Bats of Unusual Size? I Don't Think They Exist [IC]

[Darksider42]

Location: Archetech

Date/Time: November 7th, 2010, 12:45PM

Rift hummed to himself as he traveled across the skies of Freedom City, his guitar slung over his back while he curiously hung onto his guitar case. Today was important of the Genius guitarist, though he was confident that the outcome would be good. He started to descend land in front of Archetech headquarters. While he was still a little uncomfortable with the good doctor (His name having something to do with it) he was sure that he would be interested in what he had to offer. He stepped through the doors and approached the receptionist. "Hey. I'm here to see Dr Archeville. I have a appointment scheduled in as Rift." His Identity was starting to get well documented, but it was still nice to enjoy what little of a secret identity he had left.

[Dr Archeville]

"Of course, Rift!," Brandi the perky young blonde receptionist chirped. She handed over the Visitor's ID badge, "you know the routine; follow the arrows, seventh floor."

Had she had more work done? Yes. Yes, she had.

"Have a super day!," she called behind him as he headed to the elevators.

---

When he stepped off the elevator, the teen hero was met moments later in the hall by Archeville himself. "Ah, Rift, so good to see you again!" He smiled broadly and shook the teen's hand, "all has been well with you, I trust? I am still waiting to hear your reply on the internship offer! And... ah..." He looked around Rift, a brief look of confusion flashing on his face, "oh, I thought you were going to bring the poor wounded animal in with you. Is it at another veterinary facility? What happened to the poor thing?"

I wonder what it is? A beloved pet? A cat? A dog? Oh, I bet he has a dog. Puppies are so cute!

The Doktor practically dragged him down the hallway, "I did bring in another to help on the case, an expert in medical prosthetic. She mainly works with humans and metahumans, but I am sure she would be up to the challenge of designing some non-human cybernetics. You will like her; she was a wonderful personality."

"Wonderful personality"? Uh oh...

[Darksider42]

Rift nodded with a smile as he went up to the elevator. His smile vanished while he waited for the doors to open. For some reason he always found overly happy receptionists tiring, no matter how short of a time you were near one. Should investigate that He thought as the doors opened and suddenly found himself confront by one of the worlds most brilliant minds."I've been good doc. been a bit swarmed by hero work so I haven't had a lot of time to think about it."

"Oh, about that. He was a bit too large to deliver here in person. Looked quite beat up and I didn't want to risk moving him unless I had some sort of teleportation device or something. He's on my bed right now." Rift explained. He raised his guitar case and gave it a quick rap with his knuckles. "If you can't port him in, I have measurements, estimations and some photos of him. I found him in bad shape in an alley and got him out of there before too many cats swarmed the scene." He seemed to have failed to mention that part where several cats were close to being mauled and devoured out of self defense (and possible hunger). Or the Species of the animal in question.

He didn't feel quite as confident in the expert once the doctor mentioned a Wonderful personality. In fact, there is something a little off about the doctor the teen couldn't quite place a finger on as he was pulled along. He was also pretty sure she never encountered a case quite like this before...

[Dr Archeville]

There was something off about the Doktor, though not in the same way as when Rift had first met him, exactly five months ago. It was almost as if he were trying to overcompensate for his prior 'off'-ness, but in the process became just as 'off,' though in different ways.

"Oh, so it is a stray you found, not a pet? Did it have a collar or RFID tag; did you check for any lost pet notices? Or- wait..." His smile fell, then slowly crept back up, "if this were just a normal cat or dog, even a badly wounded one, you would not be bringing him in to me. What have you found, Warren?"

Oh, I wonder what it could be?! Oh, maybe a sewer 'gator!

Archeville lead Rift through a set of double doors to a very spiffy laboratory/workshop. Judging by the mixture of what appeared to be robotic components, anatomical diagrams, and MRI scans, this did indeed seem to be a medical prosthetics area. "Hello, anyone home?," he called out. "I bring a guest, and a challenge!"

I hope she has not suffered any lasting damage from that altercation she & Supercape were in with Doctor Simian!

[Darksider42]

For once, Rift was actually hoping that this was some sort of prank by the good doctor. the fact that he was nice and missed the german accent was starting to make him wonder if this one was some sort of robot double. Course, he knew better than to take stock in everything Mark said. Not everyone acting weird was a Foundry robot after all.

"Actually...." Rift rubbed the back of his neck while is mind attempted to string together something that didn't sound so life threatening or deadly. "...Its....a...Damaged-cyborg-bat-thats-much-larger-than-average-thats-missing-several-minor-systems-at-least-75%-of-it's-wingspan-and-part-of-its-head-but-I-managed-to-fix-the-head-part-plus-some-inexplicably-overly-aggressive-programming-I-found-in-its-cyber-brain-but-the-whole-thing-I-said-before-about-finding-him-was-true!" Rift managed to stop what seemed to be one of the longest word he ever said in his life while simultaneously trying to catch his breath. '...Nice place by the way." He noted after what seemed to be a long minute of panting.

[Electra]

"Just a moment!" came an unmistakably feminine voice from the depths of the laboratory. There was a clattering noise, then some quick, light footsteps from the far side of the lab. Suddenly, Rift was confronted with a staggeringly beautiful blonde woman, perfectly complected and proportioned, wearing a body-hugging blue suit under a white lab coat. She gave the boy a friendly smile, showing off perfect teeth and sparkling eyes. There was a small smear of grease on one cheek to proved she'd been working, and also what appeared to be part of a metal foot in her hand, complete with metal toes.

"Hello there," she told both visitors in a friendly way. "I'm always up for meeting guests, and especially for new challenges. What's the story?"

[Dr Archeville]

"Apparently," Archeville replied, looking back and forth between Rift and Miss Americana, "a larger-than-average flying mammal of the order Chiroptera, heavily cyberized by parties unknown but with many missing or damaged systems, displaying extreme aggression, and found in an alley by this fine man here."

I hope we can help the poor thing!

"Now, Warren," he continued, focusing back on Rift, "I know rock and heavy metal music has a long association with bats, so you probably are quite attached to this poor thing already, but you did check it for homing signals and such, yes? Cyborgs do not occur in nature -- as far as I know -- so someone had to do that work to it, so someone may be looking for it. And the very aggressive behavior, which could indicate that it was either rabid, or intentionally programmed to be a war machine, neither of which would make a good pet."

Archeville stroked his chin in thought, "but... we cannot just leave it, especially not in your home. Sooo... " he grinned, "we had best save the poor thing! Miss Americana," he turned to the stunning scientist, "could we drag you out of the laboratory for a few hours to see to the needs of a damages cyborg bat?"

[Darksider42]

Rift raised an eyebrow at the doctor, not that anyone could properly see behind his mask. "Of course I did Doc. I do the same with every non-organic thing I collect that was made by less-than heroic persons. If he had some sort of tracking system, it was likely damaged in whatever fight he was in to get into that state." The teen said as he looked over at Miss Americana and automatically gave himself a mental slap. Focus on saving a kick ass animal! Not the various things that are popping into my head at this moment looking at her...

[Electra]

"I'd be happy to, Doctor," Miss A said, "just give me a minute or two to square away this project here." She waved the foot in explanation, disappearing back into the alcove she'd come from. "I'm sending my results from this series of tests your way, Doc," she called as she worked. "the new phalangeal movement actuators are looking very promising. We're seeing neuron response that is within microseconds of the organic equivalent, and that's before we've even finished fine-tuning." She chuckled as she came back out with a travel-sized case of ArcheTech tools. "We could see amputees wiggling their prosthetic toes faster than they ever could the originals. All right, where are we headed?"

[Dr Archeville]

"Clever lad," Archeville said, gently tapping him in the shoulder, "but then, I would expect nothing less from you."

Oh, I do hope he takes up the intern position I mentioned! He has such potential!

"That is good news, Miss Americana! The possibilities for improved balance alone will be remarkable!"

I wonder how much of that is based on her own work. Well, even if it is just her re-marketing her existing technology, it means she is sharing her fruits with the world, and that is a very good thing!

The Doktor turned back to Rift, "you said the poor creature was on your bed, in your home? Well, then, lead on!"

[Darksider42]

"Yeah. My place. Told my parents to give my room a wide birth for the time being. Would have brought him to Claremont, but I don't think Mr Summers would like the idea of him screeching. A lot of students have very sensitive hearing after all." Rift said as he adjusted his guitar around his back. It did sometimes chafe. "Anyway, chatting can be saved for when we get there." The teen said as he hovered in the air...

---Soon---

Miss Americana, Doctor Archeville and Rift soon found themselves in Southside inside of the apartment complex the teens family called home. "I have security tucked away in a few places. Its one of the few safest places in Southside." He said as he opened the door to his home. As expected it was quite small, but it did seem comfortable and clean. A few more doors later they were in Warrens room, which looked like the exact opposite of the lounge room. Computer parts and old aplifiers litter the floor, while some broken tech and a strange yet familiar Roman-esqe brass Helmet sat on his desk. When Rift mentioned the Bat that was currently lying on his bed was larger than average, it seemed now to be a understatement. It was roughly the size of a Great Dame, its right wing a mess of metal while the other was completely absent. his head was mostly intact, though it looked like it was at best Jury rigged for its survival. "So..Yeah, not doing so well right now Doc." Rift said as he kicked a smaller amp into the corner and checked on the bats leg, which looked bandaged.

[Electra]

Miss Americana took a scanner from her bag and approached the metal-clad bat, taking readings on its health and the state of its mechanical parts as she visually assessed it. "Fascinating," she murmured. "It appears to be a giant relative of Mystacina robusta, the extinct greater short-tailed bat. It's obviously a member of Mystacinidae, you can easily tell by the wing joints and the shape of the muzzle. That would obviously explain the mechanoid wings, the short-tailed bats are renowed for their strength and versatile eating habits, but they spend most of their time on the ground. I'm seeing damage to the crainial cap, the flexor replacement, the cervical collar, and the torsion control elements, at the very least. Poor thing looks like it was picked up and shaken by a giant dog," she murmured sympathetically.

She turned to Rift with a small smile. "As you surmised, it's definitely not from around here. I think I can fix or replace the damage in its cyborg exoskeleton, and whatever internal components we find. I'd recommend a veterinary expert be brought in to consult as well," she told Doc. "I can fake it, but I'd be a lot more comfortable with a real expert in the field."

[Dr Archeville]

Archeville stood back and studied the creature while Miss Americana did her preliminary checks. "I will need to make some calls," he eventually said, "as most of the experts in kaiju biology are not even on this continent."

But what could have done this damage? And would it track the creature to here? I am growing more and more concerned for Rift.

"There is a veterinarian at ArcheTech, though, Dr. Efthimiadis," he continued as he pulled out and began reconfiguring his Electromagnetic Screwdriver.

She has three dogs, Harley, Pepsi, and Zeus, and two cats, Rudi and Sasha. And they are all adorable!

"Her specialty is internal medicine and soft tissue surgery, so we should be able to do some work on the trauma. Focus on stabilizing it first, make sure it is not a danger to itself or us." He turned slightly to Rift, "One of us should go to where you found it, too, make sure you did not miss any pieces, or if there are any clues as to what attacked it. Where did you say you found it? An alley?"

He waved his Screwdriver over the creature, taking detailed x-ray and MRI scans of it, then sent the results to ArcheTech, flagged for Dr. Efthimiadis' attention.

"I wonder if the damage to the cranial cap is responsible for the aggressive behavior. If so, this may not have been made for a war-form... but there would still be the question of 'why' and 'who'."

[Darksider42]

Rift paused and just stared at Dr Archeville. "...You're telling me that I have a cyborg Kaiju in my bedroom..." He was still for a few seconds, his brain processing this fact a hundred times until he finally came to this simple conclusion. ...That's actually friggin' Awesome! How else did one expect a teenage metalhead to react?

He quickly snapped back to reality when he was addressed. "Oh, I was able to grab a few small pieces. But some of it looked trashed to the point you couldn't identify what went with what. the pieces are on the desk." He quickly pointed to a few shards of metal and some burnt wires. "I might have missed something though. the alley is a few blocks away from here so it shouldn't take too long to check out."

[Electra]

"I'd like a few minutes to stabilize this creature before we transport him anywhere," Miss A said, kneeling carefully next to the bed where the injured bat lay. "His condition is precarious enough that even a teleport is worrisome. Perhaps the two of you could go out and investigate the alley while I work on the bat and reach out to Dr. Efthimiadis," she suggested. "I'm not sure how much good any more charred pieces are going to do us in the rebuilding effort, but any clues as to where he came from or what happened to him would be very valuable."

[Dr Archeville]

"A fine idea; that will give Efthimiadis more time to review or findings. Though I had not planned on using the teleporter; too much risk, not knowing what is in the little guy. I believe a simple stretcher would be the best bet; I can use my Screwdriver to create a hard light construct to carry him, and my flight systems are stable enough to not jostle him too much."

Giant... bat... oh! I need to see about getting those season baseball tickets for Mona!

He turned to Rift, a grin spreading across his face. "Lead the way, lad! We have mysteries to solve and a life to save!"

Science, hooooo!

[Darksider42]

"I would have tried to do that myself, but...Well, I am not a surgeon." Rift said with another shrug. He did hope that poor guy would be alright after the vets take a look at him.

"Well, alright. Just follow me and it won't take that long."

----Later (again)----

Rift was right, it really didn't take that long to get there. The alley was pretty much what you would expect from one of the neighborhoods of Southside, if a lot dirtier from knocked over trash cans and what looked like a struggle had happened. There were a few more pieces of broken metal and ripped out wiring just a few steps ahead of them. Maybe there was more? "Sooo...How do you think we start?" Rift asked the doctor, hovering a few inches from the ground.

[Dr Archeville]

"Augen und Gehirne, Herr Rift," Archeville replied, holding up a finger to his temple, "eyes and brains. Look around you. Look for the patterns, how the debris is scattered. Which would be easier if you had called me in when you first found the poor creature," he smirked, "but, your heart was in the right place."

He is a god kid!

"Of course, even those as gifted as us can use a bit of help now and again," he went on as he began adjusting his Electromagnetic Screwdriver, "so a scan of the area to see what metals, plastics, and ceramics are here -- and knowing which ones should be here, based on the typical trash for this particular area, and should not be here, based on the scans I took earlier -- should point us towards anything that does not belong, such as components from your friend. Ah!"

The little gadget began to emit a series of pings and whistles, leading the two deeper into the alley. Under the wheel of a large dumpster they found a small sheet of metal, which upon examination was the missing wing. And behind the dumpster, among scrapes and scratches indicating the creature had tried to scamper behind it for shelter from its attackers, were more components, mostly for its head and chest... including a small hard drive!

"Ah-ha! A memory module, perhaps? Records of who did this? Or programs to make it a more tractable cyborg? Either way, this will be quite important!"

A promising start to... 'The Mystery of the Cyberbat of Unusual Size!'

[Electra]

Back in the house, Miss Americana worked on the bat for a few minutes, using her peculiar powers to enter into the cyborg circuitry for a better look at all the places that were broken. She rerouted nerve connections and fused broken data pathways, cannibalizing other systems to rebuild the autonomic nervous system until she was sure it would survive the rest of the healing process. With that done, she got on the phone to the veterinary surgeon, who was interested indeed in a collaboration. After that, it was merely a matter of waiting for the others to return with their findings.

[Darksider42]

"Oh yeah." Rift muttered, scratching the back of his head. "Damaged Cyborg bat sorta distracted me at the time." The Guitar Genius shrugged and started searching alongside the Doctor on the other side of the ally. Rift himself didn't have much luck, other than finding a stray cat that hissed at him before vanishing behind some garbage bags. He was happy that Archeville managed to locate some scrap parts. He did wonder if he should add some extra sensors to his mask. It was doable after all.

He hovered back tot he doctor and put the wing under his arm. He did take a moment to study the module. "Nice. I don't have anyway of logging into it at my place though, don't have the right scrap to put something together...Damn, we should check back on the guy soon. You find anything else doc?"

[Dr Archeville]

Archeville did one final scan of the alley, "No, I do believe that is everything. Let us get back to yourhome and see how Miss Americana has fared!"

I wonder how her cyberkinetic powers would work on a cyborg? Guess we will find out soon enough!

Soon the two men of science (well, man of science and teen of rockin' science) returned to the Wilder household, and found Miss Americana and the CBOUS. "Lo, the mighty hunters have returned!," Archeville intoned with much pomposity, "and we have found many useful components! How have your examinations fared? Were you able to get in touch with Dr. Efthimiadis?"

I am sure she will be eager to see this poor fella!

[Electra]

"I was," Miss A nodded, "and I think I've got this poor creature stabilized enough for the trip back to the lab." The cyborg bat was still in a terrible state, but it appeared to be breathing more normally now, at least. "It's going to take quite a bit of work to get him back up to good working condition, but it should be an interesting project. I've never seen cyborg parts quite like this before. Some of them are quite sophisticated. What did you find in the alley?" she asked curiously.

[Darksider42]

The bat let out a rather weak screech as it layed on th bed. Better or not, he was still needed attention. "Well, we did find it's wing. Could help with creating the replacements he is gonna need. Also this memory module. Doc thinks there might be something in there about his creator." Rift said as he lifted up the battered wing for Miss Americana to see. "Anyway...Um, how are we getting him to the lab? I mean, it wasn't easy getting him in here without knocking him against the walls without damaging him more than he already is."

[Dr Archeville]

"Leave that to me!," Archeville exclaimed. He handed the memory module to Rift, then began making adjustments to his Electromagnetic Screwdriver. "I would normally teleport the creature back to ArcheTech, but since I do not know the full extent of its injuries or the nature of its components, teleportation may make things worse. So instead..."

From one end of the Doktor's techno-wand, a wide, flat wedge of deep purple 'solid light' was projected, making it look very much like a spatula. He wedge it under Rift's mattress, then made further adjustment, causing the spatula head to expand until it supported the entire mattress, and the wounded cyberbat atop it.

Must... resist... urge to flip! Hee hee!

"There we go, nice and steady... I used the darkest color light I could so as to disturb it as little as possible, and the slight amount of heat my Screwdriver's solid light constructs give off should provide a comfortable warming effect." Archeville carefully, slowly lifted the makeshift gurney up, "alright, so far, so good. Though, if it starts getting too agitated, I can expand the 'lift' into a cage or dome."

Minutes later, they were back at ArcheTech.

[Electra]

Miss A hastily cleared off the largest workbench in her lab, making a place to set the bat down. "I already have most of the equipment I'll need for my part of the job in this room," she told Doctor Archeville, "but the vet may have other needs. She's already on her way." Gesturing over to an impressive-looking computer in the corner, she told Rift, "That's an ArcheTech Universal Reader, try putting the memory block in there. If it's still got anything that can be read, that machine will read it." She checked the bat over again, then set up a scanner for continuous monitoring of its condition.