Mod Superhero (Book 6 STUBBING on Oct 27th)

Chapter 6.3 - New Base, New Baseline

MULTIPLE TIMESTAMP ERRORS DETECTED

APPROXIMATELY -4.2.01 PRE-INCIDENT

It took two more days to get the new lab suited to their needs.

Some of that was due to the lab itself. This was indeed a backup lab, in almost every sense of the word. It was made to provide basic services that Dr. Venture required, and TINA verified that it hadn't been updated in over a year. Even though she'd brought it back online quickly, each of the three sections needed significant tweaks and upgrades.

One of the first things TINA changed were the voice commands. Apparently the synthetic voice was an early prototype and creeped TINA out. She didn't even let Emmett or Clara hear a sample before she overwrote it with her own voice.

Section 1 was the familiar control hub, specializing in surveillance and drone control. TINA didn't give details, but these servers were definitely not designed with her in mind. So, the first priority was integrating TINA into the servers.

From there, she focused on reinforcing their firewalls and expanding the broadcast range. These were mostly software fixes and were quick in comparison to fixes in the other two sections.

Section 2 was for exosuit repair. The fabrication station used a mix of metal casting and forging for larger pieces, and nanites for smaller pieces and repairs. Most of TINA's time was spent updating the nanite vats and fabrication nanites. Thankfully, there were supplies of raw materials, so Emmett and Athena didn't have to scrounge around the block for appliances. With the right nanite vats, the new lab would be able to take care of almost any repair they needed.

Emmett made a replacement impact shield. After that, TINA had begun preparations for Clara's new minimalist suit—the next step in training wheels for her fusion power. At first, these components would help regulate her output, but eventually, Clara's proverbial training wheels would get smaller and smaller, until she could fly and fire focused blasts of power without needing a suit at all.

Section 3 was the medbay, and it was... complicated. Almost every system needed overhaul. Dr. Venture was human, and the medbay was designed for him. There was a small containment tank like the one Clara had decompressed in, except this one was barely waist high. It almost looked like it had been made for a child—if Clara was in danger of a meltdown, she'd have to curl up into a ball to fit inside.

Even though TINA did the bulk of the work, the others helped out when they could. Athena and Lock mostly helped with moving supplies, while Emmett and Clara helped with more technical upgrades, assembling additional servers and hardware.

In the process of upgrading the backup lab, they'd managed to clear out a small storage room. It wasn't much bigger than a walk-in closet. Shortly after, Athena started work on the new demiplane, and once it was stable, this closet would serve as its entrance. It would be a little easier to get in and out of than a basement.

~

There was a small dormitory connected to the control hub, which TINA divided into three rooms—one for Lock, another for Athena, and one for Emmett and Clara.

But Emmett didn't spend much time there. Over those two days, he slept a combined total of four hours. He didn't even notice until TINA pointed it out. He'd been too busy.

During the day, TINA kept the group busy with tasks. In the evening, Emmett and the others would catch up with McGuire and the growing Resistance in Belport. At night, Emmett would practice his nanite control.

And every moment in between, Emmett was looking over TINA's proverbial shoulder.

While the team was busy moving and building things in physical space, TINA was doing the same in cyberspace. Not only could Emmett follow the flow of power throughout the new lab, he was also becoming aware of all the changes that TINA was making in cyberspace.