14- Battle Lines
Wave Rider and his sister, Sand Castle, were on the road this beautiful morning, leaving Three Rivers behind them, the Combat Cogs competition having been completed. Between the seats in the front of the van is the grand prize award, the Golden Screw. In the back of the van are the parts to their combat mek, which they had named Hammer-oid. The bot has a large vertical spinner, but it was not set precisely vertical, but able to pivot at an angle, from vertical to about twenty degrees, plus being able to swing the hammer overhand or underhand. Of the eight bouts Hammer-oid participated in, it had won all eight, five by knockout. Wave did the driving, Blaise handled the weapons, Rip and Sand were the pit crew, and Venus handled the Punisher, a big hammer located in the corners of the combat cube. Doctor Sparkle had flown out for the last two days of the competition, and had left right after the final award presentation, to get back to the Tower in time to get some work done.
“I can’t believe we took it all the way,” Sand said as they drove down the E-15 out of Three Rivers towards Dundalk, Wave pushing the van up over a hundred miles an hour in the number two lane (of five).
“Like I said at the interviews, I didn’t believe it, either. I’m just glad the arm’s spinner joints did not come apart. Straight vertical spinners are fine, but Hammer-oid’s can tilt about twenty degrees, coming up at an angle. We threw Mighty Mite clear out of the combat cube and ripped off Houngan’s top armor with an uppercut,” Wave replied.
“Think we can do it again next year?”
“I sure hope so, sister. I sure hope so.”
The brother and sister made it from Three Rivers to Equestrian City in about eight hours, with pit stops, proceeding via Dundalk and Fillytown. Rip and Venus, in Rip’s car, hauling the rest of the parts, took twelve hours to make the journey. Everyone knew the two were very attracted to each other and wanted to spend the time together alone. Blaise, deciding to take the inter-urban express train, made the trip in under four hours, only because he had to change trains in Dundalk.
At work the next day, the Golden Screw was prominently displayed for all the employees to see in the Tower, with the request that they don’t ‘spoil’ the show for others by talking about it. The members of Team Hammer-oid made themselves available during lunch, for stories and pictures with the victorious combat mek, reassembled for display.
After lunch, the three gathered with Twilight, to discuss the Group. While Wave was not working on Hammer-oid, his assignment at work was to design a suit for himself, based on the Wonderbolt armor but with differences. It would be very well armored, could fly (for five minutes per hour, it not like the Matterhorn suit, which Wave did not know anything about) and had some small weaponry, it was more a command and coordination nexus for the others. When asked if he had come up with a code name for himself, Wave said he was thinking of ‘Captain Proton and the Electric Company’. The suggestion was met by a stunned silence from all at the meeting, and Twilight was afraid it would stick.
“Why would you come up with something like that?” Rip asked.
“Think about it,” Wave replied, leaning back in his wheelchair. “You and Sand have electrical powers, the suit’s primary offensive weapon is an electroshock emitter, that makes three out of five. Venus can move in the mirror realm at about the speed of electric current, while Blaise is the insulation that protects the rest of us.”
Silence descended for a moment. “Say this, I do not want to, but truth it will be. Logic I can see in those words,” Blaise droned.
“Unfortunately, so can I,” Twilight added. “Wave, I will need color choices for the outfits as well as designs from everyone as soon as possible, so I can run them through the fabricators here. Radios will be built in to the headgear, as will discreet armor in the body suits.”
“We will need a place for us to get together and practice teamwork. Preferably someplace private,” Wave said, a thoughtful look on his face.
Blaise raised his right hand. “Place I have to do so. The forge and cabin. Directions I will provide,” he told the group. “Plenty of open space, no near neighbors. Only dirt trail for last two miles after road ends. Can see Great North River but is beyond ridgeline. North of bridge crossing Great North River.”
“If you care to offer, Blaise, all we can do is accept,” Wave Rider said politely, a faint smile on his face.
“Is right thing to do, Captain Proton.” Twilight and Rip both winced at the words.
“Wave, I have another job for you to do. This one should be easy for you to do,” Twilight said once she was able to talk again.
“Oh? What’s that, Twilight?”
“I need you to appear on ‘Bucking View’ for me day after tomorrow. I have an ECPD lecture to deliver, so I will have you cover me,” Twilight told him.
Wave thought for a moment. He liked ‘Bucking View’, it being one of the top-rated interview shows, known for lively debates on controversial topics. “Who am I going up against, and what’s the topic?” he asked.
“Metas, meta-crime, and meta’s place in society,” Twilight deadpanned almost as well as Blaise does it. “Your opponent is a columnist and a member of Humans Against Rogue Metas, Sour Salt.”
Wave leaned back in his chair. “Tossing me out into Force Nine seas, are you?” he asked in a droll tone.
“Well, you were a champion surfer, yes? Ride that wave, oh valuable award-winning assistant!” Twilight riposted cheerily.
“Hanging ten in force nine… that’s gotta be a record someplace,” Wave muttered as he engaged the drive motor on his wheelchair to leave.
“We got faith in you, Captain Proton!” Rip said as he got up. Unseen by everyone else but Spike, Twilight grimaced at the words.
After the taping, Sand met Wave at the entrance to the Bucking Wing set. They had guessed that Wave would not be fit to drive then, and they were right. “How are you, Wave? You look exhausted!” she said as she guided his wheelchair to the garage via the elevator. They have two custom vans, one set up for him to drive, one for her.
“I should, because I am,” Wave said as the lift put him and his chair into the van. “That Sour Salt, in person, is worse than he is in the paper!”
“I’ll pour you a stiff one when we get home. What would you like for dinner?”
“A pizza, MY way. I’ll phone in the order to Jocar’s. What would you like?” Wave asked, reaching for his phone.
“A small pizza fries and six wings, mild and sloppy.” Sand said as she made her way through inner city traffic.
“At least you’re not getting fried mushrooms tonight,” Wave said as he pulled up Jocar’s number.
“I figure you are sick enough now, big brother. You don’t need me eating mushrooms in front of you making you worse.”
“Thank you, little sister.”
At work the next day, Wave sat down with Rarity, Twilight and Silver Spoon over a working breakfast on Rarity’s floor, to discuss the interview of the night before. “I hope I met up with all your expectations last night,” Wave said over the rim of a mug of strong coffee, having reported his view of the discussion. The show was not aired live, but taped, because sometimes the discussions could get a little lively. The network needed the time to edit the tape for airing.
“I, for one, say you did a most excellent job of it, darling. You not only punctured many of his arguments, you made the point that metas are people too,” Rarity said with warmth.
“What surprised me is that you did not bad-mouth anyone, not even Tiara or Sour Salt,” Silver Spoon observed, gesturing with a fork.
Wave looked back at Silver Spoon, putting his coffee mug down and picking up a piece of toast. “I am seldom in the habit of doing so, Miss Silver, especially to those who so rightfully deserve it. Losing my temper can have drawbacks,” he said in as haughty a tone as he could muster.
“As Tiara can attest to,” Twilight added after a spoonful of oatmeal.
“I have to admit I got lucky there,” Wave observed before having a bite of his toast. After swallowing, he went on. “After both telling her off and flipping her off, I made tracks out before I truly lost my temper. It would not have done my case any good if she had me arrested now, would it?”
Rarity nodded. “Now, if you did, it would have made my hiring you far more difficult to all involved. I, for one, am glad you are here, darling. Here, you can be appreciated, not used.”
“Believe me when I say we do appreciate it, my sister and I, Miss Rarity.”
“I’m willing to bet that Tiara will be fuming over what you said during the interview,” Silver Spoon said after some of her waffle. “You have held up your end of the commitments you have made when you left her employ. That must annoy her no end.”
“To be honest, I hope it does, Miss Silver,” Wave replied. “She has no legal ground to stand on, and she knows it. It may not stop her, but precautions have been taken, only some of which involve here.”
“Let us all hope they will prove unnecessary,” Rarity said.
After breakfast, in the privacy of her office, Twilight and Wave sat, Wave’s tablet plugged into the central computer system. On a large display were patterns for costumes the Electric Company has selected. “So, for Image, we put lights in the fingertips, wrists and on both sides of her head, controlled by switches in both wrist cuffs. She wants the deep blue with a full head mask, but a hole in the back for her pony tail, along with a ‘sock’ for it,” Twilight said, taking notes on her computer.
“That’s right, with the standard armor fittings in the suit and the radio and voice distorter built in to the headpiece. She figures the armor will alter her figure enough that it would help the disguise,” Wave said.
“How is she coming on her D&E program?” Twilight asked, referring to diet and exercise program.
Wave sighed. “She’s sticking to it, mostly. She does not skip a workout session, but with her in Saddleback, we can’t monitor her closely. She and Rip are working at it,” he said as he pulled up the next pattern, that for Rip.
“Now, Rip I can see improvement after a few months at it since his surgery. He may never win any bodybuilding titles, but he is getting better- and thinner,” Twilight observed as she checked Rip’s pattern over. “Dark green oversuit, half face cover, electric blue fingertips and spark on his chest. I must remember to have him come up for measurements before he leaves today. Would not do to have the suit hanging loose on him.”
“Want me to send him an email?” Wave asked, reaching for his phone.
“No need, Wave. I’ll handle it,” Twilight said, glancing at her desktop monitor, which showed Spike in dragon form, sitting at a telegraph office, tapping away at the key, while across the top of the screen marched two lines of print, one being telegraph code and the other the translation. It was all she could do to repress a giggle at the sight.
“Ready for the next one, Twilight?” Wave asked.
After a few seconds of note taking, she nodded. “I am now. Send me Sand’s patterns, please.”
Wave did so, and the color combinations came up on the wall monitor. “Hmm…yellow-green with orange striping, like a safety vest. Black gloves, half-face pull up mask. How is she coming on HER D&E plan?” Twilight asked.
“I have learned not to question her on it, Twilight. She is someone who likes herself, despite her size. She’s happy and healthy and if I push too much, she WILL zap me!” Wave said with a laugh. “Been like that since she was a toddler.”
“If she’s happy, I can’t push too much. Just hope she has the strength to keep up.”
“She does, Twilight. Her padding hides strength and stamina.”
“Well, it’s her life to lead. I’ll work with Rarity to come up with something that will help alter her figure some. If anyone can, she can,” Twilight said, making some more notes. Unseen by Wave, Spike was busy with a quill and scroll, taking notes as well.
Wave consulted his tablet. “Blaise will stick with his Gray Man identity, because he’s used to it. Now, last up is the color scheme for Captain Proton’s armor,” he said, smiling a little at Twilight’s wince as he sent the data.
Twilight said nothing for a good thirty seconds, looking at what he had submitted. “You know, you can’t surf with jump jets,” she said quietly, trying not to shiver at the sight.
“I know that, Twilight, but you have to admit, painted white and orange board shorts is something unique, right?” Wave said with a smile.
“You know, you run the risk of being called ‘Captain Underpants’ with a design like that,” Twilight said slowly, reading the line of writing that scrolled across the top of her desk screen.
Wave winced at those words. “I didn’t think of that,” he said reluctantly. “Good thing I have a plan B.”
Twilight looked at the plan B configuration, visibly relaxing. “Now, that is much better looking. Patterned on the Commonwealth’s air forces, but distinctly different, so no mistakes in identity can be made. I like it.”
“Thank you, Twilight. When can I deliver the suits to their wearers?” Wave asked.
“You can pick them up at end of shift today. Bring your van around to the loading entrance, and I’ll have everything loaded, including your armor. Up to you to figure out how to get it on,” Twilight told her assistant.
“Oh, good, a challenge!” Wave said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
The next day, after work, in the basement of their house, Wave looked at Sand dejectedly. “I thought it would be easy,” he said. “I don’t have any trouble putting the armor on at the lab. Why am I having so much trouble here?”
“At the lab, you have a frame to help you get the armor on. You don’t here. Have you tried wearing your walking suit when you put the armor on?” Sand asked in reply.
“Twilight said that the suit would interfere with the armor’s strength amplification system, Sand. I’ve never tried wearing both at the same time.”
Sand let out a sigh. “Brother dearest, you have a problem. No quick-change artistry for you, Captain Proton!”
“Looks like I’m going to have to build an assistance frame here, and the only places I can change at now will be here and at the tower. It’s going from place to place that won’t be easy. At least the suit does go limp when I’m not wearing…” Wave said before trailing off, staring blankly into space. Sand knew that look- he has an Idea, and he’s chasing it with a big butterfly net. She just remained quiet, letting Wave think.
After a couple of moments, Wave snapped out of his trance. “I got it! I got it!” he said with excitement.
“You can have it, brother… it’s probably something I can’t use,” Sand told him.
“No, but it’s something you can do!” Wave said. “Take hold of the pants structure and apply some power to it. Not much. You can activate the magnetic stiffeners to make the pants rigid enough for me to lower myself into them! Once I have them on, I can move about enough to put on the upper half with the control circuitry!”
“Worth a try!” She tried it, the pants snapped rigid, Wave reached up for the straps and lifted himself up out of his wheelchair and into the pants. Once there, he tapped a manual control, powering up the lower half, allowing it to conform to his legs. “It worked! Why can’t you do that without me powering the suit?” Sand asked.
“Safety circuitry, sister. It won’t power up until it is being worn, and only partially until the upper half is donned. That way, the amplification circuits in the legs remain dormant until everything is ready. Normal folk can just slip it on like normal clothing, but, then again, I’m not exactly normal,” Wave said as he reached for the upper piece of the Wonderbolt armor suit, model 2BWR, a custom model for him.
“Heavens forbid you would ever be normal, big brother…” Sand muttered as Wave put on the rest of the suit, their pet kitties, Freckles and Starshine, looking on from their perches.
“Normal is a setting on the dishwasher. It does not apply to people,” Wave said as he slipped on the upper part of the armor, activating second stage power, making the two pieces one. Putting the helmet on activated all systems. Quickly, he activated the diagnostics, finding the suit was ready to go. “Captain Proton, ready for action!” he said as the kitties made a beeline for the door, a black blur leading the white one.
“Good. Now can you design a small power source that you can key on, to make you able to put them on without my help?”
“That’s my next project. I’ll come up with something. Right now, suit check,” Wave ordered, watching the internal displays light up, showing status of the suit’s systems. The computer in the suit has been programmed to accept spoken instructions and to give certain status reports in a verbal form, but it does not have a dedicated AI yet. Wave knew the suit controls could be overridden by Twilight from her office at the Tower, but that was strictly emergency use only.
Wave focused on the inside of his suit’s opaqued faceplate, reading the reports. “All systems read green, Sand. Testing mobility,” he reported as he took some cautious steps around the basement. The suit, all told, was not very bulky at all, but there is always a little ‘adjustment time’ when putting it on and taking it off.
“Looking good, Wave. How’s the environmental controls?” Sand asked.
“Working well. Systems are open right now but can be sealed in under a twentieth of a second. All internal reserves at max. Power generation working well. If I wasn’t worried about the neighbors, I’d go for a flight,” Wave reported.
Just then, Wave’s phone rang. One thing he had yet to do was link his phone into the suit’s comm system, meaning the suit has its own number, but he had not loaded his contact list into it yet, not to mention only four people had the number to the suit, they being Rarity, Twilight, Sand, and Matterhorn. “Would you get that, please?” he asked.
Sand picked up the phone. “It’s Venus,” she said before accepting the call. “Hello, Venus, it’s Sand. Wave is doing some testing.”
“Turn on the TV, any news channel. I’m on my way down,” Venus said, sounding agitated.
“What’s going on, Venus?” Sand asked.
“You’ll see,” Venus said before the phone connection broke.
“What’s going on?” Wave asked.
“Venus said to turn on the news. She will be right down. She sounded upset,” Sand said as she put Wave’s phone down.
“I have this feeling I’m not going to like this…” Wave muttered as he activated his receiver system, tuning in to the top-rated news channel in Equestrian City. What he saw rendered him speechless for a good half minute.
“Sand, alert the Electric Company. I want to be in radio contact with them all in one minute, yourself included,” Wave said in tones that left no doubt who was in charge.
“Sending messages now, Captain Proton.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.064 seconds
Total duration
671 users online
819,937 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Pretty good chapter, nothing too exciting, but it was great to see Wave in that armor
Captain Proton = Star Trek: Voyager
The Electric Company = https://youtu.be/t4mU02Mp3co
9871869
Ye found out me dirty secret... been a Trekkie since Star Trek aired on NBC.
The Electric Company... see Wave's defense of the name. Any other ideas?
9871869
Fetch,
Ah, ye found out me dirty secret... been a Trekkie since it aired on NBC aeons back.
As for the Electric Company, see Wave's defense of the name. I remember the show, but that opening you linked I have NEVER seen before.
9872658
Apparently that opening is from their 6th season (It's what came up when I looked for the theme on YT)
I myself am a Trekkie. In fact, I am a member of STARFLEET International (sfi.org), the largest (5K+) and longest running (1973) Star Trek fan organization on Earth. I am with the Ares, which is in Region 15 (New England).
9872795
Never did join any of the Star Trek based fan clubs. However, I did join DWFCA back in the eighties.