Chapter 8: The Foundation of the Fortress
Location: The Cooper Household – 5501 Medford Ave
Date: March 1st, 1980
Status: Infrastructure Development
The "Homecoming" phase was complete. I had secured the loyalty of the eldest brother, established a "Divine" status with the mother, and gained the silent, terrified respect of the primary rival. Now, it was time to establish a Base of Operations.
I chose the Attic Path. The backyard garden was too exposed to the Texas elements and the prying eyes of Meemaw, who spent half her day on the porch. The attic, however, was a dead zone. To the Coopers, it was a dusty graveyard of Christmas decorations and George Sr.'s old trophies. To me, it was 800 square feet of unmonitored server space.
The Sign-In: The High Ground
Since the "Baby Monitor" was already installed in the nursery, I used a specialized crawl-maneuver—refined by [Physiological Mastery]—to navigate the hallway while the family watched 60 Minutes in the living room.
I reached the pull-down ladder.
[DAILY SIGN-IN PROTOCOL: AVAILABLE]
[LOCATION: THE ATTIC THRESHOLD]
[ACTION: SIGN IN?]
Sign in.
[SIGN-IN SUCCESSFUL!]
[REWARD: +10 TO MECHANICAL APTITUDE]
[REWARD: NEW TRAIT: 'STEALTH FOOTFALL' (Silent movement)]
[REWARD: SKILL: 'HARDWARE HACKING (LVL 1)']
[REWARD: ITEM: 'THE MINIATURE FABRICATOR' (A 3D printer 40 years ahead of its time)]
The [Miniature Fabricator] appeared in my inventory. It was the size of a shoebox but capable of printing high-tensile carbon fiber and circuit boards at the molecular level. I placed it behind a stack of 1974 National Geographics.
The Midnight Construction
While the house hummed with the slow rhythm of sleep, I began the "First Phase." Using [Hardware Hacking], I tapped into the house's electrical main. I didn't just steal power; I optimized the entire house's grid to hide my consumption.
[SYSTEM SHOP: OPENED]
[PURCHASE: 'SATELLITE UPLINK MODULE (PROTOTYPE)']
[COST: $2,000.00]
With the uplink, I bypassed the primitive 1980s telephone lines. I was now connected to the ARPANET, the precursor to the internet. While Sheldon was dreaming of trains, I was "borrowing" processing power from university mainframes in Berkeley and MIT to run my stock market algorithms.
The Morning After: The Social Mask
I crawled back into the crib just as the sun began to touch the horizon. My tiny muscles ached, but the [Neural Plasticity] was already repairing the fibers, making me stronger.
Mary walked in, her face bright. "Good morning, my little angels! Ethan, you look like you've been working hard in your sleep!"
I gave her a gummy, innocent smile. I let out a soft "Ma-ma," a sound I had calibrated to the exact frequency that triggers a dopamine spike in the female human brain.
[EMOTIONAL HARVEST: 500 UNITS]
[CURRENT CHARISMA: 26]
Sheldon, however, was looking at my hands. His eyes drifted to the faint, almost invisible trace of attic dust under my fingernails. He looked at the ceiling, then back at me.
"A-tic," Sheldon whispered. It wasn't a question; it was a deduction.
I didn't blink. I reached out, grabbed his favorite wooden train, and utilized [Mechanical Aptitude] to subtly realign the wheels so it would roll 15% faster and more accurately. I handed it back to him.
"Privacy, Sheldon," I whispered, the words vibrating through the crib rail. "Respect it, and I'll explain Black Holes to you by Tuesday."
Sheldon clutched his train, his eyes wide. The deal was struck.
The First Month Milestone
By the end of March, I had reached Level 5. My "Toddler CEO" fund had already doubled its value thanks to a timely "prediction" on oil futures.
[ETHAN COOPER - STATUS REPORT]
Intelligence: 18 (Approaching High-School Senior level)
Charisma: 26 (The "Golden Child")
Wealth: $15,200.00 (Liquid)
Hidden Base: Attic Lab (15% Completed)