"Yeah." Sigh. "I'm sorry."

"I'm still going to try to rescue people. Car wreck response, fire response. Any obvious assaults I happen on. I just have to leave when the police show up."

"For what it's worth I don't think they arrest everyone. They still have to fight Endbringers."

"...Even if I got what I needed to build an idea I've been calling 'The Big One', I don't know if it'd do much to an Endbringer."

"You can do mobility and relief. Not that you have to, of course, but—tinkers are good in general to at least turn a blind eye to."

"...I think I'm just going to go to sleep for now, though."

"Okay. Stay safe."

"Yeah. I-" Sigh. "I was going to ask for a favor but nevermind. No point. I might not be able to talk tomorrow or the day after. And your radio might break soonish. If it does, email I guess."

"...you can ask, though."

"It's not that I don't want to ask, it's that the whole thing is a bad idea. Anyway... Bye."

"Bye."

Off she goes, to put everything back in her little 'locked abandoned warehouse' workshop.

Parental inattention goes a long way for an aspiring cape, doesn't it?

She spends her free time the next day studying first-aid in the library, and then trying to acquire a first aid kit.

"Yo yo, you there?"

Click. "This is an automatic response. Hopper has been notif-"

"Hi, fire guy."

"Hi, metal girl. What's up?"

"Things have not gone particularly well, to be perfectly honest!"

"Yeah, I heard. You alright?"

"Not hurt or anything. Lost some gear, which sucks. And of course now any semblance of peace 'tween me and the heroes is shot to hell."

"You won't find me defending them."

"I had some hope to stay marginally on their good side. Makes things easier."

"'S like tiptoeing around eggshells. Have to do everything perfect."

"I mean. I did fuck up pretty bad. But there is zero forgiveness, yeah."

"Yeah. Anyway, did you think about my offer?"

"Thought about it. I still don't want to make you any really nasty gear, I don't know what you're going to do with it, but I have a few ideas. Anti-taser device, stun grenade, grappling hooks."

He laughs. "I'm the client here. But yes, those are good ideas."