It Was Just Problem Solving

Izime swallowed back his nausea, narrowly avoiding the blast of fumes had been easy. Grabbing that stupid rigged ac-duct and all 25 of those traps in one breath had in fact been as impossible as he'd originally feared. The filters on the civilian model gas mask only serving to keep more of the fear inducing toxins in with him.

That and beans, so, so many beans.

"T..thank god whoooo no, oh no, nope here it comes." Izime's muffled voice tried to sound enthusiastic as he slammed a depleted power brick onto the side of the duct. Not even waiting to see if the teeth had fully bitten into the trapped unit, turning as soon as he'd felt the last bit of the in his stomach start jumping towards his throat.

Failing miserably in his battle to keep down his meal, Izime doubled over retching just at the brick activated. The sounds of the power brick whirring away mixing with the sounds of a stomach heaving wettly. Regretting nearly everything about tonight Izime quickly yanked the mask off, letting what little remained of the beans from earlier find the sidewalk. The rest slipping from the mask in thick chunks, some still stuck inside as the rest had been since he snagged Cradles haul.

Finally finishing the dry heaving.

Izime thought to himself as a familiar empty cramp hit his stomach, the pain from the muscle clenching on the nothing that remained, not from hunger. Next would be a week or two of terrible nightmares, but thankfully Izime knew he'd never go insane like a regular person, needing treatment as doctors administered a concoction of cures.

What is there to be scared of anyway, I've already seen the worst.

With a nod Izime stood back up and swept his yellow coat out of the way, kicking at the ac-duct. Watching as a final few coughs of fumes came out. Frowning only for a moment as he considered how he had just wasted that precious toxin both on the power brick and in his frustration. His worries about money and resources for bettering himself always at the for-front as if it'd been programmed into Izime.

"Thank god for advanced alien technology." Izime smiled a bit brighter, glad that the dead alien power brick he had slammed onto the trap had gained at least a quarter charge from the wasted toxin. Any remaining chemicals outside of the toxin likely being used as some kind of fuel to create that charge as well. Various coolants such as any Frion in the unit, along with whatever had powered the damned trap FearForm had stuffed inside the thing. Izime shuddered at the thought of what might have happened if he hadn't snagged the deceptive moving unit before it had blasted that stupid purple heroine.

Sure, Miss Psyis had handled the initial jet, but it wasn't ever just going to stop with that one blast. This was FearForm, the dude worked in layers and was probably testing just how far he could stress her powers. Checking to see just how high of a cliff he could push the Centropolis Angel from into the depths of hell.

The crazy psycho wanted his victims to sink into that pit, and Izime knew what that hole was like. He'd spent a life managing human fear, desire and a thousand other things. Over powered psychic thessians had not been on that list however Izime letting the final shudders of worry work their way out as he thought about the bluing alien. Hopefully she was a bit more on guard now that she'd been scared, would be aware of her own limits just like he was. Izime personally doubting the psychic could have pulled herself free if she had caught a full dose, so he'd had to intervene. There was simply no other choice! It would remain a gray area in his rulebook now as far as he was concerned.

The 'No Psychics' rule was a very important rule. Damned important rule. HOWEVER. It sat well below the brand new 'No FearToxin Crazed Psychics' rule. One Izime had decided to create even after that single half-second of reconsideration where he'd thought about just leaving. The people there would have suffered, and that wasn't something Izime could stomach, he'd seen enough human suffering already.

So, with a snap Izime had went over and yanked the damned thing. That technically gave him one favor he'd never call in from the world's best psychic, a batch of toxin to sell and best yet was the free charge!

"This things too big Cradle," Izime glanced at his companion who was still admiring its collected piled of traps taken from The Quiz, "let's cut the fat out."

Cradle looked over at the very messy Izime, cocking its head before hopping off its hoard with bit less enthusiasm than Izime had. The cheap aluminum wasn't that tasty, not as tasty as the precious metals in those tasty chips back in the sewer. The box was kind of big though, so with a flourish of its wings Cradle sent a few feathers to reduce various parts of the scrap to their base atomic components. The blades of the guide feathers tearing deep into the softer gray before dissolving both.

The black edges biting before melting into themselves and the ac-duct both. The nanites chewing and disolving until the entire thing was reduced to the core prize. It had taken Cradle a few years to get the right combo before Izime had consistently praised it. Now attempting for its own version of truly perfect results as it attempted to preserve and remold the base atomic structures. Cradle aware that the failed iterations of this method had reduced some big money to nano-processed slag.

Cradle was fully reducing the metals, plastics, and carbons down to their individual parts. Taking pieces of atoms to form molecules creating more elements to perfect its form. Processing things down further to such a degree, to the subatomic level, was still a bit tricky though so bits of the slag fizzled and sparked. The raven cocking its own head as it pecked at the tiny crystalline towers that formed, learning from its bond to reuse and perfect every method it could. Even these failures could be studied and repurposed elsewhere eventually.

The two cleaning away the comparatively useless parts that Cradle was still unsure of, carefully removing the more often earth used components that made the actual air conditioner function. Piling bits of FearForm's actual trap next to them in just a few minutes. Various pipes and tiny pumps that had worked in tandem to create a massive plume of an attack. The tiny micro motors working in unison to move absurdly vast quantities of air for their size.

Afterwards Izime had to take a few snaps around town, blinking into various alleys around Voltham was a bit risky but he had stashed a few other things. Tools of the trade for breaking down some of the more common villains goods were stashed in various abandoned areas less prone to the sewer's rusting. Each carefully selected by Cradle because they belonged to very well-established villains such as Laughing Man and the drug fueled wrestler Crusher.

It was just a matter of keeping track of Voltham realty and picking spots that would see zero development, a rather easy simulation to run. That and not getting shot which was a bit harder to simulate in Voltham. Izime wasn't too worried though, that's what the vest was for. Besides if Crusher did get his hands on him Izime figured he could snap out of it, that or ask Cradle to help. Even the Dark Night himself wasn't that big of an issue, not when you could jump five stellar system away in a second, worst came to it he might just hide away in hell for a bit. Not many that'd come looking for him there.

Finally, Izime arrived back at his hideout exhausted from running around all night after saving that stupid purple woman. Cradle and himself finally having a break from jumping around and recovering their tools. Giving a slight nod towards their roommate, the one least talkative of the three whom Izime had decided to name Big Skeleton he promptly dropped the haul into its bony lap. Izime would start the process of reassembly as well checking the integrity of the traps that Dark Night had set off, the rest were still prime and ready just disarmed. Those required nothing but a sale, the rest could wait until after his nap.

"Scan?" Cradle hopped from its shelf to the box, glancing between the door and their first haul from Voltham.

"Sleep, you eat Cradle." Izime shook his head while he brushed at his friends strangely soft metallic tendrils of metallic-down under the larger bladed feathers, "more work tomorrow."

Fully confident that Cradle would never cut him on purpose, trusting enough to even dig in a bit to tickle. The grayed mechanical legs hopping back a bit as the tech-raven cawed in protest, the finger disturbing the bits of memory chips stored in its gullet. A gently soft snapping poke of its beak teasing its bond back.

Izime turned back towards the spring bed and adjusted the blankets properly this time, keeping the softer quilts on top so they wouldn't snag the rusty springs. Rolling the empty duffel bag up for a bit of a pillow. Finally, content with his bed for the morning he glanced at the light that was still burning away and then at the power brick. Doing a bit of quick math told him it would last a few years powering a single bulb. Still no sense in wasting it though.

Izime finished cleaning up the bit his could, swatting at a cobweb with an old shirt before putting the box back on its shelf. Glancing at the third empty one, thinking about where he would ask cradle to cut the long metal arms. A little work desk wouldn't hurt for when he was dismantling those little gifts from The Quiz.

"Six hours down, topside to do some buski-no not in Voltham that's a bad idea." Izime pulled out the old flip phone, giving Cradle a brief side eye watching that hungry beak. Quickly setting and alarm before the raven decided to try the forbidden snack Izime laid out their plans. "I'll just tear down those and then we see if we can snag some of Dark Nights toys..just as long as stupid purple has left by then."

Izime narrowed his eyes reconsidering his plan, torn between getting his hands on some of the comparatively rarer gear Dark Night often left behind. It was a tempting oppourtunity, though the villains goods were certainly the more steady money. Izime snorting a bit as he realized he wasn't really reconsidering anything, simply assessing the risks of moving on the heroes' goods. If he stuck to simply collecting the villain's things this time around it should be that much of an issue to avoid the three heroes while they did their thing.

"Stupid purple?" Cradle cocked its head not sure it would consider the Thessian stupid. Her scans were harder to avoid than Dark Night's had been that was certain.

Those non electronic based powers were far harder to avoid and nearly impossible to falsify, Cradle only able to mask their forms with nanites. Thankfully their mental bond kept the psychic from so easily joining the two-way call, Izime and Cradles comfort making the line nearly untappable.

"Miss Psyis the alien," Izime waved his hand idly in explanation to Cradles tone, "that was a lot of gas, and she had no actual protection, zero and still showed. Didn't she know she was facing FearForm, she had to, so yea that's a stupid move."

Izime considered the way the thessian had acted last night, floating around just looking like a prime target for a cloud of toxin. At least the had landed before FearForm had activated the thing from wherever he'd been watching, though that certainly hadn't solved the real problem. All she'd needed to do was ask Dark Squire or Dark Night for a gas filter before leaving. Not a damned hard thing to do right, Izime had even brought his as useless as it was. It was best to play it safer than not after all right? Though he hadn't really played it safe moving to save he-no no no he'd just solved a problem is all! Izime shook the thought from his head quickly glad to hear Cradle's cawing, looking up with a smile encouraging the bird to distract him further.

"Stupid Purple." Cradle cawed in agreement, lifting its head to give a throaty if mechanical chortle. Cocking its head and repeating the cry a few more times as it validated the points Izime had made in its own mind.

"Whats her new name?" Izime gave a teasing wiggle of his brows egging the bird on further, watching as Cradle's raven brain attached their own name to the Centropolis celebrity. It'd probably be something the bird would never forget, for however long they both lived so someday they could both look back on this moment and laugh.

"Stupid!" Cradle flapped its wings calling proudly, fluffing itself proudly as it understood Izime was renaming the alien. Placing the two of them well above her in the scheme of raven things it finished the name just as loudly. "Purple!"

"Haha!" Izime laughed rocking back a bit, glad to feel the revelry filling his bond as they joked, "she sure is buddy."

Its nest program was right that was awfully stupid of her, Cradle refocusing its digital gaze on Izime affectionately. He was right on most things and even if wrong his views were valid when seen from the right perspective. The tech-raven nodded, nestling down to scan the area while Izime finished making his own nest. The gently consistent clack of its beak the only warning that unseen and unfelt pulses were scanning the sewers around them.

Izime smiled as Cradle was already snoring, or as close as his best friend could come. Takeing care to now wake the bird that had brought him back to life, slowly laying onto the springs. Bits of Cradle now helped him live, just as Izime had in the birds youth, not just to work. His heart beat with a half-mechanical rhythm and he shared his minds idle chatter with the AI bird.

Sure, Izime was homeless and living in the sewers, but things weren't terrible, he wasn't dead. He even had a bond who cared deeply enough for him to replace the broken bits with a part of themselves. The least he could do was let Cradle take a good nap after munching down a whole terabyte of DDR4.

Izime could feel his eyes closing, a nagging thought that he had forgotten something, but he only mentally shrugged it away. He could take care of it after he slept, he had some nightmarish memories to work through before doing anything serious. Izime rolling slowly and finally relaxing enough to take his own nap as well he let sleep take him.