RE.5

"You can build things as any other tinker, that is what are you trying to tell us, right?" Father asked me, after a while, it was around ten minutes after he laid me on the couch, all the while, we stayed silent, with father just having his hand on my back, moving up and down in a calm manner, making me much calmer...

I...

Even if my memories from my previous life belonged to that of an adult, it was much harder to control my emotions, children were more emotional and hormonal, making it hard even for the adult mind in the child's body to control their own emotions...

So, it wasn't so surprising I was such a wreck right now, especially not with the lack of sleep and fear that my mind isn't my own, for my entire life, I wanted powers, but tried, tried so hard to ignore any idea of ME, not being the ME, I knew experiences changed personalities, but one thing was being changed after living thought the things, and another was not being sure it was YOU or something other that was behind the riding wheel...

But with the current state of beings, I couldn't any longer ignore such thoughts, not after I knew that there was something in my mind that wasn't ME, and it wasn't like the thoughts of jumping down from high places as buildings or bridges, where the brain always wanted to bring to back down on the ground, no matter in what way, such accidental and suicidal thoughts were common, same as thinking what it would feel if you struck your hand into the hot flames, not something you would do, but the thoughts process was hard to ignore...

No, this was something different, something alien, and that was what scared me...

Still, after having a moment to calm down, and with no way out, as my parents already knew, I destroyed any chance for retreat or change of mind, something that now made me feel much better, more secure...

Normally having no other choice would make me, or most people panicked, but right now?

Right now, I'm glad that I have no other choice than to tell my parents about my powers...

And when mom finally came back with freshly hot cocoa milk, as I was still forbidden from drinking coffee, she sat on my other side, having her hand move around my back as she put the cocoa into my hands...

And once I had a few sips in me, father finally asked...

Making me think about what to say...

"I, yes? I mean, not exactly, more likely... I have a feeling that I'm different from other tinkers?" I asked, unsurely, noticing my father's hand twitch.

"Not, like other tinkers? Like, you have different powers? Brute, Blaster, Thinker, or such?" I thought about what my father said, ultimately shaking and nodding my head...

"I, could by all that? My specialty, if you can call it such, is... Cybernetic implants and military industrialization? No, I know, I know I could use some things even for other things like fighting, like generators that create power, or, or healing pods, or, or just making people better?" I tried to say, noticing as father mulled my words in his head until he looked at me.

"Better at the cost of their humanity?" What?!

Why would he?!

...

Wait...

That was how this world tinker's that worked on body modifications worked, right?

Always making their subjects better, faster, stronger...

But with each upgrade, they took something from these people, something that was making them humans, and I don't mean their body parts...

But their own mind...

Their own humanity...

...

Was I the same?

I could almost feel myself fall into doubt once again, at least until I felt something tighten around my neck, finally noticing my mother's hand that was reassuringly holding me in a tight but not uncomfortable hold...

"No... I, no, there are risks, I know there is something called cyber psychosis, but, but that is if the cyberization reaches an absurd level, where the person is already more of a machine than flesh, no, what, what I'm saying is a milder thing, new legs, hands, or other parts of the body, not a full body, never full body, but maybe just upgraded? Like, like metal bones or stronger skin that even bullets wouldn't go through? Same, same for brains, neural chips, that could connect people to PCs or internet, making them command everything just with their thoughts..."

I babbled on and on until my father's hand lightly tapped me on the shoulder.

"Stop, take a deep breath," Father commanded, why?

Ah...

I was babbling, wasn't I...

Shyly I nodded as I did what I was told to do and took a sip from the cocoa cup too...

"I think that is enough for the body... Modifications for now, why don't you tell us that another aspect?" Father kindly but commandingly said, making me nod, recognizing the tone that wouldn't take no as an answer...

I didn't notice the looks dad and mom exchanged, the look full of worry from the mother and the look that meant they would speak later, from my father...

"Well... The second specialization? If you can call it such, because the cyberization is belonging to it, making it-"

"Rey." I stopped, understanding I was about to babble again...

"...I can build weapons? Not just weapons, armor, vehicles, ships, planes, and machines that make them? I think I think I can do all these things, as long as they are somehow connected to military and war, but not everything needs to be for war, I mean, these things that would power these ships, these are generators that could power output most of the current electric companies, with hundred times smaller resource need, or, or as I said, fully functional medical bathtubs where your body would be put, and within hours, or minutes, the more injured or, the worse damage or disease is, the longer it takes, but it should be without problem to heal anything other than death itself, well, and lack of limbs, it cant regrow your arms..."

I stopped...

Thinking...

"Or, could, but that would take more than triple time in the bathtub, with five times bigger resources as the gene gell would need to be spent in an enormous manner..." Or they could just use cybernetic limbs or organs, something I think would be cheaper and better...

It was called gene therapy, where gene mods were used, very similar to cybernetic implants, with the difference that gene mods were fully organic...

Organic, not natural, I corrected myself...

The medical bathtubs worked similarly, using gene gel that repaired any damage, in short, this gene gel was like organic nanomachines that, once they had done their work, dissolved into the body, giving it necessary nutrients for the post-healing procedure...

But...

All of this was so, so expensive and so high and heavy tech-reliant that I don't think I could ever do it all alone...

I needed industrialization, I needed help to create even the simplest things...

"I see... Does this have something with the fact you want us to move to Brockton Bay?" Father threw a bomb at me, and I'm glad I was not drinking now, or I would spit anything in my mouth on my mother's favored Chinese carpet...

"H-how?" I simply asked, too dumbfounded that my father saw through my reasoning for moving...

Making my father just look at me as if he was looking at an idiot...

That hurt...

"Son... I will not go through the fact that our new home is supposed to have bigger and better space for this tinkering..." Yea...

I could see how that was obvious, and from the look, mother was giving me, she now understood too...

I think...

That once this all is done, mom and I would have a very uncomfortable conversation, uncomfortable for me...

"Did you think or still wish to use UniTech's new laboratory and engineer workshops that I will have unlimited access to there?" Father asked me, there was a strange glint in his blue eyes...

"...Im sorry..." That was all I could manage to say...

And after a while of silence, I could hear my father sigh...

And as I was about to speak, a sharp pain assaulted me, as I felt a strike on the back of my head...

"Ouch!!!"

"What?! What do you think you were thinking?! You wanted to?! You want to go out as some spandex-wearing clown and risk your life?!" Mom not screamed but almost screeched at me...

Mom didn't mind capes, but she didn't like them too...

"W-wait! No! I-I didn't!" I shouted, looking at my father, who now had a small smile, making my eyes widen...

This traitor...

He enjoyed this...

"You didn't?! Then what did you think?! Didn't you want to go out on these 'patrols' that done nothing, hoping you will find some another criminal clown to punch and get punched?!" Mom demanded from me...

"No! I... I really didn't think things through... Maybe if I had another set of powers? Then maybe yes? Wait, don't hit me!" I quickly said, making mom look at me in a look that conveyed to me to speak quickly and think carefully about what I would say...

"I, with the powers I now have, I, I think it would by better to build things and send others in my steed? I will equip them, maybe even donate things to police or military?"

"Not PRT?" Dad asked, making me wince...

"No?"

"Good." What?

I looked at father, I knew he didn't like PRT but to detest them so much...

"So you wish to create a gang?" Father asked, calming mom down with his look, telling her he would take care of the conversation from there on...

"...I don't know? I mean, what other option do I have?" I asked, not knowing...

I had a lot of plans...

But...

Now I think about them, were they even viable, or were they just fantasies?

"...You know that UniTech is a joint corporation of America and Japan?" Well, yes, similarly, yet differently than mom and dad, UniTech was a small corporation to their giant's brethren, one of them was Dragon, who almost ate down most of the fields, almost ridding all the most important infrastructure, it doesn't mean that with Dragon gone America would go to shit, but it would take a blow that it could as well as stay on the ground and die of blood loss...

Monopoly was a dangerous thing, and somehow all of Dragon's work completely went around the entire NEPEA law...

Still, UniTech was so small that it was probably the reason it wasn't ever in Worm books, it was one of these small corporations that were mediocre or just not important enough for anything, still, UniTech was created by a Japanese royal male member, and American female scientist, where the Japanese husband was businessman and head of marketing of UniTech, the wife was the leader of R&D that done all the creative work for the company...

Cementing their hold on their company...

Still, I nodded at my father.

"Then you should know that UniTech has its own PMC as Japan isn't the most stable state right now, as there is a need for its own PMC, that said, once the idea of creating another branch in the most volatile and dangerous city in the US, the UniTech knew it would need to protect their property, as a such, small company of PMC security is about to fall under my leadership..."

Was he saying...

"That said... Once the news that the PMC is using tinker tech comes out, you can bet that there would be a push from PRT and others and even UniTech leadership for answers... So, are you willing to let me speak with my bosses about this situation?" Father asked me...

"Richard! What are you saying you want to put our son?!" Mom disbelievingly asked, making father scow.

"Any important or powerful cape or well-connected person could guess my son's secret identity the moment he shows even small capability of tinker industrialization as Dragon, it would be just too juicy and enticing for them not to sniff Rey out, PRT can say anything about not looking on other's secret identities, but all of it is lies, no, the moment of any of this tech Rey says he can build comes out, is the moment his name will be know to most important or powerful people, all we can do is to make sure that even with such knowledge, they wouldn't be able to move against him, at least not with the help of law."

Father derisively said...

Wow, I never heard him speak with such venom, I knew that both mom and dad thought that PRT had done too little too much, as news of villain captures and later news of them breaking out was a very common thing, but still...

Was this how most people felt but just didn't voice out?

Still, that is true, these unwritten rules are just lies to calm the bottom feeders as the powerful gangs don't care about it, just using these rules when they are good for them but very willing to ignore them when they want to...

That was how things always were, rules were for the powerful to use and for the weak to feel safe...

But...

Could I truly go this way, go...

Corporate?

And if yes, what was bad about it?

Yes, I would practically give myself the freedom to others, but then, it was much safer for me...

I would say it would be the same as joining PRT, but that is a lie...

Even I knew that the corporate was better for myself, as long as I give them things with what they can earn showers of money, they would let me do anything I want, I would be too important...

No red tape, no any security reviews, no Directors telling me what to make or not, no need for PR...

At least, I think that is how things would go, and I knew father would fight tooth and nail for all benefits he could give me...

And even if NEPEA was still a thing, Dragon was a thing too, and UniTech was a multinational corporation, something even PRT would think for a second if they wished to provoke, as PRT cared a lot for their PR...

"Could I, could I protect myself if UniTech provided my ideas and creations to the military?" I knew that PRT had a monopoly on tinker tech on US soil, but if the FBI, NSA, CIA, military, and others joined together, would PRT truly go to war with them?

If I could build things these security agencies that are from the birth of PRT in decline and thus have resentment against PRT, things they would want, would they protect my parents and me?

"That... It is an interesting thought process... Do you know that the US army is one of UniTech's contractors?" Father asked me, making me shake my head.

"...If you let me, I will speak on your behalf, son, but... I want to know for sure, are you sure you want to do this way? You can still join PRT." Even if my father hated them, he still gave me a chance...

I looked at mom, who was still looking at me worriedly, holding my hands in hers...

"I... I would want that... I... I don't want to by ward and go on patrols, I, I want to build things, I, I want to change the world, truly change it, something, I think PRT wouldn't let me..." I managed to say, earning a frustrated sigh from mom and a nod from father...

"Then I will, son, but be ready, all these people would want to have reassurance from you if they would stick their neck to protect you, do you have anything these people would like?"

Had I?

Yes...

Yes, I think I had, as ideas of combat armor flashed in my head...

*Author note*

Hmm...

Is it strange that even I don't know where this train of thoughts would lead?

Eh, well...

I never planned into the future that much...