Unnamed Location, Earth Tǩóymos, Jan 6, 2011.
Leaving the two airborne scanners to their survey, I pulled out a couple of cans from my food stash. "I really should grab pots and a lighter of some kind soon. Not having cooking gear makes having pasta and eggs rather pointless after all," I grumbled.
That was a rather embarrassing mistake, but fortunately there wasn't anyone around to hold it over me. Sure, cold spam was not particularly pleasant, but it was edible. Following it with a can of fruit cocktail would help too.
Still, the list of things I needed was growing rapidly and that meant running another raid within the next couple days. Preferably several, hitting different places over the course of a day. Planning that out properly would be critical, as getting tracked to the warehouse I was staging out of would cripple my project real fast, potentially even leading to Armsmaster getting his hands on the base unit there and then it would be only a matter of time before the PRT gained access to my new home.
Actually, how would me getting caught at this stage affect things? If the Protectorate used my anchor system to reach Tǩóymos, they'd find my primitive steading and would, unless they were even more worthless than I thought, realize that I just want to
get away. And would having the PRT in place of Cauldron in a tech-for-supplies arrangement be any different? Probably, as I doubted that their regulations would allow something like that and the Youth Guard was certain to throw a fit over it if it
was. Getting tossed into the Wards with a YG foster family breathing down my neck sounded like hell, assuming they didn't just drop me right back where I started.
And that was if Cauldron didn't have a way to keep people off my back. Any analysis of the recall anchors would show that I couldn't have gotten to another Earth without help, and you don't survive as a mysterious shadow organization in a world with thinkers without being very thorough and proactive about covering your tracks. I don't think they'd kill me or anything, not with how interested the doctor was in the anchors, but snatching me and my tech with those portals?
Suppressing a shudder that might have risked spilling my fruit, I began working over ideas to mask my trail. It could be helpful in hunting too, not just avoiding being chained to the will of others, whoever they may be.
***
While many ways to travel without leaving meaningful traces came to mind, the only one I could actually
make with available tools were frilled snowshoes. Not as useful as the various gravitic systems or a ghost cloak, but, like all the best tech I could muster, those required infrastructure I didn't have yet. Surprisingly little human-scale stealth was based on equipment, mostly being a matter of technique and skill, so figuring out how to do that would join my ever-growing tasks list.
In the meantime, I'd need to find some stiff yet flexible vine to make frames for the snowshoes. Or maybe I'm overcomplicating things and should just steal a pair in my next outing. "Power wants to be used, I guess. Well, it'll be getting a workout once I have more supplies to use. Especially when I get going on base building, what with all the various things that need to be made. And since I want the permanent structures to be upgradable, that means preplanning a lot of things and ensuring plenty of places for new fittings. Plumbing's going to be a right pain to retrofit though…"
With the massive deposit of clay near my candidate site, red brick would be an option for construction, but that took several steps of brickmaking to reach and since I'd need cement for water resistance anyway, Roman concrete would be quicker to make, even if the brick would be needed for other things. Wood was also an option, but tropical environments weren't conductive to the long-term integrity of organic materials and thus relegated to short-term roofing. Cobb and mudbrick were right out as the first big storm would wash either one away.
I shook my head vigorously. Okay, it looked like I really needed to get on with planning my crime spree so I could get what I needed for my power supply and building projects, because my need to tinker was getting pretty strong. Probably should get plenty of extra food too, as what I had wouldn't last long enough to see me through the construction project and it was doubtful if I'd be thinking about making food runs. And avoid forgetting the cooking supplies this time too. Even with the tropical heat, a hot meal was far superior to overwarm spam.
Executing the plan I was working on would have to wait until after I'd gotten a certified site to work though, as the more I had, the more there would be to move if my location wasn't a good one and I did
not want to haul hundreds of pounds of supplies who knew how far and over unknown terrain. I already needed to build a boat or raft of some kind so I could gather limestone or coral from wherever there may be any, and having to make it early to transport stuff I could easily have waited to get would slow things down more than I was willing to accept. Rushed and sloppy planning was already giving me issues and I could not afford to let that continue. One near-death experience because I'd not been thinking far enough ahead was one too many, and another could easily skip the
near part. I
had to be better.
***
A few hours had past as I planned and schemed for my next outing, when an alert popped up on my visor. The survey had been completed, with the candidate site cleared for use and two secondary sites had been located three-quarters of a mile upriver on opposite banks of the Alexandria. Both rutile and cassiterite had been found in several alluvial deposits in the intervening stretch, along with a detectable but unknown amount of gold and diamond. Near the hot springs I'd inferred was a collapsed pile of travertine terraces that must have fallen due to an earthquake that also seemed to have shut its accompanying spring and would make for a convenient early source of lime.
A mile to the north-east were signs of a coal vein in the form of scattered pieces of anthracite in ancient landslide debris, which I would need to have scanned soon. Actually getting the coal would have to be restricted to extracting the loose stuff from the broken ground rather than mining the actual bed until I had an automated system for that work, as I didn't want to subject myself or any followers I get to the dangers of doing that job in person. Not that I expected to be using coal for long enough to really need a proper mine, unless the rubble didn't contain much.
Also present in the surrounding forest were a number of trees bearing potentially edible fruits, though how good they were was unknowable without taste-testing. It could well be an unpleasant experience, and should probably require waiting until after I had water treatment in place, but it would be the only way to have non-berry fresh fruit here for decades. A balanced diet was rather important after all, and was hard to maintain in a premodern agricultural society without taking advantage of wild produce.
Pausing my log review, I quickly added water pipes and charcoal filters to my supply list. Might as well get started on that early, especially since it would simplify the upcoming construction.
Moving on, I noted an expanse of flooded grassland near the edge of the surveyed area along the eastern bank of the as-yet unnamed smaller river that was covered with a stiff, almost papyrus-like plant, interspaced with an odd flowering fern that was floating in a similar manner to a lily pad and had a fibrous stem. I'd definitely need to check that out for suitability in cloth making. There were also the first mammalian animals I'd seen here wading through the shallow water, looking rather like some sort of semiaquatic deer. Possible prey, but I'd want a good ranged weapon to bring them down, as the adults were about two tons. Dangerous and far too much meat unless I had a lot more people to feed.
With nothing else standing out at the moment, I checked the estimated time and began redistributing my things to facilitate transportation over to my new location. It would be easier if I had a third anchor, but with only the one here I'd have to settle for skip half the travel time. My eyes drifted to one of the three unused portable anchors I'd made during testing. Why'd I made extra, I wasn't sure but I just had an idea to make them useful in moving. Activating one, I checked the list on my visor's display. Only two ID codes were present. It'd been a longshot, considering the size difference between the base units and the wrist-mounted ones, but if that idea had worked, a lot of time could've been saved.
Powering down the device, I grabbed both my axe-pick and entrenching tool and headed out again. If I couldn't simplify transport, I'd just have to get things ready ahead of time, like building a storage hut at the site to keep everything in while I worked on moving my supplies and got the primary shelter up. A simple wood and earth lean-to like I'd build at my current location would serve nicely as a temporary depot.
The trip to the estuary took much less time than the first one did, if only due to not needing to survey the route as I went. Getting from there to my new base location, however, was another two hours as I had to ford the small river next to the clay hill and swim across the Alexandria to reach the isthmus. That boat might be needed earlier than I'd been thinking after finding the travertine…
After some work clambering through the tangled roots of the mangrove-like trees along the water's edge, I quickly traversed the much more walkable woodland within to the base of the hill that would house my village. One of the midlevel terraces on the leeward side featured a firm but workable soil that would hold posts well enough, so I used the pick spike to draw an outline to work from. It was much larger than my basic shelter, around thirty-five feet by twenty, but it had to hold not just a few days' food and some gear along with a person. This would be holding building supplies and raw materials to raise both a small house and a more robust storehouse that would support my future projects. A second, more food-focused, one would be needed once I started recruiting though, as the first structure would be mainly devoted to other resources.
Pausing a moment, I quickly added a couple lines to indicate where a sleeping annex would go, so I wouldn't have to spend hours every morning making the trip here from my original site to work on the various projects. That would be a horrendous waste of time for no benefit. What I was building now wouldn't last long against a tropical storm or a monsoon, so the faster I got them done, the faster I could get going on more permanent construction that
would. Moving the anchor to here early on would probably be a good idea too, as that way I wouldn't need to carry everything by hand down to the estuary and then could push back boat-building again, even if that would mean still needing to do a lot of swimming.
Switching to the entrenching tool, I began digging a footing ditch to fit the wall timbers, piling up the dirt to back-fill with later. Once that was done, I reverted to using my axe-pick and headed down to start collecting wood. This was going to take a while…
***
Brockton Bay, Earth Bet, Jan 7, 2011.
I sighed as I stepped out of warehouse I was staging from on Bet. With a persistent light rain and heavy mist hanging over my basecamp preventing me from finishing work at my village, I'd decided that a civilian excursion was a better use of my time than sitting around in my shelter doing nothing while waiting for the weather to clear up. I'd also brought over my food, not wanting the pervasive damp to ruin it. This outing would also hopefully function as initial recruitment scouting, but above all, I knew I needed at least
some human interaction with people who weren't actively manipulating me for their own ends.
As wandering the Docks was a rather bad idea, I began making my way towards the Boardwalk. Not only would I be safer in that area, I was also more likely to find people I could talk to. Now, the Boardwalk itself was probably not the best place for me to hang out, but the surrounding couple blocks would be reasonably clear of threats while being far enough away that the private security goons wouldn't be an issue. Making a point of appearing around there for a few hours every three or four days would allow me to start getting a feel for the space and those who frequented it.
While it turned out my waypoint was surprisingly close to the Bay's tourist district, gusting wind started blowing snow into my face about halfway. This, naturally, caused me several problems. And being momentarily blinded was the least of them, as the barely suppressed panic attack from yesterday came roaring back with vengeance, sending me stumbling.
Feeling myself being yanked sideways jolted me enough to clear the haze that was beginning to fill my mind to the point I could process what had just happened. The grungiest looking guy I'd even seen was leering at me with bloodshot eyes. Then he screamed "Gimme all your money or I'll gut yeh like a fish!"
Keeping a careful watch on the ill-maintained knife he was waving around, I growled back "I've been on the streets for two weeks,
what money?!"
That had probably been the wrong thing to say, as the drug-addict mugging me was much faster than I'd expected and sliced open my cheek before I could react. "Nice try girly. One more chance to- grhk!"
His threat was cut off as a thoroughly unexpected figure tore him away, leaving me to drop into an awkward heap on the snowy ground. Floating five feet in the air, mugger in hand, was the golden-haired form of New Wave's
Glory Girl in all her radiant splend- I shook my head, doing my best to force the flood of euphoria and awe out of my mind. It didn't help much, but at least I could focus on more than just the horrifying urge to worship her. Like, for example, the worn-looking freckled brunette giving the hovering heroine an exasperated look.
"Enough of that, Victoria," the girl who could only be Panacea said. "Just go hand him off to the cops while I deal with her cheek."
Once the boisterous blonde had flown off, her sister crouched down next to me and asked "Do I have permission to heal you?"
"Uh, yeah? I mean, if it's to not a problem…" I replied, suddenly feeling awkward. I, a villain, had just been rescued by a hero and was getting aid from another, both from a group known for its very black-and-white worldview. Yes, they didn't
know I was a villain, and wouldn't unless I chose to tell them, but that didn't make it wany less weird. Then a hand came to rest on my uninjured cheek, causing me to flinch at the contact.
"You know, joining the Wards would get you a warm bed and an income," the healer stated conversationally. Crap, she could see people's biological states when she was using her powers, and that included the Corona structures that demonstrated parahuman status.
"A-and be tossed back to my worthless excuse for a father? Or be dumped with a family of strangers for the next two years? N-no th-thanks," I stuttered back. Dammit, I was getting cold much quicker than I'd anticipated. The snow to the face and landing in more was probably responsible for that. But I doubted I could just disappear back to Tǩóymos when on the radar of the two Dallon sisters, at least not for a while yet.
Then a treacherous thought entered my mind. What if I could get them on my side? Both had powers that would be ideal for a small isolated colony and, more importantly, they were both around my age, with Glory Girl being about a year older. Having friends would be even better than just useful allies after all, and Panacea's freckles were kinda cute. Of course, Sophia was also a looker but an utter bitch, so that didn't mean much. Beefcake guy or slender girl, appearance was a terrible guide to personality, which was the most important thing at this point for me.
Standing, the other girl said "Well, you could try going for an affiliate position. Not as secure or stable as the Wards, but," she eyed my worn clothes "it would be better than living where ever you picked up a respiratory yeast infection. Still, you're all fixed, so that's my job done."
Pausing, she shivered and adjusted her scarf and hood against the stiff breeze.
"Personally, I don't really care what you get up to with a mask on so long as you don't leave a mess I need to clean up. I'm sure as hell not going to give you the 'heroic duty' spiel when clearly you don't believe that crap any more than I do."
I blinked. That was not an attitude I'd been expecting from a member of New Wave. "I'm not particularly interesting in hurting people, so that shouldn't be too hard."
Then, a faint grin forming, I added "No promises if the Nazis poke their noises into my business though, beyond aiming for traumatic brain injuries."
The brunette let out a short laugh. "You're in the clear there, as I hardly ever have to deal with that trash. The upside to the Nazis having their
own pet healer."
"You know, you're not really what I'd expected," I noted. "That grumpy cat attitude doesn't fit the New Wave image at all. And with that quip about not caring unless I put people in the hospital? Is your work really that stressful?"
Panacea raised an eyebrow at me "I believe you're only the third person to notice that, though the cat comparison's a new one. Can't say I see it, but at least Clockblocker's not around to make a crass joke out of it."
Then Glory Girl dropped down next to us, cutting off further conversation with a low-key surge of her aura. While I didn't think either girl noticed, I caught the subtle shudder running down the healer's frame. Were either of them aware that the blonde's emotive field was always active? Because that totally didn't seem like it could be a problem. They should probably be informed, but they had absolutely no reason to trust me and I did
not want New Wave angry at me.
Suddenly, there was a hand stuck out in front of me. I blinked. That was Glory Girl's hand. Why was she holding her hand out to
me? The statuesque blonde started waving her hand around. "What, no shake?"
I stared at her. "Do you do this with every homeless girl you rescue?"
She smiled back "Nah, most of them run off while I'm dealing with whatever baddy was messing with them. You, however, stayed and look like you could use some friendly time. So, name?"
"Taylor," I sighed. "I'm not sure you're thinking of though. This
does seem rather spur-of-the-moment to me, and you clearly already had plans."
Glory Girl blinked and looked slightly taken aback. Really living up to that impulsive and thoughtless reputation there.
"Let's just bring her shopping with us Vicky," Panacea interjected, and, waving her phone added "Carol wants us to divert to the department store on 3
rd to get some things for home. We can get Taylor a few things too, like clothes that can actually keep her warm."
I shot a betrayed look at the healer, trying to ignore the chill that went down my spine at the grin her sister now sported.
"Seriously, you need better clothes, otherwise you'll freeze to death and waste my work," was her bored response. "Besides, she's already decided to drag you into something and trying to stop her doesn't generally work. It's how she's gotten me into dates with half a dozen guys I've happened to share classes with." The last part was accompanied by a flat look directed at Vicky.
"What? How else am I supposed to help you find a boyfriend if you haven't told me what you're looking for! If you'd do that, or find someone yourself, I wouldn't keep dropping bad dates on you!" retorted the blonde.
"Ugh! I've got too much on my plate as it is! I don't need to add a romantic relationship to the mix,
as I've told you before!"
"Er, not to be rude," I broke in, "But I really don't need to be involved in a family squabble. If that's your planned activity, I'm out."
Both heroes turned to look at me. Maybe that was a bad move and I should've just left while they were distracted… Then again, the movement would probably have caught their attention, especially since they'd managed to position themselves to corner me. Somehow, I'd missed that despite the improved awareness I had and eighteen months of conditioning, which was fairly concerning.
I was almost pulled from my feet as Glory- Vicky grabbed my hand and started dragging me toward the Boardwalk. "Right! Let's get on that shopping trip!" She then looked over her shoulder at me and continued "I think a proper coat and some gloves, maybe new pants too, for you clothes wise and then we'll find you a sleeping bag and some cold weather camping gear."
Oh merciful Kyne, what had I gotten into?
A/N: I was not expecting Vicky to drag Taylor into her orbit this quickly, but she was rather insistent.
And this unlikely friendship will have some fun consequences later on.
