“Stella is everything. She’d pass to be licensed but she doesn’t want to. She said I’m marking the bands where the line on your leg is if they respond right.”
I nod and walk onto the new station floor. It’s the same as the other one but has grinders in different sizes on the wall, an acetylene tank and the normal welder gear, a vise on the table and Craftsman toolboxes that I bet are full, lined up behind the table. I guess she is everything. I smile seeing two feet and the blue bands already attached. I’ll have a spare.
“She said they’re the same but completely waterproof. They’ll work the same as the one you had. I don’t know why that was said.”
I nod taking the foot out of his hand. “The attachments work different. The brace for the shower doesn’t need all muscle movement, it’s just to hold me up.”
He nods with a smile as he looks at the other foot. “What are the other attachments?”
“Spring that’s not the regulation thing I got; it’s for running but I can run in the robotic. It’s lighter but looks weird. The flipper so I can swim. It started as therapy but I enjoy it. This web is new. I’m glad I got two.” I point to the arm and hand on the side of the table that’s a web like my new feet but it’s silver. My shin and foot are black powder coated and brushed silver. “That’s flashy for me.”
He looks and smiles. “She’s unbelievable with this. A Mass MC Brother has like yours. He said they’re his favorite.”
“Both legs?” I ask.
“Yeah, above the knee but he got his from Mitch Baxter years ago. Her labs still make them for him. There’s a Brother at Colorado MC that goes up to Mass once a year on a circuit rotation. He said the chaos up there is best lived one week a year.”
I laugh and stop my jump shot movements. “I heard similar. I’ve never been but I was in Virginia for a year and spent furloughs there while I was in.”
He nods watching me work my foot in circles from the ankle. “Sawbones told me about you when you showed at Bravo. I worked his medic room for a day.”
I stand and walk in a box step. Badass is so good at covering their Brothers. “Thanks for doing that.” I switch to side to side and nod. “This one is working the same.”
I sit and he marks the band. I test the black one and he marks it. “I’ll find a…she has the box. It’s got your name on it.” He pulls a painted Badass box from the side of the last Craftsman tool box and puts it on the table.
“The shower brace will fit. I bet the other attachments will too.” I look in and smile. Four rubber covered clamp holders are on the back wall, two on the sides and a square shaped rubber coated drawer pull to hold the spring on top. The bottom is empty so it can stand up in the closet. They think of everything if they think of one thing. I see the retracted cord reel and shake my head. I can just plug the box in. I bet the open space will be for the one Mucimi is fixing. “The last box was military, like the K9 gear box. I like this one. It will hold them all without them getting wrecked when I’m moving around.”
“Aww hell. Congrats Brother. I should have said that first. I met Sophie at the Club. She’s good people. Clay said sheworks the labs and knows a shit-ton about power.”
I nod. “Thanks, she is that.” I don’t mention anything about the power they’re working on. It’s a Badassclassifiedand I don’t know enough about any of it to avoid landmines so I don’t say more.
Bean doesn’t seem to care. “Tie up your boot, Brother. Stella is gonna wanna see you move around with the new.”
I do and stand as she comes back in with LP, Prometheus and Peggy.
“Do you like the design?” The woman is focused on my foot.
“Yeah, I like it. I have enough to last. When I need a new one, I want this. It’s light, I didn’t need to adjust for it. The bounce feels like normal.”
“Good, we added to the band but it was just to make it more sensitive. Josephine’s exoskeleton uses the chip but I did these fast. I have a few more to build but I’m going to try the chip for prosthetics. We got the jammers on the tracking chip. I’m going for the chip for the prosthetic.”
I nod as if I get that.
LP steps up. “You label single strand to code?”
He’s talking to her so I put the brace in the gear box. Closing the lid, I swipe my hand across my name in the fiery Badass font. “If they do one thing…”
“They do it all. Someone from Princes said that,” Bean says just as low as me talking to myself.
I forgot he was here. “I don’t think they know how to be just good enough.”
“Lead, teach and enforce lessons don’t allow for good enough. They’re geared asall-infor every situation. Everything we teach is the same theme. We learn all we can about whatever, keep our hand out to help but remember the lessons so we aren’t fucking people, our communities, or the world up. Every bitof that is with forward momentum, loyalty, honor and respect. Falcon named his towns right.” Jordan surprises me. He sees and hears everything but the teacher in him isn’t anything I’ve seen before. “This came out nice, Brother. There’s a plug for usb if you need a charge at work or whatever. Alder has some small tech solar chargers on the BI website if you’re a hiker or camper.”
I shake my head. “They last for a full day, then some. I tested the robotic, the brace and the spring. With two bands I should be good.”
“Boss Mucimi bring old back later, keep band to spare. I use shin, foot only add knee to Brother at MC. He like same to skin prosthetic.”
I nod for Alder. “Thanks. Three seems excessive and I like the web.”
