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Ascension Of The Ashen Fiend: Chapter 5 Task Complete
🕑 Added 2022-08-18 02:11:05 +0000 UTCThane looked inside the metal box to inspect the latest shipment of equipment and materials Victor had supplied him, "Some of these have been used before. I'll have to replace some of the worn-out parts."
Walking over to the power armor Thane didn't have to check to know the box was following him as he had connected his PRD to the hover lift the container sat on.
Running his hands on the familiar smooth metal of the armor, Thane stepped up on a smaller personal hover lift to reach the armor's opened helm revealing the jungle of metal, wire, and circuits lying underneath the hard metal shell.
Thane blindly reached into the box, muttering to himself for a second before his fingers found the correct component. With nimble fingers, Thane carefully removed the outdated camera unit from the helmet's lens and replaced it with a newer version.
While it wasn't the most powerful of those available, Thane had explicitly requested the part as the power armor's processing power was severely diminished after completing some modifications.
After a bit of searching and putting the pieces together, Thane discovered why the armor was only meant to be operated by Arbiters. Power armor, despite its name, had a minimal energy capacity. It only had enough of a charge on its own to turn on and run a full diagnostics check before becoming dormant.
Arbiters, however, by their nature, were living batteries. While the science behind how Arbiters obtained their powers was heavily restricted at best, Thane still had enough public knowledge to create a pseudo power source for the armor.
Thane had attached a small nuclear fusion generator onto the back of the armor just below the nape of the neck. By his calculations, it would provide the armor with enough energy to move for thirty minutes, with its processing power running at suboptimal levels.
However, Victor wasn't happy with only thirty minutes and insisted that Thane, 'Do better.' Knowing it was pointless trying to explain how the pressure alone inside the fusion capsule was enough to bore straight through bedrock, Thane could only truck along.
It had been three weeks that Thane had been working on Victor's project, and over the days, Adrain had noticed that the crime lord was losing it. While it hadn't shown on the surface, the time between visits had shortened to the point where Victor asked for a progress report nearly every day.
"Okay, that should be the last of it," Thane pushed aside his dreadlocks as he secured the helm back onto the rest of the armor. With his digging around, Thane discovered that the armor consisted of several plates fixed into place using the strongest magnets he had ever seen.
Thane was tempted to pull apart the armor and see if there were any other hidden secrets, but with his deadline a week away, it was too risky.
Stepping back a few paces, Thane took in the full glory of the power armor one last time. The only sign it had been changed was the new pitch-black coating hiding the stark white metal underneath.
Pulling up his PRD, Thane navigated to the program he created to monitor the power armor's systems, "Time for a test run." With an eye command, Thane turned on the power armor watching as the startup sequence ran a diagnostic check.
A second later, the air began to hum as the newly installed eyes of the power armor glowed even brighter than before. Grinning like a maniac, Thane pulled up a chart showing the armor's energy levels, "Everything is running smoothly. Estimated time until the shutdown is thirty-four minutes, even better than I hoped."
Swiping over to his contact list Thane sent Victor a live ping, and a few seconds later, the disgruntled crime lord's mug was on screen in front of Thane, "If this is another request for parts, I swear-"
"It's finished. The armor is in tip-top shape. All I need from you is someone to pilot the damn thing for a final test run."
Victor sat up in his luxurious leather seat, a thin smile stretched across his lips, "I'll be there by noon. I'm glad this ordeal is coming to an end."
On that note, the call ended, and Thane was left alone in the warehouse that had been his home for the last three weeks, 'So am I. I haven't been able to take off my mask for more than a minute every day.' Shaking his head, Thane collapsed into a nearby chair with a sigh, "After this, I'm taking a month off."
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[Bastion Seventh Ring: District 5]
Juliet watched the ping between Thane and Victor go dark as the call closed. Moving her attention from her PRD, Juliet looked over the squadron of D.O.B officers she had been granted control over. In less than twenty minutes she
would move in and reclaim what had been stolen along with those responsible.
It seemed like forever had passed since Juliet had followed the credit trail leading her to one of the crime lords in Bastion, Victor Trevant. It surprised Juliet and General Aayana to find out that Victor was involved. Victor was a lackluster figure compared to others who shared his status. His criminal enterprise was mainly built on small operations that didn't attract the D.O.B's attention.
However, after Juliet had reported that Victor was involved in the theft of a power armor suit, an investigation was launched to see just how far and deep the crime lord's pockets ran. What they found was shocking. Victor had a vast empire involving everything from human trafficking to cybercrimes.
Victor, however, wasn't the most prominent figure that Juliet discovered after following Victor for several days using her ability to project her consciousness through the Leyline. Juliet had found where the power armor was being held, and her shock worked on.
Juliet had immediately reported to Aayana about the boy that was repairing a fifty-year-old set of armor that was supposed to be recycled and melted down for materials. Aayana didn't believe Juliet at first until the lieutenant sent a six-hour-long video of the boy assembling a nuclear fusion reactor to power the armor.
A day later, Juliet received a file containing everything Aayana had been able to find out about the boy, along with apparent instructions that after securing the power armor, her next objective was taking one Thane Vapos into custody.
Coming back to the present, Juliet cleared her throat, getting the attention of fifty pairs of eyes, "A reminder for all, in ten minutes, we will depart in two transport lifts. Team alpha will secure the area along with the surveillance team. After the perimeter is secured, team beta will move in with me. Remember your first objective is to capture Victor Trevant, who will be here at any moment. Follow your training, and this operation should be simple, dismissed!"
There was a smattering of agreements and nods as people went back to checking their gear, most likely for the fifth time. Moving to the side, Juliet walked over to the series of monitors displaying every camera feed in a five-block radius.
Seeing no sign of Victor, Juliet wondered if the crime lord lied to Thane when she spotted a train of lift cards making their way toward the warehouse. The windows were heavily tinted, not allowing the cameras to get a clear view inside the cabin, but Juliet recognized the luxury vehicle in the middle as belonging to Victor.
"That's it, that's the car. Victor is on the move. We leave within the minute. Everyone fall in!"
