Flashback ( PDFDrive )

Tinker shifted her weight. “No.”
Another answer that wasn’t a question—and it seemed to give Dex
confidence. He straightened up as he told her, “I have. And the thing
is, they enjoy hurting and killing. They’re never going to stop—not
until they’ve destroyed everything and taken over. And people like
that . . . you can’t beat them by playing it safe.”
“He’s right,” Mr. Forkle added softly. “The Neverseen have all but
declared war. And war is a messy, horrible thing. It requires crossing
lines that probably shouldn’t be crossed but must be in order to
survive. So if someone’s willing to step up and handle something that
you’re not comfortable with, that’s good news. Especially if you can
offer wisdom to guide them.”
Tinker looked away, luring Sprocket back to her lap with another
metal cube and trailing her fingers through his shiny fur. “What
exactly do you need me to do?”
“Whatever you feel comfortable with,” Mr. Forkle told her. “Mr.
Dizznee has recently been creating an arsenal of sorts, stored in
stashes, and I’d love for you to help him improve on some of those
creations, both in their effectiveness and their appearance. I’m hoping
that whatever devices you two create can be camouflaged or shrunken.
The goal would be for us to have them constantly on hand.”
“And when do you want us to begin working on all of this?” Tinker
asked.
“Why not today? Mr. Dizznee’s already here. Beyond that, I’ll leave
the schedule up to you—but I’d recommend meeting up as much as
possible. I realize you have a number of responsibilities, Mr. Dizznee,
between Foxfire and your family’s business and your friends. But this
needs to be a priority.”