by Riley Tune
He sipped his coffee and clicked the remote a few more times, and then something unexpected happened. There, right in his living room, a swirling green portal came to life. “What the,-” The Mechanic said so fast that it was hard to determine where one word stopped and the other started.
He placed the coffee down on the table, leapt from the couch and pressed a button on the wall, that had he not installed it himself, it would be easy to miss. As he moved his finger from the button a section popped from wall with a hiss. Inside was a silver gauntlet with red lights blinking on the bottom. He slid the gauntlet on his hand and made a fist. As he did so the gauntlet swirled and formed a metallic sleeve that went to his elbow, and several mini blasters extended beyond his fist and formed a circular disk of red spinning energy.
The Mechanic stretched his hand out and aimed it at the portal as he took cover behind the couch. He had seen these portals before and knew what to expect. For all he knew, it was Impervious coming back. He had heard he left after the showdown with Infinity, but he couldn’t be sure. An enemy could have been stepping out instead of a friend.
A young woman with spiky blond hair finally fell to his floor, and groaned as she rolled over. “Who are you, and what do you want?” The Mechanic quickly said from behind the couch as he stood up and aimed his weapon at the woman on the floor. He heard a thud hit the ground beside him, and as he turned around to face the new arrival, he found himself lifted off the ground and suspended in a pale blue force field.
“Hey buddy,” Hunter said as he stretched his hand out and pinned the force field holding The Mechanic to the wall. Hunter was happy to be out of the cramped portal but found the home he stood in was almost just as crowded with gadgets, and debris that he was wishing he had more room to move.
“Hunter Monroe,” The Mechanic said in more of a question instead of a statement. “What’s going on? Put me down. Did Impervious send you?” “Slow down,” Hunter said as he raised a hand.
He hadn’t seen The Mechanic in a year, but he still looked the same. Same pointed chin, greasy black hair, and strong cheekbones. He seemed to speak faster when he was confused, though. “I’m going to let you go, but put the hand canon away,” Hunter said as Perkins pushed herself to her feet. “Yes, of course,” The Mechanic said quickly.
Hunter lowered his hand, and as he did so, the force field faded away and The Mechanic dropped to the ground. “This is a nice place,” Hunter said as he looked around and waited for the Mechanic to get off the floor. “Messy as a college dorm room after a party, but it has potential.”
“I must say, Mr. Monroe, we never have pleasant introductions.” “Nerf, he does talk fast,” Perkins said as she sat down on the couch. “Sorry, who are you?” The Mechanic quickly asked her. “I’m Perkins,” she replied as she slapped her feet on the table, after placing the multibox down first to check it. The Mechanic looked from Perkins to Hunter.
“Why has the mighty Paragon came to see me?” The Mechanic asked. “Hunter’s fine. No need for the Paragon stuff,” Hunter said as he pulled a piece of paper from the bookbag he recently placed on the ground. “I know you left the hero stuff behind, but we could use your help. The short version we need you looks over some designs to create a weapon, and help us kill a giant monster that has a city on its back so we can rescue Mr. Impervious. You in?”
The Mechanic’s eyes grew wide as he quickly looked from Hunter to Perkins. “Is he. Are you? Serious.” “As serious as you are weird,” Hunter replied. The mechanic bit his lower lip and quickly said: “I take offense to that but I get your point.” He removed the gauntlet from his hand and dashed out of the room.
“Is he running away?” Perkins asked as she stood from the couch. “No,” she quickly heard a voice from the other room say. In a time that Hunter didn’t think was possible, The Mechanic returned back to the room in his Icon uniform. “Still fits!” The Mechanic said quickly. “Now, let’s see those plans for the weapon.” Hunter gave the paper to The Mechanic who in return spread it over the counter in his kitchen.
He placed some glasses on his eyes that, after he tapped the side of them suddenly had three additional lenses on them that were all different colors. “Hm. Basic plan,” The Mechanic said to himself. “Several changes will need to be made to improve the design. Implement an energy core, and add a cooling chamber perhaps.” as he quickly spoke, Hunter turned and gave a slight shrug to Perkins who looked confused as to what was happening.
“The frequency for the sound should be adjustable. Perhaps to incapacitate and not kill,” The Mechanic said. “Is this standard steel for the frame? No, no, no, that will never do. I have some developmental alloys that will help keep the weapon from overloading with power.” The Mechanic finally slammed his hand on the table as a smile covered his face.
“So, you in?” Hunter asked. The Mechanic thought to himself for a moment. If he agreed, that meant he was back. Back in the hero life. Back creating things that made a difference. Saving people, and not just people, Impervious himself.
The thought of such a powerful being needing saving was both scary and exciting. He had been in the public sector for too long, and Hunter Monroe, of all Icons, was the one to pull him back into the world he had been far too long away from. The Mechanic took a deep breath and looked to Hunter. “I’m in, but only if I can come back with you.”
CHAPTER 30:
HER TRUE NAME
F lex entered the main room of the incompleted base to find Cayden asleep on a table with a chunk of plastic, with a large bite mark, hanging lazily from his hand as he snored. In the distance, he could still hear Cord training the new recruits, and Danielle sat alone at a table looking at one of the boxes of stale food.
Seeing her sitting there gave Flex a plan. “You busy?” He asked her as he approached with a grin. Danielle leaned up in her chair, looked around and spread her arms wide. “I think I can spare a minute.” Flex nodded his head. “Good. Come with me.” He said as he flashed his perfect teeth and turned to head to the entrance door.
Danielle stood and followed. Normally she would ask where they were going, or why he had even offered, but she really didn’t care. Anything was better than sitting around and waiting for Hunter to get back. Flex slowly opened the door, and stepped inside of the small entrance, with Danielle behind him.
On their side of the door, it appeared to be just that. A metal door with a single knob. On the entrance, however, it didn’t look like that at all. While the base wasn’t completed, some of its defenses were. The interior of the base seemed more like a large warehouse, but on the outside, some sort of device disguised it.
To a person outside, it looked like the two young heroes had just appeared from a solid chunk of wall that surrounded an even larger building. The wall had some art on it, that was both beautiful, and allowed them to remember where the door was. There weren’t many people on the streets and most that were seemed to be in a hurry.
They all wore worn clothes, and looked down as they walked. Barely making eye contact or speaking to each other. For Danielle, this was the first time she had actually seem this many people out. By chance alone, most of the times she had ventured outside while on this beast, there were no people around. What was more disturbing for her was that now she truly was able to see how the less fortunate lived.
Compared to Great Beast Sonah, this city looked horrible. There were no signs of technology advancement, no music playing in the air, and most of all, none of the eternally happy people. She felt her stomach churn as a little boy, no older than ten, walked by with dried blood on his upper lip, and ear.
As he walked by, he caught her eye for only a second and gave her a slight wave. A wave that caused her eyes to water. He was so young, and the curse had already claimed him. Empress Queen Omega had treatment, but she didn’t share it. She wondered how people could still support her. Still, worship her. “What going on?” Danielle finally asked to take her mind off of the child she had seen. “
“Figured it be good to go on a quick patrol around the area,” Flex said. “It is, but why with me?” Danielle asked. Flex shrugged as he looked around and squinted as the dry heat and light touched his eyes. “We, don’t actually get a chance to talk much,” he said slowly as he walked with a steady purpose through the people. While he was dressed in the ragged attire as the rest of them, he still stood out. His tall muscular frame, and untarnished good looks, made him look like a slither of light escaping through the darkness. He was very hard to miss and more than once people turned and watched him as he walked by.
Danielle didn’t get the same amount of attention. Something she was thankful for. She kept close to him, though. The last thing she wanted to do was get separated. “You’re usually with Hunter. That or we are training or something like that.” Flex said. “I guess you’re right.” Danielle replied.
She had never thought about it because Flex was always around in one way or the other, but they really didn’t talk. Not on a personal level anyway. The few words they had normally exchanged dwindled once he began dating Perkins. “Let’s say we make it back home and everything goes fine,” Flex continued as he held up a hand to stop a man from approaching him with a bag of fruit that he appeared to be try to sell.
“What then?” he asked. “You’ve been with us for a year, but you’re only Hunter’s girlfriend. He told me you finished school early, so you clearly are smart, but you decided right away that you wanted to be a villain.” “Sounds about right,” Danielle said. She had been worried that one day this conversation would come. That one day Flex would change his mind and not let a person like her, with her history, hang around the base anymore.
Telling her alone, when Hunter wasn’t around to react was a smart move. She had to respect the way he planned this out. “Yeah, but you weren’t a villain really,” Flex said. Danielle’s brow perked up a bit. Flex looked down to her as they walked side by side. “I mean saying you’re a villain doesn’t make it so. Same goes for a hero. For Atlas’ sake, I can say I’m a musical genius, but it doesn’t make me the next Young Pyro.”
They made a turn down a street and began to walk again. Flex held his comments for a moment as he looked around the area to make sure nothing seemed out of place. No metallic faces, or guys with large guns or swords. Most of all, no Pain Conduits. Strong as Flex was, he was worried about the next encounter for those. He had a plan in his mind on how to deal with them, should he need to, but he was hoping this his team would have his back when the time arrived.
After determining that this area was mostly clear he glanced back to Danielle. “So, I say we do this right.” Danielle looked up to him, fearful that the swift, verbal boot out of the base was headed her way. “First, your internship officially starts now. You will take the oath when we return,” Flex said as her heart seemed to skip several beats per minute in her chest.
He wasn’t kicking her out. He wasn’t making this a covert attempt at getting her guard down. He was doing the opposite. He wanted to keep her around. “ You’ll have to do the same paperwork that Hunter, Jen, and-” his words cut off. He was about to say her name. He hadn’t mentioned his sister in a while. He didn’t even try to think about her or the havoc she was creating back home. He couldn’t.
He needed to be at his sharpest and best while here on Mo’eizus. Zeva Greene would be an issue for later. Danielle didn’t miss the stumble as Flex almost walked into the issue he was trying to forget. “I remember the forms,” Danielle said. “I’ll have to pick them up from my school and then have my guardian sign them. I um. Well-” Flex shook his head. “Normally you do, but remember we are starting late. You’re of age now, so that wouldn’t be a problem.” Flex was quick to get beyond this point.
As far as he knew, Danielle didn’t have parents. None that she had mentioned anyway. As if she was inside his head, she voiced the same. “Not like I have parents or anything anyway. The people who raised me were more so long- time babysitters.” she let out a fake laugh. “I used to tell myself, I’d become a big- time villain, find my parents and see if they even cared. If they were villains, they’d be proud, and if they were heroes they’d fear me. Loving Hunter messed that up, though.”
“Hunter has a way of messing things up from time to time.” They both laughed some and turned down another street. Danielle could see the area on the wall from where they made their exit up ahead. “Still nothing,” Flex said as he looked around. He wanted to fly up just to make sure, but that would have more eyes on him than even now.
“Once the paperwork is done, you’ll be mentoring under Power Prince.” “Why not you ?,” Danielle asked. “You only take on the interns that come in already famous?” She gave him a punch to the side that actually hurt her hand a little bit. As she opened and closed her fist, she began to feel like Flex likely didn’t even notice she had struck him. “No. Power Prince needs the experience. I want him to experience stuff early in his career like the Imperial Lords did for me. We aren’t much older than you and Hunter, but we have a world of difference experience- wise. This isn’t to brag, but we are also more capable heroes because of that experience. I want the same for you all.”
They stopped in front of the art- covered wall and waited for people to pass them by. “The very last thing you really need to do is find a True Name. Even Jen has one. I’m not a fan of it, but then again plenty of people don’t like mine.” The nearly invulnerable hero shrugged. “In their defense, Flex was certainly a name I wouldn’t pick for myself now if I had to do it all over again.” Danielle rubbed the back of her neck and tried to avoid his eyes. As she turned her head, the hot air caught he black hair and caused it to spread over her face. Flex narrowed his eyes. “What’s wrong?” She cleared her throat and looked down to her feet.
“I kind of already picked out a True Name. I’m mean I think so. Like I’ve been playing around with it in my head here and there.” Flex stood tall and crossed his arms. “I’m listening.”
Danielle didn’t want to tell him. She was nervous enough about her name as it was. Hunter hadn’t even heard about it. Truthfully, he didn’t even know she was picking a name.
“When I first got here,” Danielle slowly began. “I was still feeling like I didn’t fit in. Like there was a darkness inside of me that didn’t have anything to do with my powers.” “Flex nodded his head half-heartedly. “I noticed it when I first killed that Pain Conduit bitch back in the wasteland. I thought because I killed her with no remorse, that I was still destined to be a villain. I felt that way for a while until I realized that I killed her for you. For my team. To protect. I may have been more open to it than most, but I did it for a reason.”
“I’m glad you realized that, but what does it have to do with the name you picked?” Flex asked. “Well, I wanted a name for a while but didn’t spend time thinking about it until then. I wanted a name to reflect the darkness of my powers, and the darkness inside of me. That same sharp darkness, that I can master, control, and shape for the benefit of those around me. Then it hit me.” She took an extra moment to go silent. Danielle wasn’t about to let this perfectly timed dramatic pause moment pass her by.
“Obsidian,” she said as she looked up to Flex slightly. For the first time, Flex realized that she was slightly blushing. He didn’t even know Danielle was capable of such a thing. He nodded his head a little and mouthed the word back and forth. “Obsidian. Hm. I like it.” Danielle perked up some.
“I’m sure in time, the villains of the world will tremble when they realize, Obsidian has been summoned to deal with them.” A slight smile played on her face and then her eyes got wide. “Don’t tell Hunter I told you first.” Flex laughed. “Oh, no chance in hell. I’m snitching that as soon as I can. I won't tell him the name, but he’ll know I knew first.” He chuckled slightly and jerked his head to the wall. “Come on. It’s finally clear.”
With those words, Danielle glanced around and then leapt into the wall and seemingly was absorbed into as she pa
ssed through the generated illusion. “Obsidian,” Flex said with a smile to himself, and then he too leapt into the wall and vanished from the street.
CHAPTER 31:
LARGE GUNS INDEED
P erkins stood up as Hunter gave her a long glance. He didn’t know exactly how to tell The Mechanic that he couldn’t come and felt that his normal brash approach wasn’t the right way to go, especially since the fast-talking Icon had just agreed to help them out.
“Well, Mr. Mechanic,” Perkins said as she stood up. “Oh, please. No Mr.,” The Mechanic replied quickly. “Just Mechanic is fine. Or you can call me The Mechanic too, but it will no doubt sound weird. That is what most call me, though.” Perkins nodded her head and exhaled as the Icon blurted all the words out in what seemed like less than a second.
“Either way,” she continued, the multibox is only able to bring two people here, and bring two people back. So, if you came, then one of us would have to stay and that can’t happen.” As she finished her words, Hunter extended his hands and shrugged in a there you have it fashion, and then whistled slightly as he leaned back and forth on the balls of his feet. “Sorry, man. Really I am.”
The Mechanic shook his head with a slight laugh and turned from the plans he was studying to point to the large box on the table. “Is that the multibox in reference?” he asked quickly. “Well, yeah,” Hunter replied slowly as he looked to Perkins with a brow raised. “I will improve it. It, it looks clunky anyway.”
He took several long strides across his crowded living area and picked up the multibox. As he did so, he could hear several parts inside seem to roll around and could feel dust below his fingertips. He looked to Hunter and then sucked his teeth. “Typical,” he said quickly.
