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Bio Forge Master (Rewrite) by Throwaway1971
Books » Private Rated: M, English, Romance, Words: 137k+, Favs: 68, Follows: 80, Published: Dec 12, 2023 Updated: Mar 15, 2024
29Chapter 22: 19
Bio-Forge Master
Chapter 19
While TV shows have dramatized many aspects of criminal investigations, morgues are… pretty accurate for the most part. They're where the dead are kept and depending on circumstances their manner of death is determined, if they were an organ donor the healthy organs are removed and given to the proper authorities, and sometimes they just stored the dead until they can be given a funeral.
Or they're taken to the on-site crematorium if the body hasn't been claimed. Which is disturbingly frequent in Brockton Bay given how rampant crime is and the overall economic situation, after all funerals required money.
It wasn't a job for the faint of heart or easily disturbed, on the quiet days the morgue can be very creepy after all. Never mind the night-shift! Fortunately, due to all the knowledge and quasi-memories shoved in his head due to the Franken Fran perks, Fran didn't have a problem.
What was a creepy atmosphere, when you were capable of pulling a Doctor Frankenstein and making said fictional doctor look like a rank amateur pretending to be a mad scientist?
Today, however, was one of the rare slow days. Fran volunteered to take over the day shift, especially since he'd be getting overtime for his trouble, as he normally worked the night shift. So, other than the security guard, Fran had the run of the place more or less.
So he was simply catching up on his reading, laying flat on his back on an autopsy table as he hummed along to some music playing from a cassette player he got for cheap. Truly Earth Bet is the worst timeline, many of the bands he enjoyed simply didn't exist either due to the introduction of superpowers… or they were killed by villains.
Thankfully, he found this odd tape while going through his pocket dimension's storage, which seemed to not end somehow and seemed to be full of music he enjoyed. He questioned it for a few moments, but ultimately didn't care and decided to just enjoy the very pleasant surprise!
Rolling…
Forging – (600 cp) (Bionicle)
Success!
Blessed Blood – (400 cp) (Siren: Blood Curse)
Success!
Technomage – (200 cp) (Libriomancer)
Success!
Remaining CP: 400
"That's… wow." Honestly, Fran wasn't even upset that the Forge itself decided it needed to roll!
Blessed Blood simply offered even more security for his girls, he'd had to fully examine how it worked, but the Forge hadn't misled him yet. If anything, this sort of encouraged him to share his blood with Aisha and Taylor more… which was something he had been meaning to do honestly.
While he could make more bodies and control them, he was hesitant to do so, and not because he feared inflicting dissociative identity disorder on himself. Primarily because he dreaded thinking of what Aisha would suggest, just knowing he had two bodies influenced her browsing history and well… she mentioned, more than once mind you, about being the filling in a Fran sandwich more than once.
He had seen enough porn to get the hint.
Technomage was rather interesting, and actually offered a different technological base than magitech. It, if he wasn't mistaken, allowed him to create fictional technological systems? It was something he'd definitely have to research… and honestly Taylor might enjoy this more than magitech, well maybe anyway. Besides, his lover is a massive bookworm, so give her a power like this, he had no doubt she would dig right into science fiction with aplomb!
Well, provided it works like he thinks it does.
Forging though frankly left him lost, he simply didn't have the context for how it worked despite having the knowledge slotting into his head. So, until he actually sat down and went through everything, he didn't plan to really mess with Forging much, if at all.
Besides, what he could pick up were a lot of stories about how often creations turn on their masters. And Fran didn't wish to suffer that sort of fate!
Shaking his head, he focused back on his reading,
"I really didn't imagine this when Fran called in a favor." She thought dryly as she played with the adorable fluff ball with her fingers, smiling as the kitten pounced and jumped around.
It was really hard to believe that the kitten was nearly dead when Fran found it, and her power fed her little tidbits that made her even more impressed and mildly terrified of the power her… sorta-kinda-maybe friend actually possessed.
She had no doubt if the PRT found out about this, they would just… take off like a damn rocket out of sheer paranoia. The downside of being professionally paranoid, not that Lisa could blame them if they did. Kittens aren't… like what she's looking at.
She was no veterinary, but her power could let her ape it to a degree, and this little guy was… developing a lot faster than any other kitten. It didn't help, but Lisa could see clear signs of awareness in its eyes, not humanlike but pretty damn close to it.
Smiling, she scooped the kitten up and held it in front of her face, "Fran made you into a super kitten didn't he?" She asked.
The kitten just meowed and batted her nose before purring in contentment… and Lisa just sat the kitten down as her power chewed on the… revelation it shared with her. Now there was an obvious chance it was wrong, her power wasn't all knowing after all, but still what it told her unnerved her.
"... Bitch must never find out…" She could only imagine what he could do to her dogs, Bitch's powers turned them into monsters in their own right.
But what if Fran turned them into monsters, and then Bitch used her power on them?
"How about we watch TV and pretend I never realized just how terrifying you'll be when you're older?" Lisa asked the kitten.
The kitten just mewed… and gave her the smuggest look.
"... This fucking cat…" She thought as she set the kitten down and turned the TV on and just relaxed, "God, I'm just an errand girl ain't I? Coil and his bullshit, having to keep the Undersiders together, and now this? At least I know Fran appreciates what I'm doing." She thought as the kitten curled up on her shoulder and decided she made for a perfect napping spot.
She hated getting all introspective, she always winded up depressing herself and her power started regurgitating things she already knew about herself. If she didn't get her damn power things would've been fine, yeah she would've still mourned for her brother (she still does actually) but at least she wouldn't have to worry about her parents using her power to profit… or have to worry about Coil and his goddamn 'work for me or die' offer! All she wanted now was… peace of mind more than anything.
She didn't want to have to worry about the PRT catching her and throwing her into Watchdog, she didn't want to worry about Coil and his bullshit. She didn't want to deal with the stress of trying to keep the Undersiders together. Grue was only in it for the money and for his sister, he didn't give a damn about anything other than that. And Regent is Regent, yeah he's fun on occasion, but he's a borderline sociopath with a massive grudge against his father but lacks the motivation to really do anything about him.
And Bitch is in it for her dogs, nothing more or less.
Oh, she liked to think the gang formed bonds, but she couldn't delude herself, her power wouldn't let her really. She knew the moment Coil stopped paying for anything, Grue and Regent would leave, and probably Bitch as well now that she thought about it. Dog food in the amounts she needed isn't cheap, after all!
It actually bugged her somewhat to realize just how much she was hoping Fran could finally help her nail that bastard Coil down. The bastard was too slippery, even knowing his powers didn't give Lisa much of an edge as the bastard would just fucking save scum until he won like always!
"Fucking Alec for infecting me with gamer lingo…"
Closing her eyes and pushing her melancholy thoughts away, she focused on the TV, absentmindedly wondering if the fur ball on her shoulder would get pissy if she got up to get herself some snacks.
Hearing the purring intensifying, she knew she wasn't getting up, so she resigned herself to going without snacks. Though she admitted it could be a lot worse, Coil could call and demand something, but from her understanding he was preoccupied with something so she didn't have to worry about it.
That said, she was concerned over whatever could be distracting Coil. Was he trying to recruit a new cape?
"I can't believe you talked me into doing this…" Taylor grumbled as she eyed Aisha, who was grinning at her.
"Come on Tay! Those legs deserve to be seen!" Aisha insisted, "And seeing as you refused to wear anything that isn't baggy, I figured why not get you on the track team! Besides, I kinda wanna see if Hess runs into something during your tryout." She added with an impish giggle.
Taylor refused to admit, but… she was curious about that herself. Besides Sophia's attempts at bullying were… weak. What if she… started stretching and showing off? Aisha wasn't wrong, she is sexy now… would it be so bad to show off what Fran helped her gain?
And he told her that while he did give her a 'head start' it would be up to her to upkeep everything she got.
"Fine…" Taylor said with a sigh, trying (and possibly failing) to get across her reluctance.
"Oh yeah!" Aisha cheered as she dragged Taylor to the track.
"Hebert! What the hell are you doing here!?" Sophia barked.
"Going to do some running." Taylor responded, wondering why she ever really found Sophia intimidating.
Yeah, Human augmentations meant that she didn't have to worry about anything physically but ignoring that… looking back, she couldn't help but wonder why she let things escalate to the point it did. And while she pondered over why she let things escalate to the point they did, Sophia tried to intimidate her.
It wasn't really effective, combined with Taylor shirt 'accidentally' riding up exposing her abs (she still couldn't believe she had abs!) combined with Sophia trying not to stare along with rumors of her being a tsundere (whatever that meant) she wasn't really all that intimidating. Besides, any tough girl image she was trying to restore was ruined by the fact that she was clearly flustered and in denial of her attractiveness.
Which is extremely weird and awkward for Taylor. Like, she is woman enough to admit that Sophia is attractive. She may not like the bitch but she can't deny what she sees with her own eyes.
Deciding to just stop thinking about Sophia Taylor continuing to the locker room to change into some running shorts and a tank top, was she uncomfortable to be wearing such revealing things? Absolutely, but a part of her loved the fact that she was doing it. Like she was telling Sophia that she simply didn't even matter to her anymore!
Besides, what's the worst she could do? Punch her?
She's more likely to hurt herself, and Taylor would just quote the bible or something and retort with 'Turning the other cheek' or something. Not that she expected it to happen, not with so many witnesses around and the possibility of looking weak.
And on the off chance Sophia goes to Blackwall and tries to make it sound like she's the instigator, or somehow get the PRT involved? She'd go along with it, honestly while she didn't have much faith in people in positions of power… she refused to believe the PRT was complacent in Sophia's bullshit. Either Sophia was the best goddamn actor to have ever lived or someone was covering her ass and keeping the PRT oblivious to the fact that their Ward's running wild in her civilian life.
Ideally she asked the Route the most effective way to utterly destroy Sophia without having to touch her, more of a curiosity than anything. As long as she left her alone, she would return the favor so this was more just… keeping her power happy. It was strange actually, but when she threw these wild scenarios to her power it seemed almost delighted.
There is a popular theory that powers drove parahumans to use them, honestly she was ambivalent to the theory in all honesty. The thought of powers having some form of awareness just didn't seem realistic, but given just how content she felt after giving her power a Route to seriously chew on?
She was slowly becoming a believer.
The ride to Boston was a quiet one, and Dr. Patches didn't mind that in the slightest, honestly. He wasn't sure if the Ambassador was simply the silent type or hated the fact that his boss was outsourcing, and he honestly didn't care as long as he got paid. A rather mercenary stance, but these people were criminals, and so if they wanted his skills they would have to pay.
He wasn't as 'selfless' as Panacea (though he knew for a fact that she wasn't selfless as many see her as), and while he'd gladly help and heal people, he certainly wasn't going to do what amounted to cosmetic surgery for free! Even if his skills allowed him to practically sleepwalk through a full body cosmetic surgery, if there is one thing he ever learned in his life before Bet?
Never do anything you're skilled at for free.
And with the frankly ludicrous surgical skills of Fran Madaraki, no one in the world barring Bonesaw possibly could match him in surgery. And that's not counting all the other assorted bullshit the Celestial Forge has shoved in his head!
He was pulled from his thoughts by the car pulling to a stop, "Your fee has already been arranged." The Ambassador said stoically, "You'll receive payment after completion of your task. Do you require assistance to return to the Bay?"
"Nah, I'll make it back there on my own." Dr. Patches said, "Honestly I think I'll do the tourist thing after this. But I assume the surgery is inside?" He added as he gestures to the building.
"Yes." The Ambassador said, "Accord has spared no expense in setting up a perfect surgical suite to his specifications."
Dr. Patches just nodded as he sat his carpet bag in his lap, "Good. I'll get ready, just send whoever needs my attention." He said before he got out of the car.
The Ambassador just nodded before pulling out a phone, though Dr. Patches immediately lost interest and instead decided to familiarize himself with his workspace and to get ready himself.
From what he knew of Accord's peculiarities along with what he found out from PHO and glancing through the PRT network, Accord would send a lot of work his way and kept his word. So Dr. Patches could expect a very hefty amount of money for his services.
"Best get ready." Though he wasn't overly worried about being swamped with work.
If anything he saw it as good practice for when he opened his own clinic, and started helping out at Brockton General. In fact when he got back he'd go there himself and work out something, maybe Panacea would be there and he could pitch his cloned organs?
Make a portable version of the cradle, it wouldn't be too hard to adjust it to clone organs from donated genetic material. Humming to himself as he started laying out his tools on a tray before he started scrubbing up, absentmindedly checking to see if Boston had any interesting tourist traps.
He should probably bring back some souvenirs for Taylor and Aisha.
"Oh… hmm, I forgot about the Butcher, didn't I?" He… She… It… They? Yeah, they… they just entered the city at the furthest edge of his awareness, and listening to them easily explained why new Butchers lose their mind so damn quickly.
Well, that isn't right, is it? Inspecting the minds, Dr. Patches theorized that the Butchers only drove capes that weren't like-minded to the previous Butchers. Like they would drive a Hero to a psychotic break, but if the cape is already a psychopath, they work together… for the most part.
If anything, he was curious as to how Butcher's mind jumping thing would work on him, what with him not being a parahuman. And he knew this two ways, one; the Celestial Forge, and two… he literally operated and enhanced his own damn brain and saw now tumorlike growths parahumans are supposed to have.
"Hmm, maybe I should go for an enthusiastic walk and introduce myself." If anything, it would further endear the PRT to him.
And as his first patient arrived, he started looking with his telepathy for anyone that could've been the Slaughterhouse 9. Eventually he never found anyone that screamed 'Slaughterhouse 9' to him, which honestly felt good. Seeing as this was reality and not fiction, it was irrational for him to think the S9 would appear when he expected.
Maybe Ravager wasn't so petty and possibly psychotic to contact them? Regardless he pushed his thoughts off to one of his alternate thought streams so he could focus on his patient.
After he finished the last of his patients, one of the Ambassadors passed a briefcase to him and left. Scratching his nose, he sat it on the table and opened it and… that was a lot of money. All perfectly organized and no doubt laundered, making it squeaky clean and legal. Was he bothered by the fact he was being paid in possible drug money or from some other illegal enterprise?
Somewhat, but not really. He knew it was a possibility of taking a job from Accord, so instead of worrying about it, he closed the briefcase and shoved it into his carpet bag. It was a good thing he figured out how to make pocket dimensions, or else this would've gotten awkward.
Still stretching, he grabbed his bag and stepped out of the building. After checking his phone, with his hand and eyes instead of his augments, and looking up a map he considered where to go first. Honestly he was rather hungary so after looking through his map he found this small diner that looked good and took a few minutes to figure out a route to take.
Besides, even if the food is terrible, he could theoretically eat rotten and rancid meat so he could deal. After committing it to memory he put his phone back into his pocket and started walking, whistling to himself as he enjoyed this pleasant little mini-vacation.
Outside of having people point, stare, or gossip about him Boston had proved to be rather peaceful compared to Brockton Bay (which isn't that difficult honestly) despite having rather nasty gangs in the Teeth and Accord's Ambassadors, or Blasto's creatures, and whatever other independent villains call the city home.
Of course, his luck wouldn't hold out.
"One mile, one fucking mile! On foot even! And again I have to deal with bullshit!" Honestly, he wasn't mad, more annoyed by the sight of some minor villain knocking over what looked like a drug store.
Taking a moment to get a name, Chain Man, along with some other interesting facts about the man, Dr. Patches made his choice. Shooting off a text to the PRT, he approached the building just as Chain Man exited with his stolen goods.
Figuring he should give the man a chance, Dr. Patches spoke up, "Either pay for those, or surrender." He said, as his mind already plotted out ways to disable the man without severe trauma, "A few simple features should be enough."
Especially since, according to PHO, Chain Man showed no Brute qualities.
"Fuck you say!?" Chain Man snarled, "Don't you know who the fuck I am!?"
"A minor villain." Dr. Patches said calmly, "Now either pay or surrender. You really don't want to see where this train goes." He added, giving him his last warning.
"Well, choo-choo mother-" Chain Man didn't get the chance to finish whatever he was going to say as faster than expected Dr. Patches was in his guard.
Going slower than his maximum speed, Dr. Patches closed the distance faster than most capes reaction time, two punches to the armpits with full strength against the shoulder caused massive bruising and resulted in posterior dislocations.
Using another punch to the liver thrown incorrectly but with enough strength to break the ribs protecting it, though likely not enough to perforate the liver, at first a greenstick fracture expanded into an oblique fracture, especially dangerous in the ribs.
Dr. Patches grab his jacket for him to not fall down.
Chain Man raised his dislocated arm powered by adrenaline, but the only result in Dr. Patches breaking his humerus by grabbing one. Followed by the second when the villain attempted to fend him off with his other arm.
Finally, a foot launched at superhuman speeds straight to below his sternum, just enough to not cause permanent damage to the diaphragm
Summary: Two posterior dislocations, a greenstick fracture expanded into an oblique fracture to the ribs, two fractured to the humerus of both arms, trauma to the solar plexus… physical recovery? Months, depending on the quality of medical care.
Emotional damage? Unknown.
"God I am such a geek sometimes."
Removing the chain the villain didn't even have the chance to use, he inspected it curiously, finding the customized handle making it resemble a chain whip instead of a length of chain as he initially assumed. Rolling it up around his forearm, he decided that he was keeping it, it would make an interesting conversation starter with the girls when he got back.
Picking up the bag filled with prescription drugs and money, he walked back into the store to return everything before returning to the wheezing Chain Man.
Glancing at the parahuman he snorted, "You fuck around, you'll eventually find out." Is all he said before he looked at the motorcycle that was Chain Man's if the decals were any indication.
He knew fuck all about motorcycles, barring what Feel it Out could tell him, but the Indian on the gas tank told him that despite the trashy decals it was a quality bike.
"Okay, I'm keeping that too." Dr. Patches said, "Consider it the asshole tax." He added as he put his new chain whip in his back and sat on the curb as he waited for the PRT.
Paying for gas is a lot cheaper than bus fare anyway, besides he already had some vague ideas of how to convert it to hydrogen or some other alternate fuel source. And that's not even touching on magitech or the other forms of tech fuckery he has in mind.
His wait didn't last long as he heard someone jogging up to them, looking over he blinked as a… teen made of metal approached?
"Let's see, it may be a cell wall that is composed of metal or a is the cell itself metallic in its components? Is the DNA metal? Are his cells an aqueous environment? How do his cells produce energy for ATP? Are his conjunctive tissues some form of metallo-collagen or is he a solid statue that moves? Obviously he works chemically differently but does he have all processes still happening inside his cells? Are they Alive?" thought quickly, "Is he still primarily consisting of water? What does his DNA look like? Would it be weird if I asked for a DNA or a tissue sample?"
"Uh, excuse me?" Dr. Patches shook his head and blinked, only catching the teens' surface thoughts, "What a weirdo…"
"Well, he isn't wrong." He thought, "Sorry, got lost in thought. Never seen a metal person before. You're… Weld I believe? The name is Dr. Patches from Brockton Bay." He introduced himself.
"Ah." He didn't look like he believed Dr. Patches, "Yes, I'm Weld of the Boston Wards. You're pretty far from home, Dr. Patches." Weld said.
He just shrugged, "Well, I was paid to do some work, so I came." Dr. Patches said with a shrug, "It was largely cosmetic surgery, extensive surgery in some cases, along with extensive corrective surgery. It paid rather well."
"Ah, so you're a Rogue then?" Weld asked, "And are you responsible for Chain Man's condition?"
Dr. Patches nodded, "Yes, don't worry none of the injuries are crippling and if you like I can provide a detailed list of his injuries and treatment methods." Weld blinked in surprise, "And I'm a Hero actually, I'm going to be helping in Brockton General when I get back, actually. Just figured I'd offer my services, and charge for cosmetic surgery and healing… well if it's unneeded healing that is. Like… a hangnail or splinter or something like that."
Weld snorted at that, "Well, if you're as good at healing as you say, then I imagine that will keep people from wasting your time." This caused Dr. Patches to snort back.
"Not really. There will always be people with more money than sense." Dr. Patches said, "And seeing as they're willing to throw away money, why shouldn't I help myself?"
"That's pretty mercenary." Weld commented, no judgment in his voice.
Dr. Patches just chuckled, "Perhaps, besides, not all of us are government funded." He said, "Anyways, I suppose you need my statement?"
"That would be helpful." Weld said as he pulled out a recorder from his belt and turned it on, "This is Weld, interviewing Dr. Patches of Brockton Bay over his encounter with Chain Man."
Acquired CP: 400 CP
Available CP: 800 CP
Dr. Patches acknowledged the Forge but mostly focused on Weld and giving his statement, though he did absentmindedly wonder what other interesting things he could loot from other villains in Boston.
After all he had a bike and a chain whip… it would be a shame if he stopped there…
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Bio Forge Master (Rewrite) by Throwaway1971
Books » Private Rated: M, English, Romance, Words: 137k+, Favs: 68, Follows: 80, Published: Dec 12, 2023 Updated: Mar 15, 2024
29Chapter 23: 20
Bio-Forge Master
Chapter 20
Butcher XIV/Quarrel
"It is another dark and rainy day in Boston, and we were on the hunt. Rumors of a doctor came to the city, a cape with six arms, prowling our territory…"
"It's broad daylight, and it's not rainy."
"We heard a rumor that the cape had the balls to buy our base in Brockton Bay, with a fire burning in our gut we went out to find our prey. While we appreciate his testicular fortitude, we couldn't let that pass. And so… we needed to remind the so-called hero of the pecking order!"
"Scion's golden ass, stop it dammit! This isn't a goddamn noir flick!"
"So we shed our usual fare and drove around in our Baby, we kept to the speed limits shackles and road regulation's slavery. We wanted to keep a low profile as we scoped out the shifty doctor. We drove along for hours before we spotted him at last. Talking to the metallic Ward, while the mook Chain Man laid bloody and brutalized."
"God, we wish we could ignore you all! Stop distracting us!"
"At first blush, the cape looked like a dainty type. On the outside he looked like a normal guy with extra arms, a surprisingly plush ass, but we could see more. He must've been some sort of biotinker from the sheer amount of fuckery we could see beneath the skin. Normally we would've tried to recruit him, hell maybe take him for a roll in the sheets, but no. This doctor disrespected us in the worst way, and needed to be taught a lesson."
"We are ignoring you!"
"Eventually the PRT dogs arrived just as the doctor and the Ward finished talking, and while the grunts were taking Chain Man away, the doctor klept the villain's ride and took off. We followed along, making sure we kept our distance, and we didn't stop until the doctor did. He got off his ride and went inside one of the numerous pubs that existed in the crime-ridden city. It told us he was an outsider… if he wanted proper Boston food he would've gone to O'malies. Best seafood in the city in our opinion."
"Goddamnit, we would drink if it would shut us up…"
"Now all that was left was to sit and wait, or perhaps we could go in and grab ourselves a bite. Without our iconic costume, no one knew us from any other tom, dick, or Jane in the city. Should we do it, though, would the doctor twig onto something just ain't right about us?"
"Fucking hell…"
"Why are we entertaining this? Why should we care if the Fresh Meat catches on!? The Fresh Meat crossed us!"
They wiped the others of the Collective into a fervor, and they couldn't do anything but appease the voices. And not caring in the slightest they put on their costume before flooring it, the target the substandard pub that shouldn't even be in business in the first place!
"The Butcher is following me, why are they following me?" Which was quickly replaced by, "OH SHIT!"
It happened honestly too fast for him to physically react, though he did use his telekinesis to get as many people as possible out of the way just as a muscle car, he wasn't sure about the model or year, slammed into the building.
Everyone was screaming, and Dr. Patches hated how quickly the other Butchers went from goofy to murderous! Between the sounds of the car busting through the wall, he heard a faint explosion followed by a heavy right that left his jaw nearly shattered and his brain rattled.
And as he came under assault from the murderous cape, Dr. Patches couldn't help but realize just how out of his depth he really is. He had won all his fights thus far due to a mixture of physical superiority, ambush, and preparation. In theory, he could win against the Butcher, but in practice unless he had circumstances in his favor he couldn't.
Butcher wasn't like Alabaster or the Orchard, and it wasn't his powers that made the cape the most dangerous thing in the country. No it was experience, if each Butcher lived for eighteen years before they died and moved on to the next the cumulative amount of life experience is over two and a half centuries!
And given that most of the Butchers have been either villains or heroes, they knew how to fight and had multiple lifetimes worth of experience to refine the next Butcher. Snowball the process thirteen times, the fourteen Butcher has the cumulative fighting and experience of them all. And this Butcher learns from the mistakes of the previous Butcher, which in turn makes the cape even more dangerous.
To top it off due to the nature of their body jumping, this removes the fear of death completely. And when you do not fear death, why should you hold back? In the Butcher's case it's a win-win either way, if they win they live to fight another day, if they lose they still win because the Butcher will simply return and be even stronger!
Truly, the only reason Dr. Patches was being mostly defensive against the relentless Butcher was due to the nature of their power and his own lack of understanding. He wasn't sure if the Butcher could jump into his body, and even if he couldn't the closest cape nearby which could be Weld, or Bastion, or god forbid Noelle!
"Jesus fucking Christ, brain! That's a hell of a thing to remember suddenly!" Butcher Noelle, now that was a thing of nightmares right there! It didn't help that Noelle was barely hanging on to her humanity as it is!
Shit, the Butchers wouldn't really have to push her too hard, in all honesty.
Thankfully he is a master of Wing Chan so fighting defensively was in his favor really, however Butcher fought viciously. Their lack of the fear of death leads them to fight much more savagely and allows them to take advantage of openings in their guard. Not to mention one of the Butcher's powers essentially made him immune to pain, so no matter how many fractures or broken bones Dr. Patches inflicted he'd keep going on like nothing happened!
The Butcher would win, Dr. Patches already did the calculations. While they were about on equal terms physically speaking, they simply had far more experience fighting than Dr. Patches did. He could've leveraged his psychic powers to get the upper hand if he wasn't using all his focus to ensure the building didn't collapse!
Especially with the Butcher jumping from the ceiling and walls like they were goddamn trampolines! And the teleporting explosions certainly weren't helping in the slightest!
He didn't know if he should be mad at the owners for being cheapskates for not having the proper maintenance done. But it didn't matter either way.
But victory didn't matter, what he needed was to survive, which wouldn't be easy. He could already detect the local PRT and Protectorate moving, however he didn't count on any back up. Dr. Patches wasn't sure what sort of protocol the organizations had in place for the Butcher, but he felt rather confident that conflict that could result in the Butcher dying wasn't desired.
Clashing with the Butcher once more, catching their arms and striking back with a chain punch, with a dozen blows to the head to rattle their brain case.
The Butcher teleported away, the explosion knocking him through another wall, but what was different was the rebar that punched through him.
The pain was just enough to cause his focus to waver, resulting in the entire building caving in on him and the Butcher's car.
However, regardless of the shape the fight left him in, Dr. Patches knew the Butcher would be licking their wounds for some time. Wing Chan despite being a 'defensive' style is utterly brutal, especially when the user is superhuman!
Actually, Dr. Patches felt like he got the better end of the deal. Yeah, he's looking at severe physical trauma, pulled muscles, some ruptured organs, countless fractures, and the possibility he might have to salvage this body. But he did get a few nice souvenirs, and like hell he was going to let Butcher's… [Neural Link activated] … 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 get scrapped, he was keeping that bitch! But no, the real prize of all this… was a single drop of blood from the Butcher.
He wasn't worried about any contaminants; he could remove them easily enough.
It all started with him examining Legacy Lived, he had already experienced transferring knowledge to Aisha through a simple transfusion. But he never really gave the thought of getting experiences from the blood of others. It was one of those intrusive thoughts that wouldn't leave you alone until you actually started to think about it. The fact that it occurred seconds before the Butcher decided to heretically use that beautiful and priceless vehicle as a projectile is inconsequential.
Who knew what sort of information he could gain from the Butcher's blood?
Now all he had to do was wait for the Protectorate or PRT to dig him out, and he couldn't really use his psychic power as he had a killer migraine currently.
Taylor Hebert/Rabbit
Sitting outside of Blackwell's office Taylor found her questioning, once again, why she even bothered even going to Winslow anymore. Outside of Ms. Knotts and Aisha, Taylor legitimately didn't like anyone here or have any friends. Closing her eyes she turned her attention inward towards her power.
Funny, the more she messed with it the more she came to realize her initial thought of it being similar to a dating simulator wasn't necessarily wrong, but it certainly wasn't right. It is certainly a simulator, during moments of peace she would often throw theoretical situations and she quickly worked out a few limitations.
The first being the simulation had to be centered around her, she tried to run one for Aisha, but it never properly worked. Leading her to realize that her power needed a focus point, something to anchor it and feed it information which in turn was fed into the simulation. Namely her, it took all the information she gained through her senses along with everything she experiences and learns, and it is fed into the simulations.
Which is odd actually, because if it relies on information she already knows and possesses, how did it help her the few times she let the Route puppet her? She didn't know how to strut or walk with confidence, and yet she did. Obviously, her power had another source of information… which led to rather worrying possibilities.
The second being the simulations are not always correct. She ran a few Routes that really wouldn't impact her. But after following the Route she realized that her power couldn't fully predict how spontaneous people can be. Her power could easily guide her through a Route to make her the Queen of Winslow but it wouldn't be able to fully simulate how people would react to it.
This discovery was actually rather a relief, as it just further enforced her desire not to use her power as a "I Win" button. That being said though it did seem to have a greater chance of success with social manipulations and talking. One day she was washing up and she ran a Route for her to say hello in perfect Traditional Chinese then she left the Route go.
She said, "Nǐ hǎo" without a hint of struggle or accent!
Shaking her head slightly she threw a scenario to her Route, "What would happen if I just left?"
The answer provided by the Route was spat out so quickly Taylor nearly blinked in surprise, only to shake her head faintly as she reviewed the Route. With some thought it wasn't really surprising, if her power was using her pre-existing knowledge to create a simulation to run it would have plenty to work with having had plenty of experience with Blackwell's incompetence, favoritism, and possible corruption.
But then again, is it really favoritism if she's being paid to cover for the PRT's pet psycho? Immediately upon thinking that she chided herself, there was more even odds that the PRT didn't actually know what Sophia got into as a civilian. There were good chances that her handler, and Taylor refused to believe that the PRT wouldn't assign her one (she did her research, before she was rebranded Shadow Stalker, she was a violent vigilante with a penchant for broadhead crossbow bolts and pinning skinheads to the wall) so she felt that there was a very good chance that the handler was sweeping everything under the rug.
Either on orders from someone not the Director or to keep their nice and cushy job, she gave it even odds either way.
Still the Route gave her a simulation, and she wasn't entirely surprised if it was completely accurate and true. Nothing would come of it, despite the fact that Taylor didn't actually do anything beyond 'turning the other cheek' it wasn't like she threw a punch or anything!
Apparently, Sophia's ego being bruised by 'the worm' breaking her records was enough to overpower her possible Bi panic to attempt to put her back in her place. Which really was stupid for Sophia. It didn't matter how well you were trained, punching someone in the face with tripled your own bone density can really end in only one way.
If nothing else, Taylor found it amusing that she could break Sophia's metacarpals by doing absolutely nothing, exposing bones were not exactly something she could hide to the PRT. Granted it might expose her as a Brute but honestly, she was, to quote Aisha, 'running out of fucks to give' at a disturbing rate.
She snorted faintly, "Metacarpals… I've been around Aisha and Fran too much." Not that she regretted a single second of being in this bizarre… polygamous relationship.
But reviewing the Route she considered her options; Taylor knew that no matter what she said or no matter how many witnesses she had the narrative would be turned against her. In truth if Taylor was a betting woman, she'd give it good odds that Sophia would try to get the PRT after her, well if her bruised pride would allow it anyway. Sophia is anything if not predictable really.
Still looking at the Route she saw that she had no way to really 'win' in this situation. She gave it good chances that Blackwall or Sophia will use this to try and make her and her father metaphorically bleed through the courts, they simply put they didn't have the money to take this to court and would have to settle out of court for a pittance again while Sophia and Blackwall would win yet again.
However, Taylor had one move left, simply stop playing the game. She already had all her journals of bullying, as well as various other dirty details (the benefit of being a social pariah, people ignored your presence completely) so really all she had to do to destroy Blackwall and Sophia was to air it all out.
To Blackwall she'd have to make sure the Board of Education caught wind of it, which she will as one of her neighbors is actually a member of said board. For Sophia however… she had something in mind, something that she gave good chances would destroy whatever delusions the 'predator' has in her sick head.
With that in mind Taylor simply grabbed her bag and got up, ignoring the glorified secretary like she always did to Taylor herself, and simply left. Honestly all she wanted right there and then was some very violent… well not hate sex. But definitely angry.
She knew Fran could take it after all.
Absent-mindedly taking out her phone, she sent a message to Aisha to tell her not to wait up for her. And of course, the lovable menace somehow caught on to her mood somehow.
[Chaos_Gremlin: Get that twinky ass babe!]
Taylor just rolled her eyes and made her way out of Winslow, no one stopped her. Even the 'security guard' they hired for cheap. After all, this is Winslow, a place where empathy and camaraderie went to die and simply put no one actually gave a shit.
"Well, I guess Fran's going to experience angry sex for the first time." Never mind it would be her first experience with it herself, she was simply too angry to care at the moment.
"Fucking Sophia, fucking Blackwell, fucking Winslow, just… fucking fuck…" Normally she was so much more eloquent, but well… she had spent a lot of time with Aisha and things were bound to rub off on her.
No, she didn't blush when she thought that.
Director Armstrong
Two Weeks Later
"Are you sure I can't talk you and your friend into joining?" Director Armstrong asked, more for formality's sake than anything else.
He wanted the two powerful capes to join, even if he and everyone else had no clue how or where the telekinetic cape even came from, but he already knew they weren't interested and insisted on remaining independent. Hell, the Telekinetic cape, Esper he called himself, said he was going to just wander the country and do tourist things!?
Though after giving it some thought Armstrong understood, a black man triggering who the Director assumed is from the Brockton Bay Area? Yeah, him traveling is a good thing.
[I Am Sorry But I Feel As If I Would Chafe Under Rules And Regulation.] Dr. Patches apologized using a Text to Speech app on his phone.
Honestly, Armstrong was amazed that the cape had even survived his scuffle with the Butcher in the first place! By all that is good and holy, the cape should be dead, or at the very least a paraplegic. The spine suffered from four severe fractures, his rib cage resembling a jigsaw puzzle, organs punctured and ruptured from rebar, severe blunt trauma, and explosive trauma!
Every one of his arms bar one was non-functional, and even then, barely. And to top it all off his skull was clearly cracked open leaving his brain exposed! Tinker bullshit or not he should've died from infections alone! But no, a team of surgeons was able to restore him… in the most basic form, under the guidance of Dr. Patches as he somehow wireless hacked into the speaker system to guide them through his wildly altered physiology!
Said medical team are still standing by their insistence that Patches wasn't a human and actually a Biotinker creation and should be contained to study. And… it would've happened if Dr. Patches' friend didn't show up and essentially excavated him using his power, easily Shaker 9 or 10 and pulled Patches out surprisingly delicately along with the car the Butcher used as well in a frankly intimidating show of control!
The cape identified himself as Esper and he was going to take the car and bike back to Brockton Bay with him when Patches was well enough to move.
Frankly? Armstrong had no problem with that, that lunatic of a cape survived a parahuman that even the Slaughterhouse avoided! In his eyes, he earned that car and whatever else. But still, Armstrong needed to make the attempt, if only so the Chief Director wouldn't get upset that he didn't.
The woman is canny as can be and can always sniff out bullshit.
"Surely you could recover here? If you joined the Protectorate, you'd have guaranteed security." Was it his best pitch? Probably not, hopefully the Chief Director wouldn't call him on it.
The cape clearly wasn't interested.
[Firm Politeness: I Have No Wish To Be Ordered Around And Bound By Red Tape. I Am Going To Help People. Nothing Is Going To Stop This. However I Will Join As An Independent Hero. As I Never Got The Chance To Register Back In The Bay.]
The tinny voice didn't portray emotion at all if not for him saying it, but Director Armstrong could almost imagine a note of irritation. Whether it was there or if he was projecting, it didn't matter. In fact, using a tablet he had with him, he checked the Independent Hero registry to see… he wasn't actually registered?
He withheld the urge to sigh, he didn't know if it was a result of Director Piggot's opinions towards parahumans or some sort of mix up, but he decided to address this oversight at once! Besides, maybe having him officially registered will lessen the Chief-Director's irritation that he didn't join the Protectorate?
"Eh, I'll consider registering." Esper said, a large African American man, said with a shrug, "He's lucky the Butcher decided to use such an amazing car as a battering ram, I'm charging him with fixing it for me as payment for exhuming him." He added with a snort, "Honestly, I might not even get involved if the Butcher didn't piss me off ruining such a nice fucking car."
[Friendly annoyance: Yes I Understand And I Will Restore The Car For You, You Are Lucky I See You As Family Asshole] Dr. Patches reported with a semi-pout, after all it was hard to really do anything when your face is practically wired together, [Serious Medical Inflection: Also I Would Like To Have A Sample Of Weld's Metal. I Maybe Have Something That Can Help Him.]
"... Well these things have a process you understand." Armstrong said.
[Resigned Acceptance: Very Well, I Felt I Should Make The Offer.] Armstrong just smiled.
But inwardly he prepared himself to deal with his fellow Directors and the Chief-Director.
Fran Moss/Dr. Patches (puppet)
He grunted in mild pain as Aisha punched him in the stomach, it was the least he could do for the scare she and Taylor experienced. Esper (another of his puppets) had arrived with Dr. Patches. It went without saying they were both furious and pissed off.
"DON'T YOU DO THIS TO US YOU FUCKER!" Aisha screamed at him as Taylor took her turn to slug him.
Fran could've defended himself by saying that he wasn't planning on the Butcher showing up, but he didn't. They both saw a video recorded by a mad lad in Boston of the 'fight' if it could be called that.
After they both hit him a few more times they both hugged him, he could feel the genuine fear they felt at the thought of him nearly dying. All he did was hug him and rub their backs to comfort them. He certainly didn't mention that if his Dr. Patches body died, he's simply move into his Fran body, something told him that would end poorly.
"Wanna stir up some shit?" Fran had just the idea of how to cheer up his girls.
"Sex?" Aisha asked.
"No, I mean… if you want." Fran said, "I was thinking of stirring up some shit on PHO."
"Yes, but don't think that means I forgive you!" Aisha retorted with a frown, which Taylor nodded along with sternly.
[Celestial Forge]
CP Gained: 300
Available CP: 1100
"Huh, well hell…"
[Celestial Forge]
Rolling…
Crystal rewiring – (200 cp) (LoSS Legend of Spyro)
Success!
Rolling…
GN:Trans-AM – (200 cp) (Gundam 00/Anno Domini)
Success!
Rolling…
Mad Biologist – (400 cp) (Archer)
"Well, okay then…"
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Topic: I Lived Bitch
In: Boards Brockton Bay
(Original Poster) (Verified Cape)
Posted On Jan 1st 2011:
Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated and to prove it!
[PIC]
I Lived Bitch!
Memes aside I'm sure everyone has seen that video posted by that mad lad in Boston regarding the fight with the Butcher so I won't talk about it and I'll spare sharing the traumatic injuries I sustained in doing so, however dare I say I got the better end of the deal!
I got a bad ass car... that I had to give to my brother from another mother for exhuming my ass from that collapsed building, a new Indian motorcycle from some mook called Chain Boi or something along with his chain whip! So yeah, despite being very thoroughly broken I think I had a good time!
Also worry not I've got my sexy assistants to help me recover.
[PIC]
[PIC]
And believe me they weren't afraid to express their displeasure with my actions either. But rest assured I will be up and moving around in a couple days, week tops, and you all may resume simping over my ass!
And yes, I'm not oblivious to how my ass attracts attention like the gravitational pull of a planet. And it may be narrsissistic but I like it.
However you may look and not touch, unless Rabbit and Scylla give the go ahead you may touch it. Once.
Also if youre all wondering I'm currently pumped full of the good shit so I can't really feel my everything and I can taste sounds, and red sounds like pumpernickle... dats kinda weird...
(Showing page 1 of 2)
Bagrat (The Guy in the Know) (Veteran Member)
Replied On Jan 1st 2011:
Honestly, no joking I'm just glad you're back and healing!
But I am curious as to why you went to Boston in the first place?
(Original Poster) (Verified Cape)
Replied On Jan 1st 2011:
Oh, thats because I was hired by Accord, nice guy veyr stiff though, to do some cosmetic work on his Ambassadors to stop them from triggering his murderous OCD and to heal some bones and such that didn't heal right due to regeneration
Never met the guy himself, and here I went removing all my stitiching and stuff not to trigger him
Rood
Bagrat (The Guy in the Know) (Veteran Member)
Replied On Jan 1st 2011:
Thank you for the quick response and... someone get him off PHO, he needs his rest!
(Original Poster) (Verified Cape)
Replied On Jan 1st 2011:
Kant stop me bich
I got a brain machine!
I dont neeed my hands to shitpost!
Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)
Replied On Jan 1st 2011:
OMG
High Dr. Patches is amazing
But seriously that pic is horrifying
But still can we address the fact that the Mangler of Hookwolf is one of his nurses and that the other one is a sexy tentacle monstergirl?
Rabbit (Unverified Cape) (Verified Bunny) (Mangler of Hookwolf)
Replied On Jan 1st 2011:
I knew this was a bad idea...
Scylla (Unverified Cape) (Verified Tentaclegirl) (Unverified Nurse)
Replied On Jan 1st 2011:
Bullshit this is a great idea girl
Besides I haven't got a chance to show off like you
You stupid sexy bunny
Still waiting for you to squeeze my head with those glorious thighs babe
(Original Poster) (Verified Cape)
Replied On Jan 1st 2011:
oh OH before it completely slips my mind
Thanks Director Armstrong for registering me as an Independant Hero!
ArchmageEin
Replied On Jan 1st 2011:
So what's up with that other cape?
He got a simple power or what?
Also fuck the Butcher for using such a fine car as a goddamn weapon!
It should be caged for that alone goddamnit!
End of Page. 1
(Showing page 2 of 2)
(Original Poster) (Verified Cape)
Replied On Jan 1st 2011:
Like I said Esper is my brother from another mother!
We're family dude!
He helped me out of a pinch, I helped him
We've been tight ever since!
XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied On Jan 1st 2011:
Think he knows Grue?
bothad
Replied On Jan 1st 2011:
You racist ass!
Do you really think all black capes know each other!?
End of Page. 1, 2
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Bio Forge Master (Rewrite) by Throwaway1971
Books » Private Rated: M, English, Romance, Words: 137k+, Favs: 68, Follows: 80, Published: Dec 12, 2023 Updated: Mar 15, 2024
29Chapter 24: 21
Bio-Forge Master
Chapter 21
Fran Moss (puppet)
Did Fran ever say he loved his multitasking ability? Because he really, really does. It allowed him to effectively do multiple things at once, most of the time he used it in concert with his psychic powers or to run multiple trains of thought. Text and lurk on PHO on occasion. But it showed its worth when he was working on multiple projects.
His first primary focus was to get his Patches body back in order, and he was largely successful. Many of the organs had to be reclaimed and rebuilt, as long as entire portions of his skeleton. Some of the cybernetics in his brain were on the fritz, and the intracerebral antenna was damaged.
Not that he truly needed it, but when controlling multiple bodies, it made them stand out. It certainly kept accidental possessions down (don't ask, just psionic growing pains).
Though after that was sorted while Patches worked on the car for Esper, repairing and upgrading it using all the cool shit he had gotten from his latest rolls, such as a plug-in hydrogen hybrid rotary hydrogen pistonless engines, ( a mouthful) to replace the already incredibly impressive engine of the boss 429's already formidable NASCAR engine, simply because he could do better than 1960s technology, the new engine was a pain to manufacture, but it paid off tremendously, especially due to the insane power, he originally considered a hydrogen fuel cell, but the internal combustion could be throttled and fixed much more easily, besides a muscle car needs to do Vrooms!
The engines took some work from Feel It Out but they were more than worth the price, with a ridiculous eight hundred horsepower and weighing only two hundred pounds, more powerful than a semi-truck and lighter than Taylor.
The pocket dimensions he already had neatly solved the problem of storing hydrogen as well as access to the Trans-AM system, which triples its speed, power, and durability for three minutes, during this time it is covered in distinct pink-red GM particles, basically… Kaioken for cars.
It's strange that the power gave him knowledge of GM particles but decided this use specifically, there were other and easier uses for the GM particles, it was like being given a heating system for cars before being told how the motor operated, and the more he looked at the Trans-AM system the more disjointed it felt, it was clearly a very advanced and specific use of the particle, heck he probably could make it into a beam by mixing it with a copy of the infection beam, but replacing the virus obviously.
In-wheel drives deliver that power into the asphalt via magitech motors, allowing for things like sideways parking and even more space inside the vehicle. The airless extra-wide tires are made of Pseudo-Protodermis, allowing them to regenerate by giving them a bath in an amniotic solution, thus never requiring extras whilst delivering more power and improving braking.
The Magitech Active Ultra-suspensions (or MAUs for short) allow the car to survive falling several stories onto its wheels with no damage to itself or the passengers. Not to mention that gave a smooth driving experience, you could drive through the most pothole-riddled road and not even notice!
The systems from the Trans-AM system also required inertial dampeners as part of their function, so the components aren't crushed by the movement, and those got installed into the car too, they could have gone entirely without seatbelts, but he of course still put them on, no need to commit the star fleet mistake.
On the more esoteric side it, of course, has force fields, capable of stopping any bullet that isn't a fifty-caliber minimum. This magitech force field can be used for several less conventional purposes than basic defense, such as a Bobbin-tank-like function of projecting a thin road underneath the car, allowing it to drive over difficult terrains like mud, snow, or sand it cannot however fully support the car in the air.
Not to mention can also be used to project wings and rotors, allowing the car to fly at similar speeds as a propeller plane for a short period of time. Ten to twenty minutes possibly, however that is pure speculation on his part.
It also had an AI as intelligent as a horse, self-drive, internet, and a Rhotuka launcher with multiple options, stasis and neural disruption being his top priorities. Cause fuck whoever tried to fuck with his baby!
He worked on while experimenting with Legacy Lived, specifically the mention of drawing information from blood.
Besides having the Butcher's blood sample, he had dozens of other samples thanks to the Portable Examination Station. So obviously he used the other samples before the Butcher to test his ability, and while it was largely a bust with the information being either largely irrelevant (such as politics of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), or useless (such as horse riding and pre-industrial farming) if interesting (such as various cooking recipes from the 1800s), or the information had simply degraded too much to glean anything useful. Honestly, it was more useless but interesting information than anything else, really.
But it served its point and gave him enough experience to feel confident in using it on the Butcher's blood sample, and boy was he glad to do it!
While the information itself was rather disjointed, no doubt due to the unique circumstances of the Butcher, it was a treasure trove of information. And while there was nothing useless, Fran mainly focused on all the caches of money and other goods the Butcher had stashed all over the country.
Esper was actually out checking the caches in Brockton Bay, though he wasn't sure if anything would be in them. It's been years after all, and the chances are good that they've already been found and looted.
Another thing he was working on was what he called Drug Amnesia (name pending) and it does what it sounds like it does. Not only did she not know she was a drug user, but she would also be able to remember what she took and wouldn't know how to get it either way.
"Actually... did Aisha ever tell me her moms' name?"
A component of the Drug Amnesia was also 'Pharmacophobia' in the same vein as Hydrophobia in rabies patients, they would have a similarly violent reaction against taking recreational drugs. However, this effect was simply too drastic to use often, so until the Merchants were dealt with this drug couldn't be used in mass.
Regardless of potential issues, Fran was monitoring her closely and growing more pleased with the drug! She woke up and after freaking out about the mess (who knew Aisha's mom used to be a clean freak?) she had been working like a mad woman! What's even better, when she found her drug paraphernalia she trashed it, threw any drugs that weren't prescription in the toilet, and from what Fran could tell she was well on her way to fixing her life!
Fran considered actually telling Aisha that he finally did what she had been asking for but decided against it. If anything, Aisha could consider it a little bit of payback for all the teasing and mischief she had put her through! Besides, the thought of Aisha's mom asking if she was taking drugs amused him.
Now he found himself considering something he probably should've done sooner. While he and his two lovers had hung out and frankly done everything couples are supposed to do, they never made it official had they? Yeah, a date sounded rather nice honestly… but where though?
As he sat in a massage chair he had built (Aisha bet he couldn't build something that wasn't pure bullshit, he won that bet by the way) he pulled his phone out and started looking up potential spots he could take the two out to. But the question was should they go out as Dr. Patches, Rabbit, and Scylla or not?
And no this had nothing to do with the fact that he had completed their costumes… okay maybe just like… twenty-five percent reason…
"Oh… this sounds like a good place…" There were some good reviews, some from Laserdream and Glory girl in fact, "A nice casual place… cape-friendly too."
It came as a surprise to Fran but outside of Brockton Bay many places like restaurants, stores, and so on weren't all that cape friendly. Some even had a strict no-cape policy… which is amusing because… well how the fuck do you enforce that policy? Yeah, not many parahumans were bulletproof, but many parahumans have a faster reaction time compared to regular humans.
And honestly the 'law' was horribly prejudiced and nearly impossible to really enforce... but Bet was already hitting most of the Dystopian Hellhole checklists so... kind of par the course honestly.
Though now that the thought occurred to him, does Weld just… absorb bullets shot at him? According to PHO he absorbs metal that he touches. Which in turn led to Fran wondering how he would react to Protodermis? If only he could've got a sample of the Wards metal these questions wouldn't be bothering him!
"Stupid professional paranoid PRT…"
Thank God Weld sends fans paperclips from his own metal and gave him the medical documents on his metal skin, Fran couldn't have recreated Protodermis in anything short of a nuclear reactor, but Weld metal he had the perfect bypass as turning his metal into Protodermis was incredibly easy with Feel It Out.
He doubted that Weld could've sent anything more substantial; however, paper clips are expected in letters, no one notices paperclips in a letter, not even from the metal Ward, not even whatever officer reads their letters. Which was a rather large oversight on the PRT's end, but Fran certainly benefited from their error. With that paperclip Fran was finally able to nail down the proper combination of elements, now he could synthesize Protodermis in limited amounts.
Said amounts would increase as he refined and perfected the process.
Fran would later learn, after doing some research online, that the PRT can't actually read their Wards' correspondence without a warrant, and that it was only done under the suspicions of a Master cape's influence.
So, Weld was in the clear, and in his defense, he could claim it was an error on his part. He's pretty sure the Ward had created paperclips before and that they were always discarded. It may have been just a single-page letter, but after years of practice answering letters with his own unlimited metal paper clips, he could have done it purely by accident.
Shaking his head, Fran started going through the process of reserving a table for him and the girls. Then he decided to… address the elephant in the room, so to say. Honestly, he wasn't even surprised that this even happened, especially given just how poorly psychic powers were defined from the F.E.A.R franchise.
"So…"
"Well, it could be worse, we could be like that Butcher cunt."
"Besides we are still connected, we believe this is a result of unexpected psionic development coupled with severe brain trauma that the cunt caused. She rattled our bell pretty hard in Boston. Honestly, I'm kinda looking forward to leading the bitch on a merry chase through the country while stealing her shit!"
"Not to mention stealing shit from other villains! Don't forget you're our tourist so share plenty of memories with us!"
"Well, at least this way I'll never be lonely in my head again."
It wasn't a displeasing development either, actually, the more he thought about it he was surprised it didn't happen sooner. All his bodies possess brains that have been extensively modified through surgical, genetic, and cybernetic augments.
Each brain by itself is essentially a supercomputer in pure processing power, never mind data crunching ability. If anything, Fran imagined if he went back, he could easily find the signs of his pseudo-MPD.
Still, there was nothing to do about it. Besides, out of everything that could've happened, this was the one scenario he could easily live with. They were still one collective personality, just different facets of said personality.
While they were still one Esper and Patches were capable of possessing different thoughts and opinions. And even when they disagreed on something, they couldn't really betray each other.
Honestly, now that Fran thought about it, it seemed to him like he had turned into a Stepford Cuckoos from X-men. They were Three-in-One.
That… comforted him, oddly enough, knowing that he'd never be alone again.
"Oi, lover boy! We still need to tell the girls! So, are we going to do this in our civvies or in costume?"
"Does this mean that Taylor and Aisha have three boyfriends, technically?"
"Asking the real questions aren't ya Patches?"
Rubbing his face with a sigh, Fran decided to do some busy work, if only so he could get used to his new situation. Besides, he was curious as to how similar yet different the personalities were, it was subtle, but there were faint differences.
"God… I don't want to even begin imagining what Aisha will think…"
"Something-Something one-man gang bang?"
"... Yeah, that sounds about right…"
Lisa Wilburn/Tattletale
A simple goddamn smash and grab her pert ass!
She did her research, scoped out the safe house, and investigated as much as she could without the gangers realizing what she was doing. She got as much data as she could from observation before taking it to other venues of information gathering.
PHO may be a haven for tinfoil hats and perverts, but if you're patient enough, you can learn all sorts of interesting things. You can gauge how the 'cold' gang war is going, and watching the Merchant's one collective braincell try to work is always good for a laugh!
And while it wasn't exactly pertinent, it was interesting to see the socio-political impact of the new healer on the block, not to mention his two assistants. Especially when Rabbit folded Hookwolf like a damn lawn chair! Though their presence has been a boon all the way around, that clinic he's starting up increased the local tourism, which in turn gave a boost to the gangs and the PRT at the same time as both forces moved to defend the new source of wealth.
Not that Tattletale bet that Patches would be intimidated by any of the gangs, hell the man had the sheer testicular fortitude to throw hands with the goddamn Butcher and survived! No way are neo-Nazis, junkies, or goddamn Asian gangers going to intimidate that man!
Though she will admit she probably spent more time than she should've in PRT's systems, metaphorically watching Piggot gnashing her teeth over there being a cape hospital. She didn't know if it was due to the NEPEA-5 or her own bias towards parahumans in general, but the Director didn't like it and wanted it shut down yesterday!
The fact that the man legally purchased the prosperity and actually filed taxes for it infuriated Piggot and if her powers weren't lying was driving her up the wall out of sheer paranoia for whatever reason. Actually, now that she thought about the PRT in general was buzzing about the massive cape-owned business.
Not that they could do anything about it, which probably pissed them off even more, as Patches was crossing all his T's and dotting all his I's to make everything nice and legal.
"Heh, fuck you NEPEA-5!" Tattletale might have a little grudge against that bit of legislature for fully justified reasons in her opinion!
In fact, if she wasn't mistaken, he was a few days away from opening his doors, and she wondered if she could cash in a favor to get her, and her team looked at before they started having to pay for his services. She figured the chances were pretty good honestly, and she wondered if he could work on animals as well. She knew Bitch would love him forever if he could.
Well, as much as the dog-shaped teenager could love anyone.
Hissing under her breath she pulled her phone out and texted Patches.
[well, well, well, look who comes to me after-] His snark was justified, but Tattletale had no time to indulge it!
[shut up, my leg has melted and Regent is going to die in 27 minutes]
There was a pause of three seconds whilst Patches processed the information [sigh, where are you]
Tattletales just shot him the address as she bit the dog's rein and tried not to scream as the burning pain started getting to her.
[right, go to that one coffee shop glory girl goes to that in know you know, I'm here in a costumed date, try to lose him before getting here if possible]
[thx]
Putting her phone away, she told Bitch where to go, a mercifully close café that she knew about from researching New Wave.
The girl just grunted and directed her dogs, with the rest of the team holding on for dear life!
Fran Moss/Patches (Original)
"Fran, who were those guys?" Taylor asked over the neural link.
"Just some teenagers going through a rebellious phase pretending to be villains, Aisha, prepare your water abilities. Taylor, do you trust me?" Patches responded over the neural link as his tentacled girlfriend gave him little tentacle-sucker kisses on his cheek and got ready to make use of her hydrokinetic powers.
"I do." Taylor replied.
Just as she confirmed her trust the street exploded in flames and the sound of a furious dragon filled the air, Patches ignored the sound and instead focused on the Undersiders who came to a stop and all but collapsed. The monster dogs all but spent and each of them burned to various degrees, the worst being Regent (who was also suffering some gunshot wounds along with his burns) and Tattletale.
Quickly assessing the situation, he deemed that Tattletale could wait and started tending to Regent.
"FRAN! DRAGON!" Taylor nearly screamed, just seconds away from transforming, as Scylla used her powers to contain the fires.
"Do you trust me, Taylor?" Patches asked again as he started performing triage on Regent, not even acknowledging the fact that a Rage Dragon was barreling toward them.
"I DO NOW DO SOMETHING!" Rabbit screamed at him.
Patches just looked at her and smiled, "Help me tend to these patients, Scylla, make sure the fire doesn't spread. How about we let Armsmaster earn his paycheck, hmm?"
Rabbit nearly screamed at him if the sound of a motorcycle roaring didn't catch her attention. She looked and saw Armsmaster tearing down the street with his halberd out and ready, and… were those fucking missiles shooting from his bike!?
Armsmaster
A Few Minutes Ago
He honestly couldn't understand what had gotten the Director so upset, no he knew the reason, he just didn't understand. While providing his services to Accord of Boston did muddy the waters, but it did not add any new potential threat from Accord, as capes in good health are paradoxically always considered less dangerous, and he had been nothing but heroic if a bit mischievous, and while his attempts to misdirect people as to the nature of his powers is irritating the action in itself was perfectly logical.
The fact that he addressed and acknowledged Director Piggots trauma on PHO confirmed that he was hiding his power set not out of any sense of deception but in respect to the Director… and, possibly, so the Director wouldn't do anything illogical until his reputation as a hero was more solid.
A detail that Dragon commented about and after a few seconds of consideration he agreed with fully. Though he was glad that Dr. Patches had recently dropped his deception regarding his power now.
Another irritation he found himself dealing with was Sophia Hess breaking her hand, leading her to claim that she was assaulted at school by a newly triggered parahuman by the name of Taylor Hebert, whom she proceeded to defame. This of course led to him requesting her phone to verify something, as he asked Dragon to look into this Taylor Hebert girl. This in turn led to him discovering some text messages that… brought into question everything Sophia had reported… along with evidence that she had repeatedly violated her parole.
Sophia was currently under investigation and under house arrest on the Rig until the investigation was completed.
[Lung sighted chasing the Undersiders down William Street near the Boardwalk]
Questions of how the message bypassed his system and the countless security measures, along with his prior thoughts about illogical teenagers and Directors, could wait as he immediately course-corrected and accelerated toward where Lung had been sighted. And immediately his thoughts focused on the Dragon of Kyushu.
The largest black mark on ENE Protectorate, or at least the most memorable.
As he drove past strategies came to mind, some effective and others not. Lung is the veritable Moby Dick of Brockton Bay, of Japanese-Chinese descent, favorite food: Unagi and black pork shabu-shabu, enjoys listening to classical string musicals and Japanese jazz, loves silk sheets, collecting priceless Asian antiquities and large exotic lizards.
As he came closer to the location he heard Lung's voice, he frowned. Analyzing the pitch and depth, Armsmaster estimated Lung had already ramped up to some degree… possibly by fifteen percent, given a five percent margin of error. Flicking a switch with his thumb, he initialized the HESH (High Explosive Squash Head) micro-missiles (which he had special dispensation to use against Lung alone) before he grabbed his halberd with his other hand and held it ready.
Already he could see the comparisons to a jousting knight on PHO. Despite what many believed, he was capable of humor and did in fact see the irony of it all.
Armsmaster had clashed with the Dragon roughly a dozen times since he came to the Bay and had only 'won' three of those fights. If he could manage a win without back up it would do his reputation good, however, he wasn't going to prioritize his own reputation over the possible casualties and had already messaged for backup.
Finally coming up to the street itself, Armsmaster saw Lung, roughly eight feet tall and silver scales started to sprout from his skin. He also saw Patches, already tending to the Undersiders… However, Lung is the bigger issue currently. However, he did approve of the one that must've been Scylla using some impressive hydrokinetic powers to keep the fire contained and from spreading.
Nodding he activated the targeting program and as soon as Lung was locked on Armsmaster opened fire with the HESH micro-missiles while he did a double check to ensure the Lung tranquilizer was prepped.
As the missiles flew and impacted Lung, the impact of the missiles sending visible ripples through his body as the very water on his body transmitted the shockwave, Armsmaster couldn't help but find Dr. Patches dedication to healing to be impressive. Even with everything going on around him, he never slowed from his healing.
He quickly put it from his mind and increased the speed and held his halberd at the ready, a pneumatic needle jutting from it ready to inject the tranquilizer. He had roughly ten seconds to inject the tranquilizer before his regeneration kicked in and he started escalating to the point the tranquilizer wouldn't be effective.
And with that, he triggered the booster he had installed in his bike a few months back.
Taylor Hebert/Rabbit
"We are in position, boss man."
Rabbit just focused on helping Patches and not on the fact that they had a Rage Dragon coming down on them, or the fact that Armsmaster was firing missiles at him while jousting, or the fact that her boyfriend was suffering from some weird form of Multiple Personality Disorder. No, instead she focused on keeping the girl, who she is pretty sure is Tattletale, from making her leg even worse!
Honestly, all she wanted was a chance to actually have a date with her boyfriend! Maybe even try holding his hand! Is that really so much to ask? Maybe after this, they could get back to their date?
Though looking at the shape the rest of the Undersiders were in she really doubted that was going to happen, and with another sigh, she pushed Tattletale back down.
"You're suffering from severe burns, lay down until Dr. Patches can get to you." She said trying to keep calm, though she was itching to transform and see if she could kick Lung into next week, but… she trusted her boyfriend.
"No shit Sherlock!" Tattletale hissed, though Rabbit didn't let it bother her… the pain would make anyone snappy and while she lacked the medical know-how of her boyfriend and girlfriend, she was pretty sure Tattletale was going into shock or something similar.
And when he said that they should let Armsmaster earn his paycheck, she'd let him. Besides Esper was lurking somewhere, no doubt ready to rip Lung apart telekinetically if Armsmaster's strategy didn't work.
"This does not count as a date."
The fact that Patches and Scylla laughed made her blush, she didn't mean to broadcast that!
Tattletale just looked at her with a grin, "Helluva date huh? Ah, think… Can you and the doc fix us up?" She asked.
"It's up to him, but I figure it's a solid bet." Rabbit said with a shrug as she looked up to see Armsmaster now fighting Lung… how did she miss that? Looking around she then noticed… is that Faultline's crew? When did they get here? Why were they here?
"Its the fire chiiiiiiief" Tattletale said whilst she poured the ice water into her molten leg, "He -ieeeee has a contract with Faultline for firefighting help, PRT can't touch them without having to volunteer capes for fires."
Well, that answers that then.
Focusing back on Tattletale, she couldn't help but overheard a small talk between Scylla and… Something the Snail? Honestly, she couldn't really remember his name.
"You wouldn't happen to be one of us, would you?" He asked politely.
Scylla chuckled as she continued using her water abilities to contain the flames along with whatever the guy was using as well, "Nah, just a changer." She answered freely.
"Ah, well, perhaps we can schedule a meeting with Dr. Patches?" The guy asked, "We've heard rumors of his abilities and well…" He just trailed off… perhaps not sure what more to say?
"Sure, no prob! Our clinic's opening in a day or two. Feel free to come in, we'll figure out some sort of schedule system eventually." Scylla said.
"Okay, this isn't working. Esper? Our turn." Dr. Patches broadcasted.
Eventually, she heard Dr. Patches talking to the lizard guy, Newter or something? As she listened in, she wondered if anyone had confused his name for Neuter before.
"So, like you heal anybody, right?" Newter asked, "Even villains?"
"If they pay a fee, then yes." Dr. Patches answered, "Accord paid well, but I also had to work on all his… unsymmetrical Ambassadors and general underlings. I wouldn't ask your crew to pay the same amount, of course." He explained as he continued his ad hoc surgery on Regent, "You do realize that bullets are supposed to stay on the outside, and blood stays on the inside, yes?"
"F-Fuck you doc!" Regent groaned.
"You're not my type, unfortunately." Dr. Patches quipped, "Cute, I won't lie, but not my type."
"G-Gay!" Regent said with a laugh.
"Bi actually and I'm very comfortable with my sexuality." Dr. Patches responded, "Besides I'm the 'Thirst Trap Doc' or so I've been called on PHO. I know what people say about my ass."
"My ass is still better…" Regent retorted with a wheezy laugh.
"It's okay to have your own opinion, even if you're wrong." Dr. Patches retorted with a chuckle, "Now shut up and let me finish up."
"You're all heart doc." Regent sassed.
"I have two, actually, and various redundancies throughout my body." Dr. Patches said.
Risking a glance over towards them, Rabbit couldn't help but giggle at just how stunned Newter looked.
Lung then turned to them, sending a fireball that was intercepted by an invisible force field
Dr. Patches just shrugged before he moved on to Tattletale.
"MOTHERFUCKER STOP GETTING IN FIGHTS WITH SUPER STRONG CAPES, GODDAMNIT!" Esper yelled at him before he focused at the raging dragon, "And you shut the fuck up too!"
Suddenly Lung's roars of rage stopped as his snout was clamped shut, and if her eyes weren't mistaken his nostrils were pinned close as well?
"Ah, I see what he's doing here." Honestly, it was a very novel approach to subduing Lung… hell she was pretty sure it had never been done before, "Smart too, muscles for opening the jaw are weak in every animal, and lips had a lot of weak muscles"
"Well, considering the shape of his skull when he transforms, it's rather obvious." Dr. Patches commented, "Also, no one tried before because you can't choke someone without getting closer, present company excluded."
It applied the minimum force to the opponent's most vital weakness in a way they can't counter it without being a hand down, cutting a big Gordian knot.
Though she supposed Alexandria could do it.
"Huh… I don't think Lung's regeneration can counter oxygen deprivation…" Is all that Rabbit could think.
Lung was forced to open his lips with his hand in an awkward motion, however in doing so he gave an opening to Armsmaster who lunged and stabbed the needle into the dragon's throat. Lung's pyrokinesis flared in response, engulfing Armsmaster in a raging inferno before he was sent flying twenty feet with a kick to the chest, doing a full backflip in air before hitting the ground.
It was at that moment that Oni Lee appeared in the field from nowhere like all teleporters do in combat with three other clones around Esper, each wielding one of those long sushi knives, each focusing on a part of his body, the legs, the hand holding Lung with a Vader choke, the heart and the back of the neck.
Rabbit felt her heart jump into her mouth, thinking it was over, only for Esper start glowing red and make a sweeping motion with his free hand and snatch the clones and original serial suicide bomber up in his power. He made a twisting motion and pulled their masks up, blocking their sight before slamming the teleporters into Lung, three of the clones dissipating on impact, before he made a gesture with his thumb like opening a soda bottle… and a bunch of pins hit the ground!?
Lung seemed to understand what was happening by how violently he started to struggle, tearing his own soldier and punching his open claw hand through Oni-Lee's torso trying desperately to get the bombs off of him, and screaming in panic.
Rabbit felt The Route scream for cover and ducked over Tattletale as all the grenades exploded at once, a giant multicolored flare combined with red ribbons in what looked like slow motion, until finally it all the explosion collapsed into a single ball of crushed flesh that fell to the earth with a wet thud.
And only after a few seconds did she look up and see that… those grenades were certainly some sort of tinker-tech given just how… varied the effects were, the cloud was static in the air, blue glow, and about one hundred feet tall, definitely tinker tech and beyond her understanding.
"Holy shit… you just killed Lung and Oni Lee!" Exclaimed Tattletale, no tears would be shed for the two, one was a fucking robot, and the other was a sex slaving Rage Dragon, but all the same it was shocking.
Rabbit knew that the balance of power had been utterly destroyed, and all she thought was about damn time. However, she wasn't looking forward to the surge of clients that would go to the clinic as a result of the coming gang war.
"Piggy is going to be soooooo pissed! hihihii~" Tattletale giggled almost deliriously.
"Rabbit, pick her up." Dr. Patches said before he looked at the leader of Faultline's crew, "Can you give us a ride to my clinic? Street surgery only works so much."
Rabbit wanted to snort at that, she knew damn well that Dr. Patches could perform open-heart surgery in the middle of an alley if he had to.
"Sure." Faultline said, "Though, we're going to arrange an appointment for my crew, Spitfire got a few burns saving a couple from the bowling alley next door, and Newter and Gregor both have their reasons, deal?"
"Deal." Dr. Patches said before looking at Esper, "So how are you going to top this one?" He asked dryly.
"Eh, maybe I'll put that massive tanker somewhere it can be salvaged?" Esper shrugged, clearly exhausted, "And then I'm going on that road trip!"
"Of course you are. Bloody showoff." Dr. Patches grumbled.
"Says the man that threw hands with the Butcher and survived to meme about it." Esper retorted before he started to walk off.
Though not before he 'yoinked' Grue's leather jacket, not that the guy was in any shape to do anything about it other than yell at Esper who whistled for a motorbike that showed up out of nowhere driving itself and drove off.
Though he did stop when Armsmaster grumbled at him from the floor, the man had most of his bones broken and all the skin on his face he'd burn, he had no lips in his face, as it had been burned to the gums, only bared teeth, how he managed to point his lance at Esper and pronounce 'stop' was beyond her, Esper gave him a face of pity and gently levitated him towards Patches when Armsmaster finally succumbed to unconsciousness.
Patches had the decency to lug Armsmaster to bring him with them to the hospital before telling the PRT line, they took the decision to have him drop in the hospital under Panacea's care, they drove off before Fran even saw the girl. He also injected him with some pain-suppressor to counter the pain the man was in no doubt.
"Shame to see his famous goatee go." Thought Esper over the neural link.
"Anyway, Patches, I'll call in a few days! My car better be ready by the time I'm done with the Boat Graveyard!" Esper shouted before he rode off on the bike.
"Man, psychic powers are bullshit…" Rabbit just grunted as everyone started helping the Undersiders and the dogs off the large van.
She didn't envy whoever would have to deal with the whole mess that just occurred
Fran Moss/Patches (Original)
It didn't take too long to arrive at the clinic and get everyone inside. While it was still bare-bones it provided proper working space, asking Gregor, Scylla, and Rabbit with the Undersiders Dr. Patches resumed questioning Newter. His previous ones were mainly about his hallucinogenic sweat and how much it would cost to get a sample.
Now he was in doctor mode.
"Now please just try to answer these to the best of your ability, it will help me determine what sort of treatment you need." He said calmly as Scylla prepped the surgery, "Do you have anything unusual in your diet? Do you require more water because your skin is wet, do you suffer from frostbite due to skin humidity?" He added curiously.
"Ah, my diet is pretty normal, though I eat more meat than everyone else. I'm a thirsty bitch." That got a chuckle from Dr. Patches, "And sometimes, it's why I'm rarely seen during winter or whenever it's freezing."
"Hmm, that's interesting." Dr. Patches said, "Well until I can properly examine you I can only provide speculation. I assume the others on your team also require my services?"
That's when Faultline spoke up, approaching him and… trying to intimidate him? Dr. Patches just chuckled and absentmindedly waved his hand.
"Miss, I got into a fistfight with the Butcher and survived to meme about it." He said dryly, "So, can you skip all the posturing and answer my question?"
Faultline grumbled while Newter laughed, a giggle from Spitfire, and even Gregor chuckled faintly, "Shaddup you three!" She huffed… sounding like a total mom while doing it before looking at him, "Yeah, We have another member named Labyrinth, and her power… really messes with her. I'm not sure what you can all do, but… can't hurt to ask now can it?"
"No, not at all." Dr. Patches said thoughtfully, "I… assume by 'messing with her' you mean mentally?"
Faultlline nodded with a grimace, obviously not really wanting to talk details and potential weaknesses to an unknown but soldiered on regardless, "Yeah. She has her good days and bad days. On her good days she's like any other twenty-year-old, but on bad days, well…"
"I think I get the picture." Dr. Patches said, "I assume her power is somehow connected to how she perceives the world? And the more… delirious she is the more potent it can be?"
"Pretty much." Spitfire commented, "Think you can help her, doc?"
"I can certainly try." Dr. Patches said, already formulating possible treatments that could help her without completely removing her power, "Now if you'll excuse me. I have a team of rebellious teenagers and some dogs to heal."
And with that he turned around and went into the surgeries.
[Celestial Forge]
Gained CP: 300
Available CP: 600
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