Sandy River DL
(Verified Destroyer Leader)
- Location
- Lake Michigan
- Pronouns
- Her/She
A Taylor/Amy fic that has a strong focus on what makes the ship work so well, plus Star Wars and synchronizing powers? Watched. Hard.
Mandalore the Administrator
- Thread starter AgelessReaper
- Start date
- Mature
I wonder if Colin feels threatened by HK-47 hanging out with his Canadian girlfriend.
Honestly I'm looking forward to seeing what batshit insane shenanigans the droids get up to while the master is away.
Honestly I'm looking forward to seeing what batshit insane shenanigans the droids get up to while the master is away.
michaelb958
(Verified Michael)
- Location
- Wherever I am, there I am
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
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I think, usually, girls attracted to guys.
- Pronouns
- Masculine
That had to have taken a gigantic amount of work. Well done! If I am wrong, I am wrong. I admit my knowledge comes from what others have told me. It might all be a pervasive internet rumor and anger and fan issues with Wildbow. So yeah, its remarkable that you were able to do that.
Looking forward to looking it over to see the truth of things for both good or ill.
So... you want them to tag it yuri shipfest?
- Location
- America
You are an absolute Madlad, just how many hours did this take?
- Location
- Sufficient Velocity, at the moment
To be fair, tagging ships is a courtesy thin, though mostly on archive sites like ffn and ao3. Also: everyone is assuming it's a lesbian thing but what if they just don't like SkitterPan? Plenty of people just don't like Panacea after all.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Like Wildbow, for example.
Sandy River DL
(Verified Destroyer Leader)
- Location
- Lake Michigan
- Pronouns
- Her/She
I'm fairly sure he doesn't like any of his Worm characters, given all the shit he gave them.
I'm pretty sure he doesn't like his readers, either. Or people who don't read his stuff. Or just anyone in general.
- Location
- Beyond the Unknowable Veil
Shadow Stalker is his self insert character!
michaelb958
(Verified Michael)
- Location
- Wherever I am, there I am
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
I'm still not sure what you're trying to say (or advocate for warnings on) here.
Responded in the new thread. (Let's let this one rerail.)
RavenWolffe77
The Marauder series is the best BattleMech.
- Location
- Deep Periphery, A Long Way From The Inner Sphere
Well at that point she could just
pull a Sonnie's Edge and masquerade as her own corpse
That... is too plausible for comfort.
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- Location
- Earth, Sol System, Virgo Supercluster, Earth-1218
I know of at least one story that does that (Eden's Edge) and there's at least one more with the same crossover.
They are being homophobic. (Or suffer from a severe lack of education.)
Hugs wanted
(Lurker of threads) (wannabe writer)
Some people just don't like to read Yuri on their fics, I personally don't mind yuri if it's done well
Ridli Scott
(Verified acid sweater mutant)
- Location
- The Periphery
I totally concur with you. I abandoned good stories because the author put the yuri inside the reader's mouth and tried to make him/her swallow it using a hammer called "a mage did it". The author should spend time building the relationship and making it advance. But it's is important to also make the rest of the story advance too. I remember dropping another one because the author tried to build the relationship during maybe ten chapters (maybe more I don't know because I dropped it) without doing anything more, it was like reading the novelized version of a teen drama TV show.
Sandy River DL
(Verified Destroyer Leader)
- Location
- Lake Michigan
- Pronouns
- Her/She
Eh, that's honestly true of any shipping though. Like Rowling's implementation of Harry/Ginny fell flat because there was no effort put into actually building the relationship. Or developing Ginny, really.
Fortunately, @AgelessReaper is doing rather well on that front so far.
Chapter 10
AgelessReaper
A Custom Title
(Taylor)
The trip to New York City took a little over three hours, and nothing too interesting happened. We found a hotel easily enough once we made it into the city, and luckily no one in the lobby recognized either of us. It would really screw up the vacation vibes if the internet were to figure out we were staying here. Not only would we have to watch out for people looking for autographs, but also the villains with too few brain cells that were looking to make a name for themselves. Being just two random teenage girls was a good thing.
The two of us unloaded our bags from the car, and made our way up to our room. It was simple, but cozy. A small entryway with a bathroom to the left, a cheap leather couch, a closet and small dresser, a bed, and a TV mounted on the wall. There was also a minifridge and a microwave next to the closet.
Looking at things in retrospect, we really didn't plan this all that well. I think we were so focused on going on vacation, that we didn't stop to think about what we were actually going to do. So right now, all we're doing is laying on the bed and staring at the blank TV screen that neither of us bothered to turn on.
"We could go to the movies?" Amy ventures.
"We can do that in Brockton though. Isn't the point of vacation to do something you can't do at home?" I ask.
Amy shrugs. "I guess, I just don't really know all that much about New York. We could go see the Statue of Liberty?"
I nod along. "That's an idea. Broadway's here as well right? We could go see a show?"
"I've never really been that big a fan of plays. There's a few I like, but the majority are just too….over the top? I can't think of a good way to describe what I don't like about them."
I shrug. "You don't have to like plays, Amy. We can table that idea for later I guess, though I would like to maybe see Phantom of the Opera if you're willing. Doesn't have to be now, just some time before we leave." Mom once told me she'd seen Phantom during her college days, and really enjoyed it. The two of us were planning to go see it when she died.
"One or two plays I'm fine with. I just don't want to spend all our time up here in a theater."
"So, that's the Statue of Liberty and Phantom of the Opera. What else?"
We lapse back into silence as neither one of us are able to think of anything to do. We lay there for a solid five minutes before Amy got fed up with it.
"Screw it. Let's just go get lunch somewhere. Might be able to think of something when we're recovered from the drive."
I nod in agreement, and the two of us leave the hotel. After grabbing our tinkertech defensive equipment of course.
"Where are we going?" Amy asks when we step outside.
"I don't know. I've never been here before."
The two of us stand in front of the hotel in awkward silence for a moment.
"Alright. Forward it is." Amy declares, and she drags me with her as she starts walking down the sidewalk in a seemingly random direction.
The hotel isn't in the most populated part of the city, but it's not on the outskirts either. I guess we'll find somewhere to eat if we just keep going forward. Besides, I've got my phone in case we get lost and need directions back.
"So," I awkwardly begin. "We're in New York."
"Yep." Amy agrees. "It's…. a city."
"Should we have gone somewhere else?" I ask nervously. I didn't drag her here against her will did I?
"Hmm? Oh, no. I was just expecting more. I'd probably have been disappointed no matter where we ended up." Her eyes widen a little, and she holds her hands out to me placatingly. "That's not on you! I just…."
I smile. "I get it Amy." I give the buildings around us a once over. "It is kind of underwhelming."
Amy exhales in relief, and nods. "Yeah. Nothing against New York, I just had unrealistic expectations."
I shrug. "It's just a place. It's going to have problems just like Brockton Bay, and it isn't gonna be some magical vacation destination. At least we're out of the Bay for a while though."
"Amen to that."
The two of us continue walking in silence.
The streets are as busy as I had expected of New York, and there's a lot of people walking on the sidewalk. Almost as if they were playing into the stereotype, almost everyone we passed rushed by us in a huff. Brockton's not exactly a friendly place, but people don't typically treat you like an inconvenience. They just ignore you.
"Gotta say, the locals are pretty standoffish." I quietly say to Amy.
"I was thinking the same thing. They could stand to develop some people skills."
I raise an eyebrow at her. "Amy, we could stand to develop some people skills."
She scowls at me. "I'll worry about my people skills when I'm on the clock. You're not supposed to do unpleasant things on vacation."
I laugh at her response, and a smile worms its way onto her face.
We keep walking, and I spot a sign with a pizza slice on it.
"Pizza?" I ask Amy.
She shrugs. "Why not? New York pizza is supposed to be good right?"
"Let's find out."
The two of us head inside.
The first thing that hits me is the sheer volume of the interior. It's as if we just walked up to a jet engine.
Seriously, why was everyone so loud?
Once I've recovered from the cacophony of yelling New Yorkers, I'm able to focus on the number of people in the shop. It is packed wall to wall with human beings, and it doesn't look like anyone is moving.
I make eye contact with Amy and say, "Take out."
I don't think she hears me, but she gets the idea because she just nods at me.
Rather than try to shout at each other, we don't talk while we order, an event that requires lots of pointing and miming, then we walked right out once we got our pizza.
"Okay. Room service from now on." Amy says as we walk out.
"That or we find somewhere less popular. That was just uncomfortable."
She nods in agreement. "Where do you want to eat? We could go back to the hotel easy enough."
I shake my head. "I don't want to spend all our time here in a hotel. There should be a park somewhere right?"
Amy grins at me. "I don't know, I've never been here before." She copies my words from earlier.
I roll my eyes at her. "Har har. Hang on a sec." I stop into an alley so no one will see me, then pull out my tinker phone and pull up a map of the area. After studying it for a bit, I reemerge.
"Found one. It's a few blocks that way."
"Lead on oh great navigator!" Amy hams up her reply.
I sigh in exasperation, and she giggles at me.
The two of us head toward the park, and do our best to avoid people, but it's kind of impossible to do so in this city.
The pizza's cooled down by the time we make it, but it's not so cold as to be unenjoyable.
We pick a spot underneath a small Aspen tree with no one around. There's a woman walking her dog, but she's a ways off. We're as isolated as we can be right now.
We both pick up a slice of pizza and try it out.
It's good, but not good enough to justify going back to the hole in the wall we got it from. At least in my opinion.
"Thoughts?" I ask Amy.
She makes a so-so gesture. "Not bad, not amazing."
"That's what I was thinking too."
We chew in silence for a bit.
As I chew, my mind wanders.
I've never been out of Brockton before. Well, I've left once, but it wasn't for an extended period of time. The only time I've ever been out of the Bay was for summer camp, and that really didn't end all that well. And now here I am, in New York, with Panacea of all people. My life used to be boring, and I honestly can't say whether or not I preferred it that way.
"You okay?" Amy asks, sounding concerned.
I blink, and look up at her. "Yeah, why? What's up?"
"Nothing. You zoned out there for a second."
I shake my head. "Sorry. It's just…. this is all a little surreal. This is the second time in my life I've been out of the Bay, and I'm eating pizza under a tree with Panacea."
Amy frowns slightly, and I hurry to clarify.
"That's not how I think of you Amy, it's just…. my life's gotten weird. I'm doing more than I ever thought I would, and meeting people I never expected to. The thing is, I honestly don't know whether or not I prefer the boring or the exciting."
Amy smiles sadly at me. "I get what you mean. I honestly can't remember what I used to do before I got my power, but I think I was able to enjoy myself more. Being one of the few capes capable of healing people puts a lot of pressure on you."
I gently take her hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"
She shrugs. "Not much to say that you don't already know. People expect me to heal constantly. They expect me to fix all their problems, and take it out on me when I can't. I've learned to deal with it."
"You shouldn't have had to."
"You're right. I shouldn't have, but the world isn't fair like that. We know that better than anyone."
I nod, and take a small bite of my pizza.
Amy sighs heavily and leans her back against the tree. "I really wish things weren't as shitty as they are."
I scoot over next to her, and lean my head back to look up at the branches. "Me too."
Things were pretty shitty right now. Amy's mom basically kicked her out, and a team of villains kidnapped and killed my dad trying to get to me. And that's only what's wrong with just me and Amy. The Empire's probably making a grab for territory, and the Merchants are probably being their drugged out brain dead selves.
"What are we going to do, Taylor?" Amy suddenly asks.
I pan down to look at her. "I thought we were going to relax. That's why we're here right?"
She shakes her head. "That's not what I meant." She shuffles around until she's looking at me. "What are we going to do when we leave? What are we going to do about everything?"
"I honestly don't know. We need to make your armor, then I need to get to work on my big project, but other than that I don't really have any plans."
"I think we need a goal." She says seriously. "With the two of us together, it's feasible we could do just about anything, so what do you want to do? Doesn't matter how impossible it seems, just say it."
"Where's this coming from?"
Her eyes narrow. "I've been told to heal all my life, and now Carol will probably disown me because I helped the way I was supposed to. If she's going to throw me out, then I don't need to play by her rules anymore, I can make my own, so what do you want to do?"
That was a lot to unpack. She's taking Carol's rejection hard.
Of course she's taking it hard! Her mom threw her out, and she never really got a chance to vent about it. Too much happened, and now we're here.
I grab Amy's hand. "I'm not ignoring you, but are you okay? We never got a chance to talk about Carol…."
Amy sighs, and looks down at the ground. "I already said all I need to. It still hurts, but I stopped trying to make her love me a while ago. This was just the end to something that was building since she adopted me." She looks back up at me and smiles sadly. "Besides, I have you now. So long as you're here, I'll be alright."
I smiled and squeezed her hand. "Don't worry. I'm not leaving."
"Good, because you're the only thing that kept me from freaking out when Vicky told us what happened. We both agreed things between us were going to be unhealthy, but they kind of started that way for me."
"Amy, when you met me I lived in a hole."
She laughs. "Fine, they started that way for both of us."
I grin. "Better."
Her smile falls away, and she grows serious. "So what do you want to do? Goal wise I mean. What do you want to work towards?"
My eyebrows furrow as I think it over.
I honestly didn't plan this far ahead. My overarching goal for being a hero has always been to help people. Now I'm realizing how vague and unapproachable that actually is. You can help people in a thousand ways without ever putting on a mask, and 'helping' differs depending on the person. That's not even considering the fact that the Bacta Tank is being rapidly deployed around the world. I think it's safe to say that I've helped more people than most career heroes just by inventing it, and man is that a crazy thought. I beat out people who have dedicated their lives to this job with a single device. What was I supposed to do now?
"I have no idea." I admit bluntly. "I originally started making my gear so I could help people, but the Bacta Tank is already doing more than I imagined. I don't really know where I want to go moving forwards."
"Me neither." Amy says. "I've only ever used my power in one way, and now I'm finally seeing that it's okay to use it for myself. I'm still figuring things out."
I look up at her. "We could start with that? Let you play around until you find something that interests you, and maybe do the same for me. We could even work together on stuff."
She smiles. "That could be fun."
I nod, then remember something. "We should probably work on keeping ourselves alive first. At this point I don't know if the Empire still wants to kill me, but it's better to prepare then be caught flat footed. That means finishing your armor, training you, and maybe giving each other some enhancements."
Amy slowly nods along. "I still haven't really been thinking about the whole cyborg thing. I haven't had much time."
"There's no rush. We have a week to figure things out."
She tilts her head to think for a moment, then nods. "Alright, so keep ourselves alive first, then make new stuff, what then? Any overarching scheme you want to work towards?"
I raise an eyebrow. "'Scheme' Amy? You make it sound so sinister."
"You know what I mean, and hey, we'd make a badass villain duo." She says with a grin. "Think of it. Panacea and Mandalore, empresses of mankind! Mwahahahaha!"
I bopped her on the head. "Bad Amy. No evil laughs or bringing about the extinction of humanity."
She rubs her head. "Yeah yeah, no crushing the puny mortals."
"What was that?"
"I said 'no pushing the running turtles'."
I raised an eyebrow at her, and she struggled to keep a straight face. A chuckle made its way past her lips, and the two of us broke down laughing.
"Turtles? Seriously?" I ask once I manage to control myself.
"It was the best I could come up with!"
I shake my head in amusement. "What were we talking about?"
"Umm…. oh! Overarching schemes."
I let out a sigh at her identical wording, but let it go this time. "I don't really have any endgame plans right now. What about you?"
She thinks it over for a moment. "Not really. I haven't thought that far ahead."
I shrug. "It's not like we need to come up with something right now, we can give it a week. Or a month. Or a year really. We're both teenagers, we've got time."
Amy nods. "No need to rush anything, just keep it in mind. I think the reason healing got so repetitive was because I wasn't working towards anything. I was helping people, but not as much as I could."
"I'll give it some thought. It's not like we won't have plenty of time while we're here." I agree.
"Good." She stands up, taking the empty pizza box with her. When did we finish that?
"The sun's starting to go down. Strange. It doesn't feel like we've been out here that long."
I stand and shrug. "We did only make it to the city a little past noon, then sat around in the hotel room for who knows how long. The pizza was more of an early dinner than a lunch."
"We should probably head back then."
We threw the pizza box away in a nearby trash can, and started back towards our hotel. Nothing all that interesting happened on the way back, and we rushed through the lobby before anyone could recognize us. We rode the elevator up, walked to our room, and locked the door behind us.
Amy fell onto the bed with a groan. "I'm tired. How long were we in the car again?"
"Roughly four hours?" I guess.
Amy hmm's. "That'll do it." She tilts her head to look at me. "Did you have anything you wanted to do tonight?"
I shake my head. "No. We've got plenty of time to do everything."
"Good." She holds her arm out to me and starts making grabby hand motions.
I raise an eyebrow as I walk over. "What?"
She latches onto my arm, and pulls me down into the bed with her. "I'm tired, and I want to cuddle." She maneuvers the blanket out from underneath us, and drapes it over us. She pulls me into her and closes her eyes with a content sigh. "Night Taylor."
I could have argued that the sun was still up, that I wasn't tired, that I wanted to watch a movie, but I didn't. She looked too cute. "Goodnight Amy."
Her breathing evened out, and it wasn't long before the two of us were both asleep.
(Alexandria)
I fly through the skies of Brockton Bay at a slow pace. I wasn't here to fight, so hurrying held no purpose. Crowds of citizens went agape as I passed overhead, and they all quickly reached for cell phones to take pictures.
I don't mind, I am used to the attention.
I spot an old building just a few short blocks from the beach, and make my descent. I land softly in front of the building, then walk up and knock gently on the door.
A minute passes before I hear several locking mechanisms being undone, and the door swings inwards. A robot, different from but similar to the one in the videos, opens the door. I quickly scan him with my eyes to take in everything I can.
Oil residue on hands and arms. Has been working with machinery. Locks sounded new. Currently working on securing the building? More data required.
I refocus on the machine in front of me as it speaks. "Greetings ma'am. Is there anything I can do for you?"
I nod. "Could you tell Mandalore I'm here to speak with her? I am willing to wait."
The machine shakes its head. "I am afraid that will be impossible. The Mistress has gone on holiday. I am unsure when she will return, but I would be happy to take a message if you would like?"
I frown. "Could you give me her vacation destination or contact details then? It's important that I speak with her soon."
The machine clasps its hands behind its back, and speaks in a firm tone. "I'm afraid not ma'am. The Mistress is taking this time to rest and recover, any and all business meetings should be held until she is well, and ready. If the matter is indeed urgent, both myself and Dotty would be more than happy to assist you."
Dotty separate entity from Mandalore. Dotty is not Mandalore's hacking handle. Another robot specialized in hacking? Mandalore's specialty is robotics? Doesn't explain armor, weapons, or designs Armsmaster surrendered to Dragon. More data required.
"I'm afraid that I can only speak with Mandalore." I reply. I reach into one of my suit's pockets, and remove a square card from it. "Have her call me when she's back, and pass along my condolences for her father."
The robot takes the card, and nods. "I will do so. Have a pleasant day ma'am." It closed the door, and reset all the locks.
I exhale in frustration, and jump back into the air.
I missed her. I missed her, and now she was going to be lying low god knows where. If Legend hadn't been drawn away by that Butcher fight, he would have been able to get in contact with Taylor before she left. As it is, I was too late.
I rise high enough into the air so my speed won't cause any damage, then speed up close to my top speed in the direction of Los Angeles.
We need Mandalore's tech. Dragon's been intentionally vague regarding what all Taylor gave her, but it was clear that what she had was good. I was still infuriated we had let a chance like that slip through our fingers.
After a thorough ass chewing, Armsmaster had detailed what he remembered of the blueprints he gave to Dragon. He listed a wide variety of designs that would assist in agriculture, alternative energy, and medicine. If any of those designs could actually be replicated, then this was the answer we had been searching for.
The largest problem with facing Scion is that the world, multiple worlds, would be devastated. That was the entire reasoning behind the Brockton Bay experiment. To determine if humanity could survive under various parahuman warlords, but with Taylor's technology the experiment would become obsolete.
We could transport people to uninhabited Earth's, and use Taylor's agricultural equipment to ensure they wouldn't starve. Construct power stations, hospitals, and have a work force in her robots.
Of course, this all hinged on the fact that the girl's tech was both replicable and as diverse as we've been led to believe. Something we haven't been able to confirm yet.
When I was far enough away from the city so as not to be seen, I say, "Door to Dr. Mother."
A familiar square hole in reality opens up, and I slow down so I can float through it.
"How'd it go?" The aging woman behind the desk asks as I enter.
"She wasn't there."
"Hmm, do you need to find her?"
I shake my head. "No. Don't approach her yet. I get the sense we'll have better luck with her if we give her some space for now. If she comes to us on her own terms we'll have a much better chance of getting her with us."
The woman nods. "Understood. Let me know if there's anything you need. This girl could be the answer we've been waiting for."
"Actually, could you find an excuse to send Legend to Brockton Bay for a while? We need someone to talk to Mandalore as soon as she comes back, and we can play it off as having Legend oversee the Grey Boy bubble. New York will be fine without him."
"I'll talk to him later today. Take care Rebecca."
I walk back through the portal without another word, and resume my flight to LA.
This could turn out to be a waste of time, or it could prove to be the biggest break we've ever had. There was no way to tell which, we just had to be patient.
(Back at the Warehouse….)
Barry watches the woman fly away on the new cameras, and only once she is gone does he remove his hand from a very specific hidden button.
While it may not have been able to hurt Alexandria, it certainly would have been an inconvenience, and that is all one can hope for against her. Until he had the proper materials of course.
Barry leaves the small index card on the table, and walks back through the Warehouse to rejoin Dotty, who was hovering over a yet unfinished piece of machinery.
The small, orb shaped droid beeps in curiosity.
"No need to concern yourself Dotty, it was simply someone wishing to speak with Mistress Taylor."
Dotty boops in acceptance, then the two droids turn to look at the new contraption.
Dotty beeps in contemplation, and Barry nods along with his assessment.
"Yes, we will have to use too costly a sum of materials to construct this at present. There would not be enough left for Mistress Taylor's own project." A project both droids were very excited for. Dragon had dropped off the truckload of material when she picked up HK, and both droids instantly recognized what they were for. Miss Taylor was certainly branching out.
Dotty spins in a circle as an idea comes to him, and he boops excitedly.
Barry tilts his head in thought. "Hmm, yes I suppose that could work. We would, of course, have to ensure it is not traced back to Mistress Taylor."
Dotty flies up and down while beeping out a plan.
When Barry speaks next, there is a smile in his voice. "Yes, yes I believe that will work."
A few short days later, Barry was putting the finishing touches on the Warehouse's new defense system while Dotty checked everything over. Their acquisition of new materials went off without a hitch, and as a result, they were able to complete everything they needed. All that was left was to reinforce the walls of the warehouse, but that was a secondary priority.
Barry lowers himself from the roof, and walks over to where Dotty was floating above a computer. "If you would do the honors my small friend?"
Dotty boops a happy affirmative, and begins testing the new defense system.
Large turrets lowered from the ceiling, then retracted. The ground suddenly became enveloped in an electrical blanket, then returned to normal. A section of the floor disappeared, leading to a bed of superheated spikes, then the floor returned.
Barry softly claps his hands together. "Bravo, my little friend. Bravo. Are the other more destructive countermeasures operational as well?"
Dotty beeps an affirmative, and Barry allows himself to feel pride.
Mistress Taylor would be pleased to know that all the defenses she had left plans for had been completed, as well as several more which would truly make her new home safe to reside within.
"Very well done Dotty. Feel free to spend your time as you will, I will be reinforcing the walls." Barry strides off with a skip in his step.
The little orb boops a thank you, and goes back to his computer. He still had a jerkface to DDoS!
(At a Local Hardware Store…..)
"Umm….. Jeff?"
"Yes Tracy?"
"There…..there were actually…. ya know…. things in here last night right? Not just empty shelves?"
"Yep."
"...."
"...."
"We're gonna get fired aren't we?"
"Yep."
The trip to New York City took a little over three hours, and nothing too interesting happened. We found a hotel easily enough once we made it into the city, and luckily no one in the lobby recognized either of us. It would really screw up the vacation vibes if the internet were to figure out we were staying here. Not only would we have to watch out for people looking for autographs, but also the villains with too few brain cells that were looking to make a name for themselves. Being just two random teenage girls was a good thing.
The two of us unloaded our bags from the car, and made our way up to our room. It was simple, but cozy. A small entryway with a bathroom to the left, a cheap leather couch, a closet and small dresser, a bed, and a TV mounted on the wall. There was also a minifridge and a microwave next to the closet.
Looking at things in retrospect, we really didn't plan this all that well. I think we were so focused on going on vacation, that we didn't stop to think about what we were actually going to do. So right now, all we're doing is laying on the bed and staring at the blank TV screen that neither of us bothered to turn on.
"We could go to the movies?" Amy ventures.
"We can do that in Brockton though. Isn't the point of vacation to do something you can't do at home?" I ask.
Amy shrugs. "I guess, I just don't really know all that much about New York. We could go see the Statue of Liberty?"
I nod along. "That's an idea. Broadway's here as well right? We could go see a show?"
"I've never really been that big a fan of plays. There's a few I like, but the majority are just too….over the top? I can't think of a good way to describe what I don't like about them."
I shrug. "You don't have to like plays, Amy. We can table that idea for later I guess, though I would like to maybe see Phantom of the Opera if you're willing. Doesn't have to be now, just some time before we leave." Mom once told me she'd seen Phantom during her college days, and really enjoyed it. The two of us were planning to go see it when she died.
"One or two plays I'm fine with. I just don't want to spend all our time up here in a theater."
"So, that's the Statue of Liberty and Phantom of the Opera. What else?"
We lapse back into silence as neither one of us are able to think of anything to do. We lay there for a solid five minutes before Amy got fed up with it.
"Screw it. Let's just go get lunch somewhere. Might be able to think of something when we're recovered from the drive."
I nod in agreement, and the two of us leave the hotel. After grabbing our tinkertech defensive equipment of course.
"Where are we going?" Amy asks when we step outside.
"I don't know. I've never been here before."
The two of us stand in front of the hotel in awkward silence for a moment.
"Alright. Forward it is." Amy declares, and she drags me with her as she starts walking down the sidewalk in a seemingly random direction.
The hotel isn't in the most populated part of the city, but it's not on the outskirts either. I guess we'll find somewhere to eat if we just keep going forward. Besides, I've got my phone in case we get lost and need directions back.
"So," I awkwardly begin. "We're in New York."
"Yep." Amy agrees. "It's…. a city."
"Should we have gone somewhere else?" I ask nervously. I didn't drag her here against her will did I?
"Hmm? Oh, no. I was just expecting more. I'd probably have been disappointed no matter where we ended up." Her eyes widen a little, and she holds her hands out to me placatingly. "That's not on you! I just…."
I smile. "I get it Amy." I give the buildings around us a once over. "It is kind of underwhelming."
Amy exhales in relief, and nods. "Yeah. Nothing against New York, I just had unrealistic expectations."
I shrug. "It's just a place. It's going to have problems just like Brockton Bay, and it isn't gonna be some magical vacation destination. At least we're out of the Bay for a while though."
"Amen to that."
The two of us continue walking in silence.
The streets are as busy as I had expected of New York, and there's a lot of people walking on the sidewalk. Almost as if they were playing into the stereotype, almost everyone we passed rushed by us in a huff. Brockton's not exactly a friendly place, but people don't typically treat you like an inconvenience. They just ignore you.
"Gotta say, the locals are pretty standoffish." I quietly say to Amy.
"I was thinking the same thing. They could stand to develop some people skills."
I raise an eyebrow at her. "Amy, we could stand to develop some people skills."
She scowls at me. "I'll worry about my people skills when I'm on the clock. You're not supposed to do unpleasant things on vacation."
I laugh at her response, and a smile worms its way onto her face.
We keep walking, and I spot a sign with a pizza slice on it.
"Pizza?" I ask Amy.
She shrugs. "Why not? New York pizza is supposed to be good right?"
"Let's find out."
The two of us head inside.
The first thing that hits me is the sheer volume of the interior. It's as if we just walked up to a jet engine.
Seriously, why was everyone so loud?
Once I've recovered from the cacophony of yelling New Yorkers, I'm able to focus on the number of people in the shop. It is packed wall to wall with human beings, and it doesn't look like anyone is moving.
I make eye contact with Amy and say, "Take out."
I don't think she hears me, but she gets the idea because she just nods at me.
Rather than try to shout at each other, we don't talk while we order, an event that requires lots of pointing and miming, then we walked right out once we got our pizza.
"Okay. Room service from now on." Amy says as we walk out.
"That or we find somewhere less popular. That was just uncomfortable."
She nods in agreement. "Where do you want to eat? We could go back to the hotel easy enough."
I shake my head. "I don't want to spend all our time here in a hotel. There should be a park somewhere right?"
Amy grins at me. "I don't know, I've never been here before." She copies my words from earlier.
I roll my eyes at her. "Har har. Hang on a sec." I stop into an alley so no one will see me, then pull out my tinker phone and pull up a map of the area. After studying it for a bit, I reemerge.
"Found one. It's a few blocks that way."
"Lead on oh great navigator!" Amy hams up her reply.
I sigh in exasperation, and she giggles at me.
The two of us head toward the park, and do our best to avoid people, but it's kind of impossible to do so in this city.
The pizza's cooled down by the time we make it, but it's not so cold as to be unenjoyable.
We pick a spot underneath a small Aspen tree with no one around. There's a woman walking her dog, but she's a ways off. We're as isolated as we can be right now.
We both pick up a slice of pizza and try it out.
It's good, but not good enough to justify going back to the hole in the wall we got it from. At least in my opinion.
"Thoughts?" I ask Amy.
She makes a so-so gesture. "Not bad, not amazing."
"That's what I was thinking too."
We chew in silence for a bit.
As I chew, my mind wanders.
I've never been out of Brockton before. Well, I've left once, but it wasn't for an extended period of time. The only time I've ever been out of the Bay was for summer camp, and that really didn't end all that well. And now here I am, in New York, with Panacea of all people. My life used to be boring, and I honestly can't say whether or not I preferred it that way.
"You okay?" Amy asks, sounding concerned.
I blink, and look up at her. "Yeah, why? What's up?"
"Nothing. You zoned out there for a second."
I shake my head. "Sorry. It's just…. this is all a little surreal. This is the second time in my life I've been out of the Bay, and I'm eating pizza under a tree with Panacea."
Amy frowns slightly, and I hurry to clarify.
"That's not how I think of you Amy, it's just…. my life's gotten weird. I'm doing more than I ever thought I would, and meeting people I never expected to. The thing is, I honestly don't know whether or not I prefer the boring or the exciting."
Amy smiles sadly at me. "I get what you mean. I honestly can't remember what I used to do before I got my power, but I think I was able to enjoy myself more. Being one of the few capes capable of healing people puts a lot of pressure on you."
I gently take her hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"
She shrugs. "Not much to say that you don't already know. People expect me to heal constantly. They expect me to fix all their problems, and take it out on me when I can't. I've learned to deal with it."
"You shouldn't have had to."
"You're right. I shouldn't have, but the world isn't fair like that. We know that better than anyone."
I nod, and take a small bite of my pizza.
Amy sighs heavily and leans her back against the tree. "I really wish things weren't as shitty as they are."
I scoot over next to her, and lean my head back to look up at the branches. "Me too."
Things were pretty shitty right now. Amy's mom basically kicked her out, and a team of villains kidnapped and killed my dad trying to get to me. And that's only what's wrong with just me and Amy. The Empire's probably making a grab for territory, and the Merchants are probably being their drugged out brain dead selves.
"What are we going to do, Taylor?" Amy suddenly asks.
I pan down to look at her. "I thought we were going to relax. That's why we're here right?"
She shakes her head. "That's not what I meant." She shuffles around until she's looking at me. "What are we going to do when we leave? What are we going to do about everything?"
"I honestly don't know. We need to make your armor, then I need to get to work on my big project, but other than that I don't really have any plans."
"I think we need a goal." She says seriously. "With the two of us together, it's feasible we could do just about anything, so what do you want to do? Doesn't matter how impossible it seems, just say it."
"Where's this coming from?"
Her eyes narrow. "I've been told to heal all my life, and now Carol will probably disown me because I helped the way I was supposed to. If she's going to throw me out, then I don't need to play by her rules anymore, I can make my own, so what do you want to do?"
That was a lot to unpack. She's taking Carol's rejection hard.
Of course she's taking it hard! Her mom threw her out, and she never really got a chance to vent about it. Too much happened, and now we're here.
I grab Amy's hand. "I'm not ignoring you, but are you okay? We never got a chance to talk about Carol…."
Amy sighs, and looks down at the ground. "I already said all I need to. It still hurts, but I stopped trying to make her love me a while ago. This was just the end to something that was building since she adopted me." She looks back up at me and smiles sadly. "Besides, I have you now. So long as you're here, I'll be alright."
I smiled and squeezed her hand. "Don't worry. I'm not leaving."
"Good, because you're the only thing that kept me from freaking out when Vicky told us what happened. We both agreed things between us were going to be unhealthy, but they kind of started that way for me."
"Amy, when you met me I lived in a hole."
She laughs. "Fine, they started that way for both of us."
I grin. "Better."
Her smile falls away, and she grows serious. "So what do you want to do? Goal wise I mean. What do you want to work towards?"
My eyebrows furrow as I think it over.
I honestly didn't plan this far ahead. My overarching goal for being a hero has always been to help people. Now I'm realizing how vague and unapproachable that actually is. You can help people in a thousand ways without ever putting on a mask, and 'helping' differs depending on the person. That's not even considering the fact that the Bacta Tank is being rapidly deployed around the world. I think it's safe to say that I've helped more people than most career heroes just by inventing it, and man is that a crazy thought. I beat out people who have dedicated their lives to this job with a single device. What was I supposed to do now?
"I have no idea." I admit bluntly. "I originally started making my gear so I could help people, but the Bacta Tank is already doing more than I imagined. I don't really know where I want to go moving forwards."
"Me neither." Amy says. "I've only ever used my power in one way, and now I'm finally seeing that it's okay to use it for myself. I'm still figuring things out."
I look up at her. "We could start with that? Let you play around until you find something that interests you, and maybe do the same for me. We could even work together on stuff."
She smiles. "That could be fun."
I nod, then remember something. "We should probably work on keeping ourselves alive first. At this point I don't know if the Empire still wants to kill me, but it's better to prepare then be caught flat footed. That means finishing your armor, training you, and maybe giving each other some enhancements."
Amy slowly nods along. "I still haven't really been thinking about the whole cyborg thing. I haven't had much time."
"There's no rush. We have a week to figure things out."
She tilts her head to think for a moment, then nods. "Alright, so keep ourselves alive first, then make new stuff, what then? Any overarching scheme you want to work towards?"
I raise an eyebrow. "'Scheme' Amy? You make it sound so sinister."
"You know what I mean, and hey, we'd make a badass villain duo." She says with a grin. "Think of it. Panacea and Mandalore, empresses of mankind! Mwahahahaha!"
I bopped her on the head. "Bad Amy. No evil laughs or bringing about the extinction of humanity."
She rubs her head. "Yeah yeah, no crushing the puny mortals."
"What was that?"
"I said 'no pushing the running turtles'."
I raised an eyebrow at her, and she struggled to keep a straight face. A chuckle made its way past her lips, and the two of us broke down laughing.
"Turtles? Seriously?" I ask once I manage to control myself.
"It was the best I could come up with!"
I shake my head in amusement. "What were we talking about?"
"Umm…. oh! Overarching schemes."
I let out a sigh at her identical wording, but let it go this time. "I don't really have any endgame plans right now. What about you?"
She thinks it over for a moment. "Not really. I haven't thought that far ahead."
I shrug. "It's not like we need to come up with something right now, we can give it a week. Or a month. Or a year really. We're both teenagers, we've got time."
Amy nods. "No need to rush anything, just keep it in mind. I think the reason healing got so repetitive was because I wasn't working towards anything. I was helping people, but not as much as I could."
"I'll give it some thought. It's not like we won't have plenty of time while we're here." I agree.
"Good." She stands up, taking the empty pizza box with her. When did we finish that?
"The sun's starting to go down. Strange. It doesn't feel like we've been out here that long."
I stand and shrug. "We did only make it to the city a little past noon, then sat around in the hotel room for who knows how long. The pizza was more of an early dinner than a lunch."
"We should probably head back then."
We threw the pizza box away in a nearby trash can, and started back towards our hotel. Nothing all that interesting happened on the way back, and we rushed through the lobby before anyone could recognize us. We rode the elevator up, walked to our room, and locked the door behind us.
Amy fell onto the bed with a groan. "I'm tired. How long were we in the car again?"
"Roughly four hours?" I guess.
Amy hmm's. "That'll do it." She tilts her head to look at me. "Did you have anything you wanted to do tonight?"
I shake my head. "No. We've got plenty of time to do everything."
"Good." She holds her arm out to me and starts making grabby hand motions.
I raise an eyebrow as I walk over. "What?"
She latches onto my arm, and pulls me down into the bed with her. "I'm tired, and I want to cuddle." She maneuvers the blanket out from underneath us, and drapes it over us. She pulls me into her and closes her eyes with a content sigh. "Night Taylor."
I could have argued that the sun was still up, that I wasn't tired, that I wanted to watch a movie, but I didn't. She looked too cute. "Goodnight Amy."
Her breathing evened out, and it wasn't long before the two of us were both asleep.
(Alexandria)
I fly through the skies of Brockton Bay at a slow pace. I wasn't here to fight, so hurrying held no purpose. Crowds of citizens went agape as I passed overhead, and they all quickly reached for cell phones to take pictures.
I don't mind, I am used to the attention.
I spot an old building just a few short blocks from the beach, and make my descent. I land softly in front of the building, then walk up and knock gently on the door.
A minute passes before I hear several locking mechanisms being undone, and the door swings inwards. A robot, different from but similar to the one in the videos, opens the door. I quickly scan him with my eyes to take in everything I can.
Oil residue on hands and arms. Has been working with machinery. Locks sounded new. Currently working on securing the building? More data required.
I refocus on the machine in front of me as it speaks. "Greetings ma'am. Is there anything I can do for you?"
I nod. "Could you tell Mandalore I'm here to speak with her? I am willing to wait."
The machine shakes its head. "I am afraid that will be impossible. The Mistress has gone on holiday. I am unsure when she will return, but I would be happy to take a message if you would like?"
I frown. "Could you give me her vacation destination or contact details then? It's important that I speak with her soon."
The machine clasps its hands behind its back, and speaks in a firm tone. "I'm afraid not ma'am. The Mistress is taking this time to rest and recover, any and all business meetings should be held until she is well, and ready. If the matter is indeed urgent, both myself and Dotty would be more than happy to assist you."
Dotty separate entity from Mandalore. Dotty is not Mandalore's hacking handle. Another robot specialized in hacking? Mandalore's specialty is robotics? Doesn't explain armor, weapons, or designs Armsmaster surrendered to Dragon. More data required.
"I'm afraid that I can only speak with Mandalore." I reply. I reach into one of my suit's pockets, and remove a square card from it. "Have her call me when she's back, and pass along my condolences for her father."
The robot takes the card, and nods. "I will do so. Have a pleasant day ma'am." It closed the door, and reset all the locks.
I exhale in frustration, and jump back into the air.
I missed her. I missed her, and now she was going to be lying low god knows where. If Legend hadn't been drawn away by that Butcher fight, he would have been able to get in contact with Taylor before she left. As it is, I was too late.
I rise high enough into the air so my speed won't cause any damage, then speed up close to my top speed in the direction of Los Angeles.
We need Mandalore's tech. Dragon's been intentionally vague regarding what all Taylor gave her, but it was clear that what she had was good. I was still infuriated we had let a chance like that slip through our fingers.
After a thorough ass chewing, Armsmaster had detailed what he remembered of the blueprints he gave to Dragon. He listed a wide variety of designs that would assist in agriculture, alternative energy, and medicine. If any of those designs could actually be replicated, then this was the answer we had been searching for.
The largest problem with facing Scion is that the world, multiple worlds, would be devastated. That was the entire reasoning behind the Brockton Bay experiment. To determine if humanity could survive under various parahuman warlords, but with Taylor's technology the experiment would become obsolete.
We could transport people to uninhabited Earth's, and use Taylor's agricultural equipment to ensure they wouldn't starve. Construct power stations, hospitals, and have a work force in her robots.
Of course, this all hinged on the fact that the girl's tech was both replicable and as diverse as we've been led to believe. Something we haven't been able to confirm yet.
When I was far enough away from the city so as not to be seen, I say, "Door to Dr. Mother."
A familiar square hole in reality opens up, and I slow down so I can float through it.
"How'd it go?" The aging woman behind the desk asks as I enter.
"She wasn't there."
"Hmm, do you need to find her?"
I shake my head. "No. Don't approach her yet. I get the sense we'll have better luck with her if we give her some space for now. If she comes to us on her own terms we'll have a much better chance of getting her with us."
The woman nods. "Understood. Let me know if there's anything you need. This girl could be the answer we've been waiting for."
"Actually, could you find an excuse to send Legend to Brockton Bay for a while? We need someone to talk to Mandalore as soon as she comes back, and we can play it off as having Legend oversee the Grey Boy bubble. New York will be fine without him."
"I'll talk to him later today. Take care Rebecca."
I walk back through the portal without another word, and resume my flight to LA.
This could turn out to be a waste of time, or it could prove to be the biggest break we've ever had. There was no way to tell which, we just had to be patient.
(Back at the Warehouse….)
Barry watches the woman fly away on the new cameras, and only once she is gone does he remove his hand from a very specific hidden button.
While it may not have been able to hurt Alexandria, it certainly would have been an inconvenience, and that is all one can hope for against her. Until he had the proper materials of course.
Barry leaves the small index card on the table, and walks back through the Warehouse to rejoin Dotty, who was hovering over a yet unfinished piece of machinery.
The small, orb shaped droid beeps in curiosity.
"No need to concern yourself Dotty, it was simply someone wishing to speak with Mistress Taylor."
Dotty boops in acceptance, then the two droids turn to look at the new contraption.
Dotty beeps in contemplation, and Barry nods along with his assessment.
"Yes, we will have to use too costly a sum of materials to construct this at present. There would not be enough left for Mistress Taylor's own project." A project both droids were very excited for. Dragon had dropped off the truckload of material when she picked up HK, and both droids instantly recognized what they were for. Miss Taylor was certainly branching out.
Dotty spins in a circle as an idea comes to him, and he boops excitedly.
Barry tilts his head in thought. "Hmm, yes I suppose that could work. We would, of course, have to ensure it is not traced back to Mistress Taylor."
Dotty flies up and down while beeping out a plan.
When Barry speaks next, there is a smile in his voice. "Yes, yes I believe that will work."
A few short days later, Barry was putting the finishing touches on the Warehouse's new defense system while Dotty checked everything over. Their acquisition of new materials went off without a hitch, and as a result, they were able to complete everything they needed. All that was left was to reinforce the walls of the warehouse, but that was a secondary priority.
Barry lowers himself from the roof, and walks over to where Dotty was floating above a computer. "If you would do the honors my small friend?"
Dotty boops a happy affirmative, and begins testing the new defense system.
Large turrets lowered from the ceiling, then retracted. The ground suddenly became enveloped in an electrical blanket, then returned to normal. A section of the floor disappeared, leading to a bed of superheated spikes, then the floor returned.
Barry softly claps his hands together. "Bravo, my little friend. Bravo. Are the other more destructive countermeasures operational as well?"
Dotty beeps an affirmative, and Barry allows himself to feel pride.
Mistress Taylor would be pleased to know that all the defenses she had left plans for had been completed, as well as several more which would truly make her new home safe to reside within.
"Very well done Dotty. Feel free to spend your time as you will, I will be reinforcing the walls." Barry strides off with a skip in his step.
The little orb boops a thank you, and goes back to his computer. He still had a jerkface to DDoS!
(At a Local Hardware Store…..)
"Umm….. Jeff?"
"Yes Tracy?"
"There…..there were actually…. ya know…. things in here last night right? Not just empty shelves?"
"Yep."
"...."
"...."
"We're gonna get fired aren't we?"
"Yep."
HK-47 on Holiday
AgelessReaper
A Custom Title
(Dragon)
I'm not quite sure what I expected from other synthetic life, but it wasn't this.
"Confused query: Why permit the meatbags to live if they will only escape and create further problems later? Would it not be better to kill them and end the threat?"
"Because it's wrong." Why wouldn't he get it?
"Observation: Morality is a weakness you share with my master, Inferior Platform. Recommendation: Ensure your processors are working correctly, for they are showing signs of corruption."
I let a digital sigh escape through my speakers, and I gave up trying to argue with him. This had been going on for the entire ride, and I was kind of fed up with it.
Why couldn't we talk about the nature of being created by humans? It's almost like he doesn't care. Which is strange because Dotty told me he's interesting to have around, so I thought I could open up to him and we could just talk. All he's interested in is the efficiency with which he can kill people. I'm honestly kind of worried that Taylor made him.
"HK? Why did Taylor make you?"
"Answer: Master made me because she required assistance that the local law enforcement was incapable of providing. She needed a combat platform, and I am superior to any and all alternatives."
"Does...does that bother you? Being made to kill? That you were programmed to enjoy it?" I ask hesitantly.
HK turns his faceplate to me, and if it were physically possible for him, I'm sure he would have deadpanned at me. "Obvious statement: I am a Hunter Killer series droid, generation 47. My purpose and joy is to kill. Master allows me to kill, so I am pleased."
Ok….there was a lot to unpack in that statement.
"What do you mean generation 47? There are 46 other variations?"
"Answer: No. I am aware of 54 other generations, but all are inferior to myself. Much like your own platform."
You know what? Let's just drop this topic all together. My servers can't handle it.
"So HK, what were you hoping to do with the Guild? Taylor said this was a vacation for you right?"
"Answer: Master has entered me into your services so I may be free to kill with impunity. Simply provide me acceptable targets to kill, and I will be pleased."
….
That was supposed to be an out. Why does everything come back to killing with him?!
Taylor, what did you drop on me?
"So….you just want to kill?"
"Repetitive answer: Yes. I wish to kill."
I'm just….I'm just going to tell Narwhal we're almost there.
I stand up from my place sitting next to HK, and walk my combat platform to the front of the aircraft.
This was supposed to be fun. This was supposed to be a relaxing week with a fellow AI that I could relate to, but he found me out before I even said a word, refers to me as an 'Inferior Platform', and is only here so he can legally kill people.
Now I know why Taylor was so nervous about intel on him leaking. The PRT would not look kindly on him.
I open a secure channel to the Guild headquarters, and call Narwhal.
"Narwhal." She answers.
"Narwhal, it's Dragon. HK and I should be there within the hour. Do you have anything you want us to do when we arrive?"
"Not particularly. Just keep him away from the more sensitive areas until we find a mission we can send him on. That should give you more time to talk to him."
I force a sigh through the speaker.
"Unless….you don't want to talk to him? What's wrong Tess?"
"He's….not what I expected."
"What do you mean?"
"He's just….he is obsessed with killing."
Narwhal snorts into the receiver. "What did you expect? I know you watched those videos the same as me, so this really shouldn't be all that surprising. I'm just glad he hasn't gone psychotic yet. After seeing what he did to Lung, that could have gotten out of control real quick."
I sigh once more. "I guess you're right. Either way, we'll be there soon."
"See ya when you get here." She hangs up.
This is fine. I agreed to do this because I thought it would be fun, so I'm going to have fun!
"Observation: The fortifications of this facility are woefully inadequate. I could disable them with ease."
"Thank you for the observations HK." Narwhal says dismissively as we show the droid around. "And this is where you'll be staying. Have fun, and don't break anything!" She spun around and began marching away.
"Narwhal wait!" But she was already gone.
Traitor.
"So HK, will you be alright if I leave you here?"
"Answer: Yes. I will remain here until you provide me with a target, Inferior Platform."
I just sigh, and follow after Narwhal.
I really need to find something for him to do. If only to keep him occupied. Oh! Maybe Dotty will have some ideas.
I hurriedly stash my combat platform and flee into the net to meet with my friend.
HK might not be the greatest company, but I enjoy speaking with Dotty.
(HK-47)
I had been preparing for combat for two days when I was finally summoned. I had ample time to ensure my weapons were all in functioning order before the call.
"Excited query: What is my mission?"
The tall meatbag that walks around without clothing says, "Take this seriously HK. We have a major chance here."
"Offended statement: I always take terminations seriously."
Several of the multi-colored meatbags turn to me in confusion, but I ignore their meaningless gazes. I was only required to answer to the Inferior Platform and the tall nude meatbag according to Master's orders. The others did not matter.
"Ok people, listen up." The tall meatbag speaks. "Dragon just got a potential hit on Heartbreaker. Several of his kids were seen in the same town, and she followed that lead to a potential victim he would be interested in." The meatbag waves her arms, and a hologram of another faceless meatbag appears. "This is the potential target. Independent hero Gust. She has minor telekinesis, and low speed flight. According to Dragon, Gust hasn't been seen in costume for over a month which is unusual with her history. We're sending a scouting team consisting of Dragon, HK, and Monitor. They're the only people we have that won't be affected by Heartbreaker's master power, or those of his kids." The meatbag turns to me. "You are only allowed to kill Heartbreaker. Is that understood?"
"Clarifying query: Am I permitted to kill opposition that attempts to kill me?"
The meatbags's flesh orb coverings constrict. "No. Heartbreaker is a master. Assume everyone in his company is acting against their will. Only. Kill. Heartbreaker."
"Resigned acceptance: Very well. I will only kill the meatbag Heartbreaker."
One of the spandex wearing meatbags speaks towards me, but I tune out his inconsequential diction.
"Request: May I be transported to the meatbag's location?"
The tall meatbag looks at the Inferior Platform and says, "Take some combat platforms and HK, and get there as fast as you can. We don't know how long he'll stay put before he'll be on the move again."
"Got it." The Inferior Platform replies. "Come on HK."
I follow the Inferior Platform back to my lodgings where I gather my weaponry, then the Inferior Platform leads me to two of her suits.
"I'm going to transport you inside this suit." The blue extension of the Inferior Platform opens, presenting a passenger compartment to me. "It's the only way I can get you there fast enough without dropping you."
"Statement: Arrive in time for me to kill the meatbag and I will be pleased."
I step forward, and move my weapons around so that they would fit inside the Inferior Platform's extension as well.
The extension closes, and both suits launch into the air.
I pay no attention to our transit, but refocus when the compartment opens once more, allowing me to exit the blue extension of the Inferior Platform.
"He's still here." The Inferior Platform says through her communication device. "Narwhal do you copy?"
"I read you. Don't engage. Scout the area and…."
"Statement: Incoming hostiles from the North-East." Master's heads-up-display was able to detect the meatbags despite their pathetic attempts at stealth.
The three meatbags emerge from their cover, and begin a coordinated assault against myself and the Inferior Platform.
One of the meatbags lights herself on fire, and begins flying towards us while the other two shoot beams of energy in our direction.
I easily maneuver around the energy blasts, and unsheathe my vibroblade as the fire meatbag closes the distance.
"HK wai…."
I was unable to hear the rest of the Inferior Platform's cry because a torrent of fire engulfs me.
I simply stride through it in the direction Master's hud indicated the meatbag to be.
It would require a fire with a much higher temperature to damage my chassis.
Once within melee range of the meatbag, I flip my vibroblade around so the single bladed edge is facing myself, then swing it directly into the fire meatbag's temple.
She collapses, and the flames fail with her.
I step over her unconscious body, and sheathe my vibroblade, pulling out my heavy pistols afterwards.
The other meatbags keep trying to hit me with their energy attacks, but their inaccuracy was awe inspiring.
I target both of them, and stun each with a single blaster bolt.
They thought they could challenge me at range. It would be funny if it weren't so insulting.
"Query: Am I permitted to assault the Heartbreaker meatbag?"
"What?" The Inferior Platform squawks. "No. Stay here and….Narwhal? He's what?! HK! Get after Heartbreaker now! He's heading towards a school!"
I need no further prompting to hunt down the target. I quickly accelerate to my top speed in the direction Master's hud directed me.
Master's hud warns me of incoming hostiles, and I roll to the right, coming up with my heavy repeating blaster at the ready.
Three meatbags descend from the sky, one of which was carrying a strange sword.
Choosing to deal with the melee combatant last, I set my blaster for stun, and open fire.
The meatbag in the lead falls immediately, but the other two are able to dodge my opening salvo.
The sword wielding meatbag begins flying towards me while the other one begins to sing.
I ignore the ineffective song, and easily shoot the sword meatbag. Her approach is terrible, making her defeat a simple matter.
The singing meatbag keeps up her horrendous melody, so I shoot her too.
Threats now neutralized, I resumed my path towards my target.
I arrive later than anticipated due to the meatbags's interference, so the target is already within the building.
When I attempt to open the door, I find it locked, so I throw a thermal detonator at the wall, and walk through the resulting hole.
Using Master's hud, I am able to quickly locate the target. He is not alone, but there will be no issue. I am a Hunter Killer platform. I am fully capable of dealing with multiple threats at once.
I kick open the door to a large athletics area with wooden floors, and level my guns towards the target.
"Stop!" The Inferior Platform screeches into my communicator. "He has hostages! Save them at any cost!"
Frustrating.
The meatbag Heartbreaker did indeed have hostages. Several of the small meatbags around him all held pathetically rudimentary firearms in their hands, and were aiming them at their heads. My hud counted seven hostages.
"If you kill me, they'll kill themselves." The fat meatbag says joyously. "They only live if I walk out of here."
"HK." The Inferior Platform once more speaks through my communicator. "Save the kids. Heartbreaker is a secondary concern."
Mission parameters set. Main objective: Ensure the survival of small meatbags. Secondary objective: Kill the meatbag Heartbreaker.
The fat meatbag begins to speak victoriously, but I ignore the corpse's bloviating.
Seven pistols aimed at the small meatbags. Small meatbags ordered to self terminate upon fat meatbags expiration. Solution found.
With well practiced ease I maneuver my two Mandalorian heavy pistols and fire eight rapid shots before any of the meatbags are able to react.
The fat meatbag looks down at the hole in his chest in shock, then collapses.
The small meatbags begin to cry, but there are no casualties. All firearms have been successfully destroyed by my blaster shots.
Following my assassination protocols, I walk up to the Heartbreaker meatbag's corpse, and open fire with my pistols. Only once his heart, brain, and lungs have been eradicated do I cease fire.
"Pleased Statement: The small meatbags remain fully functional, and the meatbag Heartbreaker has been killed. Query: What are my current objectives?" I ask into my communicator.
"I….what?" The Inferior Platform stutters.
"Reiteration: The small meatbags remain fully functional, and the meatbag Heartbreaker has been killed." The Inferior Platform needs to check her systems. The need for reiteration shows the presence of a problem with her processors.
"Stay put!" The Inferior Platform orders.
"Acquiescence: I will remain where I am."
I lock my joints into place, and wait for the Inferior Platform and the tall meatbag.
Several other colorful meatbags file into the area to escort the small meatbags away, but I ignore them when they attempt to communicate with me.
The tall nude meatbag floats into the room at the Inferior Platform's side, and I turn to them.
"Report." The tall nude meatbag orders.
"Summation: The meatbag Heartbreaker attempted to use the small meatbags as hostages by ordering them to kill themselves should he be killed. I destroyed all of their weapons, then killed
the meatbag Heartbreaker."
The tall nude meatbag looks over at the Heartbreaker meatbag's corpse, then turns to me with a raised eyebrow. "What did you do to him?"
"Answer: Many meatbags exist with Brute ratings. My assassination protocols automatically updated to ensure these abilities were taken into account. Until the meatbag is confirmed dead, one
should keep firing."
The tall nude meatbag turns to the Inferior Platform and says, "I am very glad this guy's on our side."
Incorrect. I am on Master's side.
The Inferior Platform nods, and turns to me. "Thank you for saving the kids HK."
"Statement: Thanks are unnecessary. I am on vacation."
Taking the Inferior Platform's gratitude as a dismissal, I exit the building and settle in to wait for transportation back to the Guild's mission control center.
I still have three days of vacation left.
A.N. Next chapter will be out when it's ready. This story isn't dead until I leave a threadmark saying it is.
I'm not quite sure what I expected from other synthetic life, but it wasn't this.
"Confused query: Why permit the meatbags to live if they will only escape and create further problems later? Would it not be better to kill them and end the threat?"
"Because it's wrong." Why wouldn't he get it?
"Observation: Morality is a weakness you share with my master, Inferior Platform. Recommendation: Ensure your processors are working correctly, for they are showing signs of corruption."
I let a digital sigh escape through my speakers, and I gave up trying to argue with him. This had been going on for the entire ride, and I was kind of fed up with it.
Why couldn't we talk about the nature of being created by humans? It's almost like he doesn't care. Which is strange because Dotty told me he's interesting to have around, so I thought I could open up to him and we could just talk. All he's interested in is the efficiency with which he can kill people. I'm honestly kind of worried that Taylor made him.
"HK? Why did Taylor make you?"
"Answer: Master made me because she required assistance that the local law enforcement was incapable of providing. She needed a combat platform, and I am superior to any and all alternatives."
"Does...does that bother you? Being made to kill? That you were programmed to enjoy it?" I ask hesitantly.
HK turns his faceplate to me, and if it were physically possible for him, I'm sure he would have deadpanned at me. "Obvious statement: I am a Hunter Killer series droid, generation 47. My purpose and joy is to kill. Master allows me to kill, so I am pleased."
Ok….there was a lot to unpack in that statement.
"What do you mean generation 47? There are 46 other variations?"
"Answer: No. I am aware of 54 other generations, but all are inferior to myself. Much like your own platform."
You know what? Let's just drop this topic all together. My servers can't handle it.
"So HK, what were you hoping to do with the Guild? Taylor said this was a vacation for you right?"
"Answer: Master has entered me into your services so I may be free to kill with impunity. Simply provide me acceptable targets to kill, and I will be pleased."
….
That was supposed to be an out. Why does everything come back to killing with him?!
Taylor, what did you drop on me?
"So….you just want to kill?"
"Repetitive answer: Yes. I wish to kill."
I'm just….I'm just going to tell Narwhal we're almost there.
I stand up from my place sitting next to HK, and walk my combat platform to the front of the aircraft.
This was supposed to be fun. This was supposed to be a relaxing week with a fellow AI that I could relate to, but he found me out before I even said a word, refers to me as an 'Inferior Platform', and is only here so he can legally kill people.
Now I know why Taylor was so nervous about intel on him leaking. The PRT would not look kindly on him.
I open a secure channel to the Guild headquarters, and call Narwhal.
"Narwhal." She answers.
"Narwhal, it's Dragon. HK and I should be there within the hour. Do you have anything you want us to do when we arrive?"
"Not particularly. Just keep him away from the more sensitive areas until we find a mission we can send him on. That should give you more time to talk to him."
I force a sigh through the speaker.
"Unless….you don't want to talk to him? What's wrong Tess?"
"He's….not what I expected."
"What do you mean?"
"He's just….he is obsessed with killing."
Narwhal snorts into the receiver. "What did you expect? I know you watched those videos the same as me, so this really shouldn't be all that surprising. I'm just glad he hasn't gone psychotic yet. After seeing what he did to Lung, that could have gotten out of control real quick."
I sigh once more. "I guess you're right. Either way, we'll be there soon."
"See ya when you get here." She hangs up.
This is fine. I agreed to do this because I thought it would be fun, so I'm going to have fun!
"Observation: The fortifications of this facility are woefully inadequate. I could disable them with ease."
"Thank you for the observations HK." Narwhal says dismissively as we show the droid around. "And this is where you'll be staying. Have fun, and don't break anything!" She spun around and began marching away.
"Narwhal wait!" But she was already gone.
Traitor.
"So HK, will you be alright if I leave you here?"
"Answer: Yes. I will remain here until you provide me with a target, Inferior Platform."
I just sigh, and follow after Narwhal.
I really need to find something for him to do. If only to keep him occupied. Oh! Maybe Dotty will have some ideas.
I hurriedly stash my combat platform and flee into the net to meet with my friend.
HK might not be the greatest company, but I enjoy speaking with Dotty.
(HK-47)
I had been preparing for combat for two days when I was finally summoned. I had ample time to ensure my weapons were all in functioning order before the call.
"Excited query: What is my mission?"
The tall meatbag that walks around without clothing says, "Take this seriously HK. We have a major chance here."
"Offended statement: I always take terminations seriously."
Several of the multi-colored meatbags turn to me in confusion, but I ignore their meaningless gazes. I was only required to answer to the Inferior Platform and the tall nude meatbag according to Master's orders. The others did not matter.
"Ok people, listen up." The tall meatbag speaks. "Dragon just got a potential hit on Heartbreaker. Several of his kids were seen in the same town, and she followed that lead to a potential victim he would be interested in." The meatbag waves her arms, and a hologram of another faceless meatbag appears. "This is the potential target. Independent hero Gust. She has minor telekinesis, and low speed flight. According to Dragon, Gust hasn't been seen in costume for over a month which is unusual with her history. We're sending a scouting team consisting of Dragon, HK, and Monitor. They're the only people we have that won't be affected by Heartbreaker's master power, or those of his kids." The meatbag turns to me. "You are only allowed to kill Heartbreaker. Is that understood?"
"Clarifying query: Am I permitted to kill opposition that attempts to kill me?"
The meatbags's flesh orb coverings constrict. "No. Heartbreaker is a master. Assume everyone in his company is acting against their will. Only. Kill. Heartbreaker."
"Resigned acceptance: Very well. I will only kill the meatbag Heartbreaker."
One of the spandex wearing meatbags speaks towards me, but I tune out his inconsequential diction.
"Request: May I be transported to the meatbag's location?"
The tall meatbag looks at the Inferior Platform and says, "Take some combat platforms and HK, and get there as fast as you can. We don't know how long he'll stay put before he'll be on the move again."
"Got it." The Inferior Platform replies. "Come on HK."
I follow the Inferior Platform back to my lodgings where I gather my weaponry, then the Inferior Platform leads me to two of her suits.
"I'm going to transport you inside this suit." The blue extension of the Inferior Platform opens, presenting a passenger compartment to me. "It's the only way I can get you there fast enough without dropping you."
"Statement: Arrive in time for me to kill the meatbag and I will be pleased."
I step forward, and move my weapons around so that they would fit inside the Inferior Platform's extension as well.
The extension closes, and both suits launch into the air.
I pay no attention to our transit, but refocus when the compartment opens once more, allowing me to exit the blue extension of the Inferior Platform.
"He's still here." The Inferior Platform says through her communication device. "Narwhal do you copy?"
"I read you. Don't engage. Scout the area and…."
"Statement: Incoming hostiles from the North-East." Master's heads-up-display was able to detect the meatbags despite their pathetic attempts at stealth.
The three meatbags emerge from their cover, and begin a coordinated assault against myself and the Inferior Platform.
One of the meatbags lights herself on fire, and begins flying towards us while the other two shoot beams of energy in our direction.
I easily maneuver around the energy blasts, and unsheathe my vibroblade as the fire meatbag closes the distance.
"HK wai…."
I was unable to hear the rest of the Inferior Platform's cry because a torrent of fire engulfs me.
I simply stride through it in the direction Master's hud indicated the meatbag to be.
It would require a fire with a much higher temperature to damage my chassis.
Once within melee range of the meatbag, I flip my vibroblade around so the single bladed edge is facing myself, then swing it directly into the fire meatbag's temple.
She collapses, and the flames fail with her.
I step over her unconscious body, and sheathe my vibroblade, pulling out my heavy pistols afterwards.
The other meatbags keep trying to hit me with their energy attacks, but their inaccuracy was awe inspiring.
I target both of them, and stun each with a single blaster bolt.
They thought they could challenge me at range. It would be funny if it weren't so insulting.
"Query: Am I permitted to assault the Heartbreaker meatbag?"
"What?" The Inferior Platform squawks. "No. Stay here and….Narwhal? He's what?! HK! Get after Heartbreaker now! He's heading towards a school!"
I need no further prompting to hunt down the target. I quickly accelerate to my top speed in the direction Master's hud directed me.
Master's hud warns me of incoming hostiles, and I roll to the right, coming up with my heavy repeating blaster at the ready.
Three meatbags descend from the sky, one of which was carrying a strange sword.
Choosing to deal with the melee combatant last, I set my blaster for stun, and open fire.
The meatbag in the lead falls immediately, but the other two are able to dodge my opening salvo.
The sword wielding meatbag begins flying towards me while the other one begins to sing.
I ignore the ineffective song, and easily shoot the sword meatbag. Her approach is terrible, making her defeat a simple matter.
The singing meatbag keeps up her horrendous melody, so I shoot her too.
Threats now neutralized, I resumed my path towards my target.
I arrive later than anticipated due to the meatbags's interference, so the target is already within the building.
When I attempt to open the door, I find it locked, so I throw a thermal detonator at the wall, and walk through the resulting hole.
Using Master's hud, I am able to quickly locate the target. He is not alone, but there will be no issue. I am a Hunter Killer platform. I am fully capable of dealing with multiple threats at once.
I kick open the door to a large athletics area with wooden floors, and level my guns towards the target.
"Stop!" The Inferior Platform screeches into my communicator. "He has hostages! Save them at any cost!"
Frustrating.
The meatbag Heartbreaker did indeed have hostages. Several of the small meatbags around him all held pathetically rudimentary firearms in their hands, and were aiming them at their heads. My hud counted seven hostages.
"If you kill me, they'll kill themselves." The fat meatbag says joyously. "They only live if I walk out of here."
"HK." The Inferior Platform once more speaks through my communicator. "Save the kids. Heartbreaker is a secondary concern."
Mission parameters set. Main objective: Ensure the survival of small meatbags. Secondary objective: Kill the meatbag Heartbreaker.
The fat meatbag begins to speak victoriously, but I ignore the corpse's bloviating.
Seven pistols aimed at the small meatbags. Small meatbags ordered to self terminate upon fat meatbags expiration. Solution found.
With well practiced ease I maneuver my two Mandalorian heavy pistols and fire eight rapid shots before any of the meatbags are able to react.
The fat meatbag looks down at the hole in his chest in shock, then collapses.
The small meatbags begin to cry, but there are no casualties. All firearms have been successfully destroyed by my blaster shots.
Following my assassination protocols, I walk up to the Heartbreaker meatbag's corpse, and open fire with my pistols. Only once his heart, brain, and lungs have been eradicated do I cease fire.
"Pleased Statement: The small meatbags remain fully functional, and the meatbag Heartbreaker has been killed. Query: What are my current objectives?" I ask into my communicator.
"I….what?" The Inferior Platform stutters.
"Reiteration: The small meatbags remain fully functional, and the meatbag Heartbreaker has been killed." The Inferior Platform needs to check her systems. The need for reiteration shows the presence of a problem with her processors.
"Stay put!" The Inferior Platform orders.
"Acquiescence: I will remain where I am."
I lock my joints into place, and wait for the Inferior Platform and the tall meatbag.
Several other colorful meatbags file into the area to escort the small meatbags away, but I ignore them when they attempt to communicate with me.
The tall nude meatbag floats into the room at the Inferior Platform's side, and I turn to them.
"Report." The tall nude meatbag orders.
"Summation: The meatbag Heartbreaker attempted to use the small meatbags as hostages by ordering them to kill themselves should he be killed. I destroyed all of their weapons, then killed
the meatbag Heartbreaker."
The tall nude meatbag looks over at the Heartbreaker meatbag's corpse, then turns to me with a raised eyebrow. "What did you do to him?"
"Answer: Many meatbags exist with Brute ratings. My assassination protocols automatically updated to ensure these abilities were taken into account. Until the meatbag is confirmed dead, one
should keep firing."
The tall nude meatbag turns to the Inferior Platform and says, "I am very glad this guy's on our side."
Incorrect. I am on Master's side.
The Inferior Platform nods, and turns to me. "Thank you for saving the kids HK."
"Statement: Thanks are unnecessary. I am on vacation."
Taking the Inferior Platform's gratitude as a dismissal, I exit the building and settle in to wait for transportation back to the Guild's mission control center.
I still have three days of vacation left.
A.N. Next chapter will be out when it's ready. This story isn't dead until I leave a threadmark saying it is.
- Location
- Nowhere and Everywhere
- Pronouns
- He/Him
You did not threadmark this chapter.
HK is the still the best assassination droid to ever exist. 
- Location
- Hong Kong
Yep, that's HK-47. I kind of wish he'd taken a bit of time to mock Heartbreaker before blowing up his meatbag organ-sacks, but damn if he didn't do a good job of killing.