by Brian Moon
Chapter 2 Back to the Beginning.
It was typical January in Rhode Island. Bitter cold wind came in off the Atlantic. The car’s wide white wall tires where splattered with mud as the car pulled up in front of the Southern United building in the upper section of what they were now calling Steel Canyon. The neighboring buildings now dwarfed the twelve-story build. Lukas Eisenberg, better known to the business world as Lukas Reese, stepped out onto the curb and looked around at the loud construction sounds coming from across the street. He looked up into the morning blue sky to see the iron walkers on the high girders, working thirty stories up without any form of safety equipment. How he’d love to have men of that type working for him and he didn’t mean for the company. He entered the lobby and was greeted by the receptionist with a smile.
“Excuse me Mr. Reese, Ms. Helena just sent down this message and I was wondering if you could take it?”
Lukas crossed over to take the note and read it. He smiled back to the receptionist, “I’ll take care of it Karen, thank you.” He crossed over to the elevator and stepped through the opening doors. He inserted his key and gave it a turn to open a panel below the normal buttons. There were four buttons behind it and Lukas pressed the second button, and then closed the latch again.
The elevator moved quickly downward. Not one of Nemesis’ creations but he certainly improved upon it, just as he improved upon everything he touched, although the stomach churning drop took some getting used to. Lukas never ceased to marvel at the man’s genius. Deep beneath the basement floor of the Southern United Manufacturing Company the lift came to a stop and opened up onto a private corridor. Four guards saluted him as he stepped out onto the floor. The last guard undid the locking mechanism and opened the door for General Eisenberg. He felt completely out of uniform as always in his suit. He much preferred wearing the uniform of his fellow soldiers but necessity didn’t allow him that privilege. He stood just beyond the now closed door and waited for the man to acknowledge him. He knew better than to approach him while he was working on something. The old man looked over at him.
“General Eisenberg, I was just about to call for you, come see what I have discovered.” Lord Nemesis may have been in his nineties but you would never tell by his movements. Yes he moved slowly from time to time but his hands and fingers had the dexterity of a twelve-year-old, but the control that only comes with age. Lukas understood that this workshop was where Lord Nemesis came to think, to clear his mind by concentrating on mechanical things and letting solutions come to him when the time was right.
A clanking noise drew Lukas’ attention to a side of the workshop to see a jaeger moving among the tables and storage shelves. Its brass clam like body dully reflected the light of the room. Its long four legs moved smoothly, each step placed with care and solidly. The top swiveled to reveal the single lens of its optical sensor. As it did so the two foot tall exhaust pipe swiveled along with it. The single eye glowed red as it looked at him. It made a series of clicks and then went back to its wanderings.
“Come here I want you to see what I have figured out.” He said gesturing to the table in front of him. “I have found a new way to power the jaeger’s electrical power plant.” This was the third improvement Lukas had seen is so many months and hoped what was about to come wouldn’t. Moving closer to the table he saw the legs and bottom shell of a partly disassembled jaeger beside the table.
“See, I have discovered that if I add the chemical Cesium to the water… now just a few grains…” his hand picked up just a few grains with long tweezers “and you drop in the water…”
The resulting reaction caused Lukas to jump, as water erupted from the cast iron pot. Nemesis just laughed just a little wetter for the display.
“Okay you get a very violent reaction for very little effort, where does this lead? Using water sources to destroy targets?”
“That isn’t a bad idea, but no… I have found a way to mix Cesium in a clay rod. As the clay breaks down in the water it releases small amounts at a time. This will create the steam needed to turn the generators to power the jaegers.”
“Sir what’s the advantage to this? The oil burner units you developed will give them eight hours of inactive use and 4 hours of active battle. How much more can this improve the performance over that?”
Nemesis turned to face his young General and smiled. “My tests have run a jaeger inactive for two days general and a day at full power. Yes the improvement is substantial. I want all of the jaegers refitted with the new power plant designs immediately.”
It was as Lukas had feared. “Lord Nemesis, what if we just alter the ones on the assembly line for future models.”
“No General, I want them all changed over.”
“I understand Sir, but that is over six thousand units that will have to be disassembled. That will set us back at least two months.”
“It will take the foundry at least a month to produce the new units general; we can continue making base units while we wait for the power units. Then we can finish assembling them. So not too much time will be lost.”
“Yes sir. I’ll let the foremen know of the changes. You know sir if you’re just going to keep finding new and improved ways to power them, perhaps you should design them so we can just take the power units out of the jaegers without taking them apart. It would save so much time in the long run.”
“Hmmm excellent idea Lukas… excellent indeed and such a simple change as well… That is what I appreciate about your thinking. Sometimes I can over complex things. Not a bad thing, but not always the best. I’ll have those designs for you by this afternoon.”
“Very good sir,” Lukas turned to leave then turned back. “I almost forgot the reason I came down here was I wanted to drop off today’s progress reports. Also Captain Jenson wanted you to know that they attempted a test on the Warhulk prototype, but had a problem.”
“Really? What type of problem?”
“Well he said your new formula for the Impact Suspension Gel was the right… viscount… vias…”
“Viscosity?”
“Yes, thank you, the right viscosity to support the pilot, but that it was too thick for him to see out of the drive chamber.”
“Yes, that would be a problem. Tell Captain Jenson, I’ll have the modified recipe to him later today, and that we will be there tomorrow to help with the testing. As for the rest of the items, just leave them on my desk, I’ll get to them as soon as I’m done with this.”
“Yes sir… and while I’m almost forgetting items, Helena asked a message be given to you. It seems that your breakfast is ready, that is if you want to eat it hot. She will be leaving to help with the Salvation Army food lines so if you don’t come now you will have to eat it cold or cook it new for yourself.”
The old man laughed and set his tools down and got off his stool. There was a hiss as the pneumatics on his leg supports extended to a walking position. Lord Nemesis could walk without these brass and copper mechanical units but it was to slow for him and a wheel chair was too limiting. So he constructed these braces which turned out to be the for-running design for the jaeger’s leg system. Both men started towards the elevator. Lukas tossed the mail onto Lord Nemesis’ desk as he passed by.
“You see General, they say that a man’s home is his castle, but they never actually say who rules it.” Lukas smiled knowingly. Helena was Lord Nemesis’ great niece and is in charge of his household and personal matters. It was a joke that the men feared her more than they feared the general.