Yuki sat quietly in a dim room, staring at the wall of softly glowing screens that floated before him. He rested his chin on his hand, his arm on his desk, as he watched numbers and letters scroll across the screens. They typed themselves, lines upon lines being written. His eyes followed them, cold and unwavering.
Then they stopped. The cursor blinked in place for a small moment before a clear ding rang out and a check mark appeared on each of the screens. The sides of Yuki’s mouth twitched up at the sight.
“Holy shit, it worked,” Damian gasped beside him. “It fucking worked.”
“Don’t get too excited yet,” Yuki replied, his voice calm. “This doesn’t mean the thing will actually work. Just that the software couldn’t find anything wrong.”
“Gah, you’re right. I just want this stupid thing to work by now,” Damian growled. “We worked on this thing for how long? Three months?”
“I’m willing to work on this thing for three years if necessary,” Yuki shrugged. “That’s how these things work. You shouldn’t rush them.”
“To be completely honest, I’ve been working on this partly out of rage. It’s your passion project. I’m helping because I want to see this stupid thing work.”
“I know,” Yuki smirked. He reached out and touched the black metal gauntlet that rested on the workbench in front of him. A soft blue light emitted from the chinks. “Let’s test it out now.”
His finger lifted the small cable attached to the side of the gauntlet. He considered it for a bit before electing to keep it attached. If something didn’t work, he didn’t want to have to resync everything again. He pressed a button made of the same material as the entire gauntlet, blending in seamlessly. The gauntlet opened, the metal wrist plates unlocking and the entrance of the metal glove expanding like a blooming flower.
‘That part works perfectly. This time. I might need to test it a few more times later.’
He slipped his left hand into the open gauntlet, the soft lining inside of it cushioning it. The entrance immediately tightened and formed a seal around his wrist. It was comfy, not too tight but not allowing the gauntlet to move. The entirety of the metal glove morphed and shifted until it molded itself to fit snugly around Yuki’s hand. He lifted his hand, the weight of the gauntlet barely noticeable.
‘Good. It’s not strangling my hand like last time.’
Yuki began to do a series of hand and finger exercises, twisting his fingers and wrist about as he made odd shapes and poses. Then he made more jerky motions, quickly shifting his fingers’ positions. The gauntlet responded perfectly. It followed his movements, moving fluidly without any delay. It felt just like he was just moving his hand normally.
‘Perfect. There was a small delay last time. I’m glad we managed to get rid of that.’
“It’s working,” Damian muttered, his eyes following every movement Yuki made.
“Let’s test out how well it holds up in what it was designed to do now,” Yuki said. He stood up from his recliner. “Do we still have unused plates or did we go through them all?”
“We still have some,” Damian replied, standing up as well. He jabbed his thumb towards a corner. “They should be there.”
Yuki went over, his left hand still wriggling as he tested the gauntlet. He found a few metal plates that he had used to test the puncture strength of various weapons. Taking one, he tightened a clamp on each side which held it firmly in the air.
“Here goes,” he said quietly.
He wound his left arm back and shot it forward, smashing it to the metal plate with a resounding bang. A small shock traveled up his arm at the impact and the metal plate warped. He drew his arm back and inspected the results.
“Good protection,” he said, flexing his hand. “I barely felt the impact. The metal plate was complete deformed. I think I could have punctured it if I used more power. The gauntlet looks good as well. No obvious damage from the impact.”
“Perfect,” Damian replied. “The thing wor—”
His comment was interrupted by a rapid series of bangs as Yuki continually punched the metal plate. After a few seconds, Yuki withdrew and examined the gauntlet again.
“Still nothing. Seems to be okay then,” he commented.
“Okay,” Damian said.
Yuki pressed the button and removed the gauntlet from his hand. He went back to the workbench and grabbed a prosthetic hand that he had made before modeled after his own. He slipped the gauntlet over it. Then he shot out with his right hand, a knife flying toward it which he grabbed by the handle.
“Let’s test the other protective qualities now,” he said.
Eyeing the gauntlet, he stabbed downwards with the knife. The blade hit the back of the metal glove before bouncing off, leaving a small gouge in the metal plating. Yuki examined the knife and found minor cracks forming in the blade. Picking up the prosthetic hand with the gauntlet equipped, he watched as the gouge left by the knife disappeared.
“I need to make a new knife,” Yuki said. “The gauntlet broke it.”
“So the protection is pretty good then,” Damian nodded. “I mean, that should have been a given. The problem was with the movement. Not the material.”
“It’s always good to double check,” Yuki shrugged. “The repairing properties also seem to be working quite well. Get me the bracer.”
Yuki heard the sound of metal being moved and tools being pushed aside as Damian looked around for the bracer.
“Here you go,” he said, handing it to Yuki.
“Thanks.”
The bracer was made of the same thing as the gauntlet and was designed the same way. Yuki placed it over his left forearm and watched as the metal bracer surrounded it, shifting a bit until it fit snuggly. He flipped his arm to reveal the underside of his forearm. He twitched his wrists and a knife shot out from a concealed sheath in the bracer.
“The bracer still works properly,” he said. “That’s good. Let’s link it with the gauntlet know and see if anything messes up.”
Glancing over at Damian, he saw that the dwarf had already removed the metal gauntlet from the prosthetic hand. He took the metal glove with a nod and slid his hand into it. The gauntlet closed and conformed to his hand. He stared at the two pieces, the gauntlet and the bracer, as the small gap between them closed and soon lit up with a soft blue light. A faint smile appeared on Yuki’s lips as he moved his hand and arm about.
“Perfect,” he said.
“Works?” Damian asked.
“Like a charm. For now.”
“Want me to copy over the new edits to the other gauntlet?” he asked. “I’ll change the necessary stuff of course.”
“Go ahead,” Yuki nodded. “I’ll put these two pieces with the others now.”
He slowly removed the two metal armour parts, the two still connected to each other. Then he went over to the cabinet that sat in the corner of the lab and put them back where they were.
“Here’s the other one,” Damian said, handing Yuki the right gauntlet. Yuki took it and put it away as well. “So we did it?”
“Probably,” Yuki replied. “It’s not completely tested yet, but it works now. We did.”
“Fuck yeah!” Damian exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air. “I can’t believe the two of us actually did it. In three months as well. Hell yeah!”
“You were just complaining,” Yuki said.
“Well, of course. To be completely honest, I was kind of working on this partly out of hate,” he shrugged. “The stupid thing wouldn’t work so I kept smashing my head at it because I hate it when things don’t work, you know.”
“Ahem,” a voice called out from speakers hidden throughout the workshop. “‘The two of us’? What am I then?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. The three of us,” Damian corrected. “You helped a lot as well. I’ll give you that.”
“How about Tobias? He did a little something as well~,” Uriel said, her voice teasing.
“Nah, not him. That stupid bugger probably broke the goddamn gauntlets,” Damian growled.
“Uriel, what’s the time?” Yuki asked.
“If it’s about the meeting, it’s about an hour from now,” she replied.
“We have a meeting?” Damian said, frowning.
“I didn’t notify anyone about it yet,” Yuki said.
“Oh. I thought forgot again.”
“But we’ll be having a meeting in an hour. You can remember that, right?”
“Of course, of course. I’m going to the mess hall for a bit though. I need a drink.”
“Go ahead. I need to make a few calls. Uriel, tell the others to gather.” He glanced over at the metal cabinet. “Now that we’re done with this project, I think we can go forward without any hesitation.”
Yuki sat quietly in a dim room, staring at the wall of softly glowing screens that floated before him. He rested his chin on his hand, his arm on his desk, as he watched numbers and letters scroll across the screens. They typed themselves, lines upon lines being written. His eyes followed them, cold and unwavering.
Then they stopped. The cursor blinked in place for a small moment before a clear ding rang out and a check mark appeared on each of the screens. The sides of Yuki’s mouth twitched up at the sight.
“Holy shit, it worked,” Damian gasped beside him. “It fucking worked.”
“Don’t get too excited yet,” Yuki replied, his voice calm. “This doesn’t mean the thing will actually work. Just that the software couldn’t find anything wrong.”
“Gah, you’re right. I just want this stupid thing to work by now,” Damian growled. “We worked on this thing for how long? Three months?”
“I’m willing to work on this thing for three years if necessary,” Yuki shrugged. “That’s how these things work. You shouldn’t rush them.”
“To be completely honest, I’ve been working on this partly out of rage. It’s your passion project. I’m helping because I want to see this stupid thing work.”
“I know,” Yuki smirked. He reached out and touched the black metal gauntlet that rested on the workbench in front of him. A soft blue light emitted from the chinks. “Let’s test it out now.”
His finger lifted the small cable attached to the side of the gauntlet. He considered it for a bit before electing to keep it attached. If something didn’t work, he didn’t want to have to resync everything again. He pressed a button made of the same material as the entire gauntlet, blending in seamlessly. The gauntlet opened, the metal wrist plates unlocking and the entrance of the metal glove expanding like a blooming flower.
‘That part works perfectly. This time. I might need to test it a few more times later.’
He slipped his left hand into the open gauntlet, the soft lining inside of it cushioning it. The entrance immediately tightened and formed a seal around his wrist. It was comfy, not too tight but not allowing the gauntlet to move. The entirety of the metal glove morphed and shifted until it molded itself to fit snugly around Yuki’s hand. He lifted his hand, the weight of the gauntlet barely noticeable.
‘Good. It’s not strangling my hand like last time.’
Yuki began to do a series of hand and finger exercises, twisting his fingers and wrist about as he made odd shapes and poses. Then he made more jerky motions, quickly shifting his fingers’ positions. The gauntlet responded perfectly. It followed his movements, moving fluidly without any delay. It felt just like he was just moving his hand normally.
‘Perfect. There was a small delay last time. I’m glad we managed to get rid of that.’
“It’s working,” Damian muttered, his eyes following every movement Yuki made.
“Let’s test out how well it holds up in what it was designed to do now,” Yuki said. He stood up from his recliner. “Do we still have unused plates or did we go through them all?”
“We still have some,” Damian replied, standing up as well. He jabbed his thumb towards a corner. “They should be there.”
Yuki went over, his left hand still wriggling as he tested the gauntlet. He found a few metal plates that he had used to test the puncture strength of various weapons. Taking one, he tightened a clamp on each side which held it firmly in the air.
“Here goes,” he said quietly.
He wound his left arm back and shot it forward, smashing it to the metal plate with a resounding bang. A small shock traveled up his arm at the impact and the metal plate warped. He drew his arm back and inspected the results.
“Good protection,” he said, flexing his hand. “I barely felt the impact. The metal plate was complete deformed. I think I could have punctured it if I used more power. The gauntlet looks good as well. No obvious damage from the impact.”
“Perfect,” Damian replied. “The thing wor—”
His comment was interrupted by a rapid series of bangs as Yuki continually punched the metal plate. After a few seconds, Yuki withdrew and examined the gauntlet again.
“Still nothing. Seems to be okay then,” he commented.
“Okay,” Damian said.
Yuki pressed the button and removed the gauntlet from his hand. He went back to the workbench and grabbed a prosthetic hand that he had made before modeled after his own. He slipped the gauntlet over it. Then he shot out with his right hand, a knife flying toward it which he grabbed by the handle.
“Let’s test the other protective qualities now,” he said.
Eyeing the gauntlet, he stabbed downwards with the knife. The blade hit the back of the metal glove before bouncing off, leaving a small gouge in the metal plating. Yuki examined the knife and found minor cracks forming in the blade. Picking up the prosthetic hand with the gauntlet equipped, he watched as the gouge left by the knife disappeared.
“I need to make a new knife,” Yuki said. “The gauntlet broke it.”
“So the protection is pretty good then,” Damian nodded. “I mean, that should have been a given. The problem was with the movement. Not the material.”
“It’s always good to double check,” Yuki shrugged. “The repairing properties also seem to be working quite well. Get me the bracer.”
Yuki heard the sound of metal being moved and tools being pushed aside as Damian looked around for the bracer.
“Here you go,” he said, handing it to Yuki.
“Thanks.”
The bracer was made of the same thing as the gauntlet and was designed the same way. Yuki placed it over his left forearm and watched as the metal bracer surrounded it, shifting a bit until it fit snuggly. He flipped his arm to reveal the underside of his forearm. He twitched his wrists and a knife shot out from a concealed sheath in the bracer.
“The bracer still works properly,” he said. “That’s good. Let’s link it with the gauntlet know and see if anything messes up.”
Glancing over at Damian, he saw that the dwarf had already removed the metal gauntlet from the prosthetic hand. He took the metal glove with a nod and slid his hand into it. The gauntlet closed and conformed to his hand. He stared at the two pieces, the gauntlet and the bracer, as the small gap between them closed and soon lit up with a soft blue light. A faint smile appeared on Yuki’s lips as he moved his hand and arm about.
“Perfect,” he said.
“Works?” Damian asked.
“Like a charm. For now.”
“Want me to copy over the new edits to the other gauntlet?” he asked. “I’ll change the necessary stuff of course.”
“Go ahead,” Yuki nodded. “I’ll put these two pieces with the others now.”
He slowly removed the two metal armour parts, the two still connected to each other. Then he went over to the cabinet that sat in the corner of the lab and put them back where they were.
“Here’s the other one,” Damian said, handing Yuki the right gauntlet. Yuki took it and put it away as well. “So we did it?”
“Probably,” Yuki replied. “It’s not completely tested yet, but it works now. We did.”
“Fuck yeah!” Damian exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air. “I can’t believe the two of us actually did it. In three months as well. Hell yeah!”
“You were just complaining,” Yuki said.
“Well, of course. To be completely honest, I was kind of working on this partly out of hate,” he shrugged. “The stupid thing wouldn’t work so I kept smashing my head at it because I hate it when things don’t work, you know.”
“Ahem,” a voice called out from speakers hidden throughout the workshop. “‘The two of us’? What am I then?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. The three of us,” Damian corrected. “You helped a lot as well. I’ll give you that.”
“How about Tobias? He did a little something as well~,” Uriel said, her voice teasing.
“Nah, not him. That stupid bugger probably broke the goddamn gauntlets,” Damian growled.
“Uriel, what’s the time?” Yuki asked.
“If it’s about the meeting, it’s about an hour from now,” she replied.
“We have a meeting?” Damian said, frowning.
“I didn’t notify anyone about it yet,” Yuki said.
“Oh. I thought forgot again.”
“But we’ll be having a meeting in an hour. You can remember that, right?”
“Of course, of course. I’m going to the mess hall for a bit though. I need a drink.”
“Go ahead. I need to make a few calls. Uriel, tell the others to gather.” He glanced over at the metal cabinet. “Now that we’re done with this project, I think we can go forward without any hesitation.”
