J A X O N

"Hand me that screwdriver." I couldn't reach it with only my right hand. After Kane reached across and gave it to me, I used it to tighten the bolts in the joints. They needed to be as tight as possible to work efficiently.

Most of the actual building had been finished in my workshop. Now, we just needed to fine-tune the creation and test it enough times to ensure its capabilities. And with the few tools I'd brought in my bag, we set up shop at Vladlena Tesla's house and did our best not to soil her floor with oil and grease.

Kane and I worked side by side for countless hours on this project, sometimes talking, sometimes in comfortable silence. I was thankful that he was as committed to building this as I was.

When I finally pulled myself away from the shiny metal arm for the first time in hours, I saw that it was dark outside. Checking a clock, I realized aloud, "It's one in the morning."

"I know." He didn't even look away from the wires he was working on.

"Why didn't you tell me, man? We could have eaten or taken a break with the others."

He shrugged. "It's alright."

"Whatever you say." I went back to perfecting the metal paneling.

After a moment, he said, "I have a question."

"Shoot."

Kane lifted the spear-like weapons I'd made him. "You made this to bribe me into helping you, didn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He gave me a flat look that said bullshit.

"Okay, I might have made it for you in case you didn't want to help." I threw up my hand in surrender. "But it worked, didn't it?"

With a look of incredulity, he questioned, "You thought I wouldn't want you to get your arm back? How low do you think of me?"

"I like to have everything taken care of, just in case."

His frown deepened, knowing there was an underlying insinuation. "Just in case of what?"

"You know...you've just got a lot on your plate. Riley. Your brother."

He went quiet and I felt responsible for it. If he wasn't thinking about them before, he certainly was now.

"If it's any consolation, your brother certainly isn't boring." I didn't know how to bring up Riley to him, or if he'd even talk about her.

Kane scoffed. "That was never going to be an issue."

I tried to search for something nice to say about his brother. It wasn't easy. "At least he's back. He could still be the brother he used to be," I told him, looking up to see him still engrossed in the wiring.

As was characteristic of him, he was silent. When he got like this, I couldn't tell what he was thinking. So I said nothing more on the subject.

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Every screw and bolt was finally tightened. The paneling was laid perfectly flat. And Kane finished with the wiring inside. It was done.

"Let's test it out, shall we?" I asked, lifting it to inspect it for any imperfections.

He held his open palm out to me and on it was a small earpiece that would act as a buffer between my brain and the metal arm. As I'd been building the arm itself, Kane had been working on the earpiece and wiring for days. With it, I should be able to move the arm at will.

Without hesitation, I shoved it into my ear and stared down at the arm. For the last time, it would be disconnected from my body. Lifting it, I held it to the bare stump of my left arm. Kane helped steady it when my one hand wasn't enough. Next two small, needle-like metal spikes would have to be inserted into my skin for full dexterity. Kane didn't bother asking if I was prepared; he knew I'd been ready for this the second my limb was cleaved from my body.

I gritted my teeth against the pain. I could take it. I'd had worse.

Then it was gone. He finished cinching it down to fit my shoulder perfectly and stood back.

Staring down at the metal arm, I told Kane, "Get everyone in here. We could have just made history."

He obeyed and soon all five of our friends and Benton were standing around us in the room. As soon as she saw me, Delphinium said, "You really take any opportunity to take your shirt off, don't you?"

"It's not a problem," Riley told her. Kane's eyes narrowed on her as he tried to figure out if that was a joke.

I looked down at my muscled torso. "I can't say I'm surprised that's what you noticed first."

Benton looked at me flatly. "I only noticed the metal arm."

"Also good," I said, "Because we're about to test out if it works."

Kane caught my eye and whispered, "What if it doesn't?"

"It will work," I said loudly. "Just watch."

"Ten bucks says it doesn't," Arlo replied. Finn masked a laugh.

"I bet twenty dollars ," said Jake, arms crossed.

"We should just be glad he has his arm back," said Delphinium chidingly and I almost thanked her. But then she added. "Twenty dollars that it does."

"I'm upping my bet to yours," Riley said to Delphinium with a smirk. "Prepare to pay."

"You're all a bunch of idiots," I told them scathingly. "You're about to owe me a lot of money."

With that, I looked down at the arm—shining and lined with curving metal plates almost like a real arm. Everyone else mirrored my movement. And slowly, I willed the fingers to move.

Nothing.

"I knew it," Arlo crowed victoriously as Delphinium grudgingly gave Riley a crumpled dollar bill.

"We all did," Benny said, shooting him a look.

"Kane," I hissed and the strongman came forward to help me. After a moment of searching, we found that a wire was wedged in between the plates and was temporarily cut off. After righting it, he stepped back for a second demonstration.

Under my team's watchful gaze, I curled my hand into a fist, metal fingers curling over. The interlocking metal pieces worked exactly as I'd hoped, acting as a thick layer of plated armor. It looked almost as if there was a real arm underneath the metal.

At first, everyone was quiet. Nothing like this had ever been achieved before. It was only fitting that I'd be the first one to make a metal limb.

Then Finn said, "That was impressive," as he looked on in awe. I thanked him, shooting the ones who'd doubted me a dirty look. Riley slipped the money back to Delphinium's waiting hand.

"Well?" I asked, an eyebrow raised. "Where's my money?"

I took Arlo's money very gladly. But when I turned to Jake, he simply said, "I bet on the first test. Not the second."

Shooting him a scowl, I prepared to give him a piece of my mind. But then Delphinium—staring at my shiny arm looking deep in thought—asked, "Can you fight with it?"

"Let's just say that I'm going to crack many Imperium skulls with it. And maybe Marcella Krasowski's."

"How fortunate," Jake drawled, "Because we need to get back to New York."

"Back into the lion's den?" Riley exclaimed with a reproachful glance to the crime lord. "That's where they want us to be. We'll just be playing into their hands."

"That's right. Except hope and reality isn't the same thing. They'll expect us to be as far away from New York as we can get; the last place they'll look for us is there. And once we're well hidden there, Kane can infiltrate the ONNT's database. But we need to be close in order to do so, in case anything goes wrong."

I knew he wasn't saying everything; I knew him too well to believe his intentions were so pure. After all, Adiago Hundsen's empire was in New York as well. But he had a point; we couldn't stay here forever. Our lives had to move on and that meant taking steps toward Imperium's destruction.

"Say we did go," I said, crossing my arms for the first time in ages. "We aren't backed by the ONNT anymore. Without them, we have no means to access transportation, lodging or weaponry."

Surprisingly, it was Delphinium who spoke. "My grandmother said she'd help our cause in any way possible. She can support us."

I hadn't been expecting her to be in agreement—her grandmother either. Delphinium had been paranoid and volatile ever since we'd brought her back, flinching every time we even mentioned the name of her old master. Perhaps this meant she was finally getting back on her feet and returning to her normal self.

"This is what you want?" Finn asked, watching her carefully.

"Yes," she said, albeit in a softer voice than normal. "Yes, it is."

"That's enough for me," I said. "I'm in."

"Me too," Finn stated boldly. The others mirrored our responses except for Kane, who gave a single nod of agreement.

"As for the weaponry," Delphinium said, "Follow me."

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I threw my bag over my shoulder, inventions clinking together inside. My metal arm was functioning better than ever, though it was still going to take some getting used to. I'd actually become accustomed to only having one arm for all this time.

Finn, Arlo, Riley, Kane and Delphinium carried blades from the secret stockpile the latter had offered to us. We'd all decided against giving Benton a weapon just yet, although he still had that switchblade that made everyone nervous.

Delphinium's grandmother approached us as we stood in the foyer, heels echoing on the tile. "I see you're all ready to leave."

"We are," Delphinium said, raising her chin in a sudden bold statement.

"There's a plane waiting to take you to New York. We'll be in contact."

There was a pause in which Delphinium seemed to hesitate. "Thank you. For everything." Her hand went to a necklace hidden under her high collar. Shiny metal shone against the black of her clothes.

Vladlena Tesla didn't soften. "I am sure we will see each other again."

The assassin nodded and looked to her grandmother in a way that made me think their relationship had taken a turn for the better.

With that, she turned out the front doors and we walked back into the world together. There was work to be done.