[Maelstrom - Chapter 03] Flight

I had been on the news for only a week after I had taken the suit out for it’s first spin. They called me Ironbot. What an unoriginal name. Eventually the interest died out. I was surprised that people could move on so easily from encounters with the extra-ordinary. Though I knew that a superhero had to be anonymous, I craved recognition. And a better name.

The suit required more test runs to allow the onboard computer to perfect the exoskelatal motion. I felt selfish for having invented so many things that could find use in improving life, and yet not revealing them to the public. But there was a higher probability of it being used to do harm than good. A subcritical reactor and an energy amplifier that fit in the palm of a hand could power dangerous machines of war, self-learning neural networks that form the AI of the suit could plan and execute wars of un-imagineable scale, and an exoskeleton driven by these technologies could defeat entire armies.

As I put on the suit, I remember what the old man said in Poe’s ‘A Descent into the Maelstrom,’ - “It took less than a single day to change these hairs from a jetty black to white, to weaken my limbs, and to unstring my nerves.” This machine I had created could very well lead to my own undoing. Already, I could sense urges within me to put on the suit constantly. I found myself wearing the suit to walk around the house. The feeling of being like a God was addictive.

“Activated,” the programmed voice said when the system was ready for the test. The turbine turned at a default rpm even when I was not in flight. I could feel the vibration on my back, making the suit feel like a living, breathing organism. I walked over to the balcony and jumped. It was a stupid mistake. The flight system was still not calibrated exactly to follow my commands. One of the goals of these tests was to solve that issue. Thus, the turbine only came up to power once I had landed on the sandy beach below, face down. Though wrapped in a cocoon of ultra strong alloys and fiber-glass, inertia knocked the wind out of me when I hit the ground.

I pushed myself up and the turbine kicked in completely, propelling me through the air. I was now flying. It was incredible. The exhilaration of flying - actual flight - is indescribable.

I spent almost four hours flying around, long after the calibrations were completed. Theoretically, the suit could fly into space. The life support system of the suit however needed further work to support such a journey.

In order to develop this suit, I had put off fighting crime for too long. All the required calculations and adjustments were completed. The suit performed everything that I asked of it. I could fly, hover and perform other superhuman tasks. As I contemplated the tasks ahead, I thought of Nietsche’s Superman. I also thought about how much hubris this suit brought over me. I must get my feet on the ground. I turned on the news and radio scanners. It was time I really did something with my powers.