Crystalized Munchkinry - Act III - Chapter 31 (Patreon)

Taylor leaned back in her beach chair and tried very hard to ignore the woman sitting next to her. She took another sip and spent a few minutes watching Admin attempt to build a sandcastle with his stubby hands.

“Come on, Taylor! You can’t stay mad at me forever!”

She took another sip.

“I apologized. What more do you want?” her friend asked, increasingly desperate.

This went on for a few more minutes before Taylor finally had enough.

“I’m sorry, but my friend would have called me to protect my father,” she said dryly.

“Not this one again, Taylor,” Tess replied, exasperated. “I was in total control. I had several drones ready to deploy shields, and he had that shield emitter you made him.”

“I don’t care. He’s my father. I could’ve protected him. Plus, I still don’t get why you let those druggies off…”

Tess’s voice softened slightly. “I know, Taylor, and I understand that you worry for him, but if you had interfered, it would have caused you and your father an untold amount of problems.” She placed a hand on the younger girl’s shoulder for a moment. “It is admirable that you want to protect him, but please, trust me to protect him when he is at the Docks. I promised you I would, and I won’t go back on that. Okay?”

Taylor looked at her and nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She still could not quite put into words what it felt like to trust someone. She was not furious at Tess; she was mostly angry at herself for not trusting her.

Still, the evidence supported her words. Her father was safely snoring in his room without a scratch on him, though he did spend a lot of time hugging her.

Seeing her nod, Tess leaned forward and pulled her into a hug, which she returned just as strongly.

"Sorry, Tess," she murmured.

The Tinker just chuckled good-naturedly.

“Let me tell you my plan for the Merchants…”

After the hugging and explanations were done, they spent some time talking about Tinker projects and Tess’s new body.

It seemed she was almost ready to debut the first version. It would be equipped with realistic skin and hair, capable of eating and drinking, and it even simulated the micro-movements of the human body.

She could hardly wait for when she could go out with her friend and have fun in the real world. The virtual space was awesome – when super-powered Nazi zombies weren’t chasing her – but nothing could substitute the real thing.

After all, it was the only place where you could get a decent meal.

“What is the first thing you will do when the body is ready?” Taylor asked the other woman as they stood in a virtual workshop. The information was projected in 3D through holographic displays, and the walls were lined with monitors showing the data Tess had collected about the body before forking and joining the virtual space.

They were currently reviewing parts of the body’s next iteration. The 3D model was projected between them in the air, and to Taylor it looked, somewhat creepily, like a set from a sci-fi movie.

“Probably eat a piece of chocolate,” Tess answered with a chuckle, prodding the design with her finger as she examined the changes. “I already bought a small selection.”

“Pfft. Typical,” Taylor replied with a grin. “At least you know you won’t get fat unless you design it that way.”

“Says Miss I-Have-Perfect-Metabolism!” Tess shot back.

“You are welcome!” Admin piped up, appearing suddenly from nowhere.

Taylor ignored the annoying slime. “Yes, but even so, I could still get fat if I don’t exercise or eat properly.”

Tess snorted. “Like you would do that. I’m pretty sure you’re turning into an exercise nut.”

“Yes, well, some of us have to work for it!” she said, gesturing toward her body.

“Indeed. All hail the machine race! Join us, and you won’t need to exercise!” Tess declared dramatically, grinning at Taylor.

Taylor couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that.

“You know, before getting my power, I would’ve totally taken you up on that.”

"Oh, Taylor…"

Taylor just grinned ruefully. “I looked like a very tall frog… Now I look like a very buff frog.”

Tess snorted at the mental image. “Try not to mention it too much, because Admin will make you spend time as a tall frog!”

Their laughter echoed around the room while Admin watched them with a smile.

**

"Go Fish."

"Nine."

"Here."

"Three."

"Go Fish."

"Ace."

"Here."

“You know,” Tess spoke up while looking at her hand. “I always wanted to try this game, but it’s not really stimulating. Plus, both of us have enhanced minds, so it’s easy to count cards.”

Taylor just shrugged. “I told you it’s a children’s game. I haven’t played in years, but I remember it’s better with more people.”

Right now, they were taking a break between two of Taylor’s training sessions. Usually, they just chatted, but this time Tess had mentioned she had never played Go Fish, so they tried it out.

“How about something more important?” Admin asked, appearing again out of nowhere.

Taylor turned toward him and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh? What is it?” Tess asked, laying her cards down.

Admin floated in front of them. “As you know, I can link other parahumans to this virtual space, like with Tess here.” Both women nodded as they listened, trying to follow where he was going. “Though it is difficult and requires special conditions to be fulfilled.”

“And I’m very thankful,” Tess said, smiling at Taylor, who returned it. “I made an excellent friend. Not to mention the other benefits.”

“I’m glad you feel that way, because it appears that two other parahumans have fulfilled the conditions, and I was wondering if you would like them to join you two?”

That made both of them sit up straight, their attention fully on the slime.

"What conditions?"

"Which parahumans?"

Taylor looked at Tess, who spoke at the same time she did, and then paused as they both hesitated over who would continue. But before either could resolve it, Admin went on.

“I can’t tell you the conditions, and the parahumans are Assault and Battery.”

“Assault and Battery? But I’ve never met them. How could they have fulfilled any conditions?” Taylor asked incredulously.

Tess, however, looked far less surprised. “Probably the area effect of your power is larger than you thought, and they were unknowingly present when they triggered it. That I can accept, but why are the conditions secret?”

“That is also secret,” came the answer from the slime.

"Why?"

“Yeah, why?” Taylor added, narrowing her eyes at Admin.

“Because you are not ready to hear it, just like…” he began.

“…the Plan,” both women chorused. “We know.”

Taylor crossed her arms. “I hate when you do that.”

“I’m sorry, Taylor,” Admin said reproachfully. “But that is simply how it is. When you are both ready, I will tell you everything. I promised that, and I intend to keep my word.”

Tess scowled but said nothing. There was nothing she could do yet that wouldn’t hurt Taylor as well. Still, she silently resolved to keep searching for answers about the powers.

After a few seconds of heavy silence, Taylor finally spoke. “So Assault and Battery? What do you know about them, Tess? Would they keep our secret?”

“Assault definitely. He is rather trustworthy. Battery, on the other hand, would need convincing. Though if they both join at the same time, Assault would probably do the convincing.”

“And why do we need them to join us? Will every parahuman I ever meet end up here?” she asked, turning back to Admin.

“Not really. Just those who fulfill the conditions, and whom you choose to allow. Permission can also be revoked at any time.”

"Do I have to decide now?"

“Oh, no. Take as much time as you want.”

“That’s good. I want to meet them first before making a decision.”

“I can arrange that,” Tess offered.

"How?"

Tess shrugged. “I tell them that Danny Hebert’s daughter is a fan and invite them to the facility. Assault rarely gets called out like that, so he would probably say yes.”

“Let’s discuss it later,” Admin said. “I only wanted to bring it up as a possibility. Taylor, your time is up. Ready for the next scenario?”

“Ugh. Why not? Hitting things is easier than making decisions.”

In the early hours of Friday, at a remote facility deep in the Canadian wilderness, the site was alive with all manner of equipment.

Factories occupied a large portion of the complex, continuously churning out products, but one section of the facility was distinct from the rest.

This was where Dragon carried out some of her experiments, including the creation of a body for herself. It was also where she had succeeded, based on the design Taylor had provided.

She surveyed the room where the final steps were taking place. It was devoid of decoration, containing only a high-tech bed resembling a surgical table and countless mechanical arms extending from the walls.

These arms, under her direction, were currently applying the final touches to the skeleton. Soon, they would begin applying the synthetic skin and hair. In honor of Taylor, she had chosen to match the same hair color her friend wore.

While that process continued, she reviewed progress at the Brockton Bay facility.

Construction was complete; the building was ready to receive the first batch of metal. She had also finished surveying the Graveyard. The only remaining requirement was additional personnel to assist with operations, but that could be resolved through the Union, which appeared to have people for nearly every task.

She was already designing a factory with Taylor’s assistance that would produce medigel. It was an excellent business opportunity and would help many people, a clear win-win in her assessment.

She was also certain that others would attempt to enter the same market. Fortunately, no one could match her construction speed or automation capacity. Additionally, while not yet public, the government was preparing regulations on medi-gel quality, which would prevent low-grade or unsafe products from reaching the market.

She anticipated a significant amount of paperwork as a result.

She was also in the process of acquiring the remaining available properties. Unfortunately, once she began building her facility, more speculative investors had entered the market and started purchasing land as well. Still, she and technically Taylor now owned roughly sixty percent of the Graveyard and a significant portion of the Docks.

As a side project, she had begun designing an entire research complex for Brockton Bay. Perhaps in a few years, it could become a center of scientific innovation.

But that was far in the future.

For now, she needed to focus on her new body.

A fork of her consciousness was already dedicating itself entirely to the task, but she felt the main instance should be present for this momentous occasion.

The first thing she noticed was how strange everything looked from this point of view. It was one thing to experience it in virtual space, and something entirely different to perceive it in the real world.

She tried blinking and breathing, noting that everything functioned perfectly, before lifting one of her new hands.

After a few more minutes of simple tests, she slowly sat up on the bed, then turned sideways so her legs hung over the edge.

She eased herself down onto her new legs until she was standing upright.

She took a slow, careful step, and immediately fell forward onto her face.

"Ow."

It seemed her balance would need some work.

"Colin?"

“Yes, Dragon?” the man replied without looking up from the device he was assembling. It appeared to be some kind of injector, likely intended for use with medi-gel.

“The latest batch of equipment has arrived at my new facility, and it is now ready for operation. Would you like a tour before I begin?”

He carefully finished the section he was working on, set down the complex tool in his hands, and looked up at her. “Of course. It would also allow me to compile a report for the Director. She is rather concerned about the potential effects on the city.”

“Well, based on the Merchant attack a few days ago, I would say she is justified,” came the reply from the screen mounted on the wall.

“Exactly. She was also rather displeased that you did not detain them.”

“They are small fry. It was not worth it.”

“You do realize they went straight back to Skidmark afterward?” he asked, already packing a bag for his inspection of the facility.

“I am counting on it,” Dragon replied with a faint chuckle.

He nodded his head in understanding and n extra backup halberd to his armor.

Just in case.

As he approached the building on his bike, he noted the shiny new and very sturdy-looking fence around the loading space. It seemed she had improved the defenses. Though what it would do against the heavy hitters of the city, he could not really tell. Probably it would slow them down for a few seconds.

As he reached the gate, it opened automatically just wide enough for him to slip through, then closed again as soon as his bike cleared it.

He parked carefully next to one of the personnel entrances and went straight inside after entering the security code Dragon had provided.

He walked through the corridors, following the helpful floor plans affixed to the walls, toward the office where he was meant to meet Dragon.

They would go through the facility afterward so he could examine it and possibly get ideas for tinkering.

After about a minute of brisk walking, he finally reached the office.

When he entered, he immediately scanned the room for hidden attackers and possible escape routes. It was an ordinary-looking office, with desks and computers, one corner adjusted to function as a break area.

The only thing that stood out was the black-haired woman in her twenties sitting on the couch and reading a magazine.

He cleared his throat and waited until she looked up. “Excuse me, miss, could you tell me where Dragon is?”

The woman stared at him flatly for a few seconds, then replied in an all-too-familiar voice.

"Colin. It's me."