<em>Tweak the sensitivity on the antennae.  Careful, careful... Now, all that's left is to add the legs and ... there! Done!</em><br/><br/>Tanya slid the last component into place and pushed away from her workbench, groaning as her muscles protested and stretching to pop the knots in her back.  She glanced at the clock and was mildly surprised to see that she'd whiled away half the day bent over her bench, putting the finishing touches on the devices a wannabe supervillain who called himself The Roach ordered two weeks ago.  It was a simple thing, really, a mechanical bug with stealth capabilities, the kind that could pick up conversation and keytones through recording devices cleverly hidden in the antennae, digitize the recordings and radio them back to an accompanying handheld receiver, amongst... other things.<br/><br/>But Tanya tried not to think of all the special-order abilities she'd built into the damn thing.  Surely, there was no<em>positive </em>use for the micro-explosives implanted in the carapace, or the drug-delivery system included in the tiny but wicked mandibles.  She wasn't exactly sure if true roaches had mandibles, but if The Roach wanted them and was willing to pay extra for them, then Tanya was in no position to argue.<br/><br/>She really wished she could stick to supplying heroes with gadgets and gizmos, like she had when she'd started out.  Those were the good times, when she was fifteen and funnelling beloved public figures like the Golden Torch and Doc Justice with devices that made their jobs a lot easier.  But all most heroes could offer these days were favors, free merchandise if they had the connections, or their gratitute.<br/><br/>Gratitude didn't pay the rent, though, and unless the hero worked for McDonald's, favors didn't feed her.  Even the government research grants in her name didn't give her the kind of money that would allow her to help keep the family home in the family.<br/><br/>Villains could pay her in<em>cash</em>, and a lot of cash to boot.  When it came down to her conscience twinging at her guiltily, or her stomach twinging at her with hunger, she'd feed her stomach and deal with her conscience later.  With her dad laid off from Lostros Computers and her mother's piano lessons and part-time job not hauling in as much money as they needed to maintain the lifestyle, never mind Tanya's own ravenous need for fresh parts and wiring, she had to take paying jobs when and where they came, and she couldn't be too picky about it.<br/><br/>Tanya looked back over her shoulder at the prototype lying so innocently on her workbench, under the magnifier and in reach of dozens of tools that would easily dismantle it, then sighed and waved her hand over the bioscanner that controlled the hidden door, leaving her sub-basement lab and her dubious contributions to society behind.<br/><br/>===========<br/><br/>The ATM around the corner from the club was more than happy to spit out a couple of hundred dollars for her, despite her distinct lack of a bank card.  She grinned, patted the terminal like she would a favored pet, and thanked it for its time.  The computer inside chirped happily at her, and<em>Would you like to complete another transaction?</em>popped up on the screen.<br/><br/>"No," she said, "but thank you again."<br/><br/><em>Have a good day!</em><br/><br/>Tanya patted the machine again, then turned and walked away from the terminal, counting out the crisp twenties as she rounded the corner.  She stuffed the wad into her pocket, and pulled out her ID as she<br/><br/>"Hey Jimmy," she said warmly to the bouncer screening IDs at the door.  He grinned back and moved aside for her, much the complaints of the next girl in line.<br/><br/>"Not bad, T," he said as she moved past him and into the club.  "Not bad at all.  By the way, thanks again for that solid you did me."<br/><br/>"Any time Jimmy," she called over her shoulder as she stepped into the press of bodies and the thumping of bass.  Sometimes, favors were useful, especially when the recepient of such favors had a prized but cranky Harley no mechanic could figure out how to fix, and was a bouncer at her favorite club.  She still had to pay cover, but skipping to the head of the line and not needing to show ID whenever he was on the door was wealth in and of itself.<br/>