Crafting

QuickShot:

"How are things," I ask, handing JumpStart a cup of water. "Did you find out anything about that person in the stolen cell?"

"I'm afraid not," JumpStart replies, taking the cup with one hand while typing with his other hand. "And believe me, I've tried. Whoever was in the cell Unstoppable walked off with must have been very important and dangerous. The people at IronWall were making sure the person's records stay sealed."

"Keep trying," I say, tapping JumpStart on his back. "We need to know who we're up against."

With a nod of his head and three gulps of water, JumpStart returns to the OutPost's computer. With his eyes on the screen, he hands me the empty cup and I place it in the kitchen sink.

It had been a little over a week since the break-in, and ever since then, the four of us have been working non-stop to do whatever we can to even the odds.

When JumpStart isn't trying to hack into IronWall's records, he, Ms. Justice, and I have been trying to install the OutPost with a security system. We implanted traps and alarms all over the base. Meanwhile, SpeedBlade had been running all over the city, collecting everything we would need. It was difficult explaining what a few of the parts we needed were, and after a while, he just grabbed whatever he could find and brought it back. Still, we got the parts we needed.

"Hey," I say, waving at Ms. Justice who is sitting on our living room's floor due to our lack of chairs. "How's that new trap coming along?"

"Hey," Ms. Justice says, looking up. "Not too bad. I think it's almost ready for testing. I just need a few more things from SpeedBlade."

Returning to the new trap, she starts to tie metal wires around each other. Once finishes, she gets up to her feet and shows me a large metal net.

"Not bad," I say, stepping back to admire the net. It's huge. It looks big enough to capture the four of us and maybe even one person extra.

"Yeah, well, wait for the kicker," Ms. Justice says, smiling. "Since this is a metal net, I was thinking I could somehow modify it to stun any intruders."

"Awesome."

"Yeah. I just need those wires I asked SpeedBlade for. I wonder where he could be."

As soon as Ms. Justice finishes talking, a gust of red wind appears and blows our hair all over.

"Here," SpeedBlade screams, throwing everything in his arms right in front of Ms. Justice. The two of us, at first stun by his sudden appearance, barely have time to get out of the way as SpeedBlade throws everything down. A pile of machine parts; gears, pipes, some sheet metals, and other things, all collapse onto Ms. Justice's metal net.

"This is everything I could find that resembles what is it you asked for," SpeedBlade says, bending over to place his hands on his knees. I can hear him panting as he pushes himself up. "Use it well because I ran all over the city for it, and now I'm about to collapse."

"Hey," I say, looking between the piles and SpeedBlade. "That was rude of you. What was that for?"

"All of that," SpeedBlade pants, "Was for Ms. Justice. It's everything she asked for. It's what I could find after digging through trashes, and it wasn't easy to carry it all back here. How about before giving the OutPost a defense, you make me something I can use to carry all of this?"

Silent:

"I'm sorry," Ms. Justice replies, "But for the record, I only asked for wires. I didn't ask for all this other stuff."

"Forget this," SpeedBlade yells, walking around. "I'm too tired to do any more running. I'm going to sleep."

I watch as the speedster knight walks away, leaving behind the shield-bearer and the telekinesis archer. As soon as the knight is gone, the archer and shield-bearer start to sort out the parts the knight brought.

"Add all the traps you want," I say, turning away from the monitors and walking down the stairs. "It won't work. With the cameras I installed, I will know where they are and how to avoid them."

Walking through my hideout, I make my way to Dr. Cho's makeshift lab. As I enter the lab, I'm surprised to see the doctor taking down notes instead of working on the project.

"Dr. Cho," I scream, my voice echoing through the room and startling the doctor. I stomp my way over to her.

"Dr. Cho," I start, staring her down. "I ordered two of my men, one of which is now stuck in IronWall, to break you out. I had another one break into Giga-Tech to retrieve your work on the metal mixture formula. I had a fourth distracted the OutCasts while I personally retrieve the flash drive. Almost all of my men are in IronWall Prison because of the OutCast. Because of you! And yet, here you are, repaying the debt, by taking note."

I push her aside and slam my arms on the table. Tossing everything, including her precious notes onto the floor, I grab her by shirt collar and pull her close so she is mere inches from me.

"When," I whisper, rising my fist so it's next to my face. "When will it be ready?"

"It will be ready when it's ready," Dr. Cho replies, seemingly almost unfazed by me. "I am working as hard as I can, but there are still a few key components I need before I can start building it. Yes, you do have the metals required and now with the data back, I can begin the mixture, but without any proper welding equipment and some help, the project will take some time."

"Welding equipment," I repeat, pushing Dr. Cho into a cabinet directly behind her.

Steadying herself, she goes on.

"Yes, welding equipment. Such things as arc welders, blowtorches, and some welding sticks. And I will need the help of my assistant, assuming, of course, he's still in the city."

Dusting herself off, I start to plan.

"I can get you the welding equipment," I say, turning around to leave the lab. "I will have one of my men gather everything you need."

"And my assistant," Dr. Cho asks.

"No. You will have to complete the project by yourself. With your powers, that shouldn't be too hard. Understood?"

"Understood," Dr. Cho repeats, returning to her notes. "Get me the welding equipment I need, and I will be able to start building."

I exit the lab and bring up my wrist. A screen flipping out, I start to type a name into the computer. Hitting enter, I watch as an IronWall Prison's record comes up, a profile picture and information side-by-side.

"Heavy Metal," I say, reading over his information. "You should be able to retrieve everything, and you should more than be able to beat down the OutCasts."