Brockton's Celestial Forge (Worm/Jumpchain)

[Narsauce]

What is Mystery, and where did it come from?

Click to shrink...

Mystery is a Fate thing, but I'm pretty sure the Fate Metaphysics only affects Joe, not anyone else.

 

[Lokpik89]

In regards to the faultline thing, if it does affect his gear then its possible when fighting echidna he might get his gear temporarily destroyed, and have tp fight at his new baseline for a couple minutes.

 

[TitanFrost]

I've had an additional thought about the Nether.

Ever thought about how fucked up it is that there are zombie babies in Minecraft? Just another bizarre quirk of that game. I can't imagine seeing one of those in real life would be anything less than horrifying. Not even in the scary way, just deeply disturbing, disgusting, depressing- I think I've got my point across.

So I can only wonder how Joe would react to coming across a baby zombie Piglin. I can't imagine it'd be good for his mental health. Maybe he'd try to put together a zombie cure? Those exist in Minecraft, and while they only work on zombie villagers it should be no challenge for Joe to make something more potent once he works out the formula. I wonder, cure or not, how a baby zombie encounter would influence his relations with the living Piglins.

 

[MrCogmor]

We don't know the specifics of how most powers work in Worm, but we know what Faultline's attack looks like, specifically discharges of red and blue energy. That suggests few possibilities, unless you think Shards are wasting energy on random light-shows?

Click to shrink...

Why is Miss Militia's power green and black? Why is Narwhal's power violet? Why does Purity glow in flight? Why do some blasters have lightshows come with their attacks?

Is the release of light an unintended byproduct of a shards dimensional manipulation machinery that the shard doesn't know or care to remove? Is it intended for the benefit of the host or to aid in psychological warfare? Is it just a minor semi-random consequence of a Shard's haphazard evolution? What do the colours mean?

You don't know.

 

[MagicalAmbitions]

Why is Miss Militia's power green and black? Why is Narwhal's power violet? Why does Purity glow in flight? Why do some blasters have lightshows come with their attacks?

Is the release of light an unintended byproduct of a shards dimensional manipulation machinery that the shard doesn't know or care to remove? Is it intended for the benefit of the host or to aid in psychological warfare? Is it just a minor semi-random consequence of a Shard's haphazard evolution? What do the colours mean?

You don't know.

Click to shrink...

yeah, but we like to make our guesses and share them on the internet with fellow guess-havers.
why are you being so condescending about people sharing headcanons on a fanfic thread? on SV? where the fuck else are we supposed to argue about our headcanons with no textual evidence?

 

[MrCogmor]

yeah, but we like to make our guesses and share them on the internet with fellow guess-havers.
why are you being so condescending about people sharing headcanons on a fanfic thread? on SV? where the fuck else are we supposed to argue about our headcanons with no textual evidence?

Click to shrink...

Because going "Yes it is" , "No it isn't", "YES IT IS" is childish, clogs up the thread and is disrespectful


Now that I think about it the spaghetti posting was annoying me too.

 

[LordRoustabout]

52 Showtime

It took some effort, but I was able to convince Garment to leave the Avid Glove with me rather than take it to show off to the representatives of the civic authorities that had just arrived for what I really hoped was just a social visit. As Garment moved back into the studio the Size constellation passed by, missing a connection and leaving me pondering how exactly I was supposed to deal with the current situation.

It would have been complicated enough if all I had to do was manage the preparations for the upcoming supervillain summit. Oh, and the various calls and commitments I had been putting off since this morning. Sadly, I couldn't be that lucky. I also had to deal with the results of the Forge.

Peak ADVENT Technology on its own provided a knowledge base that was as impressive as it was concerning. In any sane world my focus would have been directed to the newly unveiled alien dystopia that the technology clearly supported. The level of advancement compared to the rest of my technology was hit and miss, but the psionic technology, particularly in terms of biomedical applications, was groundbreaking. In any other world that would have been my primary focus.

Then the Avid Glove arrived. The item in question was sitting on Garment's worktable, balancing on its fingers like a giant spider. The thing would skitter back and forth, scanning the area with the eye near its wrist. Once again, this should have been enough to be my primary concern. A fundamentally unnatural glove that was intrinsically linked to me in a manner I didn't totally understand. It was infused with an unnatural vitality that I could feel through the Dragon's Pulse, something similar to the drops of essence contained in the amber that came from the letters of Rubbery Men. Not the same, but of a similar disposition, a familiar lack of regard for natural laws.

The thing was, despite being an independent object, lifeform, weapon, or item of clothing, it was also me. Fundamentally the glove's eye and fingers were my eye and fingers. It was an extension of myself, while also its own being, because the principles behind its creation didn't care about contradictions like that. With some mild apprehension I extended my right arm and watched the Glove scurry across the table, practically leaping onto my hand.

There wasn't any massive shift that came from wearing the glove compared to having it moving under its own power, save the convenience of having it 'at hand', so to speak. There was power and potential here, even at its basic level, and Garment wasn't the only one with ideas for how it could be upgraded. I had some concerns about the nature of the creature, the impulses that seemed to run through it, but it was a manageable situation. A literal helping hand, ready and eager to assist. You could even say it was avid.

Yes, hilarious. I know.

Having successfully delayed dealing with any of the major issues of the eldritch accessory I could shift my attention to the more pressing concern, namely the global mental influence effect that had come bundled with it like a party favor. I opened myself to the workshop network and connected with my duplicates to try to get a sense of exactly how bad this was.

'It could be worse.' The first duplicate transmitted. 'I mean, it's not great, but it could be worse. Survey is monitoring everything we can access. There's concern, but nobody's panicking.'

'Well, some people are panicking.' Clarified the second duplicate in a message accompanied by a stream of analysis from Survey. 'But it's definitely not as bad as it could have been. Aisha was right. After the effect of Calling Card people are kind of expecting stuff like this. Also, the news is calling it a stranger effect, so we managed to dodge another master accusation.'

'Small mercy.' I replied as dryly as I could while reviewing the reports. The idea that it was a proof of identity system had taken off, probably because it was the only practical explanation that wasn't random power expression or Apeiron just fucking with people. It was still concerning, but at least people seemed to embrace the idea that there was some reason behind my actions.

I mean, there wasn't and I was very concerned about it and about what else could potentially happen with me, but that wouldn't help anyone's peace of mind. No, reports were going out. Apeiron had deployed some kind of proof of identity system. Yes, the technology was concerning, but the Protectorate had been in touch with him and received a statement assuring that the system was harmless. Investigations ongoing, confirmation to follow, no cause for alarm, do not panic, a riot will not help the situation, and every other calming phrase that got circulated around in situations like this, usually to the complete opposite effect that was intended.

I didn't want this and I didn't know how to deal with this. Honestly, I didn't know if I should deal with this. What kind of public statement could put people's minds at ease? I either needed to pretend it was intentional or admit my powers had effects beyond my control. Admitting to the second wasn't a possibility I could entertain. Not only would it create more panic, but it would reveal too much of the nature of my power. I still had serious opponents out there, and while an event like this definitely put me on their radar in a bad way, assuming my earlier actions hadn't, giving more details publicly seemed like a very bad idea.

All I could do now was monitor the situation and be ready if it hit a point where I needed to step in. I worked my way deeper into the Workshop as I extended my awareness to Garment's shop where she was greeting the two Wards who had presumably been on their way to see Garment when this mess unfolded. Well, at least that meant they weren't being called back to base for some kind of emergency debrief or deployment.

I watched through the store's hidden sensors as Garment unlocked the door and warmly greeted an older teenage girl in a close-fitting purple and white costume with a particularly nice cape. The girl returned the greeting with enthusiasm, paying particular attention to Garment's latest dress, then turned to introduce her companion.

"Garment, this is Kid Win, from the Wards." She said, gesturing to the red and gold armored tinker behind her. My scanners were able to pick up the various sensors built into his visor and wrist bracers. They weren't enough for complete analysis of his technology, but it was well known the parts of his hoverboard had been repurposed into new equipment that had performed well during the recent crisis.

Kid Win stepped forward and seemed to be having the not unusual problem of figuring out where to rest his eyes while speaking. He quickly decided to settle into a kind of loose focus where Garment's head would be. "It's nice to meet you. I'm a big fan of your videos. The one you did on making a convertible dress was incredible."

I didn't know why exactly Kid Win had been watching videos on modular clothing, but Garment seemed to appreciate the interest. She indicated that she was glad he enjoyed the demonstration and would be happy to share details of the techniques used and how they could be applied to more gender or vocation appropriate outfits to Kid Win's own style. From the looks of things, the two wards missed most of that, but understood that Garment was taking the compliment.

"Um, when Flechette wanted to visit, the Protectorate asked me to come along. They're still processing some of your evaluation and need to finalize your tinker status. If you have some time could we go through some of the fabrics you've worked with?"

Garment expressed her excitement over being able to share details of her work. Also, she picked up on the way Flechette froze when Kid Win mentioned the visit was her idea and indicated she was grateful for the company, even unannounced. Once again, the best they seemed to get from that was something like 'it's fine', but the gist of things made it through.

Watching other people interact with Garment really drove home how little I'd been able to understand from our earlier interactions. She must have had the patience of a saint to not end up completely frustrated with me.

Garment gestured for the heroes to come inside and I quickly confirmed that the sensors in Kid Win's equipment wouldn't be able to compromise any of the systems I'd installed. Fortunately, the stealth technology and techniques more than held up against what were probably fairly standard tinkertech scanners. Slightly better than what came with my base level omni-tool, but significantly worse than what I had been able to build for most of the previous week.

When Garment's back was turned Flechette gave Kid Win a frustrated glance and he didn't seem to realize what he'd done wrong. It was endearing that Flechette didn't want Garment to know she was worried about her, but there seemed to be complexities to the interaction I couldn't help but feel I was missing. There was also the fact that Garment didn't really perceive things through any sort of visual field so doing anything behind her back was pointless. Still, she pretended not to notice the exchange in dedication to the image she was projecting with her outfit.

The exchange between the Wards dropped off as their attention shifted to the outfit in question. It was one of Garment's nicer works, a floor length red evening gown composed of an advanced fiber that shared characteristics with silk. It was an incredible dress on its own, but seeing it in motion really drove home the level of fine control that Garment put into the outfits she was 'wearing'.

No detail was overlooked. The high shouldered design further highlighted the placement of her arms as they flowed into the top of her opera gloves. The skirt of the dress moved with the impression of legs, including direct management of the slit in the side that extended to what would be mid-thigh. The gown was tightly cut and very contoured, so with Garment piloting it there was the impression of a body filling out the dress, complete with curves, movement of muscles as Garment 'walked' and even simulated breathing visible through the chest and fitted waist.

Both Wards followed the movements to the dress, then gave each other a complicated look before hurrying into the studio. Flechette seemed uncomfortable on some level while Kid Win attempted to avoid staring at Garment's dress. Despite any awkwardness Garment happily showed them around the building as I made my way down to the computer core to speak with my duplicates.

Yes, the digital link was perfectly serviceable when it came to communication, but being in the same room with someone made the discussion easier, particularly when it dealt with an uncomfortable topic. Unpredictable global demonstrations of power counted as such.

As I approached the main interface throne one of my duplicates waved and jumped down to approach me. "Alright, global not-crisis needs attention, but a quick summary of progress before everything went to hell." He transferred a set of reports as he spoke. "Laboratorium is digging into the Bright Spear and beam katana technology as well as the biology of the kinsect. We're pretty sure we've found the nutrient triggers necessary for metamorphosis, but we'll be trying them on copies before we do anything to the original. There is upgrade potential from other fields of biology and magic but, you know…"

I nodded. Even if there wasn't a major risk of setting off the PRT red flags and even if taking the thing into the field wasn't effectively the same as handing it to Taylor, the use of a living weapon like that was right in line with my original trigger. It actually lined up to a scary degree, and really all it would need to do was contain psychoactive chemicals rather than the offensive or support dusts and it would qualify as a combo platter of everything I'd been trying to avoid.

"Most of the ADVENT technology had been loaded into the computer core for analysis and documentation. There are some serious items of interest there. Some of the nanotech is inherently cybernetic. It can meld machinery and biology nearly perfectly. Not even the ones from Nanite Removal and Control can handle that level." He explained.

I nodded, reviewing both the report and my own knowledge of the technology. "That's reliant on a unique element, right?"

"Yeah, Elerium 115. Stable isotope of Moscovium. Good for power generation and critical for psionics." A series of elemental analysis results flooded into my mind. "Making it conventionally would require a seriously complex chain of reactions, and even then it would be iffy. Fortunately, projection magic could give us all the samples we needed, which made the assessment much easier. We had a full transmutation ritual planned out to manufacture the seed sample for duplication, then this mess happened."

I sighed. "And we need to deal with this mess." Back in her studio Garment was happily showing off a series of new dresses to Flechette while the girl did her best to indicate that she didn't need a new line of evening wear in the same style and color palette as her cape costume.

I smiled slightly and from the reaction of my duplicates I could tell they had seen the same exchange. One of Garment's major issues with the cape scene was the static nature of hero costumes. Villains could be excused to a degree, but heroes made appearances at a wide range of functions. In Garment's not unreasonable opinion, three-hundred pounds of reinforced power armor was not proper attire for a charity gala. She had some strong opinions on that, mostly blaming the creative bankruptcy of the public relations department and over commitment to brand identity.

I didn't think her ideas for 'dress uniform' or 'black tie' version of hero costumes were likely to take off from this exchange, but I knew she wasn't going to give up once she had an idea. She never did. The extensive number of assembled but untouched 'Barbarian Chic' outfits were a testament to that.

The Vehicles constellation passed by as I shifted my attention back to the duplicate. "Anything else?" I asked.

"There's some earlier stuff that got glossed over thanks to the call and the last set dealing with the Launderer System. Few more transfiguration spells cracked well enough that you can start practicing with them. We need you to get up to speed on recent magic developments so each new set won't need to cover the same ground." He explained.

I nodded, feeling kind of awful about that. My duplicates were happy to handle tedious research and grunt work and all they asked was I stay on top of things so their efforts wouldn't need to be duplicated by a later set. Prior to this morning powers had been coming slowly enough that managing things had been trivial, but now I needed to make sure to cover the duplicates' work properly. The longer duration actually made that a serious commitment, as I was covering nearly three hours of practice, experimentation, and work for each duplicate.

"Is that everything?" I asked both the first duplicate and the one examining elements of the computer core.

"Pretty much." The second called down from the interface throne. "Oh, we did manage to get grandma's shrine set up properly. That might help with the current mess."

I mind screeched to a halt. "Who?" I called in a strained voice.

Both duplicates were grinning widely. "Grandma." The first pointlessly clarified and transferred the details of the project.

I blinked in shock. "Hera?"

"Right." He quipped. "Hera. Our grandmother."

I let out a breath, taking a moment to center myself and noted that Garment had somehow gotten into a 'discussion' with Kid Win about the construction of panel dresses that had resulted in Flechette making an effort not to look like she was sulking for being left out.

"Hera." I said, working through the implications. I had not thought about her relationship with Hephaestus. Honestly, I tried not to think about my relationship with Hephaestus. The implication of other universes being involved in my powers and the range of powers they supported took the demigod implication from 'probably a metaphor for obscure parahuman abilities' to 'very likely the literal child of a deity'. That came with implications and additional relationships.

You know, it probably said something about my home life that I could consider the dysfunctional chaos that was the relationship between the Olympian gods and basically shrug. I'm not going to say this was par for the course or anything, but it's not like my family life would be made considerably more unstable by adding mythological insanity to the pot.

And that reminded me of my commitment to call Alena, and every complicated emotion tied up interacting with her even without the complexities of this situation mixed in. Well, if there was ever a push I needed to dive into global chaos centered on my cape identity, avoiding family stuff would certainly do it. Right now I could honestly say I'd take a live, nationally broadcast interview with a hostile reporter over a conversation with my family.

I could afford to delay that call a while longer. Really, I hated the position I was putting Alena in. No, that was a bad way of framing it. My mother was putting Alena in this position and she was accepting it. It wouldn't stop her and the rest of my family for blaming me for every inconvenience, but I wasn't forcing this on her. The exact dynamics in play were a rat's nest that I didn't even want to touch, but with the global broadcast of my new 'title' I could more than justify putting it off a while longer.

"Well, pray to Hera that we'll be able to sort out this mess." I muttered, and followed my duplicates into the neural link thrones.

Seeing analysis play out in real time was like watching slow motion footage of a firework display. I could see the initial bursts of mentions, searches, and media coverage from the point when I gained the power. The initial hints of people realizing something was happening, then going online to confirm it, then reporting from fast-response sites, blogs and twitter accounts, then on to news sites and special reports on news stations and radio.

The message I had sent to Weld may have stopped a disaster. The Protectorate's immediate response on the matter made a massive difference. I could see Survey's analysis of the coverage and response. Once the official statements started circulating the panic shifted to what could be best described as concerned amusement.

An interesting aside of the whole debacle was the fact that it effectively highlighted how widely known I was, both where and to what degree. The power did nothing if people didn't know who I was. Even if they knew about me it wouldn't do anything until my cape identity actually came up somehow, either through discussion, seeing it somewhere, or just thinking about it in passing. With the reactions I could effectively see a heat map of how well known I was and where I had been at the forefront of discussion.

For me it was moderately interesting. For Survey it was a treasure trove of sociological data that she could never have acquired through traditional analysis. I suppose it was good to know someone found a silver lining in this situation.

"Projections of the ongoing situation, both with and without a public statement about the event." One duplicate directed me to a comprehensive block of analysis. "We have the advantage that making a statement will have the benefit of A Thing About Names verifying our identity, so there won't be any doubt to the authenticity. It would also act as cover if we go with that explanation."

He wasn't saying it, but we didn't really have any other choice. Confirming that theory would make the event seem planned. Still massively disruptive and intrusive, but it would be something done with a purpose. You would have a situation where Apeiron drops global effects to verify his identity online, but avoid one where Apeiron is out of control either through his behavior or powers.

My duplicates and Survey were waiting for me to make the decision. The analysis was already done and it was down to a simple cost benefit analysis. The more public my statement the greater the chance of reassuring people, but the more I would expose myself. I didn't want to get caught in any level of discourse, not with everything else I was dealing with. Likewise, while I would have loved to close myself off something had to be done. I ended up choosing the most moderate option available to me and hoped for the best.

"Statement on the website. We put it with the description of the other power effects present in the city, but clarify that it's not a threat." There were threat ratings assigned to every effect documented. Everything from the impact of my own powers and equipment to residual effects of Bakuda's explosions to mundane hazards like unstable buildings or impassable streets. The difference was this update was signed. Just a simple line attributing it to me, but it was enough to trigger A Thing About Names and confirm my identity.

At my level of cognitive acceleration I could watch the effects play out like a stone thrown into a pond. Multiple bots were constantly monitoring my website for any updates and the instant the post was made they fired off their alerts. Traffic on the site began to spike in a way that probably would have crashed it without the technology of Simple Scientific Solution making that effectively impossible. News began to shift as the information was relayed. Posted directly to social media, then news articles were either published or updated with reports from them being posted and shared.

Broadcast news was obviously the slowest to react, but I could practically time the writing of the scripts to be sent to the teleprompters. Relaxing the acceleration of my neural link to watch time slide forward I saw the reactions calm by another level. Not completely benign, but even the most aggressive actions didn't hold that as a possibility. No, this was able to calm the worst of the panic and shift people to discussing the implications and aftermath. It was no longer a developing situation for most people. It was an event that could now be assessed and reviewed.

Which meant I also had the time to review it and consider my next moves rather than just my immediate reaction. The weight of regret hit me when my mind jumped back to Somer's Rock. It really took something to distract you from a summit of super villains, but something like this would do it.

"What are the chances the people at Somer's Rock think I did this as a way of proving my authenticity and possibly an intimidation tactic?" I asked my duplicates.

My first duplicate was the one who responded. "I'd say about a hundred percent, for the same reason as everyone else. Because if that's not the reason it means something much worse, and nobody wants to deal with that."

"The only difference between them and the general public is they'll assume this was a powerplay for the sake of the summit rather than just a preventive measure against impersonation or whatever." The second added.

"Given the temperament of the prospective attendees this event will likely have an advantageous impact on negotiations, barring any protests concerning technicalities of power use." Survey stated, providing layers of analysis to back up her assessment. "Such concerns are broadly baseless even in the most stringent interpretation of the summit guidelines."

The Time constellation passed by as I thought about how career villains would interpret something like this happening to them on the day before a meeting on neutral ground. Probably not well. In any other situation that would have been seriously concerning, but there was a limit to the damage most of them could do. I wanted to avoid another gang war. Specifically, I wanted to avoid getting caught up in another gang war, but that was exactly what was likely to keep things from boiling over. The potential of my involvement.

In a sane world the presence of someone with my level of power would be enough to cow any group into submission, but these were capes, not normal people. Worse, they were villain capes, with entire teams of parahumans under their control. That control could splinter very easily. As a united front I had a chance to keep the major organizations in line. If they started splintering then nobody knew what could happen.

There was also the problem of the Undersiders. Their boss would have been hit with this effect along with everyone else, and I couldn't see that going well. I had been taking the position to do nothing until Tattletale gave the word. Well, this wasn't nothing. It clearly wasn't a targeted attack, but I could only hope it wouldn't trigger any reprisals that would fall down on Taylor or the other Undersiders.

The Undersiders had their watches and once Garment had a few minutes to work would have their new costumes as well. That covered a lot of ground, but there were threats that went beyond physical injury. Just the length of their association and level of connection meant any number of social levers could be in place against them. Checking with my passenger that was clearly stronger with Brian than the rest, but any of them could have their lives turned upside down if things went sour. The spill over onto friends and family was something I was particularly aware of and wanted to avoid.

Providing I could rein in Garment's impulses and prevent her from trying anything experimental with the designs I didn't think there'd be a problem getting the Undersiders to accept better armored costumes. Taylor was another story, and one I'd need to address directly. I had already promised her some healing technology for her training program. I could probably work that into supplemental equipment.

Really, the best option I had for healing would be a properly programmed nanite colony. That was a project I had started way back before Bakuda launched her first attack, and one that had been shelved since then. At the time harvesting nanites a handful at a time through magnetic relays into a vacuum chamber had been the most ambitious initiative I'd attempted. In the aftermath of the attacks the prospect of spending weeks building up a stable nanite reserve to be able to achieve a stable variegated state was overshadowed by new technology and immediate personal enhancements that needed to be developed or implemented.

The prospect of diving back into the nanite sciences was enticing. That had been a field with immense potential even before I had gained skills, knowledge, and powers that made it easier to develop and frighteningly more potent. Aspects of that technology had been rolled into Matrix's nanobots, but a fully programmed nanite array was never implemented. Probably the biggest deterrent to utilizing that technology was the general reaction to nanotech, but at this point I doubted the display of one more S-class technology was going to significantly change the way I was regarded.

My duplicates had been following my research and the plans and reports I had been accessing. A message was transferred from the second duplicate.

"We're really doing this? Going for exponentially variegated organisms? It's time for EVOs?"

I understood both the concern and reluctance. This was serious technology, both in what it could accomplish and how it could go wrong. A breach of improperly programmed nanites had been one of my earliest S-Class technologies to be categorized. Even beyond that, the exact nature of how the technology functioned was far too close to my original trigger.

A week ago I would never have been able to seriously take this path, but a week ago I was a different person, in a lot of ways. Even putting aside the literal rebuild of my body and the multiple lifetimes of experience I'd been granted from who knows what universe, the events of the last week weren't the kind of thing you could go through and come out unaffected. I knew how bad things could get, how close I'd come to defeat and death. I knew that could apply to anyone, including Taylor. No level of preparation would be enough to guarantee safety. You could only get as close as possible, and that meant not leaving vital technologies on the table.

"It's time." I replied. I could feel Survey's excitement at the declaration. Sections of the computer core's data banks spun up, launching into simulations and analysis in support of the coming project. "Especially with the latest nanotech from Peak ADVENT Technology. It's the best time and best combination of abilities we could hope for."

"It will take time to get this going." The first duplicate stated. "Construction might be able to be completed in a flash, but design and programming is another story. If we want to make sure this is stable, safe, and as advanced as possible it will be a serious project, not instant assembly."

"I know." I confirmed. Nanite Sciences had been a set of principles, not a technology list. It was closer to my science skills from Star Trek, still not used to saying that, than one of the powers that provided a list of designs. The development of this kind of project would have been the work of years. I could probably knock that down to days and fold in a half dozen other nanotech principles to enhance the end product. "Survey can handle the bulk of the analysis, and we have enough facilities for prototyping and research to push this forward. It should be able to run parallel with other projects."

"We should get back to some of those. There's tech that still needs to be reviewed and implemented, plus this nanite work will need Elerium if we're going to get the most out of it."

"Right." I took a final moment to review the state of the public reaction to my title power. It was as stable as I could have hoped. Some people were trying to stir up panic or forums or social media, but they were being met with what was becoming a familiar line of arguments regarding my cape persona. As much as someone might want to kick up a fuss there wasn't much anyone could actually do. Cries to 'Send in the Triumvirate', 'Wall off the city', or 'Deploy the S-class responders' were almost becoming memes at this point. News sites had already covered and dismissed those options for obvious reasons, but they continued to be parroted by people desperate for 'something' to be done.

It wasn't a problem I could solve. Not now and probably not ever. People would always be concerned about my powers, and I doubted that reaction would get any less severe as they got stronger. All I could do was try to minimize the impact and be ready for the major threats.

"Disconnecting." I broadcasted to my duplicates.

"Disconnecting." "Disconnection." They echoed.

We emerged back into awareness of the Workshop. My own interface 'throne' was at the peak of the computer core with my duplicates' flanking it at a lower point down the array. As my senses adjusted to perceiving the world through a physical rather than electronic medium I was suddenly jolted into awareness of a very critical fact.

The Avid Glove was no longer on my hand.

I was understandably unsettled by the idea that a piece of equipment could just wander off on its own, but it seemed that's exactly what the Avid Glove had done. Survey happily provided me with footage of the glove following my uplink to the computer core.

The glove stayed dormant for the first few moments, then began dragging itself back and forth, as if trying to figure out what was going on. Its scampering pulled my arm into some positions that would probably have been extremely uncomfortable without my posing power granting expanded flexibility. At one point it managed to crawl up to my face and pry open one eyelid to check my eye. After that it seemed to decide that it was on its own, slipping off my hand and scampering down the side of the computer core and into the workshop.

Rather than make any effort to impede the glove, Survey followed its progress with the air of a nature documentary, noting its coordination and agility as it crawled along conduits, through gaps between equipment, and up walls. I had no doubt it would have explored most of the Workshop if not for the computer core's mental acceleration meaning we had spent a comparatively short time in the system.

I was still linked to the glove and could see from its perspective as it eyed the controls to a dormant industrial press, then hunted around the room for items that could fit into said industrial press.

The link between me and the glove was complicated. It didn't totally make sense, but that seemed to be the norm for items associated with the place that gave me the Prismatic Laboratory. We were both separate creatures and the glove was part of me. It was confusing, but I had the sense that it was supposed to be. The fact that the glove was both capable of independent action and was a natural extension of my body was another of those paradoxes that I doubted would be resolved in a satisfying manner.

Still, at least there weren't any conflicts between us. With something this eldritch I would have half expected to end up fighting for control, but that wasn't the case. It might be wherever things like this came from, but the power of the Forge made our link ironclad. With a thought the glove abandoned its plans to find out what workshop items were mobile and crushable and immediately scurried back to me.

"That seems like fun." One of the duplicates commented as he reviewed both recorded and live footage of the glove.

"More like potential trouble." I admitted. There was a scampering sound as the glove skittered around a corner, briefly sliding across the floor as it turned too quickly, then accelerated towards me.

"Come on," the other duplicate said, watching the glove bump into my leg, then rapidly climb my body, taking a long route across my shoulders before flipping back onto my hand. "You don't know it will be that bad. At least wait and see if the next potion makes duplicates of it."

I froze and looked down at the glove. It stared back at me and I could see a perspective that gave an excellent view up my nostrils. "Fuck, it probably will." It was definitely an item, in addition to all its other traits. If the kinsect could be copied then I had no doubt the glove would be as well.

"Now that will be fun!" Quipped the duplicate.

I huffed in response. "Let's just get to the Alchemist's Laboratory. We have Elerium to transmute."

Back in Garment's shop she was showing Kid Win one of her back work rooms and a few samples of some of the advanced fibers she worked with. Nothing that extraordinary, all stuff I was comfortable with her having in public. There was a carbon fiber variant about twice as strong as Kevlar as well as samples of the color shifting fabric she had worn at her debut. There was also a silicon-based material that hardened on impact and one of Garment's attempts at a high-resolution OLED display integrated into fabric.

"Wow, this is just…" Kid Win turned to look at her. "You made this? But not here right?" He glanced around the simple workroom. My duplicates may have renovated the place, but they were sure to keep things basic enough to be believable. As much as I would have loved to flood the place with tinker tech, Garment didn't need that kind of attention.

"Are you seriously pressing her about the location of her workshop?" Flechette asked from her place next to Garment. There was an edge of frustration in her words and the Tinker seemed to pick up on it.

"Uh, no. Of course not, sorry." He looked back at the worktable. "Um, I'll need some time to go over this stuff. Do you mind if I…?" He made a gesture towards the assorted samples. Garment indicated that it was fine and she would be happy to show Flechette the rest of the studio and some of her active projects and initiatives while they waited. The Wards seemed to take that as 'yes, go ahead' and left Kid Win to his analysis.

The Magitech constellation missed a connection as Garment led Flechette to a seating area where she had a number of sketchbooks laid out on a low table. Flechette looked over the seating arrangements then cautiously settled into a two-person couch. Garment immediately slid in next to her, causing the girl to tense and give Garment an uneasy look. Well, Garment's dress, complete with the high detail of emulation she was using to simulate filling it out.

Flechette seemed to have something of a fascination with fashion given the level of attention she was giving Garment's dress and her reaction when Garment picked up one of her larger sketch books and opened it between them, then proceeded to walk the Ward through some of her upcoming designs. Flechette was an experienced Ward, so I would have expected her to be more comfortable dealing with the public. Still, I guess Garment could have that effect on people.

I shifted my attention back to my surroundings as we made our way into the Alchemist's Laboratory. The facility expanded itself as my alchemy knowledge grew and had seen upgrades from my acquisition of Skills: Medicine, Unnatural Skill: Transmutation, and even Peak ADVENT Technology, turning it into a massive and impressive complex. Furthermore, the Alchemy Machine could be used to enhance any act of alchemy, and after being simplified and miniaturized it could effectively be slotted into any area of the Laboratory.

We were headed for the transmutation area, now massively improved from the ritual space where I had created mithril and Lethe water. It was where a set of my duplicates had finally been able to produce cybertonium and open up the full potential of that technology. What had been a simple circular array was now a massive multilevel structure with an orrery-like apparatus for managing reagents and aspects of the transmutation ritual. When I first got my Deranged Alchemist power I never pictured it reaching this level.

Previously this would have required preparation, robes, chanting, and a lengthy ritual process to even have a hope of success. Now it was more a matter of checking the alignment of forces and flipping the switch, so to speak. One of the duplicate Alchemy Machines was installed in the center of the space and tied into the ritual circle. The base material, a sample of bismuth, was included as the closest member of the nitrogen family. Transmutation reagents were arrayed around the ritual space, including a projected sample of Elerium that simplified the ritual to the point where it was nearly cheating.

The Alchemy Machine sprung to life, the ritual kicked into gear, and with a surge of energy crystals began to form, growing out from the bismuth like a sprouting sapling. Just like that, I had Elerium 115. An element capable of producing antimatter power, gravitational waves, and other forms of energy. I couldn't help but smile at the results. What had previously been a near impassible obstacle, securing imposible and exotic materials, was now basically busy work.

"I know." Said a duplicate, reading my reaction. "It's crazy when you think about it. Everything that used to lock us out of technology is opening up." He indicated a sample of gray, shiny rock. "We were able to knock out burstone like it was nothing."

I whistled. That was a big one, and it hadn't even been on my map. Burstone was an element of mantic technology, the same system that powered the conductors that enhanced and repaired my workshop. Burstone acted as a mantic capacitor. Its output would be stable, but its capacity was effectively infinite. Basically, it was a battery with a fixed output, but no maximum charge.

It also served as the foundation for mantic shards and cores. Infinite ability to absorb energy combined with the right alchemical mix could create items that altered the world around them in fundamental ways. I read through the report my duplicate had provided. The initial results were promising, but even with all my powers the production of a shard would be a major endeavor, much less an actual core.

"Another long term project." The duplicate explained, and looked back at the progressing ritual. The nest of Elerium crystal was the size of a small shrub and still growing. "I can manage things here. We'll need to verify tech for the rollout, conduct analysis, get samples to the Laboratorium for analysis." He sighed. "And the Matrix will want this included in a new generation of nanobots, now with meld capabilities."

I smiled at that. "Gen three now? Everything's becoming obsolete."

The second duplicate let out a laugh. "Think they get that from us? I wonder if we're a bad influence."

I shook my head. "Alright, so he's got Peak ADVENT covered, and you?"

The second duplicate gestured towards the workshop. "There's still tech from The Divine Machines that needs to be assessed for possible integration into the Workshop. I can also handle the designs for the gen three nanobots."

"The Matrix will appreciate that." I said with a nod. "What about me?"

There was a smirk from the first duplicate. "Well, I imagine you'll be stressing over the Somer's Rock meeting, particularly points that you can't do anything about, trying to figure out how to approach Taylor about equipment upgrades that won't set her on a path for a Birdcage-worthy body count, and doing everything you can to avoid thinking about calling Alena or your upcoming therapy session."

I stared at him blankly, but saw the second duplicate in full support. I also received a message from Survey confirming that her analysis suggested that would both be my most likely course of action and a highly unproductive use of time. Fleet agreed with her.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Alright, what am I actually going to be doing?"

A set of data was transmitted through the Workshops network. "Catch up on magic practice so the next set doesn't have to start from basics again." The duplicate said. "Also, neither of us have had time for the Crucible, so we can leave that to you."

"Magic duty?" I said. Light work, but my duplicates were careful about that, and I guess I was still trying to be on vacation.

They nodded. "Also, Tetra's in the Magitech Workshop." I raised an eyebrow. "It's a surprise. We promised she could show you herself."

"She was quite insistent." Survey commented through one of her holograms. "To the point of demanding violation of Workshop protocols for documentation."

I exchanged a glance with my duplicates, well aware that those protocols had been constructed entirely by Survey and for the most part were only adhered to by her and when people were indulging her. Still, I smiled and nodded at the hologram.

"Then I'll go see what she wants so we can get back to standard procedure." Survey's avatar smiled widely in response.

"That would be excellent. Tetra is currently dwelling in the 'Harry Potter' research area."

I left my duplicates to their work and hurried over to the Magitech lab. It was the result of a magical and scientific workshop fusing with each other, presumably thanks to their shared universe of origin. What had been a fairly comfortable if antiquated magical research area had transformed into a seamless blend of technology and mysticism. Magitech was a field I had only dabbled in, largely thanks to the extreme size of most of the motes in that particular constellation, but this lab opened up new possibilities.

Possibilities for later. Instead, I directed myself to one of the pure magic research areas. The collection of Harry Potter material had survived the alteration, but was now supplemented by various enchanting projects that had produced charmed objects, flying quidditch balls, and brooms.

It was near the brooms that I found Tetra standing proudly in her zoanthrope form. A molten hell-mink the size of a small child wearing a Garment-made overcoat that remained stylish and accommodated any shapeshifting on Tetra's part. She smiled at me with a mouth full of glowing fangs in a display straight out of Beatrix Potter's nightmares.

"Hi Tetra. Survey said you had something you wanted to show me?" Tetra's ears twitched when I mentioned Survey and I picked up the familiar exchange of infrared signals that was probably another argument in process. Whatever was being said Tetra elected to ignore it in favor of her demonstration.

"Watch this!" She exclaimed in a voice that was inaudible to everyone but me and the duplicates. She lifted a paw over one of the brooms that my duplicates had made. With a look of concentration in her glowing eyes she called out a word.

"Up!"

The broom launched off the floor and into her paw. Tetra's hands were more animal than human, but they were still capable of gripping the handle. I watched amazed as she climbed onto the enchanted broom and kicked off in what she probably thought was a gentle manner but actually sent her shooting towards the ceiling at breakneck speed.

I put a wide smile on my face and called up to Tetra. "Very nice!" Through my neural link I immediately contacted my duplicates. 'What the fuck is going on?'

I could really have done without the sense of amusement in their response. 'Tetra has magic.'

'I can see that.' I stated plainly. The expanded understanding of enchantment was enough to tell that flying brooms, at least how they were designed in Harry Potter, were useless to people without magical abilities. 'Do I need to rephrase that to how and why?'

'Imperfect fission.' They explained. 'Genetic potential transferred. At the very least she counts as a witch by Harry Potter standards, and we confirmed she has some magic circuits. About seven of them, counting the sub-circuits, and not as good as ours. Might also be able to call a familiar and use striker magic, but that's a longer project. Few other possibilities that we haven't confirmed yet. Life fibers make genetics complicated and we don't exactly have the sequencing for magical ability traits locked down.'

Tetra gestured for me to watch as she wove the broom through some elevated machinery. With her size and flexibility she was practically rolling her entire body to make the corners, but she pulled it off admirably. "Great job!" I called up, then replied to my duplicates.

'What the fuck does this mean? This stuff is transferable? How is Tetra going to manage something like that?'

'Pretty well, actually. We haven't been able to confirm much beyond the ability. She'll need to train up to do anything more, and even for someone with a mind like Tetra that will take time.' The duplicate replied. 'We already looked into the dangers. There's nothing to freak out about.'

I took a breath, not letting any apprehension show on my face. Once the shock passed, the concern began to dip to a manageable level. What happened to Tetra during the separation was new ground, and for someone with abilities as far reaching as mine, new ground was a scary concept. I literally didn't know what was going to happen here, and that was frightening. Apparently Tetra could do magic, which should be good, but I was barely comfortable doing magic, much less having to manage another person's development. Really, this was more concern that I wasn't up to the task and would fuck something up beyond repair.

Those concerns were completely absent in the exuberant glowing mink that swooped down and leapt off the broom. "Garment said she'd make me a quidditch uniform once we get a proper team together instead of what the duplicates have been playing at." She declared.

"That's nice. Do we have enough players for that?" To my surprise it was Survey who answered, flickering a hologram into existence near the worktable.

"Due to the mechanics of parahuman abilities it is believed that the use of a flying broom should be possible for any cape. Aisha has volunteered to test this theory at her next visit."

I could picture Aisha's reaction to this news, and her decision to play along with keeping it from me made perfect sense. Well, at least her armor would stop her from dying in the likely event of a fall.

"That's nice." I turned to Tetra. "I have to practice some magic and look into the new crucible. Do you want to come along?"

Tetra considered it, then shook her little mink head. "I want to look at the magitech lab some more." She declared. "And the magitech records. If I can use my magic circuits I think I can make my own versions of it. I've been practicing! See!"

Tetra focused and I could feel the intensity of it through the Dragon's Pulse. In a sudden burst of energy her chest shifted, transforming from a mess of fur-like fibers to emulated metal and machinery. It was a display of the ability of life fibers to copy nearly any technology. I just hadn't expected this technology.

"That's really impressive." I stated with deliberate calm. Tetra beamed at me, proudly showing off the emulated weapon that had manifested in her body.

It made sense, really. The simplest way to tie in magic and technology was the basic magitek designs I'd had since receiving my Mechanist power. And the simplest of those designs was the magitek laser that had served as the primary armament of my motoroids. And the weapon that Tetra had casually manifested.

It shouldn't be surprising, really. Tetra had gone much further than this during our basketball games. It was just the reminder that she could manage weapon emulation without the aid of a mech that took me off guard. I doubted the magitek laser she created would be able to output anywhere near as much power as my motoroids had managed, but it didn't change the fact that Tetra, adorable glowing mink girl that she was, could pull out a blaster effect that could probably bring down a building.

"All right." I reached down and patted Tetra's head. Her fibers flared as she drew in energy through my skin. She was getting better about not having a constant source of power, but still clearly enjoyed the chance to recharge whenever possible. "Are you alright for power?"

She nodded. "I'll be okay." There was a sense of relaxation as the laser array collapsed back into fibers. A twitching from my right hand drew her attention and she smiled with a mouth full of pointed teeth. "I like the new glove."

I couldn't help but smile at that. Terrifying clothing liked terrifying clothing. Honestly, when I found out I was going to be getting tinker powers I didn't expect this many forms of living apparel, or potential apparel in the case of Tetra's life fibers. It also was telling that a collection of animated clothes was on the tamer side by the standards of the Forge.

I lifted my right hand and paused for a moment to make sure the Avid Glove wasn't about to bite anyone. I felt reasonably sure, but also had the sense that you could never be certain with things like this. Well, it wasn't like it had any chance of hurting Tetra, so I reached forward with the glove.

Tetra reached out to the glove, scratching it with a paw. The glove's eye rolled up in appreciation, but something extraordinary happened. At the moment of contact Tetra's fibers flared with energy, but not energy drained from the glove. It was my energy. The glove was an extension of me, and could be a link to Tetra.

At my current level the drain was meaningless, but to Tetra it meant everything. Her eyes surged with energy as she leaned in, rubbing her hand against the leather/skin of the glove.

While we were trying to help Tetra build her tolerance for periods without a direct energy source that didn't take priority over making sure she was cared for. This also provided a way to ensure the glove wouldn't run off and cause trouble.

Or it would drag Tetra into whatever it was doing, at which point the trouble would be magnified. Still, Tetra liked the glove and had been making a stab at some level of independence. This seemed like a nice bridging method that could carry her over.

"Tetra, I've got a lot of work to do." I pulled the glove off my right hand and lifted it to her. "Do you think you could look after the Avid Glove for me?"

The look in her eyes was adorable. "Yes, I can do it!" She happily took the glove from me, hugging it to her chest. Her body flared with energy from the contact, but neither me nor the glove itself were bothered by the drain.

As I left the Magitech lab the full implications of that link hit me. The glove wasn't just a point where energy could be drained, it was also a point from which it could be projected. Any of my abilities, magic, pyrokinesis, even nanite control could work through the glove. My fingers, my eyes, my power. It was a vector for all of them.

And it was also a demonic little beast of tailoring that was currently tearing through a precision magitech lab with a girl who was also a potentially world ending S-class threat. I really lived an interesting life.

I felt a connection form to the Toolkits constellation and the Workshop rumbled slightly at its arrival. There was only a slight tremor, the sign of the addition of a locker rather than an entire room. Similar to the Advanced Materials Upgrade Kit, it contained a new type of materials to work with. Specifically, it contained a set of plating and the equipment necessary to add it to a suit of armor. The entire power was a thin coating of metal that would barely cover the equipment of a single person and it came from a mote the same size as Master Builder or the life fiber spool that granted me Tetra.

It was worth it. The material was lathe metal. The exact alignment of cosmic and gravitational forces necessary to produce a material like that were beyond even my expansive understanding, but the effects were another story. The atomic bonds that held the material together were reinforced on a level I could barely believe. In addition to a level of durability that made adamantium look like a joke and thermal resistance exceeding the highest grades of ceremite it had a structure that was completely inviolable to forces that would seek to undermine it.

Basically, anything that targeted molecular bonds or arrangement was useless against lathe metal. It would laugh at the destabilizing effects of power fields, the destabilization of high frequency weapons, and even magic that attempted to alter the material's structure would fail. There was no easy way to circumvent it. The only way through it was with massive and overwhelming force.

This ridiculous durability was balanced by the minuscule quantity of the material and the insane difficulty when it came to actually working with it. But even so, that tiny film of lathe metal that came with the power was able to transform a archaic suit of plate mail to a set of protective equipment that outperformed some of the best armor I could produce from my Armourer power.

It would have been worthwhile if all it provided was a single suit's worth of enhancement, but for me it was so much more. I could multiply any resource I had access to. I could work any material as if it was plain iron. I wasn't limited to a thin coating on one suit. I could make entire sets of armor out of solid lathe metal. I could make weapons out of lathe metal. I could go absolutely insane and build entire vehicles out of lathe metal.

Conventional durability was no longer a real concern for me, but this was different. First, it wasn't just conventional durability, it was protection against any class of annihilator effect based on disintegration, melting, or material alteration. Secondly, it wasn't just a matter of keeping ME safe. Lathe metal was just about the best defensive material possible. Strong, light, flexible, thermally non-conductive, and immune to effects that bypassed durability. The armor I could make out of this would keep people safe like nothing else in existence.

'Got it, know the implications.' My duplicate transmitted. 'I'll handle the research and duplication. Matrix will want this in the gen three nanobots, and something tells me the Laboratorium will want to see this.' There was a slight pause before he continued. 'Yep, just checked. They definitely want to see this, and as much of it as we can spare.'

I smiled. The implications connected with whatever universe had provided the Laboratorium and the technology related to it was troubling, but I could never extend those concerns to that collection of skulls and machine spirits. The Lathe-Wrought Armour Plating Kit had the same origin as the Laboratorium and they clearly knew something about the material. I had to wonder how they would react when they realized we had an effectively limitless quantity of perfectly workable lathe metal at our disposal?

Maybe we'd get a new song out of the skulls for this.

I left my duplicate to the task and continued to the crucible. Out in Garment's shop Kid Win was still studying Garment's fabric samples while out in the main studio Garment sat with Flechette and went through her sketchbooks. Given the length of time I wondered if he was stalling to let Flechette spend some time with her friend, but that thought vanished when I found him wiring in some of his systems to test out Garment's OLED fabric. I guess I wasn't the only tinker who could get easily distracted.

Flechette had relaxed from her earlier point of near riged tension and seemed actually comfortable with Garment's proximity. It had moved from a walkthrough to more of a discussion, or the closest thing to one that the two of them could manage. Flechette asked questions about various designs and Garment conveyed her response as well as she could. I was guessing that Flechette was picking up about thirty to forty percent of what Garment was trying to get across, but that was probably better than most people. She was even opening up a little, sharing stories about the New York Wards and her time as a hero.

I shifted my attention back to the workshop, not wanting to intrude, and had my first chance to take in the scale of the Crucible of Eight Trigrams. It was big, as in 'fit multiple motoroids at once' big. It was a giant, octagon shaped iron pot standing on four stout legs. A heavy lid sealed in whatever you were trying to break down to base components, and was the kind of thing that would probably have required heavy equipment to manage without some kind of crane and pulley system like you get in auto shops.

The smelting aspect of the crucible was mostly meaningless to me. I had multiple powers that let me break down materials, and that was assuming I wasn't just going to use Alchemical Transmutation to cut out the middle man. No, the real value of the crucible was the ability to extract enchantments and magic. The implications of that were tremendous, but I needed to see them in action to know what we were dealing with.

"The duplicates have provided a range of test items for the initial smelting." Survey used her hologram to indicate to a table full of simple enchanted weapons, weak mystic codes, assorted talismans, and various potions. "Initial monitoring will evaluate the deconstruction time of each item and the effectiveness of any magic or enchantments extracted."

I nodded. "We should start the first firing." I looked over the crucible. Inside had a cold, matte texture, but something caught my eye. "Is there something scratched in the side there?" I asked.

Survey brought up a 3D scan of the object highlighting the area I indicated. "A series of indentations have been made in the side of the crucible, near the location of the wind trigram." Survey explained. The eight sides of the crucible corresponded to combinations of three horizontal lines, either solid or broken. The various combinations corresponded to heaven, marsh, fire, thunder, wind, water, mountain, and ground. There was indeed a set of indentations carved in the inside of the furnace, near the wind trigram.

"Are those characters?" I asked.

A full analysis played before me. "Characters are from the Qieyun system or Middle Chinese. Evidence suggests they were carved slowly over an extended period through the use of fingernails."

I checked the analysis again. I didn't know what was more concerning, the fact that someone had apparently been sealed inside the crucible, or the fact that that person had potentially lasted for several days while also being able to carve solid iron with their fingernails.

"What does it translate to?" I asked.

"An approximate translation would be 'Sun Wukong, The Great Sage, equal of Heaven, was here'." She replied.

I paused. I had heard that name. I had heard it before, but I had also heard it recently. I had heard it in the account of my duplicate's conversation with Chen. It was a mythological reference. I couldn't dismiss it like I used to, but it still felt off.

Of course, Survey happily provided me with a complete breakdown of the meaning behind the phrase and the implications of it. I immediately contacted my duplicates.

'Did you know about this?' I asked.

'Finally got to the crucible?' the first responded.

'You knew about this?' I questioned in an accusing tone.

'Well, we were a little less panicked about the whole name thing, so we had a chance to go over the reports.' The second responded. 'But hey, Chen is going to be thrilled with this, right?'

I sighed. 'He'll be something alright. This isn't something vaguely connected or styled after a myth or system of magic. This is an actual object out of legend, complete with graffiti. What do we do if this is the real thing?'

'Exactly the same thing we'd do if it was a convincing fake or magic item built to look and work like the legend. It's not like Lao-Tze is going to come looking for it.'

'We hope.' I shot back. But they were right. Multiverse meant these things could happen, no matter my thoughts on the matter. I gritted my teeth and pushed on. I could concern myself with theological implications later.

It was unnecessary, but I took out my wand and used it to practice levitating various objects into the crucible. I could already feel how much easier the charm was following Unnatural Skill Enchanting. After I had the crucible sealed and fired I noted the Size constellation missed another connection before I moved on to one of the lower practice ranges. My duplicates had an entire syllabus of spells to work through. Thankfully Efficiency helped ensure optimal movements and Amateur Academic – Trivia meant there was no problem in memorizing any spell down to the most subtle variation in pronunciation.

Survey maintained her hologram form, mimicking it walking beside me as I moved through the workshop towards the lower levels. I could feel the level of activity through the network as she processed her next statement.

"Magic training has been progressing at optimal levels through multiple variations of the practice. Duplicate activities have been highly productive in these areas and the developments have yielded tactical advantages or are projected to do so soon." She said, trailing her hologram behind me slightly.

I nodded. "The duplicates have been doing excellent work, and this downtime has proven to have been a big help in getting a handle on recent powers."

"On that point, I wished to inquire why development of Element Zero based biotic abilities and exploration of Valkyrur-type modifications has been neglected, even in the form of tangential analysis." Survey asked.

There was emotion that had been put into her voice and I could feel the conflict being run through her systems. I slowed my pace until I was walking beside her hologram. "Survey, those abilities are difficult to manage. Biotics will require additional implants, and the emotional component for any form of Valkyrur ability makes exploring them difficult."

"But plans have not been pursued on either project." She said quickly. "Biotic implant designs remain at the conceptual stage without even projection-based prototypes. While Valkyrur focus weapons are not compatible with projection magic, reserves of high grade ragnite remain in abundance with no development on the project."

The hologram was speaking robotically and I could feel the level of sensor information Survey was pulling from the area as she watched my reaction. I let out a breath and turned to her hologram.

"Those were your projects, right? The integration of that technology, those principles, you worked with the duplicates to ensure they would be possible, that they could be implemented along with the rest of the transmutation?" No part of that night had been any single person's work, but Survey had advocated for specific approaches, some incredibly specialized, some drastic, but all of them devoted to keeping me alive.

You just had to look at the complete protomatter body that had been assembled as a failsafe. Cybertonium and energon, fused at the nanoscopic level into living metal and shaped into a humanoid body that could function as well as any living flesh, even emulate biological functions to an incredibly precise degree. The protoform had been another push from Survey, another plan to ensure that the worst wouldn't happen.

"They were necessary. Possibilities needed to be accounted for, opportunities exploited. The odds of an attack fully disabling you in the field was beyond negligible, but probabilities occurred outside of expected bounds. Incomplete information resulted in improper planning. Only by ensuring that all abilities are properly leveraged can a repeat of the incident be avoided with acceptable confidence."

"You're worried if I don't use all my powers, if I'm not ready something will happen to me? Again?" I asked.

"It is an unacceptable risk." She said calmly. "You are restarting the EVO program. You must understand. Additional biological augmentation is available and must be exploited."

I shook my head. I did wonder if this was connected to Tetra embracing the ability of her life fibers to emulate technology, an old argument brought to the surface. More likely the last few days had affected my A.I.s more than I anticipated. I probably needed to spend more time helping Survey through her development. With how quickly she progressed it was easy to think of her as more stable and mature than she really was.

"Survey, modification to a living body takes time to both implement and adjust to." I explained. "There is only so much I can train, and so much good it will do. What's more, all this is new ground. I don't have any examples of what I'm working with, only the information I get from my power. I have confidence in that, but if something goes wrong, or just occurs differently, I won't know how to account for it. I might not even recognize it."

"You are delaying due to a lack of data points." She summarized. I nodded and confirmed my rationale with her core program through the network. "Will you be delaying the implementation of psionic biomodification as well?"

"Maybe?" I admitted. "It needs testing and confirmation first. We have to check the technology against other sources and decide how to progress." And then I would have to choose. And I really didn't have a reason to avoid that level of enhancement, not after what had been done already. I could admit where my aversion to self-modification came from, and why it was there. I could also admit it was no longer logical and helpful. I would delay as long as I could justify, but no further.

"Then I will assist in the analysis to provide a greater interval of confidence to help drive your eventual decision." She stated confidently.

I smiled. "I know I can count on you. Now, can you help manage my magic training?" I could practically feel Survey's enthusiasm spike through nothing but a basic sense of her code.

It was actually a blast to be performing magic at this level, and helped lift the mood brought on by the earlier conversation. The idea of rolling into combat with stunning and disarming spells wasn't quite a possibility, but minor charms or transfigurations were coming along well. The process had an odd element where I knew I was effectively practicing for future duplicates, not for myself. It was an odd feeling, like building a foundation for other people to use.

Even with that element that activity did wonders to take my mind off the immediate and upcoming mess. There was little I could do about the name, and Somer's Rock was a situation where I could strategize for a month and still not be completely prepared for. Spending time with my magic and particularly with my wand was freeing in a way I couldn't quite put into words. The relative privacy meant I could even call on my familiar and enjoy the greater control and power from my magic without either Garment or Aisha cooing over me.

There was one distraction that I couldn't quite get away from. My link to my glove was still active. It wasn't distracting or detrimental in any way, but I was aware of it through whatever insane effect connected us. As such I could follow Tetra's progress in her pursuit of magitech knowledge.

It was actually a natural avenue for her to pursue, particularly with the skills she'd developed through the Mecha games. Now that she had an internal reserve of magic she had a power source to draw upon other than her own reserves. Given the difficulty she had when it came to retaining energy this provided a natural power source that wouldn't impact her in an adverse fashion. Developing the ability to use magic would be a significant undertaking, but emulating machinery came naturally to life fibers. Tetra could just transform into any device she needed, link to her sources of magical energy, and be ready to go.

At least in theory. Magitech was complicated enough that I had barely scratched the surface of it. Outside of extremely basic applications it was a mostly untapped field, but that wasn't stopping Tetra. She was doing everything she could to absorb magitech information from both the laboratory and my assorted databases.

Given the fact that she was looking after the Avid Glove and drawing power from it I kind of expected her to carry it with her while working through computer systems or examining examples of technology. That just showed how badly I underestimated Tetra. Tetra wasn't running through the magitech lab or curled up at a console. She was spread through the entire facility, digging into every machine and terminal with reckless abandon.

When I say spread I mean that literally. Tetra had shifted back from her zoanthrope form into her cocoon and then unraveled through the entire magitech laboratory, covering the place in glowing red spiderwebs that worked their way into machinery or interfaced directly with computer systems. Through the crimson netting a green leather glove happily scurried along fibers that lit up under its fingers, bouncing between tangles of life fibers and research equipment like Tarzan through a jungle of glowing bloody vines.

I didn't want to criticize Tetra's efficiency or initiative, but it was exactly the kind of display that would raise significant concerns if the wrong person happened upon it.

My magic practice continued while my duplicates worked and outside the Wards continued their pseudo social call. Kid Win had linked back to the Protectorate systems to make a preliminary report and transfer some readings. I was on the fence about the ethics of monitoring communications. On one hand it was a violation of privacy, on the other it was coming from Garment's shop and the encryption was so pathetic I could practically read it directly as it was sent. I kicked the responsibility over to Survey, letting her make the call as to the importance of either Ward's actions.

The duplicates were getting close to their 20% time when an alert sprang up through the Workshop. A town car had pulled up out outside Garment's studio, which would be an unusual enough occurrence in the neighborhood even if it wasn't covertly armored and containing several significant power sources. Everyone immediately dropped their projects and shifted into action. Any kind of response would effectively expose Garment, but the potential of a threat couldn't be ignored.

Survey's initial analysis suggested that wasn't likely, but it was still a serious enough matter that we were all effectively on the edge of our seats, unable to even warn Garment thanks to the Wards still in the building. Instead I watched Flechette and Garment as a pair of figures approached the front door.

Flechette grinned as Garment enthusiastically guided her through a series of sketches of her early works. "And these are the ones you put up for auction?"

Garment gave a complicated and comprehensive response that Flechette interpreted as 'yes'.

"They're incredible." She reached over to trace a finger over one of the designs. "Especially this one." The movement brought her into close contact with Garment's dress. Flechette tensed again before turning to face her. "Uh, thank you, for doing that. I know it will mean a lot to this city. And I know these must have been important to you." She glanced down at the book, then back at Garment. "Garment, I, um, I wanted to say, or ask, I mean-"

A sharp knock echoed from the front door and Flechette nearly jumped out of her skin and did jump out of the couch. Her coordination kept her from going sprawling, but it was a close thing, instead landing in a three-point stance. She quickly checked on Garment and waved off a supportive hand before glaring at the door with murder in her eyes. The emergence of Kid Win from the back workroom didn't seem to be considered a welcome addition.

"Uh, what's going on?" He checked his scanning system while trying to disconnect or downplay the entanglement of Garment's OLED fabric. "Garment, were you expecting anyone?"

She motioned that she wasn't as the store had yet to begin operation but she would be happy to entertain visitors of good will interested in her work or fashion topics in general. Once again the Wards seemed to get about thirty percent of that.

"Right." Flechette looked at the door and shifted awkwardly. "Should I…"

Garment made a placating gesture, straightened her dress, and made her way to the main entrance. My sensors extended beyond the immediate reach of the studio, but opening the door revealed a thin man in an intricately designed and carefully tailored suit and mask. He was leaning on a heavily decorated cane that sparked with energy. Behind him a younger man in a black suit with electric blue highlights stood ready. The Vehicles constellation passed by as the first man began to speak.

"Ah, Garment? Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Uppercrust. I was in the city performing some civic works and heard about your new endeavor. I thought to drop by and find myself in the good fortune of finding you in residence, and perhaps available for a brief chat?" He spoke with a smooth and formal voice, but his body language was a little stilted. A result of the inhibiting effect of the energy fields shrouding his body. I would have called it an excessively paranoid defense, but my own fields were about eight layers deep and far more robust.

Garment indicated that she was currently entertaining but would be happy to speak with him, and also that his tailor was largely competent, though the stylistic choices left something to be desired when taken as a whole and balanced against the current cultural zeitgeist rather than viewed solely for isolated artistic value.

"Thank you." He said, stepping into the studio. "I'm quite proud of my costume team, though I can clearly see where they would be outmatched. I must say, that is a stunning dress." Garment expressed her appreciation for the compliment as Uppercrust gestured to the man walking behind him. "Allow me to introduce my assistant, Jacob's Ladder."

The taller man nodded to Garment. "It's nice to meet you." His voice strained slightly as he watched Garment twist to show off her recently complimented dress. The man cleared his throat and redirected his eyes above the neckline of the outfit. "Charmed."

Survey provided us with the cape's file before we could think of asking for it. His powers were thoroughly registered with the New York Protectorate, so there was no difficulty pulling up the information. Apparently he'd only been active for about six weeks. Assumed to have a background in private security, though with his age it likely that was somewhat exaggerated. He was a shaker/blaster, able to generate blasts of electricity, but maintain the arcs in a tangible form that he could interact with.

Essentially the lightning he threw around persisted, letting him lockdown significant areas with extremely dangerous lines of electricity while using the same effect for his own mobility, able to climb or swing from his own bolts. Hence the 'Jacob's Ladder' reference.

The moment they were inside Flechette stepped forward. There was an attempt to position herself between Garment and the recently arrived rogues, but the placement made that difficult. Instead she settled for glaring.

"Uppercrust." She said coolly. The man didn't respond to her antagonism.

"Ah, Flechette. So good to find a fellow New Yorker in this city. And Kid Win as well." He glanced at his assistant. "What a surprise to find representatives of the Wards here."

Yeah, he wasn't even being subtle about it. I knew from both my passenger and personal experience that the PRT East North East leaked like a sieve when it came to vital information. I wouldn't have been surprised if half the city had confirmation of Garment's meeting with the Wards, though it seemed Uppercrust was the only one bold enough to use her confirmed presence as an excuse for an impromptu meeting.

"Why are you here?" Flechette asked directly, ignoring Garment's ease with the situation.

"Just as I stated, to speak with Garment, one rogue to another." He explained.

"I know how you deal with rogues." She said sharply.

A tired smile crossed his face and I had the feeling this was something of a common topic. "The Elite provide extensive opportunities for a great many parahumans who wish to use their abilities for the betterment of themselves and their community. I trust you can see the value in such arrangements?"

"I know how you treat rogues, and Garment doesn't-"

"Uppercrust!" Kid Win cut in, quickly stepping forward with a forced smile on his face. "I wanted to thank you for making time in your schedule for the city. I know how badly the systems on the Rig were damaged." He gave Flechette a sideways glance. "We're all grateful to have you here."

Flechette gave Kid Win a betrayed look, then started as Garment rested a hand on her shoulder. Flechette gave her a complicated look while Garment indicated that she had the situation in hand and while it was heartwarming for Flechette to be concerned she didn't need to worry. Once again, she seemed to get about thirty percent of that, but it was enough for Garment to guide her away from any confrontation.

"Thank you, Kid Win. And if I'm not mistaken I believe you were the one who compiled the damage analysis of the Protectorate Headquarters. That was excellent work. You have quite the talent for breaking down complicated systems into manageable components."

Despite Uppercrust's compliment, Kid Win's smile turned slightly brittle. "Breaking down. That's me." He said quickly, then glanced to check on Garment.

Uppercrust gave the two of them a complicated look, then smiled. "Well, I can see I am interrupting. No, no, it's fine." He said, dismissing Garment's motions to the contrary. "Though I must say, I am quite impressed by your work, and the generosity of your recent initiative. While I will be unable to travel due to local obligations, I assure you, several of my associates will be sure to attend the auction in New York."

Garment indicated her appreciation and Uppercrust waved her off. "Of course, I would like to speak with you further regarding potential opportunities and how the Elite might be of use to you." He reached into his coat and pulled out a business card. The interaction of fields caused a flickering as his hand moved through the barrier. He offered the card to Garment and she accepted it graciously.

"Please give me a call when you have a moment. Or perhaps I might hear from that firebrand of a lawyer you have terrorizing Manhattan." There was real mirth in his voice and I could only imagine what he thought of Survey's civilian persona. If I hadn't personally buttoned up every hole in her fraudulent documentation and data trail I might actually be worried for the integrity of the identity.

His eyes moved over to Flechette before jumping back to Garment. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, but it seems I must be going. Please let me know if you're planning any similar events for this city. I assure you, I will make it a point to attend."

Garment expressed her appreciation and bid him goodbye while Kid Win stepped forward. "Thank you as well." He waved the man off awkwardly, then nearly collapsed once he had departed. Slowly he turned to the other Ward. "Flechette…"

"I know." She collapsed back onto the couch and let out a sigh. "And I know how important he is. It's just, I've seen what happens to rogues who get mixed up with the Elite." She picked up a sketching pencil from the table and began to anxiously and expertly twirl it in one hand. "Garment, please be careful. I know the offers can look good, but the Elite, they don't stop once they set their sights on something. Please, don't take them lightly."

Garment indicated she knew the seriousness of the situation and was confident she had matters in hand. That seemed to calm Flechette down enough to set the pencil back on the table.

I was personally paying less attention to the tail end of the discussion and more to the monolithic level of power that Flechette had casually imbued into the pencil, and then casually dispersed. My passenger's concerns about Flechette's importance were starting to make a lot more sense, and I was willing to bet that power went a lot further than what was listed in her Protectorate profile.

"We should probably get going." Kid Win said. "This is the kind of thing we're supposed to report immediately." Flechette nodded and climbed to her feet as Kid Win turned to Garment. "I'm sorry to ask, but could I take some of these samples for analysis? I mean, the OLED alone… Um, it would really help in confirming your rating and getting you set up proper-"

I felt some mild amusement as Kid Win learned what Garment's generosity was like. Not only did he leave with multiple samples of each fabric, but a custom woven scarf of some of her most advanced material. The pale, almost luminous blue contrasted wonderfully with his red and gold armor and it was light enough to flutter dramatically from the feedback of the lightest activation of his bracers or greaves. It was really a demonstration of how Garment's 'peak human skill' had somewhat scaled as my knowledge of the limits of what constituted peak human skill had expanded.

Kid Win thanked Garment and slipped out to give Flechette a chance to say goodbye. She approached Garment and placed a hand on the shoulder of her dress, feeling the simulated form underneath the cloth. For a moment she seemed distracted, then cleared her throat.

"I'm serious about Uppercrust. He might be the best the Elite have, but he's still one of them. Be careful, and if anything happens, call me and I'll be right here."

Garment rested a hand on top of the one Flechette had placed on her shoulder and made a reassuring gesture with her other arm. Flechette seemed at a loss for what to do next, her eyes jumping up and down before she squeezed Garment's shoulder and followed Kid Win out of the shop.

Garment waved them off, then the moment they were out of sight she turned and launched herself towards the Workshop entrance.

The reason was simple. A new connection had formed while the goodbyes were being said. A connection that had already been seen and repeated before, but never to this level or in a field as important to Garment.

It was a connection to the Toolkits constellation, and a repeat of the first one I had ever received. My Workshop, only this time it wasn't for metal or wood. It was for clothing, and Garment knew it.

Garment was through the entrance and tearing through the halls at blinding speed. Unerringly she sought out the expanded workshop, conveniently added onto the textile area she had claimed for herself. Each addition of the Workshop power expanded and improved all the workshops. Clothing started with three improvements stacked, and it showed. What had been a personal corner of the larger workspace was now a private realm of fashion, and Garment was making it absolutely clear she would fight any challengers of her dominion over it.

I couldn't suppress a smile as I watched Garment make an honest attempt to cackle with glee at the scale and grandeur of her new facilities. Just the level of storage would probably have been enough to get a reaction, but everything had been included and massively upgraded. Well, at least by the standards of the workshop.

"I'll be taking my twenty percent time here." One of the duplicates offered. "If Garment gets the upgrades now it should stop her from going completely maniacal on the next batch of duplicates."

"Thanks. So, Uppercrust?" I asked generally.

"We can handle him, even if Garment couldn't manage on her own. But that's not what you're asking about, is it?" The second duplicate said.

I shook my head. We had all seen the scans, along with Survey's analysis. We couldn't be sure without a genetic sequencing, but we were out of luck there. The fields were self-contained and even the card was near sterile. But you didn't need a genetic history to see what was right in front of you.

Uppercrust was sick. Very sick, something degenerative and by all appearances something that should be much worse than it currently was. He was in the best shape someone with a condition like that could hope for, and it was still dire.

"I don't think he's coming to Somer's Rock just to show off." I muttered.

"Wow, Tattletale got one wrong?" A duplicate snarked, then dropped the levity as the seriousness of the situation hit. "How do we play this? He's important, but this will be cracking open the floodgates, to say nothing of what it might do to the balance in the city."

"Try the country." The second duplicate added, calling up a fresh assessment. "Movements of Elite resources. They know he's on his way out. Some of them are preparing, committed. He bounces back and you might see a civil war in the second largest parahuman group in the country, after the Protectorate."

I sighed. "Right now we have bigger concerns. We know about it, and that's important. We can see how he plays things before we commit to everything."

They nodded. "At least the healing shouldn't be a problem. We've kind of lapped that for anything short of a Case 53."

"Small mercy." I muttered, then sighed. "And shouldn't you be on twenty percent time?"

"We're going." He assured me. "But we'll have to leave those 'bigger concerns' to you." I gave him a questioning look. "It's time to stop putting it off. You need to call your sister."

Jumpchain abilities this chapter:

Lathe-Wrought Armour Plating Kit (Light of Terra DLC 4 - Lords of the Iron Line) 400:
The astronomical and gravitational alignment of the Lathe worlds creates the conditions for the production of metal alloys of rare and singular properties. Lathe armour plating is strong and light, flexible enough to withstand the most powerful blows, and even resistant to intense heat or the crackling edge of a power weapon. The cost and rarity of such an upgrade is beyond the means of most individuals, with maybe only half a dozen sets of Lathe-wrought armour upgrade kits constructed in a decade, each created under commission for a specific wearer.

Workshop: Clothing (Personal Reality Supplement) 100:
Each purchase of this adds to your Personal Reality Workshop needed to perform specific type of craft, which is to be specified when purchase is made. It comes with a basic set of tools and supplies. Good for fixing or creating all sorts of things, although any complex parts or nonstandard supplies will have to be brought in from outside. Additional purchases can add different types of Workshops to your Personal Reality or expand existing ones. Anything built in one of those workshops is fiat backed to be restored to its original condition within 48 hours if damaged or destroyed.

 

[Tealc]

Thanks for the chap!

 

[Endorfinator]

I'm early for once! I'm looking forward to the talk with his sister. I've been waiting for that since the end of the March fight.

 

[dermenscha]

Fantastic Chapter, thank you.

How does Lathe armor stack up against Custodian Auramite or the more "conventional" adamantium?

 

[insertname099]

I fuckin called the lathe metal lmao molecular bonds? Pisshhh faultline piss off lmao

Glad to see Wukong, that little shit is one of my favourite mythological characters. Looking forward to the complicated familial interactions and to the therapy!

 

[Mojave Courier]

How does Lathe armor stack up against Custodian Auramite or the more "conventional" adamantium?

Click to shrink...

Auramite should be better given that the Custodes get the best of everything mankind has to offer in Warhammer. Big E doesn't settle for anything but the best for his favorite children.

 

[Mojave Courier]

I fuckin called the lathe metal lmao molecular bonds? Pisshhh faultline piss of lmao

Click to shrink...

It's quite fitting we got this right after pages of arguments regarding Faultline's powers.

 

[ptbptb]

plate male

Click to shrink...

Later, Plate Male would form a superhero team with Knife Man and Fork Lady.

 

[Mojave Courier]

Later, Plate Male would form a superhero team with Knife Man and Fork Lady.

Click to shrink...

I can't believe you forgot about Spoon Kid.

 

[Tiz Goldeneye]

Surprisingly not as much happened as I thought it would, this chapter. Joe found out his equipment was directly from Journey to the West, got a scan of Flechette's power, found out the real reason Uppercrust is in the city, and Tetra seems to have developed magitech so she can probably access Shardspace.

 

[MagicalAmbitions]

It's quite fitting we got this right after pages of arguments regarding Faultline's powers.

Click to shrink...

having participated in those arguments i laughed so fucking hard when the Lathe metal showed up.

 

[Mojave Courier]

Speaking of Lathe metal, I kind of wish that the Black Crusade Jumps were part of the Forge. There are ton of really nice things and rewards there.

 

[ptbptb]

I can't believe you forgot about Spoon Kid.

Click to shrink...

We don't talk about Spoon Kid. Not since he ran off to rebrand as edgy vigilante Nightspork.

 

[CharlieKing]

Rubery

Click to shrink...

Rubbery

potential appeal

Click to shrink...

apparel?

Thx for the chapter, love the character development in the workshop crew.

 

[Viloxity]

So Flechette is interested in Garment romantically? Or am I misreading that. Because she was about to say something to Garment but she got interrupted. I assume she was gonna ask her out or something.

 

[Dimensionist]

So does this mean Joe doesn't need to worry about abilities like the ones possessed by March and Damsel of Distress anymore? Considering Lathe Metal.

 

[KSn5Ynoh]

So does this mean Joe doesn't need to worry about abilities like the ones possessed by March and Damsel of Distress anymore? Considering Lathe Metal.

Click to shrink...

Depends on how much March uses of Sting's ability. Lathe Metal can only be broken by brute force, and I believe omniversal attacks count. I can't imagine the attack that goes through every dimension being light.

 

[Mizuki_Stone]

Huh, I never considered the possibility of a civil war in the face of Uppercrust's survival. I really should have mind you. It's Worm. They almost always have some degree of a 'damned if you do' situation... still I'm not sure how much that'd actually impact Joe's decision to either act or fail to act.

More armor kit is nice. Shame that The Sting is one of the few Annihilator effects that looks like it'd punch though anyway... but Stilling might be stopped.

 

[sonicyoash]

So does this mean Joe doesn't need to worry about abilities like the ones possessed by March and Damsel of Distress anymore? Considering Lathe Metal.

Click to shrink...

Damsel of Distress is a maybe, since while the disintegration and random matter transmutation aspects of her power are covered, the spatial warping might not be. As for March, hell no, he said it himself brute force on an absurd scale can do it and an omnidimensional f-u explosion more than counts. Joe said it himself back when he first found out about March, nothing in the entire Celestial Forge could stop Sting. Can he dodge it? Yes. Can he maybe pull a Scion and nullify it/tell the Shard to cease and desist? I don't know, maybe, but that sounds like a Post-Completed Forge thing to me. But can he get hit by it while taking no damage? Nope!