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The Mechanical Sovereign Chapter 14: Father and Son at the Fair
The World of Warcraft fan event was being held in a public square near Central Park. Grassroots affair organized by players from one of the local servers. Nothing corporate. Just a few dozen people in homemade costumes eating cheap food and having fun.
Kade and Violet arrived to find a crowd that ranged from middle-aged men in foam armor to five-year-olds swinging plastic swords. Night elves, undead rogues, a surprisingly committed orc shaman. The cosplay was rough by professional standards, but the enthusiasm made up for it.
The program was simple. A few short skits based on in-game storylines, then snacks and socializing. Kade used Violet's account credentials to get in and scored a free lunch. He browsed the booths, watched a re-enactment of the Battle of Mount Hyjal performed by six people and a cardboard Archimonde, and did his best to look like he belonged.
On the way out, Violet spoke up. Dead serious.
"Commander. I need you to prioritize upgrading the AllSpark."
"What brought this on?"
"In my core memory banks, the AllSpark has the capability to construct synthetic humanoid bodies. When that technology becomes available, I need you to build me one." She paused. "So I can attend conventions like this in person. Under my own name. In my own cosplay."
Kade didn't know where to start.
This was her motivation for pushing him toward Stage 2? Not tactical superiority, not global defense capabilities. Cosplay.
Why were all the robots the AllSpark created so weird?
Still, the synthetic body concept had legitimate applications. Mass-produce humanoid units and Kade could field an army of lifelike operatives. Worth pursuing regardless of Violet's reasons.
But it came back to the same bottleneck. Energy Activators required nuclear-grade material. Until he could secure a steady supply through Stark Industries, Stage 2 was out of reach.
Kade found a quiet bench away from the crowd and sat down. He wasn't a WoW player and felt out of place among people debating raid compositions and arguing about whether paladins were overpowered.
He wasn't the only one.
A man sat down on the other end of the bench. Early thirties, thin, with a pallor that suggested either too many hours indoors or not enough good health to go around. He looked slightly lost, like someone dragged here by forces beyond his control.
"Not a gamer?" the man asked.
"Dragged here by a friend," Kade said. "You?"
"My son." The man nodded toward the play area. "Take my advice, don't have kids too young. Actually, don't have kids at all. Look at that."
Kade followed his gaze. A boy of five or six was charging around with a plastic greatsword, screaming battle cries and whacking everything in reach. A pack of similarly armed kids rampaged behind him, a shrieking tornado of foam weapons and sugar-fueled chaos.
Kade watched for a moment. "Honestly? Being able to complain about your kid at a gaming convention, that's a luxury. My family's gone. I'd trade a lot to have your kind of problems."
The man's expression softened. "Sorry. I didn't mean to..."
"No need to apologize." Kade extended his hand. "Kade Lawson."
The man gripped it firmly, about to introduce himself, when a child's shriek cut across the park.
"Dad! Watch my Whirlwind Slash!"
The boy came spinning toward them, plastic sword extended, rotating like a top. Grinning so wide his face could barely contain it.
"Harry, careful!" The man let go of Kade's hand and rushed forward to scoop up the boy before he could spin into a park bench.
Harry. A sick-looking father and a son named Harry.
The surname clicked somewhere in the back of Kade's mind, but he didn't have time to dwell on it.
"Commander," Violet said through the AllSpark link. "Someone just activated an electromagnetic jamming device. All wireless communications within a three-block radius are suppressed."
EM jamming. In a public park. During a fan convention.
Not random. Someone came prepared.
Kade's first instinct was that it was meant for him. And if it was, staying here meant putting civilians in the crossfire. Including a man and his young son.
He stood and walked away without a word, heading for the most isolated section of the park he could find.
Behind him, the father lifted his boy onto his shoulders and turned to say something to Kade. But the bench was already empty.
"Daddy, where'd he go?"
"Guess he had somewhere to be." The man looked in the direction Kade had walked. Thoughtful. Then he smiled down at his son. "Come on, Harry. Let's go find some more bad guys to fight."
"Yeah! Whirlwind Slash!"
Kade didn't make it far.
He'd barely cleared the tree line when men in black suits came out from behind every piece of available cover. Benches, lamp posts, maintenance sheds. A dozen of them, forming a loose perimeter that closed around him.
"This is a lot of manpower," Kade said, hands at his sides. "I hope this isn't about stepping on the grass."
The ring parted, and a large figure shouldered through.
Bald. Broad. A body that had once been powerful and was now running to fat, but still carried authority like a weapon. Kade recognized him instantly. He'd seen that face from across the press conference room just days ago.
Obadiah Stane. Stark Industries CEO. Tony's most trusted mentor.
"That's unexpected," Kade said, and meant it.
He'd assumed the tail was SHIELD. Coulson checking on his investment. Instead it was Stane. The man who should've been busy draining Stark Industries' accounts and stealing Arc Reactor blueprints. Why was he wasting time on a nobody technical consultant?
"Mr. Lawson," Stane said, with the warm smile of a man who'd spent decades perfecting friendly threats. "I hope I'm not interrupting. I'd love to buy you lunch and discuss a potential collaboration."
"Collaboration? I already work for Stark Industries."
Stane reached into his jacket.
Every muscle in Kade's body went tight. One thought and the Sensory Gauntlet bracelet would unfold, blade deployed, and he'd cut through every suit in this park before the first one could draw. If Stane was pulling a gun, the conversation was over.
Stane pulled out a gun.
But Kade didn't move. Because he recognized it.
Smooth white casing. Blue pulse energy channels glowing beneath the surface. A weapon that shouldn't exist anywhere on Earth.
The Pulse Pistol. His Pulse Pistol. The one he'd given to Tony.
For every 500 Powerstones a bonus chapter.