“When I did the community center job…” Snag started. He paused, letting the statement hang.

“You did it with stipulations and expectations. Stipulations handled, expectations met,” Secondhand said. “We’re aware.”

“That counts for something,” Last Minute said. “It needed doing, and it was done well.”

“Trust that we intend to do this well,” Snag said. “The three of us have spent a year steadily working toward this. If you want more money, we could discuss it. We’d want references to justify it, a guarantee you’ll earn your keep.”

“I think we could manage that. Instead of money, though…”

“Hmm?”

“Cradle. He’s your best tinker?”

“He can be.”

“Maybe you sweeten the pot. Include his work.”

“That can be arranged. You give us your references and recommendations in exchange.”

“Alright. I like the sound of that. We’ll talk.”

“Good,” Snag said.

Secondhand put out a hand. Snag reached out with his giant mechanical hand, enclosing it around Secondhand’s hand and forearm.

They all shook hands. Snag’s giant mechanical hand made for a peculiar image as it met Final Hour’s hair-dryer stub of a limb and the two shook.

When steampunk-ish End of Days gingerly took Love Lost’s clawed hand in his bare hand, he bent down, kissing the back of it. With her back to the camera, it was impossible to see her reaction.

The Speedrunners split up into two groups, two getting into an older car, and two getting into the van with the tech in the back.

Snag and Love Lost walked back the way they came. Love Lost turned her head to watch as the cars pulled out of the parking lot and then drove past the pair of them. The camera that was perched on the edge of the building slowly turned to follow the pair.

As the camera zoomed in, the sound clarifying, the metal noises of Snag’s hands periodically touching the road and Love Lost’s claws clicking were very audible.

Kenzie must have changed something, because the sound faded into the background.

“Good?” Snag asked.

Love Lost gave him a singular nod.

“They’re good to have. Versatile, and it’s good to have that tech. I can think of ten things I could do with that.”

Another nod.

“You’re good for the meeting at the pub?”

A final nod.

“Pub,” I heard Tristan say. “Kenzie? Do we deploy Victoria?”

“I have an address. Only pub in Cedar Point, I think. Across the street from where Prancer went inside.”

I brought the phone up to my face. “Love Lost might be able to sense people, and there’s Birdbrain and Braindead to account for.”

“It’s up to you, Victoria,” Tristan said. “But it would really, really help if we could get more of this kind of exchange.”