From The Headlines

"MILE-HIGH MAGMA MONSTER ERUPTS FROM RUINS OF OLD VINEYARD"

I was totally right.

Where I Have Been

So, apparently Mechanor reads this blog, because right after my last post, he showed up on my doorstep with a box full of future tools. I was right, he does need a tune-up. That's part of the reason he's been giving me pies and such. It still doesn't explain exactly why, but, hey, it's a start.

So I've spent the past week taking apart a robot from the future, trying to figure out what the problem was, and put him back together. Keep in mind, Mechanor was made eleven hundred years in the future, so there was a lot of head-scratching on both my and Judy's parts. However, after about a week solid of work, Mechanor's up and about. He's not exactly factory fresh, but I don't think he'll be delivering addresses to the metallic masses any time soon.

Also, those earthquakes have gotten so bad they're national news. Heck, we're feeling them up here. It's making the water a bit choppy. Maybe the engine hit some vile creature deep in the heart of the earth. We haven't had an apocalypse warning in a couple years, so this oughta be a nice change of pace.

I live

So, Judy made me leave the house the other day because I've been spending too much time on the computer. I mostly just strolled through the city. New Vineyard is a weird place to wander. I'm pretty sure there are no other completely new cities in the world--everything has at least a trace of what's come before. But even the land it's built on is brand new, as Brannigan manufactured the whole island more or less because they could. Some days I miss the old Vineyard, even though it was essentially a giant slum kept afloat only by the fact that both Arkady International and Brannigan had a strong presence there.

Speaking of Old Vineyard, the earthquakes around the Cataclysm Engine are getting a whole lot worse. I'm not quite sure why this is the case. Maybe convection in the mantle is finally pushing against it.

Maybe I'll get out today, just to do some villainy. It's been really nice outside lately.

Just a Few Thoughts

Y'know, I really admire Operation Mayhem in some ways. I know I talk down about them sometimes, but, honestly, they've managed to form the longest lasting, most cohesive super-villain organization since the Renaissance. And two of the founding members are still in it. Well, at least two, anyway, as no one's quite sure if Devias is alive or dead. Sure, I might not agree with everything they do, but Lady Anaconda's certainly done well, better than most have.

In other news, I'm not sure what I should do for Judy and I's six-month anniversary--it's still not til October, but that's not too far away anymore. This is the closest I've ever had to a normal relationship. Does one typically do something for a six month anniversary? I mean, it's just the anniversary of us dating, not a wedding one or anything. I'll have to do research.

Also, more seismic activity down south at the Cataclysm Engine. Maybe I should check that out again. I could scavenge for more while I'm down there.

Oh, and lastly, my brother C.J. is alive. He and a few other super-powered mercenaries did some sort of daring ariel raid and absconded with some new chemical prototype for an unknown client. Though my guess would be Snake Eyes. Good to know he's not dead.

The Flood

I'm making it sound worse than it was.

Essentially, one of the walls sprung a leak. The problem is that this leak, if you'll remember, had the full force of one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world behind it.

Long story short, I had to devise a very large pump and then Judy and I had to leave for a while so it could do its thing. Because a pump that large means no peace and quiet.

We took a trip down to old Vineyard and sifted through the wreckage of the old Doc's lair. A security guard tried to stop us but we convinced him not to politely. I. e., he's still alive, but scared half to death of duranium-encased doom.

I was surprised to see that the Cataclysm Engine, despite the rather large explosion caused by killing American Steel, was largely intact. The main problem was the fact that tremendous heat had caused all internal working parts to fuse. We did manage to rip a few large chunks of duranium off the mechanism, though. It's not much, but they'll come in handy somehow.

Okay, sleep now, petrification later.