SL Huang - Up and Coming - Stories by the 2016 Campbell-Eligible Authors

The large man backed up. Surprise widened his eyes as Virgil stepped closer, towering over him. The external fastenings and implanted tack access of the average Tek was unimpressive when compared to the strands of iron-fiber laced throughout Virgil’s 9ine Series flesh. And Virgil was the epitome of a 9ine. He had always been big, and his body took to the DNA recoding and alien Mezna biological compounds naturally. His implants healed quickly and his eyes shone the brightest blue of any of the Teks. Right now, they shone through the narrow eyes of a very pissed-off man.

Teks weren’t allowed to marry and weren’t supposed to pair off for more than the occasional release of sexual needs, but Avi had been there for him during the darkest times in his life, and he loved her more than he could imagine any species on any planet capable. All their hiding to keep from being discovered out of fear that one of them would be transferred out of Greenland meant nothing to him right now. Panic at knowing something had gone wrong in the tunnels and knowing she was here made him forget all the politics and rules. He had to know she was safe.

The guard squared his shoulders. “Only Med-teks and Upper 5ives are permitted inside the 5ive Infirmary.”

Virgil sneered and stepped closer still, the artificial light of the domed hall highlighting the patches of natural skin shining through the metal weave intertwined with his flesh. “I don’t think you understand. I’m going in there to see Avi and there isn’t much you can do about it.”

“Don’t threaten him.” Avi’s weak voice came from further inside the infirmary.

Virgil charged toward her voice and the Med-tek danced out of his way, disappearing down the hall.

When Virgil saw her laid out on the infirmary bed, needles in her arms and wearing a white tunic instead of the black the 5ive Series usually wore, his panic doubled. “I heard you passed out.”

“During our training.” She sighed and laid her head back on the pillow, black hair sticking out in a frizzy mess.

“Did your carbon lung not filter the air correctly?” He stood a foot away from her bed. Now that he could see her for himself, he remembered what was at risk if anyone knew what they meant to each other. He wanted to reach out and run a finger down the black access bar that bisected every Tek’s chest. Worry seeped into his pores as he scanned her system.

He’d tacked into the 3Spek information grid to pull up her medfile. The data scanned through his mind as he directed the search, finally pulling up her file and reading over it. He could skim the local drives without accessing the dataweave. Something they’d both sworn to never do. Not after Nelson.

“The Med-teks can’t find anything wrong.” She smiled and reached out a hand. “Stop searching the files, I can tell what you’re doing even if you aren’t accessing the data threads. Aren’t you going to come give me a physical? Maybe some mouth-to-mouth?”

Virgil frowned. “You aren’t funny.” He glanced around to see if anyone may have heard.

“You mean to tell me you berated that poor Med-tek into letting you in and now you aren’t even going to say hello properly?”

Virgil’s resolve crumbled. She’d charmed him, like he was the Serpent and she the beguiling Wasp. He came closer and sat on the very edge of the bed. When she reached for him, he scooped her up in his arms and held her as tight as he dared against his chest. Touching her, he could finally breathe again.

“When I heard you were here, I panicked. Mother Goddess, Avi, I was so scared.”

“I’m fine,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his impenetrable flesh.

Despite having metal woven into his skin, Avi’s kisses felt like the softest breath of spring air. Virgil lowered his head into her hair and took a deep breath before releasing her.

“So there’s nothing wrong with you?” Virgil placed a thick hand, engineered to hold heavy tools, on her stomach. The feather-shaped burn branded across the back reminded him of everything they had been through.

“Nothing. They don’t know what happened. It was awful, though.”

“Tell me.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know, but none of the drills we did, none of the training in the basement tunnels, is anything like being down there. I don’t know if it’s the CO2 levels or not, but the earth, it smells. It’s damp and everything you touch flakes away, leaving a residue of grime against your skin. Dirt and grime. They’d always told us, so I knew what it would be like. I’d even touched organic dirt in the labs, but being down there, surrounded by nothing but roots and stone, it’s disgusting.”

Avi’s heart sped up and her breath quickened.

Virgil watched helplessly as her eyes darted around the room, dilated and fearful.

“Avi, I’m right here. You’re okay.”

“It’s so awful,” she cried.

“Shhhh.” He pulled her back to his chest, this time not caring who saw. “I’ve got you. I’m right here.”

The cafeteria swam with young bodies, all eager to partake in the holy festivities on the Feast of the Living Mother, to celebrate the ancient arrival of the Mezna on Earth. All the Series 2wos, 6ixes, and even the secluded 9ines, intermingled.

Twelve-year-old Virgil watched as the children in his series tried to make friends with the others. Usually the 9ines ate in the dorms, not even trying to socialize with the other Tek children. Virgil hated being separated from the others, but had always been too shy to try and approach any of the other Series’ kids.

Virgil watched as his precocious bunkmate approached a short-haired 6ix, the skin around her ocular implant puckered and pink. “Hi, I’m Nelson.”

Her one biological eye widened as she looked up, taking in Nelson’s size. She stepped back, panic on her face. Virgil could hear her breathing speed up, her pulse quicken, and her diaphragm contract. She was going to scream.

Virgil stepped forward, hands up to calm her, but before he got there, another girl stepped up. “Hi, I’m Avendui, but you can call me Avi. You’re a 9ine, right?”

Nelson’s face lit up as he held out his metal-laced hand shining in the light of the temple. “Yes. What gave it away?”

“Don’t talk to him,” the first girl whispered as Avi laughed. The girl’s gaze swept to Virgil. “Sweet Mother! You’re even bigger!”

Avi slapped her friend on the arm. “Don’t be so rude, Florence!”

“They’re freaks,” she said, turning her back and walking away in a huff.

Nelson’s face fell.

Virgil liked Nelson. He was always the first to offer to help the younger 9ines when they moved into the bunkroom with the older kids and never minded taking the time to talk to someone. Virgil didn’t have any siblings, none of the Teks did. They had all been abandoned and taken in by the temple. But if he could pick one person to be his brother, it would be Nelson. It broke his heart to see anyone to be so cruel to him.

“You aren’t a freak,” Virgil said, placing an adult-sized hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Of course you aren’t,” Avi said, her hands balled up in fists. Anger permeated her words as she whispered something Virgil himself had always thought but had never been brave enough to say. “It’s bad enough the people in the city treat us like slaves. We shouldn’t turn on each other.”

“Be careful, if the priests hear you, you’ll get recogged.” Virgil reached up and ran a finger along the black veins running under the skin of his skull. His short blond hair did nothing to hide his biomechanical enhancement.

“I’m Nelson, this is Virgil.” Nelson reached out a meaty hand to Avi and she took it, her own small hand disappearing inside his grip. Instead of recoiling or being repulsed, she laid her other hand on top of his and smiled.