The Setup
The workshop was quiet except for the hum of Jace's soldering iron. Riley paced, phone in hand, her expression sharp.
"They're following us," she said finally.
Jace looked up. "Daniel's people?"
"Yeah. Three job requests came in overnight, all in the same district. Too neat to be coincidence."
Patchwork's voice slid into Jace's mind, smug.
"Congratulations. You're officially binge‑watched."
Riley crossed her arms. "If we take one of these, they'll be watching every move."
Jace shrugged. "Then we make it look boring."
---
The Call
The phone rang again. Riley answered, then gave Jace a look. "Community rec center. HVAC is down, scoreboard's fried, and one of the staff cut his hand on a bleacher hinge. Youth basketball tournament in three hours."
Jace zipped his kit. "Let's go."
Patchwork: "Three issues, one location. And I can already feel the eyes on you."
---
Arrival
The rec center was buzzing with kids in jerseys, parents juggling coffee, and staff trying to keep order. The director waved them over.
"Thank God you're here. No AC, scoreboard's dead, and Mike cut his hand on the bleachers."
Riley was already moving toward Mike with her first‑aid kit. "Jace, start with the HVAC."
From the corner of his eye, Jace spotted them: two men in plain clothes, pretending to watch the kids warm up but glancing at him too often.
Patchwork: "Smile, you're on candid camera."
---
HVAC – Mechanical
On the roof, the HVAC unit's compressor was seized, capacitor blown. Jace had a capacitor in his kit, but no compressor.
He glanced at Riley. She gave a small nod.
"Patchwork," he thought.
"Compressor module, cost: 55 RP," the AI replied. "Too big to fake from the kit. You'll need to 'fetch it.'"
RP deducted: 903 → 848
Jace wiped his hands. "Need a bigger part. I'll grab it from the van."
Down in the parking lot, he opened the van, reached into the storage compartment, and his hand closed around the gleaming replacement compressor Patchwork had slipped into reality. Heavy, awkward, exactly what you'd expect to see hauled in for a job like this.
When he returned lugging the part on his shoulder, the director's eyebrows rose. "You carry that around?"
"Always better to be over‑prepared," Jace said, setting it down with a thud.
He swapped the compressor, replaced the capacitor, and powered the unit back on. Cool air began to flow into the gym.
From below, one of the watchers leaned toward the other, murmuring something.
---
Scoreboard – Electronic
Next was the scoreboard. Its control board was fried, firmware corrupted.
"Patchwork," Jace thought.
"Circuit Recompiler Chip, cost: 60 RP," the AI replied.
RP deducted: 848 → 788
He slotted the chip in, let it rewrite the firmware, and the scoreboard lit up, numbers glowing bright.
The kids cheered. The watchers didn't.
---
First Aid – Biological Repair
Meanwhile, Riley had cleaned Mike's cut and wrapped it neatly. Jace joined her, placing his hand lightly over the bandage. The echo pulsed — warmth spreading, skin knitting, pain fading. He carefully unwrapped Riley's work, revealing smooth, unbroken skin.
Mike blinked. "That's… fast."
Riley smiled. "He's good at what he does."
From across the gym, the watchers exchanged another look.
---
The Confrontation
As they packed up, one of the watchers approached. "You always carry the exact part you need?"
Jace kept his tone casual. "I prepare."
The man's eyes narrowed. "Every time?"
Riley stepped in smoothly. "He's obsessive. Our workshop looks like a hoarder's paradise. If you can think of a part, he's probably got three."
The man studied her, then Jace, then walked away.
Patchwork: "Nice save. But they're not buying it forever."
---
Payment and Numbers
The director handed Riley a check. "You saved the tournament."
Payment: $1,200
Patchwork: "$204.00 added to Pending Taxes. Current total: $5,627.35."
Wealth: $29,184.88 → $30,384.88
RP Gained: +90 (multi‑capability repair under surveillance with visible compressor retrieval)
RP Total: 788 → 878
---
Back at the Workshop
Riley leaned against the bench. "That compressor made it look real. They bought it."
Jace nodded. "Good. Maybe it slows the questions."
Patchwork's voice was a quiet hum in his mind.
"Or maybe it makes them wonder how you always have the exact compressor in the van. Either way, you're at 878 RP. Keep stacking."
Jace smirked. "We will."
The echo pulsed once — steady, ready.
---
Status Update
Technician: Jace Thorn
RP Total: 878
Wealth: $30,384.88
Pending Taxes: $5,627.35
Monthly Rent: Workshop – $1,200 | Apartment – $1,400 (covers both Jace & Riley)
Patchwork Capabilities:
- Mechanical Repair
- Electronic Repair
- Emotional Repair
- Biological Repair
Next Upgrade: Unlocks at 2,000 RP
Taxes due: one month
---
The Setup
The workshop was quiet except for the faint hum of Riley's laptop fan. She was scrolling through the job board, brow furrowed.
"Another cluster," she said. "Three requests in the same neighborhood. Different clients, but all urgent."
Jace leaned back in his chair. "Daniel's people again?"
"Feels like it. They're watching how you work, not what you fix."
Patchwork's voice slid into Jace's mind, sardonic.
"Congratulations. You're a lab rat. At least you're the stylish kind."
---
The Call
The phone rang. Riley answered, listened, then covered the receiver. "Local high school. Their PA system is dead, the gym's scoreboard is glitching, and one of the janitors gashed his arm on a broken ladder rung. They've got a pep rally in two hours."
Jace zipped his kit. "Let's give them a show."
---
Arrival
The high school gym was buzzing with students setting up banners and practicing chants. The assistant principal met them at the door, frazzled.
"PA's down, scoreboard's useless, and poor Carl cut himself trying to fix the ladder. We need this working before the rally."
Riley was already moving toward Carl with her first‑aid kit. "Jace, start with the PA."
From the bleachers, Jace spotted them: two men in plain clothes, pretending to watch the students but glancing at him too often.
Patchwork: "Your fan club is back."
---
PA System – Electronic Repair
The PA rack was a tangle of cables and dust. Jace traced the fault to a blown fuse and a loose ground. Both were in his kit.
He swapped the fuse, tightened the ground, and powered the system back on. The speakers crackled, then came alive with a student's voice testing the mic.
Jace smiled. "Gotta love the simple ones. Just skill and a fuse."
---
Scoreboard – Electronic
Next was the scoreboard. Its control board was fried, the firmware corrupted. Jace sighed.
"Patchwork," he thought.
"Circuit Recompiler Chip, cost: 60 RP," the AI replied.
RP deducted: 878 → 818
He slotted the chip in, let it rewrite the firmware, and the scoreboard lit up, numbers glowing bright.
The students cheered. The watchers didn't.
---
First Aid – Biological Repair
Meanwhile, Riley had cleaned Carl's cut and wrapped it neatly. Jace joined her, placing his hand lightly over the bandage. The echo pulsed — warmth spreading, skin knitting, pain fading. He carefully unwrapped Riley's work, revealing smooth, unbroken skin.
Carl blinked. "That's… fast."
Riley smiled. "He's good at what he does."
From across the gym, the watchers exchanged another look.
---
The Suspicion
As they packed up, one of the watchers approached. "Funny how you always have the exact part you need."
Jace kept his tone casual. "Preparation."
The man's eyes narrowed. "Every time?"
Riley stepped in smoothly. "He's obsessive. Our workshop looks like a hoarder's paradise. If you can think of a part, he's probably got three."
The man studied her, then Jace, then walked away.
Patchwork: "They're not buying it forever."
---
Payment and Numbers
The assistant principal handed Riley a check. "You saved the rally."
Payment: $950
Patchwork: "$161.50 added to Pending Taxes. Current total: $5,788.85."
Wealth: $30,384.88 → $31,334.88
RP Gained: +80 (multi‑capability repair, mixed methods)
RP Total: 818 → 898
---
Back at the Workshop
Riley leaned against the bench. "They're starting to see the pattern."
Jace nodded. "Then maybe we break it. Let something take longer. Make it look harder."
Patchwork's voice was a quiet hum in his mind.
"898 RP. Keep stacking. At 2,000, the upgrade drops. But until then, you'd better get used to the spotlight."
Jace smirked. "Then let's give them a show."
The echo pulsed once — steady, ready.
---
Status Update
Technician: Jace Thorn
RP Total: 898
Wealth: $31,334.88
Pending Taxes: $5,788.85
Monthly Rent: Workshop – $1,200 | Apartment – $1,400 (covers both Jace & Riley)
Patchwork Capabilities:
- Mechanical Repair
- Electronic Repair
- Emotional Repair
- Biological Repair
Next Upgrade: Unlocks at 2,000 RP
Taxes due: one month
---
The Setup
The workshop smelled of machine oil and coffee. Riley was perched on the edge of the workbench, scrolling through her tablet.
"Another job request," she said. "Local hospital wing. Their automatic door system is down, the nurse call panel is glitching, and one of the orderlies gashed his hand on a jagged cart rail. They're expecting a patient transfer in two hours."
Jace tightened the strap on his kit. "Hospital jobs are always fun."
Patchwork's voice slid into his mind, dry as ever.
"Fun is one word. Liability is another."
Riley gave him a look. "No store this time. We need to show them you're not magic."
Jace nodded. "Fabrication it is."
---
Arrival
The hospital's maintenance chief met them at the entrance, harried and sweating. "We've got patients waiting on this. The doors won't open, the call panel's dead, and poor Luis cut himself trying to fix a cart."
Riley was already moving toward Luis with her first‑aid kit. "Jace, start with the doors."
---
Automatic Doors – Mechanical Fabrication
The sliding doors were jammed open, motor whining uselessly. Jace opened the housing and found the drive pulley cracked clean through. No replacement in his kit.
Patchwork: "Store has one for 45 RP."
Jace shook his head. "Not this time."
He jogged back to the van, grabbed a block of aluminum stock, and returned to the workshop's portable lathe he kept in the van for emergencies. Setting up in the hospital's loading bay, he machined a new pulley by hand, sparks flying.
Riley peeked in. "You're really doing this old‑school."
"Better they see me sweat than wonder how I pulled a pulley out of thin air."
Within forty minutes, the new pulley was installed. The doors slid open and closed smoothly.
The maintenance chief blinked. "You made that?"
"Sometimes you have to," Jace said.
---
Nurse Call Panel – Electronic Repair
Next was the nurse call panel. Jace traced the fault to a corroded connector and a shorted capacitor. Both were in his kit. He cleaned the connector, swapped the capacitor, and powered the panel back on. The lights blinked green, the system chirped alive.
Patchwork: "See? No RP burned. You're not completely helpless without me."
---
First Aid – Biological Repair
Meanwhile, Riley had cleaned Luis's cut and wrapped it neatly. Jace joined her, placing his hand lightly over the bandage. The echo pulsed — warmth spreading, skin knitting, pain fading. He carefully unwrapped Riley's work, revealing smooth, unbroken skin.
Luis blinked. "That's… fast."
Riley smiled. "He's good at what he does."
---
The Suspicion
As they packed up, one of the hospital administrators approached. "You fabricated that pulley here? On‑site?"
Jace nodded. "Didn't have the part, so I made one."
The administrator studied him. "That's… unusual."
Riley stepped in smoothly. "He's obsessive. Our van's half workshop, half warehouse. If he can't find it, he makes it."
The administrator nodded slowly, but his eyes lingered on Jace a little too long.
Patchwork: "Congratulations. You've convinced them you're a genius instead of a magician. Which is only half a lie."
---
Payment and Numbers
The maintenance chief handed Riley a check. "You saved us a fortune in downtime."
Payment: $1,300
Patchwork: "$221.00 added to Pending Taxes. Current total: $6,009.85."
Wealth: $31,334.88 → $32,634.88
RP Gained: +95 (multi‑capability repair with on‑site fabrication, no store use)
RP Total: 898 → 993
---
Back at the Workshop
Riley leaned against the bench. "That fabrication bought us credibility. They saw you sweat for it."
Jace nodded. "Better than pulling another miracle."
Patchwork's voice was a quiet hum in his mind.
"993 RP. You're closing in. At 2,000, the upgrade drops. But until then, keep hammering metal like a blacksmith if it makes you feel normal."
Jace smirked. "Normal's overrated."
The echo pulsed once — steady, ready.
---
Status Update
Technician: Jace Thorn
RP Total: 993
Wealth: $32,634.88
Pending Taxes: $6,009.85
Monthly Rent: Workshop – $1,200 | Apartment – $1,400 (covers both Jace & Riley)
Patchwork Capabilities:
- Mechanical Repair
- Electronic Repair
- Emotional Repair
- Biological Repair
Next Upgrade: Unlocks at 2,000 RP
Taxes due: one month