| Multi-Application Combat Armor Alternative | |
|---|---|
| |
|
Creator |
Marcus Todd |
|
Type |
Personal Force Field Generator |
|
Intended Effect |
Protective Energy Field |
|
Malfunction |
Uncontrollable Expansion |
|
Location |
|
|
Activation |
Pressing button |
|
Collected by |
Warehouse 13 |
|
Date of Incident |
July 17, 2007 |
| [Source] | |
Principles[]
Force fields in fiction are normally invisible or transparent constructs that protect whatever is encased inside it. The closest existing model is based on ionizing gases into plasma, heating the air to 15,000 K. It turns viscous enough in a closed container until only radiation such as electron beams can pass through. Pressure differences up to nine atmospheres can be maintained for machining processes that need near-total vacuum to function. Variations include a Boeing patent in 2012 for shockwave attenuation to negate the blast wave of detonated explosives.
Origin[]
Dr. Todd’s prototype force field generator was fast tracked in early 2002. Threats to national security were high in the wake of 9/11, any project that offered defensive capabilities was greenlit. The MACAA was seen as a personal protection for first responders, containment against explosions and a barrier to protect civilians from falling debris. A barely functional schematic was rushed for testing in the span of 6 months. Only problem, they couldn’t turn it off.
Three hours into the test run, the field was larger than a house. By four it was uncontainable. As a Category Red threat, the MACAA would have potentially destroyed the entire GD structure. The experiment and tester were dropped into a two-mile-deep pit, the only area large enough to contain it. A three-megaton bomb followed into the nuclear testing bunker. Only the damaged MACAA was recovered, and Dr. Todd bitterly resigned after being responsible for his colleague’s death.
Effects[]
Pressing the central button creates a force field that engulfs the holder. Pressing again has no effect. It will continually grow larger by drawing power from the environment such as nearby electrical current. The default priority is finding a power source to maintain the force field. Removing all other inputs will begin draining the biological backup, aka the occupant. Power surges will either electrocute the person or leech off their vital systems until they drop dead.
The occupant must be moved to the largest possible open space or risk crushing the facility from the inside out. Dents any metal or concrete structure that it impacts upon expansion. Spraying carbon nanotubes used for crowd control onto the surface will solidify into an epoxy foam and temporarily contract the field’s radius. It will stay in the place but eventually crack open after one round of growth.
Appearances[]
Appears in the Season 2 episode “Try, Try Again”. Allison was being sworn into director of GD, which requires the computer core to undergo mandatory reboot during any change of leadership. Eight hours to audit and reset the systems while every database remained inactive. To prevent any accidents, all active projects are suspended. Small prototypes from abandoned studies are secured in the research vault for inventory. The archivist Victor stole the field generator to resell the parts. But a system reboot forced the next inventory check too early, so he panicked and slipped it into Fargo’s pocket.
Undoubtedly, this may be one of the most notorious moments of “inappropriately pushed button” on Fargo’s career record. The field expansion was unresponsive to any overrides and forced General Mansfield to prepare the bunker again. A key difference this time however was the field was growing at an extremely slower rate, around the size of a large car after several hours. The smaller energy footprint arose from the storage conditions. It’s neighboring device for five years was a magnetic field prototype, possibly still active enough to degrade the MACAA’s energy modulation. The revelation allowed them to stop the field with an influx of magnetic energy.
It rerouted to secondary command and began to drain Fargo’s vital signs. Since they were able to talk directly through the bubble the whole time, sound could penetrate the shield. Deputy Lupo shot Fargo’s heart with a targeted sonic pulse to temporarily stun him. The shell dissipated without any remaining energy source and Fargo was immediately resuscitated.
Gallery[]
