After Full Throttle Heart, Emmett and TINA spent the day brainstorming and simulating new weapons. They holed up in the hub of section 002, the mechanical wing. Schematics flew across the wall monitors, followed shortly by holographic simulations above the projector table in the center of the room. 

Eventually—after most of the day—Emmett called for Dr. Venture. His hands trembled as he waited. 

It didn’t help that both Venture and Clara came over. 

Emmett hadn’t planned on showing both of them—not just yet.

For a long moment, Emmett and Clara stared at each other while Venture checked something on the monitor behind them. Clara shuffled up until she was right in front of him. 

Emmett swore he could feel her body heat, even though she wasn’t touching him. He chuckled uneasily, keenly aware of her father standing a few feet behind him. 

Clara looked up at him, seemingly unaware of Emmett’s turmoil.

“I’ll leave you guys to it, then.”

“Oh, are you sure?” Emmett asked. 

Clara smiled and said earnestly, “Yeah, I just wanted to see you. I’ve got my own stuff to work on. When you boys are done, come find me.”

She stood on her toes and kissed Emmett on the cheek. Then she walked out, leaving Emmett alone with her father. 

Venture cleared his throat and turned back to the schematics on the wall monitors. 

Emmett’s face and neck felt hot, and he shifted uneasily on his feet. “I, uh…”

“You don’t need to defend yourself, Emmett,” Venture said quietly. He never turned from the screen. 

It was a long moment before Emmett said anything. “I wasn’t sure if I should’ve gotten your approval…”

Venture waved away the thought. “You’re a fine young man, but my opinion isn’t what you should be concerned about. Clara is smart, capable, and I trust her judgment. She’s more than capable of making her own decisions.”

He suddenly turned, the light from the monitors reflecting in his glasses and hiding his eyes. “That being said, she is also your teammate. It will… complicate things. Add another layer for you both to navigate.”

He spoke with the candor of someone who’d done the same thing or, maybe, made the same mistake.

“Can I ask you a personal question? …Was Clara’s mom a super?”

Venture’s eyes wavered. “I’m not sure when we’ll tell you about her. Our arrangement here is based on your freedom to leave if and when you want to. If you knew more about our family or knew our identities, then you would be sworn to secrecy… at a minimum.

“But yes, Clara’s mother was a super. And it complicated things severely.”

The words hung heavy between the two men. Emmett had suspected as much, and now he was left with more questions than answers. 

Venture pushed up his glasses. “Now, to business. You need firepower. Tell me about your ideas.”

Emmett’s ideas for firepower boiled down to two distinct avenues. 

The first of which—and the one Emmett thought Venture might approve of—was a modular, high-powered rifle. Schematics appeared on screen, showing a .50 caliber rifle that could be taken apart and stored in two of his prosthetic storage compartments. 

The downside for Emmett was that the parts wouldn’t fit in his upper arm storage slots, so he’d be given up actual mods to keep the rifle on him. 

Venture rubbed the stubble on his chin. “Why don’t you just keep them on a Fast-Response Drone?”

“Access. Keeping the parts with me is safer and quicker to retrieve.”

“You’ll be giving up two equipment slots…”

“It’s not ideal, but with my quick-connect rails, I can still swap if needed.”

“What about keeping them in a backpack?”

“What if I get thrown through a wall?”

Venture chuckled. “Good point.”

Emmett pointed out other specifications of the design. His enhanced strength let him use a caliber that was normally mounted on platforms or bipods, and he should still be strong enough to compensate for the recoil, even in full auto mode.

Of course, its usefulness was limited. Even if he used nonlethal rounds, like those in his pistol, the bullets hit far too hard to use against most supers. Using it in a civilian area was also dangerous. The only reason Emmett was considering it was because he needed something to help him punch up. 

Venture looked over the schematics again and nodded. “This is good work, Emmett… But I suspect you’re saving the best for last.”

Emmett took a deep breath. “TINA, please pull up the next set.”

More schematics appeared on the wall monitors. 

In the most abstract sense, this second weapon was similar to the modular rifle. They were both guns… There was a barrel, housing, stock, even ammunition. But that was where the similarities ended. 

It had far more in common with Dr. Venture’s fusion reactor, or with Clara’s power…

Emmett watched out of the corner of his eye, waiting for Dr. Venture’s reaction. 

“When did you figure it out?” Venture asked, without taking his eyes off the screen. 

“When did I figure out Clara’s power was a modified form of nuclear fusion, or when did I figure out that it was integral to your fusion reactors?”

“Both.”

Emmett shrugged. “I had suspicions about Clara’s power ever since I saw the video of her meltdown in the lab. The second part I didn’t realize until today.”

“I take it TINA confirmed it for you.”

“Yes,” she answered.

Venture sighed. “I suppose it was only a matter of time.”

Emmett asked, “Does Clara know that you’ve harnessed her power?”

Venture nodded slightly. “She gave me her blessing… Though I doubt she realizes how extensively I’ve come to rely on it. Almost everything runs on it now. It’s the reason I was able to go underground after retirement.” 

“You needed to change. So do I.”

“Emmett, you said you were worried about keeping the parts with you… And even with canisters that small, a breach could level a skyscraper.”

“Good thing the city’s been evacuated.”

Venture winced. “You don’t understand. People don’t like collateral damage, even when no one is harmed. There’s a reason why Class four and five supers take their skirmishers to undeveloped areas. There would be backlash from the government, from the Summit, from the general populace.”

Venture wagged a finger at the screen. “This… This kind of power can’t be considered lightly. They’ll force you to register.”

“They already have.”

Silence settled in between the two men. Emmett wanted to say that he’d already considered those things, that he’d already weighed the options. If Emmett was going to have any chance of affecting the world for the better, he needed more. 

More upgrades. More abilities. More power. 

Maybe that was why he embraced radical changes to his body when others recoiled. Emmett had watched his roommate chase biological power, and it had left him at the mercy of Gnosis. Mutagen-X could only take Lock so far. Biology was a dead end.

But there was so much tech left for Mod to try. 

Venture turned suddenly and faced Emmett. “Whatever happens, know that you always have a choice. Don’t feel like the Summit won’t let you back out or that you can’t reverse the changes you’ve done to your body. You always have a choice.”

Again, Emmett felt the ghost of something behind Venture’s words. 

Emmett nodded. In that moment, he believed that he truly understood. 

~

Venture gave his blessing for Emmett’s fusion cannon. Venture also agreed to help Emmett make a working prototype. Apparently, there were deeper sections of the lab reserved for testing weaponry. 

But there was one more blessing Emmett needed before they could continue.

Emmett found Clara in section 005, the Gray Room.

A faux version of Belport’s high-rises extended into the distance, all clad in featureless white. It was easily one of the most advanced sections of the lab. A mix of technology so futuristic it bordered on magic—tiles that were a mix between holographic plates and futuristic treadmill, variable gravity, and power simulations. The entire structure allowed them to simulate a superhero battle in the middle of the city, in a room a fraction of the size. 

Emmett had no idea how the technology worked, but he was starting to recognize parts of it. 

For instance, the entrance to the Gray Room usually appeared somewhere on street level. But today, Clara was already in the middle of a simulation and flying high over the city. So Emmett appeared on the top of a fourth-floor building. 

For a moment, Emmett even thought he saw the tiles shifting and warping to accommodate Clara’s point of view as she threaded between buildings. 

But TINA must’ve announced Emmett’s presence, because a moment later, Clara was rocketing toward him in her exosuit. 

Despite her speed and the heavy suit, she landed with practiced grace. 

For a moment, Emmett forgot why he was there.

Clara put her hands on her metal hips. “What’s up?”

“Your dad and I are done working for now, so I came to see you.”

“What did you have in mind? You’re not exactly dressed for a workout.”

Emmett still had a bodysuit on underneath his street clothes, but she was right. He wasn’t there to spar. 

“How about we go for a walk?”

“...This isn’t one of those it's not you, it’s me moments, is it?”

Emmett waved his hands quickly. “No, no, nothing like that. I just, uh, I wanted to talk to you about power. Your power, specifically.”

“Oh…” Clara’s exosuit opened and she climbed out of the back. “I’d say we should go for coffee, but it’s flooded.”

Emmett gestured to the white-tiled city. “I think we can still find it.”

Clara smiled sheepishly. “TINA, reset simulation.”

“Would you like me to start you at the Java Haven coffee shop?”

“How about outside the lab?”

“Of course. …That was a joke.”

Emmett and Clara chuckled uneasily. Clara said, “Right. Keep practicing.”

The faux skyscrapers of downtown shrank and rearranged. A minute later, Emmett and Clara were standing in front of the parking garage entrance to the lab. Across the street, the Gnosis headquarters loomed, just as cold and ominous in a simulation as it was in real life. 

An eerie shiver ran down Emmett’s neck, and he focused his attention on Clara—the warmth of her hand in his. 

~ ~ ~