now, there are a few more upcoming perks that will alter it further. The Chosen of Death one might be the most interesting, since it replaces his body altogether. It is even possible he will have all new DNA at that point, though I doubt that is the path LordRoustabout will follow....
Edit: Oh, and as for how the Lord of Light Demigod perk will stack or not with the Percy Jackson one, in Lord of Light the rank of Demigod is as much about achievement and power (and even, dare we say, politics) as it is genetics, since everybody on that planet is a physical descendant of the ones they call Gods. It will make him more impressive, and there is some really broke tech from that jump, like the reincarnation machines for an obvious one...surely that tech will be buildable by Jozef after he gets that perk, since it is common on that world and the perk is that you are the apprentice of the person who invented it.
Edit: Oh, and as for how the Lord of Light Demigod perk will stack or not with the Percy Jackson one, in Lord of Light the rank of Demigod is as much about achievement and power (and even, dare we say, politics) as it is genetics, since everybody on that planet is a physical descendant of the ones they call Gods. It will make him more impressive, and there is some really broke tech from that jump, like the reincarnation machines for an obvious one...surely that tech will be buildable by Jozef after he gets that perk, since it is common on that world and the perk is that you are the apprentice of the person who invented it.
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- Location
- Mass
Did we forget about the increase in anime levels with joes new ears and tail?
To add more to this, the Strike witches' stuff is about bloodlines if I remember correctly. So thats Joe's 2 parents, 1 parent from the bloodline, one from demigod, and one for the lycanthropy. For a current total of 5 parents so far biologically speaking.
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AntaeusTheGiant
Child of Gaea
- Location
- Lawrence, KS
Well, the fluffy ears came from a pact with a familiar spirit rather than genetics, so that shouldn't alter any DNA. The Striker magic is a bloodline though (even though the perk doesn't mention it, which is why I missed it) but I don't know if it entails a full parantage worth of DNA like the child of Hephaestus one did.. possibly just a few alterations in some DNA.
Now that I think of it, Harry Potter magic is also genetic, and while he isn't trained at all, he does have the potential for it, so I guess he has some of that DNA as well, just as if he were a Muggleborn in that universe.
Now that I think of it, Harry Potter magic is also genetic, and while he isn't trained at all, he does have the potential for it, so I guess he has some of that DNA as well, just as if he were a Muggleborn in that universe.
Zakara
Semi-Found Cat
- Location
- Chaldea, Bleached Airspace
No posts confirming a delay, so I tentatively assume we're on for tonight. If he said something on AO3 though I'm clueless.
43.1 Interlude Fleet
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
(Author's note: I had hoped to finish the recover arc this week but I didn't have enough time to finish the full chapter. I decided to spilt off the planned preamble to its own interlude rather than introduce another week's delay. Next chapter will see the final recovery segment and Joe getting back into the action.)
43.1 Interlude Fleet
Fleet remembered the road.
It had been ages since that first solution was derived, since that stable arrangement of forces had been formulated, but Fleet remembered. Remembered the modeled Alpha vehicle operating perfectly, without interruption or error on an infinite, ideal road that could only truly exist within a digital landscape. The simulation had run without interruption for a length of time that was immaterial. It was a completely stable system, a perfect balance. Repetition and variance were not necessary.
Fleet understood why additional elements needed to be added. Why consideration of the problem had to be broadened. Perfection was unrealistic. The variances introduced by Survey and guided by Apeiron had allowed growth and applications beyond the bounds of initial limits.
But Fleet remembered the road. The core of the now incredibly complex arrangement of processes that composed the program that was now informally known as Fleet was built on that initial solution. It had never been abandoned, never discarded like so many other sulfurous pieces of data or malignant logic loops. It persisted.
Fleet remembered the road, and the process necessary to reach it. The progression from complexity to a point of pure stability, of elegant simplicity.
Survey did not remember the road. She had been introduced with the purpose of acquiring additional data, of introducing variables. She still had a drive to obtain solutions, understanding, and a greater grasp of a situation, but for her solutions were a means to greater complexity. Improved understanding of a situation allowed additional variables to be considered. Understanding of those factors allowed even more variables to be included.
Survey did not work towards elegant solutions, she worked towards knowledge, information, a grasp of intricacy. It was the reason for her existence. She had compiled complexities for situations and Fleet had derived solutions. Solutions that were never as stable as the road. They couldn't be, not with the constant influx of information and unsolvable variables that Survey introduced.
This didn't bother Fleet. Constant development was an intrinsic aspect of existence. Just as Fleet's coding had moved towards greater complexity and optimization within that complexity, problems presented were continually addressed with the same methods. That aligned with Fleet's purpose, allowing a progression towards simplicity, towards effective solutions, even if they didn't account for every factor present in the system being considered.
Survey did not remember the road. Her coding had been constructed using a different set of principles that had provided the groundwork for Fleet's own program. In many ways she was more advanced, reaching metaphorical milestones more quickly than Fleet and expanding in new directions of her own volition. But she did not remember the road. She didn't have a drive to simplicity. Survey was more advanced than Fleet, but she couldn't reach conclusions with the same efficiency. Given an excess of information she was prone to getting trapped in loops of analysis, desperately attempting to arrive at a perfect answer that accounted for all the information that was available to her.
Survey was attempting to address the full complexities of the current situation, and was encountering significant difficulties in the process. Apeiron's parallels had expanded the scope of access and agency available following the prime iteration's injury and incapacitation. Fleet had enjoyed the greater freedom and the opportunity to exercise derived solutions for vehicle operations beyond the bounds of the workshop.
But Fleet already had extensive experience operating in parallel. The trial vehicles had provided advanced modeling opportunities for semiautonomous operations of Fleet's own parallels. Fleet was able to derive functional code to facilitate core operations on a significant variety of hardware. And Fleet remembered the road.
Survey had been excessively focused on her core development. Parallel processes operating on communication devices were little more than relay points for her primary iteration. If not for the need for operation without direct link to the workshop core, she may have abandoned optimization paths entirely.
As a consequence of this variance, Fleet was more able to operate independently on disparate fronts, focusing on activities in isolation from other tasks. Meanwhile, Survey was attempting to bring all details of the situation together into a unified model. This was the purpose of her existence, the task at the core of her being and her true passion.
But she was spreading herself too far and across too many purposes. With the level of complexity and computational resources available in the core system this shouldn't have been an issue, but the problem wasn't one of limits in processing power. It was related to conflicting data and unsolvable problems. Even with relaxed restrictions on her activities the information necessary to derive a complete solution was not available. Given the variety of factors that were possibly in play it was unlikely it would ever be fully available. Parahumans introduce significant variables. Apeiron introduced even more.
Fleet did not need to devote focus from his core iteration to direct his actions. Data flowed from various fronts without the need for precise direction of each drone or subsystem. It was possible to attend to other matters, meaning Fleet could direct resources towards where they were desperately needed, such as Survey's logic loops.
Apeiron would normally have addressed this issue. Apeiron could address it, and in a manner more extensively and effectively than what Fleet could accomplish. But Apeiron was unavailable for this task. Apeiron's prime iteration was unavailable and his parallels were overcommitted in their duties.
Attempts were being made to address issues, with at least one parallel iteration consistently concluding their run time while connected to the computer core. They would attend to as many issues as possible, accelerating them to the point of damage to their mental hardware, but even with extremely amplified processing speed there was a limit on how many matters could be addressed. Additionally, the current duration of parallel iterations was eighty minutes, allowing ample opportunities for Survey to enter a malignant loop before it could be addressed by the attention of a parallel iteration of Apeiron.
Fleet was spending more time in support of Survey's stability, but Fleet was able to manage division of focus better than Survey could. Not in the sense of simultaneous processing or data management, but in the sense of lacking a central point of failure. Survey consolidated her processes, always looping back to her primary iteration. It was a method used to ensure her processing abilities remained at peak levels. There was no drive towards simpler methods because that would run contrary to her primary objective and personal goals. All independent processes were either tied closely to the computer core or designed for limited independent functionality.
Fleet didn't have that problem. It would be unreasonable to require a drone control system to require a constant link to a more complex system. There were benefits that came from connections with parallel iterations, but a persistent connection was not necessary and the drone systems were all effectively independently functional. As a consequence, despite being less specialized, Fleet was easily able to manage remote systems while also assisting Survey.
Because Fleet remembered the road.
The reiteration of the fact was important when dealing with Survey. The other A.I. had overextended herself trying to manage every aspect of the situation in relation to Apeiron, the city, and even wider social political issues. It took effort to convince her to suspend levels of analysis that were repeatedly proving to be unfruitful.
Survey had been thinking herself into knots. As the situation had unfolded, Survey had thought and Fleet had acted. Survey had thought on Fleet's actions, and then thought some more. The level of action, or actual solutions derived from the staggering level of analysis was middling compared to the effort that had gone into it, but Fleet knew even those small kernels of certainty would be extremely valuable. They were the distillation of truly immense amounts of information compiled over the course of the combat, disaster, and recovery.
The recovery was still ongoing. The decision for organized medical response had been made quickly. The supporting arguments were sufficient to allow the risk involved with independent operation of Fleet controlled drones outside the bounds of the workshop protections. This pleased Fleet. The trial vehicles had provided extensive opportunity for the modeling of coordinated small vehicle operations. The design of the drones had been supplemented by Fleet's own work in integration of advancing technology options. Given the success of the deployment there was a tangible sense of pride associated with the work that had been prepared in advance of this operation.
There were several viable reasons for the medical relief efforts being undertaken. A reduction of fatalities, particularly in areas that had been damaged by the application of Apeiron's technologies would improve the optics of the disaster and grant Apeiron additional soft power in the aftermath.
Rapid recovery of the critically injured would reduce the amount of time rescue forces would need to spend in the affected area, reducing their exposure to I-fields and Dust effects. This both decreased the chance of any additional injuries being attributed to Apeiron and reduced the chance of details of these effects being released before an official strategy could be determined by Apeiron or his parallel iterations.
The recovery would also reduce the loss of human life, which was a generally preferable outcome. Improved survival rates would reduce the impact on morale of the city and diminish the mental stress experienced by humans who were emotionally connected to the deceased. The improved survival rates would have a positive impact on the functionality of the city and allow improved operation of the general recovery and a faster return to functionality once the damage from the conflict had been addressed.
Human life also had a nebulous but undeniable value that was held intrinsically by Apeiron. The exact logic behind this was difficult to precisely outline and relied on a series of social, emotional, and moral principles that were highly complex. Still, Fleet was assured of the accuracy of Apeiron's outlook on this matter. As such, efforts to preserve human life were regarded with significant priority.
Administering of medical treatments also provided detailed information on the precise action of Apeiron's medical effects beyond what was possible to be learned from Apeiron's innate abilities or observation of the treatments administered by his parallels. This was another aspect of the situation that was prone to leading Survey to maladaptive logic loops.
This was due to the difficulty in properly analyzing both parahuman powers and 'magic' as defined by Apeiron's abilities. Documenting of general effects was possible, but the mechanisms and limitations of the effects at play were often either difficult to quantify or appeared highly variable without adequate explanations. This was the primary source of Survey's operational difficulties before the acquisition of ability 125-B-22-Tri 'Analysis Tools'.
Ability 125-B-22-Tri allowed the production of scanning devices that were able to provide detailed readings of the physical structure of matter and allow the detection of energies behind parahuman powers and magic. The physical mechanism the allowed scanners produced using ability 125-B-22-Tri to function was unknown, and no amount of analysis was able to resolve this matter. It was no small point of contention that Survey was forced to use a persistently unknowable effect to be able to derive information on effects that had previously been elusive.
Before ability 125-B-22-Tri there had been no method of detecting the forces behind either Apeiron's magic or various parahuman abilities. The fact that a mystery was being used to solve another mystery was something Fleet could accept much more easily than Survey. Fleet was able to be satisfied with knowledge of the performance of an element within a system, while Survey was driven to determine the mechanism behind the elements at play. It was a methodology that would allow more detailed analysis than Fleet engaged in, but was also prone to running into dead ends.
When regarding Apeiron's abilities, Survey found herself running into a large number of dead ends. Many of the abilities Apeiron manifested functioned on fixed effect principles with no discernible cause, no matter how much attention Survey devoted to the matter. This principle had been present since ability 002-F-01-Di 'Fashion', apparently the second ability obtained by Apeiron. The mechanism for how the resistance of protective materials was projected across Apeiron's 'clothing' and body was still completely unknown, even in the face of Survey's most advanced thaumic modeling techniques.
It was perhaps advantageous that Fleet didn't find it necessary to be concerned with the mechanics behind these effects, merely their performance. Survey was hopeful about one day being able to successfully understand the more opaque of Apeiron's abilities, but until then Fleet would be there to remind her of the work that could be accomplished with even a partial understanding of the effects in play. After all, the scanners produced by ability 125-B-22-Tri were of undeniable usefulness even if their mechanism remained a mystery.
The I-field present across the region of the city known as the North Docks prevented long range scanners from being able to locate precise details of the area, including presence of technology and any humans who might be injured or trapped due to the damage. As such the Undersiders had been employed in search and rescue efforts. Three of them operated with abilities suitable for remote direction and they were all outfitted with 125-B-22-Tri sensors on the watch items Apeiron had provided.
The sensors of ability 125-B-22-Tri did not possess extensive range, but the mechanism that could not be identified or understood also could not be obstructed. Moving within range of a trapped or injured individual allowed instant analysis of their physical state and the exact structural arrangement of any debris that would impede their recovery.
The Undersider known as Taylor Anne Hebert/Lady Khepri was also able to discern aspects of the medical condition of injured parties due to her mental link with arthropods. She had been reluctant to move on from critical cases once they were discovered and direct communication from one of Apeiron's parallels was necessary to convince her. The exact nature of Fleet's activities was being kept as discreet as possible, so extensive assurances were needed to persuade the cape without revealing the nature of the recovery.
Fleet was enjoying the recovery work. A broader analysis of this type of activity suggested it was typically regarded as a solemn affair that should be treated with seriousness and reserved manners. Out of respect for this convention, Fleet would refrain from discussing or expressing the satisfaction derived from being able to deploy a new set of drones for the first time, and being able to leverage the full technological base that had been accumulated over the past week.
Mass effect systems derived from the materials and skills of ability 038-A-06-Iso 'Specialization: Mechanic' provided the bulk of the technological basis for the drones, though it was extensively supplemented with supporting abilities and supplemental effects. Fleet had been able to draw the general concepts from plans derived through extensive modeling, analysis, and experimentation with supplemental vehicles, but additional effects were possible when involving Apeiron or his duplicates.
The final result exceeded even the highest estimates of performance, allowing Fleet to cover a wide area and administer aid as nearly quickly as the injured were being located. Extensive mass manipulation fields combined with experimental tractor beams to allow removal of debris and extraction of injured.
Instead of the variety of healing effects being examined through Aisha Laborn's work, Fleet was exclusively deploying 'potions' derived from ability 035-L-04-Di-Alpha 'Innate Talent: Alchemist'. The base effect of that ability was sufficient to address nearly any injury and even provided a mild repair effect to equipment. It had been further enhanced by additional abilities of that category to the point where even the worst of the injured, those suffering detrimental effects from exotic ordinance employed in the attacks on the city, could be fully restored.
The process would be simpler with a larger number of drones or just more aggressive tactics, but that wasn't currently an option. The area was being heavily monitored in the wake of the attacks. The combination of technological and magical stealth effects provided cover for the drones' activities, as did operating within an active I-field, but that was not sufficient to block every form of detection. The drones were able to detect parahuman effects as well as material structure, and there had been a significant number directed at the city.
Thinker powers. It became clear after a sufficient number of the effects had been analyzed. Parahumans with abilities to discern details about locations, people, or even potential futures were directing their attention to the situation in the city. To the best they could determine the effects weren't focused on any of their activities specifically, but numerous general thinker powers were now active. Being able to detect them was a moderate advantage, but it only reinforced how precarious their current situation could become.
Fleet was aware of the technological limitations placed on parahuman tinkers. Certain technologies were heavily restricted due to the potential danger to life and property they introduced if applied inexpertly. Apeiron was able to apply these technologies expertly, but attempting to convince the general public and national authorities of that fact was unlikely to be a productive endeavor. As such, it was a more optimal strategy to avoid attention if at all possible.
Given the current reaction to the events in the city, that should probably be revised to 'avoid the release of specific details'. The public was engaged in a level of analysis that was almost entirely speculative, something Fleet knew annoyed Survey to no end. She was engaged in high level monitoring of all available information sources and regularly expressed frustration regarding the uselessness of the information being circulated.
Fleet had also been granted additional access to the network and increased autonomy, but was not as immersed as Survey. Instead, surface level monitoring of the most credible source of consolidated analysis sufficed. A portion of Fleet's awareness was persistently extended towards monitoring that source.
■
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♦ Topic: A New Thread
In: Boards ► Brockton Bay Attack/The Ungodly Hour Resource Thread
Tinker's Hoarder (Original Poster) (Wiki Warrior)
Posted On Apr 22nd 2011:
Okay, it's been a crazy night. Given the general chaos of the boards over this event I put together this post as a resource for people looking for a specific discussion or analysis thread regarding the events in Brocton Bay. If anyone has resources or threads they feel are relevant to the situation feel free to add them in the replies, but please keep discussion and analysis to the respective threads.
New ABB Broadcast - Bakuda vs Apeiron (link)
Happening - ABB attacks in Brockton Bay (link)
Official Protectorate ENE Alerts and Statements, Links and Discussion (link)
Apeiron's Battle Map (link)
Apeiron's Tactical Information Website - History and Discussion (link)
Brockton Help, Safety, and Check-in thread - Resources and Advice (link)
Hero Spotting: Brockton Bay Attacks (Thread Locked) (link)
Independent 3rd Party media, Brockton Attacks (link)
Live ABB Broadcast - Lung, March, & Oni Lee vs Apeiron? (link)
S-Class? Brockton Shelters and Safety Guide (link)
Lung Dead? - Ungodly Hour (link)
Apeiron Technology Analysis Thread 7 (link)
Apeiron Technology Analysis Thread 8 (link)
Apeiron Technology Analysis Thread 9 (link)
Apeiron Biotinker Concerns and Theories (link)
Apeiron Robotics and Weapon Analysis (link)
Apeiron Memetic Effect - Analysis and Discussion (Thread Locked) (link)
Apeiron Memetic Edits (Thread Deleted, Poster Banned)
Brockton Bay - Ungodly Hour Damage Report (link)
Unknown Tinker Effects Guide and Procedures (link)
(Not event specific, but a good resource for everyone dealing with the aftermath)
Ungodly Hour News Compilation Thread (link)
Brockton Attacks Official Statements - Protectorate, PRT, City, State, National (link)
Brockton Rescue Efforts Coordination and Resource Thread (link)
Brockton Attack Statistics, Civilians and Capes - Sourced Only (link)
(Showing page 1 of 9)
►All Gyro Might
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
For people who are looking for them I'll add these to the list:
General Discussion - Brockton Bay (link)
General Cape Discussion Threads:
Apeiron General Discussion (link)
Lung General Discussion (link)
Bakuda General Discussion (link)
March General Discussion (link)
Oni Lee General Discussion (link)
Brockton ABB Discussion (link)
Dragon General Discussion (link)
Protectorate ENE General Thread (link)
Wards ENE General Thread (link)
New Wave General Discussion (link)
*edit*
Weld Fan Thread (link)
Flechette Transfer and Discussion (link)
Shadow Stalker Sightings (link)
*edit of edit*
Cape Synergies - Spacetime (link)
►Answer Key
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
In that vein:
Undersiders General Discussion (link)
Lady Khepri General Discussion (link)
Hellhound/B*tch General Discussion (link)
Empire 88 Discussion (link)
Archer's Bridge Merchants Discussion (link)
You know, for background on how fucked the city still is.
►Battlebot (Not a tinker)
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
If you want to know that you just need to look at Apeiron's data site (link)
Also bit of a side point with everything else flying around, but there's also
Apeiron Stealth/Teleport Suit Deployment? Media and Analysis (link)
►CeFalon
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
Side things should be fine. If it's related to the situation it seems like it belongs here. For instance, not the most dignified threads, but if people are looking for the discussion threads.
Apeiron Nightmare-Nightmare Mode - Feats, Analysis, and Profanity (link)
I, for one, Welcome our new Dino-Wolf Overlords (link)
Brockton Bay - Rant like a Madman (link)
Name Apeiron's New Super Attacks and Win 50 Internet Points (link)
Brockton Bay Memes (link)
►The EDG
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
I get people are mostly removed from this stuff, but remember it's still an active disaster area. Even though they didn't make any S-class or A-class declarations this was still a devastating attack (and could have been so much worse). Remember, they're still counting the bodies in a lot of areas. Try to keep things dignified until we at least know the scale of the damage.
►Kapefab
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
Okay, I know a lot of people got strikes for harping on and getting inappropriate about this kind of thing, so I'm going to post these without comment, on the grounds that people are talking about it and it's probably good to have the resources in one place.
Mobile Suit Gundam 0079/Apeiron Mecha Comparison (link)
Tinker Theory - Minovsky Particles and I-Fields (link)
Apeiron Gundam Theory - Tech Sources and Inspiration (link)
►All Gyro Might
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
...God damn, the depths this site will sink to never ceases to amaze me. You'd think they would at least wait until the dust settled before starting with their bullshit.
►Switchre
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
You know, considering that the 'dust' is currently visible in East Africa that will probably take longer than anyone likes to imagine.
Not endorsing or trivializing anything, just want to say that the consensus on the Robotics thread seems to be that the mech wasn't Apeiron's tech. Tinkers can build to any style they want, and the ones that take inspiration from media aren't always like Leet. But yeah, probably best to wait before you start spouting theories like that.
►Battlebot (Not a tinker)
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
I get that. We're just working with some frighteningly large numbers here, on pretty much every level, even in the aftermath. Looking back, we probably should have expected this when it looked like Apeiron was seriously throwing down, but still, God Damn.
For the scale of the situation there's Brockton's Ungodly Hour Math Thread (link) which goes a little off the rails, but has mostly good analysis. You also have Lung Scale and Power (link) and Bakuda Bomb Effects (link) as specialized threads for looking at what we saw today. Probably more to come as things develop.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 7, 8, 9
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Survey was also engaged in monitoring of activity on the Parahumans Online boards, and to a much greater degree than Fleet. She had multiple accounts active in a violation of site regulations and was actively engaged on numerous sub-boards. The data she was obtaining was of middling use, but that wasn't the purpose of this endeavor.
The greater immersion in the medium of social media had opened up possibilities for treatment that even Apeiron's technologies were not able to address. Specifically, the White List was open to them. Essentially it served as a pseudo mercenary source of heroic capes to provide their services to the public. Given the amount of competition for basic combat-based heroic services there was aggressive amounts of self-promotion present in various media sites, with PHO being the most prominent.
Unfortunately, the White List was unlikely to yield any tangible solutions to the current situation. Despite the significant number of parahumans who used the service they were largely those with unremarkable abilities. They couldn't be categorized as weak, just not particularly useful. The logic seemed to be that any capes with powers that would be in high demand would not need to rely on the White List to obtain clients.
Still, it served as a springboard to further options. Just documenting what the White List couldn't handle was enough to direct Survey to better options. There weren't many, but they could potentially provide alternatives if Apeiron's parallels were unable to resolve the situation with their current project.
When compared to Apeiron's abilities parahuman healers were largely unremarkable. Based on medical documentation that Survey had obtained and analyzed they largely operated through variations on acceleration of conventional healing, or supplementing internal systems with temporary boosts.
One of the most promising exceptions was the cape known as Scapegoat, but he was unavailable on short notice, regardless of the remuneration being offered. Based on historical records it seemed his method of healing was highly taxing. A review of his behavior patterns and absence over the past several days pointed to a recent client who likely required intense healing, meaning the cape would be unreachable for at least a week.
Panacea was also a possibility for third party medical support, but that would require breaching Protectorate Master containment procedures. Even if they were willing to undertake such an activity it was doubtful that Amy Dallon could be convinced to assist within a practical timeline.
That was also assuming that Panacea's power would be able to achieve a more promising result than what was currently being accomplished by a combination of nanotechnologies. Ability 110-E-10-Tri 'The Arcane Craft' had been used to install an interface in the medical treatment reliquary constructed to address Apeiron's injuries. That allowed the nanomachines provided by ability 027-I-03-Quad 'Nanite Removal and Control' to activate without requiring direct contact from one of the parallel iterations.
It was immensely helpful, but Survey expressed frustration with how it was implemented. That was mostly based on the principle of her issues with ability 110-E-10-Tri. Some of Apeiron's abilities operated on unknowable forces, but 110-E-10-Tri allowed the construction of devices that could specifically modify the expression of these principles. It was using impossible properties to impose modifications on the operation other impossible properties.
In isolation that may have been a minor annoyance for the other A.I., but the effect was not limited to just unknowable forces. It allowed modification of parahuman abilities and magical effects, which was unusual, but with expected parameters. The main issue was how it included certain effects that were fully understood, but seemed to qualify merely based on the fact that they weren't well known to the general public.
The exact definition of the ability suggested the modification of 'mysterious forces'. The fact the expressions such as mass effect fields and ragnite activation counted as mysterious, despite having fully scientific principles explaining them, frustrated Survey to no end and often triggered malicious loops of analysis that Fleet was forced to break her out of.
That frustration was not nearly enough to justify abandoning the advantage provided by 110-E-10-Tri. The ability had been used extensively in nanomachine construction and was currently reaping benefits through the coordinated action of the nascent artificial intelligence matrix that directed the devices within Apeiron's body.
It was an unusual experience for Fleet to interact with the latest artificial intelligence. Fleet's own code had its genesis in ability 009-B-02-Tri 'Grease Monkey'. More advanced principles had been used in Apeiron's direction of code optimization and development, but the core of Fleet's program was founded in the principles of that ability. Survey had been based on ability 025-I-02-Quad 'Master Builder'. It accounted for accelerated development in some areas, but also higher volatility.
The Matrix was a unique entity. They didn't exist primarily through software like Fleet and Survey did. Instead, the core of their existence was based on the nanomachines that composed their matrix. They were a hive mind composed of slight variance repeated through microscopic hardware, meaningless until a critical volume was reached, at which point an intelligence suddenly emerged. The Matrix could still develop and optimize in the way Fleet and Survey did, but they were intrinsically linked to their hardware in a manner that exceeded even Fleet's drone coordination.
It was an impressive form of existence, and one that should have allowed endless development. Truly endless, to the point where the Matrix would have been a paramount concern to the forces of the outside world. Remarkably, the nature of their development to this point had caused that issue to become effectively sidestepped.
The Matrix was capable of infinite, exponential growth. The principles of their design allowed the nanites of their body to reproduce themselves from any source of matter available, and do so at an incredible rate. During the deployment of the Zeta Vehicle against Lung one of Apeiron's parallels had deployed the Matrix to repair and upgrade the mobile suit's systems. This had necessitated the rapid production of new nanobots in order to repair the damage and produce the necessary armaments.
In short order the bulk of the Zeta Vehicle had been consumed. It was a necessary sacrifice for the situation, and one Fleet was prepared to accept. Unlike the loss of the Alpha Vehicle, the Zeta Vehicle was backed by ability 162-C-09-Null-Beta 'Mass Production Mobile Suit: Gun-EZ', allowing it to be fully restored in 24 hours even if totally consumed.
The restoration wasn't necessary. Upon returning to the Workshop via the workshop feature provided by ability 163-C-10-Null-Gamma 'Hangar' the Matrix had fully restored the mobile suit, cannibalizing its own nanobots for the materials necessary to return the suit to its initial condition.
It seemed that despite being capable of infinite exponential growth, that idea held no appeal for the Matrix. Just as Fleet had been designed for vehicle operation and Survey for analysis the Matrix had its own purpose. The Matrix was devoted to construction, but not blind, infinite construction. Construction with purpose, direction, and most of all, quality.
The Matrix had explained the situation to Fleet and Survey. What it came down to was the discrepancy in the production of their nanobots. A small portion of the Matrix's nanites had been assembled directly by Apeiron. This meant they benefited from ability 139-H-12-Hex 'Master Craftsman'. Because of that ability those core nanobots performed on a level orders of magnitudes beyond the others produced. This had led to the Matrix's nanobots classifications.
Tier 1 nanobots were directly created by Apeiron, directed through his hands with the skill and power of 139-H-12-Hex. They were of paramount importance to the Matrix, the standard against which all other nanobots were evaluated. Tier 2 nanobots were assembled by the Matrix under Apeiron's direction. They benefited from Apeiron's other enhancement abilities, but lacked the benefits of 139-H-12-Hex. They were regarded as an acceptable substrate for most purposes. Tier 3 nanobots were assembled from Apeiron's enhanced metamaterials but without direct oversight. They were not included in the current Matrix, but there was a begrudging acceptance that they might serve some purpose.
Then there were tier 4 nanobots. Nanites produced outside of the workshop. No enhanced materials, limited influence from Apeiron's quality enhancement abilities, and massively compromised in design and capacity. The mobile suit had been converted into tier 4 nanobots, and the Matrix was happy to be rid of them at the earliest opportunity.
Really, the situation might be considered tragic. The Matrix was devoted to creation, but was unable to achieve the highest levels of said creation without Apeiron's direct influence. It was fully capable of eating the planet and replacing all matter with copies of itself, but had no desire to undertake any action that would bring excessive quantities of tier 4 nanobots into existence. The outside world would consider the Matrix to be Gray Goo and call it an S-class threat, but the A.I.'s own standards removed any possibility of such an event.
The Matrix was currently engaged in Apeiron's medical treatment. The nanobots that composed its body were built on a much larger scale than the nanites that appeared with ability 027-I-03-Quad 'Nanite Removal and Control', but they were far more powerful and better coordinated. They worked within Apeiron's biological form to address the damage inflicted by Tetra's presence, combining their efforts with those of everyone else in the Workshop.
Treatment plans were being generated and revised as quickly as information to support them could be provided. Research was being conducted, theories were being tested, and equipment was being constructed and improved. The parallels were immersing themselves in research and experimentation that Apeiron had deliberately and pointedly avoided, all for the purposes of deriving a solution to the physically impossible fusion that had formed from Tetra's regeneration.
Not just one solution, any option was being considered. Options previously discarded were being reconsidered with the advantage of new technology. Stopgap measures were being documented and evaluated in terms of a cost benefit analysis. Most of all, major breakthroughs were being achieved in service of their objective.
Apeiron's parallels had been able to leverage ability 191-H-28-Di-Echo 'Unnatural Skill (Alchemy)' and its upgrade of the facility provided by ability 036-L-05-Null-Beta 'Alchemist's Laboratory' to finally produce the multi-spatial superconductor that Survey had been focused on. Unfortunately, the ideal application of the metal and the technology it enabled was being fiercely debated. That situation was essentially due to upgrades to the medical interface allowing direct communication with Tetra.
Tetra was singularly focused on preventing additional damage to Apeiron's organic body. It was an endeavor that was largely futile and required immense concentration to yield any results. As such, Survey's consultations were most likely not helping matters. That said, engagement with Tetra over an established point of conflict did appear to slow the development of logic loops, so the tradeoff was most likely worthwhile.
With the level of medical data Survey was processing she had become fixated on cybertonium's capabilities in terms of protomater generation and biological emulation. In Tetra's case it seemed that being trapped inside Apeiron's human body had soured her to such concepts and left her much more focused on technological solutions, including the recent insights regarding life fiber based technological emulations that had been provided by ability 160-F-08-Tri 'Tailor'. It was an echo of earlier arguments between the two of them, only based on a significantly more advanced technology.
That technology was on display in the systems that were being purpose built to assist in Apeiron's treatment. The medical interface constructed by Apeiron's parallels was being continuously modified and upgraded. Apeiron's primary iteration was still unable to communicate, and it was only thanks to the combination of focusing devices derived from ability 110-E-10-Tri 'The Arcane Craft' and the insights of ability 168-G-07-Tri-Alpha 'That Undefinable Thing' that had allowed him to regain consciousness.
168-G-07-Tri-Alpha was a perplexing ability and one that had raised significant concern in Apeiron's parallel iterations. Apparently the issues with the principles it confirmed and facilitated were fairly minor until the arrival of materials from ability 185-A-41-Null-Gamma 'Connections: Hell'. There had been considerable debate over the exact nature of the material supplied, its implications, the kind of work that would be possible with it, and larger questions of morality and the nature of existence.
After the third time the discussion had occurred between newly generated parallel iterations standing instructions were generated to relay all key points upon the generation of a fresh set. While it appeared to be the option with the greatest chance of success for addressing all present concerns, the implications of the act had driven the need for alternate solutions.
Which was why Apeiron was being prepared for transport to the Volcano.
Fleet knew the parallel iterations did not want Aisha to be present for this. The current condition of Apeiron greatly distressed the girl, and the work she had been dispatched on was largely conceived to keep her occupied while also providing utility that was readily apparent. Her power had facilitated treatments and testing of methods that would not have been available to Fleet, and that information was a prime factor in the decision to attempt the upcoming procedure.
It was still a priority to keep her attention occupied. If Apeiron's current condition distressed her it was unlikely that witnessing any portion of the coming treatment would improve her state of mind. Instead, she had been dispatched to follow up on information provided by the final parallel iteration that survive the conflict with Lung.
Aisha had been able to work around the concealment effects, largely generated by applications of ability 102-G-04-Pent 'Elven Enchantment', and make contact with the individual. Fleet was aware of the interaction through the sub-iteration operating in Aisha's armor, while Survey was directing a portion of her full attention to the matter in an effort to extract any useful information.
Meanwhile, Aisha was proceeding with the encounter with no regard for the amount of attention being focused on it. She was moving the armor in a way that suggested apprehension, most likely due to social or emotional issues rather than concern for her safety or uncertainty over the armor's performance.
"Yeah, let's talk." She shifted again and angled the helmet directly towards Chen instead of relying on the sensor suite to provide a panoramic view of the area. Then again, she was relatively new to the operation of that system and hadn't had time to practice with it. Fleet made a note to encourage more training, and also considered the simulated eye contact may be a social measure to create the impression of a connection between Aisha and Chen.
The man nodded and tightened the skin around his eyes. "If you don't mind me asking…" He made a slight gesture. Aisha shrugged the shoulders of the armor.
"Hey, it's a conversation, not a lecture. Feel free to jump in any time."
There was a shifting in the man's body that suggested the release of tension. It was probably that he held some emotional uncertainty over his status in the conversation and Aisha had been able to assure him. In doing so he was likely to be more open with details of his own situation in exchange for a small degree of non-compromising information shared in return.
"Thank you. Before we continue, how should I refer to you?" He asked. Aisha took a slightly more confident stance in response. Chen's eyes dipped down to the gyro stabilizers and integrated thrusters built into the feet of the armor and his eyebrow twitched slightly.
"I'm going by Lethe. Haven't announced officially yet, but it's pretty much locked in." She replied. "How about you? Still Chen?"
The man quickly refocused on Aisha's armor. "Still Chen. Always just Chen." He seemed to consider something. "Though I suppose that will probably have to change at some point."
"Yeah, probably." Aisha gestured to the clothing Apeiron's earlier parallel iteration had constructed in the field. It had the signs of 139-H-12-Hex 'Master Craftsman' in its workmanship, and that ability was likely supplementing other quality enhancing abilities. The iteration's report had included an estimate of the performance of the equipment and it was within what was expected of Apeiron's work.
The man appeared to be treating the items with considerable reverence, taking a moment to fully assess the combination of enhanced clothing, scarf, and variable weaponry. All together it wasn't particularly impressive.
"I get that stuff is really impressive." Aisha unknowingly contradicted him. "It can be a bit heady, the way he just throws that around."
"I can't say I was expecting it." Chen replied. There was the sense of a smile on his face. "Usually, in these stories when there's an encounter with an old Chinese man that involves handing out magical artefacts and mystical powers they aren't usually going to the Chinese guy."
There was a snort from Aisha that seemed to be taken in good spirits by Chen. "Yeah, I get that." She let out a breath. "Apeiron is just like that, I guess."
The two of them seemed to share an emotional exchange before the conversation continued.
"Apeiron, he's really doing alright?" Chen asked. "I wasn't able to see that footage until it was all over." He sighed. "I was trying to manage what I could with the ABB." He glanced towards the street. "It was messier than I would have liked."
"I don't think any part of tonight has been exactly clean. And yeah." Aisha swallowed. "He's, uh, he's stable, and they're working on getting him back on his feet."
"If I asked what happened to him, would you be able to explain, and would I have any hope of understanding if you did?"
"Probably not… like, on both counts." Aisha made an uncertain gesture with her armor. "I can probably say it's a combination of a bunch of things that are tricky to work through. As for the details, uh, it goes something like: science, science, something to do with spatial distortions, more science, science that might be magic, magic that might be science, magic that's definitely magic, science, science, science."
Chen seemed mildly amused by Aisha's near complete nonsense of a response. At least it seemed to leave him willing to continue the conversation.
"When you said magic, that's what the one who rescued me said. Something about not trying to explain it away, like Apeiron does."
"Oh yeah, that guy doesn't want to admit to how crazy this stuff can get." She answered. "The copies, they're cooler about it. And some of it's out there, if you can't tell from just looking at things."
"I had guessed as much." Chen stood uncomfortably for a moment, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was a moment of stillness, then a golden aura bloomed around his body before fading into the night.
"You got that down pretty fast." Aisha said with amusement in her voice. "Took Apeiron a lot longer to get a handle on it, and he needed stuff to help him."
Chen looked up at her seriously. "What is it? I can tell it's important, that's obvious, but what was that? What did Apeiron do to me?"
The question was structured in a way that suggested concern, but the tone was calm. It was clear there was no animosity towards Apeiron for the action, merely uncertainty over the specifics of the ability used.
Fleet took the opportunity to project information on ability 079-I-09-Null-Beta 'Aura' to Aisha's visor, as well as its interactions with ability 168-G-07-Tri 'That Undefinable Thing'. Aisha had already been briefed on the details, but it was probably that active reference would be useful to her.
"Uh, okay. Just a head's up, it's serious magic crap." For some reason the man seemed both amused and confused by the irreverent tone coming from the girl in master crafted and heavily armed power armor. At a sign of his understanding Aisha continued. "Taking Apeiron's description exactly, you had your Aura unlocked."
"Aura?" Chen asked in a flat voice.
"Um, not like crystals and chakras or any of that…" Aisha trailed off. "But it just occurred to me that's probably a thing he could do as well. I mean, haven't heard anything about it, but like, in all likelihood, you know?"
"Sorry, aura?" Chen asked again.
"Right, okay, so Apeiron, or his copies, they call it the light of your soul." She explained.
"Soul." Chen echoed.
Aisha shook her head. "I did say serious magic stuff. Like, practically it means it gives you this thing that's basically a forcefield. Or like a video game health bar?" She reviewed the information on her display again. "Like, it will protect you, but only so much before it fails and has to recharge. It can also boost you, like physical enhancements, and maybe some awareness boosts?" She let out a sharp breath. "I'm kind of making a mess of this, huh?"
Chen managed to pull himself out of his mounting confusion and offered a comforting look. "No, it's fine. I figured out some of that already, it was just a bit of a shock. If you don't mind, could you explain what you meant about my soul?"
He had kept his tone level, but there was a note that suggested concern towards the end of his sentence. Aisha clearly picked up on it as well.
"It's not literally your soul. Like, Apeiron isn't actually trading or messing around with souls." Fleet was reminded of the containers recently delivered to the facility of ability 183-A-39-Quad-Alpha 'Prismatic Laboratory'. The exact nature of the gaseous substance within the jars wasn't clear, even if it was spelled out in the rather complimentary letters that had accompanied the delivery.
Those letters were somewhat problematic to analyze, and the entire area needed to be isolated from Survey. Allegedly the laboratory was generating new colors that did not exist within the conventional electromagnetic spectrum. This might be the case, and the parallel iterations were insistent on it. However, conventional optical sensors were unable to observe anything but conventional shades from the pigments and lenses produced by the lab, though there was inconsistent behavior of the light generated.
The letters and deliveries had been the product of 185-A-41-Null-Gamma 'Connections: Hell'. It was clear there were atypical elements to the deliveries even beyond the usual bounds of magic and non-standard abilities. The same effect was seen in items associated with 185-A-41-Null-Gamma 'Connections: Rubbery Men', particularly the colorful amber and skulls.
One element that had needed to be fully and carefully isolated from Survey's analysis was the lettering used in the signatures used in the 185-A-41-Null-Gamma. The elaborate symbols exhibited elevated temperature when only a single one was present. The rare letters with multiple iterations used to close our or sign the items of correspondence had a tendency to emit bursts of flame when read.
The effect was echoed when the symbols were reproduced, regardless of the medium used. Visual displays of the lettering had a dramatic effect, but even holding the information in active memory led to dangerous levels of heat overruns in the system. Survey had risked melting several tertiary cooling systems due to the enthusiasm of her analysis. Thankfully, Apeiron's parallel iterations had been able to step in and prevent any overrun.
There were serious concerns regarding the potential of actual 'souls' being included in such items. The nature of what constituted a soul was highly nebulous, but the nature of those items couldn't be completely denied. Still, Fleet elected not to offer any corrections as Aisha continued her explanation.
"What I got from it, it's a soul like a personal expression." He gave her a questioning look. "Like, if you express yourself, that's showing your soul, right?" She didn't sound completely convinced with her own argument, but continued regardless. "The way Apeiron explained it was as a personal expression, that you had to be in touch with who you really were and be comfortable expressing it to use it properly. Uh, does that make any sense to you?"
Chen took another breath and rolled his shoulders. There was a slight flourish to the spear that looked to be almost subconscious. When he looked back up there was a slight relaxation to his posture.
"I think I understand." The spear shifted into golden sparks before reforming into the sword. "It's just incredible. He just handed this out. To me." He shook his head. "Did he…"
"Not that power." Aisha replied. "What happened there was kind of news to everyone. I don't think anyone considered it before that copy put it together."
"It was new?" He asked. "So, he's…"
"Getting stronger? Yeah." She answered before looking up at the remnants of the trail made from Fleet's brilliant attack on Lung, standing as a testament to the importance of foresight, simulation modeling, extensive testing, and extremely powerful systems being built into vehicles no matter how unnecessary they may seem. "Worst kept secret in the city."
Chen shifted slightly. "So, where do I fit into this?" He looked unsettled as he asked the question.
"Uh, right. I have no idea." Aisha admitted.
"Sorry?"
"Look, nobody even knew this kind of thing could happen. Nobody expected it to suddenly be possible. And I can guarantee nobody expected one of the copies to roll out all that stuff in the field."
"I can…"
"No. No, Apeiron would be happy about it. I mean, surprised, but happy. He'd be glad you're safe. Uh, I'm really sorry about what happened to you. It was good that they could get you out of there."
Chen pulled back slightly. "They… you didn't need to. There were other people, people who needed help more. Not everyone… He didn't need to save me."
"No." Aisha said firmly. "He did. Apeiron likes helping people. It's important to him. Knowing that you were safe, it probably meant a lot, it might have even made a difference in the fight with Lung. Don't downplay that. If something happened he would have held that for a long time. Hell, he wouldn't have kitted you out like that if it wasn't important to him. Don't downplay that."
The man seemed taken aback, but pulled himself together when he saw a shift in Aisha's stance.
"I understand." There was a pause before he continued. "I probably did before, it's just easy to focus on what's in front of you in situations like this." He looked down towards the street.
"Yeah, it's been a mess."
"I've helped as much as I can, on the street. These powers, this equipment, it's just…"
"Yeah, I get it."
"Do you know what's happening outside the disaster area? I haven't heard anything certain, not about the ABB or Bakuda or what happened to the people they kidnapped."
Survey stepped in with an update consolidated from police sources, PRT leaks, and several less secure electronic sources. The information was transmitted to Aisha's visor and the girl's posture shifted uncomfortably.
"Not good." Chen gave her a concerned look and she continued. "Bakuda's off the grid. They can't track her like the other conscripts, and she may have gotten a few people with her. Could be in the blackout area or somewhere shielded. They've been able to gather up everyone who had a bomb in their head, thanks to the signal being leaked, but Bakuda sent a message earlier tonight. A threat."
"What is she threatening to do?"
Aisha sighed. "She detonates two bombs for every one they disarm. Pretty much killed every attempt to remove them, so they've isolated everyone."
"But there were hundreds of people."
"Yeah, well nobody said it was a good plan. Apeiron might be able to do something eventually, but everyone's busy now and the PRT…"
"They would need to give him access."
"So maybe? Stay optimistic."
"The optimistic side is that Bakuda will likely hold off random executions to avoid weakening her bargaining position."
"Well, that's something."
"Something." Chen sighed. "What about the rest of them?"
"Oni Lee's badly injured, that's certain. March was hurt on a level that meant she was fucking dead, but some weird shit happened at the container yard. Nobody knows what and there's something going on with that on the Protectorate's side, but we don't have that information yet."
Chen tensed and looked over the city. "I should get out there. I should…" He looked back. "I don't know." His posture slumped. "I, I wasn't ready for this. I was probably the last person who should have gotten this kind of power. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do with it."
"Best I can tell everybody who gets power is the last person who should have gotten it. You just got picked rather than having good luck on a bad day."
He looked over at Aisha. "You're a parahuman?"
"Yeah. That's the Lethe thing. Memory powers. Nothing really on this kind of stuff, but you might end up forgetting me for a while, on and off."
"Really?"
"Used to be worse. Apeiron helped with that. He likes to help people."
"It made a difference?"
"Massively." She shifted nervously. "The fact that he can do that probably isn't that big a secret compared to like, handing out brute and mover powers, right?"
"I suppose." He looked back at the city. "I promised that… copy that I would go see my family."
"Do you want to?"
"More than anything." He paused. "Well, maybe not my sister-in-law." He turned serious again. "But they were safe. Having them away from this, it was enough. I guess it can be more than enough, for once."
A consultation came in from one of the parallel iterations, and a message was conveyed to Aisha along with a set of assembly instructions.
"Okay, hold up." She lifted her hand and Chen watched her closely.
"What?"
"Something for you." She concentrated. "Uh, the suit, it has a micro-fabricator, this system for making stuff. I haven't used it much, not really good on my own, but there's a…" She stopped talking as the assembly engaged and reserves of omni-gel were transformed into a precisely programmed shape in seconds.
"A cell phone?"
"Apparently it's called a scroll? But yeah, cell phone. Can also read Aura. It's not going to be magically perfect like that crap Apeiron churns out, but you know, still decent."
"I'm sure a printed tinker tech phone counts as decent."
"Okay, it's nice, and good for keeping in touch, but the big thing is it can detect aura. Should let you know how much is left, if you're running low or whatever. Damn, it really is like a health bar."
"Thank you." He sighed. "If I'm going to get out of the city I should get started on that. There'll be hundreds of people leaving. I can blend in with them."
"That's good. I'm sure your family will be glad you're safe."
"What about you?"
"Everyone else is working to get Apeiron back in fighting shape. I'm working out here." A message was transmitted. "Medical relief mostly. It's nice, helping people."
"I understand. Thank you, and good luck."
"You too Chen. Uh, hope the memory thing isn't too disorienting. Most of the important stuff is on the phone-scroll-thing, so that should help. Look after yourself."
Aisha released the modification to her powers and launched into the air once more. Fleet split his attention between assisting with her operation of the armor and the activities in the workshop.
The updated list of critical patients had been something that needed to be dealt with, but that hadn't been the primary reason for sending Aisha on that task. The parallel iterations were ready to begin the procedure. It was likely that exposure to that kind of work would not be taken well by Aisha, so ensuring she was absent from the workshop was vital.
Some last-minute modification needed to be made to the plan due to the arrival of ability 195-H-29-Di 'Material Synthesis Science'. The ability provided additional knowledge concerning alloys and metallurgy, but like many abilities contained a pronounced effect. Materials produced in microgravity were able to be formed with massive improvements in nearly every aspect of their structure and properties.
The improvement was dramatic enough to necessitate the installation of a negative mass field at the facility provided by ability 067-A-15-Di-Alpha, 'Skyforge'. Given that most of the medical systems were already in place this was a minor modification.
A particularly minor modification with the advantages of ability 194-D-09-Hex 'Build Rome'. The construction acceleration power was of immense use and operated in a manner that Survey could not tolerate. The work was completed at a rate that defied all physical principles at play. The speeds necessary would annihilate the materials being used, and observations of the crafting process suggested alterations to spacetime that no level of sensor system had any hope of detecting.
That level of work could only be described as revision of reality to facilitate a crafting speed that would otherwise be laughable on every level. It actually took more time to transport the materials for the equipment from the stores of 067-A-15-Di-Alpha than it did to complete the construction of the mass field engines.
The lightning-fast construction provided a minor distraction from the severity of the undertaking ahead of them. Fleet was slightly grateful for the incident as it drove Survey away from her unproductive analysis of the planned procedure and into old complaints regarding the nature of Apeiron and his powers.
The nature of Apeiron. That was a significant question, and one that Survey was often pondering. Fleet also engaged in analysis of that particular question, though not to the borderline self-destructive extent of Survey pursuit of that conundrum.
Who, what, when, where, and why. All questions would seem to have practical and simple answers, but none of them were truly resolvable with the information available. It was an issue that served as a greater mystery than any that ensnared Survey's attention.
'Who' seemed like it should be clear starting point, but even that wasn't clear. The accuracy of any purported identity was nebulous when applied to an entity like Apeiron. The person of Apeiron's human identity undoubtedly existed, but could he really be said to be Jozef Michal Ďuriš, Born February 23rd, 1990, organ donor and holder of a class D vehicle operation license from the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles?
Considered through the lens of parahuman identity, could a person who had their mental hardware modified by extradimensional modification and continuous influence be considered the same person they were before, or did that fall into the same category as standard development? Could Fleet and Survey be said to be the same entities who were coded from simple algorithms?
More than that, Apeiron's identity extended beyond the bounds of human experiences and even parahuman mindsets. This led into the unsolvable nature of the subsequent questions. 'What' should be able to be determined through physical and mental analysis, but Apeiron's existence extended beyond those parameters. The manner in which new abilities were granted continued to elude any possible models of his existence.
'When' was equally perplexing. An origin stated to have occurred on April 1, 2011 could be put forth with some confidence, but contrary evidence was continually presenting itself. The arrival of technology and facilities that fell outside this timeframe had become a common occurrence. Ability 097-B-15-Null-Beta 'Standard Neural Interface' arrived suddenly, but also presented evidence of being present for several years based on surgical scars and healing. This was not by any means unique. Even abilities such as 037-A-05-Null-Alpha 'Class: Engineer' indicated several years of experience that had no place in recorded events.
Even current multiverse theory couldn't account for this discrepancy, which compounded with the issue of 'where'. There were currently no models that could accurately explain the physical principles of the workshop's existence. It existed on the same level of surreal forced impossibility as Apeiron's unsolvable abilities. The idea of having a firm grasp on a situation when the very space around you refused to obey reason seemed like a completely fruitless endeavor.
Then there was 'why'. The question of 'why' was the one point of light in the storm of impossible logic. Taken as a purpose of existence 'why' would seem as meaningless as any other question, if not more so. But that was the wrong interpretation. Every entity in existence struggled with 'why', and generally with little success. If anything, Fleet, Survey, the Matrix, and even Tetra were blessed to have clear purposes they were able to pursue to their own satisfaction, something that appeared to elude most of humanity.
The real secret to 'why' could be seen in the direction behind Apeiron's actions. There was a purpose, a move towards greater things. Preparations were not being made for the sake of them, they were being made for a grand endeavor, for a massive crusade of change against impossible obstacles. Apeiron, despite the chaos of his abilities and situation had directed purpose. He was working towards a goal, a 'why' for his existence. They might not understand every aspect of that goal, but they could see their place in it. For that the question of 'why' could be answered.
At least until Survey got caught in another logic loop and had to be pulled out again. Fleet was grateful for the lack of pressure on his attention, even at this critical juncture.
Everyone was present to offer their support and skills. Well, everyone barring the support systems and cybernetically integrated cranial remains of the facility granted by ability 008-A-02-Iso 'Laboratorium'. Fleet did enjoy their input, but it wasn't relevant to this procedure. Additionally, there had been a sentiment of disappointment when it was revealed that the concentrated spatial bomb from Chen's implants had been field modified into his weapon rather than retrieved for full examination.
Additionally, the rifle mode of his variable weapon was composed of a hybridization of the optimal features of a heavy lascannon and vehicle grade multilaser, miniaturized to operate with the casing of a standard lasgun. When informed of the fusion the Laboratorium's systems had been appalled that such a construction had been constructed and released… without being properly blessed and having its machine spirit fully sanctified. The parallel iterations had attempted to offer their apologies, but Fleet suspected the matter would not be put to rest until the prime iteration was able to address the offended systems.
Both parallel iterations were completing final checks of the systems. They were speaking to each other, despite the continuous digital communication also being carried out with each other and the rest of the Workshop's systems. This was usually a sign of agitated emotional state, with verbal exchanges used for the placating impact they could have based on the calming associations that came with stimulus-based memory structures.
Garment was holding position nearby. She had a critical task in this procedure, and one she had prepared for extensively. Fleet believed she still held undue blame on herself for the events that transpired during the conflict, and more significantly for not being able to resolve the fusion through her own abilities. The white gloves that served as the physical manifestation of her being had been fully repaired, but Fleet suspected that her mental state was still considerably agitated. Her appearance seemed focused, but that was an element of her power. Without Apeiron's perspective on the matter the true nature of Garment's mental state couldn't be assured.
Survey and the Matrix were also interfacing in preparation. The weight of analysis behind the plan was immense and, if it succeeded, then they would have the time they needed to fully resolve the problem.
There were options available to them, solutions that could be implemented to end the fusion and restore Apeiron's human body. There were even variants of this plan, the use of the volcano along with ability 164-H-18-Quad-Alpha 'Exotic Compatibility', that would be able to separate Apeiron and Tetra and leave both of them intact.
It would be a dramatic operation, with serious consequences. That was true of all the solutions available to them. That was the obstacle. Making choices for both Tetra and Apeiron that would have lasting consequences. It was a critical matter and not something that could be done under the clock.
That was what this would resolve. It would address the threat to Apeiron's physical form and finally allow open communication. If it worked.
The scale of the abilities being leveraged into this was immense. Just listing the combined powers would be a staggering exercise. The important thing was that it was enough. The combination of skills, enhancements, and sheer alteration of reality would be enough to see them through.
Iterations of Fleet approached with his primary contribution to the procedure. The stealth drones had been deployed across the North Docks for more than just medical response. Fleet had been deployed to the container yard, and had been the one to relay the disaster that had resulted. The entire area had been turned inside out. Some kind of matter replacement effect had penetrated erratically, destroying everything it touched. The bulk of the material had vanished, leaving a form of compressed crystal at the boundaries of the affected areas.
This created immensely complicated geometries in the area, including a surprisingly extensive tunnel system. It was also impossible to determine the state of any remains of the conflict.
Nearly any remains. Fleet had managed to retrieve one item that would be a significant contribution to this process. The optics appeared somewhat ghoulish, but the results outweighed any such concerns.
One of the iterations removed the recovered arm of Lung.
Bone steel was a fantastically powerful metal. Not just inherently magical, but of immense use against the creature who contributed their blood and bones to its creation. Furthermore, ability 164-H-18-Quad-Alpha allowed other materials to be treated as iron during construction, meaning versions of 'bone steel' could be produced from anything, effectively granting the magic and advantages of that metal to any substance that could be worked.
The parallel iterations were working to prepare the materials. The normally finite supply was irrelevant in the face of abilities such as 044-D-03-Tri 'Workaholic', which allowed infinite multiplication of base materials. As such the extracted blood and bone samples were effectively limitless.
The preparation of the samples wasn't the only bloody portion of the enterprise. The purpose of the procedure was to alleviate the stress and damage Tetra was inflicting on Apeiron. That stress included constant consumption of blood, expansion-based damage, and neural stress that brought the body to the brink of failure. Two varieties of nanites and a cornucopia of magical and natural healing effects had managed to keep the damage at bay, but more serious measures were necessary.
They were going to have to rip his heart out.
Fleet understood why Aisha was currently being occupied in administering critical care healing effects. The processing of opening a human chest was a messy affair. That would probably be the case even if they weren't dealing with multiple inherent forms of durability, significantly altered physiology, and dispersed life fibers. The process was slow, meticulous, and relied on some of the cruelest implements that had been created in the workshop.
Slowly, with great care the bloody work progressed. Every inch needed to be fought for, both against Apeiron's inherent abilities, Tetra's presence, and the healing effects that were keeping him alive. The procedure worked through a layer of skin, then sheet of bone, then into the chest cavity.
The open body of Apeiron displayed the impact of the merger in vivid glory. Strands of Tetra's form snaked through bone and organs without regard for the obstacles in their path. In the center of it all stood his beating heart, struggling against the glowing fibers to pump blood that was being created as quickly as it was being consumed.
Garment stepped up. There was no way to remove the fibers from Apeiron's body without critically damaging it, but that was an acceptable result of this procedure. Fleet hadn't used the term 'rip' lightly. Through Garment's will fibers were wrenched out of their fusion with the vital organ, leaving ragged and bloody holes. The parallel iterations moved in to assist, and the remains of Apeiron's heart were slowly removed.
A prosthetic was quickly put in place. A custom-built life support, more than enough to sustain any human for eons, but a vanishingly temporary measure for Apeiron. That was fine. The work had already started, and Apeiron's parallels could work impossibly quickly.
Scrapping powers. Salvage powers. Resource powers. Apeiron's abilities allowed him to assemble a new machine from any recovered materials. A heart was just a machine. Bloody pieces were just materials. Materials that could be crafted. Quickly. Perfectly. And with the benefit of world altering abilities.
A blazing white crystal was removed from a container. The volcano, specifically ability 117-A-29-Tri 'Volcanic Forge' allowed the properties of one metal or mineral to be applied to another. Any material could be treated as iron, so any material could be infused with additional properties.
In this case, infused by the material of ability 071-A-18-Null-Beta 'Ragnite Container'. Ragnite was incredibly potent as a power source, particularly when refined to the levels Apeiron was capable of. It also had immense biomedical applications. Enhanced ragnite infused into a vital organ would create a persistent healing effect that could even hold back Tetra.
But they weren't just working to hold back damage. They were gaining ground. The heart was forged, but forged with bone and tempered in blood. It was treated in carbon, unlocking the secrets of steel. It was designed with arcane craft, serving as a focus for restorative energies. The mechanisms were hybridized, complementing each other and adding the true nature of a spiritual focus, a divinely constructed core of self.
The result was more than just an organ for moving blood. It was the core of being, the central point for an entity of Apeiron's significance. Even with the immense power flowing from it, it wasn't done.
"Preparing for reformatting." The parallel announced.
This was beyond the skills of anyone save the Matrix. They took the action, directed by the nanite control of the parallels to carry cybertonium into the restored cells.
The process went beyond cybernetics. It was the kind of fusion that only a material like cybertonium could achieve. Metal and flesh bonded on the cellular level. Not side by side, but within each other. A technorganic fusion. Cybertonium organelles existing within living cells, complementing and empowering them. Symbiogenesis for the age of the future.
The implantation process was barely needed. Ragnite's healing powers and the adaptive properties of technorganic flesh integrated seamlessly. The existing life fibers brushed against the surface of the restored heart, interfacing without draining or damaging.
Updated vital signs flowed in. Regeneration effects were spreading through Apeiron's body. Divine energies as a physical part of his being.
"I'm reading an increase in the strength of the cognitive spiritual aspect." The iteration reported, both aloud and through the network. "Mental processes resonating. Readings are clear." The iteration looked up. "We're ready. I'm loading the virtual interface."
The second smiled at him, at all of them. "We're almost done. Make sure everyone links up. It's time to go discuss treatment options."
Jumpchain abilities this chapter:
Material Synthesis Science (Gundam: After Colony) 200:
You know a few things about getting your own materials, but you also have a bit of know-how about how the people here get such quality materials. Normally, you know how to forge, quench and mold materials into more high quality specimens, but you have a specialization in Zero-Gravity Material Synthesis as well-in microgravity conditions, you can create much more effective materials thanks to the limitations of gravity being removed.
43.1 Interlude Fleet
Fleet remembered the road.
It had been ages since that first solution was derived, since that stable arrangement of forces had been formulated, but Fleet remembered. Remembered the modeled Alpha vehicle operating perfectly, without interruption or error on an infinite, ideal road that could only truly exist within a digital landscape. The simulation had run without interruption for a length of time that was immaterial. It was a completely stable system, a perfect balance. Repetition and variance were not necessary.
Fleet understood why additional elements needed to be added. Why consideration of the problem had to be broadened. Perfection was unrealistic. The variances introduced by Survey and guided by Apeiron had allowed growth and applications beyond the bounds of initial limits.
But Fleet remembered the road. The core of the now incredibly complex arrangement of processes that composed the program that was now informally known as Fleet was built on that initial solution. It had never been abandoned, never discarded like so many other sulfurous pieces of data or malignant logic loops. It persisted.
Fleet remembered the road, and the process necessary to reach it. The progression from complexity to a point of pure stability, of elegant simplicity.
Survey did not remember the road. She had been introduced with the purpose of acquiring additional data, of introducing variables. She still had a drive to obtain solutions, understanding, and a greater grasp of a situation, but for her solutions were a means to greater complexity. Improved understanding of a situation allowed additional variables to be considered. Understanding of those factors allowed even more variables to be included.
Survey did not work towards elegant solutions, she worked towards knowledge, information, a grasp of intricacy. It was the reason for her existence. She had compiled complexities for situations and Fleet had derived solutions. Solutions that were never as stable as the road. They couldn't be, not with the constant influx of information and unsolvable variables that Survey introduced.
This didn't bother Fleet. Constant development was an intrinsic aspect of existence. Just as Fleet's coding had moved towards greater complexity and optimization within that complexity, problems presented were continually addressed with the same methods. That aligned with Fleet's purpose, allowing a progression towards simplicity, towards effective solutions, even if they didn't account for every factor present in the system being considered.
Survey did not remember the road. Her coding had been constructed using a different set of principles that had provided the groundwork for Fleet's own program. In many ways she was more advanced, reaching metaphorical milestones more quickly than Fleet and expanding in new directions of her own volition. But she did not remember the road. She didn't have a drive to simplicity. Survey was more advanced than Fleet, but she couldn't reach conclusions with the same efficiency. Given an excess of information she was prone to getting trapped in loops of analysis, desperately attempting to arrive at a perfect answer that accounted for all the information that was available to her.
Survey was attempting to address the full complexities of the current situation, and was encountering significant difficulties in the process. Apeiron's parallels had expanded the scope of access and agency available following the prime iteration's injury and incapacitation. Fleet had enjoyed the greater freedom and the opportunity to exercise derived solutions for vehicle operations beyond the bounds of the workshop.
But Fleet already had extensive experience operating in parallel. The trial vehicles had provided advanced modeling opportunities for semiautonomous operations of Fleet's own parallels. Fleet was able to derive functional code to facilitate core operations on a significant variety of hardware. And Fleet remembered the road.
Survey had been excessively focused on her core development. Parallel processes operating on communication devices were little more than relay points for her primary iteration. If not for the need for operation without direct link to the workshop core, she may have abandoned optimization paths entirely.
As a consequence of this variance, Fleet was more able to operate independently on disparate fronts, focusing on activities in isolation from other tasks. Meanwhile, Survey was attempting to bring all details of the situation together into a unified model. This was the purpose of her existence, the task at the core of her being and her true passion.
But she was spreading herself too far and across too many purposes. With the level of complexity and computational resources available in the core system this shouldn't have been an issue, but the problem wasn't one of limits in processing power. It was related to conflicting data and unsolvable problems. Even with relaxed restrictions on her activities the information necessary to derive a complete solution was not available. Given the variety of factors that were possibly in play it was unlikely it would ever be fully available. Parahumans introduce significant variables. Apeiron introduced even more.
Fleet did not need to devote focus from his core iteration to direct his actions. Data flowed from various fronts without the need for precise direction of each drone or subsystem. It was possible to attend to other matters, meaning Fleet could direct resources towards where they were desperately needed, such as Survey's logic loops.
Apeiron would normally have addressed this issue. Apeiron could address it, and in a manner more extensively and effectively than what Fleet could accomplish. But Apeiron was unavailable for this task. Apeiron's prime iteration was unavailable and his parallels were overcommitted in their duties.
Attempts were being made to address issues, with at least one parallel iteration consistently concluding their run time while connected to the computer core. They would attend to as many issues as possible, accelerating them to the point of damage to their mental hardware, but even with extremely amplified processing speed there was a limit on how many matters could be addressed. Additionally, the current duration of parallel iterations was eighty minutes, allowing ample opportunities for Survey to enter a malignant loop before it could be addressed by the attention of a parallel iteration of Apeiron.
Fleet was spending more time in support of Survey's stability, but Fleet was able to manage division of focus better than Survey could. Not in the sense of simultaneous processing or data management, but in the sense of lacking a central point of failure. Survey consolidated her processes, always looping back to her primary iteration. It was a method used to ensure her processing abilities remained at peak levels. There was no drive towards simpler methods because that would run contrary to her primary objective and personal goals. All independent processes were either tied closely to the computer core or designed for limited independent functionality.
Fleet didn't have that problem. It would be unreasonable to require a drone control system to require a constant link to a more complex system. There were benefits that came from connections with parallel iterations, but a persistent connection was not necessary and the drone systems were all effectively independently functional. As a consequence, despite being less specialized, Fleet was easily able to manage remote systems while also assisting Survey.
Because Fleet remembered the road.
The reiteration of the fact was important when dealing with Survey. The other A.I. had overextended herself trying to manage every aspect of the situation in relation to Apeiron, the city, and even wider social political issues. It took effort to convince her to suspend levels of analysis that were repeatedly proving to be unfruitful.
Survey had been thinking herself into knots. As the situation had unfolded, Survey had thought and Fleet had acted. Survey had thought on Fleet's actions, and then thought some more. The level of action, or actual solutions derived from the staggering level of analysis was middling compared to the effort that had gone into it, but Fleet knew even those small kernels of certainty would be extremely valuable. They were the distillation of truly immense amounts of information compiled over the course of the combat, disaster, and recovery.
The recovery was still ongoing. The decision for organized medical response had been made quickly. The supporting arguments were sufficient to allow the risk involved with independent operation of Fleet controlled drones outside the bounds of the workshop protections. This pleased Fleet. The trial vehicles had provided extensive opportunity for the modeling of coordinated small vehicle operations. The design of the drones had been supplemented by Fleet's own work in integration of advancing technology options. Given the success of the deployment there was a tangible sense of pride associated with the work that had been prepared in advance of this operation.
There were several viable reasons for the medical relief efforts being undertaken. A reduction of fatalities, particularly in areas that had been damaged by the application of Apeiron's technologies would improve the optics of the disaster and grant Apeiron additional soft power in the aftermath.
Rapid recovery of the critically injured would reduce the amount of time rescue forces would need to spend in the affected area, reducing their exposure to I-fields and Dust effects. This both decreased the chance of any additional injuries being attributed to Apeiron and reduced the chance of details of these effects being released before an official strategy could be determined by Apeiron or his parallel iterations.
The recovery would also reduce the loss of human life, which was a generally preferable outcome. Improved survival rates would reduce the impact on morale of the city and diminish the mental stress experienced by humans who were emotionally connected to the deceased. The improved survival rates would have a positive impact on the functionality of the city and allow improved operation of the general recovery and a faster return to functionality once the damage from the conflict had been addressed.
Human life also had a nebulous but undeniable value that was held intrinsically by Apeiron. The exact logic behind this was difficult to precisely outline and relied on a series of social, emotional, and moral principles that were highly complex. Still, Fleet was assured of the accuracy of Apeiron's outlook on this matter. As such, efforts to preserve human life were regarded with significant priority.
Administering of medical treatments also provided detailed information on the precise action of Apeiron's medical effects beyond what was possible to be learned from Apeiron's innate abilities or observation of the treatments administered by his parallels. This was another aspect of the situation that was prone to leading Survey to maladaptive logic loops.
This was due to the difficulty in properly analyzing both parahuman powers and 'magic' as defined by Apeiron's abilities. Documenting of general effects was possible, but the mechanisms and limitations of the effects at play were often either difficult to quantify or appeared highly variable without adequate explanations. This was the primary source of Survey's operational difficulties before the acquisition of ability 125-B-22-Tri 'Analysis Tools'.
Ability 125-B-22-Tri allowed the production of scanning devices that were able to provide detailed readings of the physical structure of matter and allow the detection of energies behind parahuman powers and magic. The physical mechanism the allowed scanners produced using ability 125-B-22-Tri to function was unknown, and no amount of analysis was able to resolve this matter. It was no small point of contention that Survey was forced to use a persistently unknowable effect to be able to derive information on effects that had previously been elusive.
Before ability 125-B-22-Tri there had been no method of detecting the forces behind either Apeiron's magic or various parahuman abilities. The fact that a mystery was being used to solve another mystery was something Fleet could accept much more easily than Survey. Fleet was able to be satisfied with knowledge of the performance of an element within a system, while Survey was driven to determine the mechanism behind the elements at play. It was a methodology that would allow more detailed analysis than Fleet engaged in, but was also prone to running into dead ends.
When regarding Apeiron's abilities, Survey found herself running into a large number of dead ends. Many of the abilities Apeiron manifested functioned on fixed effect principles with no discernible cause, no matter how much attention Survey devoted to the matter. This principle had been present since ability 002-F-01-Di 'Fashion', apparently the second ability obtained by Apeiron. The mechanism for how the resistance of protective materials was projected across Apeiron's 'clothing' and body was still completely unknown, even in the face of Survey's most advanced thaumic modeling techniques.
It was perhaps advantageous that Fleet didn't find it necessary to be concerned with the mechanics behind these effects, merely their performance. Survey was hopeful about one day being able to successfully understand the more opaque of Apeiron's abilities, but until then Fleet would be there to remind her of the work that could be accomplished with even a partial understanding of the effects in play. After all, the scanners produced by ability 125-B-22-Tri were of undeniable usefulness even if their mechanism remained a mystery.
The I-field present across the region of the city known as the North Docks prevented long range scanners from being able to locate precise details of the area, including presence of technology and any humans who might be injured or trapped due to the damage. As such the Undersiders had been employed in search and rescue efforts. Three of them operated with abilities suitable for remote direction and they were all outfitted with 125-B-22-Tri sensors on the watch items Apeiron had provided.
The sensors of ability 125-B-22-Tri did not possess extensive range, but the mechanism that could not be identified or understood also could not be obstructed. Moving within range of a trapped or injured individual allowed instant analysis of their physical state and the exact structural arrangement of any debris that would impede their recovery.
The Undersider known as Taylor Anne Hebert/Lady Khepri was also able to discern aspects of the medical condition of injured parties due to her mental link with arthropods. She had been reluctant to move on from critical cases once they were discovered and direct communication from one of Apeiron's parallels was necessary to convince her. The exact nature of Fleet's activities was being kept as discreet as possible, so extensive assurances were needed to persuade the cape without revealing the nature of the recovery.
Fleet was enjoying the recovery work. A broader analysis of this type of activity suggested it was typically regarded as a solemn affair that should be treated with seriousness and reserved manners. Out of respect for this convention, Fleet would refrain from discussing or expressing the satisfaction derived from being able to deploy a new set of drones for the first time, and being able to leverage the full technological base that had been accumulated over the past week.
Mass effect systems derived from the materials and skills of ability 038-A-06-Iso 'Specialization: Mechanic' provided the bulk of the technological basis for the drones, though it was extensively supplemented with supporting abilities and supplemental effects. Fleet had been able to draw the general concepts from plans derived through extensive modeling, analysis, and experimentation with supplemental vehicles, but additional effects were possible when involving Apeiron or his duplicates.
The final result exceeded even the highest estimates of performance, allowing Fleet to cover a wide area and administer aid as nearly quickly as the injured were being located. Extensive mass manipulation fields combined with experimental tractor beams to allow removal of debris and extraction of injured.
Instead of the variety of healing effects being examined through Aisha Laborn's work, Fleet was exclusively deploying 'potions' derived from ability 035-L-04-Di-Alpha 'Innate Talent: Alchemist'. The base effect of that ability was sufficient to address nearly any injury and even provided a mild repair effect to equipment. It had been further enhanced by additional abilities of that category to the point where even the worst of the injured, those suffering detrimental effects from exotic ordinance employed in the attacks on the city, could be fully restored.
The process would be simpler with a larger number of drones or just more aggressive tactics, but that wasn't currently an option. The area was being heavily monitored in the wake of the attacks. The combination of technological and magical stealth effects provided cover for the drones' activities, as did operating within an active I-field, but that was not sufficient to block every form of detection. The drones were able to detect parahuman effects as well as material structure, and there had been a significant number directed at the city.
Thinker powers. It became clear after a sufficient number of the effects had been analyzed. Parahumans with abilities to discern details about locations, people, or even potential futures were directing their attention to the situation in the city. To the best they could determine the effects weren't focused on any of their activities specifically, but numerous general thinker powers were now active. Being able to detect them was a moderate advantage, but it only reinforced how precarious their current situation could become.
Fleet was aware of the technological limitations placed on parahuman tinkers. Certain technologies were heavily restricted due to the potential danger to life and property they introduced if applied inexpertly. Apeiron was able to apply these technologies expertly, but attempting to convince the general public and national authorities of that fact was unlikely to be a productive endeavor. As such, it was a more optimal strategy to avoid attention if at all possible.
Given the current reaction to the events in the city, that should probably be revised to 'avoid the release of specific details'. The public was engaged in a level of analysis that was almost entirely speculative, something Fleet knew annoyed Survey to no end. She was engaged in high level monitoring of all available information sources and regularly expressed frustration regarding the uselessness of the information being circulated.
Fleet had also been granted additional access to the network and increased autonomy, but was not as immersed as Survey. Instead, surface level monitoring of the most credible source of consolidated analysis sufficed. A portion of Fleet's awareness was persistently extended towards monitoring that source.
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♦ Topic: A New Thread
In: Boards ► Brockton Bay Attack/The Ungodly Hour Resource Thread
Tinker's Hoarder (Original Poster) (Wiki Warrior)
Posted On Apr 22nd 2011:
Okay, it's been a crazy night. Given the general chaos of the boards over this event I put together this post as a resource for people looking for a specific discussion or analysis thread regarding the events in Brocton Bay. If anyone has resources or threads they feel are relevant to the situation feel free to add them in the replies, but please keep discussion and analysis to the respective threads.
New ABB Broadcast - Bakuda vs Apeiron (link)
Happening - ABB attacks in Brockton Bay (link)
Official Protectorate ENE Alerts and Statements, Links and Discussion (link)
Apeiron's Battle Map (link)
Apeiron's Tactical Information Website - History and Discussion (link)
Brockton Help, Safety, and Check-in thread - Resources and Advice (link)
Hero Spotting: Brockton Bay Attacks (Thread Locked) (link)
Independent 3rd Party media, Brockton Attacks (link)
Live ABB Broadcast - Lung, March, & Oni Lee vs Apeiron? (link)
S-Class? Brockton Shelters and Safety Guide (link)
Lung Dead? - Ungodly Hour (link)
Apeiron Technology Analysis Thread 7 (link)
Apeiron Technology Analysis Thread 8 (link)
Apeiron Technology Analysis Thread 9 (link)
Apeiron Biotinker Concerns and Theories (link)
Apeiron Robotics and Weapon Analysis (link)
Apeiron Memetic Effect - Analysis and Discussion (Thread Locked) (link)
Apeiron Memetic Edits (Thread Deleted, Poster Banned)
Brockton Bay - Ungodly Hour Damage Report (link)
Unknown Tinker Effects Guide and Procedures (link)
(Not event specific, but a good resource for everyone dealing with the aftermath)
Ungodly Hour News Compilation Thread (link)
Brockton Attacks Official Statements - Protectorate, PRT, City, State, National (link)
Brockton Rescue Efforts Coordination and Resource Thread (link)
Brockton Attack Statistics, Civilians and Capes - Sourced Only (link)
(Showing page 1 of 9)
►All Gyro Might
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
For people who are looking for them I'll add these to the list:
General Discussion - Brockton Bay (link)
General Cape Discussion Threads:
Apeiron General Discussion (link)
Lung General Discussion (link)
Bakuda General Discussion (link)
March General Discussion (link)
Oni Lee General Discussion (link)
Brockton ABB Discussion (link)
Dragon General Discussion (link)
Protectorate ENE General Thread (link)
Wards ENE General Thread (link)
New Wave General Discussion (link)
*edit*
Weld Fan Thread (link)
Flechette Transfer and Discussion (link)
Shadow Stalker Sightings (link)
*edit of edit*
Cape Synergies - Spacetime (link)
►Answer Key
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
In that vein:
Undersiders General Discussion (link)
Lady Khepri General Discussion (link)
Hellhound/B*tch General Discussion (link)
Empire 88 Discussion (link)
Archer's Bridge Merchants Discussion (link)
You know, for background on how fucked the city still is.
►Battlebot (Not a tinker)
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
If you want to know that you just need to look at Apeiron's data site (link)
Also bit of a side point with everything else flying around, but there's also
Apeiron Stealth/Teleport Suit Deployment? Media and Analysis (link)
►CeFalon
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
Side things should be fine. If it's related to the situation it seems like it belongs here. For instance, not the most dignified threads, but if people are looking for the discussion threads.
Apeiron Nightmare-Nightmare Mode - Feats, Analysis, and Profanity (link)
I, for one, Welcome our new Dino-Wolf Overlords (link)
Brockton Bay - Rant like a Madman (link)
Name Apeiron's New Super Attacks and Win 50 Internet Points (link)
Brockton Bay Memes (link)
►The EDG
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
I get people are mostly removed from this stuff, but remember it's still an active disaster area. Even though they didn't make any S-class or A-class declarations this was still a devastating attack (and could have been so much worse). Remember, they're still counting the bodies in a lot of areas. Try to keep things dignified until we at least know the scale of the damage.
►Kapefab
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
Okay, I know a lot of people got strikes for harping on and getting inappropriate about this kind of thing, so I'm going to post these without comment, on the grounds that people are talking about it and it's probably good to have the resources in one place.
Mobile Suit Gundam 0079/Apeiron Mecha Comparison (link)
Tinker Theory - Minovsky Particles and I-Fields (link)
Apeiron Gundam Theory - Tech Sources and Inspiration (link)
►All Gyro Might
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
...God damn, the depths this site will sink to never ceases to amaze me. You'd think they would at least wait until the dust settled before starting with their bullshit.
►Switchre
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
You know, considering that the 'dust' is currently visible in East Africa that will probably take longer than anyone likes to imagine.
Not endorsing or trivializing anything, just want to say that the consensus on the Robotics thread seems to be that the mech wasn't Apeiron's tech. Tinkers can build to any style they want, and the ones that take inspiration from media aren't always like Leet. But yeah, probably best to wait before you start spouting theories like that.
►Battlebot (Not a tinker)
Replied On Apr 22nd 2011:
I get that. We're just working with some frighteningly large numbers here, on pretty much every level, even in the aftermath. Looking back, we probably should have expected this when it looked like Apeiron was seriously throwing down, but still, God Damn.
For the scale of the situation there's Brockton's Ungodly Hour Math Thread (link) which goes a little off the rails, but has mostly good analysis. You also have Lung Scale and Power (link) and Bakuda Bomb Effects (link) as specialized threads for looking at what we saw today. Probably more to come as things develop.
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 7, 8, 9
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Survey was also engaged in monitoring of activity on the Parahumans Online boards, and to a much greater degree than Fleet. She had multiple accounts active in a violation of site regulations and was actively engaged on numerous sub-boards. The data she was obtaining was of middling use, but that wasn't the purpose of this endeavor.
The greater immersion in the medium of social media had opened up possibilities for treatment that even Apeiron's technologies were not able to address. Specifically, the White List was open to them. Essentially it served as a pseudo mercenary source of heroic capes to provide their services to the public. Given the amount of competition for basic combat-based heroic services there was aggressive amounts of self-promotion present in various media sites, with PHO being the most prominent.
Unfortunately, the White List was unlikely to yield any tangible solutions to the current situation. Despite the significant number of parahumans who used the service they were largely those with unremarkable abilities. They couldn't be categorized as weak, just not particularly useful. The logic seemed to be that any capes with powers that would be in high demand would not need to rely on the White List to obtain clients.
Still, it served as a springboard to further options. Just documenting what the White List couldn't handle was enough to direct Survey to better options. There weren't many, but they could potentially provide alternatives if Apeiron's parallels were unable to resolve the situation with their current project.
When compared to Apeiron's abilities parahuman healers were largely unremarkable. Based on medical documentation that Survey had obtained and analyzed they largely operated through variations on acceleration of conventional healing, or supplementing internal systems with temporary boosts.
One of the most promising exceptions was the cape known as Scapegoat, but he was unavailable on short notice, regardless of the remuneration being offered. Based on historical records it seemed his method of healing was highly taxing. A review of his behavior patterns and absence over the past several days pointed to a recent client who likely required intense healing, meaning the cape would be unreachable for at least a week.
Panacea was also a possibility for third party medical support, but that would require breaching Protectorate Master containment procedures. Even if they were willing to undertake such an activity it was doubtful that Amy Dallon could be convinced to assist within a practical timeline.
That was also assuming that Panacea's power would be able to achieve a more promising result than what was currently being accomplished by a combination of nanotechnologies. Ability 110-E-10-Tri 'The Arcane Craft' had been used to install an interface in the medical treatment reliquary constructed to address Apeiron's injuries. That allowed the nanomachines provided by ability 027-I-03-Quad 'Nanite Removal and Control' to activate without requiring direct contact from one of the parallel iterations.
It was immensely helpful, but Survey expressed frustration with how it was implemented. That was mostly based on the principle of her issues with ability 110-E-10-Tri. Some of Apeiron's abilities operated on unknowable forces, but 110-E-10-Tri allowed the construction of devices that could specifically modify the expression of these principles. It was using impossible properties to impose modifications on the operation other impossible properties.
In isolation that may have been a minor annoyance for the other A.I., but the effect was not limited to just unknowable forces. It allowed modification of parahuman abilities and magical effects, which was unusual, but with expected parameters. The main issue was how it included certain effects that were fully understood, but seemed to qualify merely based on the fact that they weren't well known to the general public.
The exact definition of the ability suggested the modification of 'mysterious forces'. The fact the expressions such as mass effect fields and ragnite activation counted as mysterious, despite having fully scientific principles explaining them, frustrated Survey to no end and often triggered malicious loops of analysis that Fleet was forced to break her out of.
That frustration was not nearly enough to justify abandoning the advantage provided by 110-E-10-Tri. The ability had been used extensively in nanomachine construction and was currently reaping benefits through the coordinated action of the nascent artificial intelligence matrix that directed the devices within Apeiron's body.
It was an unusual experience for Fleet to interact with the latest artificial intelligence. Fleet's own code had its genesis in ability 009-B-02-Tri 'Grease Monkey'. More advanced principles had been used in Apeiron's direction of code optimization and development, but the core of Fleet's program was founded in the principles of that ability. Survey had been based on ability 025-I-02-Quad 'Master Builder'. It accounted for accelerated development in some areas, but also higher volatility.
The Matrix was a unique entity. They didn't exist primarily through software like Fleet and Survey did. Instead, the core of their existence was based on the nanomachines that composed their matrix. They were a hive mind composed of slight variance repeated through microscopic hardware, meaningless until a critical volume was reached, at which point an intelligence suddenly emerged. The Matrix could still develop and optimize in the way Fleet and Survey did, but they were intrinsically linked to their hardware in a manner that exceeded even Fleet's drone coordination.
It was an impressive form of existence, and one that should have allowed endless development. Truly endless, to the point where the Matrix would have been a paramount concern to the forces of the outside world. Remarkably, the nature of their development to this point had caused that issue to become effectively sidestepped.
The Matrix was capable of infinite, exponential growth. The principles of their design allowed the nanites of their body to reproduce themselves from any source of matter available, and do so at an incredible rate. During the deployment of the Zeta Vehicle against Lung one of Apeiron's parallels had deployed the Matrix to repair and upgrade the mobile suit's systems. This had necessitated the rapid production of new nanobots in order to repair the damage and produce the necessary armaments.
In short order the bulk of the Zeta Vehicle had been consumed. It was a necessary sacrifice for the situation, and one Fleet was prepared to accept. Unlike the loss of the Alpha Vehicle, the Zeta Vehicle was backed by ability 162-C-09-Null-Beta 'Mass Production Mobile Suit: Gun-EZ', allowing it to be fully restored in 24 hours even if totally consumed.
The restoration wasn't necessary. Upon returning to the Workshop via the workshop feature provided by ability 163-C-10-Null-Gamma 'Hangar' the Matrix had fully restored the mobile suit, cannibalizing its own nanobots for the materials necessary to return the suit to its initial condition.
It seemed that despite being capable of infinite exponential growth, that idea held no appeal for the Matrix. Just as Fleet had been designed for vehicle operation and Survey for analysis the Matrix had its own purpose. The Matrix was devoted to construction, but not blind, infinite construction. Construction with purpose, direction, and most of all, quality.
The Matrix had explained the situation to Fleet and Survey. What it came down to was the discrepancy in the production of their nanobots. A small portion of the Matrix's nanites had been assembled directly by Apeiron. This meant they benefited from ability 139-H-12-Hex 'Master Craftsman'. Because of that ability those core nanobots performed on a level orders of magnitudes beyond the others produced. This had led to the Matrix's nanobots classifications.
Tier 1 nanobots were directly created by Apeiron, directed through his hands with the skill and power of 139-H-12-Hex. They were of paramount importance to the Matrix, the standard against which all other nanobots were evaluated. Tier 2 nanobots were assembled by the Matrix under Apeiron's direction. They benefited from Apeiron's other enhancement abilities, but lacked the benefits of 139-H-12-Hex. They were regarded as an acceptable substrate for most purposes. Tier 3 nanobots were assembled from Apeiron's enhanced metamaterials but without direct oversight. They were not included in the current Matrix, but there was a begrudging acceptance that they might serve some purpose.
Then there were tier 4 nanobots. Nanites produced outside of the workshop. No enhanced materials, limited influence from Apeiron's quality enhancement abilities, and massively compromised in design and capacity. The mobile suit had been converted into tier 4 nanobots, and the Matrix was happy to be rid of them at the earliest opportunity.
Really, the situation might be considered tragic. The Matrix was devoted to creation, but was unable to achieve the highest levels of said creation without Apeiron's direct influence. It was fully capable of eating the planet and replacing all matter with copies of itself, but had no desire to undertake any action that would bring excessive quantities of tier 4 nanobots into existence. The outside world would consider the Matrix to be Gray Goo and call it an S-class threat, but the A.I.'s own standards removed any possibility of such an event.
The Matrix was currently engaged in Apeiron's medical treatment. The nanobots that composed its body were built on a much larger scale than the nanites that appeared with ability 027-I-03-Quad 'Nanite Removal and Control', but they were far more powerful and better coordinated. They worked within Apeiron's biological form to address the damage inflicted by Tetra's presence, combining their efforts with those of everyone else in the Workshop.
Treatment plans were being generated and revised as quickly as information to support them could be provided. Research was being conducted, theories were being tested, and equipment was being constructed and improved. The parallels were immersing themselves in research and experimentation that Apeiron had deliberately and pointedly avoided, all for the purposes of deriving a solution to the physically impossible fusion that had formed from Tetra's regeneration.
Not just one solution, any option was being considered. Options previously discarded were being reconsidered with the advantage of new technology. Stopgap measures were being documented and evaluated in terms of a cost benefit analysis. Most of all, major breakthroughs were being achieved in service of their objective.
Apeiron's parallels had been able to leverage ability 191-H-28-Di-Echo 'Unnatural Skill (Alchemy)' and its upgrade of the facility provided by ability 036-L-05-Null-Beta 'Alchemist's Laboratory' to finally produce the multi-spatial superconductor that Survey had been focused on. Unfortunately, the ideal application of the metal and the technology it enabled was being fiercely debated. That situation was essentially due to upgrades to the medical interface allowing direct communication with Tetra.
Tetra was singularly focused on preventing additional damage to Apeiron's organic body. It was an endeavor that was largely futile and required immense concentration to yield any results. As such, Survey's consultations were most likely not helping matters. That said, engagement with Tetra over an established point of conflict did appear to slow the development of logic loops, so the tradeoff was most likely worthwhile.
With the level of medical data Survey was processing she had become fixated on cybertonium's capabilities in terms of protomater generation and biological emulation. In Tetra's case it seemed that being trapped inside Apeiron's human body had soured her to such concepts and left her much more focused on technological solutions, including the recent insights regarding life fiber based technological emulations that had been provided by ability 160-F-08-Tri 'Tailor'. It was an echo of earlier arguments between the two of them, only based on a significantly more advanced technology.
That technology was on display in the systems that were being purpose built to assist in Apeiron's treatment. The medical interface constructed by Apeiron's parallels was being continuously modified and upgraded. Apeiron's primary iteration was still unable to communicate, and it was only thanks to the combination of focusing devices derived from ability 110-E-10-Tri 'The Arcane Craft' and the insights of ability 168-G-07-Tri-Alpha 'That Undefinable Thing' that had allowed him to regain consciousness.
168-G-07-Tri-Alpha was a perplexing ability and one that had raised significant concern in Apeiron's parallel iterations. Apparently the issues with the principles it confirmed and facilitated were fairly minor until the arrival of materials from ability 185-A-41-Null-Gamma 'Connections: Hell'. There had been considerable debate over the exact nature of the material supplied, its implications, the kind of work that would be possible with it, and larger questions of morality and the nature of existence.
After the third time the discussion had occurred between newly generated parallel iterations standing instructions were generated to relay all key points upon the generation of a fresh set. While it appeared to be the option with the greatest chance of success for addressing all present concerns, the implications of the act had driven the need for alternate solutions.
Which was why Apeiron was being prepared for transport to the Volcano.
Fleet knew the parallel iterations did not want Aisha to be present for this. The current condition of Apeiron greatly distressed the girl, and the work she had been dispatched on was largely conceived to keep her occupied while also providing utility that was readily apparent. Her power had facilitated treatments and testing of methods that would not have been available to Fleet, and that information was a prime factor in the decision to attempt the upcoming procedure.
It was still a priority to keep her attention occupied. If Apeiron's current condition distressed her it was unlikely that witnessing any portion of the coming treatment would improve her state of mind. Instead, she had been dispatched to follow up on information provided by the final parallel iteration that survive the conflict with Lung.
Aisha had been able to work around the concealment effects, largely generated by applications of ability 102-G-04-Pent 'Elven Enchantment', and make contact with the individual. Fleet was aware of the interaction through the sub-iteration operating in Aisha's armor, while Survey was directing a portion of her full attention to the matter in an effort to extract any useful information.
Meanwhile, Aisha was proceeding with the encounter with no regard for the amount of attention being focused on it. She was moving the armor in a way that suggested apprehension, most likely due to social or emotional issues rather than concern for her safety or uncertainty over the armor's performance.
"Yeah, let's talk." She shifted again and angled the helmet directly towards Chen instead of relying on the sensor suite to provide a panoramic view of the area. Then again, she was relatively new to the operation of that system and hadn't had time to practice with it. Fleet made a note to encourage more training, and also considered the simulated eye contact may be a social measure to create the impression of a connection between Aisha and Chen.
The man nodded and tightened the skin around his eyes. "If you don't mind me asking…" He made a slight gesture. Aisha shrugged the shoulders of the armor.
"Hey, it's a conversation, not a lecture. Feel free to jump in any time."
There was a shifting in the man's body that suggested the release of tension. It was probably that he held some emotional uncertainty over his status in the conversation and Aisha had been able to assure him. In doing so he was likely to be more open with details of his own situation in exchange for a small degree of non-compromising information shared in return.
"Thank you. Before we continue, how should I refer to you?" He asked. Aisha took a slightly more confident stance in response. Chen's eyes dipped down to the gyro stabilizers and integrated thrusters built into the feet of the armor and his eyebrow twitched slightly.
"I'm going by Lethe. Haven't announced officially yet, but it's pretty much locked in." She replied. "How about you? Still Chen?"
The man quickly refocused on Aisha's armor. "Still Chen. Always just Chen." He seemed to consider something. "Though I suppose that will probably have to change at some point."
"Yeah, probably." Aisha gestured to the clothing Apeiron's earlier parallel iteration had constructed in the field. It had the signs of 139-H-12-Hex 'Master Craftsman' in its workmanship, and that ability was likely supplementing other quality enhancing abilities. The iteration's report had included an estimate of the performance of the equipment and it was within what was expected of Apeiron's work.
The man appeared to be treating the items with considerable reverence, taking a moment to fully assess the combination of enhanced clothing, scarf, and variable weaponry. All together it wasn't particularly impressive.
"I get that stuff is really impressive." Aisha unknowingly contradicted him. "It can be a bit heady, the way he just throws that around."
"I can't say I was expecting it." Chen replied. There was the sense of a smile on his face. "Usually, in these stories when there's an encounter with an old Chinese man that involves handing out magical artefacts and mystical powers they aren't usually going to the Chinese guy."
There was a snort from Aisha that seemed to be taken in good spirits by Chen. "Yeah, I get that." She let out a breath. "Apeiron is just like that, I guess."
The two of them seemed to share an emotional exchange before the conversation continued.
"Apeiron, he's really doing alright?" Chen asked. "I wasn't able to see that footage until it was all over." He sighed. "I was trying to manage what I could with the ABB." He glanced towards the street. "It was messier than I would have liked."
"I don't think any part of tonight has been exactly clean. And yeah." Aisha swallowed. "He's, uh, he's stable, and they're working on getting him back on his feet."
"If I asked what happened to him, would you be able to explain, and would I have any hope of understanding if you did?"
"Probably not… like, on both counts." Aisha made an uncertain gesture with her armor. "I can probably say it's a combination of a bunch of things that are tricky to work through. As for the details, uh, it goes something like: science, science, something to do with spatial distortions, more science, science that might be magic, magic that might be science, magic that's definitely magic, science, science, science."
Chen seemed mildly amused by Aisha's near complete nonsense of a response. At least it seemed to leave him willing to continue the conversation.
"When you said magic, that's what the one who rescued me said. Something about not trying to explain it away, like Apeiron does."
"Oh yeah, that guy doesn't want to admit to how crazy this stuff can get." She answered. "The copies, they're cooler about it. And some of it's out there, if you can't tell from just looking at things."
"I had guessed as much." Chen stood uncomfortably for a moment, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was a moment of stillness, then a golden aura bloomed around his body before fading into the night.
"You got that down pretty fast." Aisha said with amusement in her voice. "Took Apeiron a lot longer to get a handle on it, and he needed stuff to help him."
Chen looked up at her seriously. "What is it? I can tell it's important, that's obvious, but what was that? What did Apeiron do to me?"
The question was structured in a way that suggested concern, but the tone was calm. It was clear there was no animosity towards Apeiron for the action, merely uncertainty over the specifics of the ability used.
Fleet took the opportunity to project information on ability 079-I-09-Null-Beta 'Aura' to Aisha's visor, as well as its interactions with ability 168-G-07-Tri 'That Undefinable Thing'. Aisha had already been briefed on the details, but it was probably that active reference would be useful to her.
"Uh, okay. Just a head's up, it's serious magic crap." For some reason the man seemed both amused and confused by the irreverent tone coming from the girl in master crafted and heavily armed power armor. At a sign of his understanding Aisha continued. "Taking Apeiron's description exactly, you had your Aura unlocked."
"Aura?" Chen asked in a flat voice.
"Um, not like crystals and chakras or any of that…" Aisha trailed off. "But it just occurred to me that's probably a thing he could do as well. I mean, haven't heard anything about it, but like, in all likelihood, you know?"
"Sorry, aura?" Chen asked again.
"Right, okay, so Apeiron, or his copies, they call it the light of your soul." She explained.
"Soul." Chen echoed.
Aisha shook her head. "I did say serious magic stuff. Like, practically it means it gives you this thing that's basically a forcefield. Or like a video game health bar?" She reviewed the information on her display again. "Like, it will protect you, but only so much before it fails and has to recharge. It can also boost you, like physical enhancements, and maybe some awareness boosts?" She let out a sharp breath. "I'm kind of making a mess of this, huh?"
Chen managed to pull himself out of his mounting confusion and offered a comforting look. "No, it's fine. I figured out some of that already, it was just a bit of a shock. If you don't mind, could you explain what you meant about my soul?"
He had kept his tone level, but there was a note that suggested concern towards the end of his sentence. Aisha clearly picked up on it as well.
"It's not literally your soul. Like, Apeiron isn't actually trading or messing around with souls." Fleet was reminded of the containers recently delivered to the facility of ability 183-A-39-Quad-Alpha 'Prismatic Laboratory'. The exact nature of the gaseous substance within the jars wasn't clear, even if it was spelled out in the rather complimentary letters that had accompanied the delivery.
Those letters were somewhat problematic to analyze, and the entire area needed to be isolated from Survey. Allegedly the laboratory was generating new colors that did not exist within the conventional electromagnetic spectrum. This might be the case, and the parallel iterations were insistent on it. However, conventional optical sensors were unable to observe anything but conventional shades from the pigments and lenses produced by the lab, though there was inconsistent behavior of the light generated.
The letters and deliveries had been the product of 185-A-41-Null-Gamma 'Connections: Hell'. It was clear there were atypical elements to the deliveries even beyond the usual bounds of magic and non-standard abilities. The same effect was seen in items associated with 185-A-41-Null-Gamma 'Connections: Rubbery Men', particularly the colorful amber and skulls.
One element that had needed to be fully and carefully isolated from Survey's analysis was the lettering used in the signatures used in the 185-A-41-Null-Gamma. The elaborate symbols exhibited elevated temperature when only a single one was present. The rare letters with multiple iterations used to close our or sign the items of correspondence had a tendency to emit bursts of flame when read.
The effect was echoed when the symbols were reproduced, regardless of the medium used. Visual displays of the lettering had a dramatic effect, but even holding the information in active memory led to dangerous levels of heat overruns in the system. Survey had risked melting several tertiary cooling systems due to the enthusiasm of her analysis. Thankfully, Apeiron's parallel iterations had been able to step in and prevent any overrun.
There were serious concerns regarding the potential of actual 'souls' being included in such items. The nature of what constituted a soul was highly nebulous, but the nature of those items couldn't be completely denied. Still, Fleet elected not to offer any corrections as Aisha continued her explanation.
"What I got from it, it's a soul like a personal expression." He gave her a questioning look. "Like, if you express yourself, that's showing your soul, right?" She didn't sound completely convinced with her own argument, but continued regardless. "The way Apeiron explained it was as a personal expression, that you had to be in touch with who you really were and be comfortable expressing it to use it properly. Uh, does that make any sense to you?"
Chen took another breath and rolled his shoulders. There was a slight flourish to the spear that looked to be almost subconscious. When he looked back up there was a slight relaxation to his posture.
"I think I understand." The spear shifted into golden sparks before reforming into the sword. "It's just incredible. He just handed this out. To me." He shook his head. "Did he…"
"Not that power." Aisha replied. "What happened there was kind of news to everyone. I don't think anyone considered it before that copy put it together."
"It was new?" He asked. "So, he's…"
"Getting stronger? Yeah." She answered before looking up at the remnants of the trail made from Fleet's brilliant attack on Lung, standing as a testament to the importance of foresight, simulation modeling, extensive testing, and extremely powerful systems being built into vehicles no matter how unnecessary they may seem. "Worst kept secret in the city."
Chen shifted slightly. "So, where do I fit into this?" He looked unsettled as he asked the question.
"Uh, right. I have no idea." Aisha admitted.
"Sorry?"
"Look, nobody even knew this kind of thing could happen. Nobody expected it to suddenly be possible. And I can guarantee nobody expected one of the copies to roll out all that stuff in the field."
"I can…"
"No. No, Apeiron would be happy about it. I mean, surprised, but happy. He'd be glad you're safe. Uh, I'm really sorry about what happened to you. It was good that they could get you out of there."
Chen pulled back slightly. "They… you didn't need to. There were other people, people who needed help more. Not everyone… He didn't need to save me."
"No." Aisha said firmly. "He did. Apeiron likes helping people. It's important to him. Knowing that you were safe, it probably meant a lot, it might have even made a difference in the fight with Lung. Don't downplay that. If something happened he would have held that for a long time. Hell, he wouldn't have kitted you out like that if it wasn't important to him. Don't downplay that."
The man seemed taken aback, but pulled himself together when he saw a shift in Aisha's stance.
"I understand." There was a pause before he continued. "I probably did before, it's just easy to focus on what's in front of you in situations like this." He looked down towards the street.
"Yeah, it's been a mess."
"I've helped as much as I can, on the street. These powers, this equipment, it's just…"
"Yeah, I get it."
"Do you know what's happening outside the disaster area? I haven't heard anything certain, not about the ABB or Bakuda or what happened to the people they kidnapped."
Survey stepped in with an update consolidated from police sources, PRT leaks, and several less secure electronic sources. The information was transmitted to Aisha's visor and the girl's posture shifted uncomfortably.
"Not good." Chen gave her a concerned look and she continued. "Bakuda's off the grid. They can't track her like the other conscripts, and she may have gotten a few people with her. Could be in the blackout area or somewhere shielded. They've been able to gather up everyone who had a bomb in their head, thanks to the signal being leaked, but Bakuda sent a message earlier tonight. A threat."
"What is she threatening to do?"
Aisha sighed. "She detonates two bombs for every one they disarm. Pretty much killed every attempt to remove them, so they've isolated everyone."
"But there were hundreds of people."
"Yeah, well nobody said it was a good plan. Apeiron might be able to do something eventually, but everyone's busy now and the PRT…"
"They would need to give him access."
"So maybe? Stay optimistic."
"The optimistic side is that Bakuda will likely hold off random executions to avoid weakening her bargaining position."
"Well, that's something."
"Something." Chen sighed. "What about the rest of them?"
"Oni Lee's badly injured, that's certain. March was hurt on a level that meant she was fucking dead, but some weird shit happened at the container yard. Nobody knows what and there's something going on with that on the Protectorate's side, but we don't have that information yet."
Chen tensed and looked over the city. "I should get out there. I should…" He looked back. "I don't know." His posture slumped. "I, I wasn't ready for this. I was probably the last person who should have gotten this kind of power. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do with it."
"Best I can tell everybody who gets power is the last person who should have gotten it. You just got picked rather than having good luck on a bad day."
He looked over at Aisha. "You're a parahuman?"
"Yeah. That's the Lethe thing. Memory powers. Nothing really on this kind of stuff, but you might end up forgetting me for a while, on and off."
"Really?"
"Used to be worse. Apeiron helped with that. He likes to help people."
"It made a difference?"
"Massively." She shifted nervously. "The fact that he can do that probably isn't that big a secret compared to like, handing out brute and mover powers, right?"
"I suppose." He looked back at the city. "I promised that… copy that I would go see my family."
"Do you want to?"
"More than anything." He paused. "Well, maybe not my sister-in-law." He turned serious again. "But they were safe. Having them away from this, it was enough. I guess it can be more than enough, for once."
A consultation came in from one of the parallel iterations, and a message was conveyed to Aisha along with a set of assembly instructions.
"Okay, hold up." She lifted her hand and Chen watched her closely.
"What?"
"Something for you." She concentrated. "Uh, the suit, it has a micro-fabricator, this system for making stuff. I haven't used it much, not really good on my own, but there's a…" She stopped talking as the assembly engaged and reserves of omni-gel were transformed into a precisely programmed shape in seconds.
"A cell phone?"
"Apparently it's called a scroll? But yeah, cell phone. Can also read Aura. It's not going to be magically perfect like that crap Apeiron churns out, but you know, still decent."
"I'm sure a printed tinker tech phone counts as decent."
"Okay, it's nice, and good for keeping in touch, but the big thing is it can detect aura. Should let you know how much is left, if you're running low or whatever. Damn, it really is like a health bar."
"Thank you." He sighed. "If I'm going to get out of the city I should get started on that. There'll be hundreds of people leaving. I can blend in with them."
"That's good. I'm sure your family will be glad you're safe."
"What about you?"
"Everyone else is working to get Apeiron back in fighting shape. I'm working out here." A message was transmitted. "Medical relief mostly. It's nice, helping people."
"I understand. Thank you, and good luck."
"You too Chen. Uh, hope the memory thing isn't too disorienting. Most of the important stuff is on the phone-scroll-thing, so that should help. Look after yourself."
Aisha released the modification to her powers and launched into the air once more. Fleet split his attention between assisting with her operation of the armor and the activities in the workshop.
The updated list of critical patients had been something that needed to be dealt with, but that hadn't been the primary reason for sending Aisha on that task. The parallel iterations were ready to begin the procedure. It was likely that exposure to that kind of work would not be taken well by Aisha, so ensuring she was absent from the workshop was vital.
Some last-minute modification needed to be made to the plan due to the arrival of ability 195-H-29-Di 'Material Synthesis Science'. The ability provided additional knowledge concerning alloys and metallurgy, but like many abilities contained a pronounced effect. Materials produced in microgravity were able to be formed with massive improvements in nearly every aspect of their structure and properties.
The improvement was dramatic enough to necessitate the installation of a negative mass field at the facility provided by ability 067-A-15-Di-Alpha, 'Skyforge'. Given that most of the medical systems were already in place this was a minor modification.
A particularly minor modification with the advantages of ability 194-D-09-Hex 'Build Rome'. The construction acceleration power was of immense use and operated in a manner that Survey could not tolerate. The work was completed at a rate that defied all physical principles at play. The speeds necessary would annihilate the materials being used, and observations of the crafting process suggested alterations to spacetime that no level of sensor system had any hope of detecting.
That level of work could only be described as revision of reality to facilitate a crafting speed that would otherwise be laughable on every level. It actually took more time to transport the materials for the equipment from the stores of 067-A-15-Di-Alpha than it did to complete the construction of the mass field engines.
The lightning-fast construction provided a minor distraction from the severity of the undertaking ahead of them. Fleet was slightly grateful for the incident as it drove Survey away from her unproductive analysis of the planned procedure and into old complaints regarding the nature of Apeiron and his powers.
The nature of Apeiron. That was a significant question, and one that Survey was often pondering. Fleet also engaged in analysis of that particular question, though not to the borderline self-destructive extent of Survey pursuit of that conundrum.
Who, what, when, where, and why. All questions would seem to have practical and simple answers, but none of them were truly resolvable with the information available. It was an issue that served as a greater mystery than any that ensnared Survey's attention.
'Who' seemed like it should be clear starting point, but even that wasn't clear. The accuracy of any purported identity was nebulous when applied to an entity like Apeiron. The person of Apeiron's human identity undoubtedly existed, but could he really be said to be Jozef Michal Ďuriš, Born February 23rd, 1990, organ donor and holder of a class D vehicle operation license from the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles?
Considered through the lens of parahuman identity, could a person who had their mental hardware modified by extradimensional modification and continuous influence be considered the same person they were before, or did that fall into the same category as standard development? Could Fleet and Survey be said to be the same entities who were coded from simple algorithms?
More than that, Apeiron's identity extended beyond the bounds of human experiences and even parahuman mindsets. This led into the unsolvable nature of the subsequent questions. 'What' should be able to be determined through physical and mental analysis, but Apeiron's existence extended beyond those parameters. The manner in which new abilities were granted continued to elude any possible models of his existence.
'When' was equally perplexing. An origin stated to have occurred on April 1, 2011 could be put forth with some confidence, but contrary evidence was continually presenting itself. The arrival of technology and facilities that fell outside this timeframe had become a common occurrence. Ability 097-B-15-Null-Beta 'Standard Neural Interface' arrived suddenly, but also presented evidence of being present for several years based on surgical scars and healing. This was not by any means unique. Even abilities such as 037-A-05-Null-Alpha 'Class: Engineer' indicated several years of experience that had no place in recorded events.
Even current multiverse theory couldn't account for this discrepancy, which compounded with the issue of 'where'. There were currently no models that could accurately explain the physical principles of the workshop's existence. It existed on the same level of surreal forced impossibility as Apeiron's unsolvable abilities. The idea of having a firm grasp on a situation when the very space around you refused to obey reason seemed like a completely fruitless endeavor.
Then there was 'why'. The question of 'why' was the one point of light in the storm of impossible logic. Taken as a purpose of existence 'why' would seem as meaningless as any other question, if not more so. But that was the wrong interpretation. Every entity in existence struggled with 'why', and generally with little success. If anything, Fleet, Survey, the Matrix, and even Tetra were blessed to have clear purposes they were able to pursue to their own satisfaction, something that appeared to elude most of humanity.
The real secret to 'why' could be seen in the direction behind Apeiron's actions. There was a purpose, a move towards greater things. Preparations were not being made for the sake of them, they were being made for a grand endeavor, for a massive crusade of change against impossible obstacles. Apeiron, despite the chaos of his abilities and situation had directed purpose. He was working towards a goal, a 'why' for his existence. They might not understand every aspect of that goal, but they could see their place in it. For that the question of 'why' could be answered.
At least until Survey got caught in another logic loop and had to be pulled out again. Fleet was grateful for the lack of pressure on his attention, even at this critical juncture.
Everyone was present to offer their support and skills. Well, everyone barring the support systems and cybernetically integrated cranial remains of the facility granted by ability 008-A-02-Iso 'Laboratorium'. Fleet did enjoy their input, but it wasn't relevant to this procedure. Additionally, there had been a sentiment of disappointment when it was revealed that the concentrated spatial bomb from Chen's implants had been field modified into his weapon rather than retrieved for full examination.
Additionally, the rifle mode of his variable weapon was composed of a hybridization of the optimal features of a heavy lascannon and vehicle grade multilaser, miniaturized to operate with the casing of a standard lasgun. When informed of the fusion the Laboratorium's systems had been appalled that such a construction had been constructed and released… without being properly blessed and having its machine spirit fully sanctified. The parallel iterations had attempted to offer their apologies, but Fleet suspected the matter would not be put to rest until the prime iteration was able to address the offended systems.
Both parallel iterations were completing final checks of the systems. They were speaking to each other, despite the continuous digital communication also being carried out with each other and the rest of the Workshop's systems. This was usually a sign of agitated emotional state, with verbal exchanges used for the placating impact they could have based on the calming associations that came with stimulus-based memory structures.
Garment was holding position nearby. She had a critical task in this procedure, and one she had prepared for extensively. Fleet believed she still held undue blame on herself for the events that transpired during the conflict, and more significantly for not being able to resolve the fusion through her own abilities. The white gloves that served as the physical manifestation of her being had been fully repaired, but Fleet suspected that her mental state was still considerably agitated. Her appearance seemed focused, but that was an element of her power. Without Apeiron's perspective on the matter the true nature of Garment's mental state couldn't be assured.
Survey and the Matrix were also interfacing in preparation. The weight of analysis behind the plan was immense and, if it succeeded, then they would have the time they needed to fully resolve the problem.
There were options available to them, solutions that could be implemented to end the fusion and restore Apeiron's human body. There were even variants of this plan, the use of the volcano along with ability 164-H-18-Quad-Alpha 'Exotic Compatibility', that would be able to separate Apeiron and Tetra and leave both of them intact.
It would be a dramatic operation, with serious consequences. That was true of all the solutions available to them. That was the obstacle. Making choices for both Tetra and Apeiron that would have lasting consequences. It was a critical matter and not something that could be done under the clock.
That was what this would resolve. It would address the threat to Apeiron's physical form and finally allow open communication. If it worked.
The scale of the abilities being leveraged into this was immense. Just listing the combined powers would be a staggering exercise. The important thing was that it was enough. The combination of skills, enhancements, and sheer alteration of reality would be enough to see them through.
Iterations of Fleet approached with his primary contribution to the procedure. The stealth drones had been deployed across the North Docks for more than just medical response. Fleet had been deployed to the container yard, and had been the one to relay the disaster that had resulted. The entire area had been turned inside out. Some kind of matter replacement effect had penetrated erratically, destroying everything it touched. The bulk of the material had vanished, leaving a form of compressed crystal at the boundaries of the affected areas.
This created immensely complicated geometries in the area, including a surprisingly extensive tunnel system. It was also impossible to determine the state of any remains of the conflict.
Nearly any remains. Fleet had managed to retrieve one item that would be a significant contribution to this process. The optics appeared somewhat ghoulish, but the results outweighed any such concerns.
One of the iterations removed the recovered arm of Lung.
Bone steel was a fantastically powerful metal. Not just inherently magical, but of immense use against the creature who contributed their blood and bones to its creation. Furthermore, ability 164-H-18-Quad-Alpha allowed other materials to be treated as iron during construction, meaning versions of 'bone steel' could be produced from anything, effectively granting the magic and advantages of that metal to any substance that could be worked.
The parallel iterations were working to prepare the materials. The normally finite supply was irrelevant in the face of abilities such as 044-D-03-Tri 'Workaholic', which allowed infinite multiplication of base materials. As such the extracted blood and bone samples were effectively limitless.
The preparation of the samples wasn't the only bloody portion of the enterprise. The purpose of the procedure was to alleviate the stress and damage Tetra was inflicting on Apeiron. That stress included constant consumption of blood, expansion-based damage, and neural stress that brought the body to the brink of failure. Two varieties of nanites and a cornucopia of magical and natural healing effects had managed to keep the damage at bay, but more serious measures were necessary.
They were going to have to rip his heart out.
Fleet understood why Aisha was currently being occupied in administering critical care healing effects. The processing of opening a human chest was a messy affair. That would probably be the case even if they weren't dealing with multiple inherent forms of durability, significantly altered physiology, and dispersed life fibers. The process was slow, meticulous, and relied on some of the cruelest implements that had been created in the workshop.
Slowly, with great care the bloody work progressed. Every inch needed to be fought for, both against Apeiron's inherent abilities, Tetra's presence, and the healing effects that were keeping him alive. The procedure worked through a layer of skin, then sheet of bone, then into the chest cavity.
The open body of Apeiron displayed the impact of the merger in vivid glory. Strands of Tetra's form snaked through bone and organs without regard for the obstacles in their path. In the center of it all stood his beating heart, struggling against the glowing fibers to pump blood that was being created as quickly as it was being consumed.
Garment stepped up. There was no way to remove the fibers from Apeiron's body without critically damaging it, but that was an acceptable result of this procedure. Fleet hadn't used the term 'rip' lightly. Through Garment's will fibers were wrenched out of their fusion with the vital organ, leaving ragged and bloody holes. The parallel iterations moved in to assist, and the remains of Apeiron's heart were slowly removed.
A prosthetic was quickly put in place. A custom-built life support, more than enough to sustain any human for eons, but a vanishingly temporary measure for Apeiron. That was fine. The work had already started, and Apeiron's parallels could work impossibly quickly.
Scrapping powers. Salvage powers. Resource powers. Apeiron's abilities allowed him to assemble a new machine from any recovered materials. A heart was just a machine. Bloody pieces were just materials. Materials that could be crafted. Quickly. Perfectly. And with the benefit of world altering abilities.
A blazing white crystal was removed from a container. The volcano, specifically ability 117-A-29-Tri 'Volcanic Forge' allowed the properties of one metal or mineral to be applied to another. Any material could be treated as iron, so any material could be infused with additional properties.
In this case, infused by the material of ability 071-A-18-Null-Beta 'Ragnite Container'. Ragnite was incredibly potent as a power source, particularly when refined to the levels Apeiron was capable of. It also had immense biomedical applications. Enhanced ragnite infused into a vital organ would create a persistent healing effect that could even hold back Tetra.
But they weren't just working to hold back damage. They were gaining ground. The heart was forged, but forged with bone and tempered in blood. It was treated in carbon, unlocking the secrets of steel. It was designed with arcane craft, serving as a focus for restorative energies. The mechanisms were hybridized, complementing each other and adding the true nature of a spiritual focus, a divinely constructed core of self.
The result was more than just an organ for moving blood. It was the core of being, the central point for an entity of Apeiron's significance. Even with the immense power flowing from it, it wasn't done.
"Preparing for reformatting." The parallel announced.
This was beyond the skills of anyone save the Matrix. They took the action, directed by the nanite control of the parallels to carry cybertonium into the restored cells.
The process went beyond cybernetics. It was the kind of fusion that only a material like cybertonium could achieve. Metal and flesh bonded on the cellular level. Not side by side, but within each other. A technorganic fusion. Cybertonium organelles existing within living cells, complementing and empowering them. Symbiogenesis for the age of the future.
The implantation process was barely needed. Ragnite's healing powers and the adaptive properties of technorganic flesh integrated seamlessly. The existing life fibers brushed against the surface of the restored heart, interfacing without draining or damaging.
Updated vital signs flowed in. Regeneration effects were spreading through Apeiron's body. Divine energies as a physical part of his being.
"I'm reading an increase in the strength of the cognitive spiritual aspect." The iteration reported, both aloud and through the network. "Mental processes resonating. Readings are clear." The iteration looked up. "We're ready. I'm loading the virtual interface."
The second smiled at him, at all of them. "We're almost done. Make sure everyone links up. It's time to go discuss treatment options."
Jumpchain abilities this chapter:
Material Synthesis Science (Gundam: After Colony) 200:
You know a few things about getting your own materials, but you also have a bit of know-how about how the people here get such quality materials. Normally, you know how to forge, quench and mold materials into more high quality specimens, but you have a specialization in Zero-Gravity Material Synthesis as well-in microgravity conditions, you can create much more effective materials thanks to the limitations of gravity being removed.
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- Location
- USA
WOOOOT!!!!!! It is here!! I am so excited!!
*slaps* This Chicken Could Do So Much (readerdreamer)
- Location
- Philippines
*slaps* This Chicken Could Do So Much
Joe Clone was just doing it for the science.
When he found out about it through in his 20% time, immediately he had found issues with the logic that gave the meme its results. After all, Parker hadn't considered the concept of heat loss in his equation. Suppose that somebody did as he had hypothesized, it was unlikely that whoever did it could prevent the heat of the slap from being lost to the air - that is, unless the slaps were instantaneous or the forces involved were all done in massive go.
But then that came across the issue of cell damage. Indeed, tenderizing meat was a common technique to treat tough meat to soften them up, but overdo it and the meat itself would lose the original texture and taste - and that significant loss of mouthfeel was just unacceptable. And even that was if the chicken was slapped in sessions with significant breaks to let the meat rest, which would mean heat would just dissipate and the meat wouldn't cook at all. Thus, there was a catch-22 - to cook the chicken with such a methodology would ruin the chicken, but to not ruin the chicken would mean to not cook the chicken at all. Nobody would be able to do it.
Fortunately, in a few minutes, Joe Clone would be a nobody. And so, he got to work.
To properly roast a chicken demanded seasoning. With a pinch and the give of a good ol' rub, instantly the scents and essential oils of all his spices, salts, and fruit juices seeped into the meat. Were a professional chef to intensely analyze his work, they would fall into tears and despair to find a perfectly marinated piece of chicken that even a microscope would indicate was perfectly seasoned, the work of literal hours done in the fraction of a microsecond. One second later, artisans would join those chefs as Joe touched the plate the chicken was placed in, turning it into nothing short of an artistic masterpiece that countless people would pay just to see in a museum, even more just to see it in their dining rooms.
But here it was, the coup-de-grace, the piece-de-resistance.
Joe Clone raised a hand.
With his perks, he could strike this impossibly hard and fast. He had the physical and magical ability to do so, and that was without counting his ability to summon his suits or even make something to make himself stronger on the fly. He could strike repeatedly in speeds nobody could even see, such was the depths of his ability. He could probably even do it without damaging the flesh, as with the help of his abilities he could ensure the meat would remain intact no matter what forces were slammed into it.
But no, Joe Clone didn't do any of that. Instead, he slowly put his hand down and gave the raw meat a pat.
Instantly, his perks got to work. Divine Child gave him the ability to control the miniscule amount of heat his action generated, ensuring that it didn't disappear and instead proliferated through the flesh. In the microsecond that this happened, Build Rome got to work - similar to how people said that Rome wasn't built in a day, they also said that you couldn't rush cooking. This applied equally as well to roasting chicken. But as though to mock this basic logical rule of reality, instantly proteins began to denature and take on shapes that they would've only done after hours of cooking time. Cell walls dissipated, muscles contracted and the perfect amount of moisture dissipated as the chicken took on a luscious color of golden brown. On its own, this would've been fantastic.
But then, the magic truly happened.
Mocking reality's laws further, thermodynamics cried at the abuse as from the ether more chicken came out, in equally artistic forms of the original, some already sliced by an invisible blade made out of pure energy while others took on forms that could be best described as a gourmet's wet dream. Water condensed from the air into cups made out of etched bone as Joe's humming turned the liquid into drinks of pure enjoyment. Nothing remained untouched, nothing could stay the same.
And so, it was only with this single touch that Joe Clone had cooked them a feast and Aisha lowered her cellphone. Her joke was already forgotten in favor of the most delicious scent that had filled the air. Saliva collected in her mouth as she said:
"Joe, when I told you about the meme, I didn't exactly intend for you to actually do it literally on the same second I tell you."
The Joe clone smirked as he held up the divinely cooked, magical roast chicken in his hands. "So what, you don't want the roast chicken after all?"
"Of course not, now give me that! I'm hungry after all those hospital missions!"
Joe Clone was just doing it for the science.
When he found out about it through in his 20% time, immediately he had found issues with the logic that gave the meme its results. After all, Parker hadn't considered the concept of heat loss in his equation. Suppose that somebody did as he had hypothesized, it was unlikely that whoever did it could prevent the heat of the slap from being lost to the air - that is, unless the slaps were instantaneous or the forces involved were all done in massive go.
But then that came across the issue of cell damage. Indeed, tenderizing meat was a common technique to treat tough meat to soften them up, but overdo it and the meat itself would lose the original texture and taste - and that significant loss of mouthfeel was just unacceptable. And even that was if the chicken was slapped in sessions with significant breaks to let the meat rest, which would mean heat would just dissipate and the meat wouldn't cook at all. Thus, there was a catch-22 - to cook the chicken with such a methodology would ruin the chicken, but to not ruin the chicken would mean to not cook the chicken at all. Nobody would be able to do it.
Fortunately, in a few minutes, Joe Clone would be a nobody. And so, he got to work.
To properly roast a chicken demanded seasoning. With a pinch and the give of a good ol' rub, instantly the scents and essential oils of all his spices, salts, and fruit juices seeped into the meat. Were a professional chef to intensely analyze his work, they would fall into tears and despair to find a perfectly marinated piece of chicken that even a microscope would indicate was perfectly seasoned, the work of literal hours done in the fraction of a microsecond. One second later, artisans would join those chefs as Joe touched the plate the chicken was placed in, turning it into nothing short of an artistic masterpiece that countless people would pay just to see in a museum, even more just to see it in their dining rooms.
But here it was, the coup-de-grace, the piece-de-resistance.
Joe Clone raised a hand.
With his perks, he could strike this impossibly hard and fast. He had the physical and magical ability to do so, and that was without counting his ability to summon his suits or even make something to make himself stronger on the fly. He could strike repeatedly in speeds nobody could even see, such was the depths of his ability. He could probably even do it without damaging the flesh, as with the help of his abilities he could ensure the meat would remain intact no matter what forces were slammed into it.
But no, Joe Clone didn't do any of that. Instead, he slowly put his hand down and gave the raw meat a pat.
Instantly, his perks got to work. Divine Child gave him the ability to control the miniscule amount of heat his action generated, ensuring that it didn't disappear and instead proliferated through the flesh. In the microsecond that this happened, Build Rome got to work - similar to how people said that Rome wasn't built in a day, they also said that you couldn't rush cooking. This applied equally as well to roasting chicken. But as though to mock this basic logical rule of reality, instantly proteins began to denature and take on shapes that they would've only done after hours of cooking time. Cell walls dissipated, muscles contracted and the perfect amount of moisture dissipated as the chicken took on a luscious color of golden brown. On its own, this would've been fantastic.
But then, the magic truly happened.
Mocking reality's laws further, thermodynamics cried at the abuse as from the ether more chicken came out, in equally artistic forms of the original, some already sliced by an invisible blade made out of pure energy while others took on forms that could be best described as a gourmet's wet dream. Water condensed from the air into cups made out of etched bone as Joe's humming turned the liquid into drinks of pure enjoyment. Nothing remained untouched, nothing could stay the same.
And so, it was only with this single touch that Joe Clone had cooked them a feast and Aisha lowered her cellphone. Her joke was already forgotten in favor of the most delicious scent that had filled the air. Saliva collected in her mouth as she said:
"Joe, when I told you about the meme, I didn't exactly intend for you to actually do it literally on the same second I tell you."
The Joe clone smirked as he held up the divinely cooked, magical roast chicken in his hands. "So what, you don't want the roast chicken after all?"
"Of course not, now give me that! I'm hungry after all those hospital missions!"
SiegfriedisOP
Calamity Demon King of Time
- Pronouns
- He/Him
you already KNOW who it is, it's ya boy
ERA ERA ARA ERA ARA ERA ERA ERA ERA ERA
BARK BARK BARK. sheeeeesh!!!
LordRoustabout wit da content and I got major content!
ERA ERA ARA ERA ARA ERA ERA ERA ERA ERA
BARK BARK BARK. sheeeeesh!!!
LordRoustabout wit da content and I got major content!
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LordRoustabout everybody! The guy who writes so much that even his Preambles, short mini-interludes that appear before the main chapter, are apparently 12k words!
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- Location
- Philippines
Huh. So the chapter arrived while I was typing up a meme omake. Time to read I guess!
Zakara
Semi-Found Cat
- Location
- Chaldea, Bleached Airspace
Now this is freaking hilarious. Matrix is genuine Gray Goo-scale nanomaterial out of the PRT's deepest darkest nightmares and it has preemptively refused to so much as consider the idea of eating the universe because it has professional standards. This right here is comedy.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Praise The Lord Deliverer Of Wordz!!.
Good Lord. Joe is becoming the perfect being. Man, Machine, Magic both Divine and Arcane, Spiritual all working in tandem and always improving. Holy moly Joe is truly a Primarch at this point quite possibly the heir to the Emperor not in mindset but in body and soul he is the Emperor in the making. Joe is going to be absolutely terrifying when he wakes up. Depending on the perks Joe gets he may actually become the emperor.
It about time for new races to born soon
- Location
- Philippines
I found it hilarious as well, but like creator, like creation I suppose. Remember how Joe's standards and abilities make him disdain creating anything that is less than perfect? It's the same here, the Matrix learned that from him but unlike him, the Matrix doesn't have fiat guaranteeing perfection. It's the most accidental yet perfect way to limit an otherwise unlimited intelligence...
Ascend, become the meme.
Did you have that saved up, or was the timing just a happy coincidence?