Magnetic Particle Inspection (IC)

[quotemyname]

Date: June 6th, 2011 (Monday)

Jin Wong had just finished a longer than usual test in his chemistry lab at Hanover. The testing was supposed to only have taken an hour, but the final time of the test was an hour and a half. Jin had a standing appointment to get to, which was in actuality a standing appointment for Ferros, his heroic identity. One of the more accomplished heroic minds that helped out at the Hanover labs, Supercape, had requested to do some tests on him and his powers in the hopes of discovering new information in the magnetic field. His words, Jin had hoped there was no pun intended. He also hoped that the delay in his own tests wouldn't make him late for his appointment. Jin was growing anxious, but he couldn't let it get to him. As he left the chemistry building, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, It really is not a big deal, Jin thought, calming himself, It only means that I can't walk there. I'll have to fly instead.

Opening his eyes, Jin once more felt centered, a peaceful calm came over him as he slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and walked to the side of the Chemistry building. He knew a spot behind the building where few people ever went. Once he stepped between the row of hedges and the building itself, he was out of sight. He plunged his hand into the duffel bag and brought out a small round metal disk. In his hand, it grew in size and changed shape until it became about the size of his face. He placed it over his eyes creating the mask he wore as Ferros. Suddenly, the rest of the jewelry he wore, rings, necklaces, bracelets, all expanded and thinned out to cover most of his body. The plating made for a crude costume, but it would serve until he could figure out a way to create a metal that would be rigid yet malleable enough that he could cover his body with it like a full suit of steel.

The belt buckle he'd worn hadn't been used to form his costume. It was in the shape of a Yin-Yang. He removed it now and held it front of him. Then the Yin-Yang expanded to a disc about twice the size of a man-hole cover. It was incredibly thin due to the need to conserve it's mass, but he didn't need it to be thick. He tossed it toward the ground, and it hovered in front of it. Hopping in the air he planted both feet on the disc, slung the duffel bag he carried over his shoulder, and floated into the air. Seconds later he was cruising through the air at a high speed like he was surfing on the disc.

---

Ferros touched down in front of the building Supercape had told him to meet at. A few feet from the ground he hopped off the disc, just as it shrank to it's original size. He once again fused it with his costume right where his belt buckle should be.

Ferros gazed around, "Well, hey. Got here faster than I'd thought. See? No use worrying, right?" Supercape and one of his associates were supposed to meet him outside the building. Realizing he was early, Ferros brought out the disc once more. He made it large enough for him to sit on, and hovered in front of Hanover's Physics and Practical Labs building with his legs crossed. After dropping the duffel bag on the ground underneath him, He rested his elbows on his knees and closed his eyes, sinking into a meditative state to wait.

[Supercape]

The space (and time, and, well... other dimensions) in front of Jin started bending, and distorting, in a rather unpleasant manner. After a few seconds of these contortions, they consolidated, and Supercape stood before him, his magnificent sparkling cape floating in the breeze.

He waved a hand. "Mister, errr... Feros, I believe?" he started, lowering his hand for the master of metal to shake.

"Supercape" he said by way of introduction, nodding to his huge flowing cape. "As you probably, er, guessed. "

He coughed slightly. "Welcome to Freedom City, and all that Jazz. Well, you may have been here all your life for all I know of course, but welcome nonetheless!"

He gazed at the Hanover institute. "Ummm, slight change of plan. Nice to meet you here and all, but on reflection, I think the Lab may be a better facility for our, errr, arrangement. Firstly, I am more familiar with the equipment there. Secondly, it has better tea..."

[quotemyname]

The space (and time, and, well... other dimensions) in front of Jin started bending, and distorting, in a rather unpleasant manner. After a few seconds of these contortions, they consolidated, and Supercape stood before him, his magnificent sparkling cape floating in the breeze.

He waved a hand. "Mister, errr... Feros, I believe?" he started, lowering his hand for the master of metal to shake.

Ferros hopped off the floating disc, which promptly shrank and attached itself to his midsection like a belt buckle, seemingly of its own accord. Ferros grasped Supercape's hand in greeting. His handshake wasn't crushing, nor was it limp. It seemed to hold a quiet strength that came from deep inside, like holding a stock of metal that you know you can't bend or break. His handshake seemed to portray a sort of quiet confidence.

Well, he seems like a stand up guy. Ferros smiled behind his mask at the arrival of Supercape. The metal on his mask where his mouth should be suddenly grew a thin line like a mouth that also curled into a smile. The transition was a little strange to watch, but certainly interesting as well. Shortly after the smile formed, it faded, giving way to the implacable face mask once more. "Hey! Ferros. Yea. You got it, buddy." Ferros' voice was calm, quiet, and reserved. Given a moment's reflection, it reminded Supercape of a trickling stream in a quiet forest.

"Supercape" he said by way of introduction, nodding to his huge flowing cape. "As you probably, er, guessed. "

He coughed slightly. "Welcome to Freedom City, and all that Jazz. Well, you may have been here all your life for all I know of course, but welcome nonetheless!"

He gazed at the Hanover institute. "Ummm, slight change of plan. Nice to meet you here and all, but on reflection, I think the Lab may be a better facility for our, errr, arrangement. Firstly, I am more familiar with the equipment there. Secondly, it has better tea..."

"Well, alright. Nice to meet you, 'Cape. Don't mind if I shorten it, do you?" Ferros bent down to lift the duffel bag from the ground. "And, sure, I'm fine with a new location. I think you'll find I'm pretty malleable." The mask winked at Supercape, "Get it? It's a metal joke? Pretty bad, I know, but we can't all do stand up, right?"

[Supercape]

"Well, alright. Nice to meet you, 'Cape. Don't mind if I shorten it, do you?"

"Not at all, everybody else does" replied Supercape. Maybe they don't think I'm super? he mused to himself. Well, no matter, never set out to be a superhero in the first place.

"And, sure, I'm fine with a new location. I think you'll find I'm pretty malleable." The mask winked at Supercape, "Get it? It's a metal joke? Pretty bad, I know, but we can't all do stand up, right?"

"Ha ha ha" laughed Supercape, rather weakly. "Yes, yes, very good, very droll..." he coughed and shuffled slightly. Teaching physics for the past fifteen plus years, he had heard practically every pun on physics (including metallurgy and magnetism) there was.

"Well, the Lab is not far" he continued more sprightly. "What is your preferred means of travel? I can give you a lift if you want. It seems I am becoming Freedom Cities resident taxi service sometimes..."

[quotemyname]

"Well, the Lab is not far" he continued more sprightly. "What is your preferred means of travel? I can give you a lift if you want. It seems I am becoming Freedom Cities resident taxi service sometimes..."

"Hey, well, I guess I can fly there, you know?" Ferros patted the Yin-Yang at his waist, "Although, hey, I guess I'm just not really sure how secret this lab of yours is, you know? I can't really fly too well blindfolded." The mask on his face suddenly turned featureless and smooth. The eye holes now missing, Ferros flailed around comically like he was looking for a light switch. "Hey! Who turned out the lights? Right?" The mask reformed with a smile. "I guess I'll understand if you need to keep your secrets and all, you know? If that's the case, taxi away, man. But otherwise, I can fly myself, I'll just need to follow you."

[Supercape]

"Heh, its hardly a secret!" chuckled Supercape, and turned to point at the enormous egg shaped sky scraper only a few blocks from their current position. "The Lab!" he declared. "Its in this area, so we can be near the university, the institute, and all the other scientific bases that have conglomerated here. We do share some resources."

He lifted from the ground, glittering energy and humming sounds streaming from his body.

"So, its not far at all! A quick jaunt, so to speak. You go first, it will give me a chance to see all those magnetic and metallurgical thingies you do".

He coughed slightly. "Errr, well I say "thingies", please don't let that give you the impression I don't know my physics!" he laughed a little embarrassed at his sloppiness with words. "

[quotemyname]

"Heh, its hardly a secret!" chuckled Supercape, and turned to point at the enormous egg shaped sky scraper only a few blocks from their current position. "The Lab!" he declared. "Its in this area, so we can be near the university, the institute, and all the other scientific bases that have conglomerated here. We do share some resources."

Ferros looked rather taken back, but only for a second. "Woh, hey, cool. That's what that thing is? Never would have guess it was a super hero lab. I was thinking more along the lines of Disney's Epcot. You know, with the train in side?

"So, its not far at all! A quick jaunt, so to speak. You go first, it will give me a chance to see all those magnetic and metallurgical thingies you do".

He coughed slightly. "Errr, well I say "thingies", please don't let that give you the impression I don't know my physics!" he laughed a little embarrassed at his sloppiness with words. "

Ferros nodded in agreement instead of forming an expression this time. "Hey, sure thing," He held the duffel bag with his left hand and let it rest over his shoulder. He held his right hand flat just away from his waist. With a gesture, he sent the Yin-Yang that was attached there hovering on the ground in front of him. After a few quick steps, he laded on it like it was a wakeboard at the beach. Except, he didn't glide along the ground, and he certainly did not slow down. Ferros launched into the air surfing on the round disk.

"Well, can't actually fly, you know?" He told Supercape once the hero caught up with him, "I just move the disc with my powers, and as long as I'm standing on it, I go places, you know?" Soon, the two were rocketing toward the large egg on the sky line.

[Supercape]

"Slow down a bit old chap!" yelled Supercape as the young man flew ahead of him. He was a lot faster than he was - using some perverse aculiberre drive to bend time and space infront and back of him.

Sighing, he stopped flying for a few seconds, and again entangled two points in the universe. In this case, the point where he was, and a point several hundred feet infront of the speeding Ferros.

He appeared infront of Ferros, at a safe distance, hovering mid-air. "Hold up! can't keep up at that pace! he yelled. I don't know how you stay on that swizzy disc either! magnetic boots or something?"

As it was, they were nearly at the Lab anyway. Supercape pointed at the ground entrance. "Lets go in via conventional means, eh?" he said, and flew down to the steel and glass entrance of the Lab.

[quotemyname]

Ferros stopped rather abruptly, having to pull back on the nose of the disc in order to stay upright. He hovered in front of Supercape as he issued an apology, "Well, hey, sorry about that, I guess. You said you wanted to see what I could do, and I guess I just got carried away, you know?"

He appeared infront of Ferros, at a safe distance, hovering mid-air. "Hold up! can't keep up at that pace! he yelled. I don't know how you stay on that swizzy disc either! magnetic boots or something?"

"Well, it's not magnets," He pointed down to his feet where the metal from the disc and the metal that protected his lower legs and feet had melded into one solid piece. He quickly flipped himself upside down, and hung from the disc briefly, then turned right side up again. "Hey, cuts down on mobility a bit, but it beats falling off, you know?"

As it was, they were nearly at the Lab anyway. Supercape pointed at the ground entrance. "Lets go in via conventional means, eh?" he said, and flew down to the steel and glass entrance of the Lab.

"Hey, sure, not a problem, 'Cape." Ferros' mask formed a smile just before the metallic clad hero plummeted through the air to the front door of the Lab. Halting just before he hit the ground, he hopped off the disc just before it shrank, and attached itself to his waist seemingly of it's own accord.

"Hey, after you," He gestured to the door, expecting that it would be best if someone that actually worked there opened it. He was reasonably sure his Employee ID for Hanover IT wouldn't get him in. And using it would give him away even if he could, so it was a moot point, really.

[Supercape]

"Come in, come in..." said Supercape, as the gates opened automatically, and he lead Ferros into the grand expo floor of the Lab.

The entire ground level was a beautiful steel and glass display of the public work the Lab did, along with a lot of educational displays. Staff were ushering around visitors, including a group of school children.

Supercape waved at some of the visitors, a bit self-conscious. In retrospect, he decided, the back door may have been better. Still, it was a magnificent view and showed his visitor what the Lab was about.

"Our public floor" he explained. "This is open to the public free of charge. A bit of a mini-museum. A few floors above are public access too, of a sorts, you can rent out conference centres, etc. And we have a small staff. The real research and Lab work goes on in the restricted levels, however. You will need one of these...."

He passed Ferros an electronic name tag. "Gives you access to all but the high restricted areas, and we keep tabs on you!" he winked.

"Now, Protectron should be somewhere above us in the public floors. Not a full member of the Lab, you see - he just kind of hangs around here loitering with intent. I'll have to grant him temporary access. In the meantime, lets go to measure your powers!"

He took his guest to the elevator, where they sped up to the upper levels of the Lab.

[quotemyname]

Ferros gazed around in astonishment, as he got the tour. When he received the badge, he fused the metal of it's clip to one of the plates that covered his chest. That wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. This would be pretty cool to get in on. Not sure I wanting people to know that my other identity is a scientist, just yet. Or that I know science, for that matter. Ferros weighed his options as the two of them walked. He decided it could wait for now.

"Hey, Protectron, huh? He's that robot that's always flying around, right?" Ferros asked as they stepped into the elevator. There was a bit of a silence for a moment. Then, Ferros decided to ask the question hanging in the air, "So, hey, what kind of tests are you guys planning, huh?"

[Supercape]

"Hey, Protectron, huh? He's that robot that's always flying around, right?"

"Indeed he is" replied Supercape as the elevator ascended. "Great big golden robot, with a head that comes off and..." he coughed and gave a sideways glance at Ferros, realising it sounded like he was describing a kids toy. "*ahem*" he said after a pause. "Yes, he's that robot that's flying around. Nice chap. "

"So, hey, what kind of tests are you guys planning, huh?"

"Well, first we are going to inject with you a needle this long..." said Supercape, holding his hands a foot apart. "And then... no, no" he chuckled. "Nothing so serious. Not testing you at all, most probably. Instead, testing the parameters of what you can do, and what actually happens, rather than what you see happen. Actually that brings me to my first query - do you have any particular senses? can you feel the electromagnetic spectrum? anything like that?"

[quotemyname]

"No, nothing like that," Ferros responded tentatively. "Well, I can sense metal, you know? It's like I can feel there's metal nearby in my head. I can't see it, and I can't really trace it, you know? I just know it's there." He cocked his head to the side for a moment, watching the numbers detailing which floor they were on tick upward, "Well, I can actually identify it with the usual methods, given my experience with metal, but that whole six sense thing won't do it for me, you know?"

[Supercape]

"Interesting" replied Supercape as the lift hit level 21.

"Here we go" he said, stepping out into the corridor. The Lab had ten floors of extensive laboratories and research equipment, not including the biomedical facilities at the infirmary and the high-security facilities in the sub-levels.

"All sorts of stuff here" he said to his guest, leading him into a large laboratory with the same decor as (most of) the rest of the Lab, glass, steel, and white - littered with all manner of computers, sensors, and machines.

"Take a seat" he continued, pointing to a test chair in the centre of the room. "I'll just ran a scan of you first, check on any energy readings or magnetic fields..." his voice trailed off as he set to the computer, glancing up at his guest now and again. "Although I can't sense anything myself, and half the time I am better than all the equipment here, to be honest. "

[Dr Archeville]

Had Supercape and Ferros lingered but a few moments longer in the lobby, they would have seen Protectron there, standing off to one side, still as a golden statue. It stood there per the suggestion of Dragonfly and Gossamer, who convinced him it would be a good learning experience re: "humor" to stand still in the showroom and spook visitors by moving or speaking when least expected. So it stood on a hastily constructed pedestal, and had slowly scanned the area, but it got so engrossed in watching people go about the showroom, observing both the wonder they felt at the scientific advances in The Lab and the day-to-day topics they discussed among themselves that it never moved or spoke. Not even when a few children knocked on its legs!

Observation: Friend-Supercape has arrived with metahuman designate: Ferros.

The strange robot remained on the pedestal, using its internal comms to contact both the elevator the two were in and Supercape's lab upstairs. "Greetings, Friend-Supercape. Do you still require my assistance in your tests? If so, I must remind you that The Lab's security protocols are still set to not let me past level five."

[quotemyname]

"Hey, well, I'm not exactly going to be setting off metal detectors, you know? If it weren't for all this at least." Ferros waved at the pates that were covering his body. "Magnets, how they heck do they work, you know?" The expression on the mask changed to laughing. He didn't know a scientist alive that hadn't heard that line from ICP's Miracles, much less made fun of it.

No sooner had Ferros taken as seat in one of the chairs provided him, than he head an announcement of sorts.

The strange robot remained on the pedestal, using its internal comms to contact both the elevator the two were in and Supercape's lab upstairs. "Greetings, Friend-Supercape. Do you still require my assistance in your tests? If so, I must remind you that The Lab's security protocols are still set to not let me past level five."

"Hey, sounds like your friend needs help getting access. Think we should let him in? Or is this gonna be a private party?"

[Supercape]

"Greetings, Friend-Supercape. Do you still require my assistance in your tests? If so, I must remind you that The Lab's security protocols are still set to not let me past level five."

"Ah yes, greetings to you too, errr.. Friend-Protectron!" replied Supercape through the intercom. He was still unsure if the golden robot could pick up radio signals directly.

"And, errr... just Supercape will do fine, you know. Or 'cape as everybody here seems to call me. "

He coughed slightly, and proceeded to modify the security protocols of the Lab. "I have unlocked the upper and lower levels temporarily, so do feel free to join us. Level 21, Lab 'E'', Electro-magnetic molecular research facility. Your golden presence would be most helpful. "

He turned off the intercom and concentrated for an instant. His normal Supercape costume flowed and sparkled into his 'Superlab' costume, a variant where the cape was replaced by a brilliant white lab coat.

"More scientific" he said to Ferros as way of explanation.

[quotemyname]

"And, errr... just Supercape will do fine, you know. Or 'cape as everybody here seems to call me. "

"Hey, well, you know that's just cuz everyone already knows you're super, you know?" Ferros reassured his scientific comrade.

He turned off the intercom and concentrated for an instant. His normal Supercape costume flowed and sparkled into his 'Superlab' costume, a variant where the cape was replaced by a brilliant white lab coat.

"More scientific" he said to Ferros as way of explanation.

"Hey, I get it. You have to dress the part. Who'd ever take a Doctor seriously if he wasn't wearing scrubs, you know?"

Ferros leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other, "Hey, I actually got a question for you. While we wait, you know? Do you do any research on advanced fabrics in the Lab? This 'costume' (if you can call it that) isn't the most comfortable thing in the world, you know? The mask works fine, but it's sure be a lot better if I didn't have all these plates everywhere. The metal I use to create them is cheap to begin with, and then it gets spread so thin they don't even offer any protection against attacks, you know?" Ferros held his arms out to the sides and shrugged helplessly, "Well, if you guys can make something like fabric woven with metals I can still control it and it'll be easier to move in, you know?"

[Supercape]

"Well I'm not exactly a tailor..." replied Supercape "but I did design my own costume" he said, stroking his Lab coat.

"Quantum molecules.. they rearrange according to need. And keep me warm on a cold day" he continued. "I suppose I could think about rustling up something for you, fluid metal for instance..."

He took a sample of iron from the storage locker.

"It depends on exactly what you need. And what you can do". He placed the iron in a tea mug, and stared at intently. Within a few seconds it had turned to what could only be described as liquid iron.

"There, I just loosen up the molecular bonds a little, and we have a liquid iron!" he explained. "If we can make a suit of that for you, well, it might come in handy. For stopping bullets perhaps, if you could get it to react to kinetic force. Or for transporting yourself. If we place the liquid in a suitable plastic container, for instance... or maybe your abilities could just hold it in place. "

He shrugged. "All depends on what you can do, of course. But I am sure we could rustle up something helpful, or at least more comfortable. "

[quotemyname]

Keeping his legs crossed Ferros silently raised his left arm and held his hand outstretched toward the tea cup Supercape held. His palm was open, and his fingers outstretched. He focused on the iron stock in the cup. It was currently in it's liquid state. Normally, that would require the metal to be extremely hot, but Supercape had simply loosened the bonds between the molecules as he'd explained.

Unlike how Supercape had explained, he hadn't reformed the molecules of the iron. He'd simply felt the metal for what it was. He felt that the 'base level' he view things at was somewhat different than viewing things at a molecular level. To him, the transforming metal was more like dancing, or painting. It was like an art form fueled by the passion in his blood. Though that might just have been his opinion. That's the reason he was here after all. To discover new things about his powers. The tests would be a two-way street.

Ferros brought the fingers of his hand towards each other until the finally touched. The Iron liquid in the cup suddenly became rigid once more. Instead of forming into a solid piece of Iron Stock, like it had been before, it was now a little longer and flat. It also bore a raised set of characters on one side, as if it had come out of a mold of some kind. The characters were Chinese: "超级角"

Ferros' mask smiled as he laid his hand back in his lap, "It says, 'Super Cape', in Chinese. Well, near as I think it would. There's no actual word for Supercape, you know?" The mask smirked, "So, hey, I'd say I could 'hold it together.' What do you think?"

[Supercape]

Supercape examined the iron carefully. It had no peculiarities, as far as he could tell. In fact, it was rather beautiful, the work of an artist.

"Hmmm..." he mumbled, then straightened. "Spiffing!" he continued in a clearer voice "actually very nice. I'll be using that as a paperweight in my office, I think!"

He placed it down gently on the table. "Although you may want to make one for our golden friend when he arrives, I don't want him to feel left out".

He reached over and pulled out a jumble of wires, electrodes and plates from under a rather large machine "Now, don't worry, contrary to appearances this is actually for your own safety. First things first, I'm hooking you up to see if I can detect any natural physiological effects, for instance, if you generate any electro-magnetic field - or if you absorb any such effects. I can't detect anything myself, but magnetic effects are not something I can directly sense - only indirectly through its effect on the electromagnetic spectrum. "

That said, he started attatching a few electrodes to Ferros from head to toe. "Nothing invasive, dear fellow, just sit back. These are only sensors..."

[quotemyname]

"Hey, sure, no problem. Wouldn't want to offend the guy. Perhaps he can wear it like a name tag." The mask adopted a jovial expression before returning to normal.

He reached over and pulled out a jumble of wires, electrodes and plates from under a rather large machine "Now, don't worry, contrary to appearances this is actually for your own safety. First things first, I'm hooking you up to see if I can detect any natural physiological effects, for instance, if you generate any electro-magnetic field - or if you absorb any such effects. I can't detect anything myself, but magnetic effects are not something I can directly sense - only indirectly through its effect on the electromagnetic spectrum. "

"Hey, sure, no worries here. I'm totally zen." Somehow, when he said the word, Supercape knew that he meant it in the literal sense of the word rather than simply meaning he felt relaxed. Furthermore, as Supercape attached the leads to Ferros, he found that he didn't need to work around the metal plating. When ever there was a plate in the way of where a lead would need to go, it either moved out of the way, or grew a convenient hole through which the wire could be attached. "Well, I have to say, it's interesting how you deduce things about magnetism just by the way it looks in the EM spectrum. Kind of like knowing there's someone standing around a corner by the shadow they cast."

Ferros relaxed, sat back, and crossed both his legs on the seat when Supercape gave him the signal that he was ready. The mask he wore suddenly became an expressionless blank, and Ferros practically radiated calm. Supercape heard a noise from across the room. The closet where he kept the other pieces of iron stock opened, and another piece floated out. It hovered above the desk momentarily, before gently being set down. Once on the desk, it merged into another long thin bar like the first. This one read, "ä¿æŠ¤é’¢é“"

"BÇŽohù gÄngtiÄ›" Ferros spoke, the eyes on the mask reforming, "'Protect Iron' was as close as I could get to his name." he explained, "Did you get any readings?"

[Supercape]

"Ah here we are..." said Supercape, scrutinising a computer screen that spewed forth a whole plethora of results.

"Interesting, very interesting" he murmured, as he played with the computer some more.

"Ahem, yes..." he said after some time, turning back to Ferros. "There are some micro-anomalies in your electrical field. Yes, all humans have one, its just normally tiny. I can't say yours is exactly overpowering, but there are some differences. By the pulsatile nature of the anomalies, I would guess something to do with your bloodstream - bioacccumulant metals? haemoglobin? something of that nature anyway. Need a blood sample to look at it properly. In the mean time, I wonder how the readings alter when you are actively engaged in metal manipulation. "

He glanced around the room, and picked up a metal pen that was lying handy. He tossed it to within a few feet of Ferros.

"Do something jazzy with that, I'll see if the readings change..."

[quotemyname]

Bioaccumulant metals, yea, that's probably the ticket. Not sure I'm willing to share, but if he can figure it out with a blood test all the same. What was it that Master Chun said? "Some monks take a vow of silence because they know all questions are answered by time, not by words."

Ferros stood from his chair and glanced at the pen on the ground, "Jazzy? Hey, well, I can do jazzy." He held out his right hand, and the metal pen melted, and flowed upward toward his hand, like the reverse of rain. All of the plastic bits were left on the floor. Once it was pooled in the palm of his hand he spread his legs and lowered his stance. He began with the more basic Kata for a martial art called Bajiqan. As he did so, the metal from the pend flowed along his body. When he would make a strike, the metal trickled to a hand, or a foot and extended outward like a dagger, retreating to his limbs immediately after. When he would guard against an imagined blow, the metal would flow along his forearm or shin, or whichever body part would be used for the block, then suddenly harden like a shield. When he was done, he brought both hands up in front of his face pooling the metal there. He drew them swiftly downward and to his side. The liquified metal scattered like so much water along the floor. Supercape knew his eyes were closed, because the mask he wore was featureless. Ferros breathed out slowly, and the droplets of metal ran together where the plastic bits of the pen had been left. The metal reformed around the plastic, and the pen was once again whole.

Ferros sent the pen floating back to where Supercape stood. In midair, it clicked, and descended to the desk. Remarkably, it still wrote just as it originally had.

"Jazzy. You know?"

[Dr Archeville]

Observation: Lab security systems now permit me to access levels -1 to 21.

Initiating Plans SC-F-001, G-F-001, and DF-F-001.

Protectron flew off the pedestal and zipped to the catering kitchen, an area with which it was very familiar. It hastily assembled three small gift baskets, filling them with fruits, trail mixes, small bottles of water and V8, and a small brownie, all sealed in cling wrap. It strode towards the service elevator on unwavering feet, and took the car up, making a quick stop to drop one of the baskets off at the door of the lab Dragonfly had last used.

---

"Jazzy. You know?"

"Would you like me to put on some Jazz music?" the strange robot asked, picking up the snippet of conversation as it entered. In its arms were two gift baskets filled with food. "I believe Friend-de Havilland has placed a collection of Jazz recordings on The Lab's shared entertainment drive."