Legend

New toys

The days stretched into a little over a week before Alfred told me that my car was done. Damian had to go into the city with Bruce for a conference call with Beijing, so it was just us as he had me sit in the driver's seat and explained what an unobtrusive row of softly backlit buttons did. The first one released caltrops onto the road. Interestingly, they were held in a solution (didn't ask) and as the fluid ran off the caltrops, they would fall apart within thirty seconds. Essentially, they would puncture the tires of a vehicle close behind, then all that there would be was a damp piece of pavement with some small pieces of metal from the ones that didn't drive into the tires. And even the ones imbedded in the tires fell apart, allowing the tires to flatten even more quickly with little to show for the blown out tires.

"Ooh," I said appreciatively, and Alfred allowed himself a small smile.

The second button released a cloud of clinging, oily black fog. It worked best when the tailing car was about ten meters behind my bumper, which allowed the fog to rise enough to coat the windshield.

"If you are being boxed in by two vehicles, the bumpers have been reinforced with graphene and stabilized so that you can ram the forward car or allow the trailing car to hit the back with no damage to the body of your vehicle," Alfred instructed. "The third button releases about a cup of low friction graphite balls that break down with exposure to oxygen and create a slick surface which should send the pursuit sliding off the road. It dries within three seconds and becomes dust, eliminating risk to cars farther back." The fourth button was a homing beacon, and Alfred urged me to press it at the first sign of trouble. Activation would show up in the bat cave and on Damian's cell phone (once the app was installed) and the signal was as close to unjammable as possible. He had also installed a formidable turbocharger.

"That probably voids my warranty, right?" I cracked, and Alfred chuckled.

"It does, but any servicing of your vehicle can be done here," Alfred said. When I asked, I learned that there was an extensive shop tucked away behind the house, and Alfred offered to show it to me. There was one additional trick to learn about, and it tucked into the door pocket. I opened a pouch that contained a pair of swimming goggles, a waterproof flashlight with LED bulb, and a strange- looking bar. He informed me that if I were to bite down on the protrusion and seal my lips around it that it would concentrate oxygen, allowing me to breathe underwater should my car be forced into water.

"Wow," I said, and he looked pleased.

"I also noted that you did not have an emergency kit for less hostile events and added one to your boot," he said, so I popped out and took a look. It had jumper cables to give someone else a boost, a small unit that stuck into the 12V outlet to jump my battery, a first aid kit, emergency blankets along with a tightly rolled wool blanket, other equipment packed into a discreet gray bag. 

We drove back to the shop, where I saw that in addition to normal mechanic shop tools and lift that there was a body shop as well, where sheet metal could be repaired, improved, and/or replaced, equipment for painting, and a third bay where modifications could be engineered. Alfred showed me this crazy cool metal 3D printer. I could see bins where bags of the graphite balls and caltrops were stored, ready to be installed at a moment's notice. Everything from oil changes to the installation of complicated electronics could be handled here.

That Monday was also a great day at work. Tony returned my Brass Rat; he'd had it modified. There was a band placed into the shank of the ring that could be released by squeezing and holding the "MIT" and year carvings on the opposite sides. The point of the band was sharpened and the underside coated with a powerful sedative; a scratch could incapacitate a 200 pound person in seven seconds. He also gave me an improved watch; it was about the same size as the one I had, but the tracker signal was much stronger, more precise, included elevations, and updated every other second.  It still had a compass, and a small but powerful flashlight had been added. If I pulled the stem out entirely (and it took a good yank) a powerful alarm sounded. Tony told me that if used in small spaces that it could rupture eardrums, and he recommended using it only for short bursts. Replacing the pin would stop the alarm but would not stop the tracker unless I shoved it all the way in.