A lamb, Rock, And Bullets

We stand in the now calm snowstorm and wait for the hover-car. Cassian takes out a cigarette and takes a long pull, as a faint red light flickers at the end, before blowing the smoke into the air and watching it disappear into the grey sky. With his black buzzed cut hair now wet, he leans on the railing still in his utility trousers, boots and light blue shirt (albeit now fresh). I lean on the hover-car landing zone railings and stare at the busy district below me. Save Fors wearing their standard black and white overalls dawn the streets below rushing about on assigned missions. I pull my neck zipper all the way down and reach for my inner left pocket.

I remove the little lamb and prop him on the ground. It buffers for a while before coming alive. Cassian with a puzzled expression bends down to meet it. He takes a pull and speaks. "Luca is going to love this.." He then puffs smoke at it. I hurriedly wave the smoke away and shield it away from him. He chuckles.

"It was a gift from my mother."

"Have you named it?"

I gently caress its head with my finger and stare at it in my palm. "Alex."

"What?"

"His name's Alex."

He chuckles as he returns to his position against the railing. "Well then, I hope Alex knows he's a gift a lot of people would kill to have."

"Synthetization is the way forward. It will be the grand fiery crucible that makes all things new. I'm glad the lower levels are showing interest."

"The hope it gives to the lower levels, especially the Sub-standards... They aren't showing just interest, I've seen men and women do whatever it takes to get their hands on synthetic parts and limbs...whatever it takes to ascend beyond the slums." I stare at his somber expression. His brows bend sharply as he frowns - lost in thought.

"You haven't been down there, you haven't seen what desperate humans can really do to each other, in order to feel accepted."

I grip his shoulder. "Through stricter restrictions and regulations, this could be the way forward. The Mako's and the Smith's helped us bring this miracle to the dome. In this new transition, I know I can count on you, you and the Smith house." I say as I stretch out my hand towards him. He stares at it for a while before a faint smile spreads across his face. He clasps it and speaks.

"Of course, brother."

The hover-craft soon emerges through the snow. We make our way towards it as the snow and wind whip around it as it lands.

***

We arrive at The Science and Technology Ministry; I glance up at the big bold letters STM engraved vertically onto the front of the colossal building before entering. The reception is tainted in mundane white and grey colors with small black metal details lining the office furniture and stairs. At its center a gentle fountain pours from the ceiling onto The Union emblem and pools around it.

I'm announced in as everyone pauses and does the customary bow. Cassian and I, with our escort, proceed towards the door labeled 01 Biotechnology. With a sharp hiss the door parts way revealing the bustling first level synthetics division. The room is tainted in a faint blue color. The walls which are colored in shades of grey, white and blue, have straight lines running across them, indicating where the industrial walls were connected. The lively room is filled with small industrial droids carrying unskinned synthetic limbs, tinted glassed rooms with silhouettes of large industrial machines pieces things together, clear glassed rooms with engineers in burly navy-blue utility jackets and black grey overalls, working on and testing synthetic parts on human subjects, scientists in black and grey overalls arguing about data displayed on screens. One of them, dressed with a white lab coat approaches them. I see him type something onto a keyboard and say something inaudible. The argument soon dies and they thank him as he leaves to the next station. Cassian goes before me, sneaks up behind him, and traps him in a hug.

"Luca Mako!" Cassian hollers.

"Put me down, Cassian." Luca assumes as his oriental features twist into a frown. Cassian with a big smirk on his face obliges. He straightens his lab coat before clasping Cassian's hand and greeting him. He turns to me and does the same. With a smile on his face, he wishes me a happy birthday.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He says as he gestures to the whole lab. "As the head of STM, madam Konn, likes to say; 'Synthetization - the fiery crucible'. This is only the beginning of a ran at true peace and unity." He then proceeds to check the several screens before ordering the scientists.

"Without the Mako house bringing the final key to the equation, none of this would be possible." I speak. He takes out a pen and jots something down before glancing at me.

"The power of increasing your H.I. score by replacing your limbs. All to become more human – ironic, huh? But alas, beggars can't be choosers, right?" He chuckles and waves us to follow him. We climb the stairs that lead to his office, and after unlocking it he gestures for use to proceed. Our escort waits at the door as we head into his office.

"Don't you get tired of your constant shadow of protection." He says as the doors whir shut. I shrug and sit at his desk.

I glance around his office, it's chaotic as always with books and blueprints littering the ground, his desk and his bookshelves. He curves around into my focus with two glasses and a bottle of whiskey which he proceeds to pour into the cups. Cassian walks around his office and stares at his clear glass personal lab.

"Looks like you've been keeping busy while I was away." He says as he gestures to the tools scattered at the workstation in his sealed lab. Luca scoffs.

"If that is your way of asking, 'did you make any cool gadgets for me?' the answer is no." He says as he takes a drink. Cassian shakes his head in disappointment and takes a seat next to me. He grabs a glass of whiskey as Luca downs the contents of his and speaks.

"However, I did make something for of course..." he pauses as he clears his desk, reaches below and heaves a big square metal box with various STM labels on it. "The birthday boy."

Cassian scoffs as I stare at it. I grab and pull it towards me. Luca stares at me intently as I analyze it. It's a grey STM courier box that normally contains things from weapons, armor, or synthetic parts. I grab the sticky note on it that reads 'Password: 131217' and enter the digits on the keypad causing the box to hiss open and reveal a black helmet with a glass maroon-tinted front panel. My fingers graze over the two small mirroring Ks engraved on the side of the helmet.

"A first-generation Order of Konn helmet." I say amazed.

"A Knight of Konn helmet. Pre-war too." Cassian adds. I glance at him.

"If this was your real present you should've said so."

Cassian shakes his head as I put it on. The HUD comes to life and starts analyzing my surroundings.

"When Cassian brought it to me, it was a piece of junk." Luca speaks.

"How did you find this?" I ask Cassian. He downs his whiskey and speaks.

"Found it on my last run, in a mining hole sub-section not too far from a restricted zone. Had it cleared and delivered to Luca immediately-"

"And I immediately set aside all my projects to solely focus on restoring it." Luca says he reaches for his drawer and reveals a pistol resulting in Cassian's eyebrows to shoot up and a frown to form on mine. He aims it at me and sends two shots. As if in slow motion I stare in confusion as two white flashes from the silencer send two bullets screeching towards me before they hit the tinted front glass panel of the helmet and fall to the ground.

"I of course added a few things too, like making it bulletproof." Luca says as he returns the pistol back in his drawer. I stare at Cassian and back to the bullets on the ground as adrenaline soars through my body.

"Should I be worried that you keep a gun in your office drawer?" Cassian asks as he reaches for the bottle of whiskey. He waves him off.

"Sometimes I test the synthetic limbs against different calibers."

"Thank you both." I manage to say through the helmet distortion as the beating of my heart in my ears lowers. I remove it and carefully place it back in its box.

***