Disobedience

Chapter 21: Recognition

Time passed posthaste, the low hanging sun peaking into high noon as the three women discussed how best to approach the design for Asami's weapon. Opal tried her best to stay focused, her temples still falling victim to the dull throb from last night's antics as she pushed her brain to continue, spouting out little suggestions here and there until she felt her input was enough to earn her a nice nap on the plush couch. She only hoped the three Advil she guzzled before this brain crunching work would kick in after some rest. Kya allowed Asami freedom to tinker with their final concept, eager to see what the young prodigy could create with their combined efforts. She relished the intense concentration the young woman had, occasionally glancing curiously to watch Asami completely immerse herself into what she was most passionate about.

Asami felt...unshakable. A pulsating thrill in her chest she wanted to latch onto for dear life, not wanting that fleeting high to dissipate like it did when the world crumbled beneath her feet and her existence was under His thumb. She was completely in her element, her pencil a whirlwind across her grid paper, the occasional eraser swipe perfecting her schematic until she felt her masterpiece was worthy of someone else's gaze. She set her pencil down, cracking her aching joints as she held up her drawing to analyze every minute detail she prided herself on until she let out a long-winded sigh of relief.

Kya remained reserved as Asami let her mind free itself of its boundless ideas, sitting on the couch stroking Opal's loose locks as she dozed, watching the light flurries of snow swirl in the wind through the windowpanes. She sipped her tea with her idle side perched on the couch arm patiently waiting to see what the young genius accomplished in the hours they spent brainstorming for Asami to put their thoughts to paper. She looked over to her once she heard Asami ruffle her papers, a noticeable glint of pride in her vibrant green eyes as she felt a small smile curl her lips at the sight.

"Am I allowed to look now?" Kya teased as she cocked her head to the side and shot Asami a warm smile. "Oh! Yeah..." Asami chuckled nervously, "Sorry for being so anti-social, I get kind of sucked into my work when I'm in the zone." Kya just chuckled as she carefully adjusted to place a kiss on Opal's snoozing head and walk over to the desk to look over Asami's shoulder at the finished schematic, her hair falling over her shoulder as she propped her arm against the desk. "It's no problem sweetheart, let's take a look." She reassured, taking the paper in her hands to study the intricacies of the design.

"So, what will we need to breath some life into this work of art?" Kya asked, impressed with how detailed Asami's design had been, small formulas and dimensions scattered across the overworked paper. Looking past the sheet, she noticed Asami's furrowed brow as she chewed her lower lip intently, her mind stirring as she thought up a list of equipment they would need to make a prototype that wouldn't blow them up after the first trial run. "Well, we're definitely going to need a sophisticated lab. Making the vessel won't be the problem, making sure we can contain the volatility of the chemical components is a whole other issue." Asami winced, forgetting that her dream of harnessing and focusing the raw energy of her formula was just that, a dream.

"I think I have a solution to that problem. Take a look at this." Kya leaned over to the side of the desk where her briefcase sat, rifling through the stacks of documents until she found what she was looking for. She pulled the thick binder out, laying it out onto the desk as Asami looked at the blank cover quizzically. "What's this?" Asami asked, opening the binder as she casually flipped through the pages. "This was a formerly classified Department of Energy lab list. We used to have labs running all over the country but after a few bumps in the road funding wise...our DOE budget was sacrificed, and we had to shut down several locations." Asami raised her brow at the change in tone. "It's hard fighting big oil money when they line politician's pockets." Kya muttered with a salty tenor, remembering all those ridiculous congressional meetings she wasted her breath on with greedy lobbyists pulling strings.