The museum incident is under control. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Bob stayed behind, assisting repairs informally. Tomorrow, Ilium will probably bid on doing the official repairs. In the passenger seat of Otto's vehicle mode, Link drains the anti-shearing fluid from his helmet and unseals it. Buckle up, he thinks to himself, and sure enough...
"What were you thinking?" demands Pneuma - now in her human shape as Aria Newman - from the driver's seat. "A black zone of unknown force and you just step into it? You could have been hurt, or worse. Mr. Snow, you should really take better care of yourself."
"You can call me Leo, you know," the inventor replies with a tired smile. "You've known me your entire life."
"Until I forgive you, you're Mr. Snow," Pneuma answers testily. "Maybe it will remind you that you should have grown up by now." She turns the steering wheel a bit too sharply, causing Leo to almost bump his head on the tinted window. He tunes out the rest of the complaints, but a faint smile plays across his lips. During the whole tirade, not once does Pneuma complain that he brought her into danger with him. She went where he did, without question or hesitation.
The car pulls into a hidden entrance adjacent to a sleepy scrapyard and recycling company. Ilium Construction Inc. owns the entire lot and stores some of its machinery here, but only Link and his robots know about the hidden workshop buried yards underneath. Otto cruises down the concealed ramp to the workshop and pulls to a stop in the garage.
Leo's out of the car and into the Link Suit's support harness in a series of smooth, practiced motions. Pneuma goes about her part of the work as well, stripping him of the black allotropic armor. The pair now have business to talk about; the chance to bicker, a core part of their friendship, will happen again later.
"What do you know about those two I was helping at the museum?" asks Leo. As the Link Suit plugs into the workshop's computer system, video playback springs to life on the far wall - a slow-motion re-enactment of the entire fight.
Pneuma highlights the two other supers' faces on the wall as they appear, pausing playback. "Mercury Man and Quorum. Members of the New Sentinels. From my observation, Mercury Man is the leader or apparent leader of their team, and the most aggressive. Quorum is a lateral thinker. Acrobatics and combat training of some kind. I'll put together a dossier on them tonight."
Leo nods, and rubs his eyes. The workshop's systems are already hosing down the Link Suit, recycling the STF fluid inside, and running basic diagnostics. "When the Ilium crew get back, tell Bob I want the squad to give the suit and Otto a full going-over. You're right - of course - that we fought something outside of my experience, and a full diagnostic should uncover any lingering weirdness."
"That was really specific, Leo," Pneuma points out. "Lingering weirdness. We'll get the weirdness scanner out for that."
Leo grins. "Sorry. Anyway, I'm going home. Thanks for everything." And giving Pneuma a peck on the cheek, the young man hops into his sports car. Leo, huh? She forgave me pretty fast this time, he thinks to himself as he drives.
The house is miles away, the legacy of the Judson Snow estate, legally owned by his son Leonard. Once the garage door closes, Leo pats Otto's hood, then turns on the television sitting in the corner of the garage. Tivo's got the big car-robot's favorite shows ready, as usual. "Good work today, buddy. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yes boss!" rumbles the car, and Leo heads inside.
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