Video

[schmott_guy]

[In the background is a research lab, though not Gil's. There's various other people in lab coats swarming around some kind of strange rusted hulk in the background. And he's filming it because RP. Don't ask questions.]

Work continues on the artifact we found in the Old City, but at the very least I think we have a good grip on what it was.

It is a large, motorized vehicle of some kind. The configuration suggests it was built for hauling cargo, probably within the confines of some government facility or one belonging to a powerful corporation.

I can't imagine vehicles like this were very common. The infrastructure you'd need to maintain them and use them would be so immense it boggles the mind. Thousands of miles of high quality roads. Massive refueling stations everywhere. Thousands of mechanics who's whole purpose was specifically taking care of them, for such a large machine would need a lot of care. You'd need to build your entire civilization around supporting these vehicles.

And people said MY ideas were outlandish.

Comments

[schmott_guy]

Shifting gears is going to be exponentially more complicated than on a regular bicycle. I'm really gonna need to just get in there and try to put it together myself before I can get a good grip on how it works. Other than that I can't think of why we couldn't go to prototype by tonight!

[sparkofgenius]

That quickly?

[She seems skeptical, but she is definitely the less mad of the two. Still, she is walking over to the ruined truck, laying a hand on it to start getting a feel for it.]

I mean...I don't doubt it, but a safe prototype with unknown machines?

[schmott_guy]

No better way to understand it than to make one yourself!

[sparkofgenius]

[Concentrating, Lucca's hand begins to glow a cold silver, and she nods slowly.]

I...need a pen. And paper.

[schmott_guy]

[He stares at her hand for a moment, curious, then slides over some paper and hands her a pencil, that being all that's in arms reach.]

[sparkofgenius]

[She takes it and sets it on the hood, beginning to draw what she's feeling. Or rather, what the car can tell her.

It's not much, but she draws out a rudimentary gearbox.]

That's...a starting point.

[schmott_guy]

All that without even looking at it?

[sparkofgenius]

[Lucca just smiles and taps her head.]

I have a gift, Gil. If I try hard enough, machines just talk to me. This is just something basic, I have no idea how to make it work, or why it works...just that it's there. And that's what it looks like. Which gives us a place to start looking, yeah?

[schmott_guy]

I know the feeling. It just sort of comes to me, sometimes. It all suddenly feels so clear that it's hard to believe everyone around me doesn't get it.

[sparkofgenius]

Yeah?

[She seems intrigued, if a little distracted.]

Then I don't have to explain it more, I hope? I don't...know how it works, but I know it's because I'm Steel typed. It's about the only thing I can do that isn't entirely defensive. I don't have those flashy powers other people do...but I have my little tricks, like this.

[schmott_guy]

Well, unlike you I have to actually see what I'm looking at.

[He holds the diagram of the gearbox up in front of him.]

But no this makes perfect sense! I could make one of these easily.

[sparkofgenius]

Then let's open the thing up and see how it connects to the rest of the gear system. That's just the switch...

[schmott_guy]

Unfortunately most of what I think was once the gear system is a pile of rust flakes. We're gonna need to freestyle most of it.

[sparkofgenius]

Yeah? Darn I wanted to see how things all connected together.

[schmott_guy]

But as long as we have the thing, let's take a look at what we can, shall we?

[sparkofgenius]

Right. [She'll take a step back then.]

Show me what you've got.

[schmott_guy]

[And then there was like five tags worth of technobabble about driveshafts and stress tolerances. It was very scientific.]

[sparkofgenius]

[Nerdery!]

Excellent! I think that's a...start!

[schmott_guy]

I think it will work.

I'm going to stay here for now. See what else I can discover from this thing. Is your lab is equipped for fabricating the components?

[sparkofgenius]

It is, yes. And if I can't, I can draft some people I know to do that. The Kirijos have graciously decided to fund my work.

[schmott_guy]

Perfect. I can set mine up for the actual assembly and we'll get this thing together in no time at all!