"Good Evening. This is Slow Weather Jamz, your source for 24/7 weather coverage in, on, and around Olympia. Stay with us, and stay informed.
Here's your weather forecast for Tuesday, April 16."
All across Olympia, restaurants and homes and vehicles alike heard the sounds of the local forecast begin on their TVs and radios. It may be above the clouds, but there was still plenty to talk about regarding Olympia's weather. Temperature and wind speed, for starters, not to mention the city was subject to artificial rain at certain preplanned times to keep the decorative plants watered and to make the city feel a little more 'natural'. Of course, nothing about Olympia was natural. This city was schemed up in a board meeting years ago, and built from the ground up to one day be a flying spectacle. At last, that day had come.
But was the world ready for this? Had Olympia's time come too soon? Or was it time for the people of Earth to step forward into a bold new age of interplanetary alliances?
-----
"Man... is this really happening?"
"It's happening, all right!"
Valhalla's bar television quietly droned the weather while Jill organized a collection of bottles behind her. This was the first shipment of ZF Corp-approved drinks, and Jill was seeing a lot of mixtures she didn't recognize. "Pineal Colada? Mantis Julep? Tentacle Mojito? I heard the Kobbers drink some exotic stuff, but this is something else." She winced a little at the realistic-looking eyeball on the label of the Pineal Colada, half-expecting it to blink. Nearby, her boss Dana Zane stood around with crossed arms. She wore a construction helmet and did her best to look important as she ordered a handful of workers around.
"You guys, we need that sign put up... there! And I need the Love Tester moved overrrr... here!"
"Construction ended weeks ago, you know." Jill pointed out. "It's basically just feng shui at this point. You can stop wearing that helmet any time."
"I like wearing the helmet. I also like pointing at the floor and it magically making people put things there. I haven't felt this powerful since my lumberjack days!"
Jill rolled her eyes, but allowed herself a smile. Nothing new here for a friend of Dana.
-----
"FELLOW NERDS!"
Sumireko slammed her hands on the table, looking eagerly at her friends. "I want to hear what everyone's number one goal is this year! Olympia is an amazing place, and the sky is the limit! We can do anything with the help of the Kobbers, and modern technology, and most especially each other! So lemme hear what you guys want to get accomplished!"
Tokiko fidgeted in her seat, not sharing Sumireko's enthusiasm. "I-I'd like to figure out who and what I am. There's so much about myself I don't know. I want to change that."
Dolby was also pensive. Tokiko, who was sitting closest to hear, could just barely hear the mellow strains of Slow Weather Jamz being quietly pumped through Dolby's headphones as she tried to calm herself down. "I have family here. I can feel it. I can sense it. I've got to track them down, and I've got to find out why I never remembered them until now."
"...Good answers." Sumireko nodded, the edge in her hype taken off by her friends' serious personal journeys. "Well, as for me, I have BIG PLANS!" She pulled out a printout of a photograph she'd gotten online of The Curse's sickly skull logo. "THE CURSE! Supposedly they run the show in Olympia. Well, not any more! Nerd Club is going to help put an end to their reign of terror and bring peace to this great city! And I will be there, and I will punch Plague so hard he explodes just like I did to Black Shadow!" Sumireko puffed out her chest with pride and posed, her swagger returning as she fantasized about being a super cool amazing hero.
Rachel sat silently, nibbling on a chocolate bar.
"Oh, Rachel, what about you? What do you wanna do in Olympia?"
"...I dunno. Expand my collections of nerd stuff? Help you guys out? I guess that'd work."
Sumireko tilted her head at her best friend. "You sure? You don't have any personal goals that mean a lot to you that time here could get done?"
"Eh, nah." Rachel bit into her chocolate bar and chewed passively, a hand propping up her head.
"Hmmm... Maybe your calling this year isn't obvious yet, but you'll find one." Sumireko nodded to herself, confident in her own predictions. "Someone's gonna come along and say 'Rachel, I need your help!' and you'll help them do something awesome!"
"Heh..." Rachel smiled a bit at her friend. "Maybe, Sumi. Maybe."
-----
Josephine Bouteille swaggered down a street in Olympia, taking in the sights as she looked back and forth with a smug grin plastered across her face. Neon filled her vision, the city coming alive like Vegas on steroids. She loved it.
A small crowd of people were gathered on the sidewalk nearby. She turned her head to see what they were looking at - an electronics store's front window, where a television set was showing breaking news. (Another, smaller TV was tuned to the weather, but Josephine quickly dismissed that one.) The news was apparently that Plague, the leader of The Curse, had released a video online boasting of his grand plans to conquer Olympia. Judging from the bored reactions of the newscasters, this was far from his first such broadcast, but Plague was clearly having the time of his life, making wild hand gestures and laughing uproariously. The people watching were mostly just laughing, though Josephine overheard one of them speak to another. "The Curse is bad news, but as long as that guy's in charge we'll probably be okay."
Josephine strolled past the group, paying Plague no further thought for now, and turned to walk down an alley. Glancing to her left and right, she smirked and hip-checked a loose-looking brick in the wall, activating a secret door. She strolled inside and down the interior hallway to reach the secret garage where she kept the Blue Falcon.
"God, I still don't get tired of doing this. I feel so fucking sneaky." Josie laughed quietly as she plopped into the seat of the Blue Falcon, buckled up, and prepared to start a virtual training mission to sharpen her skills. "I knew it was a good idea to pay extra for the secret passage."
Gripping the Blue Falcon's controls, Josephine sighed happily and let herself enter a virtual racetrack. All she had to do was drive into 25 energy capsules and complete three laps, all in 80 seconds.
"This'll be easy as pie."
...Now she wanted pie. Darn. Well, that could come later. Training first.
-----
Reiko frowned as she fiddled with the settings on the early-2010s-model computer she was working with. On one hand, she was happy her computer repair service was doing so well, and she appreciated getting lots of business. People who came to drop off computers also would often purchase something from her store, too, making things go even better for her. She knew it had been a good idea to add computer repair to the Olympia Grab-N-Go's repertoire to make it stand out from other Olympia convenience stores.
She also appreciated how easy it was to fix these computers. Upwards of 90% of them seemed to run into the same basic issue, which she could easily fix. But she knew the fingerprints of this virus. It felt familiar. Much too familiar.
She should've known better than to trust that Millennium Bug. He may have stopped attacking the Kobbers, but he had no qualms about infecting the computers of Olympia's citizens...
-----
"Skeiron, I'm so proud of you!"
"THANK YOU, MISTRESS CELESTIA."
It was a momentous day indeed for Skeiron the Warmech. With Celestia's help, Skeiron had purchased an abandoned thrift store, and was now turning it into his own bakery. It wouldn't be a Black Magic Bakery - Celestia's trademark magitech sweets were not welcome in Olympia, and she knew trying to smuggle them in under her robot's name would only lead to trouble. No, Skeiron would be on his own for this. He was already rather skilled at making bread, and had made many a loaf without Celestia's help. She had delegated most of the non-sweets work to him years ago so that she could focus on her famous pastries, giving him years of experience. And now, Skeiron's dream had come true: his very own bakery, selling nothing but bread and breadlike products: Skeiron's Loads Of Bread Bakery!
It was a big job for one robot, so Celestia had offered to let Skeiron have some 'employees' from her roster of machines. Skeiron only chose one partner, claiming that he wanted to keep the operation small, "AT LEAST UNTIL THIS UNIT BUILDS MOMENTUM AND CAPITALIZES ON CREATING A GLOBAL EMPIRE". Dream big, Skeiron.
Skeiron's partner of choice was Isotope, a robot originally belonging to the evil Mr. X that Celestia had acquired and reprogrammed into a helpful ally. Isotope had hung around the Kobbers before, but this would be new territory for the robot. Celestia did her best to make sure the two unique machines were prepared to run this bakery by themselves, and promised to check in frequently to make sure everything was going well.
Soon would be opening day. Skeiron couldn't wait. To calm himself down, he tuned the bakery's radio to Slow Weather Jamz.
-----
Helios was getting worried about Karin.
She was punctual. She was doing all the work he asked. She was careful, studious, and prepared in her work. She was doting on patients enough to see to their every need while not overdoing it, ensuring every patient got the care they needed. She was acclimating to Olympia swimmingly, and got along well with some of the patients, who spoke highly of her when checking out of the hospital.
Sure, Helios loved that Karin was now a model employee. She was one of the best nurses he'd ever had, even. But her usual sunny and carefree demeanor was fading. While she was still kind and happy around her patients, she grew more nervous and reluctant to talk around Helios. All this just because her coroner grandmother was coming to see her this summer and find out how she was doing? The visit was planned for June, and would last into July - the hospital's busiest time of year.
Helios couldn't help but be concerned about it all. Most likely Karin was just making a mountain out of a molehill...
...but what if she wasn't?
-----
"I'm approved?"
"Yes, you're approved. We're happy to welcome you to Olympia, Mr. Yem."
Beheeyem, or as he'd had to sign his name on the documentation for Lisa Basil, B. E. Yem, gave a grateful bow. Next to him, his top associate Missy bowed as well, a little too enthusiastically, nearly falling over in her vigor. "THANKS!" she cried.
Beheeyem had been a little nervous about this. He'd heard the process for opening a new business in Olympia was tough due to the high level of competition and low level of available desirable space. Sure, if needed he could have opened up shop in the mostly lawless Undercity, but he wasn't fancying the idea of taking his Fite Club down to the same level as the unregulated. unruly, and dangerous bloodsports going on down there. Something about the desperation and brutality of poor people and animals fighting for scraps down there just felt so wrong compared to the consensual biffing sponsored by his pal Jumpropeman. He wondered how Fite Yer Mates would work this year. Would the Time Spirit keep things above board, or would he take the risk the usually risk-averse Beheeyem shied away from and try to make waves in the Undercity?
Further pondering would have to wait, for Lisa Basil was offering another contract for him to study and sign, and then, if Missy's eager bouncing was any indication, he wouldn't get a break before delivering on his promise to her that if they got approved they'd go to the mall for dinner and games. She already couldn't wait.
-----
Beheeyem and Missy were just two of the hundreds of people milling about in the mall tonight, though, and at one of the mall's most popular anchors, it was nearly showtime.
"Thank you, enjoy the movie!"
The white-haired young woman smiled as she handed the customer their ticket and they proceeded past the welcome desk. The Neon Star Movie Theater certainly wasn't her first choice of work after getting fired recently from CRAY Computing. She would have preferred World 8 Gaming, but they weren't hiring, and she didn't want to take a risk on any of the new Kobber-flavored businesses popping up, like the Zap Tap Arcade (even though it sounded like a lot of fun to work there...) For now, she was content working at the Neon Star. The Olympia Mall was one of her favorite places in the city. She felt drawn to it, like this was where she belonged.
Maybe she'd come here a lot in the before times. Before that Event. The Event that, while she knew nothing about it, changed everything for her. After all, people weren't born looking like her, and she couldn't recall her childhood or family...
But there was no need to dwell on that. Better to live in the now. And that meant keeping a steady job so she could pay the bills, and use the leftovers to enjoy herself. In this city, you had to try to enjoy yourself whenever you could. It wasn't a place where things always went happily. And that was okay by her, honestly. Because what did people do when they were down? They came to watch a movie, to escape, to laugh, to lose themselves in another world for a hundred minutes.
The digital display that took up most of the top half of her head shimmered. A large eye made of blocky LCD squares peered down at the half-finished jigsaw puzzle on her countertop, which she had been idly building in between customers. The puzzle was of the Los Angeles city skyline. She wondered what the US was like.
After letting the puzzle and the nearby radio gently take over her thoughts, drifting off in thought for a moment, she heard the door open and another customer step in, a family this time - a husband, wife, and three kids all here to see the latest Disney flick. She gave them service with a smile.
Her name was Xyra, and she was just another native of Olympia drifting in place.
-----
"Welcome! Welcome to all of you! Thanks for coming! I mean it, you're a fantastic audience, tip your waitress-"
"Plague." Dr. Wu hissed angrily. "Get on with it, will you? We don't have all day. These assets need to be sold!"
"Right, yes, certainly!" Plague spun the auction gavel in one hand, grinning at it under his mask. Dr. Wu held his head in his hands, wishing he could have run the auction instead. Working with The Curse had its' perks... and drawbacks.
Plague looked out at the audience. A carefully-screened assortment of various ne'er-do-wells sat in rows before him, waiting for the show to begin. Ruthless bounty hunters, cowardly-yet-powerful people with more money than courage, insanely rich people of Inner City who made a rare trip to the Undercity for something they'd never find up top. Everyone present had lax morals (at best) and money to burn.
"Our genetically-modified prehistoric animals are the perfect solution to your needs! Whether you want a one-of-a-kind pet, a guard dog like no other, or a war machine that no living species can match, you've come to the right place! Let's dive right in, with our first species up for grabs..."
A cage began to roll into the auction room on a track, and locked inside was a snarling theropod dinosaur. It was nearly ten meters long, and stood three meters high. It had long jaws like a crocodile, and strong-looking forearms with nasty sharp claws on the fingers. It snarled and tried to bite the bars of its' cage, only to be forced back with a mild electric shock.
Plague pointed theatrically at the dinosaur with his gavel. "Baryonyx! A great first dinosaur for anyone new to the trade, which is all of you, provided you want something that can kill on command. Moderate intelligence, moderate size, moderate aggression, and a good swimmer. This dinosaur loves to eat fish, but he won't say no to a landlubber meal either, if you catch my drift. Eh? Eh? You picking up what I'm laying down?"
After a brief pause, Plague loudly stage whispered "IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE IT EATS PEOPLE."
Dr. Wu groaned and rubbed his forehead.
-----
"So... it seems most of The Curse doesn't want to pursue the Kobbers at this time. We've been delegated to handle the issue, preferably in a subtle way."
The man who spoke shook his head slightly at the assembled Curse members. "I don't think this is going to work."
"ExCUSE me?" another member glared at the mustached man in white who'd dismissed them all so casually. He crossed his fins and puffed himself up to look larger and more intimidating, though really it just made a fat creature appear even fatter. "I'll have you know I am an EXPERT at dismantling troublesome people without laying a FINGER on them!"
"Yeah, and it's a good thing, tubbo." another man with a mustache and a black suit chortled. "Can't have a genius mind like yours lost to a heart attack when you throw your first punch."
"THIS IS ALL MUSCLE!"
"Can we not?" the white-suited man groaned. The black-suited man and the creature settled back down in their seats.
From another seat, three small critters milled about eagerly, one of them speaking for the group while another chittered and a third beeped like an old computer. "We can do it, boss! Plague's gonna be so proud of us, he'll be sure to hand out those promotions we've been asking for!"
The next seat over, a pale-skinned woman with an hourglass figure clasped her hands together and smirked wickedly. "Do you know how long I've been waiting to get my chance to teach those Kobbers a thing or two? I'd PREFER to fight them, but if you insist..."
At yet another seat, a man in blue armor drunkenly raised up his weapon and slammed it down to the floor blade-first. "BUTTS!"
"Yeah, a real gang of winners we have here." the man in white muttered. "Alright, brother, looks like we'll be heading this operation. You going to be able to handle this?"
The black-suited man snorted dismissively. "We've got this all day. You, me, my latest gift from De Loco... and I guess these guys too."
"Such confidence in our abilities." the large fat creature scoffed.
"Ah, shaddup. As if your dull, faded green could ever match that of...
THE GREEN THUNDER."
Mr. L
Rank: Mech Pilot
Codename: GREEN THUNDER
Dr. Mario
Rank: Medic
Codename: CURE-ALL
CLASSIFIED CODE NAMES:
4X4
POWER TRIO
GORGON
HERO
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