09-08-2016, 07:36 AM
Hiro continued to bolt, screw, join, and expand on the frame they had procured with Madotsuki. Liberal use of the wire brushes and angle grinder that came with their toolset had transformed the beaten up vehicle frame into something almost resembling the skeleton of a car. The engine was there, and a basic exhaust system, but that was about it. However, their had prepped it for the next, most important phase: the modular build.
The hacker raised his goggles and wiped some grease off his cheek, looking across at Madotsuki. Somehow she had managed to avoid the typical dirtiness that came with car repair; Hiro was secretly impressed. The reveal of her history alone explained a few things about her, namely her reluctance to physically speak and her introverted style. "Alright, so that's the frame...now, for the actual motion and handling and stuff, I figure I can handle the bulk of that. I have a few pretty good ideas. Weapons, defense, and any other surprises would be appreciated, I don't have much to add to that besides Reason."
He stepped back from the frame and lowered his goggles over his eyes once more, flicking his fingers in the air as green lights flashed over the lenses. Speaking slowly as he concentrated, he explained. "These are the very top of the line in wheel technology from my world. RaDiks Gyroscopic Smartwheels." Slowly, gradually, something began to take shape and coalesce from the significant reserves of Omnilium in Hiro's body.
"I've modified their mounting platform somewhat, for ease of use and weight optimization." The shape of the wheel began to become apparent, and it was becoming easier to see that these were not traditiinal wheels in the tire-and-rim sense, but rather more like cylinders. "Each wheel consists of a hub with many stout spokes, that can telescope into five sections." Said cylinder appeared on the ground in front of Hiro, slowly gaining density.
"On the end is a squat foot, rubber tread on the bottom, swiveling on a ball joint. As the wheels roll, the feet plant themselves one at a time, almost merging into one continuous tire. If you drive over a bump, the spokes retract to pass over it. If you skid over a pothole, the robo-prongs plumb its asphalty depths."
The hacker grinned at the dreamer across from him as a thick, jointed arm attached to the wheelspokes. After about ten minutes, the fully assembled wheel joint was propped against the frame, Madotsuji inspecting it's lightweight but durable carbon fiber covering protecting the sensitive pneumatics inside. "Phew....three more to go...then we can separate the frame and joint it to the wheel-legs....that'll let us adjust the car's height.
After about another two hours the vehicle frame now had four bent "legs" ending in the thick SmartWheels, giving it a slight arachnoid appearance. Hiro was wedged under the car's frame, running a mess of wire and tubing to the engine and a small central console which would serve the the digital interface for the vehicle's systems. Madotsuki was alternatively munching on a slice of pizza they'd ordered, and assembling the driver's cab above the hard at work samurai. The seats were compact, but comfortable, and incorporated ergonimic designs to keep their limbs and torsos cushioned as the vehicle would inevitably take damage.
While he was under the frame, running wire and tubes and pipe across the undercarriage, he altered the frame even more, cutting, bonding, and joining with shock absorbers, guided rails, and other such extraneous additions. The purpose of these was to allow the sections of the car to swivel around and lock into other positions, allowing for the supreme maneuverability that was going to be needed in the tight gridlock of the F-Zero Tier 5 Arena. He also was hoping that it would support a bipedal arrangement for maximum robot goodness, but was beginning to see he lacked the technical know how to make it function completely...although he had a small ace in the hole that might make it possible, if only for a short while.
As they worked and the vehicle began to full take shape beneath their ministrations, he tried to make up for his earlier ignorance. "So...you let me know a little about where you came from...I'll tell you about my world." The girl wiped his forehead, finally having managed to get a little dirty. "Go ahead."
"I was taken from Earth, in what used to be the country of America. During the last 15 years, the government collapsed, corporations and extranational entities began to grow in power, and territory all across the former United States was split into franchise-consulates, which we call "Franchulates". Burbclaves were residential territories, run by corporations or nations with complete autonomy. I lived in Mr. Lee's Greater Hong Kong #9384 near Pasadena, California. Well, I was a citizen of Mr. Lee's, I actually lived in a storage unit on the highway, with a roommate."
He chuckled from under the car, then let out an "Ow!" as he shocked himself on a wire. "Goddamnit...ah, so I'm used to living with a roommate...just in a much smaller space. Our apartment would have cost 50,000 KongBucks a month in rent back in my world."
The hacker raised his goggles and wiped some grease off his cheek, looking across at Madotsuki. Somehow she had managed to avoid the typical dirtiness that came with car repair; Hiro was secretly impressed. The reveal of her history alone explained a few things about her, namely her reluctance to physically speak and her introverted style. "Alright, so that's the frame...now, for the actual motion and handling and stuff, I figure I can handle the bulk of that. I have a few pretty good ideas. Weapons, defense, and any other surprises would be appreciated, I don't have much to add to that besides Reason."
He stepped back from the frame and lowered his goggles over his eyes once more, flicking his fingers in the air as green lights flashed over the lenses. Speaking slowly as he concentrated, he explained. "These are the very top of the line in wheel technology from my world. RaDiks Gyroscopic Smartwheels." Slowly, gradually, something began to take shape and coalesce from the significant reserves of Omnilium in Hiro's body.
"I've modified their mounting platform somewhat, for ease of use and weight optimization." The shape of the wheel began to become apparent, and it was becoming easier to see that these were not traditiinal wheels in the tire-and-rim sense, but rather more like cylinders. "Each wheel consists of a hub with many stout spokes, that can telescope into five sections." Said cylinder appeared on the ground in front of Hiro, slowly gaining density.
"On the end is a squat foot, rubber tread on the bottom, swiveling on a ball joint. As the wheels roll, the feet plant themselves one at a time, almost merging into one continuous tire. If you drive over a bump, the spokes retract to pass over it. If you skid over a pothole, the robo-prongs plumb its asphalty depths."
The hacker grinned at the dreamer across from him as a thick, jointed arm attached to the wheelspokes. After about ten minutes, the fully assembled wheel joint was propped against the frame, Madotsuji inspecting it's lightweight but durable carbon fiber covering protecting the sensitive pneumatics inside. "Phew....three more to go...then we can separate the frame and joint it to the wheel-legs....that'll let us adjust the car's height.
After about another two hours the vehicle frame now had four bent "legs" ending in the thick SmartWheels, giving it a slight arachnoid appearance. Hiro was wedged under the car's frame, running a mess of wire and tubing to the engine and a small central console which would serve the the digital interface for the vehicle's systems. Madotsuki was alternatively munching on a slice of pizza they'd ordered, and assembling the driver's cab above the hard at work samurai. The seats were compact, but comfortable, and incorporated ergonimic designs to keep their limbs and torsos cushioned as the vehicle would inevitably take damage.
While he was under the frame, running wire and tubes and pipe across the undercarriage, he altered the frame even more, cutting, bonding, and joining with shock absorbers, guided rails, and other such extraneous additions. The purpose of these was to allow the sections of the car to swivel around and lock into other positions, allowing for the supreme maneuverability that was going to be needed in the tight gridlock of the F-Zero Tier 5 Arena. He also was hoping that it would support a bipedal arrangement for maximum robot goodness, but was beginning to see he lacked the technical know how to make it function completely...although he had a small ace in the hole that might make it possible, if only for a short while.
As they worked and the vehicle began to full take shape beneath their ministrations, he tried to make up for his earlier ignorance. "So...you let me know a little about where you came from...I'll tell you about my world." The girl wiped his forehead, finally having managed to get a little dirty. "Go ahead."
"I was taken from Earth, in what used to be the country of America. During the last 15 years, the government collapsed, corporations and extranational entities began to grow in power, and territory all across the former United States was split into franchise-consulates, which we call "Franchulates". Burbclaves were residential territories, run by corporations or nations with complete autonomy. I lived in Mr. Lee's Greater Hong Kong #9384 near Pasadena, California. Well, I was a citizen of Mr. Lee's, I actually lived in a storage unit on the highway, with a roommate."
He chuckled from under the car, then let out an "Ow!" as he shocked himself on a wire. "Goddamnit...ah, so I'm used to living with a roommate...just in a much smaller space. Our apartment would have cost 50,000 KongBucks a month in rent back in my world."
Quote:3343 + 903 = 4246/7500 words
![[Image: MZSDl2O.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/MZSDl2O.jpg)