I checked a mechanical arm, manually sending an impulse of electricity through the delicate circuit boards. The arm flexed, sticking out straight. I went over its parts a few more times and then started to install it into the micro-fabrication unit I was working on for Nael. It was nearly there now.

Hmm… I'm going to call it the Founderer. That name sucked, didn't it? Why was naming things so frickin hard? Should I just pull up a name generator? "Mira, I need some help."

"With?" Her voice pulsed through my head. She was down at the slapped together firing range down in the Underground, toying with all my weapons. "These wrist guns kinda suck."

"Hey! I spent a lot of time making those work." I leaned away, inspecting the micro-fabrication unit one more time. My mind drifted to the wrist-guns though. Yeah… they could use some work. Like, a lot of it. There was a reason I hadn't used them since. They were cool, but…

Ugh- refocus, Shiro. The fabricatinatorer awaits! Now I just needed some templates. It took no time to make some barebone chrome templates and port them onto small chips. They didn't need to be crazy. It'd be better, even, if they were just simple parts considering who this was going to. At the end of the day this would be for civy tech.

"Sunk-time fallacy. Doesn't change the fact they suck. They weigh too much, are too clunky, and have a serious jamming issue." Mira sighed, ruining my focus once more. "They're kinda cool though."

"Right?" Glad we could agree on something. "So- uh- help me come up with a name? For that fabrication thingy I was making for Nael."

"Oh." Mira went silent for a long moment. "Um- I'm coming up."

"Chek." I cleaned up the work area and slotted in one of the chips. The fabricaterer—also a terrible name—was simple enough an idiot could use it. Just slot in what you want built, adjust the material count, and then hit start. It should produce everything on its own from there. After a certain amount of time, it'd pump out a fully finished product.

I started up the process- something sparked and smoke immediately started to pour from the printing part of the Fabricationinator. I smacked the emergency shut down and checked over the parts. Some of the circuits overloaded. I touched the circuit board-

"Ugh-" A bolt of electricity raced up through my arm, sending warm tingles through me. Oh- so good. It was sooo goood.

Before I even realized what was happening, I hit the power switch once more and arc after arc of electricity flowed through me and down my spine. A certain comfortable feeling chased after each arc like I was getting some kind of deep muscle massage.

"What are you doing?"

I flinched back. A single arc of electricity flowed up through my hand as if sad to see me go. The arc broke and I shut off the founderinator before I could get sucked back into it. "N-nothing."

"Why's your face red, huh?" Mira took a step closer to me to the point I had to look up at her. Stupid tall people and their tallness.

"No reason." I flashed Cold-Blooded, feeling the pulse of frigid ice through my veins. It helped get me back under control. That was dangerous. I needed to restrain myself more in the future, or I might just get addicted to that surge of warmth.

With practiced control, I shifted all of my charge back into the capacitors and batteries along my chrome. I felt horribly empty without even a speck of electricity moving through my limb, but it'd come back soon.

"Uh-huh- sure… that's it?" Mira poked her finger toward the box-like structure on my work table.

"It will be." I pulled out the old circuitry and replaced them, fixing the issue that caused the overload. I also had to clean out a jam in the filament feed of the fabricator before starting it once more. This time, it buzzed without any issue.

"How about the Shironator Three Thousand?" Mira suggested a name not much better than any of my own. Shironator-3000 had a nice ring to it though.

"It's for Nael. It needs to sound professional." I tapped at my chin, watching the mechanical arms in the Tsukinator-5000 whirl.

Mira stepped up beside me and looked over the device. "How about Foundry? Short, simple, and rolls of the tongue."

"Foundryinator… Foundrier… Hmmm… Foundry… Foundry Mark One?" I played with the word for a moment and then nodded my head to her. "Chek, that works."

"Great!" Mira flopped over behind me, dropping onto one of my work tables after unceremoniously dumping everything off the side.

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"Hey! Watch what you're doing!" I moved over and picked up a few prototypes for chrome I'd been working on in my free time.

"I was watching. Watching it all tumble off the side." She smirked and laid back against the wall. "Ugh- I feel terrible. I was supposed to be productive today, and instead spent it all shooting guns."

"Could be worse? You could've just spent all day on the couch." I wish I could do that. But no, my plate was overflowing with stuff I needed to work on. Stupid Shiro and your stupid scheduling. When am I going to get better at this?

Mira picked up a figurine of Doctor Absolom. It was the latest model, with a working, reloadable syringe gun. "When's my figurine coming? I channeled my inner action hero down there. Shoulda seen me with those- those whatchamacallits? They exploded everywhere into fire and ice!"

"My imbued rounds?" I ran a hand down my face. "Those are so time consuming to make! Please tell me you didn't shoot them all off!"

Mira chuckled unsteadily and rubbed a hand down her arm. "Just the couple dozen you gave me… promise."

Don't get mad. Don't get mad. It wasn't worth it… I took several calming breaths. "Did you narrate yourself in slow motion again?"

"Only once!" She wilted under my unimpressed gaze. "And- and maybe I whispered pew pew a few times too…"

A snort tore out of me before I could stop it. "Woah, so dangerous. The bad guys must be terrified!"

"They should be! The dangerous duo, Mira and her sidekick Skunkstripe, are back at it again!" She lightly tossed a small spring at me. It missed, bouncing off the side of my foundry.

"I think you mean Shiro and- uh- Stupidface." Oh, sick burn… I sucked at this. "Or- um-"

I cut myself off just before something a little more insulting could come out. For some reason, I could only think up stuff regarding her halo and hair. Probably for the best I didn't go there.

"Whatever." Mira smirked and moved off to the far side of the room, near the door to the bar. "I think I'm gonna head back. It's kinda boring here."

"I'll set up a TV in the bar soon." There was a lot I needed to do there. Might as well make it a workable hangout for her though since she was spending so much time with me here.

I watched the Foundry Mk. 1 blitz through the process of making a chrome limb. It should have about an hour left until it was done, and then I could do a bit more testing. It was almost ready for Nael.

Hmm… I tossed a Dragonfly into the air. It buzzed over to a corner of the room and looked out like a security camera, carefully recording the Foundry at work. "I'm coming."

On our way out to my hoverbike, I got a call from. It was a familiar number, one I hadn't seen in months. Iris. I motioned to Mira, pausing on the snowy sidewalk, and hit accept. "Um- hello?"

"H-heya, pipsqueak." Her voice came across as ragged and breathless. The call was also fuzzy and unstable, like it might fail at any time. "Ya m-mind doin ol' Iris a favor?"

"Are you alright?" Although I wasn't particularly close with Iris and her group, we were at least acquaintances. That, and they treated me pretty well.

"Peachy." She broke off into a wet cough. "S-so, that favor? I'll owe ya one."

"Chek." I tossed the keys to Mira. She nodded her head and went on up to fetch the hover bike. I didn't even need an auto-pilot if I just had her chauffeur me around.

Bullet fire erupted from her side of the phone followed briefly by an animalistic snarl and screams. It all ended just as quickly as it started and Iris came back with another cough. "Warehouse. I'll s-send ya the l-location. Go pick up little L-Luna."

Honestly, the sounds of a fight and gunfire being exchanged didn't startle me nearly as much as it would've in the past. I guess the Crusade broke that for me. Everytime I called someone, it always seemed like they were in the middle of a fight or strike.

"Luna?" She was… she was that super frail girl, chek? The one that hid behind the wolf looking guy? Just picking her up wouldn't be an issue. A favor from a high level merc too… "Yeah- yeah, I'll pick her up. You need any help?"

"Just get h-her to safety." She panted several times and a rough grunt came across the line.

"Why'd you call me?" Surely they had chums they could ask for help. I had, what, two interactions with them? And both times I was worried about getting shanked.

The line cut off for a moment like she was Underground. Just before the call could fully end, she came back. "We've b-been burned. Better a near stranger than a potential backstabber."

"Damn." They must've seriously pissed someone off. Was this worth the risk? Or should I just ditch? Even a favor wouldn't be worth it if I wound up dead. Hmm… if it was just saving her though, that wouldn't be too much of an issue. Shoving her into the Transporter and then dropping her off down in the vault should keep her completely safe.

Mira dropped from the sky with my hover bike. She'd already pulled her equipment from the saddlebag and was ready for a fight. Something about my voice must've tipped her off. I waved to her and jacked into the bike. With some simple manipulations, I pulled up the address on its display.

Mira took off with us while I focused back on the phone call. "What am I walking into?"

"Should be safe-" Iris cut off, followed by several explosions. Her voice came back full of trembles. "J-just get her out. Even if we don't make it, she's a high-spec r-runner. She'll p-pay ya."

A Netrunner, eh? I've been wanting contact with one for a long time now. I tossed the situation around in my head for a few more moments. I could always check the situation and then back out later if it was too much. For now, the warehouse. "I'm going. Be there in fifteen."

"G-good luck. I'll owe-" The line cut off entirely and the phone call ended. I stared down at my phone and felt my previous courage fade away. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…

I squeezed my eyes shut and then nodded my head. If the worst came to pass, I had back up plans on back up plans at least. My usual paranoia had ensured that even if the entire city turned against me, I would have a way out. That same paranoia had been over the top especially after the fiasco with Mother and the circle cult.

And she said it would be safe! This could all just be a free favor with no risk… somehow I doubted that. With practiced ease, I brought up the city's archives and surfed around for the warehouse in question. I carefully memorized its layout and the surrounding area around it.

I took a breath and carefully filled Mira in on the situation and the plan slowly forming in the back of my head.

— — —

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