Sky High After Dark: Siren's song

"And you refused; why?" Aron asked, smiling wickedly at his aunt/wife.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer," Aminah stated, turning her nose up. Yet she couldn't stop the smile from forming, knowing he was only teasing her. "You know, Aron, it's never too early to start teaching Henry and Nettie," she said as she climbed into the back of the hover car, followed by Carl.

"Oh? And just what did you have in mind?" Aron asked, closing the car door behind him.

******

The hinges of his front door played on the air as Aron Carter stared up at the departing car as their driver returned to his Homebase. He felt the right corner of his lips lifting, knowing who had exited the house. Turning to look at her, "Hello, Jill," Aron greeted in a fatherly voice.

"Hi, papa, Vera wants to talk to you," Jill uttered, swooning lightly as her body heated beneath Aron's gaze.

"Oh?"

"Mmmhmm, it's about tomorrow," Jill spoke, turning on her heel, falling in step with her father when he reached her side. "So, what was it like?"

"What? Their base?" Aron asked, hearing the hover pads following him once Veil had taken over their controls. "It was about the same, not like I haven't seen it before," he said after seeing her nod.

"Huh?"

"You remember the group I told you about your father working with that one time?" Aminah asked, following Aron and Jill into the house. Noting how softly the TV played and how low her siblings, nieces, and nephew conversed. Knowing it was well past Nettie's and Henry's bedtimes.

"Yeah?" Jill answered, nodding that she did remember that conversation in the lab.

"That was where we were, and it was rather large for a base, but they have about a hundred or so members, I'd say about half are permanent fixtures in that place, but I'm sure your dad knows just how big it is," Aminah stated, shooting Aron a coy smile. "Still can't believe you offered to make their suits for them," she uttered, walking into the kitchen.

"Do what now?" Vera asked, confused as she entered from the other end of the kitchen. "What's this about you making their suits?"

"Oh, just this move that Aron did that propelled us to become a donor to The Sovereign Crusaders once he had learned those that used to supply them were pulling their support after the revelation of their founders. Then he turns it into us taking over the maintenance of the base, at least the equipment. Still don't know who you'll get to help you with all that work." Aminah mused, tapping her finger against her chin as she stood beside Aron.

"Well, we have a few months to figure that out," Aron stated; his eyes glanced over to the refrigerator when it opened, and there suddenly was Carl.

"You two want a sandwich?" Carl asked, peering over at his nephew and sister. Only to be moved out of the way when Vera pushed her brother aside.

"The only one whose going to make my baby something to eat is me," Vera said in a motherly voice. Her son's words from the past rang within her mind as she got out the items she knew he enjoyed. "So, Aron, just how were you planning on maintaining their upkeep?" she asked over her shoulder as she made her son his late dinner.

"Well, I was thinking of hiring two people, don't need that many right now; I can't say in the future," Aron spoke, feeling Tazia's hands gently pushing him down into his seat. Sensing the dance of her hands along his upper chest while her arms wrapped around his neck. The light touch of her lips on the top of his head as she welcomed him home. "You'll be helping me with that," he said, looking up at Aminah.

"I will?!" Aminah spoke, a little startled.

"Oh yeah, if they're going to be a part of the R&D division, you have to know your employees," Aron stated with a sinful smile.

"You'll take me along, won't you, Aron?" Tazia whispered into his hair as she nuzzled his ear.

"Of course, Tazia, told you I would," Aron replied, lightly patting Tazia's hands.

"Good, I'm going to hold you to it,'" Tazia purred hungrily into his ear before her lips tugged affectionately on his earlobe as Vera sat his plate before him. Noting how Vera lightly caressed Aron's cheek, taking her and clearly Aron aback for a moment

"So you best think up how we're going to test our prospects for the job," Aron said, glancing over at Aminah as she worked on making her own dinner.

"I'll get right on it," Aminah nodded, smiling down at her plate, knowing how much time they'd be spending together.

Chapter Five

The Metaville Convention center...

Aron was standing on the polished, waxed tile floor as he directed how he wanted the stage to look for his demonstration. Noting how his mother was standing off to the side, mouthing the words of the speech she had been working on for the past two days. Smirking when he slyly peered over his left shoulder, noting Sara manning a booth diagonally across from him. All under the disguise of keeping a careful watch on him as his handler.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Mr. Aron Carter?" asked a male voice from behind him.

"Ah, you're right on time, good. Gives us time to get you acquainted with the weapons I brought," Aron said in a business-like tone.

"I just need to fire the weapons, and I get paid two thousand dollars?" the man asked, still unsure if his boss had set him up for a joke.

"Right," Aron nodded, "come, I'll show you to the back," he said, gesturing towards the curtain that lined the back of the stage to keep those behind it unseen. He was having Troy and Isabel guard his weapons as punishment for what they did over a month ago while Noah, Chery, and Tazia handed out the flyers at the doors that Lyla had made for him to the attendees, detailing the demonstration that was about to take place in two hours' time when the convention would be picking up steam.

Vera stared nervously out at the gathered crowd. Her palms grew sweaty in her nervousness. She knew she had to give the best speech she could, knowing this was their big moment. The announcement of their company taking off and the products they would be offering to the world. She knew the factory where the electronics would be made hadn't gotten off the ground yet. They had just poured the foundations for it and the office building that would be on-site. The words of her son rang out in her mind, knowing how scared and alone he was during that trying time when he struggled to be a father to powered children. Reaching up and gripped the top edge of the podium, blowing out a breath to steady herself.

"Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen; thank you for stopping by our booth today. I'm sure you all have seen and will see some great things on this day; however, you'll never see anything like you're about to see. I assure you that you won't be disappointed," Vera stated, smiling down at the group as she waved her hand as Aron uncovered the dummy. "Now, what you are seeing here is Mist Manufacturing's state-of-the-art body armor." Seeing the looks in some people's eyes, not believing something so thin could provide any kind of protection.

"Those wearing it no longer have a fear of dying from a bullet no larger than a .50 caliber, those nasty plasma weapons, and powers those villains that plague our cities, no longer a concern," waving it off like it didn't matter, "high powered lasers? You won't even feel a thing. Granted, you'll still feel the bullet; I'm sure it will hurt like hell, but you'll be alive, and in the end, isn't that what matters?" Vera asked the crowd, wearing a disarming smile as she gazed at every single one of them. "Now I will turn you over to Mr. Carter, the owner of Mist Manufacturing," she said, gesturing to her son, stepping away from the spotlight, so glad that part of her job was over.

"Now, what you are about to witness is strictly for demonstration purposes only; know that we have cleared it with the city and the event board for this to occur on this day. If you would like eye and ear protection, we have that available to you," Aron spoke in a firm tone, waving to his left as Jill stepped up to his side, holding in her hands the two boxes that held the safety glasses and ear plugs. "Please note, this will be a live-fire exercise; we have a very renowned FBI agent here on his personal time to handle the firing of the weapons that will be presented here this day," he said, watching how Jill moved through the crowd. Seeing how she was flashing the people in attendance a warm smile before he saw how she would glance at him. The man he had hired wasn't an FBI agent, yet the crowd didn't need to know that. They just needed to know that someone with reasonable weapons training was handling what he had brought along. "Now you're wondering how can something so thin protect the wearer?" Seeing a few nods in the crowd, "Well, I'll tell you how. This prototype and the others created once our factory is open and operating will be made from the same material. Material that I might add is stronger than Kevlar or any kind of ballistic armor. It allows the fabric to breathe, as I know you, Chief Mint, of this city's fine police department knows how stifling Kevlar can be and how much you have to wear to get the amount of stopping power out of it.

With this, your cops can wear this all day and never break a sweat. With this, your officers will not be facing death at the hands of villains who just want to take as many police officers out as they can. With this, it is my hope that those who put themselves out there to keep this city, and cities around the world, safer for us normal everyday people," Aron stated, playing up his role as a normal, powerless human. "Please, let's give a hand to Agent White," he said, clapping his hands as the man on cue moved through the rear curtain, holding a .50 caliber rifle in his hands, pointing at the floor with the breach open, to show that it wasn't loaded. "Now, I know some of you are worried about the sound this gun will make. I assure you that these," gesturing down to the sound dampeners that ringed the stage, "will dampen the muzzle blast so it shouldn't frighten too many people," Aron spoke, turning the dampeners on, displaying his tech for all the world to see. "Any time you're ready, Agent," he uttered, pressing his fingers into his ears. Watching how the man lined up his shot at the dead center of the mannequin's chest as the weapon rested on the table a few feet away. Noting how his right hand moved, pulling out the single bullet he had given the man from his pocket. Chambering the round, closing the breach, flipping off the safety with his thumb. Seeing his mother and Jill jumping in startlement as the man fired off his shot. The bouncing of the slug on the stage floor couldn't be heard due to the dampeners. Walking over to where the slug had landed, picking it up as the man walked back to the curtain where Troy switched out the next weapon for the one that was currently in the man's hands.

"As you can see, Ladies and Gentlemen," holding out his right hand, showing off the flattened bullet that rested on the palm of his hand, "this is what happens when a lead slug hits the armor I invented," Aron spoke, noting the amazed looks on their faces. "And you can see, my suit has taken no damage where the bullet struck," he explained, looking over to his right at the tv display where Jill was showing off the suit and the spot where the bullet had landed. "Now we will begin the high laser demonstration," Aron directed, nodding to the man to fire. He could see the mirth in the man's eyes as he fired off the weapon. "Again, as you can see, no damage to the armor or the mannequin's body," he stated, noting the murmuring happening throughout the crowd. Hoping that this was going better than he thought. Otherwise, he knew this would just be a waste of time when he could be in his lab working on other things. "Lastly, our plasma demonstration." Waving to the man as he set up the tripod before he attached the weapon to it. Cycling through the startup sequence, hearing the power unit humming as the convertor built up the charge needed to fire it. "I ask those here to take a few steps back; it might get a little warm for your liking once Agent White fires off this rifle. Whenever you're ready," Aron spoke, seeing the man's nod of understanding. Seeing a few of his future competitors mixed in with the crowd, noting their disapproving looks, knowing that their tech would be obsolete in a few months.

Listening to the crowd's awes once the plasma had died away after setting the mannequin on fire. Jill made quick work of it with the fire extinguisher. "As you can see, my armor has withstood these three tests before your very eyes; I can't say the same for the mannequin," Aron joked, getting a rolling chuckle out of the crowd. Turning and walking over to the NSA agent, whose name wasn't White. Aron only named him that in case someone was watching them that had other plans for his gear so they could protect the man's identity and his loved ones if he had any. Sharing a private word with the man as he shook the man's hand, thanking him for coming on his day off. He had already paid the man when they discussed how the weapons operated. Smiling at the man when he whispered that he would give back the money if he could take home either rifle. Sadly he would have to decline that request since he made no weapons for anyone else but himself. He couldn't risk letting that kind of tech loose onto the world. There were already enough people who specialized in that thing without him adding to it.

"Sir, sir, Mr. Carter!" called out a reporter who had been there in attendance for the whole demonstration.

"Yes?" Aron answered as he was taking questions on the armor and how soon it could be ready to mass-produce.

"What is your armor made out of?"

"That I can't tell you, company secret, let's just say it's of my own special blend of fibers that make this armor very robust."

"And just who do you plan on offering this to?"

"Anyone who can afford it, governments, local and national, bodyguards if they need it, and superheroes if they're looking to change up their appearance," Aron stated factually.

"And how do you plan on keeping villains and criminals from getting ahold of this... fabulous body armor you have designed?"

"Simple, the only formula for it, is right here," Aron said, tapping his temple. "As for what happens once it leaves my factory, I can not say. But know this, I nor my company will be in the habit of aiding villains," he spoke in a stern tone. Ignoring the look his mother was giving him as he said those words.

"How soon can we expect you to be able to officially produce these?" Chief Mint asked, knowing he needed to get his people outfitted in such armor. He knew the losses his people had taken when those terrorists attacked the City Center could have been avoided if his officers had such armor.

"Four months was the time the contractor gave us, wasn't it?" Aron asked, looking over at his mother, seeing her nod in response to his question. "In four months, we'll be at full force to see to your and anyone else's orders they might have," he said with a warm smile. "I'll be happy to speak to you privately, Chief Mint, to address any and all concerns you might have." Seeing the man nod from his spot within the crowd. "Now, my company and I have one last demonstration to show you," Aron uttered, giving Jill her cue to fetch B.O.B. (Bionoid Surveillance Bot) from the back. "This, Ladies and Gentlemen," gesturing to B.O.B when Jill stepped up to his right side, "is B.O.B, a semi-autonomous surveillance Bionoid robotic drone that I believe will aid the police and military and a few of the three-letter agencies out there," hearing the chuckle that was moving through the crowd, "with B.O.B. you can go places that are too dangerous for people to tread, or into a hostage situation where you don't have eyes on. For you see, this," laying his hand on top of B.O.B's head, "is just the main unit, there are four spiders, mini drones, within its rear compartment. While yes, the main unit can act as a drone, that's not its main function; its function is to tap into security systems and pipe in the feed to wherever you are, while the spiders," giving his mother her cue as she tapped away at B.O.B's controller, which was nothing more than a tablet, "serve as the eyes and ears for the unit," Aron spoke as the back of B.O.B opened up and out flew the four spiders.

"Within the spiders lies a filament that I created that can and has stopped bullets up to 12.7 millimeters. This filament can be used to encircle a villain, trap robbers, cutthroats, murders, or it could be used to protect hostages in the event of breaching into whatever place those curs hold them. As you can see, my lovely CEO has an easy time handling all four spider drones," Aron said, waving to his left at his mother. "Go ahead, and show them how the filament works," he spoke with a nod when his mother gave him a look as the spider drones were whizzing over the heads of those in attendance. "As you can see, it doesn't take much for the filament to immobilize your target or shield those in danger of dying from the hands of those who do not care one bit about the sanctity of life. It's my hope these, and those that will come later, will be great aids in ensuring that this city, along with every other city on this planet, will find peace or as much peace one can have with those that wish ill upon those that just want to live their lives without fear of being robbed, stabbed, shot, used in some villain's plot. Thank you, everyone, for stopping by our booth. I do hope this demonstration has been enlightening for you, and it's my hope that we can have a very fruitful partnership," Aron said, closing out his speech. Hearing the spider drones returning to their base unit before B.O.B's wings closed in on them as its rear compartment sealed shut.

Aron stood to the side, speaking to Chief Mint and a few other city officials who had flown in for the convention. Answering their questions, he noted how his mother, Jill, and Tazia were speaking to those hanging around the display table, chatting away with the three of them. Nodding along, reassuring them that once his factory was up and running, he would ensure they could meet their needs. He just hoped he could hire the workforce needed to operate his factory. He would rather not spout off on things that he couldn't deliver. Letting the Chief test out the chest piece, watching the man move around in it. Watching how he did a few moves that he knew the police used when doing more laborious tasks. Smiling as he returned the chest piece to the mannequin, listening to the man's praise of it as he did. Giving out his card to the Chief and those he had been speaking to before they left to see what else was in store for them.

They were packing up since they only had the booth until eleven before the next company came in to setup shop to sell their latest invention or some enhanced doodad. His, his mother's, and Jill's heads snapped up when they heard the cries, the sounds of gunfire, and the screams of the attendees as the group that had slipped away with their ill-gotten gains had returned for a much bigger score.

"Go," Aron nodded, seeing the looks in their eyes. "Go do what you're good at," he encouraged. Seeing the two of them nod before dashing into the back, noting how his family was quickly getting into their costumes as the flap of the curtain rustled before falling closed. He, however, continued to pack his items in the containers he had brought along. He was not about to leave his tech unattended just to go play hero. "Hello, Agent Honeybell," Aron mused with his back towards her once his family members rushed off to deal with the villains terrorizing the city's citizens and those who came to visit.