The morning after the cooking competition, Jace and Riley sat at the kitchen table, mugs in hand, staring at a mountain of new requests.
Patchwork (quietly to Jace): Welcome to your own personal avalanche. I hope you know how to ski.
Riley scrolled her tablet. "We've got too many leads. Let's knock out the quick ones and save the big R&D job for last."
Jace nodded. "Priority list: laptop hinge, hospital generator, market cooler, phone screen. Then—GlobalTech."
---
1. Laptop Hinge Rescue
Client: Reporter Carol at Pleasant Hill News
Issue: Broken laptop hinge threatens on-air segment
Carol greeted them at 9 a.m. "My screen just flops. Live in ten."
Jace pulled a small set of precision shims from his kit and realigned the hinge axis. He reinforced the mounting pins with high-strength epoxy—no store items needed.
Carol flexed the screen. "Broadcast safe."
Payment: $50
Patchwork: $8.50 added to Pending Taxes. Current total: $8.50.
Wealth: $5,014.88 → $5,064.88
RP Gained: +10 → RP Total: 465
---
2. Hospital Generator Revival
Client: Pleasant Hill Children's Hospital
Issue: Backup generator stutters under load
By 11 a.m. they were in the basement, meters in hand. Jace traced a corroded bus bar and replaced it with fresh copper. He tightened connections and recalibrated the governor—manual work, no store tech required.
The engineer ran a full load test. "Stable at 480 VAC for twenty minutes. You're our hero."
Payment: $500
Patchwork: $85.00 added to Pending Taxes. Current total: $93.50.
Wealth: $5,064.88 → $5,564.88
RP Gained: +50 → RP Total: 515
---
3. Market Cooler Seal-Up
Client: Pleasant Hill Market
Issue: Walk-in cooler losing cold air, produce wilting
At 1 p.m. they found the door seal torn. Jace removed the old gasket and fitted a new silicone seal from his parts box. He adjusted the hinge tension to ensure uniform contact.
A quick thermal probe check confirmed a steady 38 °F.
Payment: $300
Patchwork: $51.00 added to Pending Taxes. Current total: $144.50.
Wealth: $5,564.88 → $5,864.88
RP Gained: +30 → RP Total: 545
---
4. Boutique Phone Revival
Client: Downtown gadget boutique
Issue: Dead Samsung S9 with cracked casing
They cracked open the chassis, swapped in a spare screen assembly from Jace's inventory, and re-seated the battery connector. A quick firmware reboot, and the phone sprang to life—no store items required.
The owner grinned. "You saved my weekend."
Payment: $40
Patchwork: $6.80 added to Pending Taxes. Current total: $151.30.
Wealth: $5,864.88 → $5,904.88
RP Gained: +10 → RP Total: 555
---
5. The GlobalTech Invitation
Client: GlobalTech Innovations
Issue: Precision calibration of experimental Quantum Resonance Emitter
That afternoon, a sleek black van delivered them to a secure facility. After biometric clearance, they entered a white-tiled lab where a humming emitter pulsed faint blue arcs.
Dr. Verma explained: "Your firmware expertise is required to retune the resonance coil."
Jace set to work on the control console and, this time, used one store item—the Circuit Recompiler Chip (–60 RP) —to rewrite the emitter's firmware for exact frequency alignment.
Patchwork: Yes, yes—costs you 60 RP, but think of it as an investment in your own headline.
-60 RP → RP Total: 495
---
Calibration Success
With the chip installed, the device's arcs stabilized into a perfect, continuous loop. Jace fine-tuned the phase shifter manually, ensuring no runaway feedback.
Dr. Verma's relief was palpable. "You've done it. Stability is absolute."
He transferred $2,000 to their account.
Patchwork: $340.00 added to Pending Taxes. Current total: $491.30.
Wealth: $5,904.88 → $7,904.88
RP Gained: +80 → RP Total: 575
---
The Surprise Lock-In
Before they could pack up, the lab door swished closed and locked.
Dr. Verma frowned. "You must sign nondisclosure paperwork before departure."
Riley's jaw clenched. "We came to work—this wasn't part of the deal."
Dr. Verma gave a thin smile. "Company policy."
Patchwork: Welcome to the deluxe GlobalTech experience: where the NDA doubles as a handcuff.
---
Cliffhanger
As Jace took the pen, the emitter's blue glow reflected in the polished table surface. The last thing he saw before signing was a hidden biometric cuff snapping around his wrist.
Patchwork (urgently): Well, host, congratulations. You just upgraded yourself from contractor to prisoner. Let's see what this chapter's sequel looks like, shall we?
---
Status Update
Technician: Jace Thorn
RP Total: 575
Wealth: $7,904.88
Pending Taxes: $491.30
---
Jace blinked against the harsh fluorescent light. His vision swam as he tried to shift—only to realize his wrist was locked into a biometric cuff. Riley sat across the room, her eyes flicking between the keypad-locked door and Jace's cuff.
Patchwork's voice, private and smug, tickled Jace's thoughts. Well, impressively adhesive these "custody bracelets" are. But expiration dates aren't just for milk.
Riley ran her fingers along the keypad. "They won't let us leave until we sign the final NDA terms."
Jace swallowed. "We sign, we stay. We don't sign… they might just—"
Patchwork cut in low. Or we improvise. Ever hear of a shadow hack?
---
Recon & Realization
The lab door's lock glowed steady red. Beyond it, distant footsteps echoed. Jace tested his cuff's panel. No override, no surprise backdoor.
Patchwork: You do realize you built the very system that now holds you, right? We'll have to find another exit.
Riley scouted the walls. A narrow ventilation duct sat high above their heads, grill screws loose. She held up a small Philips head. "This looks promising."
Jace gritted his teeth. "Riley, I'm cuffed."
Patchwork: Clever, isn't he? Maybe I can rewrite the firmware in that cuff. Give it a time-release latch override.
---
A Firmware Fix
Jace closed his eyes. He summoned the last code snippet Patchwork had whispered weeks ago—a hidden function in the cuff's control microchip. Leaning forward, he pressed two discreet contact pads on the cuff's housing.
The device whirred softly as Patchwork injected the override. Jace felt the latch mechanism click.
Jace flexed his wrist. "I'm free."
Riley cracked a grin. "Nice work."
Patchwork: You're welcome. I'll invoice you later in RP.
---
Ventilation Venture
They removed the duct grill and slipped inside the vent. Metal clanged as Riley crawled first, Jace following. The tunnel narrowed, dust falling onto their clothes.
Patchwork: Oh, how romantic—intimate quarters with your business partner under a floor panel.
The vent led to a control room. Through the glass, they saw Dr. Verma's team monitoring security cameras. A keypad glowed beside the door.
---
Hijacking Controls
Riley plugged her tablet into the control console's USB port. Lines of code scrolled as she patched the security software.
Patchwork: Three reasons this will work: they didn't encrypt the data, they reused admin passwords, and they didn't think you'd ever get in here. Amateur hour.
The cameras flickered. The door lock indicator switched green.
Riley tapped Jace's shoulder. "Door's open."
Jace slipped inside. Patchwork: I'll handle the logs—these folks will think it was a system glitch.
---
Corridor Clash
They slipped into the hallway just as a guard turned the corner.
"Stop!" the guard barked, drawing his baton.
Jace raised his hands. "We're… maintenance."
Patchwork: Translation: bullcrap.
Riley intercepted, holding up a patch cable. "The AC's overloading—code red."
The guard hesitated, then radioed in.
Patchwork: Look at you, rehearsed. Very theatrical.
The guard ran back to the lab. Jace grabbed Riley's hand and they sprinted toward the stairs.
---
Panic Mode
Alarms blared. Red strobes flashed down the corridor. They rushed past offices and labs, Patchwork guiding them.
Patchwork: Left here, right in five meters, vault door—no, not there—closer.
They reached the main entrance. Two guards barred the hallway.
Riley whispered, "Now what?"
Patchwork: Deploy the Quantum Resonance Emitter.
---
Final Gambit
Jace flagged down a passing cart carrying the now-stable emitter. They wheeled it into the hallway. The guards blocked them.
Jace flipped the emitter's control to "Phase Disrupt." Blue arcs crackled. A low tone reverberated—locks and electronics along the corridor clicked and reset.
The guards staggered, disoriented.
Patchwork: Told you it had more tricks.
Riley grabbed Jace's arm. "Go!"
They dashed through the disabled security doors into the parking lot.
---
Safe at Last
Outside, the black van was gone. They bolted across the gravel lot toward the main gate.
Patchwork: Congratulations—freedom tastes a lot like gravel dust.
Riley panted. "We made it."
Jace touched the emitter's dial. "That… could have gone worse."
Patchwork: It did go worse—for them.
---
Status Update
Technician: Jace Thorn
RP Total: 575 → 605
Wealth: \$7,904.88
Pending Taxes: \$491.30
---
As dusk settled, they melted into the night. Riley slipped Jace his jacket.
"Where to?" she asked.
Jace looked at the city skyline. "Somewhere we can plan the next move."
Patchwork: Finally, the fun begins.
They didn't speak much on the drive back. The adrenaline had faded, leaving behind exhaustion and the quiet hum of consequences.
Riley finally broke the silence. "We need to decide what to do with what we saw."
Jace nodded, eyes fixed on the road. "GlobalTech's emitter wasn't just unstable. It was unfinished. And they locked us in with it."
Patchwork's voice slithered in, dry as ever: And yet, you didn't explode. I call that a win.
---
Back at the Apartment
They arrived to find a stack of mail, two missed calls from Sterling Vent, and a blinking notification on Jace's HUD.
Patchwork: While you were busy crawling through vents, I took the liberty of organizing your files. You're welcome.
Jace opened the folder. Inside: a full diagnostic log of the Quantum Resonance Emitter, including timestamps, firmware changes, and a hidden subroutine labeled "Phase Cascade Protocol."
Riley leaned over. "That wasn't in the specs."
Patchwork: Of course not. It's the part where the emitter turns into a city-wide EMP if someone sneezes wrong.
Jace stared. "They're building a weapon."
---
The Dilemma
Riley paced. "We could leak this. Go public. Blow the whole thing open."
Patchwork: Or we could sell it to the highest bidder and retire to a beach where the drinks come with umbrellas and no one sues you.
Jace shook his head. "We're not selling it. But if we go public, we'll be targets again."
Riley stopped pacing. "Then we need protection. Allies."
Patchwork: Or a bunker. I vote bunker.
---
The Call from Sterling
Jace finally returned Sterling's call.
Sterling's voice was low. "I heard about GlobalTech. Word travels fast. You need to be careful."
Jace: "We have proof. Logs, firmware traces. Enough to bury them."
Sterling: "Then you need leverage. I'll connect you with someone who knows how to use it."
Patchwork: Ah, the shadow network. Where favors are currency and everyone's allergic to daylight.
---
Side Job: HVAC at the Community Center
Before the meeting, Jace and Riley swung by the Pleasant Hill Community Center. The HVAC unit was rattling like a shopping cart full of bricks.
Jace climbed onto the roof, opened the panel, and found a loose fan blade and a cracked capacitor. He replaced both manually, no store items needed.
Patchwork: Look at you, fixing things the old-fashioned way. I'm almost proud. Almost.
The unit hummed back to life. Inside, the staff clapped as the AC kicked on.
Payment: $150
Patchwork: $25.50 added to Pending Taxes. Current total: $516.80.
Wealth: $7,904.88 → $8,054.88
RP Gained: +20 → RP Total: 625
---
The Meeting
Sterling's contact turned out to be a woman named Quinn—ex-cybersecurity analyst turned whistleblower consultant. She met them in a quiet diner booth, laptop already open.
Quinn: "You've got firmware logs, timestamps, and a subroutine that shouldn't exist. That's enough to trigger a federal inquiry."
Jace: "We don't want to disappear again."
Quinn: "Then we leak it smart. Controlled. With legal insulation."
Patchwork: Translation: she knows how to throw a grenade and walk away before it explodes.
---
The Upload
That night, Quinn helped them upload the sanitized logs to a secure server. The metadata was stripped, the source anonymized, and the release timed for 6 a.m. the next morning.
Patchwork: I added a little flair. If anyone tries to trace it, they'll end up in a recursive loop that plays elevator music until they give up.
Riley raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
Patchwork: It's very annoying elevator music.
---
Status Update
Technician: Jace Thorn
RP Total: 625
Wealth: $8,054.88
Pending Taxes: $516.80
---
As they watched the upload bar tick toward 100%, Riley leaned against Jace's shoulder.
"This is going to change everything."
Patchwork's voice was quiet, almost reverent: Yes. And not all of it will be good.