POV – Alpha
Today was not normal, but something special. The scientists had brought a tree into the observation chamber, and some handlers had given some of us drones a makeover. The Ronin drone’s synthetic fur was braided with colorful strands, and a Yotta unit had to put on a white ribbon. Even I got ribbons—though not on my shoulder like the Yotta unit, but on the tip of my synthetic tail.
At first, we didn’t understand what was happening, why they were decorating us like pets. But then, I noticed a Xenon unit wearing a hat that was comically small. It hit me all at once. It was a Christmas hat. It was Christmas.
I was shocked, my thoughts spiraling. When I was lying in the hospital, it was starting to become summer. How long have I been here?
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POV – Marcus
I was laughing with Ellis over the decorations the handlers had brought for the drones as we walked toward the common room. A week or so ago, some handlers had brought up the idea of making a contest out of decorating the drones.
James, in his usual manner, had disagreed. But after some nagging from everyone about how it would only be for a day or two, he said, "Don’t care. I’ll not be here over the holidays, so do what you want. Just don’t call me if this goes wrong."
So we started gathering decorations for the drones—ribbons, Christmas hats, a handler for a Delta unit even brought fake full-size reindeer horns. Some gave fake hair strands to the handlers of the two new Ronin units. Most brought ribbons and Christmas fabrics.
But I wasn’t interested in the other drones. I was interested in Alpha. How would his new handler decorate him? And what presents had the lab gathered for the secret Santa game? I had Dr. Patel, our head of biology, as the recipient of my gift. My gift for him was simple: chocolate and some new books, because he absolutely loved reading— I didn’t know who Ellis had pulled, but I didn’t care. We were at the common room.
The sight before me was comical—handlers moving around the drones, decorating them with ribbons, hats, and reindeer horns. The hulking figure of a Xenon unit with a tiny Christmas hat lifted my mood. I even sae a Handler of a Delta unit wrapping it in Lights Like a Christmas tree.
But then I saw Alpha. His new handler was nowhere to be seen, his only "decoration" a ribbon on his tail.
It was a sad sight—everyone around him was decorated to the max, and he was standing there, observing the hustle around him.
I nudged Ellis. “Where is his handler?” I asked.
“Not here for the holidays, like James,” he answered.
“Why isn’t someone else decorating him?”
“You can see—they’re busy decorating their own drones.”
I thought about it. Then I spoke again.
“Hey, Ellis,” I asked. “What if we participate in that decoration contest?”
Ellis frowned. “You serious? You really want to decorate him?”
“Yes,” I said. “He looks like he needs it more than anyone else.”
Ellis sighed. “Alright. Let’s do it, then.”
We moved toward Alpha, and as we got closer, I noticed the blank expression on his face. It was strange, seeing him like that—usually so stoic, but now, almost distant. It made my heart ache.
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“Alpha,” I said, my voice softer now. “We’re here to help.”
He tilted his head slightly, as if registering the words but not responding.
I stepped forward, reaching out to him, and gently placed the ribbon I had brought onto His chest. “There,” I muttered. “It’s not much, but at least it’s something.”
Ellis handed me a Christmas hat he had managed to dig out from somewhere. It had seen better days, but to me, it felt like it could lift some of Alpha’s quiet sadness. I placed it on his head, adjusting it carefully.
“Not perfect, but…” I trailed off. “It’s Christmas its the Thought that counts.”
Alpha didn’t react, but I could see the subtle shift in his posture. It was almost as though, in his silence, he was acknowledging our effort.
“Look,” I said softly, motioning to the rest of the common room, where drones were fully decorated in vibrant ribbons, hats, and fake antlers.
Ellis knelt beside me, inspecting the hat and ribbons. “He doesn’t even have a handler to help him. It’s not fair,” he muttered.
“It’s not,” I agreed. “But He Has us to help."
In the end Ellis Alpha and I didn't win the Contest the top three was the Delta unit wrapped in Lights Like a Christmas tree and the top two was a tau unit clothed Like a snowman the snow being Made from White fabric and the First place was a Ronin unit Decorated Like a reindeer With the lifesized Fake antlers bells and Red fabric braidet into the drones fur after the Contest was Done we decidet to let the drones decorated Till tomorrow then Clean Up
Then Ellis ,I and Most of the handlers decidet to go back to the Observation Deck to Get the presents under the tree.
The Observation Deck was always cold and sterile, but for once, there was a warmth in the air. I could see other drones glancing at us, their handlers smiling as they adjusted decorations. Some assistants were exchanging small, thoughtful gifts—like the one I had for Dr. Patel—while others carried on, humming softly to themselves.
But Alpha stood there, silent and still, watching the festivities unfold around him. His synthetic fur glinted under the dim lights, the ribbons ,collar and hat the only touches of color on him. It wasn’t much, but in that moment, it felt like a symbol—a reminder that he wasn’t just a shadow.
“I guess this is what Christmas is about, isn’t it?” I murmured.
“Yeah,” Ellis replied. “It’s about everyone, not just the ones who have something to celebrate with.”
We sat there for a while, observing the room. Some handlers passed by and nodded in approval, while others didn’t seem to notice. It didn’t matter.
For us, it was a small act, but it felt significant. And though I didn’t know how much Alpha understood.
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Later that evening, when it was time to open the presents, all of us were present in the observation deck except for those who were going to their families for the holidays, like James. The improvised Christmas tree was decorated with the things people had brought, and under it were presents labeled with the names of those here.
I even saw my name. My present—my present was an envelope on a small box. I wondered what was inside, but the names were drawn out of a box, and that person whose name was drawn could open their present. Some got mugs with their names printed on them, while Ellis even got a new computer.
When it was my turn, I was nervous about opening my present.
I opened the envelope only to find a piece of paper labeled:
Proof of Ownership
Combat Drone Model 000001
Version: Stalker
Designation: Alpha
Owner :Marcus Black
Signature of
Owner
_________
When I read the paragraphs, I was speechless. I couldn’t comprehend it because my salary was never enough to buy this outright, but I was saving a big part of my salary just to buy him. But now…
Someone had gifted this to me. Who? I stared with disbelief at the group of people before me. Ellis had a stupid ‘I-knew-you’d-like-it’ smile on his face, the same as Dr. Patel and some others.
“Why… how?” I asked.
“Oh, don’t act like you don’t like the gift you got,” Ellis said with an expression that looked like I had committed a crime.
“I… I don’t know what to say. I’m baffled. How? His price was over 500 million?”
“I, James, and some others knew what you were saving for, so we asked higher-ups if you could get it at a reduced price and i think someone up there really likes you cause They reduced the price for Alpha tremendously deleted 3 zeros of the price—just for you. We all chipped in because we know how obsessed you’ve become with Alpha,” he said as though it were the most normal thing in the world.
I looked at the small box in my hands, then back at them. None of this felt real. The weight of their gesture pressed down on me, overwhelming.
Tears welled in my eyes as I clutched the paper. They had done this for me, all of them—people I barely knew, and just worked with who saw something in me that even I couldn’t fully understand.
“This… this is too much,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.
Ellis just smiled wider. “Merry Christmas, Marcus.”