7 Steam Core (2/2)
He pointed towards the mech torso. ”Inside the chest, I've placed a new steam engine I've invented! I call this engine a steam core! I took mana-cores from mutants and ground them into dust. The dust can be divided into 7 different colored powders. These powders correspond to fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, dark, and light. This is a relatively recent discovery and is being researched heavily. We believe it may unlock new discoveries into the laws of how mana operates. I used the fire powder to create a battery and the water powder to create a 2nd battery. The water battery can produce large volumes of water. The fire battery converts the water to steam. I placed the batteries inside a sphere covered with holes. As the pressure increases, the sphere rapidly spins while shooting out steam.”
Mr. Ardy pointed towards the holes on the body. ”I'm sure you've noticed the holes all over the mech body by now, right? The pilot can use levers to control the paths the steam takes to exit the mech. The various holes allow for fine control of the entire mech, as opposed to relying purely on gears and pistons. Unfortunately, the piloting ability required is extremely high. Any questions?”
”This… This is amazing!” Flair yelled excitedly. ”This will change steam technology as we know it! How long can it operate using a steam core?”
”It should last for at least an hour.” Mr. Ardy smiled. ”Not only that! It's easy to replace the batteries. You can even take the whole steam core out and throw a new one in to immediately begin operations again. Pretty cool, right?”
Ed stared at the machine, desperately wanting to try piloting it. ”Mr. Ardy, will students ever get a chance to pilot one?”
”Hmm.” Mr. Ardy rubbed his chin. ”Show me some impressive inventions and I'll consider it. It's already operable. I'm mainly just looking for ways to simplify the controls now. Each hole has a lever corresponding to it. It's too difficult for a human to pilot. If I cluster the holes together then it leads to a decrease in precision…”
”I think I may be able to help with that in the future.” Dexter smiled. ”My power allows me to assign simple instructions to machines. Couldn't we find a way to use it to simplify the controls somehow? Perhaps we can make some kind of switch controller or something?”
”That would certainly solve the problem…” Mr. Ardy nodded. ”However, I can't trust you with my baby just yet. Let's see how you do on other projects first. I can't risk you ruining my prized invention because of inexperience.”
Dexter nodded. The trio continued to talk excitedly while discussing the mech. They offered different ideas for improvement and occasionally discussed the mana-powders. The mana-powders had the potential to drastically change the way all technology operated. Soon, it grew dark outside. The trio realized class had ended a long time ago.
”Haha! This is embarrassing.” Mr. Ardy scratched the back of his head while blushing. ”I always get a bit excited when discussing the steam core and mana-powders.” He waved his hand, ”Sorry to keep you so long. Class is dismissed. We'll meet again tomorrow afternoon. Head on home. You all have to get up early tomorrow for your ordinary classes at the mainland.”
The trio headed towards their dorms and went to sleep for the night.
…
The next morning. The group of twenty students met at the boat on the east side of Governors Island. They had to pass the Buttermilk Channel by boat to reach the mainland. Then, they would take a 15-minute steam wagon ride to reach an ordinary school.
Mr. Sai led the students on the boat. ”Listen up!” He yelled. ”Today, I will be leading you to the school. In the future, you will be expected to attend on your own. No one is going to babysit you. All of you have been registered as part of an exchange student program we have set up with the school. No one there will know you're espers except for the principle and a few select teachers. If you expose your identity, we will pull you out of school and claim the government recruited you after discovering your powers.”
”What will you do with us after that happens?” A student interrupted.
He smiled, ”Any students pulled out of school will be personally tutored by me. I will give you the best training you could ever hope for. The trip to the moon from yesterday will seem like a vacation compared to it! You might even die!”
The ten students that went with Mr. Sai yesterday shivered in fear. Husky spoke, ”Eh? They really were taken to the moon?! What could be scarier than that?”
”You don't want to know” Yuki shivered while holding her arms to her chest.
The steam boat slowly traveled across the water. They reached the other side and quickly boarded a steam bus. The group gaped and stared at the surrounding buildings as they traveled through the streets. Most of them were from Reef city and were not used to the amazing sights.
”Hey!” Husky yelled excitedly. ”Did you guys see the lights on the dome at night? Those sexy lingerie models they use in advertisements! How is that even legal?!”
”Gross” Yuki frowned. ”That's the kind of thought you should keep to yourself.”
”Eh? What lights?” Dexter questioned. ”I usually go to sleep early. I've seen the dome cover the city before, but I haven't seen any lights on it?”
”You don't know what you're missing.” Husky grinned. ”Late at night, a bunch of lights form moving images on the dome. All sorts of advertisements for food, clothing, and more. The women were so pretty.”
”Mm.” Another student nodded. ”It was pretty amazing. I want to know how it all works. I bet we'll learn about it in our ordinary classes.”
The wagon continued to zig and zag through several streets before reaching a large building. It was much bigger than the school building used at Steam Work Academy. It had a more modern look that matched the rest of the city. Streams of students were entering the school. They all wore dark blue uniforms.
”Let's head inside!” Flair smiled. ”It's been so long since I've gone to an ordinary school. I can't believe they're making me go back! They kept muttering nonsense about emotional and social development. I'm plenty social and emotional!” She happily continued to grumble as the twenty espers entered the school. They split up based on their age, some heading towards the middle school section and others the high school section. Today, they would start their ordinary lives once again.