Celeste

Celeste was a prodigy.

Just like her father, she had the mind to do whatever she wanted. Just like her father had the strength and will to take on anything she wanted. Just like her father had this need to make everything better.

Unlike her father she kept to herself.

What she could use to her strength, she kept a secret. Not for her sake but for everyone else.

She was twenty-three when a friend of her parents approached her with an old experiment. No one had talked about it before, and she thought it was only in the engineering phase. It was only with good intentions that she said yes to finishing the project.

It was what her father started.

She had the finished blue prints, but for two years she wondered why she hasn’t seen a finished model. Was her parents’ friend keeping it to herself? Or was it never completed?

All she got was the blueprints.

Nothing else.

She thought the idea was amazing.

A device that could store memories and allow people to rewatch them. It was an amazing idea. It could help so many departments and the civilians. This could change how systems are ran, protocols, everything.

Celeste dedicated herself to her project.

But she had no one to talk to about it. It had to be a secret for a reason. That kind of research, what she was planning to do, it was illegal for a reason. The negative impact that this implant could cause would be tremendous.

She just doesn’t know it yet.

She chose to stay out of the Defense Department. As much as she was a prodigy, she wanted a quieter life, something simple. Her research was a secret, she needed something that wasn’t stressful. She worked at a watch tower for the Department of Transportation. It was easier, quieter, the hours weren’t terrible, and the Computer gave high rankings for contribution to society.

Until she could figure out how she was going to get her project functioning, she was going to stay here.

Her best friend worked beside her as well. They were closer than that, more than just friends. Though, Celeste would say she was in love. Her best friend knew, but never turned her down.

Celeste puts her heart into everything.

She gives herself to everything.

So her best friend didn’t know what to do. Committing to Celeste was a big deal.

“I’ll be right back.” Celeste had gotten up from her chair as she set down her ear piece.

She was tall, she was six inches taller than her friend who stood at five feet four inches. Her silver hair was long, reaching down her back, her roots black instead. Celeste moved to tie her hair up and picked up her jacket from behind her chair.

The girl with the fiery red hair turned around quickly when Celeste said she was leaving. “Where are you going?” It was abrupt, she didn’t want Celeste to go anywhere. It was a quiet day and they didn’t have that many flights to watch for the next hour.

Why leave when they could stay together?

“I have to fix Dri’s arm. It’s been like... glitching or something.” Celeste said and scrunched up her nose, her maroon eyes looking around.

“Oh...” Zinnia looked down. “Are you coming back?” she asked.

“Why? Need something?” Celeste smiled slyly.

Zinnia immediately knew what that look meant and she began to blush a little as she scoffed at the comment. Her dark eyes had moved away again, because she might’ve had dirty thoughts running through her mind, though she knew the time and the place.

It was a quiet day.

“If I don’t make it in time for shift change, I can meet you back at your place.” Celeste suggested. “It’d be easier to take my time anyway.”

"Yeah, like I'm going to let you get the chance." Zinnia turned away again. "If you're coming over, bring food."

"If you're already there-"

"Celeste!" Zinnia was hoping she wouldn't say a smart comment.

There were others around.

She shushed Celeste but Celeste smiled at her. Celeste could only imagine what would happen later on this evening.

"I'll see you later." Celeste whispered to her before turning away to leave.

There were a few things she had to take care of today, one of them being the repair to a glitched arm.

Sometimes she did work with the prosthetics. She took on projects to upgrade the systems and functions now and again. But there was one person she was a personal engineer for. That wouldn’t change for a while now.

She walked quietly down the street with the others, seeing the drones wheel by and fly by. People were loud around her on their phones, doing their jobs, keeping up with life. That’s how the city was. She loved it, she never wanted to move somewhere quiet, but the work she does, what she involved herself in, that's what she wanted to be quiet.

She wanted to be stress free and she chose wisely. Her job was easy. She was meant for more but she didn't want it.

She thought about how far she might get on her research today. She thought about who she might try it on because she needed someone.

Then she thought about work.

There was a lot that ran through her mind as she walked, but she forgot that she left to meet up with someone to do an upgrade on their prosthetic arm.

The sun was beginning to set, the astral projections lighting up the sky. When it rained, there would be a clear dome protecting the city, depending on if the Department of Environmental Services felt like putting it up. Celeste looked around quietly before finding the person she was looking for. He was standing close by the Capitol building when he saw her.

He was in army uniform, a gold badge at his chest, his ID number on it. He wasn’t armed with weapons today. He was worn out, like it was all just training.

She went over to him.

She had this look in her eyes like she was walking to her other half. Anyone would be able to tell. The way she looked at him was the same way she looked at Zinnia. If there was one thing about Celeste that anyone knew its that she never hides her emotions.

She walked over to him and smiled. “What’s it saying?” she asked him. They walked inside together.

He had a prosthetic arm, but it’s been years. Ever since he met Celeste, she was the only person he would let work on his prosthetic. In fact, she was the one that made him a new one from scratch. No one had an arm like his.

It was silver. He purposely wanted people to know that it wasn’t real. He knew others wanted one that felt just like a real hand, but he was lucky to get a prodigy engineer, he might as well use that. The arm had many functions that civilian people didn’t get on their devices. He could handle more, have more strength, more capabilities. It was more than just an arm to him even if it was a part of him.

He didn’t necessarily have to get it upgraded all the time, but he liked seeing Celeste around, so he didn’t mind it.

“It’s one of those routine upgrades.” He said to her as they found a quiet place to sit.

She moved her hair behind her ears and pulled her tablet out to see the system. She would avoid his eyes in the beginning and blush because she was slightly nervous. But in a few minutes she would be back to herself.

“You know you can override it.” She said, lifting his arm up to see if he did anything to the light metal yet. “I gave you that function for a reason.”

“I wanted to see you.” He said to her.

He was always direct. He said what was on his mind, he told her how he felt, and he made it clear that she was what he wanted. Celeste was just as forward as he was, maybe even more so. She said what was on her mind too, and she never held back, even with someone she liked.

She looked at him, right at him, and he didn’t look away. She noticed his dark eyes, the ones that looked black until bright lights would show they were a dark hazel. His dark skin would glow under the light too. He would smile and she would swoon. She loved his face, his eyes, his lips, his jawline, everything. If she wasn’t careful, she would put her hands on him, on his face, in his thick hair.

She had self-restraint.

“I have a girlfriend.” She looked down at her tablet again and started the upgrade. "Well..." she kept her eyes away. "She says she still wants to keep things casual but I..." she knew what she wanted, but she didn't know how to say it so she didn't sound selfish.

She's been with Zinnia for a while now, and what Celeste wanted and what Zinnia wanted were two different things. Celeste wasn't a casual kind of person. That's not how things worked for her.

Dri knew this. He knew what he was getting himself into.

Celeste looked at him and smiled. “She's bringing more of her things to my place, and I kiss her everyday.” She said, trying to make a point that it wasn't so casual anymore.

"That's definitely a sight to see." Dri teased her and she hit his other arm.

"I'm not going to bore you with details, Dri. You probably don't care about what I do to Zinnia." She could tease him back.

"What about what she does to you?-"

"Dri."

"You started it." He laughed with her.

He was interested to hear nonetheless. He leaned his head on to his other hand and looked at Celeste dreamily. He could watch her talk all day. They’ve been acting this way together for months, and he wanted her to say yes. He’s kissed her a few times, and she kissed him back, but she insisted that she had a girlfriend.

And as open as she was to a polygamous relationship, she never brought up the idea to either of them.

The way she talked about Zinnia was the way she would talk about Dri to anyone that asked her. Dri knew what he was dealing with, well who.

And he wouldn't stop chasing Celeste even if another woman had her.

“Dri...” Celeste couldn’t stop smiling. She looked down, almost shyly as she tried to focus.

He just watched her, his full lips curving into a smile. The way he looked at her, he didn’t look at anyone else the way he did with her.

He liked her maroon eyes. They were sweet. She had long dark eye lashes that she could hide behind when she was being shy. And when she talked about something she was passionate about, her eyes would shine bright. And he liked how her hair would change shade with the season. It was winter so the days weren’t long, the sun wasn’t out as much either, her hair was pure silver, her roots black.

He liked how smart she was, how pretty she was, how daring she was.

“How’s your research?” He asked, just to see her eyes shine.

That was the subject that really got her going. She’s told him a few things, but she thought he was beneficial to her project.

“I need someone to try it on.” She said and leaned closer to him. “Be my test subject?” She asked quietly.

They’ve discussed this before.

“You can do whatever you want to me.” He continued to smile at her.

Dri couldn’t wait to make an official move, but for now he would wait. He put everything out there, and he was waiting for what Celeste might do.

Plus he was curious about the research, too. He liked the idea just as much as she did, but he knew what he would be risking if he got involved with the idea. He would love to help, but maybe he shouldn’t.

“I’m still trying to figure out why it’s so important.” Celeste said. “All Hariette told me was that she wanted it finished.” She said.

“You ask her?”

“She won’t show me anything else except the blue prints.” Celeste sighed miserably. She had this idea that something happened. “I think something went wrong. They were so close to figuring it out, and all of a sudden they stop? I don’t think it’s that simple.”

She wanted to know, but she couldn’t ask. Hariette wouldn’t tell her everything. There had to be records somewhere.

“I would hack the system and find out myself, but...” she stopped herself from going on a tangent about her dad being able to track everything she does.

And it’s not her fault.

He did rewrite the system.

"And I guess I want to know more about..." Celeste stopped and put her hands down. "Did your parents tell you about what it was like?" she wanted to know.

"You mean in space?" Dri asked her. She nodded. "Yeah, they said it was...just the same, you know." he shrugged. "Then I talk to some of the other sector leaders for the main forces and they said it was hell, so I don't know." he didn't have much of an opinion.

Celeste took a breath. She didn't want to show her frustration so she continued working on Dri's arm. He could sense her unrest. Did she want to know a few things and get a few answers?

He could help with that.

“We can go on a little adventure together if you want to." He suggested. "What’s a small tour going to do?” Dri wanted to help. Celeste has been going on about the confusion and concern for a while now.

What better way than for her to actually hack the system?

“My arm still upgrading?” He asked her since she stopped moving. She was thinking about what she should do, and it seemed like a good idea to find out what’s going on.

“You’re the one who asked for the upgrade.” Celeste said.

“Come find me tomorrow. I’ll show you around.” he figured that she hasn’t been in the Capitol building before. “Or...we could...”

“Could what?” Celeste was interested to hear what Dri was thinking. She already knew that it had nothing to do with her project or going to find answers to her question. “Are you ready to take me, or are you still trying to be a gentleman?” she asked quietly, leaning closer.

“I could never touch you without taking you out to dinner first.” he smiled at her, his dark eyes watching her closely.

“If you don’t want me, Zinnia will entertain me.” she flirted with him.

She definitely put a rather provocative image in his head. It was something to think about for sure. Dri knew that he could only have half of Celeste’s heart. The other belonged to another woman. But still, he believed her heart was big enough for two.

“You might want to warn her. It won’t be long before I take you from her.”

If only Celeste could have them both. Her dream would come true. Her heart ached to be with them. She couldn’t have all of Zinnia, and Dri was waiting for the right moment. She wanted someone to just get to her already. How much longer will she have to wait?

The hologram over the arm began flashing pink. The upgrade already finished. Celeste looked away and moved her hand to tighten a few parts and made sure the system was still running. Dri flexed the metal fingers easily, then he lifted his arm, and pulled his elbow in. The arm was working.

Her name was carved in tiny letters on the index finger. No one would be able to see it unless they looked close. A part of Dri belonged to her.

He lifted his hand and took hers. It was warm, like a real hand would be. It didn’t feel like metal. It felt like his own hand. She let her fingers intertwine with his lightly as he came closer to kiss her cheek.

She closed her eyes.

She really did like him. And when he did things like this, she liked him even more.

"I'll come find you tomorrow." She said quietly.

They could go on a little adventure together. Who knows, maybe Celeste might even find something.

Celeste promised that she would see Zinnia at the end of the day. They practically live together, but Celeste would get so wrapped up in her research that she would disappear for some time. She couldn't help it.

She got it running at ninety-three percent. That's just by the Computer's standards. She doesn't know what it's going to do in a human body.

"Why won't you let me use your body?" Celeste asked Zinnia, the question having two meanings to it. Zinnia was only going to address one part of the question.

Celeste needed a test subject.

Unfortunately for her, it wasn't going to be Zinnia.

Zinnia stopped moving around her apartment for a second, a few items in her hands just before she could put them in a small box. "Like hell am I going to let you put something in me."

She chose her words wisely though. She looked back at Celeste and watched her expression. Celeste could address the second meaning behind her comment. Her lip twitched as she thought about pulling Zinnia down on her lap. They could definitely spend the night doing something fun.

"We're going to have that conversation in a minute." Celeste put the thought on hold. "But I need a test subject. And I wouldn't do the surgery, I know a guy."

"That can't be good." Zinnia didn't trust the idea.

"Clover is really sweet. And he's the son of the Head for Health and Medicine." Celeste said. That should make everything less risky.

She wouldn't put her test subject in the hands of just any surgeon.

"I don't want you putting anything inside me." Zinnia said again, but she was referring to the implant this time. She didn't think it was a good idea.

It didn't even function at one hundred percent yet.

Celeste took her hand and pulled her down on to the couch with her. There were definitely a couple things she wanted to put inside Zinnia. Now they were going to talk about it.

"You have to be tired of me just pressing my face into you." Celeste was sure Zinnia wanted more, but Zinnia didn't have that expression on her face.

"Trust me, I'm definitely not tired of that yet." She could take Celeste having fun with her for much longer. "And I let you change things up once in a while." She thought about it.

"I don't want you to get bored of me."

"With the way you made my legs shake yesterday, I'm not going to get bored." Zinnia was blushing but she was seconds away from asking if Celeste would do what she did again.

She could never be bored.

Celeste puts her heart into everything, even into pleasing her girlfriend.

"I thought Dri agreed to be your test subject." Zinnia said as she got up, removing the clips on her pants.

"I feel like I'm using him." Celeste admitted. "I think he's only doing it because he likes me." She didn't want to make it seem like she only wanted him for her trial phase of her experiment.

"I'd be doing it for the same reason." Zinnia said. "As cool as it sounds to be able to see my memories and replay them, that's just the government's fastest way to get information we shouldn't be giving them." She explained and she wanted to hold true to that.

"I mean...let's say it does get implemented for society, I'm sure there would be laws against that." Celeste didn't blindly believe in the system but she thought it did more good than not.

"And what if some other country uses it? That's just a means for war." Zinnia didn't seem that concerned, especially while she undressed in front of Celeste.

And Celeste found it difficult to stay focused.

"I forgot you're into conspiracies-"

"No, I just pay attention." Zinnia pulled up her shirt over her head and put it on the couch. "Like how there's tension with Europe right now and it's so bad that we could go to war at any moment."

Celeste was staring at Zinnia. All her words went through one ear and out the other because Celeste was staring. It was easy for her to get distracted, but she liked seeing Zinnia's body in front of her.

She slowly set herself on Celeste's lap, her arms moving around Celeste's neck. She was completely undressed, the only thing she wore was her underwear which could easily be removed.

"Didn't you say you wanted to put something in me?" Zinnia asked her since Celeste seemed to lose focus immediately while staring at her.

She didn't know what the conversation was about at this point.

"Mm." Celeste was trying to think. "If you're talking about the implant, we can discuss that later." Clearly her focus was elsewhere. She immediately had a few ideas in mind, and she was definitely going to make them happen.

When Celeste couldn't sleep, she would put all of her energy into her research. She had made a device that was just about fully functional, but she waited because she thought something was wrong. She had changed the blueprint many times but she didn't feel like it would work correctly.

She didn't know why there were only blue prints. She felt like there was a lot of information missing, like Hariette was hiding something from her, and she wasn't wrong.

Celeste sat alone in her place, the lights off, the only beam of blue glint coming from the small images of her blue print.

"Theoretically, it works." she said quietly to herself.

She told herself she wouldn't try anything else until she got it running to at least ninety-five percent. Anything less and she felt like it wasn't good enough.

She stared at the old blue print, the one that was before hers.

There were three signatures on it.

She only stared at one of them.

She's spent most of her life with her parents but now that she was older, she felt like she barely knew them. This was the only blue print that she had that belonged to Aurora, and she knew he did more things than this.

He won't share them.

Celeste always had to find out things from other people. Like how her aunt told her that Aurora was too smart for his own good, that he loved making things, and came up with wild ideas.

Celeste remembered when she told Aurora she wanted to be an engineer. She was nine. She loved science and hoped that one day it would be part of her occupation. She remembered the look in Aurora's eyes, that kind of sadness that a child doesn't recognize until they're older.

He didn't tell her not to, but now Celeste felt like he hoped she wouldn't have done it.

She took a breath quietly and turned everything off. She was working herself up and she could feel it, the way her heart would race in her chest and she felt like something terrible was about to happen. She was good at controlling her anxiety. She knew when it was time to separate herself from her stressors.

She had to sleep.

She planned to get answers in the morning.