Reggie still looked pale and rather disgusted. But he put his fingers around the shot, closed his eyes, and then gulped it down. Manny heard him retch once, and then twice. Tears beaded at the corners of the journalist’s eyes. But then he swallowed and slumped back in his chair.

Skullfucker Mike was hard at work mixing up another batch of cocktails. These ones seemed to just be normal gin and tonics, four of them. “There’s not anything fucking crazy about those drinks, is there?” Manny asked.

Mike shrugged. “Two shots of gin. Splash of tonic. Nothing you normies can’t handle.”

“Neither of us asked for a drink,” Manny said.

“Yeah,” Topaz yawned from her place stretched out on the bed, “but you almost died today. You should always have a drink after almost dying.”

“Listen to Topaz,” said Mike as he passed out the drinks. “She’s almost died more than almost anyone I know.”

Reggie came alive as his hands touched the drink. He gulped it down faster than either of the post-humans. Manny took a couple slight sips of his own (it was heinously strong) before he sat the glass down and asked, polite as he could manage, “So, uh, why are we here? And why were you there? That kinda luck doesn’t just happen. And now we’re just, what, all gonna hang out in your trailer getting lit?”

“Would that really be so bad?” asked Mike.

“Skully,” Topaz said in a warning tone. “He’s right. And it’d be rude for us to pretend we’ve got altruistic motives here.” She looked Manny in his eyes. It was a little unnerving, because her left eye was a notably different shade of brown than her right one. And then there were her metal fangs.

“Look kid,” she said, “we got a duty to help strangers in immediate need. It’s Rule #1 for all the monsters here. But we were out there because we were looking for someone like you.”

“A fixer?” He felt dumb as soon as he asked. To her credit, Topaz just smiled.

“A citizen. Of the Republic of Texas.”

“One who’s not afraid of dangerous work,” Mike added. “And judging by the day you’ve had, I’ma guess you’ve a certain familiarity with danger.”

“What about me?” Reggie asked.

Mike put a hand on the journalist’s shoulder. Manny guessed it was meant as a calming gesture, but the Brit still flinched at the contact.

“Don’t worry guy,” said Mike. “We’ll get you back to Austin, or wherever’s got an airport that’ll fly you home. Your friend’s the only one whose help we need.”

“What help do you need?” Manny asked.

“The best person to take that question is up in the city,” Topaz said. “You guys up for a little bit of a trek?”