Mar 13 23:19:55 110 PA - How I Learned to Love the Bomb
From Chronicles
Mar 13 23:19:55 110 PA.
MEETING HALL
There's a brief noise of jets in the darkness, and a suit of modified Crusader armor lands outside the door of the strange meeting hall in the 'Dregs. It is entirely without insignia, and beyond a few weapons isn't much to consider. However, it is carrying what might stand in for a large piece of luggage wrapped in a light fabric.
From the outside the meeting hall Valeriya is known to frequent looks just like it would any other day. Nothing betraying what activities could be going on within.
That Leonard may or may not be present within the hall would not necessarily be a surprise, either way. It is a shared place of research and business, yet he is also often away on other tasks.
<KNOCK> Delay. <KNOCK> The armor patiently waits. Who else wears modified Crusader with a jet pack strapped on carrying luggage?
Only most people who like jetpacks and heavy armor. But who among them would visit? That would be Gabriel. As Valeriya can see when she opens the door. She lets him in without question, beckoning him to come out of the weather an allow her to return to her tasks. In side a new suit of gladiator armor is laid out. She appears to be going over it.
Two suits of Gladiator armor are visible, with the other presumably belonging to Leonard. He is not currently inspecting it, though it is arrayed neatly awaiting use. A glance to the door after Valeriya opens it is followed by a nod to the arrival. "Greetings, Gabriel."
Inside, the damned helmet comes off, and Gabriel shakes out his long hair, causing it to wave in the breeze. Or perhaps his short, graying hair is just free of armor. That's the one. "Evening, guys. Valeriya, Leonard." He holds out the cloth-wrapped luggage. "Dragon bomb. A thing of beauty really. Expensive, but you'll like it." The apparent weapon certainly isn't held out straight at arm's length, presumably indicating a certain amount of weight, or Gabriel being weak. Or possibly both.
Valeriya nods, turning back to accept the heavy case with a singly hand. She seems to have no such difficulty at all with its bulk and weight, handling it like a lunch box. Well a catastrophically explosive lunchbox. "Thank you. Were' broke now, but none of us will be poor afterwards." She adds in reply to the mentioned expense. "So what do i need to know about it?"
"Not standing nearby once it's armed might be wise," Leonard offers a practical, if intentionally rhetorical piece of advice. "It will reliably detonate, I trust?"
"You need to know that it's a seventy-thousand dollar weapon for which I will be reimbursed. I also need to show you how to use it," Gabriel says, nodding toward the case. "It's simple and complex at the same time." The cloth is removed, displaying an apparently simple case with a slight curve. On the interior curve - concave, if you will - are emblazoned in military stencil the letters: TOWARD ENEMY.
Valeriya smirks at the painfully obvious military style of the weapon. "Very nice work. And you will be compensated in full. Leonard and I will have no issue with that will we?" She states, glancing back to Leonard with a confident look.
Leonard shakes his head. "Not at all. Though our goal is to free the town from tyranny and open free commerce, there will be significant compensation for our efforts." He now turns to the task of verifying that his armor is complete, which he distills down to a rather quick and cursory evaluation.
Gabriel nods and smiles, satisfied. He removes his gauntlets to expose gloved hands. Gloves which are also removed to reveal pleasant pink fingers. "Okay, here we go. Watch closely," he advises. Six long rigid lengths are pulled from the device, three on other side. The ends lock into a hinge-like mechanism and he displays the free movement, swinging in and out. "These are cutting charges, usually used for breaking into hardened shelters, things like that. Take the door right off this place. In the center is the main charge, and behind that is your uranium. All together, there's nothing short of the supernatural that won't be blown to bits. Hopefully it's clear that, this side is the front." He gestures, chuckling in silence and waiting to continue.
"Yeah that couldn’t be more obvious." Valeriya assures. "We'll have to paint that over or cover it in mud so the dragon doesn’t get the hint." She adds with a shrug.
"You aren't planning to just set the device out in the open and hope the dragon comes near enough, are you?" Leonard would never assume as much, but Valeriya's comment makes that suspect. "I'd prefer that it had no time to study it before learning firsthand of its effects."
Gabriel shakes his head at Leonard, a little amused. "Technically, you probably have about ninety-feet of range, but it was built for someone to cast that sticking spell on it and apply it to the target. That way it can't miss. If you try range, the thing might be fast enough to avoid it. So apply directly. Now, look closely." He points to a small latch on the back of the device, a little door that flips open. "Here's what you want to do. This is a time delay fuse. Set it anywhere from twenty-four hours, which I wouldn't recommend, to near-instantaneous - which I would recommend. Once you set it, you can't change it. It will go off, detonating the main charge. There's a second fuse inside the device that will automatically go off a quarter-second after the first. This can *NOT* be changed. It will blow the uranium into the wound before regeneration can occur." Another small hatch is opened. Inside is a metal loop and three-foot length of cord. "Yank on this, and it will detonate instantly. Basically the 'oh shit' option. I say that because if you're within ten feet of this thing when it goes off, it will hurt. However, the blast is focused forward, so with your armor it probably wouldn't actually harm your body. But there's no reason to put that to the test, is there?" He looks to the two mages. "Questions? It's hard, durable, dangerous and meant to go off one way or another. If you set the time fuse, keep it short. This case will stand up to one rifle shot at best, so the dragon could just destroy it if he moves fast enough."
"That about covers it." Valeriya confirms, showing she fully understand the operation. She then shakes her head at Leonard. "No I'll cast carpet of adhesion on it, apply it directly to the dragons face, and run like hell."
Leonard laughs after the preferred method of application is described. "Ah, yes, that would be preferred. Even if it only works half as well as hoped, it will be valuable." His mirth dims to a grin as he looks to Valeriya. "To say nothing of how amusing it will be to watch you apply it."
Standing, the old military fellow gives the mages a solid nod. "Alright then. The nice part about it is that short of pulling the cord or setting the timer, you can do anything you want to it. Shoot it, light it on fire, run over it with a bus. It's stable." Gabriel looks to see if there are any questions.
"That’s good." Valeriya states, looking very reassured. "As I might have to apply it to the dragons face rather forcefully." She adds, smirking confidently. "Well then. If there is nothing else i guess we'll see you in a few hours for the departure."
Gabriel pulls his gauntlets back on and tucks his helmet beneath his arm. "I'll be meeting everyone in a few hours then. Don't be surprised when I arrive packed heavy." With that, a non-salute is tossed off, and he's out likely to the office to finish assembling his gear with the help of other trained soldiers.
