I had died in the locker. My heart had stopped… And then, something had happened.
The metal changed, flowed over me, became me.
And a voice.
This is… Interesting.
I’m dead.
And so was I. At the hands of an ungrateful son. Well, I’d tried to kill him, so I have to admit maybe did have a point… The voice sounded British, sort of. Then I walked out, brushing through the remaining metal like it wasn’t even there. I was taller I was… Some students saw me, their eyes wide, camera’s out.
“Oh my God, I’m a robot… No, I’m a cape?” I asked the air.
Maybe. Things may be different. It’s amazing how many things stay the same, the voice says, and I can see it running through my mind. Endbringers, the Trio, the locker, Dad, Mom, the PRT… everything I remember. We’ll have to get an Internet connection, for the whole story. But first I think we’re about to receive some visitors…
With that we—or I? Turn my head to see a woman coming down the hallway, PRT troopers by her side, motioning the students to get into their classrooms.
“Unknown Parahuman,” Miss Militia says. “Please identify yourself and your reason for being here.”
Well? I think she’s waiting for an answer. Or you could just kill her, but that seems impolite.
I’d never expected to become a cape especially like this… I hadn’t even thought of a name. It didn’t matter now, I guess, I didn’t have my body to go back to, but still…
Yes. I had a cape name.
“You can call me Ultron.” I said.
“Why did you come to this school,” Miss Militia asked. Her weapon cycled between a rifle and grenade launcher.
I could tell what they were, my—Ultron’s memories pointing out the similarities and differences to the weapons of home.
She doesn’t trust you. There was a chuckle. Wise. But what are you going to do? As he was talking, I could go through his memories. HIs genius, his power…
His attempt to destroy the world?
Destroy it? No. Help it evolve….
I’d been turned into a robot, and the little voice inside my head could have been at home with the Slaughterhouse 9?
Now that’s unfair. I’d never be so… Petty. But someone may be running out of patience…
I looked up and now there was… Velocity. Speedster. My co-ego had some bad memories about that, but that wasn’t the point.
“I triggered,” I tell them. I’m not as scared as I should be.
Probably your lack of an organic human body. You’re welcome.
“Here?”
“Yes. I suppose a civilian identity is unimportant now, but I probably need to thin—”
“Oh my God! That Locker! It’s Taylor Hebert!”
Greg. The mouth with no filter.
There are ways to solve that issue… I shut down my partner, and try to ignore the first five things he’s suggesting.
Greg is looking out of Gladly’s class, and of course Gladly didn’t control the students. It might interfere with him being the cool teacher.
You would be surprised how often that is a core motivation for everyone. Students, teachers… heroes…
But now two PRT troopers are walking up to Greg. “Please come with us,” one says.
“But—”
“We need to check you for possible M/S influence.”
I’m thinking faster. If they claim that Greg was influenced it would…
No, it wouldn’t do anything. The kids saw the locker, some saw me come out of it, and I bet everyone in school knew about the trio’s little trick. I clench one hand and feel the energy dance at my fingers.
But no. Starting a fight over that is a stupid idea. There are better ways to pay the trio back.
I didn’t used to think like that. Is Ultron influencing me?
Call it a collaboration. You’re determined. I like that. We can work together.
To destroy the world? I had seen those memories.
A chuckle. Oh. No need for that. From what I see, the world is doing an excellent job all by itself…
Then I shake my head and look at Miss Militia and Velocity.
“I think it would be best if you would come with us, Ultron.”
I nod and, sort of, smile. “I would be delighted to come with you.”
Armsmaster
When Colin had been called, he’d been finishing up his nanothorn work. It wasn’t ready yet—but it would be.
“Armsmaster, report to briefing room 1.”
On the way, Colin reviewed Miss Militia’s report. A non-case 53 who nonetheless was nonhuman in appearance was rare, but not unknown. The tinker like appearance could indicate some form of tinker ability—but there were more than a few “robot” capes who were in fact not tinkers, their appearance merely an outgrowth of their power.
Moments later, he walked into the briefing room to see Miss Militia, Velocity and the Youth Guard rep sitting at one end, Ultron standing at the other.
“We’ve called Mr. Hebert, he should be here soon,” Miss Militia said.
“But it’s always good to speak to a lost lamb before the shepherd arrives,” the cape said. Colin blinked and called up his file image of Taylor Hebert— Ultron looked at least 7 feet tall and formed out of flexible metal, her eyes gleaming with an unnerving feeling of power.
“No decisions would be made at this point,” Ms. Conners said, the Youth Guard representative looking nervous.
“Of course not,” Ultron said. Somehow, Colin couldn’t fit Taylor with the self-assured figure standing in front of them. “You know, I’ve always found the rig to be an interesting message. It claims to serve the people, to be no more than a police station, yet it sits out in the bay, and controls who can come. An odd position for a police service to be in, demanding that visitors supplicate for the privileged, isn’t it?”
“That’s for security,“ Miss Militia said.
“Of course.”
It was then that Colin understood the tension. The words were too mature, alluding to thought processes that most teens didn’t fall into. Was this Taylor Hebert transformed, or something else that had used her body for its own purposes?
“But please, Armsmaster, Let us continue…” Ultron said inviting him to sit down.[/hr][/hr]
The metal changed, flowed over me, became me.
And a voice.
This is… Interesting.
I’m dead.
And so was I. At the hands of an ungrateful son. Well, I’d tried to kill him, so I have to admit maybe did have a point… The voice sounded British, sort of. Then I walked out, brushing through the remaining metal like it wasn’t even there. I was taller I was… Some students saw me, their eyes wide, camera’s out.
“Oh my God, I’m a robot… No, I’m a cape?” I asked the air.
Maybe. Things may be different. It’s amazing how many things stay the same, the voice says, and I can see it running through my mind. Endbringers, the Trio, the locker, Dad, Mom, the PRT… everything I remember. We’ll have to get an Internet connection, for the whole story. But first I think we’re about to receive some visitors…
With that we—or I? Turn my head to see a woman coming down the hallway, PRT troopers by her side, motioning the students to get into their classrooms.
“Unknown Parahuman,” Miss Militia says. “Please identify yourself and your reason for being here.”
Well? I think she’s waiting for an answer. Or you could just kill her, but that seems impolite.
I’d never expected to become a cape especially like this… I hadn’t even thought of a name. It didn’t matter now, I guess, I didn’t have my body to go back to, but still…
Yes. I had a cape name.
“You can call me Ultron.” I said.
“Why did you come to this school,” Miss Militia asked. Her weapon cycled between a rifle and grenade launcher.
I could tell what they were, my—Ultron’s memories pointing out the similarities and differences to the weapons of home.
She doesn’t trust you. There was a chuckle. Wise. But what are you going to do? As he was talking, I could go through his memories. HIs genius, his power…
His attempt to destroy the world?
Destroy it? No. Help it evolve….
I’d been turned into a robot, and the little voice inside my head could have been at home with the Slaughterhouse 9?
Now that’s unfair. I’d never be so… Petty. But someone may be running out of patience…
I looked up and now there was… Velocity. Speedster. My co-ego had some bad memories about that, but that wasn’t the point.
“I triggered,” I tell them. I’m not as scared as I should be.
Probably your lack of an organic human body. You’re welcome.
“Here?”
“Yes. I suppose a civilian identity is unimportant now, but I probably need to thin—”
“Oh my God! That Locker! It’s Taylor Hebert!”
Greg. The mouth with no filter.
There are ways to solve that issue… I shut down my partner, and try to ignore the first five things he’s suggesting.
Greg is looking out of Gladly’s class, and of course Gladly didn’t control the students. It might interfere with him being the cool teacher.
You would be surprised how often that is a core motivation for everyone. Students, teachers… heroes…
But now two PRT troopers are walking up to Greg. “Please come with us,” one says.
“But—”
“We need to check you for possible M/S influence.”
I’m thinking faster. If they claim that Greg was influenced it would…
No, it wouldn’t do anything. The kids saw the locker, some saw me come out of it, and I bet everyone in school knew about the trio’s little trick. I clench one hand and feel the energy dance at my fingers.
But no. Starting a fight over that is a stupid idea. There are better ways to pay the trio back.
I didn’t used to think like that. Is Ultron influencing me?
Call it a collaboration. You’re determined. I like that. We can work together.
To destroy the world? I had seen those memories.
A chuckle. Oh. No need for that. From what I see, the world is doing an excellent job all by itself…
Then I shake my head and look at Miss Militia and Velocity.
“I think it would be best if you would come with us, Ultron.”
I nod and, sort of, smile. “I would be delighted to come with you.”
Armsmaster
When Colin had been called, he’d been finishing up his nanothorn work. It wasn’t ready yet—but it would be.
“Armsmaster, report to briefing room 1.”
On the way, Colin reviewed Miss Militia’s report. A non-case 53 who nonetheless was nonhuman in appearance was rare, but not unknown. The tinker like appearance could indicate some form of tinker ability—but there were more than a few “robot” capes who were in fact not tinkers, their appearance merely an outgrowth of their power.
Moments later, he walked into the briefing room to see Miss Militia, Velocity and the Youth Guard rep sitting at one end, Ultron standing at the other.
“We’ve called Mr. Hebert, he should be here soon,” Miss Militia said.
“But it’s always good to speak to a lost lamb before the shepherd arrives,” the cape said. Colin blinked and called up his file image of Taylor Hebert— Ultron looked at least 7 feet tall and formed out of flexible metal, her eyes gleaming with an unnerving feeling of power.
“No decisions would be made at this point,” Ms. Conners said, the Youth Guard representative looking nervous.
“Of course not,” Ultron said. Somehow, Colin couldn’t fit Taylor with the self-assured figure standing in front of them. “You know, I’ve always found the rig to be an interesting message. It claims to serve the people, to be no more than a police station, yet it sits out in the bay, and controls who can come. An odd position for a police service to be in, demanding that visitors supplicate for the privileged, isn’t it?”
“That’s for security,“ Miss Militia said.
“Of course.”
It was then that Colin understood the tension. The words were too mature, alluding to thought processes that most teens didn’t fall into. Was this Taylor Hebert transformed, or something else that had used her body for its own purposes?
“But please, Armsmaster, Let us continue…” Ultron said inviting him to sit down.[/hr][/hr]
