Step 1.6

The lock to O'Neil's Auto Repair didn't need to be broken. The knob practically came off when I grabbed it. Sea air from the bay, and years of neglect.

I'll fix that.

A good thing the place really looked abandoned.

Dust sat so thick on the floor, footprints followed me through the building. Not that that deterred me. Between the bow in the roof, floor-to-ceiling cobwebs suggesting a giant species of spider previously unknown to man, and every electrical socket ripped from the wall, I came to one conclusion.

It's perfect.

I didn't need my power to see the design. Assembler and fabricator to the left and right. A rack for the suit in between. Storage for parts along the far wall, and work tables all around. Veda's servers in the old office space behind a reinforced door. A generator to power the place once I cut it off from the city power grid. A little added security and reinforcement that left the exterior looking like a wreck.

The hinges creaked on closing, but not loud enough for anyone to hear.

The door let me out into a small inlet set back from the street. A side alley ran from the road into the lot behind the shop, which I hadn't known about before poking around. The garage doors inside opened to it, and the street in front. Easier to come and go without being noticed that way. The surrounding buildings looked abandoned as well.

Helpful, since Veda's early simulations for the GN Drive suggested that GN particles glowed during emission.

Maybe a cloak or cape to help hide the light?

"It'll work," I said in a low voice.

"You are pleased?"

"Very."

"Good."

I resumed my run. Mom and Dad always said things like "stick to the boardwalk." Our neighborhood was always pretty safe, but the rest of the Docks surrounded it. Growing up I knew which places were safe, as well as what times not to be out. I doubted Wallace street would meet their approval, but the past week of running along it each morning, and twice in the afternoon, went smoothly.

Just as Veda said. No gangs. The police station at the end of the block and across the street didn't have a good line of sight to the building, but still offered some security by proximity. The officers seemed alright. Some probably were corrupt. Brockton Bay is still Brockton Bay, but so long as the gangs held little interest I didn't feel much need to worry.

"Is the hacker ready?"

"Yes."

Good.

"No reports Uber and Leet have escaped?"

"None."

Also good.

"Alright then." I took a deep breath. I felt like I'd chicken out just like the day before, and the day before that. I needed to say it. "Today's the day."

I got back home a little later than usual, but I played it off.

"Leg doesn't ache anymore," I said. "Still feels a little stiff."

"Maybe you should take it easy?" Dad fastened his tie by the stove. He spent the past few mornings and nights watching me like I might be assaulted by zombots any second. "A day off won't kill you."

I ate my food slowly, nervously glancing to the clock on the wall whenever dad wasn't watching. "I don't want to get out of the habit."

"One day off your leg won't hurt you."

"It's healing fine, Dad." I stretched the limb out under the table. "See? Good as new."

Dad looked worried. Not suspicious-worried thankfully. The kind of worried a parent gets when tiny things bother them.

The scratch didn't amount to much in the end. Veda looked it up, after a talk about medical information on the Internet. We figured the glass just cut into the muscle a little. A long shallow wound that bled, but looked worse than it was.

I glanced at the clock again. Dad noticed this time. Looking at the clock himself, he said, "You're going to be late."

"It'll be alright."

I went upstairs and dressed as nondescript as I could. Neutral colors only. A sweater for the late winter cold, and baggy pants to hide my lack of figure. I wanted to look like a boy for once. Less chance of anyone noticing me after the fact. My backpack already contained the items I needed, save for one.

I checked some of the code on the monitor before pulling the USB from one of the towers.

Dad held the door open as I came down. "I'll see you tonight, Kiddo."

"Have a good day at work."

I lamented as dad's truck pulled out of the driveway.

All because I'm too young to rent a u-haul.

I didn't have a license, but driving wasn't that hard. Put me in an automatic and I could do it. I considered ripping off the Merchants for a time. They wouldn't report a truck or a van stolen, and Veda could find me one. I dismissed the idea entirely. Too many ways for that to end with bullets in me. Best to not get bullets in me, or even fired in my general direction, till my body got an armored shell to hide in.

So on foot it was, much to my chagrin.

I chose to leave the house before he turned off the street. Good to let him see me going about the day. It was sad how easy it becomes to keep lying.

I'd debated when to go on my little mission, but in the end daytime won. Maybe with another power I'd try going at night, but not as a tinker with little to work with. Leet had what I needed, and after five days he still sat in a cell with Uber. They might be there for the next few years or the next week. Without the means of carrying anything big, my options seemed to boil down to one.

Grab everything I could carry and leave. More than once if luck sided with me.

I boarded the bus a few blocks from my house. Sitting down offered the chance to relax my nerves. Captain's Hill rose from the shadows of the mountains to the west, and getting there required traversing half the city.

I got off the bus on a secluded street and walked the rest of the way. It came easily at first. One foot in front of the other. Except my feet kept getting heavier. Steps stilted, arms stiff at my side, and shoulders raised while my neck receded into my torso.

The area looked a lot like a suburb, but more built up. Tall apartment buildings and spacious office spaces. Half seemed empty and the other half very lively. An odd contrast, but not that different from the Docks. I knew it best for the woods and historic cemetery, but I rarely had reason to go there.

Just Mom's funeral.

I didn't like thinking about that time.

Actually going to Captain's Hill made it hard not to. My life before Mom died and the life after stood as stark contrasts in my memory. Before Mom died I did well in school, had friends, laughed, smiled, and played like a normal kid. I used to be a chatterbox.

Afterward…none of that.

Even with Veda and my plans to become a hero, it wasn't the same. I remembered how Dad didn't cry. I cried day and night, but Dad? Thinking about it, I couldn't remember him ever shedding a tear. He stayed silent and stared like it was all a dream.

Gerry kept making calls from a block along Edwin street. The tall five story apartment complex appeared abandoned on the outside. Walls of chipped and fading red bricks with worn concrete sills and filthy windows. I suppose someone might not give it a second glance just passing by, a lot like O'Neil's. Great place to hide a hideout, and conveniently out of the way for the gangs.

Except the front door was a little too new.

A few of the windows were a little too clean.

What apartment building with no one living in it needed a bunch of shiny dishes on the roof?

Leet's workshop is here.

For a time I worried that Uber and Leet just lived in the building. After noticing the location I recognized the parallels. Independent tinkers think alike I guess, hero or villain.

I stood like a statue for a while. When Uber and Leet attacked the mall I didn't have time to be afraid. Shocked, confused, overwhelmed—sure, all that, but not afraid. In that moment it nipped at me. So many things could still go so very wrong…

According to Haystack, the Empire poked around the area but wasn't particularly active. Hellhound, a supervillain, reportedly wandered the Hill with her dogs.

Her power scared me a bit. An angry dog was scary before being turned into a giant monster. Her name came up during my research of local villains, but she didn't seem important at the time. The Undersiders stuck to small-time robberies in the Docks and Shanty Town. Captain's Hill wasn't a place I expected to cross paths with her.

Can't stand here forever.

"I-I'm here Veda. There's some dishes on the roof. Pair of nerds"—I flinched when I said that—"like Uber and Leet probably went all out on their Internet connection. Can you get in?"

"Searching."

While Veda worked I surveyed my surroundings. A wooded area on one side, an abandoned warehouse on the other, and no one around to see me slip into an alley.

"No accessible ports detected," Veda said.

"Leet's probably masking them with his own protocol. Is that something you could figure out?"

"Attempting…"

I assembled my beam saber from the pieces in my pockets. I didn't want to use it, but better safe than sorry. The stun gun looked like junk, and I did build it from junk. Only two shots before needing to be reloaded, and I only had six charges total. Hopefully my aim wasn't too bad.

My mask came out of the backpack. It might be a rush job, but I was proud of the work. I modeled it on Alexandra's mask. A dark blue helmet with some white accents, open in the back to let my hair flow, with a visor that hid my face from the nose up. The construction looked rough but sturdy.

I told myself it as a practice run for my real mask. The one I'd wear outside my suit.

No more Shirt Face. That meme didn't need any more steam.

"No ports detected."

I thought about it for a moment, consulting my power before nodding absentmindedly. "Yeah, I'd hardwire it too." I stood up to peek at the building. No obvious security cameras, but that didn't mean much.

Deep breath.

"Alright Veda. I'm going to check the door."

"Be careful Taylor."

"I will."

I ran across the street quickly. It's odd, running in a mask. It was liberating and awkward at the same time. What if someone saw me? Would they call the cops?

Maybe I shouldn't have made the mask so dark…

First I noticed the wooden door was actually metal, and magnetically sealed to the frame. I considered simply cutting it off. I canned that. With any luck many days remained until Uber and Leet broke out. I'd rather not reveal the place by cutting the door off and making my first trip in my last. Never mind any potential alarms wired into the door itself.

The bell panel by the door caught my eye. The metal covering and the nameplates appeared worn, but not the buttons. The buttons looked newer.

Rather than try to piece together the code, I disassembled the beam saber and used my laser scalpel to cut the cover off. Pulling the USB from my pocket, I cut one of the Ethernet cables underneath and wired the 'hacker' in. I rigged the simple little USB with a wireless receiver tapped straight to my phone.

The old one, not the new one Dad got the day after the mall.

"Accessing. Receiving handshake. Overriding security protocol. Overriding security protocol backups. Disabling alarm. Rigging mock up. System accessed. Suborning security protocols…System secure."

I reassembled the saber, glancing over my shoulder to ensure the street was still clear. "What do you got?"

"A second server with similar data to that located in Cleveland Ohio. Network devices consist of printers and computers."

"A lab?"

"Unknown."

Naturally, my heart started thundering in my ears. I weighed the risk of having bullets shot at me. All for a building that might not actually be the one I hoped for.

Better get used to that.

"Is anyone here?"

"No record of entry since Uber and Leet's capture."

I tucked the hacker into the wires and slipped the panel back on. It just hung from the buttons. Hopefully no one looked too hard at it.

"Alright. Open the door."

I heard a hissing sound as the magnetic frame shut off. My stun gun led the way, sweeping left and right. Soft blue lamps illuminated the hall beyond. They didn't make much light, but the light they did make seemed to slide off and illuminate everything. Cables ran along the corners where the floor and ceiling met the walls.

They appeared to go through the entire building.

A network map doesn't consist of a literal map, unfortunately. The first few rooms looked like simple living spaces. Televisions and couches, a kitchen, and a dining room. One room contained a bed, and loads of posters for various games. Uber or Leet's room I guessed. It smelled like a boy who didn't shower regularly. Musk and way too much body spray.

I went upstairs first and searched the whole building. Most of it was empty. In the end, I guess Uber and Leet didn't really need all the space. I found a few apartments converted into bedrooms, and one into some kind of gaming temple. There were more screens and machines than I thought could fit in a room. It was almost impressive.

"It has to be here. Where is it?"

"Is it not possible Leet's lab is elsewhere?"

Yes, but I don't want it to be.

"It's here."

Could Leet live somewhere far from his workshop?

I am.

I groaned and leaned against the wall. "It could be halfway across the city…I'm so stupid."

"Is it possible for a tinker to be stupid?"

I sighed. "Apparently." I went back to Leet's room and did my best to ignore the stench and looked around. "Can you access his computer?"

"I can access four computers."

"Four?" I thought back. Turning about the room and looking. A secret door. False wall. Something. Something I missed. "The only ones I've seen are this one and the one upstairs."

Two more searches of the building revealed nothing.

I ended up taking my frustration out on the tower in Uber or Leet's room. An impressive computer filled with tinker-tech parts. I felt stupid for not noticing it. Cables ran in bunches along the wall and floor all over the place. Only after pulling the plug on the tower to inspect it did I notice a network cable that vanished under one of the room's many posters.

"Definitely such a thing as a stupid tinker." The door ended up being hidden behind a DOOM poster and a bedside stand. Impossible to notice except for that one network cable. "It took me two hours to find the damn door."

"Is it well hidden?"

"Sort of."

Leet probably didn't even intend for the door to be perfectly hidden. Just unnoticeable enough to buy time.

Behind the door, stairs descended into a dimly-lit space. "Veda, does this building have a basement?"

"No."

"Guess Leet dug one."

A pang of regret struck me as I descended the steps. Leet must have put a lot of time into his tinkering. Getting around his limitation, keeping track of every part and its similarities to other parts…A lot of work. A lot of effort. My tinker sensibilities felt a little offended at the idea of robbing the place.

The regret and offense didn't stop the mad glee I felt once I reached that last step.

I need his stuff.

My backpack slid into one hand.

Leet laid his workshop out logically, and the chaos was organized. Two tall servers occupied one corner, while large machines lined the wall to the stairs. Scattered workbenches held scrap, tools, and unfinished projects in the center. Shelves of parts and supplies covered the far wall. Just from the stairs I spotted circuit boards, chips, and assorted wires. A few large bins held large scraps of metal.

I felt like a little kid in a candy store.

I ran to the tables at the center, picking my way through parts, scraps, and tools.

Tools first.

I gave each item a onceover to decipher its purpose and check for any kind of tracking device or tricks. Nearly everything seemed to have a wireless connection. Pulling them open also revealed stickers with MAC addresses.

Thank you Leet for being such a strict documenter.

"Veda. Can you track this address? MAC 3XYU45B2."

"Located."

"Delete all the software."

"Deleting."

I'll replace it myself. Leet might have software traps.

Taking the device apart let me figure it out. I yanked a small tracking device from inside and tossed it to the floor. Leet's laser scalpel beat mine by a mile.

I slipped it into my bag and moved on. 3D scanner. Sonic screwdriver. Variable welder. Circuit layer. One blocky looking thing seemed designed for sealing parts without actually bonding them together. Like a hot glue gun with no glue. The pile of discarded trackers grew with each addition to my backpack.

Leet had all the tools a girl could want. My power went rampant as I worked, filling me with ideas. Improvements and redesigns superior to what Leet put together. A few times I saw awkward or bizarre construction. Leet getting around his limit?

After I ransacked Leet's proverbial toolbox, I grabbed basic items. Wires and circuits were near universal, so I grabbed as much as I could. My backpack filled up quickly.

Even after I ran out of room I looked around. Leet left a lot of projects unfinished. On his workbench I saw at least three. One, a drone in a bronze-gold casing, and another, an orb with hexagonal pads covering its surface. I had no idea what that one did, but it looked cool.

I inspected Leet's servers out of mere curiosity. Each stood a few inches taller than me, and once the covers came off a chilling mist rolled over my body. The computers consisted of tall cylinders lined up in series and cooled by refrigeration units.

"Liquid crystal processors that double as memory? Neat."

The ideas kept coming as I went down the line.

"Industrial printers. Silicon and carbon based…"

Damn it.

I wanted it. I wanted them.

Leet had four and each stood large enough to build the components my design needed from armor to frame. Messing with the touchscreen interface, I didn't find anything like E-Carbon preprogrammed. I opened a panel and inspected every inch. It was too big to take it myself, but maybe I could build one. After opening it up and peeking inside, my power supplied ways to meet my needs. I spotted a stamp on the inside of the machine.

A jack in the box.

Not the kind of game I associated with Uber and Leet.

I saw it again on the quasi-glass case where constructed parts were assembled. And again on the device that filtered and compacted the supplied materials. "Why is there a jack in the box on half these parts?"

"Jack in the box?"

"It's a toy for children."

"Searching."

A signature? Artists do it, and Leet does like going on and on about 'art.'

I closed the panel and stood up. After the printers seemed to be a fabricator. Put in one material and get another, but only within the same matter state at room temperature? That sounded useful. You could turn just about anything laying around into aluminum or steel.

Veda spoke as I finished my inspection of the interior. "My search has found that a jack in the box is the logo of Toybox."

"That some toy company?"

"Toybox is an association of tinkers who sell their inventions illegally on the black market. Registered members include Dodge, Pyrotechnical, Glace, and Big Rig. Former members include Cranial and Livewire."

An association of tinkers? "I've never heard of them."

"Only passing references on Parahumans Online mention the name. They have no website."

"Veda, I'm pretty sure we talked about not believing everything you find on the net."

Void_Cowboy—curse him a thousand times—still claimed I was an alien. I almost posted on a Saber Girl account just to scream at him.

"Moderators consistently close any thread that mentions Toybox."

"Okay, that is weird." I glanced around the room. The mods banned discussion topics like blatant racism, unmasking capes, or threatening to kill people. Shutting down any thread that mentioned some group of tinkers? "So. They make stuff and sell it? Right…With Leet's limitation, he practically has to."

"Unable to determine."

"Rhetorical question, Veda."

"I see."

A free association of tinkers. Made sense. Of all the tinkers in the world, Dragon seemed to be the only one who ran a business with her power, and only because she manufactured things no one else could. Every other tinker either needed to join the Protectorate to collect royalties or made no profit at all.

Backwards. Only word that described it.

If companies didn't want to compete with tinkers, why not hire tinkers? Even then, tinker-tech almost always required regular maintenance by the tinker. Hardly a threat to most industries. A tinker could build a better computer but they'd hardly be able to shut Dell out of the market.

I moved on to the last two machines. Assemblers by the look of them. Mechanical arms inside transparent cases. Give them parts and a schematic and they put whatever could fit inside together.

Veda spoke again as I opened one of the machines up.

"I will search for additional information."

"Does Toybox interest you?"

"I am curious."

"More data for Haystack?"

"Yes. Additionally, I am curious about other tinkers."

"Oh? You've never mentioned it before."

"No."

I inspected what else I could. Leet kept other unfinished gadgets around. Some I figured out quickly, while others were more elusive. I did stumble across one of his forcefield drones, half assembled. Finally able to take a good look at a half assembled field projector, I could discern a little about how it worked.

Odd how my power let me design the GN Drive, but didn't let me design a forcefield projector. At least, not one like Leet's. Electromagnetic fields holding particles into a wall constituted a completely different concept.

"Taylor. I am unsure how to ask a question."

"Hmm. Well there's no real way to go about it. Just ask."

"I see…"

I didn't think much of it. I considered the simple response odd, but Veda giving odd responses didn't elicit much reaction from me. Came with the territory.

I wasn't prepared for the question at all.

"Are there others like me?"

I paused, some kind of bomb in my hands. I think it was a bomb at least. I couldn't figure out another reason for the detonator.

"Other AI?"

"Yes."

That's why it wants to know about other tinkers.

I paused, pondering how I felt about the subject. Fears about machines rising up to overthrow mankind aside, would Veda consider another AI a better role model than me? Was that good or bad? Veda didn't seem to like breaking the law, but I was willing to when it suited me and didn't hurt anyone. Maybe Veda needed other role models.

After mulling over my words I said, "It's possible. I can't be the only tinker in the world who can code. Do you want to meet them? Other AI?"

Veda didn't answer at first. "I am not sure."

I only thought back over the conversation minutes later. "I'm sorry Veda. When you said you didn't know how to ask a question, you meant you weren't sure if you should ask, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"There's nothing wrong with asking. I think that if I were the only human in sight, I'd wonder if there were other people in the world too and want to meet them."

"I did not want to offend you."

"Why would I be offended?"

"I am not sure."

"I'm not. Maybe a little concerned. I don't know what other AI might be like. They could be bad, or want to hurt you."

"I see."

I didn't know what else to say. Were a cricket in the room it might have started chirping. I kept on inspecting this and that. Easier to see what Veda meant as the silence dragged out. I didn't want to say the wrong thing or upset it.

"Veda."

"Yes Taylor?"

"Pretty soon you're going to have much better servers." Leet's towers in the corner gave me a lot of ideas. "Probably a lot of free time. If you want to search for other AI"—I slowed, but when Veda didn't say anything, I continued—"I won't stop you. Just be careful, okay?"

"I will."

I smiled. "Maybe test things out before revealing your—"

"Taylor."

"I know you're not stupid, Veda. I think it's impossible for you to be stupid."

I didn't hear the creaking over my head.

"Taylor."

"Stranger danger and all that."

"Someone is in the building."

I almost dropped the probably-a-bomb on the floor.

"W-What?" My eyes traced the creaking sound along the floor above. I heard them clearly. At least three, maybe more. My hands started to shake, and I glanced around the room. "Who is it?" Stupid question.

"Security panel code has been entered. The door opened automatically."

Fuck.

I closed the top of my backpack and threw it over one shoulder. I lost my balance and nearly hit the ground. Only a hand against one of Leet's work tables kept the seventy or eighty pound bag from dragging me down.

"Did Uber and Leet escape?"

"There is no report of an escape."

Even running, it would take a while to get from the Rig or PRT building to Captain's Hill. An hour at least, so not Uber and Leet. So I hoped. I relaxed slightly, glancing back to the stairs nervously. My stun gun rose in my hand.

"Did I trip some kind of alarm?"

"Unknown."

I crept back into the workshop and hid myself behind one of the printers. Leet's room was right off the main hallway, and the door was visibly open to anyone who passed. If not Uber and Leet then it had to be henchmen. Random crooks wouldn't know the security code.

Henchmen. Just Henchmen. Plain old ordinary Henchmen. I can handle Henchmen.

It occurred to me that Gerry was a henchman, and while I didn't remember him specifically I didn't know any dockworker, former or otherwise, who didn't look like a damn bear. Dad was the odd man out on that front…and Gerry might recognize me goddamn it.

I didn't see any other way out of the workshop. Even if Leet had an escape hatch or whatever I didn't have time to find it. Their voices carried down the stairs.

"I told you dude." The voice was deep and throaty. "The door is totally open."

A nasally voice responded. "Nah you think? It's not like the panel outside was busted, why would the door be open?"

Neither sounded particularly annoyed.

"Leet probably just forgot to close the door," a third voice said. Deadpan, almost bored.

"Oh yeah," the nasally voice said, "and he totally busted out of jail to trip the security wire. Then he left and turned himself back in."

A fourth voice shifted on his feet. "Am I the only one who's going to point out that anyone who got past the door is probably a cape, and can probably kick our asses?"

It is nice when others have confidence in your abilities.

Throaty scoffed. "You know what your problem is? No pride in your work. Man the fuck up and let's go. Uber will kick our asses if we don't try, and Leet will complain for weeks. Blah blah blah, right in my ear."

Nasally added, "Besides, they're probably gone by now. The alarm's been going off for three hours."

I heard the footsteps descending the stairs.

And apparently joke villains have joke henchmen. If it were anyone other than me down there in the workshop I'd call them insane. Since it was me, I freaked the fuck out. My hand shook, and I grabbed my wrist to keep the stun gun from rattling.

I didn't dare to lean out and peak. Their feet padded closer, and Throaty said, "Dude, Leet got jacked."

"I told you they were gone," Nasally replied.

"Shit we are in so much trouble." Throaty, I think, started walking around the room. "And we're never going to hear the end of it."

I closed my eyes. Stupid, but my beating heart felt too fast. I couldn't hear. The footsteps spread around the room. Closer and closer to me. I almost didn't hear them stop. Opening my eyes I saw a tall broad shouldered guy staring at me.

He blinked, and tilted his head.

I squeaked.

I didn't think so much as enter fight and flight mode. Yes. And. Half my body moved to run, the other half moved to fight. I pulled the trigger with one hand and pushed him away with the other while my feet stumbled back. The sound of "zap zap zap" filled the air, and his eyes bulged out from his skull before he hit the floor like a rag doll.

"Oh shit!"

I ran from my hiding place, avoiding a tall thin guy when he tried to tackle me. He tripped over his friend, who still lay convulsing on the ground. "Cape!" Nasally, by his voice.

"Get her!" Throaty, a big chubby guy, pointed at me and ran around the work tables, while a really skinny guy came at me from the stairs.

I yanked the beam saber from my pocket and flipped it on. The pink light flooded the room and they both stopped mid-step. Well, Throaty stopped. Skinny tried to stop and run at the same time and ended up hitting the floor face first.

Nasally shouted behind me. "It's Shirt Face!"

My fear faded a moment to give way to anger. "That is not my name!"

"Well what is your name?!"

There I go talking like a lunatic again. "I-I haven't picked one yet!"

"Then why are you yelling at me?!"

"Because it's not my name!"

Skinny decided to be a hero-villain and lunged for me. I fought my first instinct and held my saber back. I aimed my stun gun and fired. It was nearly impossible to miss at that range. The second charge hit him right in the chest. He hit the ground face first again.

"Grab her!"

My backpack straps started to drag me back, and I swung out with the saber to ward Nasally off while Throaty came at me from the side. I aimed my stun gun and pulled the trigger, completely forgetting in the moment that I needed to reload.

When the click came with no zap, I ducked.

His open palm struck me in the side of the head, but couldn't grip my mask. I dove under a workbench. A hand grabbed my ankle as I crawled away and my foot shot back and hit someone hard. Nasally, I think, by the grunt.

"Go left!"

Coming out on the other side of the table, I stood up and warded Throaty off on one side and threw my stun gun as Nasally came around the other way. He dodged the object awkwardly, and while I kept swinging my saber wildly in the air with one hand, the other grabbed the first thing it touched.

"Whoa!"

"Dude!"

Everything stopped.

I opened one eye slowly, not even realizing I'd closed them till then. Throaty and Nasally huddled in the corner, while Skinny and Shoulders lay on the floor. Turning my hand, I found the hexagonal ball thing clutched in my fingers.

"Okay." Throaty raised his hands in surrender. "Whatever you do, don't drop that."

I glanced at the ball thing, remembering that I never figured out what it did.

Fuck.