Always Room for Improvement (solo)

Ryouta had been experiencing some trouble lately with his mechanical extremities. Although they were fairly reliable when it came to day-to-day activities, he had noticed that the strain of combat had actually begun to put a fair amount of damage to both of his inventions. That of course, would not do, and not only as a matter of practicality, but as a matter of pride. Therefore, Ryouta decided he would have to use an entirely different alloy to construct replacements, and since he was replacing both items anyway, he might as well make some modifications to make them more useful.

First thing came first though - he had to select an alloy to use instead of the molybdenum-steel one he had been using. Ryouta eventually settled on an M42 type high speed steel alloy, that is, in addition to steel, containing molybdenum, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten. As an afterthought, Ryouta added cobalt to the list, to make it even more heat-resistant. Eventually, he would coat the finished product with titanium nitride to increase its hardness and lubricity, but that could wait. Such high quality material could only be shaped by a combination of lasers and diamond-tipped tools - all of which Ryouta had, fortunately.

He decided that this time, the arm would be a full arm, not just a forearm. After all, the stub of organic flesh that was his left upper arm was beginning to annoy him. Plus, it didn't even serve any real function that this arm wouldn't serve better. He would keep the ball-and-socket type joints that he had used before to allow the maximum array of movement, but what he would like to make it more adaptable to close combat. A retractable blade about three feet long seemed appropriate (think Ed's arm in FMA); after all, he had given them to each of his Hollowbots, so why not himself. Still, he felt that more could be done. A stroke of inspiration hit him - he would mimic a powerful Quincy technique. Separately, Ryouta would construct several devices through which strands of his reiatsu could be projected, and then placed at each joint. This would allow him to disjoint each segment of the arm and manipulate them separately if so desired. Finally, he decided to add a few servomotors - while they only added a bit of strength by Shinigami standards, every little bit helped, in Ryouta's opinion.

Next came modifications to the eye. Again, it would have to be constructed from scratch. Besides including all the old materials from the original, Ryouta decided he would like to add a third pupil. However, this one would not serve to provide vision - at least not in the direct sense the other two would. Instead, it would function as a dual camera/holographic projector, enabling him to record up to an hour of footage and projecting it onto a flat surface in front of him for later viewing. Very useful. Now that all of this had been drawn up on blueprints, it was time to begin actual construction.

The first thing he would construct would be the eyeball. Like the last time he had constructed one, he started with a small cube of the alloy he had selected to use. Then using lasers, he separated it into sections so he could hollow it out, as well as place holes for the pupils. As before, he placed the advanced sight device in front with the capped energy reservoir in back, while the camera and projector equipment where placed at the top and bottom of the eyeball. He had to work to get the wiring to all fit, but eventually, the metal casing encompassed all the technology it held snugly, with the node that would attach to Ryouta's optic nerve in back. Ryouta used a laser to seal the eyeball's cracks, and then for the better part of an hour went over the whole thing, making sure it seamless and smooth.

New eyeball completed, it was time to move on to the arm. Like before, he used lasers to form the hollow tubes that were the forearm and upper arm. This would actually double the reservoir capacity, which would allow him to fire even stronger kido spells and Gran Bola Cero. He also added a number of servomotors that would grant him increased strength in his mechanical arm. In addition, he installed a flat retractable blade that would be able to come out to a maximum of two feet past the end of his fingertips. Next, he created the hand, making sure each joint did exactly as an organic one would, and of course the hole in the palm. Ryouta then attached the devices that would allow fluid use off reiatsu strings at each of the joints, and finally fitted all the pieces together to form his new mechanical arm. Finally, he coated both of his creations with a titanium nitride coating. Both of his new creations were marked improvements on the old models - he couldn't wait to use them.

Now that he was done, Ryouta rushed over to his computer, where he input all the necessary measurements on his body so that his surgical robots could install his new creations. That done, he stepped over to his surgical operating table, staring up at the sterile blue light again with the light of anticipation in his eyes. "Computer?" he asked, unable to keep the eager tone out of his voice.

“Yes Captain?”

“Please engage procedure alpha alpha,” he said.

“Affirmative. Initiating phase 1 of procedure alpha alpha. Administering anesthesia. Standby,”
the computerized voice said. A syringe descended from the ceiling on a mechanized arm and
pushed into a vein in Ryouta's right arm. Ryouta felt his consciousness begin to
slip away almost instantly. The world turned to black…

“Phase
1 of procedure alpha alpha, complete. Bodily functions of subject, Captain
Ayame Ryouta have been retarded. Blood flow reduced to a minimum. Now
beginning phase 2 of procedure alpha alpha. Removal of left eye.” A
robotic arm descended from the ceiling and placed rubber-tipped fingers
on Ryouta’s face, holding open his left eyelid as it did so. A second arm came down and plucked the old eyeball from its socket; it came away easily. Once the eye was removed, it
was placed aside. “Phase 2 of procedure alpha alpha complete.”

“Beginning phase 3 of procedure alpha alpha. Installation of mechanical eye.” The
robotic arm picked up the new mechanical eye from the adjacent table and
lifted it above Ryouta’s now empty left eye socket. It gingerly set the
mechanical eye in place, which beeped in affirmation of success, as the
nodes in the back of the eyeball formed connections with the remains of his optic nerve. “Phase 3 complete.”

“Beginning phase 4 of procedure alpha alpha. Removal of left arm.” A
third arm descended from the ceiling, this one with a buzz saw on the
end of it. It methodically sliced through Ryouta’s left shoulder, severing
the rest of his arm from his body. The robotic arm with
fingers lifted the stub of flesh and dumped it into a large jar of liquid. “Phase 4 complete.”

“Beginning phase 5 of procedure alpha alpha. Installation of mechanical arm.”
A fourth arm descended from the ceiling, this one with a round metal
ball at the end. The ball began to spin with high velocity; it was a
specialized sander of some kind. It formed a ball-shaped hole at the end
of Ryouta's shoulder bone, and then the other robotic arm picked up Ryouta’s
mechanical arm and affixed it to the end of the bone. It too gave a beep
indicating success, as Ryouta's nerves were forcibly connected to the nodes on the arm. “Phase 5 complete.”

“Beginning phase 6 of procedure alpha alpha. Bandaging and overall cleanup.”
A final robotic arm descended, and with the help of the other arms,
washed and bandaged the bloodied area of Ryouta's left side.
They also cleaned up the blood that had dripped onto the table. “Phase 6 complete. Procedure alpha alpha, complete.”