PWP: 6.6 Build

Build 6.6

Bryce Kiley
2011, January 11: Brockton Bay, NH, USA

Vice Principal Culpepper called me into his office on Monday and told me that none of the songs I gave him were recognizable by his kids. Maybe it was a shitty litmus test, but that was the bar he set to make sure I was serious about this whole music thing. He then had an online interview with my “boss” that evening, 7 PM our time because my “boss” was out in Los Angeles and couldn’t slot him in until the afternoon.

Which meant I got home and hopped onto a computer after school. I used my suit’s texture suite to pretend to be a mid-thirties Latina woman out on the west coast who worked as a senior sound engineer for Cyberduck Productions. I gushed about my own, plagiarized work and promised him that I totally had potential as a musician.

Naturally, I emailed him a PDF of our employment contract, something SAINT found online and edited for our purposes. I would be paying myself an amount that was slightly below the stipend granted by the Medhall internship. It was generous, especially for the entertainment industry, but also a good way for the company to “show our sincerity in cultivating Bryce’s talents.”

I probably laid it on a little thick talking myself up, but it did convince him that the offer was genuine. In the end, I had a license to leave school early and take the minimum amount of classes so long as the “internship” lasted. Which was great, because this was the final week of the Despicable Me specialization. 

Truthfully, there wasn’t much more that I wanted to build from this franchise. Thanks to Sabah’s inclusion and the freedom provided by the winter holidays, my tinkering had been twice as productive as usual, and that was excluding the drones and fabricators I set aside for more hybrid soda engines and mimic-bots.

There was the time machine that the minions saw at Villain-Con, but that came with a paradox minefield that I didn’t even want to think about. We collectively agreed to shelve the time machine because it was too dangerous, both to ourselves and the world at large.

Then there was PX-41, a serum that drove the drinker into a berserk rage, not unlike a purple Hulk. It was strong, and Amy could probably remove the drawback, but I was wary of spreading her attention too thin. Let her work with the devil fruit. We’d meant it when we told Trainwreck that we’d look for a true solution to Case-53s. The PX-41 was an unneeded distraction.

Today was Tuesday. Amy and I had arrived at the Gullrest after lunch and Sabah had evening classes today. We took the time to run our supercar through one final check before declaring it complete. It was probably road-ready two days ago, but a bit of redundant oversight never hurt anyone.

The hybrid soda engine had been installed. The various accessories collapsed seamlessly into the chassis. The chassis was in its compressed state to better mimic the bulky, everyday cars on the road. For all intents and purposes, it looked like any other Ford, the most common car brand in America.

“It is finished,” I said solemnly as I placed an arm around my partner.

Sabah placed one hand over mine and nodded back with equal gravitas. “It is finished.”

“What shall we name her?”

“Her?”

“Of course. Cars and ships are feminine.”

“Herbie is a boy. So is Lightning McQueen,” she pointed out.

“I meant historically. Although, I do like Herbie. It was a fun movie. Fine, our car is a boy car named Herbie.”

“Don’t even think about it. Our car isn’t a beetle. Besides, we’d get sued.”

“Alright, spoilsport, what would you name it?”

“I don’t know… Ahmed? It means ‘most praiseworthy.’ It fits, right?”

“I don’t really want a common name you’d give to a person. How about another acronym like SAINT?”

“I don’t really want to waste brain power thinking of one, but sure.”

I placed a hand on the hood of the car. With great reverence, as though offering a benediction, I declared, “You are now APEP, the sun-eater. Bear this name with pride.”

“Isn’t that from Egyptian mythology?”

“Yes.”

“Fine, I’ll bite. What does it stand for?”

“APEP is the Apocalypse Precursor Engine Prototype. He is called this because he shall herald the end times for our enemies. He shall arrive with the roar of thunder and rain down destruction like lightning. He shall reap fear and lament as a farmer reaps barley.”

Sabah rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a smile. “I swear, boys are all the same.”

“Besides, he’s literally the prototype. The tech that went into his construction is the base for my ship,” I replied, tapping the floor. “And that, most definitely will be a proper apocalypse engine.”

“You scare me sometimes, Bryce. You do have a knack for acronyms; I’ll give you that.”

“APEP is a suitably epic name. But if you don’t like it, we could name it the GOAT Simulator Mk. I instead. It goes where it pleases, like the free goat. It climbs the highest peaks, like the adventurous goat. It sets the world ablaze, like the avenging goat.”

“We’re sticking with APEP. Keep that up and people are seriously going to think we’re part of a cult, Bryce.”

Amy, who’d been rushing through her homework on my couch, looked up. “Now that you two are done christening your fancy car, who’s going to take it for a joyride? Isn’t the maiden voyage also important for cars and stuff?”

Sabah opened her mouth to volunteer but glanced at her watch with a disappointed sigh. “Not me. I need to go to class soon.”

“Not me, either,” I told them. “I need to finish integrating the sonic keytar to the Pledge Regalia. There are also a few quality of life changes I want to make to my gear. It’s not urgent, but I shouldn’t procrastinate. Then there’s the enlargement chamber. It’s the inverse of the shrink ray that I think might be useful down the line.”

“Huh. I thought you two would be more gung ho about driving this thing,” she said. “Wait, does that mean I can take it for a ride?”

“Didn’t you say you were going to the hospital? That’s how you get out of school early, right? It’s 2 PM now.”

“Yeah, I need to get going… This evening though?”

I shrugged. “I don’t care much. Crown Chimera actually has a higher top speed than this thing. You can join Sabah though. Actually, before you go, I have an idea I want to run by both of you.”

“What is it?”

“Well, one could argue that APEP already served its purpose, being just a prototype to preserve knowledge for when I shift specializations and all.”

“I guess? It's a shame. You made a supercar and you don't even care about it,” Amy said as she ran her fingers along the hood appreciatively. She never was very interested in cars, but she'd been around us enough to know exactly what this thing could do.

“It's not that it's not an impressive bit of tech, it is. It's just that I'm much more agile on my ATs and faster in short bursts. I just don't have a need for it on everyday patrols.”

“So you're going to let Sabah use it most of the time?”

“That's the plan. Besides, I was thinking it'd be a bit of a shame to mothball it after a single joyride. As I was building it, I thought about a way to use it to further our goals.”

“It's not illegal or morally objectionable, is it?”

“No more than regular vigilantism. And we're going to want the distraction. Let me tell you girls and you can mull it over while you’re out.”

“Alright, fine. Shoot.”

“Okay, so what if we…”

X

I spent the rest of the day making a few quality of life improvements to my gear. Even though I had little else I was dying to build from this specialization, I had plenty to do to fully integrate everything into my kit. It wasn’t enough to make new shit, after all; iterative improvements were the backbone of technology.

The Pledge Regalia was an incredible piece of tech, but it’d always been uncomfortably bulky. Kururu may have been happy to lug around a cross-shaped tombstone on her back, but that was because she did nothing else. She was a one trick pony. Admittedly, with a hell of a trick, but she didn’t have to juggle half a dozen different tech.

So, much like Sabah, I took cues from Scarlet Overkill and miniaturized the hell out of it. It was now an electric guitar, not that I had a problem with keytars, but this was what I knew how to play.

I found it funny that two specializations later, I finally got around to making an offensive Ring Road weapon like Kanon’s guitar. I skipped over his electric guitar when I had Air Gear. At the time, learning to ride a regalia to a minimum level of competence was much more important.

The guitar wasn’t quite like Kanon’s, but it could now be used for more than dismantling or tuning tech. Resonant frequencies could be used to shatter most materials. Or, I could just generate shock waves to knock people away like Brad did in the movie. It was admittedly a bit of a vanity project, but I liked the aesthetic of a more convenient sonic weapon.

I had to make the body of the guitar out of seastone because any kind of “mechashift” build introduced weaknesses in the form of hollow bodies and joints. The finished product ended up looking like it was carved out of black marble, not bad for something I put together on my off hours.

When fully deployed, it could release several drones that acted like sonic amplifiers, much like Kururu’s own. With offensive applications as well as its scanning and repair functions, I had no reason not to carry it around anymore.

That evening, Sabah and Amy returned to the ship just long enough to hop into APEP. Sabah drove while Amy grabbed a nondescript mask to hide her involvement tonight. Given that I’d just finished drawing the blueprints for my enlargement chamber, I opted to race alongside them to get a better video feed.

The car’s chassis lengthened, lowering the overall profile. Its wheels popped out the sides as spoilers emerged from the back. Without the texture module to disguise it, it had a black and white color scheme, white at the nose that followed a charcoal-gray gradient towards the back. Vibrant, red and orange embers accented the rear, Creed and Maven colors.

The only allowance to subtlety they made was to exit the Gullrest while cloaked. It wouldn’t do to lead anyone to our base, even if getting a recording of invaders trying to outmaneuver the Mimic Network would have been funny.

The wheels shifted until they floated parallel with the water’s surface. Their rotation then acted as flotation devices, allowing APEP to glide across the water. The only sign of the car’s passage was the slightest rippling of the surface and the whisper-quiet hum of its engine.

They decloaked as they approached the Rig, in full view of its cameras. Sabah then floored it, picking up from a gentle cruise to about eighty miles an hour. The turning of the wheels formed wakes of frothing white across the water.

I shook my head with amusement. And Sabah said she was the calm one. Well, that was fine; APEP wouldn’t stay a secret for long, anyway.

“We’re really doing this, Creed?” Sabah called.

I rode the wake behind them, doing a few, simple flips as the water bounced me along. “Of course. I can’t think of a better way to have a little fun. Oh, and do a bit of good along the way.”

“Why do I get the feeling the first is more important than the second to you?” Amy snarked. “Still, yeah, this does sound fun, so long as no one gets hurt.”

“You wound me, GOAT. And yeah, we’ll be sure to host it at two in the morning, a week later. Everyone who matters will know what we’re doing so anyone who’s out there will either be participating, or really fucking stupid.”

“Fine, you already got the okay from me, Creed. Say, what’s the max speed this thing can go?”

“One-fifty on the water’s surface. Four hundred on flat asphalt. But that goes way up to mach one once we roll out the wings,” Sabah said absentmindedly. The car lurched suddenly. “Shit, sorry, I’m not used to the controls yet and the water can get kinda choppy.”

“It’s cool… Wait, you’re faster than this, Creed?”

“Yes? I thought we established this.”

“Even in the air?”

“You’ve already seen me break the sound barrier.”

“Still… You’re on rollerblades. I mean, tinkertech rollerblades, but wouldn’t your body turn into a pancake if you moved that fast?”

“And now you understand just how good my armor is,” I laughed. She was amazed by this much, but Sanji could do so much more. Compared to him, I was still pretty sluggish.

“Hmm, I think we’ve heard a lot about what your tech can do,” Sabah began with a coy smirk, “but we haven’t ever seen you do any of these things. Sure, outflying that dragonfly cape in Damascus was impressive, but…”

“Who knew you’d be such a speed demon, Maven? No need to mince words. If you want some humble pie, I’m happy to do the cooking.”

“Heh, fine. I helped build this thing. I want to see how it really fares against a ‘regalia,’ whatever that means. Let’s race. Top speed out to sea. Let’s say from here to… Hmm…”

I did a quick search. “Matinicus Island, Maine. That’s more or less a hundred miles and should be abandoned right now. I sent you the coordinates.”

“That works. This will be good practice. I’m not going to embarrass myself by not knowing how to drive my own car.”

“So be it. SAINT, count us down, please.”

APEP came to a stop right next to the Rig’s force field. They were probably trying to hail us, but that was fine; it wasn’t like we were hurting anyone out here.

Five ducks popped up on my HUD and Sabah’s dash. They turned and did a little butt wiggle before one popped out of existence.

Then three….

APEP rose from the water. The wheels that had been acting as floatation devices suddenly spun faster, giving them a helicopter’s vertical liftoff. Its spoilers thickened and expanded, forming a set of wings that belonged more on a jet than a car.

Two…

“Agility,” I whispered under my breath. Aura flooded my body. I held nothing back, knowing Crown Chimera could take it all and more.

One…

The last duck popped out of existence. We were off like a shot. Twin sonic cones bloomed in succession, one above the other. For a moment, we were neck and neck, Sabah in the air and me dashing along the water.

Then the Flame Road’s After Burner kicked in, leaving behind a truly massive column of flames in my wake. The ocean burned as the air beneath my feet ignited from friction alone. I caught a rising swell and used it as a ramp to launch myself into the sky.

Pyrobloin stabilized my feet. Clouds of vapor became the road before me as I left Sabah in my dust.

This couldn’t last. I simply lacked the stamina to compete with a literal jet engine. But even so, this let me reach Matinicus airspace in a little over three minutes.

A minute or so later, Sabah arrived, skidding to a stop in a way that a jet really shouldn’t have been able to. It was that maneuverability and versatility that really made Dru’s supercar so incredible.

“Fuck!” she swore, the adrenaline temporarily removing her filter. “Do you have any idea how fast you were going?”

“My top speed is approaching mach three,” I said with a smug smirk. Painfully slow in the wider multiverse, but more than enough to get me a medal on Earth-Bet. “My suit could probably handle faster, but I’m not good enough yet. Amy looks like she’s found God though.”

“I want to get off now,” she whispered. She was pale, her hair sticking in clammy lumps to her forehead. Her hands clutched the seatrests with white-knuckled grip. “You two are monsters. Maven, you were supposed to be the normal one.”

“We’re tinkers, Ames.”

“Can we please fly back at normal speeds?”

“Sure,” Sabah promised. “Sorry for the scare.”

We returned far more slowly. Once we got back, Sabah dropped off Amy at the Gullrest before taking the car out for a more normal joyride.

That was fine, too. It gave SAINT plenty of time to plan out our announcement.

X

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■

♦ Topic: Announcements from The_GOAT Above

In: Boards ► United States ► New England ► New Hampshire ► Brockton Bay ► General

Creed_Official (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Totally a Hero Now)

Hello, world!

'Tis I, definitely not [The_GOAT]. Yes, they're on PHO. Yes, that's their account. Yes, they'll continue to ignore all messages as they please. Deal with it. But here I am, delivering the divine words of our capra overlord unto you lesser mortals. Be glad and rejoice.

Anyway, jokes aside, I have two announcements. The first, you likely already know: [Maven_Official] is ours. She joined us and is now receiving tinkertech support from yours truly. 

She’s [this] classy looking lady. She has a thinker-striker power that lets her diagnose injuries very quickly. Her healing is very slow but she’s still nice to have around. You might see her at the hospital on occasion, helping out [Panacea_Official].

The second announcement is the real reason I'm posting here today: Some of you probably saw Maven driving her new car this evening. It's [this thing]. Cool, right? [Here's] video of her driving up the side of the Medhall building, because girl’s got style.

Well, allow me to formally announce the Brockton Bay Grand Prix!!!!

[This is the part where you applaud.]

Yeah, Maven and I are calling you out. [Uber_Gaming], [Leet_Gaming]. Squealer too, but she doesn't have PHO so if one of you potheads could pass this on, I'd appreciate it.

And wow, ain’t that something? Me, asking a Merchant for a favor? The season of miracles ain’t over yet!

Now, what exactly is this grand idea of ours?

Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like. We’re going to race with our pride on the line. You know how it goes. As a tinker, building something but not seeing it put to use is like not pressing the big red button. Impossible, I tell ya.

Sure, I won’t be driving APEP, but Maven’s plenty great behind the wheel. And don’t worry, I’ll be skating along right next to you chumps, just to prove that I can clown on you twice.

Time: January 22, 2AM

Where: We'll start at the university's south gate. As for the course… That’s a surprise.

Conditions: This is a street race with violence. Stick to nonlethal arms and disruptions. We'll probably have to run from Armsmaster, but that just adds more flavor, yeah?

What if you win? Hmm… I promise it’ll be worth your while.

And yes, you basement gremlins, you can stream this.

(Showing page 1 of 4)

►Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)

Wait, is this for real?

►Creed_Official (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Totally a Hero Now)

Indeed, I couldn't believe it, either! The GOAT approved my idea! What a wonderful way to welcome Maven into our little family, eh?

►Acree

lol What'd you do? Steal The GOAT's dog? No way they approved this.

►The_GOAT (The Guy in the Know) (Verified Cape) (Benevolent Mastermind)

I approved it. It's not any more dangerous than a regular night in Brockton Bay. Besides, letting Creed blow off steam in a semi-controlled manner is much less disruptive to the city. Most of the race will take place outside city limits anyway.

I suppose I could cancel this, but it wouldn’t go well. Creed gets antsy easily and he’ll start getting creative if I keep him cooped up too long. Trust me, you don’t want that.

►Acree

Holy shit, The GOAT!

Holy goat...?

►The_GOAT (The Guy in the Know) (Verified Cape) (Benevolent Mastermind)

No. I disavow whatever nonsense cult Creed starts in my name. I am not the messiah, just the shepherd with a flock of autistic, hyperactive goats with ADHD.

►Procto the Unfortunate Tinker (Not a tinker)

So anyway, is Maven a tinker? She has a supercar now. And The GOAT's only ever been interested in tinkers so far (Creed & Kid Win).

►Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)

Huh... Maybe...? Is the OP lying? [Creed_Official], are you lying?

Actually, it could be that her scanning and healing tech is being passed off as a thinker-striker power like Panacea's. I don't see why they'd do that, but hey, I'm not the Benevolent Mastermind.

And wow, that tag is doing things. I don't know what things, but things...

►White Fairy (Veteran Member)

I think you guys might be diving too deep into conspiracy territory. Maven probably is what she says she is. Otherwise, you may as well say she's actually just Creed's sister or girlfriend who has no powers and is just borrowing his healing tech. He has that himself, remember?

End of Page.   1, 2, 3, 4

(Showing page 2 of 4)

►Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)

That's true. [Creed_Official]! Explain thyself!

►Creed_Official (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Totally a Hero Now)

Yeesh…

She really is a Panacea-lite, guys. Thinker-striker. Sure, there are some hidden details we're not sharing, but which cape doesn't have a few of those?

►Poit

The difference is that most capes aren't healing. Fuck that noise. Why would anyone trust her if she doesn't tell everyone what her powers are?

►Creed_Official (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Totally a Hero Now)

lol Then don't trust her. Don't receive her help. Or mine for that matter. No one’s making you do anything. You can go to the DMV tomorrow and check the little box that says you preemptively reject parahuman healing.

Have you not realized that no one knows how my healing tech works either? We're not interested in making you feel better, nor will we be at the hospital every day.

Next question.

►White Fairy (Veteran Member)

I for one am happy we've got another healer. Did she join you guys because you bribed her with a supercar?

►Thatdude

That's a nice-looking car. How is it climbing up a skyscraper?

►Creed_Official (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Totally a Hero Now)

[White Fairy]: She joined because she wanted some advice from The GOAT. I'm not sure what exactly went down between her and The GOAT, but they hit it off. The supercar is just a signing bonus.

[Thatdude]: She's climbing the same way my skates do it. Secret.

►Leet_Gaming (Verified Cape)

What the fuck? You son of a bitch, [Creed_Official]! We'll smoke you!

►Uber_Gaming (Verified Cape)

lol You lit a fire under him, [Creed_Official]. He's off drawing plans now. A week's a bit tight, but we can make it work. Might be a good chance to dust off the cobwebs on some of our old-but-still-working stuff.

►Acree

Woot! The Grand Prix is on!

Any idea what racing game you guys will do, [Uber_Gaming]?

End of Page.   1, 2, 3, 4

(Showing page 3 of 4)

►Uber_Gaming (Verified Cape)

Probably Mario Kart. We haven't done that yet. We've done other Mario games, but not this particular spinoff. And besides, I can't think of a better game for "nonlethal arms and disruptions."

►Creed_Official (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Totally a Hero Now)

Nice. You two better stock up on blue shells because you're never taking first.

►Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)

lol Tinker smack-talk already?

Are we sure Leet's car won't blow up halfway through the race?

►Leet_Gaming (Verified Cape)

Fuck you, you piece of shit. Watch. I'm going to blow that stupid racecar to pieces.

And what’s the reward, huh?

►Creed_Official (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Totally a Hero Now)

Talking smack is fine, but remember, nothing potentially lethal if you can help it. Otherwise, be aware that reciprocal force is a thing.

Besides, I suspect you’ll be running from Armsmaster at the same time, and who knows what Squealer will bring. You should focus more on defense than offense.

As for the reward, it’s a piece of my tinkertech. Or The GOAT’s advice. Or a lot of things. It depends on who wins, which is why I left it vague.

►Reave (Verified PRT Agent)

We do not sanction this. Please report to the PRT building as soon as possible. Your independent status is under enough strain as it is.

I thought you were supposed to be a hero now. You understand that providing material assistance to villains can be a crime, yes?

►Creed_Official (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Totally a Hero Now)

I am a hero. I just don’t care enough to be the PRT-approved variety.

And for the record, I did make concessions. We're even hosting the race at two in the morning. If there is anyone on the road, they'll have more than enough time to get out of the way.

►The_GOAT (The Guy in the Know) (Verified Cape) (Benevolent Mastermind)

Like I said, it's about managing chaos. Surely your director understands that, [Reave].

►Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)

lol [Leet_Gaming]. The car can fly. [Video proof]. What are you going to do against it?

►Creed_Official (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Totally a Hero Now)

That won’t be as much of an advantage as you think it is. I recommend all possible terrains be considered. That said, there is more than one possible route to the goal.

Also, let’s keep things clean. I must reiterate that if the heroes participate, they respect the spirit of the rules as well.

End of Page.   1, 2, 3

(Showing page 4 of 4)

►Procto the Unfortunate Tinker (Not a tinker)

What does APEP stand for?

And why “all terrain?”

►Creed_Official (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Totally a Hero Now)

Oh, have I not mentioned it? It is the Apocalypse Precursor Engine Prototype. And yes, it is in fact named for the Egyptian sun-eating serpent.

As for the terrain… secret. Don’t worry, Maven doesn’t know, either.

►Reave (Verified PRT Agent)

You... Why is your supercar named for a beast of the apocalypse?

►Creed_Official (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Totally a Hero Now)

Precursor. That word is important.

►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

I'm here... late for once…

And yeah, you worry me, Creed. I'm pretty sure the PRT will be handing out more overtime checks thanks to you.

►Creed_Official (Original Poster) (Verified Cape) (Totally a Hero Now)

See, [Reave]? Heroic. Here I am, supporting our poor, underpaid federal employees. You can thank me for your overtime checks.

►White Fairy (Veteran Member)

Edgy name aside, I'm more worried about whatever The GOAT is thinking.

There's no way they approved this just to keep Creed happy. Forget about the race and ask yourselves what the "Benevolent Mastermind" is planning in the background.

Or maybe they want to use this as an excuse to give a villain something? Or tell them something?

►The_GOAT (The Guy in the Know) (Verified Cape) (Benevolent Mastermind)

Hey, now. I'll have you know that employee satisfaction is one of my primary concerns. Creed's happiness is my happiness. I have to earn that Benevolent Mastermind tag somehow.

End of Page.   1, 2, 3, 4

■

Author’s Note

“The Love Bug,” which features Herbie the Volkswagen, came out in 1968. Most people know Herbie from “Herbie: Fully Loaded,” which came out in 2005. A year later, Pixar released “Cars.” This is 2011 so they’re aware of both.

The Brockton Bay Grand Prix is on! I think. I’m bored, okay?

Animal Fact: Anglerfish are called that because they use a bioluminescent “bait” to attract prey. Most of you probably knew that. But what if I told you that there is a snake that does the same thing?

That snake is the spider-tailed horned viper. Yes, it’s like God heard about your two phobias and said, “Aight, bet.” It has a specially developed tail tip, much like a rattler.

Except, rather than make noise to warn predators, the scales along the sides have evolved to protrude in long, thin stalks, not unlike a spider’s legs. The very tip is inflated, forming a bulb-shape. This together forms a “spider” that the snake waves around along the ground to attract dinner, usually birds.

Now guess where it’s from.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

If you said Australia, you’re wrong (for once). It’s in western Iran so you were off by a whole-ass continent. Sometimes, the big man upstairs likes to throw curveballs.