Ed headed outside the building. Mordy would deliver the special clothes and masks he wanted in a few days.
Phantom and Mordy still remained within the office.
The old man spoke, "Your friend seems quite ambitious. Does he really think he can match the government with ordinary humans?"
"I don't know." He shook his head. "He'll probably try making something that can let ordinary people fight espers. I don't see how he can possibly succeed though."
"Ordinary people shouldn't be underestimated." Phantom smiled. "Not even I can stand up to the Sinless headquarters alone. There is a limit to my mana after all."
…
Ed took a detour on the way back to the base. 'No point in rushing back. This is the perfect time to make some new goods. I can just claim I found them.' He headed for the factory his father used to work at. The building was still in relatively good shape.
'Mm. As I thought. All of the mechs and tools are gone, but the raw materials remain.' He began to melt the raw materials and reshape them into mech parts. He welded them together and powered them using ordinary steam engines. 'These will be pretty useless against espers, but they're a godsend against ordinary mutants.' He spent over 30 hours making a total of 11 mechs. They were identical to the model his father had used when he first awoke his powers.
'It's so much easier to make them ever since my 2nd awakening. Did my mana increase? I wonder how many I can make in a day in the future…' He got inside a 3-meter-tall mech and began to head for the base. Each time he pushed and pulled the levers it would walk forward. The bronze hue of the mech glimmered brightly as the sun began to rise. Steam poured from the exhaust pipes in the back.
A small pack of mutant dogs saw the mech and charged towards it. He pulled a lever to aim towards them. He pressed the red button atop the lever and a large blast of hot water slammed into the mutant dogs. They whimpered in pain and fear as they began to run away. Soon, he arrived at the Sinless base.
The guard's eyes widened as they saw the mech approaching. They didn't dare to shoot at it. Steam rifles would never be able to damage it. It stopped in front of the gates and the hatch opened. They revealed surprise upon seeing their new base leader in the mech. Then their surprise turned to glee. One guard laughed, "Haha! With this our base is even safer!" Ed climbed out of the mech and told them to call the guard captain.
"Leader!" Gunther soon appeared and saluted him.
"Get your nine best men ready. I discovered abandoned mechs at a factory. We're taking them."
"Yes sir!"
Gunther and nine guards gathered together. They divided into two squads of five and followed behind the mech as they traveled towards the abandoned factory. They reached the large building, which looked like a warehouse and entered.
The guard's eyes gleamed with excitement as they saw the shiny mechs that looked like they just came off the production line. Ed climbed out of his mech and spoke, "I assume none of you know how to pilot. It's very simple. Pull this lever…" He began to explain how to operate the machines. It wasn't complicated since these were very basic models. It only took them around an hour to get the hang of things.
The eleven mechs made a lot of noise as they walked through the city streets. Mutants occasionally attacked but were easily repelled. The guards had never felt so powerful before. Excitement shone in their eyes as they looked towards their leader's mech. This could possibly change the entire fate of the base.
They returned to the base and the citizens crowded around the mechs with curiosity apparent in their eyes. They rubbed the legs and begged to be given a chance to drive one. However, only the guards were allowed to pilot them. Ed had installed individual key mechanisms on the hatches. It would be nearly impossible for ordinary people to break through the thick hull to steal the machines.
Ed exited his mech and called Dupe and Gunther for a private meeting. They had setup an entire apartment to act as an office for the higher-ups of their group. He kicked his feet up on a desk and smiled, "I did pretty good, right?"
"Mm." Gunther nodded. "I've already started to receive additional requests to join the guards and we just got back. Everyone wants to join so they can get a chance to pilot one! Should I start expanding the number of guards?"
"Yes." He nodded. "Expand the number of guards gradually. Ideally, we'll eventually have everyone join. Right now, they're nothing more than civilians grasping onto straws. However, what we really need is soldiers, politicians, mechanics, spies, and other similar people. Ordinary people without any skills should at least be trained to become common soldiers. Only then can our Sinless group grow to meet my expectations."
Nick grinned, "I can start selecting people to train as spies and politicians."
"You?!" Gunther questioned. "You're just a brat. What could you know about such positions?"
"My father was a senator. As for spying… it's a bit of a personal hobby of mine. We have a few people in the base suited to those types of positions."
"Good." Ed nodded. "I'll leave that to you. Gunther will continue training soldiers. We should get plenty of resources once HQ arrives anyways. I'll begin training mechanics. Any questions?"
"None." Nick replied.
"What should I do with the current mechs?" Gunther questioned.
"Divide them into two teams. One team should begin securing materials to improve the base. We need to increase security and create supply lines to have a steady flow of goods coming in. The 2nd team will focus solely on securing food. Raid grocery stores or kill mutants. Either way is fine."
"Understood."
…
The days quickly passed. Nick worked on training a few select people he saw potential in. He was very secretive about it and wouldn't inform others about what he was doing. Ed chose to leave him to it. He doubted whether an amateur like him could help even if he wanted to. As for trust, he was beginning to understand Dupe better. If you could just keep him entertained, then there was very little to worry about.
Gunther added another 20 guards, bringing the total to 50. The mechs were bringing in steady supplies of food, which increased the satisfaction level of the base's citizens. Scrap metals were being brought in to be used by the mechanics.
The mechanics had begun training under Ed. Some already had some prior experience. They began to construct a clumsy furnace using the materials brought in by the mechs. This allowed them to melt down scrap metal and create better defenses for the base's gates. They also started learning about how to make steam rifles and repair mechs.
The entire base was in a hubbub of new activity. Everyone had a job to do and no one wanted to slack. Their very survival was on the line after all.
After a week had passed, the base had an entire new feel to it. The grocery store was fully stocked. Each guard had a steam rifle. The fences fortifying the bases could no longer be called fences. They were now walls completely constructed from iron and steel. Most ordinary mutants would have a hard time breaking past the walls. The citizens held their heads and chests higher as pride shone in their eyes.
Ed sat in his office while lost in thought. 'Mm. Things are going well. Next, we should start creating some railroad tracks for the mechs to travel faster through the city… Perhaps we can set up a mech manufacturing plant at a nearby warehouse. We also need to start looking into raising livestock. Farming can wait until the headquarters arrive. I wonder if we can use weaker mutants as livestock? If I could raise weak mutants with mana-cores, then I'd have a steady supply. I could start manufacturing higher level mechs. I'll need them to expand our power into other cities in the future…'
A knocking sound on his door awoke him from his thoughts. "Come in." He yelled.
The door opened, and Gunther walked in with a green-haired man behind him. "This man from outside the base claims to have a meeting with you?"
"Good. I was expecting him. You can leave now."
"Yes leader." He nodded and closed the door behind him as he left.
"You're finally here." Ed smiled. "I assume you brought the clothes?"
"Yes." Mordy nodded. He set a backpack down on the desk and opened it. He pulled out several sets of clothes. He grinned awkwardly, "Are you really going to wear this?"
"Of course." He grabbed a set of clothes. The clothes were entirely black. They consisted of camo jeans, boots, and a long-sleeved shirt. It looked like a rather ordinary outfit. The unusual thing was the mask. It was a black mask covered with red streaks that looked like flames. The bottom was sharp and the top round. He grabbed it and put it on. It had a small leather strap that went around his head to hold the mask in place.
"How do I look?" He questioned.
"Pfft! Bwhahaha! You look like such a fucking idiot!!! Like some dorky teen pretending to be a hunter!!!" Mordy completely lost it as he pointed at his friend laughing. "You look like one of those little kids who tries on a cape and runs around screaming, I'm OP Baldy!!! I'll save you! Gahahaha!!!"
Ed frowned. "Okay, okay. I get it. I need the mask though." He took it off and set it back down on the desk.
"Why is that?" Mordy questioned.
"I plan on having people switch out with me occasionally. I can't always be here leading everything. I'll have a body double occasionally take my place." He smiled. "Besides, the Sinless group needs a symbol. Something to believe in. Something that isn't an esper but is still beyond ordinary. I'll become that symbol and use them to achieve my goals."
"Heh." Mordy chuckled. He put on a serious face while mimicking him, "I will become the symbol these commoners need. FOR JUSTICE!!!"
"Enough with the sarcasm. Tell me, what do I need to do to get you to join me? Even if I run Sinless, I still want some strong espers on my side. There will be limits to what I can do alone."
"No can do." He shook his head. "I'm sticking with Phantom."
"Why?" Ed frowned. "Didn't you just meet him? Aren't you afraid he'll betray you like World Walker did to Jarrod? The sinner groups can't be trusted easily."
"You don't understand." He sighed. "Phantom isn't like World Walker. He's very straight-forward. He wouldn't waste time on weaklings. He's very selective about who he recruits. Also, his power is completely unreal. Other than Mr. Sai, he's by far the most powerful esper I've ever seen."
"Oh? What's his power?"
"I can't reveal that. You'll find out eventually."
"Hmm." Ed leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers on the desk. "Mordy, we're friends, right?"
"Of course!" He smiled. "We went through life and death together after all."
"I see…" He stopped tapping his fingers and stood up. "I'll walk you out. In truth, the only people I consider as friends in this world are you and Dexter from the academy. You know Phantom better than I do. If he ever plots against me, I hope you'll give me a warning."
"Sure." Mordy agreed. "I don't think he will though. He seems very interested in what you're doing. I won't be surprised if he supports you from the shadows."
"That would certainly be desirable."
Ed escorted him out of the base and returned to his office. 'An organization needs a feeling of unity to become strong. Uniforms are a simple and often overlooked method of creating that feeling.' He began to use his powers to create uniforms. They were nearly identical to the clothes that he had been given by Mordy. There were only two differences. A single red stripe existed on the sleeves to suggest a low military rank. The masks were made to be black with a single red stripe as well. 'I'll hold a speech and pass these out tomorrow. Then I can start focusing on my biology research. I at least want a somewhat normal looking face sometime soon.'