The keystone is lowered down into pride of place - a colossal slab of finest quality granite, and almost entirely pointless. Almost. The design nowadays is to be as robust and have as few points of failure as possible and, of course, most of the foundation is going to be made out of concrete, but the optics of the scene look good. That's what sells at the moments: optics. So many high profile, and necessary construction projects given the worldwide disaster that there are plenty of jobs to go around. But similarly if you want to get the really good ones you are going to have to stand head and shoulders above the crowd. So… making a spectacle and getting some good publicity is the way to go.

Jason brushes sweat from his brow; now much more leathery and tanned than it was even month ago. The Australian heat was inescapable. Still this was where the money was, so this was where muggins here went… though that wasn't really fair, he thought. He still loved the work - always had - but the newer, and higher, profile just meant that they had ever longer hours in ever more distant places to churn out the product of BTB's imagination. He wouldn't complain - this has made him a very rich man - but he never really had time to actually enjoy the fruits of his labour.

“Just a few years” he thought “and then I can retire with enough money that I won't need to care ever again: somewhere nice and sunny.”

He licked his lips, and tasted the salty tang of sweat on his lips.

“Actually, fuck that. I'm retiring somewhere cold.”