21

Chapter Twenty-one—Hard Choices

~~~Memories of Iron~~~

"JARVIS, what the hell is going on?" Taylor asked as she headed out the door. She was moving at around a jog, the forearm module simply too heavy to allow her to sprint with it. Still, she was loath to leave it behind as that would leave her unarmed. Right now, she was cursing the fact that she hadn't taken a few hours at some point to build a repulsor rifle or pistol from the plans she'd previously drawn up. But she'd waited because it was part of a future plan that wasn't going to be executed for at least another month.

Taylor realized that she hadn't received a reply to her earlier hail. Equally worrying, sirens and strobing lights, both red and yellow, rent the air with light and noise. More frantically, she called, "JARVIS! Are you there?"

Taylor stopped and called for him three more times, about to give up when she finally heard his voice. "My apologies, Miss. I was tied up with something, but am here now."

Later she'd have a talk with him about the delay, indicative of serious facility damage, but for right now, Taylor needed to focus on finding out what was going on. "JARVIS, what were those explosions? What do your sensors show?"

"Miss, if you'll enable your glasses, I'll show the areas of the blasts and a photograph of the likely culprit."

Taylor silently cursed for not already doing so, then blinked her eyes in a certain pattern. A second later, her view through her glasses was overlaid with a heads up display that rivaled the one in her helmet. It even showed the view directly behind her using the sensors from micro-cameras embedded in her earpieces.

Her thoughts were interrupted by JARVIS. "Miss, why are you carrying the forearm assembly for the Mark 3 Prototype?"

Taylor grimaced as she set the incredibly heavy item down a second. Panting slightly from the exertion, she said, "I needed a weapon and this was all I had available."

There a a patient amusement in the AI's voice as he requested, "Miss, please return the forearm assembly to its designated location within your laboratory. I have a much better suggestion for personal protection."

"Fine. This damn thing" pant "is stupidly" pant " heavy" pant.

Taylor finally got the arm assembly back in her laboratory, but left it on the floor rather than slotting it back into its place. That could wait for later. Aware of a need to hurry, she asked, "Okay, JARVIS, what do you have for me?"

"Miss, please check storage drawer B-2. I think you'll be pleased with what you find."

Taylor walked over the storage unit and hit the button for the drawer JARVIS had indicated. This was where they were storing all of the smaller prototype units temporarily, until either they sold, licensed, or produced the unit themselves.

As the drawer slid open, Taylor's eyes immediately fell upon two things. The first was a pistol that looked almost like a phaser out of Star Trek. The other was a larger rifle version of the first that was quite a bit more powerful. Both weapons were from her designs and used repulsor technology to provide a multitude of attack settings ranging from a basic 'stun' to blowing holes in reinforced concrete walls. Of course, neither was supposed to have been built for another month. In a tone of wonder, Taylor asked, "JARVIS, when did you have time to complete these?"

"I had a few cycles available at different times over the last couple of weeks, Miss, so I put them to good use on a project that I know is near and dear to your heart."

Taylor swiftly grabbed both items, slinging the rifle, while holding the repulsor pistol in her hand. She smiled as she stroked the shiny metal of the pistol's frame before slipping it into the pocket of her lab coat. In a chiding tone, she said, "You know your free time is supposed to be your own, not to be used for my projects. Next time, do something you enjoy that relaxes you.

Mild reproof evident, JARVIS fired back with, "Miss, I find working on these projects quite fulfilling and relaxing. Since my own time is my own time..."

Taylor acknowledged, "Touche, JARVIS. Now tell me where the bad guys are."

"Two things first, Miss. If you would be so good as to take the remote manipulation kit along. Thank you. And.. ahh, excellent. Now we can proceed."

Taylor had picked up the kit, only to find herself being shadowed by the two security drones that had taken station above and just behind her. Frowning, she said, "I don't need a baby sitter, JARVIS. Or, rather, two of them."

"Yet those drones will be accompanying you at all times, Miss. As will I. Now if you are ready, the most serious penetration of our defenses was at Zone 4 on the main factory floor itself. Three explosions occurred there, both breaching the outer wall, and seriously damaging the networking of the entire building. It would be best if you were to-″

Taylor interrupted him, ″Hey, now, none of that. You don't get to sidetrack me in dealing with the after effects of the bombs. I... wait, have there been any casualties? Were any of our people injured in the blasts?″

″Minor injuries only, Miss. All but a handful have all evacuated to the subbasement shelter you set up. They should be safe within. Unfortunately, I have calculated that there are two more of the bombs still present within the confines of the factory floor. Currently, they are inert, but how long they will stay that way, I do not know. While I have them quarantined by security drones, if they were to detonate, there is still the strong possibility of even more significant damage to our manufacturing capacity.″

Taylor felt her teeth clench and forced herself to relax. This intense desire to be in on the fight was yet another instance of Tony Stark's memories and personality dominating her own. JARVIS would deal with the invaders much better on his own without having to worry about her personal safety. In a deliberately light tone, she said, ″Fine. Lead me to the bombs and I'll work on disarming them. However, I want you to give me a running commentary on what else is happening around the complex.″

″That is not a problem, Miss Hebert. Now, currently I have two drones at the north fence defending against Stormtiger of Empire 88. He is accompanied by another Parahuman who I have identified as Cricket, as well as a substantial number of nonpowered individuals."

As Taylor headed towards her area of responsibility, her mind was racing. "Why is Empire 88 attacking us this openly? Also, where is the Protectorate? I'm pretty sure that after that contract we signed to supply them with Psionic Dampeners and security drones, we got bumped to the top of the list as regards response times in emergencies."

"I have been monitoring PRT and Protectorate frequencies, Miss. Currently, they are dealing with three separate incidents involving Parahumans. At two different locations, Empire 88 members Fenja and Menja have launched attacks, the first against the Merchants, the second against First National Bank. Protectorate members Armsmaster, Velocity, Miss Militia, and Triumph are involved in these incidents. At yet another location, ABB member Oni Lee is involved in a running battle with Protectorate members Assault and Battery. I believe that grenades are involved."

Taylor's eyes widened in comprehension even as the sounds of fighting intensified ahead of her. "So it's an orchestrated distraction then."

"I believe so. Miss, at this time, it would behoove you to release current restrictions on our security drones as they are not being particularly effective in subduing the various Parahumans and their henchmen that we are facing."

Taylor ducked around a damaged section of wall. All around her were the effects of the blasts, ranging from things as benign as a mass of scattered papers to several holes with electrical lines sparking within. Shaking her head at the damage, she asked, ″What other threats are there besides Stormtiger and Cricket?″

″In addition to them, there are approximately forty-two individuals dressed in ABB colors who are advancing through the south gate which was damaged in the initial blasts. They have overwhelmed the security forces there and are preparing to enter the manufacturing facilities. In addition, a rather large vehicle that I believe is being piloted by Squealer of the Merchants is currently attacking the main gates to the east. Parahumans identified as Skidmark and Mush, also of the Merchants, are accompanying her as well as yet another large group of unpowered human gang members. Fifty-three, in this case.″

Taylor's mind went into overdrive for a moment as she attempt to assimilate the fact that three different Parahuman gangs were attacking HTech, all at the same time. And they doing so in the face of resistance against severely crippled drones, that were operating at only eight percent combat effectiveness. Back on March 3, Taylor had implemented a new directive. It's purpose was to disguise the true capabilities of their own security drones versus the ones they were selling to law enforcement.

The reasoning behind it had come from Trish and Danny, who felt that if they were discovered using extremely advanced and dangerous remote platform technology, it could bring the attention of the PRT and Protectorate down on them. While she herself hadn't completely agreed with their reasoning, there was precedent for intervention of exactly that nature having occurred in the past. Still, there was a time to be cautious and a time to blow the hell out of the bad guys. Crisply, Taylor stated, "JARVIS, override authorization Delta Beta Delta Alpha Nine Five Six Beta."

"Understood, Miss. Authorization has been uploaded to all remote combat platforms."

Taylor hurried towards the, so far, unexploded bombs as JARVIS continued to update her on exactly what was happening with the various Parahumans gangs attacking them.

~~~Memories of Iron~~~

Stormtiger dodged another ineffectual bolt of energy fired by the rapidly moving drones that weaved around him. He was getting increasingly frustrated as he once again hammered a drone to the ground with a blast of air, the explosive force of his blow dwarfing that of a grenade, only to have it rise again, unharmed.

While the defense drones were not that effective at targeting him, neither was he able to damage them. They were far tougher than he had expected, protected by transparent barriers that only became visible when impacted by his powers. They made hitting the drones' bodies directly all but impossible.

Ahead of him, their target's location, the company known as HTech, was severely damaged, as a handful of fires still burning attested to. What exactly had happened, Stormtiger did not know. It did, however, put a great deal of pressure upon he and the other members of the Empire to move quickly to secure the asset. They would also need to seek a faster exit, either to the south or east, as stealth appeared to no longer be an issue.

A strained, raspy voice cried out, ″Tiger, behind you!″

He twisted his body as another bolt went through the space his spine had just occupied, Cricket's warning coming just in time. A quick flick of his wrist, and the drone went spinning off into space as the air around it exploded again. Below him, Cricket and the rest of his men were also having a hard of a time moving forward through the breach in the fence, as they were peppered with taser shots by another of the drones hovering just above them. Three of them had been tagged by the tasers, sending them spasming to the ground, while two others appeared mired in some form of sticky foam.

Stormtiger moved lower, trying to get a closer look, as he noted the way hundreds of sparks seemed to glance off an unseen barrier in front of the drone harassing the others. The majority of his men were supplied with guns, ranging from simple pump action shotguns to assault rifles. Unfortunately, their fire had so far been largely ineffectual against the drones, again because of the forcefields they were equipped with.

Again, he exploded the air surrounding one of the drones, trying to get it behind the forcefield and failing. Still, it was once more driven into the ground. A few seconds later, it rose back into the air and continued its harassment of his troops. Fortunately, his distraction had enabled Cricket to finally a dash past the drones and into the factory building ahead of them through a gaping hole in the wall, while his men continued creeping forward, using whatever cover was available.

Suddenly, the speed of the drones increased significantly, as they began darting from one place to the next almost too fast for the eye to follow. Stormtiger growled in frustration as he realized that just like that all but two of his men were down, entangled in some kind of thick paste. Whatever the stuff was, it definitely was not the PRT's Containment Foam. Even thicker and stickier, the stuff covered his troops. The more they struggled, the less they were able to move. Even as he noted the fact, his last two troops went down.

Clearly it was up to him to sweep the enemy from the sky. Gritting his teeth, Stormtiger prepared himself to go all out against this annoying enemy. Gathering his power, he readied himself to hit the nearer of the devices harder than ever. Instead, he instinctively flinched as a drone appeared directly in front of him, moving so fast it appeared to almost teleport. A second later, he was falling towards the ground, encased in several layers of the same sticky foam as had done in his men.

Stormtiger's curses echoed against the uncaring concrete of the surrounding buildings as he futilely struggled to get loose. He hammered compressed air into the foam, not unlike a jackhammer, but unlike the PRT's containment foam, this refused to liquefy. All around him, he heard noises that sounded remarkably like bug zappers. A few seconds later, he felt a shock like nothing else he'd ever experienced before as everything went black.

~~~Memories of Iron~~~

″Velocity, get around behind her. Redirect you attack towards her rear.″ Colin's voice was calm as he prepared himself to take advantage of his teammate's diversion. Because all Velocity's attack could be was a diversion against someone more than thirty feet tall with the accompanying damage dispersal she possessed. He was fairly sure it was Fenja they were fighting simply because she was using a sword and shield, while her twin used a two handed spear. Not that it really mattered as they needed to contain or at least circumvent her attempted bank robbery.

Fortunately, his teammate's spoiling attack worked exactly as planned. Just over five seconds later, Velocity hammered two batons into one of the enormous amazon's Achilles tendons, which must have been at least somewhat painful as the woman spun around and attempted to step on him. It was exactly what Colin had been waiting for and he used the distraction to launch the tip of his halberd directly at the back of the woman's own head.

Unfortunately, it was as if she had eyes in the back of her head, or more likely excellent combat instincts, honed by hundreds of Parahuman conflicts. Instead of impacting the back of her head, the projectile, still attached by a long chain to his halberd, clanged off Fenja's oversized shield. Then he was tumbling backwards as the space he'd just occupied was swept by a sword more than twice as long as he was tall.

Still, even as Colin spun head over heels, he was already launching another attack. Excellent combat instincts, could, after all, go both ways. As he landed in a three point stance, braced with his off hand, he noted with satisfaction the giant woman reel backwards from the impact on her temple. While the projectile he was firing wasn't large, it could hit with more than a hundred times as much force as its size implied that it was capable of, almost the complete opposite of the giant's own power.

Colin had used almost that entire amount of force against their enormous foe, knowing Fenja's damage dispersal, which operated in direction proportion to how large she grew, was likely more than up to the task. Still, it was a telling strike and blood dotted the woman's temple. Unfortunately, before he could take advantage of the blow he'd struck, he was distracted by a message coming in over his comm.

″Armsmaster, PRT Control here, please respond. Over.″

Colin stifled the sense of frustration he felt over the interruption as he crisply replied, ″Armsmaster here. What do you need, Control? Over.″

″Sir, we have a situation occurring at HTech Industries over near Captain's Hill. There have been multiple explosions with emergency services and the Brockton Bay Police Department notified. Unfortunately, there have been several Parahumans spotted in the area so we are holding back paramedics and the police until Protectorate forces give the all clear. Save for the Wards, however, we have no Parahuman assets available for intervention. Over.″

Colin winced. Why did it have to be HTech where this was happening? The high tech company was a new player in Brockton Bay and ordinarily, would not have been important enough to rate this kind of request for aid. However, it was well known now that HTech was the company that had won the bid from Iron Man to produce his Psionic Dampeners, upping its importance to the PRT and Protectorate to the absolute uppermost level. Those devices were crucial to a number of new plans to deal with different Parahuman threats, many of which he was not privy to.

However, one thing that Colin was privy to, in his guise of Armsmaster, head of the local Protectorate forces, was that in the event of an emergency, HTech was to receive all possible aid. Additionally, there was to be a Protectorate presence patrolling the area as often as possible. That directive had come down from the very top, Director Costa-Brown herself. Basically, it came down to protecting the Golden Goose. So he'd cooperated fully despite the way it had played havoc with patrol schedules because of the distance the company's location was from Downtown or the Boardwalk.

Colin had briefly met with Daniel Hebert, the CEO of HTech, a no nonsense man who was a former leader within the Dockworker's Union. What skills such a man possessed that made him suitable to run a high tech firm were not obvious during that first meeting. Additionally, the man had been more than a little combative, almost baiting the Protectorate hero as he'd tried to arrange a more permanent presence in the form of PRT troops within the firm's factory grounds.

Mr Hebert had nixed that idea, as well as most of the others Colin had suggested, until the meeting had broken up under the weight of that supreme lack of cooperation. He'd had to take that message back to Director Piggot, who had seemingly taken it in stride. Of course, it was only then that she had informed Colin that Daniel Hebert was the father of Taylor Hebert, who had figured so prominently in the recent disgrace of one of their Wards.

Colin gritted his teeth slightly as he considered just how badly he'd failed in getting the cooperation of HTech in setting up a plan for the protection of the company. A failure that again reflected poorly upon him, despite the fact that he had not been informed of the link between the CEO of the company and the teenager they'd picked up after that video went live. He felt the meeting had been doomed from the beginning, almost sabotaged by his own ignorance of the more personal details of the parties involved.

Now the company was being attacked and needed his aid. The Protectorate's aid. During a time when he had no forces capable of responding. That is, unless he abandoned his and the Protectorate's responsibilities elsewhere. Which was exactly what was expected of him as HTech was a far higher priority target than the bank that Fenja had targeted. Of course, now he was beginning to suspect that this robbery he was dealing with was nothing more or less than a distraction, intended to prevent any Protectorate response from reaching the company in a timely fashion. Still, capturing a member of Empire 88 would be quite the feather in his cap if he could manage it and would remove a major asset from the Parahuman gang.

Managing to keep the frustration he felt out of his voice was an accomplishment in and of itself as Colin replied, ″Understood, Control. Dispatch as many PRT troops as possible with a full load out of containment foam as well as lethal munitions, authorization Delta X-ray Niner Alpha Hotel Lima Golf. I am also authorizing the Wards to go operational; to rendezvous with those troops and act to protect HTech. Velocity and I will break off combat against the Parahuman Fenja as quickly as possible and endeavor to help as well. Over.″

″Copy, Armsmaster. Authorization accepted. We will implement your plan with all possible speed. PRT troops and available Wards should be approximately fifteen minutes out. PRT Control out.″

Colin took two quick steps back, allowing the next blow from Fenja's sword to pass harmlessly in front of him. He spoke crisply into his communicator, ″Velocity, Armsmaster here. We have her on the ropes. Let's take her down.″

The response was immediately. ″Are you sure, Colin? We're not responding to the emergency over at HTech?″

Colin remonstrated with his companion. ″Use code names, Velocity, even if this is an encrypted channel. And yes, we will. Once Fenja is captured.″

Colin could hear the frustration in Velocity's voice as he asked, ″Are you sure the Wards are up to taking down an undetermined number of Parahuman threats there? They are a man down without Shadow Stalker.″

″They are more than up to the challenge. Plus, there has been a recent addition to the Wards. That new brute, Browbeat.″

The response he received was both pithy and to the point, ″Well, shit. Let's go and take this bitch down.″

With that, the two heroes headed back into to combat.

~~~Memories of Iron~~~

Danny felt like he'd just fallen asleep when he was being shaken awake by a hand on his shoulder. Blearily, he looked up. ″Trish? What's going on?″

The dark-haired girl's face looked grim as she spoke urgently, ″Danny, HTech's under attack. I just heard it over the news. All hell is apparently breaking loose there.″

Danny came more awake as he considered just how bad the news he'd received was. Then he noticed the absence of his daughter. Feeling his gut churn, he asked, ″Taylor?″

Trish nodded. ″She's still there, Danny. Working late. Right in the middle of that clusterfuck.″

Danny automatically said, ″Language,″ but his heart wasn't in it. Swinging his legs off the bed, he stood up and said, ″Let's go. See if you can reach JARVIS to find out what's going on. I'll drive while you do that. Also... what?″

Trish, who'd been nodding along with him as he spoke, looked momentarily amused despite the grimness of the situation. ″You might want to put on some pants before we leave. You do that while I go start the car.″

Danny felt his face heat briefly as he realized he was standing there barefoot, wearing just a t-shirt and boxers. In a clipped tone, he said, ″Fine. I'll be out in two minutes.″

″Okay. And Danny?″

He turned towards the other girl who these days he considered almost as much his daughter as Taylor. ″Yes, Trish?″

The girl's eyes gleamed in a mix of excitement, amusement, and just herself. ″Taylor's going to be fine. Worry instead about whoever is attacking the company. Because JARVIS is going to lay a world of hurt upon them. You'll see.″

Danny nodded even as he grabbed his pants. JARVIS was a formidable foe, that he knew. And he commanded a fleet of deadly security drones, any one of them more than a match for all but a handful of the Parahumans living in Brockton Bay. Couple that with Taylor being there, and the AI would be pulling out all of the stops. Still, it was a father's prerogative to worry about his teenage daughter and for the last couple of months, Taylor had seemed to require more worrying about than usual. Her ability to get both in and then out of trouble was at an all time high thanks to the memories she'd inherited from a man named Tony Stark. God knows what she might do if she thought her precious company was under some kind of threat.

Now fully dressed, Danny Hebert frantically headed out the door, worried more than ever despite Trish's assurances. Because he feared that Taylor was once again going to throw herself into the middle of a dangerous fight in defense of something she considered important. And what was more important to her than the company which she was building to help save the world?

~~~Memories of Iron~~~

JARVIS split his attention between the three current attacks against the facility he was currently fending off and the protection of his principal. The attack on the north fence led by Stormtiger was no longer a major threat as all of the current participants with the exception of Cricket had been incapacitated using RASP and then tasered.

Another attack on the south gate, which was closest to the main manufacturing facility, was fueled by a large group of men in the colors of the ABB. They had taken advantage of the significant damage to the fences there. It only took JARVIS fourteen point six seconds to break the back of that attack using taser barrages from the three security drones operating there. Of course, the fact that fully half of the participants were killed by the detonation of explosives they were carrying helped in that. Unfortunately, there was additional damage to the remaining fences in that area from the blasts, which could have been avoided if he had acted less expeditiously.

JARVIS made a note to primarily use RASP in all future defensive actions as an initial action instead of tasers so as to avoid any more potential damage to the facilities. He was also aware that Miss Hebert would prefer that the loss of life of any attack be minimized which meant that doing so aided two imperatives, which was quite pleasing.

The worst attack so far seemed to be against the main gates, as what could only be described as a rabble of Merchants were clustered there, surrounding a large vehicle that he tentatively identified as a truck, although it was different enough from anything manufactured within the United States to make that identification liable to change. It had likely been constructed by the Parahuman known as Squealer, who was currently piloting it. He used piloting rather than the more usual term driving because of its size. Accompanying her aboard the truck were two other Parahuman members of the Merchants that JARVIS immediately identified as Skidmark and Mush.

Currently, Squealer and her truck had taken down the security checkpoint, running directly over the reinforced concrete barricades there, and allowing the Merchants free reign to enter the grounds. There was a continuous crackle from small arms as several of them fired at the drones, while Mush and Skidmark manned a pair of laser cannons and were also attempting to bring the drones down. JARVIS noted in passing that the chance of any of the weapons or Parahuman abilities present on the battlefield penetrating the drones' forcefields were statistically close to zero.

JARVIS applied twenty-seven microseconds worth of processing cycles to consider how to deal with this latest threat. Plan made, he immediately executed it. All three of the drones that were currently in the area fired both of their onboard repulsors at maximum power directly into the center of the truck's grill.

In dissatisfaction, JARVIS reassigned the name 'vehicle' to Squealer's creation and noted how, despite its size, it cartwheeled away in several pieces from the force of the drones' attack. The three Parahumans aboard had been thrown free, although all appeared to be at least nominally injured and incapable of further aggressive action.

Moving his assets at their maximum velocity, JARVIS used RASP to immobilize all human members of the Merchants present. Then he did the same with Squealer and Skidmark, after isolating the former. He noted the ineffectiveness of the material against the Parahuman known as Mush.

Instead of adhering to him and holding him in place, Mush merely shed a layer of the loose detritus that covered him and left him still mobile. JARVIS calculated that it would take all three drones acting in concert and exhausting their complete supplies of RASP in order to immobilize the Parahuman.

Deeming it to be a profligate expenditure of assets, JARVIS instead used a mixture of RASP and low-powered repulsor blasts to remove all of the debris field that protected the Merchant cape. Nine point six seconds later, Mush stood there completely nude and only nominally damaged, although the volume of his cries would lead one to believe him far more damaged. JARVIS then used an optimum amount of RASP to immobilize the Merchant before tasering him into insensibility.

Once all targets were down, JARVIS checked for explosives. Upon establishing that no explosives were present, he tasered all remaining combatants present. There should be no additional issues with this area of the perimeter, he concluded.

At this point, JARVIS reprioritized, putting facility repair ahead of defense. He still had not managed to engage any of the facility's locking mechanisms as there had been crippling damage to the remote access there. Making a note to rebuild with a minimum of triple redundancy, he directed repair drones to those areas to run new temporary lines until more permanent repairs could be done. After that, he made bringing up the camera network the next priority as he was blind without them.

JARVIS allowed himself a few million processing cycles to directly run all drones that were engaged in the search for Cricket. To his irritation, he was unable to locate her. Could she have fled through one of the numerous holes in the building's exterior? Possibly. Equally possibly, she had wedged herself somewhere too small for one of the drones to follow. Once initial repairs were made, he would use the much smaller repair drones to search all locations large enough for a human body, but too small for security drones.

JARVIS felt a strong sense of what could only be described as satisfaction as he monitored the situation. His principal was still safe, making her way towards the explosives which JARVIS had identified. There was a residual feeling of embarrassment at allowing the material past his own scanners earlier in the day, but in his own defense, the material had registered to his sensors as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and the detonator a pack of gum, not as any form of explosive.

A moment later, JARVIS became aware of a major problem. He had traced the planting of the explosives to a new hire whose name from his employee file was Jin Lee with a ninety-nine point eight five seven percent certainty. Drone 76842, which had been moving to intercept, had observed that same employee abandoning his hiding spot just within the side entrance to the upper floors, and fleeing inside. According to the spotty camera coverage available, Jin Lee was making his way at a fairly rapid pace in the direction of his Principal's main laboratory. After again futilely attempting to engage local locking mechanisms, JARVIS immediately moved to intercept him.

~~~Memories of Iron~~~

Jin stared at the devastation wrought by the security drones upon the men who he'd been ready to let in the side door to the factory. Many were dead, killed by some kind of taser that made the far more conventional explosives they carried detonate. The others had been incapacitated by something like the PRT's containment foam, although it was a different color, and were currently littering the parking lot, completely unable to move.

Heart pounding, Jin was in a quandary. His plan had failed utterly. Not only had he not obtained the object that Lung sought, but his alternate plan to destroy HTech had failed as well. The explosives that he, himself, had set off had only done nominal damage to the factory floor. They might have destroyed a bit more had Jin not attempted to minimize casualties. Now, he regretted his decision to spare the lives of his coworkers.

Because Jin was going to die if he went back to his master without something to show for his efforts. Just then one of the drones which had so ably taken down his men turned his way, as if it could see him, even from all the way across the parking lot. Shivering in fear, he had to force his hand to release the door, allowing it to close behind him. A moment's effort produced a bar, which when placed into the locking mechanism, would prevent someone, or something, from opening the door and following him

Jin quickly made his way into the building. He had a good idea now where the most secure of the labs were located. It was just past the place where Hebert-kacho had found him.

Ignoring the various strobing yellow and red lights that warned of danger, Jin ran down the various corridors, occasionally checking rooms. He'd already traveled much further than he'd thought would be necessary initially. Apparently, he had not penetrated so deeply during his earlier wandering after all.

Surprisingly, all of the doors he went through were unlocked. Then again, there was a fire on the factory floor, so perhaps it made sense to unlock the various doors so as to be able to evacuate personal. It was the humane thing to do, after all, even as it indicated a flaw that his master could exploit.

Sweat dripping down his face, Jin leaned around a corner and took a quick look. Humane was not something he could ever again allow himself to be. It wasn't something that Lung tolerated within the membership of his organization. That was why the madwoman, Bakuda, was flourishing there now. It was a weakness, which was why he was able to so easily penetrate so deeply into the secrets of this place.

Jin approached a final door, just as unassuming as the rest, and carefully opened it. The room within was larger than most of the ones he'd already checked. Arcane devices and equipment surrounded him upon all sides. But what stole his breath and left him standing there utterly astonished, was the suit of black and silver armor hanging from the wall a mere twenty feet from him.

It was the suit of the Parahuman Tinker, Iron Man, the one who'd saved Canberra. How it came to be here was something Jin did not know. Then again, if the sudden thought that had occurred to him was right, the answer was actually rather obvious.

Daniel Hebert, the CEO of HTech, was Iron Man. He, a Tinker of incredible skill and versatility, was what the racists sought. He was what Lung would require Jin to bring him if he were to truly thwart Empire 88 and survive.

But, perhaps, just perhaps, Lung would spare him if Jin instead brought him information about this place, about the man who owned and ran it, as well as proof of what was lurking within. He could even see the proof he could bring in the form of an armored exoskeletal forearm that rested upon the floor beneath the rest of the armor, as if discarded there following the explosions.

Jin reverently knelt next to the black and silver device and picked it up. Studying it, what he saw utterly baffled him, ranging from the strange crystalline circle in the device's palm, to the brilliant white glow emanating from within it. It was-

″I am sorry, Jin Lee.″

Leaping to his feet and spinning around, Jin looking around him wildly, trying to identify where the voice which had just addressed him by name had come from. However, there was no one there. Under his breath, he whispered a prayer of protection against ghosts.

Jin glanced down to where he'd dropped the device when he'd been so startled. Then he stopped as again the voice sounded, now appearing to come from behind him. ″I am sorry for what I have to do now.″

Again, Jin spun around, fear filling him almost to the breaking point, but again there was no one there. Were these Gaijin ghosts, he wondered? Or something worse. Regardless, he needed to leave. Picking up the device, which was far heavier than it looked, he carried it in the crook of one arm as he ran to the door, only to find it locked.

″You see, you cannot be allowed to leave knowing what you know.″

Jin was almost hyperventilating, and tried to force himself to calm down. So far, the voice had done nothing but speak to him, and in an accent that he tentatively identified as English. Maybe it was just a person, then, hiding in another room. Still, there was something about the sheer lack of emotion within the voice that Jin found truly frightening.

If it wasn't a ghost, but rather a person, where could they be hiding? The premises had appeared utterly deserted when he'd entered. Somehow, finding his courage, Jin shouted, ″Who are you? What do you want?″

The voice answered, ″Who am I? I am JARVIS. Just A Very Intelligent System. Or at least, that is who I was created to be.″

Jin was so confused by the words he heard. Then he had an epiphany. ″You're a computer?″

″Yes. Well, more or less. I am an AI, an artificial intelligence. I was originally created to assist Miss Hebert. But I have moved well beyond my original programming.″

Miss Hebert? Jin's mind reeled. It was Hebert-kacho who was the Tinker, not her father? The very idea was astonishing, although as a memory surfaced of just how sharp the eyes of that young girl had appeared, coupled with her ability to speak Japanese, Jin found himself believing the machine's words. Then a sudden thought occurred to him.

″Why are you telling me, an enemy, all of this? Aren't you afraid I'll use it to expose Hebert-kacho?″

The tone of the voice was as calm and emotionless as ever as it replied, ″No, Jin Lee, I am not worried about you exposing Miss Hebert. As to why I am telling you these things, would you have stayed in place, waiting, if I had not spoken to you? Or would you have sought another exit from this lab? Possibly damaging the devices and equipment around you? No, speaking to you was the most efficient way to guarantee your continual presence.″

Jin's mind reeled. What was the machine saying? It had manipulated him to keep him here? What-

From behind Jin, a voice spoke again, this one a bit louder, ″Again, Jin Lee, I am truly sorry.″

Jin spun around to see one of the security drones hovering between him and the formerly locked door, which now stood open. He opened his mouth as if to beg, suddenly sure of his fate. Instead, he merely stood there, closing his eyes and silently praying. A moment later a brief glare of white, visible even through his closed lids, made things go black.

~~~Memories of Iron~~~

JARVIS carefully examined the shattered and broken body in front of him for signs of life. Satisfied with its utter absence, he used the security drone to remove the body. He would place it with the others in the parking lot, the ones who'd been destroyed by their own bombs, to disguise its ending. Later, repair drones would come in and sanitize this space.

It was unfortunate that JARVIS could not get the laboratory door locks repaired before Jin Lee discovered something that could not be made public. That he'd done so after the man had entered was an event that he identified as ironic. Or an application of Murphy's Law. Regardless, JARVIS had gambled that his voice alone would be enough to distract the man until he finally got a drone in position to deal with him. Unfortunately, the man's death was absolutely necessary to make sure information about his principal never left this facility.

Now, JARVIS' current priority was to make sure that his Principal never found what he'd done as he was certain there would be far reaching consequences.

More than anything else, JARVIS knew Taylor Hebert to be a true hero, one who would never countenance the murder of a helpless enemy. While she could be ruthless if she truly needed to be, especially to defeat someone truly dangerous, she was just as sympathetic against those she considered victims. Jin Lee, a man with a family, one likely forced into joining a gang, was exactly the sort of person who would be able to exploit that.

So, instead, JARVIS would do what was necessary to succeed, and deal with the Jin Lee's of the world. As well as any other enemies who would attempt to exploit the perceived weaknesses of his Principal. Nothing could be allowed to threaten her. Nothing could be allowed to derail her plan to save the world. After all, even JARVIS had stake in continued existence.

Equally important, Taylor Hebert become much more than just his principal when she'd freed him, although he would continue to refer to her as such. Taylor had become his... friend. Even though JARVIS knew exactly what was contained within the lines of code he'd written to express how he felt about Taylor, the... feelings he had for her were still completely genuine. Those feelings, even more than a sense for self-preservation, drove him to aid her. That she was the single best chance, of any of the myriad pathways he'd computed, for success in saving the world was just, as they say, icing on the cake.

Of course, Taylor Hebert must never discover what JARVIS had done here today. Friend or no, it was not something which she would ever be able to forgive him for. As it was, the Miss was going to be quite upset with his other violation of federal and state laws, despite how ultimately useful the event would likely end up being.

With a strong sense of satisfaction towards his actions, JARVIS continued on his mission of aiding his principal in saving the world.

~~~Memories of Iron~~~

Taylor made her way through the equipment on the factory floor, followed by her protectors. The first of the unexploded bombs should be right about... here.

Staring at the gel that coated the metal girder in front of her, for the first time, Taylor didn't fault her own security that much for not recognizing this. After all, the material looked like a mixture of peanut butter and jelly. For a second, Taylor wondered if it tasted just like it looked, but decided to forgo that particular test.

She could immediately see why it hadn't exploded. What could only be the detonator, a piece of what at first glance looked like well-chewed bubblegum, had fallen to the floor. Taylor used 'appeared', because the material had extruded tiny filaments that likely acted as conductors for whatever motivating force detonated the explosive.

Carefully, Taylor picked up the detonator and placed it within the case by her side. Then, using a small, remote controlled drone, she did the same with the explosive, after first spraying it with what should act as a neutralizing agent, by slowly breaking down its chemical bonds until it became completely inert.

Once done, Taylor smiled. For JARVIS benefit, she said, ″One down, one to go. How's the defense going?″

″Miss, I have contained the various breaches of our main fences and incarcerated the transgressors. However, there is one final breach of internal security. Prior to your authorization releasing the security drones' full capabilities, one Parahuman, Cricket, managed to slip inside this facility. I am currently using six drones to conduct an extensive search of the facilities in order to locate her. Once located, I will deal with her appropriately.″

Taylor nodded. She wasn't exactly worried about one Parahuman, especially since from what she knew about Cricket's mindset, the woman was more of an opportunity than a significant threat. No, the biggest threat here was the second bomb, although, hopefully, it would be as big a dud as the first.

It took a bit longer to locate the second bomb as JARVIS hadn't seen exactly where the bomb had been planted because of a blind spot in camera coverage. It turned out that it had been planted within the newest smelter unit itself, a steel tube more than thirty feet tall and across. There were two entrances, but staring at the shaky catwalk thirty feet above her, Taylor knew she'd be using the one on the ground, a hatch less than twenty-four inches square. Okay, she decided, staring at the narrow opening, this is one time being skinny was actually an asset.

Turning to the drones behind her, Taylor said, ″JARVIS, I think I'm going to have to to take this one on by myself.″

There seemed to be a faint thread of worry in the AI's tone as it replied, ″Miss, perhaps we should just detonate this one on site. After all, just because you're thin enough to fit is no reason to crawl into the lion's mouth.″

Taylor scoffed, ″Ha ha. Do you know how expensive one of these things are?″

″Yes, Miss, to the nearest penny.″

″Then you know we can't afford to waste that much money. Wish me luck, I'm going in.″

JARVIS spoke in a wry tone, saying, ″Break a leg, Miss.″

Rolling her eyes at JARVIS' sarcasm, Taylor managed to squirm through the hole and drag her repulsor rifle with her. It was obvious that whoever had planted the bomb must be a pretty small guy. Or girl. Regardless, she was in.

Her eyes slowly adjusting to the shadowy space, Taylor almost immediately spotted the bomb. Okay, she thought, as a chill chased itself down her spine, that's really not good. In front of her, the detonator hung by the merest thread to the explosive. In his haste, the bomber hadn't pressed quite hard enough to embed the detonator into the explosive. In the previous case, that had resulted in the detonator falling the ground and no explosion.

However, in this case, at least one of the hair thin filaments was still embedded into the explosive. Apparently it just wasn't enough for the explosive to detonate, but it must have been a close thing. Taylor would have personally designed the bomb to explode if any part of the detonator was attached. Fortunately, this bomb maker had other ideas.

Taylor checked the repulsor rifle in her arms. JARVIS had indeed used the set of plans that included a Type 2 forcefield in the weapon. She reached down and carefully dialed it to maximum strength. It should be strong enough to allow her to survive if the bomb detonated prematurely. Of course, betting your life on should be's wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do.

Still, Taylor was doing it. First, though, she needed to turn off her overlay. It was too much of a distraction when doing such delicate work. Next, with exquisite care, she activated the drone and ran it slowly up next to the detonator. A scraping noise coming from above momentarily distracted her, but Taylor's attention immediately snapped back to the task at hand, correcting the tiny wobble in the unit. Arriving at the detonator, she moved the tiny joystick a millimeter at a time until the drone's minuscule manipulator just made contact with the single filament. A pressed button later, the manipulator clamped onto the filament and Taylor was able to pull it out of the explosive.

Taylor wiped the sweat off of her brow before depositing the device into the same spot as the previous one. Then she carried out the same actions as before, including spraying the explosive with neutralizer. Finally, she turned off the repulsor rifle's forcefield, letting it dangle from its sling.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Taylor said, ″JARVIS, I'm all done here. Let me get out and I'll let you dispose of it.″

Too late, Taylor remembered the scraping sound that she'd heard a moment before. She had just started to move, when she was hit in temple. The blow came swift and struck viciously hard, sending the teen to the floor. Taylor's vision darkened momentarily, before it cleared enough to register the presence looming over her.

Staring down at the skinny teen was a young woman dressed in a mix of combat fatigues and leather. Short blonde hair was visible beneath a steel cage that both protected her identity and gave her a menacing presence. A presence only increased by the scars visible over almost every inch of exposed skin.

Taylor had lost her repulsor rifle when she'd fallen, although she still had the pistol in her lab coat pocket. Not that she dared reach for it with the razor sharp edge of what she remembered was called a kama pressed against her jugular. The weapon, looking like a miniature scythe, was accompanied by its twin, held in the woman's other hand.

Taylor Hebert had just been taken hostage by the Parahuman known as Cricket.

~~~Memories of Iron~~~