The living warmth of steel

The sprawling metropolis glowed with neon lights, even in the early morning hours. The world of the future was deeply intertwined with technology: cyborgs, bionic prosthetics, artificial organs—all of it had become commonplace. Amid towering buildings with transparent facades and flying vehicles, people still hurried about their business, as if nothing had changed over the past centuries. Christian walked along the pavement toward the aerolift station to reach his laboratory. The young scientist always felt inspired during his morning strolls, noticing the smallest details of the city and incorporating them into his projects. Today, he faced a challenging task: developing a new type of bio-tissue for prosthetics. But his usual route was interrupted by an unexpected sight—a man in tattered clothing, partially replaced with bionic prosthetics, stood in the middle of the pavement. His face was contorted in pain, he was gasping for breath, and his left arm twitched uncontrollably. Christian froze in place, then rushed toward him. "Can you hear me?" he shouted, trying to rise above the noise of the street. The man nodded, but no words escaped his lips. Without hesitation, Christian made a decision. He slipped an arm under the stranger's shoulders, feeling the cold metal instead of skin, and dragged him toward the nearest aero-taxi. "To the lab, quickly," he ordered the driver. And so began the story of Christian and Lucas.