Tinker eyed her for a few seconds as she adjusted the electronics that allowed Mini access to the limb again before she shifted her position to work on the legs.
"You really have a mind for this," Tinker said. "Of course, it’s not that easy to find the right kind of grease boxes. I would have to build it almost from scratch and maybe integrate it into the foot."
Jessica13 looked up from her work and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Sure, but you need to give it some kind of mechanism to pump the stuff into the joints above."
It was an odd thing, she suddenly realized. She was talking about mechs and how to improve them to an almost complete stranger. It should have felt weird but it didn't. Having someone of like mind to share the conversation was interestingly relaxing. She could feel the terrifying sensation of almost being killed slipping away.
The feeling was still there and would likely be a part of her life, but it was a lesson learned. The negatives of it had begun to fade.
With Tinker's help, she soon finished clearing the rubble from around Mini. The AI still couldn't see anything but the stabilizers were working again, which enabled him to stand the Mech on its feet and she climbed inside and took control.
"There we go, good as new," Tinker said with a chuckle. "Well, we have to think about getting you a new plate for the front of the cockpit, anyway, and then you should be good as new."
"I don't suppose we'll find anything good on the mechs around here," Jessica13 complained as she moved clear of the demolished building and out to the road again. "There aren’t many Minatos up and running around here, so I'll need to figure something out to fix it."
"Don't worry about it none, Jessica13," he replied and walked beside her. "The chances are there are more than enough Minato pieces in the scrap yards and if not, we'll find something that was an upgrade on what you had before. For the moment, though, I think the big fella wants to have a word with ya."
There was no point in asking why he thought that as she could see Hammerhand striding to where the two of them now stood. Even in the Minato, she could feel the impact of the steps on the ground like it was a minor earthquake each time. It was irritating to the point where she began to struggle to remain on her feet before he came to a halt in front of them.
He remained in place for a few seconds and looked at her. The size of the mech was impossible and she knew for a fact that something so big would never fit inside the elevator at Sanctuary.
"Your bravery will not be forgotten," Hammerhand said, his voice a little quieter and less booming than before. "Standing your ground before insurmountable odds is not something to be discarded from the mind."
She inclined her head and tried to analyze his speech. His accent was a little easier to understand than Tinker’s but there were a few odd word placements and inflections that ticked her off for some reason.
Not that she would mention it to the pilot of a mech that could stamp her to paste with one foot.
"Honestly, I didn’t so much stand my ground as run away," Jessica13 admitted. "You arrived a little late, but by the time I stood my ground, I really didn't have anywhere else to go."
"I saw everything, child," Hammerhand replied. "How you stood your ground when you could, fought back when you could, and remained brave in the face of what must have appeared to be the very end. To my mind, that is bravery."
"Oh…well, thanks," she said and her face heated in response to the praise.
He'd seen everything? She hoped not. He would have seen how she careened into the building that had buried her under it. Or worse, he would have seen how they drew the pirates on them when they were trying to be stealthy.
Either way, if his conclusion was that she was brave and not stupid, she would leave it at that.
"You spoke of others who might need our help," he continued.
"Oh, right," Jessica13 said. "I almost—well, there's a bunker to the east, a little closer than the one I'm originally from, but…anyway, they were hit hard by a group of pirates that attacked my bunker first. They're well-armed, well-led, and have considerable firepower behind them. We barely survived the attack, but the other bunker wasn't so lucky. There were survivors and they are starting to rebuild, but they need protection while they set their defenses up again. I was asked to come and see if…well, the Knights Mechanica could help."
She had worded it as officially and eloquently as possible but by the end, she began to feel she had rambled on. Hammerhand looked at her after a moment of silence.
Had she worded it wrong? Had he expected her request for help with some kind of pomp and ceremony? In neglecting that, had she somehow offended him?
The questions buzzed around her brain like insects, unwilling to be controlled as the seconds ticked by.
Finally, the enormous mech turned to face the other Knights.
"Then we shall go!" Hammerhand roared and his speakers boomed again to the point that she could almost feel his voice in her bones. "Our hands to those who need them! Our weapons to defend those who cannot defend themselves!"
The other knights raised their weapons and cheered.
Tinker nudged Mini
