"See, Junior, this is why you always have to double-check your welding. When you're working, you might be too focused on the whole to realize some weaknesses in the finer details."

"Origin..."

Sam nodded at his child's remark as he fixed a few cracks in the spot he pointed out. While their speech was still heavily limited, he had been around them long enough to guess what they were trying to say more easily.

"Right, when you're in the zone, some things slip past you. Even without that, making sure what you made doesn't fall apart is standard procedure."

"Origin?"

"Yup, especially when dealing with complex stuff like that. The more parts there are, the likelier it is for one of them to have a problem."

"Origin!"

"Yeah, a group works like that too. It's why Silhouette likes keeping things separated. It's easier to manage multiple independent small groups than a singular big one. It has its share of flaws, like the fact we don't communicate a ton with each other, or the lack of trust and loyalty to others we do not meet, but I'd say it's worth it. Makes sense, too. Us Sunken City folks are exposed to more danger than the Palace team, but we're also more loyal than the guys up in the slums."

"Origin?"

"Right, you haven't met anyone outside of the orphanage aside from the boss yet. Don't worry, we'll get to it soon enough."

"Origin..."

"No, you can't just come along for the application stuff. One, you'd just sit out in silence since your point of view isn't relevant for that kind of thing. Two, I still think you're not quite ready yet. When the interviews are over I'll join with the nuns to get you up to speed on city life."

"Origin?"

"Yeah, I was born in the slums and had to survive on my own, but I still got to experience civilized life in the later years."

"Origin..."

"Right, I don't stay in the city much, let alone on my own. Which is the point. I don't feel comfortable there, like I'm an intruder, so what about you? You need to be properly prepared."

"Origin..."

"Right, I'll admit ghost nuns who died a hundred years ago might not be the most up-to-date teachers. Fine, I'll ask the boss if he minds me hiring a real professional."

"Origin..."

"I suppose I can take the time to join you in your lessons if I don't have too much work. Maybe I'll learn a thing or two. Doubtful, your dad's a genius."

"Origin!"

"Yeah, yeah. Now quiet down for a bit, I need to focus. This part has to be perfect, or else instead of making our buddy move it'll go kaboom."

"Origin..."

The teen genius chuckled before putting his all into his work, making a few adjustments to revive an old friend. The workload Silhouette dropped on him and the need for Junior to get their own suit had eaten his free time, but soon enough, the Tech Mech would walk again. And this time, it would have enough upgrades to be more than a sitting duck when facing powerful Supers. He had to admit, lacking resources as he was back then, the first model was too slow and cumbersome to be reliable against anything with actual brains. This, though? Oh oh... He couldn't wait to use it.

The one thing he was still uncertain of was involving Silhouette to infuse the mech. While he disliked the pompous prick that was Decanov, Sam had to admit he was right to be more mindful of the use of infused materials. Even without the Patcher there to run his mouth and even if the Biflora kept what he learned to himself, sooner or later folks would realize that anti-shadow equipment would have disastrous effects on everything Silhouette-related, and that meant needing to work around this weakness. And when it came down to it, using mundane materials was easier than trying to knock the weakness out of infused ones.

He had needed to use some infused stuff in the infrastructure of the thing, to make sure it could hold its weight without collapsing and to better handle the knockback of the weaponry he was still working on, but the more time passed the more he thought he would better keep a mundane metal alloy for the brunt of the armor. Well, he could look into asking Silhouette to only infuse a thin layer inside, just to help with kinetic and stabbing damage. Maybe fire too? In their tests infused materials were more fire resistant than their original versions, but not overly so. No, considering the amount he planned to ask for, it would not be sufficient for thermal isolation. Not that he hadn't already included a cooling system or other means to handle one of the biggest weaknesses of a giant hunk of metal, it was how the first model had been destroyed, but any additional feature he could cram into it without compromising the existing design was welcome.

A few minutes later he had finished, taking the rag his child was handing him to clean up the dirtiness that had accumulated on the mask and the front of his armor during his work, though he put more effort into the former. Smooth helmets were great for circumventing the usual vision-blocking problems and with the right materials did so without losing any durability, but stuff stuck to them still blocked the wearer's sight. That was one flaw he would need to correct for his next suit.

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

"Alright Junior, what do you think?"

"Origin..."

"Right, it still isn't ready for operation, but I think it should be done by the end of the week, or the next one's at the worst. As is, it should however already be functional as a defensive turret."

"Origin?"

"Yup, those can be really effective. Sure, Supers and guards are important and all, but a properly defended turret alone can suffice to defend a location."

At that, a blaring alarm echoed throughout the orphanage's grounds, red lights signaling an incoming threat. While their horrific visage was hidden by their suit, Sam could tell Junior was probably smiling, giddy, and excited as they were, shaking on the spot and with their fists going lightly up and down. The teen genius for his part sighed as he rolled his neck, annoyed at his work being interrupted.

"I hope this isn't another one of those monster hordes, those are always annoying."

"Origin?"

The teen swore.

"Right, the Patchees. We're at risk of friendly fire, gotta hurry."

The inventor and his progeny rushed to the entrance, leaving the unfinished Tech Mech behind in the orphanage's inner court - though they had made sure to work on it in an isolated corner, to avoid disturbing the haunted tree and the communal grave she was guarding in the middle too much. Mother Greenheld was already very tolerant to let him work on his war machine in these parts, he didn't want to annoy her unnecessarily. The Mech wasn't alone with the tree though, several of the Patcher's transformed victims huddling together around the dead wood as roots rose from the ground to hold them close, reassuring them through the panic seeping into their hearts.

It didn't take long for the pair to be back outside in the dilapidated streets of the Sunken City, a member of the Shadow Commando speaking into his walkie-talkie as he held his gun up in his other hand.

"What's happening?"

"Good to see you, Tech boss. The guys patrolling the further perimeters say they spotted stuff coming out way, though they couldn't make out what."

"Monster horde?"

"Nope, too small and too few. Me and the boys think it's Supers, that or those weird shapeshifting thingies the boss and the doc said they fought up in the factory."

"That or the bulk of the monsters are beneath our feet, keep an eye on that."

"Got it, Tech boss."

"Any idea where they're arriving?"

"Patrol says they spotted them back in the North, but they weren't running in a straight line."

"So North is our best bet, but not reliable. Got it. Tell your pals to spread evenly around the base, I'm letting you coordinate that."

"Roger that Tech boss!"

"Junior, you stay right here. The entrance is still our biggest weak point, so I'm trusting you with protecting it."

"Origin!"

"Me? I'm going up on the roof. Gotta be ready for flyers, and if none arrives I can just drop in where our intruders wind up. Now get going!"

The Shadow Commando nodded as he began speaking into his walkie-talkie once more. Meanwhile, Techlord activated one of the features of his boots, thrusters burning and sending him into the air in a perfect arc to land on top of the main building. That way, while he could be ready to drop anywhere, he'd still be closer to Junior than anything else.

Was it preferential treatment? Yes. But he was Techlord, genius inventor, Silhouette's closest thing to a second-in-command besides Polisson, and if anyone had a problem with it they were free to complain to his Techzooka.

For several long and tense minutes, nothing happened. It almost felt like the whole thing was a fluke, a false alarm. Sam knew better. Silhouette may have been paranoid, but he had demonstrated repeatedly he was right more often than not, and that habit had spread to Sam. Growing up in the slums taught you to stay on edge, but Silhouette outdid all of Sam's habits. A year ago, the teen would have slightly lowered his guard, not completely dismissing the presence of a threat but rather rationalizing the calm by thinking whatever it was that was dangerous wasn't aiming for him or had already found another toy. Now?

Now Techlord was ready and fired his wrist-mounted miniature rocket as soon as his suit's captors caught a disturbance to his right.

As could be expected of such a small piece of weaponry, barely the size of a finger, the explosion it produced was small. Sadly for the currently screaming man who had been hit in the face with it, those miniature devices were not meant to produce big bangs but disabling ones, filled with a mix of chemicals courtesy of Guy and his crew made specifically to confuse and even paralyze those unlucky enough to breathe them in at ground zero.

The still-screaming man dressed in an odd stereotypical burglar outfit fell off the roof and onto the ground, rolling on the floor as he scratched at his masked face with his gloved hands. While the showing was pathetic, Techlord's mood soured when he realized how little damage the rocket itself had caused, leaving barely a singe on the man's torso. He quickly brought a hand up to activate his radio and address all of his forces.

"One assailant down. He is dressed like a burglar. Incredibly stealthy and resilient, possibility of magical or enhanced clothing. Go all out and don't drop your guard."

"Roger that, Tech boss."

He was pleased to see the Shadow Commando already moving in to secure the one he dropped, but immediately turned around to knee yet another burglar in the gut, this one featuring prominent ram horns poking out of his black wooly cap.

The man fell on all fours and coughed, perfectly in time for Techlord's roundhouse kick to hit him in the side of the face and launch him too off the roof, one of his horns shattering under the force of the hit. Surprisingly, he got back up once on the ground, but Junior's joined fists whacking him back down promptly remedied that. The abomination gave their father a thumbs-up, which he answered his kind.

"Good job, Junior. Gotta say, I haven't heard of a burglar-themed Super group before."

"We don't usually work around these parts, but the pay for this job was too good to pass up. That being said, I think we'll need a bonus though."

Electrified short blades popped out of Sam's wrists as he turned, metal echoing as they met the red crowbar this third intruder was holding. This one had a third eye on his forehead, with a hole hastily made into his mask to accommodate it. Sparks flew as electricity coursed through their weapons, though the man appeared unharmed. Likely isolating gloves, then.

"So, gonna tell me who you are or will I have to beat it out of ya?"

"Ah! You've got spunk, kid. But you ain't anything to us. We're the Burgling Brothers, and we don't fail a job. Unless a Hero or another Villain's involved, of course, but I ain't seeing any around here."

The teen scoffed before surprising his opponent with a headbutt, loosening his grip on his weapon just enough for Sam to snatch it and hit him in the head with it. This one stayed on the roof unlike the other two, the knock sending him back but still standing.

"Agh... The hell, kid?"

"The name's Techlord, this city's greatest inventor. You're just a bunch of nobodies."

"Ah, you got me and two of my bros by surprise. Big deal. We're way more than that."

Despite his cocky words, the man definitely now lacked the confidence he displayed earlier. In other words, what little Sam had shown was enough to have him doubt his group's chances.

"Perfect."

"What?"

Sam grinned beneath his helmet.

"I've got a big toy that still needs a few tests."

The burglar gulped.

The rumors say that screams and explosions echoed across the entirety of the Sunken City that day.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.