Containment Means Never Having To Say KABOOM! (IC)

[Dariusprime]

"Isn't that the point of this whole business? Of courtship? The chase is that much more fun than the capture," she replied, a tinge of surprise evident in her voice. "That's one hell of a belt if it can keep up with me."

"As for my 'safe top speed', I'm barely exerting myself. I can feel my powers vibrating, but this isn't anywhere near my safe top speed." Flipping upside down, she took a hold on his hand and kissed his forehead, or at least, the force field over his forehead. "I shouldn't have a meltdown. I've done it before without incident. Plus we're far away from sensitive electronics and people."

"How fast is the space shuttle?" Releasing his hand, she drifted away from him and arced gracefully upward. A couple of dozen meters were judged a safe distance, just in case. After spinning back into normal flight position, her body tensed as she moved from cruising to sprint speed.

The sensation was one she really couldn't describe. Running, swimming or jumping involved the whole body, and thus you perceived the experience using your normal senses. Unaided flight, without wings or flaps or motor, had the doubly strange phenomenon of moving rapidly while essentially holding still. Tensing your 'mental muscles' seemed the best way to put it, even if eventually your actual body would fatigue.

Her maximum speed registered at just under 40,000 mph.

[Dr Archeville]

"I vould not say more fun," he said with a sly smile, "since dere are several dings ve can do only after de chase is done."

"Und it should be a good belt, given how much I haff vorked on it!," he retorted, sounding mildly insulted, though the smile indicated he was not nearly as insulted.

Yes, yes, marvel at my great works.

She is a marvel, alright.

Oh, for the love of Newton...

"Und, ja, dat is vhat I meant, your safe energy vibrational speed. You can push yourself 'into de red' for brief periods, probably..." he paused to consult his E.S., which she may have noticed was attached by a few cables to his belt, "quadruple your speed, but sustaining it for more dan a few minutes vould tire you out."

"'Far from sensitive electronic und people?' he repeated after her kiss, clearly feigning wounded pride. "What am I, chopped liver in a leather belt?"

"De space shuttle? Vell..." he began, then paused until she got into her new flight position. (It gave him time to admire her, too.) "De Endeavour could go about 17,000 mph, approximately 23 times de speed of sound. However, escape velocity is 25,000 mph; dat is vhat de Solid Rocket Boosters are f-."

And then she'd zipped away.

And faster he went, matching her 40,000 mph.

In a flash he was on her -- well, atop her, that is to say, flying over her -- but she barely saw him. She wasn't pushing herself, per se, not like she had on the Gravitic Press, but she was focused on pouring on as much speed as she safely could, and so like a racecar driver or marathon runner her attention was quite focused. But when he rolled under her, facing up, and she registered his presence, she also saw that his expression was more like that of a jogger going at a steady but not breakneck pace.

"Ah, und here is your top safe flight speed," he calmly uttered. "Good ding I can go faster."

[Dariusprime]

Realizing that soon her communicator would soon be useless, she eased down and slowly came to a hover. The earth below and the stars above were beheld as she floated, hands on her hips.

"Of course you can," she retorted ironically, "You're the super scientist. I'm the big, dumb meat shield. You can just invent something. I have to use what I got." Despite what was being said, she didn't seem irritated nor awestruck, just accepting.

"If you're chopped liver in a leather belt, then you're the handsomest damn liver I've ever seen." She paused a moment in thought. "Which is funny, because even the short time I've been around you makes me question my own appearance. That is something I just don't do. I'm no hag, but you're just too damn pretty!" Although mostly joking, the context held a grain of truth.

Shrugging off that tangent, she turned back to him with a big smile on her face, "What next?"

[Dr Archeville]

He slammed on his 'brakes,' and hovered before her.

"It has taken me almost three years of constant vork to get dis Belt to do vhat it can do," he replied in an even tone, "you got your abilities in de blink of an eye. Und you do not haff to vorry about your powers going out in an electromagnetic storm, or being taken from you."

But the power of my mind is the greatest of all!

Only when used for good, for the good of humanity!

Her remarks about her appearance seemed to strike a chord in him. "Oh, liebchen, you should not question your appearance! You are a beauty!"

Her expression indicated she felt otherwise.

"No, really, you are! Your vavy, shoulder-length hair," he said as he ran force field-covered fingers through it, "very chic. Und dat smile of yours- oh! Lights up the whole sky, it does! Und dose eyes -- von blue as de seas und de skies, von brown as de rich, life-giving earth. You haff de whole vorld dere, reflecting all de beauty in it."

"Now, your skin -- " he traced a line from her cheek, down her neck, and across her covered shoulders, "vell, vhat little I haff seen of it, dat is not covered by your costume -- has a remarkable radiant quality, von not due to de Terminus energy. Und speaking of your costume..." He made a quick circle around her, looking her up and down, "vell, size issues aside, I do not dink anyvon could pull dis off as vell as you."

Right, gimme control of one of our hands, I need to jam a finger down my throat.

No, and unless you want me to go mushier -- which I can -- you will be silent.

Once more in front of her, he hovered close and placed both arms around her neck, and gazed into her eyes, "shall I continue? Because I can, you know..."

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum blushed and patted him on the cheek. "That's very sweet of you. I didn't mean to insult you. Just that sometimes I would trade these abilities for something akin to your own." Left unspoken was that she practiced every day to obtain that max speed.

Now came her turn to circle, which given his arms around her neck, meant circling with him. "I mean really. What sort of techno gizmos do you have incorporated into, well, everything you wear? That wand thing you have must have every feature under the sun and you can still carry it in your pocket. You're the brains and owner of an upstart company that will eventually be a global, household name. I can only guess at what your house is like. Probably has a robot butler with lasers for eyes. Hell, I'd have a squid-shaped star ship that teleports to the Planet of the Green Space Babes."

Chuckling, she continued, "Okay, not the Green Space Babes, but everything else stands. You make the hard work of Science! look cool and good. I like that. Makes me a little jealous, and yes, I can be jealous. I won't get started on those lovely blue eyes either."

"Anyway, yes, please continue," she finished with a smile, that yes, probably did look representative of what he was speaking.

[Dr Archeville]

"Veeellllll..." he said with a boyish grin, "since I know all you can do, I suppose it is fair dat you know all about mein skills und technology."

You fool! You can't be revealing our secrets to her! Especially not since this 'courtship' has lasted, what, all of five minutes?

Oh, it is not as if we really hide that much, anyway. She could find this all out with a diligent Googling of us.

He held up his techno-wand, disconnecting it from his Belt so she could get a better look. "Dis is mein Elektromagnetischer Schraubenzieher, de Electromagnetic Screwdriver. It started as an Electromagnetic Pistol, a potent blaster capable of firing beams of energy from any portion of de electromagnetic spectrum. Visible lasers, as well as invisible und penetrating x-ray lasers, microwave blasts, even a magnetic ray to move items around. But, vhile dat vas all useful und impressive, it was still primarily a blaster, a veapon, und I vanted someding more unique. So I redesigned it, set it so it could create very finely tuned energy fields, as vell as a communications link to de libraries und databases at mein home laboratory, and I had de perfect tool for any technological job."

Then he did something she may not have expected: she handed the gadget to her. "Careful, it has three Daka Crystals in it. For a long vhile I kept it only at dat level, using it only as a tool und never as a direct veapon, partly to keep meinself challenged, partly to show off dat I could be an effective hero even mitout causing harm to ozhers. Unfortunately, dat did not alvays work as I vould like, so a few months ago I restored some of de previous functions. But I still use it mostly as a tool."

Fool! For all you know this is some sort of trap, she's sent to lure you into handing over our tech!

You know that is not true. And before you scream about how she could use it against us, you know the safety locks you put on it will prevent her from doing so.

I'm not worried about that, I'm worried about her breaking it!

He next pointed to the Belt which was keeping him aloft, a wide bit of gear covered in softly glowing "circuit" designs. The belt's "buckle" was a large A. "You haff seen how mein Gravimetric Belt lets me fly und protects me. You may haff read of some of mein exploits vhere I used de Belt's cloaking function." Suddenly he vanished, though she still felt him against her arms, then reappeared. "I am sure you haff heard about de teleportation function," he said, disappearing again and reappearing 10 feet in front of her, then popping out and back again into her arms. Fulcrume felt the tiniest bit of vertigo when he 'ported. "Ah, sorry about dat, de vormhole it generates for mein teleports causes a slight temporary imbalance in de inner ears of people around mein departure und arrival spots. Now, vhat many do not know, if de newspaper reports are an indication, is two ozher functions of mein belt: a shrinking function und an intangibility field. De first is based in part on some of mein grandfazher's research, de second on some of mein studies of Dark Star."

Fulcrum was suddenly holding an action figure-sized Archeville in her hand!

"I dink I'll hold off on demonstrating de intangibility functions," she heard his tiny voice through her commlink, "in part because I do not know how your energy powers would interact with it; it contains a few slivers of Daka Crystal, too. Having mein Belt overload up here vould be very bad!"

And now he was back to full size, and now held up a corner of his lab coat. "Many people do not realize dat dis is an example of mein technology, too. Mein laboratory coat is made of an armored silk-like material, und deir are liquid micortubules through it dat both regulate mein temperature und help disperse certain forms of energy. It is not as good as a true suit of armor, of course, since it leaves mein head und lower legs exposed, und I leave it unbuttoned most of de time, but dere vas only so much form I vas villing to sacrifice for function."

He released the corner of his coat, and 'reclined' back, hands behind his head, until he was floating perpendicular to her, as if in a hammock. "Mein home... I vas hoping to show you tomorrow evening, actually. It does haff robot servants; de primary butler is a robot gorilla butler. Dey do not haff lasers in deir eyes, dough de garden gnomes on de front lawn do; de lighting fixtures inside de house can be amped up to serve as laser turrets to fend off intruders. I do not haff a star ship -- yet -- but I do have a squid-shaped submarine, de Fjölnirskraft. I also haff a castle in Germany, built up from a small keep avarded to von of mein ancestors, und a space station in orbit over South America, vhich I lease out to ozher companies for low-gravity research und manufacturing und for astronomical und meteorological research"

You'd better stop right there, don't-

I know, I know. That one is our secret.

He flipped back up, and now 'stood' before her, his hands making excited gestures, "Und all of it I use in de service of ozhers, of Humanity. Und not just de 'defuse de alien bomb' und 'find a cure for de super-flu dat SHADOW is about to unleash' sense. I make Science look cool und hip because I vant ozhers to pursue de sciences, because I vant future generations to yearn for such dings und have de skills dey would need to make dings better for demselves! I vish to inspire people, just as you do!"

And because educated slaves are more productive than rock-stupid ones.

'Employees' and 'staff', not 'slaves'. And - oh! Oh!!!

What now?

I could help her with the science and tech stuff! I could design a 'Thinking Cap' for her, to boost her intellect!

Sure, if you want to tell her 'hey, babe, I know you're a dummy, so put this thing on your head and maybe I can finally see you as something approaching an intellectual equal.'

What? No! Oh, you have spoil everything....

"Oh, und I am a bit jealous of you, you know," he said before giving her a peck on the cheek with force field-covered lips. "Not only because you have a far better legacy behind you, but because you can feel de solar vinds against your lovely skin, because you und otzher Metahumans could truly touch each ozher even in environs such as dis."

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum carefully examined the little (to her) wand while Dr. Archeville regaled her with his technology. She was like a kid in a candy store, a huge grin on her face. Everything was just so fascinating. Even the sense of vertigo came as a small price of admission. Even more interesting, perhaps, from his point of view, was that she seemed to understand much of what he was saying. The look turned incredulous at the mention of robot gorilla butlers and squid-shaped submarines, but hell, she decided to just roll with it. Sounded like he would be showing off his technological treasures on their date.

"That's wonderful, Viktor! That's really what want more than anything: inspiration. I want to be out of a job because others have stepped up. My legacy, and my personal commitment, is to ideals and goals of that nature. It's funny, really. Centurion wasn't the most powerful metahuman active on earth, not by a long shot. He didn't have to be the most powerful," she exclaimed, reluctantly handing the wand back.

"Yes, it feels good. I can feel the solar wind, even if I didn't know what it was the first time. I can hear it too. Have you ever heard those recordings from Voyager? The ones where they made audible sound out of the electromagnetic and particle data? It's not like that, exactly, but in some ways similar enough to compare."

Wrapping her arms around him, she cocked her head and said, "You really are quite the genius. Design a few suits of powered armor and I'd be out of a job in six months. I'd love to be able to comprehend even a fraction of how you perceive the world. That's one reason I'm an artist, to interpret how I and others see the world."

Suddenly she stopped and her eyes glazed over. Slowly her smile grew into a Cheshire Cat grin. "Say, Viktor, you looked awfully cute as a doll, but can that belt make you grow larger?"

[Dr Archeville]

"Power comes in many forms," he mused as he returned his techno-wand to his labcoat pocket.

Precious... mine!

Fine, fine, here is your 'precious' back. Now, leave me be; I think she really does grok to what I am about.

Yeah, keep thinkin' that...

"Atlas may be physically stronger dan he vas, und dere are ozhers who can fly or run faster dan he. But none could command de level of respect, or inspire people, qvite de vay he did. Vhich, given his humility, makes it all de more outstanding. He saw he had responsibilities to de vorld, und all he did vas in fulfillment of dem. I hope I am able to touch a fraction of de people he did."

I hope I can touch you, the way you have touched me.

Oh, get off it! Better yet, let me touch her, and I can get-

Shut it!

"I haff heard dose recording; NASA tried to get my input on dem. Heh, it is just like dose American rocket scientists to outsource vork to a German," he chuckled as he settled into her embrace. "No suit or armor, nor ten, nor a hundred, could ever replace you. Like you said, it is not about power, it is about being de right kind of person. AEGIS agents have deir own MAX und Super-MAX armor, but providing dem und ozher law enforcement agents mit better armor vill not change dings, not really. True change reqvires a change to society, to de vays people dink; to de education systems, und to welfare programs to assist does who cannot do for demselves."

I see what you did there.

Yes, but more importantly, I hope she did.

He nuzzled against her arm, the energies of his force field making a soft blue-gray barrier between them. "I vould very much like to see more of your artwork, liebchen. It is von area I am sorely unskilled at. I can draw up blueprints mit exacting precision, design items mit a modicum of aesthetic grace, und recreate scenes I haff viewed mit perfect mechanical precision, but more interpretive dings... dose escape me. In dat regard, I am far more imitative dan innovative."

That's not entirely true.

Yes, I know, but I don't think she needs to see the painting you have done.

Oh, first a lie-by-omission by not telling her about the other base. Now a flat-out lie? Tsk, tsk, tsk!

He cocked his head at her last question, and he got that far-off think-y look. "Not mit dis Belt, no; de mass-shunting energy fields become too unstable vhen trying to expand something beyond deir original size. Reducing someding in size is far easier dan expanding it, und even mit some of mein grandfazher's notes I haff only been able to master shrinking dings down. See, using dese techniques, excess mass from someding dat is shrunk is shunted into anozher dimension, und recalled vhen de object is restored to its original size. Reversing de process, drawing excess mass from anozher dimension in order to expand someding, has proven far trickier. Von vould dink dat mass is mass, dat it vould not be so difficult, but it turns out dat de mass shunted about is 'tagged' to de original item. Vhen I shrink und den re-grow, I can easily recall mein own mass because it is 'mein' mass, but expanding from mein starting size is impossible because I already haff all of 'mein' own mass. I vould have to draw in excess mass from some undifferentiated source, mass dat is not 'tagged' as 'belonging' to anyvon or anyding else. I keep meaning to consult mit Doctor Atom, see if he vould share any insights based on de size-altering powers of his grandson Maximus..."

You fool! Don't you see what she's asking?

Yes, of course, she is asking if I can make things bigger, and- oh. Oh! Ohhhh....

Moron...

"Buuut..." he said as a matching grin spread across his face, "perhaps I haff merely lacked de proper motivation...."

He slid out form her arms, "vhich vould seem to indicate, liebchen, dat ve should be wrapping up your tests now, so ve can both retire to our respective homes und make preparations for tomorrow evening's date. Besides," he darted in to put his lips close to her ear, "I grow veary of haffing dis force field betveen us."

A smirk, a wink, and he was diving back down to the ArcheTech HQ in Freedom City.

[Dariusprime]

"Well, then, if the first date goes well, how about I show you some of my artwork on the second?" she asked, thoroughly enamored with her new scientist friend. Boyfriend yet? They hadn't even gone on a date yet...

When he caught the innuendo of her question, she smiled, "Don't read too much into that, buster." But by then he was on a roll, and she let him have his fun. All she could do was sigh contentedly and watch him disappear into the clouds. Me too.

Finally alone with her thoughts, the real weight of the afternoon's activities hit her. "What the hell am I thinking!?" she yelled out, long after the doktor disappeared into the clouds. "I mean really, what the ****? I go all these years, looking for a decent relationship. Nothing works out, why? Because I jump in without thinking! Now I'm actually going to date Viktor Archeville?"

She punched the air in anger, that strange ripple surrounding her hand like a corona. She didn't seem to notice and continued ranting, "The biggest damn playboy in Freedom City aside from Ace Danger?! Goddamit! Even if he doesn't screw around on me, we manage to work out our differences and find common ground, he is still a super scientist! Probably already has a database full of plans on how to clone, mind control or destroy me and all the people he knows! Gah!"

Arms falling to her sides, she frowned sadly, a touch of defeat in her voice. "He'll get bored first." Left unsaid was that she was very interested in him and wanted to make this work, if they were compatible. She wasn't about to be a doormat, but didn't want to give up without a fight. Dilemma.

Deciding that possible happiness outweighed reservations, she did indeed leap headlong into the fray. Slowly she followed after him, simply dropping in free fall until pass through the clouds.

~fin~