Chapter 1.1.36 — What About...

“What about a utility belt?” Emmett asked.

He’d already wrapped up training for the evening and had basically dragged Clara to section 002. Now she stood across from him in one of the many storage rooms. The overhead lights reflected harshly on the scattered metal tables.

His mind had been racing too much to explain to Clara on the way over. Emmett wasn’t even sure he could explain what he was thinking—it had taken him the several minute walk to section 002 to realize what he’d figured out.

Dr. Venture’s voice came through the speakers. “I’m on my way over. I think I found something that might be useful for you.”

“So, what are you thinking?” Clara asked, arms crossed expectantly. “Did you think of something you could’ve used against Lord Sumac? Because if that’s the thing—”

“Not just Lord Sumac,” Emmett said, leaning on the cold metal table. “I want something for everyone.”

Clara chuckled, then she realized he wasn’t joking. “There’s hundreds of different types of supers—probably even more than that. You’d be lugging around an armory.”

“Not necessarily,” Venture said. He walked in, carrying an overflowing box of components, and set them on the table with a thunk. Then he began pulling pieces out and setting them on the table.

“Clara is right,” Venture continued, “that there are more powersets than can be countered, probably more than can be properly categorized. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t have overlapping weaknesses.”

It took several minutes for Venture to empty the box. He narrated each item he pulled out and set aside: Flares, flashbangs, first aid coagulate, folding knife, powdered minerals, hand taser, dog whistle, steel mirror, noise maker, cell/radio jammer, portable, high-powered flashlight, gas mask, portable rebreather, capsaicin spray, tear gas pellets, cutting torch… Emmett lost track somewhere around then.

“And lastly, your lock-pick set… that you don’t know how to use.”

Venture tossed the cardboard box unceremoniously to the floor and stepped back. Electronics and components covered all four tables, reminding Emmett of his apartment kitchen table.

Now that Emmett saw all the gadgets laid out in front of him, he paused, voice caught in his throat. Where was he going to start? He had known at one point… Hadn't he?

Even Clara was wide-eyed as she looked over the room full of gadgets.

Dr. Venture cleared his throat and pointed to one table, and two objects in particular: A slender container and a utility belt.

“Start here. This container is a mock-up of your upper arm storage. You’re limited, but you can rearrange it as you see fit or modify it with access rails—whatever you need to. I suggest you use your arm for things you absolutely want to keep on your person.”

Venture turned over the utility belt. It was made of shiny black fabric, with slightly thicker material around the pockets. “This is your standard utility belt. By the time you load it up, it will be too bulky to wear under anything except a hoodie, but you can carry it in your backpack for quick access. Obviously, you won’t be able to take everything here with you, but you might be able to modify or shrink some of these items.

“I’m looking forward to what you put together.”

The last line caught Emmett off guard, and he turned to Dr. Venture.

“You’re not going to help?”

Venture pushed up his glasses. “I’ll be around if you have questions, but between you and Clara, you should be able to figure everything out.”

Then Dr. Venture turned and walked out of the room, leaving the pair to gawk at the pile of gadgets.

~

Emmett and Clara spent the rest of the evening going through the gadgets, prioritizing them, and figuring out which ones would fit.

In the end, he prioritized items based on those that would counter the senses of most supers. Thankfully, things that affected sight, hearing, touch, and smell would give him an edge against the majority.

Flares won out over flashbangs. Since Emmett planned on keeping his utility belt with him all the time, he decided carrying miniature bombs around all day probably wasn’t the best idea. Flares could also obscure infrared and double as lures for an ambush.

The collapsible gas mask won out over the portable rebreather for similar reasons. Carrying around pressurized oxygen would make him vulnerable to fire-wielding supers.

Noise-makers were also an easy decision. They were loud enough to disorient an attacker and also emitted high pitch frequencies for more animalistic supers.

In spite of his new low-light vision, Emmett grabbed an adjustable, high-powered flashlight at Clara’s insistence. It would help him see color, if needed, and also could temporarily blind attackers.

The small cell phone and radio jammer had its uses. It might not be effective against mechanical opponents, but it could stop someone from calling for backup.

Emmett took all four baggies of powdered minerals—silver, sand, a mix of moonstone and quartz, and a mix of quartz and different gemstones. Apparently, these had uses against magic-wielding supers.

The steel folding mirror was useful against light-based supers and could also help Emmett see around corners without getting blasted by ranged energy powers.

He also found room for the folding knife, hand taser, and several doses of first aid coagulate. Last, he stuffed in the lock pick set.

Emmett decided to keep the smoke pellets in his upper arm compartment because the majority of low-level supers relied on sight. The smoke was also dense enough to block infrared and potent enough to obscure his smell, at least for a time. He kept the caltrops in his arm too, if only because he didn’t have time to decide where else to put them.

When he was done with the compartment in the back of his upper arm, he closed it with a click and the seam disappeared within his synthetic skin.

After everything was decided, both Emmett and Clara leaned against the middle table. Most of the gadgets had found their way back inside the cardboard box, but there were still a few that lay scattered about.

All in all though, Emmett was satisfied with his new belt.

Emmett picked up the black utility belt and swung it a few times, feeling the weight distribution. Then he put it around his waist and buckled it. It was probably three to four pounds—not heavy, but definitely noticeable around his waist and over his training suit. Emmett understood now what Venture meant about keeping it in his backpack. Even if it was slim enough to hide under most clothes, Emmett wasn’t sure if he would want to wear it all day.

Emmett turned and struck a pose, crossing his arms over his chest. “How do I look?”

Clara smirked. “Finally, kind of like a hero.”

Emmett chuckled. “Thanks. But also, seriously, thanks for working with me in the Gray Room and with the mods just now.”

Clara’s face softened, suddenly a mix of serious and sympathetic. “Sure thing. But I only helped. You’re doing most of the hard work—pushing yourself, learning, adapting. That’s all you, Emmett. You should be proud of it.”

Emmett nodded, feeling both relieved at the acknowledgment and a little awkward at the compliment. He had been working hard, harder than he’d ever worked at engineering or anything else. Because he wanted this more than he’d wanted anything else. Being a super was a dream come true, and there was absolutely no way Emmett was going to waste even a minute of it.

It was a moment before Emmett could say anything because he was afraid his face might crack if he did.

Finally, Emmett said, “Maybe Venture will finally let me come with you on a mission.”

Clara smirked. If she noticed Emmett’s tumultuous emotions, she didn’t say anything.

“About that… I think Dad’s warming up to the idea.”

Emmett sighed with relief and muttered, “About time. I was worried I’d be his age before I got to go.”

Clara chuckled awkwardly. “Dad’s just… overly cautious like that. A scientist through and through. Don’t take it personal. He treated me the same way when I started with this hero stuff… He still treats me that way, and it’s been...” She must’ve seen Emmett’s face because she added, “Don’t worry. It won’t be much longer.”

Emmett met Clara’s eyes hopefully. There was a part of him that was already quaking with excitement, but the rest of him didn’t want to get his hopes up.

“You seem super sure about this.”

“Soon I’m going to need some help.” Clara shrugged. “There’s a reason why heroes work in teams.”

~ ~ ~