[center][img]https://imgur.com/JY7j3s0.png[/img][/center]

[center]1:15 AM, January 7th, 2026
Coast City, California[/center]

Jessie scribbled over another half-baked design idea, groaning in frustration as she tossed her empty Chinese takeout container towards the trash can. A clatter and rattling sound indicated that she had not 'swooshed' it. Whatever. Farnsworth would get it. As if on cue, a mechanical motor sound filled the space as her robotic butler-that-totally-wasn't-a-repurposed-Roomba got to work finagling her trash into the can from the floor. Sighing to herself and shaking her head, Jessie turned to her computer. The inspiration just wasn't coming, she couldn't form any new ideas! She needed some space, maybe someone was streaming...

No Little Lightning Bolt.

Nothing new on HeroWatch

VigilanTwitch was... Oh shit, shut down. Well, she'd have to look into that more later.

Damn it, absolutely nobody was on--

[b][i]Ding[/i][/b]

Jessie turned back to her computer, checking the email alert that had just come through. [b][i]'Arsenal is now streaming'[/i][/b] The alert said, and Jessie swiftly clicked the link. He was sort of an anti-hero type, but he wasn't too bad for Jessie's money. And besides, she was bored! She stared at the information on the screen as the stream started up, watching messages roll into chat. She squinted at the images on the screen, her lips tightening. She knew that ATM... What the hell, he was in Coast City!

Transfixed to the screen, Jessie watched the anti-hero draw on the thief and take him out swiftly, giggling at the use of the net arrow. Did he design and build all these himself? If so, the man had some talent. She was about to donate and send him a 'Welcome to Coast City' message before she heard the sirens. Scrolling back up the screen, Jessie growled at the whistleblower. Damn buzzkill was probably the same guy who got VigilanTwitch shut down too... Making a mental note to doxx him later, Jessie quickly sent off a larger donation and signed off.

She had an idea.

[center]8:45 PM, January 21st, 2026
[AR]cade secret lab, Coast City, California[/center]

Jessie flicked on her microphone again, snapping her fingers to sync the audio with the security footage she was recording in the lab. Since her inspiration earlier in the month, she had halted all work on new VR programs, relying on the myriad of popular games to run the store for her while she worked tirelessly on her newest design. She had spent more nights crashing at the upstairs apartment with Beka than actually going home to her nice big mansion. But that was all about to be worth it. Jessie traced her fingers over the sleek gunmetal paint of the device, grinning madly. She may have gotten away with the aesthetics, considering she wasn't even sure if it'd work this time. But that was just how she worked! Settling her green goggles over her eyes and slipping her gloves on, Jessie hefted the curved bow and turned towards her firing range.

The MARAUDER project had been a subject of vague interest to her for a few years, ever since she stumbled upon references to it while researching plasma-based technology. Basically, it was a hairbrained scheme that somehow got government funding that nobody expected to work... That [i]did[/i] work. And then was immediately classified. But there was still some information out there. It used toroids made of plasma spun at high speeds using magnets to accelerate more plasma through the rings of the toroids and create something called 'hypervelocity projectiles'. She'd begun her initial designs while still trying to break into the government databases and get more current information, and when she had finally done that she threw out all the new info in favor of her own designs and theories.

Jessie tugged on the carbon nanofibre cable that connected each end of the bow, watching the purplish-whitish veins along its surface light up. A high-pitched whine kicked in as the vents opened to collect oxygen from the surrounding air. She'd have to fix the noise issue later. Once filled, the vents sent the gathered oxygen to the plasma compression chambers, a series of miniaturized generators located along the limbs. Those chambers would heat up using power drawn from a built-in Ectoan energy crystal, heating to 174,500 degrees Kelvin, ionizing the oxygen and generating plasma. From there, electromagnets would begin to activate, spinning and shaping the plasma in the limb chambers, creating the donut-shaped plasma toroids. The vents would activate again, drawing more oxygen into a pair of chambers at the very tips of the limbs, generating more plasma, which would soon be propelled at unfathomable speeds by passing through the highly magnetized plasma rings contained in the other compression chambers. 

Jessie blinked. Her shoulder was sore. She glanced over, realizing she had drawn the bow back fully now. It was ready to go, judging from the glowing veins and the gentle vibrations. She'd gotten so caught up in the technical specifications, she wasn't really sure how long she'd been standing there with the bow drawn.

Clearing her throat, Jessie turned to the floating microphone that had followed her to the firing range and began to speak. [color=92278f]"Right! So! This is practical test one of the MARAUDER plasma-caster! Proof of concept tests have been good so far, everything works in isolated conditions. But this is the first test where we put everything together!"[/color] Jessie turned back towards the target ten yards away before pausing. [color=92278f]"I should probably have rigged a remote system for testing this. But fuck it, right?! Firing in three... Two... One..."[/color]

[color=bc8dbf][b][i]FWOOM[/i][/b][/color]

Jessie was grateful for the automatic dimmers she'd built into her goggles, because that could have blinded her. As the dust settled and the smoke cleared, Jessie was uncharacteristically at a loss for words. The simple target she had set up, a stack of leftover pizza boxes, was just... Gone. Not even a trace of it left. No smoking pile of ash, no debris, not even a scorch mark. Jessie immediately figured that was the reason labs used oxygen plasma for cleaning work, it really does destroy all organic matter.

The moment of silence was broken by a whoop of exultation as Jessie lifted the bow above her head and jumped in place. She had done it! She had built a miniaturized MARAUDER weapon using nothing but earth technology and a single alien power crystal, in the style of an idolized livestreaming star!

The rest of the night was spent documenting the successful test, finishing details in the blueprints, excitedly radioing up to Beka, and finalizing her Whistleblower-Buster program. Finally content with her days work, nearing midnight now, Jessie sent an email to Arsenal via the personal email server she had managed to dig up on him thanks to her computer relations skills

[b][i]To:Leo$@bingfreeserver.com

From: GirlGeniusJ355@ihavemyownemailservice.pizza

Subject: A gift from me to you!

Body: I saw you were in Coast City a few weeks ago, and I wanted to put together a 'welcome to town' present! Unfortunately, it took longer than I thought, but San Diego isn't too far! See the attached images to check out your new gift! Also the WB-B attachment should help stream snipers fuck off from now on.

Regards!

A genius fan.

PS: If you want your gift just email me back, I'm sure we can figure out a pickup spot.[/i][/b]