Chapter 19 - A Force Multiplier

A couple days later the figure of Mikael could be seen sitting in front of a large machine. The silver metals that form the frame glistened in the light of his workshop as it held a cylindrical chamber formed of tempered glass and titanium alloys which was currently filled with coal. He took a deep breath as he tossed a wrench through the air as it landed perfectly on the tool rack mounted on his wall. The geological compressor was finally ready and it was time to truly equip himself for the trouble that he was beginning to find himself drawn into.

He stood to his feet as he walked over to the fabricator he built in his workspace and picked up a dark gray tunic and dark brown trousers that had finally been completed and put it on a mannequin that matched his body before making some minor adjustments to ensure a proper fit before he changed into them. He then grabbed the pair of grey and black boots laying on the side and put them on before he started to buckling on a dark midnight blue titanium breast plate which he then secured into place with two buckles which was then hidden underneath a long red sash that he wrapped around his waist which looped through a golden ring that rested front and center of his waist. He then waved his hand as a black cloak flew into his grasp as he clipped it on both sides of his collar as he walked over to his workbench and picked up a silver and black helmet with red accents and a T shaped visor which sat next to a pair of great and black gauntlets.

As he peered into the surface of the visor it seemed as though he could see the image of every teacher the other Mikael ever had standing behind him but when he blinked all that was left was his own reflection. Mikael set the helmet back on its stand as he stepped over to the compressor as he placed his hands on both sides of the central chamber as he turned on the device. Mikael began to channel the Force into the machine as all of the coal slowly began to rotate as the temperature rose within the chamber.

The process was slow as he watched as the coal began to slowly break down into its base element over the course of an hour during which he continued to fill the chamber with his power. He watched step by step as the carbon began to condense little by little as he guided its formation with his will. He pushed more of his power into the chamber as he saw a small crystal formation begin to form. He could feel as the formation pulsed with power as it grew little by little. He watched as the formation split into two distinct pieces that started to rotate around each other as the last bit of carbon material disappeared and the machine started to wind down. Mikael took a deep breath as he felt a senses of exhaustion sweep over him before he looked to the clock on the wall. He had been focused on the crystals for almost 20 hours. He was glad he had decided to inform his parents he would be busy for the week before starting this endeavor.

Mikael removed the two crystals from the sealed chamber before he walked over to his work table and sat down setting the crystals on a small stand. He grabbed a snack from a mini fridge he had installed after his trip to the mountains and ate it before taking a moment to meditate and recover his expended energy. Once he felt that his body was at its peak once more he pulled out a small wooden box containing a variety of small parts and set it on the desk next to the crystals. Mikael closed his eyes as he held his hands out in front of him. Slowly the two crystals lifted from their stand to float between his palms as piece by piece the different parts began to lift from the box before joining them. Slowly one by one the pieces started rearrange themselves before the blackened titanium alloy shell started to surround them. Gradually one piece after the next started to fit themselves together as the two crystals floated to rest within the center. The titanium shell began to close and formed an airtight seal over the internal mechanisms before Mikael opened his eyes as the now complete hilt floated gently into his open palm.

Mikael looked at the simple black hilt in his hands as his fingers closed around it. He could feel the energy within the weapon as it pulsed softly in time with his own heartbeat and the connection grew stronger with each passing second. Then he could no longer hold himself back as he activated his lightsaber for the first time. With a hiss a silver blade erupted from the emitter as a soft silver glow illuminated his face and the rest of the workshop. He felt no heat from the blade as he swung it once then twice as the hum of the blade filled the air.

Mikael couldn't help but grow a wide smile as he watched the blade dance through the air in his hands. He began to cycle through and perform each of the different lightsaber forms stored in his mind. Everything felt natural although there were a few movements that were difficult to perform that required a degree of flexibility he did not currently possess, an issue he added to the list of things to improve as he had just started his physical conditioning and training for the first time since his coma. Mikael deactivated his lightsaber and placed it on a stand he prepared before he put on the gauntlets and picked up the helmet.

He easily slipped the helmet onto his head before the loose pieces tightened and formed an airtight seal around his head while the respirator kicked in providing a clean, filtered source of air. The inside of the visor lit up as holographic displays appeared on the edges of his vision. He pressed a button of his gauntlet as a number of different news channels, radio stations and even police communications filled his vision and hearing. Satisfied that everything fit and worked the way he wanted, Mikael started to remove the helmet when he heard a report over one of the news stations that made him pause.

"Multi-Billionaire Tony Stark is schedule to receive an Apogee Award later next week at the Caesars Palace in Vegas. He is also scheduled for a weapons presentation the following day but no more information has been released.

In other news Mikael Argent, the up and coming inventor responsible for the development of the repulsorlift technology that makes up the new skimboards and speeder bikes is scheduled to give a tech demonstration of the safety features and capabilities of his creation tomorrow at the Brooklyn Street Circuit racetrack. If all goes well maybe we could all be seeing the speeder bikes and skimboards in the streets instead of only inside tracks." Mikael's head lifted up in a jolt as the report ended.

"Oh right…Oh Shit! That's this week I completely lost track!" Mikael quickly started to change into his normal clothing before rushing out of the workshop. A second later he rushed back into the workshop and grabbed his lightsaber clipping it to a buckle he attached to the back of his waist where it was hidden by his jacket and rushed back out of the workshop as he quickly made a couple of phone calls.