Mod Superhero

Chapter 7.68 - Venture 2

Venture tore through the airspace above the Rocky Mountains. He was pushing the limits of his new exosuit.

For most of his superhero career, Venture had been paralyzed by ideas—not the lack thereof, but the overflow. It had resulted in an exosuit for every occasion, and an entire wing of the lab devoted to storing all of them. Other artificers might focus on a single suit or a single weapon, but Venture had to have options.

Once—a lifetime ago—Ava Savanus asked Venture if he thought he would ever create his magnum opus. One exosuit that would retire all the others.

At the time, the idea had offended him. Venture would never stop creating, and he had made peace with that fact.

But this exosuit, MAG-0165, was close. Closer than Venture ever thought he'd get.

He'd taken off from the backup lab, cloaking and stealth engaged, and randomized his approach. Soon, he'd been moving so fast that no amount of cloaking or heat sinks would hide him, and Venture didn't want to risk being traced.

Daedalus's raspy voice came through the comms. "Eyes in the sky aren't picking up any movement. You are good to go for your approach."

During planning, Daedalus had insisted on tracking the battle via his satellites and spyplanes. Venture appreciated the gesture, even if it was redundant.

"I'm surprised you're still on the line," Venture replied. "The Laraways aren't keeping you busy enough?"

"Oh sure. I'm giving them updates. They don't want to watch the screen, but they still want to know what's going on—well, you know how parents are."

"I suppose we both do."

Daedalus coughed a laugh. "Right. Well, I have plenty of time to keep them updated. Besides, I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," Venture replied slyly.

"You—flying again, you twit. The wanton destruction of Brotherhood hardware and Midas getting his ass kicked are a bonus."

Venture chuckled, then he resolved to put on a show. He accelerated.

The beginnings of this plan had focused on stealth, but there were too many unknowns when it came to Ava Savanus's flagship. There was no guarantee that Venture's new exosuit could get in without detection. That was fine by Venture. He preferred Emmett's approach of shock and awe.

With the increased speed, the outer layer of cloaking nanites absorbed back into the hull. In its transport mode, the exosuit was folded for maximum aerodynamics and thrust. If anyone happened to catch a glimpse, they would see sleek, miniature stealth craft. He hadn't bothered to paint it, so the suit retained its mix of grays from the nanites and metal alloys.

Venture pushed his new suit faster—faster—accelerating with reckless abandon. Thrust and turbulence produced a deep, steady rumble that suffused his bones. Even with all the inertia dampening around him, even with the Mutagen K-2 in his body, Venture's stomach sank and his face pulled back. Between the new armor and the antimatter reactor, there was a non-zero chance that Venture's body would give out before the suit did.

Still, he was smiling. He was back in an exosuit, and he was having the time of his life.

The Rocky Mountains passed beneath him. Trees blurred together until he was flying over a sea of rolling green with tiny mountain tops peeking through the waves. Venture stayed low in the air, counting on speed and surprise.

The flagship was just over the horizon, shining in UV. A few more seconds, and Venture would be able to see its bulbous figure-eight form. A web of sensor drones orbited it, like a miniature solar system.