The City Of Steel

Abbott (5)

Valentine and I ran to the transport. He's squeezing my hand tightly.

"This is amazing! Can you even imagine all of the wonders that could come out of this new technology? You, you truly are breathtaking, Y/N."

I checked back for Collum as the transport started up.

"Yeah, yeah."

Collum's parting words linger. "The only person I want to impress is you." It feels so intimate. Does he have a deeper meaning, or is that just something I'm hoping for?

"Y/N? Are you with me?" Valentine waved his hand in front of my eyes.

"Oh, yeah. New technology. Amazing wonders. I'm great. Yatta-yatta. Right?"

"More or less, I suppose," he muttered. "I really do mean it, though. You are amazing. I couldn't have figured this out, and I have a huge company that I'm raising! This is something only a genius could have figured out."

Valentine grabbed my hand tenderly and pressed it against his chest. He kneeled down beside me. Is he proposing? I barely know him!

The doors of the transport began to open as the words fell from his mouth. "Y/N, would you make me the happiest man alive, and join my compan-"

"No."

"No? Why not? Valentine Corp. is amazing! Why wouldn't you join?"

"I don't know, you're sorta, well," I heard a person scream as they fell from the gears. Judging by the gleam that passed by, they were wearing safety gear. They must have been a worker.

Key word: been. They're likely dead.

"Your company is unethical. How's that?"

"Unethical?" He stood up straight and stepped back.

"That guy just fell to his death! He was probably a worker of yours."

"You see that all the time, yet still go around with a grappling hook? What if one of them hits you?"

"Transports make me sick, ok? And I always check before you leap."

"Not when we first met," he promptly stated. He has a point there.

"Well, maybe not, but it's still-"

"Shush. Let's just head in."

He put his hand on my lower back and led me into the bright neon room. Computer screens coated nearly every wall and desk. The room was crowded. A few researchers rushed past.

"Who's this, Vector?" A snarky voice giggled from behind a screen.

The woman turned around to face us. Her dark skin is coated in freckles. Her vibrant pink hair sits in a high, short ponytail on her head. She's wearing tools like it's fashion, and is pulling it off well.

"Abbott, this is Y/N. Y/N is a great engineer. Just wait until you see these blueprints!"

He rushed over to her to hand her the papers. Abbott flipped through, scanning the sheets.

"I see. I never thought to use an inductor like that. And, this, this doesn't take much voltage, and since the current is low that makes it safer for common use. How does this run with such low power? Over here, though, that metal should change to wood to make it cheaper."

"So, Abbott? Can we get a business partner?"

Abbott lowered the paper and stared at me. "Business partner? Like, joining the company?"

"No, like, we make colab products with their company!"

"It's more like a shop," I protested.

"You didn't have anyone help you on this?" Abbott squinted her eyes as she stepped closer to me.