{ Item Module: 80,000 eddies per set }
{ Alchemy Table Recipe Expansion: 800,000 eddies }
This was the module Rocky planned to install. The Compound V line hit hard. It could grant a special ability, and the ceiling was very high. The drawbacks were obvious. First, side effects. Adult injection carries an extreme risk. Only a few ordinary adults would survive.
The instructions, however, gave him a clean workaround. If the body was strong enough, the rejection could be ignored. A body fortified by Soldier Serum met that bar. The second, more critical drawback was variance. The upper limit of what you might gain was sky high, yet the lower limit could be very low.
On the high end stood monsters like Homelander, who flew, shrugged off harm, and fired lasers from his eyes. On the low end was Love Sausage, whose "gift" was a single ridiculous appendage. In short, any ability could appear. It came down to luck, or if you preferred, talent.
Even with that uncertainty, Rocky still chose Compound V, because no matter what power emerged, the body of anyone who took it would toughen. If a powerful ability landed, it would be pure profit. If a weaker one landed, the baseline gains still made the math work.
The package's Temporary Compound V also sat high on his list. It had heavy side effects, making it poor for personal use, but it was ideal as a future product. When Ascension Technology grew strong enough to release Temporary Compound V publicly, the city's majors would claw for it. Converting the module now was an early investment. The bundle's minus twenty percent discount helped, and eighty thousand eddies was a cost he could shoulder today.
A decision was made, and Rocky installed the module and headed for Ascension Technology's secure laboratory. He had moved the workbench, alchemy table, and other production rigs here from the clinic. This place was safer and more convenient for day-to-day operation.
Inside, Vik had a boxing match on while the alchemy table behind him kept pushing out high-grade Soldier Serum. Vik had kept his promise and settled in here to help Rocky push Ascension forward. For now the lab had no major research project cued up, so he split time between serum batches and fight nights, not picky about the scenery.
"L, what brings you down here? Finished with the upstairs work?" Vik asked, surprised Rocky had found a free window today.
"Mostly. What is left can wait until tomorrow. I am here for a new medicine," Rocky said.
"A new medicine?"
"Yes. Take a look."
Rocky stepped to the alchemy table and paused the serum batch. The Arasaka delivery date was still days out and the contract lot was already brewed. There was no production pressure on that order. He could ship within a few days if he wanted. He would not. There was no reason to let Arasaka learn the lab's true throughput. He would only notify them on the last day.
He pulled up the new formula and handed Vik the slate.
"Compound V. What does it do?" Vik asked. From the complexity and the rare reagents, he could already tell this one was not simple. It might even out-muscle Soldier Serum.
Rocky shook his head. "It is hard to explain in words. You will understand when you see it. It is powerful, and it will likely bend your sense of what is possible. Be ready, Vik."
Vik chuckled. "You have shocked me enough times already. I stay ready."
They reviewed the formula together, then Rocky placed a round of orders with suppliers. With Ascension's name on the purchase orders, acquisition was easier than ever. In short order, he had every item on the list en route. Final arrivals would still take time. Rocky left Compound V's production in Vik's hands and asked him to watch the material queue. With nothing else burning, he crossed next door to the Special Operations floor.
The moment he stepped in, he saw David on a bench catching a breath, Jackie standing nearby, and Rebecca sliding along the wall.
She rode the surface at high speed, planted both feet when she spotted him, and kicked into open air.
"Woo hoo."
Before she hit the ground she stamped again and leapt a second time without a foothold. The double jump cleared most of the room. She landed straight into Rocky's arms.
"Rebecca, how does it feel? Getting used to it yet?" Rocky asked, bracing her easily.
Her wall runs and double jumps were the work of the Pilot mobility rig. The rig's extreme agility let the wearer move fast in combat, chain wall-runs and slides, and perform double jumps.
"A little more practice and I will be good," she said, hopping down.
It was her first time on this kit. With her conditioning, she could already control the rig well. She still needed reps to make the movements automatic and bring them into live fights cleanly.
"Then keep drilling. How is David doing?" Rocky asked, ruffling her hair before he looked over.
"I loaded a training chip for him. It will take a while. I will help him learn the team and the flow this week. He will grow fast," Jackie said, ignoring Rebecca's little stunt and laying out his plan for David.
Rocky nodded. He was comfortable handing David to Jackie. Jackie had patience. He would turn the kid into a competent merc.
Time moved quickly. The last missing materials for Compound V arrived. That day, Rocky received a ping from Lissandra, and Vik called to pull him in for the experiment.