“I’ve got a new direction though,” I said. “Rachel said I discovered this myself somehow, so I’m thinking that what I should really be doing is whatever I’d be doing normally if I didn’t know.”

Haley nodded slowly. “That sounds good. What do you think you’d be doing normally?”

“Tonight? Well, I was going to work on a new Rocket suit which is kind of the same thing as the suit I’m making for Cassie at the base level. It should solve the problem where I can’t carry around a decently powerful suit—once I figure out how to make it lighter anyhow. Anyway, I’m sure I’d be working on Cassie’s version even if Rachel never visited Infinity City, or those alternate universe versions of us never showed up.”

For a moment, Haley’s pupils began to widen into slits. She blinked, her mouth tightening, and they became normal.

“I hope so.” She said, ignoring what had happened.

More than a year into dating her, I knew better than to draw her attention to it. Continue reading Doom: Part 6 →

I could open the suit’s faceplate, and did.

Haley looked the suit up and down as they walked toward me. “Is that yours or did you get it from somewhere?”

Still wishing I could take the suit off, I said, “I made it but I deliberately used other people’s designs. I brought in Chris to help. He’s figured out a lot of his grandfather’s stuff. Plus I made the joints similar to how Armory did joints back in the 1980’s?”

From the expressions on their faces, none of them knew who Armory was. “A mid-tier hero who became a mid-tier villain, and disappeared after the island he lived on blew up. He did his joints differently than most armor designers.”

Camille stared at my knees, and grinning, said, “I completely see it now.”

I bent my right knee forward, and the knee reformed, the layers splitting and coming back together.

She blinked. “I… actually do see it.” Continue reading Doom: Part 5 →