<div class="floatright">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/2/23/Af33fdbb0bae83bbfd56cac2cf0a6f56.jpg)</div>Chrome (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q_KscHhC_owP5SrsTw4BlpZ5CkcVt8cxGeOb95-1zmU/edit)<br/><br/>Deep in the bowels of the engineering building, working on a very powerful hybrid motorcycle engine he was developing with some classmates—Kuroyama Takumi didn't initially realize that the battle was going on, much less that it was now raging on the grounds of his campus.<br/><br/>Wearing a white button down and black slacks beneath his coveralls, Takumi had the engine out on the work bench and was cautiously installing gyroscopes and small computerized systems to regulate the electricity flow too and from the battery, allowing for a hybrid engine too travel at speeds that belonged on the race track—or at least the autobahn.<br/><br/>It wasn't tell the third ring that he realized the tone playing on his cellular phone meant his mother was calling.  “<em>Moshi moshi</em>.” he answered, “<em>How are you, okaa-san</em>?”<br/><br/>Mrs. Kuroyama's initial response was a few near hysterical expressions of concern for his health.  When the message got across to him of what was actually going on, Takumi's heart suddenly hammered.<br/><br/><em>Spark is here?  She's fighting?  On campus?</em><br/><br/>Takumi reflexively made his computer flick on and flash to his collection of pictures and known statistics of the beautiful young heroine.<br/><br/><em>I have to meet her.  I have to help her!</em><br/><br/>He quickly made excuses to his mother, claiming he was going deeper into the basement for shelter and was loosing signal.  Instead he quickly pulled out of his overalls, then his shirt  Glancing into the mirror, he slowly let the artificial skin covering his self-created chrome grafts appear.  Some of these resembled a half mask—they were actually casing for the expert systems he'd reflexively augmented his own brain with. He also grew a little paler when he let his chrome show.<br/><br/>“Not exactly a superhero costume,” he whispered, thinking fondly of the many designs he'd thrown together, then filed away as he found he lacked the conviction to institute them.<br/><br/>This was diferent.<br/><br/>Chrome broke into a run for the stairs.