Joe has the ability to shove any two things together into a hybridization that combines them into one, but you have to understand how that hybrid thing actually works before you can hybridize it with more stuff.
His Feel It Out power giving him an understanding of how everything he comes in contact with works should really help with overcoming that hurdle.
Ah, yes. Why have just
one spiritron computer-throne with all of Joe's Perks put into its making, when he could have 2, or 4, or 10, or 20 all hybridized into one? Heck, why not go for the big one hundred? That's a level of such concentrated awesomeness that Joe could probably teach Aisha for an entire millennium or five within and only have a nanosecond pass in the outside world.
Actually... hold on a minute, just had an idea.
The Undersiders Get New Watches
"Thanks for coming on short notice, everyone," Joe said as he stood in front of the Undersiders. They were sat in a temporary base camp Joe had set up.
"So, given how my capabilities have improved, I've decided that your watches are all in need of an upgrade. I've gotten even better with watches than I have before, so these have some major improvements over the last set."
Joe held up Brian's new watch as an example. "The CO2 Scrubber has been improved, alongside the forcefield. Now you can last for about five weeks if cut off from fresh air, and the forcefield can tank a point-blank explosion with no issues whatsoever."
The watches were the result of a brainwave one of Joe's Duplicates had. Feel It Out allowed Joe to understand objects and their operation perfectly, given enough time, and Hybridization Theory relied on Joe understanding how hybridized items worked in order to be able to hybridize them further. Combining the two together made for a wonderful feedback loop where Joe could hybridize and hybridize until the time spent using Feel It Out just got too impractical. These watches were all hybridized a few times over; while Taylor's watch was made out of ten hybridizations, the rest of the Undersiders would have to make do with only six.
"With some new miniaturization and efficiency techniques I've gotten access to, there's a lot more crammed into here as well." Joe listed off features as they emerged from the watch-face. "Canteens that hold up to seven month's worth of water, storage for the same amount of food, an entire keyboard, a deployable tent, and, my personal favorite feature..." A small laser-pointer-shaped device came out of the watch. "This laser is like the beam weapon integrated into my armor, only smaller. However, I do have to ask that you refrain from firing it at any power level at or above 25%."
"Why's that," Alec asked. For some reason, Tattletale was paling rapidly.
"Well, you'll risk vaporizing the Earth's atmosphere," Joe explained. "25% gives you at least a second of firing time, but once you get to 30% you'll essentially destroy the planet immediately."
Joe was confused as to why almost everyone began screaming. Rachel and Alec just seemed stunned.
