Dynamic Patrol: Gel-Squad (Remastering!)

Chapter 1: Tommy

Arrival on Earth was one to behold. As the starship 'Guardian' docked at the centralized spaceport in Jetson Capital, not one passenger on board knew that there was a member of the Dynamic Patrol in their mitts. On the outside, he appeared as another member of the population, just a normal kid, probably on his way to school or something. Tommy's unique ability to replicate the outward appearance of any Earthen was quite rare. He could do it without breaking a sweat, and in a split second, he could be a panda high school teacher or maybe an important businesswoman, but why would he want to turn into those when his signature orange squirrel form was fluffy and cute enough to pass for a docile, peaceful creature. Which is exactly what he was going for. He preferred a secret identity.

First impressions- it wasn't too hot here. That was good. They probably selected this as Tom's post because they knew his sticky, slimy side would be fully functional here. Sky-blue eyes scanned the environment through the tall glass ceiling of the spaceport; what he saw was beyond spectacular; it was nighttime, quite the perfect setting for the latest hero to arrive. Tommy loved it because he could really see the beauty of the city. The light inside the port emitted enough pollution to where it interfered with his view of the stars, but Tommy could always make out his solar system in any light. He loved his job but missed his home dearly, and looking up at the stars was his chance to feel close to it again. His stargazing was interrupted as he was forcibly pushed out of the spaceport by the final passengers onboard; he was forced all the way to the entrance of the spaceport, where he finally regained control of his footing and moved out of the way of the herd, grunting in mild annoyance as he pushed his way out.

Tommy had a million thoughts running through his mind when he was free, namely about what his first task as an official superhero might be! Such thoughts often caused him to get excited, and when he did so, it was difficult to hide his powers. The science teams warned him about these 'outbursts,' but he refused to heed their warnings now, how could anyone not be excited about this? Tommy was nearly jumping up and down as soon as he reached the fresh air. Skyscrapers lined every corner, and despite it being nighttime, the streets were bustling, businessmen and women on their way to their businessy things... droids in their shadow carrying bags, likely filled with the latest in fashion accessories and technology. Tommy was an observer for about five minutes on a park bench before he decided to bring himself back to reality.

He found a secure spot to get started and opened his bag, they didn't give him much hardware, likely because all the hardware he needed was biological. He didn't have a special suit or anything like that- what he already had was special, but still, they insisted that all new members possess some convoluted computer matrix, which was said to aid them in their operations. He took out a small glass box and clicked it open- it was a bit dramatic for something as small as an earpiece. When he inserted the device into his ear, it was gone entirely from the naked eye unless someone was looking closer at his ear... which would be weird. He was caught off guard when a voice started talking. It was naturally the earpiece, "Hello? Are you reading this? The connection is stable." The voice was coming through patchy, but the unknown entity seemed to have caught on quickly and compensated for the disturbance.

"There, I fixed it! How's that?" Tommy, confused, just looked up at the sky. The voice sounded sophisticated and female, but it was evident that it was indeed an A.I. She sounded organic, but a technical swing at the end of her sentences gave her away; despite the computerish tone, the A.I was advanced, certainly more cutting-edge than Omoecoon's cosmosis system. She had an American accent that wasn't high pitched, a little bass with some rasp, and fluctuations in tone, which made her approachable and friendly. "I can. I guess I should introduce myself-?" Tommy proposed, continuing his journey with the other individuals exiting the spaceport. Talking to the earpiece, he looked like he was on a phone call. Or rather, it looked stranger than anyone because the earpiece appeared nonexistent to 'normal' people.

"No need to do so; I have been programmed with extensive records regarding your identity." There was a light-hearted chuckle from the earpiece before Tommy inquired another question. "Okay, so what's your name?" He said, a little dumbfounded by the sophistication of this system. As far as his planet went, the Omoecoon didn't trust A.I or automatons. They viewed them as spying devices, but Tommy always seemed lenient when it came to them. They told him in training that someone close to the ground would assist him and his team. He didn't expect it to be an A.I. "I have been assigned the designation, Madeline. I was created specifically for this version of the Dynamic Patrol; congratulations on completing your junior training and ascending to the title of Senior Member."

"Oh... thank you." Tommy quickly responded, "I am bespoke. Customized to you and your team members' specifications. We do this for all new members." The voice responded.

"I can control equipment on a localized network and give a real-world analysis of the environment with an array of tactical satellites and active crime stats faster than any other news uplink. Now, from what I understand, you're pretty 'traditional.' So you neglected to request a heads-up display." She continued. Tommy seemed to be taken aback by the performance of this being so far. "No offense... but you're already in my ear. I don't want you in my eye too."

"So you're like. A database?" Tommy asked. She gasped at that, playfully insulted but not truly. "I'm more than a database, Tommy. I'm interactive, and databases don't talk. They don't have personality." Tommy continued to walk, raising an eyebrow, "And you do?"

"As far as you're concerned, my programming is from another dimension- I 'feel' just like you. So yeah. I do have a personality. But let's cut the small talk. And just get down to business. That's why you put in the earpiece, right? Usually, participants get settled in first, which takes a few days. But you've got yours ready to go in less than thirty minutes... much faster than the rest of your team. Even in your first days as a Senior, you're setting records already."

"Can you tell me what they're up to right now?" He asked curiously. "Uh, I can't divulge that information at the moment. But rest assured, they have settled in. Speaking of which, you'd better do the same. It's almost time for you to return to a gelatinous state."

"Hey... how did you know about that-?" She cut him off. "Omeocoon might be a new member of the Patrol, but we are aware of your species' physiology." He continued to move toward the hover train station. The only way to link the cities to one another and the other inner neighborhoods within those cities. She was right. It was almost time for him to 'sleep.' Despite being excited earlier, he seemed to be suffering from FTL lag-the side effect of traveling from planet to planet faster than the speed of light.

He boarded the train. Conveniently, it didn't depart without him. The ride took 50 minutes, and when he stepped off, Madeline instructed him that a hover car was waiting to take him to his next destination. That meant crossing through the most dangerous part of this city- of course, he was not afraid, just on guard. His journey remained uneventful so far, but anything could happen.

He spotted the pearl white hover car at the end of the alley. It was more of a statement piece than it was a car. The door opened automatically, and he hopped inside. He didn't have to do anything from there; the car drove itself; it didn't even have a steering wheel. Talking voices in boxes was one thing, but hovercars? He didn't even trust the hovercars back home. They made him uneasy; not even the music playing in the background could settle his nerves. His 'relaxation' was cut short when a klaxon came through his headset. "I'm detecting an alert; there's trouble in the upper district; it looks like some kind of ATM robbery. That is a priority five alert. The police would normally be able to handle such things, but it looks like the forces are stretched thin at this time of night. This area is quite known for petty thievery such as this."

Tommy perked up; he picked up what she was putting down. Despite it being close to his 'bedtime.' He was always ready to be a hero. "Don't suppose you could route my car there? I know I'm supposed to be settling in, but I can't really let this pass." He excitedly said, "Well, if I know I can't stop you, I might as well try to support you. You'd better get dressed... Or rather undressed quickly." The A.I responded with enthusiasm to match Tommy's.