* Saturday, January 14 2006 *
"No, Emma. You can't have a hard suit or a power armor until you're fifteen," patiently explained Doctor Curlyhair as she replaced parts in a large and complicated piece of machinery. "We're still growing up. You put on over an inch just this year. When we hit puberty, I suspect we'll get some rapid growth."
"But I want one and you built something for those Marines!"
"They're adults. They're not going to have a growth spurt," said Doctor Curlyhair. She was quiet for a few moments before continuing. "It's also basically the same suit with little individual touches and biometrics calibrated for that particular marine. With a 'return to base' automatic system if they're disabled. Not my best work, but should be adequate."
"Eventually though - you'll make me a Scarlet Lady suit?" asked Emma, doing her best puppy-dog-eyes routine.
Taylor didn't notice, her attention entirely focused on what she was working on. "Sure. In the meantime you can play with this."
There were a series of thunks and clanks as the box expanded itself into a humanoid form easily four times Taylor's height.
"Okay," said Emma, thinking it lacked style but might be cool. Humanoid robot without a head but some type of cockpit in the chest.
"This," said Taylor, patting one of the legs as she clambered down, "is a Minotaur. A exocraft walker with jump jets and a mining laser. Full environmental protection, so if one of those storms crops up you can weather the weather quite well."
In a few moments Emma was jumping all over the landscape of her Supply World, blasting trees and rocks with the occasional woop or oops depending on whether she'd meant to shoot that particular rock or tree.
Meanwhile, she was heading inside her seaside base as she had no desire to become one of the "oops" as Emma played.
Besides, she had to get back to building workrooms in her base dedicated to specific fields.
"Commander White," noted Taylor as the tall gynoid was at her Construction Station.
"Glory to humanity," said Commander White, saluting. "I see the Minotaur Exostation is complete."
"And I installed two upgrades while I was at it," said Taylor. "At ease, Commander. One is a helper AI. It'll keep her from jumping into a building by accident. Or on someone."
"Very good, Doctor," acknowledged Commander White.
"Who's on vehicle maintenance today?" asked Taylor, not having memorized the roster. That's why you had Commanders after all.
"Nine-Ess," said Commander White immediately. "Six-Oh was scheduled for software update and hardware maintenance today."
"I see, no problem then," said Taylor, continuing on towards the rest area as she was feeling a bit hungry at the moment.
"Oh, Doctor, I've marked a point for your consideration on your multi-tool's map function. We had sufficient Chromatic Metal for the Science Station but we'll need a part from a Research Facility to build proper storage units."
"What's wrong with the storage we've got?" asked Taylor.
"These will be accessible wherever you go as they all link to the same subspace pockets," said Commander White.
"Okay, first a snack. Then I can go check that out," said Taylor happily.
"If you were planning on those Snickers bars, I regret to inform you..." Commander White's voice trailed off.
"Damnit, Nine-Ess!"
* Sunday, January 15, 2006 *
The Research Facility was guarded by those annoying drones called Sentinels. Fortunately, she had a counter for just such a thing.
Which was strafe the position, park nearby, wait for the alerts to die out, repeat until the door was open and the robot pests were back to patrol mode.
"Two-Ayy, Two-Bee. Bottweilers. Stand by, only attack if they go active again."
After getting confirmation from the two fighters, Taylor went into the station itself. The hack at the terminal was ludicrously easy for her, getting her the part for the Science Officer (21O if she recalled correctly) and quickly downloading two more blueprints before she could stop and take stock of the research subject.
When she did she began laughing, as it was entirely too funny.
Didn't mean she didn't snag it, which led to all those little Sentinel drones going to combat mode and a long fighting retreat where she summoned her Pilgrim motorbike (she expected once she showed it to Emma she was going to have to pry her out of there) and the enjoyable part of the whole encounter.
Which was researching this 'genetic augmentation' technology and this globe of something called an 'X-Gene' that looked so very promising.
* Saturday, January 21, 2006 *
"-so, yes, my Supply World description DID say something about new resources popping up when I discovered the need for them. That's why the X-Gene sample was there," explained Taylor to her mother.
"And this will give people parahuman powers?" asked Annette Hebert, looking at the chamber with some trepidation.
"According to the documentation, they're called 'mutant' abilities - which is quite frankly incorrect. Metahuman would be a better term as it's not the same as a parahuman ability. Different source entirely. I'm working on a different structure for a not-parahuman enhancement which would follow some of the rules like triggering but otherwise be latent." Taylor made her vague in the air gesture with eyeroll for what she thought about parahuman abilities. "Parahuman powers never address the actual problem that causes the Trigger. There's a lot about them that just doesn't make much sense to me at all!"
"So... you know what causes parahuman abilities?" asked Annette carefully.
"No. I know there's a subspace linkage that goes into a higher dimensional phase, but that's just something I discovered when I was researching interference patterns on my Space-Time Monitor," said Taylor. "There's just so much to research and so little time."
There was a brief rumble audible from the warehouse around them, but Taylor's expression indicated another dud.
"Well, at least you came to me before you did anything," said Annette after awhile.
"Of course," said Taylor. "I let one of the gynoids know what was going on, just so everything could be kept safe."
Annette nodded, getting a little feeling of something not right. "Where's Emma?"
"Last I saw she was still hopping around in the Minotaur," said Taylor, who then went pale and rushed to a wall-mounted intercom. "Commander White! Location of the Minotaur?"
"Currently undergoing maintenance, Doctor," came the reply.
"Where is Emma?" asked Taylor, hoping she hadn't gotten into something.
CLICK-WHISHHHHHHHHHHH! went a large coffin-like device in the next room.
* USMC Training Facility 7BB, Brockton Bay *
"She did it. It even looks like it does. Games Workshop is gonna plotz."
"Games Workshop hasn't been the same since London fell. World's too grimdark for their stuff to be as popular as it could be."
"I got permission. Though the way I put it was as some 'cosplay' stuff."
"In writing?"
"Yessir."
"Good, then." Captain Cavill (Special Operations Officer) grinned an evil little grin as he looked over the six power armors. "She even got the little details we wanted on each."
"Surprised you got the brass to go along with it," noted the Gunnery Sergeant.
"We're disguised so that anything goes wrong, the brass can deny any involvement," explained Cavill.
"So we're the Mission:Impossible team or we're the A-Team?" asked the Communications SNCO, Sergeant Ember.
"Neither," said Captain Cavill, as he stepped up to the massive power armor and let it scan his retina. The suit unfolded like a flower blooming at high speeds. "We're going to practice moving around in these suits, and if we're interrupted by Nazis - well we get a bit of fire practice in as well."
* Hebert Household *
Zoe Barnes had looked over all the facts, interrogated three people, and found one single person to blame.
It was not Taylor Hebert, Doctor Curlyhair, Girl Genius.
There was some blame on Twenty-one-oh, who had discussed putting security in front of the device with Commander White - and doing so while Emma Barnes was in the room. Zoe Barnes had realized that the seeming-adults were less than a year old as far as experience in life was concerned. So they were admonished to do better, and it was explained where they done goofed up.
No, the sole person being singled out for the ire of a mother was the child who had done something remarkably dumb.
That the device had worked as designed and that Emma now had an X-gene in an inactive state was of some concern.
After a certain long period of loudness, Zoe Barnes returned through the doorway to ask. "What did she end up with?"
Taylor swallowed nervously, because comic-book super-genius she might be, that provided no protection against an obviously still-irritated Parental Authority. "Uhm. I don't know. I haven't had a chance to determine anything besides a latent X-Gene."
"Can you get it out of her?" asked Zoe Barnes.
"No, but I can put restrictions on it," admitted Taylor. "Look, if things had gone according to plan - I would have done experiments and simulations for months before I put the Retroactive Genetic Enhancer to work on someone. I probably would have gone with animal experiments when the first time came around... (and that would have given me an excuse to Adopt A Pet.)"
"What was that last mumble?" asked Zoe Barnes, who had made out the words and intent but didn't see any reason not to make Taylor squirm a bit. Okay, maybe she did hold Taylor a bit responsible for the current situation.
"Oh, just lamenting the way fate and plans seem to not come together," said Taylor.
"That's a very adult way of putting it," pointed out Zoe Barnes.
"I'm fairly intelligent and my mother's an English professor," pointed out Taylor.
"Not to change the subject, but what was the earlier 'thunk' from?" asked Annette Hebert from where she'd been a silent observer up until now.
"Appearance constellation, minor mote, something to do with fashion," said Taylor, shrugging. "Haven't exactly had a chance to see what all it did."
"So she's a 'metahuman' now?" asked Zoe Barnes.
"No, she's a potential metahuman, once I add the restrictions all she has to do is avoid some situation that would normally kill or severely injure her." Taylor tried to project confidence.
"In a town with parahuman Nazis," said Zoe. "And a violent Asian gang with a serial suicide bomber. And drug runners and whatever the hell else is going to show up."
"Ah, yeah, that IS a point," admitted Taylor.
Zoe sighed, seeming to deflate a little. "Just... do what you can."
"If it only reacts to extreme trauma," mused Annette.
* Sunday, January 22 2006 *
It had taken less than a minute to find out that there was a new door in her warehouse.
It had taken less than an hour for her father and mother to calm the child down and determine that there was indeed a new door and it had a sign on it. In English, though it took another three point one four minutes to determine that everyone saw it in a different font. With Annette, it looked as if it were copied from the Book of Kells for example.
As for the wording, all agreed it was the same thing: "Audience Chamber" in white on a faintly luminescent red background.
Opening it revealed a cathedral to technology, if such could be said to be a thing. Faintly glowing white and pale blue walls with the windows looking like stained glass windows depicting circuit boards.
Three chairs before the pulpit, which was a large cylindrical wooden pillar hanging in the air without anything apparently supporting it.
"Okay. This is weird," declared Danny Hebert.
[Patch Update In Progress]
[Primary Operator Notification - Completed]
"Are you the Forge?" asked Taylor.
Annette was about to say something about asking a log questions when the message changed.
[Negative. Limited Response Non-Artificial Intelligence Script.]
[Patch Update will complete on 12th Birthday of Primary Operator.]
"So you're basically some sort of data management program?" asked Annette.
[Washu has programmed this interface with 4077 preset responses to predicted questions. Your question was not one of them.]
"Who is 'Washu'?" asked Danny.
[Washu is the greatest scientific genius in the galaxy known as "the Milky Way" in Universe 10CHI-01001A and several adjoining universes.]
"Why did you give Taylor this weird science power?" asked Danny.
[Taylor Hebert is Primary Operator of the Celestial Forge due to determining she is a primary change point for your universe. There is roughly a 33% chance of your world and that multiverse string being severed within 10 of your years. Chance of multiverse thread elimination with 10(19) Earths being destroyed raises to 99.9% in 24 years. Washu has determined that is not an ideal situation and rather than take the chance of cascade effects altering other multiverse threads - to meddle by giving Taylor Hebert the Celestial Forge.]
"What. The. Hell?" asked Danny Hebert.
[Washu created this variant of the Celestial Forge and created a non-sapient managerial program to administer settings and manage resources.]
"Such as?" prompted Annette Hebert.
[Answer: most recent action was to combine No Man's Sky technical base and Supply World. Supply World is now a stand-alone solar system in a stabilized dimensional pocket. Added features of that setting to facilitate technological growth and industrial development.]
"I'm still trying to get my head around the whole 'world ending in less than 10 years' thing," admitted Danny Hebert.
[Interface will shut down in 10 minutes 37 seconds to further download speed of patch.]
"What will this patch do?" asked Annette after glancing to see Danny was still trying to come to terms with 'world ending' but she'd put off the existential crisis of having her daughter be the potential savior of the world.
[Patch 3.145 "Antaeus" is to correct/refine gift-process tied to Perk-acquisition.]
"Is there a way to pause the whole Perk thing?" asked Taylor. "I mean. I'm ten. Some of this gets a bit overwhelming."
[Negative. Process set in motion will continue at lowest setting possible and with filters for Prime Operator age.]
"Oh."
[Reducing rate is possible. Current setting is 3 of 10. Increasing rate is not recommended until after full brain development at age 22 for species: human. Race change to mutant can offset this depending on mutant trait. Race change to Jurian nobility will offset this to age 15.]
"With the world possibly ending in less than 10 years, that does not sound optimal," stated Taylor. "Seriously?"
[Washu has programmed this interface with 4077 preset responses to predicted questions. Your question was not one of them.]
There was a brief silence followed by a rumble from the warehouse.
[Due to acquisition of a '1000 point bundle' - interface will go dormant in 10 seconds.]
"What? Oh, that's a freaking big one. Two big stars in the Knowledge Mundane constellation," said Taylor, closing her eyes to better focus on what she could see without them.
Annette took a look at both of her family members and led them out of the cathedral.
* Monday, January 23, 2006 *
The beat was slow but echoed through the warehouse.
The decision had been unanimous. Deal with one thing at a time. Have fun, but keep building.
A guitar played, sliding in a familiar pattern.
"I. Am. Iron Man."
Annette Hebert looked over the suit taking form in front of her. "Exactly how does this work?"
"Hang on," said Taylor, turning the music down. "Okay, you step in this bracket where-"
"Aren't those my cushion insoles from my boots?"
"Details, details," said Taylor, waving the point away. "Those are just guides for your feet. The machine then assembles the armor around you."
"I hope, young lady, you are getting me NEW insoles."
"This will keep you safe when there's an emergency," said Taylor, rolling her eyes.
"Don't you roll your eyes at ME, Taylor."
Danny hmphed, not laughing at all, and pointed. "That's mine?"
"Right, it'll assemble the armor directly around you. Don't get them mixed up because the armor will not fit," said Taylor. "So the power armors are Guardian armor. I'll eventually be able to make much better armor, so this is just until I have better resources."
"Surprised you're not making some kind of instant-on armor like in a comic book," said Danny as he looked over the assembly.
"I... 'instant on'?" asked Taylor. "No. That would require... and then I'd have to..."
Annette sighed and waved her hand in front of Taylor's face as she went into sub-audible mumbling. "Great. She'll be at this until bedtime at least."
"Should I go with a fractal nesting routine, no no. That would require material science upgrades and I barely managed to get molecular ferrocrete and plasteel patented. Nanotech? Might get the PRT or someone all pissy. But if I..."
* Perks This Chapter *
32.3.1-My Fashion Sense is Tingling (50CP)(The World Ends With You)(Appearance):
You have an impeccable sense of fashion. You can make an appealing outfit out of just about anything. In addition, you will always have an innate knowledge of what is fashionable in the area wherever you go, allowing you to remain on top of your game no matter where you are. In fact, you'll usually be a trendsetter.
19.0560 I Am Iron Man/Retro-Engineer bundle (1000CP) (Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol. 1) (Knowledge Mundane)
19.0541 I am Iron Man (400CP) (Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol. 1) (Knowledge Mundane):
You're not the ACTUAL Iron Man, but you could make a fairly decent knock-off. Power armors, sonic cannons, holographic interface, laser weapons, repulsor technology, you have the knowledge to build these things and more. Furthermore, you can think of different upgrades and modifications to adapt to different situations much easier than normal when presented with a problem that's hampered your technological progress.
19.0542 -Retro-Engineer (600CP) (Marvel Cinematic Universe Vol. 1) (Knowledge Mundane):
Your understanding of technology is so great that you've even learned to get into the basics of tinkering with alien technologies. As long as you take the time to study something and experiment properly, you'll eventually figure out a method for that tech you found. Whether it's taking that weird glowing thing and powering your machines with it, or dismantling an alien robot and putting it into a gun, you'll figure out a use for something as long as you put in time. As a bonus, you're skilled enough in research and experimentation that you're far less likely to break what you're studying on accident.