In Need of Assistance? (TF2)

Sixty-Six: Two Joining to One

"I'm your gal, then," I try my hand at my Texan lingo. And he enjoyed it.

"That you are," he purrs, pressing his lips to my forehead.

We build a stun glove. There's not much that I was aware of was happening as I was simply doing as told. We started with him comparing my hand shape to a pair of electrical gloves he had previously. They fit, that's what matters most, but they're a bit bulky. I prefer them that way, so I don't shock myself. We then got to disassembling a taser, and Engie put me to sticking and attaching metal probes on the fingers and palms of the glove. The sharp prod goes through the material, and then I stick my finger into the other side and attach the flat stopper to the other side. Then I make sure it's insulated by fitting a rubber cap to the back of the probe.

We're only making one, so- in terms of combat- I'd have to make every punch with this thing count. I thought the concept was a bit stupid at first because we could've just had me use a real taser, but then I figured it out in my mind. Engie is very hands-on, and he obviously crafted a mechanism to help him do such a thing. He mentioned it by name to compare, and he calls it the Gunslinger. It's a given that it helps him shoot a gun faster, but he said it also helps him around the garage with how strong the grip on it is and the fact it can withstand a high voltage current in the event he gets shocked. He didn't wear it for our activity today, but he knows what he's doing.

Once I got done prepping the glove, he gave me few tasers he either bought or received for free since they're all burnt out and broken. He believes in salvaging what he can since I remember the piles and piles of scrap metal he had in his garage. I am given a screwdriver, wire cutters, and tweezers. If I'm unsure if it's salvageable, I just put it aside for Engie to judge. I also use this time to clean the goggles Darlene gave to me, trying to be discreet as he looks over my shoulder every half an hour to forty-five minutes and picks through the scrap pile, tossing bits- which feel at random to me. Soon, I get the goggles clean, but I put them in my hoodie pocket for now until later.

This process is taking longer than I expected. The sun is at its highest point now, and Salvador wandered into the barn below to tell us to come in for lunch. Just as we came in, the phone rings.

"Fr-- Cuh-Conagher residence...?" Salvador hesitantly answers in the living room. His face drops and he hangs up.

"Eh- Salvador," I gasp. "Who was it?"

"Miss Pauling."

Engie and I look at each other, and he shrugs. "Probably for the best. I'm not on the clock."

Darlene sets the table, and I grab plates to help her. "Well, what if she needed Mona?"

"She doesn't," I snidely laugh. "She fired me. I'm currently unemployed."

Darlene puts her hands on her hips, determination pointing her eyebrows with venom in her voice. "Let me talk to her and soon enough you won't be."

I shake my head as the ceramic of a plate hits the hardwood table-top. "No, it's okay, Darlene." The phone rings again. I sigh and move Salvador aside before he time to hang up again. "Conagher residence."

"Ah, Accomplice, hey!" Captain's voice spills out of the speakers. I hear laughing in the background, Heavy's hearty guffaw the most easily recognizable. "It's Captain."

"Oh, hi, Merry Christmas!" I smile.

"I didn't know you were going to spend your holiday with Engie," she playfully teases. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think he likes you. With how quick he was to give you one on the lips in his garage--"