A Blade is a Blade

A Blade is a Blade is the second episode of Tech 10: Rebooted.

Episode
"Can't catch me!"

A blur raced through the city streets, too fast for the naked eye, carrying a large bag. SIrens could be heard in the distance.

"Hahaha!" The Kineceleran laughed. "Man, Earth police are so slow!"

"Good thing I'm not a policeman then, huh?"

"What the-"

The speedster turned his head just in time to get punched in the face by a black metal fist. The blow sent him reeling out of control and into the side of a building, where he dropped the bag he was carrying. He shook his head and raced for it, but was stopped by a blast of blue energy landing in front of him.

"Hey, where are you?" He said, looking around himself cautiously.

"Try looking up."

He looked up to see a yellow robotic figure diving towards him headfirst. Before he could react, the figure flipped around and kicked him in the side of his head, knocking him out and sending him flying.

Tech was having an interesting day. FIrst he wakes up at four in the morning so his family could make an early flight, then he spends six hours on a plane going through a ridiculous amount of turbulence, and before he can so much as settle into the hotel, suddenly sirens are going off and there's a robbery in progress.

Some days are just plain odd.

"Well, Terminano can certainly get the job done quickly. Maybe I should use him more often."

Tech turned towards the bag the Kineceleran had been carrying. It had been ripped open on the street, and it's contents were scattered all over the ground.

"Guns?" He said, stepping over to the weapons. "What on earth would an alien with super-speed be doing with guns?"

Tech held up the SpecTrix and activated the communications function.

"Hey, Aquadilus? You there?"

"Yeah, yeah, I've got your signal." A voice said. "What's up?"

"You got any info on why a Kineceleran would be stealing a ton of guns? They're not even the type that fires quickly, they're just standard commercial guns."

"Actually, I think I might have something. Hold on a sec."

The line went quiet for a moment, as Tech took the opportunity to examine the guns more closely. Nothing special.

"Okay, I was right. Some recent police reports in the area state that aliens have been stealing weapons lately. It's currently believed that they're part of an underground operation that steals weapons, fixes them up with alien technology, and then sells them on the black market."

"Black market, huh? Sounds interesting."

"So, what are you going to do? I take it ignoring this is out of the question."

"Of course. Since I'm in the area, I might as well take a moment to drop by this black market and see if I can get some hard evidence of what's going on. Probably going to bust some heads while I'm there too. Seems impolite to just show up and leave without doing anything significant."

"Great. I'll be on standby for when you need me to bail you out."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."

"You're welcome. Anyways, I'm uploading the coordinates now. Just follow the map."

Tech transformed back into a human and started walking down the street.

"Follow the map, huh? What, as opposed to ignoring it and jumping in a lake?"

"Actually, you jumping in a lake doesn't seem like that bad of an idea right now."

"Gee, that's so funny I forgot to laugh."

"So, I'm in some random alley with a dead end in an alien city underground. Seems about right."

Tech stood with his arms crossed and an annoyed look on his face.

"Well, excuuuuse me," Aquadilus said through the SpecTrix. "But this is where the map says to go. There should be a passage right in front of you."

"I certainly don't see any passage. Must be some sort of secret entry. Let's see here..."

Tech walked up to the brick wall at the end of the alleyway and knocked on it. There was a scuffling noise behind the wall, and a moment later, a brick was pulled into the wall to reveal a pair of yellow eyes.

"Eh, whaddaya want?"

"Well, I'd like to gain entrance to this establishment."

The eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, right. No humans allowed, bub. Besides, even if humans were allowed in, you'd still need the password."

"Password?"

The eyes widened.

"Hold on a moment."

The brick was replaced, and there was another scuffling sound.

"Frank! Frank, wake up! This human knows the password! Whaddo we do?!"

"Eh, I dunno."

Tech rolled his eyes.

"You know, if it's that much of a problem, I can just transform."

The brick was pulled in again.

"What? Really?"

Tech spun the dial on the SpecTrix and transformed into Electrolite.

"Yeah, really. Now, are you going to let me in or not?"

The wall swung open, scraping heavily across the floor, revealing a short hall witrh a staircase at the end. Two hunched figures were standing in the passageway.

"Okay, you're allowed in. But no funny business. You got me?" One of them said.

"Don't worry, I got it. Say, would you know where the weapons area is?"

"Yeah, just head to the end of the second street on your left. Can't miss it. Lots of guns and swords and stuff."

"Thanks."

Tech started walking towards the stairs, before one of the aliens stopped him.

"Hey, hold on a sec." He said. "That little transforming trick you pulled looks a little familiar. Are you that Benjamin Tenjamin kid?"

"Nope."

"Okay, just wanted to make sure. You're free to go."

As Tech made his way to the bottom of the stairs, he pondered about how ridiculously easy that was.

"Either something's up," He thought, "Or I've overestimated my problems."

"Okay, are you kidding me? THIS is the 'super secret weapons shop'?!"

"Yep, that's it alright."

Tech was standing in front of a large building that said, in big red letters, 'DUBIOUS DEALS WEAPONS! We've got death for less!'.

"This secret operation is about as subtle as a train wreck!"

"That might be over-"

"On a boat! How have these guys not been caught?!"

"Look, just get in there and find some evidence I can scan and give to the authorities, okay?"

"How do you expect me to do that?"

"Just think of something! Now go!"

Tech grumbled a bit and stepped into the building. The front room was fairly small, with nothing more than a business desk and a door that read 'Employees Only'. There was a tall, lanky alien with a rather large metal backpack behind the counter, wobbling from side to side.

"Oh, a customer! Come in, come in!" The wobbling alien said, notably with the kind of voice that seems to emanate from all salesman. You know what I'm talking about.

"But I'm already inside the store." Tech pointed out.

"Ah, smart, smart! Of course you would be, you did choose this shop after all! What can I help you with?"

"Well, I'm, uh, looking for a weapon."

"But of course, of course! What kind of weapon?"

"Oh, uh...how about a superheated sword or something? You got any of those?"

"Well, that depends." The clerk said with a sneaky look. "How much you got?"

"Um...all of it?"

"All of it?"

"Yes. All of the moneys. All of them."

The clerk raised an eyebrow, obviously confused. Tech tried to keep a cool exterior, despite having no idea of what he was doing.

"Well, I suppose...all of the moneys...is a good amount...I think."

"Yep. Totally reliable."

The clerk sighed.

"Well, just wait here then. I'll go into the back and get the sword you requested."

The clerk left from behind the desk and went through the door that said 'Employees Only'. Tech waited a few seconds, then took the opportunity to turn back into a human and sneak through the open doorway. He clung to the wall, moving into a room full of stolen weapons, with guns, swords, gunswords and axes of every kind stored in crates scattered all over the room. Tech quietly made his way to the center of the room and scanned the area with the SpecTrix.

"Hey, Aquadilus, you got all that?" He whispered.

"Yep. Uploading it now." Aquadilus replied.

"Hey, not so loud! I don't want to get-"

Suddenly, a large blue square of energy surrounded Tech.

"-caught."

The clerk walked into the room.

"Well, well! I seem to have found a human sneaking around my shop! How did you get in, anyway?"

"I seem to recall being let in." Tech said flatly.

"What? What? You mean by Frank and Larry?"

"I believe so."

"Unacceptable! Unacceptable! I'm going to go give them a piece of my mind!"

The clerk stormed out of the room. A second later, his head appeared from the doorway.

"Don't go anywhere, you. I'll have to dispose of you somehow when I get back. Can't have a human running around that knows about this place."

The clerk turned his head towards the door on the other side of the room.

"Hey! Hey! Alvono! Come out here and make sure this human doesn't escape, will ya?!"

The clerk finally left the store, leaving Tech trapped in the energy field. After a few seconds, a Galvanic Mechamorph stepped out of the door that the clerk had yelled at. It stepped over to one of the crates and sat down, looking at Tech.

"A human down here, eh?" It said. "Not exactly what one would call a common sight."

"True, but I would think a human would sort of be expected to show up at some point." Tech replied. "After all, we sort of live on this planet."

The Galvanic Mechamorph laughed.

"Yeah, fair enough." It replied.

"The real question is, why would a Galvanic Mechamorph be on Earth in the first place?" Tech asked. "I didn't think they ever left Galvan B."

"Well, first, that's none of your business, and second, my name is Alvono, thank you very much. Alvono the Great and Alvono the Incredible are also titles I go by."

"Yeah, no. Besides, if you're so great, why are you some illegal weapons dealer's assistant?

Alvono flinched a bit.

"Well, er, you see, I just sort of, uh, well-"

"You're stuck here, aren't you?"

"Dude, his backpack has, like, all of the guns! I wouldn't even be able to get near it without being blasted to bits!"

Tech sighed and leaned against the forcefield.

"You know, if you help me get out of here, I can help you get out too."

Alvono narrowed his eye.

"Oh, really? And what reason would I have to think that you wouldn't just leave me here?"

Tech closed his eyes and smirked.

"That depends on whether or not you follow my plan."

"What do you mean?"

Tech gestured towards the room Alvono had stepped out of.

"I'm assuming that's where all the modified weapons are made and stored. Am I correct?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Simple. That clerk said he had a superheated sword. Now, would one of those be able to cut through this energy field?"

"Not really. They're designed to penetrate armor, not energy fields."

"Exactly. Now, would it be able to if it was, oh, I don't know, upgraded in some way?"

Alvono's eye widened.

"Oh, I see what you're saying." He replied, pointing his index finger towards Tech. "But how would I get the sword through to you? It's not like I could slice through it myself. Swords don't have legs."

Tech shrugged.

"You don't need to. Just position yourself in a way that you fall over onto the field. Even if you're only able to slice it a small bit, it'll allow me to grab onto the blade. I can then use it to cut a large enough hole for me to get through."

"Okay, but how does any of this prove that you won't leave me behind?"

"Simple. I'll need something to protect myself with while I'm escaping."

"Uh, Tech?" Aquadilus' voice came through the SpecTrix. "You could just-"

Tech slammed the SpecTrix dial against the energy field, cutting off the connection.

"What was that about?" Alvono asked.

"Nothing. Now, let's get out of here."

Tech raced down the street, with aliens staring at him as he ran past the various shops.

"Okay, we just gotta make it to the door and we're out of here."

Suddenly, a lanky figure stepped onto the road in front of Tech, blocking his path out.

"Ah, crap! It's the clerk!" He exclaimed, skidding to a a halt.

"The clerk?!" Alvono said. "Don't let him activate his backpack!"

"Well, well!" The clerk said. "What is this? Where do you think you're going, human? If you think you're leaving here alive..."

The clerk pulled on a cord attatched to his backpack. The top of the backpack whirred open, and out popped a ridiculous number of guns. Small guns, large guns, laser guns, plasma guns, machine guns, all pointed straight at Tech.

"...I'm afraid you're sorely mistaken!"

Tech took a step back, holding the blade Alvono was currently inhabiting into a defensive position.

"Well, I see you were right about him having all the guns in that thing." Tech said.

"Oh man, we're totally gonna die!" Alvono yelled.

"Just watch me!"

"Hey! Hey! Gun time, baby! Say your prayers, human!" The clerk yelled.

All of the guns sired at once, propelling hundreds of bullet straight at Tech. In the blink of an eye, Tech rolled out of the way and used the sword to propel himself into the air.

"Okay, let's see what you can do!" Tech shouted, swinging the sword at the guns.

Tech landed on the clerk's head, and bounced off it onto the ground behind him, landing with his sword outstretched. There was a second of silence. Suddenly, a diagonal slash appeared, cut into the group of guns. The top halves of the guns, cut off of their bases, slid out of position, causing another moment of silence. The guns exploded one by one, stacking the explosions, and eventually creating an explosion so large that it completely engulfed the store clerk.

Tech stood up with his eyes closed. He let the hand he was carrying the sword in drop down to his waist.

"So," He said, opening his eyes into a glare. "Anyone else feel like challenging me?"

The crowd that had gathered immediately dispersed to the sides of the road.

Tech smirked again.

"That's what I thought."

"So, this is what above ground looks like, eh?"

Tech and Alvono were standing on the street next to the entrance to the underground city.

"What, you've never seen it before?" Tech asked.

"Well, not Earth's, at any rate." Alvono explained. "It's kind of cold, isn't it?"

"Yeah, winter's lasting a bit longer than usual this year. It should start warming up pretty soon, though."

The SpecTrix started buzzing. Tech lifted it in front of him and pressed the touchscreen.

"Hey Aquadilus. What's up?"

"What's up?!" Aquadilus yelled. "You cut me off in the middle of a sentence! That's what's up! WHat happened to you, anyway?! Why didn't you transform?!"

Alvono narrowed his eye.

"Wait a second." He said. "What does he mean transform?"

Tech raised the SpecTrix.

"You see this thing? It lets me turn into whatever alien I want." He explained.

"If that's the case, couldn't you have just left without any help from me?"

"Yep."

"Well, why didn't you?"

"Two reasons, actually. First, I figured I should help you out. Second, I really felt like fighting someone with an upgraded superheated sword."

Alvono twisted his head in confusiom.

"But why would you want to help out someone you have no obligation to?" He asked. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Doesn't make any sense, huh?" Tech replied. "I don't need any special motivation to help people. When you're a superhero, that's just what you do. It's basically the entire job description."

Tech turned around, put his hands in his pockets, and started walking down the street.

"Anyways, I told my parents I would only be out for about an hour, so I better be getting back to the hotel. I'm gonna be late as it is. See ya!"

Alvono stood there for a second, wondering what to do next. Then he got an idea.

"Hey, hold on a second. I just thought of something."

Tech turned back around.

"What is it?"

"I've got nowhere to go, and you seem to need a sword. You got any job openings for a sidekick or something?"

Tech paused for a moment.

"Now that you mention it, I suppose I could use someone to help me out in the field. I already have Aquadilus as an assistant, but he mainly works from the base. Not a bad idea."

"So, when do I start?"

Tech shrugged.

"Whenever something happens that needs my attention, I guess. We'll work out the specifics when I get back home."

"How often does stuff happen that needs your attention, anyways?"

Suddenly, sirens started blaring from a few blocks down.

"About that often."

"Looks like you're going to be even later now, huh?"

"Sure seems that way."

"You know Tech, you could just call your parents and explain to them why you won't be there on time." Aquadilus pointed out.

Alvono merged with the blade Tech was carrying.

"Yeah, I know." Tech said. "But I've got other things to get to at the moment."

Characters

 * Tech
 * Aquadilus
 * Alvono
 * Kiniceleran Robber
 * Larry
 * Frank
 * Store Clerk

Aliens Used

 * Terminano
 * Electrolite

Major Events

 * Terminano makes his debut.
 * Alvono makes his debut
 * Alvono becomes Tech's field assistant.
 * Tech gains the Pyronaut Blade.