First Player/Upgrade

Kings Row
May 23, 2012
10:00 PM
Mood Music

Electromagnetic energy ebbed and flowed, rippling and refracting light. A male figure floated, arms extended, nearly five feet from the ground. As he slowly revolved, pieces of sleek black metal plates and swatches of durable Kevlar fabric gravitated around him like planets orbiting a sun. In a dance of metal and twisted light, the young man and his artificial solar system began to spin more rapidly. A rush of cool night air swept away from him as the kinetic force expanded, pushing the air aside.

The man in the center of the junkyard began to hum and flick his fingers as though manipulating a marionette. The pieces of metal responded as if suspended by strings. Without a single mistake, the array of fifty or more pieces arranged themselves into two radiating rings. The formfitting grey bodysuit he wore sparked to life and then, as if carried on individual zip lines, the pieces of metal flew from the air and aligned themselves along the outstretched man, interweaving and connecting to form armor. First vambraces, then gloves, then greaves, and boots. The pieces of metal tightened, fitted and adjusted as needed, until they locked in place. The whole process took less than a minute and then the man dropped out of the air, his now armored feet crunching gravel as he landed.

In response, gears and blocks of compressed metal spread out across on the ground sprang to life. They wobbled for a moment and filled the air with the sound of screeching metal as they began to uncurl. The Clockwork robots unfolded and stood, chirping and whirring to life. As one, they mobilized, forming a net and slowly advancing on the man.

Somewhere along the edge of the makeshift training space, an old school ghetto blaster switched on and began to blare a thrumming techno broadcast. Along with the beat of the song, assorted light bulbs, old discarded cellphones, and broken LED clocks began to charge in a virtual light show. As the bass line began, the man straightened the black snapback he wore and tensed his muscles. When a heavily distorted voice began to croon, the outermost circle of Clockwork robots' weapons fired. Blue and green balls of electricity arced from the mechanical soldiers in the direction of the man. "Maximum effort." he murmured before he leapt into the air, dodging the arcs of electricity as the palms of his gauntlets began humming. He took aim and bolts of electrokinetic energy sizzled forth from his outstretched hands, all but shredding the miniature metal men. The wave of robots fell apart, clanking and clattering against each other in a pile of gears and levers.

He dropped out of the air and shouted "With the greatest of ease!" triumphantly. The music faded and a simulated applause track was projected from the stereo across the yard. He clapped himself on the back.

"Well done, Miles. Well done."