The place is a hellhole. Sturdy, sure, but old and poorly maintained. A place that would have been torn down if it was worth the cost of reclaiming the land. A humble little auto shop, that once had vehicles bustling in and out of its double bay, but now it stands almost but not quite empty.

New tenants. Squatters. The old building cleared of grime and dust and given a painting of graffiti fire.

From within the main bay, there is a steady clanging thunk, and the rattling of chains.

It takes a lot to feel a proper burn, now that her body has been reshaped. And not the constant low level burn that boils within her, threatening to burst free and consume all, but a proper muscle ache that brings with it all the feeling of accomplishment that it should. Which is how she finds herself, back against a metal bench, a twisted abomination of metal bracing above her, each hand wrapped in chains for a solid grip as she pumps them up and down, the other end wrapped around an old engine block she is using as a weight. Most of her costume is laying carefully folded, her body clad in basic workout gear that is drenched in sweat, only her mask and the blatantly obvious brute feat revealing to the world who she is.

Engine oil, dirt, a faint hint of rust. It was the exact sort of place that Mechakoloss loved to scavenge parts from. She needed the metal after all. Always more metal. Reaching up, she'd heft herself over the fence. Metal plated gloves pushing down the barbed wire enough for her to hop over and jump down. Grinning beneath her mask as she avoided getting her clothes all caught up in it. The lot was emptier than she'd expected, but then again, the place had apparently been out of business for a while. What was left here was abandoned. Scrap free for the humble salvage hunter.

What she hadn't been expecting was to hear the sound of metal moving, Chains clattering and an almost rhythmic sound of metal impacting metal. Curiosity overwhelmed caution, had she stumbled across another tinker at work? Her heavy boots crunched through the gravel as she approached the bay, her mask peeking around the corner, the massive mane of hair following it. What she saw.. well she certainly wasn't expecting it. The sight of the athletic (to put it mildly) woman lifting nearly four hundred pounds of metal with her bare hands left her a bit stunned. If it wasn't for the mask she'd have assumed the woman was some sort of record breaking body builder, but its inclusion signified her as a parahuman. She was still staring when her co-pilot spoke up in her head.

[Pilot, you have been spotted.]

Dominion does not stop her workout, her muscles rippling as she yanks the engine block up and down, her workout wife beater drenched in sweat.

Her mask is a welding mask, with two curved metal horns made of scrap, and a huge circular gap melted into the front to reveal a mouth filled with razor sharp teeth.

"You here to fight or to join up, pipsqueak? Either way, lemme finish up these reps first." She calls out, in a voice like unshaved gravel.

The woman in the black leather jacket would never consider herself a "pipsqueak." Often finding that her own broad shouldered frame intimidated most people, though compared to this woman she felt almost dainty. It was an odd feeling to be sure, but she had to focus.

(What the heck did she just say?)

[You here to fight or join up, pipsqueak?] Bear repeated to her helpfully. Giving the tinker a second to catch up on the conversation other than the singular word she'd caught by herself.

Stepping forward, Mechakoloss would shake her head and put her hands in her pockets. Doing her best to seem utterly unbothered as she leaned her shoulder against the door frame. The teddy bear mask she wore impassive as the black tinted lenses reflected the light in the room.

"Not here to fight, just looking for useful materials. Didn't think that this shop would be occupied honestly. From everything I'd heard it had been abandoned since the last owner skipped town."

"It was. Now it's a headquarters while we find something a little less rat infested." She explains as she finishes off her last set. The absolute unit of a woman sits up, grabbing a water bottle and a towel off the bench, and turns to face Mecha.

"So. Leather. What's your deal? Materials makes me think tinker. That you're open about it means you're either dumb as bricks or you've got backing. But if you've got backing, the fuck are you doing here? So now we're back to dumb as bricks. You see my dilemma."

"Listen, if you're who you say you are I'm confident I don't have to worry that much. I come in peace, just wanted to find some salvage in any of the abandoned equipment or vehicles that had been left here. I've got some funds if I need to pay, which would be a pain. Most everything here seems a little rust eaten."

"But yeah, not dumb, nor is it really important who I am."

She looked around the room. It seemed that this woman was alone, though that meant very little in the moment. She could feel the heavy wrench she was carrying tucked into her belt behind her press against her back. Hopefully she wouldn't need it.

[Should I begin calculations Pilot?]

(Might be for the best.)

"I am curious about your workout there, do you know what that engine block came out of? I'd estimate it's about two and a half hundred pounds. Chains maybe another twenty. How many reps did you even get in?"

"Two and a half means I don't get good reps. It's a six cylinder. Clocks in closer to six hundred pounds. You can't have it. I'm honestly not sure what it came out of, it was here when I got here." She says, taking a swig from her bottle and then putting the towel around her neck.

"Walk and talk with me. What kinda parts are you looking for? This area's my turf, so I know it better than anyone, and I can get you a good deal. And if you like what you see, we can talk about membership. You a white hat or a black?" She asks as she stands up fully. She's oddly not as tall as her physique would suggest, standing around 5'11"

"Darn, makes me wish I'd gotten here sooner if that sort of thing was just laying around. Aside from value it's just fun to take them apart."

But the woman in the bear mask would just shrug and watch as the other stood. Surprised by the fact that she was at least four inches shorter than herself. Pipsqueak, really?

[Calculations complete.]

(Good, keep focused on us. If there's any issues drop in the yard.)

[Affirmative Pilot.]

Another bout of silence, then Mechakoloss would push herself upright and stick her hands in her pockets.

"I don't wear a hat. I'm more of an observer than anything. Collecting metal for my work, then moving on to do my own thing."

"Dangerous choice." She comments, stretching out her sore limbs as she starts to walk through the yard.

"Never seems like it would be, staying on the sides. But people don't tend to like outsiders. Capes have a very 'with us or against us' mentality, even the heroes. And nobody wants a tinker out in the breeze. You're gonna get a lot of recruitment attempts, and they're gonna get less and less nice as time goes on." She points out, not really glancing back at the tinker.

She's heading around the back of the building, towards a little shack near an askew gate in the fencing.

"Hey! Gerald!" She calls out. There's a thud, the sound of scrambling, and then a young man pokes his head out.

Dominion jerks her thumb back at Mecha.

"You let an intruder walk right in. We're gonna have a chat."

"I'm well aware, though your assumption about me being a tinker could change some things."

She shrugged, walking alongside the stranger. Keeping her eyes peeled for useful salvage.

"Besides, I've danced the neutral line for a while. Kept to myself back home. Turned down the Protectorate and the Court here. Neither of which impressed me much. Though... if you get the chance to eat at La Corte Regale, absolutely take up on the offer. They shelled out three hundred bucks for a steak."

Hearing the woman call out for "Gerald" Mechakoloss couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Rubbing at the back of her neck as she explained.

"No need to be too harsh with him. Unless you've got someone watching that back fence near where the street light is burned out there's not much he could have done. I came ready to deal with barbed wire."

The taller woman would hold open her other palm, showing a glove with metal plates sewn into the fabric.

"Pierce resistant material. They're pretty good, can get them online for cheap."

"There are cameras. Cameras which Gerald should be watching." She calls out as she stomps her way forward.

Gerald's eyes go wide as she walks over, and he tries to duck back into the security shack. Dominion does not let him, grabbing him by his shirt collar and yanking him from the shabby construction.

"What are you doing in here, whacking off? I swear to God if I...." She goes silent as she catches a glimpse inside the shack. If Mecha follows, she might also catch a glimpse of rubber tubing and an empty needle.

Curly whisps of black smoke begin to waft from Dominion's mouth.

"Intruder. I'd love to continue our chat. But as it turns out, I need to send someone to the hospital today."

"For the drugs or the presumed beating?"

The woman would ask cautiously. Crossing her arms and taking a few steps back from the shack after looking inside. Her grip on her upper arms tight despite her casual stance.

"How about this, you deck him in the face. I call an ambulance, then I give you a hundred bucks once he's been loaded in and we can keep talking cash. Sound good?"

Gerald is trembling, absolutely terrified as smoke blankets his face, both of his hands clutching one of Dominions as she lifts him up bodily.

"That's funny. You think he's getting off with a beating." She says with a dark chuckle. "Gerrys on heroin. He wouldn't feel it if I did. I've got a much better idea."

Gerry is mumbling nonsense, trying to wriggle his way free of her ironclad grip, and failing.

"You're going in a little room, Gerry. Four days. When you get out, we ain't gonna have this problem again. Withdrawal ain't gonna kill you, but if I catch you shooting up again, I might."

It wasn't a great outcome, but it wasn't outwardly the worst. The tight grip on the leather sleeves loosened a bit. Mechakoloss didn't interject again, it seemed like the woman in the melted mask had settled on a plan. There wasn't much she, a stranger, could do to change her mind.

[Should I deploy the Himalaya, Pilot?]

(Not yet. Just... let's be careful here. He made the mistake of working for someone violent and doing something idiotic. Even if he's sick he should be able to realize danger when he walks head first into it.)

[How is your mental state upon seeing the illicit substance? Should I call your sponsor?]

(No, it's fine. Heroin wasn't one of mine. Just keep the Himalaya prepped.)

[Affirmative, Pilot.]

All the while, the woman in the bear mask had been conversing inwardly. Standing silent, not exactly following what was going on outside of her personal bubble.

She shoves the guy back into the little shack, slamming the door on him, and then leaning up against it so he scrabbles uselessly at it when he tries to get out. She rummages through her sweatpants and pulls out a phone, a cheap touchscreen burner.

"It's like herding cats. You ever have to deal with this sort of shit?" She asks, smoke still wreathing her head.

"Half my people are strung out, and the other half think being a gangster means shooting old ladies. It's a pain in my ass beating some damn discipline into them."

The woman in the bear mask took a few seconds to reply, Bear having to repeat what she'd said back to her. Focusing on two conversations at once was difficult enough when one didn't superimpose itself over the other in her mind.

"Certain expectations come from joining a "villain" group I guess? I wouldn't really know."

"You sure he doesn't have more drugs in there?" She asked cautiously.

"He might. That's a risk. But so is him running off. I've got Narcan in the shop, and if that's not enough, oh well." She explains, still tapping out a message on her phone.

"Unless you want to volunteer to drag him off to the detox lockup instead of us waiting for a ride. Either way is fine by me."

With that, she pockets her phone.

"I'm aware. I chose my placement well. These are people who need help. Who need a guiding hand. The abandoned."

"If you're dealing with him, I'd rather he be your responsibility than mine. I've already had to deal with law enforcement way too much for my liking."

One of the patches on her jacket being a "1312" patch (ACAB), it wasn't all that surprising that this woman wouldn't want to deal with the police any more than the bare minimum. Instead she just listened and nodded.

"Noble, in a way. Wanting to help those people. Shame that the structures that exist make that difficult as heck. Villanizing addicts, protecting toxic systems, letting the corrupt hold onto power. It's a lot to take on. If villainy didn't include a lot of innocent people getting stepped on and lunatics vying for power it would be pretty appealing to go at it like you seem to."

"Not. That I'm really condoning any of this." The stranger shrugged.

Her gaze sharpens as she seems to stare through Mecha, taking in all of her. Then, she smiled, a sharp toothed thing.

"You're entirely correct. You and I see more eye to eye than you might realize. I tried to help on the hero side, but the corruption, the broken nature of it all, it opened my eyes. Justice is the privilege of the powerful, and it is only through power that the people can be saved, and protected. Sovereign talks of stability as he sucks the city dry. The Protectorate cling to a decaying system that exists only to criminalize and subjugate. None of this is okay. All of it needs to change."

Again the stranger in the bear mask would shrug and nod.

"I agree. Though I'm not in any hurry to make enemies out of either group. I've lost plenty to squabbling. So I keep my area protected. I keep myself safe. Keeping to myself means I know exactly what resources I have, and what I can afford to dedicate my energy towards."

"While there are certainly downsides to going lone wolf, or.. bear I guess in my case, the upside is that no one looks at me as a threat. And I much prefer it that way."

"I suppose. But some day, your little corner is going to be eyed by someone you can't simply ignore. And when that day comes, you'll have to make a decision. I hope you'll consider something when that happens. We suffer not from a tyranny of man, or spiritual rot. What eats our world is simple math. Game theory. The people with scruples have fewer levels, so the monsters rise to the top. The game has to end, either when it breaks and millions die, or when someone finally wins."

"That's the thing. No one wins."

"Even the people at the top, the ones with the most "points." they don't have an endgame. People just live their lives every day. Laughing, crying, screaming, and everything in between. Winning is a pipe dream that too many people hunt for."

"But you know... enough philosophy. I think we're getting sidetracked from why I'm here. Was hoping to snag some useful materials."

She knew it was an abrupt change. But she didn't want this woman to think that she was agreeing with her. Even if she was.

"I'll trade you. I'm sick of my shitty workout. Get me some proper weights and you can have the engine block. Deal?"

The woman would pause for a moment, then nod. Her shoulders perking up now that she knew the matter wasn't going to be pushed.

"Hmm, I could probably machine you some custom weights. Do you have a preference for how heavy you'd like them to be? I've got plenty of refined stuff back at the shop to work with. Might take me... ehh, an hour?"

Five to nine hundred pounds, I'd like a nice set to get a proper full body workout. You can pull apart one of the car lifts if you want that too. The hydraulic cylinder is cracked but I think the pump works."

"That I can do. It's mostly going to be automotive steel, but I can work it pretty dense."

She'd look around, indicating an open spot near the open bay.

"Mind if I call in my ride real quick, will be quicker than me walking back to my shop. I'm asking because it's a little loud."

"Go ahead Mecha." She says, with a bit of a smirk.

"Just remember. If you're too blatant, people are going to think we're working together. Certainly not a terrible thing for me, but I'd like that to be a willing thing and not the result of rumor mill slander."

"Darn, figured me out then?" Mechakoloss said, though her voice was tinged with humor.

[Dropping the Himalaya]

"Eh, I could always claim I was just going after a villain. Stealing their resources or whatever bullcrap I have to say to make them look the other way."

There was a crackling sound, like the air was filled with electricity. The space above the shop distorting. Then with a sudden rush of movement, something fell from the sky with intense speed. Impacting the ground hard enough that a few car alarms up the street went off. The woman herself not even swaying as the earth itself shook.

Then, as the dust settled, the machine that had impacted the earth would rise. Standing about fifteen feet tall with a mixture of ursine and humanoid properties, the Himalaya rose to its full height.

"I'll be back in a bit. Hold onto this until I get back alright?"

Mechakoloss would fish a simple black disk with the growling mechanical bear embossed on it and tossed it to the shorter woman.

"It will start to flash a red color when I'm getting ready to drop back in. Try to be outside."

[END THREAD]