Mod Superhero (Book 6 STUBBING on Oct 27th)

Chapter 6.1 - Scouting the Backup Lab

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Emmett couldn't remember the last time he left Belport.

It was probably to see Aunt Rose—the only family on his mom's side that was close by. She was about an hour away, if there wasn't traffic. Dad insisted on driving when there wasn't any traffic, which meant they always left at odd hours. Sometimes that meant super early on a weekend morning or late at night. Most times it meant whenever Dad felt like it—10:30 AM or 2:30 PM.

Maybe that was why Emmett was thinking of that right now...

They'd spent the last two weeks of Summer and another week of September planning to leave Belport. TINA had run simulations. Based on road traffic and drone patterns, 11:15 AM on a Tuesday was the optimum time for them to leave Belport. There also happened to be a commuter bus leaving around that time.

So, Emmett, Clara, Athena, and Lock set out with an array of disguises and masks. Most of them would pass with hoodies and obscured faces, but it was harder to hide Lock's size. The nanites coalesced into an oversized work jacket and a graying beard.

Clara chuckled. "You could be Emmett's dad."

Lock scoffed. "Let's just get this over with."

They packed light—each bringing just a backpack with a few spare changes of clothes. TINA reassured them that they could always return to Athena's apartment, but it didn't feel like any of them believed her. If the backup lab was viable, then they could make anything they needed. Coming back to Belport would be an unnecessary risk. That risk would only grow as time passed and the Binary Brotherhood expanded the reach of their drones and surveillance.

Packing light also meant they left most of TINA's servers behind. Once they got out of Belport, her processing power would be limited. They wouldn't be able to change masks and disguises until she got established in the new lab's systems. It wasn't a total loss, though. Once established, TINA could reconnect with her servers in Athena's apartment and use them as a springboard.

When the group was ready, they half-walked, half-jogged to the edge of the city, then boarded the outbound commuter bus. Thankfully, the bus was mostly empty, and the group managed to grab an entire section at the back of the bus.

Between TINA covering them physically and digitally, they easily crossed the city limits, leaving the city of Belport behind.

~

The backup lab was twelve miles outside of Belport, nestled between abandoned buildings just off of the highway. Emmett and the others threaded through narrow alleys filled with trash and graffiti. So far, they hadn't run into any people or drones, but no one let their guard down.

Emmett scanned the alleys and rooftops. He also had a small map in the Heads Up Display of his cybernetic eye. It marked not only the location of the backup lab but also his location and that of his teammates. If TINA sensed anyone else, they would appear there too.

...But there was something else.

He could feel the backup lab. If he wasn't with Clara and the others, he probably would've stopped to examine the sensation more.

Since becoming a cyborg, he'd developed several new senses—UV and infrared vision, and controlling his prosthetics and nanites. He'd even been able to use his whip like a feeler—like an insect might use an antenna to sense things they couldn't see.

Sensing the backup lab was similar to that. Even though Emmett couldn't see it, he could make out the beginnings of the structure. The lab stretched out beneath the pavement. It wasn't nearly as large as Venture's main lab. This one felt much smaller than a single city block—maybe just two or three buildings in width. As for depth, Emmett couldn't quite guess.