(Rebecca's POV)
Gerald crouches. One knee on the gravel. He brings himself to Jack's exact height and extends his hand.
"Gerald King. I hear you like things that beep."
Jack shifts his plate to his left hand. Shakes with his right. His grip is serious, his face solemn. "I like things that move. Beeping is okay but moving is better."
Gerald nods. Gravely. As though this is a perfectly reasonable engineering position that he has weighed and found sound.
"I've got a walking tin can in the workshop. The legs are wrong. It walks in circles. I need a second pair of hands and a second opinion." He pauses. "You available?"
Jack looks down at his pie. Looks at the barn. Looks at Gerald.
"I'm available right now."
They vanish into the barn within eleven minutes. I time it.
I'm sitting on th
