Taylor stayed up far too late messaging with the person on the other end. It explained why Dodge had given her the name Damascian. She was one of their oldest members, from what Taylor could tell. They discussed a great many topics, from sourcing materials, to what she wanted to build in the short and long term.
There was a concern that Taylor was giving too much away to what amounted to a stranger, but Damascian had never once attempted to pressure her into joining under threat, and had only brought up recruitment practices after Taylor asked the same. Taylor gave her name as Cyber, which seemed fitting given her specialty.
Around two in the morning, Damascian had cut the conversation short, citing her lack of a need for sleep that Taylor unfortunately did not share. What she did get, however, was an agreement to meet that afternoon to feel things out, maybe meet some other Tinkers within the collective they had formed.
Taylor slept fitfully that night, waking up almost every hour to check the time. Her father left for work like normal, though she was happy to see the plate of food he brought her way, simple as it was. She woke up for the last time a bit past ten and got ready. For all the time she still had, her disability would slow her down.
That was something she had only gone into cursory detail about with Damascian, that she needed to Tinker for a solution to a mobility problem that she possessed. The other Tinker didn’t see much of a problem there, but she also didn’t think Damascian quite grasped what she would require. Well, there was nothing to it in the end, either Toybox would work out, or she would be forced to crawl to the Protectorate.
Taylor made her preparations, packed a notebook she had gathered many of her ideas in, and set out for the bus stop, slow and steady as she could on crutches. The bus driver gave her a look as she showed her ID, but didn’t move to help. Less than a week out of the hospital and she was already fed up with the looks of pity.
Forty-five minutes later, she was departing near the Boardwalk and making her way to the indicated restaurant. It was a tiny Italian place that was overpriced to hell and back but it was meant for tourists, not the locals. Besides, it was the off season, which meant the prices would be more reasonable. Showing a local ID at such restaurants was usually good for a discount too.
Taylor didn’t have to look long for the woman she was set to meet, her blonde hair cut to shoulder-length with a red scarf would have been distinctive enough, but the woman was staring at her with an intensity that was hard to ignore. She couldn’t figure out what was going through her mind, but it probably had something to do with her crutches.
Just as Taylor made it to the table, the woman snapped out of whatever trance she had fallen into and hurried to pull a chair out for her. Taylor blinked in surprise for a moment, then was utterly baffled when she helped her into the damn chair. Even her father hadn’t made that sort of effort when she came home. Even the hospital staff hadn’t been that caring of her, not since Tina…
“It’s nice to meet you, Cyber,” the woman said. “You know me as Damascian but given we’re in civilian attire, call me Melissa.”
She blinked, not having expected to learn her real name so quickly, or being asked if she would provide her own. Taylor knew she didn’t have to return the favor, but the level of trust being offered, she felt it would be rude to not do the same.
“Taylor,” she said, offering her hand. “A pleasure to meet you.”
Dama— Melissa smiled, and Taylor thought it was almost wistful. Almost as though she were caught in a memory, especially with the way her lip twitched at one point. Hands shaken, Taylor sat back in her chair and a waiter came over to take her drink order.
“Order whatever you like, my treat,” Melissa said. Taylor reluctantly did as requested, picking a five cheese lasagna and some garlic knots. Once the waiter departed, Melissa turned her attention back to Taylor, placing a small device down before activating it. “Tinkertech anti-listening device. Nobody will be able to understand our conversation unless they’re inside the field.”
“That’s handy,” Taylor said, eyeing the device and feeling her power pulling at various ideas in her mind.
“I’m sure you’ve noticed that things aren’t the greatest for new Tinkers. The gangs keep their ears to the ground, the Protectorate strong-arms, and there just aren’t many options otherwise. Leet is active in the city, but is considered such a liability that everyone leaves him alone.”
“No kidding about the strong-arming,” Taylor muttered.
“Ah, I figured you already experienced that if you weren’t running to their arms,” Melissa said softly. “Sorry you had to deal with that, you know what they say about meeting one’s heroes.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t have a secret identity at this point,” Taylor begrudgingly admitted. “The heroes were certainly visiting my hospital room often enough.”
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Melissa froze for an instant when Taylor mentioned the hospital, and for that same instant she had felt fear at what she saw behind the eyes of the Tinker across from her. Taylor knew then and there that Melissa might be a Tinker, but she had seen combat. Her grandfather had that same look in his eyes at times; she remembered it clearly.
“You don’t have to explain,” Melissa said, having composed herself. “Believe me when I say that Trigger events are an immensely private thing. I, nor anyone else with Toybox will ever ask for details.”
“Thank you,” Taylor said, not realizing how reassuring those words were until they had been spoken. She really had been expecting to need to go into detail about how she had been crippled, only to have justice dangled in front of her like a cat toy if she just played along. “Let’s just say there’s a reason why I refuse to work with those bastards.”
“Say no more,” Melissa said as their food was delivered.
The pair ate and conversed, discussing some of her ideas as they did. Melissa was quite interested in her ability to make prosthetic limbs that were near seamless and lifelike. A demonstration of quality would be needed, but it would fill a niche that their catalog lacked. The meal wound down and Taylor was surprised at how easy it was to talk shop with someone who not only understood, but accepted her without expectation.
Sure, Toybox would need proof of her abilities, but that was a given. There were no demands, and Melissa assured her that she was free to leave at any point in time if she felt uncomfortable. That alone was an immense weight off of her shoulders and for once, Taylor allowed herself to relax.
The check was delivered and Melissa left five twenties behind, a rather considerable tip given the price of their meals and helped Taylor back to her feet. After a brief walk, Melissa directed her to an out of sight alley that gave Taylor pause.
“It has been a pleasure to meet you, Taylor, and if you would like, you may follow me to Toybox proper, or we can part ways here and do that another time. The choice, as always, is yours.”
A choice. It was always a choice, and they held weight, but the first step was being left up to her time and again. Was she being guided along a path? Most likely, but it felt welcoming rather than suffocating, and there was something about Melissa that reminded her of her mother in a way. Subtle gestures here and there that she hadn’t seen since the crash. Taylor wasn’t sure if it was just wishful projection, or a genuine connection and frankly, she didn’t care.
“I’ll take you up on that,” she answered.
Melissa grinned, pulling a small device from her pocket that reminded her of something from Star Trek. She aimed it at the nearby wall and a ripple formed on the brick surface. Taylor couldn’t see anything on the other side, but she felt warm air billowing out.
“Well then, let me be the first to welcome you to Toybox,” Melissa said, gesturing to the wrinkle in space. “Mind the step, it’s a bit rough even without crutches.”
Taylor frowned as Melissa stepped though then steeled her nerve and followed behind. Sure enough, there was a significant drop on the other side and she stumbled, only to be caught in a pair of strong arms.
“You weren’t kidding,” Taylor huffed as Melissa helped her back upright.
They had exited into what looked like a generic reception room that one might see at a doctor’s office, only there wasn’t a counter for someone to actually manage the intake. Instead, there was a single door without a knob or visible lock. Melissa stepped over to it and with a wave of something in her hand, the door slid aside.
“As you can see, we do take security seriously,” Melissa said, allowing Taylor to catch up. “Toybox exists in a pocket dimension that is only accessible to someone keyed in with the proper coordinates and all exit points have to be programmed in advance.”
“I would think a quick exit to a semi-random location would be safe in the event of an emergency breach,” Taylor said, looking at the myriad of doors along the hall that were being skipped.
“Such a system exists, don’t worry,” Melissa said quickly. “We just don’t want someone to abuse what we have here. Imagine if a villain group secured this site and was able to move cross-country at will.”
Taylor shivered at the thought. Groups like the Fallen or the Nine were the stuff of nightmares, and if they could abuse something like that, they would be unstoppable. After what felt like ages, Damascian stopped at one of the random doors and swiped her hand again. Inside was a cozy little breakroom with several couches and a counter lined with snacks.
Seated at a stool was another person in a lab coat wearing goggles that clearly had some tech built in. Taylor blinked as an idea for a heads-up display came to mind and once again she wished she had the ability to make it a reality. Hopefully things would go well and she could alleviate that itch, but that remained to be seen.
The cape turned, frowning as she did. “Who’s this?”
“Cyber,” Melissa said. “She’s a potential recruit.”
“Is she now?” the woman said, hopping from the stool. She moved to circle Taylor and she felt ill at ease. Worse, she wasn’t sure about her earlier assessment of their gender. “Is this?”
“She is,” Melissa said quickly.
“Interesting,” they said with a growing smile. “Nice to meet you Cyber, you can call me Cranial. No civilian name, they/them pronouns please.”
Taylor swallowed, wanting to shrink back under such close scrutiny. Whatever had been communicated between the two was lost on her, but she could tell it was important. Rather, she almost felt like a piece of beef on display. Would she too be evaluating someone for Toybox in such a manner one day?
“Oi, give the poor girl some space,” a man called out.
Taylor turned, the sight of a fitted suit seeming out of place in what was supposed to be a Tinker paradise. The man inside the suit leaned against the doorframe, a playful smile on his clean-shaven face. Before she could even process that statement, Melissa groaned.
“Way to spoil the fun, Jacob.”